Articles in NHL Teams

from Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun,

There will be whispers about Mark Stone’s health until convinced otherwise. That’s not news to the Golden Knights’ captain.

Undergoing one back surgery is excruciating. Two in less than a year, the second one 43 games into a season that was on pace to be the best of his career? Whispers might be putting it mildly.

With questions of his career in doubt, Stone answered them emphatically three months after his second back procedure, putting up 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in the playoffs to help the Golden Knights capture the Stanley Cup. Not to mention the fractured wrist he suffered in the Cup-clinching game, then scoring a hat trick in the 9-3 win.

Stone assures the wrist wasn’t as big of a deal as it was portrayed. As far as his back goes, it’s been a while since Stone has felt this good.

“I’m really excited with where I’m at,” Stone said. “It’s probably the best I’ve felt in three, four years.”

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from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the NHL's website,

This is Australia? The land Down Under? Half a world away? The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings played the first NHL game in the Southern Hemisphere on Saturday, but it didn’t feel like the first time.

A sellout crowd of 13,097 -- the largest crowd ever to watch an ice hockey game in Australia, by far -- saw the Coyotes open the preseason with a 5-3 win at Rod Laver Arena in the 2023 NHL Global Series -- Melbourne.

For the most part, these were not novice fans. These were hockey fans.

They wore gear representing each of the NHL’s 32 teams. We know, because we checked off each NHL team to be sure. They wore gear representing former NHL teams, too, plus Australian Ice Hockey League teams, national teams and local teams.

They “oohed” when they were supposed to “ooh,” and they “aahed” when they were supposed to “aah.” They roared for scraps, cheered for goals and clapped to the music.

“The fans were definitely involved and cheering all game and kind of cheering after both teams scored, so it was fun to jump right into that NHL feel and atmosphere,” Coyotes forward Clayton Keller said.

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Below, and probably the only time I will embed game highlights of a preseason game, it Kings/ Coyotes highlights.

Puck drop at Rod Laver Arena is at 12:05am ET and can be watched on the NHL Network or ESPN+ and Sportsnet in Canada.

via the NHL PR department,

The 2023 NHL Global Series™ – Melbourne will mark the first-ever NHL games played in the Southern Hemisphere, but not the first international trip for either the Kings or Coyotes. The Kings’ most recent foray overseas was for two preseason games in China in 2017. In addition, Los Angeles has seen preseason action in Austria (2007) and Germany (2011), and has also played regular-season games in England (2007), Germany (2011), and Sweden (2011). Arizona traveled to Latvia for one preseason game, and to Czechia for two regular-season games, in 2010.

The games in Melbourne will feature some of the NHL’s top talent. The Coyotes’ roster includes forwards Clayton Keller, Jason Zucker and Nick Schmaltz, defensemen Matt Dumba and J.J. Moser, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. The Kings counter with captain Anze Kopitar, fellow forwards Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and defensemen Drew Doughty and Australian native Jordan Spence.

In addition to the Coyotes-Kings contests in Melbourne, the 2023 NHL Global Series will visit Stockholm, Sweden, where an unprecedented four NHL Clubs will play matchups in a single European city. The Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs will be featured in a slate of four regular-season games to take place Nov. 16-19 at Avicii Arena.

if so inclined, feel free to comment

from Brad Marchand at The Players' Tribune,

If you like me, you’ll like this story.

If you hate me, you’ll love it.

It’s kind of a famous story in my family, and it’s probably the first thing I can remember. I was like three years old, and my dad had bought me this sick electric four-wheeler truck for my birthday. I’d always ride it around the cul-de-sac outside our house in Halifax like a maniac. It was yellow with blue seats, and it even had a horn and everything. It was unreal.

So one day I was hanging out with one of my little neighbor buddies, and I guess I got distracted or something, because the next thing I know, I turn around, and he’s in the truck, honking the horn, just lovin’ it.

So, of course, I go nuts.

I’m like, “No! That’s mine!”

