Alex Ovechkin had been on the ice for over a minute and a half when Martin Erat blocked a shot and then knocked the puck into the neutral zone. Nicklas Backstrom corralled it there and, like the center has so many times before, sent it up to Ovechkin.
Washington’s star winger and franchise player used his last burst of energy to out-skate Carolina’s Eric Staal and fire into the empty net with 24.5 seconds remaining Friday night to record his 400th career goal.
It wasn’t a jaw-dropping tally or a clutch come-from-behind goal, but by scoring here Friday night, Ovechkin became sixth fastest to do reach the 400-goal mark. Eighty-eight players had reached the mark before him.
“Empty netter or whatever I take it. I kind of play little bit longer shift at the end and of course you think about it. You talk to the guys, your friends, teammates,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin accomplished the feat in 634 games, passing Pavel Bure (635) to be the sixth-fastest to the achievement. Only Wayne Gretzky (436), Mike Bossy (506), Mario Lemieux (508), Brett Hull (520) and Jari Kurri (608) did so in fewer games.
“It’s big number and being in this kind of company it’s a tremendous honor for me. I never felt like I’m going to be in this position when I start playing in NHL, of course I wanted to be but thanks to everybody my coaches, my partners. Without them I can’t reach these numbers.”
Consider for a moment that two years ago at this time many around the NHL wondered if hockey had seen the best of Ovechkin, if the dynamic scoring machine would find his offensive rhythm again.
Dating back to the start of the shortened 2012-13 season when Coach Adam Oates first moved him to right wing, Ovechkin has recorded 61 goals in his past 81 regular season games rocketing toward this landmark. He’s also fully established himself as one of, if not the most, the most potent goal scorers in the league.
So is his next step trying to score 50 goals in his first 50 games this season? He has 29 in 33.
“It’s pretty hard,” Ovechkin said with a smile. “Next step play New Jersey.”
Alex Ovechkin sixth fastest to score 400 goals in NHL history
New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr moved into a tie for seventh place on the NHL all-time goals list Saturday with No. 694 of his career.
Jagr tied Mark Messier when he scored 5:28 into the third period against the Washington Capitals. It was Jagr's 13th goal this season and his second in three games after going eight without scoring.
Andy Greene sent a pass from behind the net during a Devils power play, and Jagr converted from the left of goalie Braden Holtby.
Martin Jones has done something even Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy never did — win his first eight NHL games.
Roy watched Jones become the second goalie to accomplish that feat — from the other bench — as the 23-year-old phenom made 23 saves for the Los Angeles Kings and stopped all three shots in the shootout for a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Jones has allowed eight goals on 234 shots while filling in for the injured Jonathan Quick, and has posted shutouts against Montreal, Edmonton and the New York Islanders. The only other goalie to win his first eight games was Philadelphia's Bob Froese in the 1982-83 season.
"Honestly, I don't even know what the record is," Jones said. "It's a good start and it's something to build off of. I just wanted to make sure I came in here and did the things that made me successful in the past.
"Every night our guys come to play, and the pride they take in their defensive game is pretty impressive. So I can't give them enough credit."
This was the second shootout involving Jones, who in his NHL debut on Dec. 3 stopped all nine shots in the tiebreaker against Anaheim. In this one, he stopped Matt Duchene, PA Parenteau and Ryan O'Reilly.
"These guys can put together a pretty good shootout lineup, so you know you're going to face some skilled players," Jones said. "I just try to stay patient and try not to bite on the first move all the time."
The only goal in the shootout was by Anze Kopitar, the Kings' second shooter. Kopitar has scored the deciding goal in four of the Kings' six shootout wins. "Any goalie for us that is back there, we have a lot of confidence in them," Kopitar said. "It's up to the shooters to get a couple."
Jeff Carter and Justin Williams scored for the Kings (25-8-4), who are off to their best start after 37 games and have won nine of 10. They are 22-1-2 when allowing fewer than three goals.
O'Reilly and Erik Johnson scored power-play goals, and Duchene had two assists for the Avalanche, 4-4-2 in their last 10 following a 17-5-5 start.
Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves, one day after prosecutors in Denver dropped a domestic violence case against him.
Down 2-0, Colorado cut the deficit in half at 14:02 of the second with Johnson's fifth goal and third in four games. He got a cross-ice pass from Duchene in the left circle and one-timed it to the short side past Jones' glove while Jarret Stoll was off for tripping.
"It was a good play by them, a low lateral play," Jones said. "I got a decent read on it, but I just wasn't able to extend my blocker out far enough. I thought we deserved to win in regulation. We needed one more big save that we didn't get."
The Avalanche, 2-for-39 on the power play in their previous 13 games, cashed in again with 9:33 left in regulation while Mike Richards served a delay-of-game penalty.
O'Reilly, playing in his 300th regular-season game, converted a pass from behind the net from Duchene for his 12th goal.
NHL THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT
"I thought we showed a lot of character. Being down 2-0 in L.A. is not easy," Roy said. "We had a big break on that power play, and you see how important it is to score on it. That was a big point for us, no doubt about it."
Los Angeles came in having allowed six goals in 77 short-handed situations over its previous 21 games.
The Kings, who needed almost eight minutes to get their first shot, opened the scoring 32 seconds before the end of the first period. Varlamov made a glove save on Drew Doughty's one-timer from the top of the left circle, but Carter beat defenseman Cory Sarich to the rebound and tucked his 11th goal past the goalie's outstretched left leg.
Williams made it 2-0 at 5:25 of the second, batting a fluttering puck over Varlamov's left shoulder for his team-high 12th goal.
NOTES:
The in-house camera crew showed a fan holding up a handmade sign with a photo of Jones and the words: "Glory to the newborn King." ... The Kings have been shut out only once this season — when the Avalanche beat them 1-0 at Staples Center on Nov. 23 with an overtime goal by Jamie McGinn and 33 saves by Varlamov.
Kings' Martin Jones ties NHL record with 8-0 start
The 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, the New Year's Day outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at The Big House® on the University of Michigan campus (1:00 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS), will feature performances by members of the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band, singer/songwriter Mayer Hawthorne and Juno Award-winning recording artists The Tenors; the announcement of the rosters for the 2014 U.S. Olympic men's and women's ice hockey teams; a flyover of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) CF-18 fighter jets and a Canada-United States color guard; and appearances by Ann Arbor and Detroit-area youth hockey players.
The entertainment for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ and 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™ is being produced by RK Productions in association with Big Monkey Entertainment.
Zac Brown Band - Concerts & Special U.S. National Anthem
Zac Brown Band's NHL Winter Classic celebration begins on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, with a public concert at Joe Louis Arena. NHL guests will be among those in attendance for the Dec. 31 show as part of the NHL's New Year's Eve Bash. The band will return to Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 1 to close out their two-night performance.
