Sport-Scan Daily Brief

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 1/25/2020 Arizona Coyotes Dallas Stars 1172582 Coyotes at the All-Star Break: A look at the season’s 1st 1172614 ‘Go big or go home’: Tyler Seguin was one Arch-shot half away from claiming $30K at the NHL Skills Competition 1172583 Jam-packed Pacific, Pt. I: Coyotes reach All-Star break in 1172615 Once a young hotshot of All-Star weekend, Stars’ Tyler tight division race Seguin is adjusting to being older and wiser 1172585 Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 20 Arizona Coyotes Detroit Red Wings 1172616 Detroit Red Wings anticipate bigger things than just Boston Bruins All-Star Game for Tyler Bertuzzi 1172586 David Pastrnak has all the ingredients to be a leading man 1172617 Red Wings enjoying the advantages of an extended bye 1172587 David Pastrnak’s reputation has grown since 2019 All-Star break appearance 1172618 Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi proves worthy of All-Star nod, no 1172588 The Bruins’ top 15 prospects of 2020 matter what he says 1172589 David Pastrnak has some fun at NHL All-Star Skills 1172619 Filip Zadina grabs spotlight in brief return to Grand Rapids Competition Griffins 1172590 Hagg Bag: At the All-Star break, readers' suggestions for 1172620 Red Wings’ Tyler Bertuzzi goes from ‘disturber’ to All-Star Bruins won't get pushed aside 1172621 Untold stories about Tyler Bertuzzi, the Red Wings’ 1172591 Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara named to NHL's All- All-Star Decade second team 1172592 Potential Bruins trade target Chris Kreider responds to Edmonton Oilers rumors ahead of deadline 1172622 Lowetide: Oilers prospects Evan Bouchard and Tyler 1172593 David Pastrnak set to take part in cool Shooting Stars Benson deliver best minor league performances in 20 competition years 1172594 Death, grief, growth: David Pastrnak’s Swedish 1172623 ‘Hey, Sparky, can you do that?’: How the Oilers’ AHL experience changed his life video coach got his start as the Islanders’ mascot 1172624 ‘He’s special’: The people who know him best tell the story Buffalo Sabres of how Leon Draisaitl took the NHL by storm 1172595 Sabres' Jack Eichel finishes fourth in NHL's fastest skater competition Los Angeles Kings 1172596 Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings 1172625 Women get chance to show skills at NHL All-Star 1172597 With 'city on his shoulders,' Jack Eichel flourishing in weekend pressure-packed role 1172626 Kings player poll: Everyone loves to make fun of Adrian 1172598 As Jonas Johansson heads to AHL All-Star Game, here's Kempe’s clothes and more juicy tidbits where Sabres stand in goalie depth 1172599 As their Sabres teammates take the week off, Rasmus Minnesota Wild Asplund and Lawrence Pilut put in work in Rochester 1172627 MVP and more: Midseason picks for NHL awards 1172600 Trade secrets: Projecting the Sabres through 2023 shows 1172628 Checking in with the Wild at the NHL All-Star break how much work remains 1172629 Is Eric Staal a Hall of Famer? Hockey’s heavy hitters discuss the All-Star’s case Calgary Flames 1172601 Flames prospect Matthew Phillips recalls his unexpected Montreal Canadiens nudges onto the path of commitment and confidence 1172630 What the Puck: Kovalchuk signing highlights Habs' lack of star power Carolina Hurricanes 1172631 Brown: Midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ top-15 1172602 For Canes’ Jaccob Slavin, first NHL All-Star appearance is prospects – 5-1 bittersweet 1172632 Six degrees of separation: Building a chain of past 1172603 ‘That’s hockey, baby!’ Canes broadcaster John Forslund relationships that runs right through the Canadiens’ roste keeps fans educated, entertained. Nashville Predators Chicago Blackhawks 1172633 What Ryan Johansen said about his worst season as a 1172604 Former Blackhawk Patrick Sharp adjusts to TV role: Predator and how it can change ‘Weird to discuss the play of former teammates and 1172634 After crazy first two weeks as Predators coach, break is current perfect timing for John Hynes 1172605 Ex-Blackhawk Anthony Duclair thriving with longer leash, 1172635 Skipping NHL All-Star game never a thought for Predators' more ice time with Senators Roman Josi 1172606 Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith make NHL's All-Decade First Team New Jersey Devils 1172607 Why NHL All-Star appearances never get old for Patrick 1172636 NHL All-Star Game 2020: What event will Devils’ Nico Kane Hischier do at skills competition? 1172608 Patrick Sharp hitting his stride in Year 2 as broadcaster 1172609 Powers Points (prospect edition): Niklas Nordgren is finally New York Islanders healthy and Blackhawks’ goalie depth is strong 1172637 Islanders’ Mathew Barzal nearly the NHL’s fastest skater ever Colorado Avalanche 1172638 Mat Barzal’s future a tricky situation for Islanders 1172610 Chambers: Why Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon is the 1172639 Islanders center Mathew Barzal is fastest skater in NHL mid-season NHL MVP skills competition 1172611 What’s changed with Avs prospect Shane Bowers lately? 1172640 Gary Bettman still noncommittal on Islanders games at Well … everything Coliseum 1172641 ‘Hey, Sparky, can you do that?’: How the Oilers’ AHL Columbus Blue Jackets video coach got his start as the Islanders’ mascot 1172612 Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones thrives in open ice 1172613 Revisiting our 10 bold (and mostly accurate) Blue Jackets predictions from the preseason New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs 1172642 After a first half of the season filled with detours, Vitali 1172672 Maple Leafs face an uphill slog that very few would have Kravtsov is back and focused in Hartford expected 1172673 Frederik Andersen’s affection for Maple Leafs teammates Ottawa Senators unmasked at all-star weekend 1172643 Senators winger Anthony Duclair thrilled to be taking part 1172674 The Maple Leafs had plenty to think of at the beach, like in all-star weekend who might be lining up to kick sand on them 1172644 Brady Tkachuk is happy to be home for all-star weekend 1172675 Muzzin pleased with first re-hab game 1172676 A Week in the Life of Tyson Barrie: Bonding with new Philadelphia Flyers teammates, dog-walking and making Toronto home 1172645 Flyers’ Travis Konecny finishes seventh in NHL all-star fastest skater event Vancouver Canucks 1172646 Alain Vigneault has pushed most of the right buttons, but a 1172689 Ed Willes: Is Canucks' Jim Benning the best GM in the deal might be needed for the Flyers to reach the p NHL at the season's halfway mark? 1172647 The top 10 moments that make Travis Konecny, well, 1172690 Sweetheart deals, riots and heartbreak: a history of Travis Konecny Rogers Arena 1172648 Travis Konecny to ‘soak it up’ in first All-Star experience 1172691 Canucks at 50: Players wowed by glitzy GM Place, fans 1172649 Top 20 Flyers prospects: Updates on honorable mentions wowed by prices Samuel Morin, Ronnie Attard, Maksim Sushko, more 1172692 Vancouver Canucks are shining bright without Trevor 1172650 Flyers player poll: Who’s the funniest? Best (and worst) Linden music taste? Best at video games? Team dad? 1172693 Why the NHL’s relationship status with beer companies is now ‘It’s complicated’ Pittsburgh Penguins 1172694 Dhaliwal’s Diary: Are the Canucks in cap hell? Plus, 1172651 Minor league report: Cassels leads Penguins past locking up Travis Green and Quinn Hughes’ next contract Checkers 1172652 Mark Madden: Surprising developments have kept Vegas Golden Knights Penguins in the hunt 1172677 NHL wants to prioritize All-Star Game 1172653 What happened to the NHL’s All-Star Game? 1172678 Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury named to NHL 1172654 Kris Letang doesn't have the NHL's hardest shot, but he All-Decade team knows when to pick his spots 1172655 Penguins Kris Letang's son Alex takes over All-Star Q&A Washington Capitals session 1172679 T.J. Oshie returns to St. Louis for his first NHL all-star 1172656 Marshall: How much do the Penguins miss Brian appearance, with plenty of memories Dumoulin? 1172680 A Capital doesn't win Hardest Shot at NHL Skills for the 1172657 Will Sidney Crosby ever play an All-Star Game in first time in 3 years Pittsburgh? 1172681 Alex Ovechkin named to NHL's All-Decade first team for 2010-19 San Jose Sharks 1172682 Will Ovechkin catch Gretzky? NHL stars weigh in 1172658 WATCH: Tomas Hertl tries to distract Jordan Binnington 1172683 John Carlson's return to All-Star Game further cements his with Justin Bieber mask place among NHL's elite 1172659 Sharks’ Erik Karlsson among those named to NHL’s 1172684 NHL All-Star Skills: John Carlson puts his title on the line All-Decade team 1172685 Duhatschek Notebook: Al MacInnis on his booming shot, 1172660 Q & A with Tomas Hertl: Sharks’ all-star discusses the benefits of a wooden stick and his distaste for one-time game, Jagr and importance of family 1172661 Sharks' Tomas Hertl brings the fun to NHL All-Star Skills Competition 1172662 Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson named to NHL's All-Decade Second Team 1172663 NHL All-Star Skills Competition live stream: How to watch event online 1172664 All-Star Tomas Hertl doing best to keep Sharks' spirits up through struggles St Louis Blues 1172665 BenFred: How an All-Star effort landed St. Louis another marquee event 1172666 O'Reilly, Perron get chance to shoot from the stands at skills contest 1172667 Hochman: 'He wouldn't stop screaming!' With All-Stars in town, Blues fans see the Stanley Cup 1172668 24-hour bus trips, naps under the seats, Skittles for sustenance: It's a tough road to NHL stardom 1172669 Hochman: Finally, T.J. Oshie is an NHL All-Star — and the game is in St. Louis 1172670 80-year-old Red Berenson steals the show as Blues alumni shine bright Tampa Bay Lightning 1172671 Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is where he belongs after a slow start Websites 1172695 The Athletic / NHL All-Star roundtable: Picking apart the skills competition, plus suggestions for next year 1172696 The Athletic / After a final test at NHL All-Star Game, player tracking will be ready for postseason 1172697 The Athletic / Bourne Notebook: What should Matthew Tkachuk do? And why the ‘just get in’ playoff mentality is 1172698 The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: Al MacInnis on his booming shot, benefits of a wooden stick and his distas 1172699 The Athletic / What the NHL can learn from the NBA about player tracking 1172700 The Athletic / PWHPA board member Alyssa Gagliardi on the NWHL, NHL and boycotters’ vision for women’s hockey 1172701 The Athletic / By the numbers: Ranking the 2020 All-Star teams to see which squad has the best chance to win i 1172702 The Athletic / LeBrun: Where all 31 teams stand one month before the trade deadline 1172703 The Athletic / Death, grief, growth: David Pastrnak’s Swedish experience changed his life 1172704 The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Skills competition ideas, player survey fine print and reliving the weirdness of 1172705 The Athletic / ‘He’s special’: The people who know him best tell the story of how Leon Draisaitl took the NHL 1172706 Sportsnet.ca / NHL All-Star Skills Takeaways: 'Bieber' steals show, McDavid loses crown 1172707 Sportsnet.ca / 5 things we learned from Gary Bettman's State of the NHL address 1172708 Sportsnet.ca / 'I feel real good': Oilers' Connor McDavid opens up about injury recovery 1172709 Sportsnet.ca / What we learned about Connor McDavid's rehab in 'Whatever It Takes' 1172710 Sportsnet.ca / Why idea of Canadiens trading Carey Price is unfounded, ridiculous 1172711 Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: How Auston Matthews has improved as a defensive player 1172712 Sportsnet.ca / All-Star Rewind: The story behind P.K. Subban's 2016 Jagr impression 1172713 TSN.CA / Canada beats U.S. in first-ever women's game at NHL all-star weekend 1172714 TSN.CA / Friday Five: Matthew, Brady Tkachuk savouring All-Star in St. Louis 1172715 USA TODAY / The good, bad from 2020 NHL All-Star skills competition 1172716 USA TODAY / NHL takes step in right direction, but will that lead to sustainable women's pro hockey league? Winnipeg Jets 1172686 Answer to Jets' current woes is located in the slot 1172687 Numbers show Hellebuyck deserving of mid-season Vezina nod -- and maybe more 1172688 The 2020 Winnipeg Jets player poll: Who is the best prankster, worst chirper and best binge-worthy show

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1172582 Arizona Coyotes Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak, surely are part of that improvement. Arizona also added assistant coach Phil Housley this year, partly to help with the power play.

Coyotes at the All-Star Break: A look at the season’s 1st half FINISH, FINISH, FINISH

The Coyotes rank just 24th in the league with a 7.42 shooting percentage MATT LAYMAN at 5-on-5. But the lack of scoring on their shot attempts is not the end of what may need improvement. JANUARY 24, 2020 AT 11:46 AM In full-strength situations, Arizona owns only a 47.89% share of high- danger scoring chances in the games they play, per NaturalStatTrick. Its share of high-danger goals (goals that are scored on high-danger scoring With the Arizona Coyotes mired in a tight playoff race, the best place to chances) is 23rd-best in the league at 47.62%, and its share of total look for how each Pacific Division team is doing might be in the stats, not scoring chances at 5-on-5 is 27th in the league at 46.80%. the standings. Some might put more stock into these figures than others would, but the At All-Star weekend, which gets underway with the Skills Competition on point remains: This methodology of scoring chance measurement says Friday, the Pacific Division has five teams separated by just one point. the Coyotes are facing better chances than they’re getting, and at least a That includes the Coyotes, who are in fourth place with 57 points but one few other metrics back up that claim, too. win away from having 59 points, good for first place. It’s that tight. Arizona Republic LOADED: 01.25.2020 “This break is a good time for our players and our organization, and now it’s downhill,” head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters at the All-Star media day in St. Louis on Thursday.

“Thirty-one games left, it’s all downhill. We have some guys that, I think they understand it’s going to get harder. It’s going to be really hard. You think it [was hard before], it’s really hard now. That’s the taste that they’re going to have to have to climb the ladder.”

Do the Coyotes have what it takes? The NHL intensifies down the final stretch of games, and that ramping-up could change the way things shake out. That said, here’s a look at how the Coyotes have done so far through 51 games on the season:

THE BASICS

The Coyotes’ 2.76 goals per game are only 22nd in the NHL, but they’re also giving up just 2.65 goals per game, which is fifth-best in the league. That’s amounted to a +8 goal differential, the second-best in the division (Vancouver: +13).

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

The Coyotes have one of the league’s highest numbers of players with double-digit goals this season. Arizona has seven players with 10+ goals on the year, which is tied for the fifth-most in the league. They’d have eight if you count Taylor Hall (who scored some of those goals in New Jersey), and that would tied for the most in the league. In other words, they’re spreading the wealth.

Carl Soderberg leads the team in shooting percentage (16.3%). Conor Garland still leads in goals with 16, despite being the lowest-paid player on the team, per CapFriendly. Again excluding Hall, Nick Schmaltz leads the team in both assists (28) and points (35), the latter of which is the fourth-lowest point total in the league among players who lead their team in points (keep in mind, though, that others are close, and not everyone has played the same number of games).

Jakob Chychrun’s 10 goals lead all Pacific Division defensemen and are ninth in the league among defensemen.

GOALTENDING

Darcy Kuemper had the second-best goals saved above average (GSAA) in the NHL pre-All-Star break, behind only Dallas’ Ben Bishop. He’s been out lately with a lower-body injury, but his expected return in the near future would obviously be a boost to a Coyotes team that lost five of six going into the break.

As a team, Arizona has the sixth-best save percentage in the NHL. Apart from Kuemper, those minutes have been eaten up mostly by Antti Raanta (.912 SV% this year) and Adin Hill (nine games played).

SPECIAL TEAMS ARE OK

The Coyotes had the third-best best penalty kill unit in the league last year at 85.0%. This year, their 81.8% PK rate is 13th in the NHL. That’s still totally manageable, but it’s a step down from where they were a year ago.

The opposite is true of the power play, although it’s still only middle-of- the-pack. Arizona’s 20.6% power play is 11th in the league, but that’s outstanding when you consider that they were 26th last year at just 16.3%. The additions of Phil Kessel and Hall, along with the health of 1172583 Arizona Coyotes The Oilers also rank only 19th in the NHL in fewest “expected goals against per 60 minutes,” an advanced metric that measures defense. They also don’t have outstanding goaltending.

Jam-packed Pacific, Pt. I: Coyotes reach All-Star break in tight division Calgary Flames: 3rd place in Pacific Division (57 points) race Coyotes’ record vs. CGY this season: 1-1-1

Out of the top 12 teams in the Western Conference, the Flames have the MATT LAYMAN worst goal differential at -12. They’re 25th in the league in scoring, 13th JANUARY 23, 2020 AT 5:42 PM in goals allowed per game, 22nd in power play percentage, 25th in faceoff percentage and have the third-worst team shooting percentage in the league. Star forward Johnny Gaudreau is on pace for the least productive NHL season of his career. The Arizona Coyotes have reached the All-Star break in one of the most tightly-contested division races in years. Below is a breakdown of the All that said, Calgary has a respectable .915 save percentage as a team teams in the race, including two Central Division teams that are with David Rittich and Cam Talbot in goal (Rittich was selected to replace contending for Wild Card spots. Next week, we’ll predict how the race will the Coyotes’ Darcy Kuemper in the All-Star game). The team’s penalty shake out. kill ranks seventh in the NHL, and then there’s the stat that matters: The Flames hold a divisional playoff spot after a hefty sample size of games. If you’re looking at the NHL standings, don’t blink — they might change again by the time you open your eyes. Arizona Coyotes: 1st Wild Card spot (57 points)

Arizona was in first place one minute, in fourth place the next. The The Coyotes have lost five of the previous six games going into the All- margins are that thin. As the NHL enters its All-Star break, the Coyotes Star break, have seen injuries to both of their top two goaltenders, have 57 points in the standings with 51 games played. Calgary (57 haven’t had the elite PK unit they did last year and rank only 22nd in points, 50 games), Edmonton (57 points, 49 games) and Vancouver (58 scoring. But they still hold a playoff spot at the break, which should be points) are ahead of Arizona, so the Coyotes occupy the first Wild Card encouraging to panicked fans. spot in the Western Conference. Arizona should get Darcy Kuemper back after the All-Star break if all The Vegas Golden Knights have the other Wild Card spot. goes according to plan, and Niklas Hjalmarsson being back ought to help a defensive corps that has been the identity of the team the past couple See here: years. The Coyotes still have one of the best goals against per game A look at the standings as there are no games on today's NHL schedule: averages (5th in NHL), and there’s been a long-enough list of pic.twitter.com/P3ZTYIergs contributors on offense for the Coyotes this year that they can afford to have guys go cold from time-to-time. — Matt Layman (@mattjlayman) January 23, 2020 Like other teams in the division, it would only take a winning streak or a (The first tiebreaker in the standings is games played. Thus, Arizona is losing streak to completely change the narrative of this season for behind Edmonton and Calgary, despite having the same point total.) Arizona. But in a year in which the Coyotes have held first place quite often, this is an opportunity that shouldn’t be squandered. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston noted on Saturday, Jan. 18 that the top five teams in the Pacific Division were separated by only one point (that was Vegas Golden Knights: 2nd Wild Card spot (57 points) still true on Thursday), and that was the latest that had happened in any division since Jan. 1, 1987. Coyotes’ record vs. VGK this season: 1-1-1

So, what now? There are a number of factors that have contributed to In a move that was baffling to most, the Golden Knights fired head coach each team’s successes and failures so far this season, so here’s a look Gerard Gallant last week. It seems weird, then, to note that Vegas is a at every team in the thick of the playoff race — including the Coyotes — playoff team at the moment. and things to consider as the league enters the home stretch of games: Vegas has lost six of its last seven going into the All-Star break, but Vancouver Canucks: 1st place in Pacific Division (58 points) perhaps its .902 save percentage as a team is more troubling. The Golden Knights have been fine offensively, but their goals-for and goals- Coyotes’ record vs. VAN this season: 0-1-0 against averages are both 3.04. Their goal differential is barely positive at plus-2. Predicted before the season as more of a bubble playoff contender, the Canucks find themselves in first place at the break. Winnipeg Jets: 3rd in Wild Card standings (54 points)

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been stellar. Among NHL goalies with Coyotes’ record vs. WPG this season: 1-0-0 as many or more games played as him (34), Markstrom’s .916 save percentage is third behind only Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and The Jets are in the Central Division, but could challenge Arizona for a Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. He also ranks 12th in the NHL in goals playoff spot if it comes down to Wild Card positioning. saved above average (GSAA), according to Evolving-Hockey. The Jets have a minus-8 goal differential this season. They have the Forward Elias Pettersson ranked third in the division in points with 51 (21 fourth-worst penalty kill in the league. They also have several elite goals, 30 assists) and rookie standout Quinn Hughes has been a big part offensive players on their roster and a goaltender who was voted as the of the Vancouver blue line. There’s not a glaring weakness for a team midseason Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck. that ranks in the top half of the league in both special teams functions If the Jets get into the playoffs, Hellebuyck is going to be a big reason and is second in the NHL in faceoff percentage. why. But similar to Edmonton, it’s fair to question whether a team has Edmonton Oilers: 2nd place in Pacific Division (57 points) what it takes when they rely on one or a few players too heavily. It’s also worth questioning whether Winnipeg’s defensive corps — which lost Coyotes’ record vs. EDM this season: 1-1-1 Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot and Dustin Byfuglien this year — will withstand the final stretch of hockey to get to the playoffs. Head coach Dave Tippett deserves some credit in his first year with the Oilers, who went from second-to-last in the division last year to a likely One last thing to chew on: The advanced analytic +/- expected goals per playoff team this year. 60 minutes (+/-xGA60) measures a team’s “expected” goal differential per 60 minutes of playing time, based on probabilities generated by the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the same-old studs as the two quality of the shots a team generates compared to the shots it faces. The leading point-getters in the league, but beyond that, it’s slim pickin’s: The Jets are dead last in the NHL in this statistic, and it’s not close, at -0.77. Oilers’ next-leading scorer (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) has 42 fewer points The next-worst team is Detroit at -0.49, which has the worst record in the than Draisaitl, and even with two of the most elite offensive hockey league by a huge margin. players in the world, Edmonton ranks only 12th in the league in goals per game. Chicago Blackhawks: 4th in Wild Card standings (54 points)

Coyotes’ record vs. CHI this season: 2-0-0 The Blackhawks are in the Central Division, but could challenge Arizona for a playoff spot if it comes down to Wild Card positioning.

Right off the bat, one troubling thing to note about the Blackhawks is the fact that they are giving up more shots per game than any other team in the league (35.2). They also are only 19th in the league shots-for. Like Winnipeg and Calgary, Chicago also has a negative goal differential (-6).

But goaltender Robin Lehner has been a great signing for the Blackhawks with a .922 save percentage, and rookie Dominik Kubalik’s 21 goals have put him in the Calder Trophy conversation. If they get hot through the end of the season and see production from stars like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat, the Blackhawks have an outside chance.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172584 Arizona Coyotes Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak, surely are part of that improvement. Arizona also added assistant coach Phil Housley this year, partly to help with the power play.

Coyotes at the All-Star Break: A look at the season’s 1st half FINISH, FINISH, FINISH

The Coyotes rank just 24th in the league with a 7.42 shooting percentage MATT LAYMAN at 5-on-5. But the lack of scoring on their shot attempts is not the end of what may need improvement. JANUARY 24, 2020 AT 11:46 AM In full-strength situations, Arizona owns only a 47.89% share of high- danger scoring chances in the games they play, per NaturalStatTrick. Its share of high-danger goals (goals that are scored on high-danger scoring With the Arizona Coyotes mired in a tight playoff race, the best place to chances) is 23rd-best in the league at 47.62%, and its share of total look for how each Pacific Division team is doing might be in the stats, not scoring chances at 5-on-5 is 27th in the league at 46.80%. the standings. Some might put more stock into these figures than others would, but the At All-Star weekend, which gets underway with the Skills Competition on point remains: This methodology of scoring chance measurement says Friday, the Pacific Division has five teams separated by just one point. the Coyotes are facing better chances than they’re getting, and at least a That includes the Coyotes, who are in fourth place with 57 points but one few other metrics back up that claim, too. win away from having 59 points, good for first place. It’s that tight. Arizona Sports LOADED: 01.25.2020 “This break is a good time for our players and our organization, and now it’s downhill,” head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters at the All-Star media day in St. Louis on Thursday.

THE BASICS

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

Jakob Chychrun’s 10 goals lead all Pacific Division defensemen and are ninth in the league among defensemen.

GOALTENDING

As a team, Arizona has the sixth-best save percentage in the NHL. Apart from Kuemper, those minutes have been eaten up mostly by Antti Raanta (.912 SV% this year) and Adin Hill (nine games played).

SPECIAL TEAMS ARE OK

The opposite is true of the power play, although it’s still only middle-of- the-pack. Arizona’s 20.6% power play is 11th in the league, but that’s outstanding when you consider that they were 26th last year at just 16.3%. The additions of Phil Kessel and Hall, along with the health of 1172585 Arizona Coyotes 3. Kyle Capobianco, LHD, 22 (Tucson Roadrunners)

Capobianco has quietly flown under the radar to reach legitimate prospect status. He now has three excellent AHL seasons under his belt, Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 20 Arizona Coyotes and I’m confident there’s a lot more for him to give than he has shown to date in some brief NHL stints. He can run a power play and break down teams through seams, he’s a zone exit/zone entry player with his ability Scott Wheeler to both headman the puck and side-step pressure as a carrier, he’s 6- foot-1 and around 200 pounds, and he has developed a physical element Jan 24, 2020 that has helped build upon a mediocre defensive game. At this point, I see a player who should be just fine in his own zone at the NHL level, and a major asset in the neutral zone and offensive zone, while Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2020 rankings of every NHL organization’s contributing on the power play. prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The 4. John Farinacci, C, 18 (Harvard University) series, which includes evaluations and commentary from coaches and Farinacci’s versatility has always been his selling point. He never had staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11. one specific skill that screamed “that’s an NHL quality,” but he could Here’s the truth: The Coyotes were a few spots higher on this list before make plays through traffic, he tracked the play well defensively, he could they moved three of their top 10 prospects in the Taylor Hall trade – and score in tight with a quick release, he could make plays out wide when lost another for the rest of the year due to injury. they were there, and he rarely made the head-scratching mistakes that most high-end forwards do. When I ranked him 75th on my draft board And though I still really like the Coyotes’ top half dozen players in their (he went 76th), my big concern was less about whether his skill would prospect pool, as well as a handful of players after that, there’s no translate – I think he’s got all puck skill and defensive acumen needed to question the trade thinned things out and turned them from a middle-of- be a reliable three-zone center – than it was about his skating, which can the-pack system to something slightly below that. look a little stunted. This year, as a standout freshman with the Crimson, I haven’t noticed it to be a major barrier. He’s got decent strength and Still, many of their top prospects have played above expectations – and power, I would just like to see him extend through his motion a little more. the Coyotes are the first team to appear in the series to hit the maximum I set at 20 players per pool. If you’d asked me at the start of the season 5. Jan Jenik, RW/LW, 19 (Hamilton Bulldogs) where I’d slot them sans Nate Schnarr, Nick Merkley and Kevin Bahl, I probably would’ve suggested they’d be at least a couple spots lower than Jenik was one of the best stories of the prospect world for the first half of where they landed. That it didn’t turn out like that suggests positive the season, blossoming into a first all-star team caliber OHL player progressions for a number of key pieces. before a strong showing at the world juniors. But after suffering a knee injury midway through the tournament, an injury serious enough to 1. Victor Söderström, RHD, 18 (Brynäs IF) require surgery, he lost the remainder of a critical season in his development. Though your final year in junior hockey is important for any Soderstrom, like Barrett Hayton before him, was one of the players in his player, it was particularly crucial for Jenik, who needed to build on his draft class who I believed was picked too high. And while I still think lower-body strength to get the most out of his skill set once he turned Hayton was taken early, Soderstrom has also made a case for belonging pro. The good news is that despite lacking an athletic element to his right in the range he was taken. His strong start in the SHL spilled into an game, his blend of competitiveness and hugely-improved puck skill have excellent performance at the world juniors (where I considered him as my worked to complement smart decision making to create a fascinating second defenceman after Rasmus Sandin on my all-star team ballot). package. Since returning, that standout age-adjusted play has ratcheted up even further, with Soderstrom logging huge minutes in 2020. The development 6. Ivan Prosvetov, G, 20 (Tucson Roadrunners) in his north-south speed has been particularly impressive. When Soderstrom wants to drive up the wing with the puck, he can fly, making Most goalies Prosvetov’s age have played in one league, for one team, him a threat off the rush on top of one in the offensive zone. While I don’t for basically the entirety of their elite-level hockey-playing days. That can see truly dynamic offensive upside, there is also a flair and pop to his make evaluating those goalies challenging because team strength varies passing that has impressed me. Where I once thought he projected as a so widely and parity is hard to come by. With Prosvetov, we’re lucky No. 2/3 defenseman at his ceiling, I now think there might be room for enough to have a sample size that now spans across five leagues more. It doesn’t hurt that he shoots right, either. (NAHL, USHL, OHL, ECHL and AHL). We also know that as he has changed cities and teams, uprooting his life as a young man in the 2. Matias Maccelli, LW, 19 (Ilves) process, that he has never really faltered. He has been good to great in each of those leagues. Add in 6-foot-5 size and there’s a lot to like before Talk about a breakout year. Last year, though I was really fond of you get to an assessment of his actual style. I like his athleticism and Maccelli’s offensive skill, I worried about his pace of play and ultimately quickness within the net (he moves well despite not being explosive, per ranked him 69th in my final top 100 (higher than where the Coyotes took se), which complement a sound foundation. If there were one red flag, it’s him at No. 98). This year, the more I watch him the less concerned I am that most goalies who find success at his size become upper-echelon about the speed of his feet or of his brain. goalies because of how controlled they are in their crease, while Though it’s true that some players need to move the puck faster because Prosvetov can swim a bit. they box themselves into corners or turnovers when they don’t, Maccelli’s 7. Liam Kirk, LW, 20 (Peterborough Petes) (No. 72 in the clips below) patience shouldn’t be confused with lack of pace. Watch, below, the way his willingness to hang onto the puck I’ve watched a lot of Kirk in the past few years, pre-dating his arrival in instead of immediately head-manning it helps him drive the middle lane the OHL, and I’m still not sure exactly what he is. I’ve seen him play and create the entry, or the way his patience with the puck when he gets games on the Petes’ top line this season where he looks like the best it back helps him create his own shot and score: player on the ice, using his speed and shot to create off the rush at will. I’ve also seen several games where, when he’s asked to carry his own There are faster plays to be made there, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t line instead of complement a player like Nick Robertson, Kirk struggles make the right one. as the driver. He’s fun to watch because he’s always involved, he battles Look for that again here, where on a similar play, he hangs onto the puck hard for loose pucks despite lacking strength, and he can fly. I suspect and looks pass instead of looking shot: his game will translate better as a complementary, versatile pro player than it does as a go-to offensive creator in junior, and I’m looking forward And while his skating isn’t explosive as an elongated push-off stride, he to watching him in the AHL next year. He does little things in a game that does generate speed through his edges, twisting and turning up the ice make up for a lack of game-breaking playmaking talent. to push tempo: 8. Alexander Daryin, LW, 19 (Loko Yaroslavl) (Nice job changing directions in the second half of the sequence, too.) I have struggled in the last year and a half to put my finger on Daryin. He Though his production has slowed down of late, Maccelli has become a can take over a shift with his speed and talent level. He’s got the ability to borderline-dominant Liiga player as a teenaged rookie. He’s got a good break a sequence down with a backdoor play, or open it up with a slick chance at becoming a second-line player at this point. tuck or slot release. He’s also strong on his feet, which builds on evasive 14. Tyler Steenbergen, C/LW, 22 (Tucson Roadrunners) puck skill when he gets bumped. His rapid progression has also drawn a lot of attention as he’s ascended to the forefront of the MHL’s top young Steenbergen is the kind of player who is productive even when he’s not players. But while he can make a play in a flash and finish a game scoring, which makes him a useful AHL player as he works out the rest. looking like one of the more dynamic players on the ice, he’s never struck The rest is intriguing, highlighted by an in-motion shot that will eventually me as an unstoppable force at the MHL level in the same way Bulat make him a dangerous scorer at the AHL level and decent though not Shafigullin (Kings) has this year or Pavel Dorofeyev (Golden Knights) did blinding speed. He’s also got enough skill to hang onto the puck and last year. I think there are some interesting NHL qualities in his game that make the odd play, as well as the presence of mind not to force it. But may help him work toward a middle-six role. I just want him to excite me he’s also 5-foot-10 and his skill isn’t the kind to break down a defender a little more than he does for an entire game at the MHL level. one-on-one or crack a game open with a flash, which will make his progression from useful to dominant a challenging one. 9. Axel Bergkvist, LHD, 19 (Kitchener Rangers) 15. Valentin Nussbaumer, C/LW, 19 (EHC Biel-Bienne) It’s easy to fall in love with the grab-your-attention elements of Bergkvist’s game (mainly his shot and his willingness to activate into For every player who might not be the sum of his production, there’s a offensive spots to use it). He’s also more than meets the eye in that he kid who looks better than his results. Nussbaumer is the latter. He was plays a very mature defensive game for a 5-foot-9 defender, and he’s no dealt a bad hand in Shawinigan, a team that never really surrounded him joke in man-on-man engagements along the boards. He’s probably the with talent – and when they did it was young talent. He’s fun to watch player in the Coyotes pool who has most surprised me this year. He has because he’s dynamic with the puck on his stick, he can catch defenders been good from start to finish in Kitchener. I’ll be interested to see if he off guard by going through them with a move or a pass, and he’s an goes back to pro next year because I think he’s capable of handling the impressive power play threat. And while the world juniors were a strong jump, whether that’s in Sweden or the AHL. It’s not easy to play in the showing for him against his peers, eventually you’ve got to start NHL at 5-foot-9, but I’d keep an eye on him. producing through a longer stretch if you want to progress up a level. Don’t forget about him as he moves back home to play in the NLA, at 10. Lane Pederson, C, 22 (Tucson Roadrunners) least.

When I talk about Kirk as a player who may be better suited for the pro 16. David Tendeck, G, 20 (Vancouver Giants) game than he was for junior, Pederson is a player that immediately comes to mind as a prime example of just that. His junior career was I was waiting, last year, for Tendeck to really grab hold of things in the unsurprising. It wasn’t a surprise when he went undrafted, but he always WHL. But as the season progressed, he let the battle for the net slip to played a well-rounded game, he can score when he gets to his spots and would-be Avalanche pick Trent Miner. This season has played out he just kept taking steps. Now, three years into his pro career, that differently, with Tendeck going from good WHL goalie to great WHL steady progression has made him a dominant AHL player, setting him up goalie. He’s on the smaller end for a goalie these days and he’s not a for an NHL call-up. Though I’m not sold on his upside at the NHL level freak athlete, but he does a great job tracking the play through traffic to and he could still just be a tweener, I don’t think you’d think “this guy stay square to shooters and make the first save in spots where he’s not doesn’t belong” if he were to play on Arizona’s third or fourth line next out of position for the second. year. 17. Ty Emberson, RHD, 19 (University of Wisconsin)

11. Aku Raty, RW, 19 (Karpat) After a decent freshman year, Emberson hasn’t taken the steps you’d Raty has skill without being super dynamic. He can drop a shoulder and hope for as a sophomore. He’s a bit of a standalone prospect in today’s drive. game in that he has progressed as far as he has on the grounds of his defensive play, and the safety and simplicity of his game, as well as his He can pick his spots in the net and score off the rush with his wrister. handedness – the latter of which helped him work his way onto an all- lefty Team USA at the world juniors. He plays with a step-up physical And he’s got nice touch with the puck under pressure. edge and he skates well, but he lacks the ability to make plays, whether But I worry about his straight-line skating (his edges and power out of that’s as a shooter, a playmaker or a transition carrier. If he makes it, it crossovers are good), which has a couple of kinks, including some funky will probably be as a calming third-pairing defenseman alongside a high- hip movement, and is weaker than most recognize. The good news is he skill lefty. had a late birthday in last year’s draft and there’s obvious talent there, 18. Anthony Romano, C/RW, 19 (Clarkson University) even if he’s not going to be a go-to guy. Given the kind of player he is, Romano hasn’t been productive as a 12. Michael Callahan, LHD, 20 (Providence College) freshman. That’s driven in large part by his role and usage, though. He’s Callahan’s a tough one for me because my earliest viewings of him in the playing a new position on one of college hockey’s older, better teams, USHL left me uninspired, but he was really good as a freshman last year and he was always going to be a four-year college player. Though I like (particularly defensively, where his pro size and athleticism made him a his skill level, he slipped in my rankings as the year progressed last relied-upon player early on) and that has spilled into big age-adjusted season, including a disappointing playoffs (at least offensively) on a offensive production as a sophomore this season. And yet, sophomore championship Sioux Falls Stampede team. He’s crafty around the net defensemen with his numbers and size normally land higher on a list like and does a good job getting to pucks to make a quick move around a this. That’s driven by a couple of things. One of them, I think, is his role goalie or slide home an accurate shot. I think that skill could blossom, in on a power play unit that boasts two of the better offensive players in time, into a good player. It’s not so impressive as to make him an college hockey, inflating his value (he’s not going to be a power play guy immediate offensive threat at the NCAA level, though. at the NHL). But the other is just that my own evaluation hasn’t lined up 19. Dennis Busby, RHD, 20 (Flint Firebirds) with the progression. I like his forward and backward skating, which help him keep up with talented forwards, close in on loose pucks and play fast Once a top prospect, Busby’s draft year was derailed by a knee injury in transition offensively. I don’t particularly like his puck skills, though. He that resulted in a lost season. The Coyotes took a chance on him in the doesn’t have a big shot, he doesn’t make a ton of plays as a passer that process and, while he hasn’t ascended back to where many felt he was really grab you and his puck skills are just fine. He’s got pro upside, I’m headed pre-injury, Busby can make plays from a standstill in the just not sure how high it is. offensive zone or in transition, he’s got a smooth stride, he has been asked to play tough minutes and he’s owed a longer leash/trajectory than 13. Cam Dineen, RHD, 21 (Tucson Roadrunners) most kids his age.

I’ve always been a big believer in Dineen’s game, probably to a fault. 20. Vili Saarijarvi, RHD, 22 (Tucson Roadrunners) Though the offensive traits that helped him make plays in junior (poise with the puck, and a knowledge of when to push into the slot as a shot This is me not giving up on a player who I absolutely adored watching in threat and when to walk the line and find a hole through traffic) haven’t the OHL. He played fast, he made his decisions with the puck before it yet translated to the pro level, he’s a better defensive player than anyone even touched his stick, he pushed to make things happen, and he could gives him credit for. He closes gaps effectively, he takes smart routes in really skate. I think part of that has been coached out of him at the pro the defensive zone without chasing the play and he can escape pressure level, which has highlighted some other flaws in terms of his size. But to make a quick play. I also think there’s more offense to his game at the there’s more to him than we’ve seen to date at the pro level, even if that pro level than we’ve seen to date. doesn’t elevate to NHL upside. The Tiers

Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one player to the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases quite pronounced).

There are some teams where I flip-flop on the players at the edge of each tier and struggle to clearly define them. The Coyotes weren’t one of those teams. The gap between Prosvetov and Kirk is wider than the gap between Kirk and Steenbergen, and so on. I really like all of the players in that tier from No. 2-6, so here’s hoping Jenik’s development isn’t too seriously impacted by his lost half season.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172586 Boston Bruins speaking in bubbly, halting English, his smile dims only briefly during a sit-down interview.

“I miss him,” said Pastrnak, who had returned to Czechia for the funeral David Pastrnak has all the ingredients to be a leading man before returning to his icebound sanctuary. “He played hockey, same as I do now, and I have always in my head what he said to me: how he said I must practice, how much hard work . . . every day of practice is for him. Matt Porter Every goal I score is for him.”

January 24, 2020, 5:53 p.m. The youngest Pastrnak produced 24 points in 36 games that season. A year later at the draft in Philadelphia, the Bruins chose him with the 25th

overall pick. With his mom at his side, he kissed his fingers and pointed David Pastrnak is only 23 but coach Bruce Cassidy said he’s ready to them toward the sky. His father had been gone 13 months. assume a bigger leadership role. “He understands the game very well. . . . He could grow into that part.” Adding weight — some 30 pounds — and defensive responsibility to his ST. LOUIS — Hockey fans selected David Pastrnak as one of four All- game, he broke out for 34 goals and 70 points in his third season, then Star captains. He did not take the honor lightly. kept climbing: 35 and 80 in 2017-18, then 38 and 81 last year. Already at “It’s pretty heavy, man,” he said, wearing his white and silver jersey at 37 and 70 this season, with 31 games to go, he could reach 50 and 100. media day here. “Never had the ‘C’ before. It’s pulling me down in the Only five Bruins, most recently Cam Neely (50 in 1993-94) have scored chair.” 50.

As usual, the sunny Czech sniper was kidding around. He has been His shot, zooming off his sharply curved Bauer stick, has become one of breezing his way through his second All-Star experience, signing the league’s elite weapons. autographs and taking pictures and making merry wherever, whenever. GLOBE STAFF “If you’d asked me last year, I’d have said his one-timer The 23-year-old winger with the NHL-best number in the goal column — was so much better,” teammate David Krejci said. “I didn’t know it could 37 in 51 games — has become a bona fide superstar, and while the letter get even better than that, but it has.” on his jersey is a temporary honor, it’s not out of the question that he Past and present, they praise him. might one day earn a weightier one back home. “I couldn’t take a one-timer to save my life,” said former Bruins star Rick When Zdeno Chara retires — as improbable as that might seem — Middleton, who had 51 in 1981-82. “He’s got it down to a science. It’s Boston’s captaincy would be open. Patrice Bergeron would be a natural virtually unstoppable.” successor, but he is 34. Torey Krug, if the Bruins can keep the 28-year- old long term, is cut out for the gig. But Pastrnak, who is signed through Hall of Famer Scott Stevens, one of the meanest defensemen of the ’80s 2023 at a bargain-basement $6.67 million cap hit, could be the man. and ’90s, said Pastrnak would give him trouble.

He was already talking like a captain on Thursday. “He’s unpredictable,” said Stevens, now an NHL Network analyst. “He’ll score in tight, he’ll score on breakaways, he’ll score with the big shot “I don’t want to give up anything to media,” he joked to a reporter who coming down the wing like [Guy] Lafleur, he’ll score from [Alex] asked who he might choose as his linemates for Saturday’s 3 on 3 Ovechkin’s office. Ovechkin learned to score from different areas, and contest. “We’re battling a couple injuries in the Atlantic Division, and we Pastrnak’s learning, too. Plus, he’s a great playmaker.” want to be the champion, so it’ll be a game-time decision.” Noted linemate Brad Marchand: “A lot of pure goal scorers don’t have the His coach, Bruce Cassidy, believes Pastrnak takes leadership seriously. playmaking ability, or don’t look to pass. He looks to pass as much as he “He’s not there yet to be a guy who walks in the room and pushes guys. looks to shoot. He cares, he’s come a long way, and he’s still going to He’s more, ‘C’mon, let’s go guys, we’re ready tonight, it’s gonna be a improve. which is scary.” good one,’ ” Cassidy said. “As opposed to a Bergy, who’s pretty detailed Penguins All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry marveled at “the speed he can get — ‘We’ve got to manage the puck better, support each other all over the it off. He’s got a different curve from most players,” Jarry said. “That ice.’ He’s more lighthearted. But he talks. He understands the game very helps a lot, too. He can hide the puck and be deceptive.” well. He could grow into that part.” Columbus All-Star defenseman Seth Jones said he’s most worried about GLOBE STAFF Pastrnak’s growth on the ice has been immense. After Pastrnak’s creativity, but his “obviously lethal” shot had him shaking his breaking in as 167-pound 18-year-old in 2014, he has 144 goals in the head. “He scored on us couple weeks in Boston on a one-timer almost last four seasons, most among NHL right wings. His one-timer is one of out from the blue line, straight in,” Jones said. “When you have a rocket the league’s most dangerous weapons. Marketing executives drool over like that, it’s hard to defend. His passing ability is off the charts. What’s a camera-friendly player who announces his presence at volume level he got, [37] goals at the All-Star break? Not bad. That line is the best line 10: bold suits, wide-brimmed hats, chipped teeth, a ragged tape job on in hockey in my opinion.” his gold stick, gold-palmed gloves, a tinted visor, flop-tongued skates. Good times for No. 88, who is so grounded that he readily recalls his “He’s got that style,” said Bergeron, his linemate. “We need that in the younger days in Czechia, when his time on skates was limited to the hour league. Some young kids relate to that. He’s a role model. I’m enjoying his team purchased. playing with him now, and eventually, I’ll enjoy watching him.” “In the NHL, you have the ice for yourself pretty much every day,” How far he has come. Pastrnak said. “After practice, you can stay as long as you want. Before . . . practice, you can go as early as you want. That’s amazing to me.”

To chase his NHL dream, Pastrnak, who grew up in Havirov, Czechia, As he shuttled from stage to ice sheet here in St. Louis, his star kept on about 10 miles from the Polish border, moved to Södertälje, Sweden, as shining. a 16-year-old. He was living on his own, playing for the second-division “He lives for this stuff,” Cassidy said. “As you know, he’s never had a bad team in that town and learning English and Swedish. All the while, he day in his life.” knew his father was sick. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.25.2020 He was there less than a year when Milan Pastrnak died of cancer on May 21, 2013. It was four days before David’s 17th birthday, at the end of his first season in Sweden. Milan, who played hockey in Czechia and Germany, also left behind his wife, Marcela and eldest son Jakub, five years older than David.

The next season, in a video for Uppdrag Sport, a news website about the Södertälje SK club, a skinny, stringy-haired Pastrnak shows a reporter around his spartan apartment. Wearing a shiner under his left eye, and 1172587 Boston Bruins Boston Herald LOADED: 01.25.2020

David Pastrnak’s reputation has grown since 2019 All-Star appearance

MARISA INGEMI

January 24, 2020 at 2:42 PM

ST. LOUIS — David Pastrnak was on pace for his best season yet when he went to the All-Star game in San Jose a year ago.

Fast-forward to 2020, and it’s the same story, but perhaps with more appreciation.

The Bruins’ 23-year-old star has 37 goals in 51 games, his 70-point mark just 11 shy of his career high he achieved last season in just 66 games. If all goes well, he should eclipse that with ease, and soon.

There was plenty of hype around the rising star a season ago in this spot, but in the same city where he played in his first Stanley Cup Finals just seven months ago, Pastrnak’s star has grown to another level.

“It’s impressive, he’s worked on a lot of different parts of his game,” said defenseman Torey Krug, who has connected more than once with Pastrnak on his 16 power play goals this season. “People probably think he just works on his goal scoring but he’s become more and more mature and defensively sound. We need that as a young guy on this team, to be an All-Star, and a leader as well, it’s good to have.”

Pastrnak’s defensive improvement isn’t why he was named the captain of the Atlantic Division or why he’s become one of the most dangerous scorers in the league, but it’s what stands out to his teammates the most as far as his development goes.

“My main focus every year in summer training is to be faster and stronger,” said Pastrnak. “But hockey-wise, you improve through the season. I use the summer to get faster and stronger, those are my two main focuses. It’s hard to practice defense in the summer.”

The goal scoring, though, is one of the reasons the Bruins are poised for another deep run if he continues to play the way he has, and that’s recognized in the locker room.

“It’s impressive just in general, he’s leading (in goals) right now and has been for a while,” said fellow 23-year-old Jake DeBrusk. “The things he does it almost looks a little too casual and then he top-shelfs one. His finishing ability here has been very noticeable. It only takes one chance for that guy to score a goal.”

His teammates aren’t the only ones with a strong appreciation for how Pastrnak’s game has developed, even since last season; especially those who have to face him often.

“His creativity, you never know what to really expect from him,” said Jack Eichel, whose Sabres see the Bruins four times a year. “He’s got a very elite shot, can score from anywhere. He competes hard and if you put those things together, there’s some serious chemistry with those three guys on that line and it makes it tough to play against them.”

Pastrnak’s shot and ability to score nearly anywhere on the ice is even tougher for opposing goalies; he’s made their lives more difficult for his nearly six seasons in the league.

“Great player, probably one of the best one-timers in the league, so I think that’s the biggest challenge,” said Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. “Each shot is unbelievable. He’s just trying to shoot from everywhere. He’s so fast so sometimes I don’t have time to get into position and he takes advantage.”

The All-Star break is a time to sit back and appreciate the best talent in the league. Pastrnak has become one of the premier players in the NHL and the rest of the league is starting to recognize that as well.

Leading the league in scoring will do that.

“I’m not racing anybody, I’m just playing hockey,” said Pastrnak. “I want to help my team win. I don’t care what’s going to be the outcome of my goals or points at the end of the year. Just focusing on the team. It’s fun to score goals, it’s fun to score points for me, that’s what I’m being paid for, that’s my biggest strength.” 1172588 Boston Bruins 13. Matias Mantykivi: One of the Bruins’ draft selections from 2019, Mantykivi has deceptive speed for how he can slow the game down and works best on the power play, where the Finn is absolutely lethal. Just 18 The Bruins’ top 15 prospects of 2020 years old, he has a long way to go but there’s a high ceiling there.

14. Cam Hughes: If he hadn’t gotten his face ripped by a skate in preseason he might have had a chance to push with some internal MARISA INGEMI competition. His game and confidence have skyrocketed to become a legitimate option and the Bruins have taken notice. Still just 23 years old January 24, 2020 at 6:00 am and likely hasn’t hit his ceiling.

15. Roman Bychkov: The 18-year-old Russian was another 2019 draft It’s beyond the midway point of the season, but a longer break in the pick. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 and 175 lbs., but he’s smart and action is as good a time as any to evaluate the Bruins’ future. makes quick decisions on the ice while still seeming casual. No matter what, he’s going to take a while before even playing in North America, Several young players have made impacts over the past two seasons — most likely. and some of the baby B’s have the upside to do the same in the near future — while others have high ceilings, but might be a couple seasons Boston Herald LOADED: 01.25.2020 away.

Here’s a look at the top prospects in the Bruins’ system:

1. Jack Studnicka: When he’s been in Boston, he’s shown flashes of solid play, but he’s very much still adjusting to playing pro hockey as well. In Providence, he went a stretch of nine games without a point earlier this month.

2. John Beecher: Beecher’s selection in the 2019 draft was met with mixed reactions. Since then, his stock has risen. He’s big and fast and has gotten off to a solid start at the University of Michigan. The World Juniors weren’t his best showing, but he has the tools to develop into an elite prospect — and soon.

3. Urho Vaakanainen: He hasn’t stuck in the NHL yet, but he’s just 20 years old and still has plenty of upside. If he can improve his stick work and hands, he could project as a top pairing defenseman.

4. Zach Senyshyn: Before he got hurt in Boston, the right winger was playing well and it seemed like he finally had a chance to play some time at the NHL level. The injury derailed him, and he hasn’t exactly been a force in Providence on offense, but they lack right-handed depth and he’s shown enough spark to think about being given more chances.

5. Curtis Hall: The Yale forward made an impact at the World Juniors and has steadily risen in the Bruins system after spending two development camps in Boston. Like a lot of other Bruins prospects, he has great size at 6-foot-3, and the offensive potential has plenty of time to come around.

6. Trent Frederic: Frederic has taken a leap this season, not just in the physicality department, but on offense as well, which is the biggest next step for the former Wisconsin Badger. He’s likely next in line for a call-up from Providence. Head coach Jay Leach mentioned the last month has been the biggest for his progression with his ability to dominate a game.

7. Jeremy Swayman: The Black Bears goalie has had a couple of solid seasons in Maine, but this has been his best showing yet. It’s too early to say for sure he’s the B’s goalie of the future, but they have to be thrilled with the way he’s developed.

8. Oskar Steen: His first season in Providence hasn’t lit the world on fire, but he’s impressed in his limited showings in Boston camps, and his right-handed shot and versatility should give him a crack at the NHL if he gets his offensive numbers up.

9. Jeremy Lauzon: The Bruins have always been high on Lauzon, who might have gotten a more consistent look at the NHL level by now with a team that had fewer defensive options. His best asset is he competes every shift, doesn’t shy away from physicality and rarely loses battles. He has some offensive flair, as well.

10. Axel Andersson: The 19-year-old right-handed defender has had a solid debut with Moncton in the QMJHL. He has 18 assists and likely has the upside to produce even more offensively as he adjusts to playing in North America long-term.

11. Jakub Zboril: His offensive ability has stalled but his defending game has continued to get stronger. He’s probably not where they hoped he would be by now when they selected him 13th overall, but there’s still plenty to work with.

12. Pavel Shen: Shen is still working on getting accustomed to playing in North America, but he’s a good skater and thinks quick and has plenty of tools to be a pro hockey player. There’s certainly a next step, though, and they’re hoping he can achieve that in Providence. 1172589 Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak has some fun at NHL All-Star Skills Competition

Joe Haggerty

January 24, 2020 11:11 PM

As expected, David Pastrnak showed up with a smile and his trademark charisma to the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday night at Scottrade Center.

The NHL’s leading scorer and the captain for the Atlantic Division squad garnered a pre-event television interview with NBC Sports analyst Brian Boucher where he joked he’d been practicing for his Shooting Star event for a couple of weeks (he hasn’t) after an earlier walk down the All-Star red carpet in a typically stylish blue suit.

Pastrnak finished out of the running in the Shooting Stars event despite his NHL-leading 37 goals at the break, and instead finished with just 10 points while missing out on the 10-point arch in the middle of the ice.

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Patrick Kane ended up beating Mitch Marner in sudden death overtime when the two scorers were deadlocked after the initial rounds of the competition.

On the ice, Pastrnak took part in the goalie “Save Streak” event where he was denied a couple of times on breakaways, which was unfortunately more of the same of what Bruins fans have been subjected to in B’s shootouts this season.

St. Louis hometown favorite Jordan Binnington ended up winning that event with ten saves in a row that wowed the crowd after Isles center Mat Barzal won the fastest skating competition and Carolina Hurricanes D- man Jaccob Slavin, who had replaced an injured Dougie Hamilton, won the shooting accuracy competition.

Canadiens D-man Shea Weber won his fourth hardest shot competition with a 106.5-mph slap shot to beat Washington’s John Carlson, and that means Zdeno Chara’s 108.8-mph bomb still remains the NHL-record in the event.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172590 Boston Bruins I'm disgusted. Getting a tough guy is more important than that winger for David Krejci.

The loss of Kevan Miller is looming like a ghost (Hamlet) over these Hagg Bag: At the All-Star break, readers' suggestions for Bruins won't Bruins. I said last spring to anyone that would listen to me that his get pushed aside absence would have lasting consequences. In the Final, I said it will make the difference between winning and losing.

Joe Haggerty What a nightmare.

January 24, 2020 9:09 PM Greg PDX

JH: Yeah. The absence of Miller’s presence in the lineup is a big one now and it was a massive one in the Cup Final against St. Louis. At this The Bruins are in first place in the Atlantic Division with an eight-point point, they really need to assume they can’t depend on him coming back lead and they are one of the best teams in the NHL based on their 70- and need to go out and acquire some toughness, some snarl and a good, point total through the first 51 games of the season. Still, it’s also just as old-fashion butt-kicker. clear after watching them coast for the past six weeks that they are also in need of some improvements. I have heard people (fans, not actual hockey sources around the league) say that Cassidy is part of their problem and has been preventing the They have had a season-long need for a top-six winger who can score tougher players on his roster from actually playing big, strong and tough and it’s obvious to anybody watching them that they could also use a as Bruins fans have come to expect. I haven’t seen or heard this is the bottom-six forward capable of hitting, dropping the gloves and bringing a case and I see it as more a function of their roster and the kind of players little of the intimidation game back to the Black and Gold. they are acquiring.

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis Top-6 forwards the Bruins should pursue at the trade deadline on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App. Still, if Cassidy was telling Brett Ritchie not to defend his teammates, not to drop the gloves when liberties were being taken and not to actually Maybe the latter will end up being Trent Frederic down the stretch, but play to some of his strengths, then I don’t think he’s the right guy to be the Bruins definitely need another winger who can put the puck in the coaching the Bruins. As I said, I don’t think that is the case. But time will net. tell when the Bruins start getting pushed around as they inevitably will as the games get more important over the second half of the season. So, given all of that and given the total lack of reaction to Tuukka Rask getting trucked in Columbus recently, there is predictably a lot of Joe, thoughts from Bruins fans in this week’s Hagg Bag mailbag. As always these are real questions from real readers using the #HaggBag hashtag Love your stance on toughness and traditional Bruins Hockey. My to my Twitter account, real messages and comments on my NBCS question to you is this, Chara, McQuaid, Miller, Thornton, Lucic, what fun Facebook fan page and real emails sent to my @[email protected] it was to watch that team win or lose... is it time to bring #17 back to email account. Now on to the bag: Boston?

How many moves are the bruins away from getting to the finals again? thanks for taking a stand on toughness Joe,

--Ed (@StrangebruinLeo) sincerely,

JH: I put them at two moves. I actually think they have enough on Ricky RaCool defense if Charlie McAvoy simply plays up to his potential and pulls his JH: Is it time to bring Milan Lucic back to Boston? Not unless the Flames game together in the second half. Any move on defense would be for were willing to trade him straight up for David Backes. Even then, I’m not depth or perhaps more if they also decided to move a John Moore at the so sure the Bruins would be willing to do it and take on the extra year that deadline to get out from under his long-term contract. Lucic is signed for beyond next season. I wouldn’t hate it because of I believe they need a top-six winger capable of scoring goals and making what Lucic represented as a Bruins player and the willingness he would the David Krejci line a real threat again. In some ways, Jake DeBrusk have to stand up for his teammates while emboldening them to play seems to have regressed since last spring’s run to the Stanley Cup Final tougher and stronger. and doesn’t play with many dimensions beyond trying to score goals with He’s no longer a guy who's going to score 30 goals or flirt with being an little physicality or attention to his game away from the puck. So, an All-Star as he was in his best seasons in Boston. But he could be a impact player is needed on that line that can finish off plays, bring more menace as a third- or fourth-liner brought on board to hit, to protect his of a rounded professional game to the table and make opponents pay if teammates and occasionally pump a goal into the net at a higher rate they shower too much attention on the Perfection Line. than say, Joakim Nordstrom or Chris Wagner.

We all know the names that are out there and Chris Kreider is certainly If I were Bruins GM, I would want to bring an element that Lucic provides the one that makes the most sense given his skating, his size and his back to Boston notwithstanding the salary cap implications. Maybe if the body of work. Flames were willing to eat some of the money in that last year of his As for the other item the Bruins need at the trade deadline, it’s a fourth- contract as well? line winger willing to bang bodies, stand up for his teammates and bring I can tell you one thing. The Bruins fans would love it and B’s a little fear factor back to the roster. If Ryan Reaves were available I management should be considering it for that reason if no other ones. would say him, but instead, perhaps Kyle Clifford would do the job as well. It’s painfully obvious to most people that the Bruins get pushed what should the Bruins do and what will they do? around by the big, strong teams. Those are the teams actually still winning Cups these days, i.e. the Blues and the Capitals. If the Bruins --David M (@dmen1230) don’t get those two things, then they won’t beat Tampa Bay or JH: They should trade for a top-six winger who can score and they Washington should they face them in the playoffs. should bring a tough fourth-line type in as well.

That’s the other issue with the Stanley Cup Final. The biggest Maybe that’s somebody from the outside, Kyle Clifford? Or maybe it’s impediment to Boston returning is that the Capitals and Lightning aren’t their own player in Trent Frederic who's been hitting, fighting and playing likely to be first-round casualties again this season, and that’s going to a solid center for the Providence Bruins this season. make it a much tougher road unless a lot changes. What will they do? I expect they will end up going the bargain route with Haggs: the top-six winger and get Tyler Toffoli or Jason Zucker and they won’t The truth hurts. You're spot on. And I'm starting to wonder about do anything to upgrade their fourth line because they don’t seem to value Butch. A bit too unemotional, I'm starting to think? toughness and physicality in today’s NHL. I think that has been a fatal flaw of this management group from the Malden, MA beginning and it continues to be an issue that’s going to plague them in a playoff format where it’s more of an old-school game. If they didn’t see JH: I agree. Coyle is better off being a third-line center and as a possible, that in last June’s Cup Final, then I’m not sure they were watching the eventual second-line center replacement for Krejci once his contract is same playoff series that I was. up.

I don’t think [Chris Kreider] is a good target, not that he wouldn’t add Even then that might be a stretch given his offensive limitations, and the value in this year’s playoffs. He’s looking like a pure rental for the Bruins organizational hope is that Jack Studnicka can develop into a top-six with their cap situation and his next contract is going to look like Milan center in the next couple of seasons. Still, this season it could be that Lucic’s or David Bakes’ in a few years’ time trading for a third-line center such as Jean-Gabriel Pageau is the best option and that might force the Bruins to use Coyle as a top-six right wing --Mitchell Joseph Matthews (via NBCS Facebook fan page) for the rest of this season out of necessity.

JH: Kreider is a speedy skater and a big body. He’s a scorer that mixes it If that does happen, I’d look very closely at putting Coyle with Patrice up a little bit physically, but he’s an entirely different type of player than Bergeron and Brad Marchand where his goal-scoring might be missed as Lucic or Backes. His skating was part of the reason he was a first-round much. In that scenario, slotting David Pastrnak with David Krejci could pick and both Lucic and Backes were not. I don’t think his game will fade really balance out the scoring and make the Bruins much more difficult to in the way that those bigger-bodied players have in their late 20’s and stop when it comes to the bigger, stronger and deeper defenses they’ll early 30’s. meet in the playoffs.

I also don’t think the Bruins couldn’t necessarily afford to sign him either. But long-term I think it’s pretty obvious Coyle will never be a 25-30 goal They’ll be in the final year of Backes next season and could buy him out scorer in the regular season regardless of his role, but his big, fast style of his contract to create some space. They may be vacating Torey Krug’s of play is much more effective in the postseason than the regular season. money if they don’t re-sign him as well. So that’s something to take into account as well after watching him perform at an elevated level last spring. I wouldn’t even rule out them trading DeBrusk if he doesn’t continue to add dimension and grit to his goal-scoring. He’s in line for a big raise this Who do you think from the original trilogy is likely to make an appearance summer as a restricted free agent and the Bruins need to make the in Mando season 2? #Haggsbag calculation that he’s going to be worth that kind of money once he gets it headed into next season. --Tyler (@tylerbrewsbeer)

The bottom line with all this: I think Kreider is a great fit for the Bruins JH: My best guesses: Boba Fett comes back from the dead after bumped now, and I think he could be a potential long term fit for them as well burped up by the Sarlacc Pit. Or maybe Lando Calrissian somehow beyond being just a strict rental player. shows up? My most interesting conspiracy theory for the next season of The Mandalorian? That the shards of the Empire are searching for Baby Hi Joe, Yoda in order to revive the Emperor through some kind of dark Force magic, and they need a Force-strong being in order to make it happen. Here’s my brief comment on what the B’s needs are after ASG break. A That’s why they are so desperate for Baby Yoda and in that way it would tough stay-at-home defensive defenseman! Candidate A: Josh Manson play into the Rise of Skywalker and the greater Star Wars galaxy. That from Anaheim. Young, tough and still has term. Bruins have guys that would be a dark way to end it, though, if Mando ends up losing Baby can put puck in the net. They need a bigger, tougher guy to keep puck Yoda and he becomes some kind of sacrificial lamb to the Dark Side. out of their net and that can rattle opponents! Enough of small, mobile Talk about a bummer of an ending. Either way, Baby Yoda has captured defense...B’s have enough in [Torey] Krug, [Matt] Grzelcyk, & [Connor] my heart. Clifton! Joe, And while they are at it, keep Lauzon up with big club! Love your Bruins coverage. A few thoughts/observations: Regards, 1. Top 6. It looks like Bjork is the best internal option right now- he has Ron proved he belongs on the team. Coyle is perfect in the 3rd line center JH: I usually like your analysis, Ron, but I just don’t see that as a vital role. I agree with you on your assessment of DeBrusk being a 3rd line need. It might be nice to have another one to replace a player in Miller, talent- at least at this point in his career. If the B's could get at least one who seemingly isn’t going to be able to get on the ice anymore, but they more top-6 player, (2 would be better, but have to be realistic) how nice have Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo as big, tough stay-at-home guys would a DeBrusk/Coyle/Bjork 3rd line look? and they have another one in training in Jeremy Lauzon. 2. How to get that top 6 forward(s)? I thought trading Krug could get it In my opinion, those are the kinds of D-men that you develop on your done, but with McAvoy's offensive game not developing, Krug seems own rather than spend vital assets to bring in from the outside. There are pretty vital in keeping. Every contender needs a defenseman who can no shortage of physical stay-at-home defenseman available, so there’s put up at least 40-60 points and nobody is ready to do that yet in his not really a need to go out shopping for one. absence.

Haggerty's Power Rankings: Who's leading the way at the All-Star 3. Krejci. I was thinking about 2-3 years ago perhaps he may not be a break? #2 center anymore as he is getting older, but changed that view altogether after he was on fire playing on the 1st line when Bergeron was I also don’t think that’s really one of the vital needs on this team given hurt last year. He looked like the old Krejci and proved what he can still that Chara and Carlo still play 20-plus minutes a game, so you’re not do with a consistent set of top-6 wingers to work with. Plus, he gets very really going to need a third-pair defenseman who's going to play more little pp time- if the 1st pp unit is going to play 1:30/45 of the pp, then find than 12-15 minutes a night. Why bother dealing for a D-men that you’re a way to get Krejci on that 1st unit. He is too talented an offensive not even really going to use all that much? player to get only 15 seconds on the pp. Bergeron deserves every accolade he receives and more, but I often think Krejci gets overlooked It’s amazing how time flies. It wasn’t too long ago that the Bruins for how good of a two-way player he is. seemingly had too many of these types with Adam McQuaid and Miller on the Bruins roster. The cup final proved one scoring line and a great power play won't get it done. I know you have touched on this in the past- would love to hear Haggs, your current thoughts on these topics. I like Charlie Coyle, he's a good player and I'm glad he's going to be a Jim C. Bruins moving forward. However, can the Coyle right-wing experiment please end? If you're going to be a top-6 winger you have to be able to JH: I agree with you on all of this, Jim. Anders Bjork has proven that he score goals and he does not score well enough to be a winger. His game belongs in the NHL and I think his offensive upside will only go up as is a better fit at center, so they need to keep him there and find that top- long as he consistently plays hard on the puck. The worry is that he six winger outside the organization. follows the same path of DeBrusk and Danton Heinen and develops a casual philosophy toward battling for the puck and playing with hard- Marc nosed tenacity. But right now I think a third line of DeBrusk-Coyle-Bjork would be a great way to go with the big-bodied Coyle surrounded by a couple of speedy wingers capable of finishing off plays. I think there is still more to Bjork’s offensive game than what we’ve seen.

I also agree that they need to keep Torey Krug. The Bruins needed to see McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk or Urho Vaakanainen really step up this season if they were going to be able to survive life without Krug going forward, and they have seen none of that. They have no viable offensive replacement for Krug and McAvoy even seems to have regressed offensively and that should be a real concern.

As far as Krejci goes, one of the biggest pet peeves I have with this Bruins team is that the top power-play unit stays out on the ice way, way too long. They soak up 90 plus seconds before getting off the ice and leave virtually no time for the second unit to set things up in the offensive zone, never mind actually get a scoring chance.

Five defensemen the Bruins should pursue at the trade deadline

If I were the Bruins coaching staff, I would start telling their star players to get off the ice after a minute if they haven’t scored.

When that doesn’t happen the second PP gets zero reps on the ice and the fatiguing first unit leaves themselves wide open for shorthanded goals allowed to their opponent. It’s an issue and that doesn’t even count not getting Krejci’s playmaking instincts out on the ice for some PP time.

We need scoring and toughness and not the same player. We should make more than one deal... IF they’re serious and would pursue Kreider after the season, I’d jump on that trade. Give ‘em Heinen with any deal we make. I want to like him but he’s turning into another Jimmy Marshmallow Hayes. Is he even playing?? Haggs??

--Jeff Andrea Hellner (via NBCS Facebook fan page)

JH: I don’t think teams want Danton Heinen, and they certainly don’t want him in rental trades for guys like Chris Kreider. I don’t see the similarity to Jimmy Hayes. Very different players. Heinen is on pace for 11 goals and 34 points this season, though, and those numbers just aren’t impressive at all given that he doesn’t bring a ton to the table otherwise. But I agree the Bruins need scoring and toughness. In a perfect world, they could get both and deal for Tyler Toffoli and Kyle Clifford in a big deal with the LA Kings, but that feels like a bigger deal than Don Sweeney wants to pull off over the next month.

I'm sorry but Brad Marchand is 6th in points in the @NHL and isnt an All Star?!?!??!!? Someone help me understand this...

--Donny (@zach_donahue)

JH: Brad Marchand didn’t want to be an All-Star, so he isn’t an All-Star. It’s really that simple. He said he had bumps and bruises he needed to heal up over the 10-day break and he didn’t want to go to St. Louis. Patrice Bergeron didn’t want to be voted in either. Bruins fans should view that as a good thing because it allows their stars to get some much- needed rest ahead of the 31-game sprint to the playoffs. It’s that simple.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172591 Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara named to NHL's All-Decade second team

Patrick Dunne

January 24, 2020 7:30 PM

Two key pieces of the Bruins core who brought a Stanley Cup back to Boston in 2011 and reached a Cup Final in 2013 and 2019 have found a place on the NHL All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

Zdeno Chara is a defenseman and Patrice Bergeron a forward on the All- Decade second team named by NHL as part of its All-Star Weekend in St. Louis. Joining them on the second team are forwards Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, defensemen Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks and goalie Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara have been named to the NHL's All- Decade Second Team.

Congratulations, Bergy and Zee!#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/u8Re6ThT5i

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 25, 2020

The first team is center Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, forwards Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, defensemen Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

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The teams were chosen by a panel of NHL general managers, NHL hockey operations staff, NHL.com writers and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

Haggerty: Top-6 forwards the Bruins could pursue at the trade deadline

Earlier, the Bruins' improbable 5-4 overtime, comeback victory over the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, in which Bergeron scored the game-winner, was named Game of the Decade. The B's became the first team to win a playoff Game 7 when trailing by three goals in the third period when they overcame a 4-1 deficit.

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Potential Bruins trade target Chris Kreider responds to rumors ahead of deadline

Nick Goss

January 24, 2020 1:21 PM

New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider is going to be one of the most talked about players as the Feb. 24 NHL trade deadline approaches.

It's not hard to understand why. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound winger has the type of power forward skill set that is well-suited for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which makes him an attractive trade target for any contending team. In fact, NBC Sports Boston's Bruins insider Joe Haggerty reported earlier this week that Kreider "will be the Bruins' top option for a top-six winger at the trade deadline, according to multiple hockey sources."

The Rangers are 11 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, so the chances of the Blueshirts making the postseason are pretty slim. Kreider is an unrestricted free agent in July, and it would make sense for the Rangers to trade him before the deadline and not risk losing a very talented player for nothing in free agency.

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Kreider was asked about his Rangers future at NHL All-Star Media Day on Thursday, and his immediate focus is solely on his current team.

"I’m just worried about winning hockey games," Kreider said Thursday at All-Star Media Day, per ProHockeyTalk. "Winning solves a lot of problems. It’s the old adage and probably a little bit cliché, but we take it one day at a time, one game at a time and just try and get better. I think we are getting better. Our group’s worlds better than we were at the beginning of the year.”

Kreider also added: "I’ve only ever pictured myself in a Rangers jersey, and until I’m not a Ranger, I’m a Ranger.”

Five defensemen for Bruins to pursue at trade deadline

The 28-year-old forward has tallied 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games this season. He's almost certainly going to hit the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in his career.

Besides his offensive skill and physical style of play, Kreider also is a good target for the Bruins because of his familiarity with Boston. He was born in Massachusetts and played three seasons at Boston College.

Kreider has 77 games of playoff experience as well, and several of his 23 career postseason goals came in clutch situations.

The Bruins have a great chance to win the Stanley Cup this season, and it would behoove them to upgrade their roster with another proven top-six forward who can provide secondary scoring behind the Perfection Line. Kreider is an ideal player for that type of role.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172593 Boston Bruins • A puck that hits the base of the target will not be awarded any points.

• Players may hit the same target multiple times.

David Pastrnak set to take part in cool Shooting Stars competition All scoring denominations will be decided by the on-ice officials. If at the completion of the event there is a tie for the highest score, players will shoot three pucks each to determine a winner. If the players remain tied Joe Haggerty after the three pucks, a sudden death “score-off” will occur.

January 24, 2020 12:56 PM Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020

David Pastrnak will be the sole Bruins player representing the Black and Gold at NHL All-Star Weekend commencing in St. Louis tonight, so he’ll be the guy the Bruins fans will be watching when it airs on NBCSN tonight starting at 8 p.m.

Even cooler, the 23-year-old Pastrnak will be taking part in an exciting new part of Friday night’s Skills Competition with the inaugural “Shooting Stars” event.

While it was perhaps a little bit of a surprise that Pastrnak won’t be defending his title in the Honda NHL Shooting Accuracy competition that he won at last year’s NHL All-Star Weekend, it’s no surprise at all that the league chose his star power and natural charisma to help usher in this newly invented shooting competition.

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Pastrnak is leading the NHL with 37 goals at the All-Star break and is on pace for 60 goals and 113 points this season in a half-year that’s already garnering Hart Trophy talk for the B’s right wing.

The Shooting Stars will involve players standing approximately 30 feet high on a platform and shooting at targets on the ice just as Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin did in a recent video starring the two faces of the Penguins.

Along with Pastrnak, here are the rest of the “Shooting Stars” competitors, also including a pair of female players from the U.S. and Canadian select teams that will be selected by social media vote:

Participants:

Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators

Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

David Perron, St. Louis Blues

Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

Here’s a rundown on the Shooting Stars competition, courtesy of the NHL: Ten players — eight NHL All-Stars, and one American Elite Women’s All-Star team member and one Canadian Elite Women’s All- Star team member — will compete in the Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars™.

Players from the American and Canadian Elite Women’s All-Star teams will be selected by social media vote. Players will be positioned on an elevated platform behind the goal, approximately 30 feet above the ice surface, where they will shoot pucks at a variety of targets located on the ice, with each target possessing different point values. One at a time, each player will attempt seven shots and earn points for each target hit.

• Pucks that do not hit a target will earn no points.

• Pucks that bounce, deflect, or otherwise ricochet onto or into a target will be counted for the highest scoring value they hit.

• A puck that hits the face of a target then falls into the center will be scored as if it went directly into the center.

• A puck that hits the center and bounces out will be scored the point value of the center.

• A puck that bounces off the ice then up onto or into a target will be awarded the corresponding value. 1172594 Boston Bruins competes at smoking speed and scrambles atop a watchtower on the Great Wall of China seeks thrills in life.

David Pastrnak goal celebration Death, grief, growth: David Pastrnak’s Swedish experience changed his life “I’m exactly the kind of person like that,” Pastrnak said. “I love these adventures. I’m very friendly and talkative. I found friends right away, even though I couldn’t speak any English.”

Fluto Shinzawa Immersion proved to be the solution, whether he was at the rink or in Jan 24, 2020 school with his teammates. He became fast friends with teammate William Nylander, a Canadian-born Swede whom he is tight with to this day.

Nobody enjoys NHL life more than David Pastrnak. The 23-year-old is “All of a sudden, I started to understand some words,” Pastrnak said. “I the personification of a Champagne bottle: Fun, bubbly and explosive. don’t know how. I started learning and talking more with friends. The guys there were so friendly and nice. They helped me out.” Pastrnak arrives at the rink in threads that are louder than Metallica, usually completing his wardrobe with a fashionable lid. The right wing Now, Pastrnak’s English is very good. His Swedish has declined through could fill a Goodyear factory with all the rubber he flings into the TD lack of practice, but he estimated he still understands 75 percent of what Garden crowd during warmups. is spoken.

That Pastrnak has already scored 169 goals, most of any player drafted Language, however, was not what pulled Pastrnak toward Sweden. in 2014, signals that putting pucks in nets has become routine for No. 88. It is anything but so. Pastrnak’s celebrations — a cupped hand to his ear, A dream fit, then tragedy a bird-like wave, an arms-out expectation of applause — indicate that he In 2012, Pastrnak arrived to what felt like a dream. Sodertalje offered delights in the activity of scoring goals, with each red light serving as an everything a hockey-crazed 16-year-old wanted: Three sheets, outdoor opportunity to express his pleasure. shooting pads, workout facilities — a home away from home. Pastrnak “Never had a bad day at the rink,” David Backes, teammate for parts of could go on the ice anytime he wanted. He consumed all of it. the last four seasons, once said. “I was so blown,” Pastrnak said of his opportunities. “I was spending a It may be that a person can only experience such an enhanced degree of couple hours by myself on the ice every day. Not even just skating or happiness after suffering pain in equal measure. On May 21, 2013, Milan anything. Just playing with the puck and shooting.” Pastrnak, David’s father, died after a five-year fight with skin cancer. As an NHL player, Pastrnak takes joy in one-on-one attacking, Pastrnak is the only current Bruin who has lost a parent. stickhandling at all-out speed through traffic, even snapping in goals That Pastrnak was far away, living in a different country at the time his between his legs. father passed, only amplified his grief. The informal sessions in Sodertalje helped to foster Pastrnak’s creativity. An NHL springboard Pastrnak applied what he learned during his first season, scoring 12 goals and 17 assists in 36 games in U-20 competition. Internationally, Czech Republic does not fall short in producing NHL talent. Jakub Pastrnak played for Czech Republic’s World Championship U-18 entry. Voracek, Jakub Vrana, Ondrej Palat, Radek Faksa, Dominik Kubalik, Pavel Zacha and Filip Zadina are some of the NHL players that call Pastrnak was happy. After his first season, he returned to Sodertalje to Czech Republic their homeland. prepare for the 2013-14 season, his draft year.

It does not mean, however, that the Czech Extraliga is an optimal During summer training, Pastrnak received a call from his mother. Milan platform for NHL preparation. All seven of the aforementioned players Pastrnak, 51, was dead. migrated overseas prior to their draft years. Respectively, they played for “Really sad,” Pastrnak recalled. “My mom called me really early in the Halifax (QMJHL), Linkoping (Swedish Elite League), Drummondville morning. What can you do when you’re by yourself in Sweden, getting (QMJHL), Kitchener (OHL), Sudbury (OHL), Sarnia (OHL) and Halifax. this phone call from your mom? Obviously tough.”

Pastrnak was no different. As a 15-year-old playing for AZ Havirov and Milan Pastrnak had been a good player. He played professionally in the HC Ocelari Trinec, Pastrnak identified the NHL as a realistic destination. Czech Republic and Germany. In 1997-98, Pastrnak was the leading His chances were best if he left home and developed his game scorer (18-61—79) on a team that included future Bruin Dennis somewhere else. Seidenberg. Following retirement, Pastrnak coached hockey in the “If we all knew, then we would make Czech hockey better,” Pastrnak said Czech Republic, Slovakia and England while keeping watch over David when asked of his country’s limitations. “In Czech, you have your practice and eldest son Jakub, who is five years older. and have one rink. You don’t have options to go by yourself on the ice.” David Pastrnak returned to the Czech Republic for his father’s funeral. Pastrnak considered Canadian major junior. He was wary, however, Sodertalje club officials insisted he stay at home for as long as he because of his size. At that age, Pastrnak was lighter and spindlier than wanted. most of his peers. The CHL does not take mercy on anyone. Skinny Pastrnak’s response to grief was to return to Sweden in short order. By Euros are no exception. then, making the NHL was Pastrnak’s calling. His safe space was the So upon consultation with father Milan, mother Marcela and his advisers, rink. On the ice, the teenager deferred heartache to chase solace and Pastrnak identified Sodertalje in Sweden’s second division as an purpose for hours … and hours … and hours. appropriate proving grounds for 2012-13. Hockey on the 100-foot-wide “Hockey, in that moment, was my only thing,” Pastrnak said. “And surfaces would be less brutish than that within the 85-foot Canadian obviously my mom and brother. These two things were the only things I trenches. Sweden would be closer to home. could get through it with. Every time I went to the rink, the first 10 Naturally, the teenager had reservations. Pastrnak would have to learn minutes, I would think about it. Then, all of a sudden, I was in the Swedish and English, the latter being hockey’s mother tongue and moment — working and practicing.” practically required in Sweden. He was not optimistic about adopting In 2013-14, the 17-year-old Pastrnak scored eight goals and 16 assists both. while playing with and against men. He was limited to 36 games because “You tell yourself that people who live somewhere, they learn English in of a concussion, which he sustained after gaining an offensive-zone two months,” Pastrnak said. “I was telling myself, ‘It’s impossible. Zero entry, cutting into the middle of the ice and getting his clock cleaned. chance I can learn English. How? How do you understand?’ ” The injury and his weight (167 pounds) made NHL teams cautious about The dream of the NHL combined with Pastrnak’s sense of daring applying high draft capital toward his services. The Bruins had similar overtook his caution. It is not surprising to learn that a right wing who concerns. But they liked Pastrnak’s skating, skill, competitiveness and love for hockey and life. On June 27, 2014, after 24 teams said no, the Bruins said yes to Pastrnak.

“He competes and he’s got skill,” Keith Gretzky, the Bruins’ former director of amateur scouting, said at the time. “We thought we needed more skill. He handles the puck real well. He protects the puck well. He’s just full of energy. You gravitate to him.”

After hearing his name called at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Pastrnak clutched both fists, kissed them and raised them skyward. It was for his father, gone for just over a year.

Family man

On Saturday, Pastrnak will be the captain of the Atlantic Division team at the All-Star Game. A cluster of similarly marquee players said thanks- but-no-thanks to their St. Louis invitations and yes please to island retreats.

Pastrnak, on the other hand, was happy to go to St. Louis in January. It is another adventure fueled by hockey, which is both his livelihood and his life.

Pastrnak will represent the Bruins not just as the league’s leading goal scorer (37), but also one of the sport’s pied pipers. Everything about Pastrnak says cool, from his tinted Bauer visor — introduced for the 2019 Winter Classic, adopted for good shortly thereafter — to the wagging tongues of his skates to the gold-handed gloves that match the sheen of his lethal Nexus 2N Pro stick. It is no wonder that his skill and smile have made Pastrnak one of the NHL’s most popular players.

“I’ve been like this since I was a kid,” Pastrnak said. “I love it. I’m enjoying it. I love these moments. Not many people can be as lucky as we are. I enjoy every moment, trying to be positive every day. My big thing is anytime you’re sad, it kind of weighs you down, sadness. Just try to be positive, happy and enjoy every second we’ve got.”

Pastrnak loves Boston. Vinoteca di Monica in the North End is a favorite restaurant. He is friends with Patriots star Julian Edelman. Pastrnak attends Celtics games. He stars in Dunkin’ commercials.

Boston has become another home for his mother and brother. Marcela Ziembova and Jakub Pastrnak, who is a policeman, visit for Christmas every year. Jakub joined his brother for the team’s fathers’ trip to Philadelphia and Nashville in 2017-18. Marcela attended the mothers’ trip to Nashville earlier this month.

For Pastrnak, family time allows him to remember good times. His mother and brother make him appreciate what he has — which, in a way, is both parents, even now.

“I know he’s still keeping an eye on me,” Pastrnak said of his father. “He’s with me everywhere I go.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172595 Buffalo Sabres "I thought it was good," Eichel said of the event. "They looked gassed. I was saying I don’t know how many people they had on each team, 10 bodies a side. The pace was non-stop and it was good; 2-1 in a 3 on 3 is Sabres' Jack Eichel finishes fourth in NHL's fastest skater competition impressive. It says a lot about their compete level."

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber became a four-time winner in the hardest shot competition, winning on attempts of 105.9 and Lance Lysowski 106.5 miles per hour.

Fri, Jan 24, 2020 Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, a South Buffalo native, won the inaugural shooting stars event. Participants were given seven shots

from a platform in section 123 of the arena's lower bowl, and they ST. LOUIS – As Jack Eichel crossed the blue line, the Buffalo Sabres' attempted to hit different targets positioned on the ice. captain appeared on track to accomplish what he could not at two NHL Kane won the event in a tie-breaker over Toronto Maple Leafs winger skills competitions. Mitch Marner. Eichel needed only 6.3 seconds to skate from the red line, behind the net "I think it’s a little gimmicky, but at the same time, try to have fun with it and over the blue line at the other side of the ice. Yet the 23-year-old was and enjoy the event," Kane said. "I think we all had a pact between us we not crowned fastest skater, finishing fourth in the event with a time of were going to shoot for the arch and try to get as many points as we can 13.54 seconds Friday night in Enterprise Center. through the 10-pointer. It was fun to win it. I’m a fan of the original skill Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid was unable to win for a fourth stuff, like the puck control relay and the actual targets, the foam targets, consecutive season, falling only 0.03 seconds behind New York that blow up. You understand where they’re trying to go with it, where Islanders center Mathew Barzal. Barzal crossed the red line at 13.175 they’re trying to create some different events and use technology to their seconds. advantage."

"I have to start giving up on it here," Eichel joked. "It’s my last year Buffalo News LOADED: 01.25.2020 maybe."

Though Eichel finished behind Barzal, McDavid and New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider, the Sabres' 23-year-old center topped his time from each of the past two skills competitions. Eichel finished second (13.582 seconds) behind McDavid last January in San Jose and third (13.828) in Tampa Bay in 2018.

The fastest skater competition began with Kreider, a first-time all-star who replaced injured Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, posting an impressive time of 13.509. Surprisingly, Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, widely regarded as one of the league's best skaters, had a time of 13.895. Eichel's time surpassed those of Quinn Hughes, Anthony Duclair and Travis Konecny, however, Barzal followed with his impressive feat.

"It’s the same thing," Eichel said of his approach. "Try and get loose before it. I feel like I had a good first half and maybe not the best second half."

Eichel wasn't done at the event, either. He participated in the save streak event and went 0-for-3 on shootout attempts. The puck rolled off his stick on a backhanded attempt on Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry, and Eichel's wrist shot went off the leg pad of Washington's Braden Holtby.

Eichel, a three-time All-Star, has matched his previous career high of 28 goals through the Sabres' first 49 games this season. His 62 points rank ninth in the NHL, and he became the second player in franchise history to score 20 goals with 50 points in each of his first five NHL seasons.

Eichel's 17-game point streak tied Gilbert Perreault for the longest in franchise history and only ended because he was a late scratch Dec. 19 in Philadelphia. He will compete in the 3-on-3 All-Star Game on Saturday night at Enterprise Center. The Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions will begin the round-robin event at 8 p.m.

"First glance when you watch him, his skating is second to none in the league," Barzal said of Eichel on Thursday. "When you’re out there with him, his strength is a big thing and his shot is equally as good. He has all the components, and obviously, he’s been an elite talent this year. I’m sure he’s going to be like that for a long time. He’s probably going to be in the Hart (Trophy) race for a long time."

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington won the save streak competition by stopping 10 consecutive shootout attempts, topping Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy by one.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin then won the accuracy shooting by hitting all five targets in 9.505 seconds, besting Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl by 0.752 seconds.

Canada prevailed in the elite women 3-on-3 game, beating the United States, 2-1, behind goals from Rebecca Johnston and Melodie Daoust. Hilary Knight scored the only goal for the U.S., which had 18 shots stopped by goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens. The teams played two 10- minute periods that would have included an overtime if it remained tied after regulation. 1172596 Buffalo Sabres 26. San Jose Sharks. Ownership gives vote of confidence to embattled GM Doug Wilson. (26)

27. Anaheim Ducks. The open for business sign is out. (28) Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings 28. Ottawa Senators. Just 1-5-4 since Dec. 23 win over Sabres. Can't be a repeat here Tuesday. (30)

Mike Harrington 29. New Jersey Devils. NHL-low seven home wins in 22 games. (30)

Fri, Jan 24, 2020 30. Los Angeles Kings. See Ducks. Ditto. (28)

31. Detroit Red Wings. Ghastly minus-90 goal differential at break. Next Through the All-Star break. Last week's rankings in parentheses. is Devils at minus-47. (31)

1. Washington Capitals. On road to 700, remarkable Ovechkin on 56- Buffalo News LOADED: 01.25.2020 goal pace at age 34. (1)

2. St. Louis Blues. Hosting All-Star Game a precursor to hosting another Cup final? (2)

3. Boston Bruins. Going to be very interesting to see if they hold off Tampa in Atlantic. (3)

4. Pittsburgh Penguins. Sid-Ovi again in Round Two come May? Sign us up. (4)

5. Tampa Bay Lightning. Big bounceback for Shattenkirk, with 27 points, plus-21 rating. (5)

6. Colorado Avalanche. MacKinnon is first-half MVP, non-McDavid division. (7)

7. Florida Panthers. Nobody would have guessed they would become league's highest-scoring club. (18)

8. Columbus Blue Jackets. Break came at bad time with 16 wins in 20 games. (14)

9. New York Islanders. In major battle with three other teams for third in Metro. (6)

10. Dallas Stars. Outscored, 11-1, in final two before break vs. Sabres and Wild. (8)

11. Vancouver Canucks. Hughes isn't Makar but he still rates Calder consideration. (12)

12. Edmonton Oilers. NHL scoring lead at break: McDavid 27-49-76, Draisaitl 27-48-75. (13)

13. Calgary Flames. Can you really make the playoffs with a minus-12 goal differential? (9)

14. Arizona Coyotes. Two losses can easily send you first to fourth in Pacific. (11)

15. Carolina Hurricanes. Hamilton's broken leg is a major blow. (15)

16. Philadelphia Flyers. If you believe in bad karma, Gritty investigation not a good sign. (16)

17. Vegas Golden Knights. DeBoer's first big priority is shorter shifts for his forwards. (17)

18. Toronto Maple Leafs. Fell out of playoff spot with 1-3-2 slide into break. (10)

19. Winnipeg Jets. Went 1-6 and got outscored, 26-15, in final seven before the break. (19)

20. Chicago Blackhawks. Terrific Tuesday in United Center with ceremonies for Kane's 1,000th, Quenneville's return. (22)

21. Nashville Predators. A very stale club Sabres should have beat in final game before break. (23)

22. Buffalo Sabres. With nine at home, the next 10 games will determine Botterill's path to the deadline. (20)

23. Minnesota Wild. One giant tease of a team. Just not good enough. (25)

24. New York Rangers. Plenty of teams will be interested in Georgiev as an option in net. (21)

25. Montreal Canadiens. Kovalchuk (7-10-17 in 25 games) might be a great rental pickup. (25) 1172597 Buffalo Sabres because he’s a guy who has so much pride in his own game. He wants to win so bad. He’s doing whatever he can to do that."

Physical maturation is only one reason behind his dominance. Last With 'city on his shoulders,' Jack Eichel flourishing in pressure-packed season was particularly difficult for Eichel. The Sabres won 10 role consecutive games, only to endure a historic collapse in the season's second half. As captain, he often was tasked with providing direction amid chaos. Lance Lysowski The responsibility no longer falls squarely on Eichel's shoulders. Fri, Jan 24, 2020 Krueger's command on in-game adjustments and providing a passionate intermission speech has relieved Eichel of some of those duties. He's

now able to pick his spots, speaking up when the moment is right. ST. LOUIS –Bob Eichel is one of his son's confidants. The two speak on "He’s an emotional, fiery leader," Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian the phone daily and the conversations typically center around Jack's said of Eichel. "There’s no perfect leader, but I like those kind of people career with the Buffalo Sabres. and I like to be around people like that. He’s done a really good job of Few know the pressure placed on Jack Eichel quite like his father. assessing the situation, saying the right thing at the right time and However, a recent comment by Jack Hutton, father of Sabres goalie understanding that no matter who you are, whether it’s him or anyone Carter Hutton, put the situation into perspective for Bob. else, if you say the same thing over and over the message is going to get lost. He's been spot on every time." "He says to me, 'I feel bad for your son,' " Bob Eichel recalled. "I said, 'Why? He’s doing alright.' He said, 'He came to Buffalo and they put the Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Kyle Okposo and Marcus Johansson also take city on his shoulders.' I said, 'Jeez, that’s well-put.'" on some leadership responsibilities. Eichel is always talking on the bench and on the ice during games, providing teammates with direction on how The Sabres tanked in 2014-15 to earn the right to draft Jack Eichel to execute Krueger's in-game adjustments and explaining what an second overall. What was supposed to be a quick rebuild turned into opponent is doing. more years of suffering for Sabres fans. Their playoff drought has reached eight seasons and two coaches have been fired since Eichel When Rasmus Dahlin was benched in the third period of a 4-2 win over arrived in Buffalo. Ottawa on Nov. 16, Eichel wrapped his arm around the 19-year-old defenseman's shoulders during a stoppage in play and delivered words At 21 years old, Eichel became the youngest captain in franchise history, of encouragement. Eichel scored two of his four goals that game in the a role that brings obligations on the ice, in the locker room and in the second period to snap Buffalo's six-game losing streak. community. The balancing act can take a toll on players of any age, yet Eichel has learned how to navigate the responsibilities, and in doing so, Leading by example is also important to Eichel, especially on a team with continues to reveal why the fan base expected him to restore the inexperienced NHL players. If he's having a difficult period, Eichel shifts franchise to what it once was. his focus to his own game.

"You look at the support system and the people who have been there for "For me, it’s about work every day, bringing a good attitude to the rink you, I’ve started to use more resources and things at my disposal," and trying to show guys the right things to do," Eichel said. "It’s important Eichel, now 23, told The Buffalo News ahead of the NHL All-Star Game that you communicate with Ralph and you’re a voice for the room. You in St. Louis. "There’s a lot that comes at you in this profession and my really don’t need to have one with him because he has such a good feel situation. At times, it can be a little overwhelming. Dealing with everything for the room itself. He’s been so good this year. ... For me, it’s about on a day-to-day basis, I think a lot of people are probably a little consistency and trying to be myself every day. That’s probably the dumbfounded to the stuff we have to go through on a day-to-day basis. biggest thing. I don’t try to change my personality or do anything different. I just try to be myself. If it’s time to get serious, it’s time to get "It’s past being busy. It’s stuff you carry home with you, whether that’s serious. If it’s time to have fun with the guys, it’s time to have fun with the stress, pressure, anxiety, whatever it might be. I think just trying to find a guys. I’m just trying to find that fine line." way to enjoy every moment of this and try to really be yourself. It’s important and that’s what I’m trying to do." The on-ice responsibilities continue to grow for Eichel. He ranks third among NHL forwards in average ice time per game and has been tasked Eichel has achieved superstar status around the National Hockey with defending opponents' top players. When the Sabres were without League. He is on pace for 47 goals among 104 points, which would be Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson before the break, Eichel, along with the most by any Sabre since Alexander Mogilny and Pat LaFontaine in Sam Reinhart, guided Buffalo to three wins in its final four games. 1992-93. Eichel already has matched his previous career high of 28 goals with 33 regular-season games remaining. Conor Sheary, who was a teammate of Sidney Crosby's in Pittsburgh for three seasons, noted that Eichel is typically at his best when facing His 17-game point streak tied Gilbert Perreault for the longest in another superstar. Eichel thrives in pressure situations on the ice. He franchise history and ended Dec. 19 when an upper-body injury forced scored a penalty-shot overtime goal in a 3-2 win over Edmonton earlier him out of the lineup in Philadelphia. this month and his two goals in the third period Dec. 10 lifted the Sabres to a 5-2 win over St. Louis. Eichel has six multi-goal and 17 multi-point games this season. He joined Rick Martin as the only Sabres players to have 20 goals and 50 points in Those accomplishments have come with some help. Eichel reaches out each of their first five NHL seasons. Yet Eichel was on an MVP-caliber to Adam Oates, a Hockey Hall of Famer with whom he trains in the pace last year before missing three games with an injury in January, and offseason, for advice. In addition to speaking with his father and mother, he still averaged more than one point per game. Anne, Eichel works with a sports psychologist.

Added strength has equipped Eichel with the ability to outmuscle "Experience is always a factor as you evolve, if you have the right opponents for loose pucks. He worked this past offseason on improving character and are making the right decisions," Krueger said. "Jack for his shot, as illustrated by his 17.2% shooting percentage through 49 sure processed his first year of captaincy in a very responsible way games, and his skating remains among the best in the league. through the summer. When I was speaking to him, there was a maturity already in how that responsibility was going to be carried out. ... Jack is Sabres coach Ralph Krueger beams when talking about Eichel's embracing that as the ultimate captain and leader of the group. There’s evolution as a defensive force on the ice. Eichel attacks loose pucks with no question the second season for him is going to be different than the the same ferocity in which he drives to the net to score a goal. He first and third will be different than the second." continues to round out his game, despite his pressure-packed position within the franchise. Eichel became the seventh player in franchise history to represent the Sabres at three NHL All-Star Games, and he entered the event ranked "It’s very difficult," St. Louis Blues center Ryan O'Reilly, a friend and fifth in goals and ninth in points (62). He hasn't been held without a point former teammate of Eichel's, said. "That’s a lot of pressure for a guy that in three consecutive games since early November. age. He’s a mature guy. The way he’s handled it and seeing what he’s doing, it’s so impressive. I’m not surprised he’s playing the way he is The Sabres (22-20-7) are 10 points out of the playoffs and have a favorable schedule out of the break. Reliable defense is their foundation under Krueger. However, their postseason hopes may sit on Eichel's shoulders.

"There’s a lot of pressure, there’s a lot of expectations," Eichel said. "It can get to you at times. You have to remember you can only control so much and you can only do what you can do, so that’s kind of the message I try to tell myself every day."

Buffalo News LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172598 Buffalo Sabres Johansson said he has felt like an underdog most of his career. He spent most of 2016-17, his last season in Sweden, playing for Almtuna IS, a second-division team. He played 54 ECHL games before graduating to As Jonas Johansson heads to AHL All-Star Game, here's where Sabres the AHL. stand in goalie depth Kotyk said consistency had been Johansson’s “biggest issue.”

