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(Image credit to Allison Gallagher)

It was a disappointing night for the home team in Arizona, tonight. After the first period ended and the Winnipeg Jets were already up 4-1, the atmosphere just felt different. Take it down to the locker room and you have just about the most disheartening environment that you will ever witness. When waiting to get in, someone compared the locker room after a loss to a funeral. The exact words were “this is probably worse than going to any funeral”. You could feel just how upsetting it is to have had such an outstanding pre-season and go to losing to a team 6-2 on your opening night, that much is for sure.

Straight from coach Tippett himself, we hear what needs to be improved upon overall;

“We need better goaltending. It’s as simple as that”

“For him [Goaltender Smith] to play his best, we need to play better in front of him”

Coach put it perfectly by saying that there were “errors with the puck” and much “too little discipline”. If you take a look at the box score, you would easily be able to see that the amount of minutes that they spent in the penalty box lead to sloppy shorthanded plays, and even two power play goals for the opposition. They need to stay out of the box, because they will most definitely need to keep the game in the Coyotes’ attacking zone.

The power plays were not the sole reason that the game was a blowout. Just like Tippett said, they guys need to be better in front. If your D is not showing up, and you have situations that your goalie is put in a compromising position, then you are going to have some issues. Sloppy passing and power plays definitely lead to the teams’ ultimate demise. Tippett said that “when you’re already chasing the game already, it’s against the odds of getting back in it”.

Coyotes’ captain Shane Doan was one of the only players on the ice that really made an appearance. The fact that the 20-year NHL veteran was performing the best out there for the ‘Yotes says a lot. He is, after all, the captain for a reason, and he proved that he could play the game how it should be. Though, a captain also is considered “good” when they can lead the team. That’s what hockey is, it’s a team sport, and if they can’t play as a unit, then they need to figure things out, and fast. Doan’s effort did not go unnoticed, and he was awarded the first star of the night. Going into the 3rd, he lead both teams with 5 hits and 3 takeaways.

Doan, although he is incredibly dissapointed in the start, says that they just “have to be ready for the next game”.

“Doesn’t matter if you loose 3-2 or 6-2, whatever it is, the next game you have to win…. You have 81 more, you’re never as good as you think you are when you win, and you’re not as bad as you think you are right now…Like I said we’re not as bad as we think we are right now, and obviously everyone thinks we’re pretty bad”

With an early exit from the Jets’ Evander Kane in the 1st, with a very apparent knee injury after a knee-on-knee hit by fellow teammate Mark Scheifele, one can only imagine what the rest of the game would’ve been like with him in. In total, he was only able to play 3 shifts and his TOI was 1:24.

There are so many questions to be asked right now, and the Coyotes have to address a lot of issues with execution and goaltending during the next day of practice and before their game on Saturday.

Coyotes fans, and players can only hope for a better game this Saturday, October 11, 2014 against the Los Angeles Kings.

 

Game notes and recap below:

Screen Shot 2014-10-09 at 11.37.13 PM

 

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(Photo: sportslogos.net)

Kreider–St.Louis–Nash.

It’s an unexpected line, especially with Martin St. Louis playing center instead of his usual right wing, but Thursday night’s game proved it to be an effective combination; this line was directly responsible for all three of the New York Rangers‘ (1-0-0) goals in their 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues (0-1-0) to kick off regular season play.

Rick Nash tallied two goals–including the game-winner–and assisted Kreider’s goal; Chris Kreider scored and assisted Nash’s first goal; Martin St. Louis registered assists on Kreider’s goal and Nash’s game-winner.  Tonight, this line was unstoppable.

“[The Kreider-St.Louis-Nash line] spent some quality time in the other team’s end,” said Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault after the game.  “They made the other team pay when [the Blues] made some mistakes, and they helped us win this first game of the year.”

Twitter reacts to Nash's 2G, 1A performance (via @NYRangers)

Twitter reacts to Nash’s 2G, 1A night (via @NYRangers).

The first period was all New York.  Everything seemed to go in the Rangers’ favor as they demonstrated their speed and determination from the get-go.  Four minutes into the period, Kreider dove after a blocked shot along the right side of the boards and found Nash in front of the net for a wrist shot to put New York up 1-0.  The Rangers continued peppering Blues G Brian Elliott with shots and ended the first period having outshot St. Louis 16-8.  They also kept up strong defensive pressure, blocking 7 shots in the opening period alone, and forced the Blues to make several turnovers.  This strong and aggressive play made all the difference, and the Rangers went into the locker room with a firm hold on the game’s momentum and their one-goal lead.

In the second period, the physical element of this aggressive play escalated.  Though nine different players were sent to the penalty box, each of the subsequent power plays came up empty for both teams, and the Rangers kept their 1-0 lead going into the third.  But the momentum began to shift as the Blues found their game and began fighting back.  The physical play carried over into the final period, and the Blues tied the game up 1-1 when LW Jaden Schwartz found the back of the net at 18:28.

The momentum shift stayed with St. Louis until Rangers LW Mats Zuccarello and Blues RW T.J. Oshie exchanged words, punches, and five-minute major fighting penalties a few minutes later–Zuccarello’s first.

“I was shocked, but it was impressive for [Zuccarello] to stand up like that,” said G Henrik Lundqvist, who registered his first career win against the Blues and has now tallied a W against every team other than the Rangers.  “He’s a strong player, and I like the way he plays.”

