#so even if he got a job in the nhl or even a smaller league

[dogwittaablog]

You opened this can of sardines for me the topic of employed Nolan/what is he gonna do now. Buckle in Buckaroos as I spout some nonsense.

1. He can go work for the NHL (kinda unlikely at this point imo). Despite not being able to play he seems to actually enjoy hockey still. His dad back in his early career had always said that he was a very analytical watcher, replaying parts of games over and over again to figure out what they were doing. I can see him somewhat settling behind a bench as a playmaker, and being a little shit about it. Like making the most annoying but legal plays. I can also see him becoming a bit of an advocate for players and head injuries considering what he's had to go through.

Even if not directly behind the bench or in the NHL there is a possibility for him to work with a smaller team or a more behind the scenes role. It would be private enough for him I feel.

2. Hunting (more likely). Even in pre NHL interviews he constantly brought up his love for the wilderness and hunting and possibly being a hunting guide. This I feel is the most likely possibility. Opening like a little Patrick's hunting guides venture. If I'm being a bit more optimistic and whimsical, an actual hunting store to sell supplies.

This might also mean more social media pat as he promotes himself. He's an advocate for ethical hunting and consuming so I can see him pushing that angle and teaching about how to respect and use the animals.

3. He has a tiktok, "Why the flyers can eat my ass (NHL exposed) Part 1 of 12.

4. Joins Mt. Joy (this is the crack fic one). He's close to the band, can play guitar. Why not? Write a few songs for them, date their pianist (I think that's her role?) Would b cute.

Sorry for rambling, but I do genuinely hope he ends up okay in the end and settles down well after everything he's been through. He doesn't seem like a bad guy and holy fuck has he been put through the wringer. I want him to be okay and succeed in something and not have everything he does be over analyzed by everyone ya know.

(Imma tack this on at the end, I agree at what he was getting with with the mailloux thing cause Trudeau absolutely sucks, but my god man has poor wording choices.)

Hahahaha living for the in detail post! Feel free to ramble I’m all ears.

I think jumping in an NHL job after what he had to go through would be pouring salt on an open wound, for now at least. Realistically it’d be a solid real job to have, tho it’s probably still gonna be way too much attention for him even if it’s behind the scenes. It’d give people too much to talk about. Would be pre sweet if he even took up coaching for a local team, whatever age really.

Please if dude was desperate for money or just to do something I was even thinking how he would probably debate joining his dad in real estate and work for him 😭😭😭😭

Don’t think money is an issue tho, cause he gives me vibes he’s pretty frugal and just living life lmao. Also Manitoba isn’t the most expensive place to live in to what I’m aware of.

Conclusion I really don’t think hes finding a job that’s about $$$ but something he enjoys and what he aligns with, so the hunting and fishing guide is 100% Though he has so many resources to branch out in multiple things.

[axiomsofice]

Leafs: New Additions

Welcome back to another year in Leaf Land, as always at a most critical nexus. There’s a lot of negativity, and as usual some of its well earned, and some of its too far. Within all that, it’s important to acknowledge the progress that this group has made, free from the fervid luster of hope offered early in the Matthews era.

The novelty of the Canadian Division, and the 4 separate leagues that took part in the 2021 season did cap the amount this team could change our minds, but having a strong and consistent regular season and finishing top 10 in goals against, was a huge development, and continuing those results to a full 82 game schedule is still an important step. In general, this fan base took the first sign of positivity and grew championship expectations, to the point where the past 2 or 3 seasons many have been saying “there’s nothing to prove until the playoffs”, and even to this point that simply isn’t true. 

Mrazek

After spending a large part of the past 2 seasons desperately searching for depth and stability in the sport’s most important position, acquiring Mrazek is certainly the most important move of the offseason. He’s probably in a cluster of mid tier starters, sometimes called a tandem starter or 1B, similar to Frederick Andersen, the fact that he’s younger and cheaper than Andersen is also a plus. He’s coming off some strong seasons behind a very good Carolina team, meaning he’s been a focal point for a successful team already, although he was not the starter in each of the Hurricanes’ past 2 postseason runs. He’s started 40 games in a season twice, meaning he’ll get at most 120 games in over the course of his 3 year deal. He’s had up and down seasons, but has shown flashes of strong play. He has a flare for the dramatic, some style to his play, and entering his age 29 season should be able to deliver a strong segment of his career. The best case scenario, or perhaps a reasonable comp would be similar to what Halak has been able to bring in his 30’s, which is starter level of play over 35-45 games a season, which does fit well with the expectations on Jack Campbell to play in 40-50 games. Ultimately the hope is that Jack can really run with the starter role, but Mrazek will be keeping the level of play in net high.

Menell

Menell takes the mantle as this year’s KHL import on the blueline, a staple that’s seen Zaitsev, Ozighanov, and Lethonen pass through to varying degrees of success in recent years. Menell, unlike the others, offers a stronger resume on the smaller ice surface, putting in several strong AHL seasons with the Iowa Wild before his most recent all-star season in Russia. Similar to Lethonen, he is a strong offensive player and could figure into a role on the power play. At this point he’s done everything he can besides earn some playing time at the top level, and provides an interesting depth option to the blueline.

Dahlstrom

It can be difficult for low-scoring defensive players to stand out, and that might be the case for Dahlstrom. The 26 year old Swede has 2 years experience in the SHL, followed by 4 increasingly strong stints in the AHL, with a 35+ game run on the porous 18-19 Chicago team and 10+ games with the Jets the following year. He did eventually earn an Assistant Captain role on Chicago’s AHL affiliate. Despite all that, he’s only played 35 games or so the last 2 years, as he probably got squeezed as a fringe player throughout the first covid season. He certainly is qualified to fill in a depth role, although surely in a different style than Menell. Together they represent good reinforcements with potential upside should injuries occur. He’s big, skates well enough for his size, has some passing abilities.

Kase

Another player who hasn’t played all that much recently, Kase has fought a lot of tough injuries over the recent years. Kase is still only 25, but it was all the way back in 17-18 that he scored 29 goals as a member of the Ducks. He has posted really strong possession and shot metrics throughout his career, and plays a very rambunctious and tenacious style. Hopefully he can stay healthy and at least have a chance to continue his strong play, but with concussions we can only know so much. A one year deal means there isn’t any long term risk, and best case Kase provides some of the “all terrain” capabilities that Barclay Goodrow brought to the Lighting the past couple seasons.

Ritchie

Ritchie is a big power forward, who can manage to shovel in 10-20 goals a year. Although his career high comes from his time in Anaheim, it’s reasonable to expect he could have a career season over the 2 years of his contract. He does bring certain qualities lacking from the forward group at this point and could fit well somewhere in the top 6. Even with Hyman in the lineup, when Simmonds missed time last year there was a noticeable lack of net front presence, which Ritchie should help satisfy. Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time being thankful the Leafs took Nylander instead of Ritchie in their draft year, but Ritchie is still young at 25 and is a quality add to the forward group. He might take an excessive amount of penalties, but that could also “even out” and earn the Leafs a few more calls as well.

Kampf

As we get to our 6th addition, a pattern is clear, young free agents (mid to late 20s) who should have more in the tank than the older additions of last season, and perhaps with their best seasons in front of them. That is certainly the case with Kampf, who has already proven to be an effective bottom 6 defensive centre in the NHL. He is in crazy good shape and is good at faceoffs. In his introductory presser Dubas mentioned he’s been on the Leafs’ radar for a while, and that they saw more offensive upside to his game. He certainly has a similar style of play to Danault, helping break cycles in the defensive zone and supporting transition well up ice, and could really help unlock stronger play from the 3rd or 4th line. In particular I think he would pair really well with a strong defensive winger who can carry the puck through the neutral zone, Ilya Mikheyev, and/or David Kase.

Bunting

Bunting “came out of nowhere” to score 10 goals in 20 games for the Coyotes last season, and we should not be expecting 40 goals next year. That being said, signing him to 2 years at only $950,000 is a great deal. For the brief time Jared McCaan was a Leafs I was excited about adding a complimentary top 6 player who could shoot well to pair with Marner and Matthews. Bunting definitely has the chance to live up to that. It’s obviously not at Matthews’ level, but Bunting can score from the high to mid slot. He’s speedy enough to pressure through the neutral zone and off the rush, and has some skill in making moves to beat defenders and goaltenders. He isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas and had a few goals tipping in shots from the point. He is also feisty, gets under opponents’ skin and hustles like his job depends on it. He said in his introductory interview that he had spent long enough in the minors that when he finally got called up last season he played with nothing to lose, and compared his style of play to Marchand. Although that is a lot of lofty rhetoric, it’s easy to see how this could be a huge win for the franchise. If he proves to be 4th line contributor it’s a good deal, but there’s good reason to be excited beyond that. It might be a bit off topic to say I think that it’s important that Matthews and Marner’s liberate has a good enough shot to capitalize on the opportunity they will have as well as the tenacity Hyman brought so effectively, and Bunting has the tools to do it.

Gabriel

Gabriel is a fighter with social media presence, and especially for a pro hockey player, tries to be inclusive. I could see him being called up and deployed circumstantially. Although Simmonds and Ritchie have both thrown their share of fists, having a DH of sorts might be useful? Regardless, as a cultural focal point of both hockey and Canada the Leafs have the opportunity and responsibility to do their part in changing our culture for the better, and considering the league minimum cap hit this signing represents checks of few different boxes in terms of “intangibles”.

Semyonov

Semyonov has played parts of 5 seasons in the KHL, including a couple deep postseason runs as a middle 6 forward and eventually became an Assistant Captain. At 26, there doesn’t seem like a great chance he’ll be a factor at the NHL level, although he should get a fair shake at training camp. It is more likely he fits in as a veteran presence on a Marlies team that will feature a lot of Russian players, from Amirov, SDA, Gogolev and Abramov. The Marlies will look to be a lot stronger this year and those 5 forwards will look to be a big part of that. He gets to the net and most of his goals will be from rebounds and scrambles in front. He has some good puck skills, which will be shown off with some fancy passes. He’s big and fast enough to have some effect on the forecheck.

Way Too Early Lines

Bunting Matthews Marner Kerfoot Tavares Nylander Mikheyev Kampf Kase Ritchie Spezza Simmonds Engvall Brooks

Reilly Brodie Muzzin Holl Sandin Dermott Liljegren

Campbell Mrazek Hutchinson

Notes on fringe players

Mikheyev has been taking some heat recently. He clearly had trouble converting chances into goals and his wrist injury could have been a huge factor in losing confidence. He is good defensively, and is a strong enough skater that he’s able to transition through the neutral zone really well. Despite being a powerful skater he does seem to look a bit like an old man at times. It’s easy to see how he could be similar to former Leaf Michael Grabner, in that whether he is converting on breakaways or not could fluctuate his goal totals enough to drastically change opinions year to year (both are strong on the pk as well).

