#<- if nhl.com is to be believed ?

[19871997]

three inch height difference Can infact seem like so mych more. thats toad and luigi. btw

[parvuls]

From: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

To: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

Subj: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers

Mr. Eric Bittle,

It has recently been brought to my attention that you are responsible for the pies and various pastries that have been delivered to members of the NHL team, the Providence Falconers. Unfortunately, the high fat content found in pies and the like poses a significant risk to athletes' physical fitness. It is vital for hockey players to maintain optimal physical condition to ensure their peak performance on the ice, and therefore the team’s win.

As it is my duty to oversee their dietary requirements, I ask you to cease the distribution of such food items to the members of the team immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Jack Zimmermann

Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI

-

From: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

To: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

Subj: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers

Dear Mr. Zimmermann,

It’s really nice to make your acquaintance. I actually had to message Alexei just to make sure this wasn’t some prank from one of my friends - I couldn’t believe an actual NHL staff member reached out to me! He assured me you’re the real thing, however (although I’m not sure how you got my school contact info?).

About the pies - you have nothing to worry about. Firstly, I only use the very best products, so anything your boys are getting from me is high quality. Second of all, I explicitly told the boys that I would only make the deliveries on cheat days. They better be smarter than to lie to me. 

I’m a big fan of the Falconers, and I would never do anything to harm their chances! On the contrary, I do believe having a pie waiting for you at the end of a hard week gives more motivation for training. So actually, I’m helping y’all out :) 

You’re very welcome, and good luck against the Devils!

Eric

-

From: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

To: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

Subj: Re: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers

Mr. Bittle,

I appreciate your reply. However, I feel that I have not made my stance clear enough.

Hockey is a very demanding sport. Cheat meals are meant to benefit our players, not provide them with an excuse to consume excessive amounts of sugar and fat. Nine of our players had received deliveries from you in the last 3 months. In my estimations, that comes to about 216 baked pies. 

You must not be aware of this, but regular consumption of saturated fat can lead to heart disease and stroke. I advise you to look into investing your time in less harmful pursuits. I attached a list of recommendations for preferable culinary interests and other hobbies (if you eat even a portion of what you make, I highly recommend taking an interest in physical activity).

Please write back to me with confirmation that you will no longer deliver to members of this team.

Sincerely,

Jack Zimmermann

Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI

-

From: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

To: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

Subj: Re: Re: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers

Mr. Zimmermann,

Unfortunately, I can make no such promises. Your players are counting on me, and I’d hate letting those sweet boys down. But just give it a few more months! You’ll see their game won’t be affected, and we could put all this behind us. In fact, I bet you’ll even see some improvement :)

Thank you for your concern, but it’s honestly not needed. I’m definitely getting enough physical activity, haha. Actually, I’m the captain of a Division I NCAA ice hockey team. And look, I’m doing just fine!

Also, I did take a look at your list. Flourless protein brownies?? Poor man. If that is what you consider a dessert, it’s no wonder you’ve got all these misguided views on pies. I had real brownies delivered just for you this morning, so you can taste the difference yourself. If they’re not on your desk by this afternoon, Thirdy or Poots must’ve gotten to them. Please let me know so I can make another batch.

All the best,

Eric

- 

From: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

To: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

Subj: Final Request to Discontinue Pastry Deliveries 

Mr. Bittle,

You’re a hockey player who bakes a dozen pies a month in his free time? This is unacceptable for a sports team on any level. If possible, I would like the name of your team and your coach. Your staff should be made aware of the risks involved in not supervising their players’ health. I am more than willing to offer my services for a free-of-charge seminar about nutrition. 

I have made my position about the deliveries very clear. If you cannot assure me of your cooperation, I will be forced to speak to security and restrict entry of food into our facilities without my approval.

I don’t wish to resort to forbidding you from future contact with team members, but if it is in the best interest of the team’s success, I will.

Good day,

Jack Zimmermann

Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI

-

From: eric.bittle@samwell.edu

To: jackzimmermann@nhl.com

Subj: (no subject)

Dear Jack Zimmermann,

I would like to see you try.

