I have to be honest – I have a long-held belief that ‘the rink is no place for romance.’ It’s a place for blood, sweat and post-Stanley-Cup-win tears, but not romance. But a Pittsburgh couple challenged that theory and melted my cold hockey heart after a local cop popped the question on the ice at BladeRunners Ice Complex in Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, June 12.
Gino Macioce and Heidi Heatherdale met six years ago at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and they have always enjoyed skating together and watching the Pittsburgh Penguins. With their shared love of hockey, Gino (the groom-to-be – not to be confused with the Russian centre who plays for the Penguins and is affectionately dubbed ‘Geno’ by his teammates) wanted to give Heidi a unique and memorable proposal. He planned the surprise a month in advance, even securing Pens mascot Iceburgh to help with the occasion.
Iceburgh hid the engagement ring in his beak.
The couple took to the ice at BladeRunners Ice Complex donned in their Penguins gear, set for a regular skate together – or so Pens fan Heidi thought. After casually skating around the rink together hand-in-hand, Iceburgh joined them and bent down on one knee to show Heidi the ring which was resting in his beak. Heidi turned around to see her then-boyfriend Gino also down on the ice on one-knee.
Penguins fan and local cop Gino on bended knee.
“Heidi, you’ve been the light, the world of my life for so long,” Gino said as he proposed. “I want to know if you will continue to be so and marry me and be my wife.”
She said yes! Iceburgh, after holding his hand to his heart, threw his arms up in the air in celebration after hearing Heidi’s words. A flightless bird himself, the Pittsburgh Penguins mascot obviously understands that penguins stay together for life.
Gino explained afterwards, “You know, she told me if I didn’t come up with a good engagement, she was gonna stay single.”
She said yes!
Heidi deemed the engagement more than good enough.
“He does go above and beyond to make me happy, he really does, but this is, like, way above and beyond what he’s ever done,” Heidi said. “He even offered to make me breakfast this morning and I was like, ‘Is this happening?’ That was romantic enough. It was perfect, I couldn’t think of anything better, really, to be honest.”
Ice, ice baby – the sapphire-encrusted rock.
Heidi showed off her engagement ring and proudly explained, “He’s a police officer, so he’s kinda my man in blue, so that’s what the little sapphires on the side are for.”
I’m not crying. It’s just really dusty in here, okay.
(Photo: Jerry Lai/USA Today Sports)
I took a little time to wallow.
We’ve had our hardships over the years–the Blackhawks and I–on the quest for Lord Stanley.
As a Chicago sports fan, I’d become accustomed to disappointing season after season. I was 2 years old when the Bears last took a Super Bowl, still pretty young (and not incredibly interested) when the Bulls three-peated, twice; and the annual mantra of my beloved Chicago Cubs is “wait until next year.”
Besides, those other teams don’t do for me what hockey does. From the chills-inducing anthem to the Chelsea Dagger goal dance to the most exciting playoffs for the best trophy in all of sports, I was more than a little heartbroken to see it end too early this year.
The Western Conference Final was an emotional ride.
To be one goal away from the Stanley Cup Final in an overtime victory between two pretty evenly-matched teams, and to come back from a 3-1 deficit only to see “my guys” go home, well, I needed time to wallow.
The end of hockey season is tough enough.
But it’s especially hard seeing Stan kissing someone else so soon after us…
The Los Angeles Kings were a force to be reckoned with. To beat them and progress to the Final, the Blackhawks would have had to come out hard and play hard to the finish. By falling behind in the series, then giving up a lead in Game 7, they put themselves in the position where a wonky shot from Kings defenseman Alec Martinez just might knock them out of the run for the Cup. Martinez would go on to score the Cup-winner against the Rangers in another high-stakes overtime.
Much of this season for the Blackhawks was too little, too late. They had difficulty maintaining leads all season, a trouble that was particularly burdensome for the team when it mattered the most.
It isn’t that the team is lacking in talent.
They have, I’ll argue, the best captain in the league with Jonathan Toews. The 2013 Champs’ team core stayed intact, with Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and veteran Marian Hossa providing offensive leadership; and Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Brent Seabrook showing depth on defense.
Bryan Bickell shone in the playoffs again this season.
Corey Crawford had nothing to be ashamed of between the pipes, either. In fact, he, Toews, and Kane all came up big in some pivotal playoff moments.
The younger men on the squad, from Ben Smith to Andrew Shaw, Sheldon Brookbank, and Brandon Saad all were able to step up as needed.