“He plays a few good games and then he’s off for a couple, and it felt like Bill Hoppe this year the consistency got stronger,” he said. “The gaps between a poor goal against or a poor game were smaller. He was regrouping. Fri, Jan 24, 2020 “I like to say that he was eliminating those thoughts from his mind that were maybe there in the past. He just looked strong, he looked confident. There was a purpose, whether it was practice or a game, it was like he ROCHESTER – Hours before Americans goalie Jonas Johansson was set out to do something. earned his ninth consecutive victory earlier this month, coach Chris Taylor called the Swede into his office and relayed some news. “That’s really what I noticed is right out of the gate the consistency was there, game in, game out.” Taylor told Johansson that he had been selected to represent the North Division in the American Hockey League All-Star Classic in Ontario, Calif. Johansson said he has tried to revamp his approach this season by blocking out any outside noise. “I absolutely had not thought of it,” Johansson, 24, said of being named an all-star. “I have no focus at all about what people think or expect,” he said. “I just try to … focus on myself. I feel like I’m finding my way there to have the At that point on Jan. 3, the Buffalo Sabres prospect had compiled a right mindset.” sterling 10-2-2 record and ranked second in the AHL in goals-against average and save percentage. Johansson said he had no idea how much he would play this season.

Still, Taylor said Johansson “was very surprised.” “I just try to put everything like that aside and just be happy for every game I get,” he said. “So I don’t know if I exceeded expectations, really. “It was one of those humbling moments to give a player that he acted so I’m just really happy with how the season has gone so far.” surprised and couldn’t believe it,” Taylor said of informing Johansson of his honor. “It just tells you what type of person he is and how grounded Seamus Kotyk said Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s short recall to the Amerks he is.” – the Finnish rookie played two games, going 0-1-1 – “was a good litmus test.” When the season started, Johansson had played just 19 AHL games and was coming off knee surgery that required four months of rehabilitation. “Coming up midyear … the league always takes a step, and it was noticeable,” he said of the level of play. “The details, the habits, the The 6-foot-5, 219-pound Johansson spent most of his first two seasons foundational aspects of his game were just a step behind or a little bit off in North America in the ECHL, only occasionally earning recalls to the in practice. Amerks. Last February, a torn meniscus ended his strong campaign with the Cincinnati Cyclones. “But that’s good, because it’s an eye-opener as to how do we want to restructure when we’re working with him when he’s with Cincinnati.” So Johansson, given his minimal experience and recent injury history, might rank as the unlikeliest of the 48 AHL All-Stars for Sunday's game. Luukkonen, 20, posted a 3.38 goals-against average and an .887 save percentage during his brief stint. “He fought for his career, and that’s what I like,” said Seamus Kotyk, the Sabres’ goaltending development coach. “He laid it out on the line. … “Overall, we’re happy, we’re satisfied,” Kotyk said. “It was a great test to and he didn’t quit.” see where he’s at. I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities moving forward.” Johansson, a third-round pick in 2014, 61st overall, has quietly developed into one of the AHL’s top netminders. He said this season has Randy Sexton has said the Sabres want Luukkonen, an ECHL All-Star been the “most fun hockey of my career so far.” with Cincinnati, to play more AHL games later this season.

Not only has Johansson morphed into a notable prospect, he and Andrew Hammond is riding a losing streak with the Amerks. (Micheline veteran Andrew Hammond, who has slumped recently, have formed a Veluvolu/Rochester Americans) strong partnership. Hammond's status “I really like it here,” Johansson said. “I like the team and my teammates and my colleague, Hammy. It’s just been really, really fun so far.” Five weeks ago, Andrew Hammond, 31, was perhaps the AHL’s hottest goalie. But since recording his fourth shutout in eight outings on Dec. 14, Amerks General Manager Randy Sexton acknowledged Johansson’s the veteran has lost seven consecutive starts. exploits – he finally lost a game Jan. 8, ending a streak that started Oct. 30 – have surprised him “a little bit.” Throughout his recent slump, Hammond said he has maintained the same approach he had earlier this season. “We weren’t sure he would be ready to perform to the same level he has this soon this season,” he said. “We thought it might take him until “I’m a person that tries staying very even-keeled when it’s going well and Christmas to get comfortable, keep his confidence. But he came to also when it’s not going well,” he said. training camp in unbelievable shape, he was ready. Hammond believes getting “too wound up either way” will take away from “This kid does everything the right way, and he does everything we ask enjoying success. him to. So it’s really gratifying to see him have so much success.” “Even when things are going really well, and say you’re reading the news Sexton and Taylor have spoken about how much the organization values clippings or something, and everyone’s praising you, it’s easy to get Johansson as a prospect. But Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Ontario caught up in that,” he said. “And then maybe you stop working as hard Hockey League’s MVP and top goalie last season, receives most of the and worrying about the details of what makes you successful.” attention from outsiders. Kotyk said Hammond’s demeanor has “been extremely valuable to him.”

Johansson hasn’t been labeled the Sabres’ goalie of the future. “He has a level of professionalism that you always hope you see within “People around maybe had lower expectations, and that probably helped your players,” he said. “He has an understanding of himself as a goalie, me … to be a little underdog, I guess,” said Johansson, who has he knows what he wants to do, the style he wants to play and how he compiled a 12-3-3 mark with a 2.21 goals-against average, a .924 save wants to practice and prepare. percentage and two shutouts in 19 games this season. “It’s a little easier “And he also understands because it’s not going as well as he wants in to play. I just try to not think about the expectations.” the results … he’s not going to break any of his foundation, any of his habits, any of his preparation to change the results.” Upcoming schedule

The Amerks ended their seven-game losing streak Wednesday in Cleveland by beating the Monsters 3-2 in overtime.

They host the Laval Rocket on Friday before playing a road game against the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday.

Buffalo News LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172599 Buffalo Sabres After he played in 33 NHL games last season, Pilut was recalled to Buffalo this year only after the Sabres moved Marco Scandella to Montreal. With Pilut’s return, there are eight defensemen fighting for ice As their Sabres teammates take the week off, Rasmus Asplund and time. Lawrence Pilut put in work in Rochester He excelled after returning from offseason shoulder surgery and was named an AHL All-Star for the second straight season. He’s not going to play in the game for the second straight year because he’ll be Joe Yerdon “unavailable for the event,” which ought to read “is returning to Buffalo.” Even if that’s somehow not the case, keeping active with the Americans Jan 24, 2020 is fine by him.

“I’m a type of guy that likes to work a lot and even when we have breaks, ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Even if you’ve started to carve out a niche for I can’t not keep working a little bit,” Pilut said. “Obviously you take time yourself, part of being a prospect means always working to prove off, but I really like to stay fresh like that and just go to the gym and yourself. Although Rasmus Asplund and Lawrence Pilut have shown everything like that. I don’t mind taking it off but at the same time I like to themselves capable in the NHL, a little more time in the AHL never hurts. work.”

In fact, it’s welcomed. That kind of drive helped make him defenseman of the year in the Swedish Hockey League in 2017-2018 and how he feels about his game While the Sabres headed into both their bye week and the All-Star break, between this season and his first in North America last season shows the two Swedes (and forward Scott Wilson) were sent back to Rochester he’s learning. to keep their legs moving and get a few more games in. “I think I was more responsible with the puck up there,” Pilut said. “I Some players might sulk at the prospect of not being able to head to a made smart plays and I think also just like the D-zone work. I thought I beach for a week or lament going back to the AHL in the first place. But was on the right side of guys and made the right plays — just smart for both Asplund and Pilut, they see the opportunity to improve reads and stuff — and I think my game was stable.” themselves as a means to establish themselves in the NHL and maybe get those island getaways down the road. In six games with the Sabres he’s been tasked with more defensive zone starts than offensive, starting nearly 60 percent of the time in the The first half of this season was perhaps a bit unexpected for both defensive zone. Although his best traits come in handling the puck, he’s players. Asplund was called up earlier in the season due to the team’s showed more of a knack to get involved physically. Whether he’s in rash of injuries. He seized the opportunity to stay in the lineup once Rochester or Buffalo, what he can do is being a positive influence on the players got healthy and played 28 games with the Sabres. game.

“I got a big taste of how it’s like with the travel and everything,” Asplund “Pilut with his offensive habits and five-on-five, he can be really good at said. “I’ve been playing against the best players in the world in the last getting pucks down and just simplifying the game and always in good couple of months and I’ve learned how to treat myself and all that off the position,” Taylor said. ice. I just pushed my pace on the ice and you have to play 100 percent every game, every night. When I didn’t do that, I didn’t get to be in the The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 lineup the next game.”

In three of the last four games before the break, Asplund was a healthy scratch. It’s always talked about how guys are able to get a look at the game from the press box for some perspective, but that’s what Asplund was eager to do when he wasn’t playing.

“When you step back from a game and you watch it, because when you’re down the bench it’s live and you’re playing it, it’s so fast and the reaction is so quick,” Americans coach Chris Taylor said. “If you don’t play a game and you see it from up top it helps you out a lot. You feel you understand, ‘Oh he is open, I do have time there, I do have time and space, oh, this is where that’s at.’

“Video can’t (replicate) what it’s like to sit out a game and watch it. Sometimes that’s what you need to settle down a little bit and watch it and see we understand it a little bit better. That’s why we do it as coaches and it’s not easy for the player at that time, but after the fact, it’s a great learning experience.”

The sense of realism about where he’s at as a player is what’s striking about Asplund. Players are often brimming with confidence in regard to their abilities and sometimes that comes off as being cocky. Asplund knows he’s good, but he knows there’s always more he can do to become a full-time NHL player and that means excelling in Rochester.

“I still think I have a couple more steps to take before I can play an 82- game season in the NHL,” Asplund said. “With being here now for, I don’t even know how long, but (I’m) just (going to) take the opportunity to keep developing. Being a lead player on this team, it’s going to be great for my development to be back here.”

Having players like Asplund, Pilut, and Wilson go back to Rochester comes at a necessary time. Until Rochester’s overtime win in Cleveland on Wednesday, in which they blew a 2-0 lead but came out on top thanks to Pilut’s goal in the extra period, the Americans had dropped seven straight games.

LAWRENCE PILUT WINS THE GAME IN OVERTIME! AMERKS SNAP THEIR 7 GAME LOSING STREAK. PIC.TWITTER.COM/MATDYGEYAN

— LET’S GO AMERKS (@LETSGOAMERKS) JANUARY 23, 2020 1172600 Buffalo Sabres Rasmus Dahlin Rasmus Ristolainen

Jake McCabe Brandon Montour*

Trade secrets: Projecting the Sabres through 2023 shows how much Lawrence Pilut* Henri Jokiharju work remains Jacob Bryson Colin Miller

Brandon Hickey* Will Borgen John Vogl Casey Fitzgerald Jan 24, 2020 Defense: Aside from the departure of Bogosian, nothing changes. Seven of the top eight defensemen are scheduled to return while Borgen, Bryson and/or Fitzgerald could push for playing time. It might be worse than you thought. Goalies Given how pessimistic things have become, that’s saying a lot. Linus Ullmark* The Sabres’ problems aren’t about to disappear. The big woes they have now – lack of a second-line center and a shortage of snipers on the Carter Hutton wings – are set to linger or get even crueler during the next three seasons. Jonas Johansson*

Something has to be done. Jason Botterill can start during the next Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen month. Goalies: Ullmark and Johansson will need new contracts, but the faces The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 24. While staying in the playoff race is an could remain the same. Where they play will be determined by admirable goal, surrounding Jack Eichel with talent for the next few Luukonen’s development. If he needs a full season as the go-to guy in seasons is more important. Buffalo’s prospect cupboard isn’t bare, but it Rochester, questions will linger in Buffalo. If the top prospect is ready, would be foolish to suggest the team has players who will lift the the Sabres would be willing. organization out of also-ran status. Needs: Heading into next season, the Sabres will need a second-line To illustrate, let’s project the Sabres roster for the next three seasons: center, a second-line right winger and a third-line left winger. Sound 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23. We’ll show who’s under contract, where familiar? the holes are and which prospects have a legitimate chance to contribute Acquiring a true second-line center could actually alleviate two problems. in a certain year. The player would step into the No. 2 spot and allow Johansson to move The Sabres, of course, can sign free agents. They hope all their draft back to his familiar role as a third-line left winger. The Sabres definitely picks become viable NHLers, but that’s simply not reality – see the need someone to back up Reinhart on the right side. previously lauded group of Mikhail Grigorenko, Justin Bailey, Nick SurPLUS: Right-handed defensemen are plentiful. Sound familiar? Baptiste, Hudson Fasching and Cal Petersen. So while 2019 sixth-round pick Lukas Rousek looks promising and 2018 seventh-rounder William The Sabres could create trade packages featuring Ristolainen, Miller, Worge-Kreu has immense size, we’ll only include guys drafted during the Borgen and/or Fitzgerald while still having pieces in place to fill the holes. opening three rounds. If anyone else makes it, the Sabres should But would thinning the ranks now impact the following seasons? consider him a bonus, not someone to bet the future on. No. The roster is scheduled to shrink this summer (or by the deadline) with 2021-22 11 unrestricted free agents who’ve spent time in Buffalo: forwards Michael Frolik, Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary, Jimmy Vesey, Zemgus Left wing Center Right wing Girgensons, Johan Larsson and Scott Wilson; and defensemen Zach Bogosian, John Gilmour, Casey Nelson and Matt Hunwick. Jeff Skinner Jack Eichel Sam Reinhart*

Here’s who will be around through 2023, with restricted free agents noted Victor Olofsson* Casey Mittelstadt* Kyle Okposo with an asterisk. C.J. Smith* Dylan Cozens Tage Thompson* 2020-21 Remi Elie* Rasmus Asplund* Marcus Davidsson Left wing Center Right wing Matej Pekar Arttu Ruotsalainen Jeff Skinner Jack Eichel Sam Reinhart* Forwards: The Sabres are banking that Cozens and Mittelstadt will have Victor Olofsson* Marcus Johansson Kyle Okposo established themselves as part of the core by 2021-22. If so, Buffalo’s top six would be Eichel, Skinner, Reinhart, Olofsson, Cozens and C.J. Smith Casey Mittelstadt* Tage Thompson* Mittelstadt – which could actually be a legitimate top six for the first time in a decade. Remi Elie* Dylan Cozens J-S Dea Thompson’s development will be crucial. Pekar and Davidsson might be Curtis Lazar* Andrew Oglevie* ready to contribute, though probably not in significant roles. Rasmus Asplund But maybe – just maybe – Buffalo will have finally answered its prayers Evan Rodrigues* down the middle.

Arttu Ruotsalainen Left defense Right defense

Forwards: The core four remain with Eichel, Skinner, Olofsson and Rasmus Dahlin* Rasmus Ristolainen Reinhart, presuming the right winger gets a new contract. While Lawrence Pilut* Henri Jokiharju* Johansson can certainly fill a scoring-line role, it’s not as a No. 2 center, as our study showed. There are questions about the rest. Jacob Bryson Colin Miller

Can Mittelstadt take a big step forward? Cozens is an elite prospect, but Mattias Samuelsson Will Borgen* will he be ready to contribute right away? Thompson is still unproven and will be coming off major shoulder surgery. Asplund has work to do. Casey Fitzgerald* Ruotsalainen still needs to learn the North American game. Oskari Laaksonen That’s a lot of what-ifs right off the bat. Defense: While Dahlin and Jokiharju will need new contracts, most of the Left defense Right defense same faces remain. Two new ones join the group: Samuelsson and Laaksonen. It’s possible Samuelsson, the 32nd overall pick in 2018, The Sabres can’t just sit around and wait for players to develop. There could step right into the lineup following three years at Western Michigan simply aren’t enough top prospects and banking on low-round picks to University. Finland’s Laaksonen would likely need time in Rochester. succeed is foolish. As Ted Nolan predicted and fans have painfully seen, players can quickly go from prospects to suspects to rejects. Goalies Botterill will have money to spend on free agents this summer – as much Jonas Johansson* as $30 million, depending on extensions, qualifying offers, buyouts and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen the rising salary cap. But waiting until July 1 and competing against 30 other teams is not the best option. Even if the Sabres sign their top Erik Portillo target, other holes would remain.

Goalies: Hutton’s contract is done and Ullmark is scheduled to become a Based on the projections, the Sabres need: UFA. Portillo, a third-round pick in 2019, might be ready to join the organization after a season at the University of Michigan. But there’d be A second-line center to ease the NHL transition for Cozens and no need to rush him to the pro ranks if Luukkonen and Johansson stay Mittelstadt. on their development path. A second-line right winger to back up Reinhart, especially if Thompson Needs: The Sabres still have a hole at right wing. The expiration of isn’t up to the task. Marcus Johansson’s contract leaves a spot open on a scoring line, A third-line left winger because there’s no one in line behind Skinner and presumably at left wing. If Buffalo adds a second-line center before 2021, Olofsson. then Mittelstadt or Cozens could move to the wing to improve the depth. Based on the projections, the Sabres have extra: SurPLUS: Right-handed defensemen are plentiful. Sound familiar? Right-handed defensemen, both on the NHL roster and in the prospect OK, so we used those lines already, but it proves the point: Buffalo has ranks. enough right-handed blueliners in the organization to swing a significant deal now and not worry about future ramifications. Left-handed defense prospects, included highly drafted players such as Samuelsson and Johnson. 2022-23 The month leading up to the NHL trade deadline is always interesting. Left wing Center Right wing For Botterill and the Sabres, it should be a time to alter – and improve – Jeff Skinner Jack Eichel Kyle Okposo these hole-filled roster projections with significant trades.

Victor Olofsson* Casey Mittelstadt* Tage Thompson* The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020

Matej Pekar Dylan Cozens Marcus Davidsson

Rasmus Asplund*

Arttu Ruotsalainen*

Forwards: While Reinhart is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2022, any new deal would certainly keep him around into this season. But the contracts and prospects are dwindling up front. There are no high draft picks joining the mix. There are obvious holes.

But the core has added another year of experience. With Eichel, Skinner, Olofsson, Cozens, Mittelstadt and presumably Reinhart, Buffalo still should boast an impressive top six (provided the players develop as expected).

Left defense Right defense

Rasmus Dahlin* Henri Jokiharju*

Lawrence Pilut* Will Borgen*

Jacob Bryson* Casey Fitzgerald*

Mattias Samuelsson Oskari Laaksonen

Ryan Johnson

Defense: The contracts for Ristolainen and Miller have expired. But Johnson, a first-rounder in 2019, should be ready after three years at the University of Minnesota.

Goalies

Jonas Johansson*

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen*

Erik Portillo

Goalies: Unless the Sabres draft the next Tom Barrasso – a kid who’s ready to win the Vezina Trophy at age 18 – things stay the same as the previous season.

Needs: Without reinforcements, the wings might be barren.

SurPLUS: This time, there are extra defensemen on the left side. Provided the players stick around and develop, Buffalo would a nice foursome with Dahlin, Pilut, Samuelsson and Johnson.

Summary 1172601 Calgary Flames drop. We’re going to entrust our son’s potential to a couple of guys barely out of their teens?

“They were kind of like, ‘Uh, these are the guys?'” said Allan, laughing. Flames prospect Matthew Phillips recalls his unexpected nudges onto the path of commitment and confidence Meanwhile, the boy himself is a couple of blocks away, horsing around with his pals.

“I didn’t want to go,” recalled Phillips. “I wanted to keep playing roller Scott Cruickshank hockey. I barely took my rollerblades off to go in the kitchen to go and sit Jan 24, 2020 down with them.

“They told me afterward that they were actually terrified … that it was pretty nerve-racking for them.” Matthew Phillips, naturally, is eager to resume his latest doubt-dashing season. However, their pitch is convincing. Both sides agree to give it a whirl.

But a broken kneecap, cinched together with two screws, is keeping him So Allan and Docherty hump medicine balls, bands, dumbbells to a off the ice. That hasn’t stopped the young man from filling his empty nearby playground. The kid — freshly turned 14 years old, 5-foot-2, 110 hours. pounds — follows.

Heck, the day after surgery he’d hobbled into the Stockton Arena to And immediately blows them away. cheer on his AHL Heat teammates. “We knew in the first week of working with this guy that he was special,” “I’m not the type to just sit at home,” said Phillips. “I get bored of the said Allan. “I was playing Division 1 college hockey at the time and I’d couch pretty quick.” played through every level in Calgary — junior, Midget AAA, all that stuff — and I’d never seen a kid work that hard. We’re like, ‘Holy smokes.’ With vigour, he is rehabilitating his left leg — getting to the rink early We’d leave those workouts and sit in the car and just be like, ‘This kid’s every morning, throwing himself into prescribed exercises. He’s halfway insane.’ He was making me feel bad about myself. through his chores by the time his chums arrive for their on-ice sessions. “It was a pretty cool experience, just to see someone so focused and Staring at a 6-8 week rehabilitation, Phillips appreciates routine. driven on a goal at such a young age. I think that’s extremely rare.”

“It doesn’t make it feel like a drag,” he said. “It just feels like a normal For Phillips, the arrangement is ideal. practice day — I just don’t practise.” Allan and Docherty would pull up to his house, honk the horn, start Later in the day, he hits the books. Prior to slamming into the boards hauling stuff out of the trunk. “Then we’d head on over to the field,” said Dec. 28 and damaging his knee, he’d signed up for an Athabasca Phillips. “It didn’t matter where we were or what the setting was or what University online business class — Introduction to Management — equipment we had or didn’t have, on any given day it was always hard.” through the Professional Hockey Players’ Association career- enhancement initiative. That summer Phillips is prepping for his second winter with the Bantam AAA Bisons. He knows it’s already a pivotal point of his career. “I’m kind of starting from scratch. It felt like it was a good time to get the ball rolling,” said Phillips. “It’s a really big plus that I get to focus on that “There’s a lot of pressure and it can get a little bit crazy … so I just now. I’m going to set the pace pretty high with how fast I can finish the wanted to get better,” Phillips said. “They pushed me really hard. course, because I don’t have much else going on. Definitely as a young kid, they trusted me and put a lot of faith in me.”

“It’s a little positive to the whole situation.” Feeling their way through the process themselves, the trainers keep the workouts basic — 90 minutes, four times a week. Nothing innovative Not many people could find the silver lining to fractured kneecap here. recovery. But Matthew Phillips, according to those who know him well, is different. In a good way. “We were super nervous the whole time,” said Allan, laughing. “Like, ‘Are we messing this guy up? This is a pretty good player. Hopefully we don’t Injury or not, the idea of the kid losing his way in the middle of yet screw him up too bad.'” another breakout season seems unlikely. They are soon able to relax. Fitter than ever, Phillips produces 77 points, “I don’t see it being an issue at all,” said Alex Allan. “It probably makes including 40 goals, in 33 appearances. Good for sixth in Alberta Major him better mentally, right? If you’re going to play professional hockey, Bantam Hockey League scoring. He also picks up the circuit’s most you’re going to get hurt at some point. I think he’ll be fine. sportsmanlike player award.

“I’ve never seen him falter. He always seems to bounce back. He’s got The tremendous season is capped by the WHL draft during which the that special quality. He is the most positive, happy-go-lucky kid.” Victoria Royals snare him in the second round.

A characteristic that Allan had noticed immediately … “A nice sigh of relief,” said Allan. “It kind of blossomed from there.”

It’s the summer of 2012, and Allan and best friend Simon Docherty are For both sides. looking for work. Typical college student labour does not appeal to them. Allan and Docherty go on to found Bold Athletic, eventually moving their So a plan is hatched — the 22-year-olds will train young hockey players. bustling operation from the playground to a household garage before finding permanent digs at Father David Bauer Arena in northwest Not a far-fetched scheme. Allan, a forward for the University of Alabama- Calgary. Huntsville, has just finished his sophomore year. And Docherty, already an experienced baseball coach, is destined for Victoria’s Camosun And Phillips? In the face of naysayers, the lad breezes through bantam College where he intends to get into its sports management program. and midget, then through junior. Drafted by his hometown Flames in 2016, the 5-foot-7, 150-pounder adjusts seamlessly to pro hockey. Meaning the Calgarians possess the background, the desire. “If you look back at his numbers,” said Allan, “he’s had well over a point a Just no clients. game every single year since bantam, except for his first year (in AHL Funny thing. Allan’s mother Toni has been talking to a fellow she works Stockton when he collects a respectable 38 points in 65 games). He just with at Imperial Oil. And this guy, named Doug, mentions that he has a keeps proving himself year after year. puck-chasing son, who is hoping to upgrade his conditioning. “I believe he’s earned an opportunity.” Mom passes on this tip to her own son. “She said, ‘I think his kid’s pretty So do the Flames. good,'” said Allan. “I was like, ‘Oh, perfect. Set up a meeting.'”

Soon after, Allan and Docherty drive to the Phillips family home in Douglasdale to introduce themselves. Door opens. The parents’ jaws On the night of Dec. 9, Phillips had been tuned into the Flames’ action in Denver, while packing his bags for the Heat’s trip to Ontario, Calif. Midgame his phone buzzed.

It was the boss. Like, the big boss — general manager Brad Treliving and he was bearing good news. Get to Phoenix, where the Flames were scheduled the next night to take on the Coyotes.

“So I re-arranged a few things in my suitcase,” said the 21-year-old. “I was super excited. I called my parents. Then I tried to get some sleep.

“So that was really cool.”

No one has to tell Allan about the moment’s punch.

He’d been at the gym when he saw news out of Stockton that Phillips had been summoned by the Flames. Then he noticed an online snapshot of the tiny second-year pro with Mark Giordano. “I’m like, ‘Holy shit. Is he playing?’ So I rip home, going 90 down Crowchild. Then they scratch him.”

Phillips stuck with the team for three days — including the home date against the Toronto Maple Leafs — and, even though he didn’t get that first NHL taste, he had been stoked.

“Confidence-wise, it was a nice little reward,” he said. “When I came back to Stockton, there’s a little more jump in your step and you’re motivated to get back there and stay a little longer.”

Barely two weeks later, having gathered 30 points in 28 dates, he toppled knee-first into the boards in Bakersfield and cracked his patella.

“It does sound like a gruesome type of injury,” Phillips said. “It kind of hurt, but, in the heat of the moment, I didn’t really know what was going on. I tried to skate. I had two 15-, 20-second shifts and I felt like Bambi. I knew something was wrong. I didn’t know how serious.”

But, Phillips being Phillips, he uncovered a bright side.

“Could’ve been worse,” he snickered. “It’s not my driving leg.”

Keeping his spirits high had been the recent invitation to the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, Calif., on Jan. 26 and 27. His roommate Glenn Gawdin also got the nod.

“Definitely sweet,” said Phillips. “It sucks that I can’t go, to put it as simply as I can. It would’ve been a fun few days, for sure. But stuff happens and I just have to get that out of my head, that I would’ve been going there and playing, because it’s just unrealistic. But it definitely feels really good.”

Phillips added that it was a nice touch that the league, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to participate, still named him, instead of immediately announcing a replacement.

“It’s a big honour.”

A generous sort, Phillips even today gives credit to Allan and Docherty for ensuring his start down the proper path. They pushed, he responded, back and forth. (Not that there hadn’t been the occasional yuks. For instance, Phillips knows now that his young mentors got a real kick out of the über-honest entries in his nutrition logbook. Think: hot dogs.)

“They’re really good at teaching kids the mental side of the game and of life — just how to believe in yourself,” Phillips said. “I was really lucky to have those two come into my life and into my career at that age, because that’s when you can get influenced in a lot of different ways. I looked up to them big time.

“They definitely steered me in the right direction from Day 1.”

Oh, yes, Day 1. The mention of which makes Allan smile as he recalls that awkward front-door introduction nearly eight years ago.

“We’re pretty close with his family still,” Allan said, “and we always laugh about their reaction when they first saw us.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172602 Carolina Hurricanes Trophy, was a Stanley Cup champion with Montreal in 1979 and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) and Philadelphia For Canes’ Jaccob Slavin, first NHL All-Star appearance is bittersweet Flyers left wing Joel Farabee (49) chase the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Gerry Broome AP CHIP ALEXANDER Slavin participated in the NHL Skills Competition on Friday at the JANUARY 24, 2020 12:25 PM Enterprise Center in St. Louis, and was one of the night’s winners. One of eight players competing in the Accuracy Shooting drill, trying to hit

various target Images from 25 feet, he wound up with the best time of The Carolina Hurricanes quickly began to scatter after Tuesday’s game 9.505 seconds. against the Winnipeg Jets, forward Teuvo Teravainen already dressed in Slavin had a nice cheering section. His wife, Kylie, and daughter, a plaid suit and pink tie as he talked to the media. Emersyn Ruth, are in St. Louis along with a number of family and friends With everyone in a hurry to begin their NHL All-Star break and bye week, from Erie, Colo. Slavin said two younger brothers can’t make it — “They one player lingered in the locker room at PNC Arena. Jaccob Slavin have their own hockey games,” he said. stood talking with Bob Gorman, one of the Canes’ equipment managers, Most defensemen probably would like time off at this time of the season, about hockey sticks and the other gear he would need. given the wear and tear, the minutes played. Not Slavin. For the first time, Slavin was headed to the NHL All-Star Weekend. “It’s awesome,” Slavin said. “This organization has been nothing but Judged to be the NHL’s “best defensive defenseman” in midseason great to me in my career. To be able to represent it is definitely an honor balloting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Slavin is and I’ll try to do well.” representing the Canes in St. Louis. And if the Metro wins again Saturday, there could be some extra cash to “It’ll be fun,” he said Tuesday. “You’re there with some of the best players bring back from St. Louis. in the world, so it’s going to be something you just kind of take in and just enjoy it while you’re there.” “Let’s hope we do that as well,” Slavin said, laughing.

For Slavin, it’s decidedly bittersweet. That’s the word he used. News Observer LOADED: 01.25.2020 Defenseman Dougie Hamilton initially was selected to go and be a part of the Metropolitan Division team, making his first All-Star appearance, but a broken fibula in the Jan. 16 game against Columbus might have ended his season.

“As excited as I am, I wish Dougie was still going and wish he wasn’t hurt,” Slavin said. “That’s a huge loss for our team and huge loss for me in that he’s my defensive partner, too.”

In the PHWA’s midseason awards voting, Hamilton was third in the Norris Trophy balloting for the NHL’s best all-around defenseman behind John Carlson of the Washington Capitals and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators. Before the injury, Hamilton was second among NHL D-men with 14 goals, fourth in points (40) and ranked second among all skaters in plus/minus at plus-30 — all big-time numbers.

Hamilton, who underwent surgery Jan. 17, was back in the locker room before the Jets game, his injured left leg supported by a small scooter as he wheeled about the room chatting up teammates.

“A little buggy with a Porsche sticker on it,” Slavin said, smiling. “He’s riding around in style. “

Some would say Slavin’s All-Star selection was overdue given the respect he has gained throughout the league, and by those who cover the league, with his consistently solid play. In his sixth NHL season, Slavin has an iron-man streak of 353 consecutive games played and has played more than 20 minutes in 318.

“I think he’s one of the most underrated players in the league,” Canes defenseman Brett Pesce said.

Sebastian Aho was the Canes’ All-Star representative last year, helping the Metro Division win the three-on-three game competition and the $1 million prize to be split by the winners, quite the parting gift. Defenseman Noah Hanifin, then in his third NHL season, was picked for the 2018 All- Star Game in Tampa, Hanifin conceding he was “pretty surprised” to be chosen.

Slavin, who plays with a quiet confidence bolstered by his strong faith, had a lot more eyeballs on him last spring, when the Canes reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009. Playing on that magnified stage, Slavin and Hamilton shined as the Canes’ top defensive pairing, earning a much larger degree of exposure — NBC televised just one Canes regular-season game nationally.

“He’s as good as any defenseman in the league, in my opinion,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said this week. “Certainly as valuable as any defenseman. He deserves to be in that game.”

Most PHWA members would agree. Slavin was the top vote-getter for the Rod Langway Award for the defenseman who “best excels in the defensive aspect of the game.” Langway, who twice won the Norris 1172603 Carolina Hurricanes community. From a professional standpoint, he said, his biggest fulfillment has come in selling the sport, in helping the Hurricanes earn their niche amid a tradition-filled college-sports landscape, and in building ‘That’s hockey, baby!’ Canes broadcaster John Forslund keeps fans the Hurricanes brand. educated, entertained. Winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 was huge for the team and was North Carolina’s first major-league championship. But with last season’s playoff run with the so-called “Bunch of Jerks,” the Canes revitalized the CHIP ALEXANDER franchise and made Canes-watching a must again.

JANUARY 24, 2020 12:06 PM “One of my mottos is that each season has its specific story to tell and that’s what we’re tried to do,” Forslund said, “Tell the stories of the

players and coaches. We also want to educate people. That’s always RALEIGH been the goal and I think we’ve done a good job with that.”

The Carolina Hurricanes’ game against the New York Islanders was JOHN FORSLUND ‘EXTREMELY ELITE’ entering the eighth round of a shootout and the noise level was rising at Sitting next to Forslund the past 21 years has been Tripp Tracy, the PNC Arena. Canes’ TV color analyst on the Fox Sports Carolinas broadcasts. The Canes forward Justin Williams, playing his first game of the season, was Harvard graduate and former minor-league goalie calls Forslund coming on the ice to take a shootout shot. The anticipation was high, the “extremely elite in his craft” and while offering his insights into plays and excitement palpable. strategy has a way of engaging Forslund in wide-ranging repartee, the topics ranging from Tracy’s shopping spree with goalie Petr Mrazek to his In his perch high in the arena, Hurricanes television broadcaster John cooking skills or late-night Taco Bell runs. Forslund was in his usual stance: standing, leaning over the edge of the booth to get a better view, pacing about, hands waving. “John’s preparation and everything he does before and during a hockey game, it’s a major benefit to me,” Tracy said. “I learned the right way. It Forslund’s call: “Cobourg, Ontario, I want to hear you! Justin Williams, in took some time but I learned the right way.” round number eight ... scores! Dead center. That’s hockey, baby!” Forslund has missed a few Canes games the past few seasons to call Moments later, Canes goalie James Reimer stopped the last Islanders national games for the NBC Sports network. But he’s usually up high in shooter to seal a 2-1 victory in the Jan. 19 game. But Forslund had an arena, leaning out, moving about, talking with his hands as the Canes framed the biggest moment properly, perfectly, blending his knowledge of play -- “He could do a cameo on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’” Tracy said. the team and Williams — a native of Cobourg — with the right inflection in his voice. Regardless of which team scores in games, Forslund’s voice reflects the excitement of the moment. He considers goals in the NHL as special, as And, yes, Forslund used his trademark expression, “Hey, hey, whaddya meaningful, although only a Hurricanes goal can get a “That’s hockey, say!” when the game was won. baby!” response.

In his 25th year as the Canes’ television play-by-play announcer, “He could be a little more of a homer,” Brind’Amour said, smiling. “He’s Forslund has called many a big moment. He has a Stanley Cup ring from probably the worst homer (announcer) in the game. But that’s fine. Some the Canes’ Cup run in 2006. Last season, he saw the Canes after a nine- of those guys are over the top. He calls it the way he sees it and we love year playoff absence defeat the Washington Capitals, the 2018 Stanley him for it.” Cup champions, in a seven-game series. JOHN FORSLUND Asked how he would best describe Forslund, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “Passionate. It’s crazy how good he is. He’s an icon in Age: 57. North Carolina and especially in this area.” Hometown: Apex. Forslund, 57, was named the 2018 North Carolina Sportscaster of the Family: wife, Natalie; daughters Erika (23) and Kara (16), son Matthew Year by the National Sports Media Association. He now has won the (22). award in back-to-back years, sharing the 2019 NSMA award, announced earlier this month, with radio host David Glenn. Education: Springfield College, 1983, undergraduate; Adelphi University 1984, master’s degree in athletic management. Forslund, The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month for January, has been in North Carolina since 1997. Some would say such recognition Accomplishments: Selected N.C. Sportscaster of the Year by the was a long time coming, overdue. But not Forslund. National Sports Media Association, 2018, 2019 (shared with radio host David Glenn); Won Mid-South Emmy Award for Hurricanes broadcasts, “Any time it happens it’s special,” he said in an interview with the N&O. 2007 and 2009; won 2003 Telly Award for “Forslund Focus” during game “For so many years the only hope I had, for myself and the team, was to telecasts; Serves on board of directors for Spare Some for Autism and just get a piece of the sports landscape here. To get a piece of it has has been involved with Make-A-Wish Foundation, March of Dimes, taken a long time. It’s an honor to be seen on the same plane as those Genesis Home, Food Bank of North Carolina and the Crohn’s and Colitis people who have previously won and the sports they’ve covered.” Foundation; MAKING THE MOVE FROM HARTFORD TO RALEIGH News Observer LOADED: 01.25.2020 A native of Springfield, Mass., Forslund is a New Englander. A 1983 graduate of Springfield College, he once handled the television and radio broadcasts for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League.

Joining the Hartford Whalers of the NHL in 1991, he served as public relations director and an analyst on the Whalers Radio Network before taking on the Whalers’ television play-by-play duties for the 1994-95 season. For Forslund, it was the perfect job, close to home.

And then everything changed. Peter Karmanos, then the Whalers owner, moved the franchise to Raleigh in 1997 and rechristened it the Carolina Hurricanes. Forslund and his family were uprooted, joining the many transplants coming into the Triangle.

“It was like being dropped out of the sky and now you’ve got to forge something,” Forslund said.

Forslund and his wife, Natalie, have raised their three children — Erika, Matthew and Kara — in Apex and have become molded into the 1172604 Chicago Blackhawks A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.

“Recently they’ve been pretty dialed in,” Sharp said. “They look like Former Blackhawk Patrick Sharp adjusts to TV role: ‘Weird to discuss the they’re getting better and better as they move along.” play of former teammates and current friends’ It’s an inconsistent team that could go either way.

“They’re right in the thick of things with four, maybe six other teams PHIL ROSENTHAL fighting for those (last) wild card spots,” Sharp said. “In the Western JAN 24, 2020 | 11:36 AM Conference especially, but all across the league, if a team has a good two- or three-week period and they get hot and … show signs of developing, all of a sudden they’re right back in the thick of things.

Now in his second season as a TV analyst, Patrick Sharp no longer The core group of Hawks with which Sharp played has plenty of wears a Blackhawks logo on his chest, but the team for which he played experience playing late-season and hockey that actually matters. Others, 11 of his 15 NHL seasons still has a special place in his heart. not so much.

And, Sharp concedes, it’s possible viewers might sometimes catch him “A lot of these younger guys are getting their first taste,” he said. “As wearing that heart on his sleeve. bigger games come in February and March, it will be awesome to see the Blackhawks competing." “I don’t know. Perhaps,” Sharp said. “It is a weird feeling going to the United Center as a broadcaster as opposed to being down in the tunnel Assuming they are competitive, that is. with those guys. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 01.25.2020 “I do find it weird to discuss the play of former teammates and current friends. … I’m on the other side now, (but) it’s sometimes tough to talk about your good friends.”

Sharp, 38, is in St. Louis this weekend covering the NHL’s All-Star festivities in his role as a national studio commentator with NBC Sports.

Locally, NBC Sports Chicago has been using him in the same role for 25- 30 Blackhawks games a season, helping him hone his new craft.

Sharp possesses a keen eye, but experience can only help in any field.

"I still feel like I’ve got a long way to go to be a real good broadcaster,” said Sharp, a member of three Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks teams with Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and current all-star Patrick Kane.

Even if Sharp avoids saying “we,” it’s not so easy to see such longtime teammates as “they.”

“I played with Duncs and Seabs my entire Blackhawks career,” Sharp said. “I’ve been a part of (many) great moments Kane and Toews have had in their careers. So, it is a little challenging, but I enjoy the challenge and it’s good practice.

“I’m not going to unload on the guys on any team. My job as a broadcaster is to call it as I see it and I’m not going to embarrass anybody. That’s not the point of the job. It’s to talk hockey, break it down and be honest about it.”

It should be that simple, but Sharp’s name was dragged into the news last month when fellow NBC NHL analyst and former Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick mentioned him in crass, wholly inappropriate podcast remarks about a group sex and colleagues.

Roenick was suspended without pay.

NBC’s Kathryn Tappen, another co-worker Roenick discussed, issued a statement calling his remarks “unacceptable, especially among workplace colleagues” but noted she and Roenick would “continue to be good friends.”

When the subject was raised with Sharp, an NBC Sports spokeswoman cut him off before the ordinarily open former left wing could even say “no comment” for himself.

A long silence followed.

At least one need not guess Sharp’s views when it comes to the Blackhawks.

“It’s kind of an exciting time to watch the Hawks,” Sharp said.

He’s unconcerned by the Toews-Keith practice dust-up the other day — “Those things happen at practice” — and looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out.

Chicago Tribune Sports Newsletter

Weekdays 1172605 Chicago Blackhawks Note: Hawks All-Star representative Patrick Kane is one of 10 players who will compete in a brand-new event, shooting at targets from a 30- foot elevated platform, during Friday’s All-Star Skills competition.

Ex-Blackhawk Anthony Duclair thriving with longer leash, more ice time “It’s going to be pretty interesting to see what happens,” Kane said with Senators Thursday. “Not really sure what to expect.”

Duclair’s breakout this season has put the spotlight on the Hawks’ Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 01.25.2020 decision to let him walk as a free agent in 2018, but the situations are not really comparable or transferrable.

Ben Pope

Jan 24, 2020, 6:55am CST

ST. LOUIS — The basement-dwelling Senators somehow have two representatives at this year’s All-Star Game, and between the two, Anthony Duclair attracted a fraction of the attention Thursday that Brady Tkachuk did.

Duclair, the former failed Blackhawks experiment, earned the invitation nonetheless, tallying 33 points through the Senators’ first 47 games this season.

That equals his production in 74 games with the Senators and Blue Jackets last season, and tops his point totals from 2017-18 (23 points in 56 games with the Hawks and Coyotes) and 2016-17 (15 points in 58 games with the Coyotes).

“It’s the most ice time I’ve gotten in my career, even more than my rookie year [when I] scored 20 goals, so that helps a lot,” Duclair said. “When you get the trust from your teammates and your coaches, it makes a world of difference.”

Once touted as a top prospect in the Rangers’ system, Duclair has clearly bounced around the NHL quite a bit in recent seasons, and the Hawks aren’t the only team to give up on him.

Besides, his eight points in 23 games with the Hawks two years ago, despite the solid 53.5 percent scoring-chance ratio that accompanied them, understandably didn’t wow anyone.

He was given an opportunity alongside Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat for a while after his arrival, but finished the year demoted to lines with Artem Anisimov and Tomas Jurco, then David Kampf and about-to-retire Patrick Sharp.

On the rebuilding Senators, though, Duclair has spent his most time with Tkachuk — the fourth overall pick in 2018 — and seen his per-game average rise from 13:02 (with the Hawks) to 16:30.

“Just being on a rebuilding team helps a lot,” he said. “On the other teams, like last year [in] Columbus or in Chicago, there’s obviously going to be guys that have been there a while and they’re going to be ahead of you. You’ve just got to work through that.

“Having this opportunity where now you’re the guy being relied on to have more of an offensive role, it fits my game perfectly and it’s really helped.”

The most common knock on Duclair over the years has been his consistency, with his offensive production declared not robust enough to make up for his poor defensive abilities. But he feels even his defense is improving now, partly because the Senators have used him occasionally on the penalty kill.

Duclair’s breakout and All-Star appearance this season has made the Hawks’ trade to acquire the speedy winger look better — especially since Richard Panik was unremarkable last season with the Coyotes and has struggled this season with the Capitals — but their decision to let Duclair walk as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018 look worse.

The front office can probably look back on the latter move with some regret. But as Duclair repeatedly emphasized Thursday, his productivity is largely based on a role within the Senators organization that wouldn’t have been possible with the Hawks.

“[It’s] having the playing time, having the trust and having more of a leash, so to speak — where if you make a mistake, you know you’re going to get back out there instead of sitting a period,” he said. 1172606 Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith make NHL's All-Decade First Team

Scott King

January 24, 2020 10:03 AM

Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith were named to the NHL's All-Decade First Team presented by NBC Sports. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman informed Kane of the news prior to the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday night. Kane joins forwards Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Keith joins defenseman Drew Doughty with Marc-Andre Fleury in net.

In which Patrick Kane learns he and Duncan Keith have been named to the @NHL All-Decade Team!#ThatsHockeyBaby pic.twitter.com/noRMGtqH5I

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 25, 2020

Here’s a look at the core members of the Blackhawks and the three-time Stanley Cup champs’ other achievements:

It’s always “Showtime” when Kane touches the puck, not because of what he’s already accomplished, but because of what else he can do.

Kane, 31, recorded his 1,000th NHL point off an assist in Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He has a total of 1,001 career points (381 G, 620 A) after scoring a goal against Joel Quenneville’s Florida Panthers in a 4-3 loss on Tuesday.

Kane, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft and a nine-time NHL All-Star, has won a Calder trophy (2008), a Conn Smythe (2013), a Hart (2016), a Ted Lindsay (2016) and an Art Ross (2016). He also won an Olympic silver medal in 2010, losing to Keith’s Team Canada.

Keith has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL throughout his 15 seasons with the Blackhawks. The blueliner has 597 points (99 goals, 498 assists) and a +/- rating of +153 in 1,119 games with Chicago.

Keith has won a Conn Smythe (2015), two Norris trophies (2010, 2014) and two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014). The 36-year-old was grabbed by Chicago at No. 54 overall in the 2002 draft and is a four-time All-Star.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172607 Chicago Blackhawks

Why NHL All-Star appearances never get old for Patrick Kane

Charlie Roumeliotis

January 24, 2020 11:05 AM

ST. LOUIS — Patrick Kane is in his 13th NHL season and he's participating in his ninth career All-Star Game this weekend, which is the most of any player that's attending. And both of those numbers will continue to go up.

But don't tell Kane that. He may be 31, but he sure doesn't feel like he's the old guy around here.

"I don’t want to be considered the Old Man," Kane said during Thursday's Media Day session. "I’m still only 31 years old. Obviously there’s a lot of young talent in the NHL and a lot of guys I like to watch playing and that I recognize are really good players, so it’s fun to meet them and talk to them and just talk about your seasons and your team and what’s going on around the league. I feel like I’m just another hockey player."

To Kane, he's just another hockey player. But to others around the league, he's more than that.

Twenty of the 44 All-Stars this season are participating in their first one and many of them have idolized Kane growing up.

Quinn Hughes, who played with Kane for Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, is one of them. Even as a defenseman, Hughes watched Kane every chance he would get as a kid.

"Yeah, thanks Quinn," Kane said with a smile. "I feel a little bit older now, so thanks."

But even though Kane is one of the older players here, he doesn't take it for granted. He attends every year because it's a good opportunity to represent the Blackhawks and the NHL, and it's also a chance to pay it forward.

“I can remember Joe Thornton being in the locker room, that was pretty cool to see him,” Kane said of who he was excited to meet at his first All- Star appearance. “I remember when I was in Ottawa, I was preparing for that little breakaway challenge ... and I had to go to the rink that morning to practice some of it and see how it’d all come together. And I remember [Pavel] Datsyuk coming to the rink as well and he got on the bike and just worked out. It was just me and him on this big bus and then whoever else we had with us.”

Each All-Star Game stands out for Kane. And now he’s looking to create more memories.

On Friday, Kane will participate in the “Shooting Stars Challenge,” where players will shoot pucks at a variety of targets from the stands. It’s the first time the NHL is incorporating this event into the competition.

On Saturday, Kane hopes to be on the winning side of the 3-on-3 All-Star Game because the Central Division has yet to win it since the format changed in 2016.

“All of them have their own memories,” Kane said. “You look back on Montreal was my first one, Ottawa had the Superman thing, LA was the top 100, even Columbus we had like five of us there, or six of us. Each of them have their own memory. It’s one of things where, when you’re done playing, you look back and say, ‘I went to this many All-Star Games.’ That’s where my head’s at right there.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172608 Chicago Blackhawks somewhere whether it was scouting or trying to get into the front office. I could see him doing that even to this day.

“Maybe that's a stepping stone for him maybe in the future. I wouldn't be Patrick Sharp hitting his stride in Year 2 as broadcaster surprised to see him in the front office at some point because I think he's pretty good at scouting players and knowing a lot about the league too.”

Scott King For Sharp, nothing can compare to the rush of playing in front of a sold- out United Center crowd, but the feeling right before going live on the air January 24, 2020 7:20 AM comes close.

“I love it,” the Winnipeg native said. “It's very similar [to playing]. I love having the earpiece in and hearing our producer tell us that we're on in The NHL’s best players competing against each other will be a familiar '10 ... 9 ... 8 . . .' Hearing the countdown kind of gives you that adrenaline sight for Patrick Sharp, who will work his first All-Star Game as a feeling, the butterflies that you used to get as a player right before the broadcaster this weekend in St. Louis. first shift of a game. The three-time Stanley Cup champ with the Blackhawks was the MVP of “I kind of miss that stress and anxiety of being a player and putting 2011’s All-Star contest with a goal and two assists. pressure on myself. I can't really think of too many other things in the Less than two years after hanging up his skates, Sharp's transition from game that bring that to us, so this is maybe a close second.” player to television analyst has been as seamless as everyone expected. Despite another career in the game, the four-time 30-plus goal-scorer In addition to the look and the experience, the 2014 Olympic gold with the Hawks still goes through what a lot of players do after they exit medalist has been a student of his new game behind the scenes. the ice. "I feel a little more settled," said Sharp, who can be seen Friday and “The struggles of hanging up the skates and then trying to figure out Saturday on NBC Sports and NBC covering the NHL All-Star festivities. what's next, I kind of went through that myself, still going through it,” "Just trying to improve and get better at the job. It's just like playing in the Sharp said. “I miss the game every day. NHL, the first year you ask a lot of questions and you learn as much as you can from the people that have done it before you and that are really “I love being a part of NBC, but there's nothing that's going to replace good at it. Going into Year 2, nothing really changes; you just want to being a professional hockey player and that's something that I did my continue to get better. entire adult life. I'm thankful that I've got an opportunity to continue working and be in the game, but at the same time I've had struggles just "I love following hockey and watching games; it makes the job a little bit like every other former player. I want to keep my mind occupied and try easier. I don't think I'll ever get fully comfortable on television, but it's to fill that void of playing hockey as best I can.” been fun and a good transition for me from playing the game." Sharp joins NBC Sports’ national broadcast team every other week for a The 38-year-old’s bountiful in-depth insight during game broadcasts has Tuesday or Wednesday game during the regular season. He’s frequently come as no surprise to those who know him. an analyst for Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago and come the "Sharpie looks like he's really found a career," said Patrick Kane, who postseason he’ll be on the national broadcasts full-time. often shoots his former teammate a text after catching him on TV. "He Whether he’s on TV in Chicago or nationally, Sharp prepares the same does a really good job and he's easy to listen to. He knows who he's way. talking about, he has really good information. “I think when I do more prep, that's when I struggle on the air,” he said. “I "It almost to me sounds like you're just talking to him, like me just having feel like I do enough prep just by being the same hockey guy that I've a conversation with him about hockey. He does a really good job of been my entire life. I watch the games, I stay involved, I talk to some explaining the information and I think he's done pretty well at it." players that are still playing that are friends of mine. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews regularly watches his former “I don't look at it as doing research and preparation; I just love the game alternate captain’s commentary as well. and love being around it and watching different players and teams play. I "I think the way he studied the game, the way he understood the game, feel like when I fill my head with stats and things that I want to say on the he obviously has a lot of passion for it," Toews said of Sharp as a player. air, it never comes out quite the way I want it to. So my approach now is "I think it's great that our sport has someone like him with his talent level just stay on top of the league as best I can and let's go out there on TV and his career so soon after his playing days to go out there and talk and just have a conversation and talk some hockey.” about it and relate some things to the fans that a lot of people, even Patrick had plenty of opportunities to talk hockey and get in front of the myself, wouldn't even recognize. camera while with the Blackhawks, which made the transition that much "He does a great job. I think he's more than poised up there too.” easier.

The fact that the former Hawks forward looks like he’d have no trouble “I think playing for the Blackhawks all those years we had so many skating in today’s NHL adds to his on-air presentation. opportunities to do different things with the media. Whether it was those Winter Classic games, we had the cameras following us around every “He's still pretty jacked, I'm assuming,” Alex DeBrincat said. “He hasn't year it seemed for a month of the season; training camp was always gained any weight. You'd assume after your career you'd let go a little bit, answering questions and making up videos,” Sharp said. but doesn't look like he has.” “The preparation that I got with the Blackhawks, being a Blackhawk “The thing about Sharpie was he was always one of the top-five guys in player, it prepared me for life in the media post-hockey. My last game fitness testing, he was always in great shape,” Kane said. “He was was on a Saturday and I took the week and I had an opportunity to come strong, a powerful skater, had a good shot, was able to shoot it pretty in and talk with NBC on the following Monday and I did it and I'm glad I good. did because it's been a fun experience and I like working with that team at NBC.” "It felt like he could still play. It was just kind of like the opportunity and if he wanted to travel, move his family; so, I wouldn't have been surprised if Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 he kept playing and was successful too.”

Some of Sharp’s former teammates knew the transition was inevitable.

“Guys that wanted to chirp and make fun of him said he couldn't get there soon enough, he loves the camera,” Toews said with a chuckle.

Others saw a different path for No. 10.

“I don't know if we really expected him to do that to be honest with you,” Kane said. “I thought maybe he'd be trying to get in with the team 1172609 Chicago Blackhawks “I saw (Nordgren) when I was over there in November,” Kelley said. “I had a great conversation with him. His eyes were lighting up because later that week he was going to come back and play in the junior and play Powers Points (prospect edition): Niklas Nordgren is finally healthy and his first game. He was really excited to be back. But again for Niklas, I Blackhawks’ goalie depth is strong think the biggest thing is to temper expectations, get healthy, have fun playing the game. He’s got a lot of hockey ahead of him. He’s been set back by injuries. He’s (persevered) through a lot.”

Scott Powers Nordgren has two goals and eight assists in 10 games for the under-20 team and one assist in eight games with the senior team this season. Jan 24, 2020 3. The Blackhawks own Nordgren’s rights until June 2022, so they have

time to let him develop. But there are other players whose clocks could Everyone seemed to think Niklas Nordgren was a third-round steal in potentially expire later this year on June 1. 2018. Defenseman Ryan Shea, a 2015 fourth-round pick, has three goals and Shoot, Corey Pronman thought Nordgren was the 30th best prospect in 19 assists in 22 games with Northeastern in the NCAA this season. the draft at one point. And obviously the Blackhawks were high on Winger Mathias From, a 2016 fifth-round pick, has 12 goals and nine Nordgren and liked his offensive potential. He showed some similar traits assists in 39 games for MODO in Allsvenskan in Sweden this season. to Alex DeBrincat. The hope was he’d excel in Finland for HIFK for a Goalie Wouter Peeters, a 2016 third-round pick, has a .905 save couple years and be ready to come over. percentage in 12 games for the Guildford Flames in the EIHL in the United Kingdom. Defenseman Jake Ryczek, a 2016 seventh-round pick, Nordgren’s journey hasn’t gone as smoothly as hoped, though. His is under an AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs and has one goal timetable has been altered after a few different setbacks. There’s still the and eight assists in 32 games with the Indy Fuel in the ECHL. Goalie potential Nordgren can be what the Blackhawks expected, but they’ll Alexis Gravel, a 2018 sixth-round pick, has an .893 save percentage with have to be patient. the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL.

Last season, Nordgren had his year cut short due to a hip injury and Alexis Gravel was drafted in the sixth round in 2018. (Scott Powers / The required surgery. He couldn’t participate on the ice in the Blackhawks Athletic) development camp and rehabbed all summer. He was actually going to return early in August, but he then began to notice something was off 4. Of that group, Gravel is probably the one with the best chance to sign with his heart rate. with the Blackhawks. He was one of the QMJHL’s better goalies last season and has struggled at times with a younger team this season. He Nordgren discovered he was training too much, and he had to slow definitely has some upside. himself and his heart rate back down. The issue is the Blackhawks may be too deep organizationally at goalie. “It was over-conditioning if you translate it from Finnish,” HIFK sports Beyond Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford, the Blackhawks also like how manager Tobias Salmelainen said. “What it does is your body doesn’t Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen are developing in the AHL. Plus, they recognize when you’re training and not training. So it’s in a way when just signed Matt Tomkins to a two-year NHL deal that runs through the you’re not training your heart rate might be up to 120 and doesn’t come 2020-21 season. down, so your body never relaxes. It puts you in a state you can’t really sleep. It was very frustrating for him because the only workouts he could It’s unknown where that leaves Gravel. There are only so many goalie do was walk around a pond pretty much to keep his heart rate down. I spots to go around. could say he’s matured quite a bit during this process.” Gravel said last week he was hopeful to sign with the Blackhawks, but he The condition frustrated Nordgren, but there was little he could do about wasn’t exactly sure what would happen. it. He had to listen to his body. When he was interviewed in November, “I don’t know yet,” Gravel said. “I talked to my agent and he said he he was excited to be playing again. hasn’t started talking for a discussion. I think he’s going to at the end of “It’s been very tough,” said Nordgren, who turns 20 in May. “It wasn’t the year. At the end of the year, he’s going to talk and see what’s going easy. I enjoy it more (to be back).” on. For sure, that’s one of my goals to sign with the Blackhawks.

Nordgren realized it’d be a process to get back to where he was as a “Right now, I’m just worrying about my season with the Mooseheads. I player, but he’s confident he can do it. know if the Blackhawks are interested they’ll sign me and they’ll have a good plan for me. I know there’s a couple goalies in the organization, but Salmelainen was too. It’s just a matter of time now. Nordgren is playing I know I can make my place. I believe I can play in the American Hockey mostly with HIFK’s under-20 team and gets the occasional game with its League next year. That’s my goal and we’ll see what the Blackhawks senior team. He played with the senior team on Wednesday and got 7:25 says.” of ice time. 5. Gravel has something else on his mind besides hockey: his billet “I think what he needs, he needs to stay healthy and have a summer of father Phil O’Hara, who was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer. training, which he hasn’t had in the last two years,” Salmelainen said. “I Gravel has lived with O’Hara and his family the last two seasons. believe next year we’re going to see a whole different Nordgren. When he just stays healthy, plays and enjoys being healthy, playing hockey, I Gravel immediately wanted to help in some way when he heard the believe he can help us a lot next year. news.

“The way he understands the game, he takes the speed away from the “I hugged him,” Gravel said. “It was really hard because you’re powerless game. When he has the puck, everything slows down around him. He in those situations, but my mom told me in my family we don’t always say finds open ice. It’s a way he’s been able to play. Although he’s not the the right words, but we use actions to show how we feel. For me, it was greatest skater, he just finds a way to be in the right spot at the right like to show my support I shaved my head, I started a fundraiser and time.” people were so generous. I couldn’t be more grateful to people who donated.” 2. As for when Nordgren could sign with the Blackhawks, the assumption would be after the 2020-21 season. Gravel started a GoFundMe page with a $5,000 goal. It was at $3,255 as of Wednesday. Gravel has pledged to donate $15 for every game the “I think for him it would benefit him to play next year here for sure,” Mooseheads win and is also holding a raffle for one of his hockey sticks. Salmelainen said. “I don’t think he should leave too early. I don’t think it You can find more information here. benefits him or the Blackhawks at that point. If he had been healthy this year, it might be different. But that many injuries early on here this year, I “He means a lot,” Gravel said. “He treats me like I’m his son and to me just think he needs time to focus on staying healthy and playing.” he’s like a second dad. I can’t be happier to be with him. He’s a really good person.” Blackhawks vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley basically said the same last month, too. As for shaving his head, Gravel had to get used to that. “For me, hair is hair,” he said. “I like long hair, but I’ve had shaved hair Shalunov, who turns 27 on Jan. 31, has 10 goals and 11 assists in 41 before. I didn’t mind doing it. It was just weird back for my first practice games this season. He started the season off slow, but his production back on the ice. I was cold a little bit, but otherwise I was OK.” has been better as of late. In his last 16 games, he has six goals and seven assists. His numbers have been down the past few seasons since 6. Gravel has had a trying season. He missed some time earlier in the having a career-best 20 goals and 20 assists in 46 games during the year after he had a piece of glass stuck about six centimeters deep into 2017-18 season. his foot. The injury occurred when an aquarium in his bedroom broke late one night. 9. Here are some other prospect updates:

“It was 10 o’clock, so I was almost sleeping, and it just scared me,” I would still expect Penn State junior center Evan Barratt to sign after his Gravel said. “I just jumped out of bed and I stepped right on it. I got pretty season. He’s coming off his best goal-scoring games of the season over unlucky there. It was really painful.” the week. He had a season-high two goals against Michigan. For the season, he has nine goals and 19 assists in 24 games. He’s tied for 23rd Gravel missed nearly a month due to the incident. in the NCAA with 1.17 points per game.

Collin Delia has been hot for the Rockford IceHogs. (Dan Hamilton / USA Denver junior defenseman Ian Mitchell’s production is picking up again. Today) After a quiet offensive stretch, he’s had one goal and six assists in his 7. Goaltending may just be the Blackhawks’ deepest organizational last six games. For the season, he has four goals and 15 assists in 24 position. games.

Lankinen has cooled off, but he was still selected to the AHL all-star Also of note, Boston University center Jake Wise scored his first career game. Delia has especially come on and would probably get the next college goal last week in Boston’s win over Merrimack. He has one goal recall if the Blackhawks needed it. Both goalies have interesting hobbies and four assists in 21 games this season. — Delia with leather-working and Lankinen with his book club. Since returning from the World Junior Championship, winger Michal Delia stopped all 34 shots he faced in a win over the Chicago Wolves on Teply has two goals and five assists in five games for the Winnipeg Ice in Sunday. He’s recorded two shutouts in his last five games. Over his last the WHL. He has 15 goals and 22 assists in 34 games this season. 10 games, he’s stopped 284-of-300 shots for a .947 save percentage. London Knights defenseman Alex Regula was cut from the U.S. World You can compare that to him making 176 saves on 204 shots for an .863 Juniors team, but he continues to open eyes with his play. In just his last save percentage in his first seven games. three games, he has two goals and two assists. He has 14 goals and 20 “He had a little period there where he took a step back and maybe that assists in 37 games this season. was a strength of us having three goalies,” Blackhawks goalie Andrei Altybarmakyan is finally getting more ice time in the KHL. He’s development coach Peter Aubry said on Thursday. “We were able to take often played 15-plus minutes per game over the last month. He has five a step back with him for 2 1/2-3 weeks, whatever it was there in goals and nine assists in 34 games this season. November, and he was able to regroup, work on his game and get himself in an overall good spot. And then he came back in December, It’s unclear whether Victor Ejdsell will ever return to North America, but and we can certainly make the case he’s exceeded some of his previous he continues to have success in Sweden. He’s tied for a league-best 14 play that he’s shown for us. So, extremely impressed in him being in goals in the SHL. He has 14 goals and nine assists in 33 games. quite a hole, no one would have thought, I don’t think he would have expected that start that he did. But again for his development process to Ian Mitchell has been producing more for Denver again. (Scott Powers / know that, hey, he can deal with something like that. He knows how to The Athletic) remedy a situation. He’s gone through it. He’s been awesome for us 10. For one of our recent Laz & Powers podcasts, someone asked lately.” whether the Blackhawks had drafted poorly in recent years. Even before 8. Tomkins is someone who worked his way up. He was drafted by the that, something I actually thought about was how well the Blackhawks Blackhawks in the seventh round in 2012, didn’t get an NHL contract had drafted especially in the first couple of rounds. after four years at Ohio State, settled for an AHL deal, played well on a The Blackhawks have certainly had their misses like any team, but if they struggling Indy Fuel team in the ECHL and earned some AHL time but just kept their first- and second-round picks over the last 10 years they’d still had to play behind Delia and Lankinen. probably be in a pretty good spot.

No one was more excited for Tomkins than Aubry. Let’s examine.

“He’s been a guy who was drafted a long time ago, kind of took Kirby Dach, first round, 2019: Hit. He has room to grow, but the advantage of opportunities the Blackhawks gave him by putting him on Blackhawks appear to have landed a potential star with the third overall an AHL deal,” Aubry said. “It wasn’t like he had an easy path per se. He pick last year. had to earn it every day. I’m so excited for him. It hasn’t been easy. He’s stuck with it. He’s persevered. Now he gets to sign his first NHL contract. Alex Vlasic, second round, 2019: TBD. We’ll know more about Vlasic in To be quite frank, he’s just looking at it like, OK, it’s another day. It the coming years, but he has upside with size. means something, but I want to get to the NHL. Adam Boqvist, first round, 2018: Hit. Boqvist is also a work in progress, “When we look at his game, he keeps getting better and better and but he’s technically playing a top-4 role now and holding his own. He may better. He’s a talented kid, but he’s been able to add a lot more have been the best available defenseman at No. 8 that year. consistency and he’s been able to push the envelope here as far as Nicolas Beaudin, first round, 2018: TBD. Beaudin plays a simple and really trying to make the best of every week and every day.” smart game. It’ll probably be a few seasons before we see whether it’ll Tomkins had another fine game for the IceHogs on Wednesday, stopping translate to the NHL. 30-of-31 shots in a 1-0 loss. For the season, he has a .916 save Henri Jokiharju, first round, 2017: Hit. Jokiharju was a real find at No. 29 percentage in nine games for the IceHogs. overall. When you look at where Jordan Binnington came from with the St. Louis Ian Mitchell, second round, 2017: Probable hit. He’d probably be in the Blues and what the Columbus Blue Jackets are doing developing their NHL right now if he didn’t return to school. As a 57th overall selection, goalies, it would also benefit the Blackhawks if they could find future that’s another good pick. goalies within their system. It’s a lot cheaper that way. Alex DeBrincat, second round, 2016: Hit. The Blackhawks obviously hit 8. I know you’ve heard it before, but Max Shalunov’s agent Shumi big with DeBrincat in the second round. Babaev said recently his client would like to play for the Blackhawks next season. Chad Krys, second round, 2016: TBD. Krys probably isn’t what the Blackhawks hoped he’d be right now, but he still has time. Samuel Girard Honestly, this was one of the more affirmative responses from Babaev was taken a few picks after Krys. I’ve gotten in recent years. Shalunov’s three-year contract with CSKA is up after this season. Babaev said he hasn’t been in contact with Stan Bowman yet, but he planned to be soon. Artur Kayumov, second round, 2016: TBD. I wouldn’t write off Kayumov being an NHL contributor one day. His KHL numbers are encouraging. The Blackhawks knew he could be a long-term project.

Graham Knott, second round, 2015: Miss. Knott was the Blackhawks’ earliest pick in the 2015 draft at No. 54 and has been a bust. Vince Dunn and Jonas Siegenthaler were taken just after Knott.

Nick Schmaltz, first round, 2014: Hit. Schmaltz has been a productive NHL player after going 20th overall. The main miss for the Blackhawks and a few other teams was David Pastrnak who went 25th.

Ryan Hartman, first round, 2013: Hit. There are only three players who have played more NHL games than he has from the 30th overall pick on. He was one of the best players available at that slot.

Carl Dahlstrom, second round, 2013: Even. There were a few better options with the 51st overall pick, but not too many where you can be too hard on the Blackhawks. Dahlstrom is an NHL defenseman. On the right team, he can be a solid depth D-man.

Teuvo Teravainen, first round, 2012: Hit. Teravainen has become the player the Blackhawks thought back then he could be. He was the best forward available at No. 18.

Dillon Fournier, second round, 2012: Miss. Injuries forced Fournier into early retirement.

Mark McNeill, first round, 2011: Miss. McNeill is one of the Blackhawks’ bigger misses. There were a lot better players available than him at No. 18.

Phillip Danault, first round, 2011: Hit. Danault has developed into a top-6 center. The Blackhawks took one of the better forwards available at 26th overall with him.

Adam Clendening, second round, 2011: Miss. The Blackhawks could have done better than Clendening at No. 36. Boone Jenner was taken just after him. Joel Edmundson was the first defenseman selected after him.

Brandon Saad, second round, 2011: Hit. The Blackhawks may have missed on Clendening, but Saad was another massive hit at No. 43.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172610 Colorado Avalanche Denver Post: LOADED: 01.25.2020

Chambers: Why Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon is the mid-season NHL MVP

Avalanche teammate Cale Makar is favored to be named the league’s rookie of the year

MIKE CHAMBERS

January 24, 2020 at 11:13 am

Nathan MacKinnon is on pace to win the Hart Trophy for the very reason he finished second in the NHL MVP voting in 2018.

The Avs’ superstar center is the 2018 version of Taylor Hall, who won the Hart that season with “just” 93 points — four fewer than MacKinnon and 15 behind league scoring leader Connor McDavid.

Let’s look at separation.

MacKinnon enters this weekend’s All-Star Game third in NHL scoring with 72 points — a whopping 35 more than Colorado’s second-leading scorer, defenseman Cale Makar, who has 37.

In 2017-18, Hall was that same dominant player for his playoff team, finishing with 41 more points than New Jersey’s No. 2 scorer, forward Nico Hischier, who had 57.

Hart Trophy voters — select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) — are reminded that they must vote for the “player judged most valuable to his team.”

MacKinnon wins that race in a landslide. The Avs wouldn’t stand second in the Western Conference with 62 points right now without the brilliance of their lone 2020 All-Star. In a coinciding stretch without wingers Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, who both missed 16 games with leg ailments, MacKinnon stabilized and energized an injury-plagued team. MacKinnon is among just three Avs to have played in all 49 games thus far.

So MacKinnon won’t “lose” the Hart race if he doesn’t surpass McDavid and teammate Leon Draisaitl (75 points) and finish as the league scoring leader. He just has to remain healthy and maintain his consistency — regardless of who his wingers are.

Compared to the other Hart candidates, MacKinnon is on an island. McDavid has Draisaitl and Boston’s David Pastrnak, who leads the league with 37 goals, plays with Brad Marchand, who is tied for sixth in NHL scoring.

My votes. For the third consecutive year heading into the NHL All-Star weekend, the PHWA offered a mid-season ballot to its members. The unofficial voting is aimed at generating news and urging members to begin thinking ahead about their end-of-season ballots.

I’m a PHWA member and former Colorado chapter chair. I have MacKinnon and Makar winning two of those awards. MacKinnon is my top pick for the Hart based on the reasons above, and Makar gets my No. 1 vote for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

The PHWA’s “official” unofficial mid-season winners were announced Thursday and McDavid, MacKinnon and Pastrnak were the top-three Hart vote-getters, in that order, and Makar “won” the Calder. MacKinnon, who has just eight penalty minutes, was also the top vote-getter for the Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability).

Makar might also become a top-three Norris Trophy finalist as the league’s best defenseman. He’s tied for sixth in scoring among D-men but he’s played the fewest games among those peers and stands third in points-per-game (.90).

In addition to the Hart, Calder, Lady Byng and Norris trophies, the PHWA votes for the following major awards: Selke Trophy (best defensive/two- way forward);

Bill Masterton Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey); and King Clancy Trophy (leadership, significant humanitarian contribution to his community). 1172611 Colorado Avalanche Still, he added how he is enjoying the change while getting to learn the different responsibilities that come with playing on the wing.

Going pointless throughout the first seven games was something Bowers What’s changed with Avs prospect Shane Bowers lately? Well … said he never saw as an indictment on his abilities. Bowers added how everything he knew the production would eventually come but, in the interim, it was more about learning new concepts and how to apply them into his game to become a better player. Ryan S. Clark So when the offense did return, it would make him a more well-rounded Jan 24, 2020 forward compared to the start of the season.

“There’s a lot more that goes on at this level of the game than at the college level or even the junior level,” Bowers said. “I think every time LOVELAND, Colo. — Scoring three points over his next seven games. you move up the ranks, there’s adjustments and it gets tougher each Doing that would give Shane Bowers more points in as many contests in time. But I am just trying to take what the coaches give me and try to his first full season with the Colorado Eagles than he had last year as a implement them as quick as I can and learn from that and grow from sophomore playing at Boston University. there.” And remember: Bowers did not record a point over the first seven games Dries, who played four seasons at Western Michigan University, said of this season. transitioning from college to the AHL means accounting for the change in The 20-year-old former first-round pick who arrived in the three-team speed. Matt Duchene trade has been among one of the Colorado Avalanche’s But the biggest difference? You’re suddenly playing against smarter most consistent prospects over the last few months. Bowers’ prowess as competition who has a greater understanding of certain tricks and a technically gifted, two-way skater has been further enhanced by some nuances an incoming collegiate player is learning about in a crash course of the strongest offensive production he has enjoyed over his career. He setting while also trying to win games. has scored eight goals and 19 points over his last 23 games, an even more noticeable trait given how he started the season. “Guys are a lot quicker because they’re smarter,” Bowers said. “There are a lot of things that you can pick up. It’s things you don’t quite know Exactly how did all of this happen? What was the catalyst for Bowers’ about in college that guys didn’t do that older guys and veteran players newfound success? are good at. Like little hints and little picks and stuff like that, that you can “He got moved to wing,” Eagles coach Greg Cronin said. “He’s a natural pick up on and I’ve tried to put in my game.” centerman but we found out there was a lot of pressure on him down low Something else Bowers has done to increase his production is shooting and he had some poor habits that were translating into giving up chances the puck at a more frequent rate compared to what he did at the start of against. We just felt that if we just let him manage less space. As a the season. Bowers recorded a total of 128 shots during his freshman centerman, you’re going from board to board, blue line to goal line. But year, which saw him finish with 17 goals and 32 points over 40 games for by having him as a wing, it would let him get his confidence back and his one of the strongest campaigns in Hockey East that season. His offense would start to grow from that and that’s what happened.” sophomore year, his final collegiate campaign, ended with 11 goals and Cronin said he moved Bowers onto a line where he played on the wing 21 points over 37 games on 107 shots on a Terriers’ roster that was with Sheldon Dries operating down the middle. Being next to a young because it lost several players from Bowers’ freshman year to the responsible center in Dries, who has 69 points in 132 AHL games, NHL. allowed Bowers to find more confidence while gaining a greater sense of He currently stands at 37 shots through 30 games but there has been comfort in his new role. progress. He had nine shots during those first seven games but then Sure, there is the offensive surge which is worth discussing. But there went on to 10 attempts over the next five contests, which saw him pick are other details that stand out just as much. Cronin noted how Bowers, up four points. That includes Bowers’ first AHL point, his first AHL goal as a center, would get the puck on the breakout and make plays. Moving and his first multipoint game in the AHL. to the wing, however, made him even more noticeable in those It’s a small sample size but Bowers’ shooting percentage as of Friday sequences whenever the Eagles would enter an opponent’s offensive afternoon was 21.6 percent. zone. “I think with him earlier in the year, it was more of that pass-first option Dries said Bowers began altering his approach to incorporate the details and he wanted to share the puck a little bit,” Dries said of Bowers, who that often dissipate whenever a player is struggling. The first change that had the career profile of being a playmaker rather than a scorer. “And came to mind for Dries was how Bowers operated in the defensive zone. now he’s being a little bit more selfish with the puck, which isn’t a bad He said Bowers is more devout when it comes to looking over his thing. It’s shooting the puck, it’s creating opportunities for your shoulder and tracking his opponent. teammates because they could get a shot from a rebound and when you “Your offense, it starts in your D-zone,” Dries said. “If you’re not good have that mindset, goals start going in.” defensively, you’re not going to spend time in the offensive zone. I think Bowers said his awareness to take more shots stems from seeing the he’s really focused on that over the last two months or so and I think it recent success he has had while also thinking about what he has heard has really helped him.” from coaches over his career about getting more attempts on net. Moving to the wing has appeared to pay off in the interim. But what about “I still think I can shoot more,” Bowers said with a grin. “It’s just the long term? Does this mean Bowers will stay on the wing permanently something I am trying to add and get my shots number up every game, or is there a possibility Cronin and the Eagles could return him to his try to get to the inside ice, get quality chances and I think that seems to natural position at center later in the season? be going good so far.” Cronin said that it depends on a few items. He said Bowers is still in the Seeing how Bowers has performed is something fourth-year Avalanche infancy of his professional career and there are details of his game he coach Jared Bednar and his staff have monitored over the course of the must improve upon before going back to center. season. “Everybody needs to work on things,” Cronin said. “But there are things “It’s real good to see a guy like Shane, and I thought it was points in that are still visible in his game that he needs to correct to be a (seven) straight (games). He scored in four straight games,” Bednar said. responsible centerman. I think when his habits become real dependable “You saw (Martin Kaut) get on the board with three assists the other and reliable, maybe we’ll revisit him in the middle because he’s pretty night. … It’s good to see those guys get some confidence and score good on faceoffs. The biggest thing is he’s got to get physically stronger.” some goals. Especially a guy like Bowers who had a slow start, ran into Bowers said moving to the wing has been a bit of an adjustment because some injury trouble, and to be able to start bouncing back at the end of he was a career center who sparingly played on the edge whenever it the year and get ready to start the stretch run here. was needed in youth tournaments as a child back home in Nova Scotia. “You see him start producing and it’s good. It speaks hopefully to what he can be able to do here one day.” The Avalanche have carved out something of a unique place within the NHL landscape when compared to other teams.

One of the moves Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and his front office staff have made is building a team that has gradually gone from the worst in the salary cap era and into surging Stanley Cup challenger. It has been done by building around a young core featuring Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen while supplementing that homegrown talent by bringing in external pieces Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi and Nazem Kadri over the summer.

Yet, at the same time, Sakic still has the organization committed to thinking about the future. The Avs have done so by stockpiling a prospect base headlined by four former first-rounders in Bowers, defenseman Bowen Byram, Kaut and center Alex Newhook while defenseman Conor Timmins, who the team selected 32nd in 2017, was just a pick away from going in the first.

Bowers, Kaut and Timmins are all playing less than 60 miles away from a front office capable of closely monitoring their progress and development compared to previous years when the club’s AHL affiliate was more than 900 miles away. The Avalanche were a team that kept tabs on Bowers during his draft year because they believed there was a chance they could have drafted him in the second round until the Ottawa Senators selected him with the 27th pick.

Part of what made Bowers alluring was he projected as a two-way center with speed and strong skating who just needed to further refine those skills while also bolstering his offensive production and adding more strength to his 6-foot-2 frame. Knowing they can watch him fulfill those goals while ensuring he can do it without feeling rushed is what Bednar described as “the ideal situation” for the organization.

“I know everyone wants to see our top draft picks get here and start contributing right away,” Bednar said. “But the reality of it is, if you can make sure they are ready to come in and help contribute in the role in which you drafted them or the role that you see fit to give them that time and that confidence in their details and their craft, you’re in a better position. If you have those guys that are ready to be called up and still not need waivers and are on entry-level (contracts), that’s ideal.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172612 Columbus Blue Jackets Slipping down to the fourth pick in the 2013 NHL draft ultimately led Jones to the Blue Jackets. He was selected by the Nashville Predators, a team rife with talented defensemen, and spent his first two-plus seasons Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones thrives in open ice there before being traded for center Ryan Johansen.

He has since become the alpha dog for the Blue Jackets’ defensive corps — which includes his partner, Zach Werenski, and is one of the Brian Hedger NHL’s deepest groups. Jones is a perennial All-Star, is mentioned before each season as a Norris Trophy candidate and is still only 25, playing in Jan 24, 2020 at 5:31 AM his seventh NHL season.

He’s having the time of his life, too, which — unlike a couple pucks from He gathered the puck behind the Blue Jackets’ net and became a kid his youth — doesn’t go unnoticed. again. “Every time I’m on the ice, I have a great time with my teammates — Seth Jones flipped a pass to himself off the kick plate and scooted laughing and joking,” Jones said. “One day, this will all be over, you around David Krejci, a skilled two-way center for the Boston Bruins, with know? It’s sad to say, but it’s true. One day, you’re going to be on your ease. Squaring up along the left wing, Jones spotted David Pastrnak — a couch wishing that you could have it all back, so I just try to come in forward gliding backward — and knew the Bruins’ star was all that stood every day and have a good time.” between him and a 2-on-1 rush in 3-on-3 overtime. Opposing forwards may disagree. Jones beat Pastrnak with a cut to the inside and zipped into the neutral Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 zone alone. He hit the afterburners and tore over the Boston blue line, then sent a perfect feed to Pierre-Luc Dubois for a one-timer that lifted the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 overtime victory Jan. 2 at TD Garden.

“Yeah, I love skating,” Jones said of his ability to maneuver his 6-foot-4 frame around opponents like they’re traffic cones. “I mean, skating and scoring, but it does feel good when you can turn the jets on every now and then, go for a rush and get a shot on net or maybe give your teammate a chance to score. That’s a good feeling.”

Jones’ skating is a gift that makes him one of the most dangerous players in the NHL with the puck on his stick, especially in 3-on-3 situations like he’ll experience again at the NHL’s All-Star festivities this weekend in St. Louis. It’s his fourth straight invitation and third time participating.

“It’s just so much open ice,” Jones said of playing 3-on-3, which happens in overtimes and All-Star Games. “It helps the creativity, and that’s what fans want to see. They want to see that creativity with the puck, that speed and skill, the whole combination.”

Amy Jones has seen it for years, after requiring all three of her sons — Justin, Seth and Caleb — to go through extensive skating lessons before playing a single minute of hockey. All three became strong skaters, especially Seth, and the initial results produced some comical rushes.

“When he played house league, he was so fast,” Amy said. “He would just take off, end-to-end with the puck, but he wouldn’t know that he’d actually left the puck at center ice. He was skating down without the puck. He’d go to shoot and then realize he no longer had the puck.

“He was just so fast. It was hilarious.”

Jones also used his speed at the other end of the ice, which ultimately dictated what position he ended up playing.

“They put him at forward and he just loved it, but he was always coming back to play defense, always,” Amy said. “He just did not want the other team scoring. And it wasn’t that he was trying to go play defense, it was just a natural tendency.”

It still is, only now he’s paid to do it in the NHL — playing on a team in the hunt for its fourth straight playoff appearance and for a coach who wants to help Jones reach even new heights.

“Jonesy’s so young, he’s still going to improve even more,” said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, who isn’t shy in lauding Jones for outstanding play while demanding even more.

“I have a high standard for (Dubois), I have a very high standard for Jonesy,” he said. “I think he’s played really well, but you don’t stop trying to get better, and I think there’s more there.”

Jones agrees, even after attaining the career he envisioned for himself ever since falling in love with a sport that his parents, Amy and former NBA player Popeye Jones, knew little about.

“I don’t listen to what anybody else says about it, because I can tell you right after a game how I played,” said Jones, who has 28 points this season on five goals and 23 assists. “I’ve just always been that way. I expected a lot of myself as a kid, and that just kind of kept going up and up and up.” 1172613 Columbus Blue Jackets were all left home for the post-season. As it stands, only Florida is in a playoff spot at the break.

Now, don’t expect Kekalainen to be the major player he was at last Revisiting our 10 bold (and mostly accurate) Blue Jackets predictions season’s deadline. Most GMs go their entire careers without a spree like from the preseason that. But this dressing room has shown him that they deserve a boost, and he could have a few surprises in store once again.

Aaron Portzline 3. Rookie Alexandre Texier will stir more sh** than anyone

Jan 24, 2020 The claim: L’agitateur? Well, not quite. But don’t expect Texier, the 12th French-born player to play in the NHL, to be a wallflower during his first full season in the league. Texier’s play can be downright chippy … a subtle chop with his stick in the corner, a net-front shove after the whistle, COLUMBUS, Ohio — I don’t want to say I told you so, but … or an extra jab at the goaltender’s glove. He’s not going to fight with As Blue Jackets’ players scatter across the Caribbean during their eight- regularity, but plenty of scrums will form on his behalf. day, mid-season break, The Athletic thought it would be a good time to The reality: Suh-wing, and a miss! Texier has a decent rookie season (6- re-visit some of the bold predictions we made back in late September, 7-13 in 36 games), and he shows promising signs with the puck, when the best-laid plans were still on paper. especially as a playmaker. But his play has not come close to being Notice the word bold before predictions. That little adjective means you’d “downright chippy” and, no, “plenty of scrums” have not formed on his better come strong and unflinching, put it out there with no reservations behalf. Heck, fellow rookie Emil Bemstrom has stoked more tempers and minimal couching — basically, dance like nobody’s watching, even than Texier. (There are “WANTED” posters with his name on them in though people are watching, they have long memories, and their Boston.) computers remember URL codes. 4. Seth Jones, Norris Trophy winner So here it is. Here’s what I thought would happen with the Blue Jackets The claim: It seems like Jones has been around forever, though he turns vs. what has happened with 51 games in the bank and 31 games still to only 25 on Thursday. He’s coming into his prime. If the Blue Jackets are be played when Columbus resumes its season on Feb. 1 in Buffalo. a feel-good story, Jones could have his breakthrough season and win his 1. Goal scoring, not goaltending, will be the biggest issue first Norris Trophy. And it won’t be his last.

The claim: It says here that the Blue Jackets, with (Joonas) Korpisalo The reality: The jury is still out here, obviously, but Jones doesn’t seem to and (Elvis) Merzlikins, will have a better save percentage in 2019-20 than be at the top of many Norris Trophy lists. In fact, in the Pro Hockey the pedestrian .904 (tied for 17th) the Blue Jackets put forth with (Sergei) Writers Association midseason voting, Jones didn’t crack the top three of Bobrovsky last season, that those two will provide enough quality John Carlson (Washington), Roman Josi (Nashville) and Dougie ‘tending to sustain winning. Hamilton (Carolina). That’s telling because it’s the PHWA that votes on the Norris at season’s end. The Blue Jackets scored a franchise-record 256 goals last season. That’s going to be dialed back by at least 10 percent, partly due to the Jones hasn’t had a poor season by any stretch; he’s once again playing “new” system, but also due to the free-agent departures of Artemi in the All-Star Game. But at the current pace, he might not even lead Panarin and Matt Duchene. Blue Jackets’ defensemen in Norris votes. Zach Werenski, who leads NHL blue-liners with 15 goals, has had quite the season. The reality: The Blue Jackets’ goaltending has been excellent, starting with Korpisalo, who showed the world that he could be a No. 1, and 5. You will love Elvis Merzlikins continuing with Merzlikins, who has taken the league by storm with his The claim: Most hockey players are taught to turn off their personalities recent play. Korpisalo was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game but is when the cameras and tape recorders are turned on. They’re taught to out with a knee injury. Merzlikins was the NHL’s second star of the week, use cliches to kill any sense of charisma. But Merzlikins’ charm has no and he would have been the first star if Washington’s Alexander off switch, and it’s only a matter of time before Blue Jackets fans witness Ovechkin didn’t score a gazillion goals. it. With a .917 save percentage, the Blue Jackets trail only Dallas (.922) The reality: Bingo! It’s happening. Merzlikins sat and stewed for the first and Boston (.918). Meanwhile, surprisingly, Bobrovsky has been a “Page two months of the season, a truly unusual situation for him, given how 2” goalie for the Panthers, meaning you have to flip to page 2 to find him much he’s played in Europe during recent seasons. It took an injury to on the stats sheet. He’s 49th in goals-against (3.24) and 45th in save Korpisalo to force the coaching staff to play Merzlikins, but once he was percentage (.898), both way off his career averages. set free, he’s been set loose on the team, the city, the league. So far, we’ve been bang-on here. The goaltending has not been an The key to all of this, of course, is that Merzlikins had to deliver on the issue. In fact, it’s been a strength. As for the goal-scoring … ice. “Personality” in lieu of performance doesn’t play in Columbus. Well, The Blue Jackets scored 256 goals last season, so a 10 percent dip he’s 9-6-4 (after an 0-4-4 start) with a .926 save percentage and 2.39 would put them 230-goal range this season. So far, the Jackets have goals-against average, making him one of the top goaltenders in the scored 138 goals in 51 games, putting them on pace for 222 goals, which NHL. is actually a 13 percent dip. But, hey, not bad. Fans in Nationwide Arena are chanting his name. The “Latvian Leap” into 2. Jarmo Kekalainen will be a buyer … again captain Nick Foligno’s arms has become part of the game-night tradition after wins. People who don’t care a hoot about hockey or the Blue The claim: I’m fully prepared to be called a homer and a hater for this Jackets are starting to get curious about “that Elvis guy.” one, but the Blue Jackets will stay alive in the Metropolitan Division’s top three far longer than most are expecting. By the time the Blue Jackets My only regret is that I didn’t have the guts to make this No. 2. reach late February, I think they’re still in the race and I think GM Jarmo 6. Brandon Dubinsky will play less than half of the season Kekalainen — Mr. Trade Deadline? — steps up to make another series of moves to help buttress the roster, likely the forward ranks. The claim: Late in training camp, Dubinsky alerted the Blue Jackets’ medical staff that his surgically repaired right wrist was becoming too big The reality: The Blue Jackets, with almost two-thirds of the season in the an issue for him to play through any longer. He won’t be available to start books, are within one point of the third-place New York Islanders and five the season, the Blue Jackets said, but there’s no timetable for his return. points of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metro. (Yes, it took an That sounds ominous, as wrist injuries can be notoriously difficult to get unfathomable 16-2-4 run to get there, but let’s not sweat the details.) through. Dubinsky should take all the time he needs to get healthy. But a When the Blue Jackets resume play, they’ll have three weeks to state roster spot may not be waiting when he’s ready. their case for Kekalainen before the deadline, but they’ve done enough of The reality: Unfortunately, this has already been proven true. Not only that already. It’s hard to imagine he’s not going to be a buyer at this has Dubinsky missed all 51 games this season, but he’s become a ghost point. Imagine if the Blue Jackets made the playoffs and Bobrovsky around Nationwide Arena. He has no locker stall in the dressing room, (Florida), Artemi Panarin (NY Rangers) and Matt Duchene (Nashville) isn’t skating (even off to the side), and isn’t taking part in team functions. The reality: Korpisalo’s injury could have a silver lining for the It’s as if one of the most prominent members of the team has simply organization, as now they know what Merzlikins can do … and so does vanished. the rest of the NHL. The Blue Jackets would have to protect Korpisalo, but Merzlikins will be exempt from protection in the 2021 expansion draft. The better question now is if Dubinsky ever plays another game. It’s still possible they make a very difficult decision this summer and trade We checked in with Dubinsky around the holidays. He’s continuing to go one of them for help elsewhere on the roster. to physical therapy several times a week and is still keeping alive the It’s hard to imagine such a trade happening before this season’s trade hope that his wrist will start to show improvement, that arthritis in the joint deadline. will somehow improve and let him play. But nothing much had changed since Dubinsky spoke with The Athletic for this story in late October. The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020

7. Alexander Wennberg will score 50-plus points

The claim: Wennberg and Tortorella appeared to be at a crossroads at the start of training camp, and it would be foolish to suggest they’re skipping forward hand-in-hand after just four preseason games. But Wennberg seems more confident than he has in at least a few years. There’s no reason he can’t be a difference-making player again.

The reality: Well, he’d better hurry. Wennberg has been all over the place this season … not missing in action like he was in 2018-19, but inconsistent for long stretches. He started strong in the first 10-12 games of the season, took a two-month hiatus, and it slowly starting to play better during the Blue Jackets’ recent strong run of play.

The bottom line: Wennberg has 5-15-20 in 50 games, so he’ll need to play at a point-a-game pace the rest of the way to make this prediction happen.

8. Brace yourself when the Blue Jackets face the Florida teams

The claim: Detroit, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Washington … all of them have taken turns as the opposing team Blue Jackets fans love to hate. Pittsburgh and Washington, Metro rivals, are still on the list for many. But games this season against the two Florida clubs figure to be high-spirited affairs.

The reality: We’ll grade ourselves as “incomplete” to this point. The Blue Jackets have played Florida twice, including a New Year’s Eve tilt in Nationwide Arena, but the games haven’t been incredibly physical or confrontational.

The game on Dec. 7 in Sunrise, Fla., was a dozy affair. The 16-2-4 run started the following game. The New Year’s Eve game was a thunderous evening, but not because of Bobrovsky. It was Merzlikins’ home debut and first NHL win.

The Blue Jackets have yet to face Tampa Bay this season after sweeping the Lightning in the first round of the playoffs last spring. Tampa Bay can’t be happy about that. The Blue Jackets and Lightning play three times in the final 31 games, including twice in the final week of the season.

9. Don’t get shorty

The claim: Last season, the Blue Jackets went down a skater only 200 times in 82 games, or 2.4 times per game. That was tops in the NHL and the fifth-lowest total in the league in at least 40 years. Look for the number to drop even further this season, as the Blue Jackets have emphasized skating and taking a more defensive posture through the neutral zone. They shouldn’t be caught out of position very often if this goes as planned.

The reality: The Blue Jackets are still one of the least-penalized teams in the NHL, having been short-handed only 138 times in 51 games (2.7 per game). That’s third-best in the NHL, trailing only Winnipeg (2.53) and Pittsburgh (2.68).

But they’re on pace to be down a skater 222 times this season, and that’s an 11 percent increase over last season.

10. Goalie trade!

The claim: If Korpisalo and Merzlikins prove themselves capable of excelling in the NHL, the Blue Jackets will know they’re set in goal — one way or another — for the next eight to 10 years. They have substantial organizational depth at goaltender, with promising Veini Vehvalainen playing this season in AHL Cleveland and Daniil Tarasov growing and thriving in Finland. But as this season plays out, their depth at goaltender will either be validated or called into question. If it’s the former, expect to see them cash in one of those prospect goaltenders to help buttress another spot on the roster. 1172614 Dallas Stars one off the ice after warm-up. Loser leaves the ice, and the winner gets the distinction of last one on the ice.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.25.2020 ‘Go big or go home’: Tyler Seguin was one Arch-shot away from claiming $30K at the NHL Skills Competition

The Stars center trained with some trick-shot artists, but couldn’t overtake Patrick Kane with his final shot.

Matthew DeFranks

12:29 AM on Jan 25, 2020

ST. LOUIS — Tyler Seguin had some previous experience (kinda sorta), but it didn’t help him Friday night during the Shooting Stars event during the NHL’s Skills Competition in St. Louis.

Shooting Stars was a new event at the Skills Competition this year and featured players standing on a platform above a lower-bowl section behind the net, and shooting pucks into giant targets on the ice. The 12 targets were worth different amounts of points, but the 10-points makeshift Gateway Arch at center ice was the most popular target (“Every time,” Seguin said. “Go big or go home.”)

Seguin finished with 14 points and tied for fifth out of 10 players. He was one Arch-shot away from overtaking winner Patrick Kane’s 22 points and winning the $30,000 prize.

The concept was new to All-Star weekend, but slightly comparable to Dude Perfect, the YouTube trick shot artists who recently shot a video with Seguin and Stars captain Jamie Benn. Seguin said the events were still different.

“It felt actually easier than Dude Perfect so I should have done better,” Seguin said. “I guess I was one shot away, but Dude Perfect we were up in the balcony shooting at a net this big. I know people said I had an advantage, I really didn’t, but I didn’t have a disadvantage either.”

Seguin earned four points on his first shot of the night, which sailed over the Arch and into the four-point net behind it. He nailed the Arch with his sixth shot of the night before missing on his seventh and final one.

Between his sixth and seventh shots, Seguin paused to pump up the Enterprise Center crowd.

“I realized I had one more puck,” Seguin said. “And then I’m like am I at 8 or am I at 14? I couldn’t do the math quick enough. If I’m at 14 and I get this puck in, I’m going to win. So I tried to take my time by going like this to the crowd trying to count.”

Tyler Seguin realized he had one final puck to shoot: "And then I’m like am I at 8 or am I at 14? I couldn’t do the math quick enough. If I’m at 14 and I get this puck in, I’m going to win. So I tried to take my time by going like this to the crowd trying to count."

Seguin said players practiced the event Thursday night, shooting about five pucks from the platform and he didn’t hit any targets. So the first attempt on Friday night was to gauge how to play the event.

Shooting Stars was the last event of the evening and the most unique since it was the only one that didn’t take place on the ice, didn’t need skates or pads, and featured an entrance through Blues fans from an aisle up to the platform.

Would Seguin do the event again?

“I’d do that event again, but in another breath, I don’t know what we’ve changed but back in the day, the Skills and stuff, it was so cool,” Seguin said. “Now, maybe we’re changing a lot and I don’t know we’re looking to viewers. This year, it could have been different. There’s just been a lot of change. I miss the old days, the classic ways like the real targets and everything.”

-- Seguin and Jets forward Mark Scheifele may or may not switch sticks for the first shift of Saturday night’s All-Star Game after Seguin lost a Rock, Paper, Scissors match on the Red Carpet.

“Probably not,” Seguin said. “One shift, we’ll see.”

Seguin and Scheifele have played Rock, Paper, Scissors when the Stars and Jets play in the regular season since both players like to be the final 1172615 Dallas Stars (Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz) without becoming porous at the other end of the ice. After finishing the season 28th in goals scored last season, the Stars are 27th this Once a young hotshot of All-Star weekend, Stars’ Tyler Seguin is season. adjusting to being older and wiser “Really none of us are scoring at our normal pace,” Seguin said. “I don’t think there’s a guy on the roster that’s having one of his best offensive numbers. There’s many reasons that could be, but the biggest reason is Matthew DeFranks just our identity, how we want to defend. We all would like more offense, which I think will come.” 9:32 PM on Jan 24, 2020 Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.25.2020

ST. LOUIS — Tyler Seguin is used to the stage of All-Star weekend, the festival of hockey’s best players from around the league jammed into one city during a January weekend, an exhibition of skills one night and the absence of ample defense the next.

Seguin has done it five times before in his career, and Saturday’s All-Star Game in St. Louis will be the sixth of his career. What is foreign to Seguin is how he got to this place this season with 11 goals and 25 assists.

With 36 points at the All-Star break, Seguin is on pace for 61.5 points across the entire season, which would be his lowest output (in a non- shortened season) since he was an 18-year-old rookie in Boston. His 11 goals are more than just one other All-Star forward (Ryan O’Reilly) and his one power-play goal is more than just one other All-Star forward (Logan Couture).

He’s also older — he turns 28 next week — and is almost closer in age to 36-year-old Mark Giordano than he is to 20-year-old Quinn Hughes.

“It’s a little different now,” Seguin said. “First couple times, it was excitement of just going, and now it’s excitement of going, but excited to meet some of the younger players, honestly. It’s scary to say, I’m a little bit older now. There are some guys older than me here, but a lot of the young players, I don’t know.”

