Back in 1996, before broadcasting the NHL All-Star Game, Fox developed technology that it thought would help fans keep track of the sport’s most important feature: the puck.
The FoxTrax puck was designed to help fans watching on television follow it as it glided quickly across the ice by including an electronic device inside it that caused a blue streak to trail it around the screen.
The hi-tech puck was dropped — er, thrown out — about three years later, forcing fans to pay closer attention to where it was at any given moment.
Now, it’s time to make some low-tech but more dramatic changes — such as shifting the schedule around — that will help fans follow something even more important to the sport than that little frozen black disk: the games themselves.
As difficult as it is at times to keep track of where the puck is on the ice, it’s even harder to follow the sport when it’s continuously swallowed up by everything going on around it.
Case in point: The NHL has a couple of really cool games coming up later this month when the Rangers play both the Devils and the Islanders at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers and Devils will skate in the outdoor rink in the Bronx on Jan. 26 and the game between the two New York teams happens three days later.
Problem: How much attention will those games really get when the biggest sporting event in the world is happening just a few miles away only days later?
How much time and how many resources can local media outlets dedicate to those hockey games when 95% of the ink and airtime will be dedicated to Super Bowl XVLIII at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2?
But those are just two regular season games in one city. More importantly, the NHL does a bad job of giving itself its own window in which to play its most important games every year.
The league opens its regular season just as baseball’s playoffs are getting underway, only weeks before the NBA schedule begins and just as the NFL is kicking into high gear.
Then, the NHL playoffs start right around the time the MLB regular season does and runs just about simultaneously with the NBA’s postseason. The Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals basically overlap every year, wrapping up around middle to late June.
Never mind the fact that a sport played on ice by men wearing "sweaters" finishes just days before most of its fans are firing up their Fourth of July barbecues, the league just can’t compete with the other major sports when it comes to drawing attention to itself. And that’s what it’s all about.
Here’s a simple solution to all of this: The NHL season should begin in the middle of summer — in the days immediately following the NBA Finals — and the league should crown its champion in the latest days of winter, sometime around the middle of March. If hockey’s most important playoff games can be played during the warm months, then why can’t its first couple of months of games. And doesn’t it make more sense to cozy up to the fire while watching the Stanley Cup get hoisted than it does to make sure your kid changes out of his bathing suit before plopping down on the couch to do so?
True, under such a format the NHL’s playoff season would start right around the same time the NFL season wraps up — and the Super Bowl would be played smack in the middle of it. But at least the NHL would have a chance to play its biggest games — its semfinals and finals — during a period of time that is now considered a dead zone for major sports — the final days of February and most of March.
Sports fans can then turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, the baseball season and the NBA playoffs — but only after the Cup is raised instead of while it is.
Read more: NHL could draw more fans with a simple shift of season schedule - NY Daily News
Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille squinted into brilliant sunshine Monday as the 18-wheel truck carrying the NHL's portable refrigeration units pulled up to the outfield entrance to Dodger Stadium. In less than two weeks, their Los Angeles Kings and the rival Anaheim Ducks will turn Chavez Ravine into California's version of a winter wonderland. The NHL is staging its first warm-weather outdoor game on a hockey rink flanked by a beach volleyball court and an below-ground swimming pool in the famed baseball stadium's outfield.
The NHL's ice-makers were already at work on a beautiful 79-degree day, and Gretzky can't wait to see the next step in the evolution of a sport that didn't bloom in the California sun until the Great One moved to Los Angeles in 1988.
''I'm very proud that I was a piece of the group that was sort of responsible for stamping hockey into this area,'' Gretzky said while standing on the center field grass.
''It was the right group of guys, from Luc (Robitaille) to Marty McSorley to Kelly Hrudey to Tony Granato,'' Gretzky added. ''Each and every guy understood that this was a different market from other markets in the NHL, and these guys always went above and beyond the call of duty to go out and promote the sport and get more and more kids interested.''
The game will be a landmark for hockey in the American Southwest, which has produced a handful of NHL players and dozens more prospects in the pipeline over the past quarter-century. But the game also heralds the return of the league's career scoring leader to hockey prominence.
Gretzky has mostly stayed out of the public spotlight for five years since leaving the Phoenix Coyotes' bench, but he will be a prominent feature during the festivities, thrilling the NHL. Accompanied to Dodger Stadium by his wife, Janet, Gretzky said he is thrilled to see an outdoor game in the city where he played nearly eight NHL seasons.
Robitaille, now the Kings' president of business operations, said Gretzky is ''like our Babe Ruth, and we need him around.''
''We can't have this game without having Wayne,'' Robitaille added. ''It's so important he's here. It's so important that he be here for that game. It's the day before his birthday, too. I've got to remember to have a cake.''
Gretzky, Robitaille and Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau got a detailed look at early preparations for the game, which will be played after the sun goes down on Jan. 25.
The NHL's ice crews are putting down the foundation for the rink over the next few days, likely beginning the ice-making process Thursday. They will work entirely at night, gradually building up the ice sheet in colder temperatures while keeping it covered during the day.
NHL ice specialist Dan Craig is intrigued by the challenge of a warm-weather game, but confident his crew will deliver a workable surface - although he won't be getting much sleep over the next two weeks while working through the nights.
Gretzky and Robitaille also aren't worried. After all, they both remember the Kings' outdoor exhibition game in 1991 in Las Vegas, where the biggest hitch was a grasshopper invasion of the ice.
''People don't realize it's like 65 degrees in a hockey arena,'' Gretzky said. ''It's kind of warm. It's not that cold.''
Connor McDavid will be taking his talents to South Beach.
Just temporarily, though, unless the Florida Panthers secure the No. 1 draft pick in 2015.
McDavid, the top-ranked player for the '15 NHL draft, will hear his name called from the stage at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., after the league awarded hosting rights for the event to the Panthers. It will be the second time the Panthers have hosted the NHL draft.
"The draft is where the future of the NHL begins to take shape, and the BB&T Center is an ideal setting in which to enjoy the excitement as we welcome our next generation of stars," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday in a statement. "Vinnie Viola, Doug Cifu, Michael Yormark, the Panthers fans and the South Florida community will be outstanding hosts to our clubs, our media and our incoming class of 2015 draftees."
McDavid, a centre with the Erie Otters of the OHL and one of six 16-year-olds to play for Canada at the world junior championships, is expected to go first overall in 2015. The 17-year-old from Toronto has 15 goals and 43 assists in 34 games with the Otters this season.
The Philadelphia Flyers will host the NHL draft this summer.
NO TIMETABLE FOR HARDING
Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding practiced Tuesday but there's no telling when he will play again.
Harding, who is on injured reserve, has been out since Dec. 31 due to issues with his medication for multiple sclerosis or the illness itself. He's missed seven games already and isn't sure when he will get back in the lineup.
"There are some things that are out of my control and I thought we did everything in our control to get back to where we are now," Harding said on the team's website. "It was probably the worst timing. When you're playing good and got that rhythm and finally get that chance, you want to run with it."
Harding was 18-7-2 with a 1.66 goals-against average and .933 save percentage before going on IR.
BRIEFLY
Vancouver Canucks forward Dale Weise won't be suspended or fined for his slew-foot on Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty Monday. The NHL will not hold a hearing with Weise, who was not penalized on the play ... Forward Patrick Elias will rejoin the New Jersey Devils Wednesday in Denver and could play Thursday against the Avalanche. Elias has missed seven games due to "total body soreness" ... New York Islanders defenceman Travis Hamonic missed his first game of the season Tuesday in Florida. Hamonic was hurt (upper-body) Sunday against the Dallas Stars ... The Kings sent rookie forward Tyler Toffoli to Manchester of the AHL. He played 33 games with the Kings, scoring nine goals and eight assists ... Kings defenceman Matt Greene is being tested for a concussion. Greene was hurt in a scrap with Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa Monday ... The Detroit Red Wings called up Tomas Jurco from Grand Rapids of the AHL. Jurco has played seven games with the Wings this season, recording two goals and one assist.
