from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN,

For years, the NHL tried to figure out how to collect real-time data during games using technology. The 1990s saw the much-derided FoxTrax "glow puck," in which an array of infrared emitters and electronics were placed inside the puck. The NHL started seriously exploring puck and player tracking again in 2014, although its cost and some quality control problems with the pucks created growing pains.

The latest incarnation -- dubbed NHL Edge and powered by SMT -- has been the most successful version of puck and player tracking for the league. It collects data through sensors on player uniforms and inside the puck itself. There's also an optical tracking component that validates that data "within a few milliseconds," Lehanski said.

The data goes beyond player and puck location. The sensors measure speed and distance for skaters and on their shots, among other data points.

Now that it had a tracking system it was confident in, the NHL started chasing the big ideas it had for that data. For example, using real-time puck and player tracking to recreate a hockey game in a virtual 3D environment, with animated players and camera angles that couldn't be accomplished in the real world.

That was something a Netherlands-based company called Beyond Sports was already doing for professional soccer matches. The NHL partnered with the firm and began showing demonstrations of virtual hockey games, which could be viewed on screens or using VR goggles. The players were big and blocky. The action was slower than in an actual game. But the potential for the technology was obvious, and it has only been refined since then.

more, note the first part of the article is about the animated game tonight...

Ice Hockey is one of the world's most popular sports. Played at every level, from youth and as a hobby to amateur and professional in the United States and Canada, there's also a healthy ice hockey season in the United Kingdom, Russia, Serbia, and further afield.

I have a scheduled Dr. appointment this morning.

ETA return is by 10:30am. See you then.

from Jesse Granger and Michael Russo of The Athletic,

Goalies in general seem to be dislodging nets often this season, and the league is taking notice. The NHL Situation Room in Toronto has been keeping a close eye on the matter, clipping video of every time it occurs as part of a presentation to the general managers at this week’s meetings in Manalapan, Fla. Earlier this winter, the league also planned to conduct a series of tests to determine the force it takes to knock its nets off the moorings and if they could make changes to the way to the way nets and pegs are made, or the way nets are installed into the ice in order to better secure them. The hope was for this data to be presented this week in Florida.

After conversations with several top goalies, most believe the biggest reason for net dislodging isn’t necessarily the moorings themselves, but more so an incorrect installation.

“Sometimes, when the net comes off once, there’s a lot of snow that goes into the hole,” Predators goalie Juuse Saros said. “If the refs don’t clear the hole, then the peg doesn’t go deep enough. I feel like that’s usually the problem, so they need to remember to take the snow out.”

The NHL has used the Marsh Peg design to hold its nets in place since 1991. The plastic anchors were originally 1 5/8 inches long, but in 2002, the league increased them to 1 7/8 inches. They sit in drilled holes in the ice, but can become less effective if they are not sitting at the correct depth. This provides a possible explanation for why some goalies will go weeks without dislodging a net once, then have it happen multiple times in a single game.

more ($)

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Regarding the Rangers, who continue their Ye Olde Patrick Division Week with the Caps at the Garden on Tuesday before the Penguins hit Broadway for a Thursday-Saturday double feature.

1. Here the Blueshirts are, fighting to nail down third place in the division and trying to crest just ahead of the playoffs while looking for all the world like a team coming out of training camp searching for an identity.

2. When I see Patrick Kane, whose game is as unrecognizable as the uniform he is wearing, I flash back to late March 2014 and a haggard, exasperated Marty St. Louis giving himself an extended face wash at a practice rink in Calgary while talking about having gone scoreless for his first 13 games as a Ranger.

Changing colors after a lifetime is not as easy as changing into a new top. But Kane, conspicuously low-key through his first 10 days in Blue, should stop being so diffident. Easier for me to say than for No. 88 to do, most likely, but management did not move heaven and earth to bring him here so that Kane could be just another guy in the chorus line.

