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Marc-Andre Fleury uses Tinder to pull epic prank on teammate!

Bruce Kluckhohn / Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has made a name for himself as the best prankster in NHL history. So much so that Joe Smith of the Athletic wrote a full article on the net minder’s top pranks. While fans have heard about some of the beloved goalie’s best jokes, there is one that stands out in the article because it’s rarely been shared out to the public before.

And it’s epic.

Smith was told by some former players and coaches that Fleury played matchmaker by pulling a hilarious prank on one of the trainers using the Tinder app. Rich Tocchet then a Pittsburgh assistant coach and now in charge of the Vancouver Canucks’ bench, revealed how Fleury managed to get a hold of one of the trainers’ phone only to download Tinder and fake message a woman.

“Tocchet recalls Fleury’s fake message: “‘I’m (a trainer) for the Penguins, we won the Cup last year, if you want to come to the game,’ That was the long and short of it.

“(Fleury) got her front-row seats, club seats. He rolled out the red carpet for her. They were packing the bus up, and the girl was with the families in that section and waiting. So (the trainer) walks by her and has no clue. She’s like, ‘Do I give him a hug or say hi?’ He was like, ‘What is this girl doing?’ That was all Flower! But they ended up dating for a couple months, so the story turned out really good.”

Fleury revealed how he got a hold of the trainer’s phone during free time and was glad that the staff member got a date out of it.

The article recaps the best pranks by Flower, but this one, is quite hard to beat in my book.

On Wednesday, Fleury pulled another prank, because no birthday is safe with Flower: 

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Huge update on Taylor Hall has fans wondering what’s next…

NHL.com

Boston Bruins fans have been patiently waiting for the return for forward Taylor Hall, who has been absent since February 25 thanks to a lower body injury. The updates on Hall have been sorta contradictory lately, which led to the Bruins denying the report from TSN’s Darren Dreger that the only reason why Hall was not back in the lineup was because of cap constraints. When Hall was placed on LTRI, the Bruins were able to absorb the salary of Tyler Bertuzzi, whom they acquired in a swap with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL trade deadline. Boston saved as much as $6 million by placing Hall on LTIR. But now, per Cap Friendly, the Bruins only have $39,054 in available cap space.

However, there was a new update on Wednesday morning that got fans wondering what will come next for Hall. The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reported that Hall was practicing in a regular jersey for the first time and took parts of rushed on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Now that he’s shed the no-contact jersey, Hall could be nearing a return ahead of the postseason with the Bruins’ five games remaining on their regular season schedule. The Bruins would have to move players from the roster in order to be cap-compliant for the remainder of the schedule. The cap magically evaporates during the playoffs… 

Hall has played in 58 games in his third season with the Bruins, putting up16 goals and 20 assists while turning in a plus-12 rating.

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Heartbreaking message from Matvei Michkov following his father’s suspicious death in Russia

Instagram

On Tuesday, disturbing news out of Russia emerged that the father of top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Matvei Michkov was found dead at age 51.

The report explained how Andrei Michkov had been missing since April 2 only to be found in a pond near Sochi. Matvei’s dad had reportedly left his home Sunday night, saying he’d be right back, but never returned.

On Wednesday, Matvei Michkov shared a heartbreaking and moving message on his Instagram account which reads “You were the best Dad. I’m proud of you … I love you.” He posted a lovely picture of the two of them close to a hockey rink. There are many more photos of the father/son duo and the family in the Instagram post. 

Matvei Michkov is considered among the top prospects ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s scored nine goals and 20 points in 27 games after he was loaned to Sochi’s KHL club earlier this season. He last played with Kapitan Stupino in the Russian junior league playoffs, putting up four goals and seven points across five contests.

The 18-year-old is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through 2026, though, meaning his NHL debut likely won’t transpire until his current deal expires.

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Red Wings sound off on Marco Kasper’s NHL debut

Twitter

The Detroit Red Wings took forward Marco Kasper with the 8th overall selection in the 2022 Draft, and he stepped onto the ice last night at Scotiabank Arena for his first National Hockey League game at just 18 years old. The Austrian native registered a single shot on goal while playing just under 15 minutes, and according to the review from the coaching staff, he looked every bit like he belonged. 

“I thought Marco was great,” head coach Derek Lalonde explained in his postgame remarks. “Simple game, safe game, good team game. Never got himself in trouble, was around the net. I think the underlying numbers for him are going to be very good.”

“I think for a first game, under these type of circumstances, he passed with flying colors.”

And you can bet that Kasper himself was excited for his debut as well.

“It felt great, getting the win, it’s awesome,” Kasper said. “It’s a real special night for me. Playing with Copper and (Lucas Raymond) made it easy for me. They helped me a lot out there and it’s really fun.”

One particular stat that didn’t exactly look pleasing to the eye was the fact that Kasper won only one out of eight face-off attempts. However, his play away from the puck was strong enough to warrant additional praise from Lalonde.

“I think it’s important to play responsible both sides of the puck and really not let anything happen on the defensive side,” Kasper said. “So just trying to play responsible out there and do my best.”