NHL notes: Florida Panthers to host 2015 draft | Hockey | Sports | Toronto Sun
Vincent Lecavalier’s sore back is getting better. So is his self-confidence.
Lecavalier capped a topsy-turvy finish by scoring with 15 seconds left, sending the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. It was his first goal since Nov. 27, a 22-game span that included nine games he missed with a back injury.
“It felt good. They’ve been hard to come by since I got back from my injury,” Lecavalier said. “Sometimes a goal like that will kind of, I don’t want to say jump-start, but get more confidence and keep going.”
The goal came during a scramble in the Sabres end and after Lecavalier missed on two other chances in the final two-plus minutes. After his initial shot just missed the net, teammate Matt Read dug out a loose puck to the left of the Buffalo net and fed Lecavalier, who one-timed a shot from the left circle.
The goal capped a furious finish in which the teams traded leads twice by combining to score four times in the final 6:32.
The Sabres will now look to regroup ahead of a showdown with the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night.
Scott Hartnell had a goal and two assists, while Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek also scored in helping Philadelphia snap a two-game skid. Wayne Simmonds had two assists for the Flyers (24-19-4), who improved to 8-3 in their past 11 games.
It was a game in which the Flyers twice rallied from one-goal deficits, and won for the eighth time this season when trailing in the third period.
“Never give up, that’s probably the biggest thing,” said Hartnell, who has five goals and eight assists in his past 13 games. “We showed a lot of character, especially late there coming back.”
The Sabres, by comparison, wilted in what proved to be yet another reflection of why the young and patchwork team’s NHL-worst record dropped to 13-27-5.
Cody Hodgson and Matt D’Agostini each had a goal and assist for Buffalo, which had an eight-game home point streak snapped at 6-0-2. Tyler Ennis also scored and Steve Ott set up two for the Sabres.
“Missed assignments, not determined enough to battle for the puck, spinning and turning off hits, not getting an inch in the lanes, all of the above,” interim coach Ted Nolan said, assessing what went wrong. “We just didn’t do what we were supposed to do at the end.”
Nolan could add undisciplined penalties to the list. The Flyers converted two of six power-play chances, including Hartnell’s goal that put Philadelphia ahead 3-2 with Buffalo’s Zenon Konopka off for goalie interference.
The Sabres squandered a rare offensive outburst, and blew a chance to win consecutive games for only the third time this season. Buffalo managed three goals in regulation for the first time in 10 games and only the ninth time this season.
Buffalo also wasted what was a solid outing by backup goalie Jhonas Enroth, who stopped 29 shots but got little help in front on all four Flyers goals. That included Lecavalier’s goal, during which a Sabres defender pushed a Flyers player into Enroth.
Enroth did make a highlight-reel save on Claude Giroux 12 minutes into the first period, when he dived to his right and punched his glove out to stop the shot.
NHL: Lecavalier’s last-minute goal earns Flyers wild win over Sabres | Toronto Star
Forward Steve Begin announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday.
Referencing a doctor's visit, Begin said via Twitter, "This news sadly puts an end to my hockey career. Yes, for the first time I will listen to my body."
A veteran of 524 NHL games with five teams, Begin, 35, played 36 games with the Calgary Flames last season. He was their nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which goes to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Chosen by the Flames in the second round (No. 40) of the 1996 NHL Draft, Begin had 56 goals and 108 points with the Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators.
"Steve had a career marked with great diligence and effort," Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke said in a statement. "On behalf of the Calgary Flames organization and ownership group, I congratulate him on his 15-year NHL career and wish him success in his future endeavors."
He signed a one-year contract with the Abbottsford Heat of the American Hockey League this summer but did not play a game this season after a reoccurrence of a hip injury during training camp. He also did not play during the 2011-12 season.
"It was a hard decision to make and everyone that knows me well will know that it's with tears that I'm writing this Tweet," he wrote. "I'm really proud of my career and all that I accomplished. Proud because I gave all I had with all my heart and honesty until the end."
Longtime NHL forward Steve Begin announces his retirement - NHL-com - News
The phrases “Team to beat” and “measuring stick” have been often used by players and coaches at the United Center for much of the past season and a half.
The difference on Thursday was those phrases were being spoken by the Chicago Blackhawks, not about them. With the Anaheim Ducks coming to town for a game on Friday, the Blackhawks find themselves in the unfamiliar spot of no longer being the league’s most revered team.
The Ducks are riding an eight-game win streak and have won 18 of their last 19 games. They lead the NHL with 77 points (36-8-5 record). The Blackhawks are second with 71 points (30-8-11).
“It’s a little different,” Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad said after practice on Thursday. “Regardless, in here, we’re thinking the same of our group. We know we’re a good team.
“As you can see, they’re first in the NHL, and they’re getting more media coverage and things like that. They’re a great team. They were great least year regardless of being on top or not. I think we’re all excited for the game and looking forward to the challenge.”
The Blackhawks were in unison calling Friday’s game an important one. No one tried to downplay it.
“Anaheim is the team to beat right now,” Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “They have been dominating so far this season. They got a lot of offensive skill. We got to play a real [good] defensive game if we’re going to beat them.”
The Ducks’ offense has especially been potent during their successful run over the last few months. They have scored five or more goals in nine of their last 18 wins. They’re coming off a 9-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. The Ducks have outscored opponents 170-120 this season.
“It’s a great test for us, a good measuring stick,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “They’re on a great run here. Commend them on how they’re playing. But game in, game out, they’re a hard team to play against. They got a lot of guys contributing, and everyone is a part of it.”
The Ducks have fared better at home than on the road this season, but they have had success in Chicago the past two seasons. They are 20-0-2 at home and 16-8-3 on the road this season. They won 3-2 in a shootout in Chicago on Dec. 6 and won regulation and shootout games in Chicago last season.
Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was confident his team would be ready for the task.
“Yeah, it’s a big game, obviously a top team,” Versteeg said. “They’re on a streak like we were last year, minus myself. They’re a big team and they’re really top heavy with [Ryan] Getzlaf and [Corey] Perry, and those guys who can make plays with the best to them. Tomorrow is a challenge. We’re excited about it. This team always seems to rise to the occasions.”
Hawks take aim at NHL-leading Ducks - Chicago Blackhawks Blog - ESPN Chicago
James van Riemsdyk tugged at the Toronto Maple Leafs logo on his chest, mimicking the celebration P.K. Subban made after an overtime goal two nights earlier.
That wasn't a coincidence.
Van Riemsdyk was on edge after some taunting from the Montreal Canadiens defenceman but waited until after scoring the game-winning goal Saturday night before letting that emotion show through. It was tension that was building throughout a 5-3 Leafs victory that was a showcase for the rivalry.
"I'm usually not one to engage in stuff like that, but I was a little bit fired up," van Riemsdyk said. "It just kind of happened."
Those are the things that happen when the juices are flowing and emotions are heightened as they were for this game between the Leafs and Habs. Of the 19,667 fans in attendance, more than a few were cheering for Montreal, and it made for a much more raucous atmosphere than usual at Air Canada Centre.
"If you don't get shivers and chills on Toronto-Montreal on a Saturday night on 'Hockey Night in Canada,' either in Montreal or Toronto, then I don't think you understand the true meaning of the game here in Canada," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said after his team's season-high fourth consecutive victory.