For Seguin, this weekend is also a reminder of what used to exclusively qualify as a good season for him. A peek down the rosters reveals the top scorers around the NHL, where Seguin used to be an annual stalwart. Now, Seguin has added more aspects to his game instead of just scoring — although the scoring has declined.

When Seguin is on the ice at 5 on 5, the Stars allow 25.9 scoring chances and 2.19 expected goals per 60 minutes, both the lowest for Seguin since he was traded to Dallas, according to Natural Stat Trick. His 59% faceoff win rate is a career high and fourth in the league. Seguin said it was tougher to try to focus on aspects of his game other than points across the last year and a half.

“You’d like to say no, but yeah a little bit,” Seguin said. “It’s just different. It’s just understanding that you can’t outscore teams anymore in the NHL. Some teams are still trying to, but with my experience, it just doesn’t work. You need to be able to defend as a team. As a first-line centerman, you need to be able to shut down guys as well as produce.”

Wild center Eric Staal understands what Seguin has gone through, going from a perennial 70-point scorer to hitting a relative wall in his late 20s, with 61-, 54- and 39-point seasons. Staal has rediscovered his game in Minnesota, with 42 goals two seasons ago as a 33-year-old and 17 so far this season at 35.

“I think as you get older, you realize there’s a lot more to the NHL game that’s important to help your team win,” Staal said. “I think Tyler would be similar. Playing against him over the years, he’s difficult to play against. He plays the game right, both ways. But he still has that elite talent to finish and to create offense and make plays. I just think he’s developed more into a two-way player.”

No center has played more against Seguin in the last three seasons than Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele.

“When you’re playing against a guy like that, you’ve got to be a little wary,” Scheifele said. “If you turn a puck over, he’s gone the other way, and he’s going to take advantage of that, and that’s the tough thing.”

Of course, the Stars could use more scoring from Seguin, but he’s not alone in Dallas as a typically high-scoring forward underachieving this season under Jim Montgomery first, and now under Rick Bowness.

Ideally, the Stars would use a system that allows for both scoring and winning, one that features the high-end skill at the top of the roster 1172616 Detroit Red Wings does everything he can to win the hockey game and he’ll be a big piece moving forward as we get better.”

Bertuzzi, the nephew of former NHL All-Star and ex-Wings forward Todd Detroit Red Wings anticipate bigger things than just All-Star Game for Bertuzzi, is bringing his dad and brother to St. Louis. While it stinks to be Tyler Bertuzzi in last place in the NHL standings, going to an event like the All-Star Game is a fun diversion.

“It’s tough because our team is not having the best season, but for me Helene St. James personally, it’s been a pretty good start,” he said. “I still think I can do more. I think I can be better in the d-zone, then we’ll be able to play in the 6:00 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2020 o-zone more. Just be more consistent on a nightly basis.”

He scored his 17th goal of the season and also picked up his 19th assist SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Detroit Red Wings can’t wait to see Tyler Monday at Colorado, where he was booed every time he touched the Bertuzzi in a playoff series, but for now, they are delighted to see him in puck. Fans miscalculate if they think that bothers him. an All-Star Game. “It makes me laugh, honestly,” Bertuzzi said. “It’s cool. You’re doing Bertuzzi’s play has brightened a season in which there has not been something right if they’re booing you. I’m looking forward to playing in the much to celebrate. He has solidified his spot as a top-line winger, power- NHL playoffs one day, hopefully in the near future. That’s more of my play contributor — and the sort of player opponents love to hate. game. Playoffs is way different — you do anything to win. That’s the best time of the year.” At the time Bertuzzi was selected to this weekend’s event in St. Louis, he led the Wings with 15 goals and 31 points. He said he was proud to be Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.25.2020 named but figured he was going only because every team has to have at least one representative.

Those around him disagree.

Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi celebrates his goal in the first period on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Denver.

“He has had a really good year and has taken steps in the right direction,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Hats off to him. He’s a good hockey player who goes to the net-front so he scores those kinds of goals. He can score shooting the pucks. He can score in different ways and he’s accountable defensively and strong on the puck and good in a lot of areas. I’m happy for him. I think he deserves it. He’s worked really hard and has put himself in position to go.”

Bertuzzi, who turns 25 on Feb. 24, is a hard-nosed player who thrives around the net. He brings skill and grit and aggravation, and excels at buzzing around the net. The Wings are headed for a fourth straight draft lottery this spring, but as the rebuild gains momentum, there’s excitement over future possibilities.

“Tyler is a guy that, I can’t wait for him to be in a playoff series with us and see what he can do,” Dylan Larkin said. “The higher the stakes, the closer checking the game is, he is a guy that never seems to go away. Sometimes in a close-checking game, some high-end players can’t handle that. I think he thrives in that.

“He’s a guy that worked really hard to get where he is at. He’s having a great year so far. We need him to keep going, we need him to continue to elevate his game to be a high-end player for us.”

The Wings selected Bertuzzi at No. 58 overall in 2013 with the second- round pick that was part of the package when they flipped first-round picks with San Jose (the Wings chose Anthony Mantha at No. 20 and the Sharks picked Mirco Mueller at No. 18).

In 2014-15, Bertuzzi capped his junior career by posting 98 points in 68 games with Guelph, then turned pro and had 12 points in 14 games with the Blashill-coached Grand Rapids Griffins.

In 2017, under then-Griffins coach Todd Nelson, Bertuzzi was named the AHL playoff MVP after leading them to the Calder Cup with 19 points in 19 games.

Beyond producing offense when it matters most, his style is suited to a playoff series because of his knack for getting under his opponents' skin.

“As this team gets better and we’re in position to have way more meaningful games, whether it’s during the regular season or playoffs, he is going to be an even bigger piece,” Blashill said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. Even when he was a guy that came from junior to the Griffins and wasn’t a full-time player for us, he’s one of those few guys that made a huge impact.

“His game is built for those harder games, when the space gets really tough, when they stop calling as many penalties, when you have to find ways to hard offense, that’s what his game is built for. What I’ve said lots is, he’s a winning hockey player. He plays on both sides of the puck, he 1172617 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings enjoying the advantages of an extended bye break

Ted Kulfan

5:49 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2020

Detroit — The Red Wings are basically shut down, off work, out of the office, for a week.

After Wednesday’s loss in Minnesota, they dispersed to destinations all over (mainly warm), with Tyler Bertuzzi the lone Wings’ player headed to St. Louis for the All-Star Game.

With their bye week tacked on to the end of the All-Star break, the Wings don’t gather for practice again until Thursday, when they’ll hit the ice at Madison Square Garden.

This is the second year the NHL has attached the bye week to the All- Star break — one half going before the break, the other half afterward.

Before, the bye would be at different parts of the schedule.

This way, said forward Justin Abdelkader, works much better.

“If you ask all the guys in the room, to have the extended break, it feels like you’re on vacation,” Abdelkader said. “You can go and it doesn’t feel like you’re coming right back. Sometimes, before, you’d go somewhere, and if it was a 3- or 4-day break, it didn’t feel like much of a break because you’d feel like you’d be traveling back and forth (quickly).

“If you ask guys, this way is better.”

But that are ramifications for this kind of schedule.

This season’s schedule is more compact with few breathers, with three- games in four-nights, and back-to-backs quite common.

“The schedule can be tough,” Abdelkader said. “With the consecutive nights, and 3-in-4s, and it’s been busy. But they’d (players) much rather have this kind of break."

But don’t count coach Jeff Blashill as a huge fan of the extended bye week.

The way the schedule is devised these days, because of the bye week, there’s precious little time for quality practices and travel is much more intense.

“The season has been so condensed,” Blashill said. “You get no practice time and play every other day. The travel is crazy, you go back and forth and back and forth, especially in the East.”

Blashill would rather have the bye week days sprinkled in during the regular season, to alleviate the logjams that were prevalent in November’s schedule, and upcoming in February.

“It would make it a little better,” Blashill said.

Still, Blashill likes the fact teams are now playing against other teams that have been similarly on break, coming out of the schedule.

“It’s a little bit different than it used to be, in the sense that you used to have to come back and play a team that wasn’t on break, and that was a huge disadvantage,” Blashill said. “The NHL’s done a good job of at least pairing the break groups together, and you come back and play a team that’s in the same boat.

“You get to practice a little bit earlier also (two hours earlier), so you get into the city a little earlier. Those are all positives.”

Detroit News LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172618 Detroit Red Wings “Of course,” Bertuzzi said. “It’s always been cool. When I was a kid, the skills competition was the coolest thing to watch. I’m excited, it’s going to be a great experience (Saturday’s game).

Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi proves worthy of All-Star nod, no matter what he “To be there with the best players in the league, it’ll be fun. I haven’t says experienced it before, so I’m excited."

Larkin was thrilled and excited when it was announced several weeks ago Bertuzzi would be the Red Wings’ representative. Ted Kulfan “He’s been our most consistent offensive player,” Larkin said. “His game 4:12 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2020 is evolving and he’s making plays, making plays all over the ice.”

Though Bertuzzi’s regular season has been good enough to earn All-Star recognition, Blashill is waiting for the time when the Wings are reaching Detroit — Maybe if there was a rule that not every team needed to be the NHL playoffs and Bertuzzi gets his opportunity in that setting. represented, sure, maybe the Red Wings wouldn’t have anyone in St. Louis for Saturday’s All-Star Game. Bertuzzi won one playoff MVP award in Grand Rapids, in 2017, when the Griffins won the Calder Cup — Bertuzzi had 19 points in 19 games — There are players out there who probably deserve to be on the roster but and also averaged nearly a point per game in his first AHL playoff aren’t there — and, maybe, quite possibly thrilled to be on the beach experience under Blashill in 2015. instead. When the games have been biggest, either in pro or junior, Bertuzzi's But, given the season Tyler Bertuzzi is having, Bertuzzi deservedly is the performance has been at its best, along with that agitating style that Wings’ lone representative. Bertuzzi hasn't completely put away for good. No matter what Bertuzzi says himself. “I felt like he had a chance to be a really good NHL player and he’s “If they didn’t have pick someone from every team, I wouldn’t be there,” ultimately going to prove to be a really good winner,” Blashill said. “When said Bertuzzi, the day after being named to the Atlantic Division roster. our team is better, he’s going to be even more valuable. He’s the type of guy that wins. The answer drew chuckles from assembled media. But upon closer inspection, analyzing stats, just the simple eyeball test, Bertuzzi is a “As the games get harder, he gets better.” worthy selection. Detroit News LOADED: 01.25.2020 Bertuzzi’s 17 goals leads the Wings, and his 36 points tie him with Dylan Larkin for the team lead. Bertuzzi’s 19 assists rank second to Larkin’s 23. Bertuzzi plays a responsible, consistent, all-around game and has improved every season.

“I understand what he’s saying,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Bertuzzi’s comment. “But he deserves to go. He’s had a really good year.”

Blashill has watched up close the gradual improvement and versatility in Bertuzzi’s game.

Blashill first coached Bertuzzi, 24, in the spring of 2015 when Blashill was head coach of the minor league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, and Bertuzzi began his professional career that spring.

A 2013 second-round draft pick, Bertuzzi had the reputation fo being a “disturber," a player comparable to Andrew Shaw or Brad Marchand, someone other teams would hate to play against.

And there was that, when Blashill first got him. But Blashill also noticed Bertuzzi’s overall skills were underrated.

“I was like, ‘this guy is way better than I realized’,” Blashill said. “I had heard a lot about how he was a disturber and all that stuff. But when I first got him (in Grand Rapids), I saw he had real good hands, good poise.

“I credit that to not being afrad to taking a hit. He believes he can hold onto the puck. He’s not a super big guy, but he’s very strong on his edges.”

If there’s been a difference in Bertuzzi’s game this season, it’s the fact he’s been handling the puck more and creating plays at a more advanced rate, than ever before.

Bertuzzi had largely been — and still is — more of a net-front guy who collected goals and points by deflecting pucks, screening the goalie, and making plays around the net.

“That’s just with more confidence,” Bertuzzi said of his playing with the puck. “Trying to gain the zone with possession is big. A lot of goalie can disrupt our forecheck. If you have the puck carrying it in, you’ll get more chances (to score).”

Bertuzzi’s dad and brother are in St. Louis to take in all the festivities, including Friday’s skills competition, in which Bertuzzi was to participate in the accuracy competition.

Bertuzzi and his family always were in front of the television screen during this weekend on the hockey calendar. 1172619 Detroit Red Wings

Filip Zadina grabs spotlight in brief return to Grand Rapids Griffins

Peter J. Wallner

GRAND RAPIDS - If Filip Zadina could score two goals in his last game with the Detroit Red Wings, it should be a snap to do it in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins, right?

Of course it was. Zadina made the most of the first game in a very short farewell tour with two goals plus an assist on Matthew Ford’s overtime winner in a 4-3 victory against San Diego on Friday.

“With the boys, it’s great to be together with them and having fun,” he said.

Zadina had fun keeping the Griffins in the game. He it tied it, 2-2, with a blast just above the right circle 10 seconds into a power play at 8:45 of the second period, and knotted it at 3-3 with a tip-in off Brian Lashoff’s shot from the point at 9:45 in the third period.

Ford’s game-winner, which came off Zadina’s shot from the same right circle as his first goal, enabled the Griffins (20-19-2-4) to extended their season-high points streak to eight in the seven game of an eight-game homestand.

The Red Wings, on break until Jan. 31, sent Zadina and three others to the Griffins late Wednesday for two games before the Griffins reach the all-star break: Givani Smith, another who has performed well in Detroit; defenseman Michael Cholowski, and goalie Calvin Pickard.

Cholowski assisted on Zadina’s goal, while Pickard, who was the AHL Player of the Week for Jan. 12 before he left, faced 36 shots, 16 in the third period.

Zadina played with enthusiasm and enjoyed the same success as Wednesday, when he had his first two-goal NHL game with the Red Wings in a 4-2 loss at Minnesota.

In 26 games, he has eight goals and 15 points (eighth on the team) in Detroit, so there’s no question he will head back next week.

Ford, the team captain, saw a maturing Zadina.

“Everybody tonight is going to remember his goals but the thing I’m going to appreciate the most is he came down here to work hard for us,” he said. "That’s what we expect when they come down to help us for a little bit.”

Given his play, whether Zadina ever makes another appearance with the Griffins after Saturday will depend on if they make the playoffs and if the Red Wings decide to send him back or not.

He got plenty of action on the power play Friday as the Grifffins converted on two of six opportunities. He joined a first-round-draft-pick line that included Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen and Cholowski.

“Obviously a break would be nice but I’m glad to be able to play with the boys again,” he said in his first appearance with the Griffins since a one- game stop Dec. 4. “They’re on fire right now and so I’m glad I could be here and help them win.”

It was his eighth and ninth goals in 21 games with the Griffins, the first since Nov. 22.

The Griffins also got a short-handed goal from Chase Pearson in the second period.

They face the Gulls again 7 p.m. Saturday. They will then be off for the all-star break until Jan. 31 at Iowa.

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172620 Detroit Red Wings “It’s going to be an experience to play with all the best players in the league,” Bertuzzi said. “When I was a kid the skills competition was the coolest.”

Red Wings’ Tyler Bertuzzi goes from ‘disturber’ to All-Star Michigan Live LOADED: 01.25.2020

Jan 24, 2020

Ansar Khan

DETROIT – Tyler Bertuzzi had a reputation as a scrappy, agitating player when the Detroit Red Wings surprisingly selected him in the second round in 2013.

But the organization believed there was more to his game. That quickly became apparent to Jeff Blashill near the end of the 2014-15 season as coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, after Bertuzzi finished his junior career and turned pro.

“I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this guy’s way better than I realized,’ ” Blashill said.

“I had heard a lot about how he was a disturber and all that stuff. When I first got him (in the AHL), I was like, ‘He’s got really good hands. He’s got really good poise.’ I credit that to he’s not afraid to take a hit. He believes he can hold onto the puck. He’s not a super, super big guy but he’s very strong on his edges.”

Bertuzzi, 24, has a nose for the net and knows how to produce. He has led the Red Wings in scoring most of the season and that’s why he is their representative at the All-Star Game Saturday in St. Louis (8 p.m., NBC).

With 17 goals and 36 points in just his second full NHL season, Bertuzzi is on pace to eclipse last season’s totals (21 goals, 47 points).

“Every time he played for me, he looked like a guy who competed hard, and he’s pretty smart defensively and offensively,” Blashill said. “I think the question was always, ‘How’s his skating?’ But his stick was so long, that it created tons of turnovers, so it made him faster. He’s a little bit like Mark Stone that way, where they’re faster players because of how good their stick is.

“I felt like he had a chance to be a really good NHL player and I think he’s ultimately going to prove to be a really good winner. When our team’s better, he’s going to be even more valuable. I think he’s the type of guy that wins -- as the games get harder, he gets better.”

That was apparent during the Griffins’ 2017 Calder Cup championship run under coach Todd Nelson, when Bertuzzi won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP, collecting nine goals and 19 points in 19 games.

The Red Wings are a long way from Stanley Cup contention or even being a playoff team. But Bertuzzi has established himself as one of their core players.

“He plays the right way consistently, he plays hard, and that affords him offense, affords him chances around the net where he’s got a great stick and great hockey mind to tip pucks in or hammer home a loose puck,” linemate Dylan Larkin said. “He just competes every night and he’s always ready to play, ready to pounce on a loose puck or make that extra pass. He’s always had that hockey sense where he’s ready to make a play whenever.”

Bertuzzi still plays with an edge and doesn’t back down, but he is much more disciplined. He racked up 133 penalty minutes in 71 games in his first full pro season with Grand Rapids in 2015-16. He has 16 penalty minutes in 51 games this season, learning when to pick his spots and when not to retaliate.

“Before I’d probably try to do something back,” Bertuzzi said. “I guess I kind of grew up and I’m just trying to play hockey and trying to win.

“It (his edge) is always going to be there, but I can just back off and not let it get to me. … I’m going to be hard around the net and that part of the game is going to come with being hard to play against.”

Bertuzzi is excited about All-Star Weekend, which begins with Friday’s Skills Competition (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network). He’ll take part in shooting accuracy. 1172621 Detroit Red Wings defensively and smart offensively. I think the question was always, ‘How is his skating?’ But his stick was so long, that created tons of turnovers so it made him faster. He’s a little bit like Mark Stone that way, where they just, they’re faster players because of how good their stick is.” Untold stories about Tyler Bertuzzi, the Red Wings’ All-Star That kind of sudden realization that Bertuzzi could, and would, be a good pro hockey player is far from unique. Dylan Larkin recalled that even his dad, when Bertuzzi first came into the league, saw the flying hair and Max Bultman active stick and said: “Just watch, this guy’s gonna be a player.” Jan 24, 2020 But so often with Bertuzzi, that story starts on draft day. And of course, it goes back a whole lot farther than that.

Angela Bertuzzi-Bertrand doesn’t remember every detail — the exact Tyler Bertuzzi (in goalie pads) was known to spend all day playing date and the opponent are a little hazy — but there’s a memory that basement hockey as a kid. (Courtesy of Angela Bertuzzi-Bertrand) sums up her son’s rapid emergence as an NHL All-Star about as well as Bertuzzi-Bertand thinks back and remembers young Tyler as being “full anything possibly could. of life.” He never slept, and he never stopped. She thinks they took him It was December 2017, and Tyler Bertuzzi had just gotten the call-up skating for the first time around 3 years old, and he liked it, with the from Grand Rapids to Detroit. She and her now-husband hopped in the possible exception of all the falling down. car and drove down to Detroit, only to find out that Tyler would not One day, though, she says they were at her father’s house in the garage actually be playing that night. They had met up in one of the restaurants when Tyler put on a pair of his aunt’s roller blades, which were “like two attached to the new Little Caesars Arena, and so, as Bertuzzi-Bertrand sizes too big” and started skating around the garage. remembers it, Tyler offered to take them on a tour of the arena before they headed off. “And that’s really how he started skating,” she said, “to the point that that transferred on the ice — that when he’d stop, he tried to drag his foot, But as they tried to enter the arena, a security guard stopped them. like the wheel would (do) with the roller blades, to stop himself.” “Uh, can I help you, sir?” she recalls the guard saying. “You can’t go in She recalls Tyler spending hours and hours in their basement playing there.” hockey, convincing Angela’s grandmother to lace up the goalie pads Bertuzzi explained he just wanted to give them a quick tour of the arena, when she babysat him. Angela would leave his meals on the top of the but the guard repeated himself: “Sir, you can’t go in there.” staircase, and Tyler would climb up the stairs on his knees, not even taking the roller blades off, to eat before returning to play some more. As his mom recalls it, Bertuzzi was dressed in a checkered hiking jacket, and of course, had his trademark missing tooth. Perhaps the dental “He’d do that until he went to bed,” she said. situation should have been a giveaway this was a hockey player, but She says she did have a mother’s instinct that Tyler was special, but nonetheless, Tyler had to lay it out plain: “But I play for the team.” even she admits she probably didn’t know that this career in hockey was “And the look on the guy’s face was like, yeah, right …” she recalled. a real possibility for him until he was in the OHL. And even then, it wasn’t “Like, yeah, right, you play for the Red Wings.” always a smooth road. Bertuzzi had been on the slighter side and had to fight his way through the league, sometimes very literally. The guard did end up letting them in, and just two years later, it’s a misunderstanding Bertuzzi’s not likely to face again. Saturday, he will “It’s difficult to watch because a lot of these guys were bigger guys,” his represent the Red Wings at the NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis, in just mom says now. “But he fought and he held his own. And some of them his second full season in the league. he won, some of them he didn’t.”

Once a second-guessed second-round pick, Bertuzzi has blossomed into He doesn’t have to fight so much now that he’s in the NHL, but he still a staple on the Red Wings’ top line. He leads the team in goals with 17, puts his body on the line regularly for the Red Wings. The only Detroit is tied for the team lead in points with 36 and is one of the clear core forwards who have blocked more shots than his 24 this season are Luke pieces at the center of Detroit’s rebuild. Glendening and Larkin.

“As this team gets better and we’re in position to have way more His missing tooth, then, is a fitting part of his aura. His mom says he’s meaningful games, whether it’s during the regular season or playoffs or had two replacements, but he loses them. She got married this past whatever, he’s going to be an even bigger piece,” Jeff Blashill said this summer, and had wanted Tyler to get a tooth, but when the day came the week. photographer just ended up photoshopping a tooth into his smile for a couple photos instead. And he would know. He’s seen it essentially since Bertuzzi turned pro. “That’s him now,” Bertuzzi-Bertrand said. “It’s almost like it’s his Recently, Blashill thought back to his first impressions of Bertuzzi down trademark.” in the American Hockey League. It was not all that different from the general public’s reaction to Bertuzzi’s ascent over the years, only earlier, There are other little stories here and there, too. In Grand Rapids, they at a much closer distance. talk about the time Bertuzzi got called up and left his equipment behind. He thought they just shipped it to Detroit, but instead he had to turn “Oh wow,” he thought. “This guy’s way better than I realized.” around.

He referenced one series in particular, against the Toronto Marlies in the Tyler Bertuzzi and his mom, Angela. (Courtesy of Angela Bertuzzi- first round of the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs. It was a best-of-five series, Bertrand) and Bertuzzi had missed the first two games with the flu after only joining the team for two late regular-season games. The Griffins went down 2-0 Asked what’s left to know about her son, though, now that he’s climbed in the series, and, in a series that short, the postseason was on the higher up the ranks and further into the spotlight, Bertuzzi-Bertrand’s ropes. answer is something that fans in Detroit may actually be slowly realizing for themselves. Instead, Bertuzzi returned for Game 3 with a goal and an assist, sparking a 5-2 win. A few days later, he scored the eventual game-winner in a 5-4 “The personality you see on the ice is very different than the personality victory, and the Griffins went on to win the series and started a run that off the ice,” she said. “I’m not sure that everybody gets to see that side of took them to the conference finals. him. On the ice you get to see that junkyard dog, chirpy kind of guy that’s out there. Off the ice he’s actually very quiet, doesn’t say much, very soft- Bertuzzi finished with 12 points in 14 games those playoffs as a 20 year spoken, great sense of humor, very kind, very humble, but totally two old, leaving a clear impression on the man who would go on to be his different personalities on and off the ice.” coach in Detroit, too. With the media, that second part holds up. Bertuzzi’s not known for long- “Every time he played for me, he looked like a guy who competed hard, winded answers, and even when asked about his selection to the All-Star had really good poise because he’s got that natural — he’s not afraid to Game last month, he said, “if they didn’t have to pick someone from get hit at all — and he’s smart,” Blashill said. “He’s pretty smart every team, I know I wouldn’t be there.” To his teammates, though, it hardly sounds like he’s the shy guy in the room.

“Every time he comes to practice, you know where he’s at,” Christoffer Ehn said. “You hear the laugh, it’s so contagious.”

In November, Larkin said Robby Fabbri’s assimilation after being traded to Detroit would be helped by his time in juniors with Bertuzzi, just because of Bertuzzi’s locker-room presence.

And on the subject of Bertuzzi’s worthiness for the All-Star Game, he’s certainly got his backers.

“I understand what he’s saying, but that’s not true,” Blashill said recently. “He deserves to go. I think he’s had a really good year.”

Maybe the better question, then — as Bertuzzi settles into a stall alongside the game’s best this weekend — is what more he can still accomplish. What chapters of his story could he write next?

Through all the losing this season, Blashill has made sure to keep pushing Bertuzzi, even as he’s had arguably the best season on the team. He thinks that if Bertuzzi can keep the identity that’s already helped him quiet so many doubters, he’ll become not just one of the top players on a team like this year’s Red Wings, but “a great player on a great team.”

“He’s ultimately going to prove to be a really good winner,” Blashill said. “When our team’s better, he’s going to be even more valuable. I think he’s the type of guy that wins. As the games get harder, he gets better.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172622 Edmonton Oilers indicate Pouliot was destined for a bottom-six role in the NHL, but he landed in Europe instead.

LW Jean-Francois Jacques, 2005-06 Hamilton Bulldogs. 65, 24-20-44 Lowetide: Oilers prospects Evan Bouchard and Tyler Benson deliver best (.677). I remember seeing Jacques play for the Edmonton Roadrunners minor league performances in 20 years in 2005. He was big and fast, and scoring 24 goals in the AHL at 20 is notable. However, he was unable to parlay the size and speed into something useful at the NHL level. He is most famous for not getting a point as an NHL rookie in 2006-07 (in 37 games). Allan Mitchell RW Kailer Yamamoto, 2018-19 Bakersfield Condors. 27, 10-8-18 (.667). Jan 24, 2020 Yamamoto’s pro debut had some injury issues (wrist) and I think that might have obscured his offensive outer marker. It remains to be seen. He is playing on a skill line now in the NHL and has thrived in eight Many years ago, when a group of Oilers blogs that became known as the games. Small sample, but he’s impacting the game in multiple ways ‘Oilogosphere’ was in its infancy, theories about hockey and analytics (forecheck, turnovers, drawing penalties, passing, goals). would drive the conversation late into the night. One of the theories advanced in those years, in this case by Tim Barnes, was the idea that a LW Teemu Hartikainen, 2010-11 Oklahoma City Barons. 66, 17-25-42 rookie’s scoring totals at age 20 in the AHL predicted his future. At that (.636). The big Finn was a pure delight and a crowd favourite in time, league scoring levels delivered several players each season who Oklahoma City. The Oilers brought him along at pace but a change in smashed through the point-per-game threshold. Barnes suggested, and management spelled the end of his Oilers career. as it turned out with some accuracy, that a forward who could manage a RC Kyle Brodziak, 2004-05 Edmonton Roadrunners. 56, 6-26-32 (.571). point per game or more at 20 in the AHL was a strong candidate to play Brodziak (along with Stoll) are the success stories among forwards over on a skill line in the NHL. the last 20 seasons. He took some time in the minors to hone his skills as The Edmonton Oilers have been a difficult organization to use as a a two-way centre and there’s a lesson there for fans when it comes to testing ground, mostly due to the team’s insistence on ushering projecting players like Ryan McLeod. Centre is a tough position to teenagers into the NHL for most of the last two decades. Over the 20 master. years of this century, there are many names who pushed toward the LW Jani Rita, 2001-02 Hamilton Bulldogs. 76, 25-17-42 (.553). I thought point-per-game number — although none have been able to reach it. Jani Rita would make it. He had the one thing Paajarvi didn’t (a great In the first decade, Jarrett Stoll and Kyle Brodziak emerged as bona fide shot) but not enough two-way acumen to impress MacTavish. NHL players, with higher picks Rob Schremp, Marc Pouliot and Jani Rita From this list of the top 10 performers in Edmonton’s system over 20 unable to negotiate the rapids. Neither man approached the 1-1 ratio years, only Jarret Stoll spent much of his career on a skill line. The other Barnes identified, although Stoll did in fact play on skill lines, with he and two men who played over 400 NHL games (Magnus Paajarvi, Kyle Brodziak scoring over 100 NHL goals. Brodziak) spent their big league careers as checkers. So far this decade, Magnus Paajarvi cobbled together the foundation of It will be interesting to see how the current prospects, Benson and NHL career, although he is no longer in the league. No AHL forward Yamamoto, perform compared to Barnes’ theory and the rest of the list. reached the point-per-game plateau at age 20 in the minors. The best NHL forward in this group over 20 years delivered .71 points Since moving to Bakersfield, Edmonton’s forwards haven’t made an NHL per 60 in the AHL at 20. Benson exceeded that number and Yamamoto impact. However, Kailer Yamamoto has some momentum currently and was in the range. Tyler Benson’s season at 20 suggests he might have a chance. Here are Defencemen the top-performing 20-year-old AHL forwards since 2000. Notice how many players didn’t have an NHL career despite performing well in the Defencemen are an entirely different deal; there is no established world’s fourth-best league (NHL, KHL, SHL, AHL) at age 20. offensive line in the sand to suggest future use on the power play or with top skill teammates. I was interested in seeing how young players like Forwards Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard and Caleb Jones compared to names from LW Tyler Benson, 2018-19 Bakersfield Condors. 68, 15-51-66 (.971). In earlier in the century. Again, a fascinating list. the 20 seasons of this century, Benson posted the best numbers at age RD Evan Bouchard, 2019-20 Bakersfield Condors. 40, 7-17-24 (.600). 20 among all Oilers forward prospects. He’s going to need an NHL speed His season is past the halfway point and recent weeks have seen his test but we do have evidence he could play on a skill line at a high level best results. A stunning passer, his offensive ability will be a strength as a rookie pro. He’s an outstanding passer but will need to shoot more. when he arrives in the NHL. Likely he’ll be the best offensive Like Magnus Paajarvi, finding a way to score goals might decide his defenceman on this list. Will he become a better NHL player than Oscar career trajectory. Klefbom? I don’t think we can make an educated guess yet. LC Rob Schremp, 2006-07 SWB Penguins. 69, 17-36-53 (.768). RD Ethan Bear, 2017-18 Bakersfield Condors. 37, 6-12-18 (.486). One of Schremp had gaudy junior scoring numbers and a gigantic reputation the true success stories for Edmonton’s draft and development program upon pro arrival but delivered solid numbers offensively as a freshman. this century, he was telling us he had some range and ability as a rookie He had a knee problem that had an impact on progress and his acumen pro. We can’t put him in the “Stoll” category yet but he’s trending in a without the puck was found wanting by then-coach Craig MacTavish. He very positive way. could make the puck dance but couldn’t make it sing at the NHL level. LD Doug Lynch, 2003-04 Toronto Roadrunners. 74, 11-25-36 (.486). You LW Magnus Paajarvi, 2011-12 Oklahoma City Barons. 34, 7-18-25 would have loved him. Lynch was so good he made the postseason All- (.735). Paajarvi played in the NHL at 19, so these numbers came after Star Rookie team and played in the AHL All-Star Game. Injury derailed that teenage season. Great speed, good defensive instincts, couldn’t his career. Range of skills. Damned shame. score enough to move up the depth chart. He didn’t have a terrific shot and he had such a strong defensive conscience there were times he LD Martin Marincin, 2012-13 Oklahoma City Barons. 69, 7-23-30 (.435). could be seen exiting the offensive zone when puck possession was still His numbers were skewed because the lockout meant Hall, Nuge, in question. Eberle, Justin Schultz and others were in Oklahoma for the first half of 2012-13. I always liked him; his NHL career is progressing like an old RC Jarret Stoll, 2002-03 Hamilton Bulldogs. 76, 21-33-54 (.711). Similar man driving in the slow lane. to Benson in that Stoll’s foot speed was flagged early in his career, Stoll owned a big, powerful shot and played centre. He is one of the true LD Jeff Woywitka, 2003-04 Toronto Roadrunners. 53, 4-18-22 (.415). success stories from Edmonton’s minor league system over the last 20 Acquired in the Mike Comrie trade, he spent most of a decade trying to years, made even more enjoyable for Oilers fans because he was establish himself in the NHL as a two-way blue. I always thought originally a draft choice of the Calgary Flames. Woywitka’s issue was he had no one dominant skill, although he had all of the ingredients. RC Marc Pouliot, 2005-06 Hamilton Bulldogs. 65, 15-30-45 (.692). Pouliot had a wide range of skills and could shoot, pass and check. How LD Martin Gernat, 2013-14 Oklahoma City Barons. 57, 4-17-21 (.368). I he missed is based mostly on a long list of injuries. His season at 20 did saw him play for the Oil Kings through both seasons, his improvement from beginning to end was impressive. He didn’t make it to the NHL but had a chance.

LD Danny Syvret, 2005-06 Hamilton Bulldogs. 62, 0-20-20 (.323). Drafted at 20, from a famous junior team, he was a plug and play at the AHL level. A tweener, which is to say he was just shy of having enough skill to emerge as an everyday NHL player.

LD Marc-Andre Bergeron, 2001-02 Hamilton Bulldogs. 50, 2-13-15 (.300). Chaos blue who was an undrafted signing, Bergeron developed quickly and became a bona fide NHL defenceman. Remembered for the Roloson injury during Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final.

LD Caleb Jones, 2017-18 Bakersfield Condors. 58, 2-15-17 (.293). He’s fast and he’s improving, and at the NHL level Jones has earned 24 games this season. He’s winning a job in a crowded field.

LD Oscar Klefbom, 2013-14 Oklahoma City Barons. 48, 1-9-10 (.208). Exhibit “A” on why you need context for all numbers, Klefbom’s AHL time came on a team that used Brad Hunt and Taylor Fedun in feature roles. He rarely got close to a power play. Klefbom’s meagre totals at 20 should offer Oilers fans another example of why projecting a player like Philip Broberg based on offence is folly. Klefbom’s role in 2013-14, like Broberg’s today, is more about defence and moving the puck from danger.

What does it all mean?

From a list of 20, all of Benson, Yamamoto, Bouchard, Bear and Jones made their pro debuts in 2017-18 or after, with three (Benson, Yamamoto, Bouchard) arriving in the two seasons Jay Woodcroft has been the coach for the Bakersfield Condors.

Peter Chiarelli implemented a more aggressive plan to play graduating prospects in the year or so before he left the organization, with Woodcroft part of that plan. Part of me wonders what might have been for many prospects along the way.

What’s important now, from an Oilers fan point of view, is developing talent at the AHL level. The Oilers have graduated Bear, Jones and now Yamamoto, with Bouchard and Benson likely on the way.

Will Benson or Yamamoto reach the heights of Stoll? Will Bouchard, Bear and Jones emerge as players who can be mentioned in the same breath as Klefbom?

Too soon to know. But based on a 20-year scan of the Oilers minor league system, we do know the numbers are trending in a good direction.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172623 Edmonton Oilers situation. He was getting desperate. Feeling the need to add some levity – and perhaps a last hope – he turned to Sparky.

“Hey, Sparky, can you do that?” the coach asked. ‘Hey, Sparky, can you do that?’: How the Oilers’ AHL video coach got his The drill seemed basic enough to Kim. Sparky, in character and thus start as the Islanders’ mascot unable to speak, gestured and nodded.

Kim ripped through the demo perfectly, pivoting like a menacing Daniel Nugent-Bowman blueliner. The children ate it up, laughing and hollering.

Jan 24, 2020 “That was perfect, Sparky,” the coach said.

In the dressing room afterwards, the coach approached Kim, his bug- eyed, gap-tooth dragon head now off. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Sam Kim is usually up for a good challenge, but this one couldn’t have come at a worse time. “Hey, have you ever played hockey before?” he asked. “You looked like you knew what you were doing out there.” It was moments before the start of Game 2 of last season’s first-round AHL playoff series between the Bakersfield Condors and Colorado The coach was correct. Kim had. Eagles. Kim, the Condors’ video co-ordinator, had his monitor and Kim is a first-generation American born to Korean parents, and hockey computer bright and ready to watch. wasn’t exactly a topic of conversation in his Flushing, N.Y., home when Seconds later, he heard a noise. he was a young boy. He thinks he was seven when he was walking around the block and saw his buddy wearing rollerblades doing “Literally, the puck dropped and my phone dinged, and I got a notification something with a stick. saying our flight back home to Bakersfield had been cancelled,” he recalls. “The entire first period I was on the phone with our travel agents “I had never seen the sport,” he says now. “I didn’t really know what it making a Plan B for how we were gonna get back home. was. I just liked hanging out with him because he was my best friend. I wanted to do what he was doing. “There was a lot of rewinding in that game. I was playing catchup the whole night.” “I asked my parents to buy me some rollerblades and a stick. I just joined him the next time out. He was the one who sparked it for me. I never Sitting in coach Jay Woodcroft’s office in Bakersfield months later, Kim looked back after that. You couldn’t tear that hockey stick away from me. laughs it off. He wears glasses, a blue Condors zip-up hoodie and grey I’m pretty sure I was sleeping with it in my bed, too.” pants, and speaks in a calm and measured way. “The Mighty Ducks” hit theatres in October 1992 and there was no That was the most frantic night the 34-year-old Kim has endured in his looking back. Kim played youth house league, switched to roller hockey year and a half on the job, which includes team services and travel coin middle school and reached his peak on the ice in the Long Island high ordination duties. As usual, he managed to problem solve, adapt and find school loop for Syosset. a way to help his team. While he worked towards his economics degree at Boston College, Kim “He’s wearing a lot of hats and we ask a lot of him,” Woodcroft says. assisted the Division I school’s director of hockey operations and “He’s totally immersed himself in the position. He’s a go-to guy for us.” coaches with anything they needed around the rink. It progressed into some video work for them, a sign of things to come. He knew he wanted The Condors won that night to even the best-of-five series. The food was a job within the sport after he graduated, he just wasn’t sure in what waiting for the players and coaches after the game and so was the bus. capacity. They found an alternate way home from Loveland, Colo., too, all thanks to Kim. In 2007, he landed an internship with the Islanders before earning his dragon’s mask the next year. Being a mascot was only meant to be While he’s usually in constant communication with assistant coach Jean- temporary, though. Francois Houle during games, Kim had to mute him for the first third that night. His understanding of the coaching staff’s expectations allowed him “It was fun to be a silly clown for a little bit and get paid to do it,” he says. to effectively clip the first 20 minutes on rewind. “But I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do, and it wasn’t very satisfying.”

The Condors won the next two games to close out the series. Starring on the ice as Sparky at least moved him in the right direction. The Islanders decided to make him one of the instructors at the youth “I think his life motto is he’ll sleep when he dies,” Woodcroft says. “He is academy, sans mask. a workaholic in the greatest sense of the word. He refuses to do anything other than get the job done.” “In some ways you could say that was step one if you look at my career,” Kim says. That’s how Kim’s always been – regardless of how stressful or odd the circumstance. All that did was further entice him. He left his post, and costume, behind after three years. Kim’s first paid position in hockey was as Sparky, the mascot for the New York Islanders from 2008 to 2011. He parlayed a fill-in opportunity to the “I decided I was gonna go all in with both of my feet in the water to try full-time gig when his predecessor resigned. Like all mascots, Kim and find a coaching job,” he says. endured the occasional kick, punch and wrestling with trouble-making youngsters and college students before his big moment arrived. Kim had never been a coach before. He had no business being one at the college level. The Isles started up a hockey academy, a free community program, run by a coach and a few volunteers. Kim – as Sparky the Dragon – was But in the middle of his mascot years, Kim managed to land an interview asked to put on his skates and tag along to entertain the kids. with Columbia University’s club team and blew his questioners away over three two-hour meetings. He was well prepared. At 24, he got the gig During one of the sessions, the coach asked two volunteers to ahead of the 2009-10 season. demonstrate a simple 1-on-1 drill, but one of them kept messing it up. The first player was supposed to skate with the puck out of the corner, “I came in with a binder and mock practice plans and goals and visions along the boards, before turning around a pylon and skating for the net. for the program,” he says. “Despite my lack of experience coaching, they The second player’s job was to come out of that same spot but pivot told me they felt very good about me because of how organized I was. around a different cone lower in the zone, face the oncoming attacker That was how I was able to talk my way into it.” and act as a defenceman. Kim describes the club level as “organized,” but a far cry from Division I The would-be defenceman couldn’t grasp the pivot and came out of the where NHL draft picks bolt up and down the ice. The job was a foot in the turn with his back to the forward, grinding the proceedings to a halt. The door and hardly lucrative. Kim says it paid him $100 a month. clock ticked away, and the coach began to feel awkward about the He soon found he needed more to keep him busy and to pay the bills. He worked as a skating coach for his old high school team in Syosset for the 2010-11 season and volunteered with Ice Hockey in Harlem, a youth presentations for Paek, IT work, making pump-up videos to inspire the program, over the same period. He got a second job as director of players, tracking analytics and helping centres with their faceoffs in hockey at the World Ice Arena in his hometown of Flushing from 2010 to practice. 2012, mostly managing the hockey school and coaching clinics and summer camps. Usually, he was at least one thought ahead of Paek, too.

“There was a lot of overlapping jobs during that time,” he says. “A lot of “I’m a pretty spontaneous coach. I’d say, ‘Sam, pull up some forechecks.’ miles in the car running around.” They’d be right there. He was so organized and knew exactly what I wanted to see. I didn’t have to wait for anything.” By the fall of 2012, Kim decided it was time to move on to graduate school to find more internships and networking opportunities. He wound Paek calls the process of working toward the Olympics a “tough climb.” up with a master’s degree in sport management from the University of The Koreans were the lowest seed entering the tournament. They lost all Massachusetts Amherst. four games and were outscored 19-3. But neither Paek nor Kim would trade the experience of being part of a home Games. Kim also caught on as the director of hockey operations and video co- ordinator for the American International College Yellow Jackets, an Korea competed in the world championship later that year but again NCAA Division I program in Springfield, Mass. He was there from 2012 to finished last. 2014 before spending one season as an assistant coach with the Paek and Kim were both offered contract extensions by the Korean Ice Springfield Pics of the United States Premier Hockey League, a third-tier Hockey Association. Paek accepted and works with the under-18 and junior loop. under-20 squads as the national team program director and hopes the The next step was a giant leap: Video and statistics co-ordinator of the men’s squad qualifies for the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He also serves as Coyotes’ new AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. It was there Kim the GM of the women’s team. worked with goaltending coach Corey Schwab. Kim wanted to keep his options open after the 2018 worlds. Oilers video The Falcons were a team in transition with a completely new coaching coach Jeremy Coupal, who knew Kim from offseason conferences in staff. Schwab was joining the Arizona organization after seven seasons Boston, reached out to see if he had any plans. with the Sharks. Not only were the coaches fresh on the scene, but there Coincidentally, Woodcroft, the Bakersfield coach, was contacting Schwab was a completely new video system for everyone to use. — the two had worked together for seven years in San Jose — to ask Naturally, it was Kim’s job to figure it out. about Kim. Woodcroft, a former Oilers assistant coach, had taken over the Condors bench that April, and needed to fill out his coaching staff. “He found the answers,” Schwab says. “He’d be on the phone putting Schwab was pleased to offer his recommendation. whatever time he needed to get the answers. There was never any complaining.” Kim jokes that Schwab liked him because he shined his shoes before each game. There’s a little more to it, though. That left a good first impression on Schwab. A longtime pro goalie, including 147 games with New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Vancouver and “I could see that Jay would like him in Bakersfield,” Schwab says. “I had Toronto, Schwab has worked with his share of video coaches. He quickly a good idea of what kind of guy he’d like.” took a liking to Kim. Kim signed on with the Condors in July 2018 and moved to Southern Schwab admired Kim’s work ethic, detailed approach and the respectful California. way he expressed his views when asked to evaluate players. “He knows that I miss him here. He put a big mark in the development of “I’d had lots of experience as a player and as a coach. I’d been around a Korean hockey,” Paek says. “He’s a guy who wants to get better and lot of different guys who had done that work,” Schwab says. “To me, he better – and it shows.” stood out.” Sit around the Condors coaches’ office for a morning and it’s easy to see The Falcons finished second-to-last in the AHL in 2015-16, but all was Kim’s value to the staff — and how much he has on the go. not lost for Kim. He was about to receive an opportunity of a lifetime. And After a nearly hour-long video session, which is comprised of clips Kim it all was the result of a connection he’d made a few years prior. has cut, he hunkers down at his computer for more work.

As part of his graduate degree at UMass Amherst, Kim was assigned a There are several colour-coded notes stuck to his screen, a reminder of networking project. the varied tasks ahead. The next sign is when he toggles between Among the people he called to get ideas was Scott Gordon, coach of the screens. The monitor mounted on the wall flips between an index of the Islanders when Kim was the mascot and at the time an assistant with the players’ contact information and Google Maps as Kim plans an upcoming Maple Leafs. Gordon recommended Kim get in touch with Jim Paek, a road trip. It’s Kim’s job to ensure all the paperwork when a player arrives Korean-born, Toronto-raised former NHL defenceman, and passed along in Bakersfield from the Oilers or ECHL Wichita is handled properly. a phone number. Kim also fills in at practice on occasion. “If we need the help, he comes “I’ve gotta do something with this, but I didn’t know what I was gonna say on the ice,” Woodcroft says. “It’s also a reward for him because he does to him,” Kim recalls thinking. so much good work for the team. He’s team first.”

Instead, knowing Paek worked as an assistant coach for the AHL’s His colleagues, Woodcroft, Houle, assistant Dave Manson and Grand Rapids Griffins, Kim decided he’d write. The only problem was he goaltending goalie Sylvain Rodrigue, consider him a life saver. didn’t know Paek’s email address, so he had to guess. Kim tried six or Everything is organized and clips are easy to find so they can help seven iterations before his draft went through. players correct mistakes and reinforce good habits.

“He called back 24 hours later. We kept in touch,” Kim says. None of this comes as a surprise to Schwab and Paek — the latter of whom grew up with Woodcroft and his two brothers in Toronto and Paek left Michigan in 2014, returning to Korea in preparation for the 2018 played a minor-pro season with Jay in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2001-02. Olympics on home soil in Pyeongchang, where he’d coach the team. Unprompted, both Schwab and Paek mention the NHL as the next step Less than two years out, he was looking for a video coach. for Kim.

“If he didn’t email me way back when, he would have never came to “From my time working with him, he definitely showed he has what it mind,” Paek says in an interview from Seoul. “Just that initial phone call takes to be at that level and to succeed at that level and be an asset to and then we kept in contact. Then his opportunity came up and it was a the coaching staff,” Schwab says. logical decision. “He’s a self motivator. His career evolved,” Paek says. “Where he came “He was the first one on my list because he is Korean, he speaks the from to where he’s gonna go to, there’s no mistake he’s gonna be in the language and his experience in what he does.” NHL soon.”

Kim’s title of video coach spared many details of what the role entailed. The list, in addition to cutting video clips, was long: pre-scouts, preparing Woodcroft got his start as a coach in pro hockey with the 2005 Red Wings in Kim’s current position. He’s a tough critic of the job. But he’s been won over by Kim.

“He is an NHL video coach in waiting,” Woodcroft says. “He’s that good.”

But Kim’s had almost every job and managed almost every responsibility at so many levels of hockey over the last several years. Perhaps, as he’s shown, there are other tasks he can accomplish.

“If you had asked me that question five years ago, for sure NHL video coach is what I wanted to be. If you ask me now, I don’t want to create a box for myself,” Kim says.

“Right now, I just wanna do the best job that I can where I am right now and in what I do and move up the ladder — whatever that may be, wherever that takes me. I just wanna be the best at what I’m doing and be the best at anything else in the future.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172624 Edmonton Oilers want to play in the NHL, there’s a draft there too. What happens if the Edmonton Oilers choose you? Or the Toronto Maple Leafs? I mean, are you going to dictate where you’re going to go in the NHL?” And he said, “Well, no, it doesn’t work that way.” And I said, “Exactly. It doesn’t work ‘He’s special’: The people who know him best tell the story of how Leon that way — and it’s the same here. If you want to come over, we can Draisaitl took the NHL by storm provide you with a huge opportunity. You’re going to play big minutes. You’re going to play in all situations. The potential for you to be a high

draft choice next year is very real.” Eric Duhatschek Campese isn’t completely sure if his long history of playing in Europe Jan 24, 2020 helped facilitate matters, though logically, it did. It gave the Draisaitls confidence that someone with an understanding of how hockey worked in Germany would have Leon’s back, as he made the adjustment to life in northern Saskatchewan. PA also had one advantage: The billet family, At the NHL’s official one-quarter mark of the 2019-20 season, the Carol and Ralph Ring, had previously hosted future NHLers Mike Edmonton Oilers had played 22 games and in that span Leon Draisaitl Modano and Dean McAmmond. Given that Draisaitl was just a teenager, had scored 43 points, which put him on pace for 160 for the season, a his parents wanted to ensure their son was well taken care of away from total only one player not named Wayne Gretzky had ever reached. the rink. Naturally, that was an unsustainable level of offence – and the numbers Campese: Leon was coming over as this profile guy, so we wanted to have fallen off for Draisaitl since then. But when the Oilers went into their make sure that when selecting the billet for him, we had the right billet – bye week following last Saturday’s win over the Arizona Coyotes, and we did. Obviously, the mom and dad are really concerned. Their son Draisaitl was still second in the NHL in scoring, one point behind is moving a long way away from home. I can remember telling them: teammate Connor McDavid, and he and McDavid were tied for sixth in We’ve got some great billets here, but there’s one billet in particular that’s goals. All this comes a year after Draisaitl finished fourth in the scoring had Mike Modano, Dean McAmmond. So that really helped that whole race and second to Alex Ovechkin in the race for the Rocket Richard process. I knew Carol would take care of all the little details, she’s just trophy. that type of person. And I know her and Leon, they’re still in contact and And yet, Draisaitl is – if anything – even more private than McDavid, she visits Leon periodically still. neither of whom has much of an appetite for speaking publicly about their Act 2: Draisaitl arrives in Prince Albert inner thoughts. And so, with the 2020 All-Star Game on tap in St. Louis this weekend, we probed and prodded the people who’ve crossed paths In Prince Albert, Draisaitl became fast friends with defenceman Josh with Draisaitl over the years to mine their best stories and get a deeper Morrissey, who’d already had a full WHL season under his belt. sense of who this 24-year-old superstar from Cologne, Germany really is. Morrissey and Draisaitl played together for two years with the Raiders and then parts of a third season with the Kelowna Rockets. What follows is the Leon Draisaitl origin story in five separate acts. Josh Morrissey, Raiders defenceman: When Leon first came over, he Act 1: The pitch was 17, so we were the same age, but my draft year was one year For Draisaitl, the journey to the NHL started innocently enough — at a before his because he was a late birthday. But we immediately hit it off Best Western hotel near the train station in his hometown of Cologne and became best friends right away. We were in the same classes at where he and his father, Peter Draisaitl, first met with Bruno Campese, school. Both of us just loved hockey and were trying to get better at it, so general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. Prince Albert we’d spend all our time watching hockey and talking about hockey and had drafted Draisaitl second overall in the 2012 CHL import draft but was saying, “Maybe one day, we’ll get in the NHL.” After I was drafted that having a hard time convincing him PA was the best place for him to be to year, he was asking me all the time: “What was the draft like? What was facilitate his dream of playing in the NHL. the development camp like? What was it like being in the same dressing room and at training camp and meeting guys like Blake Wheeler, Mark Bruno Campese, GM, Prince Albert Raiders: We knew that Leon and his Scheifele, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien?” Obviously, it’s surreal, when family had no interest in coming out West. His agent had something you’re in junior to go through that. So that season, his draft year, him and worked out with a team in Quebec or Ontario and that was their I just had great chemistry. preference. The Western league wasn’t even an option at that point. They talked about him just staying at home in Germany and playing. So, Brendan Guhle, Raiders defenceman: My first year, I was at rookie we started down the path of trying to contact Leon directly. We didn’t camp, I wasn’t eligible to play with the team, but that was his rookie camp have his contact info, but I did have his dad’s. I played against his dad in too. His English wasn’t as good. The next year, when I got back there, it Europe, so I sent him an email after the Euro draft and had no response. was a lot better. His size dominated at that level – just super dynamic, I kept sending him emails periodically through the summer and didn’t dangerous all the time. He used his size well in the corners and really hear anything back. It was getting on to the first part of August. Training could fend guys off. He’d almost be like a step ahead of everyone else. camp was right around the corner and I remember sitting in my office, Following Draisaitl’s second year in Prince Albert, he went third overall to thinking, “God, this is not going to happen.” And then one morning, out of the Oilers in the 2014 entry draft. Draisaitl started his first professional the blue, I got a response back from his dad, who was coaching in Czech season in Edmonton, but in 37 games, scored only two goals and nine at that time; Leon and his mom, were living in Cologne. This was a Friday points and averaged 12:42 per night in ice time. At Christmas, the Oilers morning. He texted: “I’m going to be home for the weekend but then had a decision to make: Keep him in the NHL or let him return to junior. leaving Tuesday to go back to Czech.” Even before I responded to his In the end, the Oilers assigned Draisaitl back to PA, but knowing that the message, I went ahead and booked a flight and a hotel. Then I Rockets were negotiating a trade that would reunite him on a team with a messaged him that I would be there on Saturday. I think they were a little chance to compete for the Memorial Cup. taken aback that I actually was going to come. Bruce Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets GM: I started talking with MacT (Craig Campese left immediately, flying from Saskatoon to Toronto, then MacTavish, then the Oilers’ general manager) once I got the permission Toronto to Frankfurt and made his way to Cologne by train. He booked a to speak with him and said, “Maybe this guy needs to come back to junior hotel near the train station, which is where he made his pitch to the and experience some success and have a little bit of fun.” Because with Draisaitls about why coming to Prince Albert made sense. what was going on there in Edmonton, there can’t be a lot of that going Campese: I knew my window was really small and if I didn’t get over on. And I think that’s what happened when Leon came here. Once he got there, this wasn’t going to happen. In PA, you’re not working for an going and had some success and the winning, I think that all really owner. You’re working for a board of directors. But I had told our board of helped him. I also think being back with his group of guys, age-wise, was directors that this was the best player possible — we knew that he was a big thing for him too. Because when a guy that age is up there in the just too good to play in Germany, and that he had to come over. When I NHL, he’s on his own a lot of the time. And I don’t think Leon was quite got the information from the dad that he was willing to meet, we had to ready for that yet. spend the money to go over there. There were a few little things about him – trivial maybe – but they So, I went there and made my pitch. I can honestly remember saying to showed me the kind of person he was. When he came here, our team the kid: “The draft is a draft. I know that you didn’t want to come out uses Bauer sticks and he used Warrior. I told him, “We’ll work it out with West, that you wanted to go to Ontario or to Quebec.” But I said, “If you Bauer so you can use Warrior” and he said, “No Bruce, I want to have what everyone else has.” That may sound like nothing, but it was big for made me a better player. So, it’s always fun playing against him. I mean, us because the rest of the kids saw he was going to be just like them and it is and it isn’t fun. Him and Connor — it’s always a battle and that’s all he wanted — to be one of the guys. sometimes you get scored on because him and Connor are so good. They can really fly out there. Draisaitl scored 53 points in 32 regular-season games for Kelowna and then added another 28 in 19 playoff games for the Rockets. The only Marco Sturm, Los Angeles Kings assistant, former coach of the German thing that would have made it better is if the Rockets had been able to national team: I played with his father Peter in Nagano and he was very win the Memorial Cup that year. similar to Leon in the style they play. Very smart, with and without the puck. A natural centerman. Peter had maybe not as much speed as Leon Hamilton: He was an elite player and a big man and guys would run at because Leon’s speed is sneaky. You don’t think he has a lot of speed, him all the time and it never bothered him. He just kept playing. I but he does. He’s a really good skater. His dad wasn’t like that – but in remember, the year we were in the Memorial Cup, one of the teams kept every other area of their games, they’re very much alike. They could read going after his hands on the faceoffs. I think our trainers adjusted his the play very well. The only thing with Leon is there’s room in the gloves for him because on every faceoff, they were trying to get his defensive part. I think his goal should be to win the Selke as well. To be hands. And I know he had blue thumbnails from it, but he never that guy. Like a Kopitar. Or even Sidney Crosby. But I think he can do it complained. too. I don’t worry about his offensive game. He’s done it. He’s proved it. Many times, the team would go out for dinner after games and Leon And he will get better. I’m a big fan. But I think he can do the other side would pick up the bill at Earl’s. He was as genuine a person as I’ve ever too, the defensive side, just like those other guys did. had come through here. He never asked for anything special. He’s very Act 4: How Draisaitl’s emergence has impacted hockey in Germany similar to Jamie Benn and the Foote kids. They just want to play. And he fit in with the guys. He knew he was going to be a leader in some part of Sturm coached Draisaitl at two world championships but says his it, but he wasn’t going to step on the feet of Rod Southam, who was our greatest impact came in a tournament almost no one saw – the 2017 captain then. Leon jumped right into line. Whatever Rod was doing, Leon Olympic qualifying tournament, played before the start of the 2017-18 was a part of it. NHL season, in which Germany had to play four games and win them all in order to qualify for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. Because it was To this day, I still communicate with him. The Oilers were here for a preseason, Germany was able to use its NHL players in the qualifying couple of days for training camp this year and we had a real good visit. I tournament, which took place in Latvia and obliged them to win a game still text him when he has big nights and I text him on nights when things against the host Latvians to qualify. aren’t great just to tell him to keep his chin up. He is a solid, solid person. Tobias Rieder, former Oilers teammate and teammate on German Act 3: The first tentative steps toward NHL greatness national team: You played in Latvia and the best team we had to beat Draisaitl returned to the Oilers for the start of the 2015-16 season. He was Latvia, so they had a home game. We’ve played them a lot at the didn’t have a great beginning to the season and was dispatched to AHL world championship and these are always tight games. It was at the end Bakersfield for six gamest. Injuries on the big club gave him a ticket back of summer, so those were the first meaningful games you had to play at to the NHL and upon his return, Draisaitl took off. He finished the 2015- the start of the year and they were so big. So, it was tough tournament – 16 season with 51 points in 72 games and although the Oilers missed the four tough games, but it was fun that we won and sent a team to the playoffs, he was on his way – and showed enough promise to be Olympics. We played some of the time on a line together and I’ve played selected for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he world championships with Leon before too. He’s just an easy player to was coached by Ralph Krueger and Paul Maurice, among others. play with — one of the best in the world, so you’re just trying to find a way to get him the puck and then to get open. Paul Maurice, Team Europe assistant coach/Winnipeg Jets head coach: It was fun to watch the evolution of his game at the World Cup, even in Sturm: Everyone remembers how we won a silver medal (in that three weeks, because he started as a young kid and by the end, he PyeongChang), but Leon was one of the reasons we qualified in the first was a powerful man. He learned very quickly. The things he could get place. He had a huge impact the whole week – he was such a good away with in amateur, or when he first came over, he found he couldn’t player for us. It’s a tough tournament because you have to win all the get away with then – so he stopped trying them. And that’s a really games. And so, there’s a lot of pressure. But the fit was seamless – and important change. When you start to understand the game, then you that was surprising and that was the key. He did not act like he was a respect the game. And now, I find he’s got more of everything. He’s more special player. He was just one of them. He played with the system. He confident. He’s faster. But I also find his game has simplified a lot more. was unbelievable. True confidence is learning the plays that you don’t make – when you Even as Draisaitl’s notoriety increases, his fame doesn’t – and according know what the right one is and you’re patient and you wait for it. You filter to the people who know him, that’s deliberate. The spotlight has little out the feeling that you have to make a play every time you touch the interest to him. puck. Sturm: He goes home to Cologne every summer and everyone knows Jordan Eberle, Oilers teammate, 2014-17: Leon was a high draft pick, so him there. He’s the king. You will see him once in a while in a commercial it’s not as if he came out of nowhere, but it took him a little bit of time to but he’s not a guy who will be in the paper every day. He could be – or realize how good he was. He came into the league and we struggled, on the cover of (Der Spiegel). He just doesn’t want that. He’s a quiet guy. and he was in and out of the lineup. He got sent back to junior his first That’s just the way he is. He just wants to be alone. He just wants to year and then he got sent to the minors in his second year, and I think hang out with his friends. He wants to get away. I think that’s why he’s maybe that hurt his confidence a bit. But once he got going, it was like, building a house in Spain, where he always goes, so he can get away “Boom! He’s here to stay.” He’s big, he’s strong and he’s a powerful and play golf and just have fun. But you know what? He’s still a kid – and skater. I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for how fast he is. He he loves the game more than anything. He just wants to go out and he skates somewhat like Pavel Datsyuk – just effortless. He finds a way to wants to play – badly. He doesn’t want to sit. He hates to sit, even for a gather speed that way. You watch him play, his backhand passes, the shift. He just wants to be on the ice – and he wants to be on the ice all way he sees the ice, he just turned into the player we all thought he could the time – because he knows he can be a difference maker. be. Rieder: He’s still really, really young, so he still has lots of time, and if he Coming out of the World Cup, Draisaitl blossomed further in 2016-17, keeps going like he is now, there’s no doubt he’s going to be one of the which was his first full 82-game NHL season, where he scored 77 points, all-time greats in Germany. He already is actually. In Germany, it’s a little including 29 goals. But where Draisaitl made an even greater impact was different comparing soccer to hockey because everybody watches in the playoffs, where Edmonton won the opening round and got to Game soccer. Hockey, not so much. Still, a lot of people know him – and more 7 of the second round against the Anaheim Ducks. Draisaitl had 19 and more young players are coming up. What helped a lot was winning points in 13 playoff games that spring and many people thought he may silver at the Olympics, where Marco was the coach. That put hockey a have outplayed McDavid. How did he get so good so fast? little more on the map in Germany.

Morrissey: The development curve for him, even when he first came Korbinian Holzer, Ducks defenceman and a German teammate: His dad over, was very fast. From the beginning, you saw how much ability he actually was my coach in my second year of pro, so it was nice playing had. He’s such a great passer. Obviously, he has the size. He really with Leon on the national team. He’s a funny guy, with a dry sense of worked on his skating throughout his years in junior. Now, he has that humour. That’s his personality. He likes to crack the odd joke – not extra gear. Playing against him in practice every day for three years everyone gets it all the time. But he’s sarcastic and I like that because I’m sarcastic too. He’s a very gifted player and obviously a very determined one night (in early December) and he could have had a point on every player too. He put in a lot of work as a young kid. He’s doing a lot of good shift – that’s how dangerous he is. Especially playing with Connor. things already and the older he gets, the more he’ll mature and the more learning he’ll do. It was nice to hang around with him on the national Morrissey: In junior, we played NHL video games, but we also watched a team and obviously, I’m cheering for a guy from the same country. lot of games on TV to see if there were things that we could do in the game that NHL teams were doing. Or sometimes, we’d look at the Sturm: I did an interview with a German paper earlier this year and said chemistry certain teams would have on the power play and try to do the to them: “There were some games I’ve seen this year, when I thought same things. He’s such a hard worker, and such a humble guy, not Leon was better than Connor.” It’s tough to beat 97 over the long stretch arrogant at all. Every time we play against them now, we’re looking at – but that’s how far he’s come. And it’s impressive. The biggest problem each other across the ice, and I can’t help but smile – because we talked – and I saw it happen with Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best basketball about playing in the NHL so many times when we were younger and now players ever — but if they’re not playing in your country, it’s a different we actually get a chance to do it. It’s pretty special. You really can’t even (level of fame). Sometimes, you don’t hear anything about them for a put it into words. week or two. In Germany, it’s more about the sports and the athletes that are in the country. If you’re out of the country, it’s hard if you’re too far The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 away. With the time change too, following hockey is difficult. And it’s not on free TV, except for a few games here and there. It was the same, even with Dirk. Everyone knows Dirk, but people sometimes cared more about a second-league soccer player. At home, Leon can say whatever he wants and he can say no to anyone – and they can’t do anything about it. Over here, it’s a little different. Here, he has to say yes. If he wants to be that elite player, he has to do everything that comes with that as well.

Act 5: The present

Draisaitl had a spectacular beginning to the 2019-20 season and then underwent a stretch where his production tailed off and his plus-minus rating sank. More recently, he’s gotten back in the groove again.

Dave Tippett, Oilers head coach: Leon’s the first guy at the rink — here early all the time. I always know if I want to talk to him about something, I can find him before anyone else gets there. There’s a commitment there that’s pretty strong. There are still some guys that have that. I’m surprised there aren’t more that do.

Oscar Klefbom, Oilers defenceman: For the Europeans, he’s really important in the locker room – a lot of the stuff you don’t see. He’s a funny guy. He can be a little grumpy sometimes, but we know how to handle that now, so it’s all good. Direct is a good word to describe him. He and Connor are very different as leaders. Not one is better than the other. They’re different. We’re all different. That’s what makes a good team – when you have a good mix of personalities – and I think Leon put a lot of pressure on himself, and the team as well, and that’s a good thing.

Tippett: Leon really dug in this summer and watched a lot of videotape of how Pavel Datsyuk played. So, you’re stepping out the box. You’re saying, “How can I get myself to an elite level.” Some guys are just trying to train to stay in the league. He’s trying to get to an elite level. And it goes in steps. You’re always trying to improve. But that’s the passion of doing what you can to make yourself the best player.

Campese: The one thing Leon did when he was with us was study. He didn’t just watch NHL games. He studied them, both him and Morrissey. It’s no fluke that they’re elite players in the NHL right now. Both those kids really put a lot of extra time into their games. Honestly, I was taken aback by that. I thought Leon was just another teenager coming over to play hockey. This kid was so dialled in. He wanted to know about everything – the community, the rink, everything. It was amazing how informed he was before he even got to Prince Albert. It didn’t take him very long to figure things out.

Hamilton: He and Connor are a unique pair to have on that team. Leon’s happy that Connor has to answer all the questions. And yet, Leon knows. He takes responsibility like nobody else for how he plays. And he’s results driven. That’s how he is. Those two guys, I love watching them play. I had Connor at the world junior team for two years and they’re very similar. They don’t ask for much.

Klefbom: Soccer is his other sport. He’s one of the best guys when we play two-touch before the games. He’s got some good touch. (Smiles) Connor’s probably one of the worst – that’s a big difference between those two. Soccer’s probably the sport that he could be really good at if he wasn’t playing hockey. He’s a good athlete and has good touch – with the puck and the soccer ball.

Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, Kings forward Anze Women get chance to show skills at NHL All-Star weekend Kopitar and Jets forward Mark Scheifele talk during warmups before the skills competition at NHL All-Star weekend. Kacey Bellamy (22) of the United States and Renata Fast (14) of Canada battle for the puck during the first period of the women’s three-on-three Being seen on Friday could accelerate that plan. “Definitely they should game during NHL All-Star weekend. come back next year and get them more involved,” Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi said.

The other winners on Friday were Montreal’s Shea Weber (hardest shot, HELENE ELLIOTT 106.5 mph); Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin of Carolina (accuracy, five targets in 9.505 seconds); and the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal (fastest JAN. 24, 2020 10:38 PM skater, 13.175 seconds). The league announced next year’s game will be hosted by the Panthers in Sunrise, Fla.

ST. LOUIS — The NHL’s All-Star skills event managed to be frivolous Bettman, speaking at a news conference before the skills events, praised yet significant, a lighthearted show that made a serious statement when it the state of the league. gave elite female hockey players a prominent role in celebrating the “Simply stated, it has never been better,” he said, calling the competitive sport’s best. balance “the best in all of sports.” He said arrangements are underway to There were the usual contests for the fastest skater, hardest shot, most establish a hotline that will allow players to anonymously report abusive accurate shooter and most consecutive saves by a goaltender. Happily behavior by coaches. The league also is determining the content of for fans at Enterprise Center, Blues goalie Jordan Binnington won the training programs it mandated for all coaches and personnel following the save streak contest by stopping 10 straight breakaways. Tomas Hertl disclosure that former Calgary coach Bill Peters was verbally abusive took a shot while wearing a Justin Bieber mask, and if players let toward former NHL player Akim Aliu. Binnington have an easy time, there was no harm in that. Bettman also said he expected to “reengage shortly” with the NHL Many players had their children with them. Anze Kopitar, the lone Players’ Assn. to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. The representative of the two Southern California teams, had his daughter league and the NHLPA agreed to keep the current agreement, which Neza and son Jakob close by. “It was pure joy,” Kopitar said with a smile expires Sept. 15, 2022. rarely seen during the Kings’ difficult season. In addition, he downplayed an August deadline issued by Rene Fasel, One new wrinkle this year was the Shooting Stars contest, in which NHL president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, for the NHL to and female players stood on platforms above the ice and shot at targets declare if it will send players to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. for points. Not really a hockey skill, but it became a fun moment when “He also said last summer that he wanted an answer by December and retired Blues forward Keith Tkachuk joined his sons Matthew (Calgary) he didn’t get one. So we’re going to have to see,” Bettman said. “We and Brady (Ottawa). Chicago’s Patrick Kane won. believe our experience both in going to five Olympics and not going to The three-on-three mini-game between elite female players from the Pyeongchang [in 2018] tells us that going is extremely disruptive to the United States and Canada stood above the gimmicks. The fact that season. You’ve all heard me say it. We were very comfortable with not Canada won 2-1 was less important than the women getting favorable going.” attention. Female players have the Olympics to look forward to and the world Jeff Solomon, the Kings’ executive vice president of hockey operations championships but few other highly competitive events. Being included in and legal affairs, poses with the Stanley Cup. the NHL All-Star events was a useful and welcome showcase for them, one that should continue to grow. “It’s awesome that they’re here and they get to experience this, but also to grow the game and understand that hockey is for everyone,” Dallas LA Times: LOADED: 01.25.2020 Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “I have two little sisters that play hockey. I’ve been at many women’s hockey games. There’s a lot of skill out there.”

This was the third straight All-Star weekend the NHL has invited female players. After U.S. forward Kendall Coyne Schofield finished seventh last year in the fastest skater event, the NHL smartly took note of the positive reaction to her effort. The boost is powerful, whether the league decided women are an untapped market or it’s genuinely interested in helping the women’s game advance.

“The fact that we can shine, using our light, a brighter light on the women’s game is, I think, a positive for them, for the game and for the young girls watching and aspiring to do the same thing,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.

It was too bad they played only two 10-minute periods of running time but they’ll play a full contest at Honda Center on Feb. 8 in the finale of their fierce rivalry series. For their participation here the NHL promised to split a $100,000 donation between USA Hockey and Hockey Canada. The U.S. goal was scored by Hilary Knight on a setup from Annie Pankowski of Laguna Hills.

“When you watch the women’s game there’s perceptions maybe it’s slower. It’s not as physical. They’re not as talented. They’re not as big. We’ve heard it all our whole life,” Coyne said. “I would say we’re equally as entertaining. ... There’s 20 of us here but a heck of a lot more incredible women who aren’t here this weekend.”

Coyne is among the top players who are sitting out the National Women’s Hockey League season in hopes they can build a stable league that will pay better salaries. “The NHL is helping us get the exposure that we need and I think the partnership is there,” said Canada forward 1172626 Los Angeles Kings “I don’t know if he’s the best, but he (Kempe) spends a lot of money on it.”

Who always avoids paying the bill at a restaurant? Kings player poll: Everyone loves to make fun of Adrian Kempe’s clothes Winner — Matt Roy and more juicy tidbits Honorable mention — Amadio.

Who is/was the worst road roommate? Lisa Dillman Co-winners — Matt Luff and Austin Wagner Jan 24, 2020 “Me or Wags (Austin Wagner). We both snore.”

“Wags. He talks too much.” Covering a hockey team is a lot like hanging out with someone’s large family. OK, a very large family. “It was (Dustin) Penner. I only had him for one trip and he just blared music all the time. Did Pens things but great guy.” Here is what the two groups have in common: They work together. They argue. If necessary, they band together against outsiders. Which one of your teammates spends the most time in the weight room?

Mostly they tease each other. Winner — Lewis

A lot. Other contenders — Clifford, Dustin Brown, Blake Lizotte, Kurtis MacDermid and Martinez. The Athletic released its 2020 NHL Player Poll on Monday and a team of reporters contributed to the large-scale project. Now, Nate Silver or Who has the best (and worst) taste in music? Gallup won’t be calling us up to ask for polling tips, but we managed to get 15 Kings players to help out and the promise of anonymity helped the No real consensus as plenty of names were flying around in this category cause, too. – best and worst.

They passed on a couple of questions, including the best and worst Kempe managed to get votes for best and worst. Derek Forbort got a officials — understandable since many of them are still in their first (or vote for the worst taste because of his alleged inconsistency. second) NHL season and are still trying to remember their names. “Cliffy has the best — country. Worst would probably be Doughty or just The best part about conducting the poll was the chirping that went on hard rap guys.” when teammates were within earshot. “Cliffy is strictly country so it’s not bad. We’ll throw Walks (Sean Walker) Put it this way: These guys hear everything in the dressing room. in there and hope he sees that. He just listens to the radio. I don’t think he has a playlist.” On to the results … “Wags because he has some hits but he thinks they are the best. I think Who is always late? the best music person is Carts (Jeff Carter).”

The winner — Drew Doughty (close to a landslide!) “I’d have to say AI (Iafallo). He always puts on Christmas music when we’re in the car. Even when it’s not Christmas.” Honorable mention — Nikolai Prokhorkin (Iafallo emphatically denied this accusation.) “No. 8.” “Probably Dewey. I know he’ll probably say me. He thinks because I “Nobody is ever running late but just in the nick of time is No. 8.” don’t listen to today’s hits.” Who is the most superstitious? “Forby likes to mix in a rap song with an old classic song. He goes back Tie — Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis. and forth. You need to be in a certain vibe. If you have rap on – you stick with rap.” From our polling, there seems to be a lot of superstitious Kings. Or at least their teammates think so. To conclude, two answers from the Kings to the national poll stood out that we wanted to share. Other contenders — Alec Martinez, Michael Amadio, Matt Roy and Austin Wagner. Who is the dirtiest player in the league?

“He (Lewis) is crazy. Has to do his skates at a certain time. Wears the Zac Rinaldo of the Calgary Flames received a couple votes. same shirt if he got a point the game before.” “He’s really dirty,” said one player. “He’s been dirty since we were, like, “Wags (Wagner). He should just drop everything.” 15.”

“It was (Ilya) Kovalchuk, and then I think Dustin Brown. Or Austin Wagner Which player, not on your own team, would you most like to have a beer is in his own head.” with?

Who watches the most video? There was a nice variety of answers to this question but this response was memorable. Winner — Clifford. “Tyler Seguin, just because he attracts so many females, so then … it Honorable mention — Lewis. takes care of itself.”

Maybe they are superstitious when it comes to watching video? The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 Who is the best dressed?

Winner — Adrian Kempe

Receiving a vote — Alex Iafallo and Jack Campbell.

Kempe, whose nickname is Juice, dominated this category.

“Can we still say Dion Phaneuf?”

“Juice wants me to say it’s him, but I’m not going to … I’d give it to Juice.”

“Probably Kempe. I’m not going to give him the compliment.” 1172627 Minnesota Wild Vancouver stays in the playoff race. Already, he’s averaging 21-plus minutes a game.

Vezina Trophy: best goalie MVP and more: Midseason picks for NHL awards Front-runner: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets These are the front-runners, challengers and underdogs at midseason for Challenger: Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues NHL awards. Underdog: Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

With 40 starts, 21 wins and four shutouts, Hellebuyck is among the Sarah McLellan leaders in net. Binnington has more victories and a better goals-against JANUARY 25, 2020 — 12:02AM average, but Kuemper’s .929 save percentage is tops among all three. If he can regain form after getting sidelined with a lower-body injury last month, the former Wild netminder would seriously improve his chances.

The All-Star Game in St. Louis won’t be the only time this year the NHL’s Jack Adams Award: coach of the year elite will gather in one place. Front-runner: Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins Many on the ice Saturday could reunite after the season when the league hands out its annual hardware at the NHL Awards. Challenger: John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets

With the schedule barely half over, there’s plenty of hockey to be played Underdog: Travis Green, Canucks when the season resumes next week. But already it’s clear who’s making After guiding the Penguins to an 18-6-4 record while captain Sidney a case for some of the league’s top honors. Crosby was hurt, Sullivan will receive serious consideration — Hart Trophy: player most valuable to his team particularly if Pittsburgh remains dangerous without injured Jake Guentzel. Tortorella is making a similar case in Columbus, with the Blue Front-runner: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Jackets in a playoff spot despite missing their starting goalie. As for Green, his Canucks are leading the Pacific Division at the break, and if Challenger: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche they continue to battle for that spot, that should earn him kudos. Underdog: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins Star Tribune LOADED: 01.25.2020 McDavid isn’t just leading the NHL in points (76) and dropping jaws with his blistering speed and highlight-reel goals. He’s helping the Oilers actually contend after they struggled to keep pace in recent years. But if Edmonton falters, that could open the door for MacKinnon — especially if the Avalanche catches the Blues for the top spot in the Central Division. The Bruins are deep, which could go against Pastrnak, but a 60-goal campaign might bolster his chances. He’s on pace for 59.

Norris Trophy: best all-around defenseman

Front-runner: John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Challenger: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Underdog: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

The best defenseman on the NHL’s best team at the break, Carlson might have this award locked up; he averages top-10 minutes and has a league-high 60 points among defenders. Josi might be able to close the gap if he helps the Predators climb into a playoff spot. After that, the field is wide open because Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton suffered a broken leg. He was third in midseason voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Hedman could end up as the other finalist.

Selke Trophy: best defensive forward

Front-runner: Patrice Bergeron, Bruins

Challenger: Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers

Underdog: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

A four-time winner, Bergeron always seems to be in the running, and he’s back in contention with the Bruins vying for the top spot in the NHL. But keep an eye on Couturier, who actually finished first in the PHWA’s midseason voting. He’s having a productive season (43 points), is strong on faceoffs and very responsible in his own end. Barkov is still seeking his first nomination even though he’s long been deserving; maybe this is the year, with the Panthers a tough out under new coach Joel Quenneville.

Calder Trophy: top rookie

Front-runner: Cale Makar, Avalanche

Challenger: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Underdog: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

After an impressive NHL debut during last season’s playoffs, Makar continues to dazzle with his on-ice awareness and shot. But Hughes is only three points behind him and Olofsson just two. Buffalo’s struggles might hurt Olofsson’s candidacy, but Hughes could gain more attention if 1172628 Minnesota Wild

Checking in with the Wild at the NHL All-Star break

JANUARY 24, 2020 — 5:49PM

Staff Writer

Age gap: Wild center Eric Staal is the second-oldest participant in this year’s NHL All-Star Game, a year younger than 36-year-old Mark Giordano from Calgary. The youngest? Twenty-year-olds Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk. Staal played alongside Tkachuk’s dad, Keith, at the 2009 All-Star Game. “You feel like, ‘Hey, you’re here with your peers.’ But in reality, I’m 12, 13, 14 years older than some of these guys, so that’s a huge age difference and a lot of life in between,” Staal said. “But when you’re talking hockey and you’re competing in games or events, you don’t feel any different. So that’s the weird part.”

Sticking with it: Winger Zach Parise cruised into the break on a five-game point streak, with five goals in that span, and all of those goals came with winger Jason Zucker’s stick. “I was going through a little drought,” Parise explained. “I broke one in practice, grabbed Zucker’s stick [and] scored right away. I said, ‘I’m using this tomorrow [vs. Pittsburgh],’ and I did. I’ve used it since.”

Helping hand: Defenseman Matt Dumba made an assist off the ice Monday night after leaving Xcel Energy Center following the Wild’s 5-4 loss to Florida. Dumba stopped to help a car parked in the middle of the road and offered to help get gas and restart the vehicle, with his good deed getting publicized on social media. “It’s just something that I would do if I saw it again,” he said. “It’s just kind of how I was brought up. I don’t think it’s too big of a deal.”

Shootout Goal

Second-half spotlight: Now that it’s done, the first half of the NHL season felt like a whirlwind — a blur of coaching changes, some pretty spectacular goals (remember Andrei Svechnikov’s lacrosse-style finish from October and December?) and a nonstop game of musical chairs in the standings. Once the league picks back up next week, there’ll be plenty to watch. Which teams will prevail in a Pacific Division that has one point separating the first and fifth seeds? How much closer will Alex Ovechkin get to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record? Who will use the trade deadline to improve? The sprint to the finish line begins Monday. Buckle up.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172629 Minnesota Wild Famer?” to a number of hockey’s heaviest hitters, many of whom are familiar with or are actually part — or previously were part — of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

Is Eric Staal a Hall of Famer? Hockey’s heavy hitters discuss the All- Basically, as of now, the consensus is: It’s borderline. Star’s case Here’s a list of hockey’s 411-person Hall of Fame and their statistics, and the one thing that each person we spoke to has been consistent with: Good stats and longevity doesn’t always get it done. Michael Russo The reality is 1,000 points without the needed addition of hardware, Jan 24, 2020 postseason awards like First or Second Team All-Star nods or multiple Stanley Cups sometimes doesn’t scream Hall of Famer.

“But Eric’s got a strong case to be made,” said Hall of Famer Scotty Every veteran player, especially those who have played hockey as long Bowman, who spent 15 years on the 18-person Hall of Fame selection as Eric Staal, eventually has that epiphany on the ice — “Holy mackerel, committee until 2017. “To me, it’s too early to say, but the good news is I’ve done this a very long time.” he’s got some time left to play, eh? It’s not like he’s ready to retire. So the For the 35-year-old Staal, that moment occurred Monday night during the next year or two may be the difference-maker. Wild’s game against the Florida Panthers when as soon as he got out on “He’s a strong candidate, and as a coach, I used to look for players who the ice, he skated up to a 21-year-old named Riley Stillman and had a could play in any situation, and that’s been Eric Staal’s entire career. I pretty touching moment where he got the defenseman smiling ear to ear. don’t always look at stats because you could pick apart stats. I look for “I said, ‘Welcome, kid, you made it. Glad you’re here. You look great, and players you can lean on, you’re looking for that extra special player, and I’m very proud of you,’” Staal said, smiling, before letting loose a chuckle. there’s a case to me to be made that Staal’s long been that guy.” “Or … something like that. But that’s the first time that’s happened to me. Eric Staal I mean, playing against a friend and former teammate’s son?” With his family on hand, Eric Staal was honored Wednesday for scoring When Staal was 20 and 21 years old back in 2005-06 — his second 1,000 career points. The gold stick, he says, is “super-heavy.” (Harrison season in the NHL, he used to go over to 32-year-old Carolina Barden / USA Today) Hurricanes teammate Cory Stillman’s house to play mini-sticks with his three children, Riley, Chase and Maddie. Bowman also pointed out what a number of people reminded The Athletic — this is not the “NHL Hall of Fame,” it’s the “Hockey Hall of “Just running around the house having fun, and now Riley’s in the NHL Fame,” and international play like Olympics, world juniors, world … and I’m still in the NHL,” Staal said. “It’s pretty crazy. Riley was championships and World Cups matters. between the 8 and 10 area those three years I used to go play mini-sticks with him, and it really got me thinking because now, for me, having a 10- In hockey history, Staal is one of 29 members of the Triple Gold Club, and 8-year-old, it’s that next generation. It’s cool when you think of it like which denotes players who have won gold medals in the Olympics and that. I’m still playing this game at the highest level and against my world championships and a Stanley Cup. friend’s kids and have kids the ages of the kid I used to go play with.” Nine of those Triple Gold members are in the Hall of Fame with several Two nights after Staal played against the “next generation” of Stillman, others being eventual candidates, including shoo-ins like Jaromir Jagr Staal was on the green carpet Wednesday night with his wife, Tanya, and Sidney Crosby. their 10-year-old, Parker, 8-year-old, Levi, and 5-year-old, Finley. It’s just a tough debate, though, when it comes to Staal. Staal received a Tiffany crystal from Wild owner Craig Leipold and a “super-heavy” gold stick from general manager Bill Guerin Now, while he did grow up in the NHL era of playing the same center commemorating Staal last month becoming the 89th player in NHL position as guys like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and now Connor history to reach the 1,000-point milestone with a sniped goal in Chicago. McDavid, Staal never won a Calder Trophy, a Hart Trophy or was named to the First All-Star team. In 2005-06, the year Carolina won the Stanley But perhaps the most spine-tingling moment of the ceremony was simply Cup and the year he scored a career-high 45 goals and 100 points, Staal watching Staal’s three hockey-playing boys stare up at the center-ice was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star team behind first-teamer Joe video board with wide eyes as they watched their father reach that Thornton. milestone in a Wild sweater one day before they all were set to fly to St. Louis to celebrate husband and father’s sixth career All-Star Weekend. Staal did have two exceptional Hurricanes postseasons where he combined to score 19 goals and 43 points in 43 games, but he also had STAALSY #MNWILD PIC.TWITTER.COM/GIZKS3Q1AS three recent sub-par ones with the Rangers and Wild where he combined to score a goal and two assists in 15 games. — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) JANUARY 23, 2020 Voters do look at that. One of Staal’s closest friends on the Wild is Ryan Suter, who could not have been prouder to be the one who passed Staal the puck for his And while he’s below a point per game in his career like, say, Hall of landmark point in Chicago. After that game, Suter said he had been Famer Paul Kariya who never reached 1,000 points or 1,000 games telling Staal for the past few years that he was going to be a Hall of because his career was cut short due to injuries, Staal is No. 5 in scoring Famer, and 1,000 points “just solidifies that, for sure.” (1,012 points in 1,224 games) over the span of his career. And, all four ahead of him will undoubtedly be headed to the Hall of Fame (Alex For an endless number of reasons, there are few players Suter respects Ovechkin, Crosby, Thornton and Malkin). more than Staal. One thing that could hurt Staal is the arc of his career has been a bit “First, he’s a warrior,” Suter said of a guy who has played in 16 NHL scattershot in the tail end. There have been lulls, but Staal’s former seasons yet has missed 23 games total. “I also think it says a lot when teammate and the current coach of the Hurricanes, Rod Brind’Amour, you’re not a ‘100-percenter.’ Some of these guys, they have to be 100 said that shouldn’t be held against him. percent to play the games, and you’re never 100 percent. Try taking Eric Staal out of the lineup. You look at everything he’s accomplished, he’s “What I think is special about him is he kept going,” said Brind’Amour, a won gold medals, he’s won a Stanley Cup, he’s got 1,000 points, he’s Hall of Fame contender himself. “Here, it was a tough circumstance at been a captain, All-Star Games, the 1,200 games played, he’s a the end for Eric, and he put so much pressure on himself. But then, going professional in all aspects of his life. to a new place in Minnesota, where he could just relax and go play again, look what’s happened to him again. He’s going to his second All-Star “Add all that to his stats, to me, it’s a no-brainer he’ll one day be in the Game (in the past three years with the Wild), he’s back to scoring. Heck, Hall.” he had 42 (goals) again as a 33-year-old two years ago.”

If only it were that easy. Since 2003-04, Staal has played the second-most games in the NHL at The past five weeks since Suter called Staal a Hall of Famer in Chicago, 1,224 (Patrick Marleau is at 1,225), is tied with Marleau for the third-most The Athletic has been posing the question, “Is Eric Staal a Hall of goals at 434 (behind Ovechkin and Crosby), has taken the second-most shots at 3,830, has scored the eighth-most power-play goals at 132, has Jeremy Roenick 513 1,216 Yes No the ninth-most game-winning goals at 70 and logged the most minutes among all NHL forwards at 24,012 minutes, 18 seconds. Bernie Nicholls 475 1,209 Yes No

Staal reached the 1,000-point mark with a goal in Chicago on Dec. 15. Selection committee members typically have two months to research Hall While by no means an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame, only 89 of Fame contenders before their annual June meeting. players have reached the mark — and he’s not done. (Dennis Wierzbicki “A lot of research,” Burke said. “I take it very seriously. We get the / USA Today) materials well in advance of the meeting. There’s internal debates, Brian Burke, a longtime NHL executive who now is an analyst for there’s communication among select committee members. You can Sportsnet, is on the Hall of Fame selection committee, so, he said, “I’m request the Hall to do additional research. I use an outside researcher not permitted to comment on Eric’s qualifications as a potential Hall of just to double-check things for me.” Famer, nor would I, except to say that I admire him very much as a One thing perhaps someday that Staal will have going for him is Seattle player. GM Ron Francis, the Hall of Famer who used to play with and manage “It’s funny, because we’ve got a guy on our staff who bugs me about it Staal in Carolina, began a term on the Hall of Fame selection committee every fucking Saturday night,” Burke said, laughing. “He’s like, ‘Eric in 2016. So there’s a sense by some that Francis would be the type of Staal’s got to be a Hall of Famer.’ I’m like, ‘I can’t comment on it, you guy who could make an impassioned, compelling case for Staal once his shithead.’ And he’s rattling off the numbers: ‘He’s this, he’s that.’ And, of time of eligibility three years after he retires is triggered. course, I admire the family, so you don’t have to sell me, but I haven’t run The most direct way into the Hall is major awards, end-of-the-year All- the numbers. I mean, he’s not even retired and is a long way from even Star berths (not All-Star Games) where it’s obvious the player was one of being eligible.” the very best at his position, Stanley Cups and big numbers.

“I’ll give you an example,” said Burke, who drafted the Sedin Twins, Now, talking to somebody who requested anonymity, there are Henrik and Daniel — who ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, on the accumulators like Staal who put up impressive numbers over time, but NHL’s points list over the course of their 17-year careers — with the they don’t necessarily get in. One arguable comparable to Staal that this Vancouver Canucks. “People say to me, ‘The Twins are automatic, first- person and Bowman brought up is Pierre Turgeon, who despite 515 ballot Hall of Famers,’ but I don’t know if they are or not. I haven’t run goals and 1,327 points over the course of 1,294 games, has yet to crack their case. I haven’t sat down and examined. I know they’re in the hunt, the Hall’s walls despite retiring in 2007. but until they’ve been out for three years, it’s not even worth my time.’” There are Hall of Famers with less productive numbers, but they won a So how does one get into the Hall? lot of Stanley Cups and had a unique quality that set them apart. Guy We talked to John Davidson, the Hall of Fame selection committee’s Carbonneau is the most recent example last year. He scored 260 goals chair, and he gave a good synopsis. and 663 points in 1,318 games, but he won three Selke Trophies and three Stanley Cups. Basically, anybody in the world can send a letter on behalf of any player, builder or referee/linesman to the Hall of Fame — specifically Davidson “You’re also sometimes at the mercy of who’s eligible when it’s your or chairman of the board Lanny McDonald — suggesting that any man or time,” Bowman said. “Sometimes the field is light, so that’s your woman should be looked at for election into the Hall of Fame. opportunity to get in.”

That information is sent out to the 18-person selection committee, That happened to guys like 600-goal scorers Dino Ciccarelli and Dave reviewed and if somebody is going to officially be up for Hall of Fame Andreychuk, Bowman reminded. consideration, he or she must be nominated by a member of the The trick is convincing 14 of 18 selection committee members to vote a committee. person in. As one selection committee member joked, “It’s really hard to “You can’t have 10 great players and all 10 get in,” Davidson said. get 14 of 18 people to agree to anything.” “There’s a max of four and then there’s a max with the builders and “If you were running a U.S. presidential election and somebody got 13 officials. So there’s a strict, a very strict set of bylaws that we follow. It’s out of every 18 votes, 72 percent, that would be the greatest landside in also very important for us that everything is anonymous so it’s all kept electoral history,” said The Athletic hockey columnist Eric Duhatschek, very quiet and people don’t even know who’s nominated in case they who spent 15 years on the selection committee until 2018 and in 2001 don’t get in.” won the Elmer Ferguson Award, which is given by the Hockey Hall of Like Burke and all the other Hall of Fame selection committee members Fame for distinguished hockey journalism. “Doesn’t get you in the The Athletic talked to, Davidson didn’t feel comfortable talking about Hockey Hall of Fame. You need 75. And that’s the hardest thing that Staal specifically for two reasons — he’s chair of the selection committee people outside have to digest. People get on their soapbox, and say, it’s and he’s president of another NHL team, the New York Rangers. But he a crime this guy isn’t in, but get in that room, and you’d understand.” did say, “Obviously, he’s a terrific hockey player and has been for a long It is hard to figure out the Hall of Fame player category sometimes. period of time. Obvious with players like Eric and others, they’re going to be on the radar.” Jeremy Roenick arguably deserves to be in, but he keeps getting shut out. Clark Gillies and Bernie Federko are in, yet Ciccarelli and An Eric Staal hypothetical Andreychuk had to wait an eternity. Theo Fleury was one of the league’s Let’s stay Staal plays out the remainder of his contract at his current best undersized players, but he hasn’t gotten in despite almost surely scoring pace for 2019-20. That would put him at 471 career goals and being nominated at some point. In goal, Curtis Joseph can’t get in, and 1,098 points after 2020-21. he has 450 wins.

Of the 46 players to achieve those marks, 38 are in the Hall. The other “Going to a new place in Minnesota … look what’s happened to him,” eight are listed below. Five are still active and/or have strong cases for ex-teammate Rod Brind’Amour says of Staal. “He’s going to his second induction when eligible. The other three all lack one thing Staal has on All-Star Game (with the Wild), he’s back to scoring.” (Brace Hemmelgarn his resume: a Stanley Cup. / USA Today)

Player Goals Points Eligible? Cup? Burke notes that people always want to compare numbers, but some players, they didn’t get longevity because injuries cut their careers short. Jaromir Jagr 766 1,921 In 2021 Yes Burke calls it the “Comet Theory,” as in Halley’s Comet.

Alex Ovechkin 692 1,261 Active Yes “There’s a few guys in like Cam Neely and Pavel Bure that are in on the Comet Theory, that even though it wasn’t as long as a traditional career, Jarome Iginla 625 1,300 In 2020 No they burned so brightly they had to be included,” Burke said. “Like Eric Patrick Marleau 559 1,183 Active No Lindros was the best player in the NHL for four years by a mile, but injuries short-ended his career. Marian Hossa 525 1,134 In 2020 Yes

Pierre Turgeon 515 1,327 Yes No “Bobby Orr, Bure, Neely, Lindros, Kariya, they complicated the “So, that’s what I think about Eric Staal. Now on the Hall of Fame mathematics for the analytics guys. They say, ‘Well, this guy had more question, I have my opinions, but those I’m not allowed to share publicly.” goals than Bure did,’ but yeah, he wasn’t Pavel Bure.” Regardless, it’s not like Staal’s on the verge of retirement. Staal’s greatest asset, besides longevity and durability, is his consistency. Plus he’s won a Cup, which helps. And, you can bet, the Hall of Fame isn’t on his mind right now.

But do his current numbers get him in or does he need to get to 500 “I don’t think you can or should think about that,” Staal said. “I think you goals and 1,100 or 1,200 points to have a true shot? just play and be in the moment and do your best every night and when it’s all said and done, then maybe. I’m just grateful coming in when I did, “I don’t know what numbers you’ve got to have anymore,” Brind’Amour where I was with how many guys that had experience and had been said. around a long time, and obviously we had a great team, too, but leadership and that ability to kind of watch how they were as pros taught Guerin won two Stanley Cups as a player, two more as a manager, me a lot early on.” played in four All-Star Games, like Staal was once a Second Team All- Star and is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, but he openly Who knows, maybe one day, five or six or seven years from now, Staal says he doesn’t think he’ll ever get in “because I didn’t have the will be on the other end of a very special call. numbers. Maybe if I hit 500 and 1,000.” “The Hall of Fame is a very serious part of the world of hockey,” Guerin, in 1,263 games, scored 429 goals and 856 points. Davidson said. “This means a lot to a lot of people. It means a lot to the people that are already in it, as to who’s coming in. It means a lot to “But Eric will make a very good case for himself because his numbers players that have been world-class players that had great careers. are real good and he’s not near the end yet,” Guerin said. “He’s going to have a very good case. A very good case.” “The time that I enjoy the most is in the afternoon, once we’ve decided who’s going in, is making the phone calls to the people that are going. It’s just an interesting exercise. That’s a very special time. Lanny and I do that. It’s really neat. Even the Like when Teemu Selanne came up for Hall of Fame discussion in 2017, time Pat Burns went in, and he had passed away. We called his wife. it was almost like a show of hands. Some writers have written in the past She was very emotional. These are … it’s just a special thing, getting into that Daniel Alfredsson was a Hall of Fame shoo-in, but so far at least, the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s forever.” there seems to be very little traction, and he scored 1,157 points. The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 “Sometimes the tipping point is a really distinguished career and championships or major trophies,” said Duhatschek.

Duhatschek, too, had to be careful what he said because even after you’re no longer on the selection committee, you’re still bound by confidentiality.

But Duhatschek said one thing that might help Staal when the time comes is his character and being part of such an impressive hockey family.

“All the Staals, they are good people, and they are always team-first,” Brind’Amour said. “They are really driven. Eric’s really driven to be the best. He wants to be the best, but there’s a humility with him. I think that’s why you like him. Obviously, he’s talented, and he’s always been a guy who could score goals because he’s got a knack for the net.

“But what makes Eric Staal Eric Staal is the type of human being he is. And that, to me, is what a Hall of Famer should be.”

There’s more to a Hall case than just stats. “What makes Eric Staal Eric Staal is the type of human being he is,” says former voter Eric Duhatsheck. “And that … is what a Hall of Famer should be.” (Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)

Remember, it’s not just playing ability that gets you into the Hall. The definition of a Hockey Hall of Famer is playing ability, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her team or teams and to the game of hockey in general.

Duhatschek calls it the “good guy factor.”

