During their second game in the 2018 Prospects Challenge, taking place in Buffalo, the Boston Bruins were definitely not the crowd favorite. The Bruins stood across the ice from the hometown heroes, the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams were victorious in their first tilts on Friday, and for the Sabres, they were enjoying the impressive play and speed of their 2018 first round, number one overall pick during the NHL Draft in June, Rasmus Dahlin.
This was definitely a different game for the Bruins. They expected the speed and physicality of the Sabres. In fact, they were determined to attack; bringing their strongest skating game and bench boss Jay Leach was pleased with how his players skated each shift.
There were some changes to the two top lines, as they put Karson Kuhlman on the first line with Ryan Fitzgerald and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson. Ryan Donato was the right wing of the line with Jakub Lauko and center Jack Studnicka. Coach Leach indicated that among other things, during this tournament, the coaching staff is looking at how the players adapt to changes in linemates.
For Kuhlman, the combination of the team’s decision to attack, and his linemates would result in his getting what would become the game-winning goal when he put the Bruins up 2-1 in the first period. Fitzgerald went in and put the puck on the Sabres’ goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who gave up a rebound that Kuhlman put into the net. Kuhlman would go on to pot the empty-netter with 27 seconds remaining in the game.
The second period saw no change in the score but did see quite a few players from both sides sitting in the penalty box. During the first five minutes, each team was whistled for two penalties. In all there were six: slashing, interference, high-sticking, two trippings and a holding.
The third period saw much of the same in the way of penalties, seven in all: two roughings, tripping, hooking, cross checking, holding and high-sticking. While there were a couple of four-on-four instances, during the man-advantages, neither team was able to capitalize.
Daniel Vladar stood tall and strong in between the pipes for the Bruins in his first opportunity of the tournament. It was his first game of the seaso, and he acknowledged that he didn’t feel quite on his game in the beginning. However, he was soon withstanding an onslaught, denying the Sabres. In all, he would see 38 shots and save 37. He certainly played as important a part as did his teammates who were scoring.
The Bruins will have practice on Sunday, but they will not return to play until Monday, when they will take on the New Jersey Devils, who are currently 1-1 in the two games
The puck dropped on the first game of the 2018 Prospects Challenge, hosted by the Buffalo Sabres, in which the Boston Bruins rookies took on their counterparts of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first thing that was clear to those watching was how eager the players were to be back in a competitive environment. Both Trent Frederic and Kyle Keyser, following the game, vocalized how happy they were to be getting the season started.
The first period was all Boston as the Bruins outshot the Penguins 20-7. And with that fire power came three even strength goals. The first was off the stick of Cameron Hughes and assisted by Jakub Zboril at 7:50 in the opener. Twenty-eight seconds later, Jack Studnicka gave Boston some breathing room, assisted by Hughes (who now had a goal and an assist in the opening ten minutes of the game) and Daniel Bukac. With 1:03 remaining in that opening frame, Ryan Donato capitalized on a sloppy turnover by the Penguins to give the Bruins a third tally.
As things got underway in the second period, it looked like the Bruins were going to continue in the same vein. Just 1:09 into the middle period, Harvard University graduate Wiley Sherman notched a goal assisted by Donato (himself a Harvard alum) along with Axel Andersson, drafted this past June by the Bruins in the second round.
About two minutes after going up four goals, the Bruins got away from their game and found themselves cooling their skates in the penalty box. Cedric Pare was the first at 2:49 of the second, whistled for high-sticking. Zboril would enter the sin bin at 8:14 for roughing and, with 2:56 remaining in the period, Bukac would be sent off for a hold. Despite weathering the Penguins on the man advantage—in part due to the focus of Keyser between the pipes—it was clear that Pittsburgh was gaining momentum from each incident.
Going into the third period, the Bruins—holding the only goals, and for that matter the only penalties, on the score sheet—had denied any chances of the Penguins. Pittsburgh, though, wasn’t going to lay down and take it, showing signs of tenacity when Connor Roberts got his team on the scoreboard 2:17 into the final frame, assisted by Troy Josephs.
The Bruins woud have their only power play at 12:53 of the third, when Jordy Bellerive was whistled for a slash. They would be unable to capitalize. And with just 39 seconds left in the game, Adam Johnson, assisted by Sam Lafferty, would at least remind the Bruins that a game isn’t over until that final buzzer sounds, making the final score 4-2, and giving Donato the game winning goal.