With the teams trading chances back and forth, it was an excellent example of what the NHL is supposed to offer. And even though eight total goals were scored, neither the Leafs' Jonathan Bernier (30 saves on 33 shots), nor possible Canadian Olympic starter Carey Price of the Habs (25 saves on 29 shots) could be faulted.
Instead, this was a case of two offences getting the job done. Before van Riemsdyk scored the game-winner at 14:27 of the third, Cody Franson, Phil Kessel and Mason Raymond also scored for the Leafs (25-20-5), while Brendan Gallagher, Brian Gionta and David Desharnais scored for the Habs (27-17-5).
"We're a team that was pushing the pace and we were skating well," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "Individual mistakes cost games. That's where it's disappointing. We give goals. They're not even supposed to be scoring chances."
But scoring chances were readily available. Toronto centre Nazem Kadri had two of the game's best passes, setting up Franson for the Leafs' first goal and then Raymond for his on the power play.
It was a breakout night for Kadri, who has been the subject of criticism and trade rumours lately.
"I wanted to come out and have a big game," Kadri said. "Obviously the magnitude of this game was huge. For us to chase that top spot in the division is still a realistic goal for us."
The Leafs' victory moved them to within four points of the third-place Habs. They still trail the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins by seven points and have played three more games.
But when the focus was on one game against rival Montreal, the Leafs brought close to their A-game. Carlyle called their start by far the best of the season, while Gionta wasn't thrilled with how he and his teammates responded.
"The first 10 minutes we were fairly slow getting going, but after that I thought we did a good job of forcing the play and getting some good chances," Montreal's captain said. "It's definitely a tough one to lose."
It would've been a tough one for the Leafs to lose after their strong start and considering the emotional investment.
"That was a statement game for this team," Kadri said. "It's the Montreal Canadiens. They're one of the better teams in the conference and obviously they're ahead of us in the division, as well. The rivalry speaks for itself. We wanted to come out here, home ice, and give these fans something to cheer about."
Price stellar
Montreal fans had something to cheer about early thanks to stellar goaltending from Price, who kept the Habs in the game despite being out-shot by a wide margin. Chants of "Carey" became jeering ones later on when Leafs fans got on him, loud enough that the goalie at the other end could hear them.
"The crowd was pretty amazing tonight," Bernier said. "It felt like a playoff game."
No Leafs players were alive the last time the Leafs and Habs met in the playoffs — 1979. Only Montreal's Gionta, Andrei Markov, Daniel Briere and Francis Boullion had been born by then.
But a lack of recent playoff history didn't seem to hurt Saturday night, thanks in part to Subban skating by the bench after Gallagher's goal and giving the Leafs some motivation.
"He was saying some stuff to our bench and we weren't thrilled about that," van Riemsdyk said. "It's hockey. He's got to do what he's got to do — he's a great player, it's fun to play against players like that. Obviously there's some emotions that were flying around out there."
Subban did not speak to reporters after the loss.
He was a central topic of conversation in hockey circles since his celebration of an overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night brought some criticism. Subban flashed the crest on his jersey a few times before going down the tunnel.
Don Cherry said on "Hockey Night in Canada" that "all [Subban] does is pump up the other team."
"He has to stop that stuff," Cherry said. "It's absolutely ridiculous."
Van Riemsdyk wouldn't even go that far, choosing instead to show Subban up after scoring his 19th goal of the season.
"If they wanted to play that game, then we'll play it, too," van Riemsdyk said.
Van Riemsdyk insisted popping his jersey wasn't a pre-meditated act. Instead, it was the release of a build-up of emotions that went beyond just redirecting Tyler Bozak's pass past Price.
Asked earlier in the day about goal celebrations, van Riemsdyk said that he preferred an understated approach. His teammates didn't mind when he veered from that just once.
"Obviously you get excited when you score," Kadri said. "That's on JvR — he likes scoring goals, so more power to him."
[url=www-cbc-ca/sports-content/hockey/nhl/game/1346062/recap/]Montreal vs Toronto - Rec
About half of NHL players suffer an injury such as a concussion that benches them, costing the league an estimated $218 million in lost time, say Canadian doctors who want arenas to be safer workplaces.
About 63 per cent of National Hockey League players missed at least one game because of an injury over three seasons between 2009 and 2012, researchers said in Monday’s issue of the British Medical Journal’s Injury Prevention.
The injuries added up to a total salary cost of about $218 million US a year.
"While league owners and management are wary of making changes to the game to decrease aggression that could in turn affect profits, they must also consider the costs of injuries," Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and his co-authors concluded.
"It is hoped that consideration of these costs will provide sufficient motivation for professional sports leagues like the NHL to consider taking further action to prevent player injuries."
Cusimano is particularly concerned about concussions, which he said is related to violent acts in 88 per cent of cases.
The researchers pegged salary loss to concussions at $42.8 million a year. After head/neck injuries, leg and foot injuries were the most common injury in the sample, accounting for 30 per cent of the total cost and about $68.2 million.
They estimated games lost to concussions cost insurance companies $7.2 million a year and teams $15 million a year. Insurance companies pick up part of the salary tab for players with long-term injuries.
Head shot rule changes enough?
In 2010, the NHL enacted Rule 48, banning blindside hits to the head. The following season, the rule was expanded to include targeted head shots from any direction. Both of these seasons were included in the study. Cusimano said the findings show the need for stiffer penalties, such as red cards in soccer that mean losing a player for the game.
The full costs of injuries are greater than estimated if the costs of treatment, personal suffering, potential later lost income and future medical care are considered.
At a practice, some Toronto Maple Leafs players said there’s not much more that the league can do.
"I think it's always going to be a dangerous game," said forward Joffrey Lupul. "The league is doing a great job taking some of the high hits away and the checking from behind and those are two cases where there's been a lot of injuries."
Fellow forward James van Riemsdyk said he’s seen improvements over the last couple of years.
"Instead of hitting him in the head, you're making more of an effort to hit in a place where you're not going to basically kill him," he said.
NHL concussion lawsuit grows to over 200 players: lawyers
A concussion lawsuit against the NHL originally launched by 10 former players argues the league did not do enough to protect them from concussions. The NHL has said it intends to defend it case.
In August 2013, the National Football League agreed to pay nearly $800 million US to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players over concussion-related brain injuries.
The NHL did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the study's findings from CBC News.
NHL injuries cost an estimated $218M US a year - Health - CBC News
The Rangers kicked John Tortorella out of New York, and now he’s gotten himself booted from the Vancouver Canucks’ bench for 15 days.
The fiery former Blueshirts boss was suspended 15 days without pay by the NHL on Monday for his actions during the first intermission Saturday night at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, when he stormed to the doorway of the Calgary Flames’ locker room and instigated near-fights with Flames coaches and players.
“Mr. Tortorella’s actions in attempting to enter the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period were both dangerous and an embarrassment to the league,” said NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell. “Coaches in the NHL bear the responsibility of providing leadership, even when emotions run high, and Mr. Tortorella failed in his responsibility to the game.”
Tortorella had been infuriated by the decision of Flames coach Bob Hartley to start Calgary’s brawlers for the opening faceoff. Tortorella responded by matching with his tough guys, and five separate fights occurred two seconds after the puck dropped, causing several ejections, shortened benches and Tortorella’s blood to boil over.
The NHL did not spare Hartley, fining the Calgary coach $25,000 for his clear intent to incite the violence. The fine was issued in accordance with NHL by-law 17.3 for “conduct prejudicial to or against the welfare of the league.”
“We are holding Mr. Hartley responsible for the actions of Flames’ right wing Kevin Westgarth, who took the game’s opening face-off and attempted to instigate a premeditated fight with an unwilling opponent – the Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa,” Campbell said.
Tortorella’s suspension is retroactive to Sunday and runs through Feb. 2. He will miss six games and is not permitted to have any interaction with his team prior to, during or after games.
