Tag: Hockey Feed

Categories
Hockey Feed

Jay Woodcroft sounds off the NHL’s controversial goal call.

The Stanley Cup playoffs were marred by controversy on Friday night, and although the final decision has already been made and there will be no changing the past now, we probably aren’t done hearing about this particular call for a while.

On Friday night, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings clashed in Game 3 of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series and the game would end in controversy after an overtime goal courtesy of the Kings’ Trevor Moore. There was no doubt that Moore scored the goal, but several slow motion and close up replays appear to indicate that a stoppage in play had been warranted prior to him scoring the goal.

The end result though was the NHL ruling this a good goal, something the Oilers obviously do not agree with. Following the conclusion of the game, Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft was asked to share his thoughts on the controversy and he made it pretty clear how he felt. Although not one to ever stir the pot, Woodcroft made it clear that he felt the league had made the wrong call.

“It’s a play where the greatest player in the world is two feet away,” said Woodcroft. “His arm comes straight up in the air because he knows it hit the stick, otherwise he wouldn’t put his arm up in the air… he would keep playing.”

Woodcroft also pointed to the slow motion replays that appear to indicate that there was indeed a high stick that should have stopped the play.

“It appears to me in the video that the puck is going straight up in a trajectory and deadens, in the end I’m going to go with the greatest player in the world who was three feet away,” concluded Woodcroft

The player being referenced here is of course Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and judging by Woodcroft’s comments it would stand to reason that McDavid himself, and likely the rest of the Oilers lock room. isn’t too happy about this call either. 

Categories
Hockey Feed

Major officiating controversy in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday night.

The National Hockey League has a major controversy on their hands stemming from a call made during Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, and it is one that could potentially play a pivotal role in determining who advances in the first round of that series.

On Friday night, the Oilers and Kings, who were already tied up at 1-1 on the series coming into this one, battled it out in a hard fought game that needed overtime to determine a winner. The game winning goal would come on a Kings powerplay just minutes into the overtime frame when Trevor Moore managed to beat Jeff Skinner to give the Kings a 2-1 lead in the series.

Here’s a replay of Moore’s game winning goal:

If you’re thinking that Moore’s goal doesn’t look all that controversial you would be right, there’s no doubt that the puck crossed the goal line and there’s not much of a case to be made for goaltender interference. The issue isn’t with the goal itself but with a high stick that occurred only moments before, one that the Oilers feel should have resulted in a stoppage of play.

The alleged high stick in question came from the Kings’ Gabe Vilardi, and here’s a look at the replay as shown on the broadcast last night:

The NHL’s situation room in Toronto would take several looks at the play but, according to several NHL insiders, the league would determine that there were no camera angles that showed Vilardi had conclusively touched the puck.

The league’s ruling has been called into question with some arguing that the replay does show conclusive contact between stick and puck, arguing that the momentum of both shifted at the moment of contact. When viewed in slow motion, Vilardi does appear to look up after the puck makes contact with his stick. If the player felt that contact and reacted by looking up, it would lend credence to the argument that contact was made.

A close up of this same replay also appears to show the shift in momentum from both puck and stick.

Whether the NHL got this one right or wrong won’t change anything now for either the Kings or the Oilers, but it will certainly be discussed at great length should the Kings emerge victorious in this series.

Did the NHL make the right call on Friday night? Or could this prove to be a series defining mistake from the league?

Categories
Hockey Feed

Devils make a radical goaltending change, down 2-0 in the series.

Jim McIsaac/NHLI/Getty

The New Jersey Devils aren’t out of the Stanley Cup playoffs just yet, but they have dug themselves into a major hole by allowing the New York Rangers to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series.

It isn’t just that the Rangers took the first two games of the series though, it’s also the manner in which they claimed those victories that have the Devils reeling and on the ropes. The Rangers won both Game 1 and Game 2 by a score of 5-1, prompting what appears to be a desperation move from Devils head coach Lindy Ruff.