“I thought that the first period we really supported pucks well and we got pucks in and we were able to attack, both off the rush and off the forecheck. I thought in the second they came at us. They were down three nothing, they were going to come at us. I didn’t think we were back on pucks and I thought we got a little lackadaisical and that we started to play in our own end,” shared Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach, who is the bench boss for the B’s prospects. “So, I think my message or what I would like for them to take out of the game was ‘if we play the right way and we go north and we skate and take care of pucks and we attack, it’s hard to play against us.’”
The Bruins prospects will be back in action Saturday night at the HarborCenter, when they take on the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects—who also won their first game of the tournament, beating the New Jersey Devils 6-4.
The season hasn’t even begun, and the National Hockey League has already handed down a suspension. According to the September 2, 2018 press release, Nate Schmidt of the Vegas Golden Knights has been suspended for “violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.” Schmidt is banned from playing the first 20 games of the regular season and will not be paid. Schmidt is allowed to take part in Training Camp activities with the exception of the pre-season games.
According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Schmidt is required to be evaluated by the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health and if necessary be required to seek treatment.
Immediately after the NHL announcement, the Golden Knights issued their own statement recognizing the suspension.
“While we respect the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program and are committed to its success, we strongly disagree with the suspension. We firmly believe that the presence of a trace of the banned substance was accidental and unintentional,” the organization stated. “Based on our conversations with Nate, analysis from independent medical experts and sworn testimony from the parties involved, we believe it is clear Nate was not able to reasonably ascertain how the substance entered his body.”
“Nate is an honest person with high moral character and great integrity. We will stand by him and support him during this time,” they continued.
One does have to wonder what the substance was and if there are methods of coming in contact with it other than having used it. The testing has become a necessary part of sports in general, and as the tests become more refined, traces of substances are found more easily.
Unfortunately, even the most honest of players end up under a haze of suspicion because of the many athletes who have previously been found guilty of using, insisting they were innocent, only to be ultimately have been lying. It would be nice to see that if Schmidt’s test was accidentally positive that such will be released and that if he unintentionally did come in contact that he can determine how that happened so that he does not have to go through this again.
Most children love to think about dinosaurs, and there have been many movies about dinosaurs that continue to enthrall kids of all ages. If your youngster is into dinosaurs and hockey, then you will definitely want to consider getting them James DeMarco’s The Day the Dinosaurs Played Hockey.
DeMarco is author of the comic strip Small Saves about a determined little goaltender. Small Saves is school age and one day while at school he learns that there are no more dinosaurs on the earth. After school he gathers all his dinosaur toys and that’s when the magic happens.
This short book is a great way to not only get your youngster into reading, but also introduces a number of different dinosaur varieties. And never fear if you aren’t sure how to pronounce some of them, there is a pronunciation guide in the back. Along with teaching your child about dinosaurs, there are some good fair play and teammate lessons in the book as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Day the Dinosaurs Played Hockey and often found myself smiling as I turned to each page. I’m looking forward to surprising my granddaughter with a copy of this book for herself and reading it to her. She loves hockey already at four years old, and she loves books too. So why not combine those into a great surprise.
You can order The Day the Dinosaurs Played Hockey through Amazon by clicking here. And you can keep up on all the activities of Small Saves right here on The Pink Puck each week, with a new adventure published on Mondays in our Laughs section.
The New York Islanders, a team often criticized by their fan base for their unchanging personnel and perhaps (dumb) loyalty to its staff, has finally begun the rebuild that fans have yearned for.
For many seasons fans have called for the firing of long-time General Manager and former Islanders goaltender, Garth Snow. This reached a peak this season as fans went so far as to start a fund and erect two “Snow Must Go” billboards near Barclays Center calling for his firing. However, season after season, fans were disappointed. Snow had been named GM in 2006 after announcing that he would be retiring as a player. The team only made the playoffs four out of the 12 seasons under Snow’s management.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs announcing on April 30th that their GM, Lou Lamoriello, would not return, many Islanders fans began to speculate that this could potentially be the answer to their prayers. Many fans felt that the Islanders were going to go after Lamoriello as Lou’s son, Christopher has been the team’s Director of Player Personnel since 2016.