As Rangers coach, Tortorella was suspended for one game during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs for squirting a fan with water and throwing a water bottle that struck a fan during Game 5 of a first-round series against the Capitals in Washington on April 24.
Read more: John Tortorella suspended 15 days by NHL for antics after Canucks-Flames brawl - NY Daily News
You know what? It’s doable for the Islanders to overcome what is now an eight-point deficit to the Rangers in the standings following their 5-3 triumph on the Snowy White Way of Broadway on Tuesday night in a match they deserved to win, no ifs ands or buts about it.
But in order to make that leap, they’re probably going to have to win their two remaining head-to-head matches, and both in regulation time.
Which means they’ll have to beat the Blueshirts twice within three days next week, first on Wednesday at the outdoor pond in The Bronx and then next Friday back at the Garden.
Because as far as New York, New York is concerned, that’s all she wrote. No confrontations down the stretch. None following the Olympic recess. None at all after these three matches within 11 January nights.
Leave it to the NHL to program a crescendo to the schedule for the dead of winter with more than two months remaining in the season.
No more Rangers-Islanders. No more Islanders-Flyers games after their season series, reduced to four games this year under the NHL’s newly adopted schedule matrix that will remain in force for at least two more seasons, concluded on Monday afternoon.
Only one more Rangers-Devils match following Sunday’s Battle of the Hudson at Yankee Stadium. No Rangers-Penguins games following the Olympic recess. No Islanders-Penguins games after the clubs wrap up their business for 2013-14 on Thursday night at the Coliseum.
Just when the league should be filled with head-to-head confrontations, and ideally of the four-point variety that were a staple until the NHL went to the “nobody loses!” tee-ball philosophy that features the loser’s point for staying even through 60 minutes, the schedule will be dominated with East versus West matchups that will minimize the impact of every game.
Perhaps the Rangers should be thankful for the vagaries of the schedule following a night on which they were buried under a blizzard of mistakes. Even when up 2-0 by the 11:07 mark of the first on two more Rick Nash goals and then 3-1 midway through the second, the Blueshirts’ grip was as shaky as a vehicle’s tires trying to navigate the West Side Highway during rush hour.
The Rangers kept putting the puck in treacherous places. Finally, the Islanders, led by the indomitable, brilliant John Tavares and linemates Kyle Okposo and Thomas Vanek, seized control. It was only 5-3, including an empty-netter, but it wasn’t that close anywhere except on the scoreboard.
And by the way, when the Blueshirts had pulled Cam Talbot and gained a faceoff in the offensive zone with 20.2 seconds remaining, Ryan Callahan — whose last shift had ended with 2:07 to go — didn’t get onto the ice. Pretty interesting.
These Rangers-Islanders matchups are main events, and if not all of the time for all of the players, then most certainly so for the teams’ fan bases.
The NHL is a wannabe NFL. Their owners for the most part have football envy, and honestly, why wouldn’t they? But the NFL skews its schedule to produce as many intra-divisional showdowns as possible the final weekend or two of the season.
Major league baseball may have diluted its schedule by realigning into two 15-team leagues that necessitates an inter-league matchup every day of the season, but league executives weren’t foolish enough to reduce the number of Yankees-Red Sox games. There will be 19 this season just as there were 10 years ago.
But the NHL, nope. The league that always skews to the lowest common denominator just had to find a way to get Sidney Crosby’s team into every building at least once a year, even at the expense of historical rivalries.
Late-season matchups should ideally feature a succession of intra-division contests. But the Rangers play only four of their final 16 games within the Metropolitan while playing eight against the West and the Islanders play five of their final 19 within the division, one fewer than they will play against teams from the West.
So fans should enjoy these three games in 11 nights. The NHL, you see, has made January into the new March and April.
NHL botches schedule, ending Rangers-Isles series in January | New York Post
Marc-Andre Fleury skated to centre ice, eager to add an exclamation point to his 28th victory of the season.
The Pittsburgh goaltender was cut off, though, by referee Kyle Rehman before he could reach Montreal counterpart Peter Budaj. All Fleury could do was shrug his shoulders as Rehman guided him out of harm's way.
"Oh well," Fleury said with a laugh.
It was the only thing that didn't go Fleury's way on a night the Penguins restored order to their universe. Fleury stopped 23 shots, Jussi Jokinen picked up two goals and Pittsburgh dominated the Canadiens 5-1.
Evgeni Malkin added a goal and an assist, Sidney Crosby picked up his 26th of the season and Taylor Pyatt added a rare score as the Penguins rebounded from a dismal performance against lowly Florida on Monday by overwhelming Montreal.
"We definitely buckled down, especially defensively," Crosby said. "Didn't give them a ton and when we did (Fleury) made some great saves and we generated some good chances and capitalized on them. It was a good game to respond."
The Panthers snapped Pittsburgh's club-record 13-game home winning streak by outclassing the Eastern Conference leaders on both ends of the ice to send the Penguins to their worst home defeat in more than two years.
Coach Dan Bylsma called it the byproduct of a steady decline in play over the last three weeks and the rustiness that comes with the return of regulars like James Neal and Paul Martin to the lineup.
Whatever the problems were, they disappeared 48 hours later.
The Penguins were crisp in the neutral zone, responsible on defence and efficient on offence. They didn't pepper Price so much as they surgically picked him apart. All five goals were either the byproduct of deft passing or nifty stickwork.
Price pulled in 2nd
Rene Bourque had his seventh goal for the Canadiens but Montreal spent most of the night fruitlessly chasing the Penguins. Carey Price stopped just 16 of 21 shots before being pulled late in the second period as the Canadians fell for the fourth time in six games.
"Pittsburgh is the best team in the conference, and they were the best team tonight," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "They played hard and they deserved success."
Jokinen, who tends to score in bunches, gave the Penguins the early lead after being on the receiving end of a bit of brilliance by Malkin. The Russian star took a pass from Matt Niskanen then darted around a flat-footed Montreal defender before feeding Jokinen with a centring pass that Jokinen easily slid by a diving Price 8:48 into the game.
"You can't let Malkin carry the puck like that up the ice," Bourque said. "It looked like he was playing a video game out there every time he went around us."
Pyatt doubled Pittsburgh's advantage later in the period, deflecting a Niskanen slapshot from the point to make it 2-0. After failing to score in his first 27 games this season — 22 with the New York Rangers and five with the Penguins — Pyatt has found the back of the net twice in three games.
Bourque briefly gave the Canadiens a lift by chipping the puck by Fleury late in the first, his seventh goal of the season coming via replay after his shot was initially waved off by officials.
The momentum shift didn't last. Jokinen fired a knuckling one-timer by Price 5:46 into the second period to restore Pittsburgh's two-goal lead and Crosby pushed his point total to an NHL-high 69 by redirecting a pass from Chris Kunitz that made it 4-1.
Malkin ended Price's night by swooping in from the right circle and putting in his own rebound. Price skated to the bench after being chased for the second time this season in favour of Budaj, who stopped all 10 shots he faced.
The saves will be long forgotten. The way Budaj nodded across the rink to Fleury to start a fight that never quite happened won't, though Budaj insisted it was nothing personal.
"I think there was just a scrum on the ice and there was built-up tension - you know, we were losing 5-1," Budaj said. "It was a disappointing night for us. So props to him that he wanted to do it. That's good."
Montreal vs Pittsburgh - Recap - NHL - Sports - CBC.ca
The NHL will turn up the heat on its outdoor hockey concept Saturday when the Los Angeles Kings play the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium (9:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports) with a game-time temperature that could be near 60 degrees.
With a beach volleyball court set up near the rink and Gene Simmons and KISS providing entertainment, this is guaranteed to be like no other outdoor hockey game you have ever seen.