Of course, reuniting Kane with Artemi Panarin was the way to go at the start. Their connection formed the initial impetus for the Rangers to even conjure this move. But maybe there was a good reason Streisand and Redford never tried to recreate the chemistry they had in “The Way We Were.”

continued

* Artturi Lehkonen had three points in his return to Bell Centre as Colorado scored a season-high eight goals to defeat Montreal and climb the Central Division standings.

* Alex Tuch returned to the lineup and tallied a second straight game-winning goal to help the Sabres rally past the Maple Leafs and inch closer to the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

* ESPN, Disney Channel and the NHL are teaming up to bring fans the "NHL Big City Greens Classic" on Tuesday, which features the Capitals clashing with the Rangers in the first-ever live, animated NHL game telecast.

from Michael Russo and Sean Gentile of The Athletic,

An expansion of the NHL coach’s challenge system to include reviews of same-team high-stick penalties and incorrect “puck over glass” calls was discussed on Day 1 of the league’s general manager meetings, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

The league’s most recent tweaks to the system came before the 2019-20 season, most notably attaching a two-minute delay of game minor to a failed challenge of any sort, rather than simply a missed offside.

Now, according to Daly, another expansion is “a possibility” based on how the rest of the meetings unfold.

The league’s approach to fights that take place after clean hits was also discussed in a series of breakout sessions, Daly said, adding that the topic is likely to come up again over the next two days.

Player safety

The league would like to make skate cut-protective equipment on wrists and legs mandatory.

“We want to get to a situation where there’s some kind of mandate to use it,” Daly said.

continued ($) with more topics...

via the YouTube page of Sportsnet,

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman share their thoughts on the potential for the NHL to crack down on some of the fighting rules.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

Not everyone is cut out to be filling the role. During his Detroit tenure, coach Jeff Blashill sought to convince Anthony Mantha that he’d be a 30-goal scorer were he willing to occupy the net front on a regular basis. Blashill went as far as to show Mantha footage of a master of the role, James van Riemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers. But he was never able to convince Mantha to embrace the concept.

No one needed to explain the value of net front work to Chiasson. And at 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, he’s in possession of the physical tools to make him play effectively there. But there’s a lot more than size that goes into net front expertise.

“Puck support, being able to be available. He can get the puck from the half wall. I think that has a part to do with it and then that timing of when to take the goalie’s eyes, when to be available, those are things we’re looking for.”

Chiasson has directly factored in all four power-play goals scored by the Red Wings over the past three games. He scored two of them himself. In Sunday’s 4-3 win over Boston, Chiasson scored once with the man advantage and was screening Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman on another power-pllay tally.

People are still talking about the behind the legs cross creas dish Chiasson made to Larkin. a power-play marker last Wednesday agains the Chicago Blackhawks.

“He’s a pro,” Lalonde said. “I think the guys appreciate him.

“Sometimes, when you look at power play net-front guys, everyone just looks at if they bang home a rebound, or if they make that play he made the other night, the backhand through his legs back door tap in to Larks.”

more

His salary history at CapFriendly

from John Lane of the NHL's website,

Artistic impression will come to life with the first live, animated NHL telecast when the Washington Capitals play the New York Rangers in the "NHL Big City Greens Classic" on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney+).

The alternate broadcast, inspired by Disney's Emmy-award winning comedy "Big City Greens," will feature live, real-time volumetric animation of players and teams modeled after characters on the show.

Steve Levy and Mark Messier will have the traditional broadcast of the regular-season game (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SNE, SNP, TVAS and SN NOW) from Madison Square Garden, while Drew Carter and Kevin Weekes will call the special broadcast. In ESPN's Studio Z this past Friday, each wore motion capture suits working to display animation and respective avatars for the simulation modeled after characters from the show.

"I really want my curiosity to be deep, my excitement for it," said Weekes, a former NHL goalie. "Hopefully that ends up translating into the broadcast itself because we're being transported, certainly for me, I'll be transported into a different world. And more importantly, we want to be able to transport the viewer, the listener, into a different world.