And he’s like, “No! My turn!”

He takes off. He’s driving around our garage, laughing. I’m fuming, man. This little rat is driving around my truck, in my driveway, honking my horn, you know? After about 30 seconds, I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped right in front of the truck and put my hand out, like, “You’ll have to run me over.”

He stopped, and I shoved the kid right out of the front seat. Yoink.

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from Julien McKenzie of The Athletic,

Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov spoke Friday about his denouncement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, referencing an interview on YouTube with Russian journalist Yury Dud that was posted Friday.

During the two-hour-long interview with Dud, Zadorov — who is Russian — said he is “sorry for all the young guys.”

“I’m sorry,” Zadorov said. “Instead of raising the new generation, we sent them to die.”

This is not the first time Zadorov has used his platform to speak out against the war. His Instagram page has a pinned post titled “NO WAR.”

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from Sean Shapiro of Shap Shots,

If you are reading Shap Shots (and thank you), you are probably paying attention to some form on NHL training camp this weekend. Either in person, or passively watching on social media and, like many of us, over reacting to line combinations on Day 1 of training camp.

To better watch training camp, and this goes for any team, here are some rules that can help your comprehension of what’s happening in front of you.

• Remember, most of the job are already determined. This makes the “anyone can make it,” narrative feel hollow, but in most cases NHL training camp is simply a formality when it comes to roster building. GMs and coaches build their roster in the summer, that’s the reality of a salary cap world, and while there may be position battles for some roles, there are rarely actual battles for roster spots, at least for opening night.
• Enjoy the new first-round pick while they are here. First-round picks are fun, prospects are the future, and they create some fun storylines in camp.

read on

via the NHL Network's YouTube page,

NHL.com writer Nick Cotsonika is in Australia with the LA Kings and Arizona Coyotes to cover the Global Series. He discusses what the players have been up to in their down time and the local response to the league's first games Down Under!

from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

During his summer of reflection, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong needed time to process last season’s team failure.

“It starts out as anger, then it goes to embarrassment and then you can’t wait for today because you don’t have to talk about it anymore,” Armstrong said shortly before the Blues opened their 2023-24 training camp.

Now Armstrong can begin judging his team’s response.

He did what he could to upgrade the roster, within the team’s contractual constraints. He gathered insights on communicating constructively with players in today’s environment and providing them proper support.

Now it’s up to those players to push the Blues back on track.

“It’s a partnership with the players, whether it’s off-ice training or on-ice training of skill development or nutrition, if we can give them the tools to be their best, we benefit,” Armstrong said. “They benefit, but we benefit.”

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from Chuck Bausman of Philly Hockey Now,

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella likes what he sees so far from his team — on and off the ice.

“I like the feeling of the room,” Tortorella said. “I think the room’s changed. It has changed.

“Kevin [Hayes] is gone, Tony’s [DeAngelo] gone, Provy’s [Ivan Provorov] gone. And really good people. I wish them nothing but great luck with their teams. And they landed on some good teams.”

Tortorella was impressed with how his players reported to the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees well before they were required to. He believes that helps lead to a close team and locker room.

“Our room needed to change,” Tortorella said. “When you subtract people, it allows the room to open up, it allow people to speak. Allow people to show maybe who they are.

“That’s the exciting part for me. You have [Garnet] Hathaway come in — great pro. [Marc Staal] Staalsie comes in — a great pro. Then you watch the room grow.

“That’s what’s exciting to me. We’ve had such a good feeling around here since all of them have come in.”

continue for more on the Flyers...

from Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic,

- One player who didn’t ultimately need to go the PTO route was Tomas Tatar, who signed a one-year deal with Colorado ahead of training camps. How different will the Avalanche look this year? With Tatar aboard, five of the players projected to play in their top nine are new additions. Also: Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Johansen, Miles Wood and Ross Colton. The idea of Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon renewing their junior hockey mastery is one of the most fascinating storylines going into the season. Boom or bust? Beyond their impact on Colorado’s Stanley Cup chances, a rekindling of their chemistry could have a major impact on who wins or loses their fantasy hockey leagues.

