Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips January 28-30, 2017
Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Whatever happened to CBJ goalie Dan LaCosta? PAGE 05: Columbus Dispatch: Sick dog prompts Tortorella's absence PAGE 07: Columbus Dispatch: Bobrovsky excited about All-Star invite after missing 2015 game PAGE 09: ESPN.com: Deployed son's sick dog reason for John Tortorella's All-Star absence PAGE 10: Columbus Dispatch: Hockey grabbed All-Star Seth Jones at young age PAGE 12: Columbus Dispatch: Bobrovsky takes spin away from net PAGE 14: Columbus Dispatch: Jackets' Atkinson overcomes doubters, shines with three goals PAGE 16: NHL.com: Cam Atkinson shines at All-Star Game PAGE 18: Yahoo Sports: Atkinson gets hat trick, wedding cash from late All-Star bid
Cleveland Monsters/Prospects PAGE 20: The Plain Dealer: Cleveland Monsters outlast Chicago Wolves, win 3-2 in ninth shootout round
NHL/Websites PAGE 21: USA TODAY: NHL legends Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr say Gordie Howe was the greatest PAGE 22: USA TODAY: Wayne Gretzky: To be NHL's best, Connor McDavid must dethrone Sidney Crosby PAGE 23: Sportsnet.CA: Current stars honoured to be among all-time greats PAGE 25: Sportsnet.CA: NHL unveils 100 greatest players of all time PAGE 28: Sportsnet.CA: The 11-best era-adjusted individual NHL seasons of all-time PAGE 31: Sportsnet.CA: Visual Primer: 2017 NHL All-Star Skills Competition PAGE 34: TSN.CA: TSN Hockey's Top 10 Storylines of the Week PAGE 37: Columbus Dispatch: Hockey & The City: Upper Arlington became prep puck pioneers 40 years ago PAGE 39: Sportnet.CA: 9 takeaways from All-Star Skills: McDavid got robbed PAGE 42: TSN.CA: No Olympics in 2018 if status quo remains PAGE 44: USA TODAY: NHL Skills Competition delivers something for everyone PAGE 46: USA TODAY: NHL has it right with three-on-three All-Star Game format PAGE 48: TSN.CA: Crosby's Metro gets better of McDavid's Pacific in NHL All-Star Game
1 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170127/puck-rakers-whatever-happened-to-cbj-goalie-dan-lacosta
Whatever happened to CBJ goalie Dan LaCosta?
By Tom Reed – January 28, 2017
The goaltender with the best winning percentage in Blue Jackets' history made the switch to left wing this season.
Dan LaCosta is no longer buoying the franchise's hopes for a playoff appearance with an overtime victory against the NHL's top team. Nowadays, the 30-year-old plays a couple times a week for the McGuinness Red Wings in a Maritimes beer league.
"It's more me trying not to hurt myself," said the commercial banker for CIBC in Fredericton, New Brunswick. "It's like your social life with your buddies. It's more just to have an excuse to have a couple of cold ones in the dressing room and hang out with your friends."
LaCosta merits just two mentions in the Blue Jackets' media guide. He doubts many fans remember his contributions to the historic 2008-09 campaign. "They have more exciting things to think about with the team playing as well as it is," he said.
But as the Blue Jackets (32-12-4) sit near the top of the standings, the season reminds fans of the importance of a reliable minor-league goaltender, one who can make a few emergency starts.
Nobody did it better than LaCosta.
He started two games in 2009, winning them both. He beat the league-leading Sharks, 3-2, in overtime on Feb. 7. He shut out the Avalanche three days later. Those victories, achieved under adverse circumstances, propelled the Blue Jackets on a 6-0-1 run they used to reach the playoffs for the first time.
"The opportunity to come up at a pivotal time and perform well for the team was like a life-long dream for a hockey player," LaCosta said.
The lanky netminder from Labrador City, Newfoundland was a third-round draft pick in 2004. He had earned a few call-ups and made two mop-up appearances, but spent most of his first three seasons scratching around the AHL and ECHL. He was a Dayton Bomber and an Elmira Jackal. Mostly, the second- generation goaltender split time in net with the Syracuse Crunch and taught himself how to play guitar.
He was getting steady work during the 2008-09 season when Blue Jackets' rookie sensation Steve Mason was diagnosed with mononucleosis. The club recalled LaCosta to back up diminutive Wade Dubielewicz, who looked more like a longshoreman than a goalie with the knit cap he always wore around dressing room.
As LaCosta stayed on the ice the morning of Feb. 7 for extra conditioning work, word came that Dubielewicz had taken ill. The Blue Jackets, who had lost three consecutive games, also were without defenseman Mike Commodore and rookie winger Jake Voracek.
"All we can do is struggle and emerge," general manager Scott Howson said that day.
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"I was really tired, but it kind of worked out because I was able to sleep really well that afternoon and not really think too much about the game," LaCosta recalled.
"I debated whether to tell my parents I was starting because I figured they would get everyone in town to come over and watch it. I didn't get my normal preparation in and San Jose was really strong and I just wasn't sure how it was going to go. I called my dad right before I walked into the arena and all he said was, 'Good luck.'"
LaCosta made 28 saves and Christian Backman scored the overtime winner for the Blue Jackets. The team did an outstanding job keeping most of the shots to the perimeter, but LaCosta had one big stop on Joe Thornton in OT.
He was even better Feb. 10, registering 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Avalanche, vaulting the Blue Jackets into eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
"I didn't want to be a flash in the pan," LaCosta said. "Anybody could play well for one game and make it look like they belonged. I just wanted to prove to myself I could play well in the NHL. It was a lot of validation because it's a lifetime of work to get there."
LaCosta thought it might be the start of sustained success at hockey's highest level. Two days later, he was sent back to the minors.
He never played another NHL game.
"I was pretty upset but I tried not to show it," he said. "I was packing up my bags and I remember Jason Chimera came over and talked to me. He said, 'I wish I could give you some advice and tell you what you could have done better, but I think you did everything you could to prove you belonged. It's just an unfortunate circumstance.' I felt like that was a really nice thing for him to go out of his way to say.
"Nobody owes anything to anybody at that level."
In hindsight, LaCosta believes he has only himself to blame. He didn't handle the demotion well and had a disappointing next season in which his goals against average ballooned to 3.96.
LaCosta played one more pro season in Wales before concussion concerns ended his career.
"Sometimes, it's a very short window of opportunity and you wind up missing it," he said. "I laugh about this with my buddies, but I almost wish I would have gotten shelled in my first (NHL) game because it would have been easier to cope with when I got sent down. It would have been easier for me to understand.
"But looking back, it's something I am still proud of . . . A lot of players who play never get that opportunity. I was extremely fortunate."
LaCosta returned to school and earned a masters' degree in business. He also opened Dan LaCosta Varsity Goaltending school, and coaches at the University of New Brunswick.
He's married with a two-year-old son, Harrison, who's fascinated with dad's old goaltending masks. The couple has another child on the way.
LaCosta still follows the Blue Jackets and is amazed by the season Sergei Bobrovsky is enjoying. The All- Star will need to improve his game to match LaCosta's career goals against average (1.42) and save percentage (.953).
OK, so it was a small sample size -- four NHL appearances and a 2-0-0 record - but what a ride. 3
"I am actually quite happy with how my life turned out," LaCosta said. "We have a happy, healthy family. I have a good job and stuff. In the back of your mind, though, you are always wondering what could have happened. But you can't live your life that way."
When one window closes, another opens. Dan LaCosta is a banker, who still finds time to play hockey and drink a couple of cold ones with the boys.
4 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170127/blue-jackets-sick-dog-prompts-tortorellas-absence
Sick dog prompts Tortorella's absence
By Aaron Portzline – January 28, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella wants to clear the air after being inundated by well wishes via text message, email and social media over the past 24 hours.
Tortorella missed Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators, and he'll miss the NHL's All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, because one of his five dogs is in failing health.
"I appreciate so much the number of messages I have received since the announcement," Tortorella said. "But this absolutely is not an emergency. I want to clear that up.
"I needed a few days during the All-Star break - not having to go to the All-Star Game - to take care of something very important to my family and my son."
Under NHL rules regarding All-Star Game attendance, Tortorella was forced to miss Thursday's 4-3 loss in Nashville.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Dispatch via email that coaches are typically held to the "exact same standard as players," meaning Tortorella would have been forced to miss a regular-season game - either before or after the break - to avoid a one-game suspension by the league for missing its midseason showcase.
The league instituted the rule several years ago to stop players from feigning injury to avoid playing in the All-Star Game. For instance, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin missed Thursday's game against Boston so he could skip All-Star weekend. The Blue Jackets' Cam Atkinson took his spot.
If Tortorella had coached Thursday, the one-game suspension would have been levied for the Blue Jackets' first game after the All-Star Game: a Tuesday Metropolitan Division showdown with the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden.
Tortorella addressed the Blue Jackets players during the day on Thursday.
"All the guys understood," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said.
Tortorella has a long history of supporting animal rights causes, and his family's foundation - The John and Christine Tortorella Foundation - has, among other things, found homes for several rescue and foster dogs. He has an affinity for pit bulls.
The dog that is ailing is a 10-year-old pit bull, Emma. She belongs to his son, Nick, who is a U.S. Army Ranger stationed abroad.
"I needed to see this through," Tortorella said.
The NHL will replace Tortorella as Metropolitan Division coach for Sunday's All-Star Game, Daly said, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
Tortorella earned his second All-Star nod because the Blue Jackets had the highest points percentage in the division as of Jan. 10. 5
Tortorella has missed four regular-season games over the past two seasons, including three last year after suffering broken ribs in a practice collision with former Jackets forward Rene Bourque.
6 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170128/blue-jackets-bobrovsky-excited-about-all-star-invite-after- missing-2015-game
Bobrovsky excited about All-Star invite after missing 2015 game
By Aaron Portzline – January 28, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus two years ago remains one of the franchise's highlights, the rare time when the entire league arrived to celebrate the game and the city. The Arena District glistened in the snow and pulsed with hockey fans from around the world.
But it was a long weekend for Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He couldn't bring himself to hang around Nationwide Arena, much less walk inside. He couldn't even bear to watch on TV.
On Jan. 21, in a game in Winnipeg, Bobrovsky suffered a serious groin injury, just four days ahead of what would have been his first All-Star Game appearance.
"For me, it was emotional," Bobrovsky said. "After the injury, I was just very upset. The whole celebration was on this side, and I was on the other side.
