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Wayne Gretzky

Aleksander Barkov Leaves Game 3, Not Expected Out Long-Term

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May 23, 9:25 am: This morning, head coach Paul Maurice offered more clarity on the situation, saying the Panthers were hopeful for his return during the contest, and the team remains optimistic their captain will make a swift recovery and be back in the lineup soon, with the injury not expected to be long-term, as he told Miami radio station WQAM.

May 22, 8:58 pm: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left in the first period of game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals and is questionable to return. Barkov took an innocent looking hit from Jack Drury and missed the final 7:04 of the first period. David Pagnotta of the NHL Network tweeted that Barkov is battling a lower-body injury, and it is still unclear if he will return.

The Panthers captain didn’t come out for the start of the second period, and little is known about his status at this time. Should the former second-overall pick miss any time, it could be a huge blow to the Cinderella story that is the Panthers’ playoff run. Barkov had three points in the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, including a goal that Wayne Gretzky called one of the greatest moves he’s seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Barkov’s regular season numbers dipped a bit this year, but the 27-year-old center still had 23 goals and 55 assists in 68 games and has 12 points in 14 playoff games thus far.

The timing of the Barkov injury is interesting, given that head coach Paul Maurice mentioned to reporters this morning that the two of the Panthers’ best games this season occurred when Barkov and Sam Bennett were out of the team’s lineup. The Sportsnet broadcast crew brought up this Maurice quote from an interview that now seems ominous given the situation Barkov and Florida are now facing.

Snapshots: Flames, Board Of Governors, Capitals

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The Calgary Flames are without two key players tonight as they take on the Montreal Canadiens. Before puck drop, the team announced center Elias Lindholm and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar are out with an upper-body injury and a non-COVID illness, respectively.

Mikael Backlund slides up to the top line in Lindholm’s absence, while Connor Mackey makes his sixth appearance of the season in place of Weegar. Lindholm isn’t quite producing at last year’s clip, but he still leads the team in scoring with 23 points in 28 games. Weegar’s yet to score his first goal as a member of the Flames, but has six assists in 28 games and is averaging over 20 minutes per game. Still, Calgary would like some more offense out of Weegar, who had a career-high 44 points last season as a member of the Florida Panthers.

  • Today wasn’t the most eventful opening day of the NHL’s Board of Governors’ meeting in Florida, but NHL.com’s Dan Rosen expects that to change tomorrow. Rosen notes that tomorrow’s docket includes salary cap projections for the 2023-24 season, updates regarding the ongoing sale process for the Ottawa Senators, and a potential fan code of conduct. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will likely issue an update after tomorrow’s meetings conclude.
  • Speaking to reporters, including ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said the team won’t enter a rebuild while Alex Ovechkin is still chasing the NHL’s all-time goals record. Ovechkin has noted a desire to remain competitive while chasing the record, vying for team and individual success. Leonsis also noted that Wayne Gretzky himself will be in attendance for all Capitals games as Ovechkin inches toward his record of 894 career goals.

Nelson Nogier Signs In KHL

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After splitting last season between the Manitoba Moose and Ontario Reign, Nelson Nogier is off to the KHL. The minor league defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Barys Nur-Sultan, leaving North America after parts of six years in the AHL.

While a player with just 11 NHL games signing in the KHL isn’t usually much of a story, Nogier’s Group VI unrestricted free agency and subsequent departure ends a decades-long trade tree, one that originated with the most famous transaction in NHL history. As Sportsnet’s Steve “Dangle” Glynn points out, Nogier was the last remaining piece of the Wayne Gretzky tree.

The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2014 and actually made it to the NHL just a few years later, but hasn’t been able to establish himself at the highest level. When he was swapped for Markus Phillips earlier this year, he joined the tree, and after Phillips was left unqualified by the Jets and signed with Assat in Liiga, Nogier became the very last branch.

Trade trees are just for fun, but it is somewhat surprising that Nogier wasn’t able to secure at least a minor league deal in the AHL to this point. Perhaps he wasn’t willing to play for that and was looking for a bigger opportunity, but he has been a capable defenseman for years. He is even coming off his longest playoff appearance, where he added three points in five games for the Reign.

Los Angeles Kings To Retire Dustin Brown’s Number

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The Los Angeles Kings are poised to add a seventh member to their list of retired numbers. On February 11, 2023, the team will retire winger Dustin Brown’s no. 23, unveiling a statue of him as well prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, per the team.