"Most of the guys are packing a different kind of wardrobe (for Los Angeles)," NHL chief operating officer John Collins said. "I'm expecting a lot of Hawaiian shirts on game day instead of six layers of clothes."
Weather-com projects the temperature range in Los Angeles on Saturday will be 50 to 79 degrees. Compare that to a wind chill factor of zero on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium in the Winter Classic. "I grew up in Kingston, Ontario, and I loved to play outdoors," said Ducks general manager Bob Murray. "That's all I ever did. I couldn't wait for school to be over to play. We always had icicles on our faces. To think we can have ice good enough to play here (in Southern California) is amazing to me."
Initially, fans resisted buying the higher-priced tickets, partly because those seats are usually the least-expensive ones for baseball in the 56,000-seat stadium. But Collins said tickets are moving at an encouraging pace.
"The expectation is we are going to be sold out," Collins said.
The game has a Hollywood feel to it, with new celebrities committing to be there every day. Among those scheduled to attend: Wayne Gretzky, Yasiel Puig, Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm, Jason Bateman, Alyssa Milano, Matthew Perry, Cuba Gooding Jr., Colin Hanks, Pat Sajak, Brian Wilson, ex-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and Olympic gold medalist beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh.
"This really shows how much the game has grown in Southern California," said Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler.
Confidence in ice making
With six Winter Classic outdoor games already in the books, the NHL has enough experience in ice-making that officials have unwavering faith in NHL ice guru Dan Craig's ability to keep the ice at 24 degrees for playing purposes.
"I think the guys always plan for everything," Collins said. "But there are always issues that have to be worked out. But Dan was 100 percent confident he could handle any issue thrown his way."
Collins said Craig has dealt with "some 81-degree nights and he adjusted accordingly."
The NHL, which has a refrigeration truck, has used insulated blankets to cover the ice during the day. And it helps that the game will start after sunset.
"I think weather wise it's going to be similar to playing in an arena," said Kings forward Justin Williams. "The arena is not cold. …. The game will be at night. The sun won't be beating on you. Temperature wise I don't there is anything to worry about."
Williams said most players will have 10 or 12 family members in the stands and there is genuine excitement about the event, the first in the NHL's Stadium Series. Games are planned for Yankee Stadium on Sunday and Wednesday, and another is scheduled for Soldier Field in Chicago on March 1.
"It's not just a hockey game (at Dodger Stadium)," Williams said. "It's the venue, the Stadium Series, all of the things combined, that makes it a special event. It will probably be a little bit over the top, but it's going to be something you remember." It certainly helps that the Ducks are the NHL's top team and the Kings are 19 months removed from being Stanley Cup champions.
"There has been a large buzz about this game in the hockey community, locally, nationally and internationally, about how this game is going to work," said Kings chief operating officer Kelly Cheeseman.
Dodger Stadium is the largest baseball stadium in the major leagues and has more than three times the capacity of Staples Center.
"I don't think anyone would have envisioned 50,000 people gathering to watch a hockey game before Wayne Gretzky got here in 1988," Cheeseman said. "It will definitely be a marquee moment for us."
Game is a test case
How this game plays out will affect what the NHL does with the outdoor game concept.
"I think LA is an important game to prove the concept that Dan and the ice system can give you the NHL regular-season credibility," Collins said. "That will open it up for what we do next. There are so many markets that are interested in a game."
The Washington Capitals will host next season's Winter Classic. But that's the only commitment the NHL has made beyond this season. Undoubtedly, the Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues would be in line to land a game.
Collins makes it clear that he doesn't view the California game as a one-and-done.
"I think it is reasonable to think of something in San Jose or San Francisco," he said. "It could be great, whether it is in the AT&T, or the 49ers' new place or on the Stanford campus. That would be interesting and fun. With all of the partners we have in Silicon Valley, it really serve the purpose of putting hockey front and center." It's appropriate that the Kings received an outdoor game because they were pioneers when Gretzky and company played an outdoor exhibition in Las Vegas in 1991.
"I played in that game and we thought it was great, but once it was over, we never thought we would see again," said Kings President Luc Robitaille. "So this is going to be wild." The Kings' popularity has grown considerably in Southern California as a result of their 2012 championship.
"And this is definitely something that is going to elevate our notoriety even more, Robitaille said.
California hockey has come a long way since original Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke had trouble attracting fans after landing an expansion team in 1967.
"Hopefully, he is looking down and smiling now," Cheeseman said.
Amid the anticipation of next month's Olympics is a very real concern for safety among athletes and their families planning to travel to Sochi.
Of the four Sharks participating, three will be accompanied by immediate family. All took into account recent news reports of threats of attacks during the Winter Games.
"It's a question. There's always concerns," said Joe Pavelski, the lone Sharks representative on the U.S. team. "You see things happen in past Olympics when you're not expecting it. But it's such a tremendous honor and privilege that there are some people coming who want to experience it."
Finnish goalie Antti Niemi and Canadian defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic will have wives in attendance, but Canada's Patrick Marleau plans to go solo. Though that decision was based on scheduling conflicts, Marleau is somewhat relieved.
"With all the things going on, it's OK," he said of his family staying behind. "They wanted to be there to support me."
Decisions around the league vary. U.S. defenseman Ryan Suter - visiting San Jose with the Minnesota Wild on Saturday - said the distant travel was mainly why his wife and two young children will not attend, but safety was on the list, too. The Suter family has a history of Olympic success. Ryan's father, Bob Suter, was a member of the 1980 U.S. Miracle on Ice team. And Ryan's uncle, Gary Suter, was a two-time Olympian and a member of the Sharks from 1998-2002.
Vancouver's Roberto Luongo (Canada) and Daniel Sedin (Sweden) cited safety as the reason their families won't be traveling to Russia. Chicago's Patrick Kane (U.S.) and Jonathan Toews (Canada) acknowledged the risk, but plan to have family accompany them.
"It's definitely something you hear and think about," Marleau said. "They haven't said how it's going to work, but I've heard each team is going to have a security person taking care of them."
Niemi said recent violence has gotten his attention.
"Maybe a little bit because what's happened in the same area," he said. "I think they've really made an effort to take care of that. But anything can happen."
Sunny outlook: Looks like the NHL is going to luck out again in terms of favorable weather conditions as the Stadium Series of outdoor games starts with Ducks-Kings at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, followed by Rangers-Devils at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. In L.A., the forecast calls for 63 degrees, partial cloudiness, no chance of rain and no wind for the 6:30 p.m. puck drop. On Sunday in New York, expect 20 degrees, sunshine and 15 mph wind for the 12:30 p.m. EST face-off.
The end: Tuesday, Canucks captain Henrik Sedin missed his first game since March 19, 2004, the end of a franchise-record ironman streak of 679 games. Sedin played eight consecutive NHL seasons without missing a game in addition to two Olympics, two World Championships and a season in the Swedish Elite League when the NHL shut down in 2004-05. Bruised ribs kept him out Thursday, also.
St. Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has the longest active streak - 685 going into Saturday's game. Bruins coach Doug Jarvis holds the league record of 964 straight games, representing his entire career, from 1975-87.
Streaking: Sharks backup goalie Alex Stalock is 4-0-0 with a 0.96 goals-against average and has stopped 121 of 125 shots (.968 save percentage) in his past four starts. Meanwhile, Pavelski has game-winning goals in three straight, the second time it's happened in team history, according to Elias Sports.
Slap shots: The seven-part series "NHL Revealed: A Season Like No Other," carried by the NHL Network, is worth a look. ... Onetime Sharks assistant coach Todd Richards has overcome a bumpy tenure in Columbus, but is rewarding ownership's patience as the Blue Jackets ride a franchise-high eight-game winning streak. ... The Blues are 7-0-1 at Madison Square Garden since Oct. 12, 1998. ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has 83 points in 43 career games against the Islanders.