So, where did things go wrong?
I don’t want to blame the Blackhawks’ locker room guards/public relations staff for this; but, really, who else could be at fault?
(Photo/Twitter)
This has to be way worse than the Curse of the Billy Goat.
Now, I have to survive summer–an even scarier time as a hockey fan–the time of year when players become free agents, are traded, or simply retire. Saying goodbye to a trophy that could come back another season is one thing. Saying goodbye to “teammates” is quite another.
Ultimately, I’ll get by.
After all, hockey hugs are the best around.
(Photo: saintlouissports.com)
On Monday, St. Louis Blues Chairman Tom Stillman announced the appointment of Chris Zimmerman as the franchise’s new President and CEO of Business Operations. Zimmerman will also be responsible for the Scottrade Center and for the Blues’ role in the Peabody Opera House. He replaces Bruce Affleck, who will now serve as Executive Vice President for the Blues organization.
Zimmerman comes to the Blues with an extensive and prolific background in sports, marketing, and business management. He played hockey at the University of Vermont and was an assistant hockey coach at Babson College while working toward his MBA. Zimmerman then spent the earlier part of his business career with Saatchi & Saatchi, a leading advertising agency, and later with Nike, where he rose to become President and CEO of Nike Bauer Hockey in 2003.
From 2006 to 2009, he served as President, CEO, and Alternate Governor of the Vancouver Canucks. Under Zimmerman, the franchise saw an upswing in new revenue streams and expanded its presence online and within the community. While with the Canucks, Zimmerman was also named to the NHL’s Business Advisory Council.
Recently, Zimmerman has been serving as President of Easton Sports in addition to running his own consulting business and working as a member of the Los Angeles Kings‘ Business Advisory Group.
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to join the St. Louis Blues and to contribute to the club’s storied history,” he said. “I feel especially fortunate to be coming on board at a time of tremendous progress and momentum for the Blues. I can’t wait to start working with everyone in the Blues organization, as well as fans, corporate partners, and the rest of the community, as we continue building a championship-caliber franchise.”
The Blues finished second in the Central division this season with a record of 52-23-7 but fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs after six evenly-matched games.
“[Zimmerman] has a passion for the game of hockey and a commitment to building great organizations,” said Stillman. “I am confident he will drive our business forward as we continue to pursue a Stanley Cup for St. Louis.”
(photo:bluejackets.nhl.com)
Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen spoke plainly at the end of the Blue Jackets’ playoff run, stating that he was happy with Head Coach Todd Richards and his coaching staff. Today he put those words into action when the club extended the contracts of associate coach Craig Hartsburg, goaltending coach Ian Clark, and development coach Chris Clark into multi-year deals.
Hartsburg started his career in the NHL as a defenseman, playing for the Minnesota North Stars from 1979-89 and totalling 98 goals and 315 assists for 413 points. He has served as an assistant coach for Minnesota and Philadelphia in the NHL, and twice won the OHL’s Coach of the Year award, first with Guelph and then with Sault Ste. Marie.
Ian Clark came to Columbus via Vancouver, where he was goalie coach for eight years. His international resume also includes a spot on Team Canada’s coaching staff at the IIHF World Junior Championships, from 2003-2006.
Chris Clark has served on the Columbus staff since his retirement in 2011-2013. He played in 607 games with Columbus, Washington and Calgary over his 14-year career, amassing 700 penalty minutes. He also won a Calder Cup as a member of the AHL’s Saint John Flames in 2000-01.
The Blue Jackets also added former Springfield Falcons Head Coach Brad Larsen to a multi-year contract as the Blue Jackets’ assistant coach under Todd Richards.
Jarmo called Larsen a “very bright young coach,” in a statement released today. Before coaching, Larsen spent 13 seasons as a professional player, playing in 294 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and Atlanta Thrashers. Under his leadership, the Springfield Falcons posted the first 100-point campaign in franchise history.
He will be replaced as Head Coach in Springfield by Jared Bednar, who previously served as the team’s assistant coach under Larsen.
(Photo: Boston Bruins Web Site)
Earlier today the Boston Bruins Twitter account announced that the Bruins General Manager, Peter Chiarelli, had announced that the team would not be resigning Shawn Thornton—one-third of the fourth line known best to Bruins fans as the “Merlot Line.”