Engvall shows flashes of brilliance in a lot of ways. Speed and size to defend well, soft hands and really good passes, scoring touch, but somehow looks like he has trouble putting it all together. Dubas and Keefe have had him for a long time, and with one year left on his deal it might be his best chance at becoming an NHL regular.

Brooks will have to replicate his strong play from last year. He looked really strong alongside Spezza, where he was able to use his hockey sense and passing skills to his advantage. It is not a given that he’ll be able to, but he’s continued to show signs of growth so maybe he can continue to surpass expectations with more opportunities.

Liljegren has all the physical tools to be a good NHL defender, skates and passes well enough to beat forechecks, physical enough to play the body, but he’s looked a bit lost at times. I think with strength and experience we’ll see him settle into a regular role, and it’s not an indictment that he hasn’t got there yet, even if he spends most of his time in the AHL again this year. It might be a bit much to rely on a Sandin-Liljegren pairing when everyone is available, but I would love to see him get a chance alongside Muzzin at some point.

[roseate7]

There really are no “cinnamon rolls” in the NHL and I feel like the cult of a fandom around real people in a real league - as opposed to fictional characters in TV shows, books or movies - has started to fictionalize goodness and purity where there is none. And I know that some people are fully aware that they are fictionalizing and admit it. But from my perspective of long time hockey fan and very new hockey tumblr fan, I gotta say the following:

The Leafs being progressive as an organization has nothing at all to do with the players, especially not any of the current players. At best they’re going along. (especially when an article is written specifically about troublesome things coming out of Leafs’ players mouths and fan/media response.)

The Penguins as an organization planning extraordinarily tone deaf elements into a ceremony - or just generally being tone deaf in general - has nothing to do with the current players. At worst they’re going along.

There should be no blurred lines here when it comes to the roles.

An NHL franchise isn’t changed by its players, for better or worse, unless they become a part of its management on their retirement. (if you think the NHLPA has great sway over the league then lol) 

Players show up and do their job. So a player wears rainbow branded stuff? Nice to see but sorry folks, not a reason to elevate him or his team to unproblematic status. So they don’t express much of an opinion? Not a reason to assume they’re unproblematic, but also not a reason to assume they are. Neither player is a cinnamon roll and they never were.

Players can somewhat speak for themselves, though not always and rarely directly against their club’s official stance, and that is all. They’re also not a party to their team mates’ opinions and actions unless they say that they are, or have such a particularly close relationship as makes them undeniably associated. 

As a fan, you do not want to start conflating any of this because your own favorites will inevitably come off terribly. Men’s Hockey remains a toxic and patriarchal culture with extraordinarily minor efforts toward diversity and inclusiveness, none of which are worth more than positive acknowledgment. Seriously, this is all only considered “progress” in the strictest definition of the term and only because of how terrible things were for so long. 

None of these white men in particular deserve praise for labour done by people of color, queer individuals and women. Supporting or going along with the hard work and sacrifice of others is not something straight white men should be exalted for or given equal association with. There are no bigger or smaller gold stars for allies. And no amount of stars on the chart assures an ally cinnamon roll status. Sorry!

Male hockey players - especially white players - are not deep. Hockey is 95% of their lives when they’re playing. The teams they are on and the friendships they make align them with problematic shit ALL the time. Even the nicest guys excuse and go along with more than you’ll ever want to know, all in the name of playing this sport. No nice guy points should sway you on that fact.  

I include every single favorite of my own in that. This is a Sidney Crosby blog. The people who came down hardest on him and his team for the WH visit were his/their supporters. I know what I’m talking about.

It is fortunately very easy to both call out and blacklist publicly known and exposed abusers, racists and bigots. We should and we do. But they crawl throughout every team on the league. They hold positions of power in every franchise. They still have a safe home in the NHL. Their court cases and accusations may simply not have happened yet.

Your favorite guy, even if he is a pretty good person and even if he would never actively individually choose to do terrible things, will have known these men. He’ll have played with them and worked with them and gone for drinks with them. Because they’re everywhere in the league, of varying degrees of awfulness. You can’t play in it without them.

If you accuse one go-alonger on one team of guilt by association then your cinnamon roll is automatically tainted. 

Because becoming a player in the NHL means he got there scraping against and supported by filth. He saw it and either took part or excused much. 

There are no cinnamon rolls. Your protests against the league’s culture that harbors known abusers, racists and bigots mean nothing if you yourself turn a blind eye to part of it in the name of uplifting your favorite guy. 

I’m not saying hate everything, I sure don’t. Just to be firmly aware of how you enjoy a player who you believe to be good, and the harsh all-pervasive reality of the culture they grew up and live in. And to know you’re already falling off that high horse if you try to pretend otherwise.

[andrebearakovsky]

This Week in Caps: Players

Welcome to This Week in Caps, a weekly newsletter where I recap everything important that’s been going on in the world of the Washington Capitals this past week. This week I’m continuing on introductory material, and today’s post will feature and recap Capitals players and important prospects. Below I have listed everyone who I believe might make the opening night roster, along with the top guys in Hershey.

Players

#19 Nicklas Backstrom (Alternate Captain)

Age: 30 Nationality: Sweden Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Caps’ elite playmaking Swedish center, Alternate Captain, criminally underrated, and one of the franchise’s greatest players. A first round draft pick for the Caps in 2006 and beginning his career with the Caps in 2007-08, Backstrom has been a staple for the franchise for the last decade, and has been paired alongside Alex Ovechkin most of that time. Warmly known as Backy, Nicky, or Nicke, and known as a “Papa” to many of the younger guys on the team. Holds the Capitals franchise record in assists, third on the Capitals franchise points list.

#22 Madison Bowey

Age: 23 Nationality: Canada Position: Defense Shoots: R

A rookie defenseman last season, signed a 2-year contract over the offseason. Drafted in the second round by the Caps in 2013. A big man with a bigger smile and an even bigger heart. He played just over half the games last season, though he was relegated to the bench after the trade deadline. He’s likely to be the seventh defenseman again this year unless Brooks Orpik starts taking some games off, but Bowey still has a lot to learn and some growing to do.

#72 Travis Boyd

Age: 25 Nationality: United States Position: Forward Shoots: R

A longtime AHL stalwart who’s finally made his way to the big leagues. Drafted in the sixth round by the Caps in 2011, Boyd is a two-way center ready to scratch the surface. He played eight regular season and one postseason games with the Caps last year in his first NHL action, and he’s looking to take the regular fourth-line center position with the departure of longtime center Jay Beagle. He signed a 2-year contract over offseason, so it’s looking like he’ll finally stick around at the NHL level regardless.

#65 Andre Burakovsky

Age: 23 Nationality: Sweden Position: Forward Shoots: L

A talented Swedish winger, and a fan favorite. Drafted in the first round by the Caps in 2013 and making his debut in the 2014-15 season, Burakovsky has been a longtime favorite and is still looking to have his true breakout. He’s been plagued by multiple injuries and mental struggles throughout his career, but he has crazy talent, a heart of gold, affection for the people he’s close to, and a face that everyone can love.

#74 John Carlson

Age: 28 Nationality: United States Position: Defense Shoots: R

The Caps’ number-one, power play-quarterbacking, offensive-minded defenseman. Drafted in the first round by the Caps in 2008 and making his debut in 2009-10, Carlson has grown into the Caps best all-around defenseman, and he had his greatest offensive season last year, moving up the ranks to become one of the greatest Caps defensemen ever. He was predicted to be one of the top free agent defensemen on the market this offseason, but he signed a 8-year contract, likely keeping him in Washington, where he makes his home, for the rest of his career.

#10 Brett Connolly

Age: 26 Nationality: Canada Position: Forward Shoots: R

A winger with a sneaky knack for scoring. A first round pick that never quite panned out with other teams, Connolly signed with the Caps in 2016-17 and blossomed in Washington, scoring a career high in goals. Also has the added bonus of being a wonderful person, and the unfortunate curse of looking like a 45-year-old man.

#1 Pheonix Copley

Age: 26 Nationality: United States Position: Goalie

The Caps needed a new backup goalie after the departure of longtime backup Philipp Grubauer, and it looks like Copley is in line for the job. He’s the goalie in the Caps’ system with the most AHL experience, though he only has 2 NHL games (1 start) under his belt. Originally signed undrafted by the Caps in 2013-14, he was traded to the Blues in the Oshie-Brouwer deal, and then traded back to the Caps in the Shattenkirk deal. His career AHL numbers are a bit shaky, so he’s going to have to prove himself as a backup this season, or he might lose his job to Vitek Vanecek or Ilya Samsonov down the line.

#29 Christian Djoos

Age: 24 Nationality: Sweden Position: Defense Shoots: L

A rookie defenseman last season, a surprise addition to the opening night roster and stayed the entire year. Selected in the seventh round by the Caps in 2012, Djoos showed great skill, a little offensive pop, and steady defense along the blue line all year. Despite his smaller size, he’s becoming a mainstay. Djoos quickly became a fan favorite and team favorite, and he’s likely to get elevated playing time this season.

#26 Nic Dowd

Age: 28 Nationality: United States Position: Forward Shoots: R

One of the very few outside additions the Caps made over the offseason, and thus one of the few members of the roster that is not a Stanley Cup champion. Also undrafted and one of only two players in NHL history to hail from the state of Alabama, Dowd has spent the past three years between the Kings and Canucks, and signed a 1-year contract with the Caps this summer. Dowd is competing for the fourth line center position vacated by Jay Beagle, and has defensive strengths along with experience on the penalty kill. But perhaps his greatest asset is his golden retriever Arlo, who has his own Instagram account.

#20 Lars Eller

Age: 29 Nationality: Denmark Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Caps’ third line center, who has stabilized the Caps’ center depth and provided excellent depth scoring for the last couple years. Prone to taking a few too many penalties, but great on the penalty kill and on the second power play. Traded to the Caps from the Canadiens prior to the 2016-17 season, Eller signed a five-year extension before the summer began. The man nicknamed “The Tiger” also scored the goal that won the Caps the Stanley Cup, and was the first player from Denmark to ever win the Stanley Cup.

#70 Braden Holtby

Age: 29 Nationality: Canada Position: Goalie

The Caps’ starting goalie, decorated with NHL awards (including the Vezina trophy, All-Star game appearances, first and second All-Star teams, and stars of the week and month). Drafted in the fourth round in 2008 and making his debut for the Caps in the 2010-11 season, Holtby has cemented himself with Olaf Kolzig as the greatest goaltenders in Caps history; he also has a share of the NHL single-season wins record for goalies (with Martin Brodeur). Holtby is also a strong LGBTQ advocate, is the Caps’ You Can Play ambassador, has actively showed his support, participated in pride marches and events, and spoke at the most recent Human Rights Campaign dinner.