Zac Brown, John Driskell Hopkins, Jimmy De Martini and Clay Cook of the Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum Zac Brown Band (@zacbrownband) will make a special appearance to perform the U.S. national anthem at the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1
Zac Brown Band has become one of music's most heralded acts. The band's latest project, ‘The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1,' is out now on Southern Ground. To date, the band has three platinum-selling albums 'Uncaged,' 'You Get What You Give' and 'The Foundation,' which together sold more than six million copies and produced a historic series of 10 No. 1 hit singles. On the road, the group performed for more than 1.3 million fans in 2013 with approximately 70 headline dates and more than a dozen major festival appearances. Zac Brown Band is represented by ROAR, a Beverly Hills-based talent and brand management company.
Mayer Hawthorne – Pre-Game and First Intermission Performances
Ann Arbor native and singer/songwriter Mayer Hawthorne (@MayerHawthorne) will open the game with a performance. Hawthorne will return to the field during the first intermission for another set.
Hawthorne has come a long way since his 2008 debut. He's released three well-received full-length albums; had songs licensed for film and television; and toured the world with Bruno Mars, Foster the People, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae and the late Amy Winehouse. His latest album, “Where Does This Door Go” (Republic Records), features a host of top-flight production work from Pharrell Williams (who received a 2013 Grammy nomination for ‘Producer of the Year' for his work on the album), Greg Wells, Jack Splash, John Hill and Oak (of Oak & Pop), who contributes the smooth and powerful single “Her Favorite Song.”
Hawthorne grew up in Ann Arbor and remembers as a child driving through the Motor City with his father and tuning the car radio to the region's rich musical tapestry. He has produced music and played multiple instruments for much of his life and uses skills honed as a club DJ to create his own original dance floor fillers. Throughout the years, he's cited soul legends Barry White and Curtis Mayfield as inspirations, along with late hip-hop producer J Dilla.
The Tenors – Canadian National Anthem
After the Red Wings and Maple Leafs make their way onto the ice, The Tenors (@tenorsmusic) will perform the Canadian national anthem.
The Tenors have been thrilling audiences around the world with their powerful voices and memorable melodies. Blending classical music and contemporary pop, the vocal super group has achieved international success, showcasing their undeniable charm and diverse vocal styles. The music of Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, Remigio Pereira and Fraser Walters is rich and soulful, with powerful anthems, classic covers, and songs written and co-written by the group.
The Tenors have performed with Celine Dion on "Oprah," at the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards, on ITV's "Diamond Jubilee Show for the Queen," for 12 million viewers on Britain's biggest show "Strictly Come Dancing" and more. They continue to thrill audiences across continents, where they have shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli; Sting; Elton John; Earth, Wind & Fire; Paul McCartney; Sheryl Crow; Justin Bieber; and many more.
Their three albums – their self-titled debut, holiday album ‘The Perfect Gift' and latest release ‘Lead With Your Heart' – have all gone double platinum and have been released in countries around the world by Universal Music and its affiliates.
The Tenors received their first Juno Award for 'Lead With Your Heart' and are continuing their current 70-city North American tour through March 2014 before launching their UK tour.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) – CF-18 Flyover and Color Guard
A Canada-U.S. color guard will take part in the pre-game festivities. After the performance of the U.S. national anthem, NORAD CF-18 fighter jets will fly over The Big House® to celebrate the first-ever cross-border NHL Winter Classic.
NORAD has served the citizens of Canada and the United States as the first line of defense against air attacks on North America. It also has acted as a clear deterrent to any aggressor through its air and maritime warning capabilities. Through outstanding cooperation and cohesiveness between the two countries, NORAD has proven itself effective in its roles of "deterring, detecting and defending" North America.
Announcement of U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Teams
During the second intermission, USA Hockey will reveal the final roster for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's ice hockey team. All 21 members of the Sochi-bound team will be in attendance fo
Advanced stats are no longer just for the nerds who follow hockey and blog from their moms’ basements.
“It has become more a part of the mainstream conversation,” said Frank Provenzano, who served as assistant general manager for the Dallas Stars from 2006-13. “You’ll see it now in mainstream media when they are talking about teams and on broadcasts.”
You can also find it in more and more front offices across the NHL.
“I think we are obviously behind baseball as a sport, we’re behind basketball as a sport, but I think we are right there,” said Don Fishman, assistant general manager for the Washington Capitals. “I think hockey teams are increasingly using statistics, decision-making methodology, analytics, advanced statistics and cameras in their decision making, and it is increasingly growing as a sport.”
Aside from the traditional statistics such as goals and assists, advanced statistics offer greater insight into which players are performing well in crucial areas of the game, including puck possession, defensive play and situational ability. That insight helps create a better valuation for a player.
“You might not get advanced statistics in negotiations, maybe two out of every 10, but in most of them it is definitely useful to evaluate on your own side how you value the player,” Fishman explained. “You look at advanced statistics for how you value the player because you want to go into the negotiation for an unrestricted or restricted free agent with a full and complete picture, so you want to look at all the statistics available.”
That is especially useful for players who typically do not put up the more tangible boxcar stats, such as goals and assists.
“Defensive defenseman are unique because you won’t get huge point totals for them,” Fishman said, “but you have time on ice, which is the generally accepted statistic, and you go to things like goals for, goals against and plus/minus. But now you have the advanced statistics that a lot of people use about shot attempts and more advanced ways of looking at plus/minus because it is now generally accepted that plus/minus is not a very reliable stat, so analytics and statistics lead to a better way of looking at defensive defensemen and valuing them.”
Time on ice, readily available on NHL.com, is not an advanced stat, but it makes sense that better defenders would play more of the game. But Fishman says you can’t look at any raw number in a vacuum.
“Situational play — power play, even strength and penalty kill — you want to look at time on ice across all three situations,” Fishman said. “You want to look at points across all three situations. It’s really three types of very different play. It’s imperative to look at them differently.”
A good example of this is Toronto blueliner and upcoming restricted free agent Cody Franson. He plays 21:18 per night including 3:11 on the power play. Of his 18 points this season, 13 have been tallied with the man advantage. However, ignoring special teams and lead-protecting situations, the Maple Leafs have been out-Corsi’d 307 to 403 with Franson on the ice.
The shot attempt stats, such as Corsi — which was first used by Buffalo Sabres goaltending coach Jim Corsi to measure the quality of shots his netminders were facing — and Fenwick measure how often players or a team are in possession of the puck by tallying every shot (including those that miss the net or are blocked) directed at net while they’re on the ice. But Frank Provenzano sees a problem preventing the stats from becoming widely accepted: “They [have] really dumb names.”
“They just aren’t intuitive,” Provenzano added. “Coaches are already doing a lot of these similar analysis; they just aren’t calling it Corsi or Fenwick. Every coach I know wants to play a puck possession game, but really what is Corsi or Fenwick? It means you have the puck and are trying to get it on net. It isn’t all that advanced of a stat, but it is a good stat.”
