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Canucks To Retire The Numbers Of Henrik And Daniel Sedin

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Commissioner Gary Bettman opened the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver by inviting former Canucks superstars Henrik and Daniel Sedin on to the stage. He proceeded to announce that Vancouver would honor the twins by retiring their numbers next season. The Canucks have since clarified that the numbers will be raised into the rafters during the team’s 50th anniversary celebration in February.

As many might have expected, Nos. 22 and 33 will never again be worn in Vancouver. As soon as the Sedins were selected at second and third overall in 1999, they became the faces of the franchise for the Canucks. The duo each played in more than 1,300 games and recorded more than 1,000 points as members of the Canucks over 17 seasons. Both brothers appeared in three All-Star games, won and Art Ross Trophy, and won at least one King Clancy Trophy. Henrik was additionally the 2009-10 Hart Trophy winner, while Daniel won the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010-11.

Since retiring after the 2017-18 season, the Sedin’s have remained involved in Vancouver, but on the ice have left a new core of young players to lead the Canucks. Fellow Swede Elias Pettersson took the reins and posted 66 points en route to the Calder Trophy. Pettersson and company will hope to continue emulating the Sedins, future Hall of Famers, as the Canucks look to get back to relevance next season, which would be the real celebration in the team’s 50th season.

Joe Thornton To Play In 2019-20, Possibly Longer

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Speaking at the NHL Awards media availability today, future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton made it clear that he is not yet ready to hang up his skates. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays word from Thornton that the veteran center is feeling good and is ready to return for the 2019-20 season. Thornton even added that he is thinking beyond next season so long as he can stay healthy and continue playing at a high level.

At 39, soon to be 40, many wondered if “Jumbo Joe” had played his final game in the NHL. Thornton battled injuries over the last few years and left many wondering if he could keep going. Yet, Thornton returned to full strength this past season and proved doubters wrong, playing in 73 games and recording 51 points. Even at an advanced age, Thornton continues to be one of the top play-makers in the league, as well as a two-way force. If he can indeed stay healthy and continue playing at this level, Thornton can play as long as he likes.

The question now is who will he play for? Thornton has been with the San Jose Shark since 2006, skating in over 1,000 games with the club, and seemed optimistic about a return. However, San Jose is limited for cap space this summer, following the extension of defenseman Erik Karlsson, which costs the team $11.5MM against the cap. The move left the Sharks with just over $16MM in cap space – following the trade of Justin Braun – but the team must re-sign restricted free agents Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, and Joakim Ryan among others. Even after that, is Thornton, easily worth $4-5MM, a priority over captain Joe Pavelski? Or adding another prime free agent forward? Or upgrading their goalie situation? Thornton may want to keep playing, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll keep playing in San Jose unless some sacrifices are made.

Zdeno Chara Back At Practice, On Track To Begin Stanley Cup Final

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The 42-year-old Zdeno Chara may not be the same player he was ten or even five years ago, but he is still an integral part of the Boston Bruins’ success this season and postseason. When the veteran defenseman was forced to sit out Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, there was some panic from the fan base and likely a little within the organization as well. However, Chara’s teammates buckled down and ended the series in convincing fashion and in doing so bought their captain another eleven days of rest before the Stanley Cup Final. While many assumed that would be enough to get him back on the ice, there was no timeline for his return from an undisclosed injury.

That is until today, when Bruins provided some clarity on Chara’s status. According to NHL.com’s Eric Russo, Chara was back as a full participant in practice today, after only skating and working out over the weekend. Following the full 45-minute session, Chara was feeling good:

It was nice to be out there again, skated [on Sunday] then skated with the team. It was a good practice, good pace. I’m taking it one day at a time. [Tuesday’s] an off day, but get back at it on Wednesday… I’m not gonna lie, watching games is not fun. You want to play them and you want to be involved. For sure it was something that [I] was feeling that kind of anxiousness to play. But guys did a great job, won the game, so that’s great.