This fight sparked something within the Rangers; shortly afterward, Kreider used his explosive speed to score on a breakaway down the middle of the ice to make the score 2-1 in favor of New York.  But the Blues found a way to tie the score at two goals apiece midway through the period with a goal by C Paul Stastny.  With each goal, the game’s intensity heightened as both teams battled to gain the lead and control the game.  After several minutes of physical, evenly-matched hockey, the Kreider-St. Louis-Nash line struck again: St. Louis found Nash in front of the net with a backhand, no-look pass with 1:50 remaining, and the Rangers held onto a 3-2 lead as the clock wound down.

All in all, not a bad start to the season.

“I like the fact that we battled,” said D Ryan McDonagh, who was named the 27th captain in Rangers history on Tuesday.  “We grinded one out.  That’s got to be a staple of this team: to play well defensively and battle every night.  It got ugly at times, but we stayed with it, stayed positive, and found a way.”

“When the schedule came out, I couldn’t think of a tougher place for us to start than in St. Louis,” added Nash. “We had this one circled for a long time, and we knew it would be a true test coming out of the gates.”

It may have only been Game 1, but this early test demonstrated that this Rangers team is ready to fight.

Unfortunately, this win came with a cost.  Rangers D Dan Boyle suffered a broken hand late in the game and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks.  With Boyle as well as top centerman Derek Stepan both out with injuries for the time being, the Rangers will have to continue experimenting with lines and combinations.

Four players made their NYR regular season debut in Thursday night's win (via @NYRangers)

Four players made their NYR regular season debut in Thursday night’s win (via @NYRangers).

New York now travels to Columbus for a game on Saturday (7PM ET) before returning to Madison Square Garden for their home-opener on Sunday against Toronto.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they will be participating in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ‘2014 Girls’ Hockey Weekend.’ This Saturday (10/11) the Lightning will host the United States Women’s Ice Hockey team member and Silver-medalist, Anne (pronounced Annie) Schleper, who will be taking part in several events on Satuday and finishing up her weekend on Monday morning. On Monday, Anne will skate with Lightning players as they gear up to take on the Montreal Canadiens that evening.

On the opening day of Girls Hockey Weekend, before the Lightning’s 7 p.m game against the Ottawa Senators, Schleper and a representative from the Brandon Hockey Chicks, a women’s hockey team from the Brandon Ice Sports Forum, will participate in multiple panel discussions for local Girl Scouts. Afterwards, Schleper and the Lightning Community Hockey staff will put on a street hockey clinic for the Girl Scouts on Ford Thunder Alley from 3-5 p.m. At the end of the Girl Scouts clinic, the clinic will then open to all girls on Ford Thunder Alley with all clinics wrapping up when the doors to the arena open at 6 p.m.

In keeping with the weekend theme, the night’s Thunderstruck Skater will be from the Lady Vipers, who play out of the Ice Factory in Kissimmee. The skater and her Lady Viper teammates will participate in a scrimmage during the first intermission and a shootout during the second. Before the game, Schleper will be honoured with a video tribute and do the ceremonial puck drop. Schleper will then serve as honourary captain for the Lady Vipers scrimmage.

Monday sees Girls Play Hockey Weekend coming to a close, but for Schlepper, she will get to end the weekend by suiting up with the big boys and participating in the morning skate. It will be hld at 10:30 a.m. at the Amalie Arena.

Anne Schleper played college hockey at the University of Minnesota where she was an All-American. The 24-year-old won the Silver Medal with Team USA at the Sochi Winter Games in Russia. She also has played in three IIHF Women’s World Championships where she and the team won gold in 2011 and 2013. To her name she also has four Four Nations Cups. The St. Cloud, Minnesota native will be the Bolts Social Captain at the Saturday night game against the Senators.

 

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Photo credit: Noah Graham/NHL

As hockey season approaches, fans across the globe will be tuning in, joining blogs, attending games and buying new merchandise. During that time, new fans (especially female ones) will be grilled on their knowledge and declared a “bandwagon” fan if they fail to meet some unspoken standard. Those who don’t understand hybrid icing or the new rules will be mocked and told they are bandwagoners, don’t deserve to be a fan of said team and should go be a fan of another team that has a bunch of other bandwagon fans. This is particularly true if a team has experienced any kind of success in the last five years or so.

The Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings (the three most recent Stanley Cup winning teams) have apparently not had any fans since 2010, 2011 or 2012 respectively. The Pittsburgh Penguins have probably not had any since 2008 (first Stanley Cup Final appearance since they last won the Stanley Cup in 1992) or 2009 (when they last won the Cup) while the Detroit Red Wings lack any true, loyal fans —  oh and by the way, the biggest knock on the team is that no one actually lives in Detroit anymore (which is completely beyond the players’ and coaches’ control).

I grew up as a lifelong Kings fan. While the team did struggle with attendance off and on for years, the team still sold enough tickets that the franchise didn’t fold or move. Some people have been fans since 1965 when Jack Kent Cooke first brought the team to Los Angeles and some have been fans since 2014 when the Kings won their second Stanley Cup in three years.

The Blackhawks and Bruins are both Original Six teams–teams who predate the first expansion in 1967. Last year, the Bruins celebrated their 90th anniversary with the NHL. While you’d be hard pressed to find fans who were around in 1924 and 1926 respectively, there are still those who who remember the (very) early days of the franchise.

For a sport that is trying to grow and with fans that tout hockey’s superiority over other sports, there are quite a few who try to proclaim their own better-ness over someone else simply because they were a fan longer.