#6 Michal Kempny

Age: 28 Nationality: Czech Republic Position: Defense Shoots: L

Quite possibly the greatest trade deadline pickup in the history of the NHL. At the beginning of last season, the was sitting the bench in Chicago, barely able to get in the lineup for a bottom of the barrel team. Then the Caps scooped him up, got him for a third-round pick, and he quite literally revitalized the whole defense. Kempny has said that the trade saved his NHL career, and his addition saved the Caps. The Caps signed him to a four-year contract over the offseason, so he’ll be sticking around for awhile.

#92 Evgeny Kuznetsov

Age: 26 Nationality: Russia Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Caps’ dynamic, highly talented, franchise center of the future. Drafted in the first round by the Capitals in 2010, the man known as Kuzy made his debut late in the 2013-14 season and has took off ever since. The surefire first-line center for most teams is 1A and 1B with Nicklas Backstrom, and prior to last season signed an extension to stay for eight more years. His personality is through the roof, and anything that comes out of his mouth is guaranteed to make you laugh.

#2 Matt Niskanen

Age: 31 Nationality: United States Position: Defense Shoots: R

The Caps’ most stable, solid, consistent defenseman. The defense would literally come apart at the seams without him. Signed as a free agent prior to the 2014-15 season when the defensive structure of the team got a true overhaul. Has a mean slapshot (when he takes one). Soft-spoken, fond of a chirp, dad, and talks like he was transplanted right out of the 1950s,

#9 Dmitry Orlov

Age: 27 Nationality: Russia Position: Defense Shoots: L

Every team has a player deserving of the “Most Improved” award, and for the Caps, that player is Dmitry Orlov. Drafted in the second round by the Caps in 2009 and making his debut in the 2011-12 season, Orlov was once prone to giveaways, taking too many risky offensive chances, and making too many mistakes. But now he is a top-pairing defenseman, has great offensive skills, is solid on the blueline, and is capable of delivering deafening hits. He once suffered a bad broken wrist and a number of other complications that caused him to miss the entire 2014-15 season, but the last three years he has stayed healthy and played every game. Has a fantastic physical game, and the launching of Matt Duchene is one of legend. Quite shy, but very friendly, and will hip-check you if necessary.

#44 Brooks Orpik (Alternate Captain)

Age: 37 Nationality: United States Position: Defense Shoots: L

Defenseman, Alternate Captain, a billion years old. Picked up in free agency prior to the 2014-15 season. The definition of a gritty, stay-at-home defenseman, who broke a two-year scoring drought with a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. Very physical (perhaps too much), takes a few too many penalties, and not as good at defense as he used to be. However, his leadership is vital in the locker room, as everyone loves him. The young guys affectionately call him “Batya” (a Russian word for “dad”). At the draft this summer, he was traded along with Philipp Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche, and then he was subsequently bought out. Then the Caps signed up back for one year to a much more manageable contract, saving them about four million dollars.

#77 T.J. Oshie

Age: 31 Nationality: United States Position: Forward Shoots: R

The winger of 2014 Olympic shootout fame, with perfect hair and a shining face that fans and media alike adore. The fan-favorite was traded to the Caps from the Blues prior to the 2015-16 season, and his career has taken off since then. Favorite moves include shootout excellence, going top-shelf (especially on the power play), and making all of his teammates fall in love with him.

#17 Sergei Shumakov

Age: 26 Nationality: Russia Position: Forward Shoots: R

The Caps’ other offseason pickup. A winger, he spent seven seasons in the KHL with Novosibirsk Sibir (6 seasons) and CSKA Moscow (1 season) before signing a one-year, two-way contract with Washington this offseason. He is from the same town as Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Kuzy was helpful in persuading him to sign. He is a bit of a wild card, and I don’t know a lot about him. It’s unknown if he’ll make the roster or what kind of impact he might have.

#25 Devante Smith-Pelly

Age: 26 Nationality: Canada Position: Forward Shoots: R

The Caps’ rugged fourth-line winger and 2018 playoff hero. DSP has had a pretty turbulent career up until he landed with the Caps, having trouble getting a stable job and bouncing from place to place. He was placed on waivers by the Devils in June 2017, and the Caps signed him to a one-year, two-way deal just days later. DSP exploded in the playoffs, scoring as many goals as he did the entire regular season. DSP has also gone through a lot before and during his NHL career, including a racial incident when the Caps were in Chicago last season, but he has persevered and now he is a Stanley Cup Champion. The Caps signed him back to a one-year deal this offseason, so he’s sticking around in Washington for one more year.

#18 Chandler Stephenson

Age: 24 Nationality: Canada Position: Forward Shoots: L

Called up as an injury replacement early last season and never went back. The center-turned winger had a few cups of coffee in the NHL in previous seasons (starting in the 2015-16 season), but last season he cemented himself a position on the fourth line. Drafted in the third round in 2012 by the Caps, Stephenson became an essential member of the penalty kill, and he is able to contribute on all four lines and has very good speed.

#13 Jakub Vrana

Age: 22 Nationality: Czech Republic Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Caps’ speedy, talented, top-six winger. Drafted in the first round by the Caps in 2014, he made his debut and played a chunk of games in 2016-17. The 2017-18 Stanley Cup campaign was his first full NHL season, and this year he’s looking to really break out offensively. Both last season and this season he is the youngest player on the Caps roster (unless Gersich makes the team).

#79 Nathan Walker

Age: 24 Nationality: Australia Position: Forward Shoots: L

The first Australian to ever play in the NHL. Drafted in the third round in 2014 by the Caps, the small and feisty winger scored a goal in his NHL debut last year. He left the Caps for a short period of time when the Oilers picked him up on waivers, though he came back to the Caps on waivers after just a few weeks. Didn’t get into too many games, though he played in an important one in the postseason (game six against Pittsburgh). He is looking to compete for a bench role this season.

#43 Tom Wilson

Age: 24 Nationality: Canada Position: Forward Shoots: R

The Caps’ power forward, known for his physicality, his booming hits, and his fighting prowess. Drafted in the first round by the Caps in 2012, the rugged winger was once a bottom-six player only there to cause trouble. But in recent years he has grown, he’s improved, and he is so much more than that now. Last year, Wilson had the year of his life in just about every possible way. He was put on the top line and shattered his career offensive numbers. He’s cleaned up his game a lot, though he still needs to get a little bit better in that department and avoid hits that will lead to suspensions and injuries to others. Wilson has also become invaluable on the penalty kill, and has become very good at drawing penalties, as well. Additionally, he has the makings of becoming a great leader in the locker room. He signed a six-year contract this offseason, so it looks like Tommy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

#8 Alex Ovechkin (Captain)

Age: 33 Nationality: Russia Position: Forward Shoots: R

The Capitals’ captain, winger, elite goal-scorer, future hall of famer, and the greatest player to ever put on a Capitals uniform. He turned the franchise around, and is the face of the Washington franchise. Drafted first overall by the Capitals in 2004, he now leads the Capitals all-time in goals, points, and just about every offensive category (besides assists). Coming into the season, he has 607 goals and 1122 points, which rank 19th and 59th in the NHL all-time, respectively. Since his NHL career has become, he has won numerous accolades, including three Hart trophies, three Ted Lindsay awards, the Calder Memorial trophy, the Art Ross trophy, seven Rocket Richard trophies, eleven All-Star appearances, and many more. Ovechkin has received a lot of criticism throughout his career for his inability to win the Stanley Cup that eluded him for so long, or to even get past the second round. But now, thankfully, that narrative is dead, and Alex Ovechkin is a Stanley Cup Champion, finally, after thirteen seasons. He is a big man with a big personality and an even bigger heart. Other attributes include horrible fashion sense, lots of dogs and animals, a gap-toothed smile, endless motherly love for his teammates, and a telepathic bond with Nicklas Backstrom. On the ice, watch for him on the power play in his office, unguarded in the Ovi spot, ready to unleash a wicked slapshot.

Notable Prospects

#63 Shane Gersich

Age: 22 Nationality: United States Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Capitals’ fifth round draft pick in 2014. A forward who spent three years at the University of North Dakota before going pro and signing an entry-level contract with the Capitals. He ended up playing in three regular season and two postseason games for the Capitals this past season, becoming a Stanley Cup champion in the process. Great speed and great skill, he’s looking to crack the roster for the Capitals this season.

#30 Ilya Samsonov

Age: 21 Nationality: Russia Position: Goalie

The Capitals’ first round draft pick in 2015. An elite-level goalie, and projected to be the Caps’ goalie of the future. Has spent the last four seasons in the KHL performing brilliantly, even winning the Gargarin Cup once. He signed an entry-level contract with the Capitals this offseason, and will be playing in North America for the first time this year. He will likely start at the AHL, but there’s a small chance we might see him with the Caps this year if everything goes right.

#45 Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

Age: 20 Nationality: Sweden Position: Forward Shoots: L

The Capitals’ fifth round draft pick in 2016. A forward who can skate like the wind and is excellent shorthanded. Big his greatest attribute: long, flowing, golden locks. Has spent his entire hockey career in Sweden up until now. Signed an entry-level contract with the Capitals this offseason, and will likely spent this season in North America, probably at the AHL level.

#21 Lucas Johansen

Age: 20 Nationality: Canada Position: Defense Shoots: L

The Capitals’ first round draft pick in 2016. A defenseman with good skating, a good shot, and great hockey instincts. Spent three seasons in juniors before spending a year in the AHL last season, having signed an entry-level contract with the Capitals in the 2017 offseason. His older brother is center Ryan Johansen of the Nashville Predators.

#27 Alexander Alexeyev

Age: 18 Nationality: Russia Position: Defense Shoots: L

The Capitals’ first round draft pick in 2018. A defenseman with a lot of size, great offensive ability, and two-way defensive talent. Has said that he models his game after Dmitry Orlov. Has a very big personality, much like Evgeny Kuznetsov, and chirped Ovechkin about his fountain celebrations when Ovechkin called him at the draft. He’s a good number of years away, and despite signing his entry-level contract with the Capitals just a few days, ago, he will continue playing for his junior team, the Red Deer Rebels (WHL), for the upcoming season.

Other notable players include Jonas Siegenthaler, Brian Pinho, Vitek Vanecek, Connor Hobbs

Up next: Caps coaches, broadcasters, and everyone else important to the Caps!

[mysportingopinion]

What’s right or Who’s right, time to get video replay right.

Good day all and welcome back to my sporting opinion. today as there is talk of using video umpiring in the upcoming spring training for MLB, we talk about the problem with instant replay or the video review system in professional sports.

how bad is this you ask. well that’s a great question it is bad enough to cost teams wins during the regular season and wins in the playoffs and even trips to the Super Bowl. 

Without getting into the big long details of video replay in sports, we can look at this issue just as a simple sports fan. first to the CFL a league that some football fans look at and laugh well with what they have done since brining in the coaches challenge it understandably starts to look like a joke league. First each team was given 2 challenges and basically if they got it right then they got to keep there challenges. which after a little time the CFL found out that they might not be making all the right calls at all the right times and as each season wore on it was glaring clear that the refs were not always at the level they should be. 