"I know the fans and our guys (Nick Foligno and then-Blue Jacket Ryan Johansen) enjoyed it a lot. For me, it was the opposite way. I stayed home. Didn't watch. I couldn't. It was too hard."
It's that bitter memory, though, that will make this weekend that much sweeter for Bobrovsky, who will represent the Metropolitan Division along with Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones and forward Cam Atkinson on Sunday.
"I'm so happy for Bob because I know how hard he works, and I know he's one of the best goaltenders in our game," Foligno said. "He deserves this as much as any guy I can think of.
"I know how much that frustrated him (in 2015) … it was in our city, in front of our fans. But now he's going out to L.A. and I'm sure he's going to have a blast."
Bobrovsky won the 2013 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, so it's not as if he hasn't been recognized.
But this is different.
"I'm going to enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the event, maybe meet some of the guys I haven't met before," Bobrovsky said. "To be around the star players, I am looking forward to that.
"To be in this game … you don't know how many times it will happen in your career, so embrace this and make sure you enjoy it. This is a lesson I know, of course. I feel great now that I am healthy."
Bobrovsky leads the NHL in wins (28), is fourth in save percentage (.929) and fifth in goals-against average (2.10). He's four wins short of his personal high for a season (32 in 2013-14) and five short of the franchise record (33 by Steve Mason in 2008-09).
He chuckled at the notion that goaltenders rarely enjoy themselves at the NHL All-Star Game.
It's always been a game where checking and defense are optional, but the league bumped the game into hyper-speed with a new format beginning last year in Nashville. 7
It's now three 20-minute games played 3-on-3, which the NHL currently uses in overtime. The four divisions will split up for two games, with the winners meeting in the final.
As Washington's Braden Holtby said last year: "Thank God it's only 20 minutes. It's all about trying to survive."
Last year, there were 22 goals scored combined in the 20-minute semifinal games.
"I'm not going to be thinking about the stats," Bobrovsky said with a smile. "I am going to try my best to have fun with it, no matter what happens in these games. Just have fun."
That shouldn't be too difficult.
"I give credit to the boys," Bobrovsky said. "They work hard in front of me, try their best. It's fun to be part of this, but I know I wouldn't be going there without these guys around me."
8 http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/18561081/john-tortorella-leaves-columbus-blue-jackets-coach- all-star-weekend
Deployed son's sick dog reason for John Tortorella's All-Star absence
By ESPN – January 28, 2017
Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said he missed Thursday's 4-3 loss in Nashville in order to take care of his deployed son's sick dog.
The pet's ailing health also is forcing Tortorella to miss the NHL's All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where he had been selected to serve as a coach for the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division.
The sick dog is a 10-year-old pit bull, Emma, who belongs to his son, Nick, who is a U.S. Army Ranger stationed abroad.
Tortorella's affinity for animals -- especially pit bulls -- is well known. His family's foundation -- The John and Christine Tortorella Foundation -- has promoted animal rights and found homes for several rescue and foster dogs.
"I needed to see this through," Tortorella told The Columbus Dispatch, one day after announcing his absence would be due to a personal matter.
"I appreciate so much the number of messages I have received since the announcement," Tortorella said. "But this absolutely is not an emergency. I want to clear that up."
Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said the players understood Tortorella's reasoning for the absence.
Tortella added: "I needed a few days during the All-Star break -- not having to go to the All-Star Game -- to take care of something very important to my family and my son."
Tortorella would have missed Thursday's game regardless, due to the NHL's All-Star Game attendance rule.
The Blue Jackets have a 32-12-4 record, earning Tortorella a spot behind the bench for Sunday's All-Star Game tournament.
Assistant coaches Brad Larsen and Brad Shaw coached the Blue Jackets in Thursday's loss. The NHL announced they would name a replacement for the All-Star festivities but nothing has been confirmed.
Tortorella also coached the United States in the World Cup of Hockey.
9 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170128/blue-jackets--hockey-grabbed-all-star-seth-jones-at-young- age
Hockey grabbed All-Star Seth Jones at young age
By Aaron Portzline – January 29, 2017
LOS ANGELES - In one of the NHL's more enduring visuals, Joe Sakic handed the Stanley Cup to long- suffering legend Ray Bourque after the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup.
It was June 9, 2001, and a 6-year-old named Seth Jones was watching from three rows off the glass at Denver's Pepsi Center with his father and two brothers.
If there was any chance that Seth Jones would grow up to follow in his father's large footsteps - 6-foot-8 Popeye Jones was then in the middle of a 12-year NBA career with six teams - it ended that night.
"The kids were already playing hockey there in Denver," said Popeye Jones, who had spent the 1999- 2000 season with the Denver Nuggets. "So they already really liked it. But that game was the launch pad that really deepened their love of the sport.
"I'll be honest with you. I would have steered them to play basketball, because it's the sport that I know, obviously. I didn't know anything about hockey at first, but after seeing that (Game 7), they were not going to be denied."
Seth Jones has become one of the NHL's top defenseman with the Blue Jackets, a 22-year-old who is capable of logging big minutes. Today, he'll play in the NHL All-Star Game at the Staples Center.
"I used to watch these games with my brothers when I was a kid," Jones said. "To be out there, yeah, it's exciting. It's a dream come true."
Good advice
In the fall of 2001, just a few months after Colorado's Cup win, Popeye Jones sought out Sakic, the Avalanche captain, for advice about his kids playing youth hockey.
"Joe looked up at me and said, 'Your kids are going to be really big,'" said Popeye Jones, now an assistant coach with the NBA's Indiana Pacers. "I'm not sure he thought it was a great idea, but he said skating is going to be the biggest challenge for them. 'Go hard on the skating.'"
As you would expect from Sakic, it turned out to be sage advice.
"We took skating lessons for an entire year from a figure skater, just to get the edge work down," Seth Jones said. "It's made a really big difference, because the bigger you are, supposedly, the harder it is to skate."
The NHL has no shortage of towering defensemen. But Jones moves with a rare fluidity, almost dancing on his skates.
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"It's the best part of his game," said Montreal's Shea Weber, who mentored Jones for 2½ seasons in Nashville before Jones was traded to the Blue Jackets last January. "That mobility ...; he can jump up in the play and be the first guy back because he moves so well."
Hoops fan
Jones does not regret pursuing hockey. How could he? The Blue Jackets signed him to a six-year, $32.4 million contract last summer. But he has never stopped loving basketball. "Shooting hoops" is one of his favorite hobbies, although he has scaled back since suffering a broken foot during a pickup game when he was 15.
Jones is a confessed NBA addict, he said, watching it "whenever it's on TV," probably more than he watches hockey.
"I love the 'Inside the NBA' show on TNT with (Charles) Barkley and those guys," he said.
Last season, Jones and teammates Scott Hartnell and Cam Atkinson drove to Cleveland to see Kobe Bryant's last game against the Cavaliers.
This spring, Jones and teammates Alexander Wennberg, Boone Jenner and Dalton Prout went to the Cavaliers' exhibition game at Value City Arena, meeting with Cavs star LeBron James for pictures after the game.
Role model
Jones said he admires James as much for being a role model off the court as he is a star on it. And Jones is keen on being a role model himself. This weekend's All-Star Game will only elevate his status.
It's not about reaching kids of one race or another, he said. Jones is biracial, and he doesn't identify as being African-American or white.
"I'm Seth," he said with a smile.
"I definitely put that onus on me to be a good role model," Jones said. "The way you play will talk for itself. I think kids want to look up to someone who stays out of trouble. Parents want their kids looking up to guys like that. I'm never in trouble.
"You don't want to be in the media, on the front page, unless it's for a good reason. That's just something that's more important to me than hockey”
11 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170129/all-star-game-notebook--bobrovsky-takes-spin-away-from- net
Bobrovsky takes spin away from net
By Aaron Portzline – January 29, 2017
LOS ANGELES - Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky planned to be aggressive in his first NHL All- Star Game, but nobody could have foreseen how that would play out.
Bobrovsky brought a gasp and wild cheers from a sold-out crowd in Staples Center early on Sunday, when he charged out of his net to race Boston's Brad Marchand to a puck above the circle.
After he won the race, Bobrovsky made a 360-degree spin with the puck before unloading it.
Asked to recall the last time he has been that far out of the net, Bobrovsky laughed uproariously.
"I can't remember, honestly," he said. "It was fun. I made a move, too!"
Bobrovsky's teammates with the Blue Jackets were cheering right along with the crowd.
"I'm telling guys on the bench that he rarely comes out of the net, and then he pulls something like that on us," defenseman Seth Jones said. "It was awesome."
Bobrovsky played the first period in both the Metropolitan Division's semifinal win over the Atlantic and the final win over the Pacific.
He finished with 16 stops on 22 shots (a .727 save percentage), which isn't too bad for an All-Star Game, much less one played at 3-on-3.
But nobody wanted to talk about his saves.
"I told Bob, I expect a lot of that out of him from now on," Atkinson said. "A 360 at the blue line, making plays ...; he was great."
Bobrovsky had another chuckle ...; at the thought of what Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella might think if he took his "go for it" attitude into the regular season.
"Torts would say, 'STAY IN THE NET!' along with some other words," Bobrovsky said. "That's what he would say for sure."
Playing for '99' Bobrovsky had his "welcome to the All-Star Game" moment on Sunday morning when NHL legend Wayne Gretzky greeted Metro players in the dressing room.
"It's unbelievable when he comes up and says, 'Hello, I'm Wayne Gretzky,'" Bobrovsky said. "It's something. It's something unreal."
But Atkinson said Gretzky quickly put the players at ease. By the end of the day, they were joking around.
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"I mean, he's the greatest player to ever play the game, and it's the first time I've met him," Atkinson said. "It's amazing, and it's part of this great memory I'll have.
"I called him 'Mr. Gretzky.' But then I was calling him 'Gretter, Mr. Gretter, Grade A, No. 99' ...; it was cool."
Gretzky replaced Tortorella, who pulled out of the game to attend to an ill dog.
Slap shots Atkinson, Bobrovsky and Jones were flying directly to New York after the game but will be given the day off from practice today in Madison Square Garden. ...; The Blue Jackets resume play on Tuesday against the New York Rangers.
13 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170129/nhl-all-star-game--jackets-atkinson-overcomes-doubters- shines-with-three-goals
Jackets' Atkinson overcomes doubters, shines with three goals
By Aaron Portzline – January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES - When Cam Atkinson was in high school, he was told that he would never play major- college hockey. Not strong enough.