Thornton has spent the last seven years with the Boston Bruins, coming to Boston in 2007 after having split the previous year between the Portland Pirates (AHL) and the Anaheim Ducks (NHL). Prior to 2007 he had spent the previous ten years bouncing back and forth between the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League. The right-winger was drafted in the 1997 NHL Draft in round seven, 190 overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After contributing to the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks in 1997, he was convinced to come join the Boston Bruins. It was clear from the time he arrived in Boston that he was very much a player in the Bruins mold.
“I told him he was one of the most significant acquisitions. One, for the role that he played. Two, for the person that he is.” said Chiarelli when describing his meeting with Thornton today.
While Thornton will probably always be better known for his pugilistic prowess, he actually does have good hockey sense and often knows where to be on the ice. During his years with Boston, he has played in 480 games in which he had 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points.
“He came and he thrived and was really a common factor in every year,” said Chiarelli. “He contributed. He scored some timely goals. He’s got some surprising skill for the role he brings.”
And Bruins fans will forever remember him as a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team that brought the Cup back to Boston after a 39-year drought. Though not an elite player, he has now experienced the joy of holding Lord Stanley’s Cup over his head twice now. And he would be the first to tell you that it is the greatest feeling of his life.
Off the ice, Thornton embraced the city of Boston. In fact, he lives in Boston year-round and when asked during break-up day what he would do if he was not resigned to the Bruins, he pointed out that Boston is home to him and it will continue to be. And for those who were in Boston during and after the Marathon Bombing, Thornton’s interview with Andrew Ference and then his joining in with the singing of the United States National Anthem during the Bruins first game after the bombing speaks volumes to his love of the city.
For one little girl, the fact that he will return to Boston will be most important. Maggie has now seen two of her Bruins let go – last year with Ference and now Thornton. Her mother posted a great photomontage of Maggie with Thornton on Twitter when the news was announced.
Thornton has long been involved with a variety of charities within the community. And for the last few years, he has been synonymous with Cuts for a Cause. Every year the event grew bigger, requiring larger venues, and raised more money to help those kids who suffer from cancer. And as fans saw during one of the episodes of Behind the B, even his teammates who were not willing to lose their pretty locks were more than willing to donate.
Just over a year ago Thornton created his own foundation, The Shawn Thornton Foundation. Under the auspices of the foundation, Thornton has been determined to assist charities in helping to fight cancer, Parkinson’s, and other things. He shows up frequently at hospitals to visit the children, and was just there in the past few days.
Folks on Twitter were quick to post about their love or hate of the decision not to keep Thornton. And while he wasn’t a goal-a-game scorer, the intangibles he brought to the team are often dismissed as “that’s what you say about a guy who can’t play hockey,” when they should be recognized as important aspects of what helps hold a team together. And despite comments to the contrary, Thornton knows how to play hockey and proved that a team that can roll four true lines has an advantage.
“He was able to form one-third of maybe the best fourth line in hockey for the longest time.” commented Chiarelli on Thornton’s on-ice abilities.
This is one of those times when the business of hockey is difficult to swallow. Logically Thornton will turn 37 this summer and this past year was not the most stellar of his career. But the fans, as he is a fan favorite, have taken a kick to the chest and their hearts are a little heavier tonight. For the Bruins organization, as Chiarelli has said in the past, the decisions for the team must be made without emotion. The Bruins organization has such depth that it will be interesting to see what the roster looks like when the puck drops for the first game of the 2014-15 season.
Thornton isn’t ready to retire, so he will look for a new team to play with and there will be that bittersweet moment when that team comes to play in Boston. However, when his days on the ice are over, he has said that he will make his home in Boston.
“I love it here, I really do. There’s a reason that we stick around in the offseason,” he said during break-up day on May 16. “It’s one of the best cities in the world. I can’t think of anywhere else I would have rather been.”
Boston has been fortunate to watch him play for the past seven years.
“He’ll be missed.” said Chiarelli. “It’s a bit of a sad day.”
A personal note—Thornton was one of the first players I interviewed and it was clear that I was as green as they come. His willingness to overlook my awkwardness and make me feel comfortable in those first few minutes will always be something that I remember.
New Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has a lot of decisions on his plate going forward. Not only does he need to name a new coach, but the Penguins have an unusually large crop of candidates up for free agency.
Keep:
The first order of business for Rutherford should be to re-sign Matt Niskanen. Though the Penguins are a team working with little cap space, Niskanen is coming off a career year and has been near-invaluable on the Penguins back end and in special teams, with a +/- of +33, placing him at sixth in the league. Niskanen should command around $3.5 million, leaving the Penguins with roughly $4 million in cap space to work with.