Now as a side note with having been a ref my self in a few different sports. i understand that it is at times very difficult to make the right call however if i missed a call and had the ability to review it and get it right. i would have take  that shot in a heartbeat.The CFL however instead of using this new found delema to work with the teams and players to make sure the right calls are being made they reacted in the exact opposite way.

the first step was to change the coaches challenge to 1 per half and even when that showed them getting calls wrong they went one step further and changed the rules (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON) to 1 challenge right wrong or we just don’t care you only get 1. 

so with the events of above clearly showing that CFL is a league stuck on being who’s right not what’s right and unfortunately this is deciding games in the regular season and playoffs, they are probably the biggest example of a league that needs to look at why they have video replay.

Now on a much smaller Scale the NBA and NHL have had a few games in the last calendar year that shows they are also dealing with this issue. the most public of these came in the following examples. In No particular order. 

1. The SJ sharks were playing the STL blues in the playoffs last year and in OT of game 3 a undetected Hand pass lead to the winning Goal for the sharks. Now the Blues were furious and lobbied for a review, however because none of the refs saw it live it was not allowed to be reviewed. this only brings up the following question we have amazing video replay technology why are we not taking the very small amount of time to use it to review and get the call right.

2. To the NBA and the regular season game between the  HOU rockets and the SAN spurs. which once again all it would have taken was a short review and the right call would be made and may have changed the outcome of the game. this one was simple James Harden went in for a dunk the ball goes though the basket and back up again. at this point a simple sorry i didn't see it lets take a quick review would have worked great but no, for some reason scoring a basket in this circumstance equals no review and no challenge aloud, once again deciding the outcome of a game.

3. Back to the NHL where during this years regular season a clock management issue lead to a controversial end as the CLB Blue jackets were playing the CHI Blackhawks. In OT a penalty was called and the whistle blown, however the clock ran for another second and a half, and what difference does a second make. well in professional sports a Second can seem pretty long as lots can happen when the game moves that fast. so its understandable that an officiating team can miss things. in this situation once again a simple review and adjustment could have averted everything that was about to happen. they did not change the clock back because it’s not a challengeable play, so play goes on and at the buzzer the Blue jackets score to win the game. however after review the puck did not completely cross the line before time ran out. Now if that second and a half was added back like it should have been then this goal would count and the jackets would have won instead of lost and would not have gotten their goaltender injured in the shootout as an added downside. as a side note in this one well done John Tortorella for calling out the league on this one, and shame on you NHL for fining him for calling you out when he is clearly right, just admit you were wrong and look for a solution get your pride out of the way.

4 the last example is probably the most publicized as it cost the NO Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.lets just say it, No explanation necessary. it was pass interference and the refs missed it, well review it, get it right and move on. nope sorry no one saw it and it’s not reviewable. WHY is this not reviewable, the reason. at the time rules were in place for Video replay to be about who is right not what is right. (Good Job NFL for changing the rule in the offseason)

these are only a few examples of the issue with the current state of video replay in pro sports. When video replay first came in, we constantly heard it was so that right calls could be made. 

The technology has come so far we have cameras everywhere and can almost look at the individual water molecules that form the ice, So why can’t we just let Video replay be about getting the call right every time. why should the coach have to challenge. Every league should have a video replay official and can review things even before a review is needed so that when there is any question or concern it is a quick and easy here is the video fottage and this is what the call is, games are 2-3 hours anyway why does it matter that a review would take an extra minute.

So to all pro sports leagues please use video replay as it was intended to get the call right, take the extra second, swallow your pride, as showing that you can admit that you were wrong and changing the call during the situation is more enduring and easier to forgive then releasing a press statement 2 days later saying sorry we were wrong. 

Thank you all for joining me today and please remember to share you sporting opinion.   

[burning-up-ao3]

20 Penguins Thoughts: Mad about Erik Gudbranson? Blame the Flyers.February 26, 2019 8:06 AMBy Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There are two ways of viewing the Penguins’ trade Monday for defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

On one hand, there’s a large group of fans who like the deal. They think the Penguins could use someone with Gudbranson’s toughness and presence in the dressing room and figured what the heck, Tanner Pearson wasn’t doing much anyway.

The second sect haaaaaates the deal. Like in a steal-kids’-Christmas-presents sort of way.

Here, though, are two things I think we can agree on:

It’s all the Flyers’ fault.

And this surely will be a fun experiment to see play out.

I figured we’d work through these two items and more from Monday in this week’s 20 Thoughts.

2. An important starting date here is Feb. 11. In a game at Wells Fargo Center, Olli Maatta separated his shoulder in an awkward collision with Flyers winger Phil Varone.

According to an industry source, Maatta is expected to miss at least a month while his shoulder heals, and the Penguins remain hopeful that Maatta can avoid surgery.

But given Maatta’s history of shoulder issues and the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of re-injury once he does get back, getting a depth defenseman remained a possibility for Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford.

Then Saturday happened.

3. That’s when Brian Dumoulin was concussed, the result of Wayne Simmonds’ hit along the boards — for which he was not disciplined. Kris Letang was injured by Shayne Gostisbehere in a wrestling match while sticking up for Dumoulin.

Watching from above, Rutherford clearly was not happy.

During the 2016-17 Stanley Cup run, Rutherford sounded off to Ken Campbell of the Hockey News on the mistreatment of his star players — saying the NHL had devolved into a “[expletive] show” — and backed up his words that summer by acquiring Ryan Reaves.

Since trading Jamie Oleksiak to make room for Justin Schultz, Rutherford had been missing an element of the game he really likes and feels the Penguins need, even though there’s many who disagree with that approach.

“In Erik’s case, he’s a real heart-and-soul guy,” Rutherford said Monday. “He’s a good dressing room guy. He’s got good character. He can protect our players, and puts us in a stronger position to push back when we get into more physical games.”

4. This, though, isn’t about so much about Gudbranson as it is about how we got here, and I think that much is fascinating.

A key question to ask is this: Does Rutherford do this deal if neither the Feb. 11 injury to Maatta nor the Stadium Series shenanigans happen?

I don’t think so.

Rutherford can talk about team toughness all he wants, and I do see the value in what Gudbranson could potentially bring (more on that shortly). But I’m sorry, I just don’t see how Rutherford would’ve done this with a full complement of defensemen, and that could be scary given Gudbranson’s contract ($4 million per season through 2021).

5. What happens when everyone gets healthy?

Let’s say, for instance, that Dumoulin and Letang return soon as Rutherford indicated Monday; he said the team wanted to avoid putting them on injured reserve and expressed optimism they could be back this weekend.

By March 11, the Penguins’ blue line could consist of Dumoulin, Letang, Maatta, Schultz, Jack Johnson, Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel, Juuso Riikola and Erik Gudbranson.

Two things there. One, that’s nine, a number that, before Schultz returned, was untenable. Either Rutherford doesn’t care because it’ll be mid-March, or two, they’re not nearly as optimistic on Maatta’s injury as they once were.

It’s also worth mentioning that everybody but Ruhwedel is either under contract or a restricted free agent whom the Penguins plan on re-signing (Riikola and Pettersson) for 2019-20.

6. Leave that for another day, though. What’s important this season is whether Gudbranson can add anything of value or whether things go the way they did in Vancouver, which is really bad.

Traditional or advanced, the numbers stink:

• League-worst minus-27.

• Last among defensemen who’ve played at least 600 minutes in five-on-five goals-for percentage (34.4) and scoring-chance percentage (38.6).

Try to make any sort of case that Gudbranson’s defense, at least on paper, represents an upgrade, and it’s tough sledding.

7. But games aren’t played on paper. We can predict a lot of outcomes, just not all of them. I’ll be curious to see how this plays out for that reason.

One, the Penguins deserve the benefit of the doubt based on what they’ve done with other defensemen who’ve struggled elsewhere: Ian Cole, Schultz, Oleksiak, etc.

The problem with Gudbranson, however, is that he’s played 448 NHL games. He is who he is at this point, and that’s a big body who hits and fights and doesn’t really skate all that well. Can he help their transition game? Maybe, but I certainly understand why people have questions.

8. The second part of this is the human element, the stuff people who’ve crushed the deal on social media don’t see.

Far too often this season, the Penguins dressing room has been quiet. There are no issues, as far as I can tell, and it’s full of some very good people. But you need a mix of personalities, the sort of thing the Penguins had while winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Earlier this season, I was watching a morning skate with a former Penguins player who couldn’t believe how stoic everyone was, stunned at the lack of chatter. “They need someone to stir the [expletive],” the player said.

Gudbranson should bring that.

9. I remember a couple years ago a game I covered in Vancouver. Believe it was the first time Derrick Pouliot played against his former team post-trade.

We were all waiting in the dressing room for Pouliot, and Gudbranson came bounding in the room, chiding a few of teammates. His personality and voice were unmistakable. They should really stand out at PPG Paints Arena or UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

Does this mean Gudbranson should stay in the lineup because he’s funny, even if he stinks? Of course not. And $4 million is a lot to pay for a character guy.

All I’m saying is the guy hasn’t played a game here yet. There are some elements the Penguins could use, if they can somehow figure out how to make the hockey part better — which, admittedly, is a steep hill to climb.

10. But one of the things that worries me about the deal involves the Flyers. Because of what the Penguins’ cross-state rival did, they made a trade out of need rather than want. That’s not always a great thing, although it has worked before.

Given the divide on this, it should be nothing short of fascinating to see it play out.

Especially given the heightened stakes, as Gudbranson was technically acquired for Carl Hagelin ... and has two more years left at a high cap hit for someone who does what he does.

11. Moving on …

Good on Rutherford keeping his first-round pick. If this trade turns out to be terrible, or if the Penguins can’t figure it out and ultimately either exit the playoffs early or miss them entirely, at least he has that.

It’s been far too long since Rutherford has stepped tp the podium on the first night of the NHL Draft … which ironically will take place in Vancouver this summer.

“This is a year that we’re on the bubble to get in. I did not want to risk that,” Rutherford said of potentially trading his first-round pick. “Also it’s a very good draft. It was important this year to keep that pick.”

12. It’s too bad for Pearson.

One, his wife is pregnant, and he’s on his third team — and second time criss-crossing coasts — since November. That can’t be easy.

Two, I got the sense he was beating himself up pretty good over how little he did here.

13. It started the summer after the second Cup with the Matt Hunwick and Antti Niemi signings, but at some point Rutherford needs to stop having to redo things.

I think it's one of his strengths as a general manager, his willingness to admit mistakes and correct them. Many in his position won't, whether it's because of ego or whatever.

But a couple years ago, the Penguins pushed this thing forward because Rutherford kept hitting on deals. They've been spinning their wheels lately, at least in part, because he has missed more often than he or anyone else would like.