Potential free agents Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton agree to three-year deals. B4
There are a thousand things that go into an outdoor event like the NHL's hotly anticipated all-California bash at Dodger Stadium Saturday night.
In this case, there are celebrities, a sand volleyball court and the rock band Kiss.
But at the very bedrock of this sold out game or frankly any of the NHL's successful outdoor efforts is the players.
That might seem self-evident -- no players, no play -- but bear with us.
It's not just that they show up to these events and play the game they're paid to play. It's that they embrace the events, revel in them in fact.
During the NHL Players' Association annual tours of NHL clubs the one question that is always asked: When do we get to play outdoors?
When will it be our turn?
And the fact is none of this works without the players' desire to participate. If this was a chore, if it was a burden to take part in these events, if the players and coaches believed them to be insincere or cheesy or gimmicky, then it would be apparent and it would be revealed as a completely different animal and all it would have little meaning.
But that's not how it is with these events, which have become one of the league's signature success stories over the past six years.
Don't believe us?
Find some shots or video of the wives and girlfriends and friends and parents who spilled onto the Dodger Stadium ice late Friday after the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks finished their respective practices. There were toddlers and pre-teens and folks who hadn't been on skates for years who wouldn't have missed this for the world.
As Justin Williams made his way back into the Kings' locker room, which is where the Dodgers prepare for their games 81 times every summer in Chavez Ravine, he was followed by his son Jackson sporting a miniature "Williams" jersey and clutching a pint-sized hockey stick.
Somewhere nearby the rest of his family was recuperating from their turn on the ice.
"I think it's been about 20 years since my mom had her skates on," Williams said.
"Family time is usually reserved for holidays and things like that but this is certainly a special occasion. We're all taking advantage of it."
Never far from sight is the fact that Saturday's game has great import for both teams as the Ducks try to continue a spectacular first half that has seen them assemble the NHL's top record, while the Kings try to arrest a mid-season slide.
To be sure, part of the allure of these events is that there is meaning to the outcome. It's not a charade or a demonstration event. It's real.
But a day like Friday with the families' happy voices rising beyond the outfield fences suggests there is time to embrace the moment without losing sight of the importance of the two points.
"There's 82 games in a regular season and this one is obviously just as important with two points on the line, but there's an extra added element that's there. It's kind of an intangible thing that you just want to be a part of. You want to play hard and you want to put on a show for Southern California and the bunch of people that'll be watching," Williams said.
Kings captain Dustin Brown admitted there is a double-edged sword to these kinds of events because there is a danger of losing focus in an ultra-competitive Pacific Division race. But he also acknowledged that having his three boys, wife, brother, sister and brother's kids on the ice with him as dusk fell over Dodger Stadium, well, that's going to be hard to beat.
"That's probably going to be the cool part. Getting the pictures, getting the memories with friends and family, that's the cool part about it," Brown said.
"For my kids, they're almost at the age where they'll definitely remember skating on the outdoor rink at Dodger Stadium. How many kids can have that opportunity to have that memory?"
In the end, Saturday's game is a business proposition.
The players will share in the success as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement. But -- and we hate to horn in on the Grinch's epiphany at the end of the Dr. Seuss classic -- but maybe success doesn't just come from a cash register, maybe success means a little bit more.
"I think if there's anything to prove it's to prove that hockey can be a lot bigger. The business of hockey, the brand of hockey can be a lot bigger," NHL COO John Collins explained as the Kings worked out behind him.
"It's about exposing fans to just how great the sport is and how special these athletes are. And that's what comes through every time you go to one of these events. We said early on it's the first reaction of the players when they come in. They just embrace it, they think it's the greatest thing. They think it's cool. That's sort of the relationship with the fans because the fans love it too."
You don't have to convince defenseman Matt Greene that these are moments to be cherished.
"Unless you're really lucky, this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to play in this kind of setup in this kind of event, especially the first time happening here [in California]," Greene said.
"It's a highlight of our year being able to gear up for this and experience this and to be able to share this with them [family] is pretty cool."
NHL - Success of outdoor games is more than money - ESPN
Ryan Reaves is a 6-foot-1-inch, 224-pound package of mean. The St. Louis enforcer is one of the NHL’s toughest brawlers. The fourth-line forward fights with as much ferocity as he checks.
In contrast, Los Angeles’s Alec Martinez is a 6-1, 209-pound defenseman. Martinez is neither physical nor a fighter.
But during last season’s playoffs, when the Kings and Blues squared off in their ice-bag series, Martinez had no choice but to confront Reaves.
The way Jeremy Clark recalls the incident, Reaves had run over goalie Jonathan Quick, LA’s most important player. Quick is not allowed to be touched.
“Martinez grabs him, gives him a double stick to the arm, shoves him backward, and gets in his face,” recalled Clark. “He gets in his face. He’s not giving an inch. Would Martinez win? Of course not. I wouldn’t put those two together any day of the week. But he’s built enough confidence to know that guys are backing you up.”
Clark is not on the Kings’ masthead. He is better known as the owner of Minnesota Top Team, a gym that trains fighters in boxing, mixed martial arts, and Muay Thai kickboxing.
But Clark is a regular visitor to Manchester, N.H., home of the Monarchs, the Kings’ AHL affiliate. In Manchester, Clark serves as a development coach for LA’s prospects. Clark’s primary job is to teach the players, including former Monarchs such as Martinez, how to fight.
Some of Clark’s teachings are physical. Most are mental.
“He teaches our guys a lot about having the self-confidence to know that if you’re put in a situation where you’ve got to fend for yourself, you have the confidence to know about balance and being athletic,” Manchester coach Mark Morris said. “He understands the game within the game. He has a great passion for hockey and teaching guys to believe in themselves.” The Kings have welcomed tough guys. Raitis Ivanans was once their enforcer. Kevin Westgarth assumed the position. Their current muscle man is Kyle Clifford.
But the Kings also consider themselves team tough. They play an abrasive, in-your-face style that is as much about aggression as it is about fights. Mike Richards, Dustin Brown, Dwight King, Jordan Nolan, Jarret Stoll, Robyn Regehr, and Matt Greene do not drop the gloves regularly. But all of their shifts are belligerent. They don’t let up when they enter the danger areas.
Consider Nolan as an example. The 6-3, 221-pounder plays an energy role for LA. On Dec. 11, Frazer McLaren took out Colin Fraser, Nolan’s teammate, with a hit. McLaren is one of the scariest fighters in the league. Last season, McLaren dropped Ottawa’s David Dziurzynski with one punch. But Nolan challenged McLaren to a fight.
Nolan’s hits also lead to scraps. Last Monday, he crunched Torey Krug into the boards. The check brought Milan Lucic calling. Lucic had the upper hand early, which drew the attention of Brian Murphy and Derek Nansen. But Nolan waved off the linesmen and continued the fight.
Such is the approach that Clark preaches.
“The biggest thing is confidence,” Clark said. “We play the hockey game whistle to whistle, with no fear about the consequences after the whistle. It’s all about confidence. You can’t have guys scared to go into the corner after the puck, scared to hit a guy at the blue line or in front of the net. You can’t have that fear after the whistle that a guy’s going to grab me and tune me up. You can’t have that, or you lose the game. What we sell is confidence.”
Clark’s heaviest lifting takes place in the summer. One of his current pupils is Buffalo tough guy John Scott. Clark also trained former enforcer Derek Boogaard.