- Currently, there are six teams without a captain – mostly teams in the early stages of a rebuild, where they need to give their future captains additional time to mature.

More than anything, players see it as an important badge of honor if they get chosen as captain, part of their legacy. That’s the message you heard from the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand this past week when he was named to replace Patrice Bergeron as captain.

For anyone who watched Marchand’s antics over the years, the idea that he would mature enough to be considered for the captaincy is stunning. But that’s what he said when he was chosen – that partly because of a conversation with former Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy, he began to consider what his legacy might be.

Following in Bergeron’s footsteps will be a challenge, especially since the Bruins didn’t do much to replace either Bergeron or David Krejci’s on-ice contributions, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

more ($) on topic two plus other hockey notes....

NEW YORK (Sept. 21, 2023) – The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors has unanimously approved the sale of the Ottawa Senators to Michael Andlauer. The transaction closed today.

from Corey Masisak of the Denver Post,

Valeri Nichushkin’s absence from the final five games of last season became a dominant storyline as the Avalanche’s title defense fizzled with a first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken.

There are other key players who won’t be on the ice Thursday when Colorado officially opens training camp to start the 2023-24 season, but Nichushkin is expected to participate. His coach and teammates expressed support at Wednesday’s media day for a player who had been a key component of the club’s Stanley Cup run two years prior.

“(We welcomed him back) with open arms,” Avs center Nathan MacKinnon said. “We love Val. I think we just know he’s going to be here for us. He’s such an amazing player. He’s a good person at the end of the day and a great guy. We all love him.”

Nichushkin left Avs the day of Game 3 during their opening-round series with the Seattle Kraken, for what the team termed “personal reasons.” An intoxicated woman was found in Nichushkin’s hotel room that same day, and a team doctor called for an ambulance to take her to the hospital, according to a Seattle police report.

The team never acknowledged the report, nor did the Avs ever say Nichushkin was punished for what transpired. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said during the 2023 Stanley Cup Final that the league was satisfied with how the situation was handled and Nichushkin was not under investigation.

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va the NHL PR department,

The 2023-24 season is right around the corner and the chase for the Stanley Cup is about to begin. Come along for the ride as #NHLStats takes you through some of the biggest storylines heading into the new campaign. A few questions as we get closer to opening night:

* Will Connor Bedard have a breakout rookie season?

* How will Connor McDavid follow up his monumental 153-point season?
* Which teams will rebound and secure a berth into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
* How high will Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby climb as they continue to chase all-time greats?
* Which offseason acquisition will have the biggest impact with their new team?
* Will the NHL feature a 60-goal scorer for the third straight season?

VEGAS (September 21, 2023) – The Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps Sports announced today, September 21, the official launch of KnightTime+, a streaming platform that will carry all locally aired games for fans within the team’s television territory. Additional content created by the Golden Knights is also available on the official streaming home of the team for fans seeking more coverage from the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions.

KnightTime+ was built through a previously announced partnership with ViewLift \[nhl.com\]. Fans can now access the platform on their smartphone, tablet, computer, and internet-enabled television by downloading the KnightTime+ application on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, and Roku, while other outlets are being actively pursued. On web, KnightTime+ can be accessed at knighttimeplus.com.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

...Peter Laviolette surely will not expect Artemi Panarin to play the same way as Tyler Pitlick. But the Rangers’ incoming head coach will hold No. 10 to the same standards he will apply to the putative fourth-liner.

There’s not going to be one way for the elite and another for the common folk. There is, rather, going to be the Rangers Way.

“When it comes to a system, and it’s not always perfect with regard to the details of how that goes, but I do believe a team has to get on the same page,” Laviolette said Wednesday, a day in advance of the club’s first on-ice camp sessions. “That’s my job and responsibility to take a group that at the end of training camp we call the New York Rangers and get them on the same page.”