Bless you heart,

Eric Bittle

[fannyyann]

Tkachuk tells NHL.com how change in approach lifted game for Panthers

Forward no longer playing it safe, becomes ultimate clutch player in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There was a time in Matthew Tkachuk’s life when he played it safe. It’s hard to remember now, hard to get that image out of your head, the one where he is crushing opponents and taking over Stanley Cup Playoff games and literally walking off the ice after scoring a game-winning goal in the fourth overtime of Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. 

It’s hard to remember there was a before. 

But there was.

Once upon a time, like most mortals, Tkachuk didn’t want to make a mistake. He didn’t want to be blamed. He didn’t want to err, to let down his teammates, the fans, himself. It was a time when he wasn’t quite as confident, wasn’t quite as assured -- if that can be believed -- when he didn’t know that, for him, safe was the riskiest play of all. 

“I think maybe earlier in my career, being a young player, not wanting to be the guy that made the mistake, [I] maybe played a little bit safe in the high-pressure situations,” Tkachuk said. “Just trying to play it smart and, honestly, safe’s a perfect word for it. 

“And then a couple years ago, I was like, why not make the play when nobody else wants to try to attempt it because they’re too nervous [about] what bad’s gonna happen? And I’ve seemed to go the other way, in the extreme other way, and that’s seemed to work the last few years.”

Tkachuk pinpoints it exactly, to 2021-22, his final season with the Calgary Flames, before the trade, before he landed in South Florida and became a genre-crossing star, before he helped propel the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final last season. 

“I was like, ‘Why not?’” Tkachuk said. “Why wouldn’t you want to be the guy that can make that right play at the last minute of the game or whatever? … I’m like, I’m capable, I feel like I’m a good enough player where I can be confident in myself no matter what the situation is. And that’s just kind of kept going.”

The Panthers and Tkachuk will need it to keep going, as they head to the playoffs having hit a tough skid of late. The Panthers, who are set to face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), are 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, including a 6-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. 

They are second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Bruins, having clinched a playoff spot on March 28, a far cry from last season when the Panthers clinched with a single game remaining on their schedule. They then fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 first-round series against the Bruins. That was when they -- and Tkachuk -- came roaring back to force a Game 7. To win that Game 7. 

“I knew what he could bring on a stage like that, but I don’t think the whole rest of the world knew what he could do,” brother and Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. “So for him to show what he was all about is pretty cool. And I think he’s got another level to his game.”

Paul Maurice thinks he knows why. 

The Panthers coach has seen a handful of players in his career who are elite, who might even rise to the level of potential Hockey Hall of Fame players. And when he’s viewing them, he notes something, something that seems to be common to all of them.

“I watch them and they have a higher expectation of the result,” Maurice said. “And the analogy I used [was] when that guy goes in and buys a suit, he expects it to fit right and it’s going to look good. He has an expectation of the result. 

“With Matthew, it seems to me, it’s tied, there’s four minutes [left], he’s excited about that situation because he has a really high expectation that something good’s going to happen because over the course of his life, that’s exactly what’s happened. It wasn’t a lottery. It’s just he’s gone out and made it happen, so he wants to and believes it can. 

“I never sensed any arrogance on him. I truly have not. It’s not like, hey, give me the puck, I’m the shooter. He just thinks when he hits the ice, it could happen, and his life has told him that it could happen. So why wouldn’t you enjoy the hell out of that?”

Oh, and he is. 

Not only has South Florida been a revelation for Tkachuk, so too has the team, which has entered into the top echelon of the NHL. He has figured out himself and his game, not only that he can -- and will -- come up big in the biggest of moments, but that he can also adjust to fit what the team requires, mold his game to the situation. 

Asked if he is a chameleon, he readily agrees. 

Especially in the playoffs. 

“I look at those types of playoff games differently,” Tkachuk said. “Like some people if they’re not producing, they’re not doing too much to help their team, whereas one of the good things that I’m able to do is recognize what my team needs out of me on that particular night or that particular shift. 

“There are some nights when offense comes second and all I’m trying to do is run around, be physical, try to forecheck and try to gain my team momentum like that. Even if teams are keying in on me or really focusing on me, there’s ways to make an impact.”

