#( associate. / && chris mackinnon )

[lostsullivans]

Bullet Sullivan’s Pertinent People Cheat Sheet

It’s sort of dawned on me that this might be a good way to go as far as quickly explaining connections here and across my other blogs ( NOTE: these are just my muses/NPCs. Bullet has many connections to other people’s muses, who will not be included here. )

BLOOD RELATIONS:

Kelly Sullivan - Father ( generally imprisoned in New York with his brother John; bestower of her nickname. )

Florence (Darcy) Sullivan - Mother ( generally incarcerated back in New Mexico; main perpetrator of how and why Bullet uses her looks to get what she wants. )

Robert “Pops” Sullivan - Grandfather ( city councilman in NYC; connections with mob members while he touts that he’s ‘tough on crime’; adopted her in her later teens; didn’t approve of Kelly’s marriage to Florence, so he doesn’t approve of Bullet. Just used her for sympathy. )

John Sullivan - Uncle ( Stuck with Kelly in prison. )

Riva Darcy - Aunt ( Looks out for Bullet when she’s in town; personal hero; detests the Sullivan clan. Tried to adopt Bullet herself until Robert got in the way. )

Francis “Frankie” Sullivan - Cousin ( son of John; kept Bullet alive during their teen years; he is much more like an asshole brother to Bullet than cousin and it shows. )

Ruby Lee Solo - Daughter ( in specified verses )

Penelope “Penny” Faith Solo - Daughter ( in specified verses )

LOVERS:

Donny Wilson - Grown ass married man with kids / Ranch hand ( had no business messing around with Bullet Sullivan at the age she was when they did. Ran out of town when people began to suspect things )

Bradley “Brad” Lincoln - Friend / associate of Frankie’s ( Friend too, more than lover, but                                             they have a complex relationship. )

Shaun Patrick Conlon - Son of a Sullivan associate ( Assumed deceased; Frankie set Bullet up with the idea of seducing and distracting Shaun. It didn’t work the way he hoped. )

Edward “Eddie” James Armstrong - Best friend to Shaun ( For fun while she was in town. She liked how sweet he could be to her. )

Charlemagne Claudius Christopher “Chris” MacKinnon - Trust fund brat / ‘friend’ of Jacob Stack ( verse dependent. business and fun. Bad things. )

Lilah Beckwith - First ‘girlfriend’ ( actually Frankie’s girlfriend at the time. Oops. )

FRIENDS:

Raymond “Ray” Walker - Friend ( tries to keep neutral, and keep her out of trouble )

Kotone “KT” Mori  - Long-suffering employee at The Blue Lounge ( mama hen type. Looks after Bullet as best she can. )

Murphy “Murph” Taggart - Bar owner/Perpetual fuck-up/Sullivan associate ( These two have a weird relationship, but it’s friendly overall )

Lochlan “Loch” Taggart - Brother of perpetual fuck-up/reluctant Sullivan associate ( Treats Bullet like a human being, so of course she’s a little sweet on him. )

ANTAGONISTS:

Jacob Michael Stack - Employer / Man who enjoys her misery ( verse dependent )

Louise Danielle “Lou” Wolfe - Completely unaware of reason to feud ( verse dependent; Bullet irrationally (and maybe sometimes rationally) despises Lou; Lou is generally apathetic in return. )

Dominic “Dom” Brennan Conlon - Protective older brother / son of an idiot ( refused to be swayed by Bullet’s charms )

[randomaccessmemory]

FILM4, BFI & SHINE PRESENT JONAH Mbwana and his best friend Juma are two young men with big dreams. These dreams become reality when they photograph a gigantic fish leaping out of the sea and their small town blossoms into a tourist hot-spot as a result. But for Mbwana, the reality isn't what he dreamed – and when he meets the fish again, both of them forgotten, ruined and old, he decides only one of them can survive. Jonah is a big fish story about the old and the new, and the links and the distances between them. A visual feast, shot though with humour and warmth, it tells an old story in a completely new way. A Stray Bear Production in association with Jellyfish Pictures From the imagination of Factory Fifteen Directed by Kibwe Tavares Written by Jack Thorne Produced by Ivana MacKinnon Starring Daniel Kaluuya Malachi Kirby and Louis Mahoney Town VFX: Factory Fifteen Fish VFX: Jellyfish Pictures Executive Producers - Katherine Butler, Ollie Madden, Chris Collins, Phil Dobree, Eva Yates Co-Producer Fiz Oliver Line Producer – Sarah Jane Wheale Editor - Adam Biskupski Cinematographer - Chloe Thomson Production Designer: Paul Nicholls and Jonathan Gales Fish Concept Art – Warren Holder Composer – Mark Sayfritz Sound Design - Jens Petersen Sound Recordist – Will Whale Costume Designer– Celia Lusted Casting Directors – Saheen Baig & Aisha Walters

[your-dietician]

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/what-will-espns-coverage-of-the-nhl-look-like-next-season/

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

The network’s coverage starts with the July 21 Seattle expansion draft, hosted by Chris Fowler on ESPN2. John Buccigross will host the NHL Draft two days later. Those shows will be produced by NHL Network.

When Gross spoke over the phone this past week, ESPN (which reportedly paid $410 million a year for seven years of NHL rights) and Turner ($225 million a year over the same period) still hadn’t divvied the games. The NHL had yet to release its 2021-22 schedule. Its puck- and player-tracking data has not seen the light of day.

“One thing we’re trying to get our arms around is what analytics teams and coaches use to showcase in our game coverage, our studio coverage,” Gross said. “Camera positions is another thing we’re looking at, talking to the league to see how we can showcase and document the games.”

Strategy and speed are the buzzwords Gross hears in his daily conversations with NHL people. Capturing both, while serving hard-core fans, hooking viewers from the massive pool of casual sports viewers who don’t give hockey much thought, attracting diverse genders and backgrounds . . . all are among Gross’s concerns.

“There has to be a level of entertainment without it being forced,” he said. “There’s really nothing worse on TV than forced fun. We have to find our spots, when we get [Chris] Chelios and [Mark] Messier together, who have a relationship. We’ll mix and match with other folks.”

Chelios and Messier, along with Steve Levy, will likely work the major events. “We know how that works,” Gross said. Hearing the two Hall of Famers, owners of some sharp elbows, chime in on player safety decisions should be interesting.

While he may not be hockey’s answer to Charles Barkley, Chelios does seem like a straight shooter. In a phone call, he acknowledged he wasn’t looking for a gig when he reached out to ESPN after the announcement. He was calling as a dad, hoping that his daughter, Lightning TV reporter Caley Chelios, was on the network’s radar.

“I like to think I’ll call it like it is,” said Chelios, 59, “Even though it’s a little different than when I played, hockey’s hockey.”

Messier, Chelios, Hilary Knight, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall were among the first names Gross mentioned when speaking about his roster, but a lineup has yet to be solidified. He noted that women will be featured prominently in on-air roles.

The list of local connections is long, from Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.), A.J. Mleczko (Nantucket/Harvard), former Red Sox play-by-play man Sean McDonough (Boston), Buccigross (who has Boston roots), Rick DiPietro (Winthrop/Boston University), ex-Boston College Eagles Blake Bolden and Bob Wischusen, and Emily Kaplan, a former Globie.

Gross said another fan favorite from the past, play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne, remains an option. He spoke with the agent for Thorne, 73, this past week.

“We’re not done yet,” Gross said. “We want to see what the schedule looks like, and what other decisions we have to make. We still have time.”

What’s the game-changing idea that will separate ESPN? It won’t be glow pucks and robots (fun as they were for younger fans in the ’90s). What’s hockey’s version of the K-Zone?

“Some people thought the first-and-10 line would be too intrusive,” Gross mused. “Now you can’t really watch a game without it.”

AWARD SEASON

One voter’s ballot in depth

Connor McDavid became the first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky in 1982, collecting all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy.DARRYL DYCK/Associated Press

I consider it a privilege to vote on year-end NHL awards as part of my duties with the Professional Hockey Writers Association. I’m not alone. My peers and I want to get it right.

When it came to this season’s MVP, I believe we did.

Connor McDavid earned all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy, becoming the second unanimous MVP ever (Wayne Gretzky, 1982). McDavid’s 105 points in 56 games goes down as one of the most dominant seasons in league history. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else.