Fishman, however, doesn’t think the “dumb” names are a dealbreaker. “I think a lot of people get pigeonholed into thinking analytics means advanced math and advanced statistics and funky names, and to me analytics means so much more than that. It is allowing statistics and decision-making and situational analysis to improve your thinking and understanding of the players and what works best: when should you pull the goalie, who should you use in the shootout and which goalie should you use against a particular opponent.”
Teams are craving that type of analysis, and while the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings make no secret they have analytic-types on staff, there are other NHL teams who turn to organizations like the Sports Analytics Institute, co-founded by Mike Boyle and Kevin Mongeonto, to provide that type of information.
“We have models Kevin has developed that help us break down the game beyond the traditional statistics,” Boyle said. “We can tell how a player is really performing when you take into consideration the quality of his linemates, opponents, score and state of the game instead of raw numbers. Is he padding his stats when the game is out of reach or is he delivering when it matters? Is he helping his linemates or is he benefiting from the quality of his linemates? So we do a regression-type of analysis to go beyond the straight statistics to see what is really happening out there.”
If the data is available and the geeks, coaches and execs agree on their importance, it is only a matter of time before the Moneypuck revolution sweeps into every NHL front office, right? Not so fast.
“What some of the analytics people fail to recognize, or historically have failed to recognize, is that they don’t factor in the actual dynamic and accountability of making a player decision because there are consequences of being wrong,” Provenzano said. “Our system is very imperfect, but it is like anything else: People accept the errors of conventionality more than
All 30 NHL teams get a little something extra this Christmas: a holiday break that has grown from two to three days off so players can spend more time with family and friends.
The extended break was mandated by the collective bargaining agreement that ended the league's lockout 11 months ago.
The downside? Ten games are on the schedule Friday, and that means 10 teams -- including the Sharks -- must take an early morning flight, get in a quick morning skate and play the same night.
That is not the normal routine, of course. Players and coaches generally say one day away from the rink is good during the season, but not more than that for conditioning reasons. And day-of-game flights might be acceptable during the exhibition season but not usually when the outcome matters.
Coach Todd McLellan is taking a stoic approach even with players having to get on the team plane at 6:30 a.m. for the two-hour flight to Phoenix to face the Coyotes.
"There's nothing we can do about it," he said, noting that every team deals with the same 72-hour period without skating or organized workouts.
If McLellan wanted to take issue with the schedule, he could point out that the Vancouver Canucks can have two full practices before they return to play Sunday.
Or that the Sharks are one of only two teams that leave their time zone for a same-day game, losing an hour and compressing things even more. The Colorado Avalanche is in the same fix as it flies to Chicago.
Unlike the NBA, which showcases games on Christmas Day, the NHL has not played on Dec. 25 since 1971. The last game on Christmas Eve was the following year.
Joe Pavelski, the Sharks' representative to the NHL Players Association, said he didn't know if the third day was a big issue during the bargaining impasse that shut down the league for 119 days last season.
"Some guys wanted it, some guys didn't care," Pavelski said. "But guys are happy they got it."
McLellan indicated he expects players to know what is best for themselves -- complete rest or some exercise at home.
"You hope the players jump on the bike or go for a walk, but they're also at a point where there's fatigue in their game," the coach said, adding that players do have fitness equipment at home. "We'll be fine."
Patrick Marleau said the Friday night game comes down to preparation and which team will be ready to play right away.
"It'd be nice to have a practice. Going to have to get the legs going right away," said Marleau, who added that he planned to get in some exercise beyond the workout he gets chasing his kids around the house.
Holiday time at home is important, said Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who welcomed the extra day off.
"Two days was nice to have, but it's a little short. Christmas goes by too fast," the defenseman said. "The 25th is done and you were playing on the 26th."
So does he plan to work out during the break?
"Well, we're on the record, so I should say, 'Yes,' " Vlasic said. "The answer is I don't know. Maybe the 26th. Definitely for sure, the 24th and 25th is absolutely nothing. Holidays only come around once a year, so you've got to enjoy them."
Scott Hannan did not sound too concerned that time away from the rink could contribute to injuries in the first game back.
"Guys are professional; they're going to take care of themselves," he said. "It's just three days. It's just a rest for the body that I think will pay off in the long run."
That said, he does plan to get on the exercise bike at home.
"Get to a certain age, the body will start to tighten up," said Hannan, 34, before catching himself. "Sounding like I'm really old."
NHL's new Christmas break might not be that beneficial to players - San Jose Mercury News
Conor Allen came so close to cracking the Rangers’ roster out of his rookie NHL training camp that it seemed inevitable he would be a Blueshirt before the end of the season.
Sure enough, there he was Saturday afternoon at the Capitals’ Kettler Iceplex, practicing before what likely will be his NHL debut Sunday night against the Lightning in Tampa. That’s assuming Anton Stralman (day-to-day) sits out after suffering an undisclosed injury during the first period of Friday night’s 3-2 loss in Washington.
The Rangers (18-19-2) are more banged up on the blue line than they’ve been all season. Marc Staal is closing in on a return from his Dec. 7 concussion, but he still has more conditioning work to do and has been ruled out for Sunday, while AHL reserve Dylan McIlrath (left knee) is injured and unavailable, awaiting reevaluation this week.
So Allen, who turns 24 years old on Jan. 31, has peaked at the right time. After an inconsistent start to the season, he posted seven points in his last seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and on Saturday, he practiced on a pairing with John Moore, who -- like Allen -- is from the Chicago area.
“I think I’m getting a little more comfortable,” Allen said Saturday of his recent improvement. “I’m definitely getting opportunities on the power play, which leads to a lot of points. The first month or so, the learning curve was really (steep), and I wasn’t really playing my best hockey. But I think I’m getting more comfortable now, and hopefully that translates to the NHL."
Allen (6-1, 210 pounds) is a strong, left-handed, puck-moving defenseman who played three seasons at UMass-Amherst, where he regularly faced Rangers winger Chris Kreider of Boston College. Last spring, the Rangers pursued multiple free-agent defensemen, failing to land Czech blue liner Andrej Sustr, who signed with the Lightning, but outbidding the Nashville Predators for Allen. He was not cheap, landing a two-way, two-year, $3.55 million contract.
In training camp, though, Allen showed flashes of what James Dolan had paid for. He was right there at the end with Justin Falk and Stu Bickel battling for the seventh defenseman’s role. At the time, though Falk made the team, Vigneault made it sound as if he wanted to keep Allen. The coach and GM Glen Sather, though, decided it was more important for Allen to play in the AHL than to sit in an NHL press box to start his career.
