The CWHL Board of Directors announced their plans to expand this week, targeting Chicago and St Paul, as well as select Canadian markets to join their five team league (currently consisting of teams in Calgary, Boston, Brampton, Montreal and Toronto).
The expansion task force, led by CWHL Alumnus and US Olympian Caitlin Cahow, recommended expanding to a location where there are already a large number of female hockey players not currently playing at the professional level. The task force pinpointed the Midwest as this potential source of hockey players, for example players who have recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, home of the Golden Gophers hockey team (notable alumni/current players include: Gigi Marvin, Noora Räty, Amanda Kessel, Monique and Jocelyn Lamareoux). Räty retirement announcement in February 2014 made big news. Here at The Pink Puck, Mollyhall Seeley’s What Noora Räty’s Retirement Says About Women’s Hockey literally broke the site from the number of readers.
“Our strategic plan has always envisioned further expansion in to the US market, and we are pleased that the board has shown its support to move forward at this time,” said CWHL commissioner, Brenda Andress. “We will build from our success in the Boston area and enter in to talks with parties in Chicago and Minneapolis/St.Paul, as well as select Canadian markets. Until the CWHL, or any league, can pay players a living wage, it is incumbent on us to provide players with the opportunity to play in markets where they live, work and study.”
The CWHL has received unsolicited proposals from groups in many markets, but now, with its expansion criteria clearly defined, it will be asking potential partners to meet the league’s standards for expansion against a variety of metrics, like facilities, season ticket sales, alignment/partnership with local NHL franchise, sponsorship, and community engagement in grass roots female hockey.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they were hiring Jim Hiller, D.J. Smith and Andrew Brewer as assistant coaches to help Mike Babcock behind the bench next season. They have also hired Matthew J. Herring as the club’s head strength and conditioning coach.
“I’m excited to have them join the organization,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “We have a lot of work ahead of us but are all thrilled to be part of the Maple Leafs. We’re grateful for the cooperation afforded to us by the Detroit Red Wings, Oshawa Generals and San Antonio Spurs.”
Jim Hller
Hiller, 46, spent last season as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings in 2014-15, under Babcock. He was in charge of the league’s best powerplay. Prior to his time in Detroit, Hiller spent five seasons as head coach of the Western Hockey League’sTri-City Americans, where he compiled a record of 210-124-11-15 and led the team to four playoff berths, two division titles and a WHL Finals appearance from 2009-14. Hiller was recognized as the Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year and the WHL Coach of the Year in 2011-12 after guiding the Americans to a 50-18-2-2 record.
“I’m excited at the opportunity of working again with Mike, and to also add to the value that both D.J. and Andrew bring,” said Hiller. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many great organizations – most recently the Red Wings – and am grateful for the chance to now join the Leafs.”
Hiller also gained experience as head coach of the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins (2006-09), head coach with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs (2005-06) and an assistant with Tri-City (2002-04).
As a player, Hiller played in 63 NHL games with Los Angeles, Detroit and the New York Rangers after being selected by the Kings 207th overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He also played professionally in the AHL, the IHL, Germany and Italy.
D.J. Smith
Smith, 38, has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals. During the 2014-15 season, Smith compiled a regular season record of 51-11-2-4 en route to winning both the Ontario Hockey League Championship and Memorial Cup Title. Smith was named the OHL’s Coach of the Year during the 2013-14 season after leading the Generals to a regular season record of 42-20-0-6. Over his three seasons with Oshawa, Smith amassed a record of 135-53-3-13 – twice posting the best record in the Eastern Conference.
“I would like to thank Rocco Tullio and the entire Oshawa Generals organization as well as our great fans for supporting myself and my family over the past three seasons,” said Smith. “I am excited to begin a new chapter with the Maple Leafs and work alongside Mike Babcock, Jim Hiller and Andrew Brewer.”
Prior to his time with the Generals, Smith was an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires for six seasons. During his time in Windsor, the team won back-to-back Memorial Cup Championships.
As a player, Smith appeared in 45 career NHL games as a defenceman with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. He also spent parts of six seasons with the St. John’s Maple Leafs (then AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs) from 1996-2002. Smith was selected 41st overall by the New York Islanders in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior hockey with his hometown team, the Windsor Spitfires from 1994-1997.