Chara is eager to get back in action and, given his apparent health with a week still to go before puck drop on Game One, he is well on his way to doing just that. As the respected veteran said, it is “one day at a time” right now, but Chara is certainly on track to be ready for the Stanley Cup Final. As the Bruins wait to see who they’ll be playing, they know that Chara is an important asset regardless. The future Hall of Famer remains one of the more dominating defensive presence’s in the game of hockey and hopes to put his ability and experience to work in pursuit of a second Stanley Cup title.

Roberto Luongo Could Return As Florida’s Backup Next Season

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The future for Florida Panthers icon Roberto Luongo is still a mystery, with the veteran keeper stating as recently as two weeks ago that he was undecided on what his next move would be and would wait until the off-season to make that call. However, The Athletic’s George Richards heard enough from talking to Luongo recently to believe that the future Hall of Famer is not quite ready to hang up his skates. The main piece of evidence: Luongo would be happy to serve in a backup role next season and possibly beyond, which is perhaps the only way his storied career can continue.

Luongo, 40, is undoubtedly in decline. Although his 42 appearances – 43 after Saturday’s season finale start – are an improvement over each of the past two seasons, his .900 save percentage and 3.10 GAA have made this the worst season of his 19-year career. Luongo entered the season as the Panthers starting goalie, backed up by another veteran in James Reimer, but that hierarchy has not exactly held up. Luongo and Reimer have almost identically poor stats, with Luongo making only six more appearances than Reimer. The two have essentially been a time share with rookie Samuel Montembeault also making eleven appearances and performing only marginally worse than the experienced tandem. Richards writes that the status quo will almost certainly change before next season. Luongo is obviously still undecided about his future, but regardless Reimer is not expected to be back and Montembeault is likely to remain a presence. The Panthers are going to add a new starting goalie in free agency, with many speculating that Columbus Blue Jackets star Sergei Bobrovksy could be the primary target.

So, if he was to return, Luongo would have to be content to sit behind another established netminder, which Richards notes includes increased practice time alongside decreased play time. While the limited action could in fact improve the performance of the aging keeper, it’s not exactly a role that many players of Luongo’s pedigree would be happy to take on. Yet, he seems open to the prospect:

I have done it before. I know what it takes. I realize I am 40 years old, and taking on a heavy workload at this age is tough. I am well aware if I come back, that is the likely scenario for me. And I am OK with that. I like to practice. The only time I don’t practice is if I am tired, but if I am not playing as many games, I would have more energy to practice and work on my game. When I have missed some time, I have had some of my best games when I have come back. So, that’s not an issue at all.

For fans of the storied goaltender, this has to be good news. For fans of the Panthers and Vancouver Canucks, it also bodes well for their respective teams’ payrolls. With three years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $5.33MM but salaries of $1.6MM or less, Luongo’s contract was a front-loaded behemoth that would slap both his current club and former club with cap recapture penalties if he retired early. Avoiding leaving that sour taste in the mouths of his supporters is likely another factor that Luongo is considering and that could persuade him to return.

At the end of the day though, the decision will come down to an amalgam of many different choices and they won’t all be made by Luongo alone. As he tells Richards, the goal right now is to get through the end of the season, clear his head, and then consider all options:

I want to sit down and have a talk with (the Panthers) because, right now, everything else is hearsay. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page and we all want the same thing. We will see what the plans are for the team moving forward. For me, there are a lot of things involved in the decision, but sitting down with management and seeing their plan is the first step… It is important for me to make that decision once this season is over — after we are removed from everything. We have to see where everyone is at. This is not just up to me. I think the team has something to say about it as well. We will come to that when the time comes.

So for those expecting tomorrow to be the last hurrah of an NHL star, don’t be so sure. Luongo has struggled in net this season, has struggled with injuries in recent years, and could struggle with a decision to take a back seat if he was to continue playing. However, if he really is open to being the backup, it would allow Luongo to keep fueling the fire he has to play hockey, which appears to be as strong as ever, while also limiting his work load and injury exposure. It seems like a good fit and may just be one that keeps a living legend in the game.

Rangers’ Hall Of Famer Harry Howell Dies At Age 86

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Hockey lost one of their greats Sunday when longtime New York Rangers defenseman Harry Howell passed away at the age of 86. The Hall of Famer, despite retiring from the NHL back in 1973, still holds the Rangers’ record for games played after playing 16 seasons in which he only missed 17 total games.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of legendary defenseman, consummate professional and Hockey Hall of Famer Harry Howell. He will be remembered not only for his consistency and leadership but with the ultimate class from with which he carried himself,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman from a statement.