Lalonde continued: “I think that’s his DNA, which is good, and why we’re all so excited about him.” 

The Red Wings are back in action against another Original 6 and Atlantic Division rival in the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night from Bell Centre in downtown Montreal. 

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Yet another NHL team ditches Pride jerseys

Zuma Press

Yet another team has elected to NOT wear Pride themed warmups jerseys for LGBTQ+ celebrations in the NHL.

St. Louis Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports today that the Blues will not wear special Pride themed uniforms for tomorrow night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, as had been planned earlier.

From Rutherford:

Blues players will not wear Pride jerseys during warmups before the team’s Pride night game against the Flyers on Tuesday, a team source told The Athletic on Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

The Blues announced their plans for Pride night, which included a list of promotions, but notably omitted whether the team will be wearing Pride jerseys during the pregame warmups. The team said there will be Pride-themed warmup pucks and rainbow stick tape available for players.

The source said the decision not to wear the warmup jerseys was made to put the focus on the positive things the team is doing to support and affirm the LGBTQIA+ community.

St. Louis previously wore Pride jerseys during warmups on April 6, 2022.

– Jeremy Rutherford

In a statement, Blues president and CEO of business operations Chris Zimmerman said they “believe in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment that encourages all fans to participate in our great sport.”

“With our Pride Night, alongside our partners from Pride STL and You Can Play Project, we are recognizing our friends in the LGBTQIA+ community and advocating for inclusivity in support of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative,” he added. “As an organization, we are committed to celebrating and welcoming all individuals as valued members of the Blues family — regardless of how they identify or whom they love.”

A number of NHL players and/or teams have elected not to wear Pride warmup jerseys this season, either for religious or political reasons. Of course, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov sort of kick started these ‘silent protests’ but the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild all soon followed. A number of Russian-born players have also opted out of Pride celebrations over concerns that they will face criminal charges in Russia for endorsing what the Russian government calls “non-normal lifestyles.”

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Sheldon Keefe gives update on Matt Murray

TSN

The Toronto Maple Leafs not only lost what would have been an extremely valuable two points in their quest for home ice in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs during last night’s game against the Original 6 rival Detroit Red Wings, but also lost goaltender Matt Murray to yet another injury. 

The latest setback for Murray was a freak accident that took place during the 1st period, as Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond blew a tire and slid accidentally into Murray, flipping him onto his back and also hitting his head on the ice. Murray left the game and was replaced by Ilya Samsonov.

As far as an update on Murray’s current status, head coach Sheldon Keefe said that fans can expect one as soon as tomorrow.

“I have no update,” he said talking about this morning. “We will get you for you probably on Tuesday.”

Murray struck the back of his head on the ice; was he removed from the game by a concussion spotter? 

“I am not exactly sure, “Keefe answered. “I was told it was mandatory that he had to come off of the ice.”

In the meantime, the Leafs are dealing with the harsh reality of the fact that Murray is simply an injury prone player at this point in his career, even thought this latest incident was out of his hands. 

“I don’t know,” Keefe said when asked what was going through his mind. “It was in the hands of the trainers. They’ll deal with it. He’ll bounce back, and Sammy will go.” 

The Leafs are back in action tomorrow night in what will be an extremely winnable game against the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. Game time is set for 7:00 PM EST. 

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Carson Briere back in the news for all the wrong reasons

Zuma Press

In case you missed it last month, Carson Briere, son of former NHLer and now Philadelphia Flyers interim GM Danny Briere, made headlines after a video was released that showed him intentionally damaging a wheelchair that belonged to a fellow classmate at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The younger Briere, who can be seen wearing a white hat in the video below, intentionally pushed a wheelchair down a staircase while the wheelchair’s owner was using a washroom just a few feet away. It’s unclear what sort of damage was done to the chair, but needless to say that it’s somewhat besides the point.

Here’s the video that went viral in March:

Father Danny Briere was forced to issue a statement on just his second day on the job as the Flyers’ GM, effectively apologizing for his bratty son. And, to be clear, Carson is 23 years old… this isn’t some 18 year old freshman we’re talking about. In fact, Carson was effectively kicked off of Arizona State’s team for “partying too much” back in 2021. A couple years later and a second chance later and it doesn’t appear that the kid really gets it because he’s now been kicked off a second team in just two years. Earlier today Mercyhurst made it official earlier today saying that he had been “removed” from the team and will not finish the season with the team, effectively ending his college career.

More seriously though, Briere may be facing criminal charges.

Last week Erie police filed a misdemeanor charge against Briere for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Patrick Carrozzi, a member of Mercyhurt’s lacrosse team, faces the same charges.

 “Upon the defendant exiting the wheelchair Patrick Carrozzi and Carson Briere can be seen moving the wheelchair toward the edge of a staircase where he and the defendant then push the wheelchair down the staircase and walk away. These actions created a hazardous condition by blocking the staircase as a route of egress and posed a danger to any persons that may have been approaching the bottom of the staircase,” Erie police stated.

Conviction for these crimes could carry a prison sentence of up to two years with a fine for $5,000. Neither Briere nor Carrozzi have a criminal record though, so I can’t see the courts throwing these two young men in jail. At best, they’re looking at paying a fine, conducting some community service and hopefully doing their best to scrape off all the mud that they’ve sprayed on their family’s names.