When Atkinson starred at Boston College, he was told that he would never be picked in the NHL draft. Too short.
When Atkinson was drafted by the Blue Jackets - sixth round, No. 157 overall in 2008 - he was pegged as a long shot to ever reach the big leagues.
"It's no secret," Atkinson said. "At every single level and at every age, people always doubted me, and that has fueled my fire to be the person and the player I am."
Nobody questions Atkinson these days. Certainly not on Sunday at Staples Center.
The Blue Jackets forward was one of the Metropolitan Division's top performers on Sunday when they won the All-Star Game with a 10-6 victory over the Atlantic in the semifinals and a 4-3 decision over the Pacific in a hard-fought final.
Atkinson had three goals, two assists, a plus-3 rating and nine shots on goal in the two games.
He easily could have been the game's MVP, but the award - done through fan voting on Twitter - went to Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, a former Kings player.
"I could have had more (points)," Atkinson said. "But it was nice to get on the scoresheet."
In a chaotic dressing room after the game, Atkinson was gathering the name plates from his locker stall and loading a bag full of goodies and keepsakes to take back with him to Columbus.
"Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and look around, just to make sure you're getting the moment," Atkinson said.
Atkinson was one of three Blue Jackets playing in their first All-Star Game.
Defenseman Seth Jones had two goals and a plus-4 rating, and Bobrovsky had 16 saves in the two games combined.
But Jones was the No. 4 overall pick in 2013, a player surrounded by high expectations and seemingly destined for a long, brilliant career.
And Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy in 2013 as the NHL's top goaltender. He was picked for the 2015 All-Star Game, but was forced out because of injury.
This was Atkinson's first appearance on one of the NHL's biggest stages, and he starred, playing on a line with John Tavares of the New York Islanders and Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes.
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In the Metro dressing room, he sat between Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
And to think, this happened only when Atkinson was added to the roster three days earlier when Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin pulled out with an injury.
"It's a great personal accolade to achieve, to be considered one of the best players in the league, in the world," Atkinson said. "It's definitely very cool."
Atkinson scored on a breakaway at 4:57 of the second 10-minute period in the final to pull the Metro into a 3-3 tie. Simmonds scored the game-winner just five seconds later.
"Cam scored some big goals for us," Jones said. "That's Cam for you, cheating up ice, always getting breakaways.
"I'm glad he got to come. He deserves it. He has had a great season for us, so this is a nice reward."
For winning the game, the Metro team splits $1 million. Atkinson said he will put his winnings toward his wedding this summer.
15 https://www.nhl.com/news/blue-jackets-cam-atkinson-shines-at-all-star-game/c-286250440
Cam Atkinson shines at All-Star Game
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika – January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES -- The significance of the moment was not lost on Cam Atkinson.
Here he was skating out for introductions at the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Staples Center on Sunday. To his left stretched most of the 100 Greatest NHL Players presented by Molson Canadian, standing resplendent in the jerseys of their former teams.
Slowly, he worked his way down the line, bumping fists and shaking hands with the likes of Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch and Joe Sakic. Finally, he took his place -- his rightful place -- among the all-stars and soaked it in.
"That was definitely the highlight for sure," Atkinson said. "That was so special. As slow as I was going, it seemed like it happened too fast."
Then the Columbus Blue Jackets right wing helped the Metropolitan Division win the 3-on-3 tournament, with two goals and two assists in a 10-6 win against the Atlantic Division in the semifinal, and a goal in a 4-3 win against the Pacific Division in the final.
No one in the tournament had more than Atkinson's three goals or five points. He could have been the most valuable player but wasn't upset the award went to Philadelphia Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds, who once played for the Los Angeles Kings and scored three goals.
"I'm just happy we won," Atkinson said. "That's all that matters. You see the guys on the bench all celebrating after every goal. It was definitely special to be a part of."
Atkinson originally wasn't supposed to be a part of it. It wasn't that he was undeserving; he was definitely deserving. It was that there were only 11 roster spots for each division, six for forwards; that each team needed to be represented; and that the competition was stiff, especially in the Metro, the strongest division in the League this season.
While teammates Sergei Bobrovsky and Seth Jones were headed to Los Angeles, Atkinson and five other Blue Jackets were headed to New York for the All-Star break, knowing they were practicing there Monday and playing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG 2, FS-O, NHL.TV).
Then, at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Atkinson received a call from Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
"I tell everyone that I knew I was getting traded or I was getting the nod," Atkinson said.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin had pulled out of the All-Star Game because of a lower-body injury. Atkinson was getting the nod.
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This recognition was a reward for a guy who was selected in the sixth round (No. 157) of the 2008 NHL Draft because he was 5-foot-8, a guy who has played at an elite level all his life but has had to keep proving himself, and proving himself, and proving himself.
Atkinson excelled at Boston College, excelled in parts of two seasons with Springfield of the American Hockey League and excelled in his first three full seasons with Columbus, producing offensive numbers at each stop.
Now, at age 27, he has taken a leap under coach John Tortorella, who has played him more in all situations, put him in the left circle on the power play with his right-handed shot, and found a balance between showing confidence in him and challenging him to keep improving.
Atkinson is tied for second in the League in goals with 24, trailing only Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's 28. He's tied for 11th in points with 46. He's tied for third in shorthanded goals with two, fourth in power-play points with 19 and eighth in power-play goals with nine.
"He's in a situation now where he's getting a little bit of notoriety," Tortorella said recently. "He's been a pretty consistent player. Now there's more responsibility that falls on your shoulders to be better, because that's just the way it is if you're going to be a really good player in this league. That's the phase he's in, I think."
After the All-Star Game, Atkinson took his helmet around the locker room and asked his Metropolitan teammates to sign it. He did an interview with NBC. He had his teammates sign his jersey and grabbed his nameplate for a souvenir too.
The $91,000 he earned as his share of the $1 million prize that went to the winning team? He said he would use it to help pay for his wedding this summer.
Life is good.
But not good enough to be satisfied yet. Tortorella would be the first to tell him to use this as motivation to keep getting better. Atkinson is having a breakout season. So are the Blue Jackets, who were 27th in the NHL standings last season and are third now.
On to New York, a little later than planned, and the next step.
"These are the best players in the world," Atkinson said. "You have to use it and realize why you're here. You have to prove yourself every single day in this league. That's what it's such a hard league. You've got to continue."
17 http://sports.yahoo.com/news/atkinson-gets-hat-trick-wedding-cash-star-bid-015921564--nhl.html
Atkinson gets hat trick, wedding cash from late All-Star bid
By The Associated Press – January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Cam Atkinson thought he would be spending All-Star weekend in New York City with his fiancee and some Columbus teammates.
Instead, the Blue Jackets forward got to show what he can do on the other coast - and he evened pick up a few extra bucks to help pay for his wedding.
Atkinson scored three goals Sunday, including an unassisted, tying goal in the final game as the Metropolitan Division came back to beat the Pacific Division 4-3.
The 11-man Metropolitan team secured the $1 million bonus that will be split among members of the winning team. It should come in handy as Atkinson puts the finishing touches on his July nuptials.
''Obviously, having a wedding when you know so many hockey players, you have to wait to see who goes how far,'' Atkinson said. ''There's only two or three months out of the year you can book a wedding. We kind of planned it accordingly.''
Atkinson is having an outstanding season for the surging Blue Jackets, but he was the last addition to the roster when Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin dropped out. Atkinson only found out about his inclusion last Wednesday night in an 11 p.m. phone call from Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Atkinson immediately canceled his trip to New York, where the Blue Jackets play their first game after the break on Tuesday, and was rewarded with an experience that included slowly exchanging dozens of fist bumps with some of hockey's greatest living legends during the pregame introductions.
''That was definitely the highlight for sure,'' said Atkinson, the NHL's 11th-leading scorer entering the break with 46 points in 48 games. ''As slow as I was going, it seemed like it happened too fast. But just to interact with those guys, the alumni, the best players ever to play hockey, is really special.''
Atkinson wanted to shake hands and speak with every player on the ice. There wasn't enough time to make that happen, but Atkinson did spend a few extra seconds with famed Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch. Atkinson and Leetch both attended Boston College and the same Connecticut high school.
When the games started, Atkinson and Columbus teammates Seth Jones and Sergei Bobrovsky did their part in the 3-on-3 mini-tournament. Atkinson scored twice in a 10-6 over the Atlantic Division to advance to the final, while Jones formed a productive line with Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey's Taylor Hall in both sessions.
The only Blue Jackets representative absent was coach John Tortorella, with Wayne Gretzky stepping in to coach the Metropolitan Division while Tortorella was dealing with a sick family pet.
Jones thought Atkinson made a strong case for Most Valuable Player, which went to Simmonds for scoring the winner in the final with 4:58 remaining.
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Simmonds and Hall had a 2-on-0 breakaway coming off the faceoff following Atkinson's tying goal, with Simmonds putting in his third goal of the afternoon just five seconds after Atkinson did the same.
While endorsing Atkinson for the game's top honor, Jones couldn't help but give his friend a bit of playful criticism for how he scored in a wide-open contest that did get noticeably more competitive in the closing minutes.
''That's Cam cheating up ice and getting breakaways, that's what he does,'' Jones said.
When Atkinson gets back to Columbus, he has plenty of new mementos to add to his man cave, including the helmet he wore during the game - now covered in autographs from his fellow All-Stars - and some extra cash for wedding planning.
But the memories of the weekend will last even longer. Atkinson lingered in the Staples Center locker room, the last player still in his hockey pants.
''I'd glad he got to come,'' Jones said. ''It was a late call, but he deserved it.''
19 http://www.cleveland.com/monsters/index.ssf/2017/01/cleveland_monsters_outlast_chi.html
Cleveland Monsters outlast Chicago Wolves, win 3-2 in ninth shootout round
By The Plain Dealer – January 29, 2017
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Monsters and Chicago Wolves matched goals and misses through eight shootout rounds Saturday night before Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in the ninth to give the Monsters a 3-2 victory at Quicken Loans Arena.
The game was Cleveland's longest of the season, and was played in front of their largest crowd, 14,527. It improved the Monsters to 20-17-1-3, in fourth place in the AHL Central Division. The third-place Wolves stand at 25-15-3-3.