“If you have an A-minus candidate, but he checks all the other boxes, that might push him in,” Duhatschek said. “If you got an A-minus candidate, but he’s known as a selfish player or had a sporadic record off the ice and didn’t win anything, that may tilt things the other way.”

For example, McDonald scored 500 goals and 1,006 points. But when he was named to the Hall in 1992, many felt that it was his force of personality and public persona that pushed it over the top.

“I tell the joke all the time, the Staals are sod farmers,” said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who is on the Hall of Fame selection committee. “When the parents got mad at the kids, they made them go mow the sod farm with a hand mower, not a sitting mower. Those guys have unbelievable work habits, all of them, Jordan does, Jared does, Marc does, Eric does.

“It’s an amazingly diligent family, they really are, and Eric is the ultimate pro that is beloved around the league. Early in his career, he really absorbed a lot playing with guys like Ronnie Francis, Rod Brind’Amour, Mark Recchi, who’s in the Hall of Fame, Dougie Weight. He’s just a leader, an upstanding human being, a great, unselfish, respected player. An all-around good guy. 1172630 Montreal Canadiens Jonathan Bernier had a good column in Le Journal de Montréal this week that revealed Montreal is the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference in terms of production by players promoted from the AHL.

What the Puck: Kovalchuk signing highlights Habs' lack of star power The Rocket call-up with the most points is fourth-liner Dale Weise, who has three assists in nine games. The much hyped Ryan Poehling has The Ilya Kovalchuk story is truly inspiring, but the fact he is the best one goal and no assists after 23 games. And only one of the remaining forward on the Canadiens underlines the weakness of the team. six Rocket call-ups had a point with the Canadiens. That would be Charles Hudon, who has one assist in nine NHL games this season. Did I

mention Montreal’s drafting and development has some major issues? BRENDAN KELLY Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.25.2020 January 24, 2020

The Ilya Kovalchuk story is like something out of a Disney storyline and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the excitement of it.

The 36-year-old former star appeared to be washed up and was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings, one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League.

He arrived in Montreal amid no small amount of debate among fans and hockey pundits. Many of us, myself included, saw the signing as nothing more than yet another desperate attempt by Canadiens management to appease the long suffering fans given it looked — and looks — like our beloved Habs will miss the playoffs yet again this season.

No one was saying anything good about Kovalchuk when he was last seen at the Bell Centre, playing as a King versus the Canadiens on Nov. 9. Coincidentally that was his last game in a Los Angeles jersey. But ever since he donned the bleu, blanc et rouge sweater on Jan. 6 against the Winnipeg Jets, he’s looked positively superstar-ish.

He has four goals and four assists in eight games with Montreal, but it’s not just the stats. It’s the infectious enthusiasm he brings to the game. When he scored that ultra-dramatic overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators, he celebrated like he’d just scored a Stanley Cup-winning goal.

But — and, of course, there’s a “but” — you have to wonder how an aging former star is far and away the best forward on this team. It’s a reminder this Canadiens organization has done an astonishingly poor job of drafting and developing players during the past 15 years. It’s also a reminder Trevor Timmins, who has been in charge of the Habs’ drafting since 2003, might just be the NHL’s ultimate Teflon man — nothing sticks to him. How can he draft so poorly over so many years and still have a highly paid job?

But the other thing the cool Kovalchuk tale does is underline how starved Montreal hockey fans have been for star players during the past 26 years. Can you name more than a couple of scoring stars on the team during that quarter-century? The first names that come to mind are Max Pacioretty and Alexei Kovalev.

Pacioretty was a perennial 30-plus-goal scorer before he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Kovalev was another fan favourite and his best year with the CH, 2007-08, was one of the only times in recent memory a Habs player was anywhere near the top of the NHL scoring race. That season, Kovalev ended with 35 goals and 84 points, finishing at No. 11 in the NHL, only three points behind a chap named … Ilya Kovalchuk.

It’s just not normal Montreal has had so few stars during the last 26 years. How do you explain that? Timmins has failed miserably in drafting A-list forwards, but this goes back to 1993 for heaven’s sake. Is it La Sainte-Flanelle simply can’t stomach the idea of any player being bigger than the CH? This is, after all, the same organization that drove Guy Lafleur, Patrick Roy and Pacioretty out of town. Food for thought.

What’s striking is how out of touch the Habs’ brass have become with the community they’re supposed to be serving. Montreal is a city that loves stars and loves winners, from Céline Dion to Arcade Fire to the Cirque du Soleil, yet the hockey team we all care so deeply about hasn’t had many stars and has even fewer playoff wins during the past few decades.

The mantra from the Canadiens’ management team and the cheerleaders has been it’s all about the great youth movement. The trouble is the Laval Rocket is once again failing to provide any notable help for a Canadiens squad that’s been decimated by injuries this season. 1172631 Montreal Canadiens right now. I usually include some quip about how I’m going to change my mind, but I feel decent about this one. I eagerly await being wrong.

4) Cayden Primeau, G, Laval Rocket (AHL) Brown: Midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ top-15 prospects – 5-1 Age: 20 | Drafted No. 199 in 2017 | Previous ranking: 7

Stats: 20 GP, 11-6-1, 0.900 SV% Mitch Brown While Cayden Primeau’s play has tapered off a bit in recent weeks, his Jan 24, 2020 first professional season has already been memorable. He won seven of his first 10 AHL starts, made two NHL starts, including a win in a spectacular performance against the Ottawa Senators.

We have reached the cream of the Canadiens crop. In his draft year, Primeau’s technical game was a major point of criticism. As soon as he began playing at Northeastern University, that changed On Monday, I began my annual midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ dramatically. Transitions between reverse-vertical-horizontal, butterfly, prospects with numbers 15 to 11. On Wednesday, it was prospects 10 to and standing are smooth and precise (although, he does tend to use the 6. And today, we begin the top-five. reverse-VH a bit excessively). He doesn’t waste movement. He closes As always, the focus on this ranking is fun. The methodology is focused space quickly on shooters, moving across to take away their shooting on finding top-of-the-lineup type players. For more information, check out angle, especially on his glove side. His moves are quick, but controlled, the first piece in the series. allowing him to make the big stop then track the rebound.

Let’s go. Where I’ve been most impressed with Primeau this season is movement on cross-slot passes. His movements are more controlled, only sliding 5) Jesse Ylönen, LW, Pelicans (Liiga) across aggressively if the situation calls for it. In the clips below, watch Primeau’s head. He’s watching the puck the entire way across the slot, Age: 20 | Drafted No. 35 in 2018 | Previous ranking: 4 which helps him to stay in control when moving across the crease. In the Stats: 42 GP, 12 G, 9 A, 21 Pts, 0.5 Pts/GP first sequence, Primeau knows that the cross-slot shooter isn’t a one-time threat. So, he makes a controlled push across to prevent a shot against There’s a simple answer to Ylönen’s stagnant production: the Pelicans the grain, while maintaining his butterfly stance to block a shot up high. are a low-scoring team. Ylönen’s point per game clip has slightly decreased, but he’s contributed to more of his team’s goals this season, Problem-solving skills are essential for any player. The game is up to 23 percent from 15. unpredictable, with unexpected results that require instant adjustment. This is especially true for goaltenders. And problem-solving is Without the puck, Ylönen’s an impressive defender with a high work rate. undoubtedly one of Primeau’s top skills. Take behind the net plays, for Two-step acceleration allows Ylönen to smother an attack as the help example. When a player behind the net goes one way and then the defender, then attack the point to pressure a would-be shooter into other, to move across, the goaltender is momentarily not watching the passing. Whether he’s forechecking or backchecking, Ylönen is a puck as they go post-to-post. When Primeau loses track of the puck on disruption and puck-recovering machine. After regaining possession, a one side, he instinctively drives his leg to the other, playing the long, powerful stride mixed with knee-over-knee crossovers and always- probability. And his lower body is so powerful that he can stop the jam in-motion feet allow him to string controlled exits and entries together play as the rest of his body catches up. with ease. In 2017, Primeau was the last of 21 goaltenders drafted. He’s already Transition and defensive upside give Ylönen NHL ability, but his offence started more NHL games than the 20 goaltenders chosen ahead of him. will determine how high in the lineup he plays. Ylönen’s plenty skilled Time is still needed, but he’s on the fast track to the NHL. enough for a top-six NHL role. He’s a dual-threat attacker, who can setup teammates with cross-slot passes in transition and score with mid- Ranking Explanation: The last tier was players with the tools to become range wristers and dexterous net-front finishes. top-six/four prospects, but still need refinement before I’m more confident in that projection. This tier (No. 4 to No. 2) is players who have top- However, Ylönen’s skill and execution have yet to align. He consistently six/four/starting goaltender potential. Primeau over Ylönen was simple: misses low-risk, high-reward passing opportunities down low, preferring I’m more confident in Primeau being a starter than Ylönen being a top-six to maintain possession along the boards. Despite his speed, he’s passive forward. That’s the dividing line. taking the puck to the net, even with a clear route. And despite being a space creation machine with his speed, Ylönen rarely finds the trailer to 3) Ryan Poehling, C, Laval Rocket/Montreal Canadiens (AHL/NHL) the play. Questions about his finishing ability are legitimate, considering Age: 21 | Drafted No. 25 in 2017 | Previous ranking: 3 the way goaltenders have been making an abnormal quantity of highlight- reel saves on him for years. Stats – AHL: 26 GP, 5 G, 7 A, 12 Pts, 0.46 Pts/GP | NHL: 23 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 Pts, 0.04 Pts/GP But like the production, some of these concerns have answers, too. In the past three seasons, Ylönen hasn’t had linemates that can both keep A slow start in the AHL has turned into a solid NHL stint for Ryan up with him and set him up for transition chances. I wonder if he’s able to Poehling. Honestly, Poehling’s AHL time was a bit of a return to previous generate more dangerous transition looks in the NHL by simply having bad habits. He played too conservatively, forcing passes and refusing to faster, more pass-oriented linemates. That applies to his playmaking, as shoot unless it was the only option. But Poehling in the NHL has been well. closer to his time at St. Cloud.

Questions of upside aside, I remain optimistic about Ylönen’s NHL It’s the little details that drive Poehling’s value right now. On the chances. The defence and transition ability are enough on their own, and forecheck, he funnels attacks into neutral zone pressure; on the I’m a believer there’s more offence coming. Ylönen’s contract expires backcheck, he drives plays to the perimeters and rips away possession. with the Pelicans at the end of this season. He’s ready to sign and He’s an active support player, keeping the puck above him while not continue his development in North America, but another season in hesitating to provide a layer of help defence. Whether he’s on the wing or Finland wouldn’t hurt. at centre, Poehling brings consistent defensive value. Of course, his timing in the NHL still needs some work, but the positive signs are there. Ranking Explanation: Ylönen over Josh Brook (and Mattias Norlinder and Jayden Struble) was a tricky decision, with each player having top- If Poehling’s going to be a top-six forward in the NHL, his passing will six/four tools but noteworthy limiting factors. The difference is take him there. I believe playing on the wing limits his playmaking translatability. Ylönen’s skating advantage over his peers shouldn’t effectiveness. Poehling’s vision shines most when originating his attacks decrease as significantly in the NHL as Brook’s WHL advantage did in from centre ice. From the centre, he can find teammates driving the the AHL (Brook’s skating is a fair bit off Ylönen’s, which is not a slight). outside lanes or slipping behind the defence with high-level passes, like And while Brook is a better passer than Ylönen, Ylönen’s a better backhand tape-to-space. Middle-originating rushes also allow Poehling to shooter, smarter in transition, and stronger defensively after adjusting for attack the outside lane and find a teammate cutting into the middle. position. I think both players are limited in their situation (by some unquantifiable amount), but Brook less so, and Ylönen’s a better player Of course, Poehling doesn’t suddenly lose his vision when playing on the has the edge in offence, I’ve bumped Romanov up to average, and wing. It’s an explanation for the short-term lack of passing success. Once there’s plenty of uncertainty in both respects. I think Romanov has more he improves his ability to make plays with NHL-pace back pressure, I’m upward mobility in my projection because of play in his age group (where confident he’ll return to his playmaking-self at both centre and wing. he’s shown above-average offensive skill). My projection of Poehling, on the other hand, is more likely to trend down because I’ve always been While Poehling still isn’t pulling the trigger enough, the mechanics behind more optimistic about his offence than the production suggests. his shot have improved this season. His lateral weight transfer loading up his shot looks faster and smoother, making him more dangerous 1) Cole Caufield, RW, University of Wisconsin (NCAA-Big Ten) shooting off the rush. Around the crease is still where he’s best, having the hand-eye coordination to deflect tricky shots and the patience to Age: 18 | Drafted No. 15 in 2019 | Previous ranking: 1 make plays with pressure, even if his timing and activity level around goal Stats: 22 GP, 13 G, 9 A, 22 Pts, 1.0 Pts/GP remains unspectacular. After 22 games, Caufield’s freshman season at Wisconsin has been a While concerns about Poehling’s ultimate upside persist, I remain resounding success. He’s scoring goals at a 0.6 per game clip, firing optimistic. He looks like a long-term NHLer, and the best element of his away seven shots per game (nearly four on target) and recording a far- game (playmaking) is just starting to come alive. Poehling isn’t Nick and-away team-leading 2.7 individual expected goals for per 60 in my Suzuki; he doesn’t have the dual-threat attacking skill with deception and tracking. Caufield can score, but this has also been a season of problem-solving that often allow quick transition. Instead, Poehling’s adjustment and change. offence relies on timing, chemistry and exploiting windows of opportunity. It’ll take time. But it’ll be worth the wait. With more freedom and without Jack Hughes at centre, the way Caufield has been racking up scoring chances have changed. Last season, just Ranking Explanation: I stuck Poehling in the middle of this tier because 44 percent of his scoring chances at 5-on-5 were set-up “individually.” of probability. I think Poehling’s more likely to become a top-six forward (That is, Caufield taking the puck into a scoring location, rather than than Primeau is a starting goaltender, but I don’t think the odds are super having a pass set him up). This season, that’s up to 57 percent as he high in either case. If you don’t like it, pretend I flipped them. I don’t mind. leans more on his skating and hands to set up shots. Those shots 2) Alexander Romanov, LD, CSKA Moscow (KHL) include more curl-and-drag releases and in-stride wristers, both of which are challenging for the goaltender to read, and to stop. Age: 20 | Drafted No. 38 in 2018 | Previous ranking: 6 Watching this version of Caufield has made me more optimistic about the Stats: 34 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 Pts, 0.15 Pts/GP other tools in his skill set. I underrated Caufield’s skating, for one, as he’s consistently beating defenders in all sorts of ways with a quick burst of In the last year and a half, I’ve written three full-length pieces on crossovers. There’s also more creativity in the way that he handles the Alexander Romanov, with the most recent being on yet another step puck. While he’s still an average impact player in transition in my forward in development. I still have plenty to say. tracking, the way that Caufield attacks the middle (40 percent of entries Defensively, Romanov is like a brick wall to a fist. His footwork defending are in the middle lane, that’s well above average for a winger) and uses the rush is brilliant; non-committing, explosive and precise. He closes the dot line (18 percent of entries cross the dot line laterally, also above gaps on shooters and rush attackers quickly and with purpose, following average) suggest that Caufield has the habits to be a primary puck a poke check through with board-rattling hits. Two-step separation allows handler with more reps. him to follow through pivots and make recovery stops. He locks himself If Caufield isn’t able to keep this up, there’s always that all-world one- to the nearest attacker, antagonizing them off-puck and deterring timer and awareness to fall back on. controlled entries on-puck. There are two concerns I have. First, Caufield’s setting up more on the A puck recovery machine, Romanov regularly wins puck battles and foot perimeter compared to previous years. Second, he’s an impatient passer races from disadvantaged positions in the KHL. The speed and in scoring areas, throwing missile passes several feet in front of his physicality enable this, but he’s also an exceptionally aware defender of target. I think both of these will improve with more adjustment time, but his surroundings, planning out escape routes before even touching the may very well be long-term concerns. We’ll see. puck. And he makes the unexpected stops. Without hesitation, he stops the first and second layers of attack. Here’s another example: Romanov’s A poor World Juniors aside, Caufield has surpassed my expectations this caught flat-footed in a defensive-zone 2-on-1. First, he places his stick in season. He’s scoring goals, diversifying his offence and continuing to the shooting lane to deter the shot, then he reads the attacker’s make an impact defensively. A massive second-half is likely. intentions to pass and deflects it away. Ranking Explanation: This was an easy one. In a list based on probability Romanov’s defining transition tool is his ability to escape from of becoming a star player, there’s no other prospect that comes close to forecheckers with ease, but he’s also starting to complete long-range Caufield. All of the others are long shots to become a star. I wouldn’t be passes through layers. Combined with his intelligent short-range passing surprised if Caufield’s one of the NHL’s best goal scorers in a few years. off the boards and up the middle to catch teammates in motion and the occasional rush, Romanov’s become a multi-dimensional transition Here’s the final ranking: threat. The next step is to maintain his speed through the pass and 1- Cole Caufield accelerate after, allowing him to reduce turnovers and stay active in the play. It’s a small detail, but one that should unlock more opportunities for 2 – Alexander Romanov an explosive skater. 3 – Ryan Poehling More integration of Romanov’s skating is starting to unlock a bit more 4 – Cayden Primeau offence. In glimpses, he’s using a two-step separation burst to escape a defender, then open up a heel-to-heel to face the slot. Previously, he was 5 – Jesse Ylönen missing passing opportunities because he wasn’t looking. Now, he’s CSKA’s second-leading defenceman in 5-on-5 shot assists per 60 in my 6 – Josh Brook sample. 7 – Mattias Norlinder The development of Romanov over the past couple of years has 8 – Jayden Struble astounded me. He checks off all the boxes: fast, intelligent, physical, skilled and proving me wrong several times. Romanov’s well on his way 9 – Jordan Harris to becoming a top-four defenceman. Some might say top-pairing. I wouldn’t push back too much. 10 – Allan McShane

Ranking Explanation: Romanov versus Poehling was a tricky debate, but 11 – Cam Hillis I feel decent about this one. I asked, is Poehling more likely to become a 12 – Rhett Pitlick top-line centre or Romanov a top-pairing defender? While the chances are slim for both, I gave Romanov the edge. I think Romanov could be 13 – Jake Evans more of an impact player in defence and transition than Poehling because of his explosive skating and aggressiveness. While Poehling 14 – Jacob Olofsson 15 – Gianni Fairbrother

By now, you’re probably wondering “what does any of this mean?” It means nothing. It’s a prospect ranking. It’s a thought experiment and a fun way to compile information. But don’t take this ranking for anything more than it is. It’s going to be wrong. It’s already wrong. I’m wrong. But I hope a provided a bit of insight into the current state of the Canadiens’ prospect pool.

On that topic, much like it was in the summer, this is an impressive group of prospects. Caufield could be one of the best players at his position. Romanov, Poehling and Primeau are on track to be important pieces for years to come. And with time and refinement, there’s a chance that Ylönen, Brook, Norlinder, and Struble could be, too.

The rest of the prospect pool contains a mixture of high-skill, entertaining and intriguing prospects, at least a couple of whom will surprise. While the midseason list is just 15 names long, there are no fewer than 22 prospects in the Canadiens organization who have some sort of intriguing NHL quality. Most of these players won’t have NHL careers. Getting seven or eight NHLers out of this group would be massive. But amassing young talent is equal parts quality and quantity. The more swings, the better, but not all pitches are equal.

Between the young NHLers (Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, Cale Fleury and Victor Mete), the impressive prospect pool and the large (and possibly growing) war chest of 2020 draft picks, the organization has plenty of talent.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172632 Montreal Canadiens social network are necessarily the result of other players entering the room rather than them doing so.

Happily, Weber and Price are elite players and so they had occasion to Six degrees of separation: Building a chain of past relationships that runs become friendly at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Were it not for that gold right through the Canadiens’ roster medal run, the Canadiens captain would be leading a team of players with whom he had zero prior on-ice experience the day he was acquired in exchange for P.K. Subban. (We’ll leave out current and former Canadiens who live and train in the Kelowna, B.C., area in the off-season Marc Antoine Godin for the purposes of the discussion). Jan 24, 2020 6 Weber and Price played against each other in junior, when Weber was 18 and Price was a 16-year-old rookie. That’s the first time they shared an ice surface; the first time they would do so as teammates was for The world, we keep hearing, is small. Well, by that measure the hockey Team Canada. world is minuscule. Confidences don’t remain such for long, because players talk. And if players talk, it’s because there’s a strong chance they “He’s a quiet guy,” Weber said. “Similar personalities in that way, both played together at some point. small town kids from B.C. We had that little bit in common to start off.”

Can a player walk into an NHL dressing room and feel like a complete You might say they were destined to get along. stranger? It’s possible, but highly unlikely. The obvious exceptions International competition was also the arena where Price met Karl involve the rookie player who is just off the plane from Europe, people Alzner. The two were part of Team Canada’s gold-medal entry in the like Jesperi Kotkaniemi, for example. Beyond that, the odds are 2007 World Junior Championships. extremely high a given player will find at least a familiar face or two from another stop on the hockey road. “I’ve got good memories, really good memories,” said Alzner. “Him and (Jonathan) Toews were the two reasons why we ended up getting to the In the Canadiens organization, for example, all but two players over the finals, so I remember that. I can’t remember what our goals against were age of 20 who have played at least one NHL game joined a club where in that tournament, but he was just… You feel so good when you have they had at least one former teammate. The only ‘orphans’: Otto someone in net like that, because you’re going to mess up and it’s Leskinen and Noah Juulsen. Otherwise, you can plot a straight(ish) line probably not going to be an issue because he’s going to make the save, from captain Shea Weber all the way through to backup goalie Charlie or at least bail you out enough to keep you competitive. He was one of Lindgren. the best goalies that I had ever seen at that time. So it was pretty neat to Just about everyone is linked to someone else. And today we’re going to be on his side. And I thought we got along pretty good in the short give those common threads a good old tug. amount of time that we were there too.”

To start, a graphical representation: Since becoming a full-time member of the Laval Rocket, Alzner has had the opportunity to renew acquaintances with Barber, who was his Before we dig any further, it’s appropriate to highlight a few things about teammate with the Washington Capitals during the 2016-17 season. the diagram above. It’s easy to forget just how highly Barber was regarded as a prospect, In order to truly link the entire team together we needed to include and how it really wasn’t a very long time ago that he was seen as a key Michael McCarron, who was recently shipped to the Nashville Predators. part of the Caps’ future. Sure, he was a somewhat unheralded sixth Without that minor bit of sleight-of-hand it would have required multiple round pick in 2012, but two years later he was named captain of the U.S. additional steps to link Weber, Carey Price, Karl Alzner and Riley Barber squad for the World Juniors (that team featured some kid named Eichel). to the rest of the team. By way of background, McCarron and Barber The Canadiens are Barber’s second NHL organization; he spent several were teammates with the junior U.S. National Team Development seasons playing for Hershey, the Caps’ AHL affiliate. Program; McCarron then played with Max Domi and Victor Mete with the London Knights of the OHL. “He’s been one of the main reasons why Hershey has been good the last few years,” Alzner noted. “His ability to shoot the puck and to pick spots In addition, we’ve omitted the players aged 20 and younger, mostly is crazy. It’s just deadly. Every time I’ve talked to anyone from Hershey because their short pro careers mean they have fewer links to the NHL. the last year (I was with Washington) they always said, ‘Oh, you just wait That’s not to say they have none. Nick Suzuki went to the same high till you see Barb’s sets to light the lamp, it’s pretty wild.’ He’s still a good school as Mete in London, Ont., where they were acquaintances; Cale prospect.” Fleury has rubbed elbows with NHL guys during his summer training in Calgary for years (Brett Kulak among them) and played with former The Domi constellation Canadiens defenceman Rinat Valiev in junior; Ryan Poehling grew up Max Domi started his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes, a team with down the street from Lindgren in Lakeville, Minn. Kotkaniemi, of course, a fair amount of roster churn; he’s a good enough player to have been is from the same town in Finland as Joel Armia; the age difference chosen for multiple international competitions and all-star teams; he was means they weren’t friends, but there is at least some degree of developed by the OHL juggernaut that is the London Knights, which is familiarity in that Armia played for Kotkaniemi’s dad, an assistant coach basically an assembly line for high-end NHL players. In other words, this at the time with Porin Ässät. See? Small world. is a player who was at the nexus of a large number of social circles Our map of the Canadiens’ social network shows that the two players before he ever got on the plane to Montreal. with the most and furthest-reaching tentacles are Domi and Christian Victor Mete was 16 when he became Domi’s teammate during the 2014- Folin. When our map was shown to Folin, the genial Swede had to stop 15 season. But he already knew perfectly well who Domi was. and think for a moment whether there might not be someone in the organization we were forgetting he’d crossed paths with. If the recently “It was my first year in the league,” recalled Mete. “I watched him growing traded Mike Reilly had still been with the club, the number of guys he’d up because my cousin used to coach the Don Mills team in minor lined up with for other teams would have been seven! hockey, so I used to go watch him a lot. To me he was a big role model. I used to skate with him sometimes in the summertime. Being able to play “Guys get moved around a lot so obviously, you got to bump into guys with him in London I thought it was pretty cool, not knowing if he was wherever you go,” he said. “A lot of players have long careers so you’re going to come back and then getting him back, and the way he bound to bounce into each other.” dominated all over the ice every game. It was pretty cool to see him In order to delve a little more deeply into the ties that bind the Canadiens, having so much success.” let’s break it down into individual sectors. Domi’s stint with Team Canada at the 2012 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (as it is The veteran constellation now known) is oft-discussed because it happens to be the catalyst for the close friendship Domi has with Jonathan Drouin. The two forwards, None of the players above, not even the youngest of the bunch, Barber, whose names would be called in the first round of the NHL draft a few has played for more than two organizations since the beginning of their months later, helped Canada win gold. pro careers. In other words, their opportunities to interface the broader In Phoenix, Domi was also teammates with Nick Cousins and with the “The skill level, it was not even close. You see it, it stands out at this newly-arrived Laurent Dauphin (acquired for McCarron). In 2016, Domi level, so imagine in a development camp or in the American league.” was invited to represent Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Russia. Another tournament, another gold medal, even if he didn’t have Peca had a front-row seat for the acrimonious dispute between Drouin the best showing of his international career. That’s the trip where he got and the Lightning in 2016, which resulted in former Tampa GM Steve to know Brendan Gallagher, who is three years his senior. Yzerman sending his third-overall draft choice to the American League. Peca was one of the people on hand to greet him when he landed in The other pre-existing links Gallagher has to his teammates: Jordan Syracuse. Weal was his WHL teammate on two occasions for the Canada-Russia Super Series, and Brett Kulak overlapped with him as a member of the “It was weird,” Peca recalled. “He did what he needed to do for his Vancouver Giants in 2011-12. personal career. It ended up working out in the end. He helped us win some games in Syracuse and ended up having a pretty good playoffs.” “I didn’t see him play that much during his first couple years in the NHL, but his game today looks just like what I saw from him in Vancouver,” The Folin constellation Kulak said. “He works hard in the corners until he can find that open Christian Folin has only been a member of the Canadiens organization space he needs to get to the net and score. for a year, but it took him no time at all to feel comfortable in his “That’s just the kind of thing he brings, just a lot of determination, surroundings. Today, whether he happens to be in the dressing room in aggressiveness and intensity to his game.” Laval or downtown Montreal, he sees familiar faces everywhere he looks.

The Kulak-Byron link might well be the most tenuous on our chart. Kulak Folin arrived via trade, along with Philadelphia Flyers teammate Dale played only one game for the Calgary Flames in April of 2015, when he Weise. There’s one pal. Two days later, the Canadiens acquired Nate was 20. It was just before the playoffs, and while Byron was a member of Thompson, who had been a Folin teammate in Los Angeles the previous the Flames that year, he was hurt the night Kulak played. So they were season. There’s a second pal. technically part of the same team but didn’t play together. The previous And then, two weeks later, it was Jordan Weal’s turn to arrive. Another spring, however, Kulak joined the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat after his junior former Flyer, another friend. season ended and spent a bunch of time doing extra skating sessions with … an injury rehabbing Paul Byron. Anyway, Byron was waived by “It obviously helps a little bit, but at the same time it was a really easy the Flames in the fall of 2015, and quickly snapped up by Montreal. Kulak group to get into last year,” Folin said. “At that time it was a really arrived by trade in 2018, for Valiev and Matt Taormina. stressful time at the end of last year, you’re fighting for that playoff spot every day and it’s really important games. But it was a really good group, The Québécois constellation they welcomed you right away. So there wasn’t any problem with that.”

Charles Hudon is another player who joins a number of disparate strands Now, playing for four NHL organizations is an excellent way to meet lots together for the Canadiens, having played with five future teammates of hockey people. But there’s another phenomenon at work here, which before he ever donned the jersey. For the most part, however, they were is the quiet fascination Marc Bergevin seems to have for the 2015-16 glancing encounters. He played alongside Phillip Danault and Xavier Minnesota Wild’s blue line. Ouellet for the QMJHL in the Canada-Russia Challenge, he played in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup with Nick Cousins in 2011 as a 17-year-old, and Folin can only smile when he’s asked about how Bergevin has somehow played with Drouin at the 2014 World Juniors. managed to transplant most of the Minny defence and graft it onto Montreal’s. Of the members of the Hudon cluster, only Dauphin had the time to cement a proper hockey and personal relationship. The two played for “It’s pretty fun. Even before when I left Minnesota, I think Mike Reilly got the Chicoutimi Sagunéens from 2012 to 2014. traded first,” Folin said. “The next year, it was (Gustav) Olofsson, and then it’s me the next year. Three years in a row we all kind of ended up On Wednesday night against the Syracuse Crunch, Laval Rocket coach here.” Joël Bouchard threw them on the same line – the band was back together, just like the old days. Except that Dauphin, a natural centre, More recently, it was Marco Scandella’s turn to come aboard (via a was shuffled to the wing in favour of Jake Evans. detour in Buffalo). It’s a little nuts to think that all four men appeared for the Wild between 2015 and 2017. Hockey! But what was it like back in the day, Laurent? The Armia constellation “Well, in junior hockey it usually goes pretty well if you have two guys with a little talent out there together,” he laughed. Can they regain that Inveterate world travellers are key to this type of exercise; the more you old magic? We’ll see soon enough. travel to far-flung places, the more people you meet.

In considering the Quebec portion of the diagram, it stands to reason that Minor league veteran Phil Varone, who was signed to provide a solid Drouin would be at the centre. After all, there was a time where he was offensive option for the Rocket this season and to serve as a call-up the star around which all the other Quebec-born hockey talents option for the big club, missed two-and-a-half months to injury. But when gravitated. he was ready to recoup his stall in the Rocket dressing room … ta-dah! Another buddy for Folin (via Philly). Ouellet, who would become Tomas Tatar’s teammate with the Detroit Red Wings, represented both Quebec and Canada on multiple But for the purposes of this discussion, Varone’s main asset is he’s the occasions; he was Drouin’s teammate with Team Canada’s 2013 World link to a trio of players led by Armia. The two men met in Rochester Junior entry. A certain Phillip Danault was also on the team, and he during the 2013-14 season, at that time both were young Buffalo Sabres remembers the precocious winger who had managed to win a roster prospects. spot. Armia is linked to countryman Artturi Lehkonen and to Ben Chiarot, who “Drou was still young, he was only 17,” Danault said. “That was pretty otherwise would have no direct links to the Montreal room. Armia and young for that tournament, he had the bubble (full face shield) going Lehkonen played for Finland at the World Juniors. because he was too young. But he was solid, you could see the potential “That was my last one, in Ufa (Russia), and it didn’t go well at all,” said and the skill. He played with (Nathan) MacKinnon, and that gave us a Armia. pretty big line. He made a good impression.” It was the 2013 edition of the tournament, Armia’s third and final Matthew Peca was also impressed the first time he saw Drouin up close. appearance. The Finnish junior program didn’t have quite the same The two forwards were teammates in Syracuse at points in 2015 and swagger it does today, and they were reduced to having to pull their 2016, and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016-17. honour out of the fire in the relegation round, far, far away from the medal podium. “I first met him at development camp,” Peca said. “My second year was his draft year. He was coming off a big year and he was so talented. “I feel he was a good goal scorer,” Armia remembered. “Good shot. I Worked hard, was really determined. We didn’t really have a relationship mean, a really good shot. He was always a good skater. He was a little until we started playing together. He went about his business. small at the time, not that strong.” Some time later, Armia joined the Winnipeg Jets’ American League affiliate in Newfoundland, where he played with and got to know Chiarot. The two graduated to the NHL right around the same time.

“I’ve always seen the same things in him,” Armia said. “Pretty strong, pretty fast skater, good hands… But I feel like over there, there was so many good defencemen that he was in the shadow a little bit. When you see him practice every day and you see him in games, it’s different. But he didn’t get as much attention there as he should have.”

Other than a brief interregnum in 2018-19, Armia and Chiarot have thus been regular teammates since 2014.

The Thompson constellation

Given his long years of service in the NHL and the number of teams he’s played for, it’s a mild surprise that Nate Thompson isn’t linked to more players. He has a line to Folin, who has also bounced around, as well as to a pair of players who, like Thompson, are over 30.

Jeff Petry has seen a number of former Oilers teammates pass through town (Ales Hemsky, Brandon Davidson, Ben Scrivens) but he’d be alone on his little island were it not for Thompson. And where did they play together? For the United States at the World Championships, twice.

Those tournaments, in 2012 and 2013, didn’t exactly leave an indelible impression with Petry; he vaguely remembers the events and that Thompson was there too. The veteran centre, however, has more vivid recollections.

“My second time going we won a bronze medal so it was awesome,” Thompson said. “I think we were one of the youngest teams in the tournament, a lot of guys coming out of college. It’s kind of the way the game is going. It’s a young man’s game now.

“Petry was not much different than he is now. A smooth skating defenceman, could play on the power play, made good first passes. He was good for us in that tournament.”

In recent weeks Thompson has had occasion to talk more often about another one of his former teammates: Ilya Kovalchuk, who played with the Kings in 2018-19.

“I got a chance to play with him in L.A., obviously, and I really like Kovy,” Thompson said. “He’s a great guy, he works extremely hard on and off the ice. In certain situations, sometimes, you go to a team and things don’t work out. I think that’s happened for a lot of guys. I know for myself, I was in Ottawa for five months and just didn’t fit. And sometimes you go to a new team with new coaches, new players, and sometimes it can gel.”

To draw another link to the newest Canadien, you have to all the way back to March 5, 2013, when goalie Keith Kinkaid made his first NHL start as a member of the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk was still in Jersey that year (it would be the last season before the first time he retired) and he finished the game with a minus-3.

“I know him a little bit, enough to say hi,” said Kinkaid. “I mean, his shot is very deceptive. He comes down and, I don’t know if it’s curved, but you can disguise where the shot goes and he just whips. That’s what I remember. He’s very talented, very skilled hands. Big body out there.”

When the Devils missed the playoffs in 2018, Kinkaid was mandated to mind the net for the U.S. at the World Championships. In the same way we saw last year in Slovakia with Cayden Primeau, the Americans had brought a young college goalie along to gain some experience in a third- string role.

His name? Charlie Lindgren.

He didn’t play in a single game; a year later, Kinkaid was signed to back up Price. After a string of tough starts he was sent down to Laval, first in favour of Primeau. Now Lindgren’s turn has come.

The minuscule globe that is the NHL keeps turning.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172633 Nashville Predators "He didn't have to defend all night," Hynes said. "That's something that you want with a guy like him, is if he can play against other teams’ top lines and make those guys defend, I think we're going to be able to grow as a team and that's the role that we need (him) to play." What Ryan Johansen said about his worst season as a Predator and how it can change Johansen and the Predators received what they felt was a much-needed break — a full seven days away from the ice. While Johansen said he planned to relax, he said his job woudn't be far from his mind.

Paul Skrbina "When I arrive for my break that will be on my mind the whole time — us collectively as a group understanding the job we need to prepare for 6:00 AM EST Jan 24, 2020 when we get back," he said. "That’s what we’ll do, but also kick the feet up a little bit and rest up."

Ryan Johansen didn't want to talk about it. There are 35 games remaining. Johansen's hoping the Predators have something good to talk about by the time those games are played. Really, there hasn't been much to talk about lately anyway when it comes to the Predators center's play. Tennessean LOADED: 01.25.2020

Except that it has to be better. He knows that.

General manager David Poile and new coach John Hynes know that.

Though Poile didn't name names when he said the Predators need "our best players to be our best players," there's no doubt Johansen's name is on that unshared list.

Johansen's numbers haven't exactly matched his $8 million salary-cap hit.

His goal Saturday against the Sabres was his first since Jan. 4, a span of six pointless games in between. He has two goals and zero assists in his last 12 games and 201 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time.

The Predators forward is looking forward to looking forward.

"I felt good tonight," Johansen said after the Predators beat the Sabres. "That's all I'm going to focus on. It's been what it's been for me. I know what I've got to do to be on top of my game. I liked my game tonight and I'm going to try my best to continue to do that."

What it's been hasn't been great.

The Predators are going to need Johansen to succeed at that if they are too succeed as a whole.

They've been at their best when Johansen has been better.

He was a key part of the "JoFa" line of Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg that experienced so much success last season, accounting for a combined 76 goals (32.2% of the team's total) and 86 assists during the regular season.

But "JoFa" is no more, at least not the way it used to be. The three have played 180 minues, 55 seconds together this season. Forsberg spends most of his time on the second line, while Arvidsson recently was moved to the third line.

To be fair, all three are performing below expectation.

But Johansen is averaging 1.2 assists per 60 minutes — down 0.7 from last season and the lowest of his career since he averaged 1.2 in 2013- 14. He's at 0.7 goals per 60, which is up 0.2 from last season, but he has been a non-factor for many big chunks of time.

His 5.1 shots per 60 minutes are a career low, and he's on pace for his worst points season (47) since his second year in the league.

But like Johansen, Hynes is hoping those numbers tick upward as the Predators try to climb back into a playoff spot.

The last game before the break, against the Sabres, could be a step in that direction. In improving on his 10 goals and 17 assists.

"(He) probably played his best game that I've seen (since I've been here)," Hynes said. "He had a tough assignment — he was basically matched against (Jack) Eichel’s line all night and he was good on faceoffs. I thought he moved his feet. The other part, I think he's been pretty good defensively so far since I've been with him."

Offensively, where much of Johansen's cap hit is to be earned, is where the numbers need to come, too, though. By doing that, the defense becomes a bit less of a stress because the more Johansen and the Predators are in the offensive zone the more they make other teams defend.

And the Predators have to spend less energy doing it. 1172634 Nashville Predators arrived. The time away will allow him to come back energized, with a more thorough plan.

"It was a sudden thing that happened," Hynes said. "We put in a lot of After crazy first two weeks as Predators coach, break is perfect timing for time together. I think the players have a good feel of how we're going to John Hynes meet, how we're going to practice, some of the changes and the way we want to play and what the expectations are and how things are going to be run."

Paul Skrbina Now, he's ready to go from there.

11:00 PM EST Jan 23, 2020 Tennessean LOADED: 01.25.2020

Enough with the hockey. John Hynes had some basketball games to go to last Sunday.

As quickly as the new Predators coach arrived in Nashville is as quickly as he wanted to get out of town after Saturday night's victory against the Sabres.

Hotels aren't home. Nashville will become home.

But Hynes was eager to go home and leave the hotel he's been living in to head to New Jersey. There he planned to spend time with his, wife, Sarah, and three daughters, Sophia, Julia and Anna, whom he temporarily left behind when he suddenly accepted the job a few weeks ago.

The Predators' mandated one-week break officially began Sunday, perfect timing for Hynes to "mentally take care of some things ... and digest what's going on."

He's 3-3 six games into his second NHL head coaching job, with the Predators clinging to slim playoff hopes.

"It was sudden," Hynes said. "Everything happened. It's like you pack for a trip; you don't pack (to go live somewhere). There's a lot of loose ends there."

Summer daze

His children are in school until June 22. One of his daughters is going to be a freshman and is planning to play fall sports, which begin in mid-July. "Hopefully she's good enough to make one of the teams," he said.

Being on the move is nothing new to the Hyneses, who met in a weight room at the University of Wisconsin where John was an assistant hockey coach and Sarah was director of volleyball operations.

The couple then married and moved to Michigan. Then to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where John was coach of the Penguins' AHL team. Then to New Jersey, where he was coach of the Devils until he was fired on Dec. 3.

"It's been hectic because I've been so busy here," Hynes said. "It's helped because I've been so busy with the schedule and being on the road. We really haven't been here (much). ... I'm going to be in a hotel for awhile. We're trying to figure out what we're going to do school-wise with the kids."

There will be a lot of discussion between Hynes and his family about when or what the next move will be. Where they will go to school. Finding a more permanent place to live in Nashville.

"We're just trying to figure out what's the right thing for the family — to try to move them all here later in the year and finish school and then get a little bit of a break," he said.

Time is now

For the immediate future, though, now is what's been on Hynes' mind.

Besides spending time with his family, Hynes said he planned to continue to study his new team and new players.

"Start working like you would to get organized for when we come back (for Sunday's practice at Bellevue Ice Center)," Hynes said. "Then later in the week come back here."

Hynes said Predators coaches will report back from break early to prepare more for the rest of the season.

In the meantime, though, Hynes said he'd leave feeling much more comfortable with where things are with his hockey team than when he 1172635 Nashville Predators

Skipping NHL All-Star game never a thought for Predators' Roman Josi

Paul Skrbina

6:00 AM EST Jan 23, 2020

Alex Ovechkin won't be there. Again. Marc-Andre Fleury, either.

Meeting their fellow All-Stars in St. Louis is something the Capitals forward and the Golden Knights goalie opted not to do this weekend, the second straight season Ovechkin has opted out of participating during the weekend.

Both will be suspended for their team's first game after the break in exchange for the extra rest they received.

But Predators captain Roman Josi's rest won't be assured. The three- time All-Star called his selection "a huge honor" and said he's "always had a great time playing the All-Star game," which will be held at Enterprise Center, home of the Stanley Cup champion Blues.

Josi, who is having a career season, said not only is he looking forward to playing, but being a fan. His favorite player to watch, he said, is the Oilers' Connor McDavid.

"He's real special. He's unbelievable," Josi said. "As a defenseman, I love watching other defensemen play, like (Erik) Karlsson, (Victor) Hedman. You try to learn from them."

In the case of Ovechkin, who also skipped the 2016 game in Nashville and was voted captain of this year's Metropolitan team, and Fleury, age may be case of what matters over mind.

Josi is 29 years old, compared to Ovechkin's 34 and Fleury's 35.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski players skipping the game has become a "concern."

"In terms of player participation, is that a concern? Yes, I think it is a concern," Daly told Wyshynski. "I was the first to defend Alex Ovechkin's decision last year to take a year off because he's been fabulous in terms of helping the league in promoting the sport, including the All-Star event every year. ... But two years in a row is probably something we do need to address with the players' association so it doesn't become a trend."

Josi opted not to directly address other players skipping the weekend, instead focusing on making new memories for himself.

Though he leads his team with 48 points and is on pace to shatter his career highs in goals, assists and points, the front-row seat he'll have to see some of the best players in the world was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The skills competitions will take place Friday, with the games played Saturday.

"Watching the skills competition and watching the three-on-three," Josi said. "Normally I play against those guys and it's pretty fun to be out there with them, especially in three-on-three; you see the scale of some players and it really shows up. It's pretty cool. I definitely sit on the bench sometimes and just enjoy watching it."

Josi's favorite All-Star memory was playing in his first in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena in 2016. He had a goal and five assists in last year's games, and scored once in 2016 in Nashville.

"The first one in Nashville was pretty special," Josi said.

And he expects this one to be, too, no matter which other players will be there.

Tennessean LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172636 New Jersey Devils American All-Stars (hometown): D Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.)

F Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) NHL All-Star Game 2020: What event will Devils’ Nico Hischier do at skills competition? F Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill.)

F Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.)

Posted Jan 24, 2020 F Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.)

Chris Ryan F Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho)

F Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson (Grand Forks, N.D.)

Nico Hischier will make his NHL All-Star debut by participating in the F Annie Pankowski (Laguna Hills, Calif.) skills competition on Friday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Devils center will be one of eight players in the accuracy shooting event. G Alex Rigsby Cavallini (Delafield, Wis.)

Hischier, a first-time All-Star, will also take shootout attempts during the D Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) save-streak competition designed for goalies. Canadian All-Stars (hometown):

After participating on Friday, he will play in the All-Star Game on F Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) Saturday night. F Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que.) “It’s really exciting to be here. You look around, it’s something new for me," Hischier said at media day on Thursday in St. Louis. "Each night I’ll G Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que.) try to do my best and to be here, it’s something special. To represent Jersey means a lot, and I’m going to enjoy it for sure.” D Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont.)

Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes D Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont.) observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers F Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont.)

Here’s the full list of events and participants from NHL Public Relations: F Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont.)

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater F Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que.)

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres F Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont.)

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche F Blayre Turnbull (Stellarton, N.S.)

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Enterprise NHL Hardest Shot

Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames

Chris Kreider, New York Rangers Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets

Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens

Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Bud Light NHL Save Streak John Carlson, Washington Capitals

David Rittich, Calgary Flames Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars

Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins Women’s Elite All-Star (CAN) -- TBD

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues Women’s Elite All-Star (USA) -- TBD

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators

Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes David Perron, St. Louis Blues

Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers Star Ledger LOADED: 01.25.2020 Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers

Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils

Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks

Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues

Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

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Elite Women’s 3-on-3 presented by adidas 1172637 New York Islanders

Islanders’ Mathew Barzal nearly the NHL’s fastest skater ever

Brett Cyrgalis

January 25, 2020 | 2:03am

ST. LOUIS — He was just .003 seconds away from being the fastest skater — ever.

But still, the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal won the fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Skills competition on Friday, doing a lap in 13.175 seconds. He ended the three-year reign of Connor McDavid, who finished second with 13.215, and beat third-place Chris Kreider of the Rangers (13.509). Barzal just missed Dylan Larkin’s record pace of 13.172, set in 2016.

“I told Connor when we were out there, I don’t think I could have skated a better lap,” Barzal said. “I don’t know if I can do it again.”

No amount of begging from Nassau County executive Laura Curran is going to force the NHL to decide on where the Islanders will play — either for this postseason, or all of next season — before their new arena at Belmont Park is set to open for the 2021-22 campaign.

Curran sent NHL commissioner Gary Bettman a letter asking for the Islanders to play all their games at the Coliseum rather than Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Bettman said Friday that he sent her a letter back, explaining “it’s a little premature at this point to decide what we’re doing next season with the Islanders and where they’re going to play.”

The Islanders, currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division, played their first-round playoff series a year ago at the Coliseum before playing the second round at Barclays Center, where they would have kept playing if they had moved on. It seems that might be the case again this year, even though Bettman said, “we haven’t done that yet either.

“It’s not an easy issue because Nassau Coliseum is not a major league facility,” Bettman said. “If the Islanders were to have a deep playoff run … it could provide us with monumental challenges we couldn’t overcome. So we’re staying a little flexible.”

In the first “Elite Women’s 3-on-3” event, Canada beat the U.S., 2-1. The two 10-minute halves were about as entertaining as anything all night, with great goaltending from Ann-Renee Deseiens for Canada and Alex Rigsby Cavallini for the U.S.

Bettman said the league is in the process of setting up an anonymous whistle-blower hotline for ethics infractions. He also said there would be player and puck tracking in this year’s playoffs and at the beginning of next regular season.

New York Post LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172638 New York Islanders during Thursday’s All-Star media day, but neither party wants that to become a frequent occurrence.

“Mathew continues to grow,” Trotz said. “I think are times when he’s Mat Barzal’s future a tricky situation for Islanders taken a step back, and then he’s taken a step forward. That’s normal for a young player.”

But how much is that young player worth to the franchise, and how will Brett Cyrgalis Lamoriello fit him into the Islanders’ plans — either short-term or long- term? It will be fascinating to see what happens, and the whole league January 24, 2020 | 7:53PM will be watching.

New York Post LOADED: 01.25.2020 ST. LOUIS — It is one of the most curious cases in the NHL: What are the Islanders going to do with Mathew Barzal?

As the super-talented 22-year-old center takes part in his second straight All-Star Game, the questions are swirling about his future with the organization.

Barzal, who won the fastest skater competition at the NHL All-Star Skills competition on Friday, is on the final year of his entry-level contract, set to be a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights this summer. It leaves team president Lou Lamoriello a handful of options, from short- term bridge deals to a long-term monster contract. And even though Barzal follows the league closely — and the finances of his fellow players even more closely — he is trying not to make it a distraction.

“That stuff will take care of itself,” Barzal said this past week. “We’re trying to play meaningful games in late-April and May, so that’s the goal right now. I’m not really worried about contacts and stuff. That stuff takes care of itself with good play.”

The most likely scenario is that Lamoriello signs him to a two- or three- year bridge deal, probably in the neighborhood of $6 million to $7 million, still keeping Barzal a restricted free agent (with arbitration rights) when the deal ends. There are quite a few comparable contracts there, from Patrik Laine’s two-year deal at $6.75 million per with the Jets, to Brayden Point’s three-year deal at $6.25 million per with the Lightning.

Then there is the long-term option, with Barzal acutely aware of the stalemate Mitch Marner just had with the Maple Leafs before he signed a six-year deal with an annual cap hit just short of $11 million. Toronto paid a hefty price to bite into some of Marner’s unrestricted years. Expect that deal to be a starting point for Barzal if that’s the way the Islanders want to go.

Then there is the pesky idea that keeps surfacing that Barzal would love to play for the new Seattle franchise, which is entering the NHL for the 2021-22 season. Barzal enjoyed playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL as a junior, and it is near his childhood home in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Would Lamoriello be so bold as to negotiate a deal with new Seattle general manger Ron Francis, in which they agree to pick Barzal in the expansion draft in exchange for, say, a future first-round pick plus quite a bit more?

That would be a tricky situation, but it is undoubtedly part of the equation.

Also, too, is how to properly evaluate a player’s statistics while playing for the obsessively defensive Islanders. Under the run-and-gun style of coach Doug Weight in 2017-18, Barzal put up 85 points en route to winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. But when Barry Trotz came in for the 2018-19 season, Barzal only managed 62 points, and he currently has 42 points through 49 games this season, on pace to finish with 70.

“We know we’re not a juggernaut offensively,” Barzal said. “That’s just how it is, and how it’s been the last two years. We don’t win games 6-5 or 5-4. It’s 2-1. It’s about playing well and doing the little things. That’s the culture here, and that’s fine for me. As long as we’re in a playoff spot and win hockey games.”

The Islanders swept the Penguins in the first round this past spring before getting swept in the second round by the Hurricanes. Those are the types of games that Barzal is most looking forward to, even if his first taste of the postseason didn’t go exactly the way he wanted it to.

“I want to be in the playoffs,” he said. “That’s where you ultimately show yourself as a player, show the will you need.”

Yet Barzal found himself benched for almost all of the third period during his team’s 4-2 win over the Rangers at the Garden on Tuesday night, with Trotz saying his young charge made a “selfish” play that could have cost them the game. Barzal responsibly took ownership of the mistake 1172639 New York Islanders

Islanders center Mathew Barzal is fastest skater in NHL skills competition

Laura Albanese

January 25, 2020 12:15 AM

ST. LOUIS — In many respects, Mathew Barzal streaked into prominence quite a while ago. On Friday, he did it officially.

The Islanders’ first-line center, appearing in his second straight All-Star Game, unseated three-time champion Connor McDavid in the Bridgestone NHL’s fastest skater competition during the All-Star Weekend skills competition at the Enterprise Center.

“I don’t think I could’ve skated a better lap,” Barzal said. “You don’t really [practice something like that at all] . . . You kind of just go into it a deer in the headlights a little bit.”

Barzal, an electric current on skates,completed his loop in 13.175 seconds, edging the Oilers’ McDavid, who came in at 13.215. Barzal and McDavid were the final two to go.

“Even when Connor was coming around the last turn, I think he was at eight or nine seconds, and I said, ‘I don’t think I’m holding up,’ ” Barzal said. “I guess I got lucky.”

“He flies,” McDavid had said of Barzal. “He skates like the wind. He’s definitely a player who’s fun to watch and I have fun watching him.”

Until then, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, in his first All-Star appearance,held the lead. He skated first and set the tone with a time of 13.509.

Friday’s skills competition also was notable in its increased involvement with women’s hockey. For the first time, the All-Star Game included Canadian and American women’s All-Stars, who competed with each other in a three-on-three.

Kendall Coyne Schofield, who made history last year by competing in the men’s fastest skater competition, said she hopes this is a sign of things to come.

“I think when you watch the women’s game, there are perceptions that maybe it’s slower or maybe it’s not as physical or maybe they’re not as talented, they’re not as big,” she said. “We’ve heard it our whole life. But I would say we’re equally as entertaining . . . I think when the fans watch the game, they’ll see 20 incredible women out there and hopefully encourage them to watch [more].”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172640 New York Islanders Could the three-on-three become an All-Star staple? Said Bettman, “I’m thrilled that we have an opportunity for the women’s

game to be demonstrated the way it will tonight. I met with players on Gary Bettman still noncommittal on Islanders games at Coliseum both teams about an hour ago. We had a good chat. They’re excited to be here. We’re excited to have them. Let’s see how it goes tonight.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.25.2020 Laura Albanese

January 25, 2020 12:20 AM

ST. LOUIS — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated that it’s still too early to determine whether the Islanders will be allowed to play all of their games next season at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. He also said logistical issues make holding a deep Islanders playoff run at the Coliseum difficult and possibly untenable.

Bettman, speaking ahead of the 2020 All-Star skills competition, referenced the letter he sent to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran earlier this month and indicated that little had changed since then. Curran publicly pleaded with the commissioner to allow the Islanders to play all of their home games at the Coliseum next season rather than splitting time between Uniondale and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as they are doing this season.

The Islanders have at least one more season until their new home at Belmont is completed.

“It’s a little premature at this point to decide what we’re doing next season with the Islanders and where they’re going to play,” Bettman said.

Asked if the Islanders, who are third in the Metropolitan Division, will be allowed to play some or all of their potential home playoff games at the Coliseum, Bettman said that decision also has not been made.

He underlined the difficulty of hosting a deep playoff run in an arena that holds about 13,000 seats and is not completely equipped for the extensive media presence that accompanies a shot at the Stanley Cup.

“It’s not an easy issue because Nassau Coliseum is not a major-league facility,” he said. “And if the Islanders were to have a deep playoff run, based on the press and the media and the seating capacity and the facilities available, it could provide monumental [challenges] and perhaps challenges that we couldn’t overcome, so we’re staying flexible for the time being.”

Curran, for her part, sent a letter to the commissioner and posted it on Twitter.

“It’s what the fans want,” she wrote in the letter. “It’s what the players want. And recent evidence has been clear that when the Isles play home games on Long Island, they win.”

Bettman’s comments came as part of a long-ranging discussion that ranged from the site of next year’s All-Star Game (Florida, hosted by the Panthers) to an initiative to proactively deal with possible ethics violations.

Highlights included:

* Continued progress on the development of an anonymous, multilingual hotline that could be operational in the next few months and be open to players and personnel who wish to report abusive or inappropriate conduct.

* Puck and player tracking, which will be used in all 16 arenas during this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs and be integrated into the rest of the league starting with the 2021 season.

* Discussions with the players association to give next year’s All-Star Game “a distinctly international flavor.”

* Established the framework for the previously announced executive inclusion council, which will oversee inclusion and diversity. The council will be co-chaired by Kim Pegula, a principal owner of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills.

Friday also brought the introduction of the latest partnership with women’s hockey — an elite three-on-three game that included 20 players from the U.S. and Canada. It’s the biggest women’s event the NHL has put together, and Bettman indicated it is possible that the league will do more. 1172641 New York Islanders situation. He was getting desperate. Feeling the need to add some levity – and perhaps a last hope – he turned to Sparky.

Kim ripped through the demo perfectly, pivoting like a menacing Daniel Nugent-Bowman blueliner. The children ate it up, laughing and hollering.

Jan 24, 2020 “That was perfect, Sparky,” the coach said.

“He is an NHL video coach in waiting,” Woodcroft says. “He’s that good.”

But Kim’s had almost every job and managed almost every responsibility at so many levels of hockey over the last several years. Perhaps, as he’s shown, there are other tasks he can accomplish.

“If you had asked me that question five years ago, for sure NHL video coach is what I wanted to be. If you ask me now, I don’t want to create a box for myself,” Kim says.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172642 New York Rangers Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev here. Now it’s a three-headed monster that’s almost unmanageable.

Filip Chytil, a first-rounder in 2017, didn’t have a good camp, went down, After a first half of the season filled with detours, Vitali Kravtsov is back worked his tail off, and made it back. Ryan Lindgren had a terrific camp, and focused in Hartford but was sent down due to numbers on the left defense position, went down, worked his tail off, and made it back.

Lias Andersson, another ’17 first-rounder, barely made the team out of Rick Carpiniello camp, didn’t do enough to stay, was sent down, asked to be traded, then left the Wolf Pack. Now he’s skating in Sweden and delivering cryptic Jan 24, 2020 messages about other issues with which he may be dealing. But the team and Andersson have reopened dialogue.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Just nine months ago, he was the Rangers’ No. 1 And then there’s Kakko, who – if he hadn’t had gigantic expectations and prospect. Well, maybe a toss-up between him and goalie Igor Shesterkin. hype as the No. 2 overall pick – might have been in Hartford at some point, too, and perhaps that would have been best for him. And of course that was before Rangers GM Jeff Gorton hit the lottery and the right to pick Kaapo Kakko second overall in the 2019 draft. Rangers coach David Quinn has lamented that there’s something wrong when the world freaks out over sending a player under 21 to a Forward Vitali Kravtsov, the Rangers’ first-round pick the year before developmental team. But it does. And it would if Kakko were sent down. (No. 9 overall), has sure been through some stuff since then. “There’s a lot of factors that go into development of a hockey player,” But he remains among the top prospects in the organization – and Knoblauch said. “So often you hear fans say, ‘Just play the kid; play him certainly the Rangers’ top prospect yet to play an NHL game. and he’s going to develop.’ That’s not – just because you give a player ice time doesn’t mean it’s going to be positive. They’re not going to “Yeah, no question,” Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury, who doubles as become a good hockey player just by getting ice time. They’ve got to be the GM of the team’s AHL affiliate in Hartford, said Thursday. “Nothing’s in a good situation of, one, being pushed and being in a situation where really changed from then to now. We’re excited with the steps he’s made they’re going to succeed. in Hartford, and I think he and we recognized there are still some steps to be made. But his development process is going smoothly since he’s “Vitali’s a playmaker. If he plays in the American Hockey League he’s been back and we’re excited every week to see what he brings next.” going to have the puck a lot more and be able to make plays and understand the North American game as opposed to being in the NHL A big, skilled 20-year-old (his birthday was in December), Kravtsov is right now where it’s the North American game but he’s not going to get back in Hartford after a bit of a detour. He didn’t make the NHL roster in the puck nearly as much because of the way the game is. He’s probably training camp as a teen, was demoted, wasn’t thrilled with the demotion, not going to be playing top six. So I think he’s in a really good position to saw his minutes dwindle, exercised an escape clause to return to his work on some skills, get better, and it will be a matter of time before he is Russian team, Traktor in the KHL – which was his right – saw his making a positive contribution to the Rangers.” minutes dwindle again, was demoted to Traktor’s minor-league affiliate, and then with help from the Rangers, escaped back to Hartford. Whew. For Kravtsov, Hartford is best for him right now.

“There were no issues,” Drury said of the path Kravtsov followed. “No “Everything’s good,” he said. “Making progress … I feel I can shoot more. one was mad. He had an option to go back. Obviously the KHL is a If I shoot more it will be more goals. I play better now in D-zone, I play terrific league and he took that option. He thought it was best for him. He better now in offensive zone.” was able to go and see what the opportunity was there. No, there were no fences needing to be mended. He’s a young player trying to find his By accounts, he has done those things. He scored two goals in the Wolf way. We couldn’t be happier that he’s back and playing big minutes and Pack’s last three games, though he has just four goals and one assist in being given responsibility in Hartford.” 14 games since returning from Russia (he had one assist in five games before he bolted, and was scratched from his second game in Hartford). Kravtsov, who worked hard physically last summer after being signed to a pro contract with Shesterkin – who is temporarily back with Hartford “I think he’s in a really good spot right now,” said Knoblauch. “He’s during the NHL’s all-star break and has a similar out clause in his deal. cheerful, he’s excited to come to the rink every day, he works hard. And now he’s just starting to learn the North American game, how there’s not Kravtsov made it a priority to learn English, and he has improved as much time. You get checked a lot harder just because of the rink exponentially since his draft day, and even from prospects camp in June being smaller. There’s not as much room to evade opponents. He’s until now. He doesn’t really care to talk about all that went down since starting to understand that and you can see he’s starting to make a September, other than the progress he’s making and the NHL dream he positive impact on our games every night.” continues to chase. Kravtsov kind of smiles when asked about the adjustment to the smaller “Yeah, I think everybody who’s sent down, they’re disappointed,” rink. Kravtsov said about his decision to go home. “I don’t feel it so big,” he said. “A little bit different. It’s a little bit hard for “I don’t have a different feeling (now). I need to play more, work harder, me. In hockey, one puck, two nets and nothing changes.” and try to make it back (to New York).” Knoblauch has him playing on a top line with team captain Steven Is that in his mind as a goal this season? Fogarty and Danny O’Regan, and on the first power play, where he has manned either the half-wall or the down-low spot. The coaches want “I don’t know,” he said. “All I need to play better, then we’ll see.” Kravtsov, a playmaker, to shoot the puck more, and he’s started to do His decisions were his decisions, and the end result is he’s back in that (12 shots on goal in the last four games). Knoblauch tells him that if Hartford, trying to get to New York and the NHL. he becomes a threat to shoot the puck, defenders will have to play him differently, and that will open up more ice for his strength, his passing. “I think there was, one, disappointment from (being demoted by) the Rangers, and two, the uncertainty of what’s best,” said Hartford coach “I think more I try to pass it to my partners,” Kravtsov said. “Everybody Kris Knoblauch, brought in over the summer as Gorton, Drury and new wants to score. I can score more if I don’t pass for everybody. But I don’t team president John Davidson revamped the developmental team. “I’m have fun if I just shoot all the game. I need to make some plays, try to sure he was getting some direction about playing in Russia, and maybe make some plays, pass to my partners. Then maybe I can score.” Hartford wasn’t best. … But since he’s come back to us, his attitude has His teammates notice it. Everybody does. been outstanding. He’s worked really hard. He’s wanting to learn. He’s playing the right way. So we’re happy to have him.” “Yeah, he’s been great,” said Fogarty, who was up with the Rangers for a brief while this season. “Obviously, we knew his offense is there, but on The first four months of the 2019-20 season have certainly been both sides of the puck he’s blocking shots and making last-ditch diving interesting in terms of rookies/prospects and how the Rangers have efforts. Offensively he’s creating a lot in the offensive zone, and his handled things. Shesterkin went down after camp and lit up the AHL until effort’s been great. He’s fun to play with. his recall. He was never going to make it out of camp with Henrik “I think he’s come back with a different attitude and it’s been great. Since the day he got here he’s been great in practice and in games and he’s been a huge part of our team so far.”

He remains a huge part of the Rangers future, despite the speed bumps of his first season in this country.

“Absolutely he’s seen as a top prospect,” Knoblauch said. “He’s on our first line. He’s contributing. His point totals have been maybe just moderate to start, but I think in the next month or so he’s going to start to break out and score more. One, score more just from him shooting more often, because he does have a good shot, but I think also, between him and his linemates, they’ve been a a little unfortunate. More pucks that should have been going in but haven’t. So I think that’s the reason for his modest goals and assists output. But I think in the next month, that’s going to catch up and you’re going t see some real production from him.”

Drury speaks with Knoblauch and his staff daily. He gets to most Wolf Pack games, and when he doesn’t he watches them on video, as do Davidson and Gorton. They know exactly what’s going on with the team … and with Kravtsov.

“He’s been really good (since returning),” Drury said. “On ice, off ice, he’s doing everything we’ve asked of him. I think his play, week by week, is getting better and better. Figuring out how to play on the smaller ice, how to play a different style of game than he’s played his whole life. So I think a lot of very positive signs since he’s been back.”

There is an understanding, too, that Kravtsov’s still-very-young journey is different than, say, Andersson’s, and that whatever decisions he has made so far, they haven’t hurt him or his future.

“It’s a hard thing,” Drury said. “Even though you’re a young player and a young person, when you have your sights set on one thing and you work extremely hard to achieve that goal, and in the short-term you don’t get it, obviously he was frustrated with not being on the Rangers. But again, there’s no animosity or ill will. I think he, at least in the short term, thought it would be better for his development to be over there and we had no problem letting him go.

“Everyone’s able to make their own decisions. We lay out our development plan as best we can to these guys and give them exactly what we seek for them and how we’re going to help them achieve their goal of becoming a full-time Ranger. But at the end of the day, a player has to make a decision as to what’s best for them and everyone handles things differently and has different people advising them and are able to make their own decisions. We’re confident and happy with the plan we have in place in Hartford, collectively as a team and individually, to get guys to the best of their ability development-wise and try to make them all Rangers sooner than later.”

Kravtsov has criss-crossed the globe and crossed over from his teens. His goal is the same, as is his place among the Rangers’ prospects.

For him, right now, it’s simple.

“Progress every game,” Kravtsov said. “I try to be better.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.25.2020

1172643 Ottawa Senators “For a young guy like, where it’s my first time getting nominated, I’m just thrilled to be part of it,” Duclair said. “It’s such an honour, you get to meet new faces and make friendships along the way. I’m really looking forward to that. Senators winger Anthony Duclair thrilled to be taking part in all-star weekend “It did (surprise him to be named an all-star). I was actually in shock. It was a game day in Pittsburgh, I got the text and then all of a sudden my phone blew up. I didn’t think about it (being possible) at all, to be honest with you. I was starting to make plans to go away for the bye week.” Bruce Garrioch Spending the weekend with Dominique at this event is pretty neat as Published:January 24, 2020 well. Updated:January 24, 2020 9:04 PM EST “It’s awesome. She’s obviously my biggest fan and ever since I got nominated she was just so happy and so thrilled,” Duclair said. “It’s going to be a great weekend for myself and her as well. It’s really a dream Being invited to the NHL all-star weekend is special to Anthony Duclair. come true for all of us.”

So, the Ottawa Senators’ winger brought someone special to share the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 01.25.2020 experience with him in St. Louis.

As the competition got underway Friday night with the skills competition at the Enterprise Center, Duclair’s mother, Dominique, was in the stands to get the opportunity to see her 24-year-old son take part in the fastest skater portion of the event. On Saturday night, he’ll suit up for the Atlantic Division in the three-on-three tournament.

“I’m happy to be here, my mom is here and it’s going to be nice to share it with her,” Duclair said in a telephone interview from St. Louis. “It’s just exciting to get things going.”

Chosen as the Senators’ representative for the event, Duclair has been solid for the club this season. He has posted 21 goals and 33 points in 47 games, and has been given an expanded role by coach D.J. Smith by not only contributing offensively, but also being a big part of the penalty killing units that have had strong success.

It’s been well-documented that Duclair has moved around the league a lot since being selected No. 80 overall by the New York Rangers in the 2013 NHL draft. The Senators are his fifth team, but he’s a player the club’s pro scouts wanted general manager Pierre Dorion to include in the deal for Ryan Dzingel with Columbus at last year’s NHL trade deadline.

That’s because they believed if Duclair was given the right opportunity in the right circumstances he could be an impact player. The decision has paid dividends, and it helped that Duclair has a coaching staff that trusts him. If Duclair makes a mistake, Smith isn’t going to bench him, he’s going to put him right back out there.

“I’ve talked about it a lot here and it’s one of the big reasons that I’m here,” Duclair said. “The opportunity that I’ve gotten (with Ottawa), I didn’t take it for granted. This year, I’m one of those guys that’s being relied on in an offensive role.

“That’s all I’ve wanted since I came into the league, and now I’m getting that this year and I’m embracing the role. I”m just happy.”

He’s found a good fit with Smith and the staff. Duclair appreciates the fact that he’s also killing penalties for the first time since junior. He’s making his presence felt at both ends of the ice by doing whatever it takes to try to help the Senators have success.

He is the second highest-ranked forward on the team with 30 blocked shots. He’s ranked No. 239 in the league in that department and is among the top 30 to 40 forwards.

Duclair said he’s received help from teammate Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the penalty killing department.

“I haven’t played on the penalty kill since junior. I got a little practice in the pre-season and I honestly felt comfortable,” Duclair said. “I’ve got to give credit to Pageau because he’s really helped me a lot.

“Even before games, I ask him all the time just to reassure myself about what I am doing on the penalty kill and he really helps me out a lot. I’m just learning from a guy like that who has done it for years now, and he’s probably one of the best in the league at it for the past few years and has helped with the shorthanded goals.

“Just to learn from a guy like that has been awesome.”

Duclair has a chance to be around some of the NHL’s best players this weekend and has the opportunity to talk to them about what makes them successful or get a first-hand look at what they do as they prepare for the 3-on-3 tournament with the pre-game approach they take. 1172644 Ottawa Senators “He’s an American-born player that I’ve looked up to my whole life,” Tkachuk said. “He paved the way for a lot of us Americans, he’s super fun to watch and he seems like an awesome guy, so I think he’s one of many guys I’m excited to meet and get to know.” Brady Tkachuk is happy to be home for all-star weekend Ottawa Sun LOADED: 01.25.2020

Bruce Garrioch

Published:January 24, 2020

Updated:January 24, 2020 6:18 PM EST

Brady Tkachuk was enjoying his vacation when he got the call to attend the NHL all-star weekend in his hometown.

He was thrilled to cut it short and accept the invitation to suit up for the Atlantic Division.

The 20-year-old winger was sitting at Senor Frogs in the Bahamas when he was notified that Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews wasn’t going to be able to participate in the events at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis because of a wrist issue and that the league was wondering if Tkachuk would like to take part in the event in the city he grew up in.

“It was definitely the last thing I expected when I was there (in Bahamas), but it’s a cool memory to have and I’m very excited to be here,” Tkachuk said in a telephone interview from St. Louis as the weekend shifted into high gear with the skills competition Friday night.

He was quick to accept the invitation because of everything involved with being in St. Louis, and down the road this will be one of the highlights of his career.

“I didn’t really expect it and it caught me off guard because the weekend was so close,” Tkachuk said. “I was already coming back home so I didn’t really expect it, but just to be told I was going to be part of it was just really surreal, it was unbelievable and I’m really just lucky to be here.”

Being part of the weekend means a lot to Tkachuk and his family because his brother Matthew, a winger with the Calgary Flames, was already invited to the event. Brady had planned to be there, not only to support Matthew, but also to spend time with his parents, Keith and Chantal, along with the rest of the family that will be in town.

Keith played 1,201 NHL games, spending nine seasons with the St. Louis BLues.

Tkachuk was scheduled to take part in the target shooting Friday night. He practised the skill Thursday night after media day, but wasn’t sure “what it will be like with 20,000 people here” because that could be a little nerve-wracking.

Tkachuk just wants to take in every moment.

“It means the world to me,” Tkachuk said. “To be here with my family and my brother, and have a bunch of friends here as well, I’m just so lucky and so thankful to be here. All of the credit for my success goes to my parents and all the people that have helped me along the way.

“It’s a dream come true for all of us. This is the first (all-star game) for us in front of our family and friends in St. Louis. It’s really unexpected and I just think it’s so much fun to have this in our hometown. It’s just fitting and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but I’m just so pumped to be here.”

With 15 goals and 27 points, Tkachuk has been one of Ottawa’s best and most consistent performers through 47 games. Not only has he got the skills to contribute offensively, he does the job physically and most nights he’s a pain in the neck for opponents because of his competitive nature.

The fact Tkachuk is going to get to spend time with some of the best players in the game also makes this weekend something he’ll enjoy.

“It’s a huge honour,” he said. “I know some people probably want to see Auston Matthews instead of me, but I’m just super lucky and thankful. To see some of the guys I idolized growing up and to be here with them, it should be an awesome experience and I hope to get to know some of the guys.”

Tkachuk said he’s looking forward to meeting Chicago winger Patrick Kane and having the chance to speak with him. 1172645 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers’ Travis Konecny finishes seventh in NHL all-star fastest skater event

by Nick Tricome,

Well, at least he stayed upright.

Travis Konecny clocked in at 14.113 seconds in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition’s Fastest Skater event, placing seventh in a field of eight Friday night in St. Louis.

The Islanders’ Mathew Barzal dethroned three-time champion Connor McDavid, skating an unofficial 13.175 to beat the Edmonton superstar’s 13.215.

Fortunately, Konecny didn’t have his expectations set too high, joking about it during All-Star media day on Thursday.

“It was always one of those ones where you feel bad for someone that messes up, and now I’m in that position,” the Flyers’ lone all-star said. "So I’m just praying I stay on my two feet.”

So, uh ... mission accomplished?

Konecny has been a pivotal part of the Flyers’ offense this season and the hockey world acknowledged as much with the 22-year-old’s first All- Star nomination.

“I didn’t expect it, especially with some of the names we have on our team,” Konecny said back when the rosters were announced on Dec. 30. “It’s something you don’t really think about until it happens.”

Leading the Flyers with 17 goals and 43 points through the first 47 games, Konecny will be back on the ice Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. ET, when the Metropolitan Division opens up the weekend’s main event with the first three-on-three game against the Atlantic.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172646 Philadelphia Flyers If the Flyers need another offensive piece, Fletcher might have to deal Gostisbehere and/or a draft pick to put the team over the hump. A draft pick alone might not be enough, however, because the Flyers would probably need to trade a player to free up some needed cap space. Alain Vigneault has pushed most of the right buttons, but a deal might be needed for the Flyers to reach the playoffs | Sam Carchidi Flyers goalie Brian Elliott sits on the ice after Minnesota's Jason Zucker scored a game-winning goal. Zucker is among the forwards who might be dealt before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. by Sam Carchidi, Flyers goalie Brian Elliott sits on the ice after Minnesota's Jason Zucker scored a game-winning goal. Zucker is among the forwards who might be

dealt before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. In his 13-plus months on the job, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher Goaltending still has not made the signature trade that his bosses seemed to want his predecessor, Ron Hextall, to make. And since he’s now up against the Hart has been great at home (1.69 GAA, .940 save percentage), awful on salary cap, it will be even more difficult to pull the trigger on that type of the road (4.01, .850). After missing four games because of an abdominal deal. injury, he is expected to be ready when the Flyers return from their break Jan. 31 in Pittsburgh. But make no mistake: Fletcher has dramatically changed the Flyers and made them better by adding Matt Niskanen (trade with Capitals) and Elliott (2.89, .904) will probably start that night, based on his road play signing prospective free agent Kevin Hayes. and the fact he blanked the Penguins, 3-0, on Tuesday.

The best move he has made, however, was signing a guy who about Brian Elliott and Flyers shutout Penguins now is sitting in his pontoon boat in South Florida, presumably sipping a martini and forgetting about hockey for a few days. But the Flyers need Hart to start some of the remaining road games. They desperately need him to take control and finish strong if they are Alain Vigneault, the Flyers’ new coach, deserves some R&R after going to get into the playoffs and become a factor. directing his team to a 27-17-6 record at the All-Star break, including recent wins over NHL heavyweights Washington, Boston, St. Louis, and Special teams Pittsburgh. They have 60 points, one point out of a playoff spot in the The special teams are improved from last season, but the power play has ultracompetitive Eastern Conference. been inconsistent over the last thee months. The power play needs solid The Flyers have 12 more points than at a corresponding time last end-of-season contributions from James van Riemsdyk (three power-play season. They are on pace for 98 points, 16 more than they collected a goals) and Gostisbehere (one power-play goal), if he remains with the year ago. team. That would go a long way toward securing a playoff spot.

Under Vigneault, the Flyers are better in virtually every area. The power play, directed by new assistant Michel Therrien, is 18th in the NHL (19.5% success rate), but it has improved over last season (22nd, The offense has been good but not great, which is understandable 17.1%). because it is missing key forwards Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick. The penalty kill, bolstered by the additions of Hayes and Niskanen, has Lindblom, the blossoming left winger who was tied for the team lead with been arguably the Flyers’ most pleasant surprise. The PK is ninth in the 11 goals when he was found to have a rare form of bone cancer, hasn’t NHL (82.2% success rate), a marked improvement from last year (26th, played since Dec. 7 and will miss the rest of the season. Patrick, 78.5%). expected to produce around 20 goals as the third-line center, has been sidelined all season with a migraine disorder, and no one knows if he will Mike Yeo, another new assistant, has helped make the penalty kill one of play in the final two-plus months. the team’s strengths since the start of the season.

That has scrambled the lines and created a patchwork lineup. To his Bottom line credit, Vigneault has done a nice job of creating balance among the four Vigneault has created a winning culture in the first 50 games. Players lines and spreading out the minutes and the scoring. know if they don’t produce, they will be moved down in the lineup or The Flyers are 15th in the NHL, averaging 3.06 goals. That number is benched. That has created a sense of urgency that, in a league filled with similar to last season, when they finished 18th with an average of 2.94. parity, can be the difference between winning and losing close games.

Defense Aside from a recent 1-4-1 road trip, the Flyers rarely have had a disastrous period in games. That trend will have to continue, too, if the It wouldn’t be shocking if Washington and Colorado ended up playing for Flyers are going to play past the April 4 regular-season finale in Buffalo. the Stanley Cup. But you might be surprised that the Flyers are tied with both those teams for 10th in the NHL in goals allowed per game, 2.90 — One trend that can’t continue: the Flyers’ dismal road play (10-13-2). Of about a half-goal less per game than in 2018-19. the 16 teams in playoff spots, only one, Vancouver, has a losing road record. This is the area in which the Flyers have made the most strides. Vigneault has pressed most of the right buttons, but he must find ways to Some of it is because last season was the Year of Eight Goalies, and get his team out of its road funk. As it stands now, just three points many of them were ineffective. The Flyers allowed 3.41 goals per game separate the four teams — the Islanders, Columbus, Carolina, and the last season, 29th in the NHL. Flyers — vying for the last three playoff spots.

Niskanen, a veteran who won a Cup with the Capitals, has solidified the Half of the Flyers’ remaining 32 games will be on the road. The good defense and helped his partner, Ivan Provorov, to regain his footing after news: 14 of their 16 road games will be against Eastern Conference a disappointing season. And the fact that goalies Carter Hart and Brian opponents, and the Flyers have an NHL-best 19-6-4 record against the Elliott have been relatively healthy has also been an important factor. East.

Vigneault seems to have found the right defensive pairings, and the Vigneault will pour another martini if the dominance against the East Flyers have gone 5-2 since Shayne Gostisbehere left the lineup because continues. he needed arthroscopic knee surgery. He might be ready return Jan. 31 against Pittsburgh, and his name will be tossed around before the Feb. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.25.2020 24 trade deadline because the Flyers have some insurance in the minors (Mark Friedman) and could use another productive forward if Patrick can’t return this season.

The Rangers’ Chris Kreider, Minnesota’s Jason Zucker, Los Angeles’ Tyler Toffoli, Nashville’s Mikael Granlund, and Chicago’s Brandon Saad are among the forwards who could be available. 1172647 Philadelphia Flyers “I think it really shows a lot about his character,” Steward said. “And that he has a big heart not just on the ice, but off the ice.

“Just a small simple gesture means a lot and makes my day every time I The top 10 moments that make Travis Konecny, well, Travis Konecny see him with it on.”

OT goals compilation

By Brooke Destra January 24, 2020 9:00 AM This one is self explanatory but his cellies following each are just as good as the goals themselves.

Evolving into his final form When you think of Travis Konecny, you think of a first-round pick, A-plus chirper, currently in the middle of a breakout season and now an NHL All- It seems like that chipped tooth Konecny got on Jan. 11 might have been Star. Konecny has had quite the career through his first four seasons a good luck charm. Since that game, he’s averaged a point per game with the Flyers and there will be much more to look forward to in the through five games. The chip may have been fixed but the power of it coming years. remains.

For now, here are the 10 best moments since becoming a Flyer that Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 make Konecny, well … Konecny.

Chirp central

When NBC released "Wired: Stadium Series," Konecny officially became one of the best chirpers in the league. His quick wit during the game was iconic when he was on one of the biggest regular-season platforms in the NHL. Personal favorite chirp has to go to, “Eat up, bud!”

Post Stadium Series dance party

The fun didn’t stop on the ice though, the celebration continued into the Eagles’ locker room where he danced the night away with teammate Nolan Patrick.

Speaking of Nolan ...

During the 2018-19 season, Flyers TV had a special on the youth of the team where a lot of it focused on the bromance of Konecny and Patrick. From tying ties to trying to get out of a parking garages, there’s a bunch of quality bits in there.

The offseason with T.K.

Before going into the 2017-18 season, the Flyers gave everyone a sneak peek of what the offseason is like for Konecny when it comes to training and conditioning, his childhood town (which only has one stop sign), life on the farm and tons of fishing … tons of fishing.

Reporting for duty

One of the most exciting moments of 2019 came once Konecny finally signed his contract and reported to training camp to be with his teammates and new head coach Alain Vigneault. The Flyers’ Twitter account had a field day with the announcement, replying to just about every "sign T.K." tweet there was on the platform. They even responded to my post about me talking about how they signed him … by letting me know they signed him. A-plus job.

We signed TK and Provy.

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 16, 2019

His career best

There have been multiple times in his career, five to be exact, in which Konecny wound up having a three-point game. They have become much more frequent this season, having three of the five coming in the first half of the 2019-20 season. While none of these three-point nights have resulted in a hat trick, I’m sure the next time he’s an All-Star that’s going to be a different story.

A whole lot of fighting

There’s no shortage of footage when it comes to Konecny dropping the gloves. This place on this list is dedicated to T.K. dropping the gloves and the penalty minutes endured because of it.

A different kind of fight

It’s hard to forget the impact young Zach Steward had on all of us during Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Wells Fargo Center. No one was impacted more than Konecny. Steward had given his favorite player a "Strong then, stronger now" bracelet, worn by those who want to support him in his second battle of cancer. While it was an inspiring moment for Konecny to wear it for that game, he continues to wear it all season long and it doesn’t go unnoticed. 1172648 Philadelphia Flyers

Travis Konecny to ‘soak it up’ in first All-Star experience

Dave Isaac, NHL writerPublished 10:38 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2020

Claude Giroux has been to six All-Star weekends in his career and this time around he didn’t get the call. The Flyers’ captain became a father for the first time in the past year so, although he won’t admit it, he probably enjoys the fact that he gets to stay home this time.

Travis Konecny is in St. Louis as a first-time All-Star and had to go up against Connor McDavid in the fastest skater competition Friday night.

Gulp.

Konecny joked with reporters Thursday that it would be a win for him if he didn’t fall down during the event. Jokes and light situations are what All- Star weekend is all about and it’s also what Konecny is best at, so he likely would have made good on Giroux’s advice even if he hadn’t heard it.

“Just enjoy it. It’s a great weekend. There’s a lot of things going on,” Giroux said. “I have a lot of good experiences in all of them. He’s gonna enjoy it for sure.”

“That’s kind of the gist of it,” Konecny added. “It’s gonna be a fun couple of days. I just gotta make sure I just soak every moment in and remember everything.

“I’m pretty excited. I’m looking forward to the experience and having my family there and everybody soak it up.”

Konecny will represent the Metropolitan Division in the 3-on-3 tournament Saturday night on a team that includes five other first-time All-Stars. Pittsburgh goalie Tristian Jarry, New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider, Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, New Jersey’s Nico Hischier and Washington’s T.J. Oshie are also going for their first times. Actor Jon Hamm, a St. Louis native, was named an honorary captain of the Metropolitan Division team.

This marks the fifth year of the format for All-Star weekend being a 3-on- 3 tournament, in which the winning division wins $1 million. In 2017, then Flyer Wayne Simmonds was also the tournament MVP and won a truck, which he had to get from Los Angeles back to Philadelphia.

Usually young hockey hopefuls dream of Stanley Cups, not All-Star appearances, “but now that it’s here it’s a special moment for everybody,” Konecny said.

It would certainly be a success if Konecny could follow in Simmonds’ footsteps, but the greater concern is what happens when the weekend is over.

The Flyers are one point out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 32 games to go and when they practice next Wednesday (the first day they’re allowed to due to the bye week) they’ll have to shake off some rust and quickly get ready for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I think the team’s in a great spot,” Konecny said. “We’re all looking forward to this break but it’s gonna be great to come back fresh. I think everyone’s kind of at the point in the season where every game is a playoff game now and that’s how we’re approaching it.”

“I think we’re in a great position,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault added. “We’re right where we want to be. We said coming in here that we’re gonna get into the playoffs and have an opportunity to challenge to play for the Stanley Cup. We’re right where we want to be. It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be an opportunity for our leadership group and our young players who are all getting better to go out and prove that we’re a good team.”

Courier-Post LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172649 Philadelphia Flyers his own in a bottom-pairing role, but the real question is can he get back to his previous level, and if so, will there be any space for him by then on the Flyers? The answer is likely no.

Top 20 Flyers prospects: Updates on honorable mentions Samuel Morin, Matthew Strome Ronnie Attard, Maksim Sushko, more In his first professional season, the youngest of the Strome brothers has split his time between the AHL and ECHL. There’s no doubting his skill, and if this were a different era, he’d be a surefire future NHLer, given his By Alexander Appleyard Jan 24, 2020 hands, shot and hockey IQ. In an era that’s faster than ever, Strome’s biggest flaw not only hinders him from becoming a top-six forward but

also enormously reduces his odds of ever dressing in the world’s best Since the summer, several Flyers prospects have graduated to the big league. Strome’s speed has improved since the Flyers drafted him in club — yet, there remains exceptional depth in the pool, thanks to the 2017’s fourth round, but the 21-year-old still has a long way to go to even emphasis the franchise has placed on scouting and, in turn, the success be considered for a call-up. Check back in 18 months, when perhaps of its drafts over the last five years. Strome’s feet have caught up with his hands.

While some organizations lack even 10 or 15 prospects with a legitimate Maksim Sushko chance of an NHL career, the Flyers still have a handful of players The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have, almost to a man, underperformed this outside of The Athletic Philadelphia’s latest top 20 list who may well season versus expectations. But the Belarusian winger has been one of carve out a solid career in Orange & Black. the few bright spots at the AHL level. Sushko, a physically mature, 20- For those rankings, Charlie O’Connor and I ranked our personal top 25 year-old, played 16 games for his senior national team before debuting prospects and then compiled an aggregate of the two. While our as a pro, and he prides himself on a solid two-way game — so maybe it respective lists contained 18 of the same players, seven names from our should’ve been less of a surprise that he found early success against personal top 25s failed to make the official list. None of these players has grown men. Sushko is fifth on the Phantoms in scoring, and while he’s star potential, and it’s likely they’ll never feature in the top half of an NHL benefitted from puck luck, his plus-15 comfortably leads the team. It’s lineup, but each has the ability to make an impact on the Flyers roster easy to see his skill set translating to the NHL, where he could become a down the line. good bottom-six player in the future. The 2017 fourth-round pick skates well, is strong on the boards, and his wrist shot can trouble any goalie. Ronnie Attard Think Michael Raffl with a lower hockey IQ and a better shot.

The Western Michigan blueliner is cut from the same cloth as other Carsen Twarynski young Flyers defensemen. Similar to Travis Sanheim, Philippe Myers and Yegor Zamula, the big-bodied, reigning USHL Player of the Year is As fans saw earlier this season, Twarynski is physically ready for the aggressive, has a big shot and loves jumping into the rush. He also has a NHL, and in his stint with the Flyers, the 22-year-old certainly played well penchant for physical play and hard hits. Add in that Attard is a right- in his own zone. What let him down, though, was a lack of creativity and handed defenseman, and it’s easy to see why the Flyers used a third- ability to get space in the offensive zone. The 2016 third-round pick has a round pick on the 20-year-old last year. He’s had a solid start to his wicked release and is good around the net, but he rarely had a chance to NCAA career, but the late bloomer will need three or four years in college flash either due to being a step behind when up ice. In that regard, he’s before he’s ready for the pros. His skating isn’t bad, but must improve, shown some positive signs in the AHL. With a bit more development, and his aggression can lead to him losing his gap. Attard’s ceiling is likely Twarynski could return to the big club in the not-so distant future and as a No. 4 defenseman, if he can round out his game. contribute in all three zones. As far as upside, he might have only fourth- line potential, but Twarynski could be a solid depth piece soon. David Bernhardt The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 After a tough start to the season in which Bernhardt was a regular healthy scratch in the SHL, the big Swede seems to have found his game with SaiPa in Finland’s top league. Four points in 18 games may not seem like anything special, but since making the move across the Gulf of Bothnia, the Stockholm native has played a major role in Liiga, seeing 21 minutes per night while often matching up against opponents’ best players.

His game still has flaws, though. Bernhardt skates fast in a straight line, but his foot-speed needs to improve, and although he has a good shot and some passing skill, the 2016 seventh-round pick struggles at times to use his offensive ability at 5-on-5. The 22-year-old’s rights expire this summer, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Flyers bring him over.

Adam Ginning

This season has been one of peaks and valleys for Ginning. Undoubtedly, the high point was the big blueliner captaining Team Sweden to a bronze medal at the world juniors. There, against the best players his age group had to offer, Ginning flashed skill and served as a reliable presence on the Junior Crowns’ backend. The 20-year-old is now back in the SHL with Linköping after struggling at the start of the season and spending a few months on loan in the second tier. In terms of NHL upside, the 2018 second-rounder has a ceiling as a bottom-pair defenseman. To get there, he needs to improve the consistency of his breakout play and his agility. While Ginning is capable of making nice passes, he struggles at times to move the puck up ice.

Samuel Morin

The hulking defenseman from the edge of Quebec City must feel cursed. Over the last three seasons, Morin has played just 31 games due to a myriad of injuries. Multiple hip flexor tears in 2017-18 were compounded by a torn ACL suffered in the 2018 playoffs, which caused him miss almost a full calendar year. But six months and 11 games after his recovery, Morin re-tore the ACL. He won’t play again until next season, when he will be 25. Morin has shown in limited NHL time that he can hold 1172650 Philadelphia Flyers the right balance has come more naturally to him, but that intensity hasn’t disappeared, and it apparently still shows itself regularly in practices.

“We’ve got a pretty competitive group, I think G’s very competitive,” one Flyers player poll: Who’s the funniest? Best (and worst) music taste? player said. “It’s good leadership, the way he tries in practice.” Best at video games? Team dad? Sean Couturier and Voracek — fellow members of the leadership corps — also got shoutouts, as did two new additions to the club, Philippe Myers and Tyler Pitlick. Even the team DJ received a nod. By Charlie O'Connor Jan 24, 2020 “Scott Laughton, he’s always going hard. I love it,” one player said.

The generational gap in the locker room is most obvious with our next On Monday, The Athletic released its annual NHL player poll, with nearly poll topic: video games. Younger players tend to be the biggest gamers, 400 players across the league sharing their opinions on the best player in while most older vets play only casually. But all of the groups — hockey, most underrated and even what rule they would change. hardcore, casual and nonexistent video gamers — seemed to agree on the top three: Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Nolan Patrick. Those were league-wide questions. But what about how Philadelphia Flyers players feel about their teammates? Konecny might have earned the win in this “Best at Video Games” poll, but he received a number of votes from players who admitted they barely To that end, 14 Flyers participated in our team-specific player poll, a join in the gaming action, so let’s call this a virtual tie among the Big lighthearted look at seven questions about this tightknit group. Who cares Three. the most about what they wear? Do the Flyers have a “team dad,” and if so, who is he? And who has the best and worst taste in music? Two players abstained from the vote entirely, saying they had no idea whom to choose. Voracek explained his abstention in inimitable Jakub Let’s go to the results. Voracek style. Kevin Hayes’ sense of humor is one of the pleasant surprises for fans “Those fucking young nerds, I don’t know,” Voracek cracked. “At ‘FIFA,’ this season. The Flyers’ social media department hasn’t been shy about I’m the best. But I don’t know what they play these days. Fucking producing videos with his amusing pregame, postgame and in-game ‘Fortnite’ probably.” commentary. So it’s no surprise that, even though Hayes joined the team in June, he was a popular answer for “Funniest Player.” To be clear, this question didn’t necessarily mean “Which player is the most fashionable?” — even though most of the voters took it in that But Hayes isn’t the only Flyer with the gift of making his teammates direction. Regardless, three players got the most love, with Giroux again laugh. Many of the longer-tenured Philadelphia players went with the dry taking the win. humor of Michael Raffl, who tied Hayes in the voting. Raffl’s buddy, Scott Laughton, also nabbed some votes, and even though Chris Stewart is no “We have a couple guys who are really good dressers. I’d say G, I like longer with the big club — the Flyers sent him down to Lehigh Valley on his suit game,” one player said. “G tries to look sharp all the time,” Jan. 16 — he remains a locker room favorite and secured a couple of another said. votes. Patrick and James van Riemsdyk also got their share of props. On the “Stewie’s always got a smile on his face, making people laugh,” one Flyer opposite end of the spectrum? Carter Hart, who had two players said. “It’s tough, we actually have a lot of really funny guys.” specifically say they could not vote for him.

If you’ve attended a game at the Wells Fargo Center during the past two “Hartsy tries, but I would not give it to him,” one player said, laughing. seasons, you’ve likely heard the pregame warmup mix that’s played over the speakers as the teams run lines and do their final prep. The curator A sleeper candidate at the bottom of the list? Robert Hägg. of that playlist? Laughton, who took the win in the “Best Music Taste” “You know who has nice shit? Hagger. He deserves more credit than he poll. gets,” an admirer said. “Laughts is the DJ, so I’ve got to go with Laughts,” one player said. On such a young team, there’s a need for the responsible guy in the Unsurprisingly, players tended to make their selections along the lines of room — the “team dad.” So who fills that role for the Flyers? Matt the music they personally enjoy. Jakub Voracek was the go-to choice for Niskanen was the runaway winner in the biggest landslide of the poll (he players who were less into newer tracks. Interestingly enough, the received 75 percent of the votes), with most players barely hesitating dividing lines weren’t drawn by age: Laughton voters averaged 25.2 before naming him. years old, while Voracek voters checked in at 26. “Nisky for sure, oh yeah,” one of the younger players said. “I like Jakey’s music, old-school music,” one of his voters said. “Same way he plays hockey, always responsible,” another said. Hayes made an appearance in this category, too. As one player It was left to Voracek to provide a dissenting opinion, even if his answer explained it, Hayes felt like something of a compromise pick, even looked ahead to an amusing possible future. though he leans new school. “Coots,” he said with conviction. “I can picture him one day, driving a “I guess it depends what you like, but I think Hayesy is that kind of guy minivan, taking four fucking kids to practice, on time, all the time.” that likes everything,” one teammate said, “and can have a good time listening to any type of music.” The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 Poor country music. The “Travii” — Sanheim and Konecny — are the two big country fans in the locker room, which drove multiple chuckling anti- country players to vote for them for “Worst Music Taste.” The duo nabbed 36 percent of the overall votes.

For the most part, though, answers were scattered. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel’s love of electronic dance music (EDM) earned him a surprise vote — “I get a headache from that,” his voter said. Even Laughton, the “Best Music Taste” winner — nabbed a dissenting vote.

Three players preferred to sit out this question, on the grounds that music taste was too subjective. An admirable stance.

And we have our first runaway winner: Claude Giroux, for “Most Competitive Player at Practice.” Giroux’s on-ice intensity is legendary — in fact, he’s acknowledged that in his early days, he was perhaps too hard on himself during games, which occasionally led to his frustration level having a negative effect on his play. As Giroux has matured, finding 1172651 Pittsburgh Penguins

Minor league report: Cassels leads Penguins past Checkers

SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, January 24, 2020 10:52 p.m.

Forward Cole Cassels had two goals and three assists for the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-4 road win against the Charlotte Checkers in the Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday.

Defenseman David Warsofsky netted two goals and two assists for the Penguins (21-16-3-4) while forward Andrew Agozzino added two assists. Goaltender Casey DeSmith made 36 saves in the victory which was the Penguins’ third consecutive.

Highlights:

The Penguins’ next game is on the road against the Checkers Saturday, 6 p.m.

Goaltender Jordan Ruby made 33 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3- 2 overtime home loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

Forward Cam Brown had a goal and an assist for the Nailers (17-18-5-0) who have lost three consecutive games.

Highlights:

The Nailers’ next game at home against the Cyclones on Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172652 Pittsburgh Penguins Washington, as always, remains a potential problem. The Capitals are fast and skilled like the Penguins but also play big. The Penguins can’t close that gap enough.

Mark Madden: Surprising developments have kept Penguins in the hunt Tribune Review LOADED: 01.25.2020

MARK MADDEN | Friday, January 24, 2020 1:24 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are as fast as they were in their Stanley Cup- winning years of 2016 and ’17.

GM Jim Rutherford saw to that by trading for Jared McCann and John Marino, signing Brandon Tanev and promoting Teddy Blueger from the minors. That was by design.

But the Penguins have developed in other important ways over their first 50 games. Those have transpired somewhat more organically.

Marino is a legit top-four defenseman in his first pro year. After an inconsistent first season in Pittsburgh, Jack Johnson has resurrected his game and played respectably.

Justin Schultz will return from injury soon, Brian Dumoulin in several weeks. When the Penguins’ best six defensemen are available, that group will be the team’s strength — aside from center, of course. It’s a mobile, skilled, versatile corps of blue-liners.

The organic part is the team’s structure and style, made possible by the departure of Phil Kessel. The current method was always the intent of coach Mike Sullivan, but execution is made possible by everyone being on the same page. Odd-man breaks have been slashed exponentially. Mistakes made pinching are minimal. The forecheck is relentless.

The Penguins’ record of 31-14-5 would be impressive even if they hadn’t conquered a biblical plague of injuries in its compilation. The Penguins have allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the NHL (136) and the eighth- fewest shots (1,492).

There have been a few surprise factors, to be sure:

• Bryan Rust has 21 goals in 36 games. His previous career high was 18. Roll over, Mike Bossy, and tell Rocket Richard the news.