In the voting bloc — trimmed from about 175 to 100 members, and dispersed regionally to address imbalances created by the divisional-only schedule — we saw some refreshingly progressive thinking, and as always, some strange calls. One Edmonton writer voted McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, second for the Selke. Draisaitl made strides this season, but it would be generous to call him an above-average defensive forward, much less elite.

In this space last year, I delved into my methodology, which blends in-person viewings, video study, and number-crunching. Obviously this season, I relied more on the latter two. I was among the few beat writers who traveled all season, but I only watched the East Division up close.

My ballot, and some quick takes:

Hart Trophy — 1. McDavid; 2. Auston Matthews; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Aleksander Barkov; 5. Brad Marchand.

Relatively easy calls. McDavid was incredible, and the other four were the driving forces on good teams. Marchand was ranked as high as No. 2 on six ballots.

Norris Trophy — 1. Adam Fox; 2. Cale Makar; 3. Charlie McAvoy; 4. Dougie Hamilton; 5. MacKenzie Weegar.

A youth movement, and an ECAC/Hockey East top three. Makar (UMass) missed 12 games, or 21 percent of the season, leaving the door open for Fox (Harvard), who was the Rangers’ MVP in his second season. McAvoy (BU) might be the best five-on-five defender in the game. Weegar opened eyes after Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Eleven blue liners earned top-three votes. Victor Hedman was down-ballot for me, after an injury-plagued regular season. Don’t ask me why someone gave Kris Letang a first-place vote. Fun fact: Fox is the first player of Jewish descent to win a major NHL award.

Calder Trophy — 1. Kirill Kaprizov; 2. Jason Robertson; 3. Alex Nedeljkovic; 4. Josh Norris; 5. Igor Shesterkin.

Kaprizov (27 goals and 51 points in 55 games) was a slam dunk, though Robertson had a brief midseason run that made it interesting.

Lady Byng Trophy — 1. Jaccob Slavin; 2. Jared Spurgeon; 3. Barkov; 4. Roope Hintz; 5. Johnny Gaudreau.

I’ve said before that writers should not vote for this. Referees should. Slavin, an elite defender playing heavy minutes, committed one penalty all season (for shooting the puck over the glass). Good enough for me.

Selke Trophy — 1. Barkov; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Joel Eriksson Ek; 4. Phillip Danault; 5. Joe Pavelski.

Barkov had a strong MVP case, but his 200-foot excellence was properly recognized here. Bergeron is still Bergeron. Could see Danault, after his lockdown playoffs, be front of mind for a lot of voters next season.

The PWHA does not vote on the Vezina Trophy (the general managers selected Marc-Andre Fleury), but we do pick the year-end All-Star teams. My goalies, in order, were Andrei Vasilevskiy, Fleury, and Juuse Saros. We also pick All-Rookie teams. I had Kaprizov, Robertson, and Norris as my forwards, Ty Smith and K’Andre Miller as my defensemen, and Nedeljkovic in goal.

ETC.

League will not rush to judgment

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is waiting for an independent review of the Blackhawks alleged cover-up of sexual abuse before proceeding.Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

The alleged cover-up of sexual assault by the Blackhawks was the leading topic in Gary Bettman’s annual pre-Stanley Cup Final news conference this past week. Rightfully so.

Bettman said the league learned of the allegations “relatively recently” and will wait for an independent review.

According to a lawsuit filed in May, a former Blackhawks player alleges he and another player were assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 championship run. The team’s leadership, which included current GM Stan Bowman, were allegedly informed of the incident by then-skills coach Paul Vincent, whom the players had told.

Aldrich later worked at a high school in Michigan, where he was convicted of sexual assault involving a student. He is now on Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Multiple ex-Blackhawks, including Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo (then with the Flyers), and Brent Sopel, spoke out this past week. One unnamed player told The Athletic that “every guy on the team knew.” Captain Jonathan Toews took issue with that, telling that outlet he didn’t hear about the allegations until the end of that summer. He said he couldn’t say for sure if the team “mishandled” the situation.

Bettman, a former lawyer, pumped the brakes. “Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next,” he said. “I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right.”

Let’s hope so.

Beijing Olympics not a given

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL has concerns over the feasibility of sending players to the Olympics next winter.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Later in his Q&A, Bettman shared the league’s “real concerns” over whether it was “sensible” to have a two-week shutdown for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Wait, what?

After sitting out 2018 — and watching interest in Olympic hockey wane — the NHL and NHLPA last summer collectively bargained to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, pending further agreement with both parties, the IIHF, and IOC. But there is no plan yet.

COVID-19 variants remain a worry, and NBC isn’t likely to lobby on the NHL’s inclusion following the expiration of the TV deal. The NHL hopes to release its 2021-22 schedule shortly after the Cup Final.

“Time is running very short,” Bettman said, which came as disappointing news to Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

“The Olympics is one of the biggest dreams of mine and I haven’t been able to participate in one. This might be the last chance I get. That sucks to hear,” said Hedman, who was left off Team Sweden in 2014. “When you get an opportunity to represent your country on the biggest stage, it’s one of those things that you’ll probably never forget. For me, it’s obviously something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life and something I want to do before I hang up my skates.”

Pride working on title defense

The Boston Pride, two-time Isobel Cup winners, are preparing a title defense for 2021-22.Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are deep into an Isobel Cup summer, hauling the trophy from New England lake houses to the Grand Canyon.

As he preps for a title defense, coach Paul Mara is playing his cards close. After a few defections, he’s using his newfound salary-cap space — the league doubled the ceiling to $300,000 — to bring in some outside help.

“Working on a few things,” he said.

The NWHL is feeling momentum entering its seventh season. An influx of sponsorship dollars, visibility from its Isobel Cup playoffs broadcast on NBCSN, and a lot of player raises have elevated the mood.

Since last month, the four franchises under league control — the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps — were sold to private owners, making it a league of six independent clubs. Expansion is on the horizon, with Montreal a primary target.

Also notable: This past week’s draft, which was streamed on Twitch, included appearances from a range of pro sports personalities, including NHL league and team executives, and USA Hockey reps. The NWHL hasn’t always had such vocal support.

For all the growth, players aren’t yet earning a living wage. Contracts are yearly. Outside opportunities create a talent drain.

The Pride lost president Hayley Moore to the AHL (vice president of hockey operations), replacing her with 1998 US Olympian Colleen Coyne. They are searching for a GM, after Karilyn Pilch this past week signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks’ scouting and player development department.

They also need a few good forwards. Mary Parker, Carlee Turner, and Lexie Laing departed for job and school reasons. Czech standout Tereza Vanisova signed with Leksands IF in Sweden, which will better help her participate in a demanding Olympic training schedule.

League MVP Jillian Dempsey, recovered from shoulder surgery, returns with All-Star linemates McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna, the No. 1 defense pair of Kaleigh Fratkin (two-time NWHL Defender of the Year) and Mallory Souliotis, and netminders Lovisa Selander and Victoria Hanson. That crew, plus whomever Mara can lure to town, should keep the Pride near the top of the standings.

Unlike last season, when the Pride got a boost from No. 1 overall pick Sammy Davis (BU) and six drafted rookies, the draft won’t have a major impact. Because they lost their 2021 first- and second-round picks when they traded up to select Davis, and dealt their third-rounder to Buffalo for future considerations, the Pride picked in the fourth and fifth rounds (Weston’s Finley Frechette and Beverly’s Abby Nearis, both forwards).

The NWHL’s player pool was thinned after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility, leading many of the top draft-eligible players to return to school. Because of that, Boston isn’t the only team that believes next year’s draft will be loaded.