14. Willing to bet Jean-Sebastien Dea is thrilled to be done with the Penguins.

They released Dea at the start of the season after deciding against using him in their bottom-six, then reclaimed him from the Devils and again stashed him in the minors.

On Monday, Dea went to Florida for another depth defenseman, Chris Wideman, who could potentially help the Penguins down the road.

Yes, the Penguins are Wideman’s fourth team this season, which isn't a great sign. But he's a decent puck-mover who isn't too far removed from being an NHL regular.

"In Wideman’s case, he gives us depth at defense," Rutherford said. "He’s a smaller guy, a puck-moving guy. He’s played some games in the league. He’s got some experience. He could see some time here at some point, too."

15. I think a lot of you were surprised that Ethan Prow didn't get a shot for Tuesday's game in Columbus with Gudbranson sorting out some immigration stuff.

My sense on Prow is that they'd rather see him push and win a job out of camp instead of the Penguins having to drop him into the lineup and pray that things went OK.

Zach Trotman is a much safer bet for something like that. Now, that being said, with the contract situation I outlined up top, I do wonder if there's going to be a spot available for Prow in 2019-20.

16. Some Stadium Series stuff ...

There's ample reason to dismiss outdoor hockey. Sightlines stink. Sometimes the weather, too. The NHL has had approximately 4,596 outdoor games since 2008, with 90 percent of them involving the Chicago Blackhawks. I get it.

But after walking through the parking lots Saturday, and seeing how that translated into a packed and raucous Lincoln Financial Field, I see why the league keeps pushing these.

They put butts in seats, and honestly, they're fun. That was a really good atmosphere Saturday.

17. And also, from what several players have said, the ice was actually pretty good.

It wasn't until the third period, when the rain really picked up, that things started to get ugly. All in all, I have yet to hear anyone say it was a huge issue.

18. Before the Stadium Series, I did a story about Jared McCann and the backyard rink his dad built him.

Something McCann mentioned made me laugh. He said his dad would even go so far as to put up protective netting. I was a little dumfounded when McCann said that.

"I missed the net a lot as a kid," McCann said. "At first we didn’t have the mesh, so I was losing a lot of pucks. The lawn cutters was getting [ticked] off at me because he kept running over the pucks. Put the mesh up. Started to hit the net a bit more."

Ironically, Gudbranson and McCann were actually traded for each other (plus draft picks on both sides) back in 2016.

19. I couldn't not share this. Might be one of the funniest things I've ever seen on social media:

After a lot of deep thought I think I finally figured out a lineup that the Pittsburgh Penguins Twitter and Facebook crowds would approve of #LetsGoPens

344 people are talking about this

Twitter Ads info and privacy

20. A couple quick thoughts on deadline day around the league ...

I kinda love what Columbus did. The same old thing wasn't working, clearly, so give Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen this: He's certainly taking a different approach. With Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky potentially/likely leaving, talk about loading up for a run.

I like Colorado as a fit for Derick Brassard, although I couldn’t believe the minimal return he netted; along with a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020, the Panthers sent Brassard to the Avalanche for a third-round draft choice in 2020.

But Brassard will get top-six minutes, as he should represent an upgrade over Carl Soderberg.

Here's a random one: Last year the Penguins acquired Tobias Lindberg in the Ryan Reaves deal, although he stayed with the Chicago Wolves because of an AHL agreement the teams worked out.

Lindberg re-signed with the Penguins this summer, but they traded him to Ottawa, the team that drafted him, on Dec. 5. On Monday, the Senators included Lindberg in the deal that sent Mark Stone to Vegas.

So, I guess, what, next year the Penguins get Lindberg back?

I liked what Nashville did a lot, maybe more than Columbus, bringing in Simmonds and Mikael Granlund.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published February 26, 2019 8:00 AM

[mikemortgage]

The name on the back matters: NHL is now marketing its stars

Connor McDavid is eager to shrug off personal stats, awards and achievements and put the focus on his team in Edmonton.

Yet there he is on the cover of a video game or in a commercial for a bank.

Auston Matthews is the face of the franchise in Toronto. But he also got razzed by his Maple Leafs teammates for doing a stylish fashion photo shoot for GQ magazine.

“It was a lot of fun,” Matthews said. “Kind of something that definitely got you out of your comfort zone.”

The rink for long decades has been the comfort zone for so many hockey players who put their full energy into the sport and are indoctrinated from a young age that the logo on the front of the jersey matters more than the name on the back.

That team-oriented part of hockey culture remains entrenched, but the NHL is finally beginning to market its stars as the NFL and NBA have done with great success.

As dynamic players like McDavid, Matthews and Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau settled in Canadian markets and star power spread to smaller cities without much hockey tradition, marketing players and not just teams is essential to growing the NHL’s fan base. For a sport that generally sees its TV ratings drawn from fans of the two teams playing — and where the Stanley Cup Final doesn’t pull in nearly as much as the Super Bowl or NBA Finals — it’s a concerted effort to build up personalities and players’ brands to become more popular.

“It is a changing landscape,” said Judd Moldaver, Matthews’ agent and senior vice-president of Wasserman Orr Hockey. “Hockey players are such fantastic athletes and fantastic people that I believe the hybrid of playing for the logo on the front but also being able to optimize your individual situation. I think the two can coexist.”

Matthews, McDavid, Nashville’s P.K. Subban and other stars are sharing more personality than players of previous eras like Mario Lemieux and even Wayne Gretzky. No longer is it seen as selfish for Subban to host a late-night talk show or for Matthews to shoot a cellphone commercial.

“Why not try? Just because the person next to me doesn’t think that they can host their own show doesn’t mean that I can’t,” Subban said. “What people have to understand is we’re at the rink three hours a day. We have a lot of time. We have days off, we have travel days and obviously there’s certain points in the schedule where you can’t do anything but hockey because of the way the schedule’s set up and the travel. But outside of hockey, a lot of times I don’t go home. I have meetings, I have different things that I’m doing. I have all these other interests.”

Showcasing those interests is part of the NHL’s shift. The league this season debuted a “Skates Off” series of vignettes with a player from all 31 teams to show what they are like off the ice, including Jack Eichel being a guest DJ at a Buffalo classic rock radio station, Victor Hedman sharing his love of flying planes and Seth Jones showing his cooking talent.

“It’s nice to see those personalities come out,” said Nick Foligno, a teammate of Jones’ in Columbus. “That’s how you grow the game. You look in other sports and the personalities come out, and that’s what fans are drawn to.”

NHL chief content officer and executive vice-president Steve Mayer knows this. Since joining the league in late 2015 after 20 years at talent and sports giant IMG, he has helped lead the charge to put more focus on star players whose abilities and personalities could play a role in attracting younger fans who are attached to social media in the digital age.

“Other leagues do this, and we really don’t do it as well — we want to get better at it,” Mayer said. “Other leagues it doesn’t really matter sometimes: You just tune in to watch the guy play. And we need to do that even more. … I want to be able to have fans even in (another) town (who) cannot wait to see Connor McDavid come to town because we have marketed him as one of our greatest players. I don’t know whether that happens enough.”

The NHL, Mayer said, has no interest in abandoning the team culture of hockey. But after a 2016 Magna Global study showed the average age of NHL fans rose 16 years over a span of 16 years — essentially stagnant — experts praised the league for trying to create more buzz among millennials and Generation Z.

“They recognize this, and they’re in a cultural shift, a cultural transformation within hockey,” said Stephanie Tryce, assistant of sports marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “Generation Z is about a lifestyle. They’re interested in things like social responsibility and they celebrate more of their identities than in the past, so that’s going to force hockey to continue to make inroads into other markets like the Hispanic/Latino market. It’s a market that you can’t ignore, but it’s also a market that historically hasn’t been in hockey. So you have to grow that.”

Matthews is at the centre of that. His father is from California, his mother is from Mexico and he grew up in a nontraditional American hockey market in Arizona. Moldaver works closely with Matthews’ parents to chart a course for off-ice endeavours, from commercials and endorsement deals to philanthropic efforts, all of which continue to grow for the 21-year-old.

McDavid’s star began at an even earlier age, and the 2017 NHL MVP who has arguably surpassed Sidney Crosby as the greatest player in the world is finding his voice off the ice, too. When NFL Canada asked Rams and Patriots players at the Super Bowl who McDavid was, several thought maybe the prime minister or an actor. Work is ongoing to make him more recognizable outside hockey.

Hockey is such a team sport that individualism has for decades been frowned upon. Adidas senior director Dan Near said it’s a delicate balance to try to sell personalities but not stray too far from the team.

“I think there’s a fine line between doing it to promote yourself a little bit and being cocky, and I think we’ve got a lot of guys that do a great job of treading that line,” Ottawa’s Bobby Ryan said. “You’re starting to see guys be promoted a little more, and it’s nice because then you get to see some individual personalities come out, and in a sport where you’re so often wearing helmets and gear, people don’t get to relate to you face-to-face.”

Teams have been reluctant to some of the league’s efforts sometimes until they see the final product. Mayer recalls showing owners and general managers clips of potential ideas and seeing the hesitancy for propping one player up before they understand the wide-ranging plan to give the NHL more exposure.

Initiatives like “Stanley Cup Confidential” where a player from each of the league’s 16 playoff teams shoots a daily cellphone video is another baby step.

“We are not here to break the culture. We’re just here to show that certain players are dynamic and have personality,” Mayer said. “Players are starting gradually to see, you know what, it’s OK. I’m not disrupting the locker room and it’s OK to show personality and have some fun and smile.”

——

Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

——

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP–Sports

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[nishantwap]

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Ryan Reaves' journey from enforcer to Vegas Golden Knights hero

New Post has been published on https://www.hsnews.us/2018-stanley-cup-playoffs-ryan-reaves-journey-from-enforcer-to-vegas-golden-knights-hero/

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Ryan Reaves' journey from enforcer to Vegas Golden Knights hero

11:58 AM ET

Emily KaplanESPN

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — There was a time, not too long ago, that Ryan Reaves wondered if the NHL wanted him anymore. The league has been turning to smaller and faster players over the past decade. Fighting has, organically, come out of vogue. Reaves — a thick 6-foot-1, 225-pound winger, the son of a professional running back, a player who earned his ticket through grit — began asking: Are hockey players like me becoming extinct?

For a few summers in the NHL, Reaves trained solely in the boxing ring. He’d spar for hours and “throw weights around so I could fight 250-pound guys,” he said. And then he realized: “Those guys are gone, so now I’ve got to get a little quicker. I’ve got to add a little skill to my game. You’ve got to be able to play and not take penalties, and contribute and play responsible in the D-zone.”

Vegas is in the Stanley Cup Final largely due to Marc-Andre Fleury. But who has been the best player in front of the veteran goaltender?

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Jets 2-1 on Sunday in Winnipeg to punch their improbable ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

With a Canadian-heavy roster and their style of play, the Golden Knights — not the Winnipeg Jets — should be Canada’s rooting interest.