Andrew Brewer
Brewer, 29, spent last season with Mike Babcock as a Red Wings Assistant Coach, coordinating the team’s coaching staff. Prior to joining Detroit, the Fredericton, New Brunswick native spent three years with Hockey Canada as their video coach for several international events including Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia as well as the 2012, 2013 and 2014 IIHF World Championships. Before this, Brewer was an assistant coach at the University of New Brunswick, and helped the Varsity Reds capture national championships in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
Herring, 29, spent the last two seasons as an Athletic Performance Associate with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. With the Spurs, his responsibilities included strength & conditioning, sports science and nutrition. The Bermuda native was a part of the Spurs organization during their NBA Championship season in 2013-14.
Herring holds a BSc in Sports Science from the University of Wales (Swansea) as well as an MSc in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Edinburgh. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
On Friday, June 19, General Manager Don Sweeney took time to answer questions from the press about his vision of the draft and the team before he and his staff headed off for the NHL Awards followed immediately by the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Don Sweeney
To say that Sweeney has been kicking back would be a mistake. He’s been working the phones—like every other general manager in the league—trying to get a feel for the view of the draft and the landscape before him. And while some media were hoping he would let something slip about potential player movement, in true GM fashion, he held things close to the vest. He did say that there had been some good talks and that he and his staff, along with management of the other teams were taking inventory—even mentioned that both Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Stan Bowman of the Chicago Blackhawks were already working the phones, despite their seasons having just ended.
Obviously the Boston Bruins are up against the cap ceiling this season and that will play a role in some of the choices that Sweeney and his staff will have to make about those players whose contracts are up. In addition to Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille, who found out on breakup day that their time with the Bruins had come to an end, there are a number of other free agents waiting to hear if they will be moving; among them forward Carl Soderberg and defensemen Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski.
A couple of recent signings that were announced on Thursday, June 18, with the two-way contracts for forward Tyler Randell and defenseman Tommy Cross—both of whom played with the AHL affiliated Providence Bruins this past season—could be a clue as to how the club is planning on dealing with a couple of their free agents.
Sweeney did indicate that he had been in contact with the agents of all three of the free agents mentioned by name: Bartowksi, McQuaid and Soderberg. And though he would love to keep everyone, he pointed out that it was a given that not all three of them would be back when the season begins. Also mentioned when talk of Soderberg came up was Joonas Kemppainen who the Bruins had signed to a one-year, two-way contract in May. The 27-year-old, Sweeney mentioned, was a similar player to Soderberg in his skill set and with his maturity and professional experience with the Finnish Elite League that he was ready to show what he can do. Sweeney indicated that Kemppainen will be at development camp in addition to rookie camp so that he has a good sense of the Bruins’ ideology when training camp begins.
When asked about the learning curve as the new General Manager, Sweeney said that he was very fortunate to have support and guidance both internally and externally. He pointed out how the GMs of the other teams had offered him advice and he appreciated that.
“I’ve talked and made trades at different times or been in on trade situations, but again you’re making the call and you’re sort of asking and answering,” Sweeney said. “But I think the general managers have been very helpful in that regard to say ‘Look this is stuff that stays between us’ when you go to talk about players because it is. It’s not just moving pieces along a chess board, it’s real people and you have to understand the privacy involved is paramount in this job.”
Despite his appreciation of the guidance of the other GMs, he has his eyes wide open. When asked if particular GMs had helped him, he kept things general saying that all had been very good. But he knows where each individual GM’s focus is–on their own team.
“I think they’ve all been very very good and maybe they’re playing nice in the sandbox and with my first salvo in terms of looking to see how I’ll react,” he said. “But overall, I think they’ve been very very helpful, every one of them. Doesn’t mean they’re not trying to improve their own team, I’ll tell you that.”
With his deep involvement in past Bruins’ development camps, Sweeney’s perhaps got a better understanding of the depth of the team he now leads. Couple that with the many different roles he has had in the organization over the years, and the new General Manager has an institutional knowledge that could prove essential as management makes their choices at the 2015 Entry Level Draft this weekend.
On Wednesday, June 17, USA Hockey announced the appointment of Chris Chelios, Danton Cole and Kevin Reiter as the assistant coaches who will join previously named head coach Ron Wilson in the coaching of the 2016 Team USA National Junior Team. In addition to these four men, a number of support staff and guest camp coaches were named.
Head Coach, Wilson, led Team USA to the silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. He coached 1,401 NHL games with 648 wins spanning 18 years as a head coach. He stood behind the bench in Anaheim (1993-97), Washington (1997-2002), San Jose (2002-08), and Toronto (2008-12). He ranks eighth all-time in the NHL in wins. This is his first time leading Team USA in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.