“We liked his hockey sense,” Vigneault said of his first impression of Allen in September. “We thought coming out of training camp that he showed a tremendous amount of upside for a young guy getting a first kick at the can with us, and we felt with a little bit of work in the minors, that hopefully at some point he’d be able to come in and help us out, and that might be (Sunday)."
Allen didn’t adjust seamlessly to the AHL. Vigneault said Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander reported early that Allen “might be a little bit inconsistent, going through some learning curves.” Allen said on Saturday that Wolf Pack assistant and former Rangers defenseman Jeff Beukeboom helped him concentrate on steadily improving in his own zone.
“He won’t tell you what to do anywhere else but the D-zone,” Allen said. “That’s where I need to work on my game the most. His knowledge of playing the body and being in really good position has helped me so far just in four months."
“When (Allen) was on top of his game, Kenny (Gernander) really liked what he brought to the forefront,” Vigneault said. “He liked the puck-moving ability. He liked the decision making, and hopefully that’s what we’re going to see. I know he played a real solid game his last game, and we’ve got a couple of injuries right now to defensemen (at the AHL level, also), so he had to step up and play some good minutes, and he played well."
Allen said when he plays at the NHL level, he’ll lean a little bit on his positive training camp experience, though he knows that may not necessarily translate to the speed of the Rangers’ 40th regular season game.
“I think it helped that I went so far in camp and played in three preseason games,” he said. “That little experience you get, (it) helps. I’m sure preseason’s way different than halfway through the year, but I think it’ll make me definitely a little more comfortable."
Allen will be the 26th skater and the 29th player to dress for the Rangers this season.
Read more: Conor Allen will likely make NHL debut when NY Rangers face Lightning - NY Daily News
While his players and Leaf Nation might be looking forward to Wednesday's Winter Classic against Detroit, Toronto coach Randy Carlyle is playing the role of Scrooge when it comes to the holiday season outdoor game.
"I wasn't waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "It's been a trying time.
"Specifically we haven't played as well as we'd like to hang our hat on. Our group, we believe, has got lots of room to grow, so that always put added pressure on. And then you're much more under the microscope if you can believe it. We're under the microscope with you (media) guys alone and then you add the element of HBO and then the event, there's a lot of factors.
"Again we're here to win hockey games and that's the most important thing and our focus is going to be on the game."
Friends and family will be enjoying the event more than the actual participants, he suggested.
The Leafs (20-16-5) head to Ann Arbor, Mich., on a winning note and having picked up points in their last five games. But they needed a pair of goals from sniper Phil Kessel, solid goaltending from Jonathan Bernier and a few lucky bounces to dispose of the Hurricanes before a crowd of 19,452 at the Air Canada Centre.
Carolina (14-16-9) outshot Toronto 43-27 on the night, only to see its winless streak stretch to five games.
The Hurricanes have won only one of their last nine outings (a stretch that has featured four OT losses).
"We had enough chances to win a hockey game," lamented Carolina coach Kirk Muller. "The chances were there. They scored and we didn't."
Carlyle agreed it had been a loose performance from the Leafs.
"I thought at times we seemed like we were overmatched in a lot of areas," he said.
Leafs forced to play defence, again
The Hurricanes followed a popular, simple strategy against Toronto — dumping the puck in and forcing the Leafs to play defence.
"We haven't been able to handle that or manage the game properly in that area and we have to get better at it," Carlyle said.
Kessel's second goal allowed him to reach the 20-goal plateau for the sixth straight season and he could have had more on the night, missing on two breakaways.
Toronto also got goals from Nikolai Kulemin, Paul Ranger and Dion Phaneuf, with an empty-net goal with eight seconds remaining.
Nathan Gerbe and Justin Faulk replied for Carolina.
Centre Tyler Bozak returned to the Leafs' top line after a 12-game absence due to an oblique injury. He showed off some of his playmaking skills with three assists and made an important backcheck, snuffing out a Hurricanes threat.
The Leafs were loose on defence and were fortunate the Hurricanes did not punish them more.
"We had some lapses in the D-zone," said Bozak. "We got some good bounces as well ... The puck was kind of following us around tonight."
Ready for the Winter Classic
The game marked the halfway point of the season for Toronto, while setting the table for playing in front of an expected crowd of 100,000-plus at the Big House.
"It's going to be a pretty cool event," said Bozak. "I know most guys have lots of family here, including me. I'm excited to get to Detroit and see what it's all about."
Added Ranger: "I think it's going to be fun ... Backyard rinks, that's where I spent most of my childhood. It's just a bigger backyard rink."
Leafs forward David Clarkson went to the dressing room in the second period to have his elbow stitched up but returned in the third healthy enough to smash Tuomo Ruutu to the ice.
"Probably the best period of hockey he's played for us," said Carlyle.
The Leafs' previous four games were shootouts — a club-record streak that featured two wins and two losses.
After surviving a horrendous start against Buffalo to win via a shootout Friday, it seemed like more of the same Sunday for the Leafs.
Leading the league in giveaways with 475 going into the game, Toronto coughed it up 15 more times against the Hurricanes.
Toronto also did not manage a shot on net until 11-plus minutes into a first period that saw the Leafs wobble at times in their own end. Bernier seemed the lone defender on duty and Toronto was lucky not to go down.
The Leafs went ahead after a faceoff when Bozak dug the puck out to Kessel, whose backhand from behind the goal-line somehow went in off goalie Cam Ward for his 19th of the season at 16:56.
It was perhaps payback for the freak goal that gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 win in Toronto in October when a bad bounce off the boards on a shoot-in bounced in off Bernier with the Leafs thinking icing might be called.
The five-foot-five Gerbe tied it up at 1:36 of the second period after talking a pass from Alexander Semin in the corner and beating Bernier from near the faceoff dot. Semin outmanoeuvred Jake Gardiner to set up Gerbe's ninth goal.
Toronto pulled ahead with two goals in 76 seconds in the second period.
A pretty passing play between Kessel and James Van Riemsdyk made it 2-1 at 13:42 with JVR unselfishly sending the puck back to Kessel from in-close.
Kulemin then beat Ward with a shot from the top of the circle at 14:58 to make it 3-1, prompting Muller to call a timeout in a bid to stop the bleeding. It was Kulemin's fifth of the season.
A four-on-three helped the Carolina cause with Faulk scoring his third of the season on a slap shot with 2:17 remaining in the period to close the gap to 3-2.
Ranger added an insurance goal at 4:58 of the third, firing a low shot through traffic that eluded Ward for the defenceman's second goal of the season and the 100th point of his NHL career.
For Toronto, it was Bernier's 28th appearance of the season, compared to 18 for James Reimer.
Bernier has started nine of the last 15 games, with Reimer pulled during two of his six starts during that stretch.
