SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 07/27/19 Anaheim Ducks Florida Panthers 1150161 Q&A: Patrick Eaves on yet another NHL table-tennis title, 1150191 The Florida Panthers are built to win now — and they team bonding and his secret weapon could look a lot different by 2022-23 Arizona Coyotes Montreal Canadiens 1150162 Coyotes announce theme nights at Gila River Arena for 1150192 Canadiens' Ben Chiarot grew up idolizing Paul Coffey and 2019-20 season Scott Stevens 1150163 Fox Sports Arizona could join Channels 3, 5 in being 1150193 Stu Cowan: Free-agent signing Ben Chiarot excited to join 'blacked out' on Dish Network, Sling TV Canadiens 1150164 Coyotes announce theme nights, promotions for 2019-20 1150194 What the Puck: If the Habs miss the playoffs again it's a season fireable offence 1150165 Coyotes agree to 2-year affiliation with ECHL’s Rapid City Rush New York Rangers 1150195 Rangers and Pavel Buchnevich reach two-year deal Boston Bruins 1150196 Forecasting point totals for Rangers, Devils and Islanders 1150166 Jacob Trouba's contract isn't a road map for Charlie 1150197 Rangers, forward Pavel Buchnevich agree on a new McAvoy's Bruins deal contract 1150167 The All-Beanpot team: The best of the four Boston schools 1150198 Rangers’ buyout window opens with Pavel Buchnevich to take the NHL ice signing, and now they have to get under the cap Buffalo Sabres NHL 1150168 Dominik Hasek may run for president of Czech Republic 1150199 The NHL — Seattle’s team included — strives for diversity 1150169 Mike Bales' objective: Make Sabres goalies 'best version growth to offset ‘white sport’ label of themselves' Ottawa Senators Calgary Flames 1150200 Projecting the Senators’ 2021-22 lineup, the first season of 1150170 Ticket tax for new arena would be a fraction of ‘Unparalleled Success’ Edmonton's fee — But why? 1150171 Dome sweet Dome: Architect of iconic Saddledome at Philadelphia Flyers peace with potential demolition 1150201 For better or worse: a look at the Flyers' goalie depth 1150172 Ken King speaks out on Flames arena deal 1150202 For better or worse: A look at the Flyers' defense Chicago Blackhawks Pittsburgh Penguins 1150173 5 takeaways from Day 1 of the Blackhawks Convention, 1150203 Penguins Prediction Rewind: Kris Letang piled up pluses including building chemistry and Kirby Dach’s chances of during bounce-back season 1150174 Robin Lehner believed he deserved a long-term deal — 1150204 Penguins pick up defense prospect John Marino in trade but the Islanders thought otherwise. Now, their loss is t with Edmonton 1150175 Andrew Shaw is back, and the Blackhawks couldn’t be 1150205 First Call: Phil Kessel’s ‘leadership’ role with Coyotes; happier to have him another team in on Felipe Vazquez 1150176 Crawford-Lehner gives Blackhawks elite goaltending duo, 1150206 A twist in the Pirates' television rights negotiations: the but Collin Delia isn’t discouraged possible sale of the network 1150177 New assistant coach Crawford adds experience to 1150207 Penguins acquire defensive prospect John Marino from Chicago Blackhawks staff Edmonton 1150178 Blackhawks will try to lighten Toews' load this season 1150179 'One of the great guys in the game': Andrew Shaw fills San Jose Sharks void Blackhawks have been lacking on and off the ice 1150208 NHL expansion draft: Projecting who Sharks will protect 1150180 After active offseason, core group confident Blackhawks from Seattle can get back to playoff contention 1150181 A conversation with John McDonough, Part I: ‘It’s been St Louis Blues humbling. You know it’s been humbling.’ 1150209 Blues trade Schmaltz for Maple Leafs' Borgman in swap of defensemen Colorado Avalanche 1150182 What history tells us to expect from Cale Makar Tampa Bay Lightning 1150210 Why Lightning fans don’t need to freak out about Brayden Dallas Stars Point 1150183 Stars’ offseason homework: How each player can improve this summer Toronto Maple Leafs 1150211 Frederik Andersen ready to meet ‘a lot of new faces’ after Detroit Red Wings Leafs’ off-season overhaul 1150184 Red Wings re-sign forward Turgeon for one year 1150212 Leafs’ Frederik Andersen understands off-season roster 1150185 Four Red Wings picks highlight Plymouth summer upheaval is about trying to improve showcase 1150186 Dominic Turgeon and Red Wings agree to new contract 1150187 Joe Veleno, Jonatan Berggren among Red Wings prospects at World Junior Showcase 1150188 What if the Red Wings had started rebuilding (or stopped ‘buying’) sooner? Edmonton Oilers 1150189 Oilers ease pressure on crowded defensive pipeline by trading John Marino to the Penguins 1150190 What the 2021-22 Oilers might look like after their steady build toward contender status Vancouver Canucks 1150216 Patrick Johnston: The Canucks built their arena all by themselves, so why can’t the Flames? 