On May 22nd those prayers were answered when it was announced by the New York Islanders that the man responsible for the success of countless NHL franchises was headed to the Islanders staff as the President of Hockey Operations. With this appointment fans were hopeful that Lamoriello’s first move would be to fire team President and General Manager, Garth Snow.
Again, the fan’s hopes were realized when the team announced on June 5th that both, Garth Snow as well as coach, Doug Weight had been relieved of their duties. This left the long-struggling New York Islanders without a coach and without a GM, a position that had fans excited. Lou Lamoriello then assumed the role of team General Manager himself.
With a long-awaited change to the General Manager position, fans now watched closely curious as to what would be Lamoriello’s next move. With many variables in the balance such as the re-signing of marquis player, John Tavares, and figuring out who would be behind the bench as head coach for the team, fans were hopeful that the Islanders could be Lamoriello’s next success story.
On Tuesday, June 18th it was announced that the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals’ head coach, Barry Trotz had resigned due to being unable to reach a contract agreement. Fans speculated that the newly piloted Islanders were going to go after Trotz as a new head coach. This was confirmed on June 21st. Trotz signed on for a 5-year contract with the team and will reportedly be making about 4 million dollars per season.
With team star, John Tavares becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and ultimately signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, many will be following Lamoriello’s moves closely to see who the Islanders will try to acquire to replace their longtime franchise player.
The New York Islanders will certainly be a team to watch over the next few seasons. With the massive personnel overhaul, a talented young roster, and a new arena opening in just a few seasons, many fans hope that this is just the start of what could be an amazing run for the New York Islanders.
With a 2-1 win over the Jets in Winnipeg Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights fought their way to the Stanley Cup Final—making themselves the first professional sports expansion team to reach a championship in their inaugural season since the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues.
The Blues didn’t take home Lord Stanley that year (or any year since), but no precedent has been set for Vegas. They finished the regular season with the league’s second-best record. They have an impressively interactive social media team. Fans overflow their stadium in their first season.
And, they open playoff games like this:
With no set traditions or standards, they’ve created their own. It’s working out well so far:
Swept the Los Angeles Kings in Round One:
1-0 win April 11
2-1 double overtime win April 13
3-2 win April 15
1-0 win April 17
Ousted the San Jose Sharks in Round Two:
7-0 win April 26
4-3 double overtime win April 28
4-3 overtime win April 30
0-4 loss May 2
5-3 win May 4
3-0 win May 6
Flew past the Jets in Round Three:
2-4 loss May 12
3-1 win May 14
4-2 win May 16
3-2 win May 18
2-1 win May 20
And, with assurances from Stanley Cup-winning goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Alternate Captain Deryk Engelland accepted, and raised the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl awarded to the Western Conference winner each season.
This comes with great superstition, often attributed to not touching a trophy that isn’t The Stanley Cup, similar to young hockey players’ refusal to touch Stanley without earning it.
In the Western Conference, where the Knights preside, no one has touched the Campbell Bowl since the 2004 Calgary Flames. They ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who, coincidentally are one of the two teams Vegas may face in the final.
The Eastern Conference has been a little less stringent with its “Do Not Touch” rules and the Prince of Wales Trophy. After not touching, then losing the Final to the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Captain Sidney Crosby took matters into his own hands. In 2009, the Pens (with Fleury as netminder) touched the Prince of Wales Trophy and raised the Stanley Cup. They did the same in 2016 and 2017.
Since 1997, when this tradition started, ontheforecheck reports teams touching their respective trophy are 10-7 in the Final while those who are hands-off are 10-13. In seasons where one team touches and the other abstains, the touching team is 6-3 in the Final.
Engelland said he deferred to Fleury, who finished the series with a 2.02 goals-against average and .938 save percentage and is heading into his third-consecutive championship:
“He’s been the backbone to our team. It more or less came down to whatever he wanted to do.”
”You could argue that he is playing the best hockey of his career, which is saying a lot. He’s everything you want in a goalie and it’s just a privilege playing with him. It’s just awesome to see him having fun and get another chance.”
