While the schedules of professional athletes don’t change due to personal circumstances, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov is doing the best that he can of trying to balance his job of performing at top level for his team between the pipes as the postseason approaches along with the realities of being a brand new father.
He and his wife Maria welcomed their first child earlier this month, a son they named Miroslav.
“Probably the best week in my life,” Samsonov explained. “A lot of emotion, last four days we stay all together and at home is unbelievable. I feel perfect. When he comes on my skin, you feel so warmy. He’s so cute.”
Meanwhile, Samsonov has also been absent from the lineup due to a minor injury that he suffered in late February.
“We figured out my injury because we had time,” Samsonov shared, adding, “I feel perfect, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I think I’m 100 percent.”
The first year Leafs goaltender is 24-9-4 with a 2.47 goals against average and .913 save percentage along with three shutouts.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the battle for their lives in order to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 17th consecutive season. The fact that the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime last night does nothing to help that, while the additional fact that they were unable to put away the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night despite mounting two separate comeback efforts didn’t aid that quest either.
The Penguins allowed Detroit to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena before they decided it was time to start playing. Three second period goals by Pittsburgh tied the score, and it appeared as though they had the momentum. They were even able to once again tie the score after Detroit took a one goal lead in the 3rd.
However, it would be two soft goals allowed by goaltender Casey DeSmith to forward and one time ex-Penguins forward David Perron that would seal their fate for a regulation loss in the standings. And while the Penguins are back at it tonight at PPG Paints Arena against the visiting Nashville Predators, fans aren’t exactly in an optimistic mood.
Take a look at a sampling of some of the responses levied towards the Penguins official Twitter account earlier today.
If you’ve played beer league hockey for any length of time you know that just about every team has some guy on its roster who is a bit, shall we say, too invested in the game.
You know the type. The guy who’s playing for an NHL contract despite the fact that it’s 9:45pm on a Tuesday evening and no one’s in the crowd except for some lonely girlfriend on her phone and the zamboni guy waiting to wrap up his work for the evening. Still, despite the fact that there’s nothing on the line and that we’re all just here to get some exercise and handle the puck for a bit there’s always at least one hard ass who ruins things for everyone.
Well… today we happen to have a perfect example of just such a guy.
Check it out:
Really, buddy?
That’s your protest?
Emptying the puck bucket for your teammates to clean up for you. Good one, you really showed everyone what a big, tough man you are…
In all seriousness, I’m sure this guy feels like a clown for his behavior. The fact of the matter is that we can all get a little heated even during a mean-nothing beer league game, but you gotta check yourself at all times. In my experience it only takes one instance like this where you end up making yourself look like a completely donkey to never do it again. I know I’ve been guilty of saying some pretty stupid things to the officials and making myself look like a complete idiot out there, but once you reflect on things and you realize that you’re only casting your team and your teammates in a bad light well then chances are it doesn’t happen again.
Personally, I can remember getting tossed from a game and then trying to smash my stick on the boards on the way out. Let’s just say that sticks don’t break like they used to… even on the fourth or fifth attempt. Imagine a grown man trying to smash a stick, failing and then skating off the ice with his tail between his legs… welcome to my life.
The Winnipeg Jets are slipping at the worst possible time this season, going 5-5-0 in their last 10 and putting up back to back L’s, while the surging Calgary Flames pick up points along the way. The Jets currently have two points on the Flames for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference but if they continue they way they’ve been playing then they almost certainly have no shot at the playoffs.
Yesterday, Jets head coach Rick Bowness raised a few eyebrows across the league when making comments on star forward Mark Scheifele. Any Jets fan will tell you that it’s fairly obvious that Bowness and Scheifele have a strained relationship, but if you need any further proof just watch Bowness’ reaction when asked about Scheifele’s strategy for creating offense:
That eye roll says more than words could ever say…
“Shoot the puck. We can’t go into every game, ‘We need you to shoot the puck, OK,’” Bowness said of Scheifele. “When your chance is there, you’ve got to shoot the puck. You can’t be looking for — and this is where this team gets itself in trouble. When we’re looking to make that extra play that’s there, instead of putting it on the net. That’s why the shot totals are down and the goals for are down.”