Asked a hypothetical about a player who might have a tendency to play on the perimeter rather than get in on the forecheck, Laviolette’s response left no room for interpretation.

“That guy will forecheck,” said this coach who believes in puck pursuit and puck pressure.

It’s Day 1 of 2023-24. You can be excused for rolling your eyes. Every incoming head coach pledges to put his stamp on his new team. Every one of them insists he will change the culture. Some do and most don’t.

more

"I'm going to continue supporting my teammates and being their biggest cheerleader. The only reason I'll be not here every single day of the season is because I need to focus on what I need to do and that's to get myself better, and put myself in the best spot to continue to progress physically. I'll be supporting my teammates from a distance at times and then, at some point or another, I'll be back here rocking and rolling with the guys."

-Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche. Landeskog will miss the entire season after having cartilage replacement surgery on his knee. The AP at ESPN has more.

from Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet,

Six months ago, they looked to be on thin ice, if not dead men walking.

But look at Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith and general manager Pierre Dorion today. Smiles as wide as the great outdoors. As confident as any head coach and GM can be under the circumstances of new ownership.

The photo of Tuesday’s pre-training camp golf tournament was telling: incoming owner Michael Andlauer fist-bumping Dorion on the golf course, both men captured laughing uproariously.

Yes, I know, the team hasn’t played a single game yet, let alone have a camp skate – that starts on Thursday at the Sensplex.

These are the earliest of days and a lot can change in a hurry. Andlauer has been around hockey a long time, with street cred at the OHL, AHL and NHL levels – the latter as a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens.

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BOSTON – The Boston Bruins announced today, September 20, that Brad Marchand has been named the 27th captain of the Boston Bruins.

“I am extremely proud of Brad and the hockey player he has become,” said Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “Brad has been a Bruin for over 15 years and had the opportunity to learn from great leaders in Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. He is ready for this opportunity and our whole team will learn from his competitive nature and tenacity. I am confident he will represent our organization with heart and grit.”

Marchand joins the ranks of past Bruins captains, including seven Hall of Famers and seven former Bruins whose numbers have been retired.

The top between the legs plays from last season.

from Chris Pinkert of the Blues website,

In the St. Louis Blues’ 56-year history, only 23 players have been tasked with the incredible responsibility that comes with wearing the captain’s ‘C’ on the front of their sweater.

On Tuesday, Brayden Schenn became the 24th, joining a legendary list of players that includes names such as Red Berenson, Bob and Barclay Plager, Garry Unger, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Brett Hull, Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Wayne Gretzky, to name a few.

“I don’t think it has set in yet, to be honest,” Schenn told stlouisblues.com. “The history of this franchise, the great captains they’ve had, and now getting your own name added to that extraordinary list, it’s a huge honor that I’m thankful for. I’m excited for the opportunity and the challenge this will bring.”

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from Dave McCarthy at the NHL's website,

Ryan Reaves, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi share a common theme that convinced them to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs as unrestricted free agents.

"A chance to win a Cup, that's why I came here," Reaves said at the Leafs and Legends Charity Golf Classic on Monday. "Look at this team from last year, the last couple seasons what they do in the regular season, it's only a matter of time. I just want to be here for when it happens."

Bertuzzi signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Maple Leafs on July 2. The Sudbury, Ontario, native played for the Boston Bruins last season, his seventh in the NHL, and had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the Eastern Conference First Round, a seven-game loss to the Florida Panthers.

"That was my first taste of playoff hockey," said Bertuzzi, a 28-year-old forward. "That was another reason. It's the best time of year and it's a lot of fun to play in those situations and to get a feel for that, I wanted to be back in it and continue to be in it every year, just having a chance, so I'm excited.

"There's a lot of one-year deals out there and I wanted to be at a place where winning was our biggest goal, and I knew the team has the best chance to make it a long way and hopefully our end goal is to win a Cup. A lot of thinking was involved, obviously [the chance] to play with a lot of good players and it's close to home too."

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