A little of that cap space should go to re-signing Jussi Jokinen, who has proven a versatile player on the second or third lines as well as a quality goal scorer. Though previously some of his salary was being paid by Carolina, where he had not fit in, on Pittsburgh he’s transformed into a 20-goal scorer and integral part of the team who certainly warrants a re-signing.
Joe Vitale is another strong contender for retention, and a valuable fourth-line center with strong hands, good face-off skills, and grit to spare.
And from their young crop of players, the Penguins should re-sign three of them: Brian Gibbons, Jayson Megna, and Simon Despres. Gibbons has incredible speed, is a skilled penalty killer, and more than proved his worth during the 2014 playoffs, showing an ability to play and make a difference on even top lines. Forward Jayson Megna has displayed similar speed, and provides much-needed depth for the Penguins fourth line. And finally, though he was rarely given much chance in the Bylsma era, Simon Despres is probably the most skilled young defenseman besides Olli Maatta that the Penguins have in their defense-heavy arsenal. He has made mistakes at key moments, but he has also grown tremendously in the past year and been a star for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins that deserves a bigger, better chance at a spot in the NHL.
And finally, Brandon Sutter should be kept – for now. Sutter proved he was more than capable of turning on the goal scoring in the playoffs, but only when he has skilled and steady wingers. Unless Sutter can be used as a trade piece, he’s a capable third line center and should be kept, but only if he’ll be given the linemates he deserves.
Let Go:
There are some players who are easy decisions to let go. Goc, Pyatt, Conner, Glass, and Kobasew served largely without distinction, some of them mostly in the AHL. They can hopefully be replaced with similarly cheap options who are more effective in their roles.
On the blue line, the most notable player who most likely will be let go, and should be, is Brooks Orpik. Orpik is a rugged, stay-at-home defensman, but as he gets older his skills have notably declined, and the Penguins have a surplus of defensemen who can do Orpik’s job just as well and for less. Engelland should also be allowed to walk from the Penguins blue line. Though he is versatile and could be used as both a defenseman and a forward, he performs neither role particularly well.
Both Vokun and Stempniak would be nice additions to the team, but both come at too high a price. Zatkoff has more than earned his spot as a backup goaltender, and commands far less than Vokun. Sempniak is a nice addition to the Pens third line, but he currently commands $2.75 million – far too much for the cash-strapped Penguins. Unless he’s willing to take a significant pay cut to stay, he most likely will be gone.
Two players, though they are not at the ends of their contracts, should be gotten rid of – Craig Adams and Rob Scuderi. Craig Adams is a cheap player, but he’s a player who was used far too much by Bylsma and was not particularly good at his job, scoring only 5 goals despite an 82-game season, with a +/- of -16. Scuderi also commands far too much for an aging defenseman who is not all that effective. The $2.5 million he makes is sorely needed on the front end of the Penguins roster, not the back.
If Rutherford follows this model (including trading Scuderi), Rutherford will have roughly $7 million with which to acquire one or two top six forwards, as well as a couple of cheap but effective fourth liners that will hopefully lead the Penguins to another Stanley Cup.
(Photo: kings.nhl.com)
What does a Stanley Cup Final series win look like?
Friday night, after nearly six full periods of play, it looked a little something like this:
Alec Martinez’s GWG with 5:17 left in 2OT (via @myregularface)
Anze Kopitar skates the Cup (via @myregularface)
Dustin Brown brings the Cup back into the Kings locker room (via @myregularface)
It also looked like this:
Henrik Lundqvist. (via @svtlehmann)
Game 5 of this winner-take-all series was truly one for the books. With 94:43 of playing time, it became the longest game in LA Kings history. It marked Game 93 of this year’s playoffs, surpassing 1991’s single-year record of 92 playoff games. Dustin Brown became the first U.S.-born captain to win two Stanley Cups.
And with 48 saves in this Rangers loss, Henrik Lundqvist became the first goalie in the expansion era to record three games with 40+ saves in the Stanley Cup Final.
(On Friday the 13th. Under a full moon. In his 666th career game. But who’s counting?)
Staples Center was electric from the very beginning, and the LA Kings took the first lead of the game 6:04 into the first period with a goal by–who else?–Justin Williams, who would later go on to win the Conn Smythe trophy for being the MVP of the playoffs. Williams led all scorers in this series with 7 points in 5 games. He had a total of 25 points in 26 games through the entirety of the playoffs and boasted a +13 overall rating. Most importantly, he found ways to score when it mattered most. Mr. Game 7 lived up to his name on numerous occasions.