No one can argue with that. The Bruins still bear the scars -- some literal, some figurative -- of what Tkachuk did to them in the playoffs last spring. 

In the final four games of the first-round series, Tkachuk had eight points (four goals, four assists) to help them win the best-of-7 series. 

Boston forward Trent Frederic, who traces his understanding of Tkachuk back to basement games as kids in St. Louis, said that he thinks that, likely, had Tkachuk not been on the Panthers, the Bruins would have advanced. 

But he was. They didn’t. And now it’s not hard to believe that many teams are uninterested in seeing the Panthers on the opposing bench in the playoffs, in seeing Tkachuk on the opposing bench. 

Before a cracked sternum forced him to miss the fifth and final game of the last season’s Cup Final, Tkachuk had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists), including four game-winning goals, in 20 playoff games. 

“So the playoffs, I think the one quote, he’s a [expletive] gamer, that’s how I feel about him in the playoffs last year. And I know it’s profane, but it’s also very specific words, it’s exactly the way I feel about him,” Maurice said. “Sometimes the words just fit. Sometimes they’re casual and you swear too much. Sometimes I do. But that is how I -- a [expletive] gamer. He comes up with the biggest plays time and time again. And his energy level to be able to play at that level, that was specific to the hockey. 

“This year, I’ve gotten to watch what an incredible leader he is.”

He sees it on the bench, in the exhortation of his teammates, in his calming of them, in his barking at them. He sees it when he brought a friend and his two kids into the dressing room after a game in Detroit, when Tkachuk paused in his postgame showering routine to sign a jersey, to take a picture, to get Carter Verhaeghe out of the shower to sign the other jersey. 

“I don’t even blame players who don’t sign,” Maurice said. “But he doesn’t have to do that, and he does that consistently. … It’s not fake. It’s not showy. I think he understands the responsibility that he has and he takes care of it.”

There are so many responsibilities heaped on Tkachuk now. 

He is a leader on the ice and off it. He is the second-leading scorer, with 83 points (24 goals, 59 assists), the top chirper and certainly the most talked about player on the Panthers. And he is ready, once again, to receive that pressure. He is ready for the playoffs. He is ready for the eyes and the lights and all that comes with it.

“I enjoy it,” Tkachuk said. “I think that the high intense games and the rivalry games and the, just like the intense part of the games that some guys might not feel too confident or comfortable, I seem to thrive in them and I love those moments.”

There will be no shortage of those moments in the waning days of the season, in the start of the playoffs, as the Panthers attempt to replicate their Cinderella run to the Final last season -- without the Cinderella part. 

Because much like the Panthers, who have been at or near the top of the NHL all season, there will be no surprises when it comes to Tkachuk. He is known, now. Known for stealing games, for coming up big in the biggest moments, for never, ever playing it safe. 

And when the pressure comes, as it will, he will be right there. 

“Knowing him, that’s going to make him go to another level,” Brady Tkachuk said. “And I think for him, he’s going to love, not the spotlight, but the opportunity that comes from that and what he’s going to be able to do with that. He gets better when the pressure is higher.”

[zegrasdrysdale]

Where’s the source that Jamie is skating again

i believe he said it in an interview abt a week and a half ago (here’s the tweet that i found that mentions it and it’s also mentioned in an article found on nhl.com / nhl app)

[wehaveagathering]

have been going back and forth on whether to spell it matvei or matvey going forward. i believe he spells it matvey bc the russian is technically матвей, where й has the lil doink above it (the technical linguistic term!), making it function more as a “Y” as opposed to и, which functions like an “i” in cyrillic? my russian is extremely barebones but i believe thats correct. ive heard from russians that writing й/и doesnt matter that much, it’s the same sense in english like touche is technically touché, but everyone knows what you mean if you just write touche. naïve/naive, etc. so ig my question then would be is матвеи/матвей an important distinction ? i don’t see a single cyrillic spelling of matvei/y that doesnt have й, but the english transliteration varies.

and literally everywhere else EXCEPT HIS IG spells it matvei - nhl.com, eliteprospects, wikipedia… im inclined to say matvey in general bc that’s more phonetically accurate and it’s his ig handle. like i would say yegor zamula but Z’s ig handle spells it egor with an E so i don’t… how we feelin about this flyers lb

matthew lol

[workingforitallthetime]

I know you're more umich/usa hockey, but do you have any takes on shane wright?

