CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Bunch of jerks? Not the Hurricanes having fun

By Chip Alexander

So who’s the jerk here?

The Carolina Hurricanes have attracted a lot of attention with their postgame palooza after wins at PNC Arena. On Friday, after a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, Warren Foegele connected on a “walkoff homer” off Dougie Hamilton that touched off a wild celebration at “home plate” with his teammates after he touched all the “bases.”

That also touched off a diatribe from Don Cherry, the bombastic one on Hockey Night in Canada and the Craig Sager wanna-be with his fluorescent haberdashery. Cherry, never at a loss for words, called the Canes a “bunch of jerks” and criticized coach Rod Brind’Amour, who he called a “straight shooter,” and captain Justin Williams for letting it go on.

About the only thing Cherry got right was when he said, “This is the National Hockey League.” The rest was nonsense. To each their own. On with the show. Let the fun continue and the fans stay in their seats after games, wondering what’s next.

“Bunch of jerks” -- which the Canes already have on new T-shirts ready for sale -- may be their rallying cry and a marketing catchphrase the rest of the season.

Some observations from the 3-0 win Saturday over Dallas:

-- Which was the more important acquisition by the Canes, Curtis McElhinney or Nino Niederreiter? Both are huge, obviously, but McElhinney was a waiver-wire pickup before the season opener after Scott Darling went down with an injury.

-- Petr Mrazek is a small goalie but so athletic. Some of the saves the goalie made Saturday in his third shutout of the season were simply terrific. That’s a game where the Stars coaches will watch the video and be shaking their heads. Kind of like Brind’Amour did after some games earlier in the season when the Canes made so many opposing goalies looked like Vezina candidates.

-- The back-to-back games in net by McElhinney and Mrazek -- 74 shots faced, 73 saves -- may have been the Canes’ best of the season. The Oilers and Stars have some scary good high-end skill but the goalies stood tall. With some help, of course.

-- Nino. That is all. The numbers: 13 games with Carolina, 13 points.

-- The Canes need a little more from Andrei Svechnikov. This would be a good time to get it. Only 18, and he’s still learning and developing at this level. But to reach the playoffs ...

-- Trevor van Riemsdyk is quietly putting together a pretty solid season, with little fanfare. The D-man isn’t flashy but is reliable.

-- Once one of the NHL’s best faceoff guys, Brind’Amour knows the importance of winning draws and having puck possession. The Canes were 19-36 against the Stars and Sebastian Aho lost 10 of 12 draws. Jordan Staal’s return will ease that concern by the head coach.

-- It’s worth saying again: There are going to be a lot of mad Canes fans if management deals Micheal Ferland before the trade deadline. Just saying.

A worthy cause, a bunch of jerks and a welcome reminder that the hockey world has your back

By Sara Civian

There was something in the air at PNC Arena on Saturday night as the surging Hurricanes beat the Dallas Stars, 3-0.

I’d heard whispers of how intense the place can get since I first took the job covering the Canes, and the whispers have only been getting louder. I still didn’t expect to get a sampling so soon — certainly not on the tail end of a back to back.

“Just wait ’till the playoffs,” people (no, not just Southerners) keep saying. “You have never seen anything like it.”

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said these games aren’t harder to play, anyway, and that the idea is a “myth people made up.” With an 8-3-1 record in back-to-backs, maybe it’s time to start listening to him.

I’m not saying 100 million people were there to witness the NHL team with the most wins (16) and most goals (82) since New Year’s Eve keep winning. I am saying the right people were.

Just ask goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was pounding his chest like a Wolf of Wall Street character during his shutout.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

“The fans were great today,” he told me, unprompted. “They always push you to be better.”

It’d been that way since puck drop, honestly, but it peaked with one minute left in regulation.

“Bunch of jerks! Bunch of jerks! Bunch of jerks!”

The crowd was screaming what “Hockey Night In Canada” commentator and former player Don Cherry called the Canes earlier that day.

“This is the National Hockey League. These guys, to me, are jerks. They’re still not drawing (fans). I’ll tell you one thing, they better not do this in the playoffs,” he said. “That is absolutely ridiculous. I know all the broadcasters are afraid to say something … I know what I’m talking about. You never do anything like that. They’re still not drawing. They’re still a bunch of jerks, as far as I’m concerned.”

Cherry’s unverified attendance claims aside, it’s funny how the narrative around the Storm Surge has changed from “they’re not good enough to do this” and “they aren’t working hard enough to do this” to “they better not do this in the playoffs.”

As the Canes secured the win that put them in a playoff spot for the night (it’s a tight race), their fans were having a blast with the “bunch of jerks” comment. The marketing team has been on fire all season, so of course they read the room and changed the Hurricanes’ Twitter bio to “The bunch of jerks with the fun celebrations.”

They’ve already created “Bunch of Jerks” T-shirts that keep selling out.

As social media was abuzz about those Sunday night, and as Canes fans were (delightfully) lighting up my Twitter mentions with jabs at Cherry and Brian Burke, I knew it was time to come clean.

Brian Burke is the former GM of the Hartford Whalers, a man notorious for doing away with the beloved “Brass Bonanza” goal song.

Brian Burke was the first hockey broadcaster to criticize the Hurricanes for the Storm Surge. He wasn’t remotely as harsh as Cherry, but he did call it “absurdly amateurish, pee-wee garbage stuff.”

Brian Burke also is an outstanding ally and a proud father. I would know — his kids grew up in my hometown of Canton, Massachusetts.

When you think of Brian Burke, you think of a fun-hating dinosaur. There might be some truth to that.

When I think of Burke, though, I remember how openly accepting he was when his son, Brendan, came out to the public in 2009.

“In our house, everything was about acceptance. No racial humour tolerated, no jokes about gay people, no jokes about handicapped people. It was all ‘Everyone is worth your time, everyone has dignity, everyone deserves your respect,'” Burke told CBC in retrospect. “And so, when my son said, ‘dad, I’m gay,’ the best thing was, (that I) don’t have to take anything back. I don’t have to apologize for anything, I don’t have to rebuild any bridge, and that’s what I tell parents and to the kids who are battling with coming out. It does get better, there is a support group, and you’re entitled to live your life.”

He was the GM of the Maple Leafs during that interview, delivering that message in the hub of hockey.

“A gay player is welcome here,” he said.

I remember how heartbroken our community was when Brendan passed away at 21 years old on Feb. 5, 2010, en route to a college hockey game.

Burke, his son, Patrick, and others channeled that heartbreak into You Can Play, a project “dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

(That’s the project partnered with pride tape, by the way. Patrick commends Hurricanes ambassador Trevor van Riemsdyk and older brother James for being part of the movement from the start.)

It would be funny if Canes fans send the “Bunch of Jerks” shirts to Cherry’s office, for sure. But this seems like more of a “kill ’em with kindness” crowd, and I wondered if they knew about the real Brian Burke.

Patrick Burke noticed donations from people named “Canes fan” and “Bunch of jerks” flowing in, so we made a deal.

Patrick M. (@generationxwing) covered it in EIGHT minutes. And the donations keep pouring in.

When I look back on this Hurricanes season, I’m starting to think I won’t even remember if they make the playoffs or not — as important as it obviously is.

I’ll remember all the videos of the tiny, new hockey fans glued to their TVs, clapping along to the Storm Surge. I’ll remember that Brind’Amour’s own little one, Brooks, likes the kayak surge the best.

I will remember not even being able to conduct an interview because “Stacy’s Mom” was blasting so loud, and how these moments are creating a culture much more sustainable than a first-round exit.

I will never, ever forget the time Hurricanes fans sent thousands of dollars and counting to their favorite fun-hating dinosaur. Talk about drawing a crowd.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Six trades that would deliver the missing piece to Stanley Cup contenders

By Scott Burnside

To understand the understated brilliance of the Michal Kempny trade deadline addition to the Capitals you have to first understand the excessive disappointment that was the Kevin Shattenkirk trade deadline add.

Maybe one doesn’t happen without the other.

Maybe the Capitals are still looking for their first Stanley Cup if they don’t first add the skilled, highly-coveted Shattenkirk at the 2017 trade deadline and then 344 days later add the barely coveted Kempny.

They are the yin and yang of the Capitals’ playoff fortunes, and they are the cautionary tales that keep NHL GMs up at night.

Shattenkirk was coming to the end of his contract in St. Louis. He was a swift-skating, highly intelligent defenseman whose presence on the trade market had the hockey world atwitter. And with good reason. Shattenkirk had 42 points in 61 games at the time of the deal, which gave the Blues a first-round draft pick (that became Morgan Frost) and prospect Zach Sanford.

Shattenkirk was a bona fide star and he made Washington, en route to a Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular season team, the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

And it didn’t work.

Not at all.

Shattenkirk did help the Capitals’ power play, which was a big part of the reason for his addition. And he did collect 14 points in 19 regular season games to even further whet the appetite of Cup-hungry fans in Washington. But in the playoffs things more or less fell apart. Shattenkirk’s addition meant another smart, smooth-skating defender, Nate Schmidt, couldn’t find his way into the lineup on a regular basis because the coaching staff under Barry Trotz was loath to bench either Brooks Orpik or Karl Alzner because of their physicality and experience. Meanwhile, Shattenkirk struggled defensively and ended up being a third-pair defender in the postseason.

The Capitals squeaked by Toronto in an exciting first-round series and then were bounced in seven games by arch-rival Pittsburgh in the second round. Shattenkirk ended up with a modest six points in 13 games.

Less than two months later he signed a four-year deal with his hometown Rangers, and the Capitals were left to wonder yet again what had become of arguably their most talented team ever.

With Alzner departing Washington as an unrestricted free agent and Schmidt off to Vegas in the expansion draft, the Capitals were on the hunt for someone to fill the void before the 2017-18 season.

Specifically, Washington GM Brian MacLellan began searching early on for a “skater/defender” type of defenseman.

“That was our mandate,” he said.

Easier said than done.

The Capitals’ pro scouting staff began scouring the league at the start of last season.

The challenge was hampered by the Capitals’ limited salary cap space and the fact they wanted a left-handed shot to play alongside John Carlson.

Orpik was paired with Carlson for most of the first half of the season but that wasn’t a great fit given that Orpik was better suited for the anchor role on a third pair and the Caps wanted someone who could skate to play with Carlson.

Washington’s scouts identified Kempny, an undrafted defenseman out of the Czech Republic, as a possibility. He was in and out of the Chicago lineup, as the Blackhawks flirted with and then fell out of the playoff race in the Western Conference.

One week before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, the Capitals sent a third-round pick to Chicago and Kempny stepped into a top-four role, playing mostly with Carlson. That allowed Orpik to slot into a third pairing with rookie Christian Djoos, and for Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen to settle in as the middle pair in the Caps’ defensive structure.

Through the stretch run and into the playoffs the Capitals became a different team, defensively more sound, efficient and ultimately much more difficult to play against.

They would survive a first-round scare against Columbus, vanquish Pittsburgh in six games and upend favored Tampa in the Eastern Conference final before ousting Vegas in five games in the final.

“It was a year-long process,” MacLellan said. “We were missing one piece for most of the year.”

It’s not like Kempny became a Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

But when it mattered most Kempny became what every GM is looking for at the trade deadline, the perfect fit on a team that, as it turned out, needed that one particular piece to make the puzzle complete. It just turned out the piece was much smaller than anyone had anticipated.

“We needed a speed guy there,” MacLellan said of the fit with Carlson. “Kempny needed Carly and Carly needed Kempny. They complimented each other perfectly.”

The element of fit was the biggest lesson McLellan said he learned at the deadline.

At a time when so many are clamoring for a GM to “do something,” MacLellan and the Capitals discovered that “doing something” is a relative thing, that finding that complimentary piece is often more critical than finding that profile piece.

“It’s a good lesson,” conceded MacLellan.

Where will this lesson be taught at this trade deadline? With so many high profile players like Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Wayne Simmonds expected to move, is there a Michal Kempny in a team’s future?

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Here’s a look at some players who might fit this bill and where they could possibly be the missing piece.

Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg Jets

It’s never really come together in the way that anyone imagined for the 6-foot-5 Hayes, who was selected 24th overall by the Rangers in 2010 after a standout finish to his career at Boston College. He struck for a career-high 25 goals last season as the Rangers began to rebuild in earnest. It looks like that rebuild will continue without Hayes, 26, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and looks to be headed out the door in the coming days. Scouts and NHL executives are enticed by his size, his two-way game and the potential impact he’s going to have with a contender somewhere.

“I love Kevin Hayes,” one executive said recently. “The kid can pass the puck.” He wondered aloud at a possible fit in Winnipeg, suggesting that Hayes’ presence would make the Jets’ power play, already a top five unit, “really tough to stop.”

Another longtime scout and former player said he is impressed with Hayes’ determination and how rookie coach David Quinn relies on him in critical situations, taking and more often than not winning critical draws in the final minutes of periods and games. “He’s been strong on pucks,” the scout said. “He’s built for the playoffs.”

A year ago the Jets acquired Paul Stastny (for prospect Erik Foley, a conditional first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick) and his veteran presence was a calming factor as they advanced to a Western Conference final. That veteran experience isn’t quite as critical this season and the asking price for Hayes won’t be as high, which makes this a potential fit for a Jets team that has lots of salary cap issues coming up in the offseason. If not Winnipeg, Hayes could be a fit in Dallas or Columbus.

Micheal Ferland to Boston Bruins

It’s likely that lots more hockey folk know about Ferland now than did at the start of last offseason. First he was part of a blockbuster trade between Calgary and Carolina. Then the power forward made an instant impact in Carolina, bringing toughness and good puck sense. Now he’s being considered by multiple teams as we approach the Feb. 25 trade deadline with the pending unrestricted free agent not currently a fit in Carolina’s long-term plans

Not surprising given the style with which he plays, Ferland has had some injury issues. A source familiar with the team said his physicality “comes and goes” so there is that to consider. There is also the presence of Simmonds in the marketplace, a player who brings the same attractive blend of skill and toughness. While Ferland, 26, is four years younger, Simmonds has a more attractive pedigree. One scout thought Simmonds has lost a step but also wondered if Ferland is better suited as a bottom-six forward.

The upside to Ferland is that he has played with high-end talent, first in Calgary with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan and then in Carolina with Sebastian Aho. Eleven of Ferland’s 33 points through 50 games have come on the power play, including six power play goals.

The Penguins looked like a good fit but with the addition of Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad that likely isn’t going to be a fit. Boston needs to add a player who can play in the top six to keep pace with high-flying Toronto and Tampa in the Atlantic Division. Ferland would fit nicely with the Bruins’ style of play under Bruce Cassidy and should come at a price less than what Simmonds will command. Boston’s needs are especially pronounced now with David Pastrnak, the team’s leading scorer, out for at least two weeks after needing surgery to repair a thumb injury sustained at a team event. When Pastrnak returns the Bruins would like to have a winger who could play with David Krejci, and Ferland fits that bill.

Jimmy Howard to Vegas Golden Knights

Maybe this year Detroit GM Ken Holland takes it easy on Vegas GM George McPhee after snagging a first, second and third-round draft pick for Tomas Tatar last trade deadline, after which Tatar was a healthy scratch for much of the playoffs. But we digress. The Golden Knights have shaken off a middling start to return to the thick of the Pacific Division playoff race. They should be a handful once again come mid-April but only if Marc-Andre Fleury is Fleury-like, which means he needs to get some relief. Backup Malcolm Subban has managed to secure just three wins this season, so that’s not getting it done. Fleury is having a Vezina-type season but the 34-year-old three-time Stanley Cup winner needs some relief and the veteran Howard is that kind of guy. Cam Talbot, sent to the Flyers, was a more economical option, but that’s because he doesn’t have as big an up-side.

Now the Wings are making noise that Howard, set to become an unrestricted free agent, will cost big – as in first-round pick big. But that’s not going to happen even if Howard has remade himself over the past couple of seasons under goaltending coach Jeff Salajko and has been one of Detroit’s few bright spots on a bad team.

Vegas has a ton of draft picks and young assets without disrupting the team’s long-term plans. One longtime analyst and former NHLer argued that because Fleury is so good you only need a Plan B for maybe 10 games so it might make more sense to bring in a Keith Kincaid, who is also on an expiring contract in New Jersey, but what if you need to win eight of those 10 games to earn home-ice advantage? And what if Fleury gets hurt? Howard gives you a better chance at sneaking through a round than any of the other goaltending options available. If not Vegas, how about Pittsburgh where Matt Murray has struggled with injuries and consistency?

Derick Brassard to Dallas Stars

Coming to the end of his contract, the 31-year-old Brassard will only command a third-round pick or something along those lines, but it would be something to put in the bank for the Panthers, who acquired Brassard and Riley Sheahan from Pittsburgh, as they look to clear some salary for what is expected to be an active offseason for the perennially underachieving South Florida team.

As for Brassard, he will have lots of interest before the deadline in part because there are so few centers that appear to be in play. The sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft, Brassard never quite made good on the high expectations

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that accompanied him to the NHL and his time in Pittsburgh was likewise uninspiring, a function of playing behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But Brassard has 90 playoff games under his belt and 59 points, not insignificant, which is why he would be attractive to a Dallas team that has missed the playoffs eight of the past 10 years and is thin down the middle.

Worth noting is that Brassard has 19 power play points in the playoffs and the Stars could use some help with the man advantage. Is Brassard the kind of guy who can finally coax some regular offense out of the middle of a Stars lineup that has leaned too heavily on Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov? Seems like a good bet, although one source close to the team wondered if addressing the team’s center issues might be an offseason task given that GM Jim Nill was silent at the trade deadline a year ago, but it is doubtful he will do the same this year.

Mats Zuccarello to Calgary Flames

Zuccarello has struggled through the dismantling of the Rangers over the past couple of seasons and admitted the burden of an uncertain future weighs on him. But playing with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider lately, Zuccarello reverted back to form at a time when interest in him from other teams will continue to rise.

One scout likes him as a terrific top nine/top six add for a contending team because he won’t cost much – a third-round pick and a B prospect, the scout hypothesized – but will bring a significant impact. “He’s got a great stick, he competes on puck,” the scout said. “I’m a big fan of that kid.” He may not play with as much pace as he once did, but on a team like Calgary where he doesn’t have to be the man, Zuccarello could be the kind of guy that pumps up a second or third line and adds some zest to the power play. The Flames might have been looking at the potential of repatriating Ferland, but Zuccarello has grit to his game in spite of his diminutive size.

Ilya Kovalchuk to New York Islanders

Ozk, this is a bit of a pet project. Kovalchuk doesn’t have to go anywhere he doesn’t want to go thanks to a no-move, no-trade clause that came with his whopper three-year deal from the Kings this past offseason. And the fact is his $6.25-million cap hit acts as its own no-move clause. But there are hints that maybe Kovalchuk wouldn’t mind a quick change of scenery because he couldn’t have imagined that his return to the NHL after five seasons in the KHL would be such a tire fire. At 35 he’s got to be looking at whether things are going to get better before he ages out in Los Angeles, and the answer is not likely. Now, interim coach Willie Desjardins won’t be around next season, so maybe Kovalchuk waits it out to see if things get better in Year Two, but this is a guy who’s played in just 32 playoff games and 23 of those were in 2012 when he was a member of the Devils and Lou Lamoriello was the GM.

Now Lamoriello is the GM of the surprising Islanders, who have become defensively aware but still need to add scoring if they’re going to compete with the Penguins and Capitals come April. Specifically, they need to bolster a power play that is a bottom-third unit. And while the Kings have been a mess for most of the season, Kovalchuk started well before being demoted, finally benched by Desjardins and then suffered an ankle injury. We’re guessing Kovalchuk has Alex Ovechkin’s cell phone number if he wants to get any intel on Islanders coach Barry Trotz, whom we know gets rave reviews from Ovechkin.

The Kings would have to eat a chunk of Kovalchuk’s salary but GM Rob Blake has to make significant changes to get younger and faster, and he has to do it quickly. Even if the Isles don’t have to send much back to acquire Kovalchuk, not everyone loves the idea. One NHL executive said he thought Kovalchuk looked disinterested and unengaged, but that could be said of anyone playing for the Kings these days, and in the end, if it’s just about money, why not take a chance on one of the game’s great offensive forces?

DGB weekend power rankings: A dozen deadline week predictions

By Sean McIndoe

One week to go.

We’re just seven days away from the trade deadline, and historically, this is when things really start to get busy. Fans love to talk about deadline day, and that’s still the main attraction. This time next week, we’ll all be fake-coughing our way through calling in sick to work and settling in to watch the various deadline day shows struggle to fill airtime until the flood gates open. It’s always a fun day.

But in recent years, the process has evolved to the point where we should really be referring to deadline week. We typically see almost as many trades during the week-long lead up to the deadline as we do on the day itself. And that means the wait is pretty much over. It’s go time.

Let’s crunch some numbers. In 2016, there were 21 trades on deadline day and 16 more in the week leading up to it. The 2017 deadline was nearly identical, with 23 deals on

deadline day and another 16 the week before. Last year, the numbers dropped slightly, with 18 deals on deadline day and 12 in the week leading up to it. (All totals are from the various NHL.com trade tracker pages.)

So in terms of the number of deals made, last year was quieter than a typical recent deadline, both on deadline day and in the week before. That could be a blip or the start of a trend. And if it’s the latter, we might expect that this week is relatively quiet too.

But something else stands out. In 2016, almost all of the action came in that final week; there were just four trades made around the league in the rest of February. In 2017, there were five. But last year, there were nine. Again, maybe that’s a blip. But it suggests GMs weren’t actually that much quieter last year after all — they were simply getting their deals done earlier.

So what about this year? It looks a lot like last year. We’ve already had eleven February trades. And that’s not counting

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the unusually busy January, which we talked about at the time. Back then, we wondered if the flurry of moves might predict a busy February. And in a sense, it already has, with more trades than usual over the last 17 days. But does that many deals already being done mean we’re now in for a quiet final week?

There are a few reasons to think we might be. The most obvious is the standings – the Western turtle derby has resulted in a scenario where virtually the entire conference is still in the race, or at least close enough to it that a delusional GM could try to talk himself into it. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like teams like the Kings and Ducks will make that mistake. But if the rest of the conference still thinks they have a shot, there may not be enough sellers to support a busy market.

