The Nashville Predators announced today that their 7th Team Captain for the 2016-2017 season will be Mike Fisher. He will be joining such illuminated hockey names as Shea Weber, Jason Arnott and Kimmo Timonen.
Fisher has been with the team since the middle of the 2011 season, where he was traded for the Preds 1st round draft pick and a conditional pick from the Ottawa Senators. Since then, he has won the 2012 NHL Foundation Player Award (given to a player who best shows the core values of hockey and helps the community) and has been involved in the various conference final games the Predators have been involved in in the last 5 seasons or so, including scoring in Triple OT in Game 4 against the Sharks in Nashville.
Prior to playing in Nashville, Fisher played for the first 12 years of his career for the Ottawa Senators, where he met his future wife (you may have heard about her. She just donated $500,000 to girls’ sports programs across the country, also, she’s a country singer as well). However, it was also in Ottawa that he watched Daniel Alfredsson who was the captain of the Sens from the beginning of Fish’s rookie season until 2013.
In his press conference with the media, Fisher said that it was Alfredsson and Shea Weber’s influence to show him what it meant to be a good captain/leader. He also said that he will help the Predators get the Cup this year.
On Saturday, the Boston Bruins hosted a community open house at their new practice facility, Warrior Ice Arena, in the Allston-Brighton area of Boston. While they had their formal grand opening on Thursday, Saturday’s event was an opportunity for fans in and around Boston to get an opportunity to check out the new arena. Some of the players were on hand for photos and autographs. They also played ping-pong with fans on the Killerspin table that will find it’s final home in the players’ lounge of the new facility.
A lot of fun was had both inside on the ice and out front with games. And some of the NWHL Boston Pride were on hand as well. Though not there, Denna Laing‘s number was represented, and the Pride members were often asked for photos and autographs.
Enjoy the photos. Cllick on any one of them to enlarge and then you can click to move through them.
-
-
Warrior Ice Arene
-
-
Kevan Miller and a fan
-
-
NWHL Pride Players on hand
-
-
Ping pong anyone?
-
-
Kids waiting to get on the ice
-
-
Skating on the Bruins ice
-
-
Matt Grzelcyk
-
-
Riley Nash
-
-
Riley Nash playing cornhole
-
-
Matt Grzelcyk and a fan
-
-
Riley Nash signing an autograph
-
-
Matt Grzelcyk plays ping pong
-
-
It’s all in the wrist
-
-
Kevan Miller
-
-
Blades joins Grzelcyk, Miller and Nash
-
-
Kevan Miller
-
-
Ping pong was a hit
-
-
Darn, that’s the end
Team USA will face-off against Team Canada in a pre-tournament game for the World Cup of Hockey. The game is tonight at 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPNU.
Here are five keys to the game:
1.) Dictate Play- Team USA:
If Team USA wants to win the game tonight then they’ll have to dictate the play and not give Team Canada much space to work with on the ice. Team Cananda is stacked up front with the extra forward being Corey Perry tonight. Team USA will need to establish a forecheck early because Team Canada’s defense isn’t the best in the tournament. Also, the more time that Team USA spends in the offensive zone, the less time they’ll spend defending in their own enew. Team USA will need solid puck movement and smart passes to establish speed going into the offensive zone and keep those turnovers to a minimum because Team Canada has the talent to convert them into goals. Team USA needs to play its game and not be forced into playing the type of game that Team Canada will want to play.
2.) Stay Out of the Penalty Box- Team USA:
It would be a good idea for Team USA to stay out of the penalty box tonight since Team Canada has not one but two solid power play units. The units both have the potential to be able to move the puck around and score some goals. They’ll be going with the four forwards and one defenseman look for both power play units, but the forwards that will be playing the point position aren’t bad defensively.
It looks as though the following players could be on the power play for Team Canada: Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Ryan Getzlaf, Drew Doughty, Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, Joe Thornton, Claude Giroux and Brent Burns. If the power play units can find some kind of chemistry, then good luck stopping them.
3.) Get First Goal/Bring Balanced Attack- Team Canada
If Team Canada wants to get Team USA off its game then getting off to a fast start and scoring the first goal would definitely help. The game is in Columbus so a first goal by Team Canada would most likely quiet a pro-Team USA crowd. It will also help Team Canada if it has a balanced attack with all four lines contributing because then Team USA just can’t focus on one player or line to defend. Team Canada will need to bring that balanced attack for the entire game and not just a portion of the game, otherwise Team USA could easily take advantage of a line matchup.