The point is this: Put a moratorium on the word bandwagon. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a fan for five minutes or fifty years; if the team was lousy or in the middle of a championship run. More fans equals more money which in turn equals more hockey. What could be better than more hockey??

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(Photo: Ottawa Senators)

While people often associate hockey players with Canada, there are definitely certain provinces more known for generating players than others. It’s normal to find a handful of players from Ontario when scanning any given NHL roster. It’s also not unusual to find players from other provinces like British Columbia or Quebec. But, what about Newfoundland? As a province in Canada, you might assume it has generated a number of players in the NHL as well. In reality, there are only a small number of Newfoundlanders currently on NHL rosters.

One such player is Colin Greening. Greening is a 6’3 forward with the Ottawa Senators and he comes from St. John’s, Newfoundland. The sport is big in Greening’s hometown but his story about how he got into hockey is a little funnier than some of the other stories out there.

“Growing up, hockey was big in Newfoundland. My older brother decided when he was 7 years old that he wanted to start playing hockey and there was a deal where if you signed up one kid, the second kid was $50. My dad is a sucker for a deal and thought why not?” Greening said with a laugh. “I was a very energetic kid growing up and my parents always wanted to put me in something to alleviate some of the energy so I would be tired when I came but. But that’s how I got my start.”

While a lot of kids in Canada probably try out hockey for the first time around that age, hearing Greening joke about the way he got into the sport is definitely interesting. Growing up in Newfoundland, Greening also had a different take on his favorite player than some other NHL players.

“I always wanted to be a player like Doug Gilmour. In St. John’s, we had the St. John’s Maple Leafs so I followed that team and keep following players as they went up to Toronto,” Greening said. “I loved the way Doug Gilmour played. He was a scrappy player with skill and he was a smart guy that was a good leader. I always really liked watching him play. Whenever I could be someone in street hockey, it was him.”

From the way he got his start, it is obvious to see that hockey was something the whole Greening family was involved in. Had it not been for his brother’s interest, Greening would not have gotten his start when he did. But, there is more than just involvement from the two brothers. It really is a sport where everyone in the family has to be on board and supportive.

“Hockey is a full family affair for sure. Whether or not you start off being interested in the game, it’s such a time commitment for the parents. My parents followed hockey growing up, but this was different,” said Greening. “It’s a lot of early mornings, drop offs and pick ups, and spending time in a cold rink. It’s definitely trying sometimes as a parent. As a player, I’m engaged in the game and I’m working hard so I don’t notice the cold. But when I think back, the parents are sitting there watching, that can be long and it can be cold.”

Through everything that his parents have done for him, Greening cannot help but be thankful. Although he might not have realized as much when he was younger, now that he’s getting married and thinking of starting a family himself, it’s definitely something he appreciates.

“You have to be thankful for your parents. Hockey is not a cheap sport to begin with so there are a lot of sacrifices families have to make to put their kids in hockey in the first place. It’s a lot of time commitment,” Greening said. “Looking back now, you might not appreciate it when you’re 5 or 6 years old. But as you get older, you start thinking about all the sacrifices they made and everything they did to get you to where you are now. You really appreciate it.”

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Photo: cbc.ca

For that reason, they are also the people he cites as being two of his biggest off-ice inspirations. It is not just the sacrifice, though. Considering the amount of time and money his parents put into allowing Greening to follow his dream, it is natural to wonder if they also pressured him to continue playing the sport. That was never the case for him, though.

“One thing I really respect about them was that they did not push hockey on me. The dynamic of parenting seems to be changing and I see a lot of parents really pushing hockey on their kids. I don’t really agree with that,” Greening said. “My parents always told me school was first and then I could focus on hockey after. They let me play all sorts of other sports. There’s something to say about parents like mine that are only worried about whether or not their kid likes the sport.”

When asked about off-ice inspirations, Greening also shared one other person that had a big impact on him. The story is much sadder but it is obvious that Greening’s friend left a big impact on him. One of his friends growing up passed away from cancer two years ago but left a real mark.

“The other off-ice inspiration of mine would be a friend of mine who, unfortunately, passed away from cancer. What I really respected about his was his mentality and his demeanor through all of it. It was pretty inspirational to see something like that,” Greening remembered. “About two or three weeks before he passed away, he was living in Calgary and I flew out with a couple friends. We knew it would be the last time we ever saw him and even though the cancer had really changed his physical appearance, he was exactly the same guy. To this day, I always look at what he did during his last 7 months as something we all can aspire to.”

As Greening grew up, he was not able to play as many sports and had to start making decisions. While his parents shared their thoughts about what he should do, they made it clear that it was his decision about what he wanted to do.

“When I got to 15 or 16 years old, I felt that was the point where you had to start making some difficult decisions. I had options to go pursue major junior hockey or go pursue a school route. My parents had a positive influence on me. If I had the option to go play at a university, we all thought it was a good opportunity,” said Greening. “They gave me their opinion but they always told me that I had to be comfortable with the decision. I think that’s what led me to go to college hockey. At that age, I still hadn’t really grown into my body yet. I knew if I wanted to have a chance at playing professionally, I had to get a little bigger which would take more time.

Photo: ecac.com

Photo: ecac.com

Greening chose to go the college route and played his hockey at Cornell University. He talked about how exciting it was for both him and his parents. Not only did he pick college hockey, he picked an Ivy League school.