This year’s deadline also feels somewhat unique, in the sense that there are at least three or four players on the block who would be considered major stars who are still in their prime. Artemi Panarin, Mark Stone, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene are bigger prizes than what we usually see available at the deadline. But they’re also the kind of names who could cause other teams to play wait-and-see. Are you really going to settle for Micheal Ferland as your big deadline acquisition if there’s a chance you could get Stone or Panarin? Maybe, but not until the last minute.

The good news, at least for fans who want to see some action, is that the last minute is almost here. And maybe I’m an optimist, but I don’t think we’re in for an especially quiet week. The situations in Columbus and Ottawa should come to a head soon, one way or another, and most of those Western wannabes are one or two more losses away from having no choice but to get real. The dam isn’t exactly going to burst, because it’s already been leaking steadily for weeks. But it’s probably not going to hold for much longer.

So this week, let’s do the regular top and bottom five rankings. But we’ll mix in a prediction for each of those teams along the way. Will I be right about any one them? Probably not, but that hasn’t stopped me before, so let’s do this.

Road to the Cup

The five teams that look like they’re headed toward a summer of keg stands and fountain pool parties.

The Carolina Hurricanes broke out a few new post-win celebrations this week, and Don Cherry criticized them for it. That meant we all had to spend the weekend playing yet another round of that game where we pretend that this is some sort of raging and divisive controversy, and not something that 95 percent of the hockey world already likes and supports. You’re being criticized by Don Cherry and Brian Burke and like three random dudes on Twitter, Hurricanes fans. Everyone else has your back. You’ll be fine.

In other news, the Hurricanes are going to make the playoffs, which will be good, and somebody is going to try to claim that they did it because they played duck-duck-goose after their games, which will be terrible.

5. New York Islanders (35-17-6, +33 true goals differential*) – Saturday’s win may have spelled the end of the Barclays Center era. The team doesn’t have any more regular-season

games scheduled there, and they’ll play the first round of the playoffs at Nassau Coliseum. They’d be back at Barclays for the second round, though, meaning Islander fans are in the weird position of hoping to get a return to an arena they all hate.

As for the prediction, I admit that I love the theory that Lou Lamoriello will go out and land Panarin. It makes more sense than most of the other Panarin rumors.

But as much as I’d love to make that my prediction, I don’t think it happens. The hurdle is the Blue Jackets, who we’re told still want to make a playoff run. Would they really send Panarin to a team they have a good chance of facing in Round 1? Maybe, but I can’t see it. So instead, let’s pencil Lou and the Islanders in for a consolation prize from among the lesser names. Maybe Gustav Nyquist?

4. Winnipeg Jets (36-19-4, +30) – The schedule served up three winnable games, but the Jets only came away with three points. They didn’t lose any Central ground to the struggling Predators, but it was a missed opportunity to build a cushion. And now that Jordan Binnington and the Blues are unbeatable, the division no longer feels like a two-team race.

Prediction: Given their roster and cap situation, the Jets should be all-in on the biggest rentals. I’m with Murat Ates when he identifies Mark Stone as their best fit. It will cost a ton, but I think they might get him.

3. Calgary Flames (35-16-7, +42) – Man, they needed that win in Pittsburgh on Saturday. But their four-game losing streak ate up all of their Pacific lead, so the sense of urgency should be high.

What does that mean for the deadline? The Flames are another team that would make a ton of sense for Stone, but I think the Jets could outbid them. Instead, let’s slot the Flames in for something with the Rangers. Mats Zuccarello could make sense.

2. San Jose Sharks (35-17-7, +33) – Oh good, Erik Karlsson is back. About time this team caught a break.

The Sharks don’t seem likely to be in on the big deadline names. They’re tight against the cap, don’t have a first-round pick or many high-end prospects to trade, and as long as they’re healthy there aren’t any big holes in the lineup. Kevin Kurz has them in the market for bottom-six depth instead, which sounds right. Let’s say they land Kevin Hayes, who I don’t think will end up costing as much as the Rangers might like.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-11-4, +70) – Those all-black uniforms they wore on Saturday aren’t great. Sorry, I realize that’s mild criticism, but I’ve just been waiting all year for a chance to say something negative about the Lightning.

As for the deadline, this is the Lightning. That means that they’re capped out and don’t have the assets to make a major move, but will somehow still pull off something big that will leave you confused about how they always managed to do that. Let’s say this year’s version is Wayne Simmonds.

*Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does for some reason.

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Not ranked: Columbus Blue Jackets – We can’t do a deadline predictions piece without mentioning the one team that’s under more pressure this week than anyone. Or can we? It’s tempting to skip them and hope nobody notices because I’ve honestly got no idea what they’re going to do.

Do they trade Bobrovsky? Sure. Maybe. It would make sense. But to who? He’d almost certainly be a rental, and there aren’t many Cup contenders out there who desperately need an expensive starting goaltender having an off-year.

Do they move Panarin? That makes a lot more sense, and it sounds like they could be leaning that way. But where does he wind up? Over the weekend, the Hockey Night in Canada insiders suggested Dallas might be in play, which seems odd, but those guys know their stuff. Could the Bruins make it work? Are the Predators too obvious? Would they move him in the division? Do they pair both guys together and pull off a mega-deal with the Panthers? Is it really analysis if all I’m doing it asking questions?

I’m pretty sure the answer to that last one is “no”, but otherwise I’m stumped. The Blue Jackets are fascinating right now, because there’s a chance that they could make two of the biggest trades in deadline history this week. But they could also do nothing, and sell it as an all-in “nobody believes in us” vote of confidence to the current roster. It might even work.

So that’s my call: The Blue Jackets don’t move either of their big UFAs. Is that a prediction, or a clumsy reverse-jinx attempt to try to conjure up a serious blockbuster or two? That’s one question I actually do know the answer to, but I’ll let you decide.

The bottom five

The five teams that look like they’re headed toward hoping the ping-pong balls deliver Jack Hughes.

I thought this was a cool concept: An “Injustice” index, measuring the possibility that a team finishes with one of the league’s 16 best records but doesn’t make the playoffs. There’s an excellent chance it happens to at least one Eastern team this year, thanks to the slow-motion race in the West. Feel free to get your playoff format hot takes ready in advance.

5. Edmonton Oilers (24-29-5, -35) – There isn’t much to be optimistic about in Edmonton these days, but here’s something positive: Their AHL team looks fantastic.

As far as trades, they made that pair over the weekend but nobody seems to think they’re done.

They desperately need some scoring wingers, and could still trade Jesse Puljujarvi. That would be pretty much the definition of selling low on an asset and would be the sort of thing a smart organization wouldn’t do. So my prediction for this week is that the Oilers trade Jesse Puljujarvi.

4. New Jersey Devils (23-28-8, -29) – The Devils don’t seem like an especially exciting deadline seller; barring a surprise, it’s basically Marcus Johansson for a pick and that’s about it. Let’s send him to (spins wheel)… Vegas? Sure, why not.

3. Detroit Red Wings (23-29-8, -28) – This week’s regulation win over the Senators was potentially devastating to their

lottery hopes. Even worse would be passing on the opportunity to trade Jimmy Howard, which would seem to be an absolute must-do for any reasonable tanking plan.

But where do you move him? Columbus would be a no-brainer if they dealt Bobrovsky, but right now that seems unlikely. The Sharks might make some sense, but we’ve already predicted that they tinker instead. So let’s go off the grid a bit and send Howard to the Vancouver Canucks in a deal that doesn’t bring all that much back to Detroit, but does clear the crease for their needed stretch run at last overall.

2. Anaheim Ducks (23-27-9, -55) – Sunday’s ceremony honoring Scott Niedermayer was well-done. It’s also probably the last time the Ducks will be raising anything to the rafters for a long time, so enjoy it while you can.

The frustrating thing for Anaheim fans is that the Ducks don’t seem all that well-positioned for the deadline. They don’t have a ton of attractive rentals, and their biggest contracts are unmovable. Meanwhile, Jakob Silfverberg seems to have become a divisive name, with rumors that the team might re-sign him instead of dealing him for futures. I’m betting they move him, although probably not for as much as they’d like. Boston could make sense.

1. Ottawa Senators (22-31-5, -32) – All eyes are on Ottawa, with reports over the weekend suggesting that Duchene is as good as gone but that Stone could stay.

That would be great news for Senators fans; Stone is basically the face of the franchise at this point, and seeing him choose to walk away rather than buy into the rebuild would be a tough pill.

But I’m still not convinced he stays. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m leaning toward Stone running out the clock and being moved. Star players who make it this far into the season without an extension rarely sign them right before the trade deadline, and the two sides may have just run out of time. In a perfect world, maybe the Senators trade Stone for a ransom, make big progress in their extremely challenging rebuild, and then build on whatever progress they’d made on a long-term contract by trying to bring him back on July 1. But as most Ottawa fans will tell you, this isn’t a perfect world.

So here’s my somewhat depressing prediction for Ottawa: They trade both Duchene and Stone, then overcompensate by re-signing Ryan Dzingel to a deal that has everyone scratching their heads.

Not ranked: Florida Panthers – The Panthers should be sellers because they’re bad, but that’s not why everyone’s watching them these days. Instead, it’s the sense that they’re all-in on Bobrovsky and Panarin as a package deal, and could do something big over the next week to either clear salary or even land both guys in some sort of mega-blockbuster.

That would be all sorts of fun, but you wonder why the Panthers would bother when they can wait until free agency. Yes, there’s something to be said for getting a deal done now to avoid the uncertainty of a bidding war. But how much of a premium do you pay for that? Not enough of one to make the Blue Jackets blink, would be my guess. I’m betting the Panthers are mostly quiet, although Derick Brassard still

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seems likely to move and a Mike Hoffman trade wouldn’t shock me.

So those are my predictions for most of the biggest names. Feel free to make your own picks in the comments. All this stuff will seem obvious in another week, but remember: It doesn’t count if you never said it out loud before it happens.

'Bunch of jerks' Canes revel in Don Cherry's criticism

Raleigh, N.C. — "Bunch of jerks" has become the new rallying cry for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Legendary "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcaster Don Cherry went off on the Canes and their post-game victory celebrations on Saturday, calling them unprofessional.

"This is the National Hockey League. [Rod] Brind'Amour, to me, is a good coach. These guys are jerks," Cherry said. "I'll tell you one thing. They better not do this in the playoffs."

Cherry was so irate that he, at times, had difficulty completing a thought before his anger took him someplace else.

"This is a joke. The rest of the guys, young men expressing themselves for joy of winning. You don't do this, it's professional hockey. What are these guys, the jerks or something?" he ranted.

The Canes started doing choreographed routines following home victories earlier this season, such as being knocked down by a helmet like a bunch of bowling pins, hitting a game-winning homerun or racing to one end of the rink.

"I know what I'm talking about. You never do anything like that. They're still not drawing [crowds]. They're a bunch of jerks as far as I'm concerned. Imagine Justin Williams doing stuff like that – ridiculous," Cherry said.

The Canes took the criticism as a marketing opportunity, putting "Bunch of Jerks" T-shirts on sale later this week.

The club also changed the bio on its Twitter page to "That bunch of jerks with the fun celebrations."

"Our players love it. Our fans love it. Nothing else matters," the club tweeted.

Hurricanes turn Don Cherry's 'bunch of jerks' rant into T-shirt

Greg WyshynskiESPN

The Carolina Hurricanes' elaborate home-ice victory celebrations have attracted a vocal minority of detractors, and none have been as vocal as Canadian curmudgeon Don Cherry.

The "Hockey Night In Canada" commentator has ripped the choreographed on-ice celebrations in the past, but he went off on the team when the Hurricanes followed a Friday night win over Edmonton by pretending one of their players had hit a game-winning home run with his hockey stick.

"This is the National Hockey League. These guys, to me, are jerks. They're still not drawing [fans]. I'll tell you one thing, they better not do this in the playoffs," said Cherry on Saturday night. "That is absolutely ridiculous. I know all the broadcasters are afraid to say something ... I know what I'm

talking about. You never do anything like that. They're still not drawing. They're still a bunch of jerks, as far as I'm concerned."

How did the Hurricanes respond to this rant? By embracing it, and monetizing it.

On Sunday, the team announced it would begin selling officially licensed "Bunch of Jerks" shirts at their arena and online:

The shirt was the brainchild of Dan LaTorraca, director of digital marketing, and Mike Forman, VP of marketing and brand strategy, according to the team.

"You asked, we delivered about 20 hours later," said Forman, who worked with BreakingT in designing the shirt.

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The Hurricanes began doing their postgame victory celebrations this season, inspired by an edict by new owner Tom Dundon to increase the entertainment quotient at sparsely attended home games.

They started simple, with the players rushing from one end of the ice to the other in a "storm surge" into the glass. Over time, they've included elaborate choreography such as the limbo, "duck, duck, goose," and one player "knocking down" all the others by pretending to wield Thor's hammer.

"We're trying to rebrand the Carolina Hurricanes into being relevant, I guess," captain Justin Williams told ESPN earlier this season. "This is one small thing. This is just a celebration after the game. But it means something to us because there hasn't been a lot of success here, and we're trying to show people that we won't stand for it."

The Hurricanes are 16-9-4 at home and are one point out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Yes, Hurricanes are already making ‘bunch of jerks’ shirts

By James O'Brien

The Carolina Hurricanes aren’t hesitating to jump on Don Cherry’s “bunch of jerks” gripe about the team’s win celebrations.

As PHT’s Adam Gretz detailed on Saturday, the Hurricanes not only had fun with their latest wins, they also embraced Cherry’s criticisms by referencing it in the team’s Twitter bio.

To really hammer home the point that this marketing team moves fast, note that they’re now churning out “bunch of jerks” shirts.

Bunch of jerks? More like bunch of wrinkles, am I right?

Anyway, fun stuff from Carolina. Just imagine the shirts they’ll come up with if they can edge the Penguins/Canadiens/other teams for a spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs?

(The Penguins went back ahead of the Hurricanes on Sunday, so Carolina needs to stay at it.)

The Buzzer: Mrazek shines for ‘Canes, Kucherov’s unstoppable run

By Adam Gretz

Three Stars

1. Petr Mrazek, Carolina Hurricanes. The Carolina Hurricanes moved into a playoff position on Saturday night with a 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars (then celebrated like “a bunch of jerks“). It was Petr Mrazek playing a key role by stopping all 33 shots he faced to recorded his third shutout of the season. It hasn’t been a great season for Mrazek overall, but he came through in a big way for them on Saturday night to help put them in a position that seemed impossible for them to reach a couple of months ago.

2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning. Just another day at the office for Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s leading scorer. He recorded his fourth consecutive multi-point game and is already up to 94 points on the season in just 59 games played. He is still having a season for the ages. Quite literally for the ages. These are Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux type numbers he is recording this season.

3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes. The Arizona Coyotes have a brutal season on the injury front and are trying to hang on in the Western Conference playoff race. Their 2-0

win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night was a big help on that front and it was driven by a shutout from Darcy Kuemper who turned aside all 22 shots he faced to shut out one of the NHL’s best offensive teams.

Other Notable Performances From Saturday Night

The St. Louis Blues winning streak reached nine games thanks to a Jake Allen shutout and another big game for Vladimir Tarasenko, while the Colorado Avalanche continued to fade.

The Ottawa Senators’ big-three trade candidates all played big roles in their overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets as Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel all scored goals. Dzingel’s goal was the overtime winner.

Erik Karlsson made his return to the San Jose Sharks’ lineup and recorded an assist in their 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Joe Pavelski also had two points in the win.

Derek Ryan had three assists for the Calgary Flames in a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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After losing three games in a row and seven of their past nine games the Vegas Golden Knights broke out of their slump with a big 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

Highlights of the Night

Check out this snipe by Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to open the scoring in their win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask made the save of the night against the Los Angeles Kings. The Bruins went on to the game 4-2 to keep pace in the Atlantic Division.

This shot by Ryan Pulock to open the scoring for the New York Islanders in their win over the Edmonton Oilers was an absolute rocket. Perfectly placed, too. An unstoppable shot if there ever was one.

Factoids

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane extended his points streak to 17 games. This is the first time since 2009-10 that more than one player has had a point streak of at least 17 games in a single season. [NHL PR]

The Tampa Bay Lightning have three players with at least 70 points through the first 60 games of the season. The most recent team to do that was the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. [NHL PR]

The Winnipeg Jets did not win, but they did collect a point for the overtime loss thanks in large part to a pair of shorthanded goals. [NHL PR]

Saturday was the sixth time in Philadelphia Flyers franchise history they surrendered a four-goal lead but still went on to win the game. That is … kind of impressive in a weird sort of way. [NHL PR]

Phil Kessel became the 16th American-born player in NHL history to record at least 800 points in the NHL with an assist in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon. [NHL PR]

Scores

Philadelphia Flyers 6, Detroit Red Wings 5 (OT)

Calgary Flames 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 4

St. Louis Blues 3, Colorado Avalanche 0

Arizona Coyotes 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 0

Ottawa Senators 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 (OT)

Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Montreal Canadiens 0

New York Islanders 5, Edmonton Oilers 2

Carolina Hurricanes 3, Dallas Stars 0

Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2

Vegas Golden Knights 5, Nashville Predators 1

San Jose Sharks 3, Vancouver Canucks 2

Boston Bruins 4, Los Angeles Kings 2

Carolina Hurricanes continue to get creative with wild celebrations, analyst calls them 'bunch of jerks'

Don Cherry is not a fan of the Canes' team celebrations

by Pete Blackburn

The Carolina Hurricanes are having fun and not everyone is cool with it.

The Hurricanes play in a non-traditional hockey market and have had trouble drawing fans in the past, so they've decided to try some non-traditional tactics this year in an effort to up their "fun" and bring more people to the arena. Hey, it worked pretty well for the Vegas Golden Knights in their first season last year, right?

With that in mind, in an effort to somewhat rebrand the team and how they approach the game, Carolina has developed a new tradition of closing out home wins with some wild, choreographed team celebrations on the ice.

It started out as a very simple idea, but the celebrations have become more creative and elaborate as the season has

gone on. And plenty of home wins for the Hurricanes, who currently hold a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, means that there have been plenty of celebrations.

They've already done human bowling:

They've done Duck, Duck, Goose (or Duck, Duck, Gray Duck if that's your thing):

They've done the limbo:

But one of their best celebrations of the year came earlier this week when they went full baseball:

Certain traditionalists have been crying and whining about the celebrations all year long, but the baseball one in particular seemed to strike a nerve with many in the anti-celly crowd.

This weekend, Hockey Night In Canada's Don Cherry decided it was time to weigh in, and he had some predictably strong thoughts against fun. More specifically, Cherry called

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the Canes "a bunch of jerks" for disrespecting the sanctity of hockey, or something like that.

It's rather ironic that Cherry, who wears bold and outrageous suits on a weekly basis, has such an issue with the Canes deviating from the norm for a fun expression of personality. It's also rather ironic that he chose to say "imagine Justin Williams doing something like that?" when Williams -- the current Canes captain -- is a driving force behind the trend and one of its biggest defenders.

But, for what it's worth, the Hurricanes don't seem too bothered by Cherry's comments. In fact, they've chosen to embrace the "bunch of jerks" brand and their fans have followed suit.

It's only a matter of time before the Canes go all-in and start filling their team store with "Bunch of Jerks" merch.

Update (4 p.m. ET): The Canes have started filling their team store with "Bunch of Jerks" merch.

Cherry: Hurricanes 'are jerks' for the way they celebrate wins

Stan Temming

Just in case you weren’t sure where Hockey Night in Canada commentator Don Cherry stood on the Carolina Hurricanes’ win celebrations on home ice, he stated his feelings loud and clear on Coach’s Corner on Saturday night.

The former Boston Bruins bench boss went on quite the rant about the team’s antics after Friday night’s viral spectacle following a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. His co-host, Ron MacLean, and the rest of the country were just along for the ride during the 85-year-old’s colourful speech.

“These guys, to me, are jerks,” he said. “They better not do this in the playoffs… This is a joke.”

Well, Grapes, like it or not, the group’s slow clap and choreographed skit that goes along with it — known affectionately as the “Storm Surge” — have grown quite popular. The rink stays full following victories because fans are curious to see what the team will come up with next. And due to their hot play as of late, Cherry’s fears of these shenanigans potentially happening during the postseason may become a reality.

With Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars, the Hurricanes are now 16-5-1 in 2019. As a result, they’ve leaped over the Pittsburgh Penguins to find themselves in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

We have a feeling their social media team may have heard Cherry’s thoughts because their Twitter bio looked a little different following his rant.

Hurricanes create 'bunch of jerks' T-shirt after commentator's rant

Longtime hockey commentator Don Cherry referred to the Carolina Hurricanes as "a bunch of jerks" on Saturday night.

And if T-shirt sales are any indication, they're fully embracing that label.

The Hurricanes announced Sunday that they will start selling officially-licensed shirts with "Bunch of Jerks" emblazoned on the front, above a Hurricanes logo. The shirts, which are printed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and designed by BreakingT, sell for $32 apiece.

"You asked, and we delivered about 20 hours later," Carolina's vice president of marketing and brand strategy Mike Forman said, according to ESPN.

Cherry, the "Hockey Night in Canada" commentator, described the Hurricanes as "a bunch of jerks" in a rant

about their unique victory celebrations, which most recently featured a limbo line.

"This is the National Hockey League. These guys, to me, are jerks. They're still not drawing (fans). And I'll tell you one thing, they better not do this in the playoffs," Cherry said Saturday night.

"I know the rest of the people, all the broadcasters are afraid to say something. ... I know what I'm talking about. You never do anything like that. They're still not drawing (fans). They're a bunch of jerks, as far as I'm concerned."

Hockey teams traditionally celebrate wins with mild-mannered high-five lines and stick salutes to the home crowd. But captain Justin Williams says the choreographed

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celebrations are a way of bringing a "fun element" to victories, both for the team and its fans.

"The stick wave at the end got a little stale, a little monotonous, it was like we had to do it," Williams said in October. "This adds a different element to it. Hockey is fun. We win a game we want to celebrate."

The Don Cherry and Carolina Hurricanes beef, explained

By: Charles Curtis

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

You may have seen some talk around social media and sports sites like ours about the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL team’s conflict with Don Cherry, the Canadian hockey commentator who works for the CBC. Maybe you’ve seen t-shirts and Simpsons memes on the subject, perhaps you’ve seen some headlines about some back-and-forth between the two parties.