"Not only are the players the artists, but so too are the characters, and now we're going to kind of merge and integrate those two in the storytelling via the animation and via that technology."

continued

from Charlie O'Connor of The Athletic,

Philadelphia Flyers culture. It’s a nebulous, multifaceted concept — but very, very real.

The Flyers are tough. They take care of their own. They promote from within. They spend whatever it takes to win. They don’t believe in taking steps back to take bigger steps forward. True stewards of Flyers culture, the thinking goes, carry the torch of founder Ed Snider, in a relentless march toward inevitable success.

In the 1970s and 1980s under Snider, the march began. It continued through the 1990s, even as Comcast entered the picture and purchased Snider’s Spectacor, keeping Snider as chairman. The collective of former players and executives even continued to successfully trudge forward in the early 2000s, as the Flyers made another Stanley Cup Final appearance.

But the NHL’s implementation of the salary cap in 2005 slowed the Flyers’ advance. Snider’s death in 2016, of course, took away the embodiment of said culture. And on March 10, 2023, the man handpicked by the organization’s remaining stewards — Chuck Fletcher — was released from his duties as general manager and president of hockey operations.

If ownership has the courage to accept hard truths, March 10, 2023, could also stand as the moment when the old Flyers culture — along with all of its remaining champions — was finally, mercifully deemed in need of retirement.

After all, the fingerprints of Flyers culture were all over Fletcher’s ultimately failed tenure as GM.

continued ($)

NEW YORK (March 13, 2023) – Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 12.

from Travis Yost of TSN,

A couple of years ago, amidst a surge in scoring across the National Hockey League, I argued teams with weak offences were increasingly being left behind. For a variety of reasons, the grind-it-out teams of the last 20 or 30 years have been left behind, with skill and up-tempo hockey being rewarded in the current environment.

A lot of the focus in this area has been at even strength, where the lion’s share of an NHL game is played. The teams that can fill the back of the net with regularity in the regular season, generally speaking, qualify for the playoffs these days. The teams that struggle to score are usually sitting at home come April.

Here is another wrinkle to consider: even-strength scoring has stabilized at multi-decade highs. What hasn’t stabilized is rate scoring on the power play, which continues to accelerate. This season has seen remarkable production on the man advantage – teams are not only scoring at blistering rates, but expected goals (which measures both shot volume and the quality of those shots) are moving in the same northward direction:

continued

from Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet,

Very early in the Vancouver game, Senators forward Claude Giroux found himself wide open in the slot and ripped a shot off the inside of the post.

The puck stayed out, bounding harmlessly through the crease. As the camera panned to Giroux back at the bench, he screamed a single word, apparent to all who can read lips: “FRICK!!” Or, something close to that which can’t be repeated in family publications.

The moment was fairly representative of the Ottawa Senators Lost Weekend out west – back-to-back losses to Vancouver on Saturday (5-2) and Calgary on Sunday (5-1).

NHL Highlights: Flames 5, Senators 1Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 5:34Loaded: 2.97% Fullscreen

Though the Senators hung on to beat Seattle 5-4 on Thursday, this trip began with a 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. So, the Sens have lost three of four and been outscored 15-3 in those losses.

This isn’t exactly the prescribed recipe for grabbing ahold of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, losing three games to teams not currently in playoff positions themselves.

Ottawa is certainly not out of the race but they have certainly lost precious ground.

continued

from Gilbert Ngabo of the Toronto Star,

John Tavares helped the Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Blackhawks. Then he helped create a memory that will last a lifetime for a young fan recovering from brain surgery.

Henry Pye, 11, had a large tumour removed last December at the Hospital for Sick Children. He couldn’t sit up, move his head, open his eyes or talk for several days after the operation. Once he started to make progress and regain strength, his family began to think about ways to celebrate his recovery.

They decided to take him to a hockey game.