Howell played 1,411 games at the NHL level, scoring 94 goals and 418 points throughout his career. He joined the New York Rangers in the 1952-53 season and immediately became an impact defense-first blueliner and while his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame was considered big for that era, Howell did not use his size to be overly physical as he was a defenseman who built his level of play with proper positioning and a high hockey IQ. While he had 418 points throughout his career, he was not a big point producer over the first nine seasons as he never reached the 20-point plateau in all those year. His first big offensive year actually came in 1966-67, his 15th season, when he tallied 12 goals and 40 points. That was the year he won the Norris Trophy, as the NHL’s best defenseman.

After the 1968-69 season, Howell began to have back problems that eventually required surgery. Despite offering him a position with the team, Howell, 37 at the time, wanted to keep playing, so the Rangers traded Howell to the Oakland Seals for cash. He played with the Seals for a season and a half before the then California Golden Seals traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for another two and a half seasons. He later continued his career by playing with the WHA for three more seasons after that before retiring completely in 1976.

He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and had his number retired by the Rangers in 2009, and will no doubt be remembered as one of the great New York Rangers players ever.

 

 

Mike Modano, Haley Wickenheiser Lead 2019 IIHF Hall Of Fame Inductees

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The IIHF Hall of Fame has announced their class of 2019, and several familiar names will inducted for their international pedigree. The full class includes Mike Modano, Haley Wickenheiser, Boris Alexandrov, Jorgen Jonsson, Ziggy Palffy, and Miroslav Satan. Konstantin Mihaylov and Jim Johannson will also receive the Richard “Bibi” Torriani Award and Paul Loicq Award respectively.

Modano, one of the greatest American players of all-time, competed in three different Olympic Games and took home a silver medal in 2002. He competed many other times internationally for the United States, including as part of their gold medal-winning World Cup team in 1996. He finished his NHL career with 1,374 points in 1,499 regular season games, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

Wickenheiser meanwhile is arguably the greatest female hockey player of all-time, and is unmatched on the international stage. She has five Olympic medals (four gold, one silver), 13 World Championship medals (seven gold, six silver) and was one of the first women to suit up in a professional men’s league. Wickenheiser was recently hired as assistant director of player development by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will surely be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.

The rest of the group is filled with familiar names including Palffy, who was a dominant NHL player in his day and left the league with 713 points in 684 games. Satan too made a name for himself in North America, playing in more than 1,000 games in the NHL and even recording a 40-goal season in 1998-99.

Snapshots: Berglund, Stempniak, Niedermayer

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Patrik Berglund will not be returning to the NHL this season. He won’t be playing any hockey at all, in fact. A month after the veteran forward was suspended by the Buffalo Sabres for failing to report to the team and then subsequently waived and terminated, Berglund has opened up to the local newspaper in his home town of Vasteras, Sweden. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News dissected that article for North American audiences, filling in the gaps of the strange series of events that led to Berglund’s departure. Playing in his first season in Buffalo following the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues, Berglund states that he “lost his passion and joy for hockey”. As a result, Berglund opted not to join the Sabres for a two-game road trip, which earned his suspension and eventually his release. Even though Berglund walked away from more than $12MM in the four remaining years of his contract, he doesn’t regret the decision, saying that his mental health means more than money right now. It is for that exact same reason that he has decided not to resume playing, in the NHL or in Europe, this season. Berglund did express remorse for leaving the Sabres short-handed – even if his termination does help the team long-term –  and reiterated that the club and his teammates did nothing wrong. Instead, it simply seems Berglund was so disappointed in his exit from St. Louis that he lost the will to play. Berglund stated that “I hope I can find the joy to play again. Right now, I can’t tell whether I will play again or not. I’m in the process of healing.” A well-regarded two-way forward and only 30 years old, Berglund will have the opportunity to play again somewhere if he so chooses, but it seems that the decision of his next steps professionally is still a ways off.