If so, and if you’ve wondered what was up with that, don’t be alarmed. We’re here to help with a breakdown of the conflict.

What’s going on with the Hurricanes?

Carolina is a really good hockey team this year and they’ve taken to celebrating wins with what they call the “Storm Surge,” with the entire team leading the crowd in a Viking Clap and then pulling off the hockey equivalent of a touchdown dance. There was the game of Duck, Duck Goose:

They did the limbo:

Don’t forget about bowling …

… or dominoes:

What’s wrong with that?

According to us: Nothing! It’s great for the fans and it’s so much fun for the team. We are all for things that are fun in sports — bat flips, touchdown dances, complex handshakes, etc, especially if it unites a team.

(By the way, the most recent Storm Surge was … a bat flip!)

But all of this has led to some pearl-clutching.

Who’s doing that?

Don Cherry.

Remind me, who’s he again?

He’s the long-time CBC commentator who wears garish suits and who prefers old school hockey and other sports with #grit and no celebrating.

Oh, him. What did he say?

He called the Canes a bunch of jerks:

“These guys, to me, are jerks. … This is, to me, and I’ll tell you one thing, they better not do this in the playoffs. What I don’t understand is Brind’Amour is a straight shooter, he always was. This is a joke! The rest of the guys, ‘young men, expressing themselves, for joy of winning’ … his is professional hockey! What are these guys, jerks or something?”

How did the Hurricanes respond?

Brilliantly. They started by taking the Simpsons‘ “old man yells at cloud” meme and updating it:

Then they had t-shirts made and changed their Twitter bio:

And they even threw Cherry saying, “Imagine Justin Williams doing stuff like that!” right back at him:

Do you think the Canes will troll Cherry with a future “Storm Surge”?

Wouldn’t that be something?

Don Cherry calls the Carolina Hurricanes ‘a bunch of jerks’ because of victory celebrations

By Jake Russell

Perhaps the irony was lost on Don Cherry, a man known for his flashy, attention-seeking suits, when he espoused a “get off my lawn” persona Saturday as he discussed the topic of the Carolina Hurricanes’ postgame celebrations.

The Hurricanes have been doing a lot of winning lately (three straight victories and eight of their past 10 games). They also have been providing a lot of postgame entertainment for their home crowd, calling the celebrations the “Storm Surge.”

On Friday, the Hurricanes celebrated a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers with Dougie Hamilton leading the crowd

with viking claps followed by tossing an imaginary home-run pitch to Warren Foegele.

The team has even organized a game of duck, duck, goose along with bowling and human dominoes.

But there’s no room for that kind of celebratory behavior in hockey, Cherry said.

The 85-year-old railed against the Hurricanes on Saturday on “Hockey Night in Canada,” calling the team “a bunch of jerks” for having too much fun.

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“These guys to me are jerks,” Cherry said. “. . . And I’ll tell you one thing, they better not do this in the playoffs. . . . This is a joke.”

“Young men expressing themselves for joy of winning,” Cherry said sarcastically. “You don’t do this thing in professional hockey. What are these guys? Jerks or something?”

“I know what I’m talking about. You never do anything like that. They’re still not drawing. They’re a bunch of jerks as far as I’m concerned. Imagine Justin Williams doing stuff like that.”

The Hurricanes won again Saturday night, beating the Dallas Stars, 3-0. And again they celebrated, this time with a limbo stick line.

The Hurricanes social media team didn’t hesitate to bust out its Cherry retorts. The team even changed its Twitter bio to “That bunch of jerks with the fun celebrations.”

Perhaps Cherry made those comments for ratings or to go viral, or maybe he actually believes what he said. What’s indisputable is that they make good fodder for a Carolina team that has vaulted its way from second-to-last in the Eastern Conference to the second wild-card spot in less than two months.

‘Storm Surge’ Celebrations Inject Fun Into Revitalized Hurricanes

By Dan Falkenheim

The Carolina Hurricanes entered the 2018–19 season as a faltering small-market team, without a playoff victory in nearly a decade. With a first-time owner and new, general manager, coach and captain, the franchise rebooted but still fell to the bottom of the conference’s standings in December.

Now, with a 15–5–1 record since the New Year, the Hurricanes have life. The team’s renewed chemistry has the Hurricanes locked in a race for a playoff spot—and their postgame celebrations are impossible to ignore.

“We felt at the end of games a little stick wave was getting a little monotonous and getting a little tiresome and quite frankly, a little bit forced,” Hurricanes captain and celebration orchestrator Justin Williams says. “So we wanted to do a little bit more. We started off with something small and slowly we’ve been having a lot more fun with it.”

Old-fashioned hockey cranks don’t like it. Opponents have mocked it. But the Hurricanes will keep doing it. Nicknamed the “Storm Surge,” the postgame celebrations after home wins innovate on the standard practice of lining up, raising sticks and saluting the fans. It’s an enigma in the oft-strapped-for-fun NHL, with players choreographing human dominoes, bowling and a game of duck, duck, goose on the ice.

Along with owner Tom Dundon embracing the team’s Hartford Whalers heritage, the celebrations are part franchise-wide rebranding effort to inject fun into a team and fan base without much recent success. The Storm Surge has rapidly evolved in the team’s recent winning spurt, and Williams says he takes any ideas from others and stores them away (the team had a Super Bowl-themed celebration lined up, but the Canes lost).

The tradition started after the Hurricanes’ second home victory of the 2018–19 season. The players stood along the blueline, started a Skol clap while DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win” blared through the arena, glided down the ice in unison

and leapt into the boards like a rookie scoring his first goal. It didn’t have the theatrics of the team’s more recent celebrations, but it was premeditated—and, despite a recent awakening in football and soccer team celebrations, it’s alien to hockey culture.

“We want to have fun when you win,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after that game. “The game should be fun. That’s what we’re doing and we want the players to enjoy winning and the fans to enjoy being here. Our owner has been pushing that all the way, trying to make it a fun experience for everybody involved. Why wouldn’t you try something a little different?”

Brind’Amour, who ranks 23rd for most career games played, said he hadn’t seen anything like that in the NHL. For good reason: the Hurricanes’ postgame antics would have been considered taboo in Brind’Amour’s playing days. Even now, the celebrations spawned a small chorus of criticism. Ex–NHL executive Brian Burke called it “pee-wee garbage” and “bush league.” Don Cherry said the players are a bunch of “jerks.” Other hockey commentators question whether a team with Stanley Cup aspirations could seriously celebrate like the Hurricanes.

Carolina isn’t worrying about that. Trade deadline uncertainty aside, the Hurricnaes lead the league in shots for per game (35.2) and 21-year-old Sebastian Aho and 24-year-old Teuvo Teravainen lead the team in points. The celebrations are a piece of a revitalized locker room that has stuck together despite losing veteran Jordan Staal to injury and suffering two three-game losing streaks in December. Since then, the celebrations have grown in flamboyance. And the wins keep coming, too.

“It’s a different dynamic than last year,” Williams says. “That’s a statement that I’m very comfortable saying. We’re having fun with each other. It’s a really good group, but really good groups only stay together if you win. That’s our main goal.”

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The Carolina Hurricanes’ reaction to Don Cherry’s rant about them being ‘jerks’ is sparking joy on social media

By Alexandra JonesStaff Reporter

It’s the battle of the brash.

Don Cherry, the controversial hockey analyst known for wearing outrageous suits so flashy that they could give viewers eye strain if they stood too close to the TV, is under fire on social media after calling the Carolina Hurricanes “jerks” for their extravagant post-game celebrations.

Most NHL teams gather at centre ice after a home win, and hold their sticks up in the air to salute the fans. But the Canes, who haven’t made the playoffs in nine years, have taken that practice to another level.

Earlier in the year, the young team would take part after a game in what they called the “Storm Surge.” The players lined up along one blue line and clapped their hands over their heads while DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win” played over the arena’s sound system.

Then they skated the length of the ice, with each player taking a playful leap into the boards as the fans cheered.

Last week, the players pretended to be playing baseball (timely, since spring training began over the weekend.) That sparked Cherry’s latest rant Saturday during his popular “Coach’s Corner” segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

Cherry, in an eye-watering blue blazer with golden dragons, rips into the Hurricanes over footage of them celebrating their Friday night win over the Edmonton Oilers.

“These guys, to me, are jerks,” he says, as the team mimes a baseball game at centre ice.

Forward Warren Foegele pretends like he’s hit a fake home run, complete with a bat flip, to the fans’ delight.

Not so for Cherry, who is filled with rage. “This is a joke.”

“Young men expressing themselves for joy of winning,” he whines mockingly as the team pretends to be bowling pins, gleefully knocked down by the roll of a helmet.

“You don’t do this thing in the men’s professional hockey!”

The Hurricanes clearly have a sense of humour. Shortly after the clip hit the internet, the Hurricanes changed their Twitter bio to “That bunch of jerks with the fun celebrations.”

They then posted, “Wait, was he talking about us?” accompanied by a photo of the well-known Simpsons meme “old man yells at cloud,” lovingly photoshopped to say “Hockey analyst yells at celly,” complete with the Hurricanes logo and Cherry’s suit pattern copy-pasted in.

Fans of the team (and of fun) went on Twitter to defend the celebrations.

Others agreed with Cherry that the celebrations — which occur after the opposing team is already off the ice — can be disrespectful to the losing club.

But most were firmly on the side of the Canes.

“I’ll tell you one thing — they better not do this in the playoffs,” Cherry says.

“Or what, Don? Are you going to force them to dress like you if they do?” posted Twitter user Andrew Parker.

Cherry has come under fire before for a myriad of incidents, including sexist comments about female sports reporters, rants about “left-wing bleeding hearts,” controversial comments about European and French-speaking players, and calling Ron Maclean a “savage” for eating seal meat.

At the end of this most recent tirade, he scoffed, “Imagine Justin Williams doing stuff like that,” referring to the captain of the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes can imagine that perfectly, actually: they posted a photo Sunday of Williams doing the limbo under a hockey stick on the ice, captioned with Cherry’s own words.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

About Last Night: A Brick Wall Stymies the Stars

Petr Mrazek continues the Canes’ stellar play in net with a shutout win.

By Andy House

This is typically where my colleague Cody Hagan will go through The Good, The Bad, and sometimes The Great happenings from last night’s performance. For last night however, the Carolina Hurricanes had two Greats, and the rest was just background noise.

Petr Mrazek stood on his head (the second Canes goalie to do so in as many nights), and the Nino Niederreiter - Sebastian Aho - Justin Williams line continued to be an absolute force on the other end in leading Carolina to a 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars, and elevating the Canes above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line for the first time in months.

Mrazek Magic

While everyone is aware that competent goaltending has been arguably the main culprit in the Hurricanes’ long postseason drought, few would have foreseen a pivotal home back-to-back playing out quite the way the past two nights have played out at PNC Arena. The combination of Curtis McElhinney on Friday plus the shutout performance by Mrazek on Saturday managed to stop 73 of 74 shots in two games in which the Canes arguably were not the better team, lifting Carolina four crucial points in the standings in the process.

For Mrazek, the sharp play was evident from the jump, as he benefited from a swift start on offense before quickly becoming the center of attention himself. Perhaps his best save in 15 stops in the first period was his lunging effort in robbing Andrew Cogliano at the doorstep.

Mrazek continued to have tremendous anticipatory play in net, shutting down backdoor chances and close-range attempts all night long. Simply put, the work in net tonight won Carolina a hockey game. And Mrazek’s performance, coupled with the McElhinney efforts, might just provide the Canes with the stable back end required to earn their first playoff appearance in 10 years.

Top Line Leads the Way

While even Rod Brind’Amour admitted that his team was sluggish and flat throughout most of the game, the one group that continued their run of quality play was the line of Niederreiter-Aho-Williams. This trio broke the ice early to give the Canes what turned out to be all the offense they would need.

Importantly, this first goal is a microcosm of what has made this grouping so dangerous for close to a month now. Niederreiter provided the strong defensive effort and created

the turnover, ups the puck to a streaking Aho, who patiently awaited Williams getting into a dangerous area, and then finds the vet who buried the first goal of the night.

This group continues to compliment each other in ways that have a lasting effect beyond just a single game. Each player has a clearly defined role and style that provides comfort and familiarity to his linemates that allow them to play together as if they have been partners for years, not weeks. Niederreiter gets to the tough parts of the ice and helps create space for himself and others. Aho uses his speed and skill to facilitate opportunities for everyone on the ice, and Williams uses his accurate shot and experience to find soft openings, sometimes in unconventional places, to create angles for chances.

For the first time in a long time, the Canes have a group of forwards that you would question breaking apart. Having that stability allows Brind’Amour to sort through the rest of his roster, especially once Jordan Staal returns, to create a spark while knowing that he has a group in place that should provide him consistent production.

Poor 40, Then a Solid 20

While Brind’Amour made it clear he felt the Canes were second-best in each of the last two nights, he was able to point to a third period on Saturday that saw the Canes appear to get back into the style of game that has made them so successful since the turn of the calendar to 2019. Mrazek continuing to be a dominant force in net certainly did not hurt, but ultimately the Canes began to drive the action more and Mrazek saw the fewest shots of the night (seven) in what should have been the Stars’ most desperate period.

Perhaps most encouraging was the killer instinct the Canes featured on their only power play of the night. With just over five minutes remaining, and still holding a two-goal lead, the Canes went on the man advantage. While the first unit did not cash in, the movement, spacing and crisp passing was a positive sign and only a harbinger for what was to come from the second unit moments later.

A terrific feed from Andrei Svechnikov set up Micheal Ferland out in front, as he slipped the puck past Anton Khudobin for the final tally of the evening. Even during the terrific 16-5-1 streak that the Canes have been on since December 31, they have often times sputtered when holding a lead. Last night featured a mature performance that improved in the third as the Canes held on to a lead, and featured an exclamation point as they converted on an opportunity to close an opponent out.

Moral of the Story

The Canes and the fanbase can rightly be excited that they have popped their heads above the cut-line in the East

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

following last night’s win. But that is nothing to spend too much time celebrating. They clearly know that the final 23 contests will all hold significant consequences. And with stretches through March that are considerably more difficult than the current run of games which continue to feature teams below the Canes in the standings for six more dates, the Canes know they must keep their heads down and try to pile up the points before the road gets more difficult.

But last night was nonetheless a step in the right direction. And if the Canes can continue to get play in net like they did this entire weekend, late Spring hockey could return to Raleigh for the first time in a decade.

Now, it’s Limbo Time!

Six Unanswered Strikes Sink Charlotte in 7-3 Loss

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

A strong start for the Checkers ended up falling apart as they dropped their weekend finale to Bridgeport 7-3. The visitors started the scoring thanks to an impressive breakaway effort from Nick Schilkey midway through the first, then used tallies from Dan Renouf and Aleksi Saarela to build a 3-1 advantage seven minutes into the middle frame. Thomas Hickey, on a conditioning stint from the NHL, would answer back 90 seconds after Saarela’s strike with a goal that turned the tide for the home team. With momentum on their side, the Sound Tigers would tack on two more goals before the next buzzer to give them their first lead of the night heading into the second intermission. The Checkers would push back to start the third, but a defensive breakdown led to a wide-open one-timer for Josh Ho-Sang, who would take over the frame from there.

Charlotte went the aggressive route and pulled netminder Callum Booth for an extra attacker with over six minutes to play and would create several high-end chances, but Ho-Sang would eventually make them pay. Penalty trouble further hindered the Checkers’ last-ditch comeback attempt late, and Ho-Sang would pot one more on the man advantage to pick up a natural hat trick with Bridgeport sixth unanswered tally, and the home squad rolled away with a lopsided victory. Ho-Sang would finish the night with a staggering five points, while Hickey and Andrew Ladd – also on a conditioning stint from the Islanders – each notched three points to drive the

offense. Christopher Gibson made 25 stops to pick up his fifth straight win, while Callum Booth had 26 saves in the losing effort, including helping to kill five of Bridgeport’s six power plays. On the flip side the Checkers converted on their one man advantage for the night.

NOTES

The Checkers finished their fourth and final three-in-three series of the season with a 2-1-0 record, giving them a 7-5-0 mark on the season … Tonight snapped Charlotte’s three-game winning streak against the Sound Tigers and evened the season series at 3-3-0 … Seven goals is the most the Checkers have allowed in a game this season, breaking the previous high mark of six that was also held by Bridgeport … Tonight was the fourth time in 24 instances that the Checkers have lost a game in regulation when they held a lead at the first intermission … Josh Ho-Sang is the first player to record a hat trick against the Checkers this season … Nick Schilkey extended his points streak to four games, Janne Kuokkanen extended his assist streak to three games, and Julien Gauthier and Zach Nastasiuk extended their point streaks to three games … Clark Bishop, Roland McKeown and Spencer Smallman missed the game due to injury … Dennis Robertson was a healthy extra

UP NEXT

With their final three-in-three road trip behind them, the Checkers now head back home for a weekend series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

TODAY’S LINKS https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article226405185.html#storylink=cpy

https://theathletic.com/823147/2019/02/18/a-worthy-cause-a-bunch-of-jerks-and-a-welcome-reminder-that-the-hockey-world-has-your-back/ https://theathletic.com/815926/2019/02/18/six-trades-that-would-deliver-the-missing-piece-to-stanley-cup-contenders/

https://theathletic.com/823172/2019/02/18/dgb-weekend-power-rankings-a-dozen-deadline-week-predictions/ https://www.wralsportsfan.com/bunch-of-jerks-canes-revel-in-don-cherry-s-criticism/18199104/

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26019197/hurricanes-turn-don-cherry-bunch-jerks-rant-t-shirt https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/02/17/yes-hurricanes-are-already-making-bunch-of-jerks-shirts/

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/02/17/the-buzzer-mrazek-shines-for-canes-kucherovs-unstoppable-run/ https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/carolina-hurricanes-continue-to-get-creative-with-wild-celebrations-analyst-calls-them-bunch-of-jerks/

https://sports.yahoo.com/cherry-hurricanes-jerks-way-celebrate-wins-015204921.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/hurricanes/2019/02/18/nhl-hurricanes-don-cherry-t-shirt-jerks/2903176002/

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/02/hurricanes-don-cherry-storm-surge https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/17/don-cherry-calls-carolina-hurricanes-bunch-jerks-because-victory-

celebrations/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b0e89362d8ae https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/02/17/carolina-hurricanes-storm-surge-celebration-win

https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2019/02/17/don-cherrys-rant-about-carolina-hurricanes-being-jerks-is-sparking-joy-on-social-media.html https://www.canescountry.com/2019/2/17/18228233/carolina-hurricanes-game-analysis-petr-mrazek-shutout-dallas-stars-nino-niederreiter-justin-

williams http://gocheckers.com/game-recaps/six-unanswered-strikes-sink-charlotte-in-7-3-loss

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

1131365 Carolina Hurricanes

Bunch of jerks? Not the Hurricanes having fun

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

FEBRUARY 17, 2019 09:55 AM

So who’s the jerk here?

The Carolina Hurricanes have attracted a lot of attention with their postgame palooza after wins at PNC Arena. On Friday, after a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, Warren Foegele connected on a “walkout

homer” off Dougie Hamilton that touched off a wild celebration at “home plate” with his teammates after he touched all the “bases.”

That also touched off a diatribe from Don Cherry, the bombastic one on Hockey Night in Canada and the Craig Sager wanna-be with his

fluorescent haberdashery. Cherry, never at a loss for words, called the Canes a “bunch of jerks” and criticized coach Rod Brind’Amour, who he

called a “straight shooter,” and captain Justin Williams for letting it go on.

About the only thing Cherry got right was when he said, “This is the

National Hockey League.” The rest was nonsense. To each their own. On with the show. Let the fun continue and the fans stay in their seats after games, wondering what’s next.

“Bunch of jerks” -- which the Canes already have on new T-shirts ready for sale -- may be their rallying cry and a marketing catchphrase the rest of the season.

cherry tshirts

The Carolina Hurricanes quickly turned Hockey Night in Canada

commentator Don Cherry’s opinion about the team being a “bunch of jerks” for having postgame celebrations at home into a catchphrase and

T-shirts for their fans.

Some observations from the 3-0 win Saturday over Dallas:

-- Which was the more important acquisition by the Canes, Curtis McElhinney or Nino Niederreiter? Both are huge, obviously, but

McElhinney was a waiver-wire pickup before the season opener after Scott Darling went down with an injury.

-- Petr Mrazek is a small goalie but so athletic. Some of the saves the goalie made Saturday in his third shutout of the season were simply terrific. That’s a game where the Stars coaches will watch the video and be shaking their heads. Kind of like Brind’Amour did after some games earlier in the season when the Canes made so many opposing goalies looked like Vezina candidates.

-- The back-to-back games in net by McElhinney and Mrazek -- 74 shots faced, 73 saves -- may have been the Canes’ best of the season. The Oilers and Stars have some scary good high-end skill but the goalies stood tall. With some help, of course.

-- Nino. That is all. The numbers: 13 games with Carolina, 13 points.

-- The Canes need a little more from Andrei Svechnikov. This would be a good time to get it. Only 18, and he’s still learning and developing at this level. But to reach the playoffs ...

-- Trevor van Riemsdyk is quietly putting together a pretty solid season, with little fanfare. The D-man isn’t flashy but is reliable.

-- Once one of the NHL’s best faceoff guys, Brind’Amour knows the importance of winning draws and having puck possession. The Canes

were 19-36 against the Stars and Sebastian Aho lost 10 of 12 draws. Jordan Staal’s return will ease that concern by the head coach.

-- It’s worth saying again: There are going to be a lot of mad Canes fans if management deals Micheal Ferland before the trade deadline. Just

saying.

News Observer LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131366 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes Beat Stars – Mrazek Gets 3rd Shutout

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS FEBRUARY 17TH, 2019

RALEIGH, N.C. — Petr Mrazek stopped 33 shots in his third shutout of the season and the Carolina Hurricanes moved into a wild-card playoff spot with a 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

Justin Williams and Brock McGinn scored less than four minutes apart in the first period and Mrazek did the rest, turning aside shot after shot. Micheal Ferland added a power-play goal in the third period.

The Hurricanes improved to 16-5-1 in their last 22 games, the most wins and points in the NHL in that span. With Pittsburgh’s loss to Calgary

earlier Saturday, Carolina moved into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Hurricanes are in a playoff spot for the first time this

season. Carolina owns the NHL’s longest playoff drought at nine seasons.