2 Related

Looking back on his eight seasons in the league, Reaves says, “I had to adjust quite a bit.”

That’s how Reaves has survived in the NHL since 2007 at a time when not every team carries a player like him. That’s why at last year’s draft, the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins traded a first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues to acquire Reaves’ services. They wanted a protector for Sidney Crosby and their other skilled stars.

That’s also why it doesn’t always work out for the 31-year-old Reaves. For as hard as he’s worked to adjust, the truth is he’s still straddling two eras, which can make him feel hamstrung by expectations. The Penguins traded Reaves — who sometimes played less than four minutes per game — to the Vegas Golden Knights at this season’s trade deadline, less than a year into his tenure in Pittsburgh. And Reaves was scratched for the first nine games of the Golden Knights’ postseason.

It’s what makes Reaves the latest unlikely hero in this improbable Vegas playoff run. Reaves tipped in the game-winning goal in the second period of Game 5 against the Winnipeg Jets to send Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final. It was his first goal since Feb. 15. He hadn’t scored in the 26 regular-season and playoff games in which he suited up for Vegas. He has now played in 42 playoff games and has scored just one other time (in 2015 with the Blues).

And there he was, on Sunday night, walking up to the victors’ podium for a news conference alongside Marc-Andre Fleury, clutching a cardboard box of pepperoni pizza (half-eaten) with a grin on his face. He looked at the podium and said: “I can’t believe they even had one of these name cards made up for me.” Later that night, he found out his stick would be shipped to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Everybody on this team has something to prove,” Reaves says. “We call ourselves the Golden Misfits for a reason. We’re doing a good job of proving everybody wrong.”

After barely playing in the Golden Knights’ first two playoff series, Ryan Reaves scored the conference finals-clinching goal against the Jets. Jason Halstead/Getty Images

Reaves spent his first seven seasons with St. Louis. The move to the Penguins was as shocking to fans as it was for Reaves.

“In Pittsburgh, they never really carried a player like me. I don’t know if it was … they just wanted me around. But I wasn’t playing a whole lot, and here I was playing a lot more. It was more toward the minutes I was playing last year in St. Louis.”

Reaves’ regular-season average ice time with the Golden Knights was 9:55, far above his career average of 7:56. In Pittsburgh, there were 18 games in which he played six minutes or less. (It should be noted that in Game 5, Reaves played just 6:58, less ice time by far than any of his teammates). However, Reaves plays into a big theme for the Golden Knights this season, thanks to coach Gerard Gallant: Players have been given a bigger opportunity and freedom to explore their limits.

“He gave me no reason not to play him,” Gallant said. “That’s what I liked about him: He’s a character guy, he’s a leader guy. When he didn’t play games, he wasn’t sulking.”

Between the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons — spanning time in the AHL and NHL — Reaves fought 84 times, according to hockeyfights.com. Reaves has fought only six times this season — all before Jan. 1. He hasn’t engaged in a fight while with the Golden Knights.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Central » Schedule » | Experts’ picks »

Jump to a series: • TB-WSH | • WPG-VGS

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Round 1 results: • TB-NJ | • BOS-TOR • WSH-CBJ | • PIT-PHI • NSH-COL | • WPG-MIN • VGS-LA | • ANA-SJ

But Reaves has found other ways to contribute. He has skated well, he’s been active on the forecheck. As Gallant said, “he makes people make quick plays against him.”

He’s maintained his physicality — and his personality has meshed with the Golden Misfits who were there before him. When asked about going toe-to-toe with Winnipeg’s Dustin Byfuglien earlier in the playoffs, Reaves gushed about how much taller and heavier Byfuglien was than him. When asked if Byfuglien was the toughest player in the league, Reaves deadpanned: “I’m the toughest player in the league.” (He later conceded Byfuglien might be second.)

When asked about a hit on the Jets’ Blake Wheeler that sent Winnipeg’s captain over the boards, Reaves said: “It doesn’t matter who it is. Added bonus if it’s their captain.”

His quick wit and willingness to contribute — wherever, however — has made him a hit with his new linemates.

“He plays the game the right way,” Vegas alternate captain Deryk Engelland said. “First guy on every puck, he creates havoc down low on their D-men, he finishes every check, he creates room for his linemates, he’s going to go to the dirty areas to get the job done. To get that first goal in what, three and a half months? In the conference finals as the game winner? I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Not only has Reaves found a way to stay in this league, but he has become a beloved player on one of the NHL’s best stories. He was also a star in a Western Conference finals clincher — in the city he grew up in, where his father, Willard, won the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 1984 — and that’s something he’ll always be able to cherish.

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DGB Grab Bag: Flames Threaten Calgary and Everyone Loves Bagging on Kessel

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Vernon Fiddler’s impression of Kevin Bieksa – Yes, this clip is years old. But Fiddler announced his retirement this week, so let’s all enjoy it one more time.

The second star: Ilya Kovalchuk – Apparently, making fun of Phil Kessel has gone international.

If recent history is any indication, I look forward to Phil reading this, having a good laugh, waiting a few years and then absolutely ethering Kovalchuk while pretending he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.

The first star: This photo of Matt Duchene – The Avalanche somehow made it through the summer without trading their disgruntled forward, and there was talk he would report to camp. He did, saying he was there for his teammates, but something tells me he might not be thrilled about it.

Things OK, Matt? Blink twice is you want Garth Snow to lower a rope ladder from a helicopter.

Outrage of the Week

The issue: The Calgary Flames have made a dramatic show of pulling out of talks with the city for a new arena. Now the team, with some help from Gary Bettman, is making vague threats about someday moving.

The outrage: Absolutely nobody thinks they’ll actually move. This is just an old-fashioned shakedown.

Is it justified: Sure. We all know the game by now. Some pro sports team cries poor (while refusing to open the books) and demands a massive handout from the public (while refusing to pay it back). It almost always works. In Calgary, for now at least, it hasn’t.

That’s because Calgary’s mayor basically called B.S. on the whole thing, offering the team a reasonable deal but nothing more. Now, the Flames are trying to turn this into an issue for next month’s election in hopes of winding up with a new mayor who’ll gladly shut down a few public services so the Flames can have a rink just like Edmonton’s except maybe with bathrooms. It helps that Seattle just got an arena deal, meaning there’s a semi-credible threat to try to beat Calgary fans over the head with.

It’s a bluff and we all know it, but that’s life in pro sports these days.

Still, there are two points worth making in all of this. First of all, let’s deal with Bettman, who made a surprise appearance in Calgary this week to turn up the heat. He did the usual Bettman routine, making snide comments while disingenuously pretending he was there to help.

It’s frustrating, right? Luckily, regular readers already know how to handle this.

“… and since I’ve been running this league since 1993, I take full responsibility for that.”

See? It works! I’m telling you, we’re on to something here.

More importantly, a word about Calgary fans.

Yes, we all know that Bettman and the Flames are full of it, that public funds for arenas are almost always a bad idea, and that this is all a big act that will end in some sort of deal eventually. It’s easy to watch all of this unfold from the outside with a “been there, done that” weariness.

But it’s different when it’s your team. Even if the odds of all this being forgotten in a few years is 98%, that 2% chance that it could all somehow go horribly wrong and wind up with Johnny Gaudreau leading the Seattle Space Needles onto the ice for the 2019 season opener is a pretty traumatic thought for diehard fans to process.

So if you see some Flames fan freaking out over the next few days and weeks, maybe resist the temptation to tut-tut them about the realities of municipal economics. They don’t need that right now. Instead, just tell them it’s going to be OK, agree that none of this is fun, and give them the same support you’d want if it was your team being threatened with relocation because a billionaire had a tantrum.

Because the way this league works, someday, it probably will be.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

So yeah, since the Flames are moving I guess we should pick a player from Calgary while we still can. How about someone from the last time the franchise moved? This week’s obscure player is winger Ken Houston.

Houston was drafted in the sixth round of the 1973 draft by the Atlanta Flames; future 46-goal man Blair MacDonald went one pick later. Houston made it to Atlanta two years later and played five seasons before the team moved to Calgary, where he played two more. He was a decent two-way winger, scoring 20 goals six times over his career.

He was also involved in two notable trades. The first saw him go from Calgary to Washington in a package deal that saw the Flames acquire the pick they’d use on Perry Berezan, who’d one day score one of the most famous goals in franchise history, kind of. A year later, the Caps traded him (and future broadcaster Brian Engblom) to the Kings for Hall-of-Famer Larry Murphy. Houston retired after the 1983-84 season.

Here are two other notable things about Ken Houston. One, he joins guys like Cam Newton and Chad Johnson on the list of NHL players who shared a name with a more famous football player. And two, he’s almost certainly the only player in the entire history of hockey to ever break the jaw of Dave “The Hammer” Schultz but also get one-punched by Darryl Sittler.

Be It Resolved

This week, ESPN asked 30 NHL players what one rule they would change if they had the power. Be it resolved that we should do this way more often, because the results were fascinating.

You can find the article here, and I strongly encourage you to read the whole thing. Once you’ve done that, head back here, because we need a thorough power ranking of all the responses.

No. 30 – Connor McDavid: He argues for bringing back the red line, and he’s not alone; two other players give the same answer. But McDavid’s reasoning stands out: “Just because teams are now — they just trap. They just sit back. Put the red line back in and everyone has to come back and regroup and build speed and come through the neutral zone.”

He’s basically saying that bringing back the red line would hurt the neutral zone trap, which is… what? That doesn’t make any sense. And he seems to know it, because he basically starts talking himself out of his own answer right away. But still… Connor, dude, really? You think that would help? Were you even alive for the 1995 Devils?

(Does math.)

Oh, dammit. We are all so, so old.

No. 29 – Marc-Andre Fleury: “Less contact with goalies.” Yes, that’s the big problem facing the NHL these days. The goaltenders have it too rough.

No. 28 – Tanner Pearson: He wants to lower escrow payments. I too would like to have more money than what I’ve legally bargained to receive. I also want a pony for Christmas, but that’s not happening either.

No. 27 – Ryan Getzlaf: “I’d penalize guys for diving more,” said the guy who plays on Ryan Kessler and Corey Perry’s team. I guess he wants more opportunities to work on his penalty killing?

Nos. 15 to 26 – Everyone who said something boring: Slightly smaller pads, tweaking the offside rules, more consistent officiating, changing the icing rules … These aren’t bad ideas, necessarily, but come on guys. You have one rule change and you go with something the league already tries from time to time? Boo.

No. 14 – Shayne Gostisbehere: Shayne wants to make teams have the long line change twice a game instead of once. Not the most exciting answer, but not a bad idea.

No. 13 – Martin Jones: No more leaving your feet to block a shot. See, Marc-Andre, not all goalies are afraid to do their jobs.

Nos. 6 to 12 – The seven(!) different players who all mention playing in the Olympics: I’m with you, boys. Maybe talk to your union about putting it in the CBA it next time.