I personally feel like he's starting to get the positive press he deserves after everyone decided he was a terrible person last year for allegedly looking at the mtl table

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH1nvIUqUYY / https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/shane-wright-makes-statement-by-showing-up-at-kraken-development-camp/

oh, friend, allow me to direct you to my seattle blog, where i store all my shane wright takes (including this silly little thing that is somehow getting more notes than my lil rarepair heart usually experiences.)

it's worth noting that the (completely made up) montreal incident wasn't a turning point in and of itself -- it just reinforced what was already the prevailing opinion about shane at the time. and shane made his own bed on that one. there's a good summary in this article:

Wright had a solid but unspectacular season, and his stock began to drop with N.H.L. scouts. Yet it was not a bad game or slump that opened Wright up to criticism and even ridicule — it was a regrettable comment in an interview with the N.H.L.’s official website. “I think that based on all the work this past year and in my past as well, I think that I deserve to be the first overall pick,” Wright told NHL.com in May. “I deserve to have that honor and I believe that I am the best player in this draft and believe that I should be taken first overall.” Said one scout: “It’s him saying ‘deserve’ that really was a red flag. Just a wrong word really.”

seattle's been intentionally insulating him from media this spring, and the recent theme of his desire to come to dev camp to help the kids is an excellent reintroduction narrative. i am super curious to watch him tomorrow and see if the maturity's a little different from last year's camp (a good summary of his attitude last year can be found starting at about 10:10 here.) i'm rooting for him!

[couldawouldashoulda50]

I can hardly believe I'm going to be there to see them do this live and in person.

[sportsblr]

nhl: WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT 🏔️ @/miles.wood44 and the @/coloradoavalanche have agreed to a six-year deal! 🤩 More #NHLFreeAgency coverage on @nhlnetwork and NHL.com!

[tinyunderwear]

Beniers remains leader for Calder as rookie of year

Matty Beniers continues to play a lead role down the stretch for the Seattle Kraken in their quest to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in their second NHL season.

Beniers is second on the Kraken in goals (19; behind Jared McCann's 30), fourth in points (45) and tied for fourth in assists (26) while averaging 17:00 of ice time in 61 games. The 20-year-old, who plays center on the top line with right wing Jordan Eberle and McCann, leads NHL rookies in goals and points, as he has much of the season.

"Playing center in this league, as a young guy, is a little bit like throwing as a young guy as a quarterback," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "I would probably compare it to a young player in the end in the NFL because there's a lot coming at you. There's a lot of responsibility and there's leadership with it. Matty's able to handle all of those things. He has those natural leadership qualities about him."

Beniers is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy at the three-quarter mark of the season, according to a panel of 15 NHL.com writers, with 74 points (14 first-place votes). He also was first in NHL.com's poll at the halfway mark in January.

"He has a natural presence and a confidence that doesn't come with any arrogance," Hakstol said. "It's an easy presence and he's a [heck] of a player. There are challenges he's dealt with, he's run up against some bumps in the road, but he's handled them all really well. So, the qualities that I mentioned I believe are really important to him in his success."

Beniers missed two games with an upper-body injury in January and has nine points (two goals, seven assists) and 21 shots on goal in 14 games since returning to the lineup Feb. 7.

Bonus Owen Power mention:

Power, chosen No. 1 by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, doesn't have the gawdy offensive numbers (23 points; four goals, 19 assists) as some other rookies this season, but he has played a top-pair role while leading first-year players in average time on ice (23:43). Buffalo had controlled 53.4 percent of all shots attempted at 5-on-5 with Power on the ice.

"What [Power] does on a nightly basis is just amazing when you factor in his age (20) and lack of experience in our league," Sabres coach Don Granato said, "to dominate situations and really full games the way he does. I know he hasn't been talked about for rookie of the year. It's astonishing to me because of how he couldn't be."