“It was tough at times to balance the curriculum at Cornell. I consider myself lucky to go to have gone to school at Cornell. They had a lot of resources for me to utilize. It can be tough. I was a kid that grew up in Newfoundland and hadn’t heard of what an Ivy League school was, so the fact that I got to attend one was a very big deal for me. I pushed myself as hard as I could,” Greening said. “When I went to Cornell, I had two years of school at Upper Canada College in Toronto. I learned good time management skills there and learned how to study and work. That was important. I think it benefitted me that I was two years older than the rest of the students. It takes a lot of balancing skills to be an athlete at a school.”

After college, Greening joined the Ottawa Senators organization. He has been with that organization since finishing school, except for a short stint in Denmark during the most recent NHL lockout. Ottawa is a great hockey city, a fact that is not lost on him.

“I think playing in Ottawa speaks for itself being a Canadian city and the focus there is on hockey in Canada. They’re so supportive of the team. There’s something to be said about playing under the kind of pressure that can sometimes bring. It makes you rise to the occasion,” said Greening. “You get such great fan support here which makes you try that much harder. We’re either sold out or almost sold out every single game and that’s fantastic. I really enjoy playing for the Senators.”

When Greening joined the Senators organization after college, he spent some time with the Binghamton Senators in the AHL. But it was in that first season that he got his first NHL call-up. That was something he will never forget.

“There have been a few accomplishments that really stick out for me. Making the NHL and playing in my first game was such an unbelievable experience for me. The whole setting was really exciting. I got to play my first game in my first season with the Senators organization,” Greening said. “It was a real treat. Just to be able to say I’m playing in the NHL is a big deal. Right now, I’m one of 7 Newfoundlanders that are playing in the NHL. That’s a big deal for me to be able to represent my family and my home province when I play. All of that together would probably be what I consider my greatest accomplishment.”

Fans might be used to seeing Greening on the ice in Ottawa now that he’s got a few seasons under his belt, but some are curious about what he does outside of games. As a private person, Greening does not make much use of social media. But, he still keeps busy outside of games.

“One of the things I really like about Ottawa is that I love to go out and explore to see what the city has to offer. I love to spend time with my fiancée and I love to meet the fans. I love going to charity events. I’m an outgoing guy but I’m introverted too so I like to have time to myself sometimes. But I love to laugh and I love to try new things and explore.”

Greening will be back in Ottawa this season on the first year of a three-year deal. Fans can look forward to watching him play and hopefully giving them a reason to cheer in Ottawa.

 

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(Image credit to NHL)

The time has finally come, and tonight is the first night of Opening Night in the NHL. There will be four games broadcast tonight, and then twelve tomorrow night, followed by a lone game on Friday. No matter which team you are pulling for, you can be sure that there will be some great match-ups on each night.

The official 23-man rosters of the teams were released this morning. Note: some of the players who have recently signed with teams, but the contracts have yet to be approved by the league, are not included on the opening night roster lists.

Opening Night Rosters:

Anaheim Ducks

Bryan Allen, Frederik Andersen, Francois Beauchemin, Matt Beleskey, Andrew

Cogliano, Emerson Etem, Mark Fistric, Cam Fowler, Ryan Getzlaf, John

Gibson, Tim Jackman, William Karlsson, Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm, Ben

Lovejoy, Patrick Maroon, Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg,

Devante Smith-Pelly, Clayton Stoner, Nate Thompson, Sami Vatanen.

Injured: Dany Heatley, Jaycob Megna, Kyle Palmieri, Sheldon Souray, Shea

Theodore.

Arizona Coyotes

Mikkel Boedker, Kyle Chipchura, B.J. Crombeen, Shane Doan, Devan Dubnyk,

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Martin Erat, Sam Gagner, Martin Hanzal, Justin

Hodgman, Rob Klinkhammer, Lauri Korpikoski, Brandon McMillan, Zbynek

Michalek, David Moss, Connor Murphy, David Schlemko, Mike Smith, Michael

Stone, Chris Summers, Antoine Vermette, Joe Vitale, Keith Yandle.

Injured: Michael Lee.

Boston Bruins

Matt Bartkowski, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Craig Cunningham, Loui

Eriksson, Brian Ferlin, Matt Fraser, Dougie Hamilton, Chris Kelly, Torey

Krug, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Daniel

Paille, Tuukka Rask, Bobby Robins, Dennis Seidenberg, Reilly Smith, Carl

Soderberg, Ryan Spooner, Malcolm Subban, Niklas Svedberg.

Injured: Anthony Camara, Gregory Campbell, David Krejci, Marc Savard.

Buffalo Sabres

Andre Benoit, Nicolas Deslauriers, Tyler Ennis, Jhonas Enroth, Brian Flynn,

Marcus Foligno, Brian Gionta, Zemgus Girgensons, Josh Gorges, Cody Hodgson,

Cody McCormick, Andrej Meszaros, Torrey Mitchell, Matt Moulson, Tyler

Myers, Michal Neuvirth, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Drew Stafford,

Chris Stewart, Tyson Strachan, Mike Weber, Nikita Zadorov.

Injured: Nicholas Baptiste, Matt Hackett, Patrick Kaleta, Johan Larsson,

Jake McCabe, Mark Pysyk.

Calgary Flames

Mikael Backlund, Brandon Bollig, Lance Bouma, T.J. Brodie, Paul Byron, Joe

Colborne, Raphael Diaz, Deryk Engelland, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano,

Curtis Glencross, Jonas Hiller, Jiri Hudler, David Jones, Brian McGrattan,

Sean Monahan, Karri Ramo, Mason Raymond, Kris Russell, Devin Setoguchi,

Ladislav Smid, Matt Stajan, Dennis Wideman.