Carolina Hurricanes Petr Mrazek

Anton Khudobin made 24 saves for the Dallas. The Stars were shut out

for the second straight game, after losing 6-0 to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Carolina started fast and never looked back. After generating a

breakaway and a slew of odd-man rushes in the opening minutes, Sebastian Aho fed Williams on a two-on-one to open the scoring 3:48 in.

Just 3:22 later, McGinn made it 2-0 when he got behind two defenders and scored on a backhand shot off a pass from Justin Faulk from the blue line.

When Dallas progressively took control of the possession and began peppering the Carolina net, Mrazek made highlight-reel save after highlight-reel save, turning away the Stars’ scoring chances. After one particularly impressive sequence in which he spread out on the ice to rob Andrew Cogliano of an open net off a rebound, Mrazek banged his chest

and pumped his fist as play went on.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

After another stellar save in the second period on Jason Dickinson’s tip-in in front of the net, the crowd began chanting Mrazek’s name.

Dallas outshot Carolina 33-27, but Mrazek rendered the differential moot.

NOTES: Williams, Aho and Nino Neiderreiter extended their point streaks to four games for Carolina. … Ferland played his 300th career game. … Stars F Blake Comeau (upper body injury) was scratched for the second straight game. He is day-to-day. … Dallas had been shut out just three times all season, before the back-to-back shutouts.

The Associated Press LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131420 New York Rangers

Rangers waste four-minute power play and can't complete comeback vs. Penguins

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |

FEB 17, 2019 | 6:15 PM

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins survived a four-minute

penalty kill and went on the hunt against the Rangers.

Kris Letang scored his second of the game and Evgeni Malkin scored twice in a span of six minutes, helping the Penguins beat the Rangers 6-5 on Sunday.

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson and Brian Dumoulin also scored for the Penguins (31-21-7), who leapfrogged the Carolina Hurricanes for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

"At the beginning of the third, getting that kill, it gave us such a boost," Letang said. "And then we got a bunch of goals."

Forty-nine seconds after Sidney Crosby's high-sticking double minor expired, Letang took a feed from Crosby and beat goalie Alexandar Georgiev to give the Penguins the lead for good with 15:24 left.

Malkin then scored twice in a span of 2:31 to give him four goals in two

games since serving a one-game suspension for a stick-swinging incident.

"He tends to be a guy who builds confidence when he scores, and so I think that bodes well for us and for him," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's an elite player ... and you could see it in the third period tonight, the kind of impact he can have."

Mats Zuccarello had two goals, and Kevin Hayes and Mika Zibanejad scored over the game's final 5:46 for the Rangers, who couldn't complete a second rally after erasing a 3-1 deficit to tie it late in the second period.

Not taking the lead during the four-minute power play that spanned the second intermission was crucial to the game's outcome.

"We got demoralized," Rangers coach David Quinn said, "and they got a

new set of energy and a new lift and the whole complexion of the game changed."

Crosby had three assists to give him 11 points in his past five games for the Penguins, who had won just seven of their previous 17 games to fall

in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2005-06.

Malkin has points in seven consecutive games that he has played over

the past month, interrupted by missing five games with an upper-body injury and the one game because of suspension.

Letang opened the scoring 16:11 into the game. He has 15 goals, one off his career high set in 2015-16.

It was the first time all season the Penguins got four goals from defensemen.

"The last couple games we have been really active getting chances," Dumoulin said.

Zuccarello's goals were his 10th and 11th, each tying the game. Ryan Strome also scored for the Rangers, who had won three of their previous five.

The Rangers have scored 11 goals over a two-game span for the first time this season after winning 6-2 at Buffalo on Friday.

Zibanejad added an assist and Chris Kreider had two assists, giving the Rangers' top-line trio of those two and Zuccarello 58 points in their past 14 games.

"Except for those five or six minutes there in the third, I think we played a good game," Zuccarello said. "Obviously, it's a good team over there. They have good forwards. They're going to get some chances, but I think we created a bunch of good chances.

"It could've gone either way. It's hard when they score three right away — boom, boom, boom."

New York Daily News LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131421 New York Rangers

Referees were so bad they actually apologized to the Rangers

By Brett Cyrgalis February 17, 2019 | 11:30PM

PITTSBURGH — It was just atrocious officiating for the first 40 minutes, and the man in charge knew it and apologized.

Referee Francois St. Laurent approached Rangers coach David Quinn after the second period of his team’s 6-5 loss to the Penguins on Sunday afternoon and said sorry for the way the opening 40 minutes had gone, Quinn said.

“I give the ref credit, they did come over to me after the second and said, ‘Listen, I had a bad first two periods. I made some bad calls. I’ll be better in the third,’ ” Quinn said. “I have a lot of respect for that. We’re all

human. We all make mistakes.”

The first terrible call came when Kevin Shattenkirk was called for a hook after aptly defending a breakaway on Jake Guentzel at 7:16 of the first period. The refs then missed a high stick from Mats Zuccarello on Evgeni

Malkin — even after the latter sold it like he was trying to win an Oscar — followed by an awful holding call on Mika Zibanejad midway through the

second period. During that Penguins power play, Kris Letang got away with a slash on Vlad Namestnikov, then Marcus Pettersson scored on the

man-advantage to take a 2-1 lead.

“They’re not going out there and trying to make mistakes,” Quinn said of the officials. “That’s why I try to control my emotions. I know it’s a quick game and these guys have hard jobs. Overall, they do a really good job. So I give them a lot of credit for saying that.”

Neal Pionk did not return to the game after he took a high stick to the eye from Sidney Crosby late in the third period, drawing a double-minor.

“Just precautionary reasons, we held him out for the third,” Quinn said.

Defenseman Brady Skjei missed the game after leaving Friday’s game in Buffalo in the second period following an awkward collision into his leg.

Quinn said he should be ready to play Tuesday at Raleigh.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

“Figured we’d give him another day or two before Tuesday would be the right thing to do,” Quinn said.

Rookie forward Filip Chytil returned after one game as a healthy scratch, playing 9:52 on the third-line wing next to Ryan Strome and Namestnikov.

Winger Jesper Fast missed the game with the flu, according to Quinn. Fast had missed Saturday’s practice, but he rarely practices anymore, getting a lot of “maintenance” days.

Fredrik Claesson made his return from a shoulder injury, playing his first game since Jan. 12. He got 17:30 of ice time paired mostly with Kevin

Shattenkirk.

The team went with the lopsided lineup of seven defensemen and 11

forwards for the fourth straight game, but regular blueliner Brendan Smith played the first two periods on a fourth line with Boo Nieves and Connor

Bickley.

New York Post LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131422 New York Rangers

Mats Zuccarello puts on show with potential trade partners watching

By Brett Cyrgalis February 17, 2019 | 3:25PM

PITTSBURGH — From that close, of course it’s hard for Mats Zuccarello to see it. All he saw after the 6-5 loss to the Penguins on Sunday

afternoon was another defeat, another decent performance undercut by a loose couple of minutes.

But in reality, this was a terrific audition for Zuccarello, who was a force all game and scored twice in front of a nationally televised audience, also giving an up-close look for Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, who could be interested in renting the diminutive Norwegian sometime before the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

Zuccarello netted his 10th and 11th goals and is now with multi-point games in three of the past four contests, at least one point in 13 of the past 14 games he has played and 27 points over his previous 27 games.

“When you lose hockey games, you don’t really care how you do,” Zuccarello said. “I think everyone has the feeling when you lose [that]

you didn’t do enough to win the game. That’s the feeling.

“Obviously you want to help the team score and win games, but when

you don’t win, you’re disappointed.”

The other major trade chip the Rangers (25-25-8) have in play is Kevin

Hayes, who scored his 14th goal of the season at 14:14 of the third period, cutting his team’s deficit to 6-4. Hayes was then denied by goalie

Casey DeSmith on another great chance with about two minutes left, which loomed large after Mika Zibanejad got one with the extra attacker on and 18 seconds remaining to make it 6-5.

But what gave the Penguins (31-21-7) most of the momentum was killing off 3:48 of a double-minor high-sticking to Sidney Crosby at the start of the third period. After that, Kris Letang got his second of the game and Evgeni Malkin scored twice in a span of 2:31, the second a highlight-reel backhand that beat Alexandar Georgiev up high at 9:55 to make it 6-3.

“He just knows where to shoot it,” said Georgiev, who got his third start in the past four games, keeping starter Henrik Lundqvist’s personal eight-

game losing streak against the Penguins — now going on three years — untouched. “Got to give him credit to being skillful to shoot that.”

Skill and depth are paramount for teams as they grind their way up to and into the postseason, which is why Zuccarello and Hayes are coveted. The Rangers’ top line, with Zuccarello alongside Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, was their best group again, combining for six points. Since Zuccarello had a talk with management around the new year, he has been the team’s best forward almost every night, and his value continues to rise — both externally and internally, as discussions between his agent and general manager Jeff Gorton remain fluid.

“It’s good to see because he’s played really hard, he’s played well, that line has been good, obviously,” coach David Quinn said. “It helps us win

hockey games, that’s why it’s really good.”

But the team as a whole wasn’t good enough to win this one. After

alternating own-goals in the first period — the first for Letang, deflected off Kevin Shattenkirk; the second for Zuccarello, deflected off Teddy

Blueger — the second period was a disjointed mess due to the horrid officiating led by Francois St. Laurent. Eventually, Marcus Pettersson

scored a power-play goal at 11:41, and Brian Dumoulin scored at 14:09 to give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead.

The Rangers pushed back with Zuccarello’s second of the game at 14:35, and Ryan Strome tying it with 2:15 left in the second to take a 3-3 tie into the third.

But after the failed four-minute power play, they got sloppy and it cost them. And still, another strong performance from Zuccarello resulted in a more impactful outcome — the rising cost of his trade return or on his new contract.

“I don’t like to take anything from losses,” said Zuccarello, whose team will surely take the way he is playing.

New York Post LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131423 New York Rangers

Rangers' Neal Pionk takes high stick in eye from Sidney Crosby

By Colin Stephenson

Updated February 17, 2019 7:43 PM

PITTSBURGH — Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk apparently is OK

after taking a stick in the eye from the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby in the final minute of the second period Sunday. He skated off with 12.3

seconds left in the period and did not return. After the Penguins’ 6-5 win, coach David Quinn said Pionk was held out for “precautionary reasons.’’

Crosby was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking. The Rangers did not score on the four-minute power play, and the Penguins scored the

next three goals for a 6-3 lead.

The Rangers dressed seven defensemen for the fourth straight game. After Pionk got hurt, defenseman Brendan Smith, who had been playing left wing on the fourth line, dropped back on defense. Smith did the same thing Friday in Buffalo after Brady Skjei left midway through the second period with a right knee injury.

Skjei, who the Rangers have said is day-to-day, was replaced by defenseman Freddie Claesson, who made his return from a right shoulder dislocation suffered Jan. 12. Claesson played 17:30 and had two shots on goal, four hits and an even plus/minus rating.

Right wing Jesper Fast was scratched because of the flu and replaced by rookie Filip Chytil, who was a healthy scratch in Buffalo. Chytil had two

shots.

Quinn: Ref apologized

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Quinn said referee Francois St. Laurent approached him after the second period and apologized for his work in the first two periods.

“They did come over after the second, he came over to me and said, ‘Listen, I had a bad first two periods . . . I made bad calls. I’ll be better in the third,’ ’’ Quinn said. “So I’ve got a lot of respect for that. Listen, we’re all human; we all make mistakes. They’re not going out there trying to make mistakes. That’s why I try to control my emotions. I know it’s a quick game and these guys have hard jobs. And overall, they do a really good job. So I give them a lot of credit for saying that.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131424 New York Rangers

Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes increase trade value in Rangers' loss to Penguins

By Colin Stephenson

Updated February 17, 2019 10:41 PM

PITTSBURGH — Eight days before the Feb. 25 trade deadline, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes continued to do their part to raise the

Rangers’ asking price for them.

The two free-agent-to-be forwards totaled three goals in the Rangers’ 6-5

loss to the Penguins on Sunday afternoon, with Zuccarello getting the first two. Hayes, who also had an assist, got a late goal to trigger a

comeback attempt that fell just short.

Two goals each by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang led the Penguins, who

broke open a 3-3 game by scoring three straight goals in the third period after killing off a four-minute high-sticking penalty to Sidney Crosby.

Crosby’s stick got up underneath the eye shield of Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk late in the second period. Pionk left and did not return “for precautionary reasons,’’ coach David Quinn said.

Quinn said the Rangers’ failure to take advantage of the extended power play was the turning point.

“We got demoralized and they got a new set of energy and a new lift, and

the whole complexion of the game changed,’’ Quinn said about the Penguins’ big penalty kill. “And it was really unfortunate because, battling

back from down 3-1 and putting ourselves in the position we did — there’s a lot of good signs. But to be that flat on your power play and to

not really generate much certainly gave the crowd and [the Penguins] a lot of life.’’

Forty-nine seconds after Crosby exited the penalty box, Letang scored his second goal of the game — with Crosby getting an assist — to put

the Penguins up 4-3 at 4:36 of the third. Malkin’s first goal, at 7:24 off a feed from Phil Kessel behind the net, made it 5-3.

Malkin made it 6-3 at 9:55 with his second goal, a Top 10 candidate that came on a spinning, no-look backhander into the top corner against Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (35 saves).

Zuccarello didn’t agree that the failed four-minute power play was the reason the Penguins broke out.

“Their goalie made some good saves and unfortunately they get a goal right after [the power play ended], and that’s hockey sometimes,’’ Zuccarello said. “But we let it slip, we gave them three right away. We’ve

got to manage the puck, manage the game a little bit better than that.’’

Hayes’ goal at 14:14 — his 14th — gave the Rangers some life and Mika Zibanejad scored his 26th with 18 seconds left to make it 6-5. But the Penguins (31-21-7) held on.

Zibanejad has at least a point in 12 of the last 15 games (the Rangers were shut out twice) and has 14 goals and nine assists in that span.

The Rangers (25-25-8) are 11 points out of a playoff spot.

The teams exchanged own goals in the first period, with Letang getting the Penguins on the board first when he banked a centering pass off Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk’s skate and in at 16:11. But the Rangers tied it on their first power play when Zuccarello’s attempted feed

to Zibanejad was deflected in by Penguins center Teddy Blueger with 39.2 seconds left in the period.

Marcus Pettersson’s power-play goal at 11:41 of the second period put the Penguins back in front, and Brian Dumoulin’s goal at 14:09 made it 3-

1.

The Rangers scored the next two in the second period to tie it. Zuccarello

nudged the puck across the goal line at 14:35 for his 11th goal after Zibanejad’s shot trickled through Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith (39

saves). Ryan Strome’s eighth goal, which was unassisted, tied it at 3-3 at 17:45.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131425 New York Rangers

If the Penguins are interested in Mats Zuccarello, the Rangers veteran

put on a solid audition for them

By Rick Carpiniello Feb 17, 2019

There was a report in the past few days that the Rangers and GM Jeff Gorton were, finally, in talks with his two key free agents-to-be, Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello.

And, yes, the report was correct. And, no, I would never take issue with what Hall of Famer Larry Brooks writes in the New York Post. I am not doing that.

But the bottom line is this is little more than due diligence by Gorton, who still will almost certainly trade Hayes and Zuccarello within the next week.

Gorton, who has barely, if at all, negotiated on an extension with either player, has to learn some things, right?

Like, if Hayes would sign for Kevin Shattenkirk’s deal (four years, $6.65 million), you’d re-sign him, wouldn’t you? I would. But why would he take

four years when he’ll get six on the open market this summer?

Gorton also needs to know how much it would cost, and for how long, for

an acquiring team to potentially re-sign Hayes. Maybe, even, whether an acquiring team might come to an agreement with Hayes before a trade. Not that any of this is probable or possible, but Gorton needs to find out. Maybe Hayes and his agent would negotiate a new deal with that team? Maybe he wouldn’t.

The Rangers, as we’ve said, are wary of what years 4, 5 and 6 might look like on a new six-year deal. And it’s highly unlikely at this point they’d be willing to go there at any price.

So, there’s a lot of need to know, and Gorton is trying to find the answers.

I like Hayes, personally and as a player. He’s come miles in the last two years. But he’s still not a point-per-game guy, or a bona fide first-line

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

center. At four years, with a cap hit that’s virtually inconsequential, he’s a keeper. At six, he’s almost certainly not.

You can plug Zuccarello’s name in Hayes’ spot into a lot of the above sentences. One additional thing Gorton wants to know about Zuccarello, who’s 31, is what his numbers might look like in case the Rangers have cap space left after their July 1 shopping spree and would like to bring him back. Would he come back at two years for $5 million-plus per? Then, it’s a possibility. Not a probability.

But these guys are still being traded unless something unforeseen happens in these new talks.

ICYMI: My story this weekend about more trade scenarios surrounding the Rangers.

The Rangers still have a pile of work to do in this rebuild. They now have a first line, though one of its members is leaving soon. They have plenty

of pretty good to very good bottom-six forwards. After Hayes is gone, they’ll need three or four more top-six forwards. Not to mention three top-

four defensemen.

We all know that Adam McQuaid, a third unrestricted free agent-to-be,

will be dealt, and we know that Gorton is looking to see what he can get for Vlad Namestnikov, among others.

By the time the Rangers trade McQuaid – and plenty of teams will be interested – he’s going to be nothing but one giant welt.

As much as they all want to stay in New York and remain Rangers, it must be at least a little exciting for these guys to know that, by next week, they’ll be in playoff races and then probably playoff series with contending teams.

Thoughts

1) The Rangers got a big scare when Neal Pionk was clipped in the eye

by Sidney Crosby’s stick in the second period of a wild, undisciplined 6-5 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Pionk was held out of the last period for

precautionary reasons, per coach David Quinn.

2) I know it was Hockey in America Day, but if it’s OK with you guys, I’m

not going to force-feed you every high school that every U.S.-born player attended. Would it be wrong to mention that this game was dominated by

Canadians, Swedes, a Russian and a Norwegian?

3) All of this hand-wringing about the Penguins being on the playoff bubble with 23 games left? Please. There’s no chance that team won’t have a run left in it, just as there’s no chance the Dancing Hurricanes won’t hit a skid at some point. And you’d have to believe that Pens GM Jim Rutherford will further bolster his roster (Zuccarello? McQuaid?) in the next week.

4) The Rangers didn’t defend at all, and poor goalie Alexandar Georgiev was the victim. Five goals at even-strength. Forty-one shots faced (the Rangers had 44). The Penguins also won 62 percent of the faceoffs, and

the number was higher than that until a late surge by the Rangers. They play hard, these Rangers, most of the time. They don’t give up. They

played their backsides off in this game. Not very smart, and not nearly perfect. A lot of that is the roster. They have third-pair defensemen

playing first-pair minutes against elite-level forwards. Still, NHL-.500 (25-25-8, which is really 25-33).

5) Daily Zucc-O-Meter: Zuccarello was playing against one of the teams believed to have interest in adding him, and his playmaking and his

competitiveness had to make an impression. How good would he look on that team? He had a tying power-play goal (albeit a pass that went in off one of the Penguins) late in the first and a real goal (though he shot it about half an inch) in the second. With all the offensive numbers he and his line have posted lately, it’s his three-zone play that’s really been terrific. In the first period, his backcheck on Jake Guentzel broke up a great scoring chance in the slot. He was physical against Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Matt Cullen.

6) The line of Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider had six points, and has 58 (25 goals, 33 assists) in its last 14 games when all three have played.

7) Quinn Bin: Empty … Filip Chytil escaped because Jesper Fast (flu) and Brady Skjei (leg) were out. Chytil, who had an up-and-down return, even made a big defensive play in the slot in the second period. Freddy Claesson (shoulder) also returned. Quinn went with seven D again, out of necessity. Fast hasn’t practiced much for weeks. Maybe time to let him sit and get healthy? … Skjei had his leg injured when Buffalo’s Jason Pominville collided awkwardly with him in the second period on Friday.

8) Quinn went with Georgiev, not Henrik Lundqvist, for third time in four games. Lundqvist had been 0-5-3 in his last eight against the Pens and

allowed six goals on 18 shots in his last start against Pittsburgh. He owns Carolina, though, and will play there Tuesday. Remarkable how similar

Lundqvist’s and Georgiev’s stats really are. Coming into this game, both were .500, though Lundqvist’s record includes eight of those

overtime/shootout losses and accompanying losers’ points (aka ties in the old days), Georgiev’s 9-9-0 included none. Lundqvist’s GAA was

3.02, Georgiev’s 3.05. Both had .907 save percentages.

9) Georgiev had to stop a Bryan Rust deflection in the first 1:02. Then made a shoulder save on Nick Bjugstad a bit later. He had to turn away Rust, with a kick of the left pad, on a breakaway around a diving Zuccarello late in the first. Very sharp early. Again.

10) As was Casey DeSmith: Yet another backup facing the Rangers. He stopped Kreider once, twice, three times at the doorstep from Zuccarello early. Later, got a piece of Hayes’ one-timer in the slot. Later still, he turned away Zuccarello on a one-timer from Tony DeAngelo.

11) First-shift icing: (The trend continues). Pittsburgh at :26.

12) The Rangers had a really good PK after Shattenkirk took one of those new-wave hooking penalties. You know, touch somebody’s glove.

13) Man, Zibanejad is just a handful on the forecheck these days. Gets in so quickly and is so effective with his stick. Really forcing the defense to

play under pressure.

14) I really like Brendan Smith on the wing. I know; that’s crazy. But he’s

strong and keeps it simple.

15) With 3:49 left in the first, off a lost defensive-zone draw, Kris Letang banked a bad-angle pass off Shattenkirk’s skate and past Georgiev. 1-0. That was followed by a strong shift by the Zibanejad line and a great chance by Chytil, which DeSmith flipped out with his right pad.

16) The Rangers got away with a couple of penalties by Namestnikov on Letang, and by Ryan Strome on Rust (Play on!). And when Rust retaliated, he went to the box. With 32.9 seconds left in the period, Zuccarello’s wish pass on the power play went in off Teddy Blueger’s stick. 1-1. The play began with some slick stick-handling along the icing

line by Georgiev.