• The line of Blueger, Tanev and Zach Aston-Reese is fast, relentless, tough to play against and gives Sullivan a trio that can legit match up against the foe’s top line. The Blueger line did well this past Sunday when used against Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, widely considered the NHL’s best line.

• Tristan Jarry played two NHL games last season. Now, he leads the league in save percentage and ranks second in both goals-against average and shutouts.

Rust’s scoring could hit a wall. Jarry’s performance has flattened over the last three weeks. The Blueger line seems unlikely to slow. Can Marino keep it up? He never played more than 35 games in a season during his three years of college hockey at Harvard.

But the Penguins are so diverse and so structured that any one or two strengths going off the boil temporarily wouldn’t cripple them.

Crosby was red-hot upon returning from the injured list. Malkin is playing the best 200-foot hockey of his career. (He still shouldn’t lead the team in penalty minutes.)

The power play is 17th in the NHL with a conversion percentage of 19.6. The penalty-kill stands 11th at 82.1 percent. Those need to be better — at least top 10.

With the NHL trade deadline a month away, Rutherford still must decide how to improve the Penguins and what to give up in the pursuit.

The Penguins clearly miss the injured Jake Guentzel, though to what degree isn’t yet clear. No rental winger seems worth the first-round draft pick required to get him. Perhaps Rutherford could give up less to get a competent third-line center and leave McCann on Crosby’s wing. But Rutherford likely will make a move with a flourish.

But right now, despite all the injuries, the Penguins have to be overjoyed about where they’re at and thrilled by the prospect of where they could be headed. 1172653 Pittsburgh Penguins Watching an Olympic tournament is a showcase of all-stars playing with real passion for their homeland. The All-Star Game, where the only emphasis is on avoiding injuries, pales in comparison.

What happened to the NHL’s All-Star Game? Furthermore, the NHL long ago devalued the All-Star Game when it canceled contests in 2006, ’10 and ’14 so the Olympics could be the exclusive showcase of hockey’s top players.

SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, January 24, 2020 11:34 a.m. The NHL is certainly within its rights to skip future Olympic participation given the risks the league takes to make its players available for minimal

benefit. But there’s no way to ignore the Olympics are a far more glorious When it was first reported in fall of 2015 that the NHL was considering showcase for the world’s top players. adopting a three-on-three format for the stagnant All-Star Game, Sidney Outdoor games — On New Year’s Day, the NHL found a way to pack Crosby’s reaction was mostly indifferent. 85,630 people in Dallas’ Cotton Bowl to watch two middling Central “Yeah, why not?” Crosby said, with a shoulder shrug, when asked about Division teams in the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars for this the proposed change. season’s Winter Classic.

His reaction was far more upbeat for the caveat the NHL dangled to the The notion of watching Blake Comeau’s Stars take on Ryan Ellis’ NHLPA to get the group’s approval for the format change. Predators wasn’t the attraction. The attraction was the attraction.

A bye week. Outdoor games have become the league’s keynote event, even if the league has over-saturated the novelty of playing outdoors with several “I like that a lot,” Crosby said with a wide smile when asked about the games a season. The All-Star Game, played in one of the NHL’s generic, prospect of getting several days off during the regular season. antiseptic arenas, is blase in comparison.

With the NHL convening in St. Louis for the league’s All-Star Game — Tribune Review LOADED: 01.25.2020 which is really a tournament of three games these days — the game has become a Sisyphean task for the NHL’s top players.

Forward Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and goaltender Marc- Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights are among players opting to skip this year’s game. In years past, other all-time greats such as Crosby and Red Wings defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom have skipped.

To coax players into participating, the NHL makes those who do not play sit out their team’s first game after the All-Star break in a suspension of sorts, though the league does not consider it a formal suspension.

Even with that caveat, 12 players will sit out this year’s game either because of personal choice or injury, as in the case of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel (right shoulder).

Once upon a time, the All-Star Game, when it was still just one game, was a much bigger and anticipated event. Now, it almost feels like little more than an interruption in the schedule.

How did we get here?

Here are a few factors.

Television — At the Civic Arena during the 1990 All-Star Game, Mario Lemieux ripped things up with four goals and led the Wales Conference to a 12-7 victory against the Campbell Conference. He did so on a national television audience for NBC.

“I think it was a great opportunity to show the public that I’m a good hockey player,” Lemieux said to reporters following the game. “It was on a national network, and I wanted to prove that I could play with the best.”

The television landscape in 1990 was much, much different than 2020. For one, it was actually on television and not on a phone or tablet.

Hockey on television was much harder to come by for Americans in the early 1990s, and often, the All-Star Game was the only game on any of the “Big Three” networks for the entire season. Depending on what part of the continent you lived on, that might be your only opportunity all season to watch Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky.

Today, you can watch every game that involves Crosby, Ovechkin or Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid from almost any corner of the globe, provided you’ve paid your cell phone bill.

Olympics — When Crosby scored the winning overtime goal for Canada in the gold medal game of the 2010 Olympic tournament and received his medal in front of his fellow Canadians, it was an iconic moment.

When Crosby won the All-Star Game MVP and was given a mid-size SUV in front of a partially engaged crowd of corporate clients in San Jose, it was a meh moment.

The NHL has pulled the plug on participation in the Olympics for the time being, but the toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube. 1172654 Pittsburgh Penguins Teammate Evgeni Malkin, the only active Penguins player with more career slap-shot goals, is more likely to make the highlight shows with a one-time blast on a power play. But Letang is adept at getting slap shots through to the net where someone like Patric Hornqvist is parked, ready Kris Letang doesn't have the NHL's hardest shot, but he knows when to to tip it or whack away at a rebound. pick his spots “Geno has a great one-timer. He has a great shot all the way around,” Letang said. “I’m just a better shooter when I do a half-slapper. I’m more accurate.” MATT VENSEL While still a weapon for the Penguins, his “half-slapper” won’t get Letang JAN 25, 2020 4:39 AM in the NHL’s hardest shot contest. In years past, Letang competed in NHL All-Star skills competition events such as the shooting accuracy contest and skating races. This year, Letang made only a cameo in the ST. LOUIS – Kris Letang had one of the best seats in the house Friday at “Save Streak” goalie competition. Enterprise Center and could only chuckle when Shea Weber ripped a 106.5-mph slap shot to win the hardest shot contest in the NHL All-Star The hardest shot contest remains a highlight for Letang anyway. He skills competition. watched from near the bench as Montreal’s Weber and Washington’s John Carlson punished pucks Friday. “Yeah, I love that,” the blue-liner said. “I love to watch it. It’s definitely fun.” He believes, as the NHL evolves, we’ll see that less and less in actual games. Letang remembers tuning in as a kid to watch Al MacInnis and Al Iafrate challenge the laws of physics with stiff wooden sticks during All-Star “I think one-timers, if you consider that a slap shot, they’re always going weekends past. He still marvels at modern-day sledgehammers such as to be there,” Letang said. “But it’s probably going to go down because Weber and Zdeno Chara. guys are so much faster, so quick to get out there. And guys wear more protection to block shots also. Maybe it’s going to be more about trying to But he doesn’t expect to be invited to compete in that contest anytime beat a guy one-on-one.” soon. Post Gazette LOADED: 01.25.2020 Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and his seven-year-old son Alex hold court at NHL all-star festivities on Jan. 24, 2020, in St. Louis.

“I don’t think I’m a guy that has a good slap shot,” the 32-year-old lamented.

So far this season, only five NHL players have scored more goals on slap shots than Letang, who has five on 44 attempts. But he estimates that he uncorks his composite stick at full velocity on a slapper once every five or six games.

“Because guys are so much faster,” he said. “They get closer to you quicker.”

The use of slap shots has steadily declined over the past decade. In 2008, when Letang made his NHL debut, about 29% of the league’s shots were slap shots, according to data compiled by The Athletic. Last season, that figure was down to 14.5%. Meanwhile, players took nearly four times as many wrist shots.

While slap shots have been leaned into less and less over the years, Letang has continued to use them at a similar frequency – roughly one per game.

Given his longevity, they all add up. He has taken 593 slappers since 2009-10, tops on the Penguins and 22nd among all NHL players. But that is far from the league lead. Chicago’s Duncan Keith has bombed more than twice as many.

Letang has scored 33 goals on slap shots during his fine career. This season, his slapper has been more effective than ever. His 11.9 shooting percentage on slap shots would be a career high, beating his current best of 9.2% in 2017-18.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry speaks Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at NHL All-Star media day in St. Louis

Asked if he is doing anything differently, he shrugged. “I didn’t even know.”

Letang, who says his slap shot has never been officially timed, is usually more worried about shot placement than velocity when he takes them in games. During his windup, he is subconsciously calculating where to aim, how much to put on a shot and what obstacles stand between him and the other team’s goalie.

The worst-case scenario is a blocked shot and a breakaway the other way.

“You don’t really think about it when you’ve been playing the game for so long,” the six-time All-Star said. “A slap shot will come if you have more time. If you have less time, you usually go with a half-slapper or a wrist shot. It depends.” 1172655 Pittsburgh Penguins Of course, his favorite player is still his dad. Like Kris, Alex is a defenseman, too.

“I already play hockey,” he clarified. “I’m not in the NHL but I still play Penguins Kris Letang's son Alex takes over All-Star Q&A session hockey.”

Alex said he would be happy to “take my dad’s place” on the Penguins someday. But if Kris is somehow still in the NHL when Alex is 18, they MATT VENSEL can play together.

JAN 25, 2020 1:06 AM “My dad’s going to do the password, and I’ll just get in,” Alex explained, getting another big laugh from Kris and a still-growing group of media

members. ST. LOUIS — Sidney Crosby was put on notice Friday at Enterprise After 11 minutes, Kris cut off Alex, explaining that he would chat away all Center. night if they let him. Before they left the podium, Alex had one more thing About three hours before the NHL All-Star skills competition began, a to add. confident youngster from the 2030 draft class said he is coming for “I just want to say hi to my friends if they see me on TV,” he said. “Hi, Crosby. guys.” Alex Letang, the 7-year-old son of Kris Letang, said he hopes to wear Post Gazette LOADED: 01.25.2020 No. 58 for the Penguins one day. But if his dad is still playing, he’ll take No. 87.

“If Crosby stops playing, I’ll be the number for Crosby,” Alex declared.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, right, takes the puck away from the Ducks right wing Carter Rowney Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

This, of course, got a hearty laugh from Kris Letang, clearly a proud papa.

“Tell Sid to retire,” Kris Letang joked. “Don’t say that. We still need him.”

The Penguins defenseman is in St. Louis for the sixth All-Star Game of his career. A year ago, the whole Letang clan attended the game in San Jose, Calif. This year, it was just Kris and Alex. They flew in Friday for the All-Star skills competition, where Alex would watch the events from the ice next to Kris.

First, they walked the red carpet together, then reported for Letang’s Q&A session. Alex, who had a black-and-yellow Penguins cap pulled over his shaggy black hair, hopped up on Letang’s lap and began holding court as the cameras rolled.

“We made it just a trip for me and Alex,” Kris said. “And it’s already interesting.”

Added Alex, who at this point had drawn a crowd: “My mom didn’t want to come to the All-Star Game with my baby sister. Because the baby will scream. … We don’t want her to cry at the All-Star Game. I really want to listen to this.”

Needless to say, life is a little different for Letang since his first All-Star Game in 2011. Letang, in his fourth season as a regular in Pittsburgh, remembers arriving in Raleigh, N.C., for the game that year and being in awe most of that weekend.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry speaks Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at NHL All-Star media day in St. Louis

“Life’s changed a lot,” he acknowledged. “But when you get there and you’re on the red carpet, most of those guys were guys I looked up to when I was younger, even before I was in the league. Having the chance to be on the same ice and all the skill, it’s something you watch as a kid on TV, it’s really exciting.”

Now, Letang is one of those older guys. Only two players here, Patrick Kane and Shea Weber, have been selected to more All-Star Games than the 32-year-old. And with Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals sitting out the game Saturday to rest, Letang is the captain for the Metropolitan Division.

That was of great interest to Alex Letang, who had heard that his dad would be the captain and was eager to see in St. Louis what exactly that entailed. Alex added that he is pumped to see players from his many favorite teams.

“I’m really excited to see the hockey players from Florida, the Sharks, Nashville, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those are my favorite teams. Kings,” Alex said. “That will make me happy because those are the teams I really like.” 1172656 Pittsburgh Penguins is twofold; you have the loss of Dumoulin himself and a makeshift top pairing that has struggled to maintain an identity in his absence.

We can track this over time to see the tangible impact of these changes Marshall: How much do the Penguins miss Brian Dumoulin? in the team’s results. Courtesy of Bill Comeau at Maple Leaf Hotstove, we can look at the Penguins’ performance with regards to shot-attempts against and expected-goals against since Dumoulin has been out of the lineup. These charts will track the team performance on a rolling, five- By Jesse Marshall Jan 24, 2020 game average. Make note of the dates below, Dumoulin went out of the lineup on Dec. 1. Track the Penguins’ results from that point.

Brian Dumoulin seems to get lost in the shuffle of all the star power the The Penguins bottomed out on shot-attempts against on 12/2 a mere 10 Penguins have to offer. days after Dumoulin left the lineup. From there, it’s been a steady increase that leveled out about at a higher average in mid-January. Granted, his game isn’t one that attracts the highlight makers from the However, as I said earlier, you can see where the Penguins rank here NHL’s media department. Dumoulin’s gap control and shutdown versus their Metropolitan Division rivals. Even though they’ve regressed approach to defense are some of the hallmarks of his game, but they’re in the absence of Dumoulin, they’re still mitigating shots at a level higher also some of those traditionally thankless on-ice jobs that go mostly than most of their peers. unnoticed while simultaneously playing a critical role in team performance. These totals could stabilize on Dumoulin’s return. Not only do you get his shutdown presence back in the lineup, you get the opportunity to solidify But, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the the top pairing and see a trickle-down effect hit the rest of the defense as Penguins have been missing Dumoulin in a tangible way. well.

Before anyone goes sounding alarms from the rooftops, there’s not been Dumoulin’s return is a fruitful as any splash trade deadline acquisition the any kind of panic-inducing changes here; the Penguins are still an elite Penguins can make. His impact on the even-strength team totals is defensive hockey team and have the results to back it up. But, in the tangible and his absence has been felt in the results. While his job absence of Dumoulin, some noticeable changes have occurred. remains thankless, it doesn’t make it any less important to the overall success of the hockey club. This is understandable given Dumoulin’s individual impact on the Penguins’ defensive performance, which has been steady and constant The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 over the duration of his time with the team since Mike Sullivan’s arrival in December 2015. Remember, in his debut season the year prior, Dumoulin was sheltered on the third defensive pairing under then-head coach Mike Johnston, taking minutes alongside Taylor Chorney as the Penguins got unceremoniously waxed by the New York Rangers in five games.

One year later, Dumoulin was the foundation of the Penguins’ top defensive pairing and was a rock for Kris Letang’s, shall we say, risky style of play. Since that Cup run in 2015/16, Dumoulin has been one of the best-kept secrets in the league — a consistent performer who throws a wet blanket over shot-attempts against, scoring-chances against and overall shot quality for the opposition.

That was no different heading into this season. For a more nuanced visualization of Dumoulin’s impact, we can look at his Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus (RAPM) chart from Evolving-Hockey. You can read more about this model here, but in essence, we’re looking to isolate a player’s impact on offense and defense, per 60 minutes, as compared to the league rates. This gives us a view of a player’s overall impact on the game.

A few comments about what we see here. To start, Dumoulin clearly has an impact on the shot rates that head toward the Penguins goal. Specific to the category of CA/60 (shot-attempts against per 60 minutes of even- strength hockey), Dumoulin has been a driver of success. While his impacts on expected-goals against (xGA/60), a measure of shot quality faced, isn’t quite as up to par, it hasn’t impacted the team’s rate of goals scored when Dumoulin is on the ice. I think we can chalk that up to him being the defensive specialist in a lot of situations where the focus is scoring as many goals as possible — not the easiest deployment for a defensive-minded defenseman.

We also can get a glimpse of Dumoulin’s defensive impact by utilizing some visualizations from Sean Tierney of Charting Hockey. In these charts, we’ll be looking at the Penguins’ defense and their overall share of shot attempts and expected goals within a game. This will give us insight into who is best controlling even-strength hockey. The bigger the share, the more control of the game. Let’s pay close attention to where Dumoulin lands in these buckets.

Just like we saw in the Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus charts above, Dumoulin has a great impact on limiting shot-attempts against, and a slightly worse, while still positive, impact on limiting shot-quality against.

All this is to visualize Dumoulin’s impact on the overall defense of the team. As a player who limits shot attempts well, the Penguins have noticeably felt his absence. A few things to consider here: Not only is Dumoulin’s ability to mitigate shots a sorely missed element from the lineup, he’s been supplanted by Jack Johnson, a defenseman who doesn’t exactly jive alongside Letang on the top pairing. The impact here 1172657 Pittsburgh Penguins facility for USA Hockey, prospect training and local and national youth programs.

However, as Morehouse begins his second full decade as CEO of the Will Sidney Crosby ever play an All-Star Game in Pittsburgh? Penguins, an All-Star Game remains the one fish he’s saved for Pittsburgh. The allure of building an All-Star weekend around Crosby — and also Evgeni Malkin — is seen by Morehouse and others as a deserving reward for two of the greatest players in franchise history. By Rob Rossi Jan 24, 2020 The problem is time. It’s not on the Penguins’ side.

All-Star locations for 2022 and beyond have not been announced and/or The morning before Sidney Crosby’s first NHL game in Pittsburgh, a reported. Bettman said in 2017 the league would like Las Vegas to be an veteran teammate occupying a nearby locker stall at Mellon Arena was All-Star city “at some point in the earlier days of the (Golden Knights) asked by a reporter if Crosby really could break all of Mario Lemieux’s franchise.” Also, the next expansion city, Seattle, has been promised an Penguins records. All-Star Game within seven years of its inaugural season (2021-22). And “He just might,” Lemieux said, smiling. “I hope he does.” though Pittsburgh has gone three decades since staging the All-Star Game — and changing it forever by being the first city to build a weekend Some have already fallen. Crosby has claimed one more Stanley Cup as of events around the actual game — the NHL might prioritize cities that a captain and played in 50 more games than did Lemieux. Only 32 and haven’t had it even once. Malkin told The Athletic last summer his under contract for another five seasons, he is within 237 goals, 247 intention is to sign a fourth contract with the Penguins, but his current assists and 483 points of owning those franchise marks. deal has only two years remaining. He’ll be 35 when that contract expires and several KHL clubs — including his hometown Metallurg One record might prove to be even beyond Crosby’s reach, though. Magnitogorsk — are expected to make Malkin lucrative, tax-free offers to It’s not that Crosby couldn’t (or won’t) turn his first three shots into a hat finish his career in Russia. trick on the way to scoring four goals at a future All-Star Game. It’s that Even the five years remaining on Crosby’s contract might not be enough he might not be able to do in front of adoring home fans, as Lemieux did to line up a Pittsburgh All-Star Game in time to give him the equivalent of when the Penguins played host to their last — and only — All-Star Game a Mario Moment. He’ll be 37 when his deal is up, and Crosby has not in 1990. committed to playing in the NHL beyond the 12-year, so-called “lifetime St. Louis is the site of the 11th All-Star Game since Crosby’s heralded contract” he agreed to in June 2012. At the time, Crosby’s agent, Pat debut in 2005. The Athletic’s George Richards broke the news that the Brisson, told reporters Crosby’s instructions were to “be a Penguin Panthers will play host to the 2021 All-Star Game, marking the fourth forever.” time Florida has landed one of the league’s signature events since 1999. Still, Crosby will have played 19 NHL seasons after 2024-25. He might Since that year, the NHL has mostly sent its All-Star Game to markets have other ideas than to stick around just to play an All-Star Game in that were awarded expansion franchises since the 1990s and cities to Pittsburgh. which clubs relocated or in which new arenas were constructed. He and Malkin could always come back as honorary co-captains for a The Penguins are part of only that last group. PPG Paints Arena opened Pittsburgh All-Star Game later this decade or in the early 2030s. The for the 2010-11 season. franchise will celebrate its 60th season in 2027-28, and bringing a Considering the draw of Crosby — if not the best, certainly the NHL second All-Star Game to Pittsburgh — along with jersey retirements for player with the highest profile over the past 15 years — and Penguins Crosby and Malkin — would be a promotional bonanza. fans penchant for packing whatever arena in which they’ve played, it’s at It’s never too early to think that far ahead, at least not for a president with least a mild upset the All-Star Game hasn’t been to Pittsburgh over the a communications background such as Morehouse. past decade. As the Crosby and Malkin clocks are ticking, the Penguins are expected “I’m not sure why,” Penguins president David Morehouse said. “We’ve to prioritize landing an All-Star Game for Pittsburgh above all other future done a lot of outdoor games. We did the first Winter Classic. We had a league events. Even if it means leveraging going overseas for a regular- Draft here. season series — as they did to begin the 2008-09 season — to curry “I think getting an All-Star Game here would be the next thing.” favor with the league.

The Penguins often have made Pittsburgh the big blip on the NHL’s “I wouldn’t mind the team doing a European trip,” Morehouse said. “It’s radar. A future All-Star Game would only add to an impressive list of good for the team. We won a Cup the last time we did it. marquee hockey events in the city during the Crosby era. Clubs can “This is the first year we haven’t done an outdoor game, a foreign trip, so formally pitch the NHL for an All-Star Game or any event such as an it’s good to just focus on the regular season and the playoffs after.” outdoor game or draft. The NHL requests information about arena/stadium availability, city/regional hotel space and how the inquiring The Stanley Cup remains the priority for this franchise. market would make the event special. From the looks of things, Crosby is a lot closer to doubling-up Lemieux’s “There definitely is some competition among franchises for given events,” Cup collection than getting the All-Star treatment in his adopted said John Dellapina, the NHL’s senior vice president of communications. hometown.

While watching the Penguins and Sabres play in the first Winter Classic The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 at Buffalo’s then-Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day 2008, Morehouse told commissioner Gary Bettman the Penguins “wanted one of these for Pittsburgh.” That request was granted and the 2011 Classic was held at Heinz Field.

The Penguins have since played in three more outdoor games: in Chicago (2014) and Philadelphia (2019) and against at Heinz Field (2017).

Pittsburgh’s first Classic coincided with the inaugural season of then- Consol Energy Center. The NHL brought its annual amateur draft to the city a year later, as the Penguins sought it instead of an All-Star Game.

At the time, bringing an NHL Draft to Pittsburgh aligned more with Morehouse’s focus on promoting Western Pennsylvania as one of America’s emerging markets for youth hockey. Within a few years of the 2011 NHL Draft, UPMC had built a medical/hockey complex in Cranberry Township where the Penguins practice, but it’s also become a go-to 1172658 San Jose Sharks

WATCH: Tomas Hertl tries to distract Jordan Binnington with Justin Bieber mask

By CURTIS PASHELKA PUBLISHED: January 24, 2020 at 6:45 pm | UPDATED: January 24, 2020 at 7:29 PM

Sharks forward Tomas Hertl said he was going to enjoy his first NHL All- Star Game this weekend in St. Louis, and he was true to his word.

Hertl’s most memorable moment, though, didn’t happen in the skills event he was competing in Friday at Enterprise Center.

Hertl, part of the Pacific Division team, had some fun during the goalie save streak competition, as he donned a Justin Bieber mask prior to his second shot on St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington.

Earlier this month, Binnington challenged Bieber on social media, saying if the pop singer could score on him once in 10 shootout attempts, he would dye his hair platinum blonde. Bieber accepted the challenge, suggesting instead that the loser donates money to the winner’s favorite charity. It appears the event will take place sometime this summer.

Hertl may not have been able to see too well out of the mask, and his shot attempt — where he tried to go forehand to backhand — resulted in an easy stop for Binnington, who later won the event with a save streak of 10.

Hertl was actually competing in the Accuracy Shooting event, where players were positioned 25 feet from the goal line and shot pucks at five target Images that appear on an LED screen placed on the goal line.

On his turn, Hertl hit the first four targets he shot at, but needed nine shots to hit the fifth target. He finished with a time of 17.161 seconds to finish seventh in the eight-man competition that was won by Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes in 9.505 seconds.

Hertl said Thursday he was nervous about the skills competition, but that past Sharks all-stars, like defenseman Brent Burns, told him to just enjoy the moment.

“I was (nervous) about missing the puck,” Hertl said. “But (Burns) said, ‘Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fun. Just enjoy. Hang out with the guys because you’ll never forget this moment.”

The NHL All-Star Game is Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. (PT).

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172659 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ Erik Karlsson among those named to NHL’s All-Decade team

By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: January 24, 2020 at 4:45 pm | UPDATED: January 24, 2020 at 4:47 PM

Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, who twice won the Norris Trophy in the 2010s, was a second team selection on the NHL’s All-Decade Team, announced by the league Friday.

Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2012 and 2015 when he was with the Ottawa Senators. From Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2019, Karlsson led all defensemen with 453 assists and 585 points.

The NHL chose three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie for each of the two teams selected.

On the first team were forwards Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, defensemen Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Joining Karlsson on the second team were forwards Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins. The other defenseman chosen was Zdeno Chara, also of the Bruins. The second team goalie was Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

The All-Decade teams were chosen by a panel of NHL general managers, NHL hockey operations staff, NHL.com writers and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172660 San Jose Sharks Q: Do you know what you’ll be doing in the skills competition, or what you’d like to do?

A: Nobody’s told me, but that’s probably the only thing I’m nervous about. Q & A with Tomas Hertl: Sharks’ all-star discusses the game, Jagr and So hopefully it’s something easy. I was just saying, maybe hardest shot. importance of family But whatever they give me, I’ll for sure have a really good time. I’m watching it almost every year and guys having a good time, especially this competition. If somebody messes up, it happens. There’s a lot of people watching you. I bet it will be fun. I want to see the other guys, too, By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: January 24, 2020 at 9:33 am | from other teams. We’ve been big rivals, but now we play together. I UPDATED: January 24, 2020 at 9:43 am think it’ll be fun.

Q: Was getting to the All-Star Game ever a goal of yours? It still remains one of the more indelible Images in recent Sharks history. A: It was never a goal. If I got to go, that would be huge. But the first Tomas Hertl, still just 19 and less than a week into his NHL career, thing is, when you get here, you want to win the Stanley Cup and you coming in on a breakaway, sliding the puck between his legs and flipping want to play in the NHL just every night. You want to be just a player than it past goaltender Martin Biron for his fourth goal in a 2013 game in San can change a game, play power play, PK. Jose against the New York Rangers. Like after my second or third year, my goal, I want to go there. I know I All while his mother, Miloslava, and his then-girlfriend, Aneta, looked on can be there. In time, I was maybe thinking, I know I’m one of the in almost total shock. important guys on the team and play a lot of minutes. If I deserve it and I play the right way and play my best hockey, I know I can maybe one day More than six years later, Hertl, now married to Aneta and 26 years old, get there. is making his first appearance in the NHL All-Star Game this weekend in St. Louis. Hertl was a replacement for Logan Couture, who remains out This year, it’s a little bit tougher. If it like last year, we get to the playoffs with a small fracture in his left ankle he sustained in a Jan. 7 game and you’re doing good, it’s way better to go there than if you’re out of against the St. Louis Blues. playoffs, you’re hunting and it’s a little bit of a struggle. I’m still happy I was chosen after (Couture). While the Sharks’ season so far has been a disappointment for everyone in the organization, Hertl was still going to enjoy his experience of a Last year, when you’re up there in the standings, the whole team’s doing being an all star for the first time in his career. Here’s a quick interview great, you’re winning, you have fun every night. This year, it’s just a little this newspaper did with Hertl last week. Some portions have been edited bit harder. … We’re still fighting. I think we proved it after new year that for brevity. we can beat anybody, but we just have to play our game.

Q: Do you have any family coming over from the Czech Republic? San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.25.2020

A: Actually, no. It will be just me and my wife. It’s kind of a long flight and it was kind of quick, and my parents are already coming in February for two weeks. It not easy for them, a flight for them. It’s a 12 hour (flight) just for three days. I wish they could be here. But hopefully one day they can come and see an All-Star Game, but they will enjoy it for sure on (television).

Q: How important were your parents in helping you get to where you are today?

A: They just have done everything (for) me and my brother (Jaroslav). They just put all of their money for me my brother for hockey. It wasn’t like they just give it to me, they always like to see me work hard or do something at home.

But they always tried to do our best for hockey, drive us all over, wake up every day at 5 a.m. They mean to me everything. What they gave for hockey and they’re still. My mom watches every game, even though it’s 4 a.m. back home. For sure, my dad (Jaroslav) is a little bit harder. He’s the tough guy. He’s still all over me when I’m struggling, when I don’t play well.

“My brother just finished with hockey. So it’s all our life. They just give me everything and helped me grow. With my dad it was sometimes tough, because he was really hard on me. But that’s what helped me get to the NHL.”

Q: Did you ever watch the NHL All-Star Game growing up?

A: Most of the time we watched (the highlights). It’s kind of tough back home. If it’s like at 2 or 3 a.m., when you’re a young kid, it’s tough to wake up. Next day, (I saw) the highlights or the goals, or the best moments of the all-star game. But you always dreamed about being there. For sure when you go for the first time with the other best players in the NHL, and I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully I have a good time, too.

Q: Did you watch (Jaromir) Jagr at the all-star game?

A: Jagr, for my generation, it was everything. When I was born, he started playing in the NHL. He was the man, he got the points, he was in every all star game. I always watch him and the next day, there was some highlights of who scored the goals. If someone did something fancy on a penalty shot, or the shootout. … Watching hockey was harder, too, because it wasn’t everywhere. Now it’s just, turn on the TV and it’s there. Back then, it was just a couple games. 1172661 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Tomas Hertl brings the fun to NHL All-Star Skills Competition

By Brian Witt January 24, 2020 9:28 PM

Leave it to Tomas Hertl to put a smile on everyone's face.

The self-described "smiley guy" is the Sharks' lone representative at NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, and he didn't take long to show the Enterprise Center crowd why he fills that role so well during the All-Star Skills Competition on Friday night.

Hertl participated in two events on the evening, and got the crowd on its feet both times. But it was his first event -- the Bud Light NHL Save Streak -- during which he created one of the highlights of the entire night.

The Save Streak competition pits goalies against one another to see how many consecutive breakaway saves they can make. Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy held the lead with nine consecutive stops with only the hometown Jordan Binnington left to go. The Blues goaltender recently challenged musician Justin Bieber to a breakaway competition on Twitter, in which he said he would die his hair platinum blonde if Bieber scored at least once on 10 breakaway attempts.

Clearly, Hertl was paying attention, because he had a surprise for Binnington on his own breakaway attempt.

See for yourself:

Hertl didn't score on his hilarious attempt, but it's tough to blame him for two reasons. For one -- and perhaps most importantly -- he had a gigantic Justin Bieber mask over his entire face. Secondly, Binnington would go on to stop six more shots in a row after Hertl to win the event with a streak of 10.

The 26-year-old forward wasn't done for the night, though. He participated in the next event -- the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting -- as well.

The Accuracy Shooting competition involves a series of shooters attempting to hit five targets on a digital board. Hertl might have the best mits on the Sharks, and he wasted no time showing them off in St. Louis, knocking down four targets on his first four shot attempts. The crowd got louder and louder as it appeared Hertl might complete a perfect round in very short order, but unfortunately, the crescendo had to wait. Hertl struggled to hit the final target, requiring nine more attempts to close it out. Carolina's Jacob Slavvin ultimately won the event, hitting all five targets in only 9.505 seconds, considerably faster than Hertl's time of 17.161.

So, Hertl wasn't victorious in any one event at the Skills Competition, but he undoubtedly will be remembered as one of the big winners of the night. After all, as he likes to say, "Fun must be always."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172662 San Jose Sharks

Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson named to NHL's All-Decade Second Team

By Ali Thanawalla January 24, 2020 5:34 PM

The 2010s were pretty good to Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks' defenseman was named to six All-Star teams, won two Norris trophies and signed a lucrative eight-year, $92 million contract last summer to stay in San Jose.

Now, Karlsson has been named to the NHL's All-Decade Second Team.

From Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2019, Karlsson played in 623 games with the Ottawa Senators and Sharks. He recorded 120 goals and 422 assists during that span.

Last month, NBC Sports ranked Karlsson as the third-best player of the decade behind Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

At just 29 years old, Karlsson has plenty of good hockey ahead of him, and the Sharks are hoping he can help bring the first Stanley Cup to the Bay Area sometime in the near future.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172663 San Jose Sharks

NHL All-Star Skills Competition live stream: How to watch event online

By NBC Sports Bay Area staff January 24, 2020 12:07 PM

It's time to see who's got the skills in the NHL.

That's right, All-Star weekend officially is here and the NHL's best will descend on Scottrade Center and see who's got the goods.

The fun starts Friday with the All-Star Skills Competition as the league's best compete in a variety of events such as Fastest Skater, Save Streak and Accuracy Shooting where Sharks All-Star Tomas Hertl will try and get the W.

It should be a lot of fun.

Here's how to watch the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition online.

When: Friday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m. PT (coverage starts at 3:30 p.m.)

Live Stream: NBC Sports

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172664 San Jose Sharks

All-Star Tomas Hertl doing best to keep Sharks' spirits up through struggles

By Brodie Brazil January 23, 2020 9:04 PM

Sharks forward Tomas Hertl is all set for his debut at NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis.

“A huge accomplishment, it will be a big honor for me,” Hertl -- who is taking the place of injured San Jose captain Logan Couture -- recently said.

While he is on pace for a good statistical season, it's nothing like last year when Hertl potted 35 goals and 74 points.

This time around, the fun-loving forward is on a Sharks club that’s looking like a longshot to qualify for the playoffs.

“I still try to be positive, the smiley guy, the funny guy,” Hertl explained.

He also acknowledged those smiles and uplifting moments have been few and far between this season, but they are still significantly better than the alternative.

“It’s the only way I think to help it,” Hertl stated. “It gets too much in your head. Everybody will be in a bad mood. I try my best to bring it every day, a good mood in the locker room.”

There are widespread assessments as to what's at the root of the Sharks' struggles this season. For Hertl, it’s the defensive failures that bleed over into trying to create too much.

“When we start cheating, we just can’t do it,” Hertl said. “Maybe on other teams, they have different players. On our team, it has to start with defense.

“I think we’ve proven it over the last lot of years. There’s always the stat of ‘two-or-fewer’ goals, we always win those games. We know that and we've always been the team that’s tough against.”

While Hertl’s second NHL season saw San Jose’s rare miss of the postseason, he has never been with the club in a year like this where things already look so bleak entering the All-Star break.

“We have to step it up, and just play together," he said. "Because only the team together can win the games.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172665 St Louis Blues late. The bulk of the improvements were in place before the Blues championship run, including the big screens above center ice that inspired the team to host massive watch parties during the playoffs, a success that will return this season. BenFred: How an All-Star effort landed St. Louis another marquee event “It looks completely different,” Capitals All-Star T.J. Oshie said here Thursday.

6 hrs ago The former Blues forward would not be back in town if it didn’t.

Ben Frederickson “Zero,” Zimmerman said when asked what the percent chance was this weekend happens without the renovations. “Zero.”

Doubters dismissed the Blues’ chances to host All-Star festivities so soon When a new sign flickers on for the first time during a Blues game, he after the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium. spots it. They underestimated the drive of Zimmerman and his team. When one elevator runs slower than another, he remembers it. A short movie narrated by John Goodman turned heads during the All- When he sees a lost thread on an Enterprise Center staircase, as he did Star application process. after a recent interview, he stops to grab the nearly invisible scribble of black fabric. “We caught them by surprise,” Zimmerman said. “And then, it was just a matter of staying on them. Part of my pitch to the commissioner was, ‘I “I don’t want to overstate this,” Chris Zimmerman said. “But, it’s my need your help. If we get this building to where we can get it, we need baby.” you to come here soon.’” Welcome to St. Louis, National Hockey League. NHL boss Gary Bettman delivered, joining the list of Enterprise Center You picked the perfect time to bring your All-Star Weekend to the wins since the SEC Tournament was salvaged. The first two rounds of Heartland of Hockey. the men’s NCAA Tournament are here in March. The 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials arrive in June. The Missouri Valley Conference men’s We’ve caught lightning in a bottle. A freshly renovated bottle. This is not basketball tournament has signed a contract extension through 2025. By the arena you remember. the end of this month, the St. Louis Sports Commission will submit a series of bids to host a variety of upcoming NCAA men’s and women’s The Blues are not the first defending Stanley Cup champions to host the basketball events, gymnastics and wrestling championships, and the All-Star Game since Edmonton in 1989 simply because they snapped Frozen Four men’s ice hockey championship. their championship curse. That was just a pleasant and perhaps prophetic coincidence. No, the reason the who’s who of the sport has Wouldn’t that last one be something? gathered here is because the Blues, their city and their state combined forces to pull the Enterprise Center out of the dust. “St. Louis deserves it,” Zimmerman said.

And don’t forget to credit Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari Those elevators are inching up his to-do list. A 5G network is desired. As with a hockey assist. I’m serious. legalized sports betting gains traction, Zimmerman wants Enterprise Center poised to meet the demand. “There’s no question,” Zimmerman said. “I will always start there.” The executive who stops to pick up trash from the staircase is Zimmerman heard it secondhand. determined to keep climbing.

Let’s get it from someone who was there. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 “All’s well that ends well,” St. Louis Sports Commission president Frank Viverito said. “But I still have this vision of him (Calipari) making telephone calls from shower stalls in the locker room.”

Coach Cal’s critique of the Enterprise Center— it was still called the Scottrade Center back then— after his 2013-14 Wildcats beat Wichita State in a second-round NCAA Tournament game increased the urgency to make improvements before the Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament arrived in 2018.

Calipari was annoyed by outdated locker rooms and a lack of cell phone and Internet service. His conference heard his concerns. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey joined a growing list of powerful people who were becoming hesitant to host events in St. Louis.

Viverito and his commission colleagues sell the city. They compete to land events they know we will support, whether it’s Simone Biles defying gravity at a P&G gymnastics championship, or Tiger Woods drawing record crowds at a PGA Championship. Word is out that St. Louis shows up. That helps. An arena that doesn’t stack up? That hurts. Calipari’s words hurt because they rang true.

Zimmerman heard the Coach Cal story not long after Blues president Tom Stillman hired him as president and CEO of business operations in 2014. He decided to become the spearhead of a team that tackled renovations. Mission accomplished. This All-Star Weekend represents an important milestone of the three-year, $150 million renovation process that weathered a storm of local and state politics that got nastier than any wintry mix.

“Quite the rigorous battle,” said Zimmerman. “We said we were going to do this. We said we would deliver, and help grow tax revenue and all of the other benefits that come with this.”

Long gone are the purple seats that were better suited for Barney on Ice than Blues hockey. All-Stars will encounter modern dressing rooms. New and improved gathering areas for fans invite them to come early and stay 1172666 St Louis Blues Pankowski and Poulin were part of a presentation on Thursday afternoon at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights in which the NHL, the Blues and Bauer Hockey, a hockey equipment maker, announced an investment in girls’ and women’s hockey in St. Louis. The investment O'Reilly, Perron get chance to shoot from the stands at skills contest covers year-round programming, summer skills camps, female official development programs and coaching clinics and a 3 vs. 3 skills

development league. Tom Timmermann 15 hrs ago “Girls’ and women’s hockey is growing at an incredibly fast rate,” said Blues president Chris Zimmerman said at Centene. “Our goal is we want to be the best girls’, women’s hockey market in the country. Having a The NHL is experimenting with an addition to its All-Star Skills facility like this to build around and now our partnership in this program competition on Friday night at Enterprise Center, and it will have a with the NHL as well as Bauer, that’s a great gift.” definite St. Louis feel to it. The goalie for the American team, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, is married to The league has added a Shooting Stars competition, in which players will Aidan Cavallini, a son of former Blue Gino Cavallini. take shots at targets on the ice from the top of the lower bowl. Among the 10 players who will take shots will be Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron of St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 the Blues, as well both Matthew (Calgary) and Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), who grew up in St. Louis.

Alex Pietrangelo will take part in the accuracy shooting contest since the passing contest he won two years ago has been eliminated from the program. Goalie Jordan Binnington will take part in the shootout competition, in which all 36 skaters will take part.

In addition to O’Reilly, Perron and the Tkachuk boys, David Pastrnak of Boston, Patrick Kane of Chicago, Tyler Seguin of Dallas, Mitch Marner of Toronto and one Canadian and one American women’s elite player will compete.

The skills contest will also include the fastest skater competition and hardest shot competitions. Connor McDavid of Edmonton will defend his fastest skater title, and Jack Eichel, who finished 0.204 seconds behind last year, is also back. John Carlson of Washington will defend his title in the hardest shot contest. Pastrnak was the accuracy shooting champ last season, but isn’t in that event this time. Last season’s top goalie in the shootout streak contest, with the winner stopping the most consecutive shots, was Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers, who is not at the All-Star Game this year.

LOCAL LINE

Brady Tkachuk was a last-minute addition to the All-Star Game when Toronto’s Auston Matthews wasn’t able to take part because of a sore wrist.

“It was pretty surreal to get that call,” Tkachuk said. “I was in the Bahamas yesterday, so it was a little bit different weather. But I’m so happy to be home. It’s just kind of surreal to be here.”

Also on hand is former Blue T.J. Oshie, now with Washington.

“I got in a little trouble here when I was younger and no one turned their back on me,” Oshie said. “They’ve always been so great to me and I think that’s why it makes it so special to be back here in St. Louis and play my first All-Star Game here.”

WOMEN’S GAME ON CENTER STAGE

Taking the ice along with the NHL All-Stars on Friday will be another collection of elite athletes: Some of the best women hockey players in the world.

Players from the two superpowers of women’s hockey, the United States and Canada, will have their own three-on-three competition, two 10- minute periods with a running clock.

“It’s going to be super exciting,” said American Annie Pankowski, who plays collegiately at Wisconsin. “We’ve all been joking because we’re all hanging out together right now and we’re all friends off the ice, and as soon as it gets on the ice, it really comes down to pride for our country. I know that it’s going to be a great game and it’s going to be some amazing talent. We’ve never had an opportunity to play three-on-three and I think it’s just going to be so much fun.”

“Very exciting,” said Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored the gold-medal winning goals for Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. “I think for us it’s big visibility, a big platform to be here at NHL All-Star Weekend. It’s going to be exciting. I think for us, I know we talk about the Canada-U.S. rivalry, but tomorrow, it’s all about women’s hockey. We want to grow it together. We want to grow all of this together.” 1172667 St Louis Blues As for Kersting on the night the Blues beat Boston, “I was in my house on FaceTime with Kelsie's dad – he was at his house. And you couldn't hear anything except for screaming on the other end. It was just chaos – it was great. Jumping up and down, I don't remember what was in my Hochman: 'He wouldn't stop screaming!' With All-Stars in town, Blues hands, but I threw it!” fans see the Stanley Cup “My dad bawled his eyes out,” Kelsie said.

St. Louis won the Cup. 15 hrs ago Seven months later, Kelsie got to meet Stanley. Benjamin Hochman St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020

Saw an old friend. He got a new tattoo. This guy is sure into hockey. Got the name of every Blues player on his body.

Yes, Stanley is back in town.

For All-Star Weekend, the Stanley Cup has returned to St. Louis. And at the NHL Fan Fair at Union Station, hundreds (and hundreds) of Blues fans got to see the famous chalice – and the Blues' names engraved upon it.

“It was a dream come true,” said 12-year-old Kelsie Parker-Pyle on Thursday afternoon. “I almost cried I was so happy.”

Wait – aren't you supposed to be in school?

Kelsie flashed a smile, revealing her colorful braces. Her mom also smiled and said: “We played hookey for Stanley.”

Their Blues played hockey for Stanley. Won the Cup last summer. And the stars aligned this week – for the first time since 1989, the All-Star Game was in the town of the defending Stanley Cup champs. So the Hockey Hall of Fame sent the Cup back to St. Louis, in the white-gloved hands of Phil Pritchard, the often-spotted, blond-haired “Keeper of the Cup.”

Wearing a Jordan Binnington sweater, Kelsie explained that she wanted to see the Cup so badly, the family had begun planning a trip to the Hall of Fame.

“We were actually saving for Canada and put in for our passports and everything,” said her mom, Laura Kersting. “And then we found out he was going to be here.”

So, Kersting and her two kids came across the river from Waterloo. They arrived early and thus “stood in line for an hour, in the rain, in the snow, in the cold,” Kersting said. “Right outside of Union Station by the metal detectors – they didn't have the doors open yet. We were soaked.

“And when the doors opened, it was like Christmas morning. We were running through the door as fast as we could to get into line, so we didn't have to wait so long. We were literally skipping! Just overjoyed to go through. There were a lot of people, just swarming in. … I'm glad my kids have fast feet! She has a broken toe but she still managed to make it down the stairs quick. And Kyson being 6 years old with little legs, he kept up!

“We waited 10 minutes in line and them – bam! – there's Stanley. My heart dropped. I was just so excited.”

“I was way too excited!” 6-year-old Kyson said, while still way too excited.

“He wouldn't stop screaming!” Kelsie recalled.

And as the three of them stood in the hallway, they watched as the line grew. And grew. And grew. Looked like it went all the way back to Waterloo. So many local hockey fans, waiting to get a photo with the Stanley Cup.

“We were told it would take two hours – we looked around, saw the line weaving and decided it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity” said Blues fan Emily Hellwege, whose trip through the line ended up only taking one hour. “While in line we made new friends and saw old friends. The couple behind us actually went to the airport at 4 am with their infant kids to greet the team when they returned from Boston, because it was such a special moment in time.

“Once I was next to the Stanley Cup, we all got emotional and couldn’t stop smiling. I actually got a picture with the 'Keeper of the Cup' afterward.” 1172668 St Louis Blues “We took that bus ride over to Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” said Islanders 22-year-old center Mathew Barzal, who played for Seattle in the WHL and then went straight to the NHL, “and that’s about 25, 26 hours, sometimes straight through on the way back. I think that’s difficult, 24-hour bus trips, naps under the seats, Skittles for sustenance: It's a but it was fun. That’s where you bond with your buddies and you enjoy it. tough road to NHL stardom We actually had a Nintendo DS and we played Mario Kart and that got really competitive. That was really fun, to play on teams.

“We’d get the odd gas station run if we had good night and we got a win. Tom Timmermann 15 hrs ago Pick up some M&Ms and Skittles on the way.”

Tim Horton’s, the venerable Canadian doughnut shop, was another They’re NHL superstars now, flying from game to game on chartered frequent stop on those bus rides. jets, staying in five-star hotels, with their meals coming out of their three- “I think it’s important for you to go through those sort of things as a kid,” digit per diem. said Columbus defenseman Seth Jones, who played for Portland in the But there was a time when even the best of them were like every other WHL. “My first bus rides were at the U.S. development program when I young hockey player, not only putting on their pants one leg at a time but was 15. You’re in high school, you go to school, you go to practice, you riding the same buses on a seemingly infinite trip across some part of get on a bus, you’re playing the next night somewhere. You’re on the bus North America, sometimes spending more than 24 hours straight on a for 12 hours and the fact that you have to be constantly ready to go crowded bus, stopping for food at gas stations. through all that, it really turns you into a true pro, I think.”

And those are times that years later they still hold dear. Pacioretty looks back at those times with fondness. And wonder.

“Awesome times,” said Montreal defenseman Shea Weber, who last “I look back at those being good times,” he said, “but in 2020, I look back played juniors in 2005 and will be playing in his seventh All-Star Game as ‘How did my parents let me do that?’ I don’t know. I moved so far this weekend at Enterprise Center. “I wouldn’t trade those in for anything. away from home, I didn’t have anyone there. I don’t know now that I have I think you ask any guys here, the junior memories they have (are kids that I’d be willing to let my kids do that. But everything worked out special). For me personally, I keep in touch with a lot of those old the right way and we’re thankful. We got to where we are now.” teammates. Obviously we were fortunate enough to win together. They St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 always say winning helps form those relationships but I think that we grew so close.

“A lot of guys are around the same age, you spend so much time around each other and growing. You spend so much time away from your family, that becomes your extended family and you grow together with them, like brothers or stepbrothers. It’s a pretty unique situation.”

Everyone has a bus story, but the wildest and most onerous tales of extreme travel belong to players from Western Canada, who would routinely traverse prairie land and mountains, like modern-day pioneers, to get from one game to the next. The Ontario Hockey League was child’s play compared to the Western Hockey League, with teams ranging from Winnipeg to Oregon.

“Our furthest trip was eight hours to Sault (St. Marie),” said Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, a graduate of the OHL. “Those guys are going 30 hours. We always say we got off easy. Those guys would go for two weeks at a time.”

“Going from Brandon, Manitoba, to Kelowna, probably,” said Weber, thinking of his longest trip. “It was almost a full day, I think like 20- something hours. Wake up, go back to sleep. There was no real cellphones back then either. I think all the kids now are just playing games on their cellphones. I don’t even remember what we did back then. I guess we had to talk to each other. My Junior B season the year before that, all we got was gas station food. Just get whatever you could for five bucks and keep going.”

“Or McDonald’s or something,” said Blues coach Craig Berube. “We didn’t have too much money.”

Tight budgets mattered in other ways too.

“I was playing in Sioux City, Iowa,” said Vegas forward Max Pacioretty, “and our road trip was to Indiana to play in the USHL (the top American junior league). We got there, we stayed in the hotel. They didn’t want to keep the rooms after the morning skate so we parked I think at an Old Country Buffet. We had our pregame meal there and then a nap on the bus in the parking lot and then played the game.”

Most of the bus rides were designed so much of it happened overnight, giving the players a chance to sleep and wipe out eight hours of it that way. Which worked in theory.

“I was a rookie so I had to share a seat with a guy,” Pacioretty said. “Pretty impossible to sleep in those circumstances. I think we found a way to sleep for 30 minutes or so but probably played cards and hung out with the guys.”

Blues center Ryan O’Reilly recalls sleeping under the seats.

Kids today, not surprisingly, have it easier. Buses are better and phones give you a lot more entertainment options. 1172669 St Louis Blues

Hochman: Finally, T.J. Oshie is an NHL All-Star — and the game is in St. Louis

10 hrs ago

Benjamin Hochman

They came to watch people talk to other people.

Hundreds of hockey fans, many in Blues sweaters, arrived at the Stifel Theatre on Thursday to watch Media Day for the NHL All-Star Game.

Eight at a time, All-Stars were stationed at podiums on the stage. And as journalists flocked to interview them, fans in the audience chose which player's audio feed to listen to via headsets.

It was arguably like watching paint dry, except if these walls could talk, they'd have Canadian accents.

But, the NHL occasionally trotted a star to the stage front – and the NHL Network's Jackie Redmond interviewed the player specifically for the fans. And when T.J. Oshie took center stage, well, Stifel rocked like Enterprise Center – actually, if we're doing this, like Scottrade Center.

“I respect their support through thick and thin,” Oshie said of the St. Louis fans, who cheered the former Blue and current Washington Capital.

In his 12th NHL season, Oshie is in his first NHL All-Star Game, and it's in St. Louis – “Sometimes it's funny how things work out,” Blues All-Star Alex Pietrangelo said. “He deserves to be here.”

Oshie, 33, was the Blues' first-round pick in 2005 (24th overall), and finished eighth in the Calder Trophy voting as a rookie. His best statistical season of his seven in St. Louis was 2013-14, when he scored 21 goals with 39 assists. His 60 points were second on the team to Alexander Steen (62), and that was another one of those seasons where the Blues lost in the first round. Oshie was traded in the summer of 2015 for Troy Brouwer, who symbolized the Blues' first-round breakthrough with his Game 7 goal against Chicago in 2016.

Oshie himself broke through in Washington, scoring more goals in his first season there (26) than he had in any of his seven in St. Louis. In 2016-17, Oshie scored 33 goals in just 68 games – his shooting percentage (23.1) was best in the National Hockey League. And the Olympic hero became a Stanley Cup champion in 2018. The next year, his buddies did, too.

“I talked to those guys – I was on the way to the golf course, and they were still out partying the night they won,” Oshie said of a call in June of 2019, after the Blues won it all. “And had a nice FaceTime with (former Blue) Barrett Jackman – he was with a bunch of the guys. It was cool to talk to them and tell them congratulations. … A lot of the guys here (at All-Star) are in that core group, I know what type of guys and players they are. They're leading the charge.”

This season, Oshie has 18 goals and 16 assists (34 points) in 49 games for Washington, which is in first place in its division. Oshie was one of those “last men in” to the All-Star Game, voted fittingly by the fans, some who were surely at Stifel on Thursday.

“I don't think there's another place that would be more fitting for me to go to my first All-Star Game,” Oshie said. “Obviously DC is where my career really started to take off, and I've had more success there, but to come back here to where I really started growing my family and have a lot of special memories in the place I was drafted to, it's a pretty cool story. I'll be able to tell my kids when they're older and grandkids after that.”

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172670 St Louis Blues Believe it or not, Berenson — long-time coach at the University of Michigan — is playing in another alumni game over the weekend involving the Detroit Red Wings.

80-year-old Red Berenson steals the show as Blues alumni shine bright “Hockey is a lifetime sport, I’m here to say that,” Berenson said. “And you can play at a certain level and feel good about.”

Berenson came out on a line with Garry Unger — a player he was once Jim Thomas 20 hrs ago traded for. Unger, known for his flowing blond hair, was the only player on the ice without a helmet Thursday. The hair was still pretty long, it’s

just gray these days. Red Berenson brought his skates, but he couldn’t promise six goals. “We had to get new hair blowers in the locker room for Unger,” Berenson “No. If I get one, I’ll be happy,” he said. quipped.

More than a half-century ago, Berenson electrified St. Louis with a six- The Blues alumni squad included two now-retired members of the Blues’ goal night against the Philadelphia Flyers. That was Nov. 7, 1968. To this 2018-19 Stanley Cup squad — Chris Thorburn and Chris Butler. Butler day, Bob Plager claims that he picked up a “third assist” on five of those played in 13 regular-season games for the Blues last season; Thorburn goals. In the entire history of the NHL, only one player has scored more played in one game. It was Thorburn’s first time back in St. Louis since — Joe Malone scored seven in a game for the Quebec Bulldogs in 1920. the team’s Stanley Cup ring banquet just before the start of the regular season. Berenson brought his skates because he participated in the Blues/NHL Alumni Game on Thursday at Centenne Community Ice Center. At age As for that Janssen-Bissonette “fight,” Janssen had mentioned on the 80. radio (KFNS, 590) earlier Thursday that their might be a tussle between he and Bissonnette during the game. So there was a little bit of staging, “I skated every day when I was coaching but the last two years since I but it was WWE-style entertainment at its finest. retired — I play a little bit with the Red Wings alumni and the Michigan alumni,” Berenson said. “If they want me to play a little bit, I can play.” “I was 0-for-5 against him (in fights) starting in juniors,” Janssen said. “I didn’t know who he was and he beat me up in juniors. Ever since then Yeah, he can still play a little bit. Apparently, the hands never leave you if I’ve been losing fights to him. I knew this was my time to get back at you’re a world-class hockey player. Berenson redirected a pass from Jeff him.” Brown into the net for the Blues alumni team in the first half Thursday. (Wink. Wink.) The teams played two 25-minute halves, with the Blues alumni squad defeating the NHL alumni squad 10-6. The local alumni chapter pulled “Unfortunately I got him the Gordie Howe hat trick,” Janssen said, out all the stops for this one. Blues P.A. man Tom Calhoun was on duty referring to a game with a goal, assist and fight. Thursday. And the national anthem was sung by none other than Charles But it was Ray Whitney, a late addition to the Blues’ alumni team — Glenn. although he never played for the Blues — who got an actual hat trick. Actor Jon Hamm, quickly becoming one of St. Louis’ leading St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.25.2020 ambassadors of hockey, was on hand.

But it was the Red Baron who stole the show.

Many in the overflow crowd of 3,000-plus at Centene weren’t born when Berenson led the expansion St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup Final in their first three years of existence. He was voted the Western Conference player of the year each of those three seasons by The Sporting News.

Not unlike today, the Gateway City had Blues fever in those earliest days. Kids played street hockey all over the place back then. Saturday night hockey at The Arena was the place to be. The Blues had captured the sports imaginations of the town.

“It was just one of those things,” Berenson said. “It was being in the right place at the right time with the right people. The right coach, the right players. The fans just embraced us. We loved it here. It was unlike any other NHL situation at that time.”

Berenson was part of the Blues’ team that got swept by Bobby Orr’s Bruins in the 1970 Cup Final — and mocked by some of the Boston players in the process. So, yes, he was delighted to see the Blues top the Bruins in seven games for the Cup 49 years later.

“I absolutely loved it,” Berenson said. “Are you kidding? I was up in Bemidji, Minnesota, at an old hockey friend’s house. I watched every game in the playoffs. And I liked the way they played. They played well every night, and if they made a mistake (Jordan) Binnington was great. But I just thought: This is St. Louis’ time. And finally. Good for them.”

And good for Berenson. Once a Blue always a Blue. Along with Glenn’s rendition of the anthem and Cam Janssen’s second-half fight with Paul Bissonnette, Berenson’s goal drew the largest applause of the night.

“It’s not just about scoring goals, but it feels good to help the team,” Berenson said. “And I think it makes the young guys feel inspired, too.”

Or maybe a little jealous.

“Well, I don’t know,” Berenson said. “They all appreciate each other.”

As for the crowd reaction to his goal, Berenson said: “I think they’re historic fans here. They care about the team — the players that used to be as well as the players that are now. So I think there were a lot of people here that know more about the team than maybe we do.” 1172671 Tampa Bay Lightning month later, having replaced Boston’s Tuukka Rask, he seems like a given.

Vasilevskiy is back on the leaderboard, too. His 24 wins lead the NHL. Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is where he belongs after a slow start He has the best save percentage (.962) and goals-against average (1.13) in January. Sometimes save percentage can be aided by some high-shot volume games. But Vasilevskiy faced 25 shots or fewer in three of seven starts this month. By Diana C. Nearhos “He’s been really, really good,” Rinne said. “Even though he has athletic Published Yesterday abilities, he still plays an efficient game to me. He uses his big body and plays a fairly quiet game. When he needs to, he can make those desperation saves. He’s an awesome goalie.” Andrei Vasilevskiy slid over to get his toe on a shot from Arizona’s Taylor Hall. He pushed from post-to-post to make a pad save on Philadelphia’s Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 01.25.2020 Kevin Hayes a few nights later, posting consecutive shutouts.

It’s just what he does.

Oh, and the Lightning goalie mixes in the occasional wild behind-the- back save like the glove move against the Kings two years ago or the pad save against Toronto last season.

Vasilevskiy appears in his third NHL All-Star Game at 7 p.m. Saturday (NBC). Asking around the league, you hear the same response about what makes him special: his unique combination of size and athleticism.

“He’s got a little bit of Dominik Hasek in him,” Capitals all-star goalie Braden Holtby said.

That’s high praise. Hasek won the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the top goalie in the league, six times (Vasilevskiy won his first last season). Hasek is known for his athletic saves, for flopping around to make the wild desperation saves. He (6-foot-1, 166 pounds) didn’t have Vasilevskiy’s size (6-foot-3, 207).

“He’s so big and he takes up so much of the net,” Buffalo all-star Jack Eichel said. “With that size, he’s got so much athleticism. Even when you think you have him beat, and you see net, he pulls off a pretty remarkable save to stop you. He’s one of the best goalies in the league for a reason.”

Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog added to that. What makes Vasilevskiy impressive is not just that he makes the wild desperation saves. It’s that he also makes the boring saves, swallows the puck, and doesn’t allow many rebounds.

Vasilevskiy made a few big saves in those consecutive shutouts of the Coyotes and Flyers, but he made more of the boring saves Landeskog referenced. Sometimes, boring is what you need.

The combination of size and athleticism, of desperation and boring saves, can get in a skater’s head. It can force a player to make an extra pass, look for that perfect shot.

“In the course of a game, you might try to do that,” Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby said. “You try to make better passes around him. But as a shooter, you have to just trust your instincts and look for that opening.”

The openings can be hard to find. Not just for opponents, but teammates, too.

The Lightning shoot on Vasilevskiy more than anyone else. They practice against him. Brayden Point sees it frequently, to himself, his teammates and the opponents, you think you have Vasilevskiy and then all of a sudden his pad is there.

Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne is most impressed with what Vasilevskiy has done at the age of 25. Goalies typically come into the league older. Vasilevskiy made his debut at age 20.

Vasilevskiy did have a delayed onset of the inconsistency often seen from young goalies. At the start of this season, he didn’t look like a defending Vezina Trophy winner or an all-star. He looked average.

That’s not to say Vasilevskiy played badly. He played inconsistently and gave up goals he could usually be counted on to save. Vasilevskiy couldn’t be counted on to steal a game, something elite teams need of their elite goaltenders.

Vasilevskiy, the player coach Jon Cooper calls the first one in and last one out of the rink every day, worked through the struggles.

When the all-star rosters were first announced on Dec. 30, Vasilevskiy wasn’t on the list. And he didn’t seem like a glaring absence. Less than a 1172672 Toronto Maple Leafs past 10 games, in which he has stopped only 86.9 per cent of the shots directed at him.

By comparison, his little-used backup, Michael Hutchinson, has been Maple Leafs face an uphill slog that very few would have expected slightly better: a .903 save percentage over the past seven weeks.

Together, they have allowed six or more goals in six of the past 12 games and four or more in eight of those games. That trend can only MARTY KLINKENBERG cause trouble unless the team’s high-powered offence finds another gear. PUBLISHED JANUARY 24, 2020 That could well happen, but it is asking a lot. UPDATED JANUARY 24, 2020 Matthews has 23 assists to go along with his 34 goals, and Marner has

47 points despite missing 11 games with an ankle injury. The Toronto Maple Leafs were fifth in the Atlantic Division and 10th in the One could argue that Toronto has done as well as could be expected Eastern Conference on Nov. 20 when Mike Babcock was fired as head when one considers the injuries that have piled up. Morgan Rielly coach. Two months later, despite a 15-4-1 stretch under Sheldon Keefe, sustained the most recent and serious one, a fractured foot that will keep they are fourth in the division and 10th in the conference. That says him sidelined for at least six more weeks. something about how poorly Toronto played early on, and how difficult it is for a team to overcome a slow start. But having a lineup that is injury-riddled is not a viable excuse for a team underperforming in the NHL. It is not a season-ender, but it steepens the climb to the playoffs. The Maple Leafs have 33 games left in the regular season and little room for Where that leaves the Maple Leafs is in a more challenging position than disastrous performances like the one last Saturday when they were laid anyone expected this year. The fact they are 16-7-3 since Keefe took bare by the Chicago Blackhawks. over behind the bench is reason for optimism. A top-heavy schedule leaves them with only four games left to play back to back. That should It was so bad that Kyle Dubas, the team’s general manager, jumped out help, too. of his chair in exasperation when Chicago’s bright rookie, Dominik Kubalik, raced up the ice and batted a puck past Frederik Andersen to The season hangs in the balance. Their followers’ hopes live and die with give the visitors a 6-2 second-period lead. what happens next. Will there be better goaltending? More consistent defensive play? Or will this become a year to forget? The outcome was long decided before that goal, Kubalik’s second goal of the evening, but it was another piece of evidence that pointed to how Globe And Mail LOADED: 01.25.2020 badly Toronto was outplayed. On the verge of their bye week, Maple Leafs players showed no discernible pulse. It took only 21 seconds for them to fall behind and they trailed 3-0 after the first period.

No doubt players have gotten some much-needed rest and have had time to heal during the all-star break. For one, Jake Muzzin has been farmed out to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies for a conditioning stint after missing 10 games with a broken foot.

The defenceman will likely return to the lineup on Monday when Toronto plays the first of two road games against Nashville and then Dallas. Neither is an easy draw, especially on their home ice. A victory over either would help the Leafs to regain the momentum they fumbled away by winning only one of their past six outings.

With a couple of exceptions, other Canadian NHL teams are doing well. Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary hold down the top three positions in the Pacific Division. Elias Pettersson has 51 points in 49 games to lead the Canucks. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have 54 goals and 151 points combined for the Oilers. David Rittich has been solid in the net for the Flames.

Of the remaining three, only Winnipeg remains within striking distance of the playoffs. The Jets are fading, however, having lost four straight going into the break. Montreal is 12th among 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, while Ottawa is 14th.

The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have lost ground while idle. Some of the teams bunched around them were still playing games and have pulled ahead. There is little doubt that a club with such high expectations never expected to begin the second half trailing the likes of Columbus, Florida and Philadelphia.

It was announced this week that Auston Matthews, their high-scoring centre, would sit out all on-ice events at the all-star game while he received treatment on an injured wrist. It would not appear to be anything serious; he and Alexander Ovechkin are tied for second in the NHL in goals, each with 34. David Pastrnak of Boston is first with 37.

There was no prior hint that Matthews was hurt, so having him skip the all-star festivities looks precautionary at best and suspicious at worst.

While most of their teammates have been enjoying themselves in sunnier and warmer climes, Matthews, Andersen and Mitch Marner are all in St. Louis. It is the fourth time in as many years that Matthews was chosen to play in the all-star game, but the first for the other two.

Andersen was easily the team’s most valuable player over the first two months, but has fallen into a slump. The Danish goalie has an .895 save percentage since December and has been especially ineffective over the 1172673 Toronto Maple Leafs

Frederik Andersen’s affection for Maple Leafs teammates unmasked at all-star weekend

By Star staff

Fri., Jan. 24, 2020

Frederik Andersen’s close connection to Maple Leafs teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner is as plain as the mask on his face for NHL all-star weekend in St. Louis.

Andersen commissioned artist David Gunnarsson to paint a custom mask depicting familiar moments with Matthews and Marner, and showed it off at Friday night’s skills competition at the Enterprise Center.

The netminder stands beside Matthews on the ice before each game, and hugs Marner after every win.

Andersen was entered in the save streak competition, while Marner was scheduled to compete in the shooting stars event. Both will play in Saturday’s three-on-three tournament. Matthews is attending the festivities but won’t compete because of a wrist injury.

Toronto Star LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172674 Toronto Maple Leafs Perhaps the Leafs thought about the upcoming trade deadline, and how the team added Jake Muzzin last year, and will in a way add Muzzin again now, as he returns from a broken foot. But also, defenceman Morgan Rielly remains out with his own broken foot until probably mid- The Maple Leafs had plenty to think of at the beach, like who might be March, and the Leafs have a surfeit of wingers, and Kasperi Kapanen’s lining up to kick sand on them name keeps getting thrown into theoretical deals. Maybe there are some Leafs wondering what they would bring back in terms of right-shot

defencemen. Bruce Arthur But maybe the Leafs are also thinking that if the goaltending does come Fri., Jan. 24, 2020 around, this has actually been an excellent team for some time now, the glaring exceptions aside and even included. Maybe they’re thinking about how they’ve become a truly elite offensive team under Keefe, and with goaltending and a little more everyday care this system can work, and What did the Toronto Maple Leafs think about during their week off? that all that is riding on it is the entire philosophy of this franchise in the Besides sunscreen, of course; sunscreen is key if you have spent much framework of hockey, as it currently stands. And no matter what of the previous three months indoors, and largely in a city where cold and happened it was always going to be hard, because hockey is hard. cloudy is a very common forecast. Hopefully, the Leafs who took off for the Caribbean remembered sunscreen, or had a big ol’ beach umbrella. Or maybe the Leafs all spent their week thinking only of sunscreen and sand, of warm salt water and the lime in a beer. Maybe they didn’t think But what else? As the Leafs have idled, the playoff chase has become about any of this stuff, because they didn’t have to. more complicated. Maybe they thought about the fact that the Florida Panthers are smoking hot, ripping off six wins in a row and counting But they will. against often-soft competition, including that 8-4 strafing of the Leafs two Sundays ago, where the Panthers talked about how it was the biggest Toronto Star LOADED: 01.25.2020 regular-season game they’d played in years, and the Leafs … well, they allowed eight goals.

Maybe the Leafs thought about how after their initial burst under new coach Sheldon Keefe — when they rose from 12th in the East to 12th in the NHL — they have dropped back out of the playoff picture, behind not just Florida but Columbus and Philadelphia. There are 10 teams in the East that have a realistic shot at the playoffs, and when the Leafs come back from their vacations, they will be 10th.

A win streak could change that, of course. But maybe the vacationing Leafs thought about the fact that their five-on-five save percentage is 24th in the NHL, and the only consolation may be that Philly and Florida are both below them. Well, except there’s a chance that free-agent bust Sergei Bobrovsky could start to play up to his mammoth contract in the second half of the season in Florida. That would be a problem.

Of course, Frederik Andersen’s save percentage as a Leaf has been, by year, .918, .918 and .917. He’s at .909 now. Maybe he’s due for an updraft, too.

Maybe the Leafs thought about how even if the goaltending stabilizes, and they do climb into the playoffs, they’re staring down the barrel of the same intractable obstacle that this franchise has faced in the past three post-seasons: a hell of an opponent. When Toronto played Washington in the first round three years ago, the Capitals had the best record in the league, and would win the Stanley Cup the next year. The next year, the Boston Bruins had the league’s fourth-best record, five points out of first.

And last season, the Bruins were second in the NHL, and lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. The Leafs lost those series in six, seven, and seven games. Sometimes you run into a team that’s better than you. Toronto has started with one, every time.

And this year, the Leafs will stare down that chute again. If they reach eighth place but don’t catch Florida, they probably get the Capitals, who again have the league’s best record. If the Leafs climb into third in the Atlantic, they get the Bruins, who are currently third in the league but a little vulnerable, or Tampa Bay, now fifth and climbing like a rocket.

More, the Leafs will face a team that plays a very different style. Over the past 25 games, per the web site Natural Stat Trick, all three likely opponents are elite shot-suppression teams: Washington is sixth in shot attempts allowed at five-on-five over that span, Boston is second, and Tampa Bay — the league’s dominant puck-possession team in the past two months — is first.

The Leafs may also be considering that they are 25th in the NHL in five- on-five shots allowed per 60 minutes, and while that isn’t quite all-you- can-eat, the Leafs too often offer a delicious buffet full of quality options. They were 28th in shot rate against last year, 25th the year before, and 23rd before that. So it’s a habit.

Maybe it was always going to be a clash of styles. Except Tampa Bay is a more elite offensive team that adds the aforementioned defensive work; the Lightning have won 12 of 14, outscoring opponents 57-27. Either way, maybe the Leafs spent some of their bye week thinking about that. 1172675 Toronto Maple Leafs

Muzzin pleased with first re-hab game

Lance Hornby

Published:January 24, 2020

Updated:January 24, 2020 11:34 PM EST

The Maple Leafs are slowly on the mend.

Jake Muzzin began his rehab conditioning stint with the AHL Toronto Marlies Friday night in Cleveland, almost a month after the front of his foot was broken by a shot in a game in New Jersey.

Muzzin was partnered with Timothy Liljegren in the 5-2 loss to the Monsters, the first of back-to-back weekend games to sharpen the veteran defenceman for a return to NHL action. Muzzin wasn’t held back, used on a regular shift, going out to try and kill the first three Cleveland power plays and be part of Toronto’s man advantages.

“It was nice to get into a game, get some touches and the game feel back,” Muzzin told Todd Crocker of Leafs Nation Network. “The injury felt fine. It’s timing, lungs and legs. It’s definitely a lot more fun than just skating by yourself. It’s high level hockey here.”

It was Muzzin’s first minor league action since January of 2013 with the Manchester Monarchs, farm team of the Los Angeles Kings, and he got in some valuable skating, sharp passing and a couple of power play bombs from the point.

Morgan Rielly (fractured foot) and Ilya Mikheyev (wrist surgery) are still out long term. The Leafs are on the NHL all-star break, but will re-group Sunday afternoon in Nashville ahead of a game there Monday and Wednesday in Dallas. Expected back against the Predators is leading scorer Auston Matthews, who was sat out of all-star weekend on-ice events on St. Louis with a wrist condition.

He took treatment earlier in the week on Scottsdale, Ariz. and during his time in St. Louis.

“My first priority is the Maple Leafs and my goal is to play on Monday,” Matthews said on Sportsnet after the skills competition.

Mitch Marner and Frederik Andersen did take part in Friday’s skills’ night, Andersen making seven straight saves during a shootout contest to briefly lead the event before hometown hero Jordan Binnington stole the show.

Debuting a mask with Images of teammates Marner and Matthews and a pair of Bauer pads with the CN Tower featured, Andersen hasn’t had to be reminded that his recent drop in play (4-3-3 and a .869 save percentage) must be reversed in a hurry.

“Teams are opening their eyes a little bit more,” Andersen said of the tightening conference standings that saw Toronto lose its playoff position heading into the break. “That means we have to play our best.”

The Marlies post-Christmas Day record fell to 3-11 with many of their players spending time with the Leafs. Forward Trevor Moore, with points in both his games since his own conditioning stint began last week, scored for the Marlies with Jeremy Bracco adding a late power play goal. Assistant coach Rob Davison, who suffered a seizure before a game in Cedar Park, Texas, two weeks ago, is still not with the club, but could return after the coming AHL all-star break.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172676 Toronto Maple Leafs “He’d be a horrible teammate,” says Barrie. “He’s evil. He’d kill you.” Barrie’s team might have lost, but the company made for a good night.

“It’s nice to be together,” he says. “And if it’s for a good cause, that’s A Week in the Life of Tyson Barrie: Bonding with new teammates, dog- great.” walking and making Toronto home After the team lands and checks in to their hotel on the beach in Fort

Lauderdale, Barrie and a handful of players move to a nearby patio bar. By Joshua Kloke Jan 24, 2020 Barrie orders a Corona.

“Just embracing the beach, the day off and unwinding a little bit,” he says. It is mid-January and the Toronto Maple Leafs are leveling off after winning 15 of 20 games under new head coach Sheldon Keefe. Saturday, January 11 Defenceman Tyson Barrie, 28, is one of the players who has benefitted The Leafs might have lost their last two games, but many players wear the most from Keefe’s new possession-heavy system and as a result, his smiles throughout a 12:15 p.m. practice at the BB&T Center. Barrie is no outlook on life in Toronto has changed. different. As the Leafs travelled through Florida before returning to Toronto, The After the practice, some players head out for a round of golf. Barrie, Athletic was granted an up-close look from Jan. 10-16 into the life of one dressed in a plain white T-shirt and faded blue jeans, boards the bus of their most important defencemen. back to the hotel. Like so much in his life, he is comfortable going with Friday, January 10 the flow.

It is an overcast morning in Toronto as Auston Matthews drives west out Upon returning to the team’s hotel, Barrie and his teammates find a of Toronto’s downtown core with Tyson Barrie in the passenger seat. The buffet lunch including lobster and steak awaiting them. Maple Leafs team charter is waiting to depart at 11 a.m. and head south Barrie samples both before moving with Matthews, Rielly and Marner to sunnier skies. The Leafs are playing the Florida Panthers on Sunday across North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard onto the beach that evening, but the opportunity to spend a few extra hours in the sun on an stares out at the Atlantic Ocean. off day has the players in high spirits. The conversation is lighter than the lunch. Feeling a kinship with his new On the flight, Barrie sits beside Matthews, as has become customary. teammates has made life with the Leafs easier. Earlier in the season, there was an empty seat beside Matthews on a flight and Barrie was in need of one. “It was nice to be able to come in and feel comfortable with and share the same sense of humour,” says Barrie. “When I was struggling earlier in “Luck of the draw I guess,” says Barrie. the year, it was good to have them to lean back on.” The pair pull out a laptop and headphone splitters. They’re deep into It was a shared sense of humour — based on a lot of self-deprecation — “Money Heist,” a Netflix series about nine thieves trying to rob Spain’s that led Barrie to grow especially close with Matthews. It didn’t hurt that Royal Mint. their homes in Toronto are close by. They don’t get very far. Barrie is prone to stopping and discussing the “I’d play a bad game and I’d just carve myself,” says Barrie. “We’d have a show. big laugh at it.” “I always hit the space bar,” says Barrie. “I like to break it down.” Matthews calls Barrie an “easy-going guy who is fun to be around.” Matthews shakes his head. The laughs continue on the beach. A few Leafs fans stop to say hello, but “He makes you laugh,” says Matthews. the attention mostly goes to Matthews.

It wasn’t long ago that it looked as if Barrie might not have the time to “He’s got the big body,” says Barrie, “and the big mustache.” develop a close relationship with Matthews. Later that evening, after a quick dip in a hot tub, Barrie leads a few After a summer trade from the Colorado Avalanche that saw Toronto fan players north to Café Martorano, a “hole in the wall,” that former favourite Nazem Kadri go the other way, Barrie’s initial transition to teammate Nathan MacKinnon introduced him to. Toronto wasn’t a smooth one. He had played his entire NHL career in The chicken parmesan, complete with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh Colorado, where the spotlight is nowhere near as intense. He struggled pappardelle tossed in butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano, would knock to defend and his freewheeling approach on the ice was stifled under anyone out after a long day. Barrie is in bed by 11 p.m., and he channel Mike Babcock’s system. surfs to end his day. “You get traded for a guy that was here for a long time and was a big part Sunday, January 12 of this team, fans really liked Naz around here. He was a heart and soul guy, great player,” says Barrie. “He goes out, I come in, there’s some With Keefe curbing morning skates, the team does not make the 30- pressure that comes with that. People saw what I did in Colorado and minute drive to the BB&T Center. they’re expecting the same thing. To come and not deliver right off the bat was tough.” Instead, they head back to the beach for a more dynamic warm-up. For 15 minutes, one of the team’s strength and conditioning coaches, Louis On Nov. 16, it was reported that NHL teams had contacted the Leafs Rojas, leads a number of barefoot exercises in the sand, including about a possible trade for Barrie. In an 18-game stretch throughout sprints. October and November, the offensively-gifted defenceman had just one point. “I loved getting out there,” says Barrie. “It’s good to do something different and enjoy your surroundings.” But Barrie’s game has found new life under Sheldon Keefe and the spotlight is becoming easier to deal with. The night before, Barrie takes About half an hour before puck drop, with the lights of the BB&T Center part in the MLSE Foundation’s “A Night with Blue and White” fundraiser. down low and the sound of Meek Mill’s “Going Bad” blaring throughout Along with the team stars including Matthews, Mitch Marner, Morgan the arena, Barrie is second on the ice after Frederik Andersen. Rielly and John Tavares, Barrie plays Family Feud against celebrated He knocks a single puck from the top of a pyramid onto the ice with his Leafs alumni such as Doug Gilmour and Darryl Sittler. left palm.

“Unfortunately we lost,” says Rielly. “(Tavares) kind of blew it for us. But I Throughout the warm-up, Barrie spends time on his own practicing wasn’t great either.” dangling with the puck at the half wall. He finishes the warm-up by firing He took issue with them answering “Darth Vader” to the question: Which one-timers fed by Marner and is off the ice at the exact moment the “Star Wars” character would you choose to be your teammate? warm-up timer concludes. While some might grow anxious having hours to kill before puck drop, With a quick shower and no coffee or breakfast, Barrie is out of his condo Barrie is not one of them. in less than 20 minutes. His goal is to be inside Scotiabank Arena by 10:15 a.m. “I don’t need to think about the game all day,” he says. “We have our meetings and we focus on what you need to focus on.” He heads into the subway for the 12-minute commute on the TTC south to Union Station and then into Scotiabank Arena. After swapping homes But the Leafs lack focus against the Panthers. They allow multiple odd- with Kadri following the trade, the former Leaf told Barrie about the man rushes and Barrie is on the ice for four goals against, the most of benefits of taking public transportation to games. any defenceman. Barrie was frozen in front of the net as Aleksander Barkov leisurely skated towards him and scored. “I’ve got it down,” says Barrie.

The Leafs lose 8-4 to the Panthers in one of their most embarrassing Today, he arrives well before his self-imposed deadline and sits down to efforts of the season. Barrie logs 19:56, his second-lowest ice time in his a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, passing on any available last 10 games. carbs until later in the day.

“When you lose a big game like that, against a division rival, and you give “I’d blow up if I had that many carbs,” says Barrie. up big goals, it’s disappointing in a different way,” says Barrie. “Guys were upset.” Ahead of every game, Barrie cuts a new stick and puts new laces into his skates. He skips the optional morning skate, as always. Power play On the flight back to Toronto, Barrie and Matthews opt not to continue meetings follow. Barrie then gets out the foam roller and begins to with “Money Heist.” stretch. If he’s logged heavy minutes in his previous game, his legs will get a massage. “We stopped watching it because it was giving us way too much anxiety on plane rides,” says Matthews. “It was getting out of hand.” Today, Barrie is the first player to speak to the media in the dressing room. Rielly broke his foot in a game against the Panthers, so Barrie — Barrie and Matthews chat quietly before each plug in their headphones. Rielly’s defensive partner — is expected to have a more prominent role.

Barrie arrives home around 2 a.m. and heads straight to bed. Wearing blue shorts and a blue hoodie with his No. 94 on the front, Monday, January 13 Barrie keeps his message succinct: “We’ve got to take pride. Some of us on the back end will have more opportunity and will be relied upon more. On his days off, Barrie tends not to set his alarm. Instead, he gets up at So it’s going to be a big challenge for us.” “whatever time my dog lets me.” Closer to noon, Barrie eats a typical pregame lunch: pasta with chicken Today, that means Ralph, a golden doodle, wakes Barrie up at 7 a.m. to and olive oil. step outside. “I try to keep it pretty bland so you’re not tasting anything later,” he says. Barrie returns to bed. Around 10 a.m., he again relents to Ralph and drives 15 minutes south to Cherry Beach, home to one of Toronto’s most He eats quietly seeing as his schedule doesn’t line up with many of his popular off-leash dog parks. Barrie appreciates Toronto’s many dog teammates’. parks and believes Ralph does too. “I’m usually the last one to eat,” he says. “Everyone eats so early here. “I wasn’t a diehard dog guy, but now that I’ve got Ralph, he’s my best I’m in there at like 11:45 and everyone’s gone!” buddy,” says Barrie. After a quick trip home on the subway, Barrie puts on a pair of NormaTec Ralph also gets along well with Matthews. compression pants to optimize recovery time ahead of the game, and watches an episode of “Arrested Development.” “Auston’s the dog father,” says Barrie. “They have a good bond.” Once the episode is done, he calls his dad Len, a former NHL player, to After a few laps, both Barrie and Ralph have worked up an appetite. chat about players they know and news around the league. Back home, Barrie feeds Ralph and instead of firing up a food delivery app as many of his younger teammates might, he begins putting together “He loves talking hockey,” says Barrie. his own lunch. Barrie learned the joy of cooking while making use of the By 1:30 p.m., he’s ready for his pregame nap. Two hours later, Barrie “beautiful kitchen” at his Denver home. wakes for his pregame meal: a “quick hitter,” that he, once again, learned “It’s more of a feel thing than using a recipe,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun to from MacKinnon. He whips up one, sometimes two if he’s feeling throw some good music on, have a glass of red wine and cook a little bit.” adventurous, paleo pancakes. No syrup. He brews a coffee and once again, things are quiet. Barrie makes a turkey bolognese sauce before tossing in chickpea pasta. “That’s probably my favourite part of my day,” says Barrie. “A nice “You should try it,” he says. Americano, a couple pancakes, relax. The calm before the storm.”

The influence of former teammate Nathan MacKinnon extends beyond Barrie arrives back at Scotiabank Arena at least two hours before puck restaurant recommendations. MacKinnon, who is dedicated to healthy drop. He’ll skip the team’s soccer game, instead opting to foam roll and eating, turned Barrie on to chickpea pasta. “shoot the shit” with teammates.

“It’s working for him, obviously,” says Barrie. “Keep it light,” he says.

Just before 1:30 p.m., Barrie’s phone buzzes with a new email alert: After team meetings, Barrie begins his full warm-up. He takes 25 minutes Pearl Jam, his favourite band, has just announced “Gigaton,” their first to stretch out and “activate.” new album in more than six years. The email contains details on a North American tour that will kick off in Toronto on March 18 at Scotiabank “They want us to do three exercises before every game,” says Barrie. Arena. “Which I’ve never done before, but I don’t mind it.”

Barrie quickly checks the team’s schedule and breathes a sigh of relief When he dresses, he puts on the same ragged, white Reebok shoulder when he sees the team will not be on the road. He’s been a member of pads he’s had since playing for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. the band’s official fan club, the Ten Club, for five years now. He starts “They do the job,” says Barrie. “I don’t really see the need to switch ‘em researching how to submit a request for designated fan club tickets. up. I probably don’t use my shoulder pads as much as other guys.”

“I didn’t even really know they were working on a new album,” says His jersey is the last piece he puts on. It always falls into a tuck inside his Barrie. “But that’s how they operate. I’m excited we’re not on the road pants on his left hip, which bears a resemblance to a certain look made and we’ll get to see them.” famous by Wayne Gretzky.

Tuesday, January 14 “I think I’m small, and my pants are big,” says Barrie. “Unintentional On game days, when Barrie’s alarm goes off at 9:30 a.m., he has little Gretzky tuck.” time to hang with Ralph and get out the door. He prefers it that way. Compared to other games, one MLSE staffer calls it as quiet a scene Keefe was known to play music during Marlies practices, but Wednesday outside the Leafs dressing room as warm-ups approach as she has ever is just the second time the Leafs have done so. heard. Only four fans stand behind a barrier to watch Barrie give Mitch Marner a tap with his stick and become the second player out onto the Barrie is becoming a fan. ice at 6:29 p.m. Just as he used to follow Avalanche captain Gabriel “I wasn’t the first time we did it, but this was better today,” he says. “It Landeskog out as the third player on the ice for warm-ups, Barrie was louder and they had more appropriate songs.” generally follows Jake Muzzin out. But with Muzzin sideline with an injury, Barrie is now second on the ice after Frederik Andersen. Throughout practice, Barrie eagerly chats to any nearby teammate.

Barrie gives a young fan holding a “Muzz get well soon” sign a fist-bump At 12:39 p.m., as Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” plays from the and offers a quick wink and a smile at other fans standing nearby. He speakers, practice wraps up. again spends time dangling by the blue line in the warm-up. He will stop After practice, Barrie and the rest of the team receive a guest speech from time-to-time to survey players in front of him. He feeds Marner one- from Molly Bloom, the former competitive skier-turned-motivational timers near the face-off dot before Marner returns the favour as Barrie speaker and author of “Molly’s Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old stands by the blue line. Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker As the buzzer goes to signal the end of warm-up, Barrie steps off the ice, Game in the World!” third from last, leaving Matthews and Marner on the ice. He claims he is Her book was adapted into the Aaron Sorkin-directed film, “Molly’s not superstitious. Game.” The focus of the hour-long talk was her own redemption and Barrie and the Leafs return to the win column with a dominant, 7-4 second chances, something Barrie knows all too well. It’s no surprise that showing over the New Jersey Devils. But Barrie plays just 17:52, his was one of his takeaways from her speech. fourth-lowest total of the season. “You can make mistakes and get back on your feet,” says Barrie of the More than ever, with promising defenceman Rasmus Sandin having speech. returned to the Leafs, the voices questioning Barrie’s role with the Leafs Barrie appreciated the team having the opportunity to ask questions. He have gotten louder. was curious just how some of the high-profile clients were invited to the After the game, Barrie lifts weights with the rest of the team, though “not game. by choice.” After he returns home, Barrie takes Ralph for a stroll through Grange “We play so much, our schedule is so busy, I wouldn’t lift a ton of weights Park before walks to Moretti in downtown Toronto for dinner. during the year,” says Barrie. “I like to do more recovery stuff. As long as Barrie again orders chicken parmigiana. It’s become his go-to meal the my hips feel good, I’m good. That’s really the biggest thing, keeping my night before a game to keep him full the following day. hips loose because I’ve had some issues in the past.” “I’m a sucker,” he says. After grabbing a protein shake, Barrie heads home to continue watching “Arrested Development.” He’s ventured into the murky waters of the cult Barrie is joined by Mitch Marner for dinner. classic: the questionable fourth season, called “Fateful Consequences,” which features an inconsistent narrative. “He’s an infectious personality to be around,” says Barrie of Marner.

He’s on episode three of the season, but he’s committed to seeing it It is the support of his teammates which has helped Barrie, in his through, even if he believes the whole series has gone “sideways” by this estimation, “find my groove.” point. “It’s really tough when you spend your whole career somewhere and then “Not in love with it right now,” he says. you make a move and you don’t gel right away, you don’t fit in, things aren’t going great for you,” said Barrie. “But luckily, I’ve made some good Wednesday, January 15 friends on the team that have a good sense of humour and will get you through it.” As Barrie makes the 30-minute drive to the Ford Performance Centre for practice, he feels the need to switch up his routine. Things have improved so much that he admits he’d like to stay in Toronto beyond this season. Instead of listening to one of his typical playlists that includes Pearl Jam, Cigarettes After Sex and the Lumineers, Barrie is “feeling a bit gangster “I’m getting to love the city, I love the guys and Sheldon’s great,” says this morning” and opts for DaBaby and Roddy Ricch. Barrie. “Kyle and Shanny have been great to me.”

“But that’s unusual for me,” he says. Thursday, January 16

At 11:41 a.m., Barrie walks across the lobby from the Leafs practice rink After two less-than-stellar games, Barrie plays as well as ever in a Leafs to the Marlies practice rink for a skills session. jersey against the Calgary Flames. He moves the puck confidently and jumps into the play, looking like the player that the Leafs traded for. It As soon as he takes the ice, he begins yapping at William Nylander, and was only when Barrie, manning the first power-play unit as he did in tries to dangle around him with the puck. From a distance, Barrie then Colorado, found John Tavares from the point, who then set up William tries to hit the post with shots. He does not, and the group of defencemen Nylander, did the Leafs score the game’s tying goal. It is Barrie’s 10th gathered at one end of the ice give him grief. point in his last 11 games. The defencemen are joined by Leafs assistant coach Dave Hakstol, who “The style of play that we’re playing suits my game quite a bit better,” runs drills with an emphasis on puck movement and maintaining says Barrie. possession, close to the goal. Though the Leafs go just 1-for-4 with the man advantage and lose in a Whenever Barrie gets a chance, he shouts down to the other end of the shootout, Barrie’s 24:02 ice time is the most of any Leafs defenceman, ice to get Nylander’s attention. and his 6:03 of power-play time is a team-high. His need to switch things up has continued: Barrie is trying out one of After the game, Barrie grabs a bottle of yellow SOS hydration drink. Nylander’s sticks during the skills session. “It would’ve been nice to capitalize on another one of those power plays,” The reasoning? Barrie shrugs. he says. “Always looking for something new,” he says. At 10:21 p.m., Barrie walks alone up the two sets of stairs from the Leafs At 12:02 p.m., with the full team practice now slightly behind schedule, dressing room, again wearing his black suit, and through a small lobby Keefe bangs his stick on the glass and leaves. Every player follows him. towards the Bay Street exit.

When Barrie walks into the Leafs practice rink, he is greeted by “Bastille” Just around the corner from the exit is a wall-sized photo of the Leafs by Pompeii blasting from a speaker in the stands. stars, including Barrie. Outside, temperatures have dropped to what feels like -14, some of the coldest weather of the season. There is a man drumming relentlessly outside the arena. Handfuls of fans are eagerly flagging down their Uber drivers.

Barrie’s mother arrived mid-game and she is waiting for him in his apartment with another bowl of chickpea pasta, this time, tossed with pancetta.

Barrie pushes open the door and walks out into the cold of the city he now calls home.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172677 Vegas Golden Knights Star Game appearance. “It’s just a lot of the high-end guys that have been all-stars their whole life, maybe they just need a little bit of time with their family.”

NHL wants to prioritize All-Star Game LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.25.2020

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

January 24, 2020 - 7:36 PM

ST. LOUIS — At first glance, Eric Staal appears to be an ideal candidate to skip the NHL All-Star Game.

The Minnesota Wild center is 35 and has played in all 50 games this season.

His team is five points out of the second wild-card position, currently held by the Golden Knights, and hoping to make a playoff push when it resumes play Feb. 1 after the bye week.

Yet, it never crossed Staal’s mind to miss out.

“For me, it’s never been thought of to do,” said Staal, making his sixth all- star appearance. “I’ve enjoyed every time I’ve come.”

While Staal will skate for the Central Division during Saturday’s 3-on-3 competition at Enterprise Center, three players, including Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, chose not to participate in this weekend’s events.

Washington star Alex Ovechkin opted to miss the game for the second straight year — and fourth time in his career — and deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Friday the league hopes to keep this from becoming a trend.

“Concern is probably too strong of a word for it, but the All-Star event is an important event for us,” Daly said. “We need to raise the consciousness around the game, and that’s not just players, it’s really everybody associated with the game that it is important and should be prioritized. We’re going to sit down with the Players’ Association, and we’re going to see if we can raise that level of urgency.”

The decision to skip the All-Star Game is not without precedent, as stars such as Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews have done so at various points during their careers.

Fleury and the Knights announced Jan. 3 that he was withdrawing from the event, allowing him to rest for the stretch run and mourn his father, Andre, who died the day before Fleury’s 35th birthday in late November.

Ovechkin, 34, also cited the need for rest as his reason for missing out despite being voted by fans as the Metropolitan Division captain, while Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask admitted he made a “selfish decision” to spend time with his family rather than travel to St. Louis.

In addition, Detroit’s Dylan Larkin asked fans not to vote for him on the “Last Men In” ballot and later apologized for his comments.

“Injuries are a big deal, and the most important thing through the season is to play for your team healthy, and I completely understand why guys wouldn’t come,” Columbus defenseman Seth Jones said. “If I’m healthy, I would like to come here and play. I think I owe that to the fans. I’m still at that young stage in my career where I get excited to see all the guys from around the league.”

The league has tried to deter the practice of skipping out by instituting a one-game suspension that must be served during the game preceding or immediately after the All-Star break.

But it’s a hollow punishment in most cases, as the mandatory bye week bumps against All-Star weekend, which gives players additional time off if they choose not to attend.

Fleury, for example, will sit out Friday’s game at Carolina, which he might have missed anyway since it’s the front end of a back-to-back.

Daly admitted the placement of the bye week doesn’t help encourage players to attend, but doesn’t expect the issue to be discussed before this summer.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s meant to be a dagger toward the NHL All-Star Game,” said Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny, making his first All- 1172678 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury named to NHL All-Decade team

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

ST. LOUIS — More victories than any other goaltender during the decade. Two Stanley Cups. One Olympic goal medal.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s resume was unmatched over the past 10 years, and the Golden Knights goaltender was named to the NHL’s All-Decade first team Friday, the league announced.

The two six-player teams were selected by a panel of general managers, hockey operations staff, NHL.com writers and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet and TVAS and was released before the start of the All-Star Skills event at Enterprise Center.

Fleury was joined on the first team by forwards Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane, along with defensemen Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty.

The second team featured Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron and Steven Stamkos at forward, Erik Karlsson and Zdeno Chara on defense, and Henrik Lundqvist in net.

Fleury had 322 victories to lead all goalies during the decade. He was third in starts (543) and fifth in shutouts (43) to go with a .917 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.

Fleury won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and also guided the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season.

This season, he was named to the All-Star Game for the fifth time, though he withdrew from the event, and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Fleury is tied with Lundqvist for fifth on the all-time wins list with 458.

Skills competition

Knights forward Max Pacioretty was one of the shooters in the goalie’s save streak competition but did not participate in any individual events.

That didn’t stop him from enjoying the event with his two oldest sons, who joined him on the ice during the competition.

“It was cool to see it for myself,” Pacioretty said of his first all-star appearance. “But for my kids to live through these experiences with me makes it more special.”

Among the highlights was San Jose’s Tomas Hertl putting on a Justin Bieber mask before his breakaway attempt against St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington in the save streak event.

Also, Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders ended Connor McDavid’s three-year reign in the fastest skater competition.

In the women’s elite 3-on-3 game, goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens made 18 saves, including one in the final seconds, to help Canada defeat the U.S., 2-1.

Florida awarded All-Star Game

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the Florida Panthers will host the 2021 All-Star Game at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The game is expected to feature a “distinct international flavor,” though he would not elaborate on the format.

Bettman also said puck and player tracking will be in all 16 arenas during the postseason and every NHL rink for the start of the 2020-21 season.

Finally, Bettman noted that the league’s whistleblower hotline is expected to be fully operational within the next few months. The league announced the hotline in December as part of a new Code of Conduct in response to allegations of abuse against at least two NHL coaches.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172679 Washington Capitals Growing up, Oshie and his dad would talk about important milestones in terms of “When you play in the All-Star Game” or “When you play in the Olympics.” Oshie flourished doing the latter; now it’s time for a more laid- back yet meaningful achievement. T.J. Oshie returns to St. Louis for his first NHL all-star appearance, with plenty of memories St. Louis holds a lot of memories for the family. It’s where T.J. and Lauren moved into their first house together and where Lyla was born in 2014. This will be the first time Oshie’s daughters will watch him play in St. Louis. The trip is the first time Lyla has been back to St. Louis since Samantha Pell her father was traded. January 24, 2020 at 11:59 AM EST AD

And the return brings back a rush of mostly good but also emotional ST. LOUIS — The small crowd started to form in St. Louis Lambert moments for the family. International Airport early Thursday morning, and pucks and Sharpies Lyla was born with gastroschisis — her intestines were on the outside of were pulled out of pockets in baggage claim. A familiar face had just her body — and she had to have surgery immediately after birth. Oshie arrived back in the city where his NHL career began, and even with no spent hours at the pediatric care unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital with jersey or bright lights, T.J. Oshie and his family were immediately Lyla and Lauren, often staying the night before heading to practice. After recognized and greeted with adoration. Oshie made headlines at the Sochi Olympics for his shootout heroics in “Hey, how’s it going, T.J.? Welcome back!” one teenage boy exclaimed the United States’ victory over Russia, the family made an appearance at the Washington Capitals winger. on the “Today" show that spring to address baby Lyla’s condition.