But the New York Rangers weren’t about to go down without a fight. They rallied late in the second with a power play tip-in goal by Chris Kreider at 15:37 and a shorthanded slapshot by Brian Boyle in the closing minute of the period. New York went into the second intermission up 2-1, and Kings fans tensed while Rangers fans let out a collective breath. This game was far from over, though. Marian Gaborik tied the game back up in the third for the Kings, putting in a wrist shot during an L.A. power play to even the score at 2-2, and Staples Center came back to life. No one was sitting down. No one was silent. This was a building that wanted nothing more than to taste victory.
It was just going to take a little while.
The score remained tied as the buzzer signaled the end of regulation, and Game 5 approached its first overtime, and then its second. The excitement continued to build for both teams as time and time again, players on both ends had some incredible opportunities to win the game. But, time and time again, Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick ensured that the game lived on. Viewers everywhere witnessed some of the best hockey of the entire season as the time ticked away and the Stanley Cup waited in the wings.
Several of the overtime games in these playoffs have ended with odd bounces. At the end of the day, a goal is a goal, but fluky goals somehow always feel cheap. Anticlimactic. Fortunately, that was not the case Friday night. Alec Martinez‘s (game-winning, series-winning, Cup-winning…take your pick) goal off a Tyler Toffoli rebound at 14:38 in 2OT was just pure and simple hockey. It was a goal that met the caliber of the rest of the game. It was a goal that gave the LA Kings a 3-2 victory and their second Stanley Cup in three seasons. It was a goal that caused Staples Center to erupt in cheers and the 2013-14 NHL season to come to a close.
“It came off [Lundqvist’s] pad pretty quick, and I just tried to get a stick on it and get it on net,” said Martinez. “I blacked out. I don’t really remember. I think I threw my gear…I just remember everyone coming at me, and I couldn’t breathe. It’s just a surreal moment. I’m just so happy for these guys.”
Another look at Martinez’s goal (via @myregularface)
For one team, this season ended perfectly. For the other, well. Not so much.
“I knew going into this series it was going to end in tears,” said Lundqvist. “Tears of joy, or tears of heartbreak. It’s extremely tough.” And through all the ups-and-downs of this final, it’s safe to say that no other player on the ice put his heart and soul into the series as much as Lundqvist did.
“It’s got to be the worst feeling for a hockey player,” added Marc Staal. “You get this far, you do so much as a group, as a team, and then you fall short. I’ve never felt any worse.”
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said that he was “very proud of our group, very proud of their effort,” but with the loss still so raw in the post-game press conference, he said that he would need to wait a few days to reflect on the season’s outcome:
“You go into this hoping that you don’t regret anything. We put it out there. We gave our best shot, best effort. Three games here all went to overtime. What can I say?…I mean, it was a hard-fought game. Every inch on ice was contested real hard. You know, both teams were battling at an unreal level…Tough loss.”
Putting their post-game feelings into words was equally difficult for L.A., but for very different reasons. “There’s no words that can describe what you’re feeling right now,” said Williams. “What we went through this year makes it so much more special. Each Cup is unique, but god we earned this one.”
While the Rangers return to New York and go their separate ways for the offseason, the Kings will take turns showcasing the Stanley Cup at home and abroad. And with the NHL Awards coming up on June 24 and the NHL Draft on June 27, it’s not time to say goodbye to hockey for the summer just yet.
But from now until October, nobody can dethrone the Kings.
While the Boston Bruins hockey season came to an end, that doesn’t mean that everyone is off on vacation. The players are recovering, recuperating and before long will start their off-season early exercising as they begin to prepare for training camp in September. And while the players are doing that, the Bruins Foundation is continuing to hold events and make donations.
The next major event is the annual Boston Bruins Harbor Cruise, which will take place on Wednesday, July 23. This event is designed to raise money for the 2014 Boston Bruins Foundation Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Bike Team. The Bruins Foundation has partnered with the Bay State Cruise Lines and Bruins fans will set sail aboard the M/V Provincetown II cruise ship.
The three-hour cruise offers fans the opportunity to experience the beauty of Boston while enjoying dancing and the fun-filled music of Boston’s Digger Dawg. And while enjoying the music, view of Boston and fun, Bruins fans will also have the opportunity to interact with Bruins alumni, including Executive Director of the Boston Bruins Foundation, Bob Sweeney.