Cleveland fell behind in the first period, 2-0, on an even-strength goal by Morgan Ellis at 4:08, and a 5- on-3 power play goal by former Monster Andrew Agozzino at 14:21.
But the Monsters killed a penalty to start the middle frame, and strong play by goaltender Joonas Korpisalo kept the Wolves from doing more damage. Center Justin Scott, fed by Bjorkstrand from behind the Chicago net, put Cleveland on the scoreboard at 2:14, and left wing Ryan Craig tied the game with a power-play goal at 18:16, assisted by Scott and Sonny Milano.
A scoreless third period led to a scoreless overtime, followed by the shootout rounds that saw Cleveland goals by Milano, Markus Hannikainen, Jordan Maletta and Paul Bittner before the winning marker by Bjorkstrand, who was earlier frustrated in three breakaway scoring chances.
Korpisalo stopped 25 of 27 shots for the win. Pheonix Copley stopped 30 of 32 in regulation in taking the loss for Chicago.
Cleveland was 1-for-3 on power plays. Chicago was 1-for-6.
Monster mash: Korpisalo was in net for Cleveland for the first time in three weeks after the Monsters and Columbus Blue Jackets swapped goaltenders on Friday; goalie Anton Forsberg returned to Columbus for the third time this season. Hannikainen returned to Cleveland on Thursday from Columbus for the eighth time this season.
For the first time in their 10-year history, the Monsters will have three players on the ice -- Bjorkstrand, Forsberg and captain Craig -- in the AHL All-Star Classic, airing at 7 p.m. Monday on Fox Sports Ohio.
Next up, Cleveland hosts the Iowa Wild for two games at The Q, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
20 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2017/01/27/gordie-howe-nhl-top-100-ranking-wayne- gretzky-bobby-orr-mario-lemieux/97165200/
NHL legends Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr say Gordie Howe was the greatest
By Kevin Allen – January 28, 2017
The NHL is announcing its top 100 players in league history without ranking them. But Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux had no reluctance to say No. 9 is No. 1.
They agree that Gordie Howe is the best to ever play.
“We talk about this all of the time, and I think it’s what makes sports great and hockey wonderful,” Gretzky said Friday before the top 100 were announced. “But we are all pretty much in agreement that Gordie was pretty special.”
Howe, nicknamed "Mr. Hockey," died last June at the age of 88. He played 26 seasons in the NHL, and six more in the now-defunct World Hockey Association. He was a dominant scorer, second only to Wayne Gretzky in goals, and a monstrous physical force.
“We all had so much respect for what Gordie did and what he accomplished,” Gretzky said. “It’s not a bad thing to be named in the top 100 behind Gordie Howe.”
A case can be made that Gretzky was the best ever because his offensive numbers are staggering and the case for defenseman Orr centers on the fact he revolutionized the game with his offensive might.
“Gordie in my mind is the best to play the game,” Orr said. “I don’t know if we will ever see another one."
Howe had his first 100-point season after age 40 and scored his last NHL goal at age 52. He played his first game at 18.
Lemieux made it unanimous. “He could play any way you wanted out there,” Lemieux said. “He was a great goal scorer, tough, always taking care of business, and he was a true ambassador for the game.”
21 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/allstar/2017/01/27/wayne-gretzky-greatness-best-current- player-sidney-crosby-connor-mcdavid/97167050/
Wayne Gretzky: To be NHL's best, Connor McDavid must dethrone Sidney Crosby
By Kevin Allen – January 28, 2017
LOS ANGELES — Edmonton Oilers executive Wayne Gretzky says he has told Connor McDavid that he must dethrone Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby if he wants to be the NHL’s best player.
“(Crosby) is the best player in the game and he has earned that mantle,” Gretzky said Friday night before the release of the NHL’s top 100 players of all time. “His work ethic is as good, or better, than anyone in hockey.”
Gretzky said Oilers captain McDavid understands that “(Crosby is) the guy he’s chasing.”
“Connor sees him in his vision and that’s what makes the game wonderful is that if you want to be the best player, and Crosby is the best player, then you have to earn your stripes,” Gretzky said. “Until someone knocks (Crosby) off the castle that’s how it’s going to be.”
McDavid, 20, leads the NHL with 59 points this season, but Crosby, 29, is only four points behind in nine fewer games. Crosby is also leading the NHL in goals with 28. Within the last seven months, Crosby has won the Conn Smythe in leading the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. He was also named World Cup of Hockey MVP for leading Canada to the gold medal.
“I think his skating ability is second to none,” Penguins owner Mario Lemieux said. “His lower-body strength is unbelievable. If he goes one-on-one in the corner he's able to come out and make a play. His passing ability is probably the best in the league, and his vision, of course, is also one of the best.”
Lemieux agreed Crosby’s work ethic sets him apart. “Just like Wayne when he played, he’s the hardest working guy out there,” Lemieux said.
Gretzky is impressed with Crosby’s ability to handle pressure. Said Gretzky: “He’s been lucky that he had Mario to lean on, a guy who has been through all of it and understands that go with being the best player.”
22 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/current-stars-honoured-among-time-greats/
Current stars honoured to be among all-time greats
By Chris Johnston – January 28, 2017
LOS ANGELES – This isn’t the kind of night Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin could really prepare for.
Getting a call from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was enough to send Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith into a mild panic. Patrick Kane and Jaromir Jagr were more focused on their next game in late October than any list of the 100 greatest players being compiled by the league.
And so the six active players that joined exclusive company here Friday night were arguably the most wide-eyed men on the stage – being honoured for what they’ve done but still very much in the thick of their careers.
“I don’t expect that,” said Crosby. “Growing up, you dream of playing in the NHL. You don’t necessarily think of things like this. To be part of this group, and to have so many guys here that you look up to and kind of paved the way – were great role models for us growing up – it’s really special.
“That’s all I can say.”
Toews, Keith and Kane were preparing for a game in New Jersey a few months back when they learned that they had been selected by a 58-member blue-ribbon panel.
Bettman made a point of personally calling each of the 100 players chosen – or a surviving member of their family – and the trio of Blackhawks were taken off guard by a missed call from the man who runs the league.
“I think the first thought going through (Keith’s) mind was that he was in trouble for something,” said Toews. “I checked my phone and I’m like: ‘OK, well what did I do? We’re in the same boat, what happened here?’ I told Gary that when I talked to him on the phone.
“I think he was kind of offended that we thought we were in trouble when we were getting a call from him.”
There were no hard feelings to be found inside Microsoft Theatre as the NHL kicked off its all-star weekend in style.
Nothing like this had ever been done before. That alone made it worth the trouble.
Sure, the esteemed voters left a few worthy names off the list – personally, I can’t believe Evgeni Malkin wasn’t included – but that’s unavoidable with a project of this nature.
“My goodness,” said Wayne Gretzky. “There’s so many wonderful players that are not going to be part of this 100 and I feel bad for them and their families and their parents and their grandparents. But the 100 guys who are here, we’re so thrilled, we’re all like little kids and it’s so unique and so interesting to see us (together).”
That included the group of guys who will be playing in NHL arenas next week.
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Jagr made the trip to Los Angeles even though he isn’t partaking in the all-star festivities. Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews, Kane and Keith are sticking around for the skills competition and all-star game, but you got the feeling that they’ve already experienced the highlight of their weekend.
“I don’t really know how to describe it,” said Toews. “I’m honoured, I’m flattered. I want to let myself believe it, but at the same time there’s that part of you that wants to stay humble and know that the amount of incredible people and the special players that have done so much to build this game.
“They’re the ones that make it special for you to get drafted and to realize your dream of playing in the NHL to begin with and then all of a sudden (I’m here).”
With the league having already revealed the 33 players honoured from its first half-century of existence, there were 67 spots left to hand out on Friday. They were unveiled in groups by the decade – starting with the ‘70s, ‘80s and so on.
With that same idea in mind, let us take a look at the most productive era-adjusted seasons in NHL history – these are the only seasons in the past century with more than 150 era-adjusted points. Some familiar names will dominate, but what is most interesting are the surprising names that show up on the list.
That gave the active players a chance to sit and watch the majority of the 90-minute show before having to step on stage themselves.
They also had an opportunity to rub elbows with the likes of Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. Oh, and Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, Teemu Selanne, Brett Hull, Mark Messier…you get the picture.
The conversation flowed easily.
“It’s pretty easy to talk hockey,” said Crosby. “A lot of guys are still involved with teams. They still follow the game really closely. So it’s easy to kind of speak that language for sure.”
Even though the players themselves may not have expected the honour, there was no arguing with the choices. Kane, Toews and Keith have each racked up significant individual awards while helping the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cups. Jagr has played for a quarter of a century and is among the most prolific scorers in league history.
Ovechkin and Crosby singlehandedly carried the NHL forward after the cancelled 2004-05 season and remain among the game’s best more than a decade later.
“He saved our franchise,” Lemieux said of Crosby.
Legends, one and all.
Just the kind of legends you’re still able to pay to watch play the sport that made them famous.
“We didn’t vote,” said Ovechkin. “For us to be in this company is a big privilege.”
“I’d like to think I’m midway through my career and all of a sudden I’m being talked about, being thrown on stage with some of the all-time greats,” added Toews. “I mean it’s special. To share with two close friends like Kaner and Duncs, it’s pretty incredible.
“I don’t think it’s anything that will ever sink in.”
24 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-unveils-100-greatest-players-time/
NHL unveils 100 greatest players of all time
By Sportsnet Staff – January 28, 2017
On Friday night, the NHL announced its full list of the 100 greatest players of all time.
The first 33 from the pre-1967 expansion era, were announced on Jan. 1.
The full list was revealed on Friday, the first night of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, as the league celebrates its Centennial Season.