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Wild finally get some good news on Kaprizov

Zuma Press

According to a report from Minnesota Wild insider Joe Smith of The Athletic, injured Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov hit the ice today for the first time since suffering a serious lower body injury in early March.

From Smith’s article this morning for The Athletic:

Monday morning, before the Wild’s pregame skate with the Vegas Golden Knights, Kirill Kaprizov is expected to skate with skating and skills coach Andy Ness for the first time since sustaining a lower-body body injury on March 8, according to multiple team sources.

The big question now remains whether there’s enough time for Kaprizov to be ready before the end of the regular season.

The initial goal for a Kaprizov return was three to four weeks. Wednesday marks four weeks from Kaprizov’s injury in Winnipeg when Logan Stanley fell on top of him. General manager Bill Guerin has indicated the hope is Kaprizov can play in the final week of the regular season.

“You never know, right?” coach Dean Evason said. “I don’t know, honestly. We’ll get him on the ice and have a better idea.”

“Any player, you want them to play some games obviously before the playoffs,” Evason said. “You don’t want to just put them in the playoffs. Having said that, can Kirill Kaprizov step in and play if his first game was the playoffs? I’m sure he’d be fine. But, the same for any other player, we’d like to get them a few games before.”

– Joe Smith

Obviously, Kaprizov’s addition to the lineup would be a HUGE boon for the Wild. The 25 year old Russian has 39 goals and 74 points in 65 games this season and was pushing a 100 point pace when he went down with injury back on March 8th, 2023. Here’s hoping he can get back into the lineup as soon as possible and give himself at least a few regular season games under his belt before gearing up for the post-season. The Wild have officially clinched a playoff spot, so there’s no rush to get Kaprizov back into the lineup other than to help get him into shape for the post-season grind.

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Carson Briere kicked off his team… AGAIN

Zuma Press

In case you missed it last month, Carson Briere, son of former NHLer and now Philadelphia Flyers interim GM Danny Briere, made headlines after a video was released that showed him intentionally damaging a wheelchair that belonged to a fellow classmate at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The younger Briere, who can be seen wearing a white hat in the video below, intentionally pushed a wheelchair down a staircase while the wheelchair’s owner was using a washroom just a few feet away. It’s unclear what sort of damage was done to the chair, but needless to say that it’s somewhat besides the point.

Here’s the video that went viral in March:

Father Danny Briere was forced to issue a statement on just his second day on the job as the Flyers’ GM, effectively apologizing for his bratty son. And, to be clear, Carson is 23 years old… this isn’t some 18 year old freshman we’re talking about. In fact, Carson was effectively kicked off of Arizona State’s team for “partying too much” back in 2021. A couple years later and a second chance later and it doesn’t appear that the kid really gets it because he’s now been kicked off a second team in just two years. Earlier today Mercyhurst made it official earlier today saying that he had been “removed” from the team and will not finish the season with the team, effectively ending his college career.

More seriously though, Briere may be facing criminal charges.

Last week Erie police filed a misdemeanor charge against Briere for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Patrick Carrozzi, a member of Mercyhurt’s lacrosse team, faces the same charges.

 “Upon the defendant exiting the wheelchair Patrick Carrozzi and Carson Briere can be seen moving the wheelchair toward the edge of a staircase where he and the defendant then push the wheelchair down the staircase and walk away. These actions created a hazardous condition by blocking the staircase as a route of egress and posed a danger to any persons that may have been approaching the bottom of the staircase,” Erie police stated.

Conviction for these crimes could carry a prison sentence of up to two years with a fine for $5,000. Neither Briere nor Carrozzi have a criminal record though, so I can’t see the courts throwing these two young men in jail. At best, they’re looking at paying a fine, conducting some community service and hopefully doing their best to scrape off all the mud that they’ve sprayed on their family’s names.

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Bruins concerned over Patrice Bergeron’s health?

The Boston Globe

Is it time to start getting worried about Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron’s health? 

The perennial defensive forward has been held out of a handful of recent Bruins games, including their 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins as well as yesterday’s shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues. And with the Stanley Cup playoffs on the horizon, the Bruins will certainly need all hands on deck if they’re to prove that their historic regular season hasn’t been just a fluke. 

“Bergeron’s out,” Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said earlier in the week. “Resting nagging injuries here that — obviously the cross-check in ear — but he’s been dealing with some upper-body and lower-body issues that we’d like to get him some rest on.”

With 57 points on the season, Bergeron ranks third on the Bruins in scoring behind sniper David Pastrnak and scoring pest Brad Marchand. However, he recently took a hit to the head from Montreal’s Rem Pitlick late last month, sparking a beatdown from Marchand at TD Garden: 

He also recently received stitches after an injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

The good news for Boston is that their playoff berth was already secured a long time ago, as well as already having cemented their status as the top regular season squad in the League. Resting Bergeron won’t have any effect on their postseason positioning, so it may be the wisest choice for the coaching staff to have him get some well deserved time off.