Injured: Sam Bennett, Emile Poirier, Corey Potter.

Carolina Hurricanes

Brett Bellemore, Patrick Brown, Patrick Dwyer, Justin Faulk, Nathan Gerbe,

Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Jay Harrison, Anton Khudobin, John-Michael Liles,

Elias Lindholm, Brad Malone, Jay McClement, Ryan Murphy, Riley Nash, Victor

Rask, Andrej Sekera, Alexander Semin, Jeff Skinner, Eric Staal, Chris

Terry, Jiri Tlusty, Cam Ward.

Injured: Jordan Staal.

Chicago Blackhawks

Bryan Bickell, Daniel Carcillo, Corey Crawford, Kyle Cumiskey, Niklas

Hjalmarsson, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marcus Kruger,

Jeremy Morin, Johnny Oduya, Antti Raanta, Brad Richards, Michal Rozsival,

David Rundblad, Brandon Saad, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Shaw,

Ben Smith, Jonathan Toews, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Kris Versteeg.

Injured: Brandon Mashinter.

Colorado Avalanche

Tyson Barrie, Reto Berra, Daniel Briere, Marc-Andre Cliche, Matt Duchene,

Dennis Everberg, Nate Guenin, Jan Hejda, Nick Holden, Jarome Iginla, Erik

Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Cody McLeod, Ryan O’Reilly,

Zach Redmond, Brad Stuart, Maxime Talbot, Alex Tanguay, Semyon Varlamov,

Ryan Wilson, Jesse Winchester.

Injured: Patrick Bordeleau, Jamie McGinn, John Mitchell, Ben Street, Tomas

Vincour.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Artem Anisimov, Cam Atkinson, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jared Boll, Matt Calvert,

Michael Chaput, Adam Cracknell, Marko Dano, Tim Erixon, Nick Foligno, Cody

Goloubef, Scott Hartnell, Jack Johnson, Mark Letestu, Curtis McElhinney,

Dalton Prout, David Savard, Jack Skille, Corey Tropp, Fedor Tyutin,

Alexander Wennberg, James Wisniewski.

Injured: Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Gibbons, Nathan Horton, Boone Jenner,

Sonny Milano, Ryan Murray.

Non-Roster: Ryan Johansen (pending immigration clearance)

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn, Jordie Benn, Erik Cole, Kevin Connauton, Trevor Daley, Brenden

Dillon, Cody Eakin, Patrick Eaves, Vernon Fiddler, Ryan Garbutt, Alex

Goligoski, Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, Kari Lehtonen, Anders Lindback,

Patrik Nemeth, Valeri Nichushkin, Jamie Oleksiak, Antoine Roussel, Colton

Sceviour, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza.

Injured: Sergei Gonchar, Rich Peverley.

Detroit Red Wings

Justin Abdelkader, Joakim Andersson, Daniel Cleary, Danny DeKeyser,

Jonathan Eriksson, Johan Franzen, Luke Glendening, Jonas Gustavsson, Darren

Helm, Jimmy Howard, Tomas Jurco, Jakub Kindl, Niklas Kronwall, Brian

Lashoff, Drew Miller, Andrej Nestrasil, Gustav Nyquist, Kyle Quincey, Riley

Sheahan, Brendan Smith, Tomas Tatar, Stephen Weiss, Henrik Zetterberg.

Injured: Pavel Datsyuk, Anthony Mantha, Andy Miele.

Edmonton Oilers

Will Acton, Mark Arcobello, Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Viktor Fasth,

Mark Fayne, Andrew Ference, Boyd Gordon, Taylor Hall, Matt Hendricks, Brad

Hunt, Jesse Joensuu, Oscar Klefbom, Nikita Nikitin, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,

Darnell Nurse, David Perron, Jeff Petry, Benoit Pouliot, Teddy Purcell,

Justin Schultz, Ben Scrivens, Nail Yakupov.

Injured: Brandon Davidson, Luke Gazdic.

Florida Panthers

Aleksander Barkov, Sean Bergenheim, Nick Bjugstad, Dave Bolland, Brad

Boyes, Brian Campbell, Aaron Ekblad, Tomas Fleischmann, Erik Gudbranson,

Jimmy Hayes, Jonathan Huberdeau, Jussi Jokinen, Tomas Kopecky, Dmitry

Kulikov, Roberto Luongo, Derek MacKenzie, Willie Mitchell, Al Montoya,

Dylan Olsen, Brandon Pirri, Colby Robak, Shawn Thornton, Scottie Upshall.

Injured: Blake Parlett.

Los Angeles Kings

Andy Andreoff, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Kyle Clifford, Drew Doughty,

Marian Gaborik, Matt Greene, Martin Jones, Dwight King, Anze Kopitar,

Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Brayden McNabb, Jake Muzzin, Jordan Nolan,

Tanner Pearson, Jonathan Quick, Robyn Regehr, Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll,

Tyler Toffoli, Slava Voynov, Justin Williams.

Injured: Andrew Bodnarchuk.

Minnesota Wild

Niklas Backstrom, Keith Ballard, Stu Bickel, Jonas Brodin, Kyle Brodziak,

Matt Cooke, Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Christian Folin, Mikael Granlund,

Erik Haula, Mikko Koivu, Darcy Kuemper, Nino Niederreiter, Zach Parise,

Jason Pominville, Nate Prosser, Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan

Suter, Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker.