Lightning Coach Jon Cooper had high praise for the league newcomers:
“It’s a success story is what it is. It’s not a Cinderella story,. There’s been talk of ‘how could that happen’ or whatever. I’ll tell you how it happened: They got an owner (Bill Foley) that hired an unreal GM (George McPhee), and they got an unreal GM that hired an unreal coach (Gerard Gallant). They were all left to do their jobs. They were given a framework to work with. They could’ve screwed it up, or they could’ve done really well, and they chose to do really well. They played within the rules that were given to them, and this is what you get.
“I know the gentlemen well that are involved, the GM and coach, and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys of the job they’ve done. They deserved to get there, and I only hope we’re the team they get to play.”
Capitals coach Barry Trotz was less enthusiastic about the process that built the Knights, but nonetheless knows his team could be up for a challenge if they head to the Final.
“They got a lot of players from other hockey teams that we didn’t want to lose. I know they always say we didn’t want those players. Well, we all did. The rules were the rules. They did a great job.
“There’s nothing tighter than that first-year group. There’s no preconceived notion. There’s no leadership in place. Nobody knows where to live. It’s galvanizing.”
Following Vegas’ conference win, winger James Neal talked to the press:
“I’m so proud of this group. We’re not done yet. This is a special group. We’ve done a great job all year staying in the moment. We’ll have lots of time to look back and enjoy this, but right now we’re looking straight ahead.”
The Knights are 2-0-0 against both the Capitals and the Lightning this season. If the Lightning win, Game 1 will be played in Tampa. If the Capitals go to the Final, they’ll play Game 1 in Las Vegas.
With Fleury (1.68 goals allowed per game in the postseason and a .927 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average for this year) on the Knights’ side, even fans of the new team are optimistic:
The Stanley Cup Final schedule:
Game 1: Monday, May 28 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
Game 2: Wednesday, May 30 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
Game 3: Saturday, June 2 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
Game 4: Monday, June 4 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
*Game 5: Thursday, June 7 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
*Game 6: Sunday, June 10 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
*Game 7: Wednesday, June 13 at 8 p.m. E.T./7 p.m. C.T.
On Thursday, May 3, 2018, the Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the signing of defenseman Connor Clifton to a two-year NHL contract that carries an annual cap hit of $725,000.
During the 2017-18 season, Clifton could be found playing in 54 games with the Providence Bruins—AHL affiliate for the Boston Bruins. Throughout the season, the 23-year-old rookie scored four goals and earned nine assists for 13 points while managing a plus-11 rating and keeping his penalties to a minimum, having been assessed only 35 minutes in the season.
The Matawan, New Jersey native, who was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round (133rd overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, played collegiate hockey for four seasons at Quinnipiac University from 2013-17. He served as captain of the team in his senior year, where he got seven goals and seven assists for 14 points, while serving only 82 penalty minutes. And it was also during the 2016-17 season that he and his Bobcats represented their ECAC division school in the second annual Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland., Quinnipiac advanced to the finals, defeating St. Lawrence in a 1-0 game decided in a shootout, only to fall to the University of Vermont Catamounts.
Throughout his four seasons with Quinnipiac, he played in 156 NCAA games, achieving a 19g-37a—56 points and a plus-39 rating. During his freshman year, in 2013, he was named to Team USA in the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship, which took place in Sochi, Russia, where he and his fellow teammates earned the Silver Medal.
The National Hockey League announced the return of their docuseries Quest For The Stanley Cup, which offers hockey fans a behind-the-scenes look at the current eight teams who are vying to get to the Stanley Cup finals. The seven-episode series premieres on Friday, May 4, exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on YouTube.com/NHL in Canada.
Throughout the series fans will get to know the players as they play and prepare by showing scenes both on the ice and in the dressing room. It is as close to full access as possible short of being one of the actual players. Quest For The Stanley Cup is just one of the current programming endeavors being created throughout the Playoffs with a new episode available every Friday afternoon on ESPN+ in the U.S. and every Friday evening on YouTube.com/NHL for Canadian fans.
James Neal, Quest For The Stanley Cup (Photo: NHL)
Episode one offers a tour of Las Vegas by forward James Neal who also shares the unique connection the Vegas Golden Knights have made with their community, turning it into a definite hockey town. Tampa Bay Lightning’s owner Jeff Vinik will be seen meeting with his passionate season ticket holders before the first game in Tampa against the Boston Bruins. And Nashville Predators forward Ryan Johansen offers viewers a look at his home with fiancé Madison Bell. For on-ice extras, the episode includes exclusive mic’d up players in on-the-ice action from each of the series in Round Two: Golden Knights–San Jose Sharks, Lightning–Bruins, Washington Capitals–Pittsburgh Penguins and Predators–Winnipeg Jets.