“It was our first outing in real life after the surgery and it was his first time at a Leafs game, which was an amazing experience,” said Tanya Pye, Henry’s mother. “We were just so happy we could go out again.”

A fun night at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 15 would become unforgettable for Henry’s family thanks to the “serendipitous, random act of kindness” of a stranger and the generosity of the Leafs captain.

continued

from Sportsnet,

Sean Reynolds and Elliotte Friedman preview this week's GM meetings, looking at the role of the executive committee leading up the meetings and what issues on and off the ice will be discussed throughout the week.

watch at Sportsnet

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

"There’s a lot of pride in our locker room and that was a huge test, huge opportunity for us, that’s how we looked at it," captain Dylan Larkin said after Sunday's 5-3 victory. "We got back-to-back games with the same team and a team that is on a record pace. We had a great two games. We didn’t have a great second period (Saturday), but both games, we battled hard.

"Just incredible team effort both nights. It was a huge character weekend for us."...

"Two really big players for our organization and even better friends that we lost, but now we have to move on," Seider said. "I think it’s even more fun winning without those guys, to show how much character is in that locker room, to really push here towards the end of the season."...

"The one message I had with the group — we are up 4-1 after the second period and we were feeling good about the start of our third," Lalonde said. "I really thought we were leaning towards scoring our fifth goal. Instead we give up two really easy goals to make it 4-3. That was really disappointing and a little immature of our group, which is fine — we are still trying to grow. But if we are ever going to get somewhere as an organization, we will have to manage that much better. The good teams, the great teams, they manage those much better."

more ($)

* Jack Hughes matched a single-season franchise mark with another multi-point outing as the Devils moved into a tie in standing points with the Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division.

* Kris Letang lifted the Penguins to victory with the winner in the extra frame and moved into third on the NHL’s all-time overtime goals list among defensemen.

* Maple Leafs look to set franchise benchmark for fewest games to 90 points in a season when they face the Sabres at Scotiabank Arena on a three-game Monday.

from Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News,

"Great win. Really happy with it," Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. "We got rewarded today with an outcome, but our six periods on a whole, I thought, were great. Outside of the second period (Saturday) when we were really on our heels, I'm really proud of the guys and the effort and the approach this weekend."

"There's a lot of pride in our locker room and (this weekend was) a huge opportunity, huge test ... for us, that's how we looked at it," Larkin said. "We got back-to-back games with the same team, a team that's on a record pace. We had a great two games. ... I thought both games, we battled hard."...

"We're up 4-1 after the second period, and we were feeling good about the start of our third," Lalonde said. "But I really thought we were leaning towards scoring our fifth goal instead of just keeping them from scoring their second. We gave up two really easy goals to make it 4-3.

"It was really disappointing and a little immature of our group, which is fine. We're still trying to grow. But if we're ever going to get somewhere as an organization — if we put ourselves in those situations, we will have to manage that much better.

"The good teams — the great teams — they manage those much better."

read on

After 20 minutes the Wings were up 1-0.

After 40 minutes the Wings were up 4-1.

After 60 minutes the Wings win 5-3.

Nice to see this team hold their own against the top team in the NHL.

Now bottle this motivation for the rest of the season.

Team Stats

Below, watch a thank you for Tyler Bertuzzi and the Detroit goals.

NEW YORK (March 12, 2023) – Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Edmonton Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais during NHL Game No. 1043 in Toronto on Saturday, March 11, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 3:41 of the third period. Tavares was assessed a minor penalty for slashing.

watch below

Good afternoon and welcome back. Once again we face off against the Broons in the second game of a back to back. We all watched as the Wings, who played well yesterday, couldn’t get the job done. I’m not slamming them. The effort was there, but, well, whatever…… I hope the Wings can turnaround and make the Broons pay.

It’s the Bruins vs the Wings in another Original Six matchup. The puck drops around 1:30 PM and will be broadcast on TNT, TVAS, SN360, and NESN. Also available on the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit)

It’s a Live Blog!