Loose pucks

Bruce Cassidy (left) has been promoting from within, with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo (center) leaving for Boston University.Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Bruins have promoted from within of late, calling up coaches from Providence and the player development ranks. It makes sense that fourth-year P-Bruins coach Jay Leach would replace Jay Pandolfo on Bruce Cassidy’s staff, but player development staffers Chris Kelly and Jamie Langenbrunner will also get a look. Like Pandolfo, they were two-way forwards with long NHL résumés . . . As for Pandolfo, the move to BU gives him a shorter path to a head coaching gig. Albie O’Connell, who is entering the final year of his deal, has had a spotty run . . . Bruins strength and conditioning assistant Kenny Whittier also made the move to BU . . . A few first-timers joined NHL benches this past week, including two ex-players, Alex Tanguay (Detroit assistant) and Tuomo Ruutu (Florida assistant), and André Tourigny (Arizona coach). The latter move was particularly interesting, for a league that often recycles head coaches . . . Toews, after a year out of the spotlight with a mysterious illness, is back on the ice. He posted a video message to fans after a practice, saying doctors told him he has “chronic immune response syndrome,” a catch-all term for constant, debilitating stress reactions. Still dealing with a few symptoms, the Blackhawks’ captain believes the condition was brought on by a nasty bout with COVID-19 in February 2020, before the pandemic hit in full; the toll of 13 NHL seasons; and the year-round hockey training schedule he’s followed since he was a young teenager. “I think there’s a lot of things that just piled up,” he said, “where my body just fell apart.” He hopes to return in October . . . Edmonton trimmed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s $6 million cap hit, but took a beating on term, when it locked up the No. 2 center to an eight-year, $41 million deal with a full no-move clause. He will be 36 when it expires. “No contract is perfect,” GM Ken Holland acknowledged . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s take on game jersey ads, which are coming to the NHL sooner rather than later: “If we look like Formula One or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me.” . . . Glad to see college athletes everywhere get a chance to make some cash off their name and image, following the Supreme Court’s hammering of the paternalistic NCAA. A small step, long overdue.

Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.

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[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON - VOLUME 12

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The life of a hockey executive never ends... Oh sure it slows down, but all the coaches and management in professional hockey are all working to construct and hopefully improve their rosters for the 2019-20 season. PLAYERS AND COACHING MOVEMENT The New York Rangers inked their first-round (Second overall) draft pick, Kaapo Kakko, to the standard max Entry-Level Contract of three years at $925K-NHL/$70K-AHL. Last Wednesday, the Rangers signed two more players destined for Hartford. Philippe Di Guiseppe played with four teams last year, two of them in the NHL (Carolina, Nashville) and two of them in the AHL (Charlotte, Milwaukee). He was signed to a one-year/one-way $700K contract. He was originally drafted by Carolina in 2012 in the second round, 38th overall. Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Gunnery Prep) was given a one-year, AHL deal. He played ten games and earned a goal and four points at the end of last season with the Wolf Pack after completing his four-year collegiate career at UMASS-Lowell (HE). While playing in college, he registered 67 points in 132 games with the River Hawks. The Detroit Red Wings have released the details of the annual Traverse City Prospects Tournament. The tourney will be held September 6th -10th. The Rangers will play in the Ted Lindsay Division with the prospects for Columbus, Dallas, and Minnesota. The Gordie Howe Division will feature Chicago, St. Louis, Toronto, and host Detroit. The round-robin tournament will be the first look at team prospects playing in actual game action. Ex-Pack/Ranger, Artem Anisimov, was traded on Tuesday to Ottawa for forward, Zack Smith. Former CT Whale / Ranger, Michael Del Zotto signs with one of his three teams from last season, the Anaheim Ducks. His deal is for one-year very cap friendly $750K one Sway deal. He ended last season the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues but played no games in the Finals. Ryan Donato, the son of ex-Pack and Sound Tiger, Ted Donato, signs a two-year, one-way deal paying him $1.9 million per year with Minnesota. Ex-Pack, Michael Joly, signed a one-year AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles. Ex-Pack goalie, Charles Williams signs with Indy (ECHL). One-time New Haven Nighthawk, Willie O’Ree, will likely add his last major award of the last few years as he is expected to receive a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his being the first black player in NHL history. O’Ree, a long-time San Diego resident was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Former CT Whale VP of Marketing, Bob Ohrablo, remains as team President of the Jacksonville IceMen (ECHL) who were sold to a new management team last week. Hartford Whaler legend, Ron Francis, was hired to be the first GM for the brand spanky new Seattle NHL franchise. He was interviewed by his one-time teammate, and now former Seattle Hockey Advisor, Dave Tippett, who took the head coaching job in Edmonton. Francis drafted a large portion of the AHL Calder Cup championship Charlotte Checkers squad and constructed the Carolina Hurricanes team that went to the NHL Eastern Conference Final. He was unceremoniously demoted and eventually relieved of his duties in Carolina which ended Francis' long association with the franchise. The first thing he will do is hire a small pro scouting staff to observe the NHL and AHL over the next two years to prepare for the expansion draft. Expect former Hartford Whalers teammate, Sean Burke, to be among that select group. Burke is presently a scout for Montreal and works for Team Canada where the duo designed the Canadian Spengler Cup championship team last December. Read the Seattle Times piece HERE The Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins continue their strong off-season reloading campaign. They signed Myles Powell, who had a strong rookie year in Rochester, to an AHL contract. Goalie, Cam Johnson, switches teams. He leaves Binghamton to Milwaukee on an AHL contract. Forward, Chris Connor departs Lehigh Valley to Binghamton. Ryan Obuchowski (Yale University), who played for Kelly Cup finalist Toledo (ECHL), signs with SV Ritten/Renon (Italy-AlpsHL) for next season. Six more AHL’ers sign Euro deals in their native countries. The latest pair is Mitch Callahan of Bakersfield who goes to Augsburger (Germany-DEL) and Chase Balisy leaves Belleville for EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL). Adam Musil, the nephew of former Whaler and New York Ranger, Robert (Bobby) Holik, exits San Antonio to sign with HK Dukla Jihlava (Czech Republic-CEL). Juho Lammikko departs Springfield and signs back home with Karpat Oulu (Finland-FEL). Colton Hargrove from Texas signs with HC Bolzano (Italy-EBEL) while Brady Brassart of Syracuse inks a deal with Stavanger (Norway-NEL). 59 AHL players have signed overseas. 25 of the 31 AHL teams have lost at least one player so far to a European signing. Ex-Sound Tiger, John Persson, leaves Mora IK (Sweden-SHL) for SaiPa (Finland-FEL). The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed seven players for next season. The signings start with veteran forward and powerplay net-front pest, Steve Bernier, and defenseman Mike Cornell, in his third AHL season, and John Stevens Jr., who's coming off an injury-riddled sophomore campaign, is the son of ex-Whaler, John Stevens Sr. Nick Schillkey from the Calder Cup champion Charlotte Checkers, Nic Pierog (Canterbury Prep) from now-defunct Manchester Monarchs (ECHL), goalie Ryan MacKinnon, and Kyle MacLean from Oshawa (OHL), who just completed his junior career with 110 points in 227 games and is the son of former NHL’er John MacLean, are the rest of the signings. Former UCONN Husky, Maxim Letunov, had his AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda extended by one-year by the San Jose Sharks. Ex-Sound Tiger, Cole Markison, goes from Texas to Charlotte. Joining him on the reigning Calder Cup champion is Hunter Shinkarul from Laval. Tariq Hammond leaves Binghamton for Hershey. Michael Kapla, who split last season between Iowa and Binghamton, signs with the Toronto Marlies. Goalie Hunter Miska leaves the Tucson Roadrunners and signs with the Colorado Eagles for next year Ex-Sound Tiger, Lukas Sutter, is hired as an amateur scout by Columbus. Nine more college players sign North American pro deals. They include Luke Shiplo of Quinnipiac University and Michael Ederer of St Lawrence University from the ECACHL. Both of them sign with Wichita (ECHL). A player with another great hockey name, Tanner Jago, goes from Bentley University (AHA) to sign with the Texas Stars. Vincent Desharnais of Providence College (HE) signs with Bakersfield. Eric Israel of Robert Morris University (AHA) goes to Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL) while Brett Boeing of UMASS-Amherst (HE), hooks up with Toledo (ECHL) and Dakota Joshua of Ohio State (Big 10) was traded by Toronto to St. Louis. The Blues signed him to a two-year, two-way deal and will likely start next year in San Antonio. Austin Plevy of Northeastern (HE) and Scott Davidson of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) both sign with Adirondack (ECHL). Three have signed In Europe. Dylan Malmquist of Notre Dame (Big 10) signs with Nottingham (England-EIHL). Jeremiah Luedtke goes from University Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA) to Krefelder EV 1981 (Germany Division-3), and Jalen Schulz of University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) to EV Fussen (Germany Division-3). 185 Division I players have signed North American pro deals. 49 go to Europe while 233 players overall have signed deals. Paul Selleck of Cowichan Valley (BCHL) commits to Trinity College (NESCAC). Jared DeMichiel (Harwinton) gets a promotion to associate head coach with UMASS-Amherst (HE). Another school takes the first steps toward becoming an NCAA Division I varsity hockey team from a club program in Penn after 42 years of being a club program. Read it HERE. Luke Curadi (Cheshire/ND-WH/Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack) was named the USHL Director of Player Development. He had been the Eastern USA Scout for the USHL Green Bay Gamblers the last three years. IN MEMORIAM The Wolf Pack family lost another of its original pieces and a man who served pro hockey in Hartford for 45 years as the Chief of Off-Ice Officials, Robert (Bob) Henry Guarente, 77, lost a second battle with throat cancer. Only Frank Camera of Bridgeport (who started in New Haven) has served longer in an off-ice role in Connecticut minor-league hockey history. Guarente started in 1975 with the New England Whalers for the first four years, then all 21 years of the Hartford Whalers and all 22 seasons with the Wolf Pack before stepped aside in February because he could no longer speak. Sadly, he is the third off-ice official to pass in the past 18 months and fourth in the 22-year history of the franchise. He would always greet me in a poor impression of an Irish accent, “What’s up with the leprechaun today?” After the pre-game meal and before we left one of us, he had a tell an off-color joke, One of his favorite oft-repeated jokes was this one; Mary and Tom O’ Brien were walking in the town center and run into Father O’Malley. Father O’Malley chats with them and inquires why they have no children. Mrs. O’Brien replied, “We’ve tried and tried Father with no success.” Father O’Malley says, “I’m going to the Vatican next week and I will light a candle for you.” Five years go by and he runs into Mrs. O’Brien and she has four kids in tow and she is pregnant with number five. Father O’Malley with a big smile says, “Oh, I’m so happy for you. Your prayers were answered, but where is Tom?” Mrs. O’Brien replied, “He’s at the Vatican Father trying to blow out that candle you lit!” It would always bring a smile to his face and he would let loose with his trademark cackle laugh. There should be a new AHL Award created with his name. It should be started for the best off-ice crew in the AHL every year. He will be greatly missed at the XL Center come September, a dedicated loyal husband, friend, soldier and Off-Ice Director. RIP you have earned your wings. Read the full article