  • Lee Stempniak joined the Boston Bruins on a PTO in training camp this fall, but did not earn a contract. Yet, months later, he continues to practice with the team on a regular basis. At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Stempniak will be earning a contract with the team once rosters expand for the stretch run and postseason, much like how the Bruins added Brian Gionta late last season. Stempniak, 35, is not the player he once was, but surely could have found employment overseas this season if not for the promise of a future payoff with Boston. Stempniak is just a year removed from an 82-game, 40-point season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016-17 and the year before that he recorded 51 points, including ten in 19 games with these same Boston Bruins. With the emergence of Peter Cehlarik over the past week as a good match on the second line with David Krejci and Jake Debrusk, paired with the additional option the signing of right-shot Stempniak would bring, the speculation is that the Bruins could be content with their second-line right wing situation and instead be focused on adding a third-line center at the trade deadline. However, given his familiarity with the roster and determination to return to the NHL, Stempniak could end up being the most valuable piece that the Bruins add in the coming weeks.
  • The son of Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer has made his college selection and it will turn some heads. Southern California-native Jackson Niedermayer has opted to stay close to home and has committed to Arizona State University. His current team, the BCHL powerhouse Penticton Vees, announced the decision, adding that Niedermayer expects to play two more seasons with the team before making the jump to the NCAA. Niedermayer, 17, had his season cut short by a hip injury this year, making his NHL Draft stock in his first year of eligibility a question mark. Nevertheless, his hockey genes and previous production at the U-16 level in California could be enough to earn a selection this year. Regardless of his draft status, when Niedermayer joins Arizona State, he will easily be the biggest name to have played for the fledgling independent program that is still gaining its foothold in college hockey.

Calgary Flames To Retire Jarome Iginla’s Number

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The Calgary Flames have decided that later this season Jarome Iginla’s #12 will be raised to the rafters at the Scotiabank Saddledome on March 2nd, never to be worn again. Iginla announced his retirement as a player last June, after struggling through injuries for a year trying to get back on the ice.

Though the Flames have had many of the NHL’s Hall of Fame talents come through their locker room, it is fitting that Iginla is next to receive the honor. There is perhaps no other player who embodies the franchise at this point more than him, despite not being involved in the organization’s lone Stanley Cup. Iginla is the franchise leader in games played (1,219), goals (525) and points (1,095) and served as the team captain for nine seasons—longer than any other player.

In 2003-2004, his first season as captain, Iginla would take the Flames all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. After controversy surrounded a no-goal call in game six, the Flames would ultimately lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Iginla would never again get that close to an NHL championship. Despite never hoisting the league chalice, Iginla did plenty of winning during his long career.

First in junior where he took the Kamloops Blazers twice to a Memorial Cup, and then on the international stage where he collected gold medals at the World Juniors, World Cup, World Championship and Olympics (twice). He would twice take home the Maurice Richard trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, and won both the Art Ross and Ted Lindsay trophies in 2002 as the league’s top scorer and peer-voted best player. Iginla will surely be headed to the Hall of Fame when eligible, and will never watch another player wear #12 in Calgary.

Poll: Can David Pastrnak Reach Sixty Goals This Season?

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Entering this season, Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak had already established himself as a star in the NHL. A steal of a draft pick at 25th overall in 2014, Pastrnak stepped right into the Bruins’ lineup that season and never looked back. In 2016-17, he truly broke out with 70 points in 75 games and followed that up with an 80-point campaign last year. Pastrnak scored 34 and 35 goals respectively in those two seasons and seemed destined to improve on that mark as his game continued to mature.

However, no one saw this start coming. Even with all of his early career accomplishments, Pastrnak has never led the Bruins in scoring and was considered by most to be the third-best player on his own line (albeit the NHL’s best line). There were expectations that he could continue to develop and that the goals may come more easily, but Pastrnak’s current clip is relatively unheard of in today’s NHL. Through 20 games, Pastrnak has recorded 17 goals and leads the league my a considerable margin. Tied for second are Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres, who each have just 14 goals and both skated in their 21st game tonight.