Ron Wilson (Photo: USA Hockey)
“We’re extremely pleased to have Ron guiding our National Junior Team,” said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director for hockey operations at USA Hockey and who will also serve as general manager of the 2016 U.S. National Junior Team. “His resume speaks for itself, both as a player and a coach, and we know he’ll do an outstanding job.”
“It is always an honor to serve as head coach for the United States,” said Wilson. “The World Junior Championship has evolved into one of the great events on the hockey calendar and with so many highly-skilled players in USA Hockey’s player pool, expectations have never been higher.”
And expectations for the junior team are high. In the past six years Team USA has earned gold in 2010 and 2013 and a bronze in 2011. Unfortunately in the last two years they finished in fifth place. It is clear that they are hoping for a higher placement and perhaps a return to the medals during the 2016 Championship, which will take place December 26, 2015 – January 5, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. During the preliminary round, Team USA will face Canada, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland as they play in Helsinki Ice Hall.
Chris Chelios
Chelios, who serves as an advisor to hockey operations for the Detroit Red Wings, though getting his first assistant coaching position with the U.S. National Junior Team, has spent the last five years working closely with the coaching staffs of the Red Wings and their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. His involvement has been to help develop and mentor the young players within the Red Wings organization.
Chelios’ playing career earned him elections to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. He retired after 26 seasons in the NHL with the distinction of being the all-time leader in games played by a defenseman (1,651). Drafted in 1981 in the second round (40th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens, he has been on three Stanley Cup-winning teams (Montreal: 1986; Detroit: 2002, 2008) and won the Norris Trophy three times (1989, 1993, and 1996). He ranks tenth all-time among defensement with his 948 career points (185 goals and 763 assists).
He’s represented the United States as a player ten different times: four Olympic Winter Games (1984, 1998, 2002, 2006), three Canada Cups (1984, 1987, 1991), two World Cup of Hockey events (1996, 2004) and once at the World Junior Championships (1982). Adding to his Stanley Cups and Norris trophies, he has also won a silver medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, with a team he captained. And while attending the University of Wisconsin, he helped his team win an NCAA national title in 1983 and was named to the NCAA all-tournament team.
Danton Cole
Cole will begin his sixth year as a head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development program. During his past five years he has led the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team to gold medals at the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship (2012, 2014). He has led the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 and Under-17 teams to five other first place finishes in international competition.
Cole served as an assistant coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2013 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden when they won the bronze medal. Cole served as a head coach at both the college and professional levels before joining USA Hockey’s NTDP. His coaching led the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers to a College Hockey America championship in 2010 before accepting the position as head coach of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins (2002-05). During his tenure with the Griffins his record of 116 wins places him second all-time in the team’s history.
Selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1985 Draft in the sixth round (123rd overall), Cole’s name can be found on the Stanley Cup with the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils. He would spend seven years with the National Hockey League. Like Chelios, he has represented the United States, though Cole did it as a member of three U.S. Men’s National Teams (1990, 1991, 1994) and was on the NCAA national title-winning Michigan State University in 1986. He was also named to three Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Teams.
Kevin Reiter
Reiter, like Cole, has been involved in the USA Hockey NTDP, having completed his second season as the goaltending coach. During his time with the NTDP he has been part of a coaching staff of two gold medal-willing U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Teams (2014, 2015). Before joining USA Hockey’s NTDP, he served as a goaltending consultant for the Italian Men’s National Team in 2012. Reiter played at the University of Alaska-Anchorage from 2000 to 2004 and then went on to play professionally for seven years. While playing with the Fort Wayne Komets in 2008, his team won the International Hockey League’s Turner Cup championship and he was named IHL Goalie of the Year.
Additional support staff was also announced including equipment managers Scott Aldrich and Dave Gilbert; trainer Stan Wong; team physician Dr. Phil Johnson’ and communications contact Jon Gomez.
Those players who are invited to the 2015 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp to take place in Lake Placid, New York the beginning of August will also have an opportunity to work with guest coaches Kelly Miller and Doug Weight. Miller serves as an assistant coach with Michigan State University, while Weight is an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. Both men have known the experience of pulling on a jersey to represent the United States, in fact for a combined 16 times: one Canada Cup, four World Junior Championships, six World Championships, two World Cup of Hockey events and three Olympic Winter Games.
The skill, talent, and experience in this year’s coaching staff speaks to the intent that USA Hockey has in helping its team get back to medal contention. Step one will will take place during the evaluation camp in August.