Carlyle refused to interpret the numbers when asked what it meant that Bernier h
Hours after scoring a pair of goals, including the game-winner when Canada defeated Slovakia 5-3 at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, the Winnipeg Jets announced they agreed to terms with the 18-year-old on a three-year, two-way entry-level contract with an average annual value of $925,000.
Petan has played in 32 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League this season, scoring 20 goals with 46 assists. His 66 points place him second in league scoring. The Delta, British Columbia, native has played 167 career WHL games, all with Portland, and has 80 goals and 222 points along with 95 penalty minutes.
A second-round pick (No. 43) of the Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft, Petan has three goals and one assist in three games for Canada at the World Juniors.
Winnipeg Jets sign Nicolas Petan to entry-level contract - NHL-com - News
The Winter Classic is, at once, bigger and smaller than a typical hockey game. It is bigger, of course, because of the venue, the crowds and the fact that when the Maple Leafs and the Red Wings looked up from their benches Wednesday, they didn't see banners hanging. They saw snow falling.
But it is smaller because it feels like pond hockey, shinny out in the elements, the way many players played as boys. Players from both Toronto and Detroit said it again after the Maple Leafs won a shootout: This made them feel like kids. The fans seemed to feel that way, too, even if they couldn't feel their own faces in the sub-20-degree weather.
How great was this? Well, for the spectators, it was a fantastic sporting event, the kind that will stick with them for years, before it even started. You walked into Michigan Stadium, and you knew: This was different. As Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said afterward, "Life is about moments. You don't remember everything; you remember moments." Toronto's Tyler Bozak, who scored the winning goal in the shootout, said: "We're going to remember this one forever."
Someday, the thrill of these games may wear off. The NHL is pushing its luck with outdoor games -- this year the league will also stage the Heritage Classic, between the Senators and the Canucks, and the Stadium Series in New York (two games, with the Rangers taking on both the Islanders and the Devils), as well as games in Chicago and Los Angeles (one each). One outdoor game each year is irresistible; five a year may become routine.
And yet ... well, who can blame the NHL? Players and coaches talk about the experience reverentially. They are in no danger of getting tired of it.
NEWCOMB: How NHL rink crews battle the elements
The NHL says 105,491 fans watched this game, the largest crowd in hockey history, and it was damn cold, even by the standards of Michigan or Ontario. Meanwhile, as the puck dropped Wednesday, the NFL was struggling to sell out playoff games in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Green Bay.
Green Bay! What do we make of that? Obviously, the answer is not that the NFL is losing popularity. People want to watch those games, but many prefer watching them on television. If the games don't sell out, the TV broadcasts will be blacked out in those markets, but most fans are probably assuming that the games will sell out and they will watch them in high definition on their couches for free.
That is a challenge for every league now, even the mighty NFL. The television experience is so good, why pay for tickets, fight traffic, and overpay for mediocre food?
The NHL has found an event that is so much fun, people want to sit outside in lousy weather. The more it snowed on Wednesday, the happier people were. If the NHL can sell more tickets (at similar prices, in a stadium with bench seating) to a regular-season game than the NFL can sell to a postseason game, the NHL is onto something remarkable. This may be the best idea the league has ever had. And don't say that is faint praise. It's the New Year. You promised to be nice.
This was not a great hockey game. Snow prevented that. Detroit's Brendan Smith said "Sometimes you're skating with the puck and then the puck was behind you, because it hit a pile of snow or something. You get to see how good Pavel Datsyuk is because it almost didn't affect him." Datsyuk, though, told Babcock a few minutes into the game that everybody was being cautious because they were so scared of losing the puck.
It was hard for players to control the puck because the tape on their sticks was so cold. It lost stickiness. But hockey players are known to skate through postseasons with torn knee ligaments. They are unlikely to complain because their tape is cold.
The NHL has found a formula for reducing sports to its primitive essence while monetizing the heck out of it. The marketing was a bit much -- TV commercials touted this as the biggest hockey game of all-time, which is sort of like saying the biggest matchup in basketball history was when Gheorge Muresan faced Manute Bol. It's not a big game; it's a game in a big place. I mean, Red Wings center Luke Glendening played for the University of Michigan in the Big Chill at the Big House in 2010, a game that also drew 100,000 people. Does that make Glendening the biggest draw in hockey history?
It was just a regular-season game between two pretty good teams. Still, the history of hockey is filled with seminal events that were not part of the Stanley Cup chase. Hockey people talk far more about the 1972 Summit Series between Russia and Canada than about most Stanley Cup Finals. The 1980 U.S. Olympic team's upset of Russia woke America to the appeal of winner-take-all hockey. The Wayne Gretzky trade, from Edmonton to Los Angeles in 1988, opened the California market to the NHL, even as Canadians bemoaned the loss of their national treasure.
The NHL needs days like this. The outdoor games were not Gary Bettman's idea. Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis staged one in 2001, starting the modern trend. But these games are the culmination of Bettman's long, sometimes messy, often successful tenure. This is the right balance between growing the sport and honoring its roots.
In the 1990s, the NHL let its TV partner make the puck glow in a misguided attempt to sell the sport. The idea was that people weren't watching the game because they couldn't find the puck, and if the league could just show them the puck, they would tune in. Of course, if you can't be bothered to find the puck, you aren't much of a hockey fan, and if you only look at the puck, that's like wearing earmuffs to a performance by a symphony orchestra. There are a ton of moving parts in hockey -- players weave in and out of the action, and even on and off the ice, during play. That can make it hard to follow, but it is also part of what makes it great.
And this is the genius of the Winter Classic. It appeals to people
Legendary American rock band KISS will bring down the house at Dodger Stadium as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ outdoor game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, Jan. 25, the National Hockey League announced today. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer will perform during the pre-game festivities and first intermission of the game, which will be broadcast live at 6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN in the U.S. and on CBC and RDS2 in Canada.
"Los Angeles is the premier hub for sports and entertainment in this country and we are honored to be part of an event that fuses both by rocking the first-ever outdoor NHL game in LA," said Gene Simmons. "Fans can expect a spectacle at Dodger Stadium, similar to the one we will be creating at the Honda Center this season with our new Arena Football team, LA KISS."
"Our goal with the NHL Stadium Series games is to give our fans an unforgettable experience," said NHL Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer Brian Jennings. "Having KISS headline our entertainment lineup is the perfect way to make our celebration of hockey in Southern California even bigger and more memorable."
With their signature makeup, explosive stage show and anthems like "Rock And Roll All Nite" and "Detroit Rock City," KISS is the very personification of rock stars. In 2014, the band celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album, KISS. After four decades of scoring countless hit singles, sold-out tours and appearing everywhere from comic books to lunch boxes to their very own TV movie, the iconic band remains one of the most influential artists in the history of rock and roll. At the top of American bands with the most gold albums, KISS has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide -- including their chart topping 20th studio album, Monster, produced by Paul Stanley and released in 2012. In support of that album, the band performed their Worldwide Monster Tour with sold-out-out shows in Australia, Europe, South America, North America and Japan as once again KISS, and their loyal followers in the KISS Army, rocked the globe.