[koolwebsites]

Points of honor: Avalanche boast top line in hockey

Points of honor: Avalanche boast top line in hockey

AP Published 3:42 p.m. ET Oct. 29, 2018

Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal (11) shoves the Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen (96), of Finland, to the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)(Photo: The Associated Press)

DENVER (AP) — Bottom line: Gabriel Landeskog , Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko…

[tckenbythesky]

tag drop, part 6

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Yzerman Back In Motown, Flames Doused, Advantage Leafs (Apr 20)

There were two playoff games on Good Friday. As we like to say in Canada, both of them involved Canadian teams. One team had a good night. The other, not so much.

Leafs/Bruins

Both teams played a very conservative style through the first two periods, as each team had barely reached double digits in shots on goal midway through the second period.  

Auston Matthews opened the scoring over halfway through the third period on a goal that the Bruins contested was goalie interference. It looked to me like the Bruins had a case, but in any event the call stood and it was a good goal.

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A week ago I discussed how Matthews was having a hard time scoring goals. Since then, Matthews has scored four goals over his past three games while taking 16 shots over that span. That matters because your best players have to be your best players in order to win. Now the Leafs have two chances to exorcise the Bruins demon, starting on Sunday afternoon.

Just over two minutes later, Kasperi Kapanen scored his first goal of the playoffs. He had also assisted on Matthews’ goal. The two points are his first points of the series.

David Krejci made it close, scoring with just 43 seconds left in regulation. It wasn’t enough for the Bruins, who will try to force a Game 7 on Tuesday night.

Don Cherry and Dobber agree on at least one point: Frederik Andersen is the best goalie in hockey. Andersen stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced to backstop the Leafs to the Game 5 victory.

Sean Kuraly was back in Bruins’ lineup after missing past four weeks with a broken hand. He was back on the fourth line with Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner.

Avalanche/Flames

The Avalanche are the third team that you I didn’t pick to advance to the second round, eliminating the Flames in just five games with a 5-1 win. With the addition of Cale Makar in this series and a high first-round pick via Ottawa as early as next season, the Avs are only going to climb the standings from here. If Philipp Grubauer can sustain his late-season success, this result could be a sign of things to come for Colorado next season and beyond.   

Once the damage was done, Colin Wilson and Mikko Rantanen each scored two goals and added an assist. Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie each added three assists. Rantanen has racked up nine points (5g-4a) in this five-game series, while MacKinnon has eight points.  

#Flames & #GoBolts are both eliminated.

This marks the first time in NHL history that the regular season champions from each respective conference have been eliminated in Round 1

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 20, 2019

In addition, the Flames and the Lightning combined for just one win. It’s not as if these series were even close. This might be shaping up to be the most unpredictable Stanley Cup Playoffs in league history. Keep reading, because later on I’ve got something for you if your bracket is busted.

After Game 1 the Flames appeared to be a team that would roll all over the Avalanche, but since then the Avs have clearly been the better team, even though they had to go to overtime in Games 2 and 4. The Flames’ big guns were snuffed out in this series, in particular Johnny Gaudreau (1 point in 5 games) and Sean Monahan (2 points in 5 games). It was simply not Gaudreau’s night.  

Wow. This has been some game for Johnny Gaudreau. Misses penalty shot, misses net on breakaway, scores but goal is disallowed for interference.

— David Satriano (@davidsatriano) April 20, 2019

In fact, Sam Bennett led the Flames in scoring in this series with five points in five games. He was rewarded with a spot on the top line in this game, so this could even be a case of his playoff performance improving his stock for next season. Better line deployment could be what is needed to push his career back on the upswing. After scoring 36 points in his rookie season, the 2014 fourth overall pick has failed to reach 30 points in each of his last three seasons. 

James Neal was a healthy scratch for Game 5. As you might expect, he had no points in four games. Neal has quite simply been a bust for the Flames since signing a five-year contract worth $5.75 million per season last summer. His 19 points in 63 games is his lowest point total in his 11-year NHL career, and he doesn’t seem to fit into the Flames’ younger core going forward. Hopefully you didn’t draft him hoping he’d play on the Flames’ top line. We could now be seeing why Nashville left him unprotected in the expansion draft.

The Flames have a major decision coming up with respect to their goaltending. The series result is by no means entirely on Mike Smith (his 188 saves leads all playoff goalies), but he was easily considered the biggest question mark for the Flames entering this series. You’d have to think that the 37-year-old Smith won’t be returning and that the Flames would instead turn to a tandem with RFA David Rittich and a goalie that they find as a UFA (maybe they circle back to Smith?) There doesn’t appear to be anything waiting in the system, as the numbers for both Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons don’t suggest that they’re NHL ready. Maybe a trade?

*

Stevie Y is coming home. To nearly no one’s surprise, the Red Wings are bringing their former captain back as general manager, with current GM Ken Holland moving to the role of senior vice president.

This move is a home run for the Wings, both from a hockey and a PR perspective. During his time in Tampa, Yzerman has taken a relatively unstable team in a non-traditional market and turned it into a Cup contender. In fact, the Lightning are perceived by many to be the NHL’s model franchise for its ability to develop players through its minor-league system, a trait that was associated with the Red Wings during their run as one of the league’s top teams.

Sure, the Lightning haven’t won a Stanley Cup with the current core group, and the recent four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jackets is still raw. However, Yzerman has left the Lightning in a position in which they should be one of the league’s top teams for at least several more years to come. I’d expect the Wings to be back in the playoffs within 2-3 seasons, although the 2019-20 playoffs are probably a reach with this group as it stands today.

Current head coach Jeff Blashill was signed to a two-year extension earlier this month, so his job for at least next season is secure. However, I’d think that Yzerman would immediately raise the bar for a former contender that has now missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The Wings have some nice pieces centering around Dylan Larkin, but Stevie Y will need to add more in the way of draft picks. With some cap space, Yzerman could even dip into the free agent pool as early as this summer. Optimism abound in the Motor City.

For more detailed analysis, see Mike Clifford’s fantasy take.

As for Holland, there have been rumors abound that he is being considered for the GM jobs in both Edmonton and Seattle. But according to Darren Dreger, Holland has withdrawn his name from the Oilers’ GM search.

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The Blue Jackets’ four-game sweep of the Lightning has easily been the surprise story of the NHL playoffs so far. The Islanders’ four-game sweep of the Penguins will come in as a not-too-distant second in that department. As of tonight, there’s the Flames as well. That isn’t good news if you’d built your fantasy playoff roster around the likes of Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby.