Minnesota Wild players, alumni and staff will be traveling around Minnesota to meet fans across the state from June 23-25, as part of the 2015 Wells Fargo Minnesota Wild Road Tour. There will be three separate vans, traveling to different parts of the state, split into the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Minnesota. Additionally, the players of AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, will meet fans in Des Moines, IA.
The van going to Northern Minnesota will hold Matt Dumba, Jordan Leopold, plus former Wild player, Wes Walz. The members of the van will stop in arenas in Roseau and Crookston on June 23, Bemidji and Grand Rapids on June 24, and in Eveleth and Duluth on June 25.
Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker and Wild analyst Mike Greenlay will be visiting various cities in Central Minnesota. June 23 consists of visits to Willmar and Alexandria, June 24 to Wadena and Brainerd, and lastly June 25 to St. Cloud and Monticello.
The visit to Southern Minnesota will be slightly shorter, taking place on June 24 and June 25. This trip will consist of Wild players Keith Ballard and Ryan Carter, and Wild radio personality Tom Reid. The stops include Luverne and Fairmont on June 24, and Waseca and New Prague on June 25.
Fans will be able to meet and greet the Wild celebrities at each local rink.
At the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa Wild players Tyler Graovac and Kurtis Gabriel will meet fans. There will also be opportunities to play games and get player autographs.
The tour will conclude on June 26 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul with a Summer Bash and Draft Viewing Party. At the party, there will be chances to get player autographs, take photos with the Wild celebrities, and play games.
For additional information and specific times and details, please follow this link.
With their 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday night, the Hawks won the Cup on home ice for the first time in 77 years, bringing it to the United Center for the first time and giving Timonen a chance to raise the trophy at the close of his lengthy career.
As flash floods and tornado warnings hammered the Chicago area, the Blackhawks clinched the Stanley Cup for the third time in six years–an incredible feat in the salary cap era–but keeper of the Cup Philip Pritchard was stalled by the storm. He received a police escort to the United Center to present the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy just a little late.
And, Timonen, a 16-year veteran and Olympic medalist for Finland, was handed the Cup after playing in just 16 postseason games and 18 regular season games, tallying no points, after being told he’d likely never play again with a diagnosis of blood clots.
The 40-year-old felt it on the bench when Kane gave the Blackhawks a two-goal lead late in the third period. “I was crying a little bit. There were tears coming out of my eyes because I knew that it was going to be–two goals against this team, it was going to be hard to score,” Timonen said. “I knew we had a really good chance to win it.” And, when all was said and done, when Toews was given Lord Stanley, he passed it to Timonen for the first skate.
“That’s it. “I leave this game as a Stanley Cup champion,” Timonen said. “And I can’t ask for anything more than that.”
He may not have played many minutes or contributed offensively for the team, but Coach Joel Quenneville said Timonen’s play made a difference. “Very happy for him–ups and downs–thought he would give us some real predictability in the last three games, there, settle our team down in our own end,” he said. “Got a good stick, stayed strong in puck areas and gets to go out a champion, which is special for a great career.”
Conn Smythe
Given the lacking state of Chicago’s defense in the playoffs, it’s no surprise one of the four powerhouse d-men would be honored as most valuable player. And, to anyone watching any series, there’s no surprise the logical choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted unanimously, nonetheless, was Keith. Keith also happened to score the game-winning goal for the Blackhawks Monday rebounding his own shot with just under three minutes left in the second period.
After Michal Rozsival was injured, the Blackhawks relied very heavily on their top four defensemen–particularly Keith, who averaged 31:06 per game, playing more than 700 minutes this spring. He had three goals and 18 assists in 23 games.
“All the defensemen played well, we rotated everybody and everybody stepped up,” Keith said. “We have forwards that are so committed about playing defense, it makes things easier for all the defensemen, too.”
But his teammates are quick to commend his efforts.
“Unbelievable,” Seabrook said. “He’s been unbelievable for a long time and what he did this playoffs was amazing. Got a huge goal tonight to get us started and he’s just an amazing player.”
“No one more deserving,” Brad Richards, in the NHL since 2000, said. “Right from the first game against Nashville, I saw a different level of hockey that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen on my team. Just how he kept doing it and never showed any signs of fatigue. He’s probably the best player I’ve ever seen live. It was unbelievable what he did out there.”
The Conn Smythe Trophy was voted on by 18 selected members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Keith took first place from all 18. “It’s about time,” Toews said. “We all know he’s going to go down as one of the great players to play the game. In our room, we knew that before the playoffs, but he keeps proving it time and time again. So I couldn’t be happier for a guy like that. It’s really incredible.”