17) It took the notoriously late Pittsburgh P.A. system until after the start

of the second period to announce the goal. Kevin Hayes opened the period with a wrister off DeSmith’s bucket, unbuckling the straps.

18) When Pionk took a tripping penalty, Zuccarello inadvertently high-sticked Malkin (the Stick Swinger) in the mug during the power play.

(Play on!) Marc Staal made two good defensive plays on the PK, and the Rangers survived it. They had to try to survive another one, for too-many-

men when it appeared Pavel Buchnevich jumped on the ice out of turn. Georgiev stopped Crosby (not a U.S. high school product) in close early in the power play. Georgiev also got through a bit of a fire drill in front, with help from Claesson, and Pionk took a stick to the mouth from Bjugstad (Play on!), but the Rangers killed it.

19) The Rangers continued to smoke in the dynamite shed when Zibanejad went off for holding, which probably should have been boarding, but whatever. Late in that power play, Marcus Pettersson beat Georgiev with a one-timer from the right circle, on which Strome

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

overcommitted to the middle. 2-1. The first goal actually shot into a net in the game.

20) With 5:51 left in the second, Rangers Chytil, Shattenkirk and DeAngelo all got caught below the icing line and Brian Dumoulin was alone in the high slot for a blast past Georgiev. 3-1. Dumoulin’s first in 44 games.

21) The Rangers responded quickly, though, the top line with the hard forecheck, and Zibanejad shot one that went under and through DeSmith and was 80 percent across the goal line when Zuccarello tapped it the last half an inch. 3-2.

22) With 2:15 remaining in the second, DeAngelo – who had another at-times fabulous game – sent a shot that Namestnikov deflected on goal,

and Strome scored on the rebound. 3-3.

23) Pionk took another high-stick, this one to the eye, from Crosby, this

one called, with 12.3 seconds left in the period, a double-minor that would carry well into the third period. That came during another fire drill

that began when an indecisive Kreider, on a rush, fired wide looking for a hope deflection, trapping three forwards up ice.

24) The Rangers had a ton of chances, and possession, through the four-minutes worth of Crosby in the box, but couldn’t get the lead. Opportunity lost.

25) It wasn’t a Jack In The Box, but Crosby carried the puck into the Rangers’ zone, Guentzel took DeAngelo to the net to set a screen, and Letang went around Chytil to take Crosby’s pass and fire it past Georgiev. 4-3. Crosby’s third assist.

26) Uncontested Goal of the Game (sponsored by reader Anthony D, not to be confused with DeAngelo.): Hayes lost a puck battle with Zach Aston-Reese, who took a hit from Staal in the corner. But Staal’s partner,

DeAngelo, was behind the net, and nobody was near Malkin, who took Phil Kessel’s pass and beat Georgiev with no resistance. 5-3.

27) Then, Malkin spun away from Hayes and beat Georgiev with a back-hander. 6-3.

28) Hayes got one back off a great pass from DeAngelo. 6-4. With a chance to cut it to one, Hayes took a Cullen stick across the neck and

face. (Play on!) Off some good work by DeAngelo with Georgiev pulled, Zibanejad scored with 18 seconds left. 6-5.

29) Pet Peeve: A lot of broadcasters do it. You don’t “clear” the puck in. You don’t “clear” it ahead. You “clear” it out. Only.

My Three Rangers Stars

1. Mats Zuccarello

2. Mika Zibanejad

3. Chris Kreider

The Athletic LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131384 Florida Panthers

Barkov’s game-winner against Canadiens is one of the prettiest goals you’ll ever see

BY WALTER VILLA

FEBRUARY 17, 2019 10:15 PM

The Panthers had 20/20 vision on Sunday, and things looked pretty good for them all night.

Both Aleksander Barkov and Frank Vatrano reached 20 goals for the season. And Barkov kept going, finishing with three goals — including one that was out of this world — and one assist as the Panthers defeated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 6-3 on Sunday night.

It was Barkov’s second career hat trick and his third four-point game.

Today's tea:

) ) )

) ( ) ) )

_(___(____)____(___(__ (___

\ Barkov / _

\ is an ELITE / |

\ hockey /____|

\ player / \______________/ pic.twitter.com/A9FBtIuCD1

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 18, 2019

That second Barkov goal, which came on a breakaway with 2:11 left in the second period, was sensational, and it gave Florida a 4-3 lead. Montreal defenseman Victor Mete tried to catch up, but Barkov was too fast and skilled, moving the puck forward and then back between his legs before lifting a backhander over Carey Price’s stick.

Barkov has 22 goals, reaching at least 20 for the fourth consecutive season, and he leads the Panthers with 57 points.

Frank Vatrano — who reached 20 goals for the first time — Denis Malgin (his seventh) and Riley Sheahan (No. 8) also scored for the Panthers.

Max Domi scored twice for Montreal — he has 19 this season — and the Canadiens also got a goal from Brendan Gallagher (his 23rd).

Tomas Tatar added two assists.

.@Barkovsasha95 hat trick!

All three goals in one GIF pic.twitter.com/e7UTsZE3eP

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 18, 2019

James Reimer made 28 saves to earn his second win in a row.

Montreal had some issues in its net. With 6:03 left in the first period, Canadiens coach Claude Julien pulled goalie Antti Niemi, who made just

six saves and left trailing 3-1. Ironically, Niemi made a career-high 52 saves the last time he faced Florida, in a 5-1 Montreal win on Jan. 15.

This time, with Niemi out, Price entered for Montreal and made 24 saves, allowing two Barkov goals.

There were five goals scored in a wild first period.

Florida put the first number on the board with 3:59 gone in the first period. Seven seconds after Domi high-sticked Mike Hoffman, Barkov shoved home a rebound of a Keith Yandle shot, beating Niemi five-hole.

It was Barkov’s ninth power-play goal of the season.

The Panthers made it 2-0 on a wrist shot by Malgin that was deflected by a Montreal stick before it sailed over Niemi’s glove.

Montreal turned defense into offense as Tomas Tatar stole the puck from Hoffman and fed a charging Domi.

Niemi, though, got another bad break as Vatrano’s shot got past him after deflecting off the stick of Montreal defenseman Shea Weber.

Gallagher cut Montreal’s deficit to 3-2, scoring on an odd-man rush as the puck appeared to glance off of Reimer’s left shoulder.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Domi, with his second goal of the game, tied the score at 3-3 with 5:18 gone in the second period. Mike Reilly’s pass landed on the tape of a charging Domi, who chipped the puck past Reimer.

From there, however, Barkov took over, and Sheahan added an empty-netter with 2:25 left in the game.

THIS AND THAT

Panthers starting goalie Roberto Luongo was placed on bereavement leave. Rookie goalie Sam Montembault, 22, was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League to serve as the backup goalie.

Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau appeared to score with 3:38 gone in the third period, which would’ve given Florida a 5-3 lead. However, Montreal appealed and got the goal wiped out because of an offsides

infraction.

The Panthers closed the first period by killing off 25 seconds of a Montreal 5-on-3 power play. Montreal got just one shot during that two-man advantage, and it missed the net entirely.

Malgin, who has experienced a pair of 10-game scoring droughts this season, has two goals in his past four contests.

Florida had three healthy scratches: defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich and forwards Micheal Haley and Jamie McGinn.

Miami Herald LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131385 Florida Panthers

Barkov's spectacular goal punctuates hat trick as Panthers top

Canadiens | Video

Paul Gereffi

The Associated Press

Aleksander Barkov finally scored the goal he's been dreaming about.

Barkov got his second career hat trick and the Florida Panthers beat the

Montreal Canadiens 6-3 on Sunday night.

Barkov's second goal gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead on a spectacular shot

with 2:11 left in the second. Barkov skated in on goalie Carey Price, then, with a defenseman on his back, shot from between and behind his legs in front of the crease, flipping the puck high into the net.

"I've seen those [types of goals] in the YouTube and in highlights, and I was just dreaming about maybe one day I can score that kind of goal," Barkov said. "I think I've tried that like 17 times in my career. It worked [for] the first time. I'm happy, but, of course, more importantly we got the two points."

Barkov also had an assist to give him his third four-point game of his career.

"That was the prettiest goal I've seen all season," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said of Barkov's second goal. "That was nuts, and he stopped

hard at the end before he did his move. We just looked at it on the bench with disbelief that he could pull that off with that kind of speed."

Riley Sheahan, Frank Vatrano and Denis Malgin also scored for the Panthers, and Keith Yandle had two assists. James Reimer stopped 28

shots in his second straight start.

The Panthers have won eight of their past 12 games, while Montreal lost

its fourth straight.

"We're going through a tough stretch right now," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "Nothing seems to be easy right now and that's what slumps are all about."

Max Domi scored twice for the Canadiens and Brendan Gallagher also had a goal. Antti Niemi allowed three goals on nine shots before being replaced by Price, who finished with 24 saves.

Barkov swept the puck past Price from in front at 9:13 of the third to stretch the Panthers lead to 5-3 with his third goal of the night. Barkov's first hat trick came on Dec. 15 in a 4-3 win over Toronto

Sheahan's empty-net goal with 2:25 left capped the scoring.

The Panthers had a potential goal by Jonathan Huberdeau overturned at 3:44 of the third when Montreal successfully challenged for offsides.

Domi tied the score 3-all on his second goal. Domi tipped in a pass from Mike Reilly at 5:18 of the second.

"We did a good job of coming back in and even though we weren't on our game completely we managed to make a game out of it," Domi said. "Too little, too late and they capitalized again."

Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead on his power-play goal 3:59 into the game. He poked a rebound between the pads of Niemi 7 seconds into the power play.

Malgin's shot from the high slot went over the glove of Niemi to make the

score 2-0 at 11:28 of the first.

The Canadiens pulled within one when Domi shot from the slot and beat

Reimer with just under 7 minutes left in the period.

The Panthers regained a two-goal lead when Vatrano's shot went off a

Montreal defenseman's stick and past Niemi with 6:03 left in the first. Niemi was then replaced by Price.

Gallagher pulled the Canadiens to 3-2 when his shot bounced off Reimer and into the net with 3:14 left in the first.

Panthers bring up goalie

The Panthers recalled G Sam Montembeault from AHL Springfield. ... G Roberto Luongo is on bereavement leave. ... Barkov reached the 20-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season. ... F Jamie McGinn played in his 600th NHL game. ... The Panthers held a pregame ceremony in honor of the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas

High School. Both teams flanked family members for a ceremonial puck drop. ... Canadiens F Jonathan Drouin played his 300th NHL game.

Up next

Panthers: Host Buffalo on Tuesday night.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131386 Florida Panthers

Barkov shines on the Canadian stage again — including between-the-legs goal — as Panthers down Montreal

By George Richards Feb 17, 2019

SUNRISE, Fla. — Like many in Canada, Sasha Barkov grew up staying up late on weekends watching hockey.

Although Barkov did his viewing in his native Finland, he sure seems to appreciate being on Canadian television.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Earlier this season, he notched his first career hat trick by beating Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada.

Sunday, he got his second hattie by leading his Panthers to a 6-3 victory over Montreal on a game broadcast across the country.

Barkov, once more, was the talk — if not the toast — of Canada in helping the Panthers to victory over one of the Original Six teams.

For Barkov, the best part of his night was not the sick between-the-legs goal he scored to give the Panthers a lead.

No, it was the fact the Panthers took the lead on Montreal and held on for

a victory.

Everyone else was just talking about the goal — including ESPN, which selected it as the SportsCenter top Play of the Day.

More on The Goal later.

“It was a good win for us, second in a row for us against a good team,” Barkov said before posing for pictures in the locker room with Keith Yandle, his three new souvenir pucks and a plastic bag of new ball caps.

“We’re confident right now and we know what to do moving forward.”

WATCH THIS. NOW.

ALEKSANDER BARKOV JUST SCORED ONE OF THE BEST GOALS

YOU WILL EVER SEE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/BZAAL7LIVM

— HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA (@HOCKEYNIGHT) FEBRUARY 18,

2019

Sunday, Barkov gave Florida a 1-0 lead by jamming in a puck past

starting goalie Antti Niemi following an emotional pregame ceremony in which the families of those killed at Stoneman Douglas High were

honored by both teams.

Eventually, the Panthers led 3-1 and Niemi was pulled.

The Canadiens went to Carey Price — one of the best goalies in the game — and rallied to tie the score.

Then came the goal.

Goalie Samuel Montembeault, who was backing up James Reimer with Roberto Luongo absent because of a death in his family, was on the bench and was the closest non-ice player to the Montreal cage. He said he could not believe what he saw.

“It was a great play,” Montembeault said. “Yandle came back (to the

bench) in the second and was saying as a joke, ‘I wouldn’t even do that against my nephew playing ball hockey and this guy does it against the

best goalie in the world.’

“That was really something special. It probably the most spectacular goal

I’ve seen in my life. And it was the game-winning goal, too, so it was really special.”

HAT TRICK SELFIE PIC.TWITTER.COM/2IP4GH1PCH

— GEORGE RICHARDS (@GEORGERICHARDS) FEBRUARY 18, 2019

With the score tied 3-3, Yandle sprung Barkov with a pass off the boards into the neutral zone. Barkov picked up the puck and took off in the

direction of Price, with defenseman Victor Mete in desperate chase.

As Barkov got closer to the Montreal goalie, he deked Price out by

moving the puck between his legs before somehow getting it back onto his stick and flipping it to the top corner of the cage over Price’s head.

“That was nuts,” coach Bob Boughner said. “And he stopped hard at the end before he did his move. I know that’s something he takes pride in, he

works at it. We all know how good his stats in the shootout (are). Even we looked on the bench in disbelief. That he could pull that off at that kind of speed.”

Barkov said this was the first time it worked in a game.

“I’ve tried it like 17 times in my career and it worked for first time, so I’m happy, but the important thing is the two points,” Barkov said. “It’s a good win. It was a nice goal. I have seen them on the YouTube highlights and I have been dreaming of one day scoring that kind of goal. Well, it happened tonight and of course, I’m happy.”

Florida goalie James Reimer, who held on for the win, said he has seen Barkov try similar moves in practice with some success against him.

Sunday, Reimer was thrilled to watch the highlight on the big scoreboard at the arena and not be on the wrong side of things.

It will be shown many more times in the future.

“The funny thing is, when a guy does that in practice, you get mad at him and tell him to do it in a game,” Reimer said. “But the problem is, the guys are so skilled now, they do do it in a game. As a goalie, you can’t even get mad anymore.”

With the Panthers ahead 4-3, Barkov got the insurance goal his team needed — and his second hat trick — in the third period.

Charging up the ice with linemate Jonathan Huberdeau on the odd-man rush, Barkov tried to pass the puck as the two approached Price.

Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry got his stick on the puck and it bounced right back to Barkov. In stride, he put it into the back of the net and that

was just about that.

Florida got an empty net goal late in the game, giving the team its eighth

win in the past 12 games.

Barkov scores his first goal past Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi during

the first period. (Steve Mitchell / USA Today)

Barkov was smiling as he came into the dressing room after another

postgame interview on Canadian television.

He didn’t have the Hockey Night in Canada towel that is so prized by his peers draped on his shoulder, but he did have a Hometown Hockey towel, which he will add to his collection of goodies from Sunday night’s win.

Come Monday, he will be back at work as the Panthers head into the uncertainty of the trade deadline.

Barkov most certainly will lose a few of the teammates he celebrated with

Sunday as the Panthers are in deep.

Although the Panthers are realistically out of the playoff race in the

Eastern Conference, Barkov says he believes his team has what it takes to make it as improbable as it sounds.

By beating Montreal — for the first time this season — the Panthers remain 11 points of the final spot.

Florida isn’t looking at that number, however although GM Dale Tallon is and will be selling at least a few of his assets by next Monday’s deadline.

The Panthers now have 58 points with 24 games remaining in this season, meaning to get to 97 points (and hope that is good enough to make it), the Panthers need to pull down 39 of the available 48 points.

Crazier things have happened, but not very many. The Panthers have little margin of error.

“Of course, the trade deadline is out there, but I do not think anyone here is thinking about it,” Barkov said. “We have a great group here and we should not be in the situation we are. But we all know what we need to do. We have the right guys here to do it.

“I believe we can do it and everyone here does as well, especially when

you see how hard we have played. We know we can beat anyone in this league. We just need to do it night in and night out.”

Honoring Parkland

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

The Panthers held an emotional pregame ceremony with a large number of the surviving family members of the 17 students and facility who were killed at Stoneman Douglas High last Feb. 14.

The team held a moment of silence before its game Thursday — on the anniversary of the shooting — but at the request of the families, held off on doing anything more until Sunday.

Before the game, those family members quietly gathered on the concourse level at the team’s Den of Honor, a collection of glass cases filled with team memorabilia from throughout its 25 years.

A new case is dedicated to those slain in the shooting with portraits of all

17. Following a video tribute, the family members were introduced on the ice with Corey Hixon, the son of former Douglas athletic director Chris,

dropping the ceremonial puck to Barkov and Montreal captain Shea Weber.

TOGETHER, WE ARE PARKLAND. PIC.TWITTER.COM/6JSCYFSN19

— FLORIDA PANTHERS (@FLAPANTHERS) FEBRUARY 18, 2019

The two teams and game officials then joined the family on the ice. As they made their way back underneath the arena, the Panthers lined up to shake everyone’s hand and share a word or two.

“You never want to see that kind of thing happen, but it was good to see the families there,” Huberdeau said. “It was good to see them honored. They deserved it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131387 Florida Panthers

With future in Florida uncertain, backup goalie James Reimer presses on

By George Richards Feb 17, 2019

SUNRISE, Fla. — On Thursday night, after making 41 saves (including two in the shootout), goaltender James Reimer celebrated a 3-2 win over Calgary by snatching the postgame rugby ball from teammate Roberto Luongo and slamming it to the ground.

There have not been many highlights for Reimer and the Panthers this

season, so you would think he would savor the good times when they come.

But Reimer just seemed happy to get a victory and take aim at the next one Sunday against the Canadiens.

“It’s nice to get the points, have a good feeling,” Reimer said. “You never know what can happen, so you just stay positive and be a pro and take care of the things you need to take care of. Have a good work ethic, bring that every day to the rink. Work your butt off and trust your game —

that’s the key for any athlete.”

When the Panthers play host to Montreal on Sunday, Reimer, typically Luongo’s backup, will be the starter again.

Although Luongo is away from the team on a bereavement leave, the plan was for Reimer to get this start.

Not only is it a reward for his performance Thursday night, but aside from being pulled after giving up two goals on three shots in the second period

against Tampa Bay last weekend, he has been pretty good of late.

Coach Bob Boughner said he feels Reimer has brought his “game up a

notch,” pointing to wins against Nashville and Vegas as examples of Reimer playing better than he had in the first half of the season when he carried the load when Luongo was hurt.

Reimer was also very good in a loss to St. Louis earlier in the month before defensive breakdowns led to three third-period goals by the Blues.

Take away the debacle against the Lightning and Reimer has made 143 saves on 151 shots (95 percent) in four of his past five games.

Boughner said Luongo is expected to rejoin the team but Tuesday. Rookie Samuel Montembeault will serve as Reimer’s backup Sunday.

“Those are games we need from him,” Boughner said Thursday. “I know he had a tough one against Tampa the other day. We talked about that — me and him had a meeting about it. We talked about his response and his push back. … He came out, and he played with a purpose tonight. I

thought he was really good.”

GOALIE RECOGNIZES GOALIE #BALLSPIKE

PIC.TWITTER.COM/W3W43OBRQ9

— FLORIDA PANTHERS (@FLAPANTHERS) FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Unless Reimer finishes this season red-hot, however, the Panthers appear set to move on from their current goaltending situation. Changes are likely coming either by next week’s trade deadline or in the offseason.

Florida’s goaltending with Luongo, Reimer and Michael Hutchinson (since traded) has been near the bottom of the league all season. The Panthers have surrendered 190 goals this season, tied for sixth-most in the league.

Reimer goes into the Montreal game with a save percentage that just recently topped 90 percent. Luongo is just below at .895. In 5-on-5 play, Reimer’s .913 is not only better than Luongo’s (.897) but better than that of some other big-name goalies including Sergei Bobrovsky (.908), whom the Panthers plan to chase down either by the deadline or in the summer.

“I feel like I have been playing pretty good the past couple of weeks,” Reimer said. “It is good, the game is a lot more fun when you are feeling

it a little more, when the pucks are hitting you. That’s just a matter of continuing to practice the same way, preparing for games the same. Just

hope it keeps going.’’

Both Luongo and Reimer are under contract for the next few years and

their situations have thrown a bit of a wrench into the Panthers’ plans.

Luongo, who turns 40 in April, will neither be asked to retire nor be traded by the Panthers.

He has three years left on the 12-year deal signed in Vancouver. Luongo says that as long as he feels healthy and can continue giving the Panthers a chance to win, he will continue playing.

The Panthers appear to be cool with this. They want Luongo to retire as

a member of the organization and will allow him to do so on his own terms.

“That’s a decision you think about when the season’s over,” Luongo said recently when asked about next season. “Right now there are more

important things at hand. … I don’t like to think about that stuff. I just want to play the best that I can every time I’m out there and enjoy myself.”

Reimer has two years remaining on the five-year contract worth $17 million he signed as a free agent with the Panthers in 2016.

Back then, the Panthers figured Reimer would eventually supplant Luongo as the everyday starter. It was a different time then, Reimer acknowledges, and things have not worked out that way.

The futures of goaltenders Roberto Luongo (left) and James Reimer are inextricably tied. If Luongo sticks around for the 2019-20 season, Reimer

likely will be on the move. (Steve Mitchell / USA Today)

Few envision Reimer becoming the Panthers’ starting goalie anymore,

and those who championed the idea back in 2016 are no longer here to back him up.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

The management group that signed Reimer to the big contract — general manager Tom Rowe, assistants Steve Werier and Eric Joyce — is no longer running things. Joyce remains with the team as the assistant GM, but Rowe and Werier have been let go.

“Obviously, that year (2016) things changed and then they changed again,” Reimer said. “There has been a whole lot of turnover since I signed. It’s one of those things where the original plan was put into place by people who are no longer here.

“It’s just a matter of taking what comes and just make the best of it. Things moving forward may not be what you thought. There has been so

much turnover, you can’t rely on that anymore.”

So, going by the assumption Luongo returns for at least another year and

the Panthers move forward in bringing in a top-end starter, what do they do with Reimer?