The St. Louis Blues selected Oshie with the 24th pick of the 2005 draft, From the archives: T.J. Oshie may be new to the Capitals, but not to their and he played seven seasons for them before being traded to the playoff pain Capitals on July 2, 2015. And while Oshie has returned to face the Blues Upon returning, the Oshies intended to show the girls the house where multiple times since he was traded, Oshie and his family are back in St. “mom and dad first moved in together” and, perhaps more importantly, Louis this weekend for the 33-year-old’s first NHL All-Star Game. He was “the first house that we had when we first brought her back.” They also Washington’s candidate on the ballot for the “Last Men In” fan vote. planned on going to the aquarium and the kids’ museum. AD AD “[It] is a pretty cool story to be able to tell my kids when they are older “I’m not sure if [Leni] understands really yet that this is where we lived and my grandkids after that,” Oshie said about returning to a city where before, but Lyla is kind of understanding it and is trying to coach her on fans still don his No. 74 Blues jersey and applaud his appearances at the fact that she was born here,” Oshie said with a smile. “It is pretty cool public events. coming back and to have her come with me.” St. Louis still loves Oshie, and Oshie still loves it. He can rattle off his top The couple are expecting another child soon — this time a boy. five places to go in St. Louis: O.B. Clark’s, Tani Sushi Bistro, Paul Manno’s Cafe, Dominic’s and, at the very top of the list, former teammate Playing in the All-Star Game with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk brings Barret Jackman’s house (specifically his garage, nicknamed the back more happy memories for Oshie, who played with their father, “Doghouse”). Keith, in St. Louis. Oshie vividly recalls Matthew and Brady running around the dressing room, playing ball hockey, and remembers thinking it “Yeah, it’s pretty surreal,” Oshie said of his return to St. Louis. “And I was cool that they would know their dad played in the NHL. think it is a pretty special feeling to come back to a place where I haven’t been in a while. I’ve won a Cup in another city, [the Blues] have won a He hopes Lyla and Leni will remember the same thing. Cup with a new team, plenty of chances to get new jerseys, and there are plenty of number 74 Oshie jerseys out there.” “If I am able to play out my contract, Lyla will be 11, and so I think when it is all said and done I think they will both know that their dad played in the AD NHL, which means a lot to me that they remember that,” Oshie said. “It is pretty cool for me that they are able to come and share this weekend with Oshie has 20 tickets for Saturday night’s All-Star Game at Enterprise us, and I just hope they remember it.” Center. In attendance will be his wife, Lauren; his two daughters, Lyla (5) and Leni (3); his agents; some close family friends; some friends of his Washington Post LOADED: 01.25.2020 daughters; and his dad, Tim, who is known as “Coach Osh.”

In the archives: T.J. Oshie held back tears as he shared the Stanley Cup with his dad

Oshie’s father has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease since 2012. He was diagnosed when he was just 50 years old.

“My dad, he came [to St. Louis] quite a bit when I came here and made a lot of good friends,” Oshie said. “Everyone at the rink knows Coach Osh, probably more than they know me. So he’s going to be making it back for this trip, and that is going to be pretty special for us and for him, with it being hard for him to travel these days. But we didn’t want him to miss this one.”

The elder Oshie was unable to make the Capitals’ annual dads and mentors trip this season; Oshie’s father-in-law, Dave Cosgrove, accompanied Oshie instead. However, the group didn’t forget about him. During the Capitals’ December road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the dads FaceTimed him to express their love and support.

“It is always more special when Coach Osh is in the crowd,” Oshie said. “It’s important to me and to the family that he is here to see me go out there and put on an all-star jersey and just see … through these milestones that I’ve made in my career, that all his hard work and just being a great dad has paid off.” 1172680 Washington Capitals Stunningly, McDavid did not win the event and was edged out by New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal who completed the event in 13.175 seconds, just 0.03 seconds away from the record.

A Capital doesn't win Hardest Shot at NHL Skills for the first time in 3 The Justin Bieber mask years San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl decided to have some fun during the save streak. Before his shot attempt on Binnington, he busted out a Justin Bieber mask and put it on before shooting. By J.J. Regan January 24, 2020 11:46 PM No, he did not score. Yes, the mask was terrifying.

Hey @justinbieber, what you think??? :-)))) pic.twitter.com/75bo5kf9rR ST. LOUIS -- John Carlson did a valiant job trying to defend his title for the hardest shot, but Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber took — Tomáš Hertl (@TomasHertl48) January 25, 2020 home the prize with a blistering 106.5 MPH shot at the NHL Skills on The women’s 3-on-3 game was awesome Friday. If there is one complaint about the All-Star Skills and All-Star Game, is Alex Ovechkin won the Hardest Shot in 2018 and Carlson won it in 2019. that it is not competitive enough. Players have fun with it, as they should, He looked to be in good position to win it again after taking the lead with but they aren’t exactly going 100-percent like they would in an actual only one shooter left to go. game. That was certainly not the case for the 3-on-3 women’s game As Carlson skated up for his turn, the number to beat was 102.4 from between Canada and USA. Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson. Carlson shattered that The women’s teams put on a great display of skill in what was an with a shot of 104.5, beating his own winning shot from last year of incredibly fun game to watch. Canada took a 1-0 lead in the first period 102.8. off a goal from Rebecca Johnston. Melodie Daoust made it 2-0 in the The only problem? Weber was the last shooter. second period and Hilary Knight finally put USA on the board putting them to within one. "With Webs going behind him you kind of just expect him to go put up some big numbers," T.J. Oshie said. "But when John put up 104.5, you But really it was the goalies who stole the show. With plenty of room to thought maybe there was a chance, but obviously Shea stepped up and work, there were a number of breakaways and odd-man rushes. Both took care of business." Alex Cavallini for the USA and Ann-Renee Desbiens for Canada were strong in net to keep it a three-goal game. Weber had Carlson beat on his very first shot. Weber smashed the puck for 105.9 MPH on his first attempt. As he was the last shooter, he had "It was pretty impressive," Oshie said. "The goalies stood on their head, already won, but took his second shot anyway and beat his own mark, but the girls were making some awesome plays, some great moves. It's finishing with a 106.5 MPH shot. always fun cheering on the Americans."

While the Caps had won the event in each of the past two seasons, Desbiens had a drop the mic moment with a glove save just as time Weber had won it three straight times before Ovechkin took the title in expired to maintain the 2-1 win for Canada. 2018. Shooting Stars Even when Carlson took the lead, he still did not believe he would win You have to credit the NHL for trying. One of the new events featured knowing Weber still had to go. players on a raised platform in the crowd shooting at targets on the ice. It "I think I knew all along we were all just a part of the show," Carlson said. was...different. The biggest issue with it was that the players could not hit most of the targets and the one that seemed the easiest to get was worth Braden Holtby also fell short in his attempt to win the Save Streak event. the most points. This one will need some tweaking if they want to bring it Frederik Anderson had the number to beat of seven when Holtby went back again next year. between the pipes. He faced shooters from the Atlantic Division and made a run at seven when he stopped David Pastrnak’s shot. A goalie's Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 round could not end on a save. As the captain, Pastrnak was the last shooter unless Holtby saved his shot. When Holtby stopped Pastrnak, that meant he would continue facing shots until he was beaten. With two straight saves, Holtby denied Shea Weber and Brady Tkachuk to get his streak up to five saves before he was finally beaten by Jack Eichel.

"I was just hoping Shea Weber wouldn't come down and take a slap shot on me,” Holtby told the NBCSN broadcast.

St. Louis Blues Jordan Binnington ended up winning the event, much to the delight of the home crowd. Andrei Vasilevskiy raised the save streak up to nine with Binnington as the last goalie to go. In dramatic fashion, Binnington went on to deny 10 straight shots to take the win.

Other highlights of the All-Star Skills:

Ryan O’Reilly’s football helmet

Next week is the Super Bowl Sunday and Ryan O’Reilly showed who he is cheering for in warmups as he came onto the ice wearing a Kansas City Chiefs' helmet.

Ryan O’Reilly has his pick for the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/7kmykcDIKt

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) January 25, 2020

Connor McDavid is not the fastest skater?

We all know who the fastest skater in the NHL is. It’s Connor McDavid. You might as well just declare the race over, right?

Not so fast. (See what I did there?) 1172681 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin named to NHL's All-Decade first team for 2010-19

By Tyler Byrum January 24, 2020 8:07 PM

Alex Ovechkin once again was named to one of the NHL's All-Decade teams.

This go-around, Ovechkin was named to the first-team for the All-Decade Team spanning 2010-2019.

During those 10 seasons, there was no one that totaled more than Ovi's 437 goals. Only two others had more than his 730 points.

Through our eyes, we saw him mature from a unique superstar to a once-in-a-generation athlete. Ovechkin won his first Stanley Cup in the decade after years of heartbreak and dominant Capitals teams that could never escape the second round.

Now, he's a mere eight goals away from reaching 700 and further etching his name in the fabric of the sport.

He is joined with fellow forward Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks. Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, Drew Doughty of the Kings and Marc-Andre Fleury of the Golden Knights rounded out the six-player first team.

NHL ALL-DECADE FIRST TEAM

Alex Ovechkin - F - Capitals

Patrick Kane - F - Blackhawks

Sidney Crosby - C - Penguins

Duncan Keith - D - Blackhawks

Drew Doughty - D - Kings

Marc-Andre Fleury - G- Golden Knights

NHL ALL-DECADE SECOND TEAM

Evgeni Malkin - F - Penguins

Patrice Bergeron - F - Bruins

Steven Stamkos - F - Lightning

Erik Karlsson - D - Sharks

Zdeno Chara - D - Bruins

Henrik Lundqvist - G - Rangers

The Great 8 was also named to the All-Decade team in 2000-10. Only Zdeno Chara and Sidney Crosby, named to the second team for the last decade, received the recognition last decade as well.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172682 Washington Capitals

Will Ovechkin catch Gretzky? NHL stars weigh in

By J.J. Regan January 24, 2020 4:05 PM

ST. LOUIS -- What was once thought to be an unbreakable record, Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal record was a big topic of conversation at All-Star Media Day on Thursday. With Ovechkin just eight goals shy of 700 for his career and, at 34 years old and showing no signs of slowing down, it is looking more and more possible that he will be able to push for Gretzky's record of 894.

Ovechkin still has 202 goals to get there, but at the very least his quest now seems possible. That in itself is an achievement.

But will Ovechkin ultimately get there? I asked some of the biggest stars in the game for their take. Here is what they said:

Capitals forward T.J. Oshie: "I think he has a good chance to. I mean, you look at the pace he's at now, I think it's going to come down to what he wants to do, how long he wants to play. But if he keeps working and stays at the pace he's at, you can look at the numbers, I think he can do it."

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews: "I think if anybody's going to do it, it's obviously him. He's obviously been around for a while, I've been watching him since I was a kid. He's an amazing player and I think when it's all said and done he could probably break that record. I think it'd be pretty sweet to see."

Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak: "You never know with Ovi, right? He could do that. I don't know. My guess would be probably not, but he definitely going to hit 800 I would say."

Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano: "I think he has a chance. I think everyone halfway through his career would've said no, he's going to tail off at some point, but he hasn't stopped so he has a chance for sure."

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi: "I think so, yeah. I don't think he's slowing down and then he's going to get a lot more years and he's going to score a lot more goals."

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon: "I don't know. I'm hopeful. We'll leave it at that."

Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy: "I think health-wise will determine that. If he can stay healthy to at least 38, 39, 40, I don't see why he won't at least push up against it."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172683 Washington Capitals For those who work with Carlson, the attention and praise Carlson is finally getting is overdue. To them, his play is only confirming what they already knew, that he is one of the best defensemen in the game.

John Carlson's return to All-Star Game further cements his place among "We're not perfect in any aspect of our game right now, but we're in a NHL's elite good spot because of John Carlson," head coach Todd Reirden said. "He's really received some more recognition than he has in the past and it's all well-deserved."

By J.J. Regan January 24, 2020 2:22 PM "Everyone talks about the points he has which are pretty amazing and pretty special," Oshie said. "But his play all around, playing PK, playing

big minutes defensively, to play against other team's top units and top ST. LOUIS -- During the "Young Guns" era of the Capitals, Washington's lines, in my eyes I think he's the best defenseman in the league." hockey team was known for one thing and one thing only: Offense. Even Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 the biggest name defenseman on the roster, Mike Green, was an offensive defenseman. He was among one of the top offensive producers in the game, but his defensive acumen often left much to be desired. When Green left Washington, John Carlson was quickly painted with the same brush.

A defenseman who can put up numbers playing with the Caps? Well, he must not be any good defensively. That perception followed Carlson for many years and he never seemed to get the recognition that his all- around play warranted.

Now in his second straight All-Star Game, that perception finally seems to have changed. Now there is no question that Carlson ranks among the top defensemen in the league, at least according to some of the game's biggest stars.

"I enjoy watching his highlights and just seeing where I can pick up from him," Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes said. "He's having a great year and it's good for him."

"I just feel like he's been on fire right from the first game of the year," said Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, who won the Norris Trophy last year as the league's top defenseman. "To be able to put up those type of numbers, trust me, it's looking a lot easier than it really is out there."

Carlson has finished in the top-five in the Norris in each of the past two seasons, but has never been a finalist. Now at the All-Star Break he appears to be the front-runner.

The Pro Hockey Writers' Association released its midseason awards on Thursday, a good reflection of where the trophy races stand at this point in the season. Carlson was voted No. 1 for the Norris. That should come as no surprise considering the historic season Carlson is having.

Through 49 games, Carlson has 60 points, the most among all defensemen. That puts him on pace for exactly 100 points by the end fo the season, a mark that has not been reached by a blue liner since Brian Leetch in the 1991-92 season. Heck, no defenseman has even reached 90 points since Ray Bourque in 1993-4. That's how rare and how special Carlson's current season is.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," T.J. Oshie said of Carlson's season. "Ever since I got to the Caps, you can kind of tell that he wasn't fully matured yet and his game wasn't to the level that it was going to get to yet. Over the last four and a half years now, he seems to just keep growing, keep getting better, keep getting smarter, more experienced. "

One-hundred points is a special number among defensemen as plenty noted at All-Star media day.

"It's pretty special," Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi said. "I mean, 100 points, that's a lot of points. Just for him to be on pace for that is pretty special."

"For a lot of guys it's unrealistic so you don't really focus too much about it," Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said, "But with the way he's playing and with the consistencies he's having with the production this year, I hope he breaks it."

But while Carlson's offensive production is certainly driving the Norris conversation, that is not why he is looked upon so highly around the league. He is praised as one of the top defensemen because of what he is doing at both ends of the ice.

"As a D-man, you look back, you talk about offensive defensemen, you talk about defensive defensemen. Nowaday you talk about two-way defensemen and John Carlson is a great two-way defenseman," Hedman said. "He plays against another team's top lines, power play, PK and production at that rate is unheard of." 1172684 Washington Capitals Team Canada women, will be renewed as all-star teams from each country will face-off in a 3-on-3 game.

The game will consist of two 10-minute periods with a running clock. All NHL All-Star Skills: John Carlson puts his title on the line penalties will result in a penalty shot.

One of the biggest criticisms of All-Star weekend is that the skills and the game are not competitive enough. If you have ever felt this way, then this By J.J. Regan January 24, 2020 7:25 AM is the competition for you. The women's game will likely be the most competitive event of the entire weekend. Women's hockey does not often

get the spotlight and you can beat these all-stars are going to take full ST. LOUIS -- The NHL's All-Star weekend kicked off on Thursday with advantage of the chance to promote their game. Add in the fact that they media day. On Friday, we have the first competition as the players take get to play against their biggest rivals and you can expect a pretty part in the NHL All-Star Skills. Compared to the regular season, not much intense performance. is on the line on Friday. Teams are not battling for two points in the Shooting Stars standings, rivalries are pushed aside and the quest of the Stanley Cup is put on hold. But Friday's event will pit the best hockey players in the The second new event added to this year's competition is the Gatorade world against one another as they show off some of the skills that got NHL Shooting Stars. Players will be positioned on an elevated platform them there. For Capitals fans specifically, there will be plenty of reasons behind the goal, about 30 feet up and shoot at different targets on the to tune in. ice. Each player will attempt seven shots.

Here is what you should be watching for in Friday's All-Star Skills: There will be eight shooters from the NHL All-Stars and an additional two women, one from the U.S. team and one from Canada, will participate. T.J. Oshie's reception The women will be selected by social media vote. You thought he was just a fan favorite in Washington? Oshie spent the With all events the NHL experiments with, we have no idea just what this first seven seasons of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues and those will look like or how good it will be until we see it. Maybe it is the next big fans have not forgotten. Oshie received a thunderous ovation from the thing and maybe it will be a total flop. fans on hand when he was introduced at Thursday's media day and you can expect that again on Friday anytime he is on the ice. But hey, nothing could be worse than watching the players try to shoot on the mini nets as they have in the past so at least it's not that. Unfortunately, with the shootout no longer included in the competition -- something in which Oshie excels -- he will not be specifically competing Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.25.2020 in any event himself. He will, however, participate as a shooter in the Bud Light NHL Save Streak so at least he can show off his skills there.

Holtby goes for the save streak

The majority of Friday's event -- and, let's face it, the All-Star Game itself -- is geared towards the offense. The one event for the goalies is the save streak. Braden Holtby and each of the other seven other goalies invited to the All-Star Game will take part in the save streak competition.

Each goalie will face shooters from an opposing division. All nine skaters will shoot with the divisional captain shooting last. If the goalie stops the captains' shot, the shooters continue shooting until the next goal. The goalie with the longest consecutive save streak wins.

Regardless of who you may cheer for, everyone should be keeping their fingers crossed for a tie. Why? The first tie-breaker is the total number of saves made, but if there remains a tie after that, then the tied goalies will compete in a sudden death round of goalie goals.

Yeah, we all want to see that.

Holtby is making his fifth consecutive appearance at the All-Star Game. He is the only active goalie to do so and one of only four players in franchise history to make five all-star appearances. It still must feel bittersweet as he has not had a great season thus far, but Friday's event -- as well as Saturday's game -- will be his opportunity to show that he remains one of the top netminders in the league.

Carlson defends his hardest shot title

The Caps player with the most at stake on Friday will be John Carlson who will be defending his title in the Enterprise NHL Hardest Shot. Should Carlson lose, it will be the first time in three years a Cap has not won the event as Alex Ovechkin won it in 2018 with a shot of 101.3 MPH.

Carlson faces stiff competition this year as Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber returns for the event. Weber is a three-time winner of the hardest shot, winning it in three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017. His best shot cames in 2015 when he fired a blazing 108.5 MPH to win, very close to Zdeno Chara's 108.8 MPH record.

Carlson and Weber should be considered the two favorites. Also competing against them will be Mark Giordano, Seth Jones, Victor Hedman and Elias Pettersson.

3-on-3 women's event

The All-Star Skills will feature two new events this year and easily the most highly anticipated will be the Elite Women's 3-on-3 presented by Adidas. One of the best rivalries in all of hockey, Team USA women and 1172685 Washington Capitals wooden stick – and didn’t even tweak it much throughout a two-decade NHL career.

“Now mind you, it was a different curve than what most would use,” he Duhatschek Notebook: Al MacInnis on his booming shot, benefits of a explained. “A lot of people described it as like a 7-iron or an 8-iron wooden stick and his distaste for one-timers because the way I had it curved. But that started back in junior. Even in the NHL, for my first number of years, you were always trying to make sure the curve was legal so you weren’t worried, at the end of the game, if you were going to get challenged for using an illegally curved stick. By Eric Duhatschek Jan 24, 2020 53 Because I knew, if I was out there late and we were down a goal, the guy that was going to get challenged was me.”

Nowadays, the skills competition kicks off the NHL’s annual All-Star MacInnis played the first half of his career with the Calgary Flames and weekend, which takes place in St. Louis this year. Amid all the gimmicky won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 1989 playoff MVP during their only events scheduled to amuse, entertain and occasionally frustrate the championship season. During that four-round run to the final, MacInnis’s greatest players on the planet, there are really only two that stand out to shot – and his stick – became a favorite off-day feature story, just me. because of the unusual curve to his blade.

One is the fastest skater. Over the years, the two of us spent a fair bit of time discussing that curve in the Flames’ stick room. Almost every time, I made the same The other is the hardest shot. observation: How can anybody possibly shoot with that thing, let alone shoot as well as MacInnis did? The fastest skater is the hockey equivalent of determining the world’s fastest human, a title usually conferred on the men’s Olympic 100-meter Presumably, I wasn’t the only one mystified either and he must get the champion. At last year’s game, Kendall Coyne Schofield, substituting at same reaction from teammates and opponents, which would inevitably the 11th hour for Nathan MacKinnon, stole the show, with a time – and a result in an eye roll and a look to the heavens, right? display of edge work – that a lot of NHL players would have had trouble matching. “Yeah, a lot of them did just that,” MacInnis answered. “Most actually. Almost everyone that looked at it and said, ‘Boy, how do you use that?’ The hardest shot, meanwhile, is akin to watching a longest-drive contest But I always answered the same way: Everything has to come off your in golf. There’s usually a lot of “oohing” and “aahing” involved as the back foot. You have to pass it off your back foot and you have to shoot it velocities seem constantly on the rise. Improvements in stick technology off your back foot. Because a lot of guys would try it out in practice or contribute to that – as does coaching. Today, you can find a skills coach morning skates, and the first couple of shots, they’d miss the net by 25 to enhance any part of your game, including shooting techniques. feet to the left. So, you needed to shoot everything off the back foot. And obviously, I never played the puck on my backhand, so I wasn’t ever The twin attractions of these two competitions are different – one is all worried about that.” about power, while the other is all about speed. But when it comes to a specific discussion of shot velocity, there is no better starting place than When it comes to the All-Star hardest-shot competition, MacInnis is the with Al MacInnis, the Hall of Fame defenseman, who has had a long all-time leader in wins with the aforementioned seven. Zdeno Chara of affiliation with the host city, St. Louis. the Boston Bruins in next in line with five titles; while Al Iafrate (retired) and Shea Weber (Montreal Canadiens and participating again this year) The NHL first introduced the hardest shot event 30 years ago at the 1990 are three-time champions. All-Star Game. Oddly enough, in 30 years of holding the hardest-shot competition, only MacInnis, who retired in 2004, won it seven times in the first 14 years it three forwards have ever won it – Freddie Modin, Sergei Fedorov and was held. He began his championship run with back-to-back victories in two years ago, Alex Ovechkin. 1991 and 1992; won it four years in a row between 1997 and 2000; then managed one last hurrah in 2003. MacInnis says he believes one of the advantages he had over bigger, stronger competitors was that he spent a lot of time practicing his shot MacInnis is now the Blues’ senior advisor to the general manager. Once from a standing start. it became known that St. Louis was the host city for this year’s festivities, there was a suggestion on social media that MacInnis should participate “My motto was stop, look and shoot,” MacInnis said. “And I felt that I in the hardest-shot competition so he could take on today’s contemporary could shoot harder than most from a standstill. It’d be interesting to me players. today to see what the difference in the velocity would be, one if the players were standing still, and two, if they had to use a wooden stick.” Any interest in that, Al? Back in December, or before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, I “No, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” MacInnis replied with a laugh. asked then-Flame Michael Frolik to test a wooden stick used by Mario “One, I haven’t skated. I haven’t been on the ice since the Winter Classic Lemieux at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and compare it to that was in St. Louis, and leading up to that, I just don’t skate anymore. today’s stick. Frolik spent about five minutes skating around the Once the kids got to an age where I wasn’t coaching them, I just didn’t Saddledome ice, trying different things, and afterward, he talked about have the appetite to get on the ice anymore. I can’t even remember the how he liked the feel of the wood on the puck, as he was handling it. But last time I actually tried to take a slap shot, to be honest. when it came time to shoot, the shaft was unforgivingly stiff. Nowadays, if “Trust me,” he said, after another pause. “I have – whatever you want to you watch a slow-motion replay of a player using a whippy stick with a call it, a legacy or something – of being a hard shooter. I don’t want to ton of flex, it can look like a crossbow at the point of impact. ruin that image.” That would have been impossible with an old-fashioned wood stick. As to anyone wondering whatever happened to that 97-mile-per-hour “True,” MacInnis. said “Believe me, the composite sticks now are made a slap shot? lot different and a lot better than when I actually tried them in the past. “I want to leave that where it is,” MacInnis said. But that’s exactly what I didn’t like about them at the time – that I couldn’t feel the puck nearly as well I did with the wooden stick. You’d come Still, for any visitors to St. Louis this weekend, they can see a statue of around the net and you weren’t even sure if you had the damn thing on MacInnis outside the Enterprise Center, and the pose would be familiar the end of your blade or not. And if you looked down, you’d end up on to anyone that ever watched him in his playing days – stick raised high your ass. above the head, winding up, ready to launch a bullet on goal. MacInnis did a lot of damage with that shot, which was sometimes wildly high – like “The other thing that I found with the composite sticks when I first tried a Nolan Ryan fastball – just to keep opponents honest. them, there was zero bend in the blade. By contrast, the wooden blade had some give. That’s another reason where I felt I got extra velocity Even with all the changes in technology through the arc of his career, from my shot with the wooden blade – because there was a little bit of MacInnis said he stuck almost exclusively (he briefly experimented with give and it would whip back when the puck would come off the blade. early versions of a composite stick in the final third of his career) with the “If you tried to twist a composite stick blade, it was impossible. All of the unbelievable player who played all the time and always used to try and torque from the new sticks comes from the shaft, where I felt with the get me out to play. wooden sticks, at least the ones I used, a lot of the torque came from the blade.” “And I’d say: ‘How can you play that boring, silly game? And not only how do you play it, why do you watch so much of it on TV?’ So, it’s 1986, and MacInnis then mentioned that he too had a couple of Mario Lemieux Danny Quinn has the Masters tournament on TV and I started watching it sticks from the Salt Lake City Olympics in his personal collection. (They with him and that was the year Jack Nicklaus won his last Masters. were teammates on that 2002 Canadian gold-medal-winning team). “That got me hooked on golf. That day was the day I started playing. In “When I look at the stick he used, you realize how good Mario really ’86, I would have been 23 years old, I guess. So that’s when I first was,” MacInnis said. “It was so different than mine, but the way he could started. So, for me, it didn’t really translate onto the golf course. But I shoot with that pattern. I was like, how did he do that? And I’m sure love the game and I play all the time and I hit the ball fine, but maybe not people said the same thing about my pattern – but looking at Mario’s and what you might think.” what he did with that, it’s like ‘holy shit, was he ever good?’” Probably what MacInnis considers to be fine would be far better than That same day Frolik did the stick experiment with me, a trio of former most people would ever imagine. NHLers – Keith Tkachuk, Craig Conroy and Martin Gelinas – were gathered in the Flames stick room, sharing war stories about MacInnis’s “When people see me on the range, they always ask me that question,” shot. Conroy recalled a time when MacInnis inflicted a lot of damage with MacInnis said. “I think the problem was, when I shot a puck, I always that shot when they were teammates together with the Blues. rolled my hips straight ahead, where in golf, you almost have to rotate your hips more. So, when I started playing golf, obviously I had this huge “There was one week, we played Chicago, and he broke (Jocelyn) slice – because my hips were always swaying, and my hands could Thibault’s hand and Steve Dubinsky’s foot in the same game,” said never catch up. So, the athleticism probably transferred over – but not a Conroy. “Then he broke another foot in the next game and then another lot else did. one in the game after that. So, there were three games in a row, when he broke someone’s foot or hand in a game.” “Put it this way: If I had to hit as many golf balls as a kid as I shot pucks, it probably would have transferred over a bit more.” And because MacInnis’s shot inspired so much fear and trepidation in opponents, it also gave him a second advantage: The ability to fake a All-Star this and that shot and pass the puck to an open teammate. Of the 44 players originally selected to play in the All-Star Game – either “He would hit (Pierre) Turgeon, so many times, back door, for an easy via two separate fan votes or by the NHL hockey operations department goal,” Conroy said. “I’m thinking, ‘I want to be out there, doing that, – 12 aren’t going to be in St. Louis, including the latest withdrawal, getting that tap-in.’ He made it look so easy.” Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good news is his replacement is the Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, which means both brothers Tkachuk made one further interesting observation, noting: “Al was the – Brady and Matthew Tkachuk – get to participate in an All-Star game in best with the shot-pass, but did you ever notice that he never one-timed the city, where they grew up. Sometimes it’s important to follow the the puck? Go back and Watch videos of Al. He didn’t like the one-timer. advice of the great underrated band, The Kinks – and “Give the People He always wanted to stop the puck and steady it and then shoot it.” What They Want.”

“It’s true, I didn’t like the one-timer,” MacInnis agreed. “Very, very rarely The Metropolitan Division has been hit especially hard hit: Five players did I ever one time the puck. withdrew because of injury (Jake Guentzel, Artemi Panarin, Dougie Hamilton, Kyle Palmieri and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo), along with “It’s why I never liked playing the offside on the power play either – just forward Alex Ovechkin, who opted out for the second year in a row to for that reason. I just felt I never had enough control to one-time it, and I rest up for the stretch drive. also felt that it’d kind of limited your options. I felt if I stopped the puck, one, I could shoot it hard enough to maybe beat the goalie. Ovechkin went into the All-Star break red hot – recording a pair of hat tricks to get to 34 goals on the season, tied for second with Matthews, “But two, I could change my mind for a shot-pass, whether it was down three behind league-leader David Pastrnak. the strong side or to get it (Joe) Nieuwendyk at the off post. I just felt I had better options on my strong side. And to be honest with you, the Ovechkin’s break will extend to the Caps’ first game back, next Monday other reason is I just didn’t want to hurt a teammate – just because I against Montreal, due to his one-game suspension for skipping the All- didn’t have that control over it.” Star weekend under NHL protocols.

MacInnis was always aware of the damage that his shot could do. Two other veterans – Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask and Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury also withdrew in the same manner as Once, years ago, he told me about a time when Jerry Korab, playing for Ovechkin, though Rask was subsequently injured and so wouldn’t be the Buffalo Sabres, stumbled on a penalty-kill attempt and all MacInnis going anyway. could see as he wound up for his shot was Korab’s unprotected face coming right towards him. And so, MacInnis pulled back, stepped aside Just by the nature of the event – freewheeling, zero checking, 3-on-3 and made a pass instead. And as Korab was sliding past, MacInnis play all the time – goalies generally don’t do well at the All-Star festivities, heard a faint, ‘thank you’ from the Sabres defenseman. so their absences probably wouldn’t be all that noticeable, except to their own team’s fans. Did MacInnis remember telling that story? But Ovechkin’s presence, at a time when he is reeling in one Hall of “It’s one of the few I do remember,” he answered. “I’m pretty sure it was a Famer after another on the all-time goals-scored list, would matter. 5-on-3 situation, and he came out on that triangle and toe-picked and stumbled. I looked up and his eyes are as big as manhole covers. You In fact, if Ovechkin had turned up, I can’t imagine a more in-demand just can’t shoot there, right? So, you step aside and you’re dead on, player when it comes to interviews – and promoting the league, which is that’s exactly how it happened. As he went sliding by, he just said, really what this event is all about anyway: One giant exercise in selling ‘thanks.’ So, absolutely that’s a true story.” the product that is NHL hockey — and keeping sponsors happy.

Golf anyone? Ovechkin is closing in on 700 goals – a storyline you’ll read lots about in the next month or so (he is eight goals short as of today). Now that he’s retired, MacInnis spends a lot of time in the offseason on the golf course, which naturally leads to the question: Does his ability to I’m on record as vigorously supporting veteran players who’ve worked shoot a puck so well translate to golf? tirelessly to promote the NHL in getting an occasional pass in these must-attend All-Star appearances – and have suggested that they should And the short answer is, no, it does not. get a mulligan every other year or so, to take a breather heading into the “I mean, I hit it decently,” MacInnis said, “but not what you might think. stretch drive. Another option might be to give a pass to any player that And I think part of that is because I started golf later in my career. advanced to the Conference finals in the previous year’s playoffs because they were dealing with a far shorter summer than their peers. “I’ll tell you a funny story about that. I was living with Dan Quinn in Calgary – and Dan was one of the best Ontario amateur golfers, an But this is one year where it’s too bad Ovechkin didn’t make the effort to go. His absence will be keenly felt.

Last man in

The NHL has tried any number of procedures for conducting fan votes in the past, and some of their flawed methods have put them in awkward situations, because of ballot-box stuffing.

Remember Zemgus Girgensons’ inclusion in 2015, when all of Latvia stacked the box in his favor?

Or the year John Scott made it, even if he wasn’t even an NHL regular at the time he was elected?

But after trying and failing with a number of different approaches, the current system seems to work pretty well. Fans get to elect a captain, and then there is second vote to select the last-man-in – which is effectively a popularity contest, but a tweak I’m totally I’m on board with. I do believe the fans should be heard.

Fans in St. Louis responded by voting in David Perron – an excellent choice, given that at his age, 31, he’s never been to an All-Star game, really wanted to go and was a big part of the reason the Blues won the Cup last season. Similarly, fans in Toronto rewarded Mitch Marner for his excellent season, even though he missed 11 games with a high ankle sprain. Given the way Marner plays, he’s perfectly suited to the 3-on-3 format.

In the Pacific, Vancouver fans sent their Calder Trophy candidate, Quinn Hughes, and probably no one was happier about that than Mark Giordano, the 36-year-old Calgary captain who was the only other defenseman chosen on the Pacific Division roster.

He probably would have only played every third shift anyway, unless you were in a close game, and suddenly, someone needed to be double shifted.

This will work out well for the Arizona Coyotes’ Rick Tocchet, the new Pacific Division coach, who replaced the fired Gerard Gallant. Tocchet will be Arizona’s only representative after Darcy Kuemper was lost to injury. The Anaheim Ducks also don’t have a player going: Jakob Silfverberg withdrew for personal reasons – he and his wife have a baby imminently on the way.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172686 Winnipeg Jets than 40 per cent for nine games, which must have been a total shock to everyone who has been on that team for the last few years.

The club was still able to eke out a few wins over that stretch, and to give Answer to Jets' current woes is located in the slot them credit, it looks like they found a way to avoid panicking, because even though the last four outings have been losses, the Jets have started to dig their way out of the gutter, and actually crawled up above 50 per cent of the slot passes over their last six games before the break. Andrew Berkshire Ironically, for a team that looked like it needed a break more than almost

any other club, this eight-day hiatus may have come at the exact wrong After holding on to a playoff position, against all odds, for most of the time, since the team was just beginning to regroup and play cohesively season, the Winnipeg Jets limped into the All-Star break on a four-game again. losing streak, three points out of the last wild-card spot held currently by The challenge will be to recapture their identity after the All-Star break the Vegas Golden Knights. and bye week and not fall back into the bad habits that emerged over the The Jets do have a game in hand on Vegas, but losing the advantage holidays. that they’ve had for much of the season in banking points to stay ahead Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.25.2020 of the rabble looks like it might be really costly.

The ground falling out from under the Jets was something that many have predicted, as they’ve certainly punched above their weight for large portions of the season. It's something they managed last year as well, especially the top line.

Not too long ago, the team appeared to be trending upwards, or at least levelling off at even-strength, hovering near 50 per cent in shot quality and quantity for a nearly 20-game stretch. So what’s happened since?

Charting Hockey’s Sean Tierney gives us a bit of a hint of what’s going on with his posts on each team’s rolling average percentages.

Oh. Oh no. pic.twitter.com/rnFSWCOPx7

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) January 24, 2020

The Jets have gone from getting great shooting percentages and great save percentages to poor in both areas, with Connor Hellebuyck’s previously brilliant play starting to fall off. However, it’s a little unsatisfying to say that the Jets were getting lucky and now they’re getting unlucky, so let’s look at the data we turned to last time and see how much the performance behind the percentages has changed over time.

As it turns out, that dropoff in the shooting and save percentages wasn’t just luck; the Jets’ style of play completely collapsed for a stretch.

Over the last couple of seasons, the Jets have functioned as a team that hasn’t held the advantage over opponents in terms of shooting volume or shooting position, but they’ve managed to consistently outpace their expected performance by maintaining tight control of the passing game.

They force opponents to shoot from stagnant positioning and they move the puck extremely well in the offensive zone, maximizing the results of their own few dangerous shots while cutting down the quality of opponents’ shots.

It’s a formula that isn’t very common in the NHL, but it has worked to keep the Jets in the playoff picture. Things were actually going very well in December, until the Montreal Canadiens rolled into Winnipeg in the last game before the holiday break. The Habs beat the Jets down in every area in a 6-2 win.

Coming out of the break, the Jets put in an incredibly gutsy defensive performance against the division-leading St. Louis Blues, not allowing a single shot on net from the inner slot, and limiting the Blues to just seven even-strength scoring chances, but lost the tight game in overtime. Losing that game seemed to be a breaking point in the team’s confidence, with a total defensive collapse occurring right after.

The Jets had a rough start to the season when it came to limiting slot passes in their own zone, allowing an average of 14.6 against per game. After that point though, they allowed more than 10 just six times in the following 31 games, and averaged just 7.7 against per game over that time.

Starting with the Dec. 23 game against the Canadiens, the Jets allowed more than 10 slot passes against at even-strength per game on nine consecutive dates, and in 11 of 12. The defensive lapses were accentuated by collapsing offensively at the same time, which only made everything worse.

This stretch is the first time in multiple seasons where the Jets have gone 10 games where they were outplayed by their opponents in slot passes, and they didn’t just drop slightly below even, they were controlling less 1172687 Winnipeg Jets place with a whopping 545 high-danger chances against. And run support has been an immense challenge for the Jets this season, who rank last in expected goals, while averaging 2.92 goals per game in all situations, placing them 20th. Numbers show Hellebuyck deserving of mid-season Vezina nod -- and maybe more The above suggests a goalie that, despite being pelted night after night and often from the most dangerous areas on the ice, has risen above his situation.

Scott Billeck You wouldn’t expect a team like the Jets, given all their troubles on the blue line, to have their starter leading the NHL with four shutouts, but

here we are. One of the beautiful things about the rise to prominence of analytics in It’s easy to go to the NHL’s stat page, jot down a Tuukka Rask, Tristan hockey has been how they provide extended and relevant context to Jarry or a Ben Bishop and not even scroll down far enough to see myriad hockey debates. Hellebuyck. It’s even easier to ignore the bevy of stats we have access to Often, there’s more than meets the eye, or rather, the eye test — a through websites such as Corsica and Natural Stat Trick, and common buzz word when it comes to these so-called fancy stats. visualizations from the likes of Micah Blake McCurdy and Sean Tierney.

While analytics alone don’t paint the full portrait in hockey, they aid its The real argument here isn’t whether Hellebuyck deserves the Vezina depiction greatly, often strengthening arguments of not-so-widely Trophy, but rather if he deserves another trophy at the mid-season mark regarded opinions or offering a sober second thought to assumptions that as well. don’t hold up when running parallel with the numbers. The Hart Memorial Trophy is given to the player judged to be the most And so when folks saw that Connor Hellebuyck was leading the valuable for his team. And while the Connor McDavids and Nathan Professional Hockey Writers Association’s mid-season voting for the MacKinnons get the love here, the Jets would very likely be in the bottom Vezina Trophy, which is handed to the netminder who’s judged to be the two or three teams without Hellebuyck. best at hockey’s most important position, the naysayers emerged. This is taking nothing away from McDavid or MacKinnon or Pastrnak, That was to be expected. Opposing teams’ fans want their goalie at the who finished 1-2-3 in the PHWA’s vote for the NHL’s MVP, but if we’re top. And Hellebuyck’s detractors within his own fanbase feel he gives up sticking to the true definition of the Hart, Hellebuyck deserves to be in the too many softies, or doesn’t make the big save at the right time. top three at the very least.

The former is purely subjective, of course, and completely It might be an insane hot take when you consider the crazy points understandable. The latter takes only cursory information into account, McDavid has put up or all the goals Pastrnak has scored. neglecting to look at what might actually be true and opposite of held But when you take the true meaning of the award and cross-reference it opinions. with the stats, you realize the Jets are nothing this season without Before we let the math sort this out, there are a couple of arguments Hellebuyck and the take seems less asinine. worth eliminating. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.25.2020 First, whether or not a goalie has won the Vezina when his team hasn’t made the playoffs is irrelevant to a vote done at the mid-season mark. That argument is valid at the end of the year and one of the reasons why Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson got the snub last season. Gibson should have been a Vezina finalist, at the very least, but didn’t get a sniff from general managers around the league when it came time to cast their ballots.

Secondly, recency bias has played a role in some of the backlash seen on social media regarding Hellebuyck’s top placement on the mid-season vote. Yes, Hellebuyck has lost three straight decisions, allowed 13 goals and pulled from the game once in that span. The midseason awards aren’t a reflection of a goalie’s previous three outings, however, but rather a look at the larger picture across half of a season’s worth of work. If you want to hand out awards every three games, go for it.

Now, to the numbers relating to Hellebuyck, all of which will be based on 5-on-5 numbers from the fine people at Natural Stat Trick.

Among true starting netminders this season, Hellebuyck has seen the most shots against at 1,030, making him the only goalie to see quadruple-digit shots again — 68 more and in nearly a full-game less of ice-time than Carey Price, who has seen the second most. Hellebuyck’s save percentage sits at .927, eighth-best among starters, a ranking that was in first place for some time prior to the recent run of form.

The numbers that really show Hellebuyck’s worth this season include goals-saved above average, which when boiled down in layman’s terms, shows how many goals Hellebuyck shouldn’t have saved but did. His number of 9.23 rests only behind Boston’s Tuukka Rask, who has played 14 fewer games than Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg’s woeful defence this season has led to Hellebuyck enduring more high-danger chances against than anyone at 283, 29 more than Price. Despite all the quality rubber sent his way, Hellebuyck has a high- danger goals saved above average of 4.19, which places him ninth. And if not for the free-for-all in a 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, or subsequent beatings by the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, Hellebuyck would be much higher than that.

The Jets own the 12th-best team save percentage in the NHL, a number that hasn’t been helped by backup Laurent Brossoit this year. It’s an incredible feather in Hellebuyck’s cap given the Jets are firmly in last 1172688 Winnipeg Jets A debate began about quality of chirp quantity versus chirp quality, and, when the data was analyzed, Laine mounted his comeback.

“Patty for best chirps.” The 2020 Winnipeg Jets player poll: Who is the best prankster, worst “Patty’s got some digs.” chirper and best binge-worthy show “Patty’s probably the funniest guy on the team.”

Finally, in the name of protecting anonymity to the utmost, I would like to By Murat Ates Jan 24, 2020 6 identify the next comment as belonging to a Finnish forward but I will not name him.

One of our more popular pieces at The Athletic is our annual NHL Let us call him “P. Laine.” players’ poll, where players from around the league share their thoughts Wait. Maybe that gives too much away. “Patrik L?” on big-ticket issues. “I would say Copper,” said the young (and wholly anonymous) forward, Winnipeg’s players contributed heavily to that poll, showing personality, fake ice-daggers in his eyes. “He’s all over me and Sami. He hates humour and a great deal of insight, so we went right back at them with Finns.” more questions — this time with a focus on local flair. As in the NHL poll, we allowed the answers to remain anonymous as we grilled the Jets I’ll leave you to sort out the mystery while I quickly add this next category about the best pranks, worst chirps and the Netflix series that has more — at the players’ request. than one player questioning why they can’t look away. Worst chirps? (Category added by the players) Here are their answers. No comments or quotes — just one man named often, followed by Who is the most competitive Winnipeg Jet off the ice? friendly laughter.

If you’ve watched enough Winnipeg Jets hockey this season, you will Who — if anyone — is the biggest wimp about Winnipeg’s cold weather? have seen at least one missed call against Mark Scheifele and the non- vulgar fury of his response. “I said, you suck,” Scheifele told reporters Ken and I went back and forth about this question. Was it rude to ask after getting called for unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with a referee about wimpiness? Too stereo-typically Winnipeg? In the end, my in December. stubbornness on the Jets’ last road trip won the day. And, while some players were reticent to name a teammate, those that did had one It turns out Scheifele’s ultra-competitive streak applies to situations off obvious name in mind. the ice as well. In a hotly contested category where all of Blake Wheeler, Anthony Bitetto and Mathieu Perreault received multiple votes, Scheifele “Ehlers.” earns the crown for most competitive off-ice Jet. “Nik.”

Best line: “Scheifele, for sure. I could see him throwing board games off “Nikky.” of tables.” This was immediately corroborated — whether Scheifele has literally thrown a game off a table or not, the idea that it is entirely “Honestly, I would have to say Nik.” possible was laughed at and reinforced. “It’s gotta be Nik.” Best line about a runner-up: “Perreault — he literally will not stop playing until he wins.” Kind of like he forechecks? “Exactly how he forechecks.” And then, the coup de glace: “I heard about this question going around. Nik Ehlers is the common answer, and, well … I completely agree with it. Who is the most underrated Winnipeg Jet? He just walks in the locker room always like “Hi. It’s so cold today.” And, well, yeah. It is cold, Nik.” This was perhaps the second most unanimous response of the poll. (The closest to a unanimous response is the question after this one.) When In fairness, some Jets said “everyone” to own a bit of wimpiness asked about who the most underrated Jet was, Andrew Copp got more themselves. One particularly brave player even said “No one — we all than three-quarters of the votes. No one expanded on it — it was simply love it,” without a hint of sarcasm. seen as fact. But someone should get Ehlers a coat. The only true competition was from Kyle Connor: “Nobody talks about him. He’s one of our best players — if not the best right now.” There was Who do you simply not mess with on game day? one vote for Neal Pionk, one for Bryan Little and one for Laine too … Blake Wheeler and Jason Zucker which, not to betray anyone, may have been tongue in cheek. Hockey players are creatures of habit, mixed with a healthy dose of Then, partway through the poll, one player had a question: did I mean superstition. Mess with a pregame ritual, in many cases, and you’re most underrated as a player or most underrated as a teammate? (I messing with the core of a human being. Tempers can flare. meant on the ice but asked the next three Jets who they’d name as an underrated teammate.) In Winnipeg, even as Wheeler ran away with this category, I was told that this isn’t the case. “As a teammate, Bourque-y.” “I honestly think we have the best team I’ve ever been on,” said one “Bourque-y for sure.” veteran. “People have their routines but you don’t have anyone who “Oh yeah! Bourque-y.” would destroy you if you talked to them.”

Why Bourque? The Jets’ summertime signing is loved by his teammates A younger Jet put it more succinctly. “This team? No psychos. None.” because he is always in a good mood. I don’t imagine too many Jets fans find Wheeler’s position at the top of Best chirps? this list to be altogether too surprising. Remember this from our in-depth one-on-one in December: “Best chirps” was a hotly contested category featuring an early frontrunner and a dramatic comeback by the winner, Patrik Laine. “For the most part, I’m enjoying being around the guys more. And opening myself up a little bit more. And relating to them in more of just a Bitetto stormed out to an early lead — and, for the record, “Bitsy” is a guy-to-guy relationship rather than having the young guys being scared delightful and semi-adorable nickname for a hockey player — but the tide to go around me because ‘Wheels is in a bad mood today.'” turned with one line. So what about other players not to mess with? This simple statement shifted votes into Laine’s corner. “Our goalies.” “Bitetto,” began a young forward, with confidence. “But … he doesn’t really chirp. He’s just always talking.” “LB. I was going to say goalies but I’ll mess with Helly a little bit. He can For that answer, I turned to the prankster in question. take it.” “Brendan Lemieux had three sticks for morning skate,” I was told. “We “The goalies.” cut all of his sticks. Sawed them halfway through, so whenever he went to shoot, he broke his stick. It doesn’t matter who did that. Keep my “Wheels and the goalies.” name off of it. He doesn’t know who did it. But somebody definitely did it.”

Not everyone was quite so tender towards the tenders. Presented in this way, it reads as darkly and dramatic as the players’ No. “I always fuck with Helly. Especially in the soccer game. We don’t leave 1 Netflix binge. I assure you, dear reader, that it was delivered with a wry him alone.” smile and a great deal of glee.

Finally, one Jet delivered a lighthearted line that, ironically, sounds I asked others about it. Apparently, if the sticks are cut just right, you somber in Dustin Byfuglien’s absence. don’t feel the difference when you take to the ice. The prankster, then, must have been a skilled craftsman. “The guy that would screw with you the most isn’t here right now.” “When it’s a long season, you’ve got to poke some fun at guys,” one Who is the worst flier? defenceman said, calmly, before sharing another sneaky practice prank.

There are simply so many scenarios in which Josh Morrissey is cool, “You put clear tape on the bottom of a guy’s blades. You get on the ice composed, collected and articulate. On the ice, the intelligent, smooth- and think your skates are dull and then you look down and there’s clear skating defenceman from Calgary is known for his poise and his ability to tape on the bottom of them. You can’t see it when you first put on your match up against tough competition. Off the ice, Morrissey is so articulate skate.” that, when transcribing him, I often find the sentence structure and paragraph spacing needs next to no editing. Most likely to dominate a group chat?

It turns out that things change a little at 30,000 feet. While hemming and The answers ranged from Luca Sbisa to Blake Wheeler to Anthony hawing by a few Jets with no names coming to mind, a particularly Bitetto but the winner, lovingly lambasted, was Mathieu Perreault. observant forward (and cerebral on-ice player, too) singled out No. 44. “Frenchy,” one Jet said.

“J-Mo does not sit still on the plane.” “Definitely Frenchy.”

It was an “aha!” moment for the gathered group. From that point forward, “Frenchy and his stupid emojis.” Morrissey got all of the remaining votes, eclipsing Laine’s two, and flew away with the title of “worst flier.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Who controls the dressing room music? Who is the funniest teammate?

Blake Wheeler When the Winnipeg Jets signed Anthony Bitetto this offseason, I cast about to journalists and hockey people around the league in an attempt First and foremost, this question helped solve an important mystery — to get a sense of him as a player. Reviews of his defending acumen were but only partway. Wheeler has told reporters on multiple occasions, just mixed, with some believing he just needed an opportunity and others before the beginning of a scrum, that the Jets have two win songs. He suggesting he was more ideally suited to a press box setting. Reviews of calls them “1” and “1A” and has taunted us a time or two with the idea Bitetto as a human being were universal: “His teammates love him. Full that we’ve only ever heard 1A. stop,” I was told. Not being cool enough myself to recognize 1A from life outside the Jets In Winnipeg, that hasn’t changed at all. dressing room, I asked a few players for help. “Bitetto.” “1A’s better than 1, though,” one said.

“I can’t remember 1,” another said. “Probably Bitetto. He’s the loudest.”

“I honestly don’t even know what 1 is,” a third added. “But I love 1A.” “Bitsy. He’s stealing the spotlight right now.”

Here’s Jets victory song 1A: Post Malone, by Sam Feldt. I don’t think you need to read 12 more of these.

It bops, yeah? But how did he quickly become so well-loved? In Ken Wiebe’s latest Bitetto feature, the man from Long Island hits the truth of his own nature As for the votes, they went to a combination of veterans and youth — all exactly on the head. of Wheeler, Perreault, Roslovic and Laine got more than one vote — but the one name that came up most often was Wheeler’s. I suppose that’s “I’ve always been a team guy. It wasn’t really a challenge for me to fit not a surprise, given Wheeler’s stature on the team. in. That’s just how I am. I don’t think it’s something you can fake, if that makes sense.” Still, I had to ask a couple of players what they would play if they had the power. Authenticity for the win.

The most common answer? “Country. Not enough country, in my humble What’s your latest TV/movie binge? opinion, but most guys don’t like it.” There was a ton of fine streamable programming content named here. Maybe they can compromise with “Old Town Road” or something. Consider the amount of time these guys spend on an airplane, after all.

Who is the best prankster? A quick list:

There were many good answers to this question. “Peaky Blinders”

Bitetto’s name came up quite a bit. Laine’s name came up. Roslovic was “Game of Thrones” mentioned, while a couple of players who I thought might be good for a prank or two played it coy. “Gotham”

“I don’t know,” I was told by one defenceman, who smiled wryly all the “Money Heist” while. “Let’s keep it out of the media.” “Animal Kingdom.” “It’s a show about a mom and her four boys that are Then I got a story. basically a gang. And the mom runs the gang. The mom coordinates “(Player name withheld) did the Lemieux one. He put water in his sticks. everything and then sends her boys out to do the jobs. There’s a ton of Or did he cut one?” controversy.

Wait a second. “The Lemieux one?” What does that mean? “I want to start watching ‘Witcher.'” “Jack Ryan”

“The Irishman”

It went on like this for some time before a frontrunner claimed the title.

“Whoa. Guys. Everyone is watching ‘You.'”

“I would say ‘You.'”

“You.”

“‘You.’ But it’s fricken’ creepy. I can’t stop watching.”

“You can’t stop watching but it’s dark. You become a fan of him too, which is the most messed up thing. You’re justifying all of his messed up actions. It’s so messed up.”

“The crazy part is that he’s not even the most messed up person on the show. She’s messed up too. She’s so messed up. But I can’t give away more.”

Last but not least, one particularly cultured Jet was in full-on Academy Award mode.

“I’ve been trying to watch more movies that are up for Oscars,” said the aspiring film buff. “I feel like I never see any of them so I’m trying to watch those. I started the “Irishman” last night and got about an hour into it. I still have so much time left.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172689 Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup winner. We’d simply point out virtually all of his heavy lifting was done before this season.

Chayka, meanwhile, is an interesting one. Like the Canucks, the Coyotes Ed Willes: Is Canucks' Jim Benning the best GM in the NHL at the suffered through a horrendous stretch before clawing their way out of the season's halfway mark? NHL’s catacombs this season. Chayka’s biggest moves, however, involved trading younger players and future assets for 32-year-old Phil Kessel and pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall.

Ed Willes The ’Yotes last made the playoffs in 2012, so you can understand why Chayka would put the priority on this season. But whether or not they

make the post-season, there’s a bill coming due with the Coyotes, which Opinion: He might not deserve to top the list, but did any GM do more to is part of the equation here. improve his team over the first half of this season? In the interests of transparency, I had the Leafs’ Kyle Dubas on my ballot The Professional Hockey Writers Association — a confederacy of filberts largely because I voted just as the Leafs were starting a 1-3-2 swoon that and misfits of which your agent has been a proud member for 30-odd had the centre of the universe in a state of agitation. Still, Dubas years, emphasis on odd — announced its midseason awards this week. deserves credit for replacing Mike Babcock with Sheldon Keefe and the contributions of a number of call-ups from the AHL. Or maybe I’ve just Most of the results were predictable. Connor McDavid won the Hart; John been brainwashed by TSN. Carlson the Norris; Cale Makar the Calder with Canucks’ rookie Quinn Hughes finishing second. You can also throw Carolina’s Don Waddell into the mix.

There was one category, however, in which the results weren’t quite as Back to Benning. You can parse this question any number of ways, but obvious, where voters had to stop and think about their ballot. The Jim you have to concede the Canucks’ GM has taken his team farther and in Gregory Award goes to the general manager of the year — or half-year in less time than any other GM in the league this season. Is that worthy of a this case — and it went to Colorado’s Joe Sakic over the Coyotes’ John trophy? Who knows. Chayka and the Blues’ Doug Armstrong. But we can say this: After a four-year reign of error, Benning has done But it also raised a question in at least one member’s mind; namely, did more to rehabilitate his image and the image of his franchise than any any GM do more to improve his team over the first half of this season other general manager this season. Maybe you had to be there to fully than Jim Benning? appreciate what’s taken place with the Canucks, but Benning should be recognized for his work. Benning, as it happens, finished fourth, which at least means his work with the Canucks isn’t a complete mystery to the national media. But you And when you consider everything that’s happened here in his five years wonder if the voters fully appreciate the transformation that has taken on the job, that’s quite a story. place in Vancouver and the turnaround Benning has helped create. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.25.2020 Let’s review.

In looking at the season to date, the wonder isn’t that the Benning rebuild has the Canucks in first place in the Pacific Division. The wonder is he stayed employed long enough to see the project through.

We need not revisit all the mistakes and missteps accrued over his first four years on the job, but a loose list includes a series of sideways trades low-lighted by the deal for Erik Gudbranson, the Loui Eriksson free- agency signing, and the drafting of Olli Juolevi — although that story is still being written.

There’s also the small consideration of four consecutive seasons in which the Canucks’ highest placement was 23rd overall. Throw in an ownership group that has demonstrated an itchy trigger finger and Benning seemed like a sure bet to be replaced.

Then things changed in a big way.

Again, you’re likely aware of the details. The bigger picture is 17 of the 21 skaters who’ve played at least 14 games for the Canucks this season were drafted, signed or traded for by Benning. And 11 of those players have been added in the last two seasons, including core pieces Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers and Tanner Pearson. The Miller trade, in particular, registers as a master stroke after it was roundly criticized when it was made.

So back to our original question: Did Benning do more to improve his team than any other GM?

It’s an interesting one that involves a degree of subjectivity. Sakic has the Avs second in the Central and four points ahead of the Canucks in the West. He started, of course, with a better foundation, but he also delivered a notable series of wins for the Avs, trading for Nazem Kadri this off-season, signing free agent Joonas Donskoi and setting Makar loose on the NHL.

The 2018 trade for then minor-league defenceman Ryan Graves is also shaping up as a home run. In his first full season, the 6-5, 220-pound Graves has eight goals and 19 points in 48 games and leads the league at plus-34.

Suffice to say we have no problem with Sakic’s selection.

As for the other two GMs who finished ahead of Benning, Armstrong has the scoreboard on his side in St. Louis and it’s difficult to argue with a 1172690 Vancouver Canucks “My instincts told me that (staying in the Coliseum) wouldn’t work for a number of reasons,” he said in a 2015 interview with Postmedia News. “It was in the wrong location for our customers — not near rapid transit and not in the downtown entertainment district where people who literally Sweetheart deals, riots and heartbreak: a history of Rogers Arena write our cheques like to go.

“So we had to step up to the plate and find a new creative solution.” J.J. Adams But Arthur Griffiths’ ambitious plan meant construction went ahead before financing was secured, and when cost overruns ballooned out of control, John and Bruce McCaw — who’d just sold McCaw Cellular The Griffiths family began their dynasty by buying the Canucks at a Communications for US$11.5B — were brought on board to defray the bargain-basement price when the owners ran into cash difficulty. Their costs. dynasty ended the same way. But more construction costs, a weak Canadian dollar, and a massive On his final day at Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment in 1997, Arthur US$125M NBA expansion fee for the Grizzlies — combined with the Griffiths walked into his goodbye lunch at GM Place. Some 200 people 1994 NHL lockout suffocating the revenue stream — left the Griffiths from the company he helped found, in the arena he helped build, were short of cash once again. What had originally been a 70/30 ownership there to bid farewell. split tilted to an 80/20 split for the McCaws after they ponied up the extra cash. It had only been two years since he’d pulled off the remarkable — building a state-of-the-art stadium without the use of public money, deep It was the beginning of the end for the Griffiths’ ownership stake, ending in the urban core of a major metro city. with him being bought out by McCaw in 1996, and leaving shortly after. His legacy remains in its foundations — literally — as a picture of his THE BEGINNING family was buried in the ground under the future site of centre ice. GM Place — now Rogers Arena — wouldn’t exist without the vision of “Griffiths was not an Orca Bay guy. Ever. He was a holdover from the the Vancouver businessman, who lost his hold on his dream when his pockets ran shallow. NBA expansion fees and cost overruns on the mom and pop operation he ran,” Vancouver Sun columnist Gary Mason construction forced him to sell his interests, piecemeal, to cellular phone wrote in 1997. magnate John McCaw. “When Vancouver was a little more innocent. Griffiths always looked out “My goal was to deliver that arena and the two franchises,” Griffiths told of place among the suave, young Seattle yuppies that came in to run the Postmedia News columnist Ed Willes in 2016, when the former Canucks show.” and Grizzlies owner was inducted into the B.C. Hall of Fame after THE MIDDLE ERA winning the prestigious W.A.C. Bennett Award. The Grizzlies, infamously, only lasted six years as tenants, leaving with “The rest didn’t play out exactly as I wanted, but that happens. I’m new owner Michael Heisley in 2001. proud of the fact I can look at that building and know we had a great team that made it happen. You can’t take that away. I wouldn’t trade Roller-hockey graced the floor of GM Place in 1996 with the Tiger away any of it.” Williams-owned and coached Vancouver Voodoo, with an average attendance of 5,500 not able to stave off the 12-team league ceasing The squat, yet stately arena at No. 800 on the street named for him — operations. Griffiths Way — has changed ownership twice since Griffiths, first to McCaw, then to the current owners, the Aquilinis. That it exists seems The Canucks remained the sole occupants until 2001 when the first almost a miracle now, and it’s a story that has its roots as far back as National Lacrosse League team in Vancouver, the Ravens, came to 1965. town, but only lasted three years at GM Place before folding due to an unstable ownership and sagging attendance. Former Vancouver major Fred Hume was a dreamer as well, believing Vancouver could support an NHL team, led a consortium group to build a Designed as a multi-use facility, Rogers Arena — it was renamed in 2010 stadium that would be the key to a successful bid. Already having kept — has hosted concerts from the beginning, when Bryan Adams the team afloat with money from his own pocket during their lean years of christened the building with his Sept. 19, 1995 concert. the early ’60s, Hume, along with PNE president Captain Harry Terry, There have been remarkable musical performances, and infamous ones. convinced the federal and provincial governments to kick in $2M each, The second stop of The Tragically Hip: Man Machine Poem Tour, Gord while the City of Vancouver and PNE covered the balance of the Downie’s final performances, happened there in 2016, as did the Police, proposed $6M Pacific Coliseum. who reunited for the first time in 30 years to play three shows in The building was completed in early 1968, but the NHL didn’t come until Vancouver. 1970, when — there’s a repeat theme here — the expansion fees caused Guns N’ Roses were set to launch their first tour in nine years at Rogers ownership to look elsewhere for capital, finding it in Minneapolis in 2002, but lead singer Axl Rose was a no-show, sparking riots from the businessman Thomas Scallen, who owned a medical leasing company angry fans. called Medicor. “Groups of ticked-off kids converged at the gates of GM Place, fuelled, Starting with its first NHL game on Oct. 9, 1970, things were rosy in the in some cases, by strong drink and marijuana,” entertainment journalist first season, with massive crowds and huge public support. But it soon Kurt Loder said on MTV. soured with the revelation that Scallen had stolen $3M in team funds; a conviction and fire sale of the team followed. Frank Griffiths bought the “They hoisted the long metal security barriers outside and rammed team for a rock-bottom $8.5M, beginning the Griffiths family dynasty that them through the glass entry doors. They threw bottles and rocks. … lasted for 20 years. After about 20 minutes of all this, a phalanx of cops waded in with attack Arthur Griffiths, fresh out of BCIT, was brought in to help run the now- dogs, and things got really ugly. Griffiths-owned Canucks as a 24-year-old. Among other duties, he “Wielding their riot batons with seeming abandon, the cops walloped negotiated the team’s lease with the Coliseum, and would threaten legs, arms, heads, whatever available extremity presented itself. They moving the team as leverage, until he finally got that leverage. ganged up to pummel people even after they’d fallen to the ground. One Unsatisfied with the Coliseum’s location, and a potential price tag of young man was smashed in the face and his teeth knocked out — he $50M to renovate it, the Griffiths’ company (Northwest Sports) bought stumbled away in a daze, holding them in his hands, with blood pouring five acres of land from the Expo 86 site in 1992 for $14M, then from his mouth.” announced their grand plan: a 20,000-seat area nestled in the downtown There are also the annual acts, like Disney on Ice, which has held more core. than 75 shows there, or Stars on Ice, which has visited more than 20 In an ironic twist of fate, that strip of land featured the world’s largest times. hockey stick during Expo 86. It’s also hosted the Junos (three times), the NBA and NHL Entry Drafts, WWE events and in 2018 hosted the massive DOTA 2 championships — a $30M esports championship that sold out six days straight.

The building itself has maintained a modern look, a testament to the design from “Killer Bs,” the architectural firm of Brisbin, Brook and Beynon. BBB counts Scotiabank Centre and the renovations of Madison Square Gardens in its portfolio.

Architect Brian Brisbin, whose flown his own DC-3 across Greenland and summited Mount Kilimanjaro, invented sound-dampening chairs that would reduce distortion and echoing during concerts, and Rogers Arena has been lauded for its superb acoustics.

More than $100M has been spent on upgrading the interior of the building, and with the Aquilini Group tying it to two tower developments on its south end, meaning the arena should be around for decades to come.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172691 Vancouver Canucks “I feel great every time I come here,” added Bure. “It’s great being in this beautiful dressing room and being out on the ice with that big TV screen up there.”

Canucks at 50: Players wowed by glitzy GM Place, fans wowed by prices “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for an exhibition game,” said Ronning, who had a goal and an assist.

Courtnall said the ice in the new building gets better each outing. “The Paul Chapman ice was good and it’s improved a whole lot,” he said. “I think it’s better than the Coliseum already and it’s just going to get better as the season goes on. It’s better than St. Louis and Chicago already.” In 1995 the Vancouver Canucks moved into a state-of-the-art fancy new downtown arena. It gave them the ability to generate more revenue, and ‘FIRSTS’ AT GM PLACE gave fans a more central place to enjoy their NHL games. And it ushered First goal: Vancouver’s Jeff Brown wired a 30-foot wrist shot just inside in the era of Vancouver’s NBA team as well. The arena opened in the right post at 1:19 of the first. First penalty: To Vancouver’s Bert September, with a gala and a Bryan Adams concert, before the Canucks Robertsson for obstruction at 3:01. First breakaway: Anaheim rookie christened their new palace in October and the Grizzlies in November of Chad Kilger. Kirk McLean made the save. First fight: More like a scuffle, 1995. Here, The Vancouver Sun’s Katherine Monk, wrote about the because no fighting majors were assessed, but Gino Odjick did wrestle building’s opening events: with the Ducks’ Oleg Tverdovsky and threw a few punches after dropping Two shows into its formal life as Vancouver’s newest venue, and GM his gloves at 13:27 of the opening period. Place is already well on its way to taking on a preferred place in this city’s New arenas bring new food and new drink. The Province’s Ian Austin heart. was on hand to report: Not only has it successfully hosted two huge, flawless galas — Bryan The highly paid Canucks hit the ice last night, and the high-paying Adams on Tuesday, and the Horizons inauguration on Thursday — but it Canucks fans started shelling out in earnest. was built without a cent of public money. While some said the prices were justified to keep superstars here, others The whining taxpayer has nothing to whine about and if it’s for that and said the working person can no longer afford to see the working person’s that alone, we can all be grateful. game. But as most of Vancouver will soon discover the minute they get a Clayton Eccles brought Kyle, 3, out to his first hockey game. chance to walk past the absurd, giant concrete balls on the plaza and make their first entry into the multimillion-dollar facility, GM Place gives “You can buy beer at home and watch it on TV if you want, but once in us something to be proud of because it really is a world-class venue. a while you’ve got to come out,” said the Mission longshoreman, who So awed by the surroundings were some of the visitors to Tuesday’s and shelled out $9.50 for a beer, small Coke and a snack. “We’ve got to help Thursday’s shows, they couldn’t believe this was really Vancouver. pay Pavel Bure’s salary, I guess.”

“It feels like the States,” said one woman who was flabbergasted she Sam Thomas had to fork over $7 for a hotdog and candy. didn’t have to wait in line to use the washroom. (We Canadians are easily Prices are generally just a little higher than B.C. Place Stadium with a impressed.) couple of notable exceptions.

Indeed, washrooms are everywhere. Phones are everywhere. Snack GM Place coffee will set you back $2.20, almost a buck more than the booths are everywhere. $1.25 brew just down Pacific Boulevard, while the $2 small Coke is about half the size of B.C. Place’s 16-ounce, $2.25 cup. The feisty breath of capitalism fills the air — from deluxe VIP booths to the flying saucer-sized scoreboard that hovers over centre ice, complete Then there are the souvenirs. with illuminated rotating ads and full-colour Jumbotrons to catch the replay action. While baubles such as a $3 rattle and a $4 pennant won’t break the bank, try Bure jerseys. A mere “replica” jersey is $139, an “authentic” But there’s more glitz than that. jersey $239.

To keep up with the NBA theatrics, we have a complete three- “Bure’s been the most popular,” said salesman Angelo Daga. “Then dimensional laser-beam display that will show a hoopster slam-dunking, comes Mogilny, with the odd McLean and Courtnall.” then exploding into a shimmering Grizzlies logo. No doubt this will be projected on to the floor during halftime. While the 300-level has mainly generic fare — jumbo dog, $3.50; burger platter, $6.75; onion rings, $3.50; french fries, $3; 12 ounces of draft for The Canucks, too, will benefit from all the lasers in there — not to $4.75 — the 100-level has imported beer ($5.75), submarine sandwiches mention the bigger facility. How can you not feel like the best team in the ($5.50), and pizzas for $5.25. NHL when you’ve got the best venue, eh? Only those with high-priced tickets can dine in the exclusive Air Canada The Canucks lost their first regular-season game in the new rink, 5-3 to Club section. A Sensation ice cream bar will set you back $3.25 here, Detroit, but they did win their first game there, a pre-season tilt and the $1.25 more than in the cheap seats. But you can enjoy any $5.50 cocktail players were in awe. The Province’s Jim Jamieson wrote: you like in a comfortable bar, eat a meal right in your seat, and sample The script didn’t read as expected, but the Vancouver Canucks still such fare as a $14.25 seafood kebab and an $11.50 chicken stir-fry. managed to celebrate their first NHL game at brand-new GM Place in “For the average Joe to come and bring the kids, forget it,” said Leanne desired fashion Saturday. Kemp, 28, a Maple Ridge registered nurse. “It’s crazy.” With the Russian Rockets — Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny — Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.25.2020 together for the first time as Canucks in a game situation, most expected the firepower to come from there. But it was Russ Courtnall and Cliff Ronning who did the damage, in a come-from-behind 4-3 NHL exhibition win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim before 15,399 spectators.

But it was the gleaming, state-of-the-art building that was the star of the show.

“The whole time from when we started going for it has been a long time coming,” said Canucks’ GM Pat Quinn. “It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s better than we expected. It’s going to be a great home for us for a long time.” 1172692 Vancouver Canucks competitive division, he will likely have to be his same stellar self the rest of the way.

After St. Louis and Colorado, the Western Conference is a logjam. Vancouver Canucks are shining bright without Trevor Linden Between Dallas and the Canucks with 58 points, and Minnesota with 52, you have six other teams in between, including four just a single point behind Vancouver. In other words, all it takes is one really bad week to find yourself down with the Nashvilles and San Joses. Gary Mason But right now, at least, there is optimism in Vancouver. It could last

months and years, or it could last days or weeks. But it’s there for now, It wasn’t that long ago that the world of the Vancouver Canucks was which is something at least. enduring a slow-motion implosion. Of course, you may ask: When is it Globe And Mail LOADED: 01.25.2020 not?

Which would be fair, because there are few North American hockey markets as marked by perpetual angst as Vancouver. (Okay, Toronto is right there or slightly ahead based on population). But in Vancouver, it’s angst and fickleness followed by fickleness and angst. But the summer before last was a particularly heart-restricting one for the faithful, as owner Francesco Aquilini ended Trevor Linden’s four-year reign as team president.

Linden, of course, is the former team captain and all-around city icon. Hiring him as the executive face of the franchise was always going to be risky. Aquilini knew that. And when the team continued to struggle under Linden’s leadership, and reports of a rift between him and his general manager Jim Benning grew more ominous, something had to give.

Aquilini had to make a choice and he went with Benning, placing his money behind someone who had a solid track record of identifying talent.

Well, fast forward 18 months and the mood around this team couldn’t be more different. Three of its key players will take the ice this weekend in the NHL all-star game: goalie Jacob Markstrom, last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Elias Pettersson, and a defenceman expected to be a Calder finalist himself this year, Quinn Hughes.

The Canucks, meantime, headed into the break sitting in first place in the Pacific Division, not a spot many would have predicted for them to be at this point in the season. The team is more well-rounded than it has been in years. A defence that was badly in need of upgrade got free-agent Tyler Myers in the off-season. Tanner Pearson, who Benning stole from the Pittsburgh Penguins, has 14 goals and 23 assists playing alongside captain Bo Horvat, who has 16 goals himself, on a very good second line. Question marks that surrounded players such as Jake Virtanen, who has 14 goals, are quickly disappearing.

That is some of the supporting cast. The story of the Canucks this year is the stars. Straw-thin Pettersson has 21 goals and 30 assists, sitting just outside the league’s top 10 in league scoring. His linemate Brock Boeser has 16 goals and surely has hit more posts this season than anyone in the league. Hughes, meantime, has defied almost everyone’s projections (except his own) in terms of the impact he’s made this season.

He quarterbacks one of the best power plays in the league (Vancouver’s 43 power-play goals is the second-most in the NHL) and is averaging 21:36 minutes of ice time. He is often a one-man breakout, using his incredible skating skills to get his team out of trouble when trapped in its own end. He is simply far more advanced than anyone expected.

To my eye, however, the two biggest difference makers have been Markstrom and off-season pick-up J.T. Miller. Miller has 17 goals, 29 assists for 46 points, second only to Pettersson on the team. His biggest impact, however, might be in the dressing room, where his intensity has been noticed. There is no one on the Canucks who hates losing more than Miller, and that surliness of his that follows a defeat has rubbed off on his teammates.

At the time, many felt the first-round pick the Canucks had to relinquish to Tampa for the 26-year-old was too high a price. No one is saying that now. There isn’t a team in the league who wouldn’t give up a first-rounder to get Miller.

And then there is Markstrom, who, in a decade as a pro, has seen his share of disappointment. But this year, he’s probably handed in his best work. It’s one thing to have great games and make lots of fancy saves behind a lousy team. It’s another to make them behind a team fighting for a playoff spot in a tight division where every point counts.

And that is what Markstrom has done this year, come up big when his team was not at its best, turning sure defeats into surprising victories. And with a point or two separating a bunch of teams in an ultra- 1172693 Vancouver Canucks That’s partly because the Canadian beer industry is in a long-term slump that seems unlikely to turn around, as consumers migrate to other beverages. (In a reflection of that reality, Molson Coors Brewing Company rebranded this month to the Molson Coors Beverage Why the NHL’s relationship status with beer companies is now ‘It’s Company.) Domestic beer sales have fallen roughly 14 per cent in four complicated’ years, dropping from about 18.97-million hectolitres in 2015 to about 16.34-million hectolitres in 2019, according to the industry trade group

Beer Canada. Last year alone, domestic sales fell 3.9 per cent. SIMON HOUPT David Kincaid, a former Labatt marketing executive who is the founder and managing partner of the Toronto-based consultancy Level5, said pro sports leagues need to adapt to the new market realities. As beer sales in Canada dry up and profit margins fall, and media platforms to reach consumers multiply endlessly, brewers are re- “The message being sent back to the league – and this isn’t just the evaluating the big-ticket contracts that sports leagues have been NHL, this is professional sport, or just about anything you can point to demanding. that the brewers have used as a promotional platform – they are pushing back now, saying, ‘I don’t need exclusivity, I will leverage my brand and I When Canadian hockey fans tune in to the NHL all-star game will develop innovative [promotions] using social media. There are other celebrations this weekend, they’ll be treated to the usual sights: ways to engage with and connect with my consumer, so I’m not going to celebrities strolling a red carpet, skills competitions, whiplash three-on- pay that top dollar that I once did.’ And they would say that’s a strategic three games and a tsunami of corporate promotions. But there will be logic. But behind the scenes, it’s also a financial logic.” one notable difference: Bud Light, brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the corporate parent of Labatt Breweries of Canada, will be one of the And the leagues may have helped to kill the golden goose by allowing event’s chief sponsors for the first time since 2011. their individual teams to also sell off their intellectual property. On the very day in July, 2011, that Ontario’s Court of Appeal released its Its return to the game involves a rare truce in the domestic beer wars, decision on the NHL-Molson deal, Labatt announced it had signed which once got so ugly they made it to Ontario’s top court, illuminating exclusive sponsorship agreements with the Vancouver Canucks, the the ways in which two industries that are central to the Canadian identity Calgary Flames and the newly relocated Winnipeg Jets. Molson, – brewing and professional sports – are under increasing pressure from meanwhile, has sponsorship deals with the Montreal Canadiens, the changes in consumer and fan behaviour. Edmonton Oilers, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As beer sales in Canada dry up and profit margins fall, and media A Labatt executive acknowledged that owning the rights to a sports platforms to reach consumers multiply endlessly, brewers are re- league’s intellectual property isn’t enough to forge meaningful evaluating the big-ticket contracts that sports leagues have been relationships with fans: You need to figure out how to use it in creative demanding. Bud Light is back in the picture because, after eight years in ways that capitalize on what the industry calls “moment marketing.” an exclusive relationship with the NHL, Molson has agreed to let the league see other brewers. That means “identifying the conversations that are happening in culture already,” said Todd Allen, the vice-president of marketing for Labatt. And so, for the first time in decades, the NHL, Molson and Labatt have agreed to a three-way relationship. During a phone interview the other “So, using hockey as an example: Conversations are already day, Kyle McCann, the NHL’s senior vice-president of North American happening around hockey, around all-star weekend, around the puck business development, was asked about the league’s dating status. He drop of the regular season, around the Stanley Cup playoffs. So how do chuckled and said: “It’s complicated.” you insert yourselves in those conversations, to become more relevant, to be more meaningful in culture and to ultimately earn consumers’ It’s also stunning, considering the back story. In the winter of 2011, attention? Molson stole the exclusive rights out from under Labatt, which had had them since 2002. Labatt took Molson and the NHL to the Ontario “We try to get insight into those conversations and then build content Superior Court, arguing it had already come to a binding agreement with plans around that, to be a part of the conversation and build our affinity the league for an extension of its rights. In July, 2011, the Court of with our fans.” Appeal ruled otherwise, allowing Molson to pay a reported $375-million over the following seven years, including $100-million for the rights He added that marketers realize they “need to stop interrupting people themselves as well as mammoth amounts for ad buys and other with your advertising, and start entertaining them, or providing utility promotional costs. around things that they’re already talking about it and caring about.”

News of the new arrangement trickled out in an oddly muted fashion: In No wonder you don’t need to be wearing beer goggles to be confused. late December, the NHL issued a press release announcing it had struck This week, as I was telling a beer-drinking hockey fan friend of mine a multiyear partnership with Labatt, making Budweiser “an (which is to about the NHL’s new threesome with Molson and Labatt, she said the say, not “the”) Official Beer of the NHL.” A few weeks later, the NHL and only beer promotion she could recall was Molson Canadian’s red light Molson followed up with what they called “a multiyear extension of their gizmo, which lights up in fans’ homes whenever their team scores a goal. partnership, continuing Molson Canadian’s long-standing position as an That was a Budweiser – a.k.a. Labatt – promo, I told her. Oh, she said. Official Beer of the NHL in Canada.” (“An,” not “the.”) Globe And Mail LOADED: 01.25.2020 The deals give the brewers the rights to use the NHL’s intellectual property, such as its logo, as well as the ability to leverage its marquee events (the all-star game, the various outdoor games, the Stanley Cup playoffs) in their own marketing.

McCann characterized the arrangements as “semi-exclusive,” with two brewers granted rights in each country: AB-InBev in the United States and Canada; the Boston Beer Company in the U.S., where it is leveraging the NHL to market its Truly Hard Seltzer beverage; and Molson in Canada.

Exclusivity used to be the coin of the realm. But with the premium prices demanded by leagues prompting sticker shock, marketers are realizing there are other ways to build bonds with their consumers. “Over time, the investment needed to have exclusivity, it just kept growing and growing and growing,” said Brian Collins, the senior manager of partnerships for Molson Coors Canada, in an interview. “Not just the NHL, but in general. And there comes a point where the investment doesn’t really [make sense].” 1172694 Vancouver Canucks Monster deals for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are not too far away. Pettersson and Hughes bonuses for next year will affect the cap.

Jacob Markstrom needs a new contract. There are some bad contracts Dhaliwal’s Diary: Are the Canucks in cap hell? Plus, locking up Travis currently causing trouble, dead money in Sven Baertschi in the minors, Green and Quinn Hughes’ next contract Ryan Spooner buyout and Roberto Luongo’s cap-recapture penalty.

So yes, the Canucks have issues.

By Rick Dhaliwal Jan 24, 2020 43 I asked a former capologist to take a look at the Canucks’ cap issues heading into the NHL trade deadline next month.

This is what he had to say: On Dec. 17, I did the Canucks postgame show with Andrew Wadden on TSN 1040. The Canucks had lost 3-1 to Montreal, their fourth loss in five When looking at a team’s cap picture, the first question often asked is: games. ‘Do they have space?’ From a strategic standpoint the more important question is: ‘How easily can they create space?’ For the Canucks, the To say the fan base was upset would be an understatement. answer as the deadline nears is: not easily at all.

The phone lines were burning up with callers declaring that it was high There are two ways a team can create cap space: by moving out time to fire the coach and the GM. contracts, or by accruing cap space by staying below the upper limit.

Five weeks after that Montreal loss, the Canucks started the week in first The Canucks’ ability to move out contracts to create cap space pre- place in the Pacific Division. Good thing they kept Travis Green. deadline is extremely constrained. All the team’s non-core players with significant salaries are signed beyond this season (Eriksson, Sutter, Green knows he is coaching in a red hot Canadian market, and he’s well Roussel, Beagle, Myers, Ferland, Baertschi). aware of how the Vancouver market especially can shift from week to week with wins and losses. It’s rare that a team can move a contract like this without attaching a significant carrot in the form of top picks or prospects, and Vancouver GM Jim Benning praised the job Green has done in an interview with The has already committed a future first to Tampa for JT Miller. Athletic’s Thomas Drance earlier this week and noted that the Canucks may get to a Green contract extension this summer. Also, because so many teams are near the cap this season, clubs like Detroit and New Jersey who are out of the race and in a position to Just like his players, Green has developed and grown since he arrived in absorb some bad expiring deals will likely be able to command a Vancouver in April 2017 after four years of coaching in Utica. significant return for doing so. To say that the going rate for moving out Green has learned a lot about NHL coaching. He’s been open about his an underperforming $4M AAV contract with 1.5 years remaining like belief that coaches never stop learning and it’s key to longevity in the job Sutter (or $3M with 2.5 left like Beagle) could be in excess of a second — a coach’s growth doesn’t stop. round pick and high end prospect would not be an overstatement (think Bickell/Teravainen). One of Green’s biggest strengths is how he manages people: He is direct with his players but honest. They may not like what he has to say but The second way of creating space is by staying below the upper limit and there is clarity with Green — you know where you stand with him. ‘banking’ cap space leading up to the deadline. A team with $3M of space today will gain more space each day they stay below the cap and All he asks for from his players is: “Give me everything you have.” He could be able to add a $4M player at the deadline. The Canucks, can’t ask for more than that, obviously. No coach can. however, are not able to bank any cap space because they are already using LTI. As a result, their available cap space (2.8M as of today) will Here’s what a former player of Green’s had to say about him: “He’s pretty not grow as it would if the team was below the cap ceiling. Instead, it will good at reading players — stuff like bad body language. He knows when likely shrink as it gets used up for injury callups. you’re sulking about a lack of ice time and he will approach you and talk about it like a man. I appreciated that. Good or bad, he lets you know and There’s another big problem with being in LTI — it means that all of the if you don’t agree with him, you can tell him. He is OK with that.” team’s year-end bonuses will count as an “overage” against next year’s salary cap (which is expected not to be much higher than this year’s). If This is what a Western Conference source told me: “The NHL is a tough Pettersson and Hughes earn close to $4M in combined bonuses, the league to coach in. Green knows the X’s and O’s but the key is how he Canucks will “lose” $4M of cap space next season, which will make it has adapted from his WHL, AHL, NHL days — and then adapted to his even harder to sign Tanev, Markstrom and the club’s RFAs, let alone team in Vancouver from year to year. You have to adapt or you don’t improve the roster with additions. survive.” If the Canucks don’t want to run a huge overage for next season and Green also keeps close tabs on Canucks prospects and players in other potentially the following season as well (when EP and QH are due leagues. It’s why he checked in with defenceman Nikita Tryamkin in extensions) they need to be mindful of how much they exceed the cap Russia earlier in the season. this season. This is especially true since they’ll already play next season Green is invested in the Vancouver organization, from top to bottom. with $4M of dead cap space from Luongo and Spooner, and will almost certainly be at risk of running another year-end overage during Hughes’ Lots of moves a GM will make will be done with the coach’s consultation ELC if Ferland’s $4M has to go on LTI and the team exceeds their ‘own’ and it’s obvious that Benning and Green are on the same page. The cap (which could potentially be $8M less than other clubs’ cap once the additions of J.T. Miller, Josh Leivo and Tanner Pearson have Green’s Canucks’ dead cap space and overages are factored in). fingerprints all over them. Clearly Green likes a heavy, skilled team with size. So, the Canucks can’t create cap space by banking and waiting, and it will cost them a ransom to unload one of their overpaid, underperforming This year the Canucks are much bigger and harder to play against. Call it veteran deals. hard skill. Green likes his players to battle in hard areas, win puck battles and work hard along the wall, all areas that don’t show up on the A check-in with Podkolzin’s coach scoreboard but are vital in winning. For 16 games this season, Canucks fans watched 18-year-old 2019 first- Nobody knows how this season will end, but Green has the Canucks on round draft pick Vasili Podkolzin score no goals and get no ice time with the right track and that could turn into a new deal for the coach this St. Petersburg SKA in Russia. summer. Then came this week: two goals in two games with much more ice time. Here’s what one source said: “I would lock up Green this summer. This I talked with St.Petersburg SKA coach Alexei Kudashov about Podkolzin: team is close to turning the corner and the last thing you need is a new “He scored a big goal for us tonight, the team is really happy for him,” voice. Travis deserves to see this through.” Kudashov said. “He is getting better and better.” Are the Canucks in cap hell? Kudashov noticed a much more confident Podkolzin after the world junior This is a question I get asked quite often. hockey championships. “He is playing smart with speed,” he said. “He is getting more ice time because he is playing better defensively. I am teaching him to be better defensively in the defensive zone and the neutral zone. For the next level you have to play defensive also — he has offence.”

Halfway through the interview, Kudashov said he didn’t want to talk about him too much, as though he didn’t want to jinx him, and I understood what he was trying to say.

I reminded him that Podkolzin is a first-round pick in a Canadian market and every goal and assist is watched on Twitter literally minutes after the the goal or assist. He understood.

Kudashov clearly cares for Podkolzin and wants the best for him. It was almost like a father-looking-out-for-son moment.

Podkolzin is in good hands with Kudashov. “He is youngest player on our team. He is still a prospect,” he said. “Don’t rush him. Step by step. For sure he will play in NHL someday.”

Pat Brisson is one of the most powerful agents in hockey.

He has two clients in the Canucks organization: one future superstar and one fighting for his NHL career. Brisson represents Quinn Hughes and Justin Bailey in Utica.

Brisson wasn’t surprised to hear GM Jim Benning say earlier this week that he wants to take a look at Bailey in a Canucks uniform. Bailey was just named the AHL player of the week after he became the first AHL skater in nearly nine years to record hat tricks in back-to-back games.

“We talked with several teams about Justin in the summer and we signed with the Canucks because we felt strongly that Vancouver would be a place where he got a chance to get in the lineup, ” Brisson told me.

That chance may be coming soon — and Bailey deserves it.

When Brisson called me, he was getting off a plane in St. Louis, where he will watch Hughes take part in the NHL All-Star Game this weekend. Like everyone else, Brisson is impressed with what Hughes has done in his rookie campaign.

The best is yet to come, though, according to Brisson.

“Quinn is always working on his game,” he said. “He will also get stronger. Exceptional skater, high hockey IQ and he is always attacking the play.”

To say Brisson is in a good position when it comes to Hughes’ next contract is the understatement of the year: “We know we have an option to start talking with the Canucks on July 1st. We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172695 Websites It was a real skill, and it was hard. If I’m remembering correctly, John Tavares once hit them all in a row and it was incredible.

Rutherford: They booed Patrick Kane louder than anyone tonight, but The Athletic / NHL All-Star roundtable: Picking apart the skills when Blues fans read this, Laz, you’re going to be Public Enemy No. 1. competition, plus suggestions for next year They could have a quote contest for the goalies and Binnington might have won that too, saying afterward: “You know, I haven’t skated in a couple of days, uh, had a few drinks and, uh, you know, I’m happy with the outcome. By The Athletic NHL Staff Jan 24, 2020 15 Lazerus: OK, we’re on to the Accuracy Shooting, which was my favorite

event as a kid, watching Ray Bourque go 4-for-4 every year. Please, ST. LOUIS — The All-Star Game itself is usually a tepid affair lacking please, please bring back the foam targets. It was so viscerally satisfying energy, effort and defense. But the skills competition the night before to see them explode with every shot. I’m all for technology in almost tends to bring a little more fun to the proceedings. every facet of life, but not this one. Analog Accuracy Shooting forever!

Friday night’s event at the Enterprise Center featured a real-life cameo And on cue, the screen’s not working. STYROFOAM ALWAYS WORKS. from Wayne Gretzky and a kind-of-not-really real-life cameo from Justin And always exists. Because it never biodegrades. That part’s not great. Bieber. Winnipeg, Las Vegas and — of course — St. Louis fans made Burnside: I miss the actual styrofoam targets exploding all over the place. their presence known by shouting at various points of the Canadian and I also miss Peter Puck. Look it up young’ uns. U.S. national anthems, and Connor McDavid was dethroned as fastest skater. Baugh: As a “young’un” coincidentally named Peter, I’m looking up what Peter Puck was. A panel of The Athletic’s writers were there, commenting along the way. Hertl must’ve put the Bieber mask back on for the end of the Accuracy Mark Lazerus: Before we even start, can we point out that Wayne Shooting contest. He hit targets with his first four shots and then Gretzky was introduced as “one of” the greatest players in NHL history? collapsed to finish seventh out of eight contestants. Who let a Penguins or Bruins fan handle the public address in here? Burnside: If the NHL wanted to show it had a sense of humor they could Jeremy Rutherford: I’m glad you noticed that, Laz. That would be like a have had Matthew Tkachuk do the accuracy competition and had the Wild announcer saying you’re “one of” the greatest writers on staff. faces of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on the targets. Or Zack Peter Baugh: Anthony Duclair is a wise man. He endeared himself to the Kassian. home crowd by choosing “Hot in Here” by Nelly, who is from St. Louis, as Rutherford: If it was Kassian and made of styrofoam, they’d still be his introductory music for the fastest skater competition. He might not cleaning up the mess. have won, but he came prepared. I also hadn’t seen McDavid skate in person before tonight, so that was a treat, even if he lost to Mathew Burnside: Nice touch to have Hall of Fame Blue Bernie Federko come Barzal. out just before current captain Alex Pietrangelo took his turn at the target shooting. But they could have let Federko take a turn shooting (unless he Lazerus: What do we all think of the Save Streak as an event? The year wasn’t interested). I know the NHL Alumni Association has broached the Marc-Andre Fleury rattled off a bunch of saves in a row while “Let It Go” idea of having some of the legends of the past get involved in the skills blared throughout Amalie Arena was a magical moment, but I wish we competition, so it was cool to see Al MacInnis, another Blues Hall of could come up with a way to better test goalies. Too much is dependent Famer, have a go at the hardest shot and register a nice 100.4 mph. on the shooters in this event. Some of them are barely trying, and some (Allegedly, says the cynic Lazerus.) of them are really trying. Also, when a guy misses the net completely, it counts as a save. Tristan Jarry’s first three “saves” were not actual Lazerus: Random thought during a break in the action: I miss the fantasy saves. Can we set up a JUGS machine to fire pucks into the various draft. That Friday night in Columbus when nearly every player was numbered holes in random order? I think that would be fairer and more completely wasted remains the finest evening of television programming interesting. Also, bring back the Goalie Goals portion of the now-defunct in NHL history. relay. That’s all goalies ever want to do, anyway. Baugh: Why the hell aren’t they going to Zamboni the ice for the women’s Baugh: Or they could make the goalie event completely ridiculous and game? It’s pretty scuffed up right now. have them compete in their own fastest skater competition in full pads again. I’m also on board with Goalie Goals, or perhaps doing the Streak Burnside: Goes without saying that having some of the top women in the Save with Justin Bieber shooting every single shot so there’s a consistent world in a Canada versus U.S. 3-on-3 grudge match is a banner idea. It shooter. He already agreed to a competition against Jordan Binnington, marks the third straight year that women have been incorporated into the so I bet the NHL could get him on board. All-Star Weekend events with the level of participation going up every year. So, can we count on more of the same next year in Florida? Likely, Speaking of Bieber, Binnington chose a “Pony” remix sung by Bieber and though as always commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t like to be boxed Ginuwine for his competition song. Then it got more Bieber-centric when into things. “Let’s see how it goes tonight,” Bettman said a couple of Tomas Hertl came out wearing a Bieber mask. He should’ve made the hours before the skills competition. “I’m thrilled that we have an eye holes bigger, though, because he lost track of the puck and only got opportunity for the women’s game to be demonstrated the way it will a weak shot on net. That helped Binnington with his competition-winning tonight. I met with the players on both teams about an hour ago, we had streak of 10 saves, which did not please Lazerus. a good chat. They’re excited to be here. We’re excited to have them. And the fact that we can shine, using our light, a brighter light on the women’s Lazerus: Tomas Hertl (a global treasure, I must point out) basically threw game I think is a positive for them, for the game and for young girls the game. And Binnington’s last two saves weren’t saves. The shooters watching and aspiring to do the same thing,” the commissioner said. just missed the net. Oh, whatever. Binnington didn’t even belong in the competition with Ben Bishop and Robin Lehner in the same division as Lazerus: I’m confused. This event involves people actually trying and him. But the crowd here loved it and a grand time was had by all, so actually playing hard and actually playing defense, and it’s actually very maybe I’m just an old crank. As a wise man once said, fun must be entertaining. Is this allowed at an All-Star Game? always. Burnside: A question. Do you think the effort shown by the women in this Scott Burnside: I’m in favor of the goalie streak competition in spite of event – a huge hit by the way – will rub off on the NHLers who will go at it Lazerus’ quibbles. I’d like it more if I recognized more than one of the in 3-on-3 competition Saturday? goalies’ songs. A shout-out to the Capitals’ Braden Holtby whose choice of The Tragically Hip’s “Poets” was inspired. I do, however, lament the Lazerus: One can only hope. It quickly gets pretty excruciating watching passing (as it were) of the passing skills competition that used to force the men go at half-speed and make six extra passes on every rush. players to saucer pass pucks across the ice into tiny little nets. Honestly, All-Star games in general only really work in baseball for just this reason. In hockey, basketball and football — sports where effort and Lazerus: The mini-nets were the best. I know the players hated them intensity inevitably create a real injury risk — it’s almost impossible to get because it frequently made them look bad. But that’s why it was so great. anyone to play hard in a game that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know what the answer is, but hopefully the women shaming the men into Burnside: That’s not an actual verb by the way. And I didn’t mind the new actually trying will do the trick. “shoot from way up in the stands at wooden things and a big net thing” (not the competition’s actual name, by the way). But it was hard to Rutherford: No, If $100,000 apiece won’t do it (I know they give it to actually see where the pucks were going. And as the final event it charity), the women’s game won’t. probably left the crowd wanting a little. Should have stuck with the Baugh: Shout out to Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens. She was hardest shot. outstanding and made a clutch save at the final horn to secure a 2-1 win Lazerus: I love it, and the fans were into it — to a degree. The problem for Canada. U.S. skater Hillary Knight, who scored the American’s lone is, it’s hard to follow, which limits enthusiasm. Also, I don’t think this is an goal, gave the St. Louis fans props in her on-ice interview, which they actual skill, is it? I mean, it’s not like it’s something NHL players have appreciated. become particularly good at over the years, because it’s not a thing that’s Burnside: So, what next for women at All-Star? Do you go for a similar ever existed. But I’m all for variety. A new skill every year would keep this competition but 5-on-5? I was skeptical at having the 3-on-3 game in the fresh. Also, I desperately want to try this. We need a media round like at middle of the skills event but it actually worked perfect, certainly the golf tournaments. sellout crowd at Enterprise Center ate it up. If they do bring it back, they need to reconfigure the point totals. Tyler Lazerus: It’s tricky, because the league could give the women an entire Seguin hitting the four-pointer on the far blue line was far more showcase game during All-Star weekend, but if it’s not during the skills impressive than all those 10-spots everyone put up. competition or the men’s All-Star Game, it could easily get lost. A two- Rutherford: A little hard to follow because of the vantage point, but I liked period 3-on-3 event between the accuracy shooting and hardest shot is the drill, especially the players walking through the crowd, as Laz noted. going to get more eyeballs than a full 5-on-5 game earlier in the day, David Perron carrying his son around was the reason I was so happy that before the national broadcasts kick in. There’s no doubt the quality of the he was voted in and got to experience this with the little guy. game would be high, but exposure matters more than anything else in this instance. To this day, the U.S-Canada women’s gold medal game in Baugh: I like having this last, at least for this year. The novelty makes it Sochi was one of the two or three best games I’ve ever attended. If non- fun. The players entering through the crowd adds an element of fun that fans would have watched that game, they’d have become fans of the is good as a nightcap. Also, Matthew Tkachuk donned a jersey of women’s game. That’s the point here. This isn’t the Olympics or the world Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina — another player you like to have on championships. Eyeballs are all that matter, and the way it was done your team but hate to go against. tonight might be the best way to draw as many of them as possible. Burnside: Next year they should have to shoot the pucks into dryers and Baugh: I wonder if they could do the 3-on-3 on Saturday between the All- other appliances a la Sidney Crosby. Star semifinal and final games. That would put it in front of a national TV audience, which would be huge for viewership. Then incorporate the Lazerus: They had that at the Fan Fair, actually. My daughter wanted to women more into the individual skill competitions the night before. do it, but then a guardian angel warned me that he had been in line for an hour and to run far, far away. Burnside: Great idea. And it would also shame the guys into breaking a sweat perhaps. Speaking of future format ideas for All-Star, Bettman Rutherford: Laz, your daughter should be contributing to this roundtable. alluded to an international element to next year’s event in Florida. I have Lazerus: Stay tuned, JR. talked to a couple of GMs who have experience at the international level and they like the idea of a Ryder Cup kind of event with a North Burnside: I have actually seen the Crosby dryer. It’s in a museum in American team versus the World. The commissioner was purposefully Halifax. vague on what next year might look like but it’s important to keep Baugh: As much as I like the event, it’s flawed in that the “four” targets tinkering with the format because it does tend to get stale. If they do it I are harder to make than the 10. think it’s imperative that they do it with an eye to building the best teams possible. That means no pandering to all of the teams by having a Burnside: Well, gentlemen regardless of what they do going forward, representative from each team. But imagine the water cooler discussion you’re all All-Stars in my book. Or something like that. about who the four centers should be for Team North America. Count me in. The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020

Lazerus: Everything that’s old is new again. North America versus the World was fun, then it grew stale. The fantasy-style drafts were fun, then it grew too drunk. The 3-on-3 tournament was fun, then it grew stale. If we go back to East versus West, it’ll be fun, then it’ll go stale. Instead of four divisional teams, let’s bring back Team North America and Team Europe, throw in the U.S. and Canada, and have at it. God, I miss Team North America.