Here is the full list of players:
Current players Patrick Kane Duncan Keith Jonathan Toews Alex Ovechkin Sidney Crosby Jaromir Jagr 2000s Martin Brodeur Pavel Datsyuk Nicklas Lidstrom Chris Pronger Teemu Selanne 1990s Centres Sergei Fedorov Peter Forsberg Ron Francis Mario Lemieux Eric Lindros Mike Modano Joe Nieuwendyk Adam Oates Joe Sakic Mats Sundin Steve Yzerman 1990s Wings Pavel Bure Brett Hull Luc Robitaille Brendan Shanahan 1990s Goalies Dominik Hasek Patrick Roy 25
1990s Defencemen Chris Chelios Brian Leetch Scott Niedermayer Scott Stevens 1980s Goalies Grant Fuhr Billy Smith 1980s Defencemen Ray Bourque Paul Coffey Al MacInnis Denis Potvin Borje Salming 1980s Centres Wayne Gretzky Pat LaFontaine Mark Messier Denis Savard Peter Stastny Bryan Trottier 1980s Wings Mike Bossy Mike Gartner Jari Kurri 1970s Centres Bobby Clarke Marcel Dionne Phil Esposito Jacques Lemaire Stan Mikita Gilbert Perreault Jean Ratelle Darryl Sittler 1970s Wings Yvan Cournoyer Bob Gainey Bobby Hull Guy Lafleur 1970s Goalies Ken Dryden Tony Esposito Bernie Parent 1970s Defencemen Bobby Orr Brad Park Larry Robinson Serge Savard 26
Here are the first 33 members to be named: Sid Abel Syl Apps Andy Bathgate Jean Beliveau Max Bentley Toe Blake Johnny Bower Turk Broda Johnny Bucyk King Clancy Charlie Conacher Alex Delvecchio Bill Durnan Bernie Geoffrion Glenn Hall Doug Harvey Tim Horton Gordie Howe Dave Keon Red Kelly Ted Kennedy Elmer Lach Ted Lindsay Frank Mahovlich Dickie Moore Howie Morenz Jacques Plante Henri Richard Maurice Richard Terry Sawchuk Milt Schmidt Eddie Shore Georges Vezina
27 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/11-best-era-adjusted-individual-nhl-seasons-time/
The 11-best era-adjusted individual NHL seasons of all-time
By Stephen Burtch – January 28, 2017
With 2017 being celebrated as the NHL’s Centennial Season, this year’s All-Star Game includes special events, such as the unveiling of the top 100 players list on Friday night. This, then, provides us an opportunity to reflect on some of the glorious player campaigns from eras past.
One of the analytical methods that allows us to effectively compare across seasons is known as era adjustment. The methodology used by hockey-reference.com essentially normalizes point production from different eras to the output of the 1999-2000 season, taking into account league-wide scoring rates for goals and assists, roster sizes, and season length. We have made use of it on many occasions in the past, specifically in discussing Alex Ovechkin’s place as a goal scorer in NHL history, the puck-moving prowess of Erik Karlsson or, most recently, giving historical context of the teenage phenoms who are taking the NHL by storm.
With that same idea in mind, let us take a look at the most productive era-adjusted seasons in NHL history – these are the only seasons in the past century with more than 150 era-adjusted points. Some familiar names will dominate, but what is most interesting are the surprising names that show up on the list.
Rank Player Season Team GP Seasonal Stats Era Adjusted
G A Pts G A Pts
1 Howie Morenz 1927-28 MTL 43 33 18 51 67 123 190
2 Wayne Gretzky 1985-86 EDM 80 52 163 215 41 129 170
3 Cooney Weiland1929-30 BOS 44 43 30 71 70 98 168
4 Wayne Gretzky 1984-85 EDM 80 73 135 208 58 108 166
5 Mario Lemieux 1988-89 PIT 76 85 114 199 71 94 165
6 Wayne Gretzky 1983-84 EDM 74 87 118 205 69 94 163
7 Frank Boucher 1929-30 NYR 42 26 36 62 42 118 160
8 Wayne Gretzky 1982-83 EDM 80 71 125 196 57 102 159
9 Wayne Gretzky 1981-82 EDM 80 92 120 212 68 88 156
10 Mario Lemieux 1995-96 PIT 70 69 92 161 67 89 156
11 Wayne Gretzky 1986-87 EDM 79 62 121 183 52 103 155
*data courtesy hockey-reference.com
Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are on the list multiple times, as expected, with the two arguably greatest players in NHL history occupying eight of the 11 spots on the register. The three names that 28 stand out are Howie Morenz, Cooney Weiland and Frank Boucher. All three of them played key roles in the late 1920s and into the 1930s.
Ralph "Cooney" Weiland was a fixture for the Boston Bruins as their top centre in the late-‘20s and early-‘30s. Centering the "Dynamite Line" between Dit Clapper and Dutch Gainor, Weiland was most noted for his effort and attention to detail in the finer points of the game. His stick skills defensively and ability to win face-offs were renowned around the NHL.
Weiland won his first Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1929 as an NHL rookie, but his sophomore season in 1929-30 was one for the ages as he scored an insane 43 goals in 44 games. That was the second-highest single season total in NHL history to that point and his era-adjusted 70-goal mark represented the single season goal scoring record until 1988-89 - almost 50 years later - when Mario Lemieux posted the equivalent to 71 goals. That season for Lemieux, as you can see in the table, was the fifth-ranked all-time.
Despite the ridiculous goal scoring numbers, Weiland finished third in voting for the Hart and Lady Byng trophies that season. The only individual award he received as a player prior to his entry into the Hall of Fame in 1971 was when he was named as a second team all-star in 1934-35 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
Interestingly in that same 1929-30 season, while Weiland was firing home goals at an insane rate, Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers was busy racking up assists centering the famed New York Rangers "Bread Line" between brothers Bill and Bun Cook. He led the NHL with 36 helpers, which era adjusts to an insane 118. Surprisingly, Boucher actually produced 119 era adjusted assists the year prior, but scored 16 fewer goals, so his era-adjusted point total that season was only 145 - keeping him a bit below the cutoff for this list.
Boucher should be regarded as the premier passer of his era, leading the league in assists on three occasions and ranking in the top 10 nine times. He held the NHL record for career-adjusted assists from 1931 until he was finally passed by Gordie Howe in 1964. Boucher was named a first-team all-star in three consecutive seasons from 1933 to 1935 and a second-team all-star once in 1931. Boucher was also widely respected as one of the most gentlemanly players in the game, winning the Lady Byng Trophy an amazing seven times in an eight-year span. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1958.
Top scorers in 1927-28 NHL season
Howie Morenz, 51 points, MTL
Aurel Joliat, 39 points, MTL
Frank Boucher, 35 points, NYR
George Hay, 35 points, DTC
Nels Stewart, 34 points, MTM
Art Gagne, 30 points, MTL
Howie Morenz was a legend long before the likes of Howe, Gretzky and Lemieux came along. He was the first three-time winner of the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, taking it home in 1928, 1931 and 1932 as the scoring leader of the Montreal Canadiens. He ranked top 10 in points in each of his first 10 years in the league, finishing first in 1928 and 1931.
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His era-adjusted 190 point total from the 1927-28 season is 20 points higher than the second-ranked season by Gretzky and is mainly due to a significant upward adjustment of his 18 assists in 43 games played. It is important to remember this was an era where no forward passing was permitted either into or within the offensive zone. Complete forward passing was introduced in 1929-30, the same season in which Boucher and Weiland qualified for this list.
Morenz’s 18 assists were four more than the second-ranked player in the league, Bun Cook, and was a massive number. This was a league where 836 total goals were scored, but only 418 assists were registered -- 0.5 per goal.
Morenz took over the NHL lead in career era-adjusted points in 1931-32 and would not reinquish that spot until Gordie Howe took over 28 years later. What makes this even more impressive is that Morenz’s career was cut alarmingly short. He died at the age of 34 when a blood clot caused a heart attack as he was recuperating in hospital from a broken leg that was suffered on the ice during game against Chicago on January 28, 1937. Following his death, the Canadiens retired Morenz’s No. 7, making him the first player to be so honoured by the club.
Morenz was named the greatest NHL player of the first half of the 20th century by the Canadian Press in 1950, and was one of the nine original inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was recently announced among the first 33 on the NHL's 100 greatest players list and his legacy in Montreal still stands amazingly tall.
But perhaps he should be recognized even more than he is. After all, when measuring for era- adjustments, he had the most prolific season in NHL history.
30 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/visual-primer-2017-nhl-star-skills-competition/
Visual Primer: 2017 NHL All-Star Skills Competition
By Mike Johnston – January 28, 2017
The NHL announced the format for its 2017 NHL All-Star Skills Competition and there were some changes. In 2016, despite there being four all-star squads, the skills competition remained an East vs. West showcase. They also removed hockey’s version of a dunk contest, The Breakaway Challenge, and replaced it with something called the Four Line Challenge.
This year’s competition takes place Saturday, Jan. 28 starting at 7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.
Here’s a look at the six events, their rules, the points being allotted, and which players are competing:
Skills Challenge Relay
This timed relay event incorporates all types of hockey skills. Seven skaters and one goalie from each team will participate. There are five elements to this event: one timers, puck control, stick-handling, goalie goals and puck control. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next challenge, however there’s a 30-second time limit for one timers and goalie goals and a 45-second maximum for the passing section of the relay.
Participants:
Central Division vs. Pacific Division
One Timers: Keith, Suter, Tarasenko vs. Pavelski, Kesler, Carter Passer: MacKinnon vs. Horvat Passing: Toews vs. Doughty Puck Control: Seguin vs. Fowler Stick-Handling: Kane vs. Gaudreau Goalie Goals: Dubnyk vs. Smith Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division
One Timers: Karlsson, Trocheck, Okposo vs. S. Jones, Ovechkin, Simmonds Passer: Hedman vs. McDonagh Passing: Nielsen vs. Tavares Puck Control: Marchand vs. Faulk Stick-Handling: Matthews vs. Crosby Goalie Goals Price vs. Holtby Points Available: 3 - The team with the fastest time in each heat gets one point and the team with the fastest overall time scores a bonus point.
Four Line Challenge
Four shooters from each team stand at four different spots on the ice – one at the blue line closest to the net, one at centre ice, one at the far blue line and one at the goal line. Each player gets two pucks. The first shooter aims for the top corners (one point per successful attempt), the shooter from centre 31 ice aims for any of the four corners (one point for bottom corners, two for top corners), the player at the far blue line goes for the four corners or five hole (one point for corners or five hole, five points for top corners), and finally the player at the goal line aims for the five hole (worth 10 points). The final shooter can be a goalie, but it’s up to the team captain. If a goalie scores it’s worth 20 points.
Participants:
Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific
Shooter 1: Kucherov, McDonagh, Suter, Pavelski Shooter 2: Karlsson, Simmonds, Seguin, Burns Shooter 3: Trocheck, Hall, Subban, Kesler Shooter 4: Weber, S. Jones, MacKinnon, Horvat Points Available: 1 – The team with the most points scores one point. Simple enough.