The obvious answer is to find a team to trade him to, although because of his contract and his overall performance, that has been a challenge.

Reimer still has two years left on his deal at a cap hit of $3.4 million each season. In real money, Reimer will make $3 million in each of the next

two seasons after getting $5 million in 2016-17.

Florida could buy Reimer out and allow him to sign with another team, but that doesn’t appear to be a good option either.

Because Reimer’s final year is made up with a large signing bonus — fought for by agent Ray Petkau to ensure his client got paid something if the NHL owners stage another lockout — the buyout clause does not save the Panthers from a big cap hit in 2020-21.

For instance, if Reimer had a standard contract and Florida bought him out, his cap hit would be reduced to $1 million of dead money spread out over four years.

Because of the signing bonus, Reimer’s cap hit would be agreeable in three of the four years, but it would be $3.2 million in 2020-21.

So, finding a trading partner for Reimer is still in Florida’s best interest.

Of course, Luongo may decide to retire at the end of the season, and Reimer could just return to the Panthers for another season.

Right now, things are up in the air. So Reimer just keeps doing what he does.

Reimer spent six seasons in the hockey hotbed of Toronto before being traded to San Jose at the deadline in 2016, so he knows how rumors can

affect players.

He hears talk about what the Panthers want to do at his position moving

forward, but Reimer is just going to continue doing his thing.

“Obviously you hear rumors, but it is nothing compared to my years in

Toronto. On an average Tuesday there, you hear 35 different things floating around,” Reimer said.

“I’m here to play hockey, here to play goalie and have fun, work hard. It’s one of the main cliches in all of sports, but you can’t control what other people think or what they are going to do, so you just don’t think about it. You are here for a reason and keep working hard until they don’t want you to work here anymore.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131377 Dallas Stars

Shap Shots: What would the Stars’ realistic trade offer for Artemi Panarin

look like?

By Sean Shapiro Feb 18, 2019

The Stars have been a stagnant offensive team throughout the 2018-19 season.

Dallas has scored 145 goals in 58 games. That’s the third-lowest total in

the NHL and 20 fewer than any other team currently in a playoff position.

The Stars are holding on to a wild card position because of a stellar

combination of goaltending and defense, which has led to allowing the second-fewest goals of any team; behind only the New York Islanders.

This past week has offered a sobering reminder that defense and goaltending can only get you so far. At some point the offense has to generate something; it’s hard to win when you get shut out in back-to-back games and only three of your forwards score on a five-game road trip.

Stars general manager Jim Nill has acknowledged that his team needs to score more. He has also acknowledged that it won’t be easy to fix the offense with one move. To compound the problem, this deadline season features more buyers than sellers, meaning prices are going to be higher than teams would typically like to pay.

With all those factors in mind, it appears the Stars may be looking at one of the biggest names on the market. Sportnet’s Elliot Friedman first reported on Saturday evening that he believed Dallas was in the market for Artemi Panarin, the Columbus Blue Jackets winger who has been at the center of one of the NHL’s most enticing dramas this season.

Panarin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and has not been willing to negotiate a contract extension with Columbus. It’s been widely reported that Panarin is interested in either a big market (New York is a popular destination) or a beach-adjacent team like the Florida Panthers.

Dallas hasn’t come up much in the Panarin discussion, but a few factors could compel the soon-to-be free agent to consider a long-term future

here. The Stars will have the cap space to pay big money, and Dallas plans to be a player in free agency this summer, while there is a growing

Russian contingency in Dallas. The Stars — in theory, at least — are also closer to contending than the Los Angeles Kings or New York

Rangers.

Like every other team, the Stars can wait until July to woo Panarin, but gambling on the winger before the Feb. 25 trade deadline could provide a piece that helps save the Stars season and lays the groundwork for him to sign another contract with the team this offseason.

What would it take for the Stars to bring Panarin to Texas within the next week? Aaron Portzline (my colleague in Columbus) believes the market for Panarin depends on the buyer. The Stars don’t have a top-six forward with term to offer back, so Dallas ends up in the camp of teams that will have to put together a hefty package of assets to land Panarin’s services.

Let’s play Armchair GM and see what we can come up with.

We’ll start with the Stars’ first-round pick in the 2019 draft. First-round

picks are treated like gold in Dallas, but if you want to acquire Panarin you have to be willing to part with some of that gold, so a first-round pick

likely has to be part of the deal.

On top of that, the Stars likely need to part with some of the biggest

names in their prospect pool. Dallas doesn’t want to trade Ty Dellandrea, their first-round pick from 2018, who is probably the first prospect

Columbus would ask for in this deal.

If Dellandrea truly isn’t on the table, the Stars will likely need to send Jason Robertson to Columbus along with either Roope Hintz or Denis Gurianov. Considering his recent play and position as a center, Hintz is probably held in slightly higher regard and becomes a necessary piece of this hypothetical deal.

That means a realistic offer would look something like this:

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

2019 first-round pick

Roope Hintz

Jason Robertson

To be frank, that’s still probably not enough for Columbus to take the deal.

There is a growing sense that Columbus is prepared to lose Panarin this offseason rather than dealing him, but I don’t view a playoff run as

nothing; especially for a franchise that’s never won a postseason series. Therefore the Stars aren’t just bidding against another buyer, they are

also bidding against the value of what the Blue Jackets could do this season. Dallas doesn’t really have anything to offer that would make the Blue Jackets’ immediate outlook better.

Considering that, the Stars are likely going to have add another piece to this trade. For that reason, Gurianov could also become part of the deal. In theory, the Stars would rather move a player like Riley Tufte to Columbus, but if the Blue Jackets have done their homework at all, they’ll

realize Gurianov is the player they should target.

This now brings up the key question that the Stars will have to answer as they kick the tires on a potential Panarin deal. Is it worth doing without any assurances he’ll be willing to sign on July 1?

The other key question: is adding Panarin alone enough to turn the Stars into a cup contender?

Personally, I feel the Stars are at least two pieces away at forward, meaning Dallas would need another move to become a true threat in the Central Division. Because they can’t afford to deal current roster players, the Stars would have to part with additional future assets on top of those they traded in a hypothetical Panarin deal.

That’s a risky proposition for a general manager who now finds himself

behind in the Central Division standings. The St. Louis Blues may never lose again, leaving Dallas with only a slight cushion on a pack of

mediocre teams for a wild-card spot.

This trade deadline also could be the defining point of Nill’s legacy and

longevity in Dallas. Swinging a deal for Panarin that works out in the long run would restore some of the lost hope in the franchise. Missing,

whether that’s with a bad trade or complete inactivity, could kick off a GM search in April.

Offensive Esa

For all the offensive droughts this season, Esa Lindell’s emergence as an improved offensive defenseman has been lost in the shuffle.

Lindell scored his eighth goal against Florida last week, setting a career high after scoring 13 combined in his first two seasons. Through 58 games Lindell has taken 97 shots this season, well on pace to beat his career best of 137 taken last season. Lindell should set a career high in assists assuming he has at least five in the final in 24 games.

Before the Stars’ most recent game in Tampa I asked Lindell about his offensive numbers and if he notices anything different about his play from

the offensive blue line in.

“Nothing really, when I think about it,” Lindell said. “Just trying to be a part of the offense; I’m playing a lot with Klinger and I want him to know he can actually give me the puck, too. Trying to shoot it a lot. But nothing

is really special or different from last year.”

As we continued to discuss the topic, Lindell began to admit there are some subtle differences, even if he wouldn’t describe them as special. He’s more calculated in his timing before jumping into the offensive play, a natural development as he’s gained experience in his third full NHL season.

Lindell doesn’t set major goals, but each season he hopes to improve his offensive numbers. He also wants to play in a system where defensemen can be part of the attack, and it’s something he brought up to Jim

Montgomery when the Stars coach visited Finland over the summer and had dinner with the defender.

“He asked me what I thought we could improve from last season,” Lindell said. “So it’s something we’ve talked about a little bit.”

Another natural progression of Lindell’s career has been his expanded role and responsibility when it comes to ice time. Lindell logged an average of 22:05 per game last season. Under Montgomery, his minutes have jumped up to 24:20 per game, and he’s played more than 27 minutes in a game 10 times.

“I’ve got to rest a lot and find when to take days off,” Lindell said. “Today I

didn’t skate (in the morning skate). But myself, I would like if we could get the option more in between game days; instead, we get that option more

on morning skate, so I take those off more. It’s also about eating and sleeping, which I’ve gotten very good at.”

When asked to elaborate, Lindell said he’s more focused on his diet, which was “good, but now it’s great.”

Bonus Bag

There is no mailbag this week, so let’s take time to answer some of the more creative questions posed on Twitter.

WHAT ARE THE ZODIAC SIGNS OF EACH OF THE STARS' TOP PROSPECTS AND HOW DO THESE SIGNS AFFECT THEIR CHANCES OF MAKING THE TEAM NEXT YEAR

— HANNAH STUART (@HOCKEYWTHHANNAH) FEBRUARY 17, 2019

We’ll focus on just two prospects who happen to fall under the same sign. Jason Robertson was born on July 22, 1999 and Ty Dellandrea was

born on July 21, 2000, making both players Cancers.

According to my internet research, those born under this sign tend to be

tenacious and highly imaginative. Maybe that’s a statement about their play in the offensive zone, because the Stars could use more of that.

WHEN A PLAYER GETS CALLED UP DO THEY GET TO PICK A SPECIFIC BRAND AND TYPE OF HELMET OR GLOVES THEY WANT? NOTICED L'ESPERECE WAS IN ALL CCM STUFF WASN'T SURE IF IT'S JUST GET WHAT THEY GIVE YOU OR WHAT?

— JUSTIN SCHMIDT (@JUSTINSCHMIDT24) FEBRUARY 17, 2019

Whatever gear you see them using is the gear they’ve brought with them

from the AHL.

The one exception takes place if the player doesn’t have both helmets —

white and black — when he gets called up. For example, if the Texas Stars are on the road when a call-up happens, the player will only have

one helmet with him and will potentially need another from the NHL equipment staff.

ALL THE ICE IN THE WORLD MELTS AND THE NHL HAS TO TRANSITION TO BALL HOCKEY. WHO WINS THE CUP AFTER A

FULL SEASON OF THIS? WHICH PLAYERS WIN WHAT AWARDS? HOW DOES DON CHERRY REACT?

— LATVIANTWIST (@LATVIANTWIST) FEBRUARY 17, 2019

If all the ice in the world melts we’ll have much bigger problems. But if we assume that we’ve somehow solved all those problems on the fly and have somehow survived the melting of the polar ice caps, the Tampa Bay Lightning would still be the best team in hockey.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.18.2019

1131464 Websites

The Athletic / Back at home, Jason McCrimmon wants to keep hockey in

the heart of ‘Hockeytown’

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Max Bultman

Feb 17, 2019

DETROIT — It’s a few minutes before puck drop at Jack Adams

Memorial Arena, and the assistant coach is giving his team the game plan. The players are told to move as a unit and protect the net. The

wingers are instructed to cover the point. The Pee-Wee team is prompted to clap it up for one young player in particular, who scored a goal in the

previous game.

If you didn’t know any better, this could be any youth hockey locker room, anywhere in America. But here, the point is that it is decidedly not just anywhere.

This is Detroit — not Livonia or Troy or Birmingham, or any of the hockey hotbeds in the surrounding suburbs. And for a city that proclaims itself “Hockeytown,” you’re hard-pressed to actually find much organized hockey in town here. There is the elite Little Caesars AAA program, partially housed inside the Red Wings’ own arena. There is a well-regarded learn-to-play program at Clark Park, though the outdoor program’s competitions are mostly scrimmages.

But for accessible, officially sanctioned, competitive youth hockey in Detroit’s inner city? Outside of this locker room, there really isn’t any. And were it not for the man giving out directions, it might not exist here, either.

It was August 2014, and Jason McCrimmon had recently gotten into coaching after wrapping up his own hockey career — which took him as far as Finland — when he got a call from Cynthia Wardlaw with a proposition.

The Detroit Hockey Association, the youth program that had previously

been run out of Jack Adams, had folded, and Wardlaw wanted to keep some form of accessible hockey on the city’s West side.

She was a single mother whose kids came to love the sport through the association. (Her daughter, Kamille Scarbrough, has since gone on to

play in college at Adrian.) Wardlaw had no hockey background when her kids first started the game, but ended up on the program’s board.

And then it was gone.

“I know the benefits of what it did for my children,” she said. “The invaluable life skills that I felt my children learned, just from the game of hockey.”

For that reason, she wasn’t about to let it vanish from the city. So she

reached out for help, calling McCrimmon, who she had gotten to know when he came around the rink sometimes.

“They’re not going to have hockey here; can you help me start a program?” she recalled asking him.

“He was saying that he wanted to do that, too, anyway.”

Jason McCrimmon and Cynthia Wardlaw are the president and vice president of Detroit Ice Dreams Hockey Association. Wardlaw initiated the program after the Detroit Hockey Association folded.

Now, Detroit Ice Dreams is in its fifth year, with McCrimmon the 501(c)(3)’s president and Wardlaw the vice president. The head coach is a man named Anthony Fleming, with McCrimmon also acting as an assistant.

A large poster for the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative hangs in the arena lobby, featuring the likeness of Willie O’Ree, the league’s first

black player. Hockey is for Everyone gives Ice Dreams approximately $3,500 each year, they estimate. That, along with USA Hockey and

MAHA, helps supplement a Learn to Skate program, in which participants skate twice weekly for $150. It also helps competitive teams skate three

times a week, for $350 annually. The programs run from September to April and also provide equipment.

They have some donors, including JJ Curran Crane Company, which helps them do events such as a turkey drive during the year, and they partner with the city while still paying hourly for ice at the arena. But even then, those numbers don’t always add up.

“We do not turn a kid away because they can’t afford it,” Wardlaw said.

They use payment plans, accepting whatever a family can realistically afford, and McCrimmon estimates he and Wardlaw could pay up to a couple thousand dollars out of pocket, depending on what’s needed.

When a player can’t afford to pay the fee, Wardlaw has even gone out and worked to help pay a kid’s bill. She applies for grants sometimes.

Neither takes a salary from the program, though the coaches are paid.

On this night in late January, the players will exit the locker room and

take the ice to face a local team from the suburbs. They won’t win, and it won’t be particularly close, but that’s not really the point.

Ice Dreams has just three skaters on their bench, less than half as many as their opponent. The few reserves they do have spend a non-trivial

portion of the game just trying to keep their hands warm. It’s an especially cold night outside.

The lack of bodies on the bench represents one of the biggest challenges the program faces — parents being unable to get their kids to the rink reliably to field more, and deeper, teams — but also underscores the reason it is essential. Detroit is home to some of the best athletes in the world, as well as one of the planet’s most storied hockey franchises. But how many kids grow up in the city limits having never laced up a pair of skates? This team could get so much bigger.

“It would be disrespectful for us, to the game of hockey, if we don’t

expose more people to it,” McCrimmon said a few days earlier, in the arena’s mostly empty lobby.

This is where he got his start, too, as a kid who grew up right down the street. He remembers coming to the rink to watch his brothers play on

Sunday mornings, as early as 9 a.m., and staying all day.

“Even if I didn’t have a game, I would sit there and watch hockey all day,”

he said. “My brothers would play. Friends that we had would play. It was unreal. And that’s the vision that I want us to get back to. But it’s a grind. It’s a different grind now.”

Right now, McCrimmon says, Ice Dreams has about 45 players across all age groups. They have enough to field competitive league-play teams at the Mite and Pee-Wee levels this year, with alternative options like 3-on-3 hockey available to keep the additional kids engaged.

He’d like to add 80 more kids, to revive the kind of house program that could keep inner-city hockey on the ice all day on weekends.

It’s an ambitious idea, and one that hasn’t come without challenges. But

there aren’t many better equipped to give it a run.

In addition to being the organization’s president, McCrimmon is also an

assistant coach for Ice Dreams. Anthony Fleming (right) is the head coach.

McCrimmon hated hockey when he first started playing as a kid.

“It was cold, the whole nine,” he said. “It wasn’t something I really wanted

to do. At the same time, watching my older brothers, you know how that is. Always want to run outside after them, it’s kind of the same premise

with this, of playing hockey.”

He actually stopped playing around age 15, but after his father’s passing a few years later, McCrimmon had a dream in which his father told him to get back into hockey. His mom, Barbara Nelson, was his main support system playing the game, but after the dream about his father (when he was 20), he got back into hockey, made his way to play at multiple Division III NCAA schools and is now here, back where he started in

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Detroit. In December, McCrimmon, 35, made The Athletic’s Top 40 under 40 in hockey list.

And Ice Dreams is only half of his story. Up in Troy, he runs a Tier III junior program called the Motor City Hockey Club, which plays in the U.S. Premier Hockey League’s Premier division. That team is in second place in its division and has already clinched a playoff spot.

Crucially, McCrimmon makes sure that his two worlds merge. Even though they practice in Troy, members of the Motor City team come to Jack Adams on Saturdays to help out with Ice Dreams. The junior team’s leading scorer, Kyle Banks, actually has a younger cousin in the

program.

Banks first got to know McCrimmon through a couple of other players he

knew, including Arizona Coyotes prospect Jalen Smereck, and he’s appreciated playing for him. Now 20, Banks has multiple offers to play

lower-division college hockey next year, as he gets set to age out of junior.

“He knows what he’s talking about,” Banks said. “Whether you want to hear it or not, he’s going to tell you what’s going to be the best for you,

and he’s going to keep it real with you, to be honest. That’s just how he is.”

McCrimmon is charismatic, with a big, booming personality that is geared just about perfectly to connect with young people. He seems to be friends with everyone, but isn’t afraid to cut the looseness off in a heartbeat when something needs to get done. There doesn’t seem to be much ambiguity on where you stand with him at any given moment.

But for some of his players, it also runs deeper than that.

When asked about his specific experiences with McCrimmon, Banks stops himself, searching for the right words.

“I don’t know how in detail you want me to get (with) this,” he says.

“Growing up as a kid,” he continues, “I’m black. You’ll get called any type

of name in the book, and (McCrimmon) is just right there behind you just telling you keep your head up, don’t worry about it, don’t listen to them.”

This is the first time he’s ever had a black coach, and “it’s changed the whole game,” Banks said. His eyes started to well up as he spoke.

“You come back to the bench, and never have I ever been able to tell a coach — like, (you would normally say,) ‘You don’t understand,’ but he does, because he’s gone through it his whole life. It’s a different game.”

Kyle Banks is one of the top players for the Motor City Hockey Club.

That has a trickle-down effect when you consider the relationship

between the junior team and the youth program. Banks said he hadn’t encountered any other junior program so closely affiliated with a nonprofit group before, and that’s significant in many ways. Obviously, the sheer time spent is important to the Ice Dreams’ mission in the city, with help and encouragement from high-level players assisting in their

development.

But it also matters because there are four black players for Motor City, of

which Banks is one, adding to the number of relatable mentors and role models the newcomers can look up to as they progress in the sport.

McCrimmon specifically recalled having a couple of the youth players approach him after watching Banks and telling him they wanted to play

now. They wanted to be like him. He looks like them, and not only that, they have also developed a personal relationship through Banks helping

out at their practices. He could say the same for another one of his forwards, Keshawn Scott.

Nonetheless, McCrimmon is quick to point out that the Ice Dreams program is really about bringing hockey into nontraditional demographics in the city, regardless of the players’ specific backgrounds. That often means race, but not exclusively. It’s also about income, gender and more.

And with the junior program, its defining characteristics are more about the collective personality McCrimmon has fostered among them than anything else. That, and all the winning they’ve been doing. Motor City does have a couple more black players than is typical of a junior hockey team, but McCrimmon is still trying to get every one of his players on to their best possible next destination.

That means different things for different players, at different points in their careers. One of his assistants at Motor City is Joe Gibbs, a young, white man who had functionally retired from hockey after playing for Belle Tire as a kid. Gibbs says that McCrimmon pulled him back in and made him

fall back in love with the sport. There were no mind games. He told Gibbs exactly what he wanted from him, and then held him accountable. It

made everything simple, and propelled him to play while in college at Adrian. Now, Gibbs comes back and skates with both Motor City and Ice

Dreams.

Still, it would be impossible to deny the impact of McCrimmon helming

both programs as an African-American man in Detroit — which has a population of more than 80 percent black residents, according to the

2010 Census.

“That lets them know they can do it, too,” Wardlaw said.

Darin Kennedy II is one of the youngest players on the Motor City roster at just 16. He used to play football, until his mother stepped in. He was told he could pick another sport, and soon found out about the Ice Dreams program, which was in its early stages.

His dad, also named Darin, had played recreationally growing up, but had never mentioned that to his son. He just decided to try it.

Money would not have been prohibitive in Darin II’s particular case long term, but Kennedy was just sampling the sport, at first, and hockey

demands so much equipment and ice that it becomes a tricky sport to just “try.” With Ice Dreams, however, that is made simpler.

Darin II did try the sport, and he stuck with it. He says he was embarrassed at first, since other kids were further along in their skating

and skills, but he has since gone on to play travel hockey, and is now back playing for McCrimmon in his junior program.

It raises the question: Would he have ever played if not for Ice Dreams?

The elder Kennedy took nearly five seconds to consider it.

“No,” he finally said. “Because Jason offered him something he couldn’t see. And that’s himself 10 years from now.

“He could have played (in Macomb), he could have played here in Troy, but he would not have seen that potential role model, somebody that’s been there, done that. His contact with someone of color in the game probably would have been limited to watching TV, occasionally going to a game. Jason offered him an avenue. ‘Hey, hockey can work, it can be a sport that I can pursue.’ And that’s huge too.”

Kennedy feels his son “learned more in this short time since he’s been with Jason than he has in all the five years combined.”

And as for the player himself: “He just made me feel really comfortable and helped me open up to the game.”

Motor City Hockey Club goaltender Joseph Burks wears his nickname, “J’Obama,” on his helmet.

McCrimmon never made it too big in his own professional career — he recalls one long summer spent training for the ECHL, only to be cut after

a few days — but at Ice Dreams, that’s part of the point. His and Wardlaw’s desire to keep hockey in the city is not just about finding elite talent (even though, certainly, that would be a bonus).

It’s more about bringing new people into a sport McCrimmon has long since fallen for, and doing something meaningful for the community he grew up in. McCrimmon loves owning his own junior organization, and managing the brand that accompanies it, and he lets that passion seep into the program too.