There’s the old expression “when you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” So can fantasy owners learn anything from these surprise quick exits of the Lightning and Penguins, two teams that have been on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders over the last few years? I can think of at least three takeaways.

The playoffs aren’t fair

Tampa Bay’s record-setting regular season of 62 wins didn’t matter in the end, as they failed to post even a single win in a season that they were picked by many to win the Stanley Cup. This is a problem not unlike that in head-to-head fantasy leagues, where a team with a strong regular season can be eliminated quickly because of a down week, an unusually strong week by the opponent, or a combination of both. 

To ensure fairness, some fantasy leagues give first-place teams a bye in the first round. That is something that probably won’t be made possible in the NHL unless the league decides to adopt a one-game playoff similar to what MLB currently uses. A complete first-round bye might make a team more well-rested than they should be, but the real reason the league will probably never use it is that it would generate less playoff revenue for teams than simply playing the games.

So what can fantasy owners do about this? Even first-round byes don’t ensure deserving first-place teams win championships, although they make the path a little easier. You can look at your fantasy league’s playoff schedule to confirm that you don’t have key players on one- or two-game weeks (the Dobber Midseason Guide has an article on this topic). Even if you examine the schedule, it doesn’t guarantee against trades or injuries changing the course. It doesn’t hurt to draft with your playoff schedule in mind, although your first priority should still be to get to your league’s fantasy playoffs.

If the whole idea of a successful regular season going up in smoke in one week bothers you, perhaps rotisserie scoring is for you. Like the English Premier League, the team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title. Fair and square.

You won’t be the only one

Like many, I was hit with the losses of Tampa Bay players from my playoff pool (6 of the 25 players I picked were from the Lightning). However, note that I said “like many.” In spite of this loss, I’m still in fifth place among 70 teams in my playoff pool (pick any 25). All the teams in front of me also lost players with Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay being eliminated.

Not all playoff pools are constructed the same way, but many use the “pick any X number of players” model. If you play in a smaller group and perhaps use a draft, then you’re okay to diversify with players from different teams. So the key to winning might be not to miss on some of your other playoff picks. Regardless, the net effect for individual fantasy owners might not be as disastrous as you might assume.

By the way, did you know that you will be able to submit a second-chance playoff bracket over at NHL.com? Just call this the “Tampa Bay rule”, as this is the first time that the league has created this do-over bracket.

Zig when the others zag

The one writer on the Experts Panel who picked Columbus over Tampa Bay looks like a genius right now. (That was Capped writer Alexander MacLean, in case you were wondering.) It’s a high-risk strategy, but one that can pay off if the expected result doesn’t happen. Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean you have to. This strategy makes a little more sense in a larger pool, where picking a similar team to others won’t help you stand out. Or you could simply be the contrarian to challenge your friend’s wisdom.

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The Islanders will be without a significant top-4 defenseman for their second-round playoff series. Johnny Boychuk is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury, which resulted from a blocked shot during the Isles’ first-round series against Pittsburgh. Boychuk was third among Isles’ defensemen in total icetime (18:50) during the regular season. Thomas Hickey is expected to enter the Isles’ lineup to replace Boychuk.

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Cam Robinson’s 2019 NHL Draft Rankings for the month of April are out. Is Jack Hughes still projected to go first overall? Which player is projected to be picked when your favorite team steps up to the podium? Cam has the answers to these and more.

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For more fantasy hockey information, or to reach out to me directly, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-yzerman-back-in-motown-flames-doused-advantage-leafs-apr-20/

[marilynngmesalo]

‘WE HAVE RESPECT FOR HIM’: NHL’s top ref goes by his own ‘humbling’ book

‘WE HAVE RESPECT FOR HIM’: NHL’s top ref goes by his own ‘humbling’ book https://ift.tt/eA8V8J ‘WE HAVE RESPECT FOR HIM’: NHL’s top ref goes by his own ‘humbling’ book

Wes McCauley keeps his good calls close and his bad calls closer.

Any time the veteran NHL referee is feeling too good or gets down on himself, he breaks out a binder full of his missed calls and looks through it.

“It’s a humbling book,” McCauley said. “Trust me, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. There’s times you wish you could saw your arm off.”

McCauley’s arms have signalled countless penalties, goals and no-goals since his NHL career began in 2003. Over the past 15 years, he has developed a reputation as not only the most animated referee in the game but the best in hockey based on his consistency, rapport with players and coaches and a demeanour that’s equal parts entertaining and professional.

In an NHLPA poll last spring, almost half of players chose McCauley as the league’s best referee, honouring a man in stripes who’s far more used to getting barked at than complimented.

“I don’t think I’m that good,” McCauley told The Associated Press. “My job’s just to officiate hockey games and to do the best I can and to move on to the next game and really to stay out of the highlights.”

McCauley has his own highlights reels because he enjoys hamming it up when he makes announcements. When he reaches to his right hip to turn on the microphone, it’s must-see entertainment.

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His flair for the dramatic once sent former Rangers coach Alain Vigneault into a laughing fit on the bench, and it has been the subject of mocking from veteran officials for just how demonstrative he can be when whistling a penalty or waving off a goal. McCauley knows he’s more exuberant than he has to be, but that’s part of the fun for him and players.

“He’s real,” Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon said. “He’s obviously an animated guy and definitely calls a good game.”

McCauley earned the votes of 47.8% of players as the NHL’s best referee, well ahead of Kelly Sutherland (17.7%), Tim Peel (4.4%), Dan O’Halloran (2.7%) and Trevor Hanson (2.7%). The 46-year-old from Georgetown, Ontario, is the most popular and respected ref because he gets it right more often than not, apologizes when he doesn’t and knows how to explain his calls to players and coaches.

“Consistency. You kind of know what you’re getting with him,” Rangers forward Chris Kreider said. “In any sport when you talk about refereeing, if a ref isn’t very visible and prevalent and the game is decided by the players ultimately, then that’s a good ref and that’s Wes.”

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McCauley gets that. He played four seasons at Michigan State from 1989-93, had a cup of coffee in the minors and figures his relationships with players from that era bought him the benefit of the doubt, and some of that still exists.

“He’s in charge out there, and there’s really not a lot of grey area,” said Capitals coach Todd Reirden, who went to Bowling Green and played against McCauley in college. “He stands his line and he lets the players play, but he also has a great pulse of what’s going on and I think that’s from his experiences of playing the game at a collegiate level and also some at a pro level. He relates really well with the players and with the coaches.”

McCauley vividly remembers botching a call in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final when he didn’t see that Washington’s Chandler Stephenson, not Vegas defenceman Deryk Engelland, tripped teammate Nicklas Backstrom and called a penalty. As with many other calls, he hoped it wouldn’t directly affect the result and apologized to Engelland later.

That’s a common theme during McCauley’s career.

“I still remember one time he made a bad call and he found me the next time we were playing and said: ‘Hey, I just want to let you know I know that call was really bad. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I wanted to apologize,”‘ Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele said. “When he has the respect level for the game and for us as players, we have respect for him. And I think that’s why he’s known to be the best referee out there.”

Best referee out there?

“Now you jinxed me — now I’m going to be up and down like a toilet seat next season,” McCauley quipped.

Maybe earlier in his career that was a danger, though McCauley now has 957 regular-season and 131 playoff games under his and has worked six Stanley Cup Final series.

Over that time, McCauley has developed a balance between knowing players see him as an obstacle to winning while still communicating with them to the point they know him personally. Even if players aren’t happy with his calls, they appreciate McCauley’s honesty and ability to have just as big a mouth as they do.

“You automatically sometimes snap at the refs,” Stars centre Tyler Seguin said. “Sometimes you blame the refs for things that were even out of their control. And he finds a way to take it, give it back a little and then move on pretty quickly and he’s always been very respectful to the players and I think that’s what makes him a great ref.”

McCauley’s life experiences helped make him a great ref. His dad, John McCauley, worked 15 years as an NHL referee before an eye injury took him off the ice and led to a director of officiating job before his unexpected death at age 44. His brother, Blaine, suffered an eye injury that cost him his hockey-playing career and changed Wes’ view forever.

“My biggest thing is when I step on the ice, I want the players to feel like, ‘Oh, OK we’re going to get a fair shake tonight,”‘ McCauley said. “I’ve never really taken it for granted, so I try to go out there and referee every game the best I can.”