1150217 A dream come true for Canucks fans: Introducing Team British Columbia Vegas Golden Knights 1150213 Deryk Engelland’s role for Golden Knights could be increased this season, not reduced Washington Capitals 1150214 Capitals re-sign Chandler Stephenson to one-year, $1.05 million deal 1150215 20 Burning Capitals Questions: What does a revamped Caps' penalty kill look like? Websites 1150218 The Athletic / Helping us capture the spirit of the thing: The NHL All-Interview team 1150219 The Athletic / Tulloch: The NHL’s top 10 regression candidates for 2019-20 1150220 The Athletic / Team Bounce Back vs. Team Fade: Who wins a matchup of players poised to rebound or regress? 1150221 Sportsnet.ca / 21 fun things we learned at Smashfest VIII: Patrick Eaves can't lose 1150222 Sportsnet.ca / Garret Sparks reflects on 'emotionally taxing' Maple Leafs exit 1150223 Sportsnet.ca / Ben Chiarot says it took little persuading to sign with the Canadiens SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1150161 Anaheim Ducks It sounds like you are an especially adept counterpuncher. Would that be an accurate description of your game? I would say I can put a lot of spin on a ball. Through that, I guess, I can Q&A: Patrick Eaves on yet another NHL table-tennis title, team bonding somehow counterpunch or kind of hopefully know where they’re going to and his secret weapon be hitting off of what spin I hit. I’m learning more about the game. I found a coach out in Newport Beach, so I’m kind of looking at the game from a different perspective now by talking to someone who is a professional. By Lisa Dillman I’m learning more about the game at a higher level. It’s a passion of mine Jul 26, 2019 and I want to learn. I’m a good recreational player. When you play some of these real players, it’s nuts. I’ve been playing checkers all these years when it’s really a chess game. Are Patrick Eaves and Jeff Skinner the table-tennis version of Roger Who is your ping-pong coach? Federer and Rafael Nadal? His name’s Attila Malek and he was some kind of champion in the late (Only none of us could ever envision Federer — or any tennis player — 70s. He’s pretty special and he has been helping me a lot. He’ll hit with with an Eaves-type beard.) me, run me through drills. It’s just like having any other kind of coach. Eaves, of the Anaheim Ducks, and Skinner, of the Buffalo Sabres, have Returning to the NHL: You’ve played on several teams. So who was your been at the top of the table-tennis heap when it comes to Smashfest, the toughest ping-pong competition? charitable event and brainchild of founder/host Dominic Moore. Eaves has won the event five consecutive years, including Thursday’s gathering I’ve played a lot of good players. The Swedes are always really good. in Toronto. Alfie (Daniel Alfredsson) was the best I’ve ever played. He’s “You’re seeing all these ping-pong bars popping up now,” Eaves said. unbelievable. He would beat me all the time, but it was so fun we’d play. “It’s a fun recreational event and you can do it holding a beer. Or not We’d almost be late for warm-ups for games because we’d be playing. holding a beer.” So it was really fun with him and we bonded over the table. 5 TIME! 5 TIME! 5 TIME! 5 TIME @_SMASHFEST CHAMP, You just get across the table and start chatting with them, learning about @PATRICK_EAVES! #SMASHFESTVIII him and his family. You can learn a lot about a person just from being in PIC.TWITTER.COM/5AZ6NJW7K1 close proximity. — NHL (@NHL) JULY 26, 2019 The Athletic LOADED: 07.27.2019 Skinner also was the competition’s runner-up last year. What has been especially notable is the $1 million-plus that has been raised in the eight- year history of Smashfest for concussion and cancer research. The event hits close to home for Eaves, who dealt with concussions and their after-effects earlier in his NHL career. More recently, he has been limited to nine games with the Ducks the past two seasons. The primary culprit in Eaves’ trip down the medical rabbit hole was a mysterious “post-viral syndrome” (which is as inconclusive as it sounds) just before training camp in September of 2017. Previously, Eaves was misdiagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that affects 1 in 100,000 Americans. Eaves has not been on the ice for a game since Feb. 4, 2019 against the New York Rangers. There’s some question about whether he can play again, but Eaves didn’t want to talk about his future or his medical progress a few hours before Smashfest. The good news was that he was able to fly from Los Angeles to Toronto to participate … and dominate.