A limited number of tickets to the Kings vs. Ducks match-up at Dodger Stadium are available for purchase via Ticketmaster-com and Ticketmaster.ca, the official ticket marketplace of the NHL.
A full line-up of performers and game day festivities at Dodger Stadium will be announced in the coming weeks.
The entertainment for the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ is being produced by RK Productions in association with Big Monkey Entertainment.
About the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™
Part of the previously-announced 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™, a group of games planned for outdoor locations this season, the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will face off at iconic Dodger Stadium at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014.
The Los Angeles event will mark a series of firsts for the National Hockey League and its fans as the Jan. 25 game will be the first outdoor regular season NHL game played in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River, the southern-most outdoor NHL game in history, and the first-ever outdoor NHL game in California. In its 51 year history, the venerable Dodger Stadium has hosted eight World Series and close to 4,000 regular-season games, but never a hockey game – marking another first for this Stadium Series event.
About KISS
Recently announced as inductees into the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame, KISS remains one of the most influential artists in the history of rock n' roll. Celebrating four decades of creating classic rock anthems, and with over 3,000 licensed products including a Monster Mini Golf Course in Las Vegas, a partnership with Rock n' Brews restaurants and affiliations with classic brands like Hello Kitty and Family Guy, the KISS legacy continues to grow, generation after generation.
Always leading the KISS Army to new and exciting territory, founding band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are bringing professional football back to Los Angeles as co-owners of the LA KISS Arena Football League team, whose home field will be the Honda Center in Anaheim. Launching in March 2014, the LA KISS is proud to join the prestigious family of Los Angeles sports franchises including the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks and the MLB's Dodgers.
KISS to perform at 2014 Coors Light Stadium Series outdoor game at Dodger Stadium - 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series LA - Ducks vs. Kings
The 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® followed its hockey attendance record by re-writing the record book for regular season North American television viewership as well.
The combined average television viewership for Wednesday afternoon's Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® on NBC in the U.S., and CBC and RDS in Canada was 8.234 million viewers in North America. The previous best was 6.6 million average viewers for the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field, which aired in primetime on NBC, CBC and RDS due to a weather delay.
"We knew an NHL Winter Classic at the Big House with the Red Wings-Maple Leafs rivalry would be special, but what unfolded was extraordinary," said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins. "The players, the fans – and the elements – made for a record-setting afternoon and our partners at NBC, CBC and RDS delivered great coverage and unforgettable images. The magnitude and success of the overall NHL Winter Classic experience in both Detroit and Ann Arbor also underscore the continued growth of the NHL as a North American business."
The impressive average U.S. viewership total was achieved despite the fact that only one of the participating teams -- the Detroit Red Wings -- represent a U.S. television market. This marked the first time that a Canadian team has played in the NHL Winter Classic.
The numbers for CBC also were record setting. On average, 3.57 million viewers tuned into the CBC telecast. An additional 260,000 viewers watched the French-language telecast on RDS.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated their Original Six rivals, the Red Wings, in dramatic fashion at the University of Michigan's "Big House." The Leafs won 3-2 in a shootout before 105,491 fans – the largest crowd ever to see a hockey game.
2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic watched by record 8.2 million viewers across North America - Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic - Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings
The New York Rangers acquired forward Daniel Carcillo from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Carcillo skated in 26 games for the Kings and led the team with 57 penalty minutes to go with 54 hits and two points (one goal, one assist). He's played one game since Dec. 15, none since Dec. 23.
"We picked up a player than can bring an element of toughness, with us losing [Derek] Dorsett yesterday for 4-6 weeks it's an area we felt we needed to get a little bit better," coach Alain Vigneault said prior to the game Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. "Dan became available and we picked him up."
Dorsett sustained a broken fibula in the game Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Chosen in the third round (No. 73) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Draft, Carcillo made his NHL debut with the Phoenix Coyotes on March 3, 2007.
The following season, he established career highs in points (24) and penalty minutes (324). He won a Stanley Cup last season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
"For us it's a low-risk move," Vigneault said. "He's in the last year of his contract, not very expensive, and hopefully he'll come in and help us."
Daniel Carcillo traded to New York Rangers by Los Angeles Kings - NHL-com - News
The Los Angeles Kings have assigned goaltender Martin Jones to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, it was announced Sunday.
Jones, 23, made his NHL debut on Dec. 3 against the Anaheim Ducks and stopped 26 shots for his first victory. He followed that performance with consecutive shutouts on Dec. 7 against the New York Islanders (16 saves) and Dec. 10 against the Montreal Canadiens (31 saves).
Jones won his first eight NHL starts and became the second goaltender in League history to win his first eight games, matching Bob Froese of the 1982-83 Philadelphia Flyers. Jones was the first goalie to start and allow two or fewer goals in each of his first eight games since 1938-39 (Frank Brimsek/12-game streak).
Overall, Jones is 8-3-0 with a 1.41 goals-against average, a .950 save percentage and three shutouts in 11 NHL appearances this season. He is 9-2-2 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage for Manchester.
The Kings continue a five-game homestand on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild at Staples Center.
Los Angeles Kings send goalie Martin Jones to AHL Manchester - NHL-com - News
Switzerland named its roster Monday afternoon for the 2014 Sochi Olympics during a press conference in Zurich. The 25-man roster features eight players from the NHL.
Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller and Calgary Flames netminder Reto Berra headline the selections, and they are joined by defensemen Raphael Diaz (Montreal Canadiens), Roman Josi (Nashville Presdators). Mark Streit (Philadelphia Flyers) and Yannick Weber (Vancouver Canucks), as well as forwards Damien Brunner (New Jersey Devils) and Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota Wild).
The majority of the rest of the roster comes from the Swiss domestic league, including defenseman Mathias Seger, who was named the team's captain.
In 2010, the Swiss made it to the quarterfInals of the tournament held in Vancouver before dropping a 2-0 decision to the United States.
Here is the full roster:
Goaltenders: Reto Berra (Calgary Flames), Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks), Tobias Stephan (Genève-Servette HC)
Fans of Olympic hockey had better enjoy it while it lasts. Next month's Winter Games could be the last to include the sport's most-elite players.
In interviews, National Hockey League officials said they see the Olympics largely as an irksome interruption of the regular season, one that offers little upside for their business. They said they may prefer to see their players skip the event after the 2014 Sochi Games.
The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which isn't likely to hold the same appeal for NHL players that Sochi does, or that the 2010 Vancouver Games did. In both of those cases, there were many NHL players from those host nations who were eager to participate.