He’ll be the team’s third winger to have his number retired, joining Dave Taylor (18) and Luc Robitaille (20). Defenseman Rob Blake (4), center Marcel Dionne (16), goalie Rogie Vachon (30), and Wayne Gretzky’s no. 99, which the team had a separate ceremony for in addition to its league-wide retirement.

Brown announced his retirement late in the 2021-22 season, saying he’d retire after the culmination of the Kings’ playoff run, which ended in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers in the First Round. He finished his career as the team’s all-time leader in games played with 1,296, although Anze Kopitar is set to surpass that mark shortly as well. Captaining the team to two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, he’s remembered as one of, if not the best, power forwards the team’s had in their history.

While his production dipped mid-career, Brown never gave up on playing meaningful minutes, and his work ethic led to a late-career resurgence that included 61-point and 51-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Brown will be just the third individual to have a statue in his honor in LA, joining Robitaille and Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky Purchases Minority Stake In Niagara IceDogs

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The sale of the Niagara IceDogs has been unanimously approved by the OHL’s board of governors, transferring ownership from Bill and Denise Burke to a group that includes Wayne Gretzky. The majority owner will be Darren DeDobbelaer, a long-time minor hockey executive that also owns OJHL and GOJHL clubs in Brantford.

Gretzky (also from Brantford, a city about an hour west of St. Catharines, where the IceDogs play) released the following statement:

I’m really excited about being back in junior hockey and have always loved it. To be partnered with a fellow friend from Brantford is so exciting for all of us and we can’t wait to get started.

The sale follows 15 years of ownership by the Burkes but also serious suspensions handed out in April to general manager Joey Burke and head coach Billy Burke, for inappropriate comments made in a group messaging conversation. The two were banned from the league until June 1, 2024, when they could apply for reinstatement. Niagara was also fined $150,000 for the incident.

The IceDogs have experienced two losing seasons in a row (sandwiched around the canceled 2020-21 campaign) but have some promising young players that could help turn things around in the next few years.

Snapshots: Turner, Tkachuk, Humitz

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Hockey fans across the United States are going to see things a little differently this season after the league reached broadcast agreements with TNT and ESPN earlier this year. After previous announcements and leaks about who would be leading the TNT coverage, the network released the full game and studio lineup for the 2021-22 season today. At the top of the list is Wayne Gretzky, but he’ll be joined by quite the cast. The other studio analysts will be Anson Carter, Rick Tocchet and Paul Bissonnette, certainly bringing an Arizona Coyotes flair to the broadcast.

In May, Gretzky announced he would be stepping away from his role with the Edmonton Oilers to take the position at TNT. Tocchet, who seemed to interview for every vacant coaching position this summer after parting ways with the Coyotes, will now be adding his expertise to the panel instead. The network will have its first regular season coverage on Wednesday, October 13 with a doubleheader featuring the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Colorado Avalanche.

  • Talk continues between the Ottawa Senators and restricted free agent Brady Tkachuk and the team is believed to have tabled an eight-year, $64MM deal according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. That would match Thomas Chabot for the most expensive player on the Senators and the biggest contract handed out by GM Pierre Dorion. With less than two weeks before training camp opens, there are some pressure points approaching that could speed the negotiations along for all of the remaining restricted free agents.
  • Max Humitz played eight games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season after turning pro, but that short stint apparently wasn’t enough to land another AHL contract. The 26-year-old forward has signed with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings for the upcoming season. Humitz actually had five points in those eight games after an outstanding career at Lake Superior State University, but measures in at just 5’8″ 168-lbs.

Wayne Gretzky Steps Down As Oilers Vice Chairman, Joins TNT

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May 26: Turner Sports has officially announced a multi-year agreement with Gretzky to become the lead studio analyst. Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk will be the main commentators for the network.

May 25: The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention last night in a grueling triple overtime game and now an offseason of change is upon them. Beginning that change is the departure of the team’s greatest icon, as Wayne Gretzky will step down as Vice Chairman of the team. Gretzky released a statement on Twitter:

With great appreciation, I wanted to let everyone know that I have decided to step away as Vice Chairman of the Edmonton Oilers effective today.

The Oilers, their fans, and the city of Edmonton have meant the world to me and my family for over four decades–and that will never end. Given the pandemic and other life changes, I realize I will not be able to dedicate the time nor effort needed to support this world-class organization.