No. 5 – Jeff Skinner: Just for this quote, which I will leave out of context: “When I hit their knobs and I think it’s going in, and it’s not a good feeling.”

No. 4 – Jack Eichel: “No offside. Just hang down at the other end and wait for the puck to come there.” Hell yes! I don’t even necessarily agree with him, but I love that answer. This kid is only 20 years old and he’s already going full “NHL 94 options screen” on us. By the time he’s 25 and has a couple of Hart Trophies he’s going to be turning off line changes and switching the goalies to manual control without telling anyone.

No. 3 – Max Domi: He wants to make the nets bigger. Actually, he wants to make them “just huge” and seems to be mostly kidding, but he’s the only one who names the one simple rule change that could most improve the game overnight, so he ranks near the top.

No. 2 – Johnny Gaudreau: Death to shootouts. Well, he says “make the three-on-three in overtime go until someone scores,” which is basically the same thing. See folks, that’s why his nickname is Johnny Hockey and not Johnny Glorified Skills Competition.

No. 1 – Taylor Hall: End the loser point. God bless you, Taylor. And not only that, he even backs it up with some math. “You look at the standings and you’re like, ‘Oh, so-and-so is .500.’ But they’re really not. They’re 13-13-6, but they’re really 13-19.”

I mean, look, loser point fans…do you realize how indefensible your side of the argument has to be when Taylor Hall is breaking out mathematics to dunk on you? This is the guy who fails open book boating tests and gets confused by pilot lights, and even he can look at the NHL standings and say “Yeah, that doesn’t add up at all.”

Every team Taylor Hall plays on automatically misses the playoffs by 30 points and then wins the draft lottery. If there was anybody on this planet who should want losing teams to get a pity point, it’s him. But he knows the loser point is garbage and he’s not afraid to say so, and that’s why he should be your new favorite player.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Last week, the NHL named former enforcer George Parros to head up the Department of Player Safety. He’s a smart guy who went his entire career without a fine or suspension despite being one of the toughest guys in the game, so you figure he’d make for a great hire. But not everyone was on board.

Of course, that’s no surprise when it comes to DoPS, since everyone complains constantly about everything the department does. And that’s not a new thing. So today, let’s go back nearly 30 years as we ask a star player for this thoughts on the world of player discipline and suspensions.

It’s December 4, 1988, and the Oilers are in town to play the Rangers. It’s the first intermission, and the Oilers are up 4-2. Spoiler alert: They’re going to end up winning by a 10-6 final. The 1980s NHL, man. It was something.

Our host is John Davidson, reclaiming his title as “guy who shows up a little too often in this section” from Alan Thicke. He’s interviewing the Oilers’ new captain, Mark Messier.

I’ll pause here so you can all adjust to remembering Messier with hair.

Davidson does a good job of setting the scene. The Oilers are making their first trip to New York since trading Wayne Gretzky, and Messier has inherited the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a legend as the team’s new captain. Davidson then asks the question on all our minds: “Mark, what’s that thing on your lip?”

Wait, no, he goes with whether his role has changed. I guess that works too.

As Messier is talking about the importance of leadership, the graphics guy throws up a quick stat about how well he does in games involving the Rangers. This moment has been brought to you by the Department Of Ironic Foreshadowing.

In a stunning upset, Messier doesn’t just mumble something about keeping it simple and playing his game, instead acknowledging that something has indeed changed. They don’t call him the greatest leader in sports for nothing. (“They” being New York fans with Adam Graves neck tattoos.)

“Lee Fogolin, everybody knows what kind of dedication he gave to the game.” Fact check: Mostly false.

Davidson asks whether the Oilers are over the shock of the Gretzky trade, and Messier explains that “fortunately it happened early enough in the summer that the guys were able to get over the initial shock.” He then starts to laugh and adds “I mean, it’s not like he held out and forced the trade two days into the regular season like some kind of jerk.”

Davidson actually does get to a question about Messier’s lip, and to our great relief it turns out to be stitches from Tim Hunter. Davidson asks what he thinks of all the suspensions being handed out these days, and Messier reacts by making the same face my daughter makes when I ask if she’s done her homework.

Look, let’s just get this out there: Messier could be a dirty player. He’d swing his stick, he’d throw elbows, he’d hit from behind. Or, as we all called it back then, “hockey.”

Davidson goes back to Messier’s most recent suspension for knocking Rich Sutter’s teeth out. (You can see that play about a minute into this clip.) As Davidson explains, back then every suspension went through one guy who was responsible for everything. Man, they should really have more than one person doing player safety. Like, maybe an entire department. I’m sure nobody would complain then.

Messier mentions a 12-game suspension from earlier that season. That would be New York’s David Shaw, who barely did anything other than slash Mario Lemieux in the throat. Good ol’ Mess, already preemptively defending the Rangers.

I think my favorite part of this whole interview comes right at the end, when Davidson wraps up and Messier literally manages to say the complete sentence “Thank you very much” in one syllable. That’s a guy who’s done a lot of interviews.

And that’s it. We’re left to dwell on Messier’s basic point: suspensions are already severe enough, the players are getting the message, and we should be fine to make it through the rest of the 1988-89 season without anyone doing anything completely insane.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Flames Threaten Calgary and Everyone Loves Bagging on Kessel syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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DGB Grab Bag: Flames Threaten Calgary and Everyone Loves Bagging on Kessel

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Vernon Fiddler's impression of Kevin Bieksa – Yes, this clip is years old. But Fiddler announced his retirement this week, so let's all enjoy it one more time.

The second star: Ilya Kovalchuk – Apparently, making fun of Phil Kessel has gone international.

If recent history is any indication, I look forward to Phil reading this, having a good laugh, waiting a few years and then absolutely ethering Kovalchuk while pretending he doesn't realize he's doing it.

The first star: This photo of Matt Duchene - The Avalanche somehow made it through the summer without trading their disgruntled forward, and there was talk he would report to camp. He did, saying he was there for his teammates, but something tells me he might not be thrilled about it.

Things OK, Matt? Blink twice is you want Garth Snow to lower a rope ladder from a helicopter.

Outrage of the Week

The issue: The Calgary Flames have made a dramatic show of pulling out of talks with the city for a new arena. Now the team, with some help from Gary Bettman, is making vague threats about someday moving. The outrage: Absolutely nobody thinks they'll actually move. This is just an old-fashioned shakedown. Is it justified: Sure. We all know the game by now. Some pro sports team cries poor (while refusing to open the books) and demands a massive handout from the public (while refusing to pay it back). It almost always works. In Calgary, for now at least, it hasn't.

That's because Calgary's mayor basically called B.S. on the whole thing, offering the team a reasonable deal but nothing more. Now, the Flames are trying to turn this into an issue for next month's election in hopes of winding up with a new mayor who'll gladly shut down a few public services so the Flames can have a rink just like Edmonton's except maybe with bathrooms. It helps that Seattle just got an arena deal, meaning there's a semi-credible threat to try to beat Calgary fans over the head with.

It's a bluff and we all know it, but that's life in pro sports these days.

Still, there are two points worth making in all of this. First of all, let's deal with Bettman, who made a surprise appearance in Calgary this week to turn up the heat. He did the usual Bettman routine, making snide comments while disingenuously pretending he was there to help.

It's frustrating, right? Luckily, regular readers already know how to handle this.

"… and since I've been running this league since 1993, I take full responsibility for that."

See? It works! I'm telling you, we're on to something here.

More importantly, a word about Calgary fans.

Yes, we all know that Bettman and the Flames are full of it, that public funds for arenas are almost always a bad idea, and that this is all a big act that will end in some sort of deal eventually. It's easy to watch all of this unfold from the outside with a "been there, done that" weariness.

But it's different when it's your team. Even if the odds of all this being forgotten in a few years is 98%, that 2% chance that it could all somehow go horribly wrong and wind up with Johnny Gaudreau leading the Seattle Space Needles onto the ice for the 2019 season opener is a pretty traumatic thought for diehard fans to process.

So if you see some Flames fan freaking out over the next few days and weeks, maybe resist the temptation to tut-tut them about the realities of municipal economics. They don't need that right now. Instead, just tell them it's going to be OK, agree that none of this is fun, and give them the same support you'd want if it was your team being threatened with relocation because a billionaire had a tantrum.

Because the way this league works, someday, it probably will be.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

So yeah, since the Flames are moving I guess we should pick a player from Calgary while we still can. How about someone from the last time the franchise moved? This week's obscure player is winger Ken Houston.

Houston was drafted in the sixth round of the 1973 draft by the Atlanta Flames; future 46-goal man Blair MacDonald went one pick later. Houston made it to Atlanta two years later and played five seasons before the team moved to Calgary, where he played two more. He was a decent two-way winger, scoring 20 goals six times over his career.

He was also involved in two notable trades. The first saw him go from Calgary to Washington in a package deal that saw the Flames acquire the pick they'd use on Perry Berezan, who'd one day score one of the most famous goals in franchise history, kind of. A year later, the Caps traded him (and future broadcaster Brian Engblom) to the Kings for Hall-of-Famer Larry Murphy. Houston retired after the 1983-84 season.

Here are two other notable things about Ken Houston. One, he joins guys like Cam Newton and Chad Johnson on the list of NHL players who shared a name with a more famous football player. And two, he's almost certainly the only player in the entire history of hockey to ever break the jaw of Dave "The Hammer" Schultz but also get one-punched by Darryl Sittler.

Be It Resolved

This week, ESPN asked 30 NHL players what one rule they would change if they had the power. Be it resolved that we should do this way more often, because the results were fascinating.

You can find the article here, and I strongly encourage you to read the whole thing. Once you've done that, head back here, because we need a thorough power ranking of all the responses.

No. 30 - Connor McDavid: He argues for bringing back the red line, and he's not alone; two other players give the same answer. But McDavid's reasoning stands out: "Just because teams are now -- they just trap. They just sit back. Put the red line back in and everyone has to come back and regroup and build speed and come through the neutral zone."

He's basically saying that bringing back the red line would hurt the neutral zone trap, which is… what? That doesn't make any sense. And he seems to know it, because he basically starts talking himself out of his own answer right away. But still… Connor, dude, really? You think that would help? Were you even alive for the 1995 Devils?

(Does math.)

Oh, dammit. We are all so, so old.

No. 29 - Marc-Andre Fleury: "Less contact with goalies." Yes, that's the big problem facing the NHL these days. The goaltenders have it too rough.

No. 28 - Tanner Pearson: He wants to lower escrow payments. I too would like to have more money than what I've legally bargained to receive. I also want a pony for Christmas, but that's not happening either.

No. 27 - Ryan Getzlaf: "I'd penalize guys for diving more," said the guy who plays on Ryan Kessler and Corey Perry's team. I guess he wants more opportunities to work on his penalty killing?