"Our experience with the Olympics has been a mixed bag—it's not our tournament, we're not in control of it, it's at a time of the year that doesn't work in our regular-season schedule," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "On the positive side, we recognize we're on a world-wide stage."
The International Olympic Committee couldn't be reached immediately for comment.
Since NHL players started playing in the 1998 Nagano Games, the competition has drawn widespread acclaim for its skill level and intensity. Among the teams in Sochi will be six contenders filled with recognizable names: Canada (the defending gold medalist), the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. Canada's team—announced on Tuesday—includes the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, the game's biggest star. Russia and Sweden also announced their rosters on Tuesday, which contain more than three dozen NHL players.
But the NHL's participation in the Olympics has always been something of a delicate flower. For pros to go, the league must suspend play for more than two weeks in the middle of the season—all while the NHL and its teams get neither revenue nor much marketing clout for the trouble. Hockey is the only major professional American sport that halts its regular season to send players to the Olympics. NBA players go to the Summer Games, but that occurs during the league's off-season.
Instead of the Olympics, the league wants to bring back a World Cup of Hockey, which was held in 1996 and 2004. It would be an event the NHL can control and profit from, and could be held at a time that doesn't interrupt the regular season. The first would likely be in 2015—a year that has neither an Olympics nor a soccer World Cup, meaning the NHL wouldn't have to compete with those events for advertisers, people familiar with the league's thinking said.
Daly said any decision on the Olympics would be made in conjunction with the players' union.
The union isn't convinced the Olympic participation should end, said NHL Players' Association executive director Don Fehr. "There are a whole bunch of players who want to play, and the ones who don't like the break," he said.
Fehr said the Olympics promotes hockey to a global audience. Asked if a world cup could to the same thing, he said, "Yes. But that doesn't mean it has to be exclusively a world cup and no Olympics."
Hockey's exciting but largely forgotten pair of world cups succeeded the long-running Canada Cup, in existence from the mid-1970s until the early-'90s. Canada won the 2004 World Cup; the 1996 event was notable for a controversial near-high-stick goal by Canadian-native U.S. forward Brett Hull that led to the Americans' triumph.
For a generation of players that grew up watching their predecessors play in the Olympics, reaching the Games has become a dream to rival the Stanley Cup.
"The players enjoy it, but also understand why the NHL doesn't want it," said Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel, who will play for the U.S. in Sochi. He said he has "no idea" whether a world cup could hold the same appeal to players.
Around 120 NHL players are expected to be on rosters for Sochi. Canada has 11 players back from 2010, including two of the NHL's top three scorers—Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks.
Team USA so far has received more attention for talk off the ice than the players who will be on it. Calgary Flames president Brian Burke criticized Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan (who didn't make the team) during an Olympic selection committee meeting, according to an ESPN-com story on the process. Burke, according to ESPN, said Ryan is "not intense. The word is not in his vocabulary."
Team USA general manager David Poile apologized in a teleconference with reporters and said he thought the management team would have more control over what was published. Ryan, speaking to the Ottawa Sun, called Burke "gutless" and said he felt "degraded" by the comments. A Flames spokesman said Burke dealt with the matter internally and declined further comment on his behalf.
The NHL agreed to play in Sochi only after weeks of tough negotiations with the union and the IOC. In what has become an Olympic tradition, the NHL and IOC tussled over logistics, insurance coverage for players and rights to broadcast Olympic-related content. NHL officials fumed when, during the 2010 Vancouver Games, the league wasn't allowed to air any part of a news conference that featured the league's own commissioner, Gary Bettman, on NHL-com or the NHL Network. The NHL will get more material this year than in 2010 but still can't air whatever it wants.
Bettman has publicly said he would prefer a world cup, and the league and players union agreed to revisit whether to participate in future Olympics based on their experience at Sochi.
"I know that the hockey aspect of the Olympics is important; our players quite enjoy it," said John Davidson, the Columbus Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations. "But the team has to come first. It only makes business sense for us to get something out of it."
[url=online-wsj-com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304887104579306522788311320]Winter Olympics: NHL Casts Doubt on Sending Players to 2018 Games
When it comes to watching live sports, many people will agree that nothing beats hockey. It can be tough for some to watch and follow on television but in person? It's excellent. From the board-rattling hits to the juice that a scrap gives the crowd and simply the speed of the game, hockey is a great spectator sport.
Perhaps that's why the NHL can boast better attendance numbers this season than its calendar counterpart, the NBA. The two leagues run almost congruently from start to finish and that leads to comparisons from time to time. This is one the NHL will enjoy.
From CSN Chicago:
According to the latest attendance records, the NHL is averaging more sellout crowds than the NBA.
Throughout the 2013-14 season, 15 NHL markets have averaged at least 100 percent capacity in their home stands: The Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets.
...
The NBA, on the other hand, has only eight markets averaging at least 100 percent capacity this season: The Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
It's hard to complain about a league doing poorly when half the teams are playing to an average of 100 percent capacity or greater this season. Not bad for a sport that many fans said they were going to swear off after another lockout last year.
Certainly it helps to have seven franchises in Canada where hockey is the national pastime but note that 10 American hockey markets are saying they've sold out every game. That alone is more than the NBA's list.
This doesn't mean that the NHL's popularity is greater than that of the NBA, TV ratings will tell a much different story, but it at least shows that hockey continues to grow, particularly in the States. Hopefully this doesn't encourage the NHL and NHLPA to think they can continue the lockout pattern every seven or so years because the fans won't quit coming.
Half of NHL playing to 100 percent capacity, twice as many as NBA - CBSSports-com
Veteran NHL defenceman Wade Redden, who helped lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his 11 seasons in Ottawa, announced his retirement through the NHL Players’ Association on Thursday.
Redden, 36, played 1,023 regular-season games for the New York Rangers, St. Louis, Boston and Ottawa, scoring 109 goals and 348 assists for 457 points while posting a career plus-160 rating.
“I would first and foremost like to thank my family and friends for their unconditional love and support,” the native of Lloydminster, Sask., said in a statement released by the NHLPA. “I would also like to thank my teammates, coaches and staff for all the great memories created throughout the years.
“To the fans, I appreciate all your support throughout my career. Playing in the National Hockey League has been a dream come true and I feel very proud and privileged to have played more than 1,000 games in 14 NHL seasons.”
A valued, two-way defenceman, Redden finished his career in last year’s lockout-shortened campaign, playing 23 games for St. Louis and six more with Boston following a late-season trade. He posted three goals and seven points in 29 contests with a minus-2 rating.
Redden set a career high in goals with 17 in the 2003-04 season, while his most productive campaign came in 2005-06 with Ottawa when the Kelowna, B.C., resident earned 50 points on 10 goals and 40 assists to go with a career-best plus-35.
Before the New York Islanders drafted Redden second overall in 1995, he helped the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League reach the Memorial Cup, the Canadian junior hockey championship, in 1995 and '96. Redden was named to the tournament all-star team in 1996.