4.) Get Traffic in Front of Goalies- Team Canada
Jonathan Quick will be playing the first two periods for Team USA while Ben Bishop will be playing the third period. If the two goalies can see and track the puck, then they’ll most likely make the save. Team Canada will need to get bodies in front to screen the two goalies forcing them to make some tough saves. Team Canada can also get some goals by having active sticks that are looking for deflections, which would make it harder for the goalies to make saves.
5.) Escape With No Injuries- Team USA & Canada
On Day One of the World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament games, there seemed to be a lot of injuries, most of which were minor, but some forced players to leave the game. Vladimir Sobotka of Team Czech Republic left the game, but is expected to rejoin the team after missing the next game. Marian Hossa was injured for Team Europe, but he is expected to be back in the lineup for the next game. JT Miller blocked a shot in his game, but he returned to play the rest of the game for Team North America.
Thursday night in front of a gathering of many individuals, who have supported the project, the official grand opening of the Boston Bruins’ new state-of-the-art training facility took place. Jeremy and Charlie Jacobs, along with Cam Neely were joined by members of the New Balance organization and politicians, all of whom were involved in the building in which they now stood.
With Andy Brickley acting as emcee, all assembled talked on the long road from vision to conception while a number of Bruins players sat on the ice watching. A contingent of young players—appropriately dressed in black and gold—waited patiently on the bench for their moment to take the ice with Bruins alumni to play the official first game in the new building.
New Balance’s chairman Jim Davis and managing director Jim Halliday spoke eloquently of the five-year project and many of those who worked hard to take a dream and create the reality.
Warrior Ice Arena
Also present and speaking were Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh; the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker; and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Robert A. DeLeo. The project, of which Warrior Ice Arena is one piece, involved not only private companies, but also the city of Boston and the state. In addition to the arena and a new, and larger, headquarters for the American-made New Balance athletic shoes and fitness apparel company, the area will also have a new commuter rail stop on the MBTA Framingham-Worcester Line.
Governor Baker shared a glimpse of his childhood, talking about his watching the Big Bad Bruins play. He described taking his radio to his room with him to be able to keep listening to the game when he was supposed to be going to bed. He addressed the geared-up, and well-behaved children on the bench when he began his short address, encouraging them to make a little noise with some stick taps on the boards.
As House Speaker DeLeo was closing out his speech he also addressed the young players on the bench, talking of the opportunity they were about to experience but then doing his best to mold their collegiate choices by encouraging them to go to Northeastern University, reminding those present of the Huskies’ Hockey East tournament win.
Mayor Walsh started his short speech by saying it would be short for two reasons. The first was that he was the only thing between the kids on the bench and the ice for their game. His second reason was that he alluded to Dorchester-native and Bruins player Jimmy Hayes giving him a “keep it short” look, which got a laugh. As he was drawing to a close, he showed that team loyalty and rivalry are strong in Boston as he suggested that the kids should consider donning the maroon and gold jersey of Boston College Eagles, suggesting that DeLeo was misguided with his recommendation. This also got a laugh.
The comments shared by the politicians spoke volumes to the importance of the Bruins to the community while also vocalizing how important the community was to the Bruins as well. Warrior Ice Arena is going to play a role in the Bruins’ present and future, but also in the community as youth groups will play games there and the arena will also play host to public skates and learn to play programs.
The Boston Bruins are certainly back in Boston, and the city’s love of hockey is just as certainly alive and well.
George Parros (Ivan Makarov, EnglishWikipedia)
NEW YORK (Sept. 7, 2016) – Stanley Cup champion George Parros has joined the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety, NHL Senior Vice President Player Safety Stephane Quintal announced today.
An eighth-round selection (222nd overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1999 NHL Draft, Parros also played for the Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens during a nine-year NHL career. Parros scored 18 goals with 18 assists and 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 career NHL games. He was a member of the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks.
The native of Randolph, N.J., is a graduate of Princeton University, where he majored in economics. In four seasons at Princeton, Parros scored 20 goals with 32 assists in 111 career games and was named captain his senior year.
ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer (Germany) has been selected to represent Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Grubauer joins Capitals teammates Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden), John Carlson (United States), Braden Holtby (Canada), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia), Matt Niskanen (United States), Dmitry Orlov (Russia), T.J. Oshie (United States) and Alex Ovechkin (Russia) at the tournament. In addition, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz will serve as an assistant coach for Team Canada. The 2016 World Cup of Hockey will be held in Toronto from Sept. 17, 2016, through Oct. 1, 2016. The eight-team tournament will feature Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, Team Europe, Team North America and the United States.
Phillip Grubauer
Grubauer, 24, has represented Germany in international competition at the 2014 World Championship, two World Junior Championships (2009, 2011) and the 2008 World U18 Championship. In addition, Grubauer stopped 26 of 28 shots on Sunday in Germany’s 3-2 victory over Latvia to earn Germany a berth in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Grubauer posted a 3-0-0 record with two shutouts, a 0.67 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage in three games at the final Olympic qualification tournament. With the addition of Grubauer, the Capitals are one of four NHL teams (NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Winnipeg) with two goaltenders playing in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Grubauer posted an 8-9-1 record in 2015-16 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. The 6’1”, 182-pound goaltender ranked third in the NHL among rookie goaltenders in goals-against average and tied for fifth in save percentage (min. 10 games played) last season. Grubauer stopped 39 of 40 shots on Feb. 16 against Los Angeles, becoming the third rookie goaltender in franchise history to earn a win while facing at least 40 shots and allowing no more than one goal. The Rosenheim, Germany, native has posted a 15-15-6 record with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 42 career NHL games.
Four teams participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will hold pre-tournament exhibition games at Verizon Center on Sept. 13 and 14. The United States, featuring Carlson, Niskanen and Oshie, will face Finland on Sept. 13 at Verizon Center. Sweden, featuring Backstrom, will face Team Europe, featuring Grubauer, on Sept. 14. Per NHL/NHLPA, all practices for the United States, Sweden, Finland and Team Europe at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and Verizon Center will be closed to the public. Tickets are available online only on WashingtonCaps.com and Ticketmaster.com. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. Washington Capitals fans are encouraged to make their ticket purchases directly from the team. Only tickets purchased through the team are guaranteed to be valid. For more information on Capitals tickets contact 202-266-CAPS or visit WashingtonCaps.com.
TORONTO/NEW YORK (Sept. 1, 2016) – Following are numerical rosters for all eight teams competing in the World Cup of Hockey 2016. The two-week tournament will include eight teams — Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team USA — and feature more than 170 of the best players in the NHL. All tournament games will be played at Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
TEAM CANADA
[table “” not found /]
TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC
[table “” not found /]
TEAM EUROPE
[table “” not found /]
TEAM FINLAND
[table “” not found /]
TEAM NORTH AMERICA
[table “” not found /]
TEAM RUSSIA
[table “” not found /]
TEAM SWEDEN
[table “” not found /]
Team USA
[table “” not found /]
For more information on the World Cup of Hockey 2016, visit www.wch2016.com. #WCH2016
On Tuesday, August 30, 2016, the Boston Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeney announced the contract signings of four players: forward Dominic Moore (one-year, one-way), formerly with the New York Rangers; defenseman Chris Casto (one-year, two-way); forward Brian Ferlin (one year, two-way); and defenseman Alex Grant (one-year, two-way).
Brain Ferlin (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Both Ferlin and Casto should be well known among the Bruins faithful, having played with the Providence Bruins this past season, with Casto completing his third full year with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate and Ferlin having spent two years in the minors. This past season for Casto saw him reach career highs in goals (7), assists (16), and points (23). The University of Minnesota-Duluth alumni was signed as a free agent upon the completion of his collegiate career. Ferlin was sidelined for much of this past season, playing in only 23 games, a result of an upper-body injury experienced in the season opener. The Jacksonville, Florida native was chosen by the Bruins in the fourth round (121st overall) in the 2011 Draft. Both players are 24 years old and should certainly be on the radar of anyone who will be attending the on-ice sessions of the Bruins training camp this September. With the buy-out of the Dennis Seidenberg contract, Casto could certainly push for a permanent position with the NHL club.