//<![CDATA[ ( function() { pnLoadVideo( "videos", "JDdkxZglXcs", "pn_video_205821", "", "", {"is_mobile":""} ); } )(); //]]> Canoe Click for update news world news https://ift.tt/2xjciLt world news

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/mackinnon-helps-avs-beat-ducks-3-1-7th-straight-win/68034/

MacKinnon helps Avs beat Ducks 3-1 for 7th straight win

DENVER /January 15, 2018(AP)(STL.News) — The save by Jonathan Bernier that sticks out the most was the one where he simply stuck out his stick.

Out of sheer desperation, no less. To thwart what looked to be a sure goal, too. It’s just another sign of how well things have been going for the Colorado Avalanche in recent weeks.

Nathan MacKinnon kept up his torrid home scoring with a goal, Bernier turned back 33 shots and the Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Monday for their seventh straight win.

Matt Nieto and Colin Wilson also scored for the Avs, who are outscoring opponents 29-10 during their longest win streak since the 2005-06 season.

MacKinnon leads the league in scoring on home ice this season with 41 points (15 goals and 26 assists) in 24 games.

“We’re feeling good,” said MacKinnon, whose team is vying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013-14. “For us, it’s so tight, we can’t get comfortable. … We have to stay hungry.”

Bernier has been sensational since stepping into goal with Semyon Varlamov sidelined by a lower-body injury. Bernier came up big midway through the second period when he reached out with his stick to thwart Ryan Kesler. That set up a rush the other way, with MacKinnon scoring on a wrist shot past Ryan Miller.

“It happens quite a bit in hockey — you make a big save, you go to the other side and you score,” said Bernier, who has a career-best six-game win streak. “It was nice to be rewarded. You make a big save and you get a big goal.”

Chris Wagner had a goal in the second period for Anaheim. It was his first goal since Nov. 27. Anaheim pulled Miller with around 3 minutes remaining, but couldn’t get anything by Bernier, who played for Anaheim last season.

“They skate really fast, for the most part, and they capitalized on their chances,” Wagner said. “We gave them too many chances off the rush and too many power plays. That hurt us.”

The Ducks were without forward Andrew Cogliano as he served the first of a two-game suspension that ended his consecutive games streak at 830 — the fourth-longest in NHL history. He was suspended for an interference penalty against Los Angeles forward Adrian Kempe on Saturday.

Cogliano, who had never missed a game in his career, fought back tears as he talked about the streak on Fox Sports West: “It’s a tough pill to swallow. I’m not going to lie. … I miss the game.”

Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle downplayed Cogliano’s absence from the lineup.

“You don’t like to put too much emphasis on one player being out of your lineup,” Carlyle said. “For Cogs, it’s unfortunate the suspension is in place. But we take our medicine and move on. It’s up to other people to step up and make a difference.”

Like forward J.T. Brown, who was just claimed on waivers from Tampa Bay and was in the lineup Monday. He had an assist as he digests a new system.

“You’re going to make mistakes. They said, ‘We’ll coach you through them. Don’t be afraid to make those mistakes. Just go out there and play,'” Brown said.

Wilson’s power-play goal with 19.6 seconds remaining in the second gave the Avalanche a 3-1 lead. Colorado improved to 18-1-1 when ahead entering the final period.

“Our guys are enjoying coming to the rink right now,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “They’re playing the right way and they’re having success, so that leads to confidence and a little bit of energy and guys wanting to keep this thing going. It’s been a fun stretch for sure.”

NOTES: Anaheim D Francois Beauchemin was a scratch. … Colorado won the other matchup between the teams this season 3-1 on Oct. 13 at Pepsi Center. … Colorado is 7-3-1 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

… Avalanche rookie Alexander Kerfoot had an assist to give him at least a point in three straight games.

… Colorado was 1 for 6 on the power play.

UP NEXT Ducks: Host Pittsburgh on Wednesday to open a five-game homestand.

Avalanche: Host San Jose on Thursday and the New York Rangers on Saturday as part of a three-game homestand.

By PAT GRAHAM  by Associated Press, published on STL.NEWS by St. Louis Media, LLC (US)

[mayonnaisetv]

JONAH from Factory Fifteen on Vimeo.

FILM4, BFI & SHINE PRESENT

JONAH

Mbwana and his best friend Juma are two young men with big dreams. These dreams become reality when they photograph a gigantic fish leaping out of the sea and their small town blossoms into a tourist hot-spot as a result. But for Mbwana, the reality isn't what he dreamed – and when he meets the fish again, both of them forgotten, ruined and old, he decides only one of them can survive. Jonah is a big fish story about the old and the new, and the links and the distances between them. A visual feast, shot though with humour and warmth, it tells an old story in a completely new way.

A Stray Bear Production in association with Jellyfish Pictures

From the imagination of Factory Fifteen

Directed by Kibwe Tavares Written by Jack Thorne Produced by Ivana MacKinnon

Starring Daniel Kaluuya Malachi Kirby and Louis Mahoney

Town VFX: Factory Fifteen Fish VFX: Jellyfish Pictures

Executive Producers - Katherine Butler, Ollie Madden, Chris Collins, Phil Dobree, Eva Yates Co-Producer Fiz Oliver Line Producer – Sarah Jane Wheale Editor - Adam Biskupski Cinematographer - Chloe Thomson Production Designer: Paul Nicholls and Jonathan Gales Fish Concept Art – Warren Holder Composer – Mark Sayfritz Sound Design - Jens Petersen Sound Recordist – Will Whale Costume Designer– Celia Lusted Casting Directors – Saheen Baig & Aisha Walters

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Updates on OEL and MacKinnon; PHWA Awards; All-Star Game – January 25

  Late Tuesday night, the Anaheim Ducks got word that Ondrej Kase would be out for the season with a torn labrum. Recovery time could be as much as six months, which is significant, but it would also give him a couple months (hopefully) to train before having to head to Ducks camp.

I suppose this would be a good time to discuss Kase with more depth. Most data from Natural Stat Trick.

Put quite simply, you can make an argument he’s Anaheim’s most important forward, after Ryan Getzlaf. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, he’s second among the team’s forwards in points/60 minutes at five-on-five at 2.23, behind only Getzlaf (2.29). League-wide, his point rate ranks in the same tier of players like David Pastrnak, Sidney Crosby, William Karlsson, and Mark Scheifele. In terms of goals/60 minutes at 5v5, his mark of 1.37 is fourth in the league, trailing only Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, and Viktor Arvidsson.

So, he’s produced a great point rate and elite goal rate over his last 96 games. That’s not all.

Kase makes those around him better. It’s not hyperbole, either:

Getzlaf with Kase: 68.1 shot attempts/60 minutes, 57.8 percent shot share

Getzlaf w/o Kase: 55.9 shot attempts/60 minutes, 50 percent shot share

Henrique with Kase: 57.9 shot attempts/60 minutes, 52.3 percent shot share

Henrique w/o Kase: 50.3 shot attempts/60 minutes, 44.7 percent shot share

The numbers are similar with Ryan Kesler, but the sample is also much smaller.

The Ducks generate about 7.1 more shot attempts per 60 minutes at 5v5 with Kase on the ice than without. They also allow about 5.3 fewer shot attempts per 60 minutes at 5v5 with Kase on the ice than without. In total, his shot share is about 5.5 percent higher relative to his team and driving the play to that rate quite literally puts him in the company of elite players like Patrice Bergeron and Sean Couturier. 

It’s difficult to express how much losing Kase hurts. Rickard Rakell is still waiting for his shooting luck to turn, Jakob Silfverberg was plodding towards his usual 20 goals (though we’ll see if injuries catch up), and they’re still waiting for Corey Perry to return (though that may be soon). This team has had to endure significant injuries for basically the last two seasons but this is one that will be difficult to overcome given their difficulty to score as it was. Kase in under-appreciated by the league but I’m sure he’s not by his teammates. They’re going to need a Herculean effort from John Gibson and a big turnaround from Rakell over the final couple months to get to the postseason.

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The initial update following Thursday’s MRI for Oliver Ekman-Larsson is that he’s day-to-day. We’ll know more next week.

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Speaking of MRIs, Nathan MacKinnon also had one on his foot. Colorado is playing it safe right now.