Although it has not as of yet officially been confirmed, it appears as though Ruff will be injecting rookie goaltender Akira Schmid in the hopes that Schmid can be the difference maker and claw his team back into this series. Our first sign that Schmid would be getting the start came this morning when Schmid was in his own net during the Devils’ morning skate, while both Mackenzie Blackwood and Game 1 and Game 2 starter Vitek Vanacek shared a net.

Schmid would also be the last goaltender to leave the ice on Saturday which further led many to believe that he would be getting the start tonight, and National Hockey League insider Frank Seravalli has now confirmed his belief that Schmid will start while Vanecek will play the backup role.

You can hardly blame Ruff for trying to find an answer here, and given the lackluster performances the Devils received from Blackwood during the regular season he likely isn’t a realistic option here. Furthermore Vanecek has struggled in this series allowing 4 goals on just 22 shots in Game 1 for an .818 save percentage and 5 goals on just 30 shots in Game 2 for an .833 save percentage.

Schmid is a rookie and one with only 24 games of NHL experience under his belt, but to his credit he did have a solid showing in the regular season for the Devils. In his 18 appearances during the 2022-23 season. Schmid would record a 2.13 goals against average and a .922 save percentage, so you can start to see why Ruff is turning to him at such a pivotal moment in the series.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Jon Cooper hints at a giant lineup change for Game 3.

Jamie Sabau/NHLI/Getty

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs have played the first two games of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series and the outcomes of both games couldn’t have been more different.

In the first game the Maple Leafs looked lost as they were thoroughly dominated by the Lightning on the Leafs’ home ice, but the situation was completely reversed in Game 2 when the Leafs had arguably an even more dominant performance than that of the Lightning in Game 1.

Given how poorly his team faired in their second outing it should come as no surprise that Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will be looking to make adjustments ahead of Game 3 on Saturday night, but Cooper hinted at a potentially gigantic change to his lineup on Saturday.

Cooper indicated that we could see the return of massive Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman on the blue line tonight, although he did not confirm that officially instead listing Hedman as a gametime decision. More specifically, Cooper indicated that Hedman would take warmups with the Lightning tonight, something he did not do before Game 2, and that they would make their decision on his status at that point.

Additionally, Hedman was spotted on the ice with his teammates on Saturday and even participated in the drills, which to me is only more evidence of the fact that Hedman will likely make his return this evening.

The Maple Leafs manhandled the Lightning in Game 2 with the Lightning’s blue line severely depleted, and the Lightning will no doubt be hoping that they can temper the Leafs offensive onslaught with the return of Hedman on defense.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Wayne Gretzky goes above and beyond for family that lost son in 9/11.

They call #99 “The Great One” for his outstanding play out on the ice, but we may soon have to change that name to “The Greatest One” thanks not to Wayne Gretzky the player, but Wayne Gretzky the man.

Over the weekend Gretzky joined the Spittin Chiclets crew during their broadcast of the FDNY vs NYPD hockey game, no doubt in an effort to help promote an event that puts the spotlight right on first responders. Being that the event was between a pair of teams based out of New York, Wayne Gretzky was asked to retell a famous story related to a family that lost their son during the tragic events of 9/11.

Gretzky would go on to share a story about how he met a family one day by the pool, a chance meeting that would forever change the contents of his wallet.

“Janet and I happened to be in Vegas for a charity event and they were sitting by the pool… sort of a family get together,” revealed Gretzky over the weekend. “I kinda walked by and they said ‘Are you Wayne?’ and I said yeah and they said ‘We had a son that tragically passed in 9/11 and here’s his picture,’ and they gave me his card and I said I’ll keep it in my wallet for life.”

It was a very nice thing for Gretzky to do and say, but surely no one would hold him to the impossible standard of keeping a photograph of a man he had never met, and would never meet, in his wallet forever?