In the offseason, Clark’s clients can focus solely on fighting. He drills in three pillars: self-protection, defense, then offense. “Win, lose, or draw, even if you take a couple hits on top of the head and get dumped on the ice, you’re OK as long as you didn’t get injured,” Clark said. “If you don’t have a concussion, a broken jaw, or didn’t do something stupid, you can take confidence in that fact.”
Andy Andreoff is one of Clark’s Manchester charges. Through 44 games, the 6-1, 207-pound Andreoff led the Monarchs with 96 penalty minutes. Andreoff has improved technically as a fighter. He said he’s more balanced during a fight. Andreoff stands square to his opponent. He knows where to grab and how to start a fight. If Andreoff is going up against a bigger opponent, he’ll try to get inside to negate any reach disadvantage.
The biggest difference, however, is with his attitude.
“He’s helped with my confidence,” Andreoff said. “You can’t show that you’re scared. Then they’ll take advantage of you.”
Fighting is the toughest job in the league. There is nothing natural about tussling with a big man, staying upright while balanced on two slivers of metal, and pulling and punching at the same time. Like players at every position, fighters need coaching. It’s hard enough to do battle with an opponent. But it’s just as tough for a fighter to deal with the worries inside his head.
“Every player has self-doubt and moments of anxiety,” Morris said. “That’s a normal reaction. It’s violent at times. If you can ever get past that fear factor or manage your fear, you’re so much further ahead of the game.”
Read More: Even NHL fighters need coaching - Sports - The Boston Globe
NHL player participation in the Olympics beyond 2014 is in doubt for a host of logistical and financial reasons, and though it's highly unlikely, a worst-case scenario exists to jeopardize their presence in Sochi, Russia, this February, as well.
League deputy commissioner Bill Daly expressed full confidence in security steps taken in Russia for the upcoming Games during a recent interview with the Associated Press, but he allowed for the possibility that a major security breach could keep NHL players from traveling overseas at all.
"As of now, we do not doubt that all necessary steps are being taken by the Sochi Organizing Committee, the Russian government and the IOC to ensure the safety of the athletes and guests in Sochi," Daly wrote Monday in an email to the AP. "Obviously, if something significant were to transpire between now and February 9 that causes us to question that conclusion, we will re-evaluate. I don't expect that that will become necessary."
Russian security has been looking for three potential female suicide bombers, one of whom is believed to be in Sochi. The country has assembled what is believed to be the biggest security operation ever for an Olympics with more than 50,000 police and soldiers.
"The NHLPA continues to be in contact with Olympic and security officials regarding plans for the Olympic Games in Sochi, and will work closely with all concerned to monitor matters in advance of and during the Games," NHL Players' Association spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon told the AP in an email.
While everyone hopes for a safe, successful and unblemished February Games, league officials are skeptical that it's good for business to freeze the NHL schedule for two-plus weeks in the middle of the season in the future, beginning in 2018 in South Korea.
The NHL had 150 of its players picked to play this February, but due to the Olympics, the league will not have any games from Feb. 9 through Feb. 24, a 16-day window between the Super Bowl and the NCAA men's college basketball tournament during which the NHL will fail to capitalize on decreased competition for time and money from casual fans.
The NHL and the players' association will decide on future Olympic participation after Sochi, just as they have done since the top players started participating in the games in 1998.
The AP wrote on Monday that players "seemingly universally" want to play in the 2018 Olympics, quoting support from Detroit's Daniel Alfredsson (Sweden) and Chicago's Patrick Kane (United States). However, the Daily News has spoken with some NHL players who do not support future Olympic participation because the Games force the NHL to cram its schedule into fewer available days, shrinking the breaks between regular season games and creating a more taxing slate.
Those players would prefer a tournament such as the World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that wouldn't conflict with the league's regular season, which the NHL and NHL Players' Association in fact already have discussed bringing back.
Daly told the AP the NHL and NHLPA are both in favor of creating a uniform international calendar.
"A World Cup should clearly play a part in that," Daly said.
NHL could pull players from Sochi Olympics over terror concerns - NY Daily News
So, the NHL is going on a hiatus for the Olympics, which for the league begins Feb. 9 and ends on the night of Feb. 25 with a game in Buffalo.
It stands to reason that it’s easy enough to determine what happens to players in that period: Those playing at the Olympics head to Sochi and those who don’t get a two-week vacation in the middle of their season. But it’s not quite that simple.
For players not going to the Games, the break does in fact start on the ninth, but it actually ends on the 19th at 2 p.m. local time, which is when teams will call them back to practice. Instead of a two-and-a-half week break, they really only get 10 days away, and some will spend that time in the AHL.
The concern, from the teams’ perspective, is that too long a break would mean players have long enough to fly to a beach somewhere and get more than a little out of game shape.
“We come back to practice, and it’ll basically be a training camp all over again,” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said on Tuesday. “We’ll try and advise our players on what they should do over the break, but I know sometimes those things fall on deaf ears.”
There are also all kinds of complications that the break brings for the league, from a trade freeze to how the salary cap is affected and who exactly can play in the minors during this time frame.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more interesting aspects of the break:
- The trade freeze runs from 3 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 7, until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, the day of the gold medal game in Sochi.
- As Elliotte Friedman pointed out earlier in the day, players are paid throughout the break, so there could be some cap-related manoeuvrings prior to the freeze. One NHL executive noted that one bizarre loophole with the break is some entry level players can be “loaned” (i.e. demoted to the minors) for cap reasons even if they aren’t eligible to play in the AHL, making it merely a paper transaction. (NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that was a simplified way of looking at what’s possible during the break but “not categorically inaccurate.”)
- Why can’t some players play in the AHL? Well the league and the NHLPA negotiated a big, long list of stipulations over which players get an Olympic break and which ones don’t, a string of legalese that’s not included in the CBA. Basically, players who don’t require waivers to be sent down still get the time off if (a) they were on an NHL roster (or injured reserve) for at least 75 per cent of the days between Oct. 1 and Jan. 24, including being in the NHL on Jan. 24 or later or (b) they participated in 16 of the last 20 games before the break.
- Regardless of their age or contract status, players who fall into those two groups are deemed to have earned an Olympic break and can’t “practice, participate or play” with their AHL team at any point during the 10-day break.
- If you want to put a veteran player on waivers, however, in order to play them in the minors during the break, that’s fair game. That’s a pretty cold move if it’s a player that’s been on your roster all season and planning for some time off, but it would save some cap space.
- There are no conditioning assignments allowed until Feb. 19, so players like recovering Leafs centre Dave Bolland can’t go down to the AHL until their peers are also back at practice.
What all that means is that come next weekend there could be a lot of activity with players being traded, waived or demoted to get ready for the Olympics. It’ll be interesting to see which teams take advantage of some of the workarounds that appear to be available to them.
Mirtle: How the Olympic break works for NHL players - The Globe and Mail
Sometimes good teams play poorly. Sometimes bad teams put together a strong effort and win. And sometimes good teams play well, bad teams play poorly, and the bad team still comes away with the win.
The latter is when goaltenders come through with unbelievable performances like the one Ben Scrivens had on Wednesday night for the Edmonton Oilers in a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. Scrivens, making his third start with the team since being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings earlier this month, made 59 saves in the win while turning in one of the best goaltending performances of the NHL season.
That's worth repeating. Fifty. Nine. Saves. The performance set an NHL record in the expansion era for most saves in a shutout breaking the old record of 54 saves that was set by Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.
Just to give you an idea of what he was up against during the game, just consider this: Just about the only thing Scrivens didn't do for the Oilers was score a goal himself, and if any goalie ever deserved to get one in an empty net situation, it was probably him for his performance in this one.
It can't be understated just how badly Edmonton was outplayed in this game. San Jose finished with 100 shot attempts to just 37 for Edmonton. According to the database at Hockey-Reference, this was just the fourth time since 1987 that a team allowed at least 59 shots on goal, had 28 or fewer, and still managed to win a game.