Beniers, meanwhile, leads rookies with 15 even-strength goals and 36 even-strength points.

[sports-addict-live]

Edmonton Oilers: Crazy in Context PT 2

Everybody remembers the 1980s Edmonton Oilers. Even if you were young, or not on this planet, you’ve heard the legend. Gretzky, Fuhr, Messier, Kurri, the list goes on. 5 Stanley Cups, breaking record after record. There’s one thing they never did. Win 16 in a row. Enter: this years Edmonton Oilers.

OK, 16 is aggressive, and not predictable. However, if you told me in September that this team would rattle off a dozen plus games in a row, I’d be surprised, but I’d believe you. After all, 9 of 16 nhl.com writers picked them to win the division. That’s September and this is now, and now, it really is unbelievable.

In context.

On November 9, the Oilers were 2-9-1, and in the bottom of the league, and a day removed from firing their coach. 13 days later, they were 5-12-1 and not looking much better. We all know they have two of the best players in the world. We know Hyman, Kane, Bouchard, and RNH and other key pieces on this team. The truth of the matter is, as off as the whole team was playing, there was zero trust from anybody in the net and the defensive structure. It was an absolute disaster. Right now there is a five million dollar goalie in the minors. Disaster.

So, in context, 16 wins in a row is truly unbelievable. In this streak they have allowed more than 3 goals twice. So, in context, there’s lots of unbelievable to go around.

[cybernightmaremagazine-blog]

World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Live Stream Online

✅LIVE 🔴LINK>>https://tinyurl.com/2p9vaxbj World Junior Championship predictionsWorld Junior Ice Hockey Championships 2023 LiveNHL.com writers pick winner, best player, top Draft prospect other than BedardThe winner of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship will be from North America, according to three NHL.com writers.NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman, LNH.com staff writer Guillaume Lepage and NHL.com staff writer Mike G. Morreale each predict Canada and the United States will play in the gold-medal game. Kimelman and Lepage believe Canada will win, while Morreale is picking the U.S.

[grittyreadsfic]

Okay yes I’m sold plz tell me everything about jackty wow they’re fuckin cute. Does any fic exist? Anything you’d like to rec?

tell you everything about jackty 

this is a can of worms that no one should have opened but i will happily dive into. rip to everyone in a groupchat with me or who follows my twitter because i do talk about them a lot

their tag is pretty sparse but i have read all of it so.

so anyway, you wanted to know about jackty:

i’m going into this assuming you have 0 knowledge of the devils as a whole as well as them individually, so sorry if i’m telling you anything you already know.

ty smith is a defensemen who played in the WHL for Spokane and was drafted 17th overall to the Devils in 2018. this is actually his rookie season (he was cut late into training camp both in 2018 and 2019, and might have actually made the roster last season if he hadn’t been injured) and he’s playing so well (23 points in 48 games played). some fun lore about him is that he said he would have been a magician if he hadn’t been a hockey player, and he actually did some magic tricks in one of the most awkward videos to exist. he also lives and trains with brendan gallagher of the habs during the offseason, and gally actually bought him his draft suit. the whole family appears to have quasi adopted him and ty says that they talk most days. also important to note that in juniors ty used to talk to his team’s gm about potential trades and offer to talk to players. 

jack hughes is the second of the three hughes brothers-his older brother quinn plays defense on the canucks and his younger brother luke is getting drafted i believe this year. their mom, ellen, also played for team usa and i’m in love with her. he went the usntdp route and broke some records there  before going first overall to the Devils in 2019. he had a pretty rough rookie season (anyone who breathes the words draft bust around me will perish, thanks) but he’s doing a lot better this year. it’s important, i think, to know that he lived with Devils vet Cory Schneider for the first few months of the season until Cory got sent down to Bingo and then Jack moved into his own apartment where he lived by himself at 18.

the really fun thing about jack and ty, is that they played against each other at a bunch of international tournaments. according to ty, they used to chirp each other on ice and actually got into it during WJSS 2018, but they sort of made nice at jack’s draft, which was in Vancouver, where ty lives during the offseason.