Rutherford: I agree with you guys about mixing it up every few years. Here’s an idea that could incorporate all these thoughts: Men versus women. Then, Scotty, the guys will have to break a sweat because what I saw from the women tonight they might be able to beat them.

Baugh: Elias Pettersson looks so small compared to all the defensemen in the hardest shot contest, but he’s out there holding his own with a shot of 102.4 mph, faster than Seth Jones, Victor Hedman and Mark Giordano. As Jeremy tweeted, it’s unfair someone so skilled can shoot so hard.

Burnside: There’s just something elemental about the hardest shot competition. Just the player, his stick and a puck, and all that adrenaline. Wonder what the psychoanalysis of why we love it so much. Anyone?

Baugh: There’s just something refreshing about seeing people making objects move really fast.

Lazerus: It’d be better if styrofoam were exploding during it.

Baugh: The Shooting Stars competition is about to start. I can guarantee Ryan O’Reilly will have a cool, hipster introductory song.

Lazerus: Having the players walk in through the fans is a bold choice. Thankfully, nobody Gillooly’d Patrick Kane. 1172696 Websites “When we first started testing the frozen puck, we did learn from those mistakes,” Hortsman said. “But we’ve frozen them colder than we normally do – 17 degrees is what we do in the freezers, I believe – and no impact whatsoever.” The Athletic / After a final test at NHL All-Star Game, player tracking will be ready for postseason When the pucks were used during testing in Vegas last season, players said they felt “bouncier,” but the league has no such evidence.

“I think after any game, you can get a couple of players to say the puck By Jeremy Rutherford Jan 24, 2020 11 was bouncy or complain about normal puck luck,” said Grant Nodine, a vice president of technology for the NHL, along with Keith Hortsman. “I view it as exactly the same thing as Gene Hackman at the end of The NHL’s long-awaited puck and player tracking system, delayed by a ‘Hoosiers,’ getting the guy to get up on the guy’s shoulders and holding change in partners last year, is finally ready for primetime. the tape measure to the basket in the giant gym that they had never played in and saying, ‘How tall is it? It’s 10 feet, just like our gym back When Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and the rest of NHL All-Stars took home.'” the ice at Enterprise Center Friday night, they were wearing an extra piece of equipment. It’s a tag sewn into the back of their sweaters that, But that doesn’t mean he and Horstman won’t welcome criticism. along with a puck that has a built-in sensor, will tell how fast the players are skating, passing and shooting. “You’re going to get feedback and you need to take feedback and make sure the product is getting better and better,” Horstman said. “It would be The technology was used in the skills competition, including the 3-on-3 silly to not listen to it when it comes in. Let’s make the game better and if women’s game, and will be shown on NBC and Rogers in the NHL All- there is something wrong with the puck, or something we’re doing, we Star Game Saturday. want to hear that and we want to make the system better.”

“We have been working fast and furious on the infrastructure side of The pucks are battery-operated but not rechargeable because, generally things, getting the cameras installed, calibrating the system, and speaking, the battery life will be longer than the puck will be used in a conducting tests in every arena for the past several months and are now game. on the precipice of having a live utilization of that system during All-Star weekend,” said Dave Lehanski, the NHL’s executive vice president of “The pucks don’t survive more than four or five minutes of gameplay business development and innovation. “Those moments are always a without getting significantly nicked up,” Horstman said. “I think if you were great marker, and even though you test them over and over and over to look at most pucks that get taken out of play, you’d be surprised at again, it is great to see the utilization of the system on-air.” how beat they get up. Every whistle, we change pucks.”

The NHL was scheduled to unveil puck and player tracking at the start of And while the pucks do cost a bit more, the difference isn’t that drastic, the 2019-20 season, as The Athletic’s Jesse Granger wrote last January so you won’t be asked to return one if it comes into the crowd. after testing in a game in Vegas. But later last year, the league left the “Somebody once asked me, ‘How many pucks do we lose a game?'” company Jogmo over what commissioner Gary Bettman called “organizational and financial challenges” and moved forward with Horstman said. “I said, ‘I don’t know, 10?’ No, it’s actually two to three, SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT). that’s it, because of the netting.”

The switch delayed league-wide implementation of the system from the There will be another minor difference with the pucks. They will be start of the season to the start of the 2020 playoffs. But it will be fully designated with specific numbers for tracking purposes, which will functional for All-Star weekend, then ready to go in all 16 arenas in the obviously make it easier to know who’s in possession of the right puck on postseason and the remaining 15 teams at the start of the 2020-21 goals like Patrick Kane’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Chicago in Game regular season. 6 of the 2010 Cup final against Philadelphia.

The unveiling of technology that will change the way the game is “Yeah, you could potentially validate pucks that were involved in great consumed and measured statistically – not to mention the opportunities plays,” Nodine said. that will open in the world of sports gambling – is later than the NHL had The new pucks will have unique numbers such as this one. hoped. Lehanski, however, believes that it’s a blessing in disguise because SMT is a company the league has had a longstanding The tags that players will wear All-Star weekend and beginning in the relationship with in statistical and analytical capacities, as well as the fact playoffs look similar and are about the same size as the theft-security that tracking technology has been even further developed since the devices that stores put on clothing. scheduled debut. “Every jersey has an Adidas logo (on the back shoulder area), and it’s a The foundation of the system created by the league’s partners will allow patch that’s sewn into the jersey,” Horstman said. “The shoulders are cameras strategically placed in arena catwalks to connect with the puck two-ply, so it actually made a perfect casing for it. We had Adidas sew in and the devices worn by the players to generate coordinates and data a pouch, so in that trapezoid (the tag) sits in the player’s jersey with the points that will feed raw material into a machine-learning algorithm and emitter facing out.” produce instantaneous statistical information and video replays. One potential problem could be players using multiple sweaters during a There are two essential pieces of equipment involved: The puck, which game, but the NHL has prepared for that, having two to three tags has six lighting tubes around the All-Star logo; and a player tag, which in available per player per game. this case will be used by Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo this weekend. “I think a couple players use four jerseys per game, which implies he’s NHL vice presidents of technology Keith Horstman and Grant Nodine changing a jersey in-period, but we’ll be ready,” Horstman said. “The While the puck has been re-manufactured to include the technology, it’s equipment manager will have a tag in the backup jersey, so if someone still made of solid vulcanized black rubber, remains three inches in changes in-period, it’ll have another tag that’s assigned to his player ID diameter and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces. and the recording will keep going.”

“Same materials, size, weight, it just has those extra light tubes in it,” And what happens if one of those tags, which are rechargeable, gets thrown in the laundry basket and into the rinse cycle? Horstman said. “The same company makes the rubber and does the logo, so nothing will be different. We’ve tested them with air guns, “Are we likely to wash some? Probably,” Nodine said. “It’s gonna shooting it against boards, posts, glass … the rebounds are all the same happen.” as compared to a regular puck. So it performs just like the standard puck does today.” So how will the pucks and tags produce what the NHL believes will be an endless supply of previously impossible data? The NHL and SMT have even worked out the kinks that occurred when freezing the pucks and trying to track. Well, there will be about 14-18 cameras placed in the catwalk of each building, focused down on the rink. They are synced with the radio frequency that “talks” to the puck and the tags, telling them when to light up. The puck will light up 60 times per second, the tags of the players on were going to do it, we needed to do it as an overlay to the live game. So the ice will flash 15 times and those on the bench once. how could we integrate data and stats and analytics and general insights? It would be through this type of system. “The new thing from last year, we’re deriving data from these coordinates,” Horstman said. “So one of the things you’ll see on NBC is “So those will be available on All-Star weekend and I think those are puck possession, which player has possession, all being derived using really going to come to life during the playoffs when our broadcast machine learning on who has the puck based on proximity.” partners are using it to analyze strategy and defensive positioning on a penalty kill. There’s some amazing illustrations and education that we The plan for the playoffs is possession in all three zones, passes and can provide to fans, whether they be casual or avid fans. All-Star will be a shots. The system takes the information and, using time and distance, precursor of what’s to come.” can measure a player’s average speed, burst speed, how fast they decelerate, change of direction, etc. Enterprise Center needed to be the first fully functional building because of the All-Star Game, but the NHL is making headway on having all 16 Passing, for example, is a stat that currently has no real measure, but playoff venues equipped. They are currently up to 14 installations and soon will be quantified by pass-type and quality. And as the machine- hope to have 22 done by the second week of February. learning algorithms process more and more data, and video is included, it will teach itself the difference. “That way we know that we’ve got everybody covered,” Hortsman said. “You couldn’t anticipate the Blues’ run last year, so you don’t want to “A great example, (New York Rangers defenseman) Tony DeAngelo miss that. Winning the Cup would probably be a miss on our part.” one time threw a pass from his defensive faceoff circle off the far end boards to (teammate Chris) Kreider streaking for a goal,” Horstman said. That would leave about nine buildings still needing installations and those “That was a pass, not a dump-in, and it assigns that to video, and the will take place during the playoffs because ice must be in place for the algorithms start learning, so the next time it happens it’s classified as a league to be able to calibrate the system. pass, not a dump-in. So it will (become) more accurate over time.” So why not just hold off the entire introduction until next season? For now, the system can only detect proximity of the puck, meaning a puck that is in between two players is assigned to one of them as far as “We would never rush the implementation of something like this, that’s possession. But ultimately, they will be able to recognize sticks and body so important to our game, if we didn’t feel like it was ready,” Lehanski limbs and know exactly who has the puck. said. “We believe it can be ready and what better period of the season to introduce than the moment at which hockey excitement is at its peak, the “In a 3D world, you’ll be able to recreate (a player) looking at the playoffs.” boards, and throwing the pass back through his legs,” Horstman said. “You’ll be able to pan a camera to his point of view.” He reminded that in 2017, the league began allowing the usage of iPads at the start playoffs. Imagine the vantage point of a goalie where we’ll be able to see how well he screens or whether the puck was deflected. “You could say we made a much crazier and riskier move when we first deployed our coaching system,” Lehanski said. “You had teams and That’s down the road, though. coaches at first blush that were like, ‘wait a second!’ Forget about the technology, just putting something in that environment that’s new, even On Thursday, in preparation for All-Star weekend, the NHL tested the from a superstition standpoint, they were like, ‘No, no, get out of here!’ system out on a local youth team in St. Louis. They used a puck with sensors and wore tags in their sweaters, and on the Jumbotron at “Lo and behold, the usage throughout the playoffs far exceeded our Enterprise Center, they were identified as “Hedman” and “Kopitar” and expectations. Some of the coaches who were the most ardent with “Tkachuk.” regard to their reluctance ended up using it for critical plays and As the puck dropped inside the near-empty rink, Horstman pulled up a challenges. We had confidence in our team, confidence in our clubs, and chair next to Nodine and watched the data pop up on his laptop in a way, the success we had opened the door for us to have more trust, allowing us to do things like this.” “They’re going to be in awe of seeing their name,” he said. “Well, an All- Horstman, who spent 24 years as a sports technologist in the NBA Star’s name.” before joining the NHL, said the players are ready for it. They went up and down the ice, and Horstman sounded like a “One of the things everybody always said in the NBA, ‘The players are broadcaster as the possession changed hands, with a dot on his laptop turning green for whoever had the puck. never going to want a device,'” he said. “So we never even went down that path. We just went optical, using cameras to do everything off of “There was a pass from No. 9 to No. 2 … there’s a shot by No. 4,” he video that’s not as good for precision. When I came here, we immediately said. “We’re deriving this data in 300 milliseconds. It’s instant talked to the players and it was it like, ‘When are we going to hear the gratification, you know. Using the technology on the broadcast and being (negative reaction from them)?’ I walked out of the meeting and I was able to see it immediately, it’s chilling.” shell-shocked. They were gung-ho.

That is the payday for the puck and player tracking, not only the ability to “In our events last year, they actually went at each other, with ‘I’m going keep track of the data, but the capability to retrieve it right away and to skate faster than you, I’m going to shoot harder.’ So it’s the athlete that display it on the broadcasts, and in-arena. The video can be clipped, with starts coming out and they want to be better than the guy next to him. graphics inserted on top of it, and pushed to the TV truck without any They grew up with the data, playing NHL (video games). It was all about manual effort. the data and which player you wanted on your team. It’s the same thing now, but in real life.” “The truck can say show me positioning on this particular goal and they can pull up a clip that’s going to have those graphics pre-rendered on The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 them,” Nodine said. “So there’s a system that’s predictively saying, we want to go and pre-render these three or four views after a goal happens, so they’ll be ready for replay right after this. There may be goals where you want to highlight the speed of the pass, or how fast the player was skating on that particular goal. It gives rightsholders a lot more tools for telling stories, right?”

If you think about it, in sports such as baseball and football, there are quick bursts of actions followed by long breaks, in which the broadcasters can take their time telling stories about the teams and individuals. But in hockey, unless it’s a TV timeout, there may only be 10- 15 seconds before play resumes.

“There’s very little downtime to pull fans in and educate fans on what’s happening and to give them backstories so that they can develop a greater sense of connection,” Lehanski said. “So we recognized that if we 1172697 Websites Take the abuse, both physical and verbal, and try to not change the way he plays.

Wait and see. See if the game naturally takes him to some sort of point of The Athletic / Bourne Notebook: What should Matthew Tkachuk do? And conflict, but try to put it out of his mind until then. why the ‘just get in’ playoff mentality is flawed I’m pretty sure some version of option No. 2 will be his goal. The Flames won the last game on the backs of a Kassian snapshow, and Tkachuk doesn’t strike me as someone who’s just going to disappear next game, By Justin Bourne Jan 24, 2020 73 so the goal would be to stay physical and annoying and effective.

I’d like to see him take the first option, and just acknowledge that the hits he threw on Kassian in the previous game were predatory and that he’ll This time of year, we commonly hear some form of the claim that “You honour that borderline behaviour by addressing it with his target directly. just gotta get in (the playoffs) and then it’s anyone’s game.” Just get You’d rather not see him use the rules as cover to pretend all is well there, get a ticket to the dance, and it’s a whole new season, right? given that, yes, the hits on Kassian during their last matchup were legal. Well, no. They may have been legal, but they weren’t clean, so I do find myself in the camp who understands Kassian’s frustration. Yes, technically, “everyone has a chance,” and no, the best regular season team doesn’t win or even make the final every year. Just look at Speaking of frustrating, the fans might be with the upcoming game on the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, hahaha! (You get the point.) Jan. 29, because the Flames and Oilers play again on Feb. 1. That means that the window in which we can expect some attempt at Well, here’s a reminder that the teams that were in the final were the retribution is much longer, meaning you could understand Kassian being second-best team in the East behind Tampa in Boston and a badly more patient, focusing on winning in his return from suspension and misremembered St. Lous Blues team. The Blues were plenty of better trying to pick his spot. That’s a big point in all this – these are huge preseason pundits picks (I believe Peter Piper picked them) to go to the divisional points for two teams in a standings dog fight. Cup final, because – wait for it – they were one of the league’s best teams. They missed out on winning the difficult Central Division by a What the league would like to read here, and what the more pacifistic single loser point. They ended up as a top-10 possession team. They hockey fans would like, is for me to say that Tkachuk had to deal with didn’t wildly overachieve in the second half, they just had a terrible first Kassian raining blows on him as an unwilling combatant and that nothing half before their results better started to mirror their true talent. else needs to happen. That the way Kassian went about it was all wrong and that the hockey matters most here and that should be the focus. But But this isn’t about the Blues. The teams who’ve won the Cup the past this is the rare instance where you hear the bulk players from basically dozen years or so have been the Hall-of-Famer-laden Detroit Red Wings, every level, beer league and beyond, on the same page. They don’t like the stacked Chicago Blackhawks, the loaded Pittsburgh Penguins, the how Tkachuk went about the chased hits or the “hey whoa I’m getting heavy Los Angeles Kings, the aforementioned Blues and an jumped for no reason” follow-up act, and they expect him to have to face Ovi/Backstrom-led playoff-experienced Capitals team. up to the situation somehow. Must-see TV.

One of the legitimately best few teams almost always wins gets muddled So much of shooting “release” is mental because people remember that the Kings won their Cups as eight-and- six seeds, which misses that by not-very advanced stats, all signs One thing I try to avoid doing is using the word “release” when pointed to them actually being elite teams. By quite mainstream puck referencing a player’s slapshot or one-timer. I’ve railed about this before, possession metrics (just percentage of shot attempts taken in their but you can’t have a much different “release” on a slapshot than you can games), they were first and second in the league, respectively, those two have a release on a batted baseball. Yes, you can have different levels of years. power and torque and those things, but there’s no real different measure of on-the-blade off-the-blade from any one-timer to the next. You can That’s hardly the same as sneaking into the 16th and final playoff spot as only hit it. a middle of pack possession team and imagining you have just as good a chance as the other 15 teams embarking on the journey to Lord Stanley. Release then, to me, refers to how quickly players who have the puck Sneaking in as a “meh” team just means you finish April 14 instead of can go from not shooting to oh-my-god-he-already-shot-it-and-it’s- April 4 with a slightly worse draft pick come June. already-in. That can be catch-and-release plays or plays where a player in possession is doing something else and then WHAM, it’s off their This is super relevant right now, as teams like Columbus and Winnipeg blade. Or in the case of a guy like Auston Matthews, it can refer to the and Chicago and the Rangers all take the next few weeks to “see if they oddities in the motion that make it so hard to predict and stop. can really get in the playoff race” before deciding if it’s gonna be buy or sell time at the deadline. An under-discussed detail of release is the mental aspect. To fire a shot quick before anyone else is even set, you have to be a step ahead in I’m not saying every team that makes the push to the playoffs without a your brain. You have to decide and execute (basically before you get the realistic chance at the Cup is silly. I think there’s value from getting your puck) while other players are still evaluating and assessing. A player young guys into more meaningful games to honestly trying to be as that’s improved this aspect of their game is Toronto’s Dmytro Timashov, competitive as possible and all that. I think you generally owe it to your who can serve as our example of what we’re talking about here. One team and fans and owner to put a good honest foot forward. It’s a whole goal of Timashov’s in particular seems to me like one where the lot better for the people involved than the idea of aiming for a high draft Timashov in the minors would’ve caught the pass and run through a pick by writing off a season at the deadline. And sure, “you never know,” progression in his brain; the NHL version just one-timed the puck. and all that. That’s a pretty simple looking play, I know. But getting to where you But all those teams I mentioned above are in the bottom third of the NHL figure out what’s offensively effective for you isn’t easy, and some guys in shot share (I didn’t include the Canadiens you’ll note, as they’re a top- never get there. end team by shot metrics). They’re not going to “do what the Blues did” this year. Those are not comparable situations. It depends on what your I had initially noticed his improvement on a couple plays that kinda franchise goals truly are. Are they to win a Cup? Or is a playoff round an became nothing, which made me dig back to some old clips I found of organizational win? Because if they’re “win the Cup as soon as possible,” him in the AHL where the mental process was just too slow for his their general managers should probably act accordingly in the coming “release” to look good. We always see and hear about great releases, weeks and sell, not buy. but it’s rare to see the other side highlighted. With all due respect to Timashov, the mental part of his release used to leave something to be OK, so what should Matthew Tkachuk do next game? desired.

There’s only a few options available to Matthew Tkachuk when the puck Those are great examples of the mental side of the release. It’s not like drops in the next Battle of Alberta, and I suspect I know which one he’ll he’s incapable of getting pucks off quick, it’s just a matter of deciding to select. Those options are: do so in time for the shots to be effective. So when you hear people talking about release, remember: almost all players can get the puck off Fight straight out of the gate. Get it out of the way, put the sideshow to quick … once they decide to get the puck off. rest and get on to the rest of the game. So much of “quick release” is mental, where the player just decides to fire before anyone expects.

Evaluating goaltenders

I’m becoming more convinced of late that we’re going to get better at evaluating goaltending. Right now we tend to look at save percentage, which is definitely helpful, but it feels a bit like plus/minus. It can be tough to assess just who was responsible for any given goal against, and so the number isn’t clearly representative of just a single player. I see more “goals saved above average” in my timeline (check out @ChartingHockey to see that semi-regularly), which factors in expected goals (meaning if you face more high danger shots then the next goalie, you’ve had a harder workload, and the metric reflects that), and that feels like progress … depending on how you feel about “expected goals.” But there’s still questions about the effects of systems, and shot velocities, and there’s just so much more to answer about the position.

Given the importance of goaltending, and the number of people who get and lose jobs based on the success of it, I’m expecting a big push in evaluating goalies in the coming years. The small sample sizes they face has always made it a challenge, but it just feels like we’re in the dark ages on predicting goalies right now. I think it’s safe to bet on that changing.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172698 Websites wooden stick – and didn’t even tweak it much throughout a two-decade NHL career.

“Now mind you, it was a different curve than what most would use,” he The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: Al MacInnis on his booming shot, explained. “A lot of people described it as like a 7-iron or an 8-iron benefits of a wooden stick and his distaste for one-timers because the way I had it curved. But that started back in junior. Even in the NHL, for my first number of years, you were always trying to make sure the curve was legal so you weren’t worried, at the end of the game, By Eric Duhatschek Jan 24, 2020 53 if you were going to get challenged for using an illegally curved stick. Because I knew, if I was out there late and we were down a goal, the guy that was going to get challenged was me.”

MacInnis, who retired in 2004, won it seven times in the first 14 years it Oddly enough, in 30 years of holding the hardest-shot competition, only was held. He began his championship run with back-to-back victories in three forwards have ever won it – Freddie Modin, Sergei Fedorov and 1991 and 1992; won it four years in a row between 1997 and 2000; then two years ago, Alex Ovechkin. managed one last hurrah in 2003. MacInnis says he believes one of the advantages he had over bigger, MacInnis is now the Blues’ senior advisor to the general manager. Once stronger competitors was that he spent a lot of time practicing his shot it became known that St. Louis was the host city for this year’s festivities, from a standing start. there was a suggestion on social media that MacInnis should participate “My motto was stop, look and shoot,” MacInnis said. “And I felt that I in the hardest-shot competition so he could take on today’s contemporary players. could shoot harder than most from a standstill. It’d be interesting to me today to see what the difference in the velocity would be, one if the Any interest in that, Al? players were standing still, and two, if they had to use a wooden stick.”

“No, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” MacInnis replied with a laugh. Back in December, or before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, I “One, I haven’t skated. I haven’t been on the ice since the Winter Classic asked then-Flame Michael Frolik to test a wooden stick used by Mario that was in St. Louis, and leading up to that, I just don’t skate anymore. Lemieux at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and compare it to Once the kids got to an age where I wasn’t coaching them, I just didn’t today’s stick. Frolik spent about five minutes skating around the have the appetite to get on the ice anymore. I can’t even remember the Saddledome ice, trying different things, and afterward, he talked about last time I actually tried to take a slap shot, to be honest. how he liked the feel of the wood on the puck, as he was handling it. But when it came time to shoot, the shaft was unforgivingly stiff. Nowadays, if “Trust me,” he said, after another pause. “I have – whatever you want to you watch a slow-motion replay of a player using a whippy stick with a call it, a legacy or something – of being a hard shooter. I don’t want to ton of flex, it can look like a crossbow at the point of impact. ruin that image.” That would have been impossible with an old-fashioned wood stick. As to anyone wondering whatever happened to that 97-mile-per-hour slap shot? “True,” MacInnis. said “Believe me, the composite sticks now are made a lot different and a lot better than when I actually tried them in the past. “I want to leave that where it is,” MacInnis said. But that’s exactly what I didn’t like about them at the time – that I couldn’t feel the puck nearly as well I did with the wooden stick. You’d come Still, for any visitors to St. Louis this weekend, they can see a statue of around the net and you weren’t even sure if you had the damn thing on MacInnis outside the Enterprise Center, and the pose would be familiar the end of your blade or not. And if you looked down, you’d end up on to anyone that ever watched him in his playing days – stick raised high your ass. above the head, winding up, ready to launch a bullet on goal. MacInnis did a lot of damage with that shot, which was sometimes wildly high – like “The other thing that I found with the composite sticks when I first tried a Nolan Ryan fastball – just to keep opponents honest. them, there was zero bend in the blade. By contrast, the wooden blade had some give. That’s another reason where I felt I got extra velocity Even with all the changes in technology through the arc of his career, from my shot with the wooden blade – because there was a little bit of MacInnis said he stuck almost exclusively (he briefly experimented with give and it would whip back when the puck would come off the blade. early versions of a composite stick in the final third of his career) with the “If you tried to twist a composite stick blade, it was impossible. All of the “I’ll tell you a funny story about that. I was living with Dan Quinn in torque from the new sticks comes from the shaft, where I felt with the Calgary – and Dan was one of the best Ontario amateur golfers, an wooden sticks, at least the ones I used, a lot of the torque came from the unbelievable player who played all the time and always used to try and blade.” get me out to play.

MacInnis then mentioned that he too had a couple of Mario Lemieux “And I’d say: ‘How can you play that boring, silly game? And not only sticks from the Salt Lake City Olympics in his personal collection. (They how do you play it, why do you watch so much of it on TV?’ So, it’s 1986, were teammates on that 2002 Canadian gold-medal-winning team). and Danny Quinn has the Masters tournament on TV and I started watching it with him and that was the year Jack Nicklaus won his last “When I look at the stick he used, you realize how good Mario really Masters. was,” MacInnis said. “It was so different than mine, but the way he could shoot with that pattern. I was like, how did he do that? And I’m sure “That got me hooked on golf. That day was the day I started playing. In people said the same thing about my pattern – but looking at Mario’s and ’86, I would have been 23 years old, I guess. So that’s when I first what he did with that, it’s like ‘holy shit, was he ever good?’” started. So, for me, it didn’t really translate onto the golf course. But I love the game and I play all the time and I hit the ball fine, but maybe not That same day Frolik did the stick experiment with me, a trio of former what you might think.” NHLers – Keith Tkachuk, Craig Conroy and Martin Gelinas – were gathered in the Flames stick room, sharing war stories about MacInnis’s Probably what MacInnis considers to be fine would be far better than shot. Conroy recalled a time when MacInnis inflicted a lot of damage with most people would ever imagine. that shot when they were teammates together with the Blues. “When people see me on the range, they always ask me that question,” “There was one week, we played Chicago, and he broke (Jocelyn) MacInnis said. “I think the problem was, when I shot a puck, I always Thibault’s hand and Steve Dubinsky’s foot in the same game,” said rolled my hips straight ahead, where in golf, you almost have to rotate Conroy. “Then he broke another foot in the next game and then another your hips more. So, when I started playing golf, obviously I had this huge one in the game after that. So, there were three games in a row, when he slice – because my hips were always swaying, and my hands could broke someone’s foot or hand in a game.” never catch up. So, the athleticism probably transferred over – but not a lot else did. And because MacInnis’s shot inspired so much fear and trepidation in opponents, it also gave him a second advantage: The ability to fake a “Put it this way: If I had to hit as many golf balls as a kid as I shot pucks, shot and pass the puck to an open teammate. it probably would have transferred over a bit more.”

“He would hit (Pierre) Turgeon, so many times, back door, for an easy All-Star this and that goal,” Conroy said. “I’m thinking, ‘I want to be out there, doing that, getting that tap-in.’ He made it look so easy.” Of the 44 players originally selected to play in the All-Star Game – either via two separate fan votes or by the NHL hockey operations department Tkachuk made one further interesting observation, noting: “Al was the – 12 aren’t going to be in St. Louis, including the latest withdrawal, best with the shot-pass, but did you ever notice that he never one-timed Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good news is his the puck? Go back and Watch videos of Al. He didn’t like the one-timer. replacement is the Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, which means both brothers He always wanted to stop the puck and steady it and then shoot it.” – Brady and Matthew Tkachuk – get to participate in an All-Star game in the city, where they grew up. Sometimes it’s important to follow the “It’s true, I didn’t like the one-timer,” MacInnis agreed. “Very, very rarely advice of the great underrated band, The Kinks – and “Give the People did I ever one time the puck. What They Want.”

“It’s why I never liked playing the offside on the power play either – just The Metropolitan Division has been hit especially hard hit: Five players for that reason. I just felt I never had enough control to one-time it, and I withdrew because of injury (Jake Guentzel, Artemi Panarin, Dougie also felt that it’d kind of limited your options. I felt if I stopped the puck, Hamilton, Kyle Palmieri and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo), along with one, I could shoot it hard enough to maybe beat the goalie. forward Alex Ovechkin, who opted out for the second year in a row to rest up for the stretch drive. “But two, I could change my mind for a shot-pass, whether it was down the strong side or to get it (Joe) Nieuwendyk at the off post. I just felt I Ovechkin went into the All-Star break red hot – recording a pair of hat had better options on my strong side. And to be honest with you, the tricks to get to 34 goals on the season, tied for second with Matthews, other reason is I just didn’t want to hurt a teammate – just because I three behind league-leader David Pastrnak. didn’t have that control over it.” Ovechkin’s break will extend to the Caps’ first game back, next Monday MacInnis was always aware of the damage that his shot could do. against Montreal, due to his one-game suspension for skipping the All- Star weekend under NHL protocols. Once, years ago, he told me about a time when Jerry Korab, playing for the Buffalo Sabres, stumbled on a penalty-kill attempt and all MacInnis Two other veterans – Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask and Vegas could see as he wound up for his shot was Korab’s unprotected face goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury also withdrew in the same manner as coming right towards him. And so, MacInnis pulled back, stepped aside Ovechkin, though Rask was subsequently injured and so wouldn’t be and made a pass instead. And as Korab was sliding past, MacInnis going anyway. heard a faint, ‘thank you’ from the Sabres defenseman. Just by the nature of the event – freewheeling, zero checking, 3-on-3 Did MacInnis remember telling that story? play all the time – goalies generally don’t do well at the All-Star festivities, so their absences probably wouldn’t be all that noticeable, except to their “ It’s one of the few I do remember,” he answered. “I’m pretty sure it was own team’s fans. a 5-on-3 situation, and he came out on that triangle and toe-picked and stumbled. I looked up and his eyes are as big as manhole covers. You But Ovechkin’s presence, at a time when he is reeling in one Hall of just can’t shoot there, right? So, you step aside and you’re dead on, Famer after another on the all-time goals-scored list, would matter. that’s exactly how it happened. As he went sliding by, he just said, ‘thanks.’ So, absolutely that’s a true story.” In fact, if Ovechkin had turned up, I can’t imagine a more in-demand player when it comes to interviews – and promoting the league, which is Golf anyone? really what this event is all about anyway: One giant exercise in selling the product that is NHL hockey — and keeping sponsors happy. Now that he’s retired, MacInnis spends a lot of time in the offseason on the golf course, which naturally leads to the question: Does his ability to Ovechkin is closing in on 700 goals – a storyline you’ll read lots about in shoot a puck so well translate to golf? the next month or so (he is eight goals short as of today).

And the short answer is, no, it does not. I’m on record as vigorously supporting veteran players who’ve worked tirelessly to promote the NHL in getting an occasional pass in these “I mean, I hit it decently,” MacInnis said, “but not what you might think. must-attend All-Star appearances – and have suggested that they should And I think part of that is because I started golf later in my career. get a mulligan every other year or so, to take a breather heading into the stretch drive. Another option might be to give a pass to any player that advanced to the Conference finals in the previous year’s playoffs because they were dealing with a far shorter summer than their peers.

But this is one year where it’s too bad Ovechkin didn’t make the effort to go. His absence will be keenly felt.

Last man in

The NHL has tried any number of procedures for conducting fan votes in the past, and some of their flawed methods have put them in awkward situations, because of ballot-box stuffing.

Remember Zemgus Girgensons’ inclusion in 2015, when all of Latvia stacked the box in his favor?

Or the year John Scott made it, even if he wasn’t even an NHL regular at the time he was elected?

He probably would have only played every third shift anyway, unless you were in a close game, and suddenly, someone needed to be double shifted.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172699 Websites was available — light versions of the shots and rebounds “markings” as well as “play animations,” but I think they realized that the play animations actually gave the bulk of the raw data away, so those got removed from the website in early 2016 if memory serves. You can still The Athletic / What the NHL can learn from the NBA about player find some partial season repositories of tracking data on GitHub and tracking other places if you look.

When the average fan thinks tracking, I would guess that they’re hoping for new stats, not unlike the “pre-processed dashboard stats” you By Seth Partnow and Dom Luszczyszyn Jan 24, 2020 28 mention. The NHL’s stat-sheet is woefully bare and even a tiny sliver of those types of numbers would be a step-up. Do you have any insight into what kind of pre-packaged metrics might come from tracking? What You may have heard the rumors. For years, whispers in the same should hockey fans expect? hushed, reverential tones as discussions of the Glengarry leads told of the wonders that player tracking data would bring to the NHL. Need to First of all, transforming what have heretofore been bespoke often better understand shot quality? Tracking data will provide the answers. manually tracked “microstats” into “official” stats will be huge. All of the Create a model that fully controls for teammates and competition in “events” that make up the run of play of hockey can be separately assessing player value? Tracking data will identify who is driving play identified, cataloged and analyzed. Accurate shift length, possibly and who is just along for the ride. What shots are scoring chances and including some evaluation of that “in-between” time that can make which are as dangerous as a routine groundout? Tracking data will fully plus/minus stats so messy for events, which happen while one or both define shot quality too. teams are executing line changes. Distance and speed skated. Passes. Goalie positioning on shots. Those are all somewhat straightforward Basketball has had player tracking for several seasons now, with 2019- actions involving only one or two players each. 20 representing the seventh season with special cameras (SportVU from 2013-14 thru 2016-17 and Second Spectrum since) in every home arena. On top of that, somewhat more complicated but still fairly intuitive Over that span, over 99 percent of games have been captured — with a multiplayer actions such as zone entries/exits and puck battles. Directly few games missing each year either due to games played in non- measuring possession time (more on this below) rather than relying on standard arenas or the rare technical glitch. For hockey, that day is shots as a proxy. coming soon. The first several years of data will provide far more in the way of Last year at the All-Star Game, the league announced its intentions and it descriptive statistics than anything else. But these are incredibly looks like the 2020 postseason is when we’ll start seeing it in action, with valuable. You can hand track a number of games now and note that the the system being tested this weekend at the NHL All-Star festivities in St. Penguins carry the puck into the offensive zone X percent of the time at Louis. 5-on-5. Is that good? Without knowing the rates for other teams and the league as a whole, it’s hard to say. Having that data for the whole league While tracking data has allowed for substantial advances in game will be immensely helpful in terms of putting some numbers to the things analysis, covering everything from tracking pick and rolls, defensive we already strongly suspect are differentiators among teams. matchups and even measuring athletic exertion to assist in “load management,” basketball is not yet solved. Parsing the raw location What advantages did having access to the private data have relative to information to gain actionable insights has been a lengthy process, with what’s available to the public? each new discovery leading to several more questions. Just having the data in more granular detail at an event-by-event level Hockey is not basketball, yet there are enough similarities between the allows for a lot of agility in terms of asking and answering thoughtful two sports to allow for some guidance as far as what to expect, what the questions. effects might be and the difficulties which may arise. For example, we now have expected effective field goal percentage What follows is a discussion of these topics by The Athletic’s Dom (xEFG%) models, which are analogous to xG models in hockey. Much Luszczyszyn and Seth Partnow, the latter having worked extensively with like in hockey, shot location is one of, if not the most important factor in the NBA’s tracking data, first as editor of The Nylon Calculus then as the efficiency of a given shot attempt. However, there is so much more Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks before joining going on at the time of each shot that we’re excluding more than we’re The Athletic. including. Adding in contextual clues about the shooter, like how many dribbles he has taken before the shot and his direction and velocity of DL: Let’s start off big picture. In broad terms, what’s in the NBA tracking movement, aid estimation of expectation greatly. Not to mention, you data? Who has access? What percentage has been publicly available? know, defense.

SP: So, short version, as part of the league’s agreement with outside Exactly. For hockey, some manual tracking entities have surmised that vendors, first STATS, Inc. with the SportVU system and now Second what happens before the shot is even taken carries great weight too Spectrum, all 30 teams got access to the raw X/Y location data. For (Alex Novet at Hockey Graphs did some great work on that here). teams mostly used to working in Excel workbook-sized spaces, the Knowing whether a pass preceded the shot, where the pass came from, complexities of 900,000 data points per game was a little overwhelming. how the angle changed for the goalie – all that plus things like actual shot So the league also required provision of a certain level of pre-processed speed, whether someone was screening the goalie and defensive “dashboard” stats. Those dashboard stats don’t look terribly different coverage have an effect that tracking data should be able to better from what you can see today on the Player and Team Tracking tabs of assess. stats.nba.com — high level rollups of player and team performance in important areas like shooting, passing and even player movement and While a lot of variables that go into an xG model are going to be possession time. correlated with each other, even examining shots using only one or two of those variables can provide some useful insights. For example, the Since at least 2014-15, Second Spectrum has also offered a premium chart below illustrates important elements of the effects of defensive service that allows for much more granular investigation of that sort of pressure on 3-point shooting in the NBA: event data — “markings files” in their parlance. The markings include detailed information, including time, court location, players involved, Knowing that the league average shot is equivalent to somewhere in the various game and possession identifiers and other relevant details. It’s 34.0-34.5 percent range of 3-point accuracy, just this simple binning of not just about shots, picks and rebounds, but also more fundamental the data allows for an examination of which teams not just take or allow a building blocks like passes and even individual dribbles. These are the lot of 3s, but which ones generate or percent good 3-point looks. It output of some reasonably complex algorithms that Second Spectrum doesn’t take too much imagination to see how a similar method might be has spent years tuning, and this premium access runs low six figures in useful for, I don’t know, goalie evaluation? terms of annual cost, but is sufficiently useful enough that, to my While the above chart is derived from publicly available data, the private knowledge, 28 of 30 teams purchased last season. data allows for easy inclusion of many other factors, which can be used By my estimation, the public gets to see or access a very small sliver of to produce a substantially more accurate model of shot quality. And the tracking data and tracking-derivable stats, certainly under 10 percent these opportunities exist throughout the data set. and probably closer to two or three percent. There was a time when more How difficult is the data to work with – ie, how many people in the public Starting to quantify the value of ball movement was another early one. would even be able to handle it? How many data points are we dealing Much like rim protection, it was something that was of observable with per game? importance, but until we could identify missed potentially assisted shots, we couldn’t do real apples to apples comparisons. The raw tracking data is kind of a bear. For an NBA game, it produces around 900,000 data points. Because the NHL will be using chips in Finding some of the contours of how defensive proximity and movement pucks and shoulder pads as opposed to special cameras, this number affects shot expectancy was big, and I think either directly or indirectly will be an order of magnitude higher, as the “frame rate” could be up to 8 informs some of the trends we’ve seen in NBA defense over the last few times higher. We’re talking around nine million data points per game. years. Now you can probably cut that down a fair amount as for most tasks 200 observations per second is severe overkill. But even at lower frame rates, Were there any false positives early on, where someone seemed to pulling “hockey events” out of raw spatio-temporal data is going to be a uncover a new insight from the data, only to have that debunked later? challenge. The difficulties will involve both mathematical/statistical I don’t know about false positives so much as when working with data at expertise — the techniques needed are going to be well beyond those this level of detail, seemingly innocuous changes in how one “asks the possessed by many of those who have been working with far simpler question” of the data can dramatically change the result. At least initially, data sets like play-by-play — and hockey-specific reasoning and I think the most likely causes of confusion will be where the colloquial knowledge. understanding of a hockey term or game event doesn’t match how that For example, similar patterns of movement will mean very different things concept is identified or categorized in the processing of the data. We still depending on which team has the puck and where it is located at a given have this problem all the time in basketball, especially for ambiguous time. Determining possession is straightforward in basketball because concepts like matchups (which I addressed a bit here). Understanding the existing play-by-play data identifies the team in possession with a precisely what a stat is and just as importantly isn’t counting or high degree of accuracy. That kind of possession data doesn’t exist yet measuring is going to be vitally important in employing these new metrics for hockey, hence the need for Corsi/Fenwick! well.

So determining which team has possession is the first order of business, The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 and that will require some hard analytical choices, some hockey expertise and then going back and forth between algorithmic results and film study to make sure possession is being categorized accurately. Then, every sort of “action” or event is going to have to follow the same iterative process. It’s a LOT of work.

My understanding is that unlike the NBA’s third-party system, the NHL will operate the system and own the data. Thus, a lot of the definitional stuff can be done at the league level before it gets to teams, broadcasters and the public. Still, given the complexity, my intuition is that the tracking-derived stats are likely to come in stages after rigorous testing and internal audit.

So we shouldn’t expect a lot of fun new stats to chew on right off the jump?

Depends on what you mean by “fun.”

Are you going to have stuff like power play formation tracking or forecheck success rates out of the box? Probably not. However, I suspect that there is going to be some kind of “enhanced play-by-play” that will include more events that are tracked more consistently than at present. What shape that will take, I don’t know. But my guess is that the tools to build improved xG (not perfect but significantly better) models will be available in reasonably short order.

In the NHL there’s a bit of a running gag of, “Well, we won’t know until we get tracking data” — was that similar in the NBA? What were some of the things that people were hoping to uncover with tracking data before it became a reality?

SP: I don’t think basketball people really knew what it was going to be before they started to see it. I think if you had asked folks about what they were looking forward to, a lot of the answers would have looked like the ones Corey Masisak got from members of the New Jersey Devils: How fast and how much is everyone moving, and how will teams try to use this to screw me in my next contract negotiations?

I think among data-literate fans and front office types, the experience of the NBA with tracking data has raised expectations to the level where there is probably going to be a bit of “wait, that’s it?” At least initially. Allow me to just rip the bandaid off so there is no confusion: Hockey will not be “solved” by puck and player tracking. At least not anytime soon.

Fair enough! I figured as much, but there are a lot of questions that it should help answer. On that note, What was the first big discovery from tracking data and how long did it take to get there (including getting a reasonable enough sample)?

Probably the first big discoveries were in the area of rim protection. Which players were good at suppressing opponent shooting percentages around the basket. There were some early Sloan papers and presentations on the topic, and this is where I focused a lot of my early efforts during the 2013-14 season, when data was first released as well. It turns out these numbers stabilize pretty quickly, but, of course, we didn’t know that at the time when there was only a season or two of coverage of the entire league to look at. 1172700 Websites the weekend. You don’t get that after college right now. It’s no fault of either league, it’s just the reality of the situation. But it sucks.

A great example is when the Beauts were partnered with the Sabres and The Athletic / PWHPA board member Alyssa Gagliardi on the NWHL, the Pegulas of what could be. I know as a player on Boston last year, NHL and boycotters’ vision for women’s hockey everyone was jealous of the Beauts. They had the best setup, they were getting extra ice time and skill sessions and different accommodations. It just gave you a feeling of, like, this is how it should be for every female.

By Lyndsey D'Arcangelo Jan 24, 2020 39 Is that kind of the blueprint — a league where women’s teams could partner with NHL teams, similar to the WNBA?

Yeah, potentially. I don’t have a blueprint sitting in front of me. But I think, Alyssa Gagliardi has been around the women’s hockey block. From like you said, the WNBA is really good example of … I was actually just Cornell to the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League reading an article about the start of the WNBA and I think knowing how (CWHL) to the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League they’ve been able to launch, and that was 25 years ago. Nobody was (NWHL), the defender has seen how different leagues operate and lived propping up women’s sports 25 years ago except for the WNBA. It was through the ups and downs. The Raleigh, N.C., native also spent time on pretty much the only thing. Knowing they have seen success with that, I the U.S. women’s national team and competed in the Four Nations Cup think it seems to makes sense that women’s hockey could try something in 2014 and ’15. similar. That breadth of experience has given her a healthy perspective on where How does the WNBA’s CBA announcement last week inspire the women’s hockey is and what still needs to improve — something that PWHPA to further its commitment to getting what they feel women’s came to a head this past spring when people in the women’s hockey hockey players deserve? community started to have serious discussions about the future of the sport. That led to a group of players boycotting the NWHL and forming The biggest thing when you first see that news is just like, it’s possible. It the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). could take time and you know it will take time, and it’s making sure you Gagliardi decided to become an active member of the PWHPA Board of have the marketing and the media infrastructure and all these different, Player Representatives to help address the issues at the forefront of the really key steps to get there. But that’s so awesome to know that there’s movement: player salaries, benefits and resources. female athletes out there getting that, especially on a team sport. I think it’s hard to compare women’s basketball or women’s hockey to tennis. In The Athletic recently caught up with Gagliardi, 27, to discuss the women’s tennis, they make equal to the men. But knowing that the outcome of the PWHPA Dream Gap Tour, parallels with the WNBA, WNBA did that for team sports is just really exciting. whether the PWHPA has a blueprint from which to start a new league, possible NHL involvement, the group’s interaction with the NWHL and When the WNBA launched in 1997, there were other women’s basketball more. leagues functioning, such as the American Basketball League (ABL). What’s stopping the PWHPA from starting a league now, regardless of How is the Dream Gap Tour going so far in your estimation and what whether or not the NWHL is in existence? does it mean for the PWHPA going forward? I think the biggest thing is it’s about the long term. We don’t want to just I think the Dream Gap Tour, from our perspective, has been really rush to start something new. Again, kind of going back to being able to successful. It’s something that kind of snowballed starting last summer. really partner with existing markets and professional organizations, I And I think we weren’t really sure where it was going to go, to be honest. think, is what could really help the longevity of the game. It sucks that It was a big undertaking to be able to put on these events, especially there’s a lot of really good players right now who aren’t playing in — I early on. The players were doing a lot to make those events happen. I don’t want to say they aren’t meaningful games, but you know the Dream don’t think we really knew what we were in for, but I think we’re really Gap Tour is not a league by any means. And it’s a shame. But we’ve all happy with how things have turned out. had that internal discussion with ourselves. My playing days are very We have Philadelphia coming up in February and I think there’s going to numbered. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I work with the be a few other small events being announced in the next few weeks. So Hurricanes organization, and I get to see all these young girls that love all things considered, I think we’re excited about the conversations we’ve hockey. And you really want to make sure that 10, 15 years down the been able to start about the future of the game and showcase some line, there’s a really good future for them. really good talent at all of these events. (Courtesy of Michelle Jay) Beyond the Feb. 29–March 1 showcase in Philadelphia, do you have Are the PWHPA and NWHL communicating? Is there hope for plans for more? Could we see the tour extending into other cities in the collaboration in the future? near future? Yeah, there’s been some communication. I think some of it is Right now, I know there are some more smaller, one-off events that are confidential, so I can’t speak too much to that. But I have a bunch of probably going to be happening between now and, obviously, World friends still playing in the NWHL and there’s no animosity. Everyone’s Championships at the end of the women’s season. That’s not to say situation was different when all this happened. I think one time I there won’t be things after that. But right now, our focus is on wrapping compared it to having different political views. Everybody wants what is up these last few events — Philadelphia should be great with the Flyers best for the sport. But you’re just seeing two different ways of getting being in on that — and then getting into the World Championships. there. I think one of the lingering questions that women’s hockey fans have is Social media is what it is, but everything always feels like it does turn to whether the PWHPA has a timeline or a specific plan in place for pitting against one another when really, it’s not what people make it out launching a new, viable professional women’s hockey league? to be. I think people create that narrative. Like I said, I have a lot of Right now, it’s just focusing on these next couple of stops of the Dream friends still on the Boston team and a friend here in North Carolina who Gap Tour and kind of getting through the season. I think we remain plays for the Riveters. You root for them. You cheer for your friends. I hopeful that an opportunity to create something that would allow … I think it just comes down to having some differences on how to create the mean, at the end of the day, our goal is to create something where best future (for women’s hockey). playing hockey is a living and not a side job, not a twice-a-week practice, What is the PWHPA’s view of players like Jordan Juron who ultimately you know? It’s full time staff, too. The biggest thing is, at all levels of decide to return to the ice, specifically in the NWHL? women’s hockey, there’s so many people who are behind it and willing to literally do it for free or for very little money. And we want to make sure I think it falls in line with the same thing — everyone’s situation is that what comes next would offer an opportunity for a living for more than different. And people’s situations change. It is what it is. I don’t think just the players. anyone was going to be super pissed about it. I don’t know what’s going on in (Juron’s) life, if she had a change of heart or if she wanted to play. It’s kind of crazy. I was explaining to somebody the other day, since There could be a million factors. And I think, again, it’s just kind of seeing college — back in 2014 when I graduated — I haven’t been on the ice in things from both perspectives. That’s the most important part. consecutive days. We were practicing five days a week and we’d play on It’s been reported that the PWHPA is holding out for the NHL to get involved and back a new women’s league. Is there any truth to that?

Of course, I’ve heard those conversations. Do we know if the NHL is going to do something? Not really. I think we look at the WNBA model and see the success that’s had and the longevity that’s had, and I think that is something that is definitely appealing. But it’s really just about trying to create something, whether it’s the support of an existing league like the NHL or not. But where this really becomes a full-time job, the resources are there, the training is there. I think anyone that has graduated college that’s not on the national team, it’s kind of like, I wonder how good I could have been if I could have still practiced at a very high level and not have to go to work and then practice at eight o’clock at night.

How good could this game really be if it had that kind of investment?

What do you want in a new league? What are your expectations in terms of compensation, benefits, etc.?

I don’t think anyone is talking about making million-dollar contracts by any means. But something that you can live in the city of Boston or something like that, and live off of that. I think in terms of salary and things like that, that would be a really great starting point. And things like being able to practice every day and not at seven, eight or nine o’clock at night. Being able to practice with the team and have that be people’s first priority. To no one’s fault, but sometimes you get to practice and people have work obligations that, of course, takes priority because that’s their main job. But again, it’s just the reality of the situation.

So being able to practice consistently, train consistently, have a staff that will do video sessions and really have the time to break it down and really level up the game I think are the biggest things. And then the marketing and media infrastructure to get the word out there that women’s hockey is an option and it’s here to stay for the long term. As women’s sports in general continues to snowball the momentum, I think it’s really exciting. And again you look at the new CBA agreement with the WNBA and think, wow, that’s really cool. It took time, it wasn’t overnight by any means, but to be able to have that kind of setup in the long run would amazing.

The future of the pro game also needs to involve the best women from around the world. Most of the conversations revolve solely around players in the U.S. and Canada, but there are incredible players from Europe and other parts of the world that need to be included in a best-on- best league in order for a league to be successful and sustainable. This requires visas, adequate funding/livable wages and knowing it’s the best competition possible to consider moving across the world.

What is it about this point in time that has inspired so many women athletes to demand better for their sport, for their generation’s sake and the ones that follow?

That’s a good question. Going back to the WNBA again, they started before there was social media. And things like social media have given everyone a voice, but specifically women’s sports and female athletes to grow and build their personal brand, their team brand, organizations, and I think that’s a really huge opportunity because it’s not just naturally given to women. You have to take care of yourself a little bit. In this time with technology, being able to create more fans and spread the word more easily is probably one of the biggest reasons. And when you see one athlete or one sport do it, it inspires the next sport and the next athlete, and you see it snowball over and over from there.

Something Billie Jean King has told us from day one is, “Don’t just be grateful for the crumbs; you want the whole cake.” That’s something that continues to inspire us and remind us that we want to fight for more.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172701 Websites best defencemen in the format, grading out as the strongest here. He has 10 points in 64 minutes over the last three seasons and a 9-4 goal advantage. Carlson, with an average 3-on-3 Game Score of 0.75 is the second strongest defender, giving the Metropolitan a solid 1-2 punch. The Athletic / By the numbers: Ranking the 2020 All-Star teams to see which squad has the best chance to win it all 3-on-3 Dud: Holtby has the worst save percentage here, but we already ragged on him enough. On the skater side, Kreider takes the cake with just a single assist in 33 minutes of action.

By Dom Luszczyszyn Jan 24, 2020 41 Snubs: Let’s forget the snubs for a second and go in a different direction – with all the injuries this division has dealt with, how much better would

a Metropolitan team be with all the stars who aren’t here? Picture this All-Star weekend is here and with it comes the moment everyone has team instead. been waiting for: my predictions for what happens in the prestigious 3-on- Up front: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, 3 tournament. Sean Couturier, Teuvo Teravainen, Kyle Palmieri. On the back end: I’m not usually one to toot my own horn as I’ve had my fair share of Dougie Hamilton and Ivan Provorov. In net: Semyon Varlamov and Elvis misses over the years, but when it comes to the All-Star game, you can Merzlikins. All the teams covered and they’re about 10 wins better. Not call me NostraDOMus. Over the last two All-Star games I’m batting 1.000 only that, they’d be better than any other team here and have a 29 on game predictions over the incredibly large sample size of six 20- percent chance of defending their title and winning it all. A real shame. minute 3-on-3 games where no one is trying. Impressed? You should be. Verdict: The Metropolitan has by far the weakest team thanks to a few Can we keep the heat going? Let’s find out. Here’s how each division no-shows and plenty of injuries. The team has an edge when it comes to stacks up for this year’s festivities. the 3-on-3 format that could work in its favour but it likely won’t be enough to repeat as champions. For the projections, I combined 2019-20 Game Score with each player’s last three seasons of 3-on-3 Game Score per 6.5 minutes (the amount Atlantic they likely play in each game) to get an All-Star Value, and then Highlights: There’s very little separating the other three divisions and it combined it to get an expected win percentage similar to how our regular could be any team’s race, so there’s a lot to like across the board. For season projection model works. Please keep in mind that my model does the Atlantic, the biggest strength is in net where the duo of Andrei not consider how hungover the players will likely be, but the hope is that Vasilevskiy and Frederik Andersen has been collectively solid (albeit the they’ll all be on an equal playing field. worst tandem here based on this year’s results), but whose real asset is The 3-on-3 stats cutoff was 15 minutes. its 3-on-3 ability. The combined .884 3-on-3 save percentage is the highest at the tournament and that’s even more impressive given that Metropolitan they play for free-flowing teams.

Highlights: Hmm, well, some of the players are still healthy? That’s The defence ranks second thanks mostly to the all-world play of Victor something. Six players ranging from division captain Alex Ovechkin to Hedman, who is having another Norris-calibre season, while Shea Weber division MVP Artemi Panarin are unfit to play, not to mention Sidney remains an elite force. Up front, the quartet of David Pastrnak, Jonathan Crosby who only just returned from injury last week. Last year’s All-Star Huberdeau, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner are all having outstanding champions might have been the favourites if not for that but are looking seasons and have the talent and skill set to be electric during 3-on-3. rather lean instead. Lowlights: The back half of the forward group – Brady Tkachuk, Tyler There’s still a bit to like here, though. Mathew Barzal is back to looking Bertuzzi and Anthony Duclair – are unsurprisingly among the weaker like a top tier forward and is a heavy 3-on-3 threat, John Carlson is the competitors at All-Star weekend, but the bigger issue is their lack of 3-on- Norris front-runner and on pace for a million points and in net Tristan 3 usage. Along with Weber on the blue line, the Atlantic has four players Jarry is looking like one of the stronger options here. The team also has who fail to meet the cutoff of playing 15 minutes of 3-on-3 in the past six first-time All-Stars, so maybe this game will mean a little bit more to three seasons with all three clocking in at around 10 minutes. Tkachuk them – except, even if that were true, the same also applies to the does have two goals in that time frame, which is impressive, but it’s too Atlantic and Pacific. small of a sample to warrant consideration here.

Lowlights: Where to start? While every other team has just two Also of note: Andersen’s 2019-20 numbers are the second weakest this defencemen, the Metropolitan has four … for some reason. Despite that season ahead of only Holtby. He has a strong history, especially in 3-on- imbalance, three of the team’s forwards are on pace for under 60 points 3 situations, but his recent play doesn’t inspire much confidence. this year. Division MVP: Pastrnak gets the nod, though Huberdeau and Eichel are The collection of defenders is strong and the team’s biggest strength, but both worthy as well. Pastrnak leads the league in goals, scoring 37 in 51 by virtue of having four they’re at a disadvantage. Defence doesn’t win 3- games, a 59-goal pace. He’s also got 33 assists, putting him on a 113- on-3 championships. point pace for the season. At this point, he’s arguably emerged as the best player on the Bruins’ perfection line, a lofty honour. He finished third To the team’s credit, they will need it for one half as Braden Holtby is one in Hart Trophy voting in the PHWA’s midseason awards. of the weaker links at the All-Star Game. He’s the only goalie here with a sub-.900 save percentage this year and the only goalie with a sub-.800 3-on-3 Stud: Huberdeau is, well, the only choice up front given the play of save percentage at 3-on-3 over the past three seasons. He could be a the rest. His seven points in 55 minutes isn’t bad, but it doesn’t really huge liability in this very important tournament. compare to the 3-on-3 studs in other divisions. The real answer is probably Andersen, whose .889 save percentage is second at the All- Division MVP: That would be Panarin, but he’s injured, so it has to be Star game to Connor Hellebuyck’s .890. Carlson, who’s having a season for the ages. I just Googled it and he’s actually on pace for 100 points, not a million. Still very good! There are 3-on-3 Dud: Obviously the four players without much 3-on-3 experience only 11 forwards in the league who are playing at a higher pace and it could challenge for this honour, but it might be more prudent to give it to could mean his first Norris Trophy nod by season’s end. He’s a big part the three superstars that range from just OK to plain bad at 3-on-3. of why the league-leading Capitals are enjoying another successful Marner has five assists in 41 minutes but has been outscored 8-5 with a season. 45 percent expected goals rate while Eichel has just three goals and an assist in 65 minutes and has been absolutely shredded 13-5 on the 3-on-3 Stud: Barzal is the man here, one of the league’s best 3-on-3 scoreboard. That’s bad, but surprisingly Pastrnak has been even worse. players period scoring nine points in 59 minutes over the last three In 51 minutes Pastrnak has just two assists, has been outscored 7-2 and seasons and a 10-3 goal advantage. He’s not alone, though, and it’s has an ugly 33 percent expected goals rate. Among players that have what could give the Metropolitan a slight edge over the other divisions: played over 15 minutes it’s the 12th worst rate and only one other player, they’re built for this tournament. The team may rank below average Cam Fowler, has been on the ice as much as Pastrnak. overall, but looking at just each player’s 3-on-3 stats gives the team the best forward and defence group. T.J. Oshie and Travis Konecny have Snubs: The Atlantic has a lot of star power that you could probably make shown an affinity for 3-on-3 and Seth Jones has long been one of the a second team even better than this one, just like we did for the Metro. Tampa Bay already has two representatives, but there are four forwards Pacific on that team (Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli) that could’ve fit right in. Ditto for the other two members of Highlights: It’s the Connor McDavid show, as the likely 2019-20 Hart Boston’s perfection line (Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron) or trophy winner is having another stellar season and is no doubt hoping to Huberdeau’s partner in Florida (Aleksander Barkov). parlay that into an All-Star game championship. (Probably.) He’s here with his running mate in Edmonton, Leon Draisaitl, who is right there with Verdict: The Atlantic has a high chance of winning, mostly due to the him in terms of production. Meanwhile, the things that make his Game luxury of playing the Metropolitan in the first game. That gives them the Score not as stellar as expected, his porous defence, don’t really apply at edge, but they would be underdogs against either division in the West. the All-Star Game. Aside from Edmonton’s dynamic duo, Max Pacioretty is having an incredible bounce-back campaign, posting 47 points in 52 Central games with strong two-way impact, while Elias Pettersson is emerging as Highlights: The Central’s biggest strength is its defence, headlined by two one of the game’s best centres. That, plus some strong forward depth is Norris Trophy candidates in Roman Josi and hometown hero Alex enough to give the Pacific the best forward group and that’s where most Pietrangelo. Both have looked elite this season, on pace for career highs value comes from. in points and each ranking top three among defenders in Game Score The Pacific also has the second best goaltending tandem in Jacob Value Added this season, a WAR-like metric. They are the strongest duo Markstrom and David Rittich whose average .915 save percentage ranks here as no other division is even close to rivalling that. top among the divisions and whose .867 during 3-on-3 play is second to Up front the team also looks pretty stacked with a solid group of forwards only the Atlantic. highlighted by Nathan MacKinnon, who’s generating some MVP buzz, Lowlights: The Pacific’s biggest flaw is its defence. Mark Giordano has and Patrick Kane, who’s quietly on pace for another 100-point season. fallen back down to earth and isn’t bringing the same impact he did last There isn’t much deadweight either as the team’s lowest Game Score season. And while Quinn Hughes has been great during his rookie for this season belongs to Scheifele, who probably can pass along that season, he might struggle in the 3-on-3 format given his limited sample blame to his team more than anything. The Central has some exceptional there to date. Even with that in mind, there’s still a lot to love here and depth. the Pacific isn’t flush with flaws. When Anze Kopitar is the team’s worst forward, that probably means they’re in good shape. With 43 points in 50 Lowlights: There aren’t many as the division is chock-full of competitive games, he’s having a nice bounce-back season. teams with worthy admissions to the All-Star Game, although Eric Staal isn’t exactly a 3-on-3 savant. If there’s one slight qualm with the team, it Division MVP: Who else? It’s McDavid, who was the PHWA’s choice for might be Jordan Binnington, who’s been a bit cold of late and whose the Hart at midseason. He leads all players with 76 points in 49 games, a numbers have been very troubling at 3-on-3. Only Holtby has it worse blistering 127-point pace that can challenge Kucherov’s total from last than Binnington’s .810 and that could be the Central’s demise. season. While there are some question marks regarding his defence, there’s no denying what he brings to the table on offence. He’s the best Division MVP: There’s only one option here and it’s MacKinnon, who is a player in the world. big-time Hart Trophy contender. Connor McDavid is the front-runner right now but MacKinnon isn’t far behind with elite 5-on-5 numbers to match 3-on-3 Stud: There’s a trio of very strong options to choose from. That his outstanding production. After flirting with 100 points the past two starts with the dynamic duo of McDavid and Draisaitl, who are just seasons, MacKinnon is on pace to shatter that mark playing at a 120- electric when it comes to 3-on-3 and who have a lot of experience with it. point pace. The duo has each played over 70 minutes and in that time has 11 and 13 points respectively, scoring on nearly 30 percent of their shots. They do 3-on-3 Stud: The Central is stacked with elite 3-on-3 performers that give a lot back, but the offence makes up for it as McDavid has outscored could tip the scales in this tournament. By 3-on-3 Game Score, no three opponents 12-10 while Draisaitl has a much stronger 14-8 margin. At the forwards have a larger impact than Tyler Seguin, Mark Scheifele and All-Star Game, defence doesn’t really matter much anyway, either. David Perron. Among players who have played 15 minutes or more, only two others have scored more than Perron’s 8.4 goals per 60 as he’s Matthew Tkachuk is the other option here and he actually grades out notched five in 36 minutes. Perron, along with Scheifele are two of just pretty close to Draisaitl in terms of 3-on-3 impact. He only has 30 minutes 17 players to score over 10 points per 60 during 3-on-3 with Seguin not of usage, but in that time has outscored opponents 6-3, is possessing the far behind. All three carry strong expected goals rates (Seguin is highest puck well and has points on five of those six goals. That doesn’t even at 60 percent) that contribute to elite goal differentials. With Scheifele on consider the style points he gets for how he scores in 3-on-3, too. the ice the Jets have outscored opponents 9-2 while the Stars with Seguin are at 9-3 and Perron has helped the Blues to a 7-3 margin. 3-on-3 Dud: The reason the Pacific usually does well at these things is That’ll be tough to beat. that they generally have a lot of very strong 3-on-3 performers from top to bottom. Quinn Hughes has the ability to be one of those players one day, On top of that, the crew has Connor Hellebuyck in between the pipes, but he hasn’t got there yet, grading out as the worst 3-on-3 performer at sporting the best 3-on-3 save percentage here at .890. Among goalies the tournament. He’s the exception to the Pacific’s 3-on-3 rule as the rest that have played 50 minutes over the last three seasons that ranks of the group is well above average. At 16 minutes he only barely makes eighth. the cutoff and he only ranks so low because he just hasn’t done anything during 3-on-3. No points, no goals for, no goals against, less than one 3-on-3 Dud: As great as MacKinnon is the rest of the time, he looks only expected goal each way and just one shot to his name. It’s been ordinary when it comes to 3-on-3, a big shock given his skill set. Over the uneventful, to say the least, which is almost worse than being bad at 3- last three seasons he’s been outscored 12-5 while on the ice and has on-3. Be good or be bad, but don’t be nothing. That’s boring and the just four goals and no assists in 51 minutes. MacKinnon lands here antithesis of 3-on-3 – hopefully Hughes does something jaw-dropping based on expectations, but the true dud is unsurprisingly from Minnesota. this weekend that shuts me up. Based on average Game Score, Staal is the worst forward here having scored exactly zero points in 35 minutes (with just four shots on net!) Snubs: The biggest snub was Pacioretty, but he made it in as an injury while being outscored 5-1. placement. It’s also pretty hard to come up with snubs when the division as a whole is so tragically mediocre Shea Theodore is having a stellar Snubs: Cale Makar, Miro Heiskanen and Ben Bishop are the three that under-the-radar season with strong underlying numbers. His expected immediately spring to mind, but as far as All-Star teams go this Central goals rate this season is an exceptional 58 percent. With Jakob team is almost perfectly cast, a difficult task given the usual constraints, Silfverberg bowing out, Cam Fowler might’ve been a decent option as plus the hometown player effect on top of that. he’s been surprisingly strong this season in terms of driving play. Lastly, Verdict: The hometown team has a lot going for it and is neck-and-neck Vancouver already has three representatives, but J.T. Miller has been with the Pacific. They collectively have the strongest group of skaters and outstanding this season and he deserves some recognition for it. I don’t though there’s a single question mark in net, there’s enough talent to think the team’s top line is as dominant without him. overcome it. That Binnington is part of the hometown contingent might Verdict: Powered by McDavid and strong depth, the Pacific looks like the mean he plays a bit harder too. With the margins extremely narrow team to beat at this year’s All-Star game. They have a tough opening between the Central and the Pacific, their opening matchup might come draw against the nearly equally talented Central Division but have the down to home-ice advantage, which would give the Central the edge. slightest of edge in value. Whoever wins that matchup will be the favourite to take home the cool million. Data via Evolving Hockey The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172702 Websites 13-12-3, they’ve fallen back to being more like a middle-of-the-pack playoff team, still good, but not elite. The standings tell you as much, their 63 points at the break has them more closely aligned with the teams chasing them, Columbus (62), Carolina (61) and Philadelphia (60) than The Athletic / LeBrun: Where all 31 teams stand one month before the the Penguins (67) in second place ahead of them. So if you’re the GM, trade deadline what do you do? You try to add but in a measured way. The team isn’t one player away from winning the Cup. But the right trade could add a

little boost to an area and help a well-coached team get on a little playoff By Pierre LeBrun Jan 24, 2020 115 run.

The thing about this team is that if they can get in again, they give someone a handful, guaranteed, with their through-the-roof work ethic The NHL’s trade deadline is one month away and so many teams are still and grind-away game that’s more suited for playoff hockey. The Isles are unsure if they will be buyers, sellers or neither. 21st in the NHL in goals per game and I think it’s clear a boost up front is the obvious item on the to-do list. They need a top-nine forward. But if Welcome to Parity 2020. you’re Lamoriello you have to try and make sure it’s a player that will I mean, check out the Pacific Division, people. come in and fit in with the kind of system the Isles play. Remember when Tatar went to Vegas at the deadline and didn’t fit in with the expansion So much will get decided over the next few weeks for a long list of teams juggernaut? So while a guy like Toffoli is clearly going to get dealt that just can’t commit yet to being in or out. Injuries will factor in hugely somewhere by the Kings, does the former 30-goal scorer fit in with the as always, suddenly creating needs where none existed before. Isles? That’s what is going to fascinate me the most about what But I do like to take stock around the All-Star break of where teams stand Lamoriello does, or doesn’t do, ahead of the deadline. The guy who ahead of the trade deadline, even if a lot of the information gleaned in my might actually fit best is pending UFA winger Chris Kreider, other than conversations this week will change based on results or unforeseen the fact I can’t imagine the rival Rangers wanting to engage in that events leading up to the Feb. 24 deadline. conversation.

After speaking to sources around the NHL this week, we take a look at all Islanders beat writer Arthur Staple mentioned the team could also be 31 teams one month before the trade deadline: looking for a defenceman.

Metropolitan Division Columbus Blue Jackets

Washington Capitals A year ago, there was no bigger player at the deadline than Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who decided to go all-in by believing in his team, The 2018 champs honestly need next to nothing. They’re deep, skilled keeping pending UFA stars Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, and physical. They can beat you in a number of different ways. They’ve adding Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel as rentals and then proceeding got a nice 1-2 battle in goal that resembles the one they had two years to shock 62-win Tampa Bay in the first round. Fun! Not to say the Blue ago when the won the Stanley Cup. That year, the Caps didn’t make big Jackets GM won’t make any news before this trade deadline but in all headlines at the trade deadline but they did add blueliner Michal likelihood he won’t be the top headline. For starters, because the team Kempny, who at the time was described as a depth addition, but ended doesn’t own a second- or third-round pick in the June draft or a second- up being key to their Cup run. round draft pick in 2021, the team’s first-rounder for June is completely off limits. And really, I don’t think the resurgent Jackets get in on the All things being equal, I think that’s what you’ll see again from Caps GM rental player market in any meaningful way. But because the team does Brian MacLellan this time around, maybe a depth piece up front, maybe a have a healthy salary cap situation, it could potentially weaponize it to depth piece on the back end, although the team likes their blue line depth either improve the roster or get some draft picks back. If the Jackets do in the organization through the AHL level. One player that, for me, would add a player it will be in the form of a top-nine forward and most likely a be a nice fit up front is veteran centre Trevor Lewis from the Kings, a player that has term left on his deal past year this year, so a hockey deal. pending UFA and a Cup winner himself. I think the Caps have mentioned They would deal from their surplus on D if possible. him among other names in internal discussions. Either way, as long as the Caps stay healthy ahead of Feb. 24, I think MacLellan likely stays on Carolina Hurricanes the depth addition route which worked out just fine two years ago. The deadline plan, as I understand it, for the Canes before Dougie Pittsburgh Penguins Hamilton got hurt was two-fold: Acquire a more defensive blueliner and perhaps add some insurance in goal. The Hamilton injury only puts more The loss of Jake Guentzel was a major blow for a team that continues to stress on perhaps adding a top-4 D but I think one with a more defensive remain an elite team despite long injury absences from Sidney Crosby acumen. They’ve got plenty of offence still on that back end between the and Evgeni Malkin, among others, this season. Crosby and Malkin are wonderful Jaccob Slavin and Jake Gardiner. Would pending UFA both in the lineup at the same time these days and the Penguins look like Brenden Dillon in San Jose make sense? I believe the Hurricanes have a legit threat once again. They’ve also got a Hockey Hall of Fame GM in already inquired with the Sharks on him. He’s a rugged, physical, penalty Jim Rutherford who isn’t afraid to make moves ahead of the deadline. killing D. Or does the versatile Alec Martinez in LA, who has another year Mind you, he normally prefers a January trade to a February deal and on his contract, make sense? The Canes have monitored closely what’s that hasn’t happened yet. going on in Chicago with netminder Robin Lehner, whom they tried to There are a couple of potential deals I believe Rutherford is thinking of: sign last summer. If the Hawks make him available, which right now they Dealing away pending UFA forward Alex Galchenyuk for either a draft haven’t, Carolina would probably inquire. Meanwhile, the return of Justin pick or a bottom-six forward. Or, a more impactful move, is to go out and Williams has been like a trade deadline addition up front. He’s been try to make a deal for a top-nine forward in lieu of Guentzel’s long-term dynamite right off the hop. injury. Jason Zucker (three more years on his contract after this season Philadelphia Flyers at a $5.5-million cap hit) was of interest to Rutherford during the offseason in the failed Phil Kessel deal with Minnesota. It wouldn’t At some point, I’d say about a week before the deadline, the Flyers’ front surprise me if he circled back on him now. I wonder if Pittsburgh would office will have to make its best possible prognosis on whether Nolan call Montreal on Tomas Tatar, who has a year and a half left on his deal. Patrick is going to be a player for them this season. The poor kid has I’m not even sure the Canadiens would move him, he’s been so good for been battling migraine issues all season. But he has been skating. What them since coming over from Vegas. But I don’t mind that fit. Perhaps a boost it might be if he came back. They need a boost at centre. But if Tyler Toffoli as a rental makes sense. Either way, as always, don’t sleep they’re just not sure come mid-February, there will be an onus on GM on Rutherford at this time of year. He’s got options. Chuck Fletcher if his team is still in the playoff chase to upgrade at centre. Which won’t be easy given the team’s salary cap situation. New York Islanders Obviously Jean-Gabriel Pageau would be a top-lister in terms of fit. But One thing about Lou Lamoriello is that he is always honest about his the competition for his services and the bidding price might be too much. teams. He doesn’t sell himself into believing one thing or another other A low-end option but a guy who has done a good job as fourth-line centre than what he knows to be the absolute, raw truth. And that truth is that in Montreal is pending UFA Nate Thompson whom the Habs will likely since that amazing 15-0-2 run earlier this season, the Isles have gone rent out. I don’t mind him as a fit in Philadelphia. Pending UFA centre Trevor Lewis would be a similar option. Remember that former Kings GM Whatever the case, I believe in GM Don Sweeney’s ability to find a top- Dean Lombardi is now working in Fletcher’s front office in Philly. But the nine forward before the deadline. He added Charlie Coyle and Marcus best-case scenario is Patrick returning, both for the 21-year-old’s well- Johansson a year ago before the deadline for a total cost of a second- being and the Flyers’ lineup potency. round pick, Ryan Donato and a fifth-round pick. We’ll see over time what he gave up in Donato but Coyle has fit right in and the second-round pick New York Rangers was totally worth it for the kind of playoff performance Johansson My sense is the Rangers want to take as long as they can to see where delivered. That Sweeney was able to add those two players without they are at the deadline. Which is to say they haven’t pulled the plug on giving up a first-round pick was really good work. Tyler Toffoli could be a the season yet. It’s a daunting task in the Muscled Metro where six teams decent, second-line fit. He’s not a righty, but imagine Chris Kreider in a are already at 60 points or more, but the Blueshirts (50 points) want to Bruins uniform. I love that thought. What becomes of David Backes’ use the dozen games left before the deadline to see if they can make a future now that he’s cleared waivers could also have an impact on the push. It signals that they want to compete again as soon as possible. Bruins’ deadline plans. If he decides to retire or there’s a mutual contract Which means they’ve not ruled out re-signing their pending UFAs, if termination, the Bruins gain some valuable salary-cap space by removing possible. Kreider is the headliner on the leaguewide trade deadline rental his $6-million salary. But if he accepts his AHL demotion after the break, list and the team hasn’t begun contract talks yet. he’s still on the books.

“We haven’t been talking, which is not a big deal because there’s no Tampa Bay Lightning rush,’’ Kreider’s agent Matt Keator told me Wednesday. Indeed, all it The Bolts are back to being the high-flying Bolts but that doesn’t takes is one conversation about 10 days from the deadline to know necessarily mean expect fireworks before the trade deadline. Yes, I whether or not both sides can get a deal done. Pending UFA Jesper expect Julien BriseBois to look closely at all the options on the market Fast, a popular player and teammate, could also be on the move to a but in the end, I don’t think he sees any glaring hole in his lineup and contending team looking to add bottom-six depth. But I think all things something he told me last month is worth remembering: being equal the Rangers would rather re-sign him because he’s such a great role model for the younger players. Like Kreider, his camp had not “I recently went through the last 10 trade deadlines,” BriseBois said. heard from the Rangers yet regarding an extension. Still lots of time there “Every deal that was done leading up to the trade deadline. There aren’t to figure things out. And finally, there’s the three-goalie situation with the too many that pan out. Like, the batting average is terrible. The year Rangers listening on Alexandar Georgiev but not necessarily fully Washington won, of the eight teams that won the first round, I think committed to moving the 23-year-old. This can all be dealt with in June, seven had given up their first-round pick that year, including us. The one too. But what I would say is the Rangers want to turn the page on team that didn’t was Washington, they ended up winning the Cup. So it is rebuilding and take the next step sooner rather than later. Which means tricky. But our job is to be on the lookout for opportunities. Make sure that if they do trade Kreider, for example, the return will warrant it. It’s not a you leave no stone unturned. You’re digging all the time for opportunities. must to deal him. And if there’s something there, you jump on it. But there aren’t that many out there, which is why there aren’t that many trades anymore.’’ New Jersey Devils A year ago I felt they needed more jam up front before the deadline, I Interim GM Tom Fitzgerald, since taking over, has taken the time to sit loved the idea of Wayne Simmonds, but they signed Pat Maroon last down with all the team’s pending UFAs and other veteran leaders to summer which pretty much addresses that. I suppose maybe adding discuss the direction of the team. I love to hear when a GM has that kind another bottom-six depth forward wouldn’t hurt but this organization has of communication with his players. Because changes are indeed coming. call-up depth at both forward and D. One of the things Fitzgerald immediately got to doing once he took over was circle back to the GMs he was aware were having conversations While I don’t see a pressing need, if the Lightning do add a piece, I think with Ray Shero and finding out just how deep those had gone. Fitzgerald it’s going to be on the blue line and preferably a RHD. has three pending UFAs to deal with: Winger Wayne Simmonds and blueliners Sami Vatanen and captain Andy Greene. If other teams come calling and target Tampa’s pipeline, our Lightning beat writer Joe Smith recently did a deep dive on what the organization’s Greene, 37, has a full no-trade clause so he will decide his fate. Does he prospects look like. want to go try and win a Cup somewhere before his career winds down? There has been no decision either way yet from Greene and he’s got Florida Panthers time to get back to Fitzgerald. He’s only played for one NHL team his The top-scoring team (3.67 GF/GP) at the All-Star break, what we know whole career and may find it hard to leave. But sometimes these things is the Panthers don’t need any offensive help. But they’re 24th in the grow on a player as he spends more time thinking about it. He’d be a league in goals against per game which is why it should come as no lovely addition for a top contender because he’s such a pro who, I think, surprise that GM Dale Tallon, from what I can gather, is eying two things: would fit right in without disrupting his new surroundings. The harder A defensive, shutdown type blueliner as well as a two-way, checking questions roster-wise for Fitzgerald come in the form of forwards Kyle forward. And in a perfect world, I think the Panthers would rather fill those Palmieri and Blake Coleman, both with a year and a half left on their needs in hockey deals and not rental players, find someone who can be respective contracts. Shero, before being fired, was telling teams he part of their team past this season. Which I guess suggests pending UFA wasn’t intending on moving Palmieri. Does that change now with D Brenden Dillon isn’t the perfect fit although his defensive acumen is Fitzgerald in charge? As of this week, no decision yet on that front but what Florida would want. The Panthers have a special thing going right the Devils holding their pro scouting meetings in Florida this week will now, sitting third in the Atlantic Division at the break. If they can add a help shape those decisions. defensive blueliner, they’ll feel even better about their playoff chances.

Atlantic Division Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston Bruins The long-term injury to top defenceman Morgan Rielly was a gut punch Hindsight being 20/20, now that we’ve seen Ilya Kovalchuk reborn in for the Leafs. They had played to their strengths under new coach Montreal, the Bruins probably should have taken a flyer on him. But I am Sheldon Keefe but also show vulnerability defensively from time to time the first to admit I never saw coming what has happened with Kovalchuk and it’s worse without Rielly and Jake Muzzin in the lineup. The latter in Montreal. The Bruins did have a number of discussions with should be back at some point soon after the break. But life without Kovalchuk’s agent but ultimately weren’t ready back in early January to minute-munching Rielly could still prove to be rather difficult. make that plunge. And I can’t blame them. And to be fair, are we Obviously they need better goaltending from Frederik Andersen after the convinced Kovalchuk would have had the exact same impact in Boston? break and I think they’ll get that. The question is whether the Leafs He arrived in a depleted Montreal lineup and got first-line minutes, decide to go after some backup goaltender insurance (the Rangers’ including top power-play time, that would obviously not have been the Georgiev will probably cost more than the Leafs are willing to pay) as case with the deeper Bruins. I suppose the Bruins could come calling well as go out and add some blue line help — all the while with very little Montreal closer to Feb. 24. Stranger things have happened but I was told cap room to maneuver with. I asked one rival Eastern Conference team this week that ship has probably sailed. Given Boston could have gotten executive what he would do if he were Toronto and he said he wouldn’t him earlier without surrendering assets, spending a draft pick to get him wait on the defensive front. now from a heated rival probably isn’t a great look. “I would get out in front of it and target the top 1-3 guys you wanted and The Habs host the draft in June and already have 11 picks on tap. They get aggressive to acquire one/some of them,’’ said the team exec. “Brian should add a few more before the deadline. Unless, of course, there’s Burke and Jim Rutherford always liked to do their deals way before the magical run coming here after the break. deadline which I think is smart. It gives you a better chance to control the Ottawa Senators deal and negotiate the terms with time as an advantage not a disadvantage.” As I recently discussed with Senators GM Pierre Dorion, it’s already a mighty important June draft for the franchise with Ottawa owning two That’s exactly what Leafs GM Kyle Dubas did a year ago when he lottery picks (their own plus San Jose’s) plus three second-round picks acquired Muzzin on Jan. 28. I wonder if going back to the Kings and and a high third-rounder. It’s a draft that should dramatically impact a inquiring about Alec Martinez wouldn’t make sense for Dubas. As of rebuild that’s already showing promising young talent. More picks should Thursday morning, I don’t believe the Leafs had shown any interest in be on the way with pending UFAs potentially being dealt, although I do Martinez yet. He’s not a rental so you wouldn’t be adding to your UFA think in Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s case, the Sens will talk contract with him blue line headache for this summer. What about Matt Dumba? That’s a within the next couple of weeks. If they can’t find a solution for an bigger deal, it would probably cost the Leafs at least Kasperi Kapanen extension, then he will be a sought-after centre on the rental market. plus another asset. Dumba is 25 and signed at a $6-million cap hit for There aren’t many centres available anywhere, period. Other pending another three years past this season. Or does Toronto re-engage with UFAs include blueliners Ron Hainsey, Dylan DeMelo and Mark Calgary after the failed Nazem Kadri trade last summer? T.J. Brodie Borowiecki, forwards Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov and goalie (pending UFA) was the D the Leafs were targeting in that deal (I should Craig Anderson. On Hainsey, by the way, he’s got a 10-team no-trade note that the Leafs are still on Brodie’s eight-team no-trade list, although list. My understanding is that the Senators have indicated an interest in it doesn’t mean he can’t waive it). What about Josh Manson? He’s got re-signing him but we’ll see where that goes. two more years on his deal at a $4.1 million cap hit after this season and a modified no-trade clause but if I’m Dubas I would at least inquire to see Detroit Red Wings what kind of hockey deal it would take to get Anaheim at least listening. One thing to keep in mind with Steve Yzerman in his first year as GM in There are options out there for the Leafs on the D market but the good Detroit, we are far from seeing even the middle point of where this rebuild ones won’t come cheap. I don’t think Dubas wants to trade Kapanen, at is headed, in my mind. If you look at Yzerman’s work in Tampa Bay and least not this season, but as our Leafs columnist James Mirtle pointed the massive overhaul there years ago, I think you can bank on something out, teams are likely going to call on Kapanen. similar with the Wings. There is lots of work to be done. And I don’t know how much of it can be done at the trade deadline, to be quite honest. Buffalo Sabres Sure Yzerman’s got pending UFAs he can flip for picks but goalie Jimmy Even with winger Jeff Skinner expected back at some point soon after Howard ($5.1 million cap hit) has struggled this season, veteran blueliner the break, my understanding is the Sabres continue to explore the Mike Green ($5.375 million cap hit) has eight points in 41 games, and I market in search of forward help. I think they would basically move any don’t know how much Trevor Daley ($3.16 million cap hit) has left in the defenceman not named Rasmus Dahlin or Henri Jokiharju to get it done tank. in a hockey deal which means, yes, I think in the right trade for a forward So I’m really not convinced those UFAs, who carry sizeable cap hits, are the Sabres would listen on Rasmus Ristolainen. That could be the kind of going to generate much unless Howard gets going after the break and trade that helps the team past this year. And of course, remember that convinces contending teams looking for goalie insurance he’s back to Zach Bogosian asked for a trade earlier this season and he could also be form. The real question is whether other teams entice Yzerman in the on the move. type of hockey deal he might examine come the offseason. Can Yzerman As for this season and what’s at stake over the next month, the Sabres more forcibly start re-shaping the roster in February instead of waiting come out of their break with 9 of 10 at home and that stretch will decide until June? Would he listen on RFAs such as Andreas Athanasiou? I their fate as far as how GM Jason Botterill will operate the deadline. If don’t have the answer to that. But Yzerman has got eight RFAs on his they can close the gap in the race to four points or so, I think Botterill will NHL roster right now and you have to ask the question whether it makes keep his roster for the most part intact and give his team a chance for the sense that all eight are back next year given how things have gone. Let’s rest of the season. But obviously, if they don’t gain any ground and it’s not kid ourselves here, the best way to kickstart a rebuild is to finally pick obvious after those 10 games or so that they’re out, well, they’ve got a in top three. They haven’t drafted top 3 since 1990 when they took Keith few pending UFAs they can sell off and I think we’re talking the likes of Primeau third overall; they haven’t picked first overall since Joe Murphy forwards Connor Sheary, Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson. But in 1986. It’s a franchise in need of it. they’re not there yet, they want to see if their team can make hay out of Central Division the break first. St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens Is there really a roster need for a reigning Stanley Cup championship The Habs showed some signs of life just before the break but the reality team leading the Western Conference? Remember that GM Doug is that they will need to go on a very serious run starting next week to Armstrong made a bold statement right out of the gates in September give themselves any chance of getting back in the race, sitting 10 points when he acquired blueliner Justin Faulk. The blue line is deep. If you’re out of the last wild-card spot. As Habs columnist Arpon Basu wrote last going to look anywhere it’s up front where star winger Vladimir weekend after the win over Vegas, the Canadiens probably need 44 out Tarasenko has been out most of the season after needing shoulder of the remaining 64 points up for grabs to make it into the playoffs. Yikes. surgery. The timeline on his return looms large. If he’s back before the They’ve got six of eight at home to start after the break although they’ve regular season ends, the Blues need to be cap compliant and have room not been great at the Bell Centre this year. If they go on a tear does that to put his $7.5-million salary back on the books. If he’s not back until the give GM Marc Bergevin enough pause to keep his team intact? playoffs a la Patrick Kane in 2015, then the cap-challenged Blues have Personally, I think the Habs already know they can go ahead and likely $7.5 million to work with before the deadline. Armstrong joined us on our sell off pending UFA players such as Marco Scandella, Nate Thompson, Two-Man Advantage Podcast this week, and he confirmed exactly that and yes, Ilya Kovalchuk. If they are 8-9 points out by the time the second scenario, that at some point in mid-February they will have to make their week of February rolls around, it makes no sense not to pick up draft best determination about when Tarasenko will return because obviously picks for those players. The bigger question is what to do when teams that has an effect on their deadline and cap space. At this point, come calling on Tomas Tatar and/or Jeff Petry, both of whom have a Armstrong said on the podcast, the timeline is anywhere from March to year and a half left on their respective contracts. I think there’s very little May; there’s a huge difference in all that. Obviously they hope Tarasenko appetite from Bergevin to deal away Petry. The Canadiens want to is back in March so he can play some regular season games before the compete next year. They feel without injuries they would have stayed playoffs. But if they find out he can’t come back until the playoffs are closer to a playoff spot this season and I don’t disagree. Their underlying already underway, I would look for Armstrong to add. numbers suggest a team that competes at a playoff team level. They But not add for the sake of adding. They’ve got depth players in the probably struggle to see how they replace Petry’s usage and minutes in organization. It would be adding for impact. the lineup for next season. The same is probably true for Tatar but I think at least with him they might listen if a team really stepped up. “Our depth is going to come from within,” Armstrong said on the podcast. “We have 23 players that we believe in but (also) good players in the American Hockey League. So I don’t see a scenario where we’ll be spending a fifth-, fourth-, third-, sixth-round pick to get a player that’s If there’s a team that better embodies how a month out matters before going to provide depth for us. If there’s a player out there that can fit into the deadline, it’s certainly Chicago. The resurgent Blackhawks were our top echelon, we can take a look at that. That’s only because, quite obvious sellers just a few weeks ago, now they’re in the thick of the race, honestly, Vladdy we’re not sure where he’s going to be. Other than that, but who knows how the next four weeks play out? For that reason, we like our group.’’ Hawks GM Stan Bowman has to see how his team continues to play before he makes any such decision in terms of the deadline. If his team The player I like as a fit for the Blues, as I’ve mentioned before, is Chris falls out of it, he’s got UFA decisions in goal; it’s been well documented Kreider. His abrasive style fits well with the way the Blues play. That’s if that both Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford are up. The Hawks had a Kreider doesn’t re-sign with the Rangers, of course. But a top-six forward brief conversation, according to a source, with Lehner’s camp last week is probably where I would look as a potential luxury item for a Blues team and had planned to follow up again this week. Of course, if the Hawks that really doesn’t need a whole lot. stay in the race it’s a matter that can end up waiting until after the Colorado Avalanche season. But if they slip out of it over the next month, that will put pressure on a decision. As I’ve mentioned before, Carolina likes Lehner a lot; the Not that the Avs have any obvious holes on their blue line, but if you’re a Canes tried to sign him last summer. Meanwhile, if the Hawks fall out of team planning/hoping to grind out two months of playoff hockey, you’re it, another decision would be needed on pending UFA D Erik Gustafsson. going to need 9-10 D to get through it in all likelihood. It’s why as I’ve written before, I love the idea of Alec Martinez to Colorado. He’s got a Given that the Hawks are devoid of a second-round pick for the June year and a half left on his deal so the Avs get at least two playoff runs out draft, recouping some picks might also make sense if possible, perhaps of him. Guys like Ian Cole and Erik Johnson could perhaps use some using the LTIR sap space that Brent Seabrook gives them to acquire a load management. Martinez is a lefty who can play both sides. His contract or two for draft picks, in other words use their cap space that versatility would help head coach Jared Bednar mix and match where he way. would use him. And I mean, as the excellent Ryan Clark wrote recently, Nashville Predators the Avs had a shaky stretch defensively that seems to be corrected now but to me still underlines why they would want to add another D. Time. That’s what veteran GM David Poile needs. More time before he figures out what he’s going to do at the trade deadline. Is he buying or If there’s another need, and it’s not a big one, some bottom six forward selling? The Preds have 14 games to go before the deadline. That depth wouldn’t hurt. The Avs have the most salary cap room in the decision on buying or selling will be made before the 14 games are league and they’ve got an exciting team that can do damage. I would like through. Poile would love to buy again. That would mean his team got to see them be aggressive in trying to add before Feb. 24. back in the playoff race with a huge run post-All-Star break. But he also To that end, and while it’s not a priority need, keep an eye on Colorado knows he might have to be a seller if their inconsistent ways continue. as dark horse candidate for Chris Kreider if the Rangers made him And the Preds have a few interesting pieces if they sell. Forwards Mikael available. As I said, I think adding a blueliner is a bigger priority but the Granlund and Craig Smith are both pending UFAs. And would he listen thought of Kreider’s speed, sandpaper and skill on the same line as on centre Nick Bonino, who has a year and a half left on his deal ($4.1- Nazem Kadri is something to think about. million cap hit)? These are questions Poile hopes to avoid. He made the coaching change because he hoped to provide a spark to a team that’s Dallas Stars contended for a long time but has meandered for much of this season. The Predators becoming sellers closer to Feb. 24 would add some In the category of something that keeps surprising me is the fact that the names to a thin list of rentals as of now. Stars were 28th in the NHL in goals per game last season and have followed that up this season by being … 27th in the NHL in goals per Minnesota Wild game through Wednesday. Now, when you rank No. 1 in the NHL in goals-against per game, you can overcome those offensive issues. But If there’s a team that’s more like a box of chocolates in the NHL, you let still, the offence stinks. Leading scorer Tyler Seguin has 36 points, which me know. You just never know what you’re going to get with the Wild. is outside the top 70 scorers in the NHL. Alexander Radulov has 28 Odds are, first-year GM Bill Guerin will end up being a seller but the thing points. Jamie Benn has 23 points in 48 games and former Sharks captain is, he doesn’t have many rental players up for grabs. Mikko Koivu is the Joe Pavelski has struggled in his new surroundings with just 19 points in only pending UFA on the roster and the longtime captain has a full no- 48 games. Across the board, it hurts your eyes looking at their offensive move clause. So if Guerin does act before the deadline, it’s a hockey stats. But because the Stars are the top defensive team in the NHL with deal. It certainly piqued my interest recently when TSN colleague Darren excellent goaltending and a deep blue line, they’re still a playoff team Dreger reported on our Insider Trading segment that 25-year-old right now. It would behoove Stars GM Jim Nill to go shopping for a top- blueliner Matt Dumba would be a player Guerin might potentially listen six forward, but the reality is that one player isn’t going to cure the team’s on, which our excellent Wild beat writer Michael Russo also suggested offensive woes in part because there isn’t a player available on the trade this week in his deep dive on the Wild and the trade deadline. market that’s going to have that kind of an impact. The player they truly Dumba has three more years on his deal after this season at a $6-million need is a top-end, playmaking centre. Good luck. It would still be worth cap hit. It’s not like the Wild would be in a rush to trade a young player of adding a guy like Tyler Toffoli but the offensive turnaround has to come that calibre, but I think what you extrapolate from that possibility — which from within, from the team’s highest-paid forwards. another source also confirmed to be not out of the question — is that Winnipeg Jets Guerin has to think bigger picture if he’s going to enact real change on the roster he inherited and to bring in new, impactful talent he’s going to Oh man, losing top defensive centre Adam Lowry for a month hurts for a have to trade away a good player, too. It doesn’t have to be Dumba, of Jets team that has tried so hard to hang in the fight despite a depleted course, it could be another core player. But the message here is that if blue line made worse by Dustin Byfuglien’s shocking training camp Guerin gets busy before Feb. 24 it’s the type of deal you would normally decision. That Byfuglien situation still looms large, of course. His $7.6- see in June. million cap hit is off the books while he remains suspended. The Jets will need clarity on that before Feb. 24 if they can make any impactful move. Pacific Division There’s no question in my mind that between the Lowry and Bryan Little Vancouver Canucks injuries up front and the blue line issues, that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will look at all options on the market to try to help his team After a patient retooling, GM Jim Benning was hoping/planning that this in both areas if he can. I think he wants to reward his group for the kind was the season his squad would be in the fight and so far, so good. of effort it has put out to make this a season that could result in a playoff They’re in a playoff battle. They could even win the wide-open Pacific berth even if they went into the break wobbling and looking fried. If Little Division. Whether or not they can find any breathing room to declare comes back at some point over the next month (he is skating but there is themselves buyers remains to be seen. The thing is, I’m not convinced no firm timeline yet) the more pressing need would be on D. The Jets there’s an emergency roster need when this roster is healthy. Brandon have their top three picks in the June draft so the full arsenal in terms of Sutter recently returned before the break, the Canucks hope to get the kind of assets sellers look for at this time of year. But Winnipeg also Micheal Ferland back in the next month, so that’s adding two, top-nine has to stay in the race, the next 2-3 weeks looms large in indicating just forwards with experience for the second half. And I think what Benning that. wants to do is get a good look at his mostly healthy lineup before he decided if he needs to add or not before the deadline. I also think the Chicago Blackhawks Canucks GM will be wary of anything that affects the chemistry of his team. So he will be careful that if he adds, it will be a player that fits in with a tight group. Now if for whatever reason they get hammered by The ‘Yotes already spent some asset capital winning the Taylor Hall injuries over the next month and fall out of the race, there is the question sweepstakes in November so I’m not too sure how aggressive GM John of pending UFAs Chris Tanev and Jacob Markstrom. But all things being Chayka can be ahead of Feb. 24, especially with his team not assured of equal, and if the Canucks stay in the race, those are matters that don’t anything yet as far as making the playoffs in the crazy, five-team race in necessarily need resolution before the deadline. That can wait until after the Pacific Division. On the other hand, maybe he is this year’s Jarmo the season although re-signing Markstrom, in particular, is a priority. You Kekalainen from last season and says, ‘In for a penny in for a pound.’ might also think that the Canucks go out and add some bottom-six The problem is that the Coyotes are right at the cap so it would require forward depth, and that’s possible, but I also think Benning might look at from delicate maneuvering to do anything of substance. I do think AHLers like Justin Bailey and Zack MacEwen as internal options. And Chayka will look at two potential areas: finding a centre, that would be finally, Sven Baertschi (one more year next season at a $3.36-million cap priority No. 1, and then a gritty forward perhaps, though that’s more of a hit) has been available for a long time and the Canucks still hope to find a luxury item. new home for him before the deadline. If the Canucks don’t do much before the deadline, remember they acted with impact last summer, Getting starting goalie Darcy Kuemper back at some point after the break trading a first-round pick for top-six forward J.T. Miller (great deal as it will be like a big addition in itself; he’s been out since Dec. 19. turns out), and signing top four blueliner Tyler Myers. My point is that I’m San Jose Sharks not sure trading away a second-round pick after not having the first-round pick makes much sense at this point. The Sharks are sellers but as I wrote recently, I don’t think they plan on blowing up the whole thing. There will be changes but they hope to Calgary Flames rebound next season around a core they believe in. In the meantime, As we discussed in my Q&A with Brad Treliving last week, when the there are two obvious players to potentially move in pending UFAs Flames GM traded Michael Frolik and his $4.3-million cap hit to Buffalo Melker Karlsson and Brenden Dillon. There are teams who have been earlier this month, it gave him the flexibility to go out now and add a piece keeping a close watch of Dillon, including Carolina. But another team before the deadline. My sense is that a top-six, right-hand shot forward is who likes him also told me, “we don’t like his salary.” With cap room at a the priority item. It’s why I like the idea of winger Tyler Toffoli from the premium for contending teams, Dillon’s $3.27-million cap hit could prove Kings, but Senators centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau would be a nice fit, too, prohibitive for teams who view him as a No. 5 on their squad; as a among others. There are teams who for a long while have hoped to buy second-pairing player, his salary is fine. Of course, the Sharks can eat low on Sam Bennett but Treliving wasn’t born yesterday and it’s why so part of his salary to help make a trade happen and maximize the asset far over the past two years when teams have tried he has resisted. But return. I like Dillon, he’s a physical, defensive D whose toolbox is better how long does that patience last? Maybe it’s finally time to use Bennett in suited for when the hockey gets greasier in the playoffs. He should fetch a hockey deal. T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic are pending UFAs but as a second-round pick. long as the Flames stay in playoff contention, those aren’t files that have Anaheim Ducks to be addressed before the deadline. Having said that, I wouldn’t rule out a guy like Brodie being a target from another team trying to satisfy The Ducks are looking to next year, that much is clear, but they don’t Calgary’s right-shot, top-six forward need. Remember that the Maple really have any impactful rental players available. Pending UFA blueliner Leafs had trade talks involving Nazem Kadri going to Calgary last Michael Del Zotto could be moved once again and be a depth piece for a summer and word is Brodie was part of that. Could the two teams re- contender. The more interesting thing is whether Anaheim is able to engage with Kasperi Kapanen as the Calgary target? At the end of the weaponize its salary cap space as it has apparently told teams it is willing day, I still think Toffoli makes the most sense. to do. The Ducks are willing to take on a bad contract if it means getting a good young asset or two out of it. I tell you what I’d contemplate if I Edmonton Oilers were Ducks GM Bob Murray: Why not rent out pending UFA Alex In my Q&A with Ken Holland a few weeks ago, the Oilers GM said the Galchenyuk for the rest of the season? Give him a test drive to get a standings closer to Feb. 24 would essentially decide his trade deadline close eye at him and see if a fresh start ignites the 2012 first-round pick plan. He is itching to be a buyer, he wants to reward his group for staying who is still 25. For a middling pick, why not? in it. And for a team that has made the playoffs once in 13 years, it’s While Murray is not shopping any of his core players, my understanding important to make it. But Holland is also mindful of the pitfalls of short- is that he is willing to listen. In the end, Murray may not move anyone of term thinking for a team that has holes and needs a long-term approach significance, but a disappointing season combined with a ton of cap in certain areas. So it’s a balancing act for Holland. I do think he’d like to makes the Ducks an intriguing team to watch before Feb. 24. add a top-six forward if his team stays in it. I’ve mentioned Pageau before as a nice fit; no question he’s high on Edmonton’s radar, among Los Angeles Kings other names. Would Holland make a call to Montreal on Tomas Tatar (a The program to create roster openings for the organization’s younger year and a half left on his deal), a player he knows well? What about players will continue with this deadline. The Kings have pending UFAs in calling Toronto on Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson? That would Tyler Toffoli, Trevor Lewis, Kyle Clifford, Derek Forbort and Ben Hutton. require the Oilers moving a D and I’m not sure that’s the right time for They won’t all necessarily move but I think it’s a good bet Toffoli and that. Will Holland dangle the rights to RFA Jesse Puljujarvi? The Finnish Lewis generate interest and find a new home for the rest of the season. forward can’t play in the NHL this season because he wasn’t signed by As I wrote about recently, the Kings are also willing to listen on veteran Dec. 1 but it doesn’t mean a non-playoff team doesn’t look ahead to the blueliner Alec Martinez, who has another year on his deal after this offseason and try to snag him before Feb. 24. I think it’s more likely season. They moved Jake Muzzin last January under similar Holland addresses that situation come June but he’s open to taking calls. circumstances. I know a few teams that weren’t enamoured with what Oilers beat writer Jonathan Willis this week updated this list of potential they saw in Martinez after he returned from injury but his body of work is players Edmonton might trade. solid and I think a contender would be smart to invest here especially Vegas Golden Knights since they’d be guaranteed at least two playoff runs with him.