This fact was not lost on coach Dallas Eakins.
"I'm so happy for Ben and proud of him, but mad at the same time," said Eakins regarding the number of shots his team allowed.
"You preach all the time that you need the whole team to win, and tonight I'm rethinking that."
If you're going to get outplayed like that you better have one damn good goalie.
That's exactly what the Oilers had on Wednesday.
Ben Scrivens sets NHL record for most saves in a shutout with 59 - SBNation-com
The Battle of Ontario was full of physicality and offense...from Phil Kessel. Kessel earned himself a hat-trick (goals 28, 29 and 30) and added an assist for a four-point night. The line of Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk combined for eight points in the Leafs 6-3 win over Ottawa.
No. 2 Star: Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames
The Flames had a two-goal lead after Backlund's shorty one-minute into the third period. Minnesota made the comeback sending the game to overtime. Midway through the extra-session, Backlund hit the game winner to give the Flames their fifth-straight win. Yes, fifth-straight win.
No. 3 Star: Nate Thompson, Tampa Bay Lightning
Still no Steven Stamkos for the Lightning, but not to worry fans, they have Nate Thompson! Thompson provided all the offense Tampa Bay needed to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 (OT). He potted a short-handed goal to open the scoring and banked the game winner in overtime to close it.
Honorable mention: Nate MacKinnon earned the first three-point (1-2=3) game of his career as the Avalanche shelled the Buffalo Sabres 7-1; Erik Johnson and Jamie McGinn also had three points. MacKinnon's power play goal came from some nifty stick-handling from Johnson (that sounds dirty...) Chris Neil also had a three point night. Yes, Ottawa's Chris Neil. He scored 2 goals and an assist in the loss to Toronto. No one knew he scored a second goal until the Situation Room caught it ... Philly's Steve Mason reinforced Los Angeles's goal-scoring phobia with a 2-0 shutout. Former-King Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux were the goal scorers for the Flyers ... Vladimir Tarasenko scored the game-tying goal in the third period and went on to earn the game-deciding shoot-out goal in the Blues 4-3 (SO) win against Nashville ... The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 thanks to 35 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky and the six-point total performance from the line of Boone Jenner, Nathan Horton and Ryan Johansen, including this beauty ... ... Mike and Mike night; Mike Smith's 23 saves and Mike Ribero's goal and assist helped to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 ... Boston Bruins crashed Edmonton's Ben Scrivens party 4-0; in his last two starts Scrivens has faced 91 shots total ... Dallas Starts backup goaltender Dan Ellis handed the Anaheim Ducks their first shut-out loss of the season; Ellis stopped all 26 shots in the 2-0 victory.
Did you know? The Chicago Blackhawks have been to overtime 19 times this season and haven't found the back of the net in any of them. Tonight they lost to the Sharks 2-1 in the shoot-out.
Dishonorable mention: If you didn't see it earlier, Ben Bishop and Brandon Prust got into it during the Habs/Lightning game ... Nazem Kadri had a questionable hit on Cody Ceci that lead to a goal; no call on the play ... Ryan Miller allowed five goals on 27 shots through two periods against the Avs ... Calgary's Karri Ramo left the game against the Wild with a lower-body injury just 17:32 into the game; he was replaced by Reto Berra who earned the win ... Chicago's Corey Crawford allowed-in all three San Jose shoot-out goals.
In a game where defense was nowhere to be found, Nyquist led all scorers with his first career hat trick and an assist, but the Red Wings fell short in overtime to the Washington Capitals 6-5. Nyquist scored in each period, two of which came on the power play. In a bid to replace Johan Franzen on Team Sweden, Nyquist now has eight goals in his last seven games.
No. 2 Star: Al Montoya, Winnipeg Jets
Michael Frolik's goal 1:02 into the third period was the deciding factor in Winnipeg's 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Behind Montoya's 30 saves, the Jets won for the eighth time in their last 10 games. Montoya has won seven of his last nine starts and has allowed two goals or less in six of them.
No. 3 Star: Joel Ward, Washington Capitals
Ward was one of Washington's offensive stars in their 6-5 win, netting a pair of goals and adding an assist. In overtime, it was Alex Ovechkin putting home his NHL-leading 39th goal of the season to seal the victory:
Honorable mention: Jason Chimera had a three point night, while Nick Backstrom, Connor Carrick and John Carlson each recorded two ... Eric Fehr was 10-for-12 in the face-off circle ... Henrik Zetterberg had three helpers in the loss ... Both teams enjoyed their power play chances with the Red Wings going 2-for-3 and the Capitals 3-for-6 ... Carey Price made 33 saves in the loss ... The Jets are now 8-2-0 since Paul Maurice was installed has head coach.
Did you know? "The last time the Habs lost both Super Bowl weekend games was in '99. The Broncos won the Superbowl that year." (Robyn Flynn - TSN 690)
Dishonorable mention: Brendan Smith was called for tripping in overtime, giving the Capitals the power play that Ovechkin would eventually score on ... Carey Price might get an assist on Frolik's winner:
The FoxTrax puck was designed to help fans watching on television follow it as it glided quickly across the ice by including an electronic device inside it that caused a blue streak to trail it around the screen.
The hi-tech puck was dropped — er, thrown out — about three years later, forcing fans to pay closer attention to where it was at any given moment.
Now, it’s time to make some low-tech but more dramatic changes — such as shifting the schedule around — that will help fans follow something even more important to the sport than that little frozen black disk: the games themselves.
As difficult as it is at times to keep track of where the puck is on the ice, it’s even harder to follow the sport when it’s continuously swallowed up by everything going on around it.
Case in point: The NHL has a couple of really cool games coming up later this month when the Rangers play both the Devils and the Islanders at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers and Devils will skate in the outdoor rink in the Bronx on Jan. 26 and the game between the two New York teams happens three days later.
Problem: How much attention will those games really get when the biggest sporting event in the world is happening just a few miles away only days later?
How much time and how many resources can local media outlets dedicate to those hockey games when 95% of the ink and airtime will be dedicated to Super Bowl XVLIII at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2?
But those are just two regular season games in one city. More importantly, the NHL does a bad job of giving itself its own window in which to play its most important games every year.
The league opens its regular season just as baseball’s playoffs are getting underway, only weeks before the NBA schedule begins and just as the NFL is kicking into high gear.
Then, the NHL playoffs start right around the time the MLB regular season does and runs just about simultaneously with the NBA’s postseason. The Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals basically overlap every year, wrapping up around middle to late June.
Never mind the fact that a sport played on ice by men wearing "sweaters" finishes just days before most of its fans are firing up their Fourth of July barbecues, the league just can’t compete with the other major sports when it comes to drawing attention to itself. And that’s what it’s all about.
Here’s a simple solution to all of this: The NHL season should begin in the middle of summer — in the days immediately following the NBA Finals — and the league should crown its champion in the latest days of winter, sometime around the middle of March. If hockey’s most important playoff games can be played during the warm months, then why can’t its first couple of months of games. And doesn’t it make more sense to cozy up to the fire while watching the Stanley Cup get hoisted than it does to make sure your kid changes out of his bathing suit before plopping down on the couch to do so?
True, under such a format the NHL’s playoff season would start right around the same time the NFL season wraps up — and the Super Bowl would be played smack in the middle of it. But at least the NHL would have a chance to play its biggest games — its semfinals and finals — during a period of time that is now considered a dead zone for major sports — the final days of February and most of March.
Sports fans can then turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, the baseball season and the NBA playoffs — but only after the Cup is raised instead of while it is.
Read more: NHL could draw more fans with a simple shift of season schedule - NY Daily News