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Don’t forget that the 2019 Dobber Midseason Guide is available to help you through the stretch run towards a championship. The guide contains projections, category-specific players, and a whole lot more. There are also a lot of prospects and potential call-ups covered, so even those without a league title in their sights will find information quite useful for keeper/dynasty teams, or even looking ahead to next season. Get your copy in the Dobber Shop today!

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The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) has released their midseason awards. If I’m not mistaken, this is the second year in a row they’ve done so. It’s just the normal awards we’re used to seeing at the end of the year, only with about a 50-game sample. It basically gives us something to talk about during the break. These were their choices (screen shots from TSN):

    Let’s talk about a few of them.

  Hart Trophy

I don’t have an issue with Nikita Kucherov winning the Hart Trophy. Anyone who is leading the league in points while playing for the best team in said league is a pretty good choice.

There are two interesting points here and one of them is Connor McDavid. I don’t think there’s an argument of how valuable he is to the Oilers; with him on the ice at even strength, the team has a +1 goal differential (56-55) and with him off the ice, they’re -19 (49-68). McDavid is a plus-1 despite the having an .894 save percentage behind him. Yes, he’s basically getting Chris Terreri circa 1988 goaltending and the team still has a positive goal differential with him on the ice. It’s absurd.

The second point of interest is John Gibson. January was a tough month for him, but the team would be absolutely nowhere close to a playoff spot without him. The Ducks have allowed the second-most high-danger chance at even strength this year, with only Chicago being worse. They’re allowing the fourth-most shot attempts as well. Anaheim is also the fourth-most penalized team. The Ducks are making Gibson’s life a living hell and he has them within striking distance of a wild card spot. If that’s not valuable, I don’t know what is.

  Norris Trophy

I covered my thoughts on the Norris Trophy race yesterday. It’s going to be filled with guys posting points on playoff teams. But let us not forget HOTSAM BATCHO.

  Selke Trophy

Centres are favoured over wingers but it’s hard to see Mark Stone not winning the Selke if he continues his current play. With Stone on the ice, the team allows nearly 12 fewer shot attempts compared to what they normally allow, which leads the league in this regard. Driving offence? Stone is second league-wide. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s running away in relative shot share league-wide. I know it seems like playing favourites for an exceptional player on a bad team but he’s almost always like this. He deserves, at the least, very strong consideration to win, with all due respect to both Patrice Bergeron and Aleksander Barkov.

  Jack Adams

It was a sentiment pointed out on Twitter (I forget by whom) and I agree: how does Claude Julien not get into the top-3 for the Jack Adams? Was there a single person expecting this team to be top-3 in the Atlantic, ahead of the Bruins, and one point behind the Leafs at the All-Star break? I was very pessimistic on this team, thinking they would, at best, be a bubble team. Instead, they’re a team that can make some noise in the postseason. Claude Julien deserves a lot of credit.

  What do you think about the awards, Dobber heads?

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Yesterday I started a discussion on fantasy all-stars using the same format the NHL does. When you have very limited roster spots and need a player from every team, it’s not very easy. You can read that Ramblings here.  

A quick recap of the parameters:

Standard Yahoo! scoring.

Four rosters, one for each NHL division.

Each roster contains six forwards, three defencemen, and two goalies.

Each NHL team must be represented

  Today, we go west. We’ll talk about a player or two after.

  Central Division

F – Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

F – Mikko Rantanen (COL)

F – Gabriel Landeskog (COL)

F – Ryan O’Reilly (STL)

F – Patrick Kane (CHI)

F – Blake Wheeler (WPG)

D – Jared Spurgeon (MIN)

D – Roman Josi (NSH)

D – Tyson Barrie (COL)

G – Pekka Rinne (NSH)

G – Ben Bishop (DAL)

  There is no possible way to leave the Colorado top line off the roster. All of them. Currently, in standard Yahoo! leagues, in order listed above, they’re 1st, 4th, and 6th in fantasy value among skaters. All three are in the top-25 league-wide in scoring with Rantanen and MacKinnon both top-5 (including ties). No, you can’t leave them off any fantasy all-star roster.

Why add Tyson Barrie, then? Well, the Central has more flexibility than the other divisions because they have seven teams and not eight. He’s top-10 in fantasy value among blue liners and also top-10 in just points for defencemen.

  Ryan O’Reilly

I know people like to poke fun at the fact that ROR left the Avs for the Sabres, then left the Sabres for the Blues (traded in both instances but it seems well-known he didn’t want to be where he was), only for the Blues to have a bad season. It seems unfair to blame that on O’Reilly, though, considering the Blues have a 60 percent goal share with him on the ice this year at five-on-five, which is astounding for a non-playoff team. He’s top-20 among all forwards in the league in goal share relative to his team, and aside from depth names like Ryan Reaves or Colton Sissons, that leaderboard is littered with a who’s who of top-end players like Crosby, Seguin, Benn, Radulov, Rantanen, MacKinnon, Aho, Palmieri, Pettersson, Draisaitl, and Oshie. O’Reilly is an elite player, full stop.

  Pacific

F – Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)

F – Sean Monahan (CGY)

F – Elias Lindholm (CGY)

F – Elias Pettersson (VAN)

F – Clayton Keller (ARI)

F – Connor McDavid (EDM)

D – Drew Doughty (LAK)

D – Mark Giordano (CGY)

D – Brent Burns (SJS)

G – Marc-André Fleury (VGK)

G – John Gibson (ANA)

  With Calgary’s top line, we run into the same problem as Colorado, just to a slightly less severe extent. All three members of Calgary’s top line are in the top-20 fantasy-wise. Matthew Tkachuk is up there, too and could replace either Monahan or Lindholm if you wish.

Special shout out to Doughty and Keller for filling the requirements.

  Mark Giordano

I don’t think we are (and I use ‘we’ in reference to NHL fans) quite appreciating what Giordano is doing this season. He has 52 points this year. That’s the second-highest total of his career (56), and we just hit the All-Star break. Consider this:

  Since 2001, there have been six instances of a defenceman having at least 50 point through his team's first 50 games. Three of those six instances are this season (Burns, Gio, Rielly) https://t.co/ARrAe39sYT

— Michael Clifford (@SlimCliffy) January 24, 2019

  Pretty good!

More than that, Giordano is the oldest player to do it at the age of 35, in any era. The next-closest was Ray Bourque with 54 points in Boston’s first 50 games back in 1995-96 at age 34. This isn’t just a great season he’s having, it’s historic.

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Just as a small aside, a lot of my writing over the last two years (well, like 20 months-ish) has been focused on defencemen. We started seeing the revolution from the blue line a few years ago and now it seems to be in full swing. Guys who can’t move the puck from the back end just don’t last in the league anymore. Not only is being able to make the first pass crucial, but knowing which first pass to make (to the boards, to the middle, back to your support, or a stretch pass) and jumping up in the rush are seemingly more important than ever. I’m going to take the weekend and pore over this a little more and come back with Tuesday’s Ramblings shining a bit of light on this development over the last four or five seasons.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-updates-on-oel-and-mackinnon-phwa-awards-all-star-game-january-25/

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Bern-ing Up! (Jan 23)

  10 in a row for the Avalanche! TEN!

Jonathan Bernier has been in net for nine of those and is on an astronomical roll. I still want to see what happens to his numbers when this team’s streak finally ends, but he has been awfully useful for fantasy owners. There’s also the matter of Semyon Varlamov’s return, which isn’t expected until after the All-Star break. Even if Bernier keeps bringing the heat, Varlamov is likely to eventually take over the crease.

We’ve also seen Bernier get wildly hot only to collapse, the most recent example coming last spring. If we’re talking about goalies you’ll want come March/April, I wouldn’t count on him being a strong option, but ride this as long as it lasts.

Nathan MacKinnon had scored in every game of Colorado’s winning streak until last night. He has 19 points on the 42 goals they’ve scored in this stretch, basically accounting for half of the Avalanche’s offense.

Erik Johnson is up to 18 points in 33 games since the start of November, which coincides with when Gabriel Landeskog joined MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen to form that formidable top line, but also coincides with the departure of Matt Duchene. MacKinnon seemed to indicate that Duchene’s exodus has been a catalyst:

Asked if the culture of the team had improved after Duchene was traded to the Ottawa Senators as part of a three-way trade that included the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5, MacKinnon said: "It did a lot."