Well according to Gretzky, a full decade later, he ran into friends of that very same family when he was once again in Las Vegas and what happened when they met will leave you in awe of Wayne Gretzky the man.

“10 years later I was in Vegas again for another event,” continued Gretzky “and friend’s of their family said ‘Can we ask you a question, do you still have that picture of our friend? Their family told us you were gonna have it in your wallet.’ I said yeah, and I pulled my wallet out and I still had the picture. I said I promised the family I would never lose it, I would keep it forever.”

Perhaps even more impressive than Gretzky’s unbelievable act of kindness was the completely humble and matter-of-fact matter in which he repeated the story. It was clear that Wayne did not want any kind of recognition for the gesture, although he certainly deserves it.

“You know what? Everyone went through a hard time,” said Gretzky. “For me to keep a little keepsake like that is special to me.”

The Great One ladies and gentlemen.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Don Sweeney shares a concerning update on Patrice Bergeron.

If you have paid any attention to the chatter regarding the Boston Bruins on social media over the last few days, you’ve probably seen quite a bit of concern and criticism surrounding the status of Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron.

After being out for a while and dealing with some injuries, Bergeron would make his return to the ice on the 13th of April for a meaningless game against the Montreal Canadiens. Bergeron accumulate just 5 minutes and 36 seconds of ice time before leaving the game early, and since exiting that game he has been notably absent from all of the Bruins’ skates.

On Sunday, Don Sweeney addressed Bergeron’s status ahead of the Bruins’ first game in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, and his comments were not at all reassuring.

“He’s taken another extra day today again obviously,” began Sweeney on Sunday. “It’s to be decided tomorrow if he feels well enough he’ll play.”

It sounds like Bergeron is dealing with both nagging injuries as well as an illness, so there will be quite a bit up in the air as the Bruins set to face off against the Florida Panthers on Monday night. The good news here is, as Sweeney pointed out, it’s not like missing a few practices is going to somehow diminish the quality of player that Bergeron is on a nightly basis.

“Patrice doesn’t need extra days of practice,” said Sweeney. “If he feels better he’ll play.”

Somewhat concerning was the fact that Sweeney confirmed Jeremy Swayman is also dealing with an illness of his own, and you have to hope that there isn’t some kind of bug going around the Bruins locker room just before the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For Sweeney’s full comments, check out the video below:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Rumor: NHL-ready arena development to be announced on Monday.

Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports

Although the National Hockey League has only just recently added the Seattle Kraken to their ever growing number of member teams and although the NHL finally finds itself balanced with 32 teams across the league, the rumors of NHL expansion continue to persist.

The latest on that front comes to us courtesy of former NHL goaltender turned NHL insider Kevin Weekes, and his report is a spicy one. Weekes is reporting that an arena development project, one large enough to house a hockey team, is set to be announced on Monday.

What makes this report from Weekes even more interesting though is the market involved in this rumor, one that has repeatedly been one of two markets in the United States heavily rumored to be potential NHL destinations. According to Weekes the market in question is that of the state of Georgia, with the city of Atlanta having been a rumored destination for the NHL almost since the moment the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated to Winnipeg.

Weekes even goes to ask “If you build it, will they come ?” clearly hinting at the possibility of NHL expansion here in the future. It’s still too early to say anything definitive about this as-of-yet to be announced project, but there’s a little smoke here at the very least.

Could this be the location of the next NHL franchise? Hockey fans in Quebec City, Quebec or Houston, Texas might not be too happy at the thought of that possibility.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Sheldon Keefe appears to give Matthew Knies some bad news on Sunday.

There will be tremendous pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs as they head into their first round Stanley Cup playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, pressure that will be felt at all levels of the Maple Leafs organization.

Keeping that in mind, it will fall to head coach Sheldon Keefe to field the lineup that he feels will give the Maple Leafs the best possible chance of emerging victorious in Game 1 of this series, and that means making some tough decisions when it comes to personnel.