they hit it off during stuff for prospects in 2019, and stayed in touch when ty got sent down. jack apparently reached out to ty midway through quarantine to ask about living together, ty’s response was  “We'll see. I've got a team to make. I'm not on the team already like you are.” which, in case you were wondering, is a common theme! ty says he didn’t feel like he’d really made it until sometime in march, i believe.

ty actually scored his first nhl goal in his first nhl game off of jack’s assist. ty’s first assist on a goal was in his second game on a miles wood goal where jack got the other assist. 

jack let us know they’re roommates and admitted that ty does the cooking and the cleaning. but ty’s unwilling to speak poorly of jack, and i believe it’s in this podcast where ty defends jack’s pretty sad contributions as a roommate, here’s part of the quote:  He’s the take-out-the-trash guy in the house. That’s huge. He’s always doing that when the trash gets full or the recycling. I’m more like do the dishes and most of the cooking. He kinda hangs out in the kitchen, kinda like the sous chef like he’ll chop up the stuff and I’ll do the cooking. So it’s good. He’ll play the tunes, get to have some fun and relax. It kinda works out well.

another fun roommate activity? jack’s making ty watch all of matthew mconaughey’s movies, most notably the romcoms. 

in conclusion, devils social media posed the question “are they ever not together?” and damon severson, who’s been ty’s dpartner most of the season, said no.  the roommates angle gets leaned into a lot and literally the speak of the devil podcast write up on nhl.com literally said “Overall, the adaption from enemies to frenemies to friends has been completed.“ so obviously this means that’s it’s prime enemies to lovers territory. 

anyway i hope you enjoyed my 700ish words about jackty, here’s a photo that seems to be the default expression on ty’s face every time he looks at jack

[princesstillyenna]

Kit got in a fight tn 👀

I KNOW HE DID AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BRINKSY GETTING BACK TO HIS GOONISH ROOTS. BOY GOT A GORDIE HOWEEEEEEEEEEEE Not shown in this clip... Dylan Strome trying to hide how attractive he finds his tiny goon boyfriend. Honestly Brinks, could you BE more sexy? No, no you could not. PEAK attractive achieved (A Gordie Howe Hattrick is the sexiest thing a player can achieve in hockey. Fight me. (And then score a goal and assist a buddy to do the same)) ALSO He 100% won that fight. Which, some stats for you, Gourde is 5'9" 175lbs, Brinksy is 5'7" (we believe you nhl.com) and 165 lbs and Brinksy DESTROYED HIM. We stan our short king!

[rinkrats]

I love how in a gifset full of Sid’s pretty face... you have a a gif of just his gunky hat in all its disgusting glory 😂 God, he’s so gross and yet I love him WHY IS HE THIS WAY 👏🏽

IT IS THE GROTTIEST 😭 here are a few cap-related stories in its honour:

1. Sidney Crosby is an extremely superstitious player. Every little detail, every element that could make a difference in the outcome of a match, you can be sure he saw it.

“His superstitions could be exhausting,” said Oceanic coach Doris Labonte. “The place where we went to eat the last time we visited a certain city, the chair I was sitting on, the tie I was wearing. I don’t think he really believed it, but it was his way of having fun, of relaxing. The worst was his famous Nordiques cap. It was dirty, wrecked, but he kept putting it on and we kept winning. At one point, we hid it. We haven’t done that often. When he’s angry, he’s angry!”

-Superstitious and generous, Dec 2006

2. A couple of things are settled for Crosby for next season.

He plans to live with the family of team co-owner and retired Hall of Fame player Mario Lemieux for a third season.

“You won't have to ask me next year," Crosby said. "I'll commit now and say I'll be back at Mario's.”

Crosby also will have a new Penguins cap, replacing the sweat-stained black one he kept at his locker stall all season out of superstition and that yesterday had this message taped to it:

“Please wash me. I can't stand this anymore. -Hat”

-Crosby played on broken foot, April 22 2007

3. It’s a regular Penguins hat… The difference, though, is this particular model has "BRYCE" stitched on one side, and "MAKE-A-WISH" on the other. The hat looked to be black at one point, but through constant wear, it's faded and now features blondish-brown sweat stains.