“Quest For The Stanley Cup shows how important the postseason is for players, coaches and their families,” said NHL Chief Content Office and Executive Vice President Steve Mayer. “This year, by starting with Round Two of the Playoffs, we’re bringing fans into more locker rooms, arenas and homes while capturing the growing intensity for the players and coaches on the ice. This series continues to break new ground in access and storytelling.”
Brad Marchand, The Quest For The Stanley Cup (Photo: NHL)
“Adding further to a great lineup of programming for hockey fans by taking them further inside the excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an acclaimed docuseries is an example of what fans can expect from ESPN+. It’s more sports, more games, more shows and more access,” stated Burke Magnus, Executive Vice President, Programming, ESPN.
However, Quest For The Stanley Cup isn’t all that ESPN+ is offering to NHL fans. They can also access, via ESPN+ on demand, replays of every NHL® game. The games will be available via ESPN+ on demand after their live airing and will remain available throughout the Playoffs. ESPN+ is also the place to go for In the Crease, a nightly hockey show hosted by ESPN’s Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose. Each episode will include highlights and analysis of the games, as well as interviews with players, coaches, journalists and more from around the league and will air after each game and will also be available on demand.
Photo Credit: By Lindsay A. Mogle/AHL (File:LAM 9091 (16408878521).jpg) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Thursday afternoon it was announced that Hall of Famer, and legendary Islanders GM, William A. Torrey, otherwise known as “Bow-Tie Bill” or “The Architect” passed away at the age of 83.
Bill Torrey was born in June of 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His hockey career began in the AHL when he joined the Pittsburgh Hornets as the team’s business manager in 1960. However his skill and talent soon found him in the NHL as the Executive Vice President of the team then known as the Oakland Seals (which later became the California Golden Seals). He stayed with the team until the middle of the 1970-1971 season. It was then that Torrey’s biggest and most daunting job yet would come to play.
Torrey became the first General Manager of the newly created New York Islanders in 1972. When he first came to manage the Islanders during their inaugural season the team set NHL records for the fewest points in a season. However, that soon changed and just two years later in the 1974 -75 season the team managed to make it to game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers in the semi-finals. That same match up just five seasons later led the Islanders to their first Stanley Cups victory. The team then went on to win three more Stanley Cups over the course of the next three seasons under the leadership of Torrey.
Bill Torrey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 as a “Builder.” The builder category recognizes someone who has enhanced the game and helped to move the sport forward. While this is certainly true of Torrey, he was also a “builder” in another regard. Torrey, nicknamed “The Architect”, was responsible for building a team that became a dynasty. He drafted five players during his time with the team who would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. These players included Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, and Pat LaFontaine. Additionally he was able to secure Billy Smith during the 1972 NHL expansion draft. Smith also went on to become a hall of fame goaltender. In addition to his talent scouting abilities, he also had a keen eye for leadership. Torrey was responsible for the hiring of perhaps one of the most famous coaches in Islanders, and perhaps even NHL history, Al Arbour.
After Torrey left the Islanders in 1992 he soon found himself at the helm once again of an expansion team, this time it was the Florida Panthers. Torrey was named President of the newly formed Florida Panthers in their inaugural season and just three years later his team earned a spot in the Stanley Cup finals against the Colorado Avalanche. He left the team after nine seasons but remained on duty as a special adviser to the General Manager.
Bill Torrey was beloved by many across the NHL. Current Islanders General Manager, Garth Snow spoke Thursday afternoon about the hall of fame builder. “Bill set the model for how to build a franchise with the leadership he instilled through his coaching staff, his innovative drafting methods and the trades he executed. He was a pioneer, who became a mentor and even better friend, to so many in the industry. The teams he constructed set records that may never be broken, including the four straight Stanley Cup championships and 19 straight playoff series wins. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to Bill’s family.”
DeMarco is author of the comic strip 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Day the Dinosaurs Played Hockey and often found myself smiling as I turned to each page. I’m looking forward to surprising my granddaughter with a copy of this book for herself and reading it to her. She loves hockey already at four years old, and she loves books too. So why not combine those into a great surprise.
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