That appears to include giving some bad news to newcomer rookie forward Matthew Knies, who on Sunday was spotted wearing a grey jersey out on the ice. That color is usually reserved for players that will be extras and that appears to indicate that Knies will not be in the lineup for Game 1, although of course things can change quickly at this time of year.

There’s a good case to be made for not using Knies, including giving the opportunity to players that have grinded all year to showcase their compete factor in the playoffs. Knies is also relatively inexperienced at the NHL level, having played only 3 regular season games and having just 1 assist to his name thus far, but that doesn’t mean that the 20 year old winger couldn’t slot in later in this series or even further down the line.

Although as I’ve mentioned things could change, Sheldon Keefe and the Maple Leafs may have given us a preview of their Game 1 lineup with their lines in practice on Sunday.

Forwards:
Bunting — Matthews — Marner
Tavares — O’Reilly — Nylander
Aston-Reese — Kämpf — Lafferty
Kerfoot — Acciari — Järnkrok

Defensemen:
McCabe — Brodie
Giordano — Holl
Rielly — Schenn

Presumably it will be Ilya Samsonov who gets the start in goal, but no official confirmation on that front just yet either.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Butch Goring roasts Biznasty, P.K. Subban, and Ryan Callahan.

A couple of young fellas have been taken to school this morning, and the teacher handing out the lessons isn’t exactly the kind of teacher you’re going to be inclined to give any back talk to.

On Monday morning, New York Islanders legend Butch Goring woke up and chose violence when he decided to roast a number of his fellow NHL alumni over opinions they had expressed over the course of the season. Specifically, Goring called out Paul “Biznasty” Bissonnette, P.K. Subban and Ryan Callahan for a variety of reasons.

It was Biz who got the worst of the 4-time Stanley Cup winner’s ire, with Goring sending out a tweet just for him.

“Hey Biz, just wondering what time that exciting and entertaining Sabres playoff game starts,” taunted the Islanders legend.

If you’re not familiar with the context, don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Back in February of this year, Goring and Biz butted heads a little over comments Biz made regarding the style employed by the Islanders.

“I would love to see the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs,” said Biz back in February. “They are way more exciting to watch than the Islanders. The Islanders are the most boring team in the NHL, I do not want them to make the playoffs, I don’t care if all of Long Island hates my guts. They are a snoozefest. Snoozefest!”

As mentioned Goring also took aim at Subban and Callahan on Monday morning, with another tweet reserved for that pair.

“I am guessing Subban and Callahan will be going to bed early given the Isles are playing tonight. No big deal , no one will miss them,” taunted Goring yet again on social media.

I’ve gotta be honest with you I’m not even sure what Subban or Callahan said to draw the ire of the 73 year old former NHLer, but I suspect they likely made comments similar to the ones from Biz for Goring to respond in such a manner.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Insider reveals shocking reason behind Brad Treliving’s departure.

HabsolumentFan

The Calgary Flames surprised many of their fans on Monday morning when they announced that they had mutually parted ways with longtime general manager Brad Treliving.

It’s true that the Flames failed to make the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs in spite of high expectations on their team, but nonetheless Treliving was heralded as a hero just last summer when he turned lemons into lemonade when both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk made it clear that their futures were not in Calgary.

The language used by the Flames, a mutual parting of ways as opposed to a termination or a non-renewal of a contract, was also curious and according to NHL insider Frank Serravalli there may be good reason to be curious.

On Monday, Seravalli revealed that a major contributing factor to Treliving’s departure may have been the status of head coach Darryl Sutter. Seravalli reports that Sutter will remain with the Flames, and “that fact played a role on whether or not Treliving would remain at his post.”

This would appear to indicate that Treliving felt Sutter was not the right coach for the group of players that he had assembled under the Flames banner, with ownership seemingly seeing things differently.

Given that Sutter is under contract through the 2024-25 season it’s not hard to see why ownership was reluctant to replace him, but the reaction to this news from fans in Calgary has not been positive.