Sounds fair right? The coach has a strategy and part of it is getting his #1 center to shoot more often. The problem is that Scheifele seems to feel like he should have his own rules to play by because… well because it better suits HIS game, not the team’s game.
“I’m a guy that, my whole career, I’ve played a possession game, especially in the O-zone,” Scheifele said to Murat Ates of The Athletic. “I like to hold on to the puck, especially below the goal line. That’s kind of where I create my offence. And then go to the slot when I play with some pretty magical players that can find me in the slot. That’s always been my game. You know, it’s just a matter of trying to create more possession time, trying to create more O-zone time and wear teams down. If it takes 59 minutes then it takes 59 minutes, but that’s always been my look at offence is quality over quantity.”
Combine this mess all of the trade talk and rumors surrounding former captain Blake Wheeler and it’s clear that the team’s leadership group, ie Scheifele and Wheeler, are causing some internal friction within the team right now.
Frankly, it’s time for a change in Winnipeg and there’s real speculation that both Wheeler and Scheifele will be gone this offseason. Both players are signed to big ticket contracts for next season, so there’s some work to do for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff if he is indeed looking to give his team a fresh start.
In case you missed it earlier this week, Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta had a bit of a viral moment after he decided to bust out the Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams goal celebration after scoring the shootout game winner over the Buffalo Sabres.
Check it out:
An absolutely unforgettable moment in what’s mostly been a forgettable season for Habs fans. You’ve got to love it.
Or… maybe you don’t if you’re a crabby old fart like Michel Therrien.
The former Habs bench boss was recently on TVA Sports and he didn’t hide the fact that he was disturbed by Pezzetta’s over the top celebration.
“You should never humiliate the opponent. That’s a type of humiliation. He should have celebrated his goal in a different way. When I was a coach, I often told the players that you have to be humble in victory. For me, the team concept is important. You never want to disrespect your opponents because they can make you look bad later. That’s a dangerous line. The guys are proud. You never want to embarrass them. That’s how I look at it.”
– Michel Therrien
I get what Therrien is getting at here but the fact of the matter is that hockey is supposed to be fun. What Pezzetta did was fun and there hasn’t been much fun for Habs fans to cheer for the past couple seasons. Just get over yourself and enjoy some hockey, for crying out loud…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Things don’t look good for the Arizona Coyotes.
The NHL’s doormat, the team with the lowest payroll in the league and the team that plays out of a college building half the size of most team’s practice rinks is once again having a tough go of things. Gee… call me crazy but I think after nearly 30 years of this that NHL hockey in the Arizona desert may not be a great idea after all…
Yesterday azcentral.com reported that the city of Phoenix, Arizona is suing the Coyotes over their plans to develop a new arena and entertainment complex is neigboring Tempe, Arizona. As you might expect, this has put a bit of a wrench into the Coyotes’ plans.
Details from azcentral.com:
Phoenix is suing to stop Tempe’s $2.1 billion deal with the Arizona Coyotes, a move destined to reignite an inter-city conflict over a proposed entertainment district that appeared to have died out four months ago.
(The lawsuit) contends that Tempe’s approval of the deal violated a policy that limits how close housing can be to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, part of a 1994 agreement designed to spare residents from loud plane noise and protect the airport from noise-related litigation.
Phoenix is asking a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to prevent Tempe from moving forward with the project by undoing the initial approval of the deal in December.
“The City of Phoenix … is suing Tempe for breach of contract, asking the court to rescind Tempe’s recent zoning and land use changes and prohibit future residential uses in an area that the Federal Aviation Administration says is incompatible with residential development,” Phoenix wrote in a news release.
– azcentral.com
I don’t know the first thing about lawsuits or about how this will all play out but… seriously… SERIOUSLY can we just pull the plug on this dying franchise already?
Personally I’m actually flabbergasted that the Coyotes are still in the NHL. Again, they play in a literal college facility and they’re openly tanking for a top pick. They take the rest of the league’s garbage contracts via trades and the league doesn’t seem to really care. Hell… does ANYONE care about the Coyotes? Please just move this team already…
According to a report from NHL jersey and logo specialist Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net, the Philadelphia Flyers will be changing both their home and road uniforms for the 2023-24 season. Creamer reports that the Flyers will be throwing it back a bit, using a design that’s very similar to the uniform the team wore in the 1980s and majority of the 1990s.