Accuracy Shooting
Each team has two shooters and two passers. It’ll consist of four head-to-head match-ups (Pacific Division vs. Central Division and Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division again). There are four targets, all 15 inches in diameter, positioned in each corner of the net. Teams will be at opposite ends of the rink, alternating attempts. The first shooter to hit all four targets wins.
Participants:
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division Okposo vs. Tavares Matthews vs. Crosby Central Division vs. Pacific Division Laine vs. McDavid Kane vs. Carter
Points Available: 6 – The winner of each matchup gets one point for his team.The player who hits all four targets in the fastest time gets a bonus point.
Fastest Skater
Players from each team will face off against an opponent in a two-skater race around half the rink split lengthways. Players from the Pacific Division will skate against players from the Central Division while the Atlantic Division skates opposite the Metropolitan Division. If a race ends in a tie, each of the teams will be awarded one point. The fastest skater in the head-to-head matchups will skate a full lap of the outside border of the rink in an attempt to break Dylan Larkin’s record of 13.172 seconds that was set in 2016. If two skaters tie for the fastest overall time, both skaters will attempt to break the record.
Participants:
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division Marchand vs. Atkinson Kucherov vs. Hall Central Division vs. Pacific Division Tarasenko vs. Horvat MacKinnon vs. McDavid
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Points Available: 6 – Each matchup is worth one point and the team with the fastest skater scores a bonus point. If the fastest skater breaks Larkin’s record they'll be awarded an additional point. fastest-skater-full-lap
Hardest Shot
Grip it and rip it. This is always the most anticipated annual skill competition event. Two shooters from each team test their slap shot power in head-to-head matchups. Each player attempts two shots with the puck placed 30 feet from the net. Each shot is tracked and the highest speed of their two shots recorded. Zdeno Chara holds the record at 108.8 mph.
Participants:
Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division Hedman vs. S. Jones Weber vs. Ovechkin Central Division vs. Pacific Division Laine vs. Burns Subban vs. Doughty
Points Available: 6 – The winner of each matchup gets one point. The team with the player who has the hardest shot gets a point. If anyone breaks Chara’s record their team gets a bonus point.
Shootout
Since the skills competition format changed from two teams to four teams the shootout event was modified. Here’s the league's description of the event:
“Nine skaters and two goaltenders from each of the top-scoring teams from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference will participate. Captains of respective teams will choose one additional skater from the other team in their conference. The scoreboard will be reset to 0-0 prior to the start of the Discover NHL ShootoutTM. Goals scored count as one point. The captains’ selections from the losing teams will be designated Discover puck players, and goals scored by these players will count as two points. Goalies will switch after every five shooters. NHL shootout rules apply to each scoring attempt. If the teams are tied after 10 shooters, the shootout will continue in a sudden death format until a winner is determined. The Captains will select their next shooter before each shot. Players are eligible to shoot multiple times, without restriction.”
Participants:
Will be decided during event.
Points Available: One point for every goal scored and two points for every goal scored with a Discover puck.
33 http://www.tsn.ca/tsn-hockey-s-top-10-storylines-of-the-week-1.659583
TSN Hockey's Top 10 Storylines of the Week
By Scott Cullen – January 28, 2017
Scott Cullen takes a look at the top hockey stories from January 20th through January 27th, including a coaches’ poll, trade talk, Sedin, the Top 67 and more.
COACHES’ POLL
Bob McKenzie posted results of a poll with 25 of the league’s head coaches. It comes as no surprise that Washington and Pittsburgh are clearly the top two picks to win the Stanley Cup, followed by the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks.
Sidney Crosby was voted best player, by a 16-7 margin over Connor McDavid. It’s interesting that Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom both earned a vote. Presumably both couldn’t come from Barry Trotz.
The best defenceman was a landslide win for Brent Burns, as expected. Shea Weber coming in ahead of Victor Hedman was a little surprising.
Sergei Bobrovsky got the nod, ahead of Devan Dubnyk, as top goaltender. That seemed a little odd to me, so I asked the Twitterverse, and found out that the Wild have excelled at keeping pucks away from the front of the net, so their expected goals against, in all situations, ranks third in the league, while Columbus ranks 23rd. Thus, while facing fewer shots, it does appear that Bobrovsky is being asked to face higher quality shots against.
Auston Matthews was a slam-dunk as the best rookie, ahead of Patrik Laine and Zach Werenski.
Only two coaches received more than one vote as best coach. John Tortorella (15 votes) was the odds- on favourite to be the first coach fired at the start of the season and Bruce Boudreau (6 votes) apparently just keeps winning no matter where he goes.
The top team in the Western Conference at the break has been, surprisingly enough, Boudreau’s Minnesota Wild. They have won 21 of their past 25 games and they are doing it without great possession numbers.
As noted with the coaches’ top goaltender vote, the Wild have excelled at allowing lower quality shots, and the story remains the same – Boudreau is guiding another team to the top of the standings in the regular season.
The question is, for both the Wild and Boudreau, is whether they will be able to get over the playoff hump.
SHATTENKIRK
If the Blues are prepared to deal Kevin Shattenkirk, there will be plenty of suitors.
As the NHL trade deadline is little over a month away, trade talk is heating up and one of the most interesting names is that of Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk, a productive puck-moving defenceman who will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
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The Blues might be inclined to push forward with Shattenkirk, but unless St. Louis finds an answer in goal, it’s hard to put any expectations on the Blues for the postseason.
If St. Louis puts Shattenkirk, a 27-year-old right-shot defenceman, in play on the trade market, they will have no shortage of offers. Since the start of the 2013-2014 season, Shattenkirk ranks 13th among defencemen with 166 points in 258 games.
It’s also worth noting that he’s playing 20:06 per game this season, his lowest time on ice per game since his rookie season (2010-2011).
ATKINSON TO ALL-STAR GAME FOR MALKIN
A lower-body injury has knocked Penguins star centre Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup, and it’s going to keep him out of the All-Star game.
A star missing the game due to injury isn’t a huge deal, but it presents a good opportunity for Cam Atkinson, the Columbus winger who has 24 goals and 46 points in 48 games this season, a breakthrough season that is precisely the kind of performance that should be rewarded.
HENRIK SEDIN HITS 1000 POINTS
It hasn’t been a hugely productive season for 36-year-old Canucks centre Henrik Sedin – 32 points in 50 games is his lowest per-game scoring rate since 2003-2004.
Nevertheless, he hit a milestone this week, recording his 1,000th career point in a win against Florida, which earned him congratulations from former teammate Roberto Luongo.
TSN HOCKEY’S TOP 67 SINCE ‘67
TSN Hockey selected the best 67 players since 1967, when there was huge expansion from the league’s Original Six teams.
As always, with a list of this nature, there will be questions and debates. On first glance, there were a few omissions that stood out to me.
THE MISSION
There are few songs with a hockey theme that resonate in Canadian pop culture in the same way that the Tragically Hip’s 50 Mission Cap does.
Bob McKenzie voiced this great piece (produced by Josh Shiaman) on the story of Bill Barilko and how it matters to the people in the northern Ontario town of Timmins.
Thanks to the entire community of Timmins & the Tragically Hip for inspiring this story.
OILERS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Leon Draisaitl has been a big part of Edmonton's success this season.
A franchise that last reached the postseason in 2005-2006, the Oilers are firmly in playoff position now, tied with the San Jose Sharks for first in the Pacific Division (though the Oilers have played one more game).
Goaltender Cam Talbot has been really good, they have one of the top two players in the league, and Connor McDavid’s relatively new line (with Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon) has been one of the league’s best. 35
They have solid possession numbers and, while the blueline could use further improvement, they have made progress and appear to be headed for the playoffs for the first time in a long time.
SHARKS CLIMBING
Last season’s Stanley Cup finalists appear to be coming on – they had won six straight before Thursday’s home loss to Edmonton.
With the Western Conference sort of up for grabs, the Sharks may be as good a bet as any to make the Final again.
GULUTZAN RIPS FLAMES
Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan tore a strip off his team following Tuesday’s 5-1 loss at Montreal. They had lost six of seven and frustration was obviously setting in, but this was a harsh public assessment of a team that has been, at least a little, disappointing.
The Flames did win their next game, in overtime Thursday night at Ottawa, but on the heels of some questions about the long-term status of GM Brad Treliving, keep an eye on what’s happening in Calgary if they can’t turn this around soon.
SENATORS
Former Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment exec Tom Anselmi was named as President and CEO of the Ottawa Senators, replacing Cyril Leeder. Anselmi is known for real estate projects, which does apply to the Senators as they endeavor to build a new arena in LeBreton Flats.
The Senators also inducted longtime GM Bryan Murray into the Sens Ring of Honour, the first person so honoured by the franchise.
36 http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20170130/hockey-amp-city-upper-arlington-became-prep- puck-pioneers-40-years-ago
Hockey & The City: Upper Arlington became prep puck pioneers 40 years ago
By Tom Reed – January 29, 2017
They gathered on the ice, a ceremonial carpet beneath their feet, for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Members of the 1977-78 Upper Arlington hockey team waved to familiar faces as they were bathed in warm applause from fans present to see the school's current club face Dublin Coffman in the OhioHealth Ice Haus on Saturday night.
The celebration's setting alone spoke to the dramatic passage of time. When coach Les Swearingen and his Bears became central Ohio's first high school hockey program, the Ice Haus and the adjacent Nationwide Arena did not exist. They were part of the Ohio Penitentiary grounds. There were no Blue Jackets. No Capital Hockey Conference. It would be 20 more years before another Columbus-area prep program joined Upper Arlington on the ice.
"I am originally from Detroit and it's a hotbed of hockey and we were hoping this would be the start of it," said Swearingen, who was joined on the ice by 12 of his players and former Upper Arlington principal Dave Shelby.
"It's nice to see the growth of the game in town. Obviously, the Blue Jackets and their commitment to the amateur programs and high school programs were big."
The majority of clubs in the 14-team Capital Hockey Conference were founded after the Blue Jackets' arrival in 2000.
Upper Arlington's decision to start a varsity program coincided with no such major event in the sport. The "Miracle On Ice" was three years away. There was no groundswell for hockey in a town where Woody Hayes still stalked the Ohio State sidelines. There was the OSU men's team, the minor-league Columbus Owls and the Capital Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for youngsters up to age 16.
The Bears' first home rink, Ice Land on North Broadway, was one of two in the area shut down by the 1979 Energy Crisis. Thanks to Swearingen's connections at OSU - he played for the Buckeyes from 1970- 74 - the Bears found a new home on campus.