"There's nothing wrong with [Duchene] wanting to leave," MacKinnon said after the Avalanche had their morning skate at Air Canada Centre. "I think it's fair. He's eight, nine years in this League and it wasn't like a crazy breakup or anything. He went about it really good this season. But obviously we knew he wanted to leave.

"Now we have everybody here that wants to be here, which is great. If [Duchene] was here I'd think we'd be in a good spot as well. He's a really good player."

That seems less an indictment of Duchene than of the situation. And it’s worth asking whether Duchene’s desire to leave came before or after the team tried to trade him. Whatever the case, this Avalanche team offers plenty of lessons when contrasting their last two seasons: the importance of giving a coach a full training camp, the importance of dressing room harmony, importance of timing and leverage in trades, necessity for patience with youth, the value of team speed, etc.

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Duchene, by the way, scored a pretty goal last night, the lone goal for Ottawa:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Filthy stuff from Duchene for the equalizer. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoSensGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoSensGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/ozJwvMFUOu">pic.twitter.com/ozJwvMFUOu</a></p>— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) <a href="https://twitter.com/Senators/status/955629076513021958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  Duchene has eight points in the last seven games.

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It took some luck, but Andrei Vasilevskiy ended a five-game slide, in which he had allowed 23 goals, by shutting out the Blackhawks.

Ondrej Palat is out 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury. I believe the plan for Tampa Bay was to give young players every opportunity to fill in the gaps before the trade deadline, but I wonder if these injuries provide some impetus for the Lightning to move ahead of the deadline.

Check out their lines from last night:

#1           26.7%    JOHNSON,TYLER – KUCHEROV,NIKITA – POINT,BRAYDEN

#2           20.6%    KUNITZ,CHRIS – NAMESTNIKOV,VLADISLAV – STAMKOS,STEVEN

#3           17.6%    BOURNIVAL,MICHAEL – CALLAHAN,RYAN – PAQUETTE,CEDRIC

#4           11.5%    GOURDE,YANNI – KILLORN,ALEX – PECA,MATTHEW

  Matthew Peca was the latest prospect recalled by the Lightning. His AHL numbers are good, but not so good for a 24-year-old that I suspect he’ll have immense fantasy relevance.

Steven Stamkos has yet to score a goal in 2018, a run that has now hit nine games. I wouldn’t worry too much, his game has trended towards playmaking anyhow, but it is notable how his pace has slowed in the past month with 11 points in the last 17 games.

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Auston Matthews' reaction to scoring a goal after having one previously waived off is brilliant:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"WE HAVE A GOAL!" – Wes Matthews <a href="https://t.co/3wZQj71AML">pic.twitter.com/3wZQj71AML</a></p>— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLGIFs/status/955613982013960192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

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Taylor Hall was out last night and is expected to miss tonight’s action as well with a hand injury. It is not expected to be a long-term issue, however. He’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow. The Devils desperately need him in the lineup as they were shutout by the Red Wings without him.

Mind you, that shutout came from Petr Mrazek who has back-to-back shutouts. Mrazek’s numbers have imploded over the past season and a half so it’s easy to forget what a promising young netminder he was.

You never know what to believe when it comes to the rumour mill, but there was word of attitude issues surrounding Mrazek, enough that he has been available on the trade market, was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and went unclaimed in said draft even (although perhaps the Golden Knights just really liked Tomas Nosek who has been a lineup regular for them.) Whatever the case, you do wonder if there couldn’t be a resurrection somewhere else. We’ve seen plenty such happenings.

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Andreas Athanasiou remains hot on Dylan Larkin’s wing. He is up to 11 points in his last 10 games. They seem fairly committed to keeping Athanasiou with Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, which has been effective. I’m high on Athanasiou as a strong waiver option in the second half.

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Anthony Beauvillier’s hot streak continues. The winger now has eight goals in his past seven games. He has been up over 14 minutes of action in each of those seven games. I don’t suspect that he’ll be relevant all the way until game 82, but he certainly offers value in the short term, especially with the exposure he provides alongside Mathew Barzal.

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Matthew Tkachuk’s offense has taken off since grabbing the net-front gig on Calgary’s top power play unit with 12 points in his last 12 games. Half (6) of those points have come with the man-advantage highlighting how important these top PP minutes are. He has potential to be one of the best multi-category options out there with this top PP deployment.

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The Professional Hockey Writers Association is doing mid-season awards, and they have opened it up to fan voting as well! You can do so here. My ballot for the awards I care about:

  Hart – Nathan MacKinnon, John Tavares, Nikita Kucherov

This top three is solid, so only mild apologies to Taylor Hall, Brad Marchand, Johnny Gaudreau, Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist.

  Norris – PK Subban, Victor Hedman, Seth Jones

Apology to Mark Giordano. No apology to Drew Doughty, who already has his lifetime achievement award.

  Calder – Mathew Barzal, Brock Boeser, Charlie McAvoy

There are other awesome rookies, but none in the same league as these three.

  Selke – Patrice Bergeron, Sean Couturier, Aleksander Barkov

Apologies to Anze Kopitar and Mikael Backlund.

  Vezina – Henrik Lundqvist, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Mike Smith

Apologies to Sergei Bobrovsky, Connor Hellebuyck and Jonathan Quick.

  *

Matt Murray is back practicing with the Penguins, which is good to hear. Safe to assume he’ll make at least one of the two starts this week. If I’m a Murray owner, I probably want to keep Tristan Jarry around all the same. For one, Jarry has been good in relief of Murray. For two, Murray has been maddeningly injury prone and inconsistent. We all fully expect the Penguins to go on a run in the second half. It could be either of those two who leads them on that run.

It also sounds as though Bryan Rust is closing in on a return. Rust only has utility in deeper leagues counting hits and SOG, but has some value. The greater impact is that his return will likely push Daniel Sprong, and perhaps Dominik Simon out of the lineup. Those two have flashed potential, but ultimately have not been solutions.

Sprong, by the way, was sent back to the minors. He’ll be a solution eventually, but not this season.

What we are all hoping is that improved winger depth with Rust returning and Carl Hagelin finally producing that they might find a way to get Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary back onto Sidney Crosby’s line. Crosby’s 5-on-5 results have still been miserable with a 4.47% on-ice shooting percentage. However, Crosby has been beasting over the past few weeks. Anecdotally, he looks ready to pop, which will benefit whichever winger is skating with him when the goals do start to come.

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Jaden Schwartz has been cleared to play, but is not expected to return tonight for the Blues. There’s a decent chance he’s back on Thursday, but I’m still guessing he doesn’t return until after the All-Star break.

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Disconcerting news on Charlie McAvoy as the rookie had a procedure to correct an arrhythmia in his heart. Assuming this rectifies the issue, there will be no long-term effects, but we have seen heart issues derail careers before. I’m leaning towards optimism on this. McAvoy is expected to be out for two weeks of action, and perhaps he’ll be rusty for a week or two beyond.

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Carey Price was reportedly suffering from chronic fatigue, which may explain his early struggles this season:

“We realized after taking blood samples that he had deficiencies – mostly in vitamin D and B12.”

It was at the beginning of November that Price began a new nutritional regimen that included taking supplements.

Before he was hurt on Nov. 2 in a game against the Minnesota Wild, Price had a record of 3-7-1 and a save percentage of .877.

“It took me three weeks to see a major difference in my energy level,” said Price.

Since his return on Nov. 25, Price has gone 10-8-3 with a .923 save percentage.

Here I assumed that NHL teams would be on top of this stuff as part of their annual physicals, but apparently not. Whether or not this was the actual cause of Price’s early struggles, it does highlight how we will never have all the information necessary to make proper assessments.

Consider that we just found out that Kevin Shattenkirk has been playing with a torn meniscus all season, which no doubt explains his struggles over the past month. Now the defenseman may be out for the rest of the season.

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This John Tortorella quote is something else:

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Torts on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBJ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBJ</a> players having fun in Vegas “I want them to go out. Playing guilty is a big part of being a really good player in the [NHL]. We don’t do that anymore. Heaven forbid! We have agents, and their whole entourage making sure u drink that carrot juice, and all this stuff"</p>— Steve Gorten (@sgorten) <a href="https://twitter.com/sgorten/status/954807168162725891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

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If you haven’t stumbled upon it yet, DobberProspects released their first consensus Fantasy Rankings for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with thoughts from nine different prospect watchers. This is must-read stuff for folks in keeper leagues. I cannot stress this enough.

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Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-bern-ing-up-jan-23/