Game Six
The Blackhawks went into Game Six leading the Lightning 3-2 in the series. They were yet to lead by more than one goal in a game. But, history would be in their favor. The team, 32-0-0 this year when leading after two periods, had Keith’s goal in its pocket going into the third. Goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots and the team blocked another 25. Then, with just over five minutes remaining, Brandon Saad got the puck to Richards who made a cross-ice pass to Kane for an insurance goal.
The Hawks then battled to hold on to their lead. And I held my breath for about five minutes, because, if anyone knows leads can vanish in seconds, it’s me. I witnessed it as the Hawks scored two goals in 17 seconds to take the Cup in 2013. Despite several attempts, they failed to get a third goal on the empty net, but they held the two-goal lead and a shutout for Crawford, who was an acrobatic stonewall in net for Game Six.
The team, of course, celebrated the extremely tight series (every other game was determined by just one goal) with the beautiful tradition of handshakes.
The Blackhawks were resilient. They had a lot of reasons to win the Cup. Last year’s loss to the Kings stung. They aren’t likely to keep the same group of guys much longer as the salary cap comes crushing on them. They had so many people on and off the ice, here and now-gone, to win it for.
And that they did.
These truly are the glory days for Chicago fans, after years without so much as a televised home game, to see the Cup raised three times in six years and lifted, at last, on “our” ice.
(As always, click the links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
With the NHL Free Agency starting on July 1, there has been a lot of talk on where various players across the league will find their new homes. Among the top free agents available is current Minnesota Wild goaltender, Devan Dubnyk.
On July 1, Dubnyk’s one-year, $800,000 contract will come to a close. Before the trade that brought him to the Wild on January 14, Dubnyk was struggling to keep his NHL career alive; and was floating from team to team, before he finally landed a contract with the Arizona Coyotes. Goalie coach, Sean Burke, seemed to help Dubnyk re-discover his skill that had allowed him to be picked in the first round of the 2004 NHL Draft.
In the midst of the 2014-15 NHL season, the Wild were struggling as a team, and did not look like they would make an appearance in the playoffs. They needed a desperate change; and the goaltender situation appeared to be the main target to improve, as Darcy Kuemper was not performing well, and Niklas Backstrom was injured. The Wild decided to give Dubnyk a chance between the pipes, and acquired him for just a third round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. This trade would completely turn the Wild’s year around, as Dubnyk played incredibly for the rest of the regular season, posting a .929 save percentage, and a 2.07 goals against average. This performance that saved the Minnesota Wild’s season, also earned him a nomination as a Vezina Finalist; and guaranteed that his NHL career was still alive, just one year after he was sent down to the American Hockey League.
The Wild finished the 2014-15 regular season quite well, earning them a position to face-off against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dubnyk continued his stellar performance, keeping the Wild competitive in every game except the fourth, in which he let six goals past him. He did not let that one poor performance get him down though, as he came out for games five and six with a positive mentality, and ended up leading the Wild to clinch the series; setting them up to square off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. This would be the third season in a row that the Wild would play against the Blackhawks in the playoffs, and they hoped this would be the one where they advanced to the next round.
Unfortunately for the Wild, they would be swept by the Hawks, proving to not yet be a Stanley Cup team. There were many reasons the Wild were not able to advance on from this series, but one of the most important ones may be the fact that Dubnyk did not perform as his regular self during this series. Before this series, he seemed to be making impossible saves, but Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks made him look very human between the pipes. In every game that was played during that series, Dubnyk let pucks past him that he normally wouldn’t. Of course, Dubnyk cannot solely be blamed for the loss, as his team was not performing in front of him; and the Blackhawks are a very talented and experienced team, while the Wild are just finding the feel of the playoffs. Nonetheless, every great team seems to have a goaltender who is able to steal games for them, especially when it matters the most; in the playoffs.
With the Wild’s season coming to an end, Dubnyk has began discussing what he is looking for in his next contract, and it isn’t cheap. Dubnyk has been rumored to be asking for a multi-year contract, at about $5 million per season. Even though he is a Vezina finalist, it may not be in the Wild’s best interest to re-sign him. Dubnyk’s story on saving the Wild’s season and his career is nothing less than incredible, but the fact that he has shown himself to be, well, mortal could be a concern for the Wild. His shaky performance in the second round of the 2015 playoffs and his expensive contract might be a deal-breaker for the Wild. With his past of poor performances on other teams, signing this spendy contract could be extremely risky. Unfortunately, the Wild have doused themselves in a handful of long-term and pricey contracts, which could also make it tough for them to afford Dubnyk, especially since he may not be exactly what they need. To make matters even worse, the most obvious route of buying out Backstrom to create cap space may not be possible, since he is injured. Although the man known as “Dub” instantly became a fan favorite, he may not be someone that the Wild are able to re-sign, unless he lowers his asking price significantly.