The firing of Gerard Gallant, as some people around the league have The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 suggested to me, smells of a 75-year-old owner in Bill Foley who has grown frustrated with the season because he wants to win now. That’s what happens when you get to the Stanley Cup final in your first year. You get a taste for it. With that context in mind, keep an eye on what GM Kelly McCrimmon does at the deadline. Like so many teams, the Knights are right up against the cap, so it won’t be easy to add. But if I were to identify a need, it would be for a top-four D. Does Alec Martinez make sense? Would Vegas try to entice Montreal to part ways with Jeff Petry (who has a year and a half left on his deal)? I truly think Habs GM Marc Bergevin does not want to move him at all because Montreal wants to compete against next year. Whatever the case, if Vegas is going to upgrade the roster, that’s the type of player I would look for.

Arizona Coyotes 1172703 Websites competes at smoking speed and scrambles atop a watchtower on the Great Wall of China seeks thrills in life.

David Pastrnak goal celebration The Athletic / Death, grief, growth: David Pastrnak’s Swedish experience “I’m exactly the kind of person like that,” Pastrnak said. “I love these changed his life adventures. I’m very friendly and talkative. I found friends right away, even though I couldn’t speak any English.”

By Fluto Shinzawa Jan 24, 2020 29 Immersion proved to be the solution, whether he was at the rink or in school with his teammates. He became fast friends with teammate William Nylander, a Canadian-born Swede whom he is tight with to this Nobody enjoys NHL life more than David Pastrnak. The 23-year-old is day. the personification of a Champagne bottle: Fun, bubbly and explosive. “All of a sudden, I started to understand some words,” Pastrnak said. “I Pastrnak arrives at the rink in threads that are louder than Metallica, don’t know how. I started learning and talking more with friends. The usually completing his wardrobe with a fashionable lid. The right wing guys there were so friendly and nice. They helped me out.” could fill a Goodyear factory with all the rubber he flings into the TD Now, Pastrnak’s English is very good. His Swedish has declined through Garden crowd during warmups. lack of practice, but he estimated he still understands 75 percent of what That Pastrnak has already scored 169 goals, most of any player drafted is spoken. in 2014, signals that putting pucks in nets has become routine for No. 88. Language, however, was not what pulled Pastrnak toward Sweden. It is anything but so. Pastrnak’s celebrations — a cupped hand to his ear, a bird-like wave, an arms-out expectation of applause — indicate that he A dream fit, then tragedy delights in the activity of scoring goals, with each red light serving as an opportunity to express his pleasure. In 2012, Pastrnak arrived to what felt like a dream. Sodertalje offered everything a hockey-crazed 16-year-old wanted: Three sheets, outdoor “Never had a bad day at the rink,” David Backes, teammate for parts of shooting pads, workout facilities — a home away from home. Pastrnak the last four seasons, once said. could go on the ice anytime he wanted. He consumed all of it.

It may be that a person can only experience such an enhanced degree of “I was so blown,” Pastrnak said of his opportunities. “I was spending a happiness after suffering pain in equal measure. On May 21, 2013, Milan couple hours by myself on the ice every day. Not even just skating or Pastrnak, David’s father, died after a five-year fight with skin cancer. anything. Just playing with the puck and shooting.” Pastrnak is the only current Bruin who has lost a parent. As an NHL player, Pastrnak takes joy in one-on-one attacking, That Pastrnak was far away, living in a different country at the time his stickhandling at all-out speed through traffic, even snapping in goals father passed, only amplified his grief. between his legs.

An NHL springboard The informal sessions in Sodertalje helped to foster Pastrnak’s creativity. Pastrnak applied what he learned during his first season, scoring 12 Czech Republic does not fall short in producing NHL talent. Jakub goals and 17 assists in 36 games in U-20 competition. Internationally, Voracek, Jakub Vrana, Ondrej Palat, Radek Faksa, Dominik Kubalik, Pastrnak played for Czech Republic’s World Championship U-18 entry. Pavel Zacha and Filip Zadina are some of the NHL players that call Czech Republic their homeland. Pastrnak was happy. After his first season, he returned to Sodertalje to prepare for the 2013-14 season, his draft year. It does not mean, however, that the Czech Extraliga is an optimal platform for NHL preparation. All seven of the aforementioned players During summer training, Pastrnak received a call from his mother. Milan migrated overseas prior to their draft years. Respectively, they played for Pastrnak, 51, was dead. Halifax (QMJHL), Linkoping (Swedish Elite League), Drummondville (QMJHL), Kitchener (OHL), Sudbury (OHL), Sarnia (OHL) and Halifax. “Really sad,” Pastrnak recalled. “My mom called me really early in the morning. What can you do when you’re by yourself in Sweden, getting Pastrnak was no different. As a 15-year-old playing for AZ Havirov and this phone call from your mom? Obviously tough.” HC Ocelari Trinec, Pastrnak identified the NHL as a realistic destination. His chances were best if he left home and developed his game Milan Pastrnak had been a good player. He played professionally in the somewhere else. Czech Republic and Germany. In 1997-98, Pastrnak was the leading scorer (18-61—79) on a team that included future Bruin Dennis “If we all knew, then we would make Czech hockey better,” Pastrnak Seidenberg. Following retirement, Pastrnak coached hockey in the said when asked of his country’s limitations. “In Czech, you have your Czech Republic, Slovakia and England while keeping watch over David practice and have one rink. You don’t have options to go by yourself on and eldest son Jakub, who is five years older. the ice.” David Pastrnak returned to the Czech Republic for his father’s funeral. Pastrnak considered Canadian major junior. He was wary, however, Sodertalje club officials insisted he stay at home for as long as he because of his size. At that age, Pastrnak was lighter and spindlier than wanted. most of his peers. The CHL does not take mercy on anyone. Skinny Euros are no exception. Pastrnak’s response to grief was to return to Sweden in short order. By then, making the NHL was Pastrnak’s calling. His safe space was the So upon consultation with father Milan, mother Marcela and his advisers, rink. On the ice, the teenager deferred heartache to chase solace and Pastrnak identified Sodertalje in Sweden’s second division as an purpose for hours … and hours … and hours. appropriate proving grounds for 2012-13. Hockey on the 100-foot-wide surfaces would be less brutish than that within the 85-foot Canadian “Hockey, in that moment, was my only thing,” Pastrnak said. “And trenches. Sweden would be closer to home. obviously my mom and brother. These two things were the only things I could get through it with. Every time I went to the rink, the first 10 Naturally, the teenager had reservations. Pastrnak would have to learn minutes, I would think about it. Then, all of a sudden, I was in the Swedish and English, the latter being hockey’s mother tongue and moment — working and practicing.” practically required in Sweden. He was not optimistic about adopting both. In 2013-14, the 17-year-old Pastrnak scored eight goals and 16 assists while playing with and against men. He was limited to 36 games because “You tell yourself that people who live somewhere, they learn English in of a concussion, which he sustained after gaining an offensive-zone two months,” Pastrnak said. “I was telling myself, ‘It’s impossible. Zero entry, cutting into the middle of the ice and getting his clock cleaned. chance I can learn English. How? How do you understand?’ ” The injury and his weight (167 pounds) made NHL teams cautious about The dream of the NHL combined with Pastrnak’s sense of daring applying high draft capital toward his services. The Bruins had similar overtook his caution. It is not surprising to learn that a right wing who concerns. But they liked Pastrnak’s skating, skill, competitiveness and love for hockey and life. On June 27, 2014, after 24 teams said no, the Bruins said yes to Pastrnak.

After hearing his name called at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Pastrnak clutched both fists, kissed them and raised them skyward. It was for his father, gone for just over a year.

Family man

Pastrnak, on the other hand, was happy to go to St. Louis in January. It is another adventure fueled by hockey, which is both his livelihood and his life.

For Pastrnak, family time allows him to remember good times. His mother and brother make him appreciate what he has — which, in a way, is both parents, even now.

“I know he’s still keeping an eye on me,” Pastrnak said of his father. “He’s with me everywhere I go.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172704 Websites just go ahead and assume without checking on how the third period went.

TOEWS HITS THE KUZNETSOV BIRD CELLY. GOTTA LOVE IT. The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Skills competition ideas, player survey fine #ISLES PIC.TWITTER.COM/HPWEVDB1LW print and reliving the weirdness of the 1982 All-Star intros — ISLES TERRITORY (@ISLESTERRITORY) JANUARY 18, 2020

The second star: Pat Maroon – This might be the only NHL player tweet By Sean McIndoe Jan 24, 2020 93 that was ever funny and also intimidating as hell at the same time. Dude has fought Chara three times and lived to tell the tale? (Fact check: True.)

It’s NHL All-Star weekend, with the skills competition going tonight and WELL….EDMONTON, ST. LOUIS AND TAMPA ARE OUT. the 3-on-3 tournament tomorrow. It’s been 30 years since the skills HTTPS://T.CO/BJHNWITSDJ competition made its debut, so it’s fair to say that some of the novelty has worn off. But it can still be a fun night, and the NHL is trying a few new &MDASH; PAT MAROON (@PATMAROON) JANUARY 20, 2020 wrinkles this year, like a women’s game and a long-distance shooting The first star: Wes McCauley – How is it possible to be caught off guard competition from the stands. by something that happens literally every damn time? I’m not sure, but Those are neat ideas. But why stop there? If the NHL is really interested Wes always brings the charm. in mixing things up, I’ve got a few suggestions they could consider. There’s still time to get a few of these in place for tonight, so let’s get THAT’S WES MCCAULEY’S MUSIC  creative. PIC.TWITTER.COM/VKVHR9VFEK

Challenge the players’ ability to get the puck to hit a nearly impossible &MDASH; NHL (@NHL) JANUARY 22, 2020 target, like mini-nets at the very end of the ice or Frederik Andersen on Be It Resolved the first shot of a game. The Athletic unveiled its 2020 players poll this week, and as always, See if anyone can break Dylan Larkin’s fastest skater record for the most there’s lots of good stuff to dig into. We find out which referee they hate, ridiculous head start taken while pretending to break Mike Gartner’s who they think is dirty, and whether Aleksander Barkov can continue his actual fastest skater record. streak of somehow being considered the most underrated player in the Have the traditional accuracy shooting competition except instead of league for like the 17th year in a row. (He can!) It’s a great read, and I those Styrofoam targets you mix it up by using little photos of the highly recommend that you read all of it. Tkachuk brothers’ faces and wow OK literally everyone on every team No really – read it all. Carefully. Because while there’s nothing all that went four-for-four, that was weird. outrageous in the top level results, apart from maybe Nathan MacKinnon Maybe mix things up by trying to work in a mention of a corporate passing Sidney Crosby in the “best player” debate and Carey Price sponsor for a change. maybe being overrated, there’s more than that included if you look closely. Check those big graphics that go with every question, and that A new event where somebody we’ve never seen before steps forward list the top five results in handy bar graph form. Now squint at the fine and says some weird-sounding name and we all play a fun game of “is print at the bottom. That’s where you’ll find all the other answers that this a random guy we pulled out of the stands or a Columbus Blue popped up. And that’s where the real gold is. Jackets goaltender who’s doing way better than Sergei Bobrovsky?” For example, we find out that there’s at least one NHL player out there A brief interlude after the first few events where we realize that it’s been who thinks that Leon Draisaitl is the best player in the league and like a whole hour so we’d better check in to find out which of the four All- another who picked Jonathan Huberdeau. Those are sort of weird, but Star coaches has been fired. OK, maybe you can defend them. They’re not jaw-droppingly bad. But they’re just the warmup. This is going to sound crazy but hear me out: Instead of playing 3-on-3, play regular 5-on-5. And instead of dividing the players up by division, do Check out the question about which goalie you’d want starting a Game 7. it by country. And instead of calling it the All-Star Game, call it the First of all, somebody said Frederik Andersen, and I will bet my life Olympics. And instead of making your fans miserable, make them happy. saving that player was a Boston Bruin. But somebody else said Pavel You know what, I was right, it’s crazy, forget I mentioned it. Francouz. And better yet, somebody said Martin Jones. Does Doug Wilson still count as a player, because I think he’s the only one left on the Whoever comes in last in the hardest shot contest has to wear his hair planet who still thinks Martin Jones is good. like 1993 Al Iafrate for the rest of the season. The underrated player question has a ton of guys, including some decent Instead of keeping score with radar guns and timing devices, just have picks and also Nathan MacKinnon, who is apparently underrated even everyone try as hard as they want to and then tell Mitch Marner he has to though he’s considered the second-best player in the league and was the rank them. Hart Trophy runner-up two years ago. I also respect the player(s) who Do the old breakaway competition, but then the first guy to go up there are still pushing for Patrice Bergeron to be underrated. I can’t wait until “accidentally” whiffs on the puck and then skates over to the camera and he retires and we all get to have hot takes about how he’s the most laughs at Brad Marchand. Then the second guy also whiffs on the puck underrated first-ballot Hall of Famer of all-time. and we all laugh again. Then the third guy does it and Marchand is sitting Dirtiest player doesn’t really yield any weird picks apart from maybe at home like “Wait, is literally everyone going to do this for the next Taylor Hall, and I’m mad that Phil Kessel didn’t win for player you’d most hour?” And then they do. This is not a joke, this is a real suggestion that I like to have a beer with. But the best defensive defenseman question is think the NHL absolutely needs to make happen. chaos, with names like Roman Polak and Andy Greene showing up. And Just for fun, let’s see if those hockey-playing women can pull off the a big thanks to whoever voted for Marc-Edouard Vlasic, because it was same sort of things that male players have always been able to do with nice of them to take part in the survey immediately after waking up from ease, like skating fast or going top shelf with a slapshot or getting paid for the coma they fell into four years ago. their work by a billion-dollar league that’s directly profiting off them. Mix in the one guy who said that the one rule they want to change is Have the players go up into the stands and try to shock the crowd by allowing players to go without helmets – let’s be honest, we all know that doing the impossible: Make it through the entire weekend without saying was Brock Boeser – and you’ve got quite the eclectic mix of opinions out “This sucks, we want our money back.” there in hockey player land. And sure, you might not think this matters all that much. But remember, as per NHL bylaws, these players are the only The week’s three stars of comedy ones eligible to become general managers and team presidents in the future, so their opinions are important. It’s all fun and games until Pavel The third star: Devon Toews – Here he is mocking Evgeni Kuznetsov’s Francouz is getting $100-million as a UFA in six years. trademark celebration. The best part is that he’s doing it after scoring to make it 4-1 and basically wrap up the game for the Islanders, I’m going to So be it resolved: Any of The Athletic’s writers who spent the last few The other starters are Mark Messier, Dave Taylor and some skinny kid months collecting these results, you have to tell me who made these named Wayne Gretzky. Then it’s on to the rest of the lineup, including picks the next time I see you. Are you supposed to tell me, given that the our old friend Pekka Rautakallio. We also meet Denis Savard (early survey promised confidentiality? No. But can you trust me to keep this a enough in his career that Americans are still calling him “Dennis”), Don secret? Also no. But I will buy you a beer and nobody will believe me Lever (the last All-Star in Colorado Rockies history) and Bob Manno (who anyway, so get ready to spill. you’ve never heard of but I remember because he was a Leaf and also represented Italy in international tournaments). Obscure former player of the week I’ll be honest, at first I had no idea why Harold Snepsts of all people gets This weekend’s All-Star festivities will be missing a familiar face. For the booed by the Washington fans, before learning that he apparently had first time in three years, and only the second time in the last five, been involved in incidents with Capital players like Denis Maruk and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne won’t be attending. He’s been having an off- Ryan Walter. Then again, I’m also not sure why Snepsts is on an All-Star year, and the Predators seem to be shifting the starter’s job over to team in a season where he ends up with 17 points. The early-80s NHL Juuse Saros. It’s been a tough season for the 2018 Vezina winner, but was full of mysteries. time comes for us all. Last up for the Campbell is rookie Dale Hawerchuk, midway through a So in honor of one all-star Pekka R., let’s bestow Obscure Player honors 100-point season that will see him run away with the Calder. Get well, on another. This week’s player is Pekka Rautakallio. Dale.

Rautakallio was a Finnish defenseman who made his first appearance for Next up are the Wales starters, starting with Michel Dion and his rocking the national team in 1972 at the age of 18. He signed a deal with the yellow headband. Yes, that’s right, Michel Dion is a starter in the All-Star WHA’s Phoenix Roadrunners in 1975 and spent two reasonably game. No, they didn’t say Marcel. Yes, it’s fine if you have absolutely no successful seasons in the league before heading back home when the idea who Michel Dion is, let alone why he’s the starting goalie in an All- team folded in 1977. He was named the Finnish league’s top Star Game. Remember, it’s 1982, actual goaltending won’t be invented defenseman in both 1978 and 1979. for four more years.

His next call from North America came in 1979 when the Atlanta Flames The defense is Mike Ramsey and Ray Bourque, and huh, apparently Ray offered him a deal. He made his NHL debut that year, recording 30 Bourque went through a mustache phase. I did not know that. Does this points, and followed that up with a strong second season in 1980-81, rank above or below the May Day goal on his all-time embarrassing recording 56 points after the team moved to Calgary. But his best season YouTube clips? I may need to meditate on this. came in 1981-82 when he racked up career highs with 17 goals and 68 points. That was good enough to make him the Flames’ lone rep at the Speaking of poor grooming choices, check out the haircut on Bill Barber. All-Star Game, where he wasn’t even the most obscure player to show I know it’s the 1980s and nobody’s hair looks good, but dude, your name up. More on that in a bit. is Barber. Fate is trying to tell you something.

By the end of the 1981-82 season, Rautakallio was 28, and had just After meeting Mike Bossy and Peter Stastny, we move on to the rest of become the first Finnish player to compete in an NHL All-Star Game. the roster. It includes Grab Bag legend Don Edwards, Blaine Stoughton What did he do for an encore? He left. He went back from to Finland, and his bright green Whalers helmet, Grab Bag legend Rod Langway, where he eventually won the top defenseman award for a third time; it’s Randy Carlyle when he had hair and Grab Bag legend Ron Duguay. since been named after him, with recent winners including Sami Vatanen, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. Rautakallio played until 1989 We also get to Larry Robinson, who a) is played for tonight’s before moving into coaching. performance by Mike Commodore and b) cracks everyone up by skating backwards instead of forwards. If I know how the Montreal Canadiens Classic YouTube clip breakdown work, he was immediately traded away because you can’t win with defensemen who smile and have personalities. If you’ve been reading this column over the years, you know that there’s nothing I like more on All-Star weekend than settling in and watching The last player is Dennis Maruk, who gets a big reaction because he’s incredibly awkward player intros from old All-Star Games. This year is no the only Capitals player. I know it’s confusing, but there was a time when different. Pull on your leg-warmers and bite the head off a live bat, the NHL All-Star Game didn’t cram three or four players from the host because we’re headed back to 1982. team onto the roster whether they deserved it or not, because this was considered a national showcase and not just a local event. It was weird, (Thanks to reader Matt B. for sending in this week’s clip.) glad we got that sorted out.

It’s Feb. 9, 1982, and we’re coming to you from Landover, Maryland, You can tell Maruk’s ovation is special because we break out the only which is close enough to Washington that we’ll just say Washington. The special effect we had for live sports in 1982, the inset over top of the Caps are hosting for the first time in history, at the old Capital Centre. crowd shot. We also get not one but two closeups of the same dude in a Yes, that’s right, they spelled it “Centre”, instead of the American white sweater, who is cheering wildly because he has successfully stolen “Center,” That always bothered me. Why did they do that? As it turns out, Ray Bourque’s mustache. the answer is the same as pretty much every other decision involving the And that’s it for our clip. The Washington fans went away happy, as the Washington Capitals’ first decade or so: They did not have a good Wales team skated off with a 4-2 win. Yes, 4-2. I don’t know, I’m reason. assuming the game must have been cancelled after they’d played three We join the action as the two teams get ready to take the ice. The visiting minutes. Maybe somebody tried to backcheck and everyone was so Campbell Conference takes the ice first, followed by the Wales offended they went home. You can watch Gretzky score a breakaway Conference. They skate around for a minute as the Epyx national anthem goal, as recorded on your grade school’s film projector from 1972, right from Winter Games plays, then line up at the blue line for introductions. here. And with that we’re done. Enjoy All-Star weekend, everyone.

“Hey, anyone have any ideas for what we should put on the All-Star (But seriously, tonight let’s get the players to do the Marchand thing.) uniforms?” “Uh, like, a bunch of stars?” “BRILLIANT!” The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 Seriously though, those old orange-and-black All-Star unis were fantastic. I’m not being ironic, I mean this 100 percent sincerely. I will never understand why you all spend several days every year arguing over the latest All-Star uniforms designs as if we haven’t already achieved perfection.

Grant Fuhr is introduced first, followed by Paul Coffey. Did anyone else think the announcer called him “The pest from Edmonton”? I had to listen to it like five times, and I was really confused because we all know that the pest from Edmonton was Ken Linseman.

Next is a disturbingly young-looking Doug Wilson, looking very confused to be associated with a team with a good goaltender. 1172705 Websites Edmonton Oilers choose you? Or the Toronto Maple Leafs? I mean, are you going to dictate where you’re going to go in the NHL?” And he said, “Well, no, it doesn’t work that way.” And I said, “Exactly. It doesn’t work that way — and it’s the same here. If you want to come over, we can The Athletic / ‘He’s special’: The people who know him best tell the story provide you with a huge opportunity. You’re going to play big minutes. of how Leon Draisaitl took the NHL by storm You’re going to play in all situations. The potential for you to be a high draft choice next year is very real.”

Campese isn’t completely sure if his long history of playing in Europe Eric Duhatschek Jan 24, 2020 18 helped facilitate matters, though logically, it did. It gave the Draisaitls confidence that someone with an understanding of how hockey worked in Germany would have Leon’s back, as he made the adjustment to life in At the NHL’s official one-quarter mark of the 2019-20 season, the northern Saskatchewan. PA also had one advantage: The billet family, Edmonton Oilers had played 22 games and in that span Leon Draisaitl Carol and Ralph Ring, had previously hosted future NHLers Mike had scored 43 points, which put him on pace for 160 for the season, a Modano and Dean McAmmond. Given that Draisaitl was just a teenager, total only one player not named Wayne Gretzky had ever reached. his parents wanted to ensure their son was well taken care of away from the rink. Naturally, that was an unsustainable level of offence – and the numbers have fallen off for Draisaitl since then. But when the Oilers went into their Campese: Leon was coming over as this profile guy, so we wanted to bye week following last Saturday’s win over the Arizona Coyotes, make sure that when selecting the billet for him, we had the right billet – Draisaitl was still second in the NHL in scoring, one point behind and we did. Obviously, the mom and dad are really concerned. Their son teammate Connor McDavid, and he and McDavid were tied for sixth in is moving a long way away from home. I can remember telling them: goals. All this comes a year after Draisaitl finished fourth in the scoring We’ve got some great billets here, but there’s one billet in particular that’s race and second to Alex Ovechkin in the race for the Rocket Richard had Mike Modano, Dean McAmmond. So that really helped that whole trophy. process. I knew Carol would take care of all the little details, she’s just that type of person. And I know her and Leon, they’re still in contact and And yet, Draisaitl is – if anything – even more private than McDavid, she visits Leon periodically still. neither of whom has much of an appetite for speaking publicly about their inner thoughts. And so, with the 2020 All-Star Game on tap in St. Louis Act 2: Draisaitl arrives in Prince Albert this weekend, we probed and prodded the people who’ve crossed paths with Draisaitl over the years to mine their best stories and get a deeper In Prince Albert, Draisaitl became fast friends with defenceman Josh sense of who this 24-year-old superstar from Cologne, Germany really is. Morrissey, who’d already had a full WHL season under his belt. Morrissey and Draisaitl played together for two years with the Raiders What follows is the Leon Draisaitl origin story in five separate acts. and then parts of a third season with the Kelowna Rockets.

Act 1: The pitch Josh Morrissey, Raiders defenceman: When Leon first came over, he was 17, so we were the same age, but my draft year was one year For Draisaitl, the journey to the NHL started innocently enough — at a before his because he was a late birthday. But we immediately hit it off Best Western hotel near the train station in his hometown of Cologne and became best friends right away. We were in the same classes at where he and his father, Peter Draisaitl, first met with Bruno Campese, school. Both of us just loved hockey and were trying to get better at it, so general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. Prince Albert we’d spend all our time watching hockey and talking about hockey and had drafted Draisaitl second overall in the 2012 CHL import draft but was saying, “Maybe one day, we’ll get in the NHL.” After I was drafted that having a hard time convincing him PA was the best place for him to be to year, he was asking me all the time: “What was the draft like? What was facilitate his dream of playing in the NHL. the development camp like? What was it like being in the same dressing Bruno Campese, GM, Prince Albert Raiders: We knew that Leon and his room and at training camp and meeting guys like Blake Wheeler, Mark family had no interest in coming out West. His agent had something Scheifele, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien?” Obviously, it’s surreal, when worked out with a team in Quebec or Ontario and that was their you’re in junior to go through that. So that season, his draft year, him and preference. The Western league wasn’t even an option at that point. I just had great chemistry. They talked about him just staying at home in Germany and playing. So, Brendan Guhle, Raiders defenceman: My first year, I was at rookie we started down the path of trying to contact Leon directly. We didn’t camp, I wasn’t eligible to play with the team, but that was his rookie camp have his contact info, but I did have his dad’s. I played against his dad in too. His English wasn’t as good. The next year, when I got back there, it Europe, so I sent him an email after the Euro draft and had no response. was a lot better. His size dominated at that level – just super dynamic, I kept sending him emails periodically through the summer and didn’t dangerous all the time. He used his size well in the corners and really hear anything back. It was getting on to the first part of August. Training could fend guys off. He’d almost be like a step ahead of everyone else. camp was right around the corner and I remember sitting in my office, thinking, “God, this is not going to happen.” And then one morning, out of Following Draisaitl’s second year in Prince Albert, he went third overall to the blue, I got a response back from his dad, who was coaching in Czech the Oilers in the 2014 entry draft. Draisaitl started his first professional at that time; Leon and his mom, were living in Cologne. This was a Friday season in Edmonton, but in 37 games, scored only two goals and nine morning. He texted: “I’m going to be home for the weekend but then points and averaged 12:42 per night in ice time. At Christmas, the Oilers leaving Tuesday to go back to Czech.” Even before I responded to his had a decision to make: Keep him in the NHL or let him return to junior. message, I went ahead and booked a flight and a hotel. Then I In the end, the Oilers assigned Draisaitl back to PA, but knowing that the messaged him that I would be there on Saturday. I think they were a little Rockets were negotiating a trade that would reunite him on a team with a taken aback that I actually was going to come. chance to compete for the Memorial Cup.

Campese left immediately, flying from Saskatoon to Toronto, then Bruce Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets GM: I started talking with MacT (Craig Toronto to Frankfurt and made his way to Cologne by train. He booked a MacTavish, then the Oilers’ general manager) once I got the permission hotel near the train station, which is where he made his pitch to the to speak with him and said, “Maybe this guy needs to come back to junior Draisaitls about why coming to Prince Albert made sense. and experience some success and have a little bit of fun.” Because with what was going on there in Edmonton, there can’t be a lot of that going Campese: I knew my window was really small and if I didn’t get over on. And I think that’s what happened when Leon came here. Once he got there, this wasn’t going to happen. In PA, you’re not working for an going and had some success and the winning, I think that all really owner. You’re working for a board of directors. But I had told our board of helped him. I also think being back with his group of guys, age-wise, was directors that this was the best player possible — we knew that he was a big thing for him too. Because when a guy that age is up there in the just too good to play in Germany, and that he had to come over. When I NHL, he’s on his own a lot of the time. And I don’t think Leon was quite got the information from the dad that he was willing to meet, we had to ready for that yet. spend the money to go over there. There were a few little things about him – trivial maybe – but they So, I went there and made my pitch. I can honestly remember saying to showed me the kind of person he was. When he came here, our team the kid: “The draft is a draft. I know that you didn’t want to come out uses Bauer sticks and he used Warrior. I told him, “We’ll work it out with West, that you wanted to go to Ontario or to Quebec.” But I said, “If you Bauer so you can use Warrior” and he said, “No Bruce, I want to have want to play in the NHL, there’s a draft there too. What happens if the what everyone else has.” That may sound like nothing, but it was big for us because the rest of the kids saw he was going to be just like them and it is and it isn’t fun. Him and Connor — it’s always a battle and that’s all he wanted — to be one of the guys. sometimes you get scored on because him and Connor are so good. They can really fly out there. Draisaitl scored 53 points in 32 regular-season games for Kelowna and then added another 28 in 19 playoff games for the Rockets. The only Marco Sturm, Los Angeles Kings assistant, former coach of the German thing that would have made it better is if the Rockets had been able to national team: I played with his father Peter in Nagano and he was very win the Memorial Cup that year. similar to Leon in the style they play. Very smart, with and without the puck. A natural centerman. Peter had maybe not as much speed as Leon Hamilton: He was an elite player and a big man and guys would run at because Leon’s speed is sneaky. You don’t think he has a lot of speed, him all the time and it never bothered him. He just kept playing. I but he does. He’s a really good skater. His dad wasn’t like that – but in remember, the year we were in the Memorial Cup, one of the teams kept every other area of their games, they’re very much alike. They could read going after his hands on the faceoffs. I think our trainers adjusted his the play very well. The only thing with Leon is there’s room in the gloves for him because on every faceoff, they were trying to get his defensive part. I think his goal should be to win the Selke as well. To be hands. And I know he had blue thumbnails from it, but he never that guy. Like a Kopitar. Or even Sidney Crosby. But I think he can do it complained. too. I don’t worry about his offensive game. He’s done it. He’s proved it. Many times, the team would go out for dinner after games and Leon And he will get better. I’m a big fan. But I think he can do the other side would pick up the bill at Earl’s. He was as genuine a person as I’ve ever too, the defensive side, just like those other guys did. had come through here. He never asked for anything special. He’s very Act 4: How Draisaitl’s emergence has impacted hockey in Germany similar to Jamie Benn and the Foote kids. They just want to play. And he fit in with the guys. He knew he was going to be a leader in some part of Sturm coached Draisaitl at two world championships but says his it, but he wasn’t going to step on the feet of Rod Southam, who was our greatest impact came in a tournament almost no one saw – the 2017 captain then. Leon jumped right into line. Whatever Rod was doing, Leon Olympic qualifying tournament, played before the start of the 2017-18 was a part of it. NHL season, in which Germany had to play four games and win them all in order to qualify for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. Because it was To this day, I still communicate with him. The Oilers were here for a preseason, Germany was able to use its NHL players in the qualifying couple of days for training camp this year and we had a real good visit. I tournament, which took place in Latvia and obliged them to win a game still text him when he has big nights and I text him on nights when things against the host Latvians to qualify. aren’t great just to tell him to keep his chin up. He is a solid, solid person. Tobias Rieder, former Oilers teammate and teammate on German Act 3: The first tentative steps toward NHL greatness national team: You played in Latvia and the best team we had to beat Draisaitl returned to the Oilers for the start of the 2015-16 season. He was Latvia, so they had a home game. We’ve played them a lot at the didn’t have a great beginning to the season and was dispatched to AHL world championship and these are always tight games. It was at the end Bakersfield for six gamest. Injuries on the big club gave him a ticket back of summer, so those were the first meaningful games you had to play at to the NHL and upon his return, Draisaitl took off. He finished the 2015- the start of the year and they were so big. So, it was tough tournament – 16 season with 51 points in 72 games and although the Oilers missed the four tough games, but it was fun that we won and sent a team to the playoffs, he was on his way – and showed enough promise to be Olympics. We played some of the time on a line together and I’ve played selected for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he world championships with Leon before too. He’s just an easy player to was coached by Ralph Krueger and Paul Maurice, among others. play with — one of the best in the world, so you’re just trying to find a way to get him the puck and then to get open. Paul Maurice, Team Europe assistant coach/Winnipeg Jets head coach: It was fun to watch the evolution of his game at the World Cup, even in Sturm: Everyone remembers how we won a silver medal (in that three weeks, because he started as a young kid and by the end, he PyeongChang), but Leon was one of the reasons we qualified in the first was a powerful man. He learned very quickly. The things he could get place. He had a huge impact the whole week – he was such a good away with in amateur, or when he first came over, he found he couldn’t player for us. It’s a tough tournament because you have to win all the get away with then – so he stopped trying them. And that’s a really games. And so, there’s a lot of pressure. But the fit was seamless – and important change. When you start to understand the game, then you that was surprising and that was the key. He did not act like he was a respect the game. And now, I find he’s got more of everything. He’s more special player. He was just one of them. He played with the system. He confident. He’s faster. But I also find his game has simplified a lot more. was unbelievable. True confidence is learning the plays that you don’t make – when you Even as Draisaitl’s notoriety increases, his fame doesn’t – and according know what the right one is and you’re patient and you wait for it. You filter to the people who know him, that’s deliberate. The spotlight has little out the feeling that you have to make a play every time you touch the interest to him. puck. Sturm: He goes home to Cologne every summer and everyone knows Jordan Eberle, Oilers teammate, 2014-17: Leon was a high draft pick, so him there. He’s the king. You will see him once in a while in a commercial it’s not as if he came out of nowhere, but it took him a little bit of time to but he’s not a guy who will be in the paper every day. He could be – or realize how good he was. He came into the league and we struggled, on the cover of (Der Spiegel). He just doesn’t want that. He’s a quiet guy. and he was in and out of the lineup. He got sent back to junior his first That’s just the way he is. He just wants to be alone. He just wants to year and then he got sent to the minors in his second year, and I think hang out with his friends. He wants to get away. I think that’s why he’s maybe that hurt his confidence a bit. But once he got going, it was like, building a house in Spain, where he always goes, so he can get away “Boom! He’s here to stay.” He’s big, he’s strong and he’s a powerful and play golf and just have fun. But you know what? He’s still a kid – and skater. I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for how fast he is. He he loves the game more than anything. He just wants to go out and he skates somewhat like Pavel Datsyuk – just effortless. He finds a way to wants to play – badly. He doesn’t want to sit. He hates to sit, even for a gather speed that way. You watch him play, his backhand passes, the shift. He just wants to be on the ice – and he wants to be on the ice all way he sees the ice, he just turned into the player we all thought he could the time – because he knows he can be a difference maker. be. Rieder: He’s still really, really young, so he still has lots of time, and if he Coming out of the World Cup, Draisaitl blossomed further in 2016-17, keeps going like he is now, there’s no doubt he’s going to be one of the which was his first full 82-game NHL season, where he scored 77 points, all-time greats in Germany. He already is actually. In Germany, it’s a little including 29 goals. But where Draisaitl made an even greater impact was different comparing soccer to hockey because everybody watches in the playoffs, where Edmonton won the opening round and got to Game soccer. Hockey, not so much. Still, a lot of people know him – and more 7 of the second round against the Anaheim Ducks. Draisaitl had 19 and more young players are coming up. What helped a lot was winning points in 13 playoff games that spring and many people thought he may silver at the Olympics, where Marco was the coach. That put hockey a have outplayed McDavid. How did he get so good so fast? little more on the map in Germany.

Morrissey: The development curve for him, even when he first came Korbinian Holzer, Ducks defenceman and a German teammate: His dad over, was very fast. From the beginning, you saw how much ability he actually was my coach in my second year of pro, so it was nice playing had. He’s such a great passer. Obviously, he has the size. He really with Leon on the national team. He’s a funny guy, with a dry sense of worked on his skating throughout his years in junior. Now, he has that humour. That’s his personality. He likes to crack the odd joke – not extra gear. Playing against him in practice every day for three years everyone gets it all the time. But he’s sarcastic and I like that because I’m made me a better player. So, it’s always fun playing against him. I mean, sarcastic too. He’s a very gifted player and obviously a very determined player too. He put in a lot of work as a young kid. He’s doing a lot of good one night (in early December) and he could have had a point on every things already and the older he gets, the more he’ll mature and the more shift – that’s how dangerous he is. Especially playing with Connor. learning he’ll do. It was nice to hang around with him on the national team and obviously, I’m cheering for a guy from the same country. Morrissey: In junior, we played NHL video games, but we also watched a lot of games on TV to see if there were things that we could do in the Sturm: I did an interview with a German paper earlier this year and said game that NHL teams were doing. Or sometimes, we’d look at the to them: “There were some games I’ve seen this year, when I thought chemistry certain teams would have on the power play and try to do the Leon was better than Connor.” It’s tough to beat 97 over the long stretch same things. He’s such a hard worker, and such a humble guy, not – but that’s how far he’s come. And it’s impressive. The biggest problem arrogant at all. Every time we play against them now, we’re looking at – and I saw it happen with Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best basketball each other across the ice, and I can’t help but smile – because we talked players ever — but if they’re not playing in your country, it’s a different about playing in the NHL so many times when we were younger and now (level of fame). Sometimes, you don’t hear anything about them for a we actually get a chance to do it. It’s pretty special. You really can’t even week or two. In Germany, it’s more about the sports and the athletes that put it into words. are in the country. If you’re out of the country, it’s hard if you’re too far away. With the time change too, following hockey is difficult. And it’s not The Athletic LOADED: 01.25.2020 on free TV, except for a few games here and there. It was the same, even with Dirk. Everyone knows Dirk, but people sometimes cared more about a second-league soccer player. At home, Leon can say whatever he wants and he can say no to anyone – and they can’t do anything about it. Over here, it’s a little different. Here, he has to say yes. If he wants to be that elite player, he has to do everything that comes with that as well.

Act 5: The present

Sturm: How do you become an elite player? I always think, you either have it or you don’t. There are so many players I’ve played with that just didn’t have it – and all of a sudden, they get stuck. Right? And that’s it. He’s special. There are a few special players in this world – and he’s one of them. He’s just one of those kids who can really do it. We played them 1172706 Websites As the players stood in sneakers on a platform at the 100-level concourse, they took aim with orange pucks at a myriad of targets on the ice, assigned with various points totals. The juiciest being a replica Gateway Arch (10 points) at centre ice. Sportsnet.ca / NHL All-Star Skills Takeaways: 'Bieber' steals show, McDavid loses crown Think Topgolf on ice.

Thankfully, the 10 participants got to practise Thursday, which cut down on the jitters. Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox January 24, 2020, 11:31 PM “It’s weird. You’re elevated. You don’t know how much power to put into it,” Mitch Marner said. “Hopefully I won’t embarrass myself.”

10-12 minutes Marner and Patrick Kane tied with a score of 22, forcing a sudden-death, one-shot, $30,000 playoff won by Kane — the most hated man in the building. ST. LOUIS – As the NHL Skills Competition celebrated its 30th anniversary Friday night in St. Louis, Rick Tocchet marvelled at how far “The boys were asking me why I was getting booed, and I said, ‘I the showcase has come since his own nerve-wracking participation in the shouldn’t have scored those overtime playoff goals against them and first-ever accuracy shooting contest. maybe they wouldn’t have booed me,’” Kane said.

“Now you see the way Patrick Kane skates around the cones or the “It was fun to win it. I think I’m a fan of kind of the original skills stuff… power of Connor McDavid. It’s just amazing what’s happened in 30 but I understand where they’re trying to go with it where they’re trying to years,” Tocchet said. create some different events.”

Consider that all eight Fastest Skater participants would’ve topped Sergei The event’s loudest ovations went to Brett Hull, who was dragged out of Fedorov’s championship lap (14.363) in 1992, when that event was first retirement for a surprise guest shot, and local boy Matthew Tkachuk, who unveiled. doffed his Calgary Flames sweater to reveal a Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals jersey. “The skills are always fun. Everybody likes to rip on each other. A guy misses a target or a guy’s shot is not that hard, they rip on each other. “I was more thinking about the jersey thing, and that’s all I really cared about,” Tkachuk said. “I didn’t care how I was going to do with the “A lot of these guys are friends with each other, so I’ll just step back and targets.” watch all the camaraderie going on.” …And ten months later it was added to the NHL Skills Competition. Here are the highlights from the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which https://t.co/mfoqqFFkbb was by turns upsetting, record-setting, and goofy. — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 25, 2020 Barzal dethrones McDavid as fastest in the game "It woulda been good to see Hully take more than one shot. When Connor McDavid’s reign is over. The three-peat did not become a four- he's got a lot of friends in town, that might be all he has in him." —Jordan peat. Binnington on Brett Hull's Skills cameo

Mathew Barzal came this close to posting the quickest lap in Fastest — luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) January 25, 2020 Skater history, finishing a miniscule 0.003 behind Dylan Larkin’s record- setting run of 13.172 in 2016. Canada tops Team USA in women’s 3-on-3

Barzal’s blazing run of 13.175 edged out runner-up McDavid’s 13.215 In a fast-paced, scoring-chance-loaded, 20-minute 3-on-3 exhibition and Chris Kreider’s 13.509, prompting this enthusiastic reaction from between the best female players from Canada and the U.S., Canada won Anthony Duclair: 2-1 thanks to some brilliant goaltending by Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Barzal’s time is actually faster than any registered by McDavid over his While we weren’t fans of the white and grey sweaters the women wore — three-year run as champ. American and Canadian colours would’ve been nice — the action was fantastic. “I don’t think I could have skated a better lap. I don’t think I could have “The skill and ability that women’s hockey has been able to develop is done it again,” Barzal said. “I was talking to him earlier in the lobby of the hotel. I might’ve gotten lucky this week. He was on a break. His break incredible,” Braden Holtby said. “It’s a really good stage to show actually happened for a few days, so he hadn’t been on skates for a everyone how talented and impressive the girls are.” while. We just finished two days ago, so I was fresh on my skates.” With no proper unifying league to participate in, it’s been a challenging Afterward, McDavid was asked for the secret to maintaining speed ride for hockey’s elite women. And several members of the game used around the corners. the platform to encourage more interest. “ “I don’t know,” he smiled. “You’ll have to ask Barzal.” When you watch the women’s game, there’s perceptions maybe it’s slower, maybe it’s not as physical, they’re not as talented, they’re not as McDavid had singled out Kreider, who grew up loving the Fastest Skater big. We’ve heard it all our whole life. But I would say we’re equally as on TV, as his toughest competitor coming into the race. entertaining,” argued Kendall Coyne Schofield, the runaway star of last year’s Skills Competition. “All I’m worried about is not going into the wall,” Krieder chuckled pre- race. “I got a bad reputation on our team whenever we’re doing our skate “It’s an atmosphere you dream about often. You want to see a full tests at the beginning of the year of catching an edge and going hard into building of people supporting women’s hockey. We know we can get the wall. So, I just want to come out of it healthy.” there. If you build it, they will come. If we had the proper infrastructure day in and day out, we will have that many fans routinely.” Nathan MacKinnon, too, was concerned about his health. Commissioner Gary Bettman stopped short of committing to another “I think doing a lap [after] sitting there for two hours is dangerous, so I’d women’s game at the 2021 All-Star weekend in Sunrise, Fla., but this rather do the concourse shooting,” MacKinnon said. “It’s like Topgolf, so marks the third consecutive year the NHL has increased its spotlight on that sounds stress-free.” the women’s game at its midseason gala.

Brand-new Shooting Stars contest is a hit “Girls, it gives them a lot of hope,” said Brianna Decker. “We’re doing Good on the NHL for at least trying to mix things up, doing away with the what we can to help grow our game as much as possible. Thanks to the tedious passing contest and awkward obstacle course in favour of the NHL, we have an opportunity this week to do that.” “funky” and “fresh” (Barzal’s words) Shooting Stars event. T.J. Oshie is a father of two girls. They accompanied Dad on the bench and saw the women participate up close. “My two girls aren’t too big into skating yet, but one day they will be. For them to look up to role models like this and see them at the NHL All-Star weekend, I think it’s pretty cool,” Oshie said. “Very encouraging.”

Yes, Shea Weber still wields the Hardest Shot

It was a fun touch having Blues legend and seven-time Hardest Shot champ Al MacInnis come out and take a clapper with his wooden stick before the current generation started winding up.

John Carlson won the 2019 event with a 102.8-mph blast, so when the Norris favourite ripped a 104.5, favourite Shea Weber had his work cut out for him.

No biggie.

Weber casually stepped up with his 122-flex weapon and hammered a 105.9, followed by 106.5, snatching his fourth Hardest Shot crown.

Did Carlson believe he had it won?

“No,” Carlson said. “I think I knew all along that we were all just a part of the show.”

Weber was a three-peat champion in the event from 2015 through 2017, but was disappointed that his numbers declined. He slammed a 108.5- mph blast in ’15, which was just 0.3 off Zdeno Chara’s all-time record, but that dropped a bit in 2016 (108.1) and again in 2017 (102.8).

“I think everyone here is competitive and puts a little bit of pressure on themselves. Everybody wants to win, no matter what,” Weber said.

“It’s fun and it is a good time, but at the same time you want to do your best.”

Slavin’s aim is second to none

Jaccob Slavin is on point.

The Hurricanes star — a late replacement for injured teammate Dougie Hamilton — took down all five targets in the Accuracy Shooting contest in a cool 9.505 seconds, collecting a $30,000 cheque for his efforts. (That would equal an hourly wage of $11,368,421.)

Slavin’s time was the fastest ever since the NHL switched to a timed, five-target format in 2012, besting Jamie Benn’s 10.204.

It also marked the first time in 12 years that a defenceman won the contest (Tomas Kaberle, 2008) — back when the targets were Styrofoam and busting them brought satisfaction. Sometimes analogue is better than digital.

This might sound crazy but hear me out here folks. Next year what if we try styrofoam targets? #NHLAllStar

— Strombone (@strombone1) January 25, 2020

Binnington stones “Justin Bieber” en route to Save Streak victory

Does he look nervous? Not a chance.

Jordan Binnington made 10 consecutive stops in the Save Streak to swipe the contest from Andrei Vasilevskiy (nine) and make the locals happy.

The highlight was San Jose’s Tomas Hertl pulling out an oversized Justin Bieber mask from his pants and sliding it over his face before taking his shootout attempt, a nod to the upcoming Bieber vs. Binny bet.

“I actually fell down and the mask started moving, so I couldn’t even see the puck,” Hertl said. “I was nervous to finish it, but it works well and it was fun.”

“You gotta stay humble and continue to build and prepare for The Biebs,” Binnington deadpanned on TV. “I know you’re training, buddy. Keep working.”

We loved Binnington’s soundtrack choice for his saves — Ginuwine’s “Pony” — but we would’ve liked to see him try to extend his streak to see if he could’ve taken down Marc-Andre Fleury’s record of 14 in a row.

Maybe @justinbieber can teach @TomasHertl48 some moves. @SanJoseSharks | #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/vn8g082El8

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 25, 2020

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172707 Websites players on both teams about an hour ago, we had a good chat. They’re excited to be here. We’re excited to have them. And the fact that we can shine, using our light, a brighter light on the women’s game I think is a positive for them, for the game and for young girls watching and aspiring Sportsnet.ca / 5 things we learned from Gary Bettman's State of the NHL to do the same thing.” address It will be no surprise if a NHL-backed women’s league eventually becomes a reality.

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris January 24, 2020, 11:10 PM Celebrate Our Community. Celebrate Our Game.

4. Alex Ovechkin is forgiven for skipping all-star weekend… almost

ST. LOUIS — This was Gary Bettman at his thought-provoking best. Bettman seemed enthused about the possibility of Alex Ovechkin closing the 200-plus goal gap on Wayne Gretzky and potentially challenging his The NHL commissioner was in high spirits as he presided over a state of all-time goals record. the union address Friday at all-star weekend, detailing a long list of his league’s successes, reaffirming its position on a number of key fronts “It’s incredible. It’s exciting,” said Bettman. “It’s a testament both to and making a few colourful points while speaking for more than 30 Wayne’s record that it seems to have been unapproachable until now minutes inside Enterprise Center. and it’s a testament to Alex Ovechkin and his amazing career so far and Here are a list of five things we learned from Bettman’s media availability: one that we hope continues for a number of years. Obviously his longevity, and he seems to be in great shape, will be a factor as to 1. A decision on the NHL’s participation in the 2022 Olympics will be whether or not he can ultimately achieve that record.” made on a timetable established by the NHL and the NHL alone Ovechkin was initially voted captain of the Metropolitan Division team, Bettman was asked about recent comments from IIHF president Rene but elected not to attend the all-star weekend for the second straight Fasel about needing an answer from the NHL by August. The year. It wasn’t a popular decision inside the league’s head office and will commissioner didn’t mince words. see the Washington Capitals captain sit out a game as a penalty.

“He also said last summer that he wanted an answer by December, and “We miss him and wish he was here but we understand,” said Bettman. he didn’t get one,” said Bettman. “So we’re going to have to see. I “No, we don’t. I miss him.” actually think that the deadline is really more one that we would have to impose in terms of logistics. My guess is if at a point in time we said we 5. CBA talks are quiet, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost importance wanted to go and we could handle the timing of it, my guess is the IIHF Bettman expects talks with the NHL Players’ Association to pick up could as well. steam. They had been going strong through the summer and fall — when both sides held a potential reopener — but have fallen quiet since. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t take Rene seriously, but he already gave us one deadline that came and went.” The league’s most powerful men want that to change.

So when is the NHL’s deadline? “We, principally (deputy commissioner) Bill Daly and I, have been anxious to re-engage,” said Bettman. “The Players’ Association has “I don’t know. I’ll know it when I see it, when we get there,” Bettman taken a bit of a deep breath. I think that’s more because they were doing said. “Obviously first and foremost it has to do with releasing a schedule, their meetings with the teams… right? That’s the game-changer one way or the other.” “My expectation is we’ll re-engage shortly in a more energetic way than 2. Puck and player tracking is nearly a reality perhaps we’ve been in the last couple of months. With the press of The puck and player tracking that you’re seeing on Sportsnet and NBC everything else that’s going on for them and for us, perhaps knowing broadcasts from all-star weekend will be up and running by the playoffs, there’s more time than we had going into September, I wouldn’t read according to Bettman. anything into it other than we’re both still focused on it.”

The league then intends to have it fully operational for the entire 2020-21 Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 season — giving fans access to a whole treasure trove of information about the sport with the help of chips planted in each player’s sweater and the puck.

“It’ll be, as a fan and a viewer, what you want it to be,” said Bettman. “You’ll be able to watch the game as you’ve always watched it traditionally if that’s what you want. There’ll be broadcast enhancements that the broadcasters can use either on the primary screen or on secondary screens.

“There will be more data than ever before. I believe the players will generate something like 200 data points per second and the puck 2,000 data points a second, so in terms of getting inside the game, telling stories, as a fan delving in to get what you’re interested in, you’re going to be able to do more things than ever before and even imaginable.”

3. The NHL is happy to keep shining on a light on the world’s best female players

This is the third straight year top female hockey players were involved in the skills competition and Friday’s Elite Women’s 3-on-3 event featured 20 players — the most ever.

Even though Bettman wouldn’t commit to it being an annual thing just yet — “let’s see how it goes tonight,” he said before the competition started, and judging by the crowd’s reaction it was a massive hit — he did indicate that the league appreciates the opportunity to help out a group of women left with nowhere to play this season after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded.

“I’m thrilled that we have an opportunity for the women’s game to be demonstrated the way it will tonight,” Bettman said. “I met with the 1172708 Websites All of this was kept completely under wraps from the media — not even coming to light when McDavid arrived back in Edmonton for training camp. He required that level of secrecy while going through a rehab process that never included any firm timelines or outcomes. Sportsnet.ca / 'I feel real good': Oilers' Connor McDavid opens up about injury recovery “I think the main focus was just getting healthy,” said McDavid. “I didn’t need any pressure of media, I didn’t need any more questions. There was already lots of questions going on, so it was actually really nice just Chris Johnston | @reporterchris January 24, 2020, 10:12 PM to be able to focus on myself and not have to answer questions and [deal with] the pressures of all the media and all the fans and stuff like that. It was a different way to go about it.

ST. LOUIS — This is the season that nearly never was for Connor “I understand obviously if that rubbed some media the wrong way. I McDavid. mean it’s not like we’re trying to hide anything and ultimately we didn’t really know. Simply saying ‘I don’t know’ was the right answer because There was a mix of comfort and relief as the world’s top player arrived at we didn’t know all the answers to all the questions.” Enterprise Center for the NHL’s all-star weekend and spoke at length with reporters about his arduous recovery from a torn PCL in his left knee The primary motivation for sharing his journey in the documentary was to last summer. educate other athletes about what’s possible if you take your recovery into your own hands, according to McDavid. That recovery is detailed in a fascinating documentary called “Whatever It Takes,” which was released Friday, and covers a lot of ground that until He learned a lot himself. now had been kept quiet. Such as the fact that McDavid had a surgery booked in May that would have required more than a year of recovery And about himself. before embarking on an experimental rehab route that beat the odds and “You learn to stick with it,” said McDavid. “There’s lots of days where returned him to the Edmonton Oilers in time for opening night. you don’t feel like doing it or you don’t feel like grinding it out, but you’ve So while all seems right in the hockey world — McDavid once again got to do it. Those are the highs and lows of being an athlete, and if you leads the league in scoring and is on pace for 127 points — it’s not very want to feel those highs, you’ve got to go through those lows every now difficult for the 23-year-old to imagine a scenario where he’d be a long and then.” way from here right now. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 “I feel real good. I don’t think I’d be sitting here at the all-star game if I wasn’t,” said McDavid. “I feel good on the ice and I’m happy with how I’ve been playing.”

With hindsight, that seems like a minor miracle given how hard he smashed into the post while trying to go wide around Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano at top speed last April 6.

McDavid was initially diagnosed with a Grade 2 PCL strain because of all the swelling around his knee. A second medical opinion in Colorado revealed the full PCL tear, plus a torn meniscus on both sides of the knee, cracked fibia and a popliteus muscle that was torn right off the bone.

The doctor recommended undergoing a surgical procedure that included the extended recovery time and no guarantee of how well the knee would heal afterwards. And he recommended McDavid go under the knife within days.

At that moment, there were some concerns about his career.

“I’m a 22-year-old kid at the time and you never want to miss a season and you never want to go through a surgery that — I’m not going to call it risky or anything like that, but there’s lots of questions,” said McDavid. “It’s not like it’s an ACL where doctors can do that almost in their sleep. It’s a PCL and that’s a surgery that only a few people can do and it’s not been real mastered.”

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While the surgery was booked, McDavid sought a third medical opinion in Los Angeles. That doctor confirmed the nature of the injury, but recommended rehab over surgery — a decision that led to highly respected Dr. Mark Lindsay being brought in to oversee a fluid recovery process, and helped return McDavid back to health in time for the season.

He had to approach his recovery like a full-time job and Lindsay lived with him for as many five days per week throughout the summer. He spent a couple hours in a Hyperbaric chamber wearing a large knee brace every day for 40 days and later advanced to rehab exercises in the pool.

McDavid would have regular MRIs to gauge how effective the rehab process was advancing and surgery remained on the table into July. However, that was never necessary and by August he was able to start doing some on-ice work, which included an emotional first skate with his father, Brian. 1172709 Websites in favour of a pioneering, multi-pronged rehab program. Feeling there was no harm in trying, McDavid opted for that route.

The film details the painstaking steps McDavid undertook as — for 10 Sportsnet.ca / What we learned about Connor McDavid's rehab in hours a day, seven days a week — he worked to heal his body. In the 'Whatever It Takes' beginning, he was spending two hours a day locked in a hyperbaric chamber doing the one tiny exercise he’d be cleared for.

“I’d be in [the chamber] and I would flex my quad muscle for 10 Ryan Dixon | @dixononsports January 25, 2020, 12:05 AM seconds on, rest for 10 seconds, and I would do that over and over again trying to save the muscle,” McDavid says.

When Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the season, there was When he was finally allowed to put some weight on the knee, McDavid plenty of reason to be excited. spent so much time in the pool his skin is probably still wrinkled. For a while, he didn’t know if the work would be in vain and surgery would still The play was vintage 97, as he darted between Vancouver Canucks be required. But the hours of meticulous and varied rehabilitation started defencemen Quinn Hughes and Chris Tanev before lifting a shot over to pay off as the PCL fibres began to re-attach. Jacob Markstrom’s blocker and under the bar. The tally broke a 2-2 tie and came with just over five minutes remaining in the third period of a Somebody knows how to keep a secret contest that doubled as Edmonton’s first game of the new campaign and Any time the game’s premier star is suddenly worrying about the its home opener. potential for career derailment, you’d think word would leak out and travel It also came on the heels of a summer-long rehab process McDavid at lightspeed around the hockey world. Somehow, the team around required to heal a left knee injury sustained in the final game of the 2018- McDavid managed to keep the deep details of this injury under wraps — 19 season, when he crashed into the post in a contest against the even from high-profile new hires. Calgary Flames When Ken Holland was talking to Oilers chairman Bob Nicholson about Given all that, it seemed completely natural to witness McDavid drop the possibility of filling the vacant general manager’s office last summer, down to one knee and unleash a few furious fist pumps. His dad Brian, the former was justifiably curious about how the franchise’s foundational though, sensed a little extra mustard on this particular celebration. player was recovering from his injury. “ “There was a different level on that one,” Brian McDavid says. I gave him information; I didn’t give him all the information,” Nicholson explained. “We [the Oilers] really talked about, hey, we’ve got to keep That’s because Connor McDavid — unbeknownst to most of those this as tight as possible. There were a lot of people poking around, trying watching in the building and around the country — came terrifyingly close to get more information and we just clamped it down.” to missing this season of NHL hockey, a fact revealed in an hour-long documentary titled ‘Whatever It Takes’ that aired on Sportsnet Friday Holland acknowledged he really didn’t understand the full extent of things night. In it, McDavid and his inner circle — including his parents, girlfriend until after he’d put pen to paper. Now, we’re all in the know. And that and medical professionals — speak candidly about the extent of an injury makes what McDavid is doing this season even more remarkable. that, in the early stages, created real concern about his long-term future Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 in the game.

Thankfully, McDavid is right where he should be, leading the NHL in scoring at the break. It’s a happy ending to a chapter in his career he’ll never forget. Here are some of the can’t-miss aspects of this story.

It takes a lot, but it’s possible to rattle Connor McDavid

Despite the fact he plays a faster game than anybody in the history of hockey, McDavid always seems in control. On the ice, he’s the one dictating the action. In the dressing room, he’s measured and economical in front of microphones.

Even in the immediate aftermath of his injury, we saw McDavid calmly say the words, “It’s broken” to the group of teammates, trainers and opponents huddled around him. Once he was out of view, though, hobbling down the hallway, McDavid came undone.

“I held it together until we got through the tunnel and [then] I was a mess,” he says in the doc.

You’d expect nothing less from an athlete in that position. Still, it was jarring to hear those closest to him explain how distraught McDavid was as he processed what had happened and what might have to happen next

One of the doctors consulted told McDavid surgery was the way to go, the recovery period would be upwards of a full year and, even then, there was no guarantee his knee would be exactly as it was before he fully tore the posterior cruciate ligament, tore the medial and lateral menisci, fully tore the popliteus muscle, tore the posterior capsule and sustained a tibial plateau fracture.

Oh, and by the way, the sooner you have this surgery, the better.

“I’ve got to make this decision at 22 [years old] and I’ve got to make it in 24 hours,” McDavid says.

Maybe for the first time in his life, the next move wasn’t obvious.

Squeeze; Release; Repeat

With his surgery already scheduled, McDavid sought one more opinion before going under the knife. That doctor suggested forgoing the scalpel 1172710 Websites Not exactly what they teach in Management 101. With all the terrible ideas out of the way, the conversation needs to shift

to how the Canadiens can move forward with Price. And before we get Sportsnet.ca / Why idea of Canadiens trading Carey Price is unfounded, there, his season needs to be put in proper context. ridiculous Most of the consensus best goaltenders in the world — all of them playing on better teams — have struggled just as much, if not more. Even with a dramatic surge over the last month, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Eric Engels | @EricEngels January 24, 2020, 12:29 PM Vasilevskiy (the reigning Vezina Trophy winner) has a .917 save percentage. Toronto’s Frederik Andersen has a .909, Vegas Golden

Knights ‘tender and future Hall of Famer Marc Andre Fleury is at .907, MONTREAL — It’s a conversation that should have ended before it even Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky is on the second page of the NHL.com stat got started, but here we are anyway, because the Montreal Canadiens sheet with a .898, and behind Brobrovsky is Holtby, who has played 33 of are trending towards missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third the league-leading Capitals’ 49 games and has a .897. consecutive season and for a fourth time in five years and Carey Price’s The expectation has to be that most (if not all) of these players will spotty performance has had a considerable influence on that probable bounce back, and it shouldn’t be any different in this market regarding outcome. Price. We get it. When a team is 10 points out of a playoff spot with 32 games He had an average October relative to the rest of the league’s remaining, when it flounders for several seasons in a row, the demand goaltenders but still posted a .914 save percentage and went 6-3-1. What for wholesale change rises. And no player, no matter how big a star they hurt his numbers so much was the fact that his worst stretch of play — in are, is immune from being included in that conversation. November, when he went 4-5-2 and had a 3.77 goals-against average But anyone who thinks now is the time to trade the 32-year-old franchise and a .883 save percentage — coincided with the Canadiens falling apart goaltender of the Canadiens hasn’t seriously considered everything (or defensively and allowing a high frequency of rush chances and the fifth- anything, really) involved in such a decision. most scoring chances from the high-danger area (according to www.naturalstattrick.com). To start with, Price has a full no-movement clause in his contract. Unless he asks to be traded, he isn’t being traded. And as Price’s agent, Gerry Since then, Price posted a .923 save percentage through his first nine Johanssen, put it to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last week, "There’s December starts, and then he rebounded from his final two performances nothing going on," on that front. of 2019 (a 5-4 loss to the Lightning and a 6-5 loss to the Panthers on consecutive nights) with a .935 save percentage through his eight starts And if anyone thinks Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin should in January. test the market, regardless, and then broach the subject with Price, Bergevin has already gone on record with The Athletic to say that not That he did that, despite the Canadiens still giving up the 11th-most slot only will he not do that but that he won’t even listen if rival GMs call to chances in the league from Dec. 1 to now, shows that his game hasn’t talk to him about Price or Montreal’s 34-year-old captain, Shea Weber. come close to eroding.

Even if Bergevin had interest, he’d have to consider the fact that supply Even so, it’s unreasonable to expect Price to play at that level over the heavily outweighs demand on the goaltending market, which makes this course of an 82-game season. Even if he’s being paid the highest salary the worst possible point in time to consider moving Price and his $10.5- in the league and even if the Canadiens do a much better job in front of million cap hit through 2026. him, there isn’t a single goaltender in the league who has appeared in at least 25 games and breached .929 in save percentage this season. So Check the following list of goaltenders who are currently not under it’s time for people to adjust their expectations. contract for next season: What is fair to expect is for Price to find a way to rebound quicker from Braden Holtby (WSH), Craig Anderson (OTT), Robin Lehner (CHI), bad performances, like he did in transitioning out of December and into Corey Crawford (CHI), Jimmy Howard (DET), Matt Murray (PIT), Jaroslav January. And it’s entirely reasonable to expect he not dip as drastically Halak (BOS), Jacob Markstrom (VAN), Thomas Greiss (NYI), Cam when he’s off his game. Talbot (CGY), Anton Khudobin (DAL), Brian Elliott (PHI), Mike Smith (EDM), Linus Ullmark (BUF), Joonas Korpisalo (CBJ) and Pavel But in order for those things to happen, the Canadiens have to make a Francouz (COL). stronger commitment to the defensive game plan to give him a chance to get his legs underneath him when he does struggle. And they have to And those are just some of the pending unrestricted free agents who find a goaltender who can win some games at this level and reduce his have made at least 15 appearances this season. There are also some workload, giving him a chance to bring a more even performance from RFAs, like Alexandar Gorgiev (NYR), who could move between now and month to month. the trade deadline. Those changes are a major priority moving forward. As for trading Price, Talk about market saturation. we can close the book on that conversation.

Going by a golden rule of trade in pro sports — that you don’t move a Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 player who has significantly more value to your organization than they do on the market — moving Price right now makes absolutely no sense. Especially when you consider that the goaltender ranks 30th in save percentage (.908) and 26th in goals-against average (2.84) amongst peers who have appeared in at least 15 games this season.

Even if Price’s numbers were above board, the Canadiens would have a hard time getting any kind of reasonable return in a trade when he’s still owed $44 million in signing bonuses over the length of his contract. Never mind that he’s due an actual salary of $13 million for the 2021-22 season.

Even still, some fans in these parts have suggested the Canadiens should retain some of Price’s salary on their cap and accept what would be considered an awful return just to get him out of town and get the majority of his contract off the books.

"Get anything we can for him,"/"Who cares if we get little to nothing for him," is a brilliant outlook on trading a franchise player away… https://t.co/rb5doqQfVd

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 15, 2020 1172711 Websites “Does Chris Kreider hold the record for most times being almost traded without ever being traded? Obviously, a ton of teams want to acquire him, so what is it that makes him special?”

Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: How Auston Matthews has improved Kreider is the ultimate playoff acquisition, because he will immediately as a defensive player bowl over the opposing team’s goaltender and make it look like an accident, which makes things much easier.

That’s it, that’s the answer. Andrew Berkshire …

Okay, fine. Kreider is a very good player who has two-way versatility on Over halfway through the season and at the all-star break, Auston top of being a blazing fast power forward. The issue for the Rangers if Matthews is tied with Alex Ovechkin for second in the league in goals, at they want to move him, though, is that he hasn’t been at his best this 34 in 49 games. The two sharpshooters trail only David Pastrnak, who season. has an astonishing 37 goals in 51 games. Kreider has fallen off a bit this year in two areas; both defensively and as Matthews scoring goals isn’t a surprise. He’s been the best even strength a power forward/net front presence. goal scorer in the NHL since he entered the league; scoring 111 goals in 261 career games. He’s only two ahead of Connor McDavid, but he’s The drop off as a power forward hasn’t impacted his offensive production played 30 fewer games, and averages 3:20 less in ice time per game. at all. He’s on pace to essentially replicate his previous season exactly on the surface, entirely due to a much bigger presence on the power That Matthews has been nursing a wrist injury despite his gaudy goal play. Kreider has already tied his career high in power play goals with totals has been the talk of the town with the Leafs limping into the all-star seven, and is just three points away from his career high in power play break, but what has impressed me about his season so far hasn’t been points at 13. his shot. His even strength production has taken a hit though, likely because he’s SPOTLIGHT PERFORMANCE shooting from further away and playing a slightly different style that he’s Matthews has one of, if not the best, releases in the game. It’s quick, it’s not used to. That shouldn’t scare any teams away who are looking for the hard for goaltenders to read, and he’s able to change his release point at player he usually is. Being asked to play a different role only makes him the last second and change the angle. It’s crazy, and Matthews gets tons more versatile, and I highly doubt he couldn’t shift back to the net front to of credit for it, but I think because his shot is so ridiculous he gets create chaos at any point. underestimated in other areas of the game. The bigger worry for Kreider is in his defensive game falling off a bit. Early this season when the Leafs were struggling, Matthews was rightly Kreider is a very disruptive defensive player, getting in lanes in all three criticized for his lack of attention to detail in the defensive zone, zones and picking off attempted passes by opponents. How successful something that has plagued him his entire career. At times he looks was Kreider at getting in lanes? When he attempted to block passes last unfocused or uninterested while defending, but looks can be deceiving. season, he was successful in doing so 92.2 per cent of the time. He You might be surprised to know that Matthews has among the best hasn’t dropped into a bad range in success rate this season at 85 per defensive impact on the Maple Leafs this season. cent, but there has been a drop off.

The way the Leafs perform while Matthews is on the ice is staggeringly Most of that hasn’t been in the defensive zone, but outside it, leading to different than when he’s off the ice. Contrasted against the rest of the less quick transition offence in the neutral zone, and fewer chances Leafs’ forward group, it’s easy to see that Matthews and his most created off of forechecks. common linemates have had by far the greatest impact on the team’s on- The other area Kreider isn’t as engaged this year is recovering rebounds ice differentials, especially from the inner slot area. in his own zone. Normally he’s one of the league’s most engaged Matthews may look disengaged at times when he doesn’t have the puck, wingers in cleaning up shots that his goalies can’t control, but that’s been but not all players who have a strong defensive impact look as active and less apparent this season. sound positionally as Patrice Bergeron. Let me throw some numbers at Personally, the drop offs in his play wouldn’t scare me off if I was looking you. to acquire Kreider, because he has a long history of having big impacts in Alex Kerfoot is the only Leafs forward who recovers more loose pucks all three zones. However, for teams who are looking to acquire a high- than Matthews overall, with 21.7 every 20 minutes compared to end two-way winger, the Rangers may not get the crazy high value offers Matthews’ 20.2. Matthews is second in the defensive zone to Kerfoot as they would have last year. well, and second in the offensive zone to Mitch Marner, but in all three QUICK HITS zones he leads the Leafs’ forward group in contested puck battles, winning the highest percentage of anyone on the team. • Speaking of the Rangers, there’s probably another good reason Kreider’s numbers have taken a hit. Only one Rangers forward (300+ In the defensive zone, he also leads all Leafs forwards in rebound minutes) this season has managed a Corsi of 50 per cent or better, and recoveries, aiding his goaltenders in cleaning things up and pushing play it’s Artemi Panarin. Panarin has been on the ice for 752 shot attempts for the other way. and 751 against at 5-on-5, and he’s one of the best play-driving skaters Once again only Kerfoot has completed more successful defensive plays in the sport. Talk about skating uphill. that remove possession from the opponent every 20 minutes than • A sign of how defensively porous the Chicago Blackhawks are: among Matthews, who does so just over seven times every 20 minutes. And when Matthews is creating loose pucks, then recovering them, he also forwards with 300-plus minutes played, three Blackhawks are in the boasts the Leafs’ lowest turnover rate in the offensive and defensive bottom four in slot passes allowed while on ice. Patrick Kane, Alex zones, meaning he’s been great at managing the puck this season as DeBrincat, and the league’s worst mark, Jonathan Toews. well. • Kane has been having another great offensive season, but Sure, a big part of those glowingly excellent differentials come from defensively… ouch. Of the 366 forwards to play 300-plus minutes at 5- Matthews’ excellent offensive ability, but his defensive play helps to on-5, he ranks 345th in inner slot shot differential at 38.1 per cent. create more of those opportunities for him. • The worst mark in the league in inner slot shot differential is another THE QUESTION Blackhawk: Dylan Strome at just 30.4 per cent.

This week Steve Dangle is thinking about the trade deadline, and he • Speaking of trade bait, if the Canadiens decide to move Tomas Tatar, wants to know about a guy who has been rumoured to be on the move he should fetch even more than Vegas gave up for him in 2018. He’s for a few years now. quietly leading the Canadiens in scoring, on pace for 70 points, and holds the fifth-best inner slot shot differential in the entire NHL among forwards at 64 per cent. Move up to a bigger sample size and he’s tied for third in the league at 58.7 per cent. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172712 Websites First task? Locating the old-school bucket — ’90s-era Jofas weren’t exactly a must-have for equipment rooms around the league. Luckily, someone in the building still had one. “My GM had a Jofa helmet up in his office like Jagr used to use when he played.” Argentino borrowed GM Sportsnet.ca / All-Star Rewind: The story behind P.K. Subban's 2016 David Poile’s prized Jofa, screwed on a visor, and moved down the list. Jagr impression Next up: “Back then, Jagr wore that one-piece-shell leg-pant that pulled over the girdle,” Argentino says, “So we had to run around and find the long-shell pants.” They managed to track down a pair in the bowels of Sonny Sachdeva | @sachdevasonny January 24, 2020, 12:36 PM Bridgestone Arena.

The Panthers jersey was easy enough to locate, leaving only the matter While the All-Star Game’s always fodder for a fair bit of grumbling among of the inconveniently blonde wig. “I go to Pete, I say ‘You got a couple of NHL fans, there’s one thing the weekend’s festivities seem to always be cans of black paint?’” says Argentino. good for: memorable displays of personality from the game’s usually- Unfortunately for those who had to deal with the subsequent smell in the guarded stars. arena’s back rooms, he did. The skills competition, in particular, tends to draw it out, gathering the big “Marco took the wig, went over to my supply room and emptied a can of leagues’ marquee names around the ice for the type of jovial one- upmanship they used to revel in post-shinny at the outdoor rink during spray-paint on it,” says Rogers. “It took about six months to get all of that their younger days. Chirps are traded, dangles get progressively paint smell out of that room.” cheekier, and every once in a while one of the game’s more outgoing With all the elements of the look borrowed, dug up, tweaked and stars brings down the house with some pure absurdity (Exhibit A). sufficiently doused in spray-paint, Subban was ready to roll with a half- Back in 2016, at the All-Star Game in Nashville, it was then-Montreal hour to spare. Canadien P.K. Subban (later a Nashville Predator, more recently a New “So P.K. gets on his jersey, he gets the pants, he gets the wig on his Jersey Devil) who added some unforgettable levity to the night. head, gets the helmet — as soon as he stepped on the ice, everybody The Breakaway Challenge was the site of Subban’s tomfoolery. Given it just roared,” Argentino recalls. reigns among the silliest moments in all-star lore, you may recall the For the fans in the stands and those watching at home, it was just a moment — with Subban on the clock to take his breakaway spin, the memorable moment of silliness, a viral clip to bring some chuckles to the blue-liner let the crowd wait for a moment before taking the ice in full All-Star weekend. But for Argentino, it was a chance to share a lasting Jaromir Jagr garb, as if hoping to channel the veteran’s legendary ability. memory with one of the game’s best, to add another strand to the bond And it was a wild sight to see — the locks of his wig spilling down the he and all others working tirelessly behind the scenes share with the back of a No. 68 Panthers jersey, tucked under that old-school Jofa players out in the spotlight. helmet, all topped off with the vintage full-length referee-style pants. A “It was this big, big thing, [but] it was just a wonderful moment to be visual mess, no doubt. And a clear hit with the all-star fans, who ate it up able to interact,” Argentino says. and voted Subban the 2016 breakaway king. And a reminder of how devoted said behind-the-scenes folks are to the NHL gear guru Marco Argentino remembers the moment a little players they work with, no matter how wild the request. differently, recalling with a chuckle the chaos behind the scenes while helping to pull the last-minute look together. “We ran upstairs and got a helmet, we found a wig, but Marco put it all Argentino — who’s made his name as CCM’s headgear customizer, together and made it work,” Rogers says. “Because that’s what he does working closely with marquee NHLers like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin for his players.” and Connor McDavid — has long been a staple at NHL All-Star Games, Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.25.2020 his knack for handling any equipment issues that arise in a pinch making him an indispensable resource behind the scenes.

With Subban having recently moved his camp to CCM ahead of that 2016 weekend, Argentino and the former Norris Trophy winner had spent some time together back at the company’s headquarters in Montreal. By the time the next All-Star game rolled around, they were certified chums — chummy enough, at least, for Subban to come to Argentino with a last- minute plan to honour an in-house legend.

“I was just doing my normal work and flamboyant P.K. comes in — it’s Friday evening, and they’re doing their skills show-off, talent show that was going on (later that night),” Argentino recalls. “He goes, ‘Oh, Marco! How are you? Could you help me?’ I say, ‘Sure, what’s going on?’ And he says, ‘I’m doing something for tonight — I’m going to be disguising myself like Jagr. But the only wig that I was able to get was a blonde wig. It has to be black.’”

A glance at the clock gives Argentino about an hour and a half to pull the outfit together out of thin air before Subban is to take the ice.

“Then he goes, ‘Oh yeah, can you find me a Jofa helmet?’ I’m like, ‘Buddy, if you would’ve called me before I left, I have a shelf of helmets here (in Montreal), I would’ve gladly brought one with me!’” says Argentino with a laugh.

But as he does, Argentino made it happen.

The first step was seeking out Predators equipment manager Pete Rogers to help scrounge up the vintage gear.

“Marco comes running down in a panic and he says to me, ‘P.K. wants to dress up like Jagr, like when Jagr played for Pittsburgh back in the early ‘90s. What do you have that we can make this thing work?’” Rogers recalls. 1172713 Websites Many are looking toward the NHL to take the next step, to get involved in the creation of a sustainable professional operation with liveable wage salaries.

TSN.CA / Canada beats U.S. in first-ever women's game at NHL all-star The NHL has increased its support, but commissioner Gary Bettman has weekend been consistent in saying that he does not envision the league stepping in while another league is functioning, as the fledgling NWHL is now. The NHL doesn’t want to get in the way.

Frank Seravalli Bettman said “we’ll see” on Friday when asked about that next step before the Skills Competition.

“Let’s see how it goes tonight,” Bettman said. “I met with the players on ST. LOUIS — Sarah Nurse took a few seconds to soak it all in. both teams about an hour ago and we had a good chat. They’re excited The pride of Burlington, Ont., was sitting on the ice at Enterprise Center, to be here. We’re excited to have them. And the fact that we can shine, watching as her teammate Marie-Philip Poulin beat some of the NHL’s using our light, a brighter light on the women’s game I think is a positive best in the Shooting Stars contest - launching pucks at targets 145-feet for them, for the game, and for young girls watching and aspiring to do away while wearing a pair of sparkling flats. the same thing.”

Nurse had just helped Canada knock off the rival United States, 2-1, in What Nurse learned in talking to her NHL cohorts on the ice on Friday the first-ever Women’s Elite 3-on-3 contest at the NHL Skills Competition. night is that they have support from the best male hockey players on the planet. But it was rubbing elbows with the other NHL All-Stars, talking hockey and laughing on the ice, that gave Nurse pause. “They were awesome,” Nurse said. “They really support our cause. They were curious to see what’s going on and they want to know how “It was pretty cool because it was like we were standing with the best they can help and what they can do to promote the game.” men’s hockey players in the world, and you have the best female hockey players standing there, too,” Nurse said. “All of us on the same ice? I That meant as much as anything. don’t think that’s ever happened before. “We’ve been out of sight and out of mind,” Nurse said. “That was a pretty surreal moment. It’s something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” As they saluted the crowd on their way off the ice, those 20 women knew they succeeded in pushing the puck just a little bit further forward in their Think about that for one second. fight.

“It felt like we belonged,” Team USA star Kendall Coyne Schofield said. “I think every time we’ve come, we’ve proven ourselves,” Coyne “We’re all hockey players.” Schofield said. “It showed how great of hockey players we are. You could see the skill, the puck movement, the speed. For the NHL to allow us to For the first time ever, a group of women got to put on a jersey with an have this platform to play the game in front of so many people, it really NHL crest. That crest served as a symbolic reminder of how far the shows the strides this game is making.” women’s game has come - and how far it still has to go in their fight for more support, potentially from the NHL, and better infrastructure. TSN.CA LOADED: 01.25.2020

But for 20 minutes, women’s hockey was front and centre at the NHL’s All-Star Friday night, the biggest platform yet for a sport that is too often only remembered every four years. There were 18,069 fans ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ women’s hockey in an NHL rink with thousands of little girls watching on television at home.

“It’s something that you dream about - the day that there’s routinely that many people watching women’s hockey in a sold out building,” Coyne Schofield said. “For us to have that 3-on-3 alongside the NHL’s best is just incredible.”

The women wanted to put on a show and they did not disappoint. This wasn’t a lackadaisical All-Star performance for a change.

Coyne Schofield said the intensity level was “one notch” below an Olympic gold medal game. That’s how much it meant.

“That was a Canada-USA rivalry,” Nurse said. “There was a lot of pride on the line.”

Friday marked the third straight year women participated in All-Star weekend. Two years ago in Tampa, there were drill presenters. Last year, Coyne Schofield blazed a trail in the Fastest Skater event, her 13.7 second time better than two NHL players.

On Friday, there was the Elite Women’s 3-on-3 - with two Hall of Famers on the benches in Cammi Granato and Jayna Hefford and four female officials on the ice with NHL-level experience.

“To be part of the NHL All-Star weekend was really special,” Granato said. “There is a big hockey audience that watched this event and being included was a huge platform for the women’s game.”

The pressing question now is: What’s next?

How can the women’s game ride the momentum of the All-Star platform and the groundswell of support? The best players in the game are grinding it out on the Dream Gap Tour now in rinks around the continent.

“I hope that we can continue it,” Nurse said. “We’ve gained a lot of momentum while we’ve been here.” 1172714 Websites But that doesn’t mean that other players won’t be watching to see what interactions between the Oilers’ stars and Tkachuk, Mark Giordano and David Rittich will be like.

TSN.CA / Friday Five: Matthew, Brady Tkachuk savouring All-Star in St. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious,” Canucks rookie Quinn Hughes Louis said. “But at the same time, that’s not my business, and I’ll let that play out the way it wants to play out. I’m here to have fun and enjoy everyone’s company, so I’m not going to get into the middle of that.”

Frank Seravalli Tyler Seguin will be watching from across the locker room, but he doesn’t expect any gasoline to be poured onto the fire ahead of Wednesday’s rematch in the Battle of Alberta, when Zack Kassian comes back from his ST. LOUIS — We’ve got an All-Star edition of the Friday Five, so let’s two-game suspension. take a look at quirks, quips and questions from around the NHL. “We’re all professionals,” Seguin said. “There’s not going to be any 1. Tkachuk boys savouring All-Star in St. Louis drama unfortunately for your guys’ Twitter. But I’m a hockey fan. It’s funny what’s going on there. I’m entertained. More drama, more There is an infamous Tkachuk Family story that longtime security guards anything, it’s good for the game.” at Enterprise Center still like to tell. It involves young Matthew and Brady wrestling in the Wives’ Room after their old man, Keith, helped the Blues 3. Tocchet phoned to get Gallant’s blessing to a win. As for Pacific Division coach Rick Tocchet, the Coyotes’ bench boss said “I guess I hit him and he hit his forehead on the couch,” Matthew he’s simply going to “stay out of it” when it comes to any potential Alberta recalled Thursday. “My dad came out before we were leaving and he beef. goes ‘Come with me.’ He brought Brady back into the dressing room and then [trainer] Ray Barile stitched him up. Tocchet wasn’t expecting to replace Gerard Gallant, who was fired by Vegas on Jan. 15 after leading the Golden Knights to the best record in “Yeah, that’s a legendary story I guess that nobody’s going to forget. I’d the division through Jan. 2. He said he phoned Gallant to get his like to forget it, but everyone always brings it up.” “blessing” to step in.

The first All-Star Game appearance for Matthew and Brady Tkachuk was “I feel kind of bad about it,” Tocchet said. “But I’m here to represent the always going to be special. Not that long ago, they were those kids you Coyotes, and with [goalie Darcy] Kuemper getting hurt, somebody should saw on TV tagging along with their dad at the 2004 and 2009 All-Star represent us, so that’s kind of nice.” Games in Minnesota and Montreal. This is Tocchet’s third season in Arizona, making him now the 11th It was their mom Chantal’s idea to get photos with every player they met. longest-tenured coach in the league. He said he doesn’t think about job The likes of Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin and others – some of whom security often, but the Gallant change gave him pause. they’ll square off this weekend – all signed their jerseys, which hung in both of their bedrooms. “When a guy like Gallant goes down, it makes you think sometimes,” Tocchet said. “The partnership between a GM and owner is huge. But to play in their first All-Star Game together? In St. Louis? Because sometimes things aren’t in your control. As a coach, you can’t worry about that stuff. I try to keep my eye on the prize.” You can’t make that up. Tocchet said the conversation with Gallant was “great.” Brady and Matthew will face each other in the Shooting Stars event at the Skills Competition on Friday night, where players will shoot pucks at “He made me feel real comfortable, he’s just an awesome guy,” targets from the stands. Tocchet said. “I just told him he’s not going to be out of work for very long.” “We’ve probably scored 2,000 goals in that building as kids,” Matthew said. “We were here all the time, running around the locker room, 4. Kane wouldn’t opt for All-Star rest probably torturing the trainers.” This is Patrick Kane’s ninth All-Star appearance. He’s played as many There are some players who are jaded by the All-Star festivities – and games as anyone in the NHL over the last decade with three Stanley some who have chosen to rest on a beach and not show up. Brady was Cup runs. So as other top stars have bailed out for rest, why hasn’t he? planning to be in St. Louis anyway to support Matthew, so it wasn’t difficult for him to book an earlier flight home from the Bahamas when he “I think it’s important first and foremost to represent the NHL and the got the last minute call to replace Auston Matthews. Blackhawks,” Kane said. “Another thing is you don’t want to take the rest and miss [be suspended for] a game. You want to play as many games This means something. as you can. And for me, I’m going to have four days off after this [for the bye week].” “It’s pretty unreal that we’re here,” Brady said. “Honestly, I don’t think we ever talked about this. It’s just crazy how it’s worked out. I’m just so The NHL has an attendance problem at All-Star. Ovechkin, Marc-Andre happy to be here.” Fleury and Tuukka Rask all abstained for rest. Sidney Crosby has played in just two All-Star Games. The NHL doesn’t get the buy-in that the NBA 2. All eyes on the Alberta Beef does, where the All-Star Game matters. Leon Draisaitl said two weeks ago he would “get off the ice” if placed on So, how does the NHL fix it? They can either institute a stiffer penalty for the same trio with Matthew Tkachuk in Saturday’s All-Star Game. But absence, or maybe issue a waiver for long-standing veterans who have Matthew downplayed on Thursday the idea that any vitriol from an old fulfilled their duty for a specific number of years. school Battle of Alberta inferno might boil over into All-Star. If presented the opportunity to skip, Kane says he doesn’t think he would. “This isn’t an event to talk about stuff like that,” Matthew said. “This is an event where the best players in the sport are coming here and playing “It’s one of those things that you’ll probably enjoy a little more after on the same team and going out and having some fun, putting on a show you’re done playing, saying you went to whatever number it was,” Kane for the fans. So I’m looking forward to doing that and being around the said. “It’s pretty rare to see guys selected every year to come to the All- locker room with all of these guys. Star Game. They’ve been creating memories for me throughout my career. Every different All-Star Game has a different memory, so it’s fun “Those guys [Draisaitl and Connor McDavid] in particular are some of to look back on them.” the best in the NHL, so to share a room with them and be on the same ice as them, it’s going to be awesome.” 5. Should goalies get consideration for the Lady Byng?

McDavid and Draisaitl weren’t able to offer their take, missing Media Day No goaltender has ever won the Lady Byng Trophy in the 96-year history responsibilities reportedly because of travel woes. of the award. It’s usually given to the forward who “exhibits the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct with a high standard of playing ability.” Only one defenceman has taken home the Byng since 1954. But one goaltender, Fleury, received a vote for the Lady Byng in this year’s PHWA Midseason Awards.

Should goaltenders get more consideration? Blues netminder Jordan Binnington says he would be in favour.

“Include the ‘tenders,” Binnington said. “We don’t usually take that many penalties.”

Binnington has two minor penalties this season. That’s half as many as Byng Midseason winner Nathan MacKinnon has been whistled for in Colorado.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to be winning that award,” Binnington said. “But we play hard. We’ve got to take a lot of stuff as a goalie and you’ve got to stay composed and be disciplined to give your team the best chance to win. I think that’s good to be included.”

A better first step might be getting more defencemen in the mix.

“I think everyone should be open for that award,” Binnington said. “Defencemen especially, because that’s probably where you get the most penalties.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 01.25.2020 1172715 Websites "I think I missed the first one and I was like, 'This is going to be a long night,'" Slavin said. "But then I started rolling there."

Bad: The New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier had to wait for the broken USA TODAY / The good, bad from 2020 NHL All-Star skills competition plexiglass to be fixed in the accuracy contest and finished in 19.550 seconds.

Hischier, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, didn't hit his first target Paul Skrbina until his sixth shot.

USA TODAY NETWORK Good: Shea Weber needed one shot to win the hardest shot competition. Then he topped that effort with his second shot. The Montreal Canadiens

defenseman ripped a 105.9 mph shot on his first attempt before besting ST. LOUIS — As he does with most other things on ice, the Edmonton that seconds later at 106.5 mph. Oilers' Connor McDavid made his fastest skater championships look as When asked what he would say to anyone who has had to block one of easy as 1-2-3 — as in the last three in a row. his shots, Weber had a one-word answer and a grin. But McDavid was dethroned Friday by a 22-year-old from Coquitlam, "Sorry," he said. Canada, named Mathew Barzal during the NHL All-Stars skills competition at Enterprise Center. So, too, was the Capitals' John Carlson, who had shots of 102.4 mph and 104.5 mph while Chuck Berry's "Go, Johnny Go" blared just before The New York Islanders forward finished his race around the ice in Weber took his turn. 13.175 seconds, which was just .003 seconds behind Dylan Larkin's record in the event, set in 2016. Good but needs improvement: The Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane needed overtime to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner in the McDavid immediately followed Barzal and was the last player to make his "Shooting Stars" competition, which was like Skee-ball with a hockey way around the ice, which he did in 13.215 seconds. puck. Barzal was all smiles — and praise for McDavid — afterward. Players stood on a platform 30 feet above the ice and behind the net and "I told Connor when we were out there I don't think I could have skated a took turns shooting at targets set up on the ice below, each one with a better lap," Barzal said. "I don't know if I could do it again. point total attached to it. The debut of the competition might need some tweaking -- the target farthest from the platform was worth just four "Even when Connor was coming around the last turn I was like, 'I don't points, while the one at mid-ice was worth 10. think I'm holding up.' " "It's a little gimmicky," Kane said. "But at the same time, try to have fun Barzal's upset of McDavid might not come as a complete surprise, with it. We had a little pact between us that we're going to shoot for the considering McDavid suffered a major injury to his left knee in the last arch and try to get as many as you can to the 10-pointer." game of last season. McDavid opted to rehab the knee rather than have surgery to fix, among other ailments, a torn PCL. Details about his Kane said he's more of a fan of "traditional" skill competitions, such as decision and recovery process were shared in a documentary set to be the puck-control relay, but said he understands creating nontraditional released Friday night by Sportsnet. events can have its advantages.

McDavid's injury and how he planned to treat it was a mystery for most of USA TODAY LOADED: 01.25.2020 the time he rehabbed.

"It was just a different way to go about it," said McDavid, who leads the NHL with 76 points. "It's not like you're trying to hide anything. We didn't know. Simply saying, 'I don't know,' is the right answer because we didn't know all the answers to all the questions."

Barzal's victory over McDavid was one of several memorable moments from Friday's skills competition.

Here's a look at the good and bad of the night:

Good: For the third year in a row, the NHL showcased women's hockey during All-Star weekend. This year the league took it a step further by hosting a three-on-three game between a team of Canadian All-Stars and U.S All-Stars during the skills competition.

The Canadian team won 2-1 in a game that featured two 10-minute periods and a mostly running clock. Rebecca Johnston and Melodie Daoust scored for Canada, while Hillary Knight scored for the USA.

The teams gathered at mid-ice after the game and saluted the crowd with emphatic stick taps.

Bad: The Sharks' Tomas Hertl donned a cardboard Justin Bieber mask while attempting a shot during the goalie save streak competition. And he missed his shot against St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.

Hertl didn't fare much better in the accuracy shooting contest. After hitting four targets in four shots, he needed 11 more shots to get his fifth target to finish in 17.161 seconds.

Good: High five. That's what Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin did a lot of after knocking down all five targets in 9.505 seconds to win the accuracy shooting competition.

Slavin overtook the Oilers' Leon Draisaitl, who knocked down his targets in 10.257 seconds.

Slavin is one of two players to record a sub-10-second time. Daniel Sedin did it in 8.9 seconds in 2011, when it became a timed event. 1172716 Websites

USA TODAY / NHL takes step in right direction, but will that lead to sustainable women's pro hockey league?

Paul Skrbina

ST. LOUIS — It was women first during NHL All-Star weekend at the Enterprise Center.

But Friday wasn't Kendall Coyne Schofield's first trip to such festivities.

The U.S. Olympian participated in the All-Star skills competition's fastest- skater event at last year's game in San Jose, besting one NHL player by finishing in 14.346 seconds. She returned this year with a few of her friends — and on-ice rivals — for a three-on-three game between some of the best players from the United States and Canada.

Canada won 2-1.

Women's professional hockey has been without a stable home since the Canadian Women's Hockey League ceased operations in May because of funding issues, leaving the National Women's Hockey League as the only option in North America.

Many CWHL players boycotted the NWHL in part because of the league's sudden salary cuts in 2016. Could the NHL step in, similar to the NBA and WNBA, and provide financial assistance for a more stable professional women's league?

"It's a step in the right direction that the NHL is supporting women's hockey and they're helping us get the exposure we need," said Rebecca Johnston, second overall pick in the 2012 CWHL draft and a three-time Olympian who scored for Canada on Friday night. "I think the partnership is there. It's not something you can build overnight. So for us, it's just being patient, trying to continue to grow the game, getting as much exposure as we can and keep working at that."

The three-on-three women's matchup took place during Friday's skills competition and offered what Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Marie- Philip Poulin and Johnston described as much-needed attention for the women's game.

Both women's teams donned sweaters with the NHL logo on the front and joined the NHL All-Stars on the ice during team introductions.

Poulin and the USA goal scorer Hilary Knight also took part in the shooting stars competition Friday.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said on SportsNet's "Prime Time Sports" last April that he didn't think the league had "a responsibility to fund the business of other leagues" and that the current model for women's professional hockey wasn't "sustainable in the long term."

Still, he said the NHL is happy to help showcase some of the best women's players in the world.

"I'm thrilled we have an opportunity for the women's game to be demonstrated the way it will tonight," Bettman said Friday. "They're excited to be here and we're excited to have them. The fact we can shine, using our light, a brighter light on the women's game is a positive for them, for the game and for young girls watching and aspiring to the same thing."

Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky gave the women's teams a shoutout before the skills competition began.

"You're going to see 20 great women’s hockey players," Gretzky said.

Twenty women who are eager for their game to be showcased and grateful the NHL provided the stage.

"When you watch the women's game, there's perceptions maybe it's slower, not as physical," Coyne Schofield said. "(That we're) not as talented, not as big. We've heard it all our whole life. But I would say we're equally as entertaining."

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