Dominic Moore
The signing of Moore has some of the Bruins’ Twitterverse wailing and gnashing their teeth, predominantly because of the lack of goals he scored this past season. The numbers that appear on the statistics sheets often blind hockey’s faithful to the assets a player can bring to a team—making for a stronger team in the long run. Such are the assets that Moore offers the Bruins.
The recipient of the 2013-14 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, he was recognized as the player that year who “best exemplified the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” Having sat out the 2012-13 season to tend to his wife, Katie, who passed January 7, 2013 of liver cancer, he returned to hockey as a member of the New York Rangers in the fall of 2013 and would be an important cog in their long playoff run in 2014.
Chris Casto (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
His experience, maturity, dedication to the sport, coupled with that perseverance and sportsmanship he exhibits will prove important this coming season. He will take on a significant role in the locker room, much the same as has been seen in the past from Shawn Thornton and Chris Kelly. That role, though never tallied on the stats sheet, is every bit as essential as the goal scorers. It helps establish identity, which the Bruins have struggled with these past couple of seasons.
Alex Grant
Rounding out the signings is the addition of Grant, a 27-year-old defenseman who split his time this past season between the Arizona Coyotes (NHL) and their AHL affiliated Springfield Falcons. During his time with the Falcons, he notched 11 goals and 31 assists for 42 points. Like Casto, he too will be striving for a permanent spot on the Boston roster, and while he hasn’t had much NHL experience as yet, that shouldn’t suggest to people that he can’t play at that level. Team chemistry should never be underestimated. However, given the two-way aspect of his contract, it also affords the Bruins a look at others of their Providence defensemen without having to rush any recently acquired prospect.
The Toronto Maple Leafs found their starting goaltender earlier this off-season when they acquired Frederick Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks, and now Toronto has found the man to back him up.
Jhonas Enroth will share the goaltending duties with Andersen next season after he signed a one-year, $750,000 contract.
Enroth was the backup to Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings last season. He played in 16 games, while starting 13 of them. He was 7-5-1 with a 2.17 goals against average to go with a .922 save percentage. The 2.17 goals against average was the lowest of his career while his .922 save percentage set a career high. The Kings did have a very solid defense and didn’t allow much in the way of goals last season. The Leafs situation on defense is a little different with some young players mixed in with some veterans.
In 147 career games played, he has a 50-66-15 record to go with a .911 save percentage and a 2.80 goals against average. He has decent numbers considering he hasn’t played with the best teams during his career. In six years with the Buffalo Sabres, he played in 118 games, had a 38-56-14 record with a 2.92 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. He was traded in 2014-15 from the Sabres to the Dallas Stars. In 13 career games with the Stars, Enroth was 5-5-0 with a .906 save percentage to go with a 2.38 goals against average.
The 2014-15 season, split with the Sabres and Stars has been his best and worst of his career. The 18 wins and 44 games started during that season were a career high. However, Enroth also set career highs with 26 loses, 145 goals against, 1504 shots against and 3.07 goals against average.
Enroth is quick and can get post to post pretty quickly. He can also anticipate where the puck is going at times, but can also get caught out of position. Enroth can also perform well under pressure, which will come in handy playing in Toronto especially if Andersen gets injured. His size is an issue but he can make up for that a little with his reflexes. He is a solid backup NHL goalie.
The signing is a low risk, high reward one for the Maple Leafs. It’s low risk because he is known to be a solid backup goalie, but it can turn into a high reward if he plays to the best of his ability and is able to steal some wins for the team. The biggest question with Enroth is – can he be the starting goalie for a long stretch of time should Andersen get hurt or find himself going through a funk?
It certainly will be an interesting season for the Maple Leafs in the crease.
TORONTO/NEW YORK (August 22, 2016) – The Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced today that Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu will serve as Team Finland’s Captain at the World Cup of Hockey 2016. Koivu has registered 161 goals and 556 points over 11 NHL seasons and has been Captain of the Wild since 2009. In addition, Koivu, 33, has served as captain of Team Finland in three IIHF World Championship tournaments, including its 2011 championship squad.
In September, eight teams — Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team USA — will compete in the two-week tournament, featuring more than 170 of the best players in the NHL. All tournament games will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For more information on the World Cup of Hockey 2016, visit www.wch2016.com. #WCH2016
Prev1...99100101...412Next 
Page 100 of 412