Injured: Justin Fontaine.

Montreal Canadiens

Nathan Beaulieu, Michael Bournival, Rene Bourque, David Desharnais, Lars

Eller, Alexei Emelin, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Tom Gilbert,

Manny Malhotra, Andrei Markov, Travis Moen, Max Pacioretty,

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Tomas Plekanec, Carey Price, Brandon Prust,

Jiri Sekac, P.K. Subban, Jarred Tinordi, Dustin Tokarski, Mike Weaver, Dale

Weise.

Injured: Connor Crisp, Stefan Fournier, Jeremy Gregoire, Michael McCarron,

Jack Nevins, Dalton Thrower.

Nashville Predators

Victor Bartley, Taylor Beck, Gabriel Bourque, Rich Clune, Mattias Ekholm,

Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg, Paul Gaustad, Carter Hutton, Calle Jarnkrok,

Olli Jokinen, Seth Jones, Roman Josi, James Neal, Eric Nystrom, Mike

Ribeiro, Pekka Rinne, Derek Roy, Craig Smith, Anton Volchenkov, Shea Weber,

Colin Wilson.

Injured: Patrick Cehlin, Matt Cullen, Mike Fisher, Viktor Stalberg.

New Jersey Devils

Damien Brunner, Mike Cammalleri, Scott Clemmensen, Ryane Clowe, Patrik

Elias, Eric Gelinas, Stephen Gionta, Andy Greene, Martin Havlat, Adam

Henrique, Jaromir Jagr, Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, Tuomo

Ruutu, Michael Ryder, Bryce Salvador, Cory Schneider, Damon Severson,

Travis Zajac, Marek Zidlicky, Dainius Zubrus.

Injured: None.

New York Islanders

Josh Bailey, Eric Boulton, Johnny Boychuk, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck,

Cory Conacher, Matt Donovan, Mikhail Grabovski, Jaroslav Halak, Travis

Hamonic, Thomas Hickey, Chad Johnson, Nikolay Kulemin, Nick Leddy, Matt

Martin, Colin McDonald, Brock Nelson, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, Griffin

Reinhart, Brian Strait, Ryan Strome, John Tavares.

Injured: Matt Carkner, Jason Clark, Calvin De Haan, Michael Grabner,

Lubomir Visnovsky.

New York Rangers

Dan Boyle, Derick Brassard, Anthony Duclair, Jesper Fast, Dan Girardi,

Tanner Glass, Carl Hagelin, Matt Hunwick, Kevin Klein, Chris Kreider,

Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Malone, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore,

John Moore, Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Marc Staal, Lee Stempniak, Cam

Talbot, Mats Zuccarello.

Injured: Kevin Hayes, Derek Stepan.

Ottawa Senators

Craig Anderson, Mark Borowiecki, Cody Ceci, Alex Chiasson, Erik Condra,

Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Eric Gryba, Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson,

Curtis Lazar, David Legwand, Robin Lehner, Clarke MacArthur, Milan

Michalek, Chris Neil, Chris Phillips, Bobby Ryan, Zack Smith, Mark Stone,

Kyle Turris, Patrick Wiercioch, Mika Zibanejad.

Injured: Marc Methot.

Philadelphia Flyers

Jason Akeson, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Braydon Coburn, Sean Couturier,

Michael Del Zotto, Ray Emery, Claude Giroux, Nicklas Grossmann, Blair

Jones, Vincent Lecavalier, Andrew MacDonald, Steve Mason, Michael Raffl,

Matt Read, Zac Rinaldo, Brayden Schenn, Luke Schenn, Nick Schultz, Wayne

Simmonds, Mark Streit, R.J. Umberger, Jakub Voracek.

Injured: Matthew Konan, Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Ryan White.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Craig Adams, Beau Bennett, Robert Bortuzzo, Blake Comeau, Sidney Crosby,

Simon Despres, Steve Downie, Pascal Dupuis, Christian Ehrhoff, Marc-Andre

Fleury, Marcel Goc, Thomas Greiss, Patric Hornqvist, Kasperi Kapanen, Chris

Kunitz, Kris Letang, Olli Maatta, Evgeni Malkin, Paul Martin, Rob Scuderi,

Nick Spaling, Brandon Sutter.

Injured: Nick Drazenovic, Derrick Pouliot.

St. Louis Blues

Jake Allen, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, Jay Bouwmeester, Ian Cole, Brian

Elliott, Barret Jackman, Maxim Lapierre, Jori Lehtera, Jordan Leopold,

Joakim Lindstrom, T.J. Oshie, Steve Ott, Magnus Paajarvi, Alex Pietrangelo,

Chris Porter, Ryan Reaves, Jaden Schwartz, Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Stastny,

Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko.

Injured: Joel Edmundson, Benn Ferriero, Carl Gunnarsson, Jani Hakanpaa.

San Jose Sharks

Justin Braun, Mike Brown, Adam Burish, Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Jason

Demers, Andrew Desjardins, Scott Hannan, Eriah Hayes, Tomas Hertl, Matt

Irwin, Patrick Marleau, Tye McGinn, Mirco Mueller, Antti Niemi, Matt Nieto,

Joe Pavelski, John Scott, Alex Stalock, Joe Thornton, Chris Tierney,

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tommy Wingels.