The Blackhawks haven’t looked dominant against their opponents at any point so far this series–save for a few scoreless minutes at the beginning of Game Five. Fortunately, neither have the Lightning.
In fact, Game Five was more bang-up blooper than hockey highlight reel.
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford put the team in a dangerous position behind the net when his attempt to play the puck turned into a would-be scoring chance for Nikita Kucherov, who instead tangled with the netminder and collided hard with the goal. (Kucherov left the game but is probable for a Game Six start.)
Not much later, Patrick Sharp broke his slump for the Hawks by tapping the puck into an empty net after goalie Ben Bishop skated far out of the crease and collided hard with defenseman Victor Hedman.
In the second period, as with the rest of the games in the series, the score would knot up as Valtteri Filppula scored top-shelf.
Antoine Vermette scored just two minutes into the third, knocking in a rebound for the go-ahead game-winning goal.
“There was disappointment — actually a little bit of rage after [losing Game 5],” Lightning Coach Jon Cooper said. “The guys were genuinely ticked off.
“I clearly did not want to lose that game. But walking in there, there’s a difference. You want the team that’s ticked off and angry or you want the team that has their heads buried in their hands? Our group was the angry group. If they’re going to be angry birds [Monday] night, that’s what I want. Usually they’re rock solid when they come out with that mentality.”
So, while Tampa has “angry birds” heading into the United Center facing elimination, the Blackhawks have every reason to seize this chance.
They’re up 3-2 in a series of games that have all been decided by a single goal. It’s anyone’s game. The Lightning have everything to lose and the Blackhawks have, this Monday night Game Six, everything to lose.
“Everyone asked, ‘Would you rather win on the road or at home?’ For us, there was no difference,” Captain Jonathan Toews said. “We have a chance to do that [Monday] night. We want to take advantage of it.
“Obviously there’s a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement, a lot of things going on around the entire event. We’re just going to do our best as individuals to focus on our job as players and focus on the game and nothing more. None of that stuff is really going to help us achieve what we want to achieve. That’s where our heads are at right now.”
For many players on the team, they’re playing for their third championship in six seasons.
For one veteran defenseman–a victim of Patrick Kane‘s 2010 championship-winning goal–this could be a final chance for the win. Kimmo Timonen, who has dealt with blood clots, was traded to the Hawks in hopes of a victory before retirement.
“Every hour you have to say to yourself, ‘Stop it.’ There’s a game, and it’s a big game, and we haven’t won shit yet,” Timonen said.
Chicago knows it’s a big game. The city and team’s fans from all around are supporting the boys in red in whatever ways they know how.
“You see the red jerseys, the support we have behind us,” Sharp said. “The United Center is a big building, we pack it every night, whether it’s a preseason game, playoff game. Can’t wait to get back there, use that energy.”
On top of that, to hoist the C-U-P tonight, the Blackhawks are going to have to significantly up their game. They’ll have to figure out how to get the puck through the Lightning’s defense, where players like Hedman have been shutting down usually reliable offense like Kane.
They’ll have to play fast and smart from puck-drop to the final buzzer.
And I’ll be following all of my traditions at home.
Because it’s the Cup.
Schedule:
Game 1: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 2-1 Blackhawks
Game 2: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 4-3 Lightning
Game 3: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 3-2 Lightning
Game 4: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 2-1 Blackhawks
Game 5: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 2-1 Blackhawks Game 6: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Monday, June 15 on NBC, CBC, TVA
IF NEEDED:
*Game 7: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 17 on NBC, CBC, TVA
(As always, click the links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
From as recently as Tuesday morning, the future looked bright for the Arizona Coyotes. That was until the City of Glendale, where Gila River Arena is located, announced that they would be voting Wednesday night as to whether or not they would be ending the Coyotes arena lease. The future of the Coyotes now seems to be more up-in-the-air than ever, amidst the latest obstacle that the club is facing.