While Pastrnak has made a pretty strong case for himself as the Rocket Richard favorite a quarter of the way through the season, is he on his way to a historic season. If Pastrnak keeps up his current goal scoring rate through all 82 games – and he has played in all but seven of 182 regular season and postseason games over the past two years – he would net 70 goals this season. Even assuming he doesn’t play every game or his otherworldly clip falls off, 60 goals is still reasonable for Pastrnak this season. Only twenty different players have ever scored 60+ goals in an NHL season, some multiple times, but it has become increasingly infrequent over time. Since the turn of the century, only two players have reached the mark. Alex Ovechkin scored 65 goals in 2007-08 and Steven Stamkos just narrowly reached 60 goals in 2011-12. The only other player to get remotely close since 2000 was Hall of Famer Pavel Bure with 59 in 2000-01. The days of 60-goal scorers seemed to have passed, but Pastrnak has an actual shot this year.

Other than a possible injury or cold streak, working against Pastrnak could actually be his all-world line mates. Patrice Bergeron, currently sidelined with an upper-body injury, is 33 years old and has had his fair share of injury concerns over the past couple of years. With Bergeron out of the lineup on Saturday night, head coach Bruce Cassidy re-shuffled the lines, separating Pastrnak and Brad Marchand by mixing them in with a middle-six group that, while talented, has been inconsistent and relatively ineffective this year. Bergeron’s availability could dictate Pastrnak’s scoring capacity this season. The same goes for Marchand, who has been well-behaved by his standards thus far, but could be suspended for a substantial amount of time given his history if he was to slip up. Pastrnak independently is an excellent player who does not necessarily need to exclusively play with elite players to be productive. However, to keep up a pace of close to a goal per game, Pastrnak will need the help of Bergeron and Marchand as often as possible.

What do you think? Are we seeing history in the making or just a hot start? Can Pastrnak really crack 60 goals?

Snapshots: Outdoor Game, Penguins, Patrick

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The 2019 NHL Winter Classic is still more than a month away and the 2019 NHL Stadium Series game even further, but that hasn’t stopped discussions about where the league could turn next for an outdoor game. Today, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that the Colorado Avalanche are likely to be an outdoor game host “sooner rather than later.” In talking with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Dater learned that the league is very interested in placing a game at the nearby Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where Falcon Stadium normally plays host to the Air Force football team and a capacity crowd of close to 47,000. Given the success of the NHL’s last foray into an outdoor game in Colorado – the 2016 showdown at Coors Field in Denver – and their special interest in games played at American military institutions, such as last year’s game at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, not to mention the successful Division I hockey program at Air Force, the school seems like a great fit to host a gme.  For now though, the league remains focused on their next contest at a college football venue, when the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks square off at Notre Dame on New Year’s Day.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins hope that their team is in much better shape when they take part in their outdoor game later this season, a match-up with the rival Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on February 23rd. The team continues to struggle and, even after his acquisition of forward Tanner Pearson, GM Jim Rutherford remains open for business per numerous sources. However, the next move might not be just a simple one-for-one to land a role player. TSN’s Bob McKenzie raised the stakes on the latest “Insider Trading” segment, stating that “anything and everything is on the table” in Pittsburgh. McKenzie says that the Penguins’ list of untouchables is rather short – just Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. McKenzie believes that anyone else could be move, perhaps adding fuel to the fire of recent rumors that Phil Kessel, Derick Brassard, Olli Maatta, and Matt Murray are among the names that could be on the move if things don’t improve.
  • The Penguins did make a noteworthy move today, announcing that legendary executive Craig Patrick has re-joined the team as a pro scout. The 72-year-old Hall of Famer served as Pittsburgh’s GM for 17 years, from 1989 to 2006. Patrick was the architect of the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup-winning Penguins teams and much of the 2009 championship team and beyond were the products of Patrick’s regime, including Crosby and Malkin. Many will also recognize Patrick as an assistant coach to Herb Brooks on the famed “Miracle” 1980 U.S. Olympic team, while he also served as both coach and GM for the New York Rangers over a nine-year span in the 80’s. The extent of Patrick’s role is unclear, but particularly in the midst of a difficult season, this is a great hire by the Penguins if only for the wisdom and guidance of an experienced hockey guru.

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