The Boston Bruins Foundation Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Bike Team is important to many of those involved with the Boston Bruins Foundation. The team bikes to help raise money as part of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. All the money raised by the riders is donated to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. And in the past, riders of the Boston Bruins Foundation team have included cancer survivors.
The Pan-Mass Challenge is a two-day, 190-mile bike route, which runs from Sturbridge to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Many teams participate, with many of the participants riding in memory of someone who lost their battle with cancer or to show support for someone currently brazing their personal war against cancer.
This is a 21+ event and valid identification is required prior to boarding. Tickets are available for $30. Once on board there are often items for sale to further benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation and there is usually a very special auction with some great items of Bruins memorabilia.
To purchase tickets to this year’s Harbor Cruise, click here.
The Toronto Marlies didn’t see it coming. Undefeated in this year’s post season and sweeping the Chicago Wolves in the AHL Western Conference Semifinals, the Marlies were favourites to advance. On Tuesday June 3, Game 7 saw the Texas Stars dominate on home ice at Cedar Park Center, TX. The game finished 6-2 in favour of the Stars who will now advance to the Calder Cup Finals. The team also claimed the Robert W. Clarke trophy as the champions of the Western Conference.
The Marlies started Game 7 strong and drew first blood – scoring first is a theme seen from the Toronto team in the past 14 straight playoff games. The Marlies goal came from Frazer McLaren, launching a wrist shot that found the top left corner of the net. During the first period, the Stars fought hard and outshot the Marlies 13-5, but it remained a one goal game as the horn sounded on the first period.
Caption: A battle beside the net as the Stars dominate Game 7 of the AHL Western Conference Semifinals on June 3, 2014 at Cedar Park Center, TX
As the second period opened, the Marlies doubled their lead and scored their second goal just 23 seconds in with a goal by Peter Holland, assisted by Carter Ashton. Stars goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp stopped the initial chance but failed to prevent the rebound from hitting the back of the net after it deflected off Stars forward Scott Glennie. But the Stars were about to kick it into high gear and started with their first of six goals, a tip by Mike Hedden that brought Game 7 back to a one-goal game. Just 51 seconds later, the Stars tied the game with a power play goal from Dustin Jeffrey.
The game tied at 2-2 heading into the third, the Stars took the lead after Justin Dowling – playing in his first game of the series after an injury sidelined him for seven straight playoff games – entered the zone with Brett Ritchie on a two-on-one rush, finding the backdoor. Only 17 seconds passed before the Stars’ next goal – rookie Matej Stransky this time – to bring the game to a convincing 4-2 lead. Texas would strike another two times in the second period with a goal apiece from Dowling and Jeffrey. Jeffrey’s goal marked the Stars’ sixth and final goal of the night and would seal the deal for the team.
Caption: Dallas Stars teammates celebrate a win following Game 7 of the AHL Western Conference Semifinals on June 3, 2014 at Cedar Park Center, TX
In total, the Stars outshot the Marlies 50-27. Stars goalie Cristopher Nilstorp stopped 25 out of 27 shots, while Marlies goalie Drew MacIntyre had 44 saves on 49 chances.
The win sends the Texas Stars to their second ever appearance in the Calder Cup Finals, where they will face the winners of the Eastern Conference Finals the St. John’s Ice Caps. The Texas Stars currently lead the Ice Caps 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday June 16.
Boston Bruins forward Reilly Smith made a name for himself this past NHL season, recording 20 goals and 31 assists, before skating into a productive playoff run. An Ontario native, the 23-year-old earned accolades as NESN’s 7th Player, an honor voted on by fans. Once a member of the team in Dallas, it’s safe to say that Smith is no longer a staple in the Stars organization — despite looking like one.
The star that Smith resembles? Actor Matthew Lawrence. A Pennsylvania native, Lawrence has traveled the TV and movie circuit for years, most notably playing Robin Williams son in the classic Mrs. Doubtfire and a reoccurring role on the television series Boy Meets World. While Lawrence may never have hit the ice as a professional, the 34-year-old starred in an interestingly titled movie H-E Double Hockey Sticks in 1999.
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Bruins Reilly Smith
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Actor Matthew Lawrence
Have an NHL celebrity look-a-like to suggest? Email pinkpuck@thepinkpuck.com
Photo Credits: Pinterest
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