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“It doesn’t have to be in sports,” he says. “It can be with computers. It can be with — a lot of these younger kids now that’s in our program, they deal with the gym shoes. Everybody wants to have the gym shoes, the shoe swap. Whatever it is, build your brand from it. Whatever passion you have from it, that’s kind of what you build off. And that’s how I feel about hockey right now.”

They want the organization’s purpose to go beyond hockey, but maybe hockey could become that passion for at least one or two of the inner-city kids learning the game now, too.

One of the younger kids Jason grew up with, Rod Braceful, came up

playing at Jack Adams and is now the assistant director of player personnel for the U.S. National Team Development Program. Braceful

said that when he started, it was just to stay out of trouble and have some fun. It wasn’t meant to launch a career, but in the time since, it has.

Now, Braceful is one of the most prominent African-Americans in USA Hockey. He has a key role assembling the premier talent in the sport

today. That’s the type of impact a program like Ice Dreams can have in a place like Detroit.

“Who would have thought that we would be working in the industry?” Braceful wondered aloud, looking back.

“Obviously Detroit’s a very diverse city, and it considers itself a big hockey town. So I think it’s important to have avenues for kids from all different races, cultures and backgrounds to be able to play the sport. Or at least try. Who knows if the next Jordan Greenway or whoever is coming out of there, but just giving the kid an opportunity to try to play the sport.”

That’s not Braceful’s specific role with USA Hockey, but he’s familiar enough with the efforts being made elsewhere. It’s important, he says, for

cities with rich hockey culture to impact young lives.

And in the inverse, it’s important for the sport to reach those areas in

order for the game to meet its own potential, too.

Ice Dreams players celebrate after a goal.

McCrimmon and Braceful were part of a generation that also produced European professional player Cameron Burt. All have made their mark in

one way or another, with the first two now in coaching and evaluation, and Burt having played at RIT and in the AHL.

These days, Braceful brings up Smereck, the Coyotes prospect who has spent this year between the AHL and ECHL; and DeVon Fields, a 19-year-old in the NAHL. Beyond them, though, there aren’t that many young players from Detroit working their way up the hockey ladder.

“It’s kind of unfortunate,” Braceful said, “because I’ve always thought, as I kind of got older, I would look for the next younger guy coming out of there.”

Based on the level of the program, the next one may not come directly

from Ice Dreams. But McCrimmon’s program could fuel a general uptick in hockey in an area that, aside from cost, should theoretically be able to

support the sport.

To do all of that, though, McCrimmon says his organization needs some

kind of push. In their ideal world, they’d love it to come from a more direct partnership with the Red Wings, and not necessarily in a financial way.

Mostly, Ice Dreams just wants to extend its reach to get as many kids playing as possible.

And as for McCrimmon himself, there’s no indication he’s looking to turn this into a stepping stone anytime soon.

“I think it’s pretty cool to be able to do what I do and interact with where I came from,” he said. “And basically be able to bring something that’s different.

“The game of hockey’s been around forever, but it’s the way it’s produced and perceived to our kids and our community. I kind of want to keep that as something that’s possible, and something they kind of strive

to want to play. To be on the same level as basketball and football one day.”

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Sportsnet.ca / Montreal Canadiens' resilience to be tested by first slump of season

Eric Engels

February 18, 2019, 12:00 AM

SUNRISE, Fla.— We’ve learned that the Montreal Canadiens are a speedy, feisty, competitive team that has more talent than anyone assumed before the season got underway, but we’re about to learn just how resilient they are.

The Canadiens have hit a bump in the road. A 6-3 loss to a Florida Panthers team that came into Sunday’s game 13 points back of them in

the standings made it a third straight loss suffered in regulation for the first time all season. If they don’t turn things around quickly, they could

find themselves out of a playoff spot in a hurry.

It’s an unthinkable turn of events considering they had gone 9-2-1 and

cemented themselves in the post-season picture prior to dropping a game in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs and losing to the

Nashville Predators, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Panthers in succession, but that’s how things stand.

“It’s crazy what’s happening in our conference,” said Canadiens defenceman Jordie Benn.

Stream over 500 NHL games blackout-free, including the Flames, Oilers, Leafs and Canucks. Plus Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and more.

He’s not wrong. A 6-5 win for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the New York Rangers on Sunday bumped Montreal to the second wild-card position in the East, and they now hold a measly one-point lead over the Carolina

Hurricanes. And it was only eight days ago that Montreal had a chance to overtake Toronto for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Now they’re six points back of the Leafs and seven away from the Boston Bruins, who were tied with them in points prior to this mini skid.

“I call it a slump,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien.

It didn’t look like one was developing when the Canadiens played the second-place Predators hard and fast on Thursday—notching 35 shots in a game that could’ve gone either way. Their loss to the Lightning on

Saturday came down to a sloppy third period and Tampa’s stifling speed and quick-strike offence, which has decimated the rest of the league this season. But what happened against the Panthers made it an undeniable reality.

“For whatever reason we just kind of got behind the eight ball early,” said Canadiens captain Shea Weber.

A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday.

Consider that an understatement. Max Domi took a high-sticking penalty 3:52 into the first period and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov capitalized on

the power play seven seconds later. Canadiens defenceman Victor Mete lost his gap on Denis Malgin in the 12th minute of the frame and the

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

Panthers’ centre took a shot off Mete’s stick and past Canadiens backup Antti Niemi for goal No. 2.

And after Domi reduced the deficit to a goal with his 18th of the season, the Panthers got a goal from Frank Vatrano that squeaked through Niemi’s legs and chased him from the game.

Remarkably, the Canadiens got a goal from Brendan Gallagher before the first period ended and Domi tied the game at 3-3 5:18 into the second.

But less than 12 minutes later, Canadiens defenceman Brett Kulak turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Barkov stole it and raced down

the ice before cutting back as he reached Montreal’s crease and finding the back of Carey Price’s net with a breathtaking, through-the-legs finish.

Weber gave him full marks for the move, but pointed out that it came on a breakaway that never should have happened.

Barkov’s third of the game, at 9:13 of the third period, shouldn’t have been a thing, either. He was gifted a two-on-one break from his own blue

line after another careless turnover by the Canadiens.

Those unforced errors have been limited by this Montreal side for most of this season, but they’ve started to become much more frequent of late.

“Our players—you can see they’re fighting the puck,” said Julien. “Nothing seems to be easy right now, and that’s what slumps are all about. Every team goes through it. Every team’s gone through it so far this year, I’m sure. We’re going through it now, and I think the biggest thing is how do we stop it? That’s what we’ve got to focus on. Nothing we can do about tonight. We weren’t good, we had a bad start, we got ourselves back into it, a couple of bad penalties we took in the second period took that momentum we had gotten back, and again [in the] third period—like last night [in Tampa]—we just weren’t there.”

No, they weren’t even close to there. The Canadiens were out-shot 17-4 in a three-goal period for the Lightning on Saturday, and they were out-

shot 12-3 in a two-goal period for the Panthers on Sunday.

It was Riley Sheahan who iced it with an empty-netter with 2:25

remaining.

“That’s the end of the game,” said Julien. “We’ve gotta focus on our

home game on Tuesday and see if we can’t bounce back and get ourselves back on track. That first win’s going to be a tough one, but once we get it, hopefully, we’ll be back on track and hopefully that happens on Tuesday night.”

We wouldn’t put it past this group, but they’ll be in tough against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre.

Nonetheless, they feel confident.

“We’ve reacted very well after losses up to this point,” said Weber.

Benn added that the team’s attitude has been exemplary and that it

should play a role in their ability to rebound quickly.

“The spirit in the room is so strong,” he said. “We know we have a chance to win every night, so we just gotta keep her going.”

There’s no choice in the matter.

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Sportsnet.ca / Ivan Bondarenko: Six years, five leagues, one hockey

dream – Sportsnet

Kristina Rutherford

At 15, Ivan Bondarenko boarded a one-way flight from Russia to follow his hockey dream. It didn’t quite work out as planned. Six years and five leagues later, this is his story.

Dvadtsat’ chetyre chasa,” the father said.

Translation: 24 hours.

There was no deliberation, no negotiation.

There were only 24 hours.

That was all the time the father was giving his son to make a decision.

“Ostat’sya ili uyti,” the father said.

Translation: Stay or go.

The son was a 15-year-old who at five-foot-seven and maybe 138 pounds could have passed for 12.

The son was on the clock.

He wasn’t being kicked out of the house, not really.

The father was giving him a figurative kick.

The father wanted to know what his son was going to do with the balance

of his youth, what his son wanted to do for the rest of his teens and beyond.

There were no shades of grey.

There were just two options.

Stay: You’re going to school in Moscow.

Go: You’re going to play hockey half a world away.

The son could sleep on it.

Once.

The son thought he knew his answer the moment his father threw out the deadline.

The son waited until the next morning to tell him.

“YA idu,” Ivan Bondarenko told his father.

Translation: I’ll go.

His father nodded, made a couple of phone calls, pulled out a laptop, went online and bought his son a plane ticket to Denver.

It was done in an hour.

Ivan Bondarenko texted friends and then packed his bags.

I’ve always wondered about the hard choices teenagers have to make to further their hockey careers. Usually the decisions are made behind the

scenes, almost always quietly, even with the most touted 16-year-olds heading off to junior hockey. Teams will pitch their programs, talking to

players, to parents — to agents, too, in a lot of cases. Terms are put down on paper and deals signed; other matters are sealed only with

handshakes. It’s all done discreetly. It’s a hype-free exercise, a stark contrast to the loud, theatrical press conferences of National Signing Day

for U.S. college football and hoops.

I’ve also wondered about European kids who come over to North America to pursue their careers. They’re arriving in ever greater numbers; though the CHL still allows teams to dress only two imports, Europeans have been landing in Tier II, in the USHL, in U.S. prep schools and in all manner of hockey academies. It used to be just Eastern European teens who came over to play major junior — until 10 years ago the Swedes, Finns and Swiss tended to stay home to play

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their junior-aged hockey — but no longer. Now they’re coming over in waves and you have to imagine that their decisions are a lot harder than those of Canadian or American kids looking to play junior. Apart from the very best, the top picks in the CHL Import Draft, can they really have any idea exactly what they’re getting into and signing up for?

SCORING MACHINE

In 19 games this season, Bondarenko has put up 47 goals and 86 points, top-10 in GMHL scoring despite not playing since November.

Back in the fall, I saw a news item in a small-town paper. It said that in the first three games of the Tillsonburg Hurricanes’ season, a 21-year-old

Russian kid named Ivan Bondarenko had racked up 23 points. Yeah, European kids are parachuting into rinks across North America, but how

the hell does a kid from Moscow wind up in the Greater Metro Hockey League, a 22-team rogue op in the junior-hockey world that’s a pay-for-

play outfit not recognized by Hockey Canada? And how does he wind up in Tillsonburg, a farming community of 15,000 in southwestern Ontario,

and on a team that features not just another Russian kid but also teenagers from Sweden, France, and Spain?

It turns out that he had not only crossed the Atlantic in search of a hockey career but also criss-crossed the North American continent looking for a chance to raise his game and become a pro. His decisions were as extreme as they come and everything was left to chance. That, I eventually found out, suits Ivan Bondarenko just fine.

Fresh off a lifting session in the gym, still in his sweats, his short, blond hair still wet, Bondarenko sat in the coach’s office at the arena in Tillsonburg. He owned something akin to Resting Mischief Face, like he would rattle the lid of the cookie jar to get his mother’s attention just before he dipped his hand in it, and looked no older than some of the

bantam kids who waited for the Zamboni to flood the rink. He was bantering in Russian to a tall, still jet-lagged kid, Dmitri Selyutin, who had

been suspended from playing in the junior league back home.

I knew and could understand how Selyutin wound up in Tillsonburg. For

him it was exile: Early in the season he and six teammates on his Moscow junior team tested positive for a banned PED. They maintained

it had been administered by the team doctor without their knowledge. Pending an investigation and an appeal, Sekyutin was looking at a full year on the sidelines in Russia, reason enough to book a ticket and sign on with the Hurricanes — there just weren’t other options available to him.

“I remember their kids had chocolate bananas, and they beat us like we never had been beat before.”

I didn’t know Bondarenko’s backstory beyond the fact that he had bounced around U.S. junior leagues. But I didn’t imagine that he came to North America with a five-year plan that would take him to Tillsonburg. I asked how his day was going, small talk, while I set up to record him and take notes. I braced myself for an English-as-a-second-language interview, full of starts-and-stops and hesitations and explanations and shrugs. And then the floodgates opened: “The brothers I billet with were out in the morning so I got up and made cereal and then I met the guys because we just got Dmitri, so I’ve got to introduce him to the guys and show him around because he doesn’t speak a word of English, you know, and we have a game tomorrow night and he’ll just have one practice with that.”

I dropped my pen. Here was a kid who could take a question and skip in three different directions with it. No way I could keep up. I put my faith in

the recorder. The battery icon showed 50 per cent.

“How did you get here?” I asked.

“One thing goes to the other,” he said.

The Bondarenkos lived pretty comfortably in Moscow, the inner ring, a 30-minute walk to Red Square. Ivan’s father, Sergey, is a coach with CSKA, overseeing the peewee and midget teams. His mother, Tatiana, is a lawyer. His older brother, Victor, is heading to university, heading into

law and casting a bit of a shadow on Ivan. “My brother is a genius, so that’s hard for me,” he said.

Ivan couldn’t compete with Victor in academics, so he signed up with CSKA’s youth hockey program and was by his account pretty representative of his peer group. “You know I am like a lot of kids: my favorite Pavel Datsyuk and my team the Detroit Red Wings … I am young but I know all about the Russian Five, Igor Larionov, ‘The Professor’ … I know his brother … and one day they are shooting a movie at our arena in Moscow and it’s with Jaromir Jagr, and so I am just a kid on the ice with him and I get a stick and a picture with him.”

In bantam, though, it went sideways for Bondarenko. It wasn’t that he bumped up against the ceiling of his ability, the usual scenario. No, he

started to drift because success led to complacency. “We had such a strong team, the strongest in Triple A,” he said.

It’s easy to see why. The CSKA team featured a bunch of names in the ’97 birth year class, the 2015 NHL Draft: Ivan Provorov, who’s an

emerging star on the Philadelphia Flyers blue line; Dennis Yan, a third-round draft pick of Tampa Bay who scored 46 goals his one season in

the QMJHL; Denis Smirnov, a sixth-round draft pick of Colorado who’s playing at Penn State; and Nikita Koroseltsev, a seventh-rounder of the Maple Leafs who played five seasons in the OHL and is with Columbus’s AHL affiliate in Cleveland. “When I didn’t play well, I told my father, ‘It’s too easy with this team,” Bondarenko said.

PACE SETTER

Selyutin joined Tillsonburg after being banned from his Russian league. He is averaging 4.52 points per (official) game.

That answer didn’t satisfy Sergey — those who know the family suggest he was a hard-ass with his younger son. He made sure it wouldn’t stay

“too easy” by getting Ivan transferred from CSKA. “I went from the strongest team in Triple A to the worst one in Double A … going from a

team that wins 10–1 every night to one that loses 10–1 every night,” Bondarenko said.

Going to the Double A doormat was like banishment, but that wasn’t the worst of it for Ivan. No, the worst of it was getting left behind. “The best

players all went to the States and Canada — by themselves like Provorov and Smirnov, or with their families like Yan and Koroseltsev — all before they’re even junior age, because of corruption.”

The implication: Even a future NHL top-10 draft pick can’t count on getting a fair shake if he stays at home. “For sure, it’s hard for them and it costs money to go to Canada, like Koroseltsov, to play as a little kid in Toronto … [like] Provorov who goes to the USHL when he’s 14, 15.”

Bondarenko wanted to go to the U.S. too, but not because of the others who went before him. He had made one trip out of Russia, to Chicago, with his Triple A team for a peewee tournament. “The two things I

remember … the first, staying with billets and their kids had chocolate bananas frozen and I loved that … the second was playing this team

from Detroit, don’t know if it was Little Caesars or another, but they beat us real bad, like we never had been beat before, ever.”

And so, the conversation, brief and to the point, between the father and son. Then the purchase of a plane ticket.

Consider how we make our life decisions. Not the randomness of it all, but rather the quirks that come into play. Here is a young man whose

commitment to the game was questioned by his father — or, at the very least, challenged — and whose decision to move thousands of kilometres from home was influenced by chocolate-covered bananas.

Let’s also consider that even certainties in hockey are never so certain as they seem. I remember talking to Alexander Mogilny once. He told me that he was 11 or 12 years old when he was spotted by someone from the Red Army’s hockey program and given a train ticket from Khabarovsk, his hometown on the Chinese border, to Moscow — a distance of more than 8,000 kilometres. Mogilny said he was told that someone would be at the Moscow station waiting for him, and so he set

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

out alone on a train ride that lasted the better part of week. When he arrived in Moscow, no one was there to meet him. When somehow he made his way to the Red Army’s offices, no one knew he was coming or had ever heard of him.

So a 16-year-old flies one-way from Moscow to Denver with not even a contact on the ground, just a spot in a showcase. Well, others have made leaps of faith and not even known.

Bondarenko was skating in a showcase in Denver. He had been in the U.S. only a couple of days. A coach came up to him after the session and handed him a card. The coach started to talk, but Bondarenko made

hand signals, got across he didn’t speak English. They went to Google Translate. The coach, it turned out, wanted him to play for his team in

Washington. Bondarenko thought: The White House. Cut to a couple of days later, and after a phone call with his mother who begged him to

come home, Bondarenko got off a flight in Bremerton. He was in the state of Washington, a city home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards.

He went straight from the airport with his suitcase to the rink. He checked in with the West Sound Warriors in the Northern Pacific Hockey League

— Junior B Lite on the sliding scale. In the dressing room, the players taught him a word. They made him repeat it, then pointed him to the coach and he repeated it to the coach. It’s an epithet that can’t be printed here. The coach bag-skated the team for more than an hour. Bondarenko had no idea it was a punishment, he thought it was business as usual.

He was 16 skating against players up to 19 and 20 years old. “First game with the Warriors, first game on a small rink since that peewee tournament in Chicago, I went to get the puck along the boards and I thought, ‘OK, I have time to turn and look,’ and all of a sudden a guy is on top of me like never had before and I’m thinking, ‘What is this?

There’s no room here.’”

“I can’t just stay in my room like it’s a jail. I’m going to have to meet

people and learn the language.”

He struggled the first few weeks, the only import on a team mostly made

up of kids from the Northwest U.S. And he almost broke right there. “I’m living with a Russian family there but I am alone. I didn’t know anything,

maybe I could make Mr. Noodle but that was it, sort of helpless. After a month I called home and said that I wanted to come home … ‘It’s not what I thought,’ … and my father said, ‘OK, but if you do I don’t want to hear about hockey again, so think it over.’ And I did … I decided to give it a bit more time and I decided that I can’t just stay in my room like it’s a

jail and just leave it to play … that I’m going to have to meet people and learn the language if I’m going to make this work.”

And he made it work, finishing the season with the team. He played 37 games, racked up 50 goals and 101 points, and built his vocabulary at an

even faster pace than his scoring. “I just said, ‘Hey, how you doin’?’ and maybe I don’t understand the answer but I picked up another phrase every day.”

He stayed on in Bremerton for a second season, still billeting, still depending on the kindness of others, but moving up to play for the Wenatchee Wild in the North American Hockey League — say, lo-cal caffeine-free Junior A. This time he wasn’t the only import; there was a kid from Minsk, another from Bratislava and another from Stockholm. They each arrived and lasted a week or two. There were like nine players from Canada and the U.S. who played 10 or fewer games. A Danish kid

lasted the season and played one more in the NAHL, in Witchita Falls, before heading home.

It seemed fitting that teenagers in Bremerton would be ships passing in the night, and it seemed most likely that the youngest, the one furthest

out of his element, wouldn’t stick it out. “I didn’t know that there were so many European players here but you know there was a whole lot of

things that I didn’t know about hockey in the U.S. and Canada … the draft … Canadian junior … USHL … leagues out there that I didn’t know about … don’t know anything.”

What he learned: A few of his American and Canadian teammates on the Wenatchee Wild were banking on getting scholarships to NCAA D-1 schools. After a couple more years of development, they made the grade. This became the path that Bondarenko saw for himself. “It’s what my parents wanted because you don’t know if hockey as a profession is going to work out,” he said.

Neither the West Sound Warriors nor the Wenatchee Wild will retire Ivan Bondarenko’s number or honour him if he ever makes the Show because both teams ceased operations after his last game with them. At this level, it seems, the teams are as ephemeral as the players are portable. In

search of a better opportunity and sunlight, Bondarenko landed with the Aspen Leafs, a Junior A club affiliated with a hockey academy that

played in the Rocky Mountain Hockey League, but he left in mid-season. The program was shuttered later on — maybe he could sense it coming.

Looking for a fourth team in a fourth league in his third year in the U.S., hoping against hope for a place he might settle down and focus on

growing his game, Bondarenko wound up with the Oklahoma City Junior A Blazers of the Western States Hockey League in January 2016. The

league has been around since 1993 and these days has 23 teams in nine states and two Canadian provinces. Over a season on the bus, you’d get to see a good chunk of the continent, with squads from San Diego to Saskatchewan, Seattle to El Paso.

While Bondarenko had been an underage hockey vagabond in the U.S. to that point, he was able to put down at least shallow roots in Oklahoma City. “I saw some video of him and had a pretty good idea that he could play for us, but he became a lot more than just a player,” says Gord Bell, who owned and coached the Blazers that season. “Beyond the skill, which he has an awful lot of, he was a leader. We had a bunch of Euros who didn’t speak English and with the American kids, it was a struggle to get a good culture in the dressing room, but he was the key guy for that. He became a friend of the family — he’s like an uncle to my daughter. After that season, I took him to a hockey camp I run in West Block, Alberta, and he’s gone there every summer — he’s like a legend in that town. To the kids, he’s like the mayor for as long as the camp runs.”

"A chance to see so much"

Bondarenko has no regrets with his decision to see North America on skates.

