First round victims: Flyers eliminated Penguins while Hurricanes eliminated the Senators.
The Flyers pulled off the biggest upset in round 1. The Flyers knocked off their state rival the Pittsburgh Penguins. After going up 3 games to zip, they eventually closed out Chilly Willy and the gang in game six. The Hurricanes swept the Ottawa Senators out of the first round