Nos. 15 to 26 - Everyone who said something boring: Slightly smaller pads, tweaking the offside rules, more consistent officiating, changing the icing rules … These aren't bad ideas, necessarily, but come on guys. You have one rule change and you go with something the league already tries from time to time? Boo.

No. 14 - Shayne Gostisbehere: Shayne wants to make teams have the long line change twice a game instead of once. Not the most exciting answer, but not a bad idea.

No. 13 - Martin Jones: No more leaving your feet to block a shot. See, Marc-Andre, not all goalies are afraid to do their jobs.

Nos. 6 to 12 - The seven(!) different players who all mention playing in the Olympics: I'm with you, boys. Maybe talk to your union about putting it in the CBA it next time.

No. 5 - Jeff Skinner: Just for this quote, which I will leave out of context: "When I hit their knobs and I think it's going in, and it's not a good feeling."

No. 4 - Jack Eichel: "No offside. Just hang down at the other end and wait for the puck to come there." Hell yes! I don't even necessarily agree with him, but I love that answer. This kid is only 20 years old and he's already going full "NHL 94 options screen" on us. By the time he's 25 and has a couple of Hart Trophies he's going to be turning off line changes and switching the goalies to manual control without telling anyone.

No. 3 - Max Domi: He wants to make the nets bigger. Actually, he wants to make them "just huge" and seems to be mostly kidding, but he's the only one who names the one simple rule change that could most improve the game overnight, so he ranks near the top.

No. 2 - Johnny Gaudreau: Death to shootouts. Well, he says "make the three-on-three in overtime go until someone scores," which is basically the same thing. See folks, that's why his nickname is Johnny Hockey and not Johnny Glorified Skills Competition.

No. 1 - Taylor Hall: End the loser point. God bless you, Taylor. And not only that, he even backs it up with some math. "You look at the standings and you're like, 'Oh, so-and-so is .500.' But they're really not. They're 13-13-6, but they're really 13-19."

I mean, look, loser point fans…do you realize how indefensible your side of the argument has to be when Taylor Hall is breaking out mathematics to dunk on you? This is the guy who fails open book boating tests and gets confused by pilot lights, and even he can look at the NHL standings and say "Yeah, that doesn't add up at all."

Every team Taylor Hall plays on automatically misses the playoffs by 30 points and then wins the draft lottery. If there was anybody on this planet who should want losing teams to get a pity point, it's him. But he knows the loser point is garbage and he's not afraid to say so, and that's why he should be your new favorite player.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Last week, the NHL named former enforcer George Parros to head up the Department of Player Safety. He's a smart guy who went his entire career without a fine or suspension despite being one of the toughest guys in the game, so you figure he'd make for a great hire. But not everyone was on board.

Of course, that's no surprise when it comes to DoPS, since everyone complains constantly about everything the department does. And that's not a new thing. So today, let's go back nearly 30 years as we ask a star player for this thoughts on the world of player discipline and suspensions.

It's December 4, 1988, and the Oilers are in town to play the Rangers. It's the first intermission, and the Oilers are up 4-2. Spoiler alert: They're going to end up winning by a 10-6 final. The 1980s NHL, man. It was something.

Our host is John Davidson, reclaiming his title as "guy who shows up a little too often in this section" from Alan Thicke. He's interviewing the Oilers' new captain, Mark Messier.

I'll pause here so you can all adjust to remembering Messier with hair.

Davidson does a good job of setting the scene. The Oilers are making their first trip to New York since trading Wayne Gretzky, and Messier has inherited the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a legend as the team's new captain. Davidson then asks the question on all our minds: "Mark, what's that thing on your lip?"

Wait, no, he goes with whether his role has changed. I guess that works too.

As Messier is talking about the importance of leadership, the graphics guy throws up a quick stat about how well he does in games involving the Rangers. This moment has been brought to you by the Department Of Ironic Foreshadowing.

In a stunning upset, Messier doesn't just mumble something about keeping it simple and playing his game, instead acknowledging that something has indeed changed. They don't call him the greatest leader in sports for nothing. ("They" being New York fans with Adam Graves neck tattoos.)

"Lee Fogolin, everybody knows what kind of dedication he gave to the game." Fact check: Mostly false.

Davidson asks whether the Oilers are over the shock of the Gretzky trade, and Messier explains that "fortunately it happened early enough in the summer that the guys were able to get over the initial shock." He then starts to laugh and adds "I mean, it's not like he held out and forced the trade two days into the regular season like some kind of jerk."

Davidson actually does get to a question about Messier's lip, and to our great relief it turns out to be stitches from Tim Hunter. Davidson asks what he thinks of all the suspensions being handed out these days, and Messier reacts by making the same face my daughter makes when I ask if she's done her homework.

Look, let's just get this out there: Messier could be a dirty player. He'd swing his stick, he'd throw elbows, he'd hit from behind. Or, as we all called it back then, "hockey."

Davidson goes back to Messier's most recent suspension for knocking Rich Sutter's teeth out. (You can see that play about a minute into this clip.) As Davidson explains, back then every suspension went through one guy who was responsible for everything. Man, they should really have more than one person doing player safety. Like, maybe an entire department. I'm sure nobody would complain then.

Messier mentions a 12-game suspension from earlier that season. That would be New York's David Shaw, who barely did anything other than slash Mario Lemieux in the throat. Good ol' Mess, already preemptively defending the Rangers.

I think my favorite part of this whole interview comes right at the end, when Davidson wraps up and Messier literally manages to say the complete sentence "Thank you very much" in one syllable. That's a guy who's done a lot of interviews.

And that's it. We're left to dwell on Messier's basic point: suspensions are already severe enough, the players are getting the message, and we should be fine to make it through the rest of the 1988-89 season without anyone doing anything completely insane.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Flames Threaten Calgary and Everyone Loves Bagging on Kessel published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[junker-town]

Why is it taking Jaromir Jagr so long to find a new NHL contract?

Yes, he’s 45 years old, but Jagr can still play. So why is he still a free agent?

Nearly a month ago, future Hall of Famer and noted mullet enthusiast Jaromir Jagr took to Twitter with a plea to the NHL: somebody give me a job playing hockey. He said nobody had called him about returning for a 24th season, and while it was clearly playful in nature, you also figure those tweets wouldn’t have happened if he was on the cusp of a contract.

Now it’s several weeks later, with the big rush of free agency well in the rearview mirror, and Jagr is in the same spot. Slowly but surely, the big names left beside him on the free agent market have been scooped up. On Thursday, Andrei Markov, arguably the top defenseman left, announced he’s leaving for the KHL.

Could Jagr, one of the greatest players in NHL history, actually be forced into a similar path, finishing out his career in a foreign league? One upside of the possibility would be a chance to lead the Czech Republic in the 2018 Olympics, where NHL players will be disallowed from participation.

But that’s not how a legend like Jagr should be forced to go out, not when he’s clearly got something left in the tank. Even if the NHL is a young man’s game, we’ve established that Jagr isn’t your usual 45-year-old. And he’s giving all indications he’s not ready to move on yet:

Jaromir @68Jagr skated with his hometown club Kladno. NHL is still priority for him. "I don´t think I am so bad that I couldn´t play there."

— Zdenek Janda (@zdenek_janda) July 24, 2017

So why has Jagr had a tough time finding a gig so far? Let’s dig into the situation.

Jagr can still contribute to an NHL team

This would seem like the first stumbling block in Jagr finding a job, but it shouldn’t be. He’s still a better player than a lot of younger guys who received contracts from NHL teams this summer without issue.

Even with a 20-point drop in production last season, Jagr still put up a respectable 16 goals and 30 assists with the Panthers. He also played in all 82 games, showing durability despite his age. The last time Jagr missed more than 10 games in an NHL season was 2001-02 with the Capitals.

Getting 46 points might not stand out for a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, but that still places him firmly as a good top-nine forward in the NHL. There are also underlying numbers that indicate his effectiveness.

The most obvious is that Jagr still generates shots at a high level. Last season, he actually saw an increase in his shot rate, but his shooting percentage dropped from 18.8 percent to 8.9 percent, so his goal total dropped as a result. However, as a career 13.6 percent shooter, you can figure that Jagr probably won’t shoot below nine percent again. At 5-on-5, he took seven shots per 60 minutes, which is right in line with his numbers for the past five seasons.

Jagr’s also been effective at driving possession, which is a staple of his game. Last season, the Panthers posted a 55.4 percent even strength Corsi with Jagr on the ice, per Hockey-Reference. Without him, that number dropped a massive 6.7 percent. Among forwards to play at least 70 games last season, only 14 had a higher impact on possession when on/off the ice.

So Jagr can still bring it, even if he’s no longer a clear No. 1 line winger. If you had someone playing this well on your second or third line, that’s pretty dang good.

It may come down to asking price

Over the past few seasons, Jagr hasn’t exactly come cheap, however. Here are the past four contracts he’s signed with the Devils and Pathers, via Cap Friendly:

2012-13: One year, $4 million 2013-14: One year, $5.5 million 2015-16: One year, $5.405 million 2016-17: One year, $5.515 million

So you can reasonably assume that even now at age 45, he’s still expecting at least a one-year contract in the $5-5.5 million range. That’s no small chunk of change for an NHL team, particularly when they’re all operating under a $75 million hard cap. There are lots of teams that straight up cannot afford to pay Jagr that kind of money.

If Jagr is holding firm that he will only return to the NHL on a deal worth that much money, it might not be surprising that he’s still available. The market is presumably hoping that he’ll come down in price and join a team at a more reasonable cost. He’s waiting for that one team to get antsy enough to pay him what he wants. It only takes one.

But as that game of chicken goes on, somebody will have to bite the bullet if Jagr is to return for another season. Either the checkbook opens up and Jagr gets the $5 million-plus that he wants, or Jagr backs down from his price and accepts a smaller contract to continue his sequel to Tuck Everlasting.

Somebody should find a compromise here

Once you’ve got an idea of Jagr’s asking price and past production, the question becomes whether he’s worth it. Is a veteran winger who drives possession, offers a good lefty shot on the power play, and gives you 50 points worth $5 million for a year?

There are teams with the cap space to find common ground with Jagr. Maybe he doesn’t get the full money million he’s asking for, but he becomes a lot more palatable if he’ll come down to $4 million. As an over-35 player, he can also take a bonus-laden deal, so a team could transfer some of the risk into bonuses that he’d only attain by staying healthy.

Jagr is good enough to be in the NHL, and his asking price likely isn’t so out of whack as to be impossible to work with. The Canadiens have full roster with over $8 million in cap space. The Predators should have money left over after signing Ryan Johansen. The Oilers, Devils, Blue Jackets, and Sharks are other possible suitors, just looking at teams with cap space.

If we’re talking a one-year deal, then the risk involved is pretty limited for most of these teams. And the upside of acquiring a legit top-nine forward, arguably the last one on the market, would seem worth the opportunity cost for a team trying to reach the postseason.

Jagr isn’t done yet. Somebody should sign him sooner than later.