Bondarenko not only finished the season with Oklahoma City but stuck around two more. By now you get a sense of the whirlwind — teams that

don’t exist anymore, regional leagues that even devout hockey fans don’t track. The Blazers were a relatively new club, but they offered more

stability than the other programs. Founded by Bell in 2014, they were a popular landing spot for European players trying to earn rides to NCAA

schools — in Bondarenko’s first full season in Oklahoma City, 14 other European teens were in the lineup at one point or another. In fact, eight of the top 10 scorers were imports. “The one thing about working [with the Europeans] is that they’re coachable, especially the Russians,” says Gary Gill, who bought the team from Bell and coached Bondarenko in his final season there. “Where they came from, if you don’t listen to the coach, then you don’t play. And the fact is, they’re motivated — they came all this way and paid to do that, so they’re not here to fool around.”

Their hopes of advancing their stock might not be well-founded — none of the 14 seem to have landed scholarships and the best of them are

playing in the low minor-pro leagues in Europe, if they’re playing at all. Bondarenko, though, was in another class, with 61 goals and 126 points

in 49 games, fifth in the league in scoring for the 2017–18 season. He wasn’t inundated with offers but he did get one from a Division 1 school,

Alabama-Huntsville.

“I loved Oklahoma City,” Bondarenko said, pulling out his phone and

flipping through his Facebook account. “They had a rule that you had to go to school there and so they put me in a high school where they had a class for English as a second language … but they put me in just a regular class and I had to learn English as I went … doing four years of classes in two years.”

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I told him that the Blazers’ Gary Gill called him “battle-tested.” I told him that the coach said he “respected him for the way that he defended himself and always turned bad situations into good ones.”

Bondarenko finally found the photo on Facebook and showed me the screen: Ivan Bondarenko, cap and gown, Edmond Memorial High School class of ’16. There wouldn’t ever be a photo from a commencement at Alabama-Huntsville, though. “It was great to meet so many people and learn the language, and going to college is what my parents really wanted, my mother really wanted, but high school wasn’t enough to go to Huntsville because every time I’m writing the ACT I’m getting 18, 19 or

something and I needed 21 to be qualified and no matter how much I tried, and so there’s no Huntsville so I needed someplace to go.”

I told Bondarenko that Gill thought he should have gone to the Federal Hockey League or the Southern Professional Hockey League, pro

circuits below the East Coast Hockey League.

“I think I need some place to play and develop and get stronger,” he said,

“and so that’s how I wound up here.”

And now it’s the Greater Metro Hockey League, which plays out in small

towns like Tillsonburg and in neighbourhood arenas in cities including Toronto, London and Windsor. It’s a pay-for-play junior league, players coughing up $5,000 to $10,000 for a spot on the roster. The Hurricanes are a three-year-old franchise; the league has been around since 2006 and is not recognized by Hockey Canada. Anyone who steps on the ice in the GMHL becomes ineligible to play in the CHL (as well as any Hockey Canada-sanctioned event), but really that’s pretty much a moot point. From the few games I saw, Bondarenko and his buddy, Dmitri Selyutin, would be the only ones who could keep up and at this point they’d be ineligible by virtue of age. The Hurricanes coach, Jason

Dopaco, told me that he has talked to ECHL teams on Bondarenko’s behalf. “If we lose him [to the ECHL] it would be tough for us, but we’re about development here and Ivan’s developing, working out every day.”

I took in a game against London in Tillsonburg on a Friday night in

November, the front-end of a home-and-home — or, at least, what I thought was a game. I kept track as best I could: Selyutin, who had arrived from Moscow 24 hours earlier and had yet to skate in a practice

in North America, was credited with six goals; and Bondarenko had a pair and five assists. The final, 10–1, wasn’t much for the Hurricanes: They

had beaten London 24–0 in the season opener. And, ultimately, it wasn’t a game at all: London filed a protest with the league after the Friday loss

and another shellacking on Saturday. The GMHL president voided both games, ruling that the Hurricanes had used a total of 15 20- and 21-year-

old players, one more than the league rules allow. The games went into the record as London 3, Tillsonburg 0. So when you look at the Dmitri’s

numbers through early February — 67 goals in 24 games — please consider that he put the puck in the net 12 more times than that.

"They’re coachable, especially the Russians"

North American leagues are seeing an influx of Europeans hoping to impress NCAA and pro teams.

After the London “games,” Bondarenko unpacked his season with Tillsonburg, which had been a weird one, even by the standards of the GMHL and other junior leagues that play out below the public’s radar. The Hurricanes were the league’s black hats, rebels and bad-asses in the fashion of Al Davis’s Raiders, the clerical slip-up on the forfeits

versus London, notwithstanding. And Tillsonburg owned the second-best record in the southern division through the first three months, behind only

the St. George Ravens. What you get in the GMJHL are only occasionally beautiful moments in only occasionally competitive games.

Everything you learn from — the good, the bad,” Bondarenko says. “Sometimes early in the season we had a short bench, 12 skaters, and I

play 40 minutes or maybe more and after my arms and legs are spaghetti … and sometimes games are like this, so you don’t know.”

I didn’t want to be pessimistic but I had to ask him: “What if this is all there is?”

I thought he might take offence. Not even close. “I’ve had a chance to play the game I love. I’ve had a chance to see so much,” he said.

Included in that “so much” would be a military shipyard in Bremerton, the snowcapped peaks in Aspen and horse-drawn carriages on the roads outside Tillsonburg.“I’ve learned another language and graduated from a high school, I met my girlfriend — I’ll have no regrets, no matter what’s next,” he said.

I can guarantee he had no idea what was going to come next. And that, as always, suited Bondarenko just fine.

In November, I went to see the Hurricanes play a game against a team

out by York University in Toronto. When the team got off the bus, Bondarenko was on crutches. He had suffered a broken ankle the night

before in a game against the Niagara Whalers in Tillsonburg. He had a date with an orthopaedic surgeon on Monday. For the moment, ankle

and foot were too swollen to get fitted into more than a temporary cast.

The Hurricanes had been up 9–1 against Niagara in the third. Dmitri

Selyutin had three goals and two assists; Bondarenko a pair and three apples. The Whalers weren’t happy and went after the Russians —

slashes to spears to a slew foot away from the puck and ultimately for Bondarenko, a charge, a deliberate attempt to injure, while a skate got stuck in a rut. “No penalty, no video, no suspension,” he said.

He hobbled up the steps and parked in the seats. “I sit here until February. Back for the playoffs, I hope.” So there would be no ECHL or even hopes thereof this season. He smiled anyway. He told me that he was going to make the best of his time out of the lineup, that he was going to see the girl he met in Oklahoma City, that he was going to stay with her family. “She thought I was an asshole when I met her last winter,” he explained.

In early February, Ivan Bondarenko put on skates for the first time in two months. He still has screws and a metal plate in his ankle and no

guarantee that he’ll be back for the playoffs. The first round opens this month, but that seems a long shot; he has a much better chance of

getting back in a later round, pointing to a a match-up in the South Division final against St. George, who are on a 29-game win streak at

this printing. Still, maybe his season ended in Niagara. Maybe. His story doesn’t, though, not even if he can’t line up a spot in the Federal Hockey League, not even if he can’t get a tryout with the Southern Professional League. He won’t be going back to Moscow with nothing to show for his time in North America. If he’s going back at all, it will be to visit.

Tatiana Bondarenko’s cellphone rang.

Skype.

Her son.

It was late.

Not normal.

He’d put off the call for days.

He had to work up the nerve.

“Mother, I got married.”

“What? Who?”

“A girl I met in Oklahoma.”

“You’re in Oklahoma?”

“No, I’m in Dallas, Texas.”

“You got married and you didn’t tell us?”

“And we’re having a baby.”

“Sergey!”

That was Tatiana waking up her husband.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

“Talk to him,” she told Sergey, whose eyes were barely open.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

Ivan and Katie Bondarenko tied the knot in January. Their story continues.

“Chto eto?”

“What is it”

The son talked.

Of course the son talked.

About the girl, now his wife, soon to be a mother, Katie McGhee-

Bondarenko.

Maybe the only hairdresser in Dallas doing a Russian Rosetta Stone course.

Sergey talked to his son and handed the phone back to Tatiana.

Sergey went back to sleep.

Tatiana talked to Ivan for an hour.

She calmed down but was up until morning.

Sergey woke up hours later.

“Eto byl son, kotoryy zval Ivan?” he said.

“Was that a dream that Ivan called?”

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Sportsnet.ca / Flames looking inward for answers to goaltending

questions

Eric Francis

February 17, 2019, 4:21 PM

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames are looking for a starting goaltender.

No, not via the trade market. From within. The question is which one will start in the playoffs.

Mike Smith’s early struggles, combined with David Rittich’s steady brilliance, have prompted many to conclude the Flames are poised to

start the playoffs with the latter.

Not necessarily so, says coach Bill Peters, much to the chagrin of a fan

base convinced Rittich is the club’s next Miikka Kiprusoff.

Smith is coming off solid, back-to-back efforts in Florida and Pittsburgh

that were chiefly responsible for snapping the club’s recent funk, snagging three of four points.

In those games the lanky veteran exhibited the type of aggressiveness and swagger that made him an NHL all-star last year.

Those showings are part of an ongoing rehabilitation of sorts for the 36-year-old who has openly discussed his fight to regain his confidence and form. Of late he’s quashed his early trend of giving up a softie almost nightly and become a steady alternative to the second-year Czech star.

Flames fans had written Smith off early this season when his late-season struggles last year carried into the fall, culminating with a horrific gaffe at home Nov. 15 against Montreal that cost the Flames the game.

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It opened the door for Rittich to play saviour, going on a strong run to emerge as one of the league’s most prolific netminders.

However, Smith’s renowned work ethic and determination have led to a

revival that has likely ended any thoughts GM Brad Treliving may have had about upgrading his tandem by the trade deadline. Further, he may

be able to change the Flames’ goalie narrative moving forward.

Many would be shocked to learn Smith has quietly posted better

numbers than Rittich the last three months.

Yes, take the opening two months out of the equation and Smith has

actually had a better goals-against average (2.78 vs. 3.13) and save percentage (.903 vs. .896) since late November. He even has more wins

in that stretch, posting a 10-4-1 record compared to Rittich’s 9-1-3 mark.

Since Jan. 1 their numbers are almost identical, aside from wins and losses (Smith is at 4-3-1 while Rittich is at 7-1-2). In either case, it’s evident both have been a big part of the team’s meteoric rise to tops in the west. Yet, ask anyone outside Calgary whether they think the Flames are a legitimate Cup contender and most will point first at their questions in net.

Is Smith capable of returning to all-star form when it matters most?

Is Rittich capable of handling the pressure when it’s ratcheted up even higher?

Peters said he’s far from made up his mind on who will get the chance to prove naysayers wrong in April.

"We’ve got lots of hockey left – lots of things are going to happen over the next (23) games," said the coach."We have a plan in place and we

had a plan in place from the start of the year and we followed it as close as we could for the most part."

Okay, truthfully though, did the first-half plan go anywhere near the way he expected?

"No, it didn’t," he said with a smile, clearly not expecting he would have pressed Rittich into duty so often.

"There’s ‘x’ amount of minutes we want to make sure each guy gets and

they’re close to playing similar minutes. We’re going to need everybody – we keep saying that.

"With the amount of travel we’re doing and back-to-backs you need two."

Would he go into the playoffs with the 1a/1b strategy he’s employed for

months?

"No, not then," said Peters.

So, the audition continues, despite the assumption from a fan base that has a hard time believing the reality that their favourite son – Rittich – won’t necessarily be that guy.

"It has been kind of an up and down year and it’s that time of year everyone wants to amp up their game and I’m no different," said Smith following his stellar 34-save win in Pittsburgh Saturday.

"I’m determined to get back to the form I’m capable of and get this team into the playoffs and make a good run. What’s happened in the past now

is done and over with – you can’t take that back.

"I’ve been battling hard in practice and it’s starting to pay off in games.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

"It feels nice to play. It has been a while since I got back-to-back games, so it’s nice to get a rhythm going and feel good about where my game is at."

He wasn’t able to say that earlier this season when it looked at times like his career might be careening to an end.

"I think it has been quite a while now," said Smith when asked how long he’s been happy with his game.

"I think I won 9 of 11 (ending Jan. 18) and then it seemed like I wasn’t playing very much after that, so it was tough to get into games and get in a rhythm."

He’s started just six of the team’s last 16 games, going 3-2-1.

"Since the all-star game I thought I played really well in Washington and my next game I came in against San Jose and thought I played well.

"My game feels like it’s there – it’s just about getting the opportunity and taking advantage of it. The last couple games I’ve done that. Hopefully I can keep it going."

For the first time this season Rittich (20-5-5) has faltered slightly of late, winning just one of his four starts since the break. He’ll have to wait until after Monday afternoon in Calgary when Arizona comes calling, as Smith will be the starter once more for that match up.

While Rittich will be given equal opportunity down the stretch to return to

form, Smith (15-11-2) hasn’t lost faith in his ability to be the playoff starter.

"It’s such a long season that you can’t say one way or the other at this point in the season," he said of the eventual playoff starter.

"You have two guys I think are capable of playing games – you want to be in the net and that competition makes each of us better.

"I’m going to do everything I can to be the guy and be an important part of this team moving forward. I’ve played in the playoffs before and would like to do it again.

There’s nothing like playing the playoffs – it’s a different ball game. I’m excited about the opportunity of being on a team that’s going to make it and being a big part of that."

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Sportsnet.ca / Flames Thoughts: Flames return home to prepare for

trade deadline

Derek Wills

February 18, 2019, 12:38 AM

The Calgary Flames wrapped up four-game road trip with 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday.

Now the club returns home for three games at the Scotiabank Saddledome before what could be a busy trade deadline.

Here are some thoughts on where things stand for the Flames with the deadline only one week away.

FLAMES STOP THE BLEEDING

The Flames went into the all-star break and their bye week red-hot but

cooled-off considerably during their nine-day hiatus.

During the month of January, the Flames took advantage of a soft schedule by finding ways to win games against inferior teams even when they were far from being at their best. By finishing the first month of 2019 with a 9-1-1 record, the Flames opened a six-point lead on the San Jose Sharks for first place in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference.

But, by going 1-3-2 in their first six games of February following their break, the Flames’ lead in the standings disappeared. As a matter of fact, they briefly fell out of top spot in the conference for the first time since Jan. 1 and the division for the first time since Nov. 28.

And their recent four game road trip didn’t start off any better.

The Flames played poorly in a 6-3 loss to the league-leading Lightning in

Tampa on Feb. 12, and weren’t much better in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers in Sunrise two nights later.

By going winless (0-1-2) to start a four-game road trip, the meeting against the Penguins was an important one for the Flames. A loss would

have stretched their season-long losing streak to five games and would have added to the team’s frustrations. A win would not only avenge an

embarrassing 9-1 loss to the Penguins in Calgary on Oct. 25 but would stop the bleeding and give the Flames something to build on going into their three-game home stand.

While it wasn’t easy, the Flames found a way to hold on for a 5-4 win in Pittsburgh, matching or exceeding the desperation of a Penguins team that is surprisingly fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — they currently hold a one point lead in the wild card race.

The Flames’ embarrassing eight-goal loss to the Penguins in October was important in turning their season around. Saturday’s one-goal win may prove to be equally as important.

SMITH’S RESURGENCE

Despite being four games above .500, Mike Smith has been the whipping

boy for many Flames fans and even some members of the media this season.

To Smith’s credit, he’s somehow managed to keep his chin up, at least publicly, through some on-ice struggles and an increasing amount of off-

ice criticism.

In the first half of the season, Smith gave up some goals that he shouldn’t have. On two or three occasions, he gave up bad goals at bad times and cost the Flames games.

While the 36-year-old has had a few hiccups since, I think he slowly started to turn things around in late-November. Most didn’t seem to see it that way and for some fans and members of the media, Smith could do no right and his partner, David Rittich, who until recently, was statistically one of the top-10 goaltenders in the league this season, could do no wrong.

Prior to the last two games, which I’ll get to in a moment, for most observers there was a Grand Canyon-sized gap between the Flames’

two goaltenders. But statistically, there hasn’t been since late-November. As a matter of fact, here are the numbers for Rittich and Smith between

Nov. 25 and Feb. 13.

In Rittich’s defence, he played more games against good teams than

Smith did during that stretch, so these statistics don’t tell the whole story — but they do tell a story.

Much like some of his teammates, Rittich is in a bit of a funk right now and I’m confident that he’ll fight through what has been the first adversity that he’s faced this season and be a better player because of it. I truly believe Rittich is the Flames’ goaltender of the future. The question is, is he the team’s goaltender of the present? Right now, the answer is no — but that could change as soon as Monday, when the Flames face the Arizona Coyotes.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

On the other hand Smith was outstanding in his last two outings, stopping 30 of 32 shots against the Panthers and 34 of 38 in the victory over the Penguins. As a reward for that strong play, Smith will be between the pipes to face his former team on Monday, marking the first time since late October that he’ll get three-straight starts.

If you listen to Flames games or to my morning and afternoon hits on Sportsnet 960 The FAN, you’ll know that I’ve been saying that Smith has been slowly trending in the right direction for quite some time. With that said, in the last two games, he’s looked like the guy who stole a bunch of games and played like an elite goaltender for the Flames for most of the

first-half of last season.

Technically, Smith has done a fantastic job tracking the puck and putting

himself in position to be square to shooters which has minimized rebounds and secondary scoring chances for Flames’ opponents.

Smith has also done a great job playing the puck, and if you don’t think that matters, you’re wrong. When you play the puck as much as Smith

does, you are going to make mistakes, but trust me when I tell you that the positives of him playing the puck (minimizing hits of his defenceman,

making it more difficult for opponents to forecheck and fueling the Flames’ already deadly transition game) far outweigh the negatives (occasional giveaways resulting in scoring chances against).

Those are the tangible things that have helped Smith turn his season around. The intangible things are the increasing confidence and swagger that he’s been feeling.

Since early-December, Rittich has been the Flames’ No. 1 goaltender, and deservedly so. But as I’ve been preaching all season, the team is going to need both of their goaltenders to play well to get to where they want to go this season — deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Smith’s play, especially of late, has created an internal competition between him and Rittich for starts. Internal competition is good and I

believe it will bring the best out of two incredibly competitive players.

Last season, the Capitals wouldn’t have won the Metropolitan Division

without Philipp Grubauer, who took over as the team’s No. 1 netminder when Braden Holtby struggled during the regular season. With that said,

they certainly wouldn’t have won the Stanley Cup without Holtby, who replaced Grubauer as the starter two games into the playoffs and led them to their first championship.

For teams and for players, it’s not about how you start a season, it’s about how you finish. While it’s way too early to suggest that Smith will be this season’s Holtby, don’t be surprised if he plays a significant role for the Flames down the stretch or if he’s in net for the first game of the playoffs. I’m fascinated to see how what’s become a bit of a soap opera plays out.

Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season,

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SURGING BOTTOM SIX

In the first-half of the season, offensively, the Flames relied heavily on five players – Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm,

Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano. Since returning from their mid-season break, four of those five guys have struggled to produce, with

Lindholm being the exception. Below are the points-per-game splits for the Flames’ top-five scorers before and after the break:

Before Break After Break

Johnny Gaudreau 1.43 0.71

Sean Monahan 1.20 0.71

Elias Lindholm 1.14 1.14

Matthew Tkachuk 1.12 0.14

Mark Giordano 1.06 0.43

While it’s only a matter of time until Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk and Giordano start producing more points (they’re too good not to), luckily for the Flames, their bottom six forwards have stepped-up since the break. Below are their point-per-game splits from before and after the all-star break and bye week:

Before Break After Break

Austin Czarnik 0.21 1.00

Derek Ryan 0.32 1.00

James Neal 0.24 0.50

Sam Bennett 0.39 0.43

Mark Jankowski 0.42 0.43

Andrew Mangiapane 0.08 0.43

Garnet Hathaway 0.16 0.29

While the splits for Bennett and Jankowski aren’t night and day, overall, the bottom-six has been a lot more productive of late. Assuming that continues and the top-starts scoring again, the Flames depth is going to difficult to deal with.

BIG WEEK

In addition to hosting three winnable games at Scotiabank Saddledome this week versus the 26-27-5 Coyotes on Monday, the surprisingly-good

Metropolitan Division-leading 35-17-6 Islanders on Wednesday and the surprisingly-bad 22-27-9 Ducks on Friday, the Flames, for the first time in

years, will be buyers at the trade deadline, which is Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. MT.

Here are the top three players on my wish list for the Flames:

1. Mark Stone, Senators

One of the leading candidates for the Selke Trophy, Stone, in his prime at 26, is one of the best two-way wingers in the NHL, which rarely become rarely become available at this stage of their careers.

Gaudreau, Monahan and Lindholm have been one of the best first lines in the NHL this season and Tkachuk, Backlund and Stone would give the team one of the best second lines in the league. While the acquisition cost would be high, likely the team’s first-round pick in 2019, either Dillon Dube or Oliver Kylington (I don’t think the Flames would part with Rasmus Andersson or Juuso Valimaki for a player who could be a

rental), and maybe more, Stone is a player that could put them over the top in a wide-open Western Conference. As an added bonus, Stone’s

younger brother Michael plays for the Flames.

2. Mats Zuccarello, Rangers

Depending on the severity of James Neal’s lower-body injury, the Flames may be forced to add a winger before next Monday’s trade deadline.

While Zuccarello hasn’t had a great regular season, historically, he’s been a player who’s been at his best in the playoffs. The Rangers, clearly

in a rebuild, are looking to sell. While Zuccarello isn’t as sexy as some of the other players rumoured to be available at the deadline, he’s a winger who could play up and down the line-up, would be an immediate upgrade to the Flames’ bottom-nine forwards and could be acquired for significantly less than Stone and other high-profile pending free agents.

3. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

With the Wild currently in a playoffs spot, few look at them as a seller approaching the trade deadline, but ownership has reportedly given general manager Paul Fenton the autonomy to do what he wants to do on or before Feb. 25.

Ideally, the Flames will add a versatile forward with size, the ability to score and some playoff experience before the deadline. Staal checks all

three boxes. The 34-year-old member of the Triple Gold Club with gold

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NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 18, 2019

medals with Canada at the World Championships in 2007, Olympics in 2010 and a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, is a pending UFA with a cap hit of only $3.4 million dollars. He would be a great under-the-radar add for most contenders, including the Flames, at the deadline.

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