Injured: Barclay Goodrow, Tyler Kennedy, James Sheppard, Raffi Torres.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Mark Barberio, Ben Bishop, Brian Boyle, Eric Brewer, J.T. Brown, Ryan

Callahan, Matt Carle, Brett Connolly, Jonathan Drouin, Valtteri Filppula,

Jason Garrison, Radko Gudas, Victor Hedman, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn,

Slater Koekkoek, Evgeni Nabokov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ondrej Palat,

Richard Panik, Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman, Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Injured: Brenden Morrow, Mattias Ohlund.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Carter Ashton, Jonathan Bernier, Troy Bodie, Tyler Bozak, David Clarkson,

Matt Frattin, Jake Gardiner, Peter Holland, Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel, Leo

Komarov, Brandon Kozun, Josh Leivo, Joffrey Lupul, Stuart Percy, Dion

Phaneuf, Roman Polak, James Reimer, Morgan Rielly, Stephane Robidas, Mike

Santorelli, James Van Riemsdyk, Daniel Winnik.

Injured: David Booth, Cody Franson.

Vancouver Canucks

Kevin Bieksa, Nick Bonino, Alexandre Burrows, Derek Dorsett, Alexander

Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Jannik Hansen, Chris Higgins, Zack Kassian, Eddie Lack,

Shawn Matthias, Ryan Miller, Brad Richardson, Luca Sbisa, Daniel Sedin,

Henrik Sedin, Tom Sestito, Ryan Stanton, Chris Tanev, Linden Vey, Radim

Vrbata, Yannick Weber.

Injured: Frank Corrado, Bo Horvat.

Washington Capitals

Karl Alzner, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer, Chris Brown, Andre

Burakovsky, John Carlson, Jason Chimera, John Erskine, Eric Fehr, Mike

Green, Jack Hillen, Braden Holtby, Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov,

Brooks Laich, Michael Latta, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, Alex Ovechkin,

Justin Peters, Nate Schmidt, Chandler Stephenson, Joel Ward.

Injured: Jay Beagle, Dmitry Orlov, Edward Pasquale, Aaron Volpatti, Tom

Wilson.

Winnipeg Jets

Zach Bogosian, Dustin Byfuglien, Grant Clitsome, Tobias Enstrom, Michael

Frolik, T.J. Galiardi, Matt Halischuk, Michael Hutchinson, Evander Kane,

Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Adam Lowry, Adam Pardy, Ondrej Pavelec, Anthony

Peluso, Mathieu Perreault, Paul Postma, Mark Scheifele, Jim Slater, Mark

Stuart, Chris Thorburn, Jacob Trouba, Blake Wheeler.

Injured: Patrice Cormier, Eric O’Dell.

Opening Night Schedule(s):

Schedules presented by the NHL

Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 9.09.25 AM Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 9.09.08 AMScreen Shot 2014-10-08 at 9.11.32 AM

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Some people love him, some people hate him… but this video of Alexander Ovechkin might just help you make up your mind.

If the adorable 10-year-old Ann Schabb asked you out for sushi, would you be able to say no? Washington Capitals‘ captain Alex Ovechkin was certainly not able to. When Ovi attended an event for the Washington Ice Dogs, little miss Schabb proposed the potential dinner date. The answer was a no-brainer, and Ovi immediately answered the question with a “yes”.

Ovechkin went above and beyond expectations, surprising Ann after a preseason skate session, and a tour of the practice arena, with roses and tickets to the game that night. Taking Schabb to the preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes himself, and out to Sushi after (in the Owners’ box), just made it all that much better. She got to meet some of the players in the locker room after the game, and handled it like a pro. She even bossed around fellow Caps’ player Nate Schmidt telling him to get Ovi to hurry up; they had a date to go on!

Schabb is a member of the Washington Ice Dogs, an ice hockey team for people with developmental disabilities. They are based out of Laurel, MD, where they practice at the Gardens Ice House. The coaches are volunteers who strive to help these incredible people not only gain hockey skills, but learn how to work as a team and become self-reliant. Overall, it is a great organization that provides a wonderful experience for those with disabilities.

What an incredible experience that the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin were able to provide for the spunky youngster with a day she will probably always remember. The heartwarming video showcases the soft side of the Captain, and might just make you say “awww” the whole time. 

(Video/Image Credit to NHL and Capitals)

 

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The rumours have been flying all summer that the ECHL and the CHL, the two prominent “AA” Minor League Hockey organizations in North America were headed for a merger. Finally, the news came out, with seven teams from the Central Hockey League added to the membership of the ECHL, essentially folding the CHL. The teams added: Brampton Beast, Wichita Thunder, Tulsa Oilers, Missouri Mavericks, Allen Americans, Quad City Mallards and the Rapid City Rush.

The seven expansion teams will begin play in the ECHL this season, giving the League 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season of operation, which begins on Friday, Oct. 17 and runs through Saturday, April 11.

The applicants were approved at a special meeting of the ECHL Board of Governors in Chicago on Tuesday.

“The ECHL is very pleased to welcome these new Members to the League,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “These additions strengthen our base in the center of the country and give the ECHL, for the first time, a true national presence. It expands our ability to act as a development league and more closely aligns our number of teams with both the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League.

“There will be logistical challenges in the short term, however, in the long term, it is certainly in the best interest of the ECHL, the new Members and minor-league hockey in general,” McKenna added.

Updates to the 2014-15 ECHL playing schedule, divisional alignment and the format for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be released at a later date.