The hat was a present from 10-year-old Bryce Cunningham. Cunningham was supposed to bowl with Crosby at a team-sponsored charity bowling event... but Crosby had to skip the event due to a case of strep throat.

Bryce was doubly disappointed because he also had a present for Crosby. It's a fan's right to criticize a player for how he performs on the ice, but that's not what bothered Bryce.

Don Cunningham told NHL.com his son's interests were a bit more esoteric: “We happened to notice on some of the interviews that Sid was doing after the games, and my son said, ‘Look at that hat, it's terrible; a guy with all his money, why wouldn't he get a new hat?’ I said I don't know.”

Don said the decision was made to get Crosby a new hat. When Crosby couldn't attend the event, Don said he approached Dan Potash, a reporter for FSN Pittsburgh, and asked if he would give the hat to Crosby the next night in Toronto.

“Usually I just have a hat a year kind of thing and stick with it,” Crosby told NHL.com. “I had been wearing one a lot until two months before the season ended, then he gave me this one and said the other one was a little too dirty, so I switched it up. We started to win some games and it worked out pretty good.”

-Crosby offers a lift of the lid to Cunningham, April 27 2009

[annakasterova-malkina]

Anna Katerova in Podcast for NHL.com Russia (final part)

Blitz poll

1 Who would you most like to interview as a journalist?

With Irina Khakamada (famous Russian economist, journalist and presidential candidate in 2004).

2. What would you ask her?

How does she manage to store knowledge, to possess such wisdom? Where did she nourish herself with such, in my opinion, the right attitude to life?

3. What aspects of Russian life do you miss when you are abroad??

"doctor's" sausage, some restaurants and, of course, brother, mother, grandparents.

4. What aspects of American life do you miss when you are in Russia?

I always take a huge amount of dietary supplements away from here. I really miss the quality water, I miss the very friendly people who meet in different institutions

5. A city or country that impressed you the most?

Los Angeles, Santa Monica. I was there recently. I celebrated my birthday there with my closest friends. I really liked this place, it seemed to me incredibly atmospheric. And although it does not differ much in terms of infrastructure from Miami, it struck me to the very heart.

6. Where do you dream to travel with your family?

I want to go on a safari and see the natural habitat of wild animals. I like animals a lot. This is Kenya, Namibia.

7. What is the most romantic gift Geno has made for you?

He himself chose and designed a wrist bracelet with the initials of N.M.'s son. It turned out to be so beautiful and extraordinary. And the most pleasant thing about this gift is that it is completely his idea, his project. Do you understand yes? A man and piece of jewelry - its are incredible. He thought it over and did everything himself!

It's very cute that you chose not a trip somewhere, not an expensive gift, but such a romantic thing as this.

There are actually many of them. The second one was even sweeter and more touching. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. He impressed me so much, when we returned to Russia in the summer of 2016, we were met by Zhenya's close friend and Nikita's godfather. Zhenya said that he needed to leave for a while and returned after a couple of hours. He showed me his new tattoo. I saw that under the ribs he made himself an image of our son's hand, the real size of his hand, when Nikita was just born, and our initials with Nikita. This is such a powerful moment. I am still impressed.

8. Where in Pittsburgh can you go so that no one will recognize you and Zhenya?

Nowhere. There are no such places.

9. What is your favorite Russian film?

Now there is such a big wave of serials. Can I name the TV show that impressed me? I liked the series "An Ordinary Woman". And on the recommendation of friends, I watched the series "House Arrest".

10. What career would you prefer for Nikita as a hockey player or sports journalist?

Only of these two? This is a dangerous question !!! I have other options, but if you choose from these two, then of course a professional hockey player. I actually have very big educational ambitions for Nikita. At the age of three, it is already clear that he is a very smart boy. I would rather like him to get the best possible education than to be engaged in professional hockey. Zhenya and I have different views on this matter. And it is too early to predict anything. Again, this is a very dangerous question. Nevertheless, I have my own clear position on this issue. While I think so. I know that it will be almost impossible to combine education and hockey. We will be actively monitoring him shortly. I understand that he can now start skate and start showing super results. Even now, without skating, he shows excellent results for his age. But what will happen in 10 years? Maybe his interest in sports will disappear or, on the contrary, he will not be interested in studying. I will never hinder his desires. And I think it's impossible with such a father (laughs).