“This action by the City of Glendale is completely ludicrous, especially in light of the fact that myself and Andrew Barroway visited with the City yesterday and the particulars of this were never raised. In fact, we, to this moment, have not been advised of this other than the notification on the City website,” said Coyotes Co-owner, President and CEO on Tuesday. “The City of Glendale is displaying a complete lack of good faith, business acumen or an understanding of a business partnership. We want to reassure our great fans that the Arizona Coyotes are committed to Glendale and playing at Gila River Arena.”
In 2013, the Coyotes and the City of Glendale signed a new deal that was to keep the team in Glendale for 15-years, worth $225 million dollars. Part of the Coyotes ownership group, Anthony LeBlanc and majority owner Andrew Barroway met with city officials on Monday after some Glendale council members became concerned about the current deal. Barroway and LeBlanc thought the situation was sorted when they left, but were surprised to find out later that Glendale had called for a vote to cancel the arena lease.
The NHL issued a statement on Thursday saying:
“The National Hockey League stands by, and will fully support, the Arizona Coyotes in their efforts to vindicate their contractual rights in response to last night’s outrageous and irresponsible action by the City of Glendale. We continue to proceed on the basis that the Coyotes will remain in Glendale and will be playing their home games at Gila River Arena.”
Wednesday night’s meeting was open to the public, and even with speakers expressing their strong opposition to the situation, the final vote was 5-2 in favor of ending the lease. This sparked outrage from the Coyotes organization (and even local businesses), prompting them to decide to prepare to take legal action.
“This is a blatant attempt to renege on a valid contract that was negotiated fairly and in good faith and in compliance with all laws and procedures,” said Coyotes attorney Nick Wood in a statement released before Wednesday night’s meeting. “In the event the City Council initiates any action to revoke, repeal or otherwise rescind the agreement, the Coyotes will immediately take all actions available to them under the law against the City of Glendale.”
What is the reason behind this seemingly sudden decision? Concerns arose when the council members began to question where the $15 million dollars the city pays each year to IceArizona, the ownership group that bought the Coyotes in 2013, actually goes. The council said that they wanted to “renegotiate” the contract, but the Coyotes said that this was not an option.
“Why would we even negotiate a deal that is less than two years old and has 13 years remaining?” LeBlanc said per Fox Sports Arizona. “What we witnessed here tonight is possibly the most shameful exhibition of government I have ever witnessed.
The biggest point that the city is using as their reasoning is violation of conflict of interest from ex-city employee Craig Tindall who went to work for the Coyotes in 2013. He resigned from his position as the attorney of the City of Glendale in February of 2013. April 1, 2013 was when his resignation became official, but he was kept on a six-month retainer where he was payed his salary through September 2013. He started working alongside the Coyotes in August. According to an article from Fox Sports Arizona’s Craig Morgan, the argument that Glendale is using is “flawed”. The city’s accusation that Tindall spent “significant” time assisting in the Coyotes current negotiation is not true, which could put Glendale in some serious trouble.
“This is to protect the taxpayers,” Mayor Jerry Weiers said about the situation. “I believe they violated the law.”
The Coyotes are working on securing a temporary restraining order so that the city cannot end their current deal. Attorney Nick Wood states that the lawsuit that the organization plans on filing could be upwards of “hundreds of millions of dollars”, which some reports say is around $200 million. If Glendale’s accusations are not found as a conflict of interest, not only would the deal stay in place, but they are at risk of losing double the amount that they are already set to pay due to damages.
“We are disappointed with the city’s decision to violate its obligations under the agreement that was entered into and duly approved only two years ago,” said LeBlanc Wednesday night. “We will exhaust any and all legal remedies against the city of Glendale for this blatant violation of its contractual obligations to us.”
The team issued the following statement on the afternoon of Friday, June 12, 2015:
“The Arizona Coyotes have acted to defend their rights and reaffirm their continuing commitment to their great fans by seeking a restraining order to stop the City of Glendale’s baseless attack on, and improper attempt to void, the Coyotes’ lawful and proper lease to play at Gila River Arena. The suit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court against the City of Glendale, the Glendale City Council and other City officials.”
For more coverage on this ongoing issue, follow AZ Republic’s Sarah McLellan and Fox Sports Arizona’s Craig Morgan.
With the roar of the home crowd and the comfort of snatching one from the Lightning, plus questions about goalie Ben Bishop‘s health, the Blackhawks were favored leading up to Game Three.
And then about five minutes after puck drop, J.T. Brown passed in the defensive zone to Victor Hedman, who served Ryan Callahan a dish down the ice for an upper glove-side shot missed by goalie Corey Crawford and a 1-0 Lightning lead.