I want to thank Daryl & Renee Katz, their family, and entire team for all the support and friendship these last several years, and wish them nothing but success. 

There has been speculation for weeks that Gretzky could be headed for a role with one of the new NHL broadcasting partners, but David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also tweets that more changes are expected at the top of the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) which owns the Oilers and operates Rogers Place. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that it will be TNT that will get the legendary hockey icon, with a contract that will pay him “in the neighborhood” of $3MM per season to be a lead studio analyst.

Gretzky joined OEG in 2016, becoming a minority owner of the franchise that started his NHL career. At the time, it was announced that he would work on the commercial side of the business while also being a sounding board for the front office staff. Just having the “Great One” associated with the organization after leaving it so many years ago was a win, but that new era will end up lasting less than five years.

League Notes: NHL Awards, 2020-21, USHL

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While the NHL has already revealed several of their end-of-the-year awards prior to recent playoff games, they will save the remaining awards for one special presentation. The league has announced today that the five remaining awards –  the Hart, Lindsay, Vezina, Norris, and Calder – will be presented virtually in a 30-minute special at 5:30pm CT on Monday, September 21. Since the event is technically being hosted from inside the Edmonton bubble, the awards will also have an “Oilers twist” to them. Wayne Gretzky is set to present the Hart and Calder trophies, with Mark Messier announcing the Lindsay, Grant Fuhr announcing the Vezina, and Paul Coffey announcing the Norris. The winners will then be made available to the media via Zoom for interviews following the awards presentations.

  • As the Stanley Cup Final gets underway in the Edmonton bubble, it is remarkable to look back at hat the NHL has been able to accomplish this postseason in Edmonton and Toronto. However, they face a much more difficult task right around the corner with trying to implement the 2020-21. While the league has held firm on their desire to begin the new season before the end of the calendar year and to play a full 82-game schedule, doubts are starting to creep in about how this can be arranged as COVID-19 continues to be prevalent in North America. Even Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently stated that he does not know for sure when and how the league will return to regular season play, though he did that a start date prior to December 1 is more unlikely than not. Speaking with others around the league, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside gets a growing sense of skepticism across all corners of the NHL . While most believe the season will still occur in some form or fashion, his sources believe that a likely start date is not until January at the earliest, which could rule out an 82-game season. Some believe that the league could wait until it is safe for fans to attend games before returning to play, while others believe that early-season schedules could be geographically-influenced to play a more compact schedule and to reduce travel risks. Burnside notes that continued outbreaks of Coronavirus in U.S. cities and the closed border between the U.S. and Canada will make a typical season impossible until they are resolved. In other words, there is still a lot to figure out before teams can return to play for the regular season, so a delayed start beyond what had previously been anticipated is an ever-growing possibility.
  • Two USHL teams have now decided to scrap their seasons altogether in response to the continuing COVID pandemic. The league announced today that the Cedar Rapids Roughriders and Madison Capitols will suspend operations for the 2020-21 season. On top of troubles related to Coronavirus, the Roughriders sustained damage to their arena in a recent storm and are finding it impossible to be prepared for a new season, while the Capitols, who are owned by Minnesota Wild star Ryan Suter, are so overly restricted by local health regulations that they cannot operate this year. The league stated that a dispersal draft will be held to give the teams’ players a new home for the coming season. However, the rights of those players who wish to continue in the USHL beyond this season will revert back to their teams next year.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky

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The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.

  • While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
  • In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
  • As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,

Snapshots: Crosby, Gretzky, Kovalchuk

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby are weighing a decision of whether or not the superstar should get surgery to fix a sport hernia, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Crosby has dealing with it since training camp and aggravated it on Saturday night.

Surgery would take the Penguins’ captain out for at least a month, but that’s a tough proposition given the injuries that the team has already fought through to even keep their head above water. Without Crosby, Pittsburgh certainly wouldn’t have a 10-6-2 through the first part of the season.

  • Wayne Gretzky was offered the head coaching position for Canada at the upcoming Spengler Cup, but has turned it down according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Team Canada, led by Sean Burke, will look at other options that include Craig MacTavish according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
  • Ilya Kovalchuk was at Los Angeles Kings practice today but things remain “fluid” as several reporters have termed the situation. The Kings have looked at trading him in the past, as Jon Rosen points out, but there are several complications including his bonus money due on December 15th.

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