Thank you very much Anna for such a frank and interesting interview. It was wonderful. «Overboard» podcast No 3 / Подкаст “За бортом». Dec 2019 Interviewer - Pavel Strizhenov, for NHL Russia

[yunsangelic]

Hey, Im new to the hockey scene and might send you some asks without the anon option in the future (but not right now 'cause I'm still too self conscious) and I read some of your asks in relation to Nolan Patrick and wanted to know if you can explain a bit of his skills for me? I know he is a great player and I can see that the games I've been watching, but I'm too new in this scene and some written help would be awesome. He was the first player who got my attention, he and Sarah Nurse. Thx

First of all take as much time as you need to work up your courage, I get being anxious, but I swear I’m nice even off anon!! Second of all I LOVE Nursey in like one million different ways. Okay and then finally to address your main question, I had to tap into the Big Hockey Brain that belongs to Mara* (@MaraBowden on twitter) because she is THE statistics gal in the Chick Trick Podcast & Website! (CTP twitter link, CTP Website) Also I’m sorry this is gonna be all over the place.

[*Mara’s analyses are based on solely Nolans time in the NHL, mine are based off of his time in the WHL and the NHL]

Okay let’s get started.

The first thing I notice is how focused he is on ice and during games. In his mic’d up videos he’s always talking about what plays could be made next depending on what the opposing players do, which is another thing

He pays attention to what other guys do, on his team and on other teams, what their typical move is, he reads people and plays REALLY very well which is a great skill to have.

That all being said his hockey IQ is, unsurprisingly, high and it’s a skill, according to his dad and uncle-both former players and coaches, he has had since he was kid (x)

He has a very solid, strong shot. From Mara (paraphrased by me): He has a good shot location, consistently put up above average xG numbers (this means expected goals) likely due to the good shot location. He mainly shoots directly in front of the net and from the slot (the slot is the space between the attacking teams faceoff circles) Outside of good shot placement there isn’t much statistically that pops out about him because he has only played 2 NHL seasons and neither of them were the full 82 games. (this part is word for word) “[B]ut I watched some highlights and routinely was like ‘bro that was sick’ which makes me think he’ll figure stuff out more in the future[.]” (Heat map of his shot placement x)

This speaks more to his character but he’s very respectful towards his teammates and coaches (TK doesn’t count, neither does Hak) 

He isn’t afraid to put pressure on opponents, especially when battling for the puck!! You can see that he wants it and he’s gonna do what has to be done to get it.

He’s pretty physical for a forward, and definitely isn’t afraid to get into it with another player when they piss him off (*Paris hilton voice* that’s hot)

Watching him stick and puck handle, he’s quick, precise, and efficient. And not to like uwu babie him but he does this thing when he scores where he like “holsters” his stick after he scores and I swear it's so fucking CUTE (he does a bit of handling AND celly-ing in this video here x)

Also, because I have to bring this up, his absence from the Flyers this year wasn’t his first run in with a long term injury in his career (sports hernia, out 3 mos in WHL), and he handled that situation with maturity and level-headedness and I believe he’ll handle his current injury in the same way.

I have noticed that when he’s having a good game and he’s got the swagger everyone saw in Brandon that hes very steady, focused and one or two steps ahead of the game which is where he gets those absolute beautiful goals.

Last bit of stuff here; He follows through on everything he does hockey-wise. Hits, plays, and shots. And he’s extremely vocal, as I mentioned with his teammates he can be heard on the ice, off the ice on the bench, and in practice as well, so he definitely has so much potential to be an all-star and maybe even make people rethink his placement in the draft...... :)

Citations: MoneyPuck.com, all videos are on Youtube.com, nhl.com/flyers, SportsNet, Philadelphia Flyers, Mara’s Brain, My Brain.