"We played in (CAHA) and would have had to stop playing if they hadn't started the high school team," said Doug Salmen, a defenseman who wore his UA letterman's jacket to the 40th anniversary celebration.
"I got the chance to play Division I college hockey (at Miami University) because of our team."
Salmen was among the half dozen Bears who played for a CAHA travel team under Swearingen. A group of parents from that club lobbied Upper Arlington to start a program. Shelby supported the idea, but said the school could not offer any financial backing.
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Parents used their own money and sold ads in team programs. The biggest issue was travel. There were no cross-town rivals. The nearest opponents were more than an hour away. The Bears played in a Dayton-based league.
Saturday night, players laughed at the memories of riding home on a frigid school bus from Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland.
"We would stack all the equipment in the back of the bus and on some of those late-night trips home I would sleep on my pads," goaltender Stan Jones said.
One of the team's most colorful figures was its bus driver Don Mantor. He wore a cowboy hat, boots and a large belt buckle. Shelby said Mantor also worked part time as a clown, but when it came to protecting his hockey players there was no joking around.
"We would be on the road and there were times when we beat teams and they weren't happy about it," Swearingen said. "People would come out to the bus and Don always had a crowbar in hand for situations like that."
Few first-year programs have enjoyed as much success as the 1977-78 Upper Arlington hockey team. They went 22-5 and won the Greater Dayton Hockey League title.
"We knew each other and we played well together from our days on the (CAHA) travel team," right wing Dan Jones said. "Les didn't have to overcome a lack of continuity. He just had to fill in the rest of the team."
It was a terrific start for an Upper Arlington program that's made two state final-four appearances (2006-07).
Players from the original team take pride in knowing they helped build the region's oldest prep hockey program. Todd Porterfield, an art history professor in Paris, flew home from France for the weekend to see old teammates.
They assembled at Boston's Pizza in the Arena District and talked about the old games, the pranks and the "Hockey Honies," the Upper Arlington female supporters who baked cookies for players and toilet- papered their houses.
The night culminated with current Bears' players skating on the ice to pose for pictures with the 1977-78 founding hockey fathers.
Forty years later, hockey and Upper Arlington remain a good fit. Just like Salmen's letterman's jacket.
38 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-all-star-game-skills-competition-connor-mcdavid-fastest- larkin-crosby-matthews-mike-smith-kesler/
9 takeaways from All-Star Skills: McDavid got robbed
By Luke Fox – January 29, 2017
LOS ANGELES — From DJ Snoopadelic dropping the needle on an uncensored record to the skills competition–winning Atlantic Division chose the much-feared Metropolitan as its Round 1 opponent for Sunday’s all-star game, Saturday’s event was filled with fun times and bold moves.
Here are nine memorable moments from the star-studded showcase, in which a little kid and a lightning-quick 20-year-old stole the show.
Surprise! McDavid is the NHL’s fastest skater.
Connor McDavid may be the only person on the planet who can make Nathan MacKinnon appear slow.
"I’m pretty fast, but I’m not Connor fast, that’s for sure," MacKinnon said before the start gun.
The Pacific captain lapped the rink in 13.02 seconds, leaving the Avalanche forward in his dust while posting the best time of all contestants.
Since his heat was last, McDavid had little time to rest before a solo attempt to break Dylan Larkin's fastest-lap record, set last year in Nashville.
The Oiler came up a fraction short, conceding he was "a little winded from the lap before."
What a turtle.
McDavid got robbed of a running start, like Larkin had.
McDavid said he was "definitely aware" Larkin had a running start (from the blue line) in 2016 and was hoping to break the record, noting that he did shave 0.2 seconds off his lap during the Oilers' fastest skater contest.
"I wanted to go a little farther back to get a running start," said McDavid, who was instructed to begin his lap between the red line and a marker a couple feet back.
"I'm not sure who decides it or if it's just one guy who goes out there and says, 'That's good enough' and draws it right there. I'm not sure how scientific it gets.
"Maybe one day I'll beat Larkin."
In the team event, the Metropolitan is too skilled for you.
The most loaded division in hockey — which got even more star-studded Saturday, adding Wayne Gretzky as its substitute head coach for the absent John Tortorella — jumped to an early lead when it completed the Skills Challenge Relay in the fastest time (1:21.7).
While Atlantic dangler extraordinaire Auston Matthews suffered some yips in the puck-handling portion, Sidney Crosby aced his spin through the pylons, helping the Metro to a decisive victory.
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“A little nerve-wracking to begin with," Matthews admitted. "It’s tough going into those kind of cold, not really warmed up, but it was a blast.”
The newest skills contest is super hard and confusing... but rewarding.
Trying to hit the corners of the net from the blue line, centre ice, far blue line and far goal-line looks impossibly difficult, so it was no surprise the new mini game led to plenty of misses.
“A little hole? The full ice?" Seth Jones questioned. "Oh, boy. That could take a while.”
No wonder Ryan Kesler didn't even bother and instead gave his far-blue-line opportunity to a substitute: his six-year-old son, Ryker. Cuteness.
Check out the rules:
Still, Brent Burns did swish a three-pointer in the top left corner from centre ice.
And Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith made the impossible possible, nailing a 20-point shot five-hole from 180 feet away. First attempt.
Three seasons ago, Smith scored in an actual game against the Red Wings.
"There's actually less pressure in a game than there was here tonight," Smith said.
Crosby is not ready to pass any torch.
Maybe the reason Crosby attends so few all-star weekends is because the skills are too easy for him.
After McDavid set the bar by completing the four-corner Shooting Accuracy challenge in a brisk 15.64 seconds, Matthews improved on the older first-overall pick's time, going 4-for-5 in 12.28.
Crosby chirped the teenager.
“He was telling me before that he sawed my stick or something because he knew we were going head- to-head in it," Matthews said. "He said he was messing with my gear so that’s probably why my first one was bad.”
Earlier in the day, McDavid reminded us that Crosby is not only the world's best player; it's clear the Penguin will be for years to come. He bristled at the mention of this weekend as a passing of the torch.
Sure enough, Sid also went 4-for-5, needing just 10.73 seconds to beat the young Maple Leaf.
“He made me look bad there. I was feeling really good, too," Matthews said. "Four out of five, not bad. Great passing from Erik [Karlsson] and Frans [Nielsen], and then he goes four for five in, like, three seconds earlier. I guess that’s the reason why he’s got 26 goals this year.”
The pressure got to Patrik Laine in Shooting Accuracy.
We asked Central sniper Patrik Laine about the event earlier in the day.
"I don’t have to practise that. I’ve done that once, and I’ll just try to improve my time,” he said, matter of fact. Laine went a perfect 4-for-4 when the Jets held the contest.
“There’s some more people watching," Laine foreshadowed, "so it might be a little more pressure.”
The kid struggled a bit.
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"The first challenge wasn't too good for me, so I tried to make up for it in the hardest shot, and that was really good," Laine said.
Marchand was one of a couple of last-minute pullouts.
Cam Atkinson ran into Brad Marchand, his scheduled fastest-skater opponent, in the players' hotel.
“You ready to rock ’n’ roll for this?” Atkinson said.
No. No, Marchand was not ready to rock 'n' roll.
“He pulled the chute. He knew I was going to beat him so he didn’t want to embarrass himself,” Atkinson joked.
“I think he might have a groin or hip or something. Just precautionary.”
Curiously, P.K. Subban also pulled himself out of the Hardest Shot contest.
The captain said it was "a coach's decision," meaning his own.
"There's a lot of standing around," Subban said, "so I just didn't want to do it."
Shea Weber is the master of his own domain.
As has become his routine, the Montreal Canadiens' "Man Mountain" walked away with the Hardest Shot.
His 122-flex stick blasted the puck 102.8 m.p.h., and Weber claimed his third straight victory in the event.
Laine was the only other player to hit triple digits.
"Webbs, he kinda disappointed me," Drew Doughty said. "I thought he was going to break the record [Zdeno Chara's 108.8 m.p.h.]."
How nasty is Weber's blast? Check out this list of victims (via reddit):
Carey Price's struggles hit new low versus Mini Kesler.
Little Ryker Kesler made his second cameo of the night in the NHL Shootout, doubling down on the adorable.
The kid beat Price, one of his favourite players, five-hole on a shot the Vezina winner definitely should've had.
"He watched enough YouTube clips, he knew [Price was weak between the legs]," the elder Kesler said. "I asked if he was nervous. He said, 'No, I got this.' "
Dad proudly filmed the goal — and the subsequent high fives — on his smartphone.
"In the intermission, he was like, 'Dad, this is the best day of my life.' Then he goes out and scores," Kesler said, holding court with his son in the dressing room.
"He got a lot more cheers than I did, that's for sure. I got a lot of boos. The fans switched. Now they like Kesler. The little Kesler, though. They still don't like me."
41 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl-no-olympics-in-2018-if-status-quo-remains-1.660129
No Olympics in 2018 if status quo remains
By Staff – January 29, 2017
LOS ANGELES — NHL participation in the next Olympics is looking grim.
That was the picture painted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly at all-star weekend in Los Angeles. Bettman said the Olympic conversation lasted all of 10 seconds at the league's board of governors meeting on Saturday. Nothing had changed from December, he told the board.
"If the status quo remains I don't expect us to be in the Olympics," Daly said after Bettman delivered his mid-season state of the union address to media.
NHL owners have expressed growing distaste toward their players returning to a sixth straight Olympics in PyeongChang, sentiment that was expressed most strongly when the governors last met previously in Palm Beach, Fla. in early December.
Bettman suggested the International Olympic Committee had unwittingly sparked fury when it said, under the direction of president Thomas Bach, that out-of-pocket expenses would no longer be covered for NHL players to attend the Games.
"I think when the IOC said 'You know what, we don't think it's worth it we're not going to pay,' I think that may have opened a whole can of worms," Bettman said.
Owners were now especially reluctant to shut down the season to accommodate the Olympics and have become increasingly wary of the tangible global effect the Games could have on the NHL, especially in South Korea.
International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel has suggested that it could deliver the out-of- pocket costs for players to attend — which he's said amount to upwards of US$10 million — but Bettman was skeptical and concerned that the money might be coming from the pockets of minor hockey.
The NHL has begun contemplating two schedules for the 2017-18 season, one that includes the Olympics and one that doesn't. Bettman said the league was considering a few different options for a potential 2018 all-star game — which would occur only if the Olympics were a definite no-go.