The CHL had been made up of nine teams at the end of the 2013-14 season. Both the Arizona Sundogs and Denver Cutthroats suspended operations for the 14-15 season, with the expectation to return, it appears now as members of the expanded ECHL. The Las Vegas Wranglers, an ECHL member team also temporarily suspended operations for the 14-15 season after difficulties arose in securing a home arena. With the addition of these three teams in the 2015-16 season, the ECHL would sit at 31 teams, however there have been numerous discussions of the AHL pushing out west, driven by the NHL Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings desire to have their AHL affiliates closer at hand. (see: Bill Ballou, Telegram, Travis Hughes, SBNation for an insight to the discussion) Could the LA Kings take the Ontario Reign as their AHL affiliate? Will Stockton be brought into the fold of the San Jose Sharks? The minor league hockey map will be interesting to follow as the new season plays out, and the landscape may look different come this time next season.

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On Tuesday, Oct. 6, President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced that the New Jersey Devils signed forward Jordin Tootoo to a new contract.

As of today, there are no further details on the specifics of Tootoo’s contract.

The 31-year-old forward is entering is 12th season. He spent last two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, splitting time with the Grand Rapids AHL team. In his NHL career, he accumulated 49 goals and 85 assists for a total of 134 points. Tootoo has also notched three goals and seven assists in his 40 career playoff games.

Before signing with the Red Wings for the 2012-2013 season, Tootoo spent nine seasons with the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals AHL team. Tootoo was orginially drafted by the Predators in the 2001 entry draft and made hsi NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2003.

Tootoo spent training camp with the Devils on a tryouts basis. Earlier this week, Ryan Carter left the Devils to sign with the Minnesota Wild, which opened up a roster spot to sign Tootoo.

In addition, the Devils have asked Scott Gomez to remain with the team without a contract. They are hoping another spot opens up on the roster  to fit in Gomez, but in the meantime, they have requested  he continue to practice with the team. Gomez has agreed to stick around, but is unsure of how long he will be able to wait for a contract, according to reports.

The Devils are searching for a bounce-back season after struggling for the past two years. There have been major holes in their offense that they are trying to fill with a few off-season transactions.

The Devils ended the preseason with a 4-1-1 record including a 3-0 shutout over the New York Rangers in their last game.

New Jersey’s first game of the 2014-2015 regular season will be Thursday, Oct. 9 against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. Their home opener won’t be until Saturday, Oct. 18 against the San Jose Sharks.

 

Photo Courtesy of  – Bridget Samuels

 

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Ryan Johansen Signs with Blue Jackets

(photo:nhl.com)

I’ve held off on writing a piece about the Ryan Johansen Contract Debacle of 2014 for a lot of reasons. Firstly, because I had no new information. There was no new information. The entirety of the post would simply have been the headline: “Nothing Is Happening In The Ryan Johansen Contact Debacle of 2014.”

But there has, at last, been news.

Yesterday morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they had agreed to terms with Johansen for a three-year, $12-million contract. The Blue Jackets will pay Johansen $3 million in the first two years, and $6 million in 2016-2017. Both parties expressed relief that the protracted negotiations are over; General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen told NHL.com that he, “talked to [Johansen] already and basically told him, ‘Get your butt over here and let’s get to work.’ … I wish this all could have been avoided but it was something necessary for us to go through to get the deal done. Now it’s done and let’s move forward.”

For his part, Johansen also professed to be looking forward to the season. “At the end of the day, that’s what it is: I’m playing,” he told the Columbus Dispatch. “It’s a short-term deal. I’ll be the best player I can be for the next three years, and hopefully I can stay here long-term.”

The Ryan Johansen Contract Debacle of 2014 has been something of a rollercoaster from start to finish. Though Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets went into negotiations assuring fans and media alike that their priority was getting Johansen signed—and matching any offer sheet another team may have considered putting on the table—it quickly became clear that they’d be sitting at that negotiation table for quite some time.

According to the club, their first offer was a two-year bridge deal worth $6 million; the counter-offer from Johansen’s camp,  including agent Kevin Overhardt, was a request for $13 million over the same period. Blue Jackets president John Davidson also publicly announced other offers they’d put on the table: $32 million over six years and $46 million over eight.

If Johansen’s ultimate goal was a long-term deal, than taking his current contract may have in fact been the best choice for him. The contract will leave him with one year left as a restricted free agent, and the final year’s $6 million salary will certainly lay some bricks on the road to a bigger payout. Assuming Johansen has more seasons like last year, when he helped lead the Blue Jackets to their best-ever regular season record with 33 goals and 30 assists in all 82 games, he’s destined for a comfortable payout come the 2017-2018 season.

Back in September, Kekalainen acknowledged that a bridge deal now might lead to a larger contract later; he told NHL.com that while he acknowledged Johansen’s enormous potential, he wasn’t willing to pay for it until it was fully realized.

“We’re not there yet, after one year, where we’re willing to invest franchise-type money into his future,” he said. “Do it once or twice more. Make us pay. Go ahead and make us pay. We have no problem paying the dollars when it’s earned, but the key word there is ‘earned.'”

So now there are three years on the table for Johansen to live up to that promise. With his linemates both currently sidelined (Jenner with a broken hand, Horton a bad back), he’ll be tossed into a team he hasn’t practiced with and linemates that are unfamiliar. As with all players after a negotiation as prolonged and ugly as this one, Johansen will have to come out of the gate with his best skate forward to prove that he’s worth every dollar.

“Joey makes our team better,” head coach Todd Richards told the Columbus Dispatch. “It’s just about playing hockey.”

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