Later, as Braydon Coburn served a hooking penalty, the Blackhawks would tie the game with a power play goal 14:42 into the first.
Andrew Shaw pushed the puck up along the boards to Marian Hossa who fed an open Brad Richards on the blue line for a one-timer screened by Shaw.
Chicago outshot Tampa 19-7 in the first, but left the period with a 1-1 tie. Neither team scored in the second despite a 17-7 shot lead by the Lightning.
Then, 4:14 into the third, the Blackhawks would take the lead with a tic-tac-goal from Duncan Keith to Hossa to Saad for a shot past Bishop.
But, 13 seconds later, as the crowd watched replays and cheered the goal announcement, and as fans finished their high-fives at home, Ondrej Palat would answer with a gritty goal at the net assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson.
It proved to be deflating for the Hawks.
“A weird play,” Crawford said.
“An unlucky goal,” Hossa said. “It happens.”
Coach Joel Quenneville called it a “great goal.”
And, the close 12-8 shot lead for Chicago in the third wasn’t enough for them to land a win.
Instead, the Lightning capitalized on their quick catchup.
With 3:51 remaining in regulation, Callahan passed to Hedman who skated through the neutral zone past the goal line then drop-passed to the center where Cedric Paquette shot into the open side of the net for a 3-2 lead.
With the remaining time, the Blackhawks pulled Crawford, but couldn’t score with the extra attacker.
Bishop made 36 saves on 38 shots while Crawford made 29 of 32.
Entering Game Four Wednesday night, the Lightning will have a 2-1 series advantage.
“We came here to get a win,” Lightning Winger Brenden Morrow said. “Now we’ve got to get greedy.”
“Earlier in my career–I think Sharpie would agree, even Saader–the emotions are so high, so low,” Captain Jonathan Toews said. “One day you win a game in the first round, you get that feeling you’re going all the way to the Cup, nothing can stop you. The next day you lose, all of a sudden that thought crosses your mind, ‘Better luck next year.’
“I think now you have that experience, you’ve played a lot of those games, you realize you don’t have to kind of ride the roller coaster that way.”
This “core” of players since 2009 has fallen 2-1 in nine of 19 playoff series and, when winning Game Four, are 5-0. When falling behind 3-1 as they did in 2013 against the Red Wings, they’re 1-3.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Blackhawks are 40-14 in Games 4-7 since Quenneville has coached. They’re 22-6 since 2013.
Quenneville has made some roster changes for Game Four.
Bryan Bickell, who in previous seasons turned up the heat for playoffs has not yet this year and has also been out with vertigo symptoms, will likely be a scratch with Kris Versteeg returning to the lineup.
The back end will look a little different as well. Kimmo Timonen, who played scarce minutes in previous series and has been scratched since early games in Anaheim, is expected back in the lineup.
“I just try to play my own game, play smart. I don’t want to make mistakes, cost the team goals,” Timonen told media. “The only thing I can say is I’ll enjoy the moment. There aren’t many moments I’ll get like this. This is my moment.”
Trevor van Riemsdyk, who returned from injury in Game Three, should play again as well.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was happy with van Riemsdyk’s performance Monday.
“He hasn’t been playing in a long time obviously, had two pretty big injuries,” Hjalmarsson said. “That was impressive. He made some really, really nice plays and showed patience and calmness with the puck.
“To just come in like that in the Stanley Cup Final, play the way he did, was nothing less than impressive. To be honest with you–he had a great game for us.”
Johnny Oduya, though he appeared injured in the last game, will likely play again in Game Four.
The Blackhawks, of course, are looking at the game as a must-win.
“I think the guys in the room, we want to be out there and win,” Seabrook said. “For whatever reason we play our best games when our backs are against the wall.”
Patrick Kane hasn’t had a point in two games. Patrick Sharp and Toews each have had one assist in the last three.
It’s time for the stars to show up. Their city has.
(Photos: Blackhawks Facebook)
Because it’s the Cup.
Schedule:
Game 1: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 2-1 Blackhawks
Game 2: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 4-3 Lightning
Game 3: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 3-2 Lightning
Game 4: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 10 on NBCSN, CBC, TVA
Game 5: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Saturday, June 13 on NBC, CBC, TVA
IF NEEDED
*Game 6: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Monday, June 15 on NBC, CBC, TVA
*Game 7: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 17 on NBC, CBC, TVA
(As always, click the links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
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