"It's something that as a practical matter needs to be decided at some point, but we're not at that point yet," Daly said. "There's no reason to force a decision yet."
The NHL is just waiting at this point, hoping for some kind of game-changer that might flip the minds of the governors.
"I don't know what the something is," Daly said. "All I can tell you is if we're going to hear the same thing I don't think it's going to move the ball."
Bettman said nothing had changed with respect to the status of the Carolina Hurricanes. Team owner Peter Karmanos suggested Saturday that he might be open to selling the club.
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"Peter may sell. He may not sell. He may sell all of it. He may sell some of it. He may sell none of it," Bettman said. "There's no formal sale process going on. There's no imperative for the franchise to be sold on any immediate basis and the franchise is not moving."
43 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/allstar/2017/01/28/nhl-all-star-game-skills-competition- recap/97205614/
NHL Skills Competition delivers something for everyone
By Kevin Allen – January 29, 2017
LOS ANGELES — A goalie turned scorer. The youngest participant in NHL history. A Sidney Cosby moment. A Connor McDavid burst of speed.
The 2017 NHL All-Star Skills Competition had something for everyone. Here are five takeaways:
Youngest star ever The star of the NHL Skills Competition was Ryker Kesler. That’s not a mistake. Not Ryan Kesler.
Ryan let his son Ryker, 6, take his place in the breakaway challenge and he beat Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price through the five hole for the only goal the Pacific Division scored in that event.
“He’s got ice in his veins,” Kesler said of his son. “I was more nervous than he was.”
Ryker high-fived everyone on the ice after the impressive goal. Asked how it felt, Ryker said: “Excited.”
Long-range goal Arizona Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith is generally regarded as the NHL’s best puck-handling goalie and he showed why at the NHL Skills Competition.
In a new event called the Four Line Challenge, Smith shot a puck almost 180 feet into a small opening in the opposite goal.
The crowd erupted. That shot would be challenging for even a top-scoring NHL forward. It seems like a miracle shot for a goalie.
“It surprised me as much as anybody else,” Smith said.
No one should be shocked. Smith is the last NHL goalie to score a goal in a regular-season game, producing an empty-netter against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19, 2013.
Crosby not ready to abdicate throne Young stars are the talk of the NHL this season. Connor McDavid, 20, leads the NHL in scoring and Auston Matthews, 19, is the darling of Toronto. Both of those players were in the accuracy shooting event at the skills contest.
Who won? Neither.
Matthews looked impressive, breaking four targets in five shots in 12.28 seconds. McDavid needed more than 15 seconds.
But Sidney Crosby, 29, reminded everyone why he is considered the most skilled player in the game by downing four targets in 10.7 seconds. McDavid did win the Fastest Skater Competition.
MORE NHL: 44
Wayne Gretzky as an All-Star coach a Great move for NHL
NHL All-Stars weigh in on keys to three-on-three
NHL big shot It doesn’t seem as if Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber has a true challenger for the title of NHL’s Top Gun.
Weber won the hardest shot competition for the third consecutive year with a shot clocked at 102.8 mph, much lower than his 108.5 in 2015 and the 108.1 he recorded last season. Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine was second at 101.7.
Was the radar gun having an off night? Only two shots surpassed 100 mph.
“Maybe it was location of the shots,” Weber said. “I don’t know. It could have been a number of different things. Maybe for some reason we just weren’t feeling it tonight.”
Buzz about Sunday Wayne Gretzky said one reason why he jumped at the invitation to coach the Metropolitan Division in Sunday’s All-Star three-on-three tournament (3:30 ET, NBC) was because his roster will have Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
Will he put them together in the three-on-three format? Given Gretzky’s passion for the drama of sports, the guess is he will.
“If he and I are going to play together, it is going to be fun,” Ovechkin said after the Skills Competition.. “I’m going to try passing the puck because I’m a passer now.”
45 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/allstar/2017/01/29/nhl-all-star-game-format-success- three-on-three/97224460/
NHL has it right with three-on-three All-Star Game format
By Kevin Allen – January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES — The three-on-three format is an imperfect way to decide the winner of the NHL All-Star game, but it is still the best format we've seen.
“The entertainment value is pretty good,” Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said.
Hard to argue after New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh made a game-saving kick save in the closing seconds to allow the Wayne Gretzky-coached Metropolitan Division to defeat the Pacific Division 4-3 in the three-on-three All-Star tournament championship game.
Metropolitan goalie Braden Holtby stopped 17 of 20 shots in his two games of work. Who says players don’t come to All-Star games to compete?
“(The final) felt more like a regular-season three-on-three game,” Holtby said.
With seconds to go, and Holtby pulled out of position, McDonagh sprawled to get his skate on a shot from Ryan Kesler that was headed into the net for the tying goal. The puck flew off McDonagh’s boot and struck the post before bounding away.
“It’s a close game and we are all competitive,” McDonagh said. “We didn’t do very good last year — went out in the first game — and we wanted to do a little bit better and found a way.”
Players could tell that Gretzky was committed to winning. He even successfully used a coach’s challenge to overturn a goal by Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Gretzky is an executive with the Oilers organization. Tournament MVP Wayne Simmonds (three goals, eight shots in two games) called that challenge “the game changer.”
“You can tell he has a lot of passion and love for the game,” McDonagh said. “He sees the game so well. He was talking about different plays out there, trying to make adjustments. He used his timeout because he knew we needed a breather.”
Players on the winning team split $1 million in prize money.
“If somebody is going to give you 1 million bucks to split, then you go for it,” Ovechkin said.
Before the final game, the three-on-three format didn’t produce the same compete level that the tournament had a year ago. Last season, the scores of the three-on-three semifinals were 4-3 and 9-6 before a 1-0 finale.
This season the semifinal scores were 10-3 and 10-6. “I can’t really take it seriously,” St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko said after his Central Division team was eliminated. “I would rather just have fun out there. Of course we don’t try to lose."
The mini-tournament was missing the defensive effort present in last year’s format debut, but a 4-3 finale proved the NHL has it right with three-on-three format.
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Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban said it is challenging for players to crank up their intensity for a game that doesn’t impact the standings.
“Eighty-two games are for us to get stressed out and be on pins and needles,” Subban said. "Today is just about us having fun.”
Players try to find the motivation, but don’t always locate it.
“I guess there is a money prize if you win it,” Rask said. “(Boston teammate Brad Marchand) was trying to talk me into playing like playoff hockey but I wasn’t buying into it.”
But everyone agrees that the three-on-three works better than any other format. “I think it’s awesome,” said Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane. “I think fans have fun with it.”
Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson certainly wouldn’t want to go back to five-on-five. “It’s hard sometimes to get guys to go as hard as you will when you play for your team, but I think it’s better if you have a little room to do your thing.”
Whether they all play their hardest or not, the players love to be there. “If your team scores 10 goals and you don’t get any, or you are minus-15 you take it,” Subban said. “It’s a privilege to be an All-Star.”
47 http://www.tsn.ca/sidney-crosby-gets-the-best-of-mcdavid-in-sunday-s-nhl-all-star-game-1.660483
Crosby's Metro gets better of McDavid's Pacific in NHL All-Star Game
By The Canadian Press – January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES — Connor McDavid didn't get the storybook ending in his first NHL all-star game but Wayne Simmonds certainly did.
Simmonds scored the winning goal and was named MVP in the final of the all-star tournament, leading the Metropolitan division all-stars over the McDavid-led pack from the Pacific. The 28-year-old Simmonds was making his first all-star game appearance in the same Staples Center building where he once played regularly for the Los Angeles Kings.
Simmonds was drafted in the second round by the Kings in 2007 and played 240 regular season games with the club before being shipped to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Mike Richards trade of June 2011.
"It's all pretty surreal," Simmonds said after the 4-3 victory. "I don't even know if I realize what's going on right now."
Simmonds has played the last five-plus seasons in Philadelphia. He mustered a career-high 32 goals and 60 points last season and is on pace to set new career-highs for goals, points and power-play goals this year. Simmonds currently has 21 goals, including 10 on the power play, and 38 points while averaging a career-best 19 minutes through 50 games.
The Toronto native credits former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette for first moving him to the front of the net on the man advantage.
He's made a killing there, with his 69 power-plays goals since 2011 trailing only Washington's Alex Ovechkin. He's tied for 13th overall in that same span with 153 goals overall.
Simmonds not only scored the key goal in Sunday's final, but added a pair in a 10-6 win over the Atlantic division all-stars to begin the day.
Simmonds was set up on the game-winner — the victory coming with a US$1 million prize to be split among the players — by New Jersey winger Taylor Hall. He fired the one-time feed past Arizona's Mike Smith on precisely the back-door style play the two had discussed before the game.
MVP honours carried with it a new Honda truck, which Simmonds figured he would probably hand over to someone in his family.
"I don't need it," he said. "It's a nice luxury to have, but who knows what I do with it."
Simmonds's special night came about only after McDavid had his own upended.
After scoring his team's second goal, McDavid appeared to then pad the lead to 4-2, but Metropolitan division head coach Wayne Gretzky challenged the play and the goal was ruled offside.
"I think it might've been a millimetre offside," McDavid said. "They're calling it pretty tight I guess at the all-star game these days."
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It was the first all-star showing for the 20-year-old who's leading the NHL in scoring this season (59 points). Sunday's showdown pitted him against Sidney Crosby, who sits four points back in the overall scoring race.
Earlier in the weekend Gretzky reiterated his belief that Crosby was tops in the sport with McDavid "chasing" him down.
"He's the best player in the world by far," McDavid said of Crosby after the skills competition on Saturday.
But McDavid shined brighter in the all-star game, totalling three points in his team's 10-3 win over the Central division in Sunday's opener. He had breakaways galore in the three-on-three format, which started with little emotion before the intensity dialled up a touch in the final.
"I really, really like the format," McDavid said of the three-on-three tournament, which got its start last year in Nashville. "I think it might be a little bit gimmicky at the start when everyone's kind of going a little bit lighter, but as the thing goes on everyone gets a little bit more heated and I think you really start to see some good hockey."
McDavid took in the NHL's ceremony honouring the 100 greatest players in league history on Friday, then nearly set a record for the fastest skater in the skills competition on Saturday.
"It was so cool," McDavid said of the all-star experience. "Having the top 100 greatest players of all-time here makes it even better and obviously this all-star game was stacked with talent. It was so much fun to be around it and be a part of it."
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