Traded
Prior to the 1996 Memorial Cup, the Islanders traded Redden to Ottawa along with goalie Damien Rhodes for fellow netminder Don Beaupre, centre Martin Straka and defenceman Bryan Berard on Jan. 23, 1996.
Redden broke into the NHL the following season, playing all 82 regular-season games and scoring six goals and 30 points.
He scored his first goal on Oct. 5, 1996, in his first NHL start. Three years later, Redden was named an assistant captain with the Senators.
He played in his lone NHL all-star game in 2002 and recorded 34 points and a plus-22 that season.
The 2006-07 was memorable for Redden and the Senators, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. During the regular campaign, he topped Ottawa in average ice time at 22 minutes 54 seconds.
In the playoffs, Redden led all Ottawa blue-liners in points (10) while averaging 23:37 of ice time in 20 outings.
The six-foot-two, 205-pound rearguard gained valuable experience playing internationally.
Redden won a gold medal with Canada national junior team at the 1995 and '96 world junior hockey championship. He also competed at three world championships (1999, 2001, 2005), earning a silver medal in 2005.
Redden also won gold in 2004 at the World Cup of Hockey and skated for Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Wade Redden hangs up skates after 14 NHL seasons - NHL on CBC Sports - Hockey news, opinion, scores, stats, standings
The NHL regular season ends in a little more than three months, with the Olympics, trade deadline and general managers meetings happening beforehand.
Here are 10 predictions on what will happen:
1. Daily double: Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will win the Art Ross Trophy (top scorer) and Hart Trophy (MVP). He'll finish with 118 to 125 points and be 34 to 37 points ahead of his next competitor.
2. Blues win Presidents' Trophy: You have to admire how sharp the Anaheim Ducks have been lately, but the St. Louis Blues' team defense might carry them to No. 1 overall in the regular season. Their offense remains strong, even with leading goal-scorer Alexander Steen out with a concussion. The Chicago Blackhawks also are in the mix.
3. Americans win medal: Russia and Canada are considered the teams to beat in Sochi, and Sweden is sneaky good. But goaltending, dependable defense and Chicago's Patrick Kane will lead the USA to a bronze.
4. Norris favorite: When the fast starts are forgotten and the hot streaks are discounted, Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter will be a Norris Trophy favorite. Consistency is his greatest strength. He's also playing a full two minutes a game more than any other defenseman.
5. Blackhawks rising: The Blackhawks weren't planning on Teuvo Teravainen joining them once his Finnish season is over. But anyone who saw how dynamic Teravainen was at the world junior championships would conclude the Blackhawks might want to take a peek. In the long term, he'll be the No.2 center behind Jonathan Toews.
6. Playoff positions: Although the Atlantic Division looked like it would boast both of the wild-card teams, Metropolitan Division teams have narrowed the gap. It seems far more possible now that each division will boast one wild-card qualifier.
7. Penguins add scorer: Maybe it will be the Buffalo Sabres' Matt Moulson, or maybe it will be one of the other potential unrestricted free agents, such as Mike Cammalleri, Olli Jokinen, Devin Setoguchi or Lee Stempniak. But the Penguins will do something. They are close to the cap ceiling, but Pascal Dupuis' season-ending injury affords them long-term injury cap relief.
8. Sharks re-signings: Why wouldn't Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau re-sign with the San Jose Sharks? The team is a legitimate contender with a proper blend of veterans and young players.
9. Red Wings extend streak: It could be a wild scramble until the end, but the Detroit Red Wings will make the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive season. The key will be the team's goal-scoring ability. Count on Detroit getting the goaltending and defensive play it needs.
MORE: GMs on overtime
10. GMs vote for overtime change: Clearly, there is an appetite to change how overtime and the shootout are conducted. Look for GMs to recommend an extended overtime period during their meetings in March in Florida. The hope would be that extending overtime from five minutes to eight or 10 would reduce the number of shootouts. Even if GMs recommend the change, it must be approved by the competition committee and the board of governors.
Jagr assisted on Marek Zidlicky's goal with 2.1 seconds to go in overtime against the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Travis Zajac won a faceoff back to Jagr; he backhanded a pass to Zidlicky, whose shot from above the right circle beat Tim Thomas to give New Jersey a 2-1 victory.
"Give credit to Travis," Jagr told MSG Network. "It's not easy to win it exactly where you wanted to win it."
The assist gave Jagr 1,724 points in the NHL, breaking the tie with Lemieux for seventh place on the League's all-time list. Lemieux reached 1,723 points in 915 games. Jagr passed him in his 1,437th regular-season game.
Jagr has 694 goals, tied with Mark Messier for seventh place on the all-time goals list.
Jagr, who turns 42 next month, has 11 points more than any Devils teammate (36; 13 goals, 23 assists). He has four game-winning goals this season and moved past Gordie Howe into first place all-time with No. 122 against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 18.
Steve Yzerman is sixth on the points list with 1,755. Mike Gartner is sixth on the goals list with 708.
Jaromir Jagr passes Mario Lemieux for seventh on NHL scoring list - NHL-com - News
Washington’s star winger and franchise player used his last burst of energy to out-skate Carolina’s Eric Staal and fire into the empty net with 24.5 seconds remaining Friday night to record his 400th career goal.
It wasn’t a jaw-dropping tally or a clutch come-from-behind goal, but by scoring here Friday night, Ovechkin became sixth fastest to do reach the 400-goal mark. Eighty-eight players had reached the mark before him.
“Empty netter or whatever I take it. I kind of play little bit longer shift at the end and of course you think about it. You talk to the guys, your friends, teammates,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin accomplished the feat in 634 games, passing Pavel Bure (635) to be the sixth-fastest to the achievement. Only Wayne Gretzky (436), Mike Bossy (506), Mario Lemieux (508), Brett Hull (520) and Jari Kurri (608) did so in fewer games.
“It’s big number and being in this kind of company it’s a tremendous honor for me. I never felt like I’m going to be in this position when I start playing in NHL, of course I wanted to be but thanks to everybody my coaches, my partners. Without them I can’t reach these numbers.”
Consider for a moment that two years ago at this time many around the NHL wondered if hockey had seen the best of Ovechkin, if the dynamic scoring machine would find his offensive rhythm again.
Dating back to the start of the shortened 2012-13 season when Coach Adam Oates first moved him to right wing, Ovechkin has recorded 61 goals in his past 81 regular season games rocketing toward this landmark. He’s also fully established himself as one of, if not the most, the most potent goal scorers in the league.
So is his next step trying to score 50 goals in his first 50 games this season? He has 29 in 33.
“It’s pretty hard,” Ovechkin said with a smile. “Next step play New Jersey.”
Alex Ovechkin sixth fastest to score 400 goals in NHL history