More info from Creamer:
Starting with the colours, sources tell SportsLogos.Net that the Flyers will be bringing back their original shade of orange, which is a bit lighter than what the club is currently using (see the side-by-side comparison below). The Flyers had used their original orange from their 1967-68 expansion season, through their two Stanley Cup Championships, right up until the NHL started standardizing colours league-wide in 1999. The Flyers have used their current shade of orange since that 1999-2000 switch.
– Chris Creamer
The home orange and road white uniform designs will be a throwback to the style used for a quarter century from 1982 to 2007 — the ones with very wide stripes down each arm, made famous by former Flyers such as Eric Lindros, Rod Brind’Amour, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick, and Ron Hextall. These uniforms all originally used that aforementioned shade of orange that the Flyers will be flipping back to.
There will be some changes, of course. I’m told the black trim that borders those wide sleeve stripes will not be returning, and the single orange or black stripe (depending on the jersey) that appears before the patch of black near the cuffs will also be gone.
– Chris Creamer
Of course, the new uniform will be on the modern Adidas cut with that big collar thing and an NHL shield in there; for ease of Photoshopping, I simply used photos from the ’90s for this mockup and edited where necessary.
Note: there will not be a black uniform; there will not be an alternate uniform for the Flyers in 2023-24. Just the home orange and road white. Aside from the change to the shade of orange, the logo will remain exactly the same (and rightfully so!).
– Chris Creamer
So there you have it… a new twist on an old design, which personally I think is just fine. To me, the Flyers have one of the most recognizable jerseys and logos in the sport and I’d be very wary of messing with it. Thankfully, it seems like the team’s braintrust recognizes this and isn’t interested in creating the latest fad or trend with a brand new look.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Things don’t look good for the Arizona Coyotes.
The NHL’s doormat, the team with the lowest payroll in the league and the team that plays out of a college building half the size of most team’s practice rinks is once again having a tough go of things. Gee… call me crazy but I think after nearly 30 years of this that NHL hockey in the Arizona desert may not be a great idea after all…
Yesterday azcentral.com reported that the city of Phoenix, Arizona is suing the Coyotes over their plans to develop a new arena and entertainment complex is neigboring Tempe, Arizona. As you might expect, this has put a bit of a wrench into the Coyotes’ plans.
Details from azcentral.com:
Phoenix is suing to stop Tempe’s $2.1 billion deal with the Arizona Coyotes, a move destined to reignite an inter-city conflict over a proposed entertainment district that appeared to have died out four months ago.
(The lawsuit) contends that Tempe’s approval of the deal violated a policy that limits how close housing can be to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, part of a 1994 agreement designed to spare residents from loud plane noise and protect the airport from noise-related litigation.
Phoenix is asking a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to prevent Tempe from moving forward with the project by undoing the initial approval of the deal in December.
“The City of Phoenix … is suing Tempe for breach of contract, asking the court to rescind Tempe’s recent zoning and land use changes and prohibit future residential uses in an area that the Federal Aviation Administration says is incompatible with residential development,” Phoenix wrote in a news release.
– azcentral.com
I don’t know the first thing about lawsuits or about how this will all play out but… seriously… SERIOUSLY can we just pull the plug on this dying franchise already?
Personally I’m actually flabbergasted that the Coyotes are still in the NHL. Again, they play in a literal college facility and they’re openly tanking for a top pick. They take the rest of the league’s garbage contracts via trades and the league doesn’t seem to really care. Hell… does ANYONE care about the Coyotes? Please just move this team already…
This just in, Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella has pulled off an unprecedented move, scratching HIMSELF for tonight’s game in Ottawa against the Ottawa Senators. Instead, assistant coach Brad Shaw will coach the team and will be available for post-game comments. Tortorella will watch the game from the press box with GM Daniel Briere.
Check it out:
Honestly… I kind of love it!
I’ve never heard of a coach doing this before and the Flyers are so far out of the running this season that they may as well shake things up and try some new things. Honestly, I find this kind of refreshing and I wonder if more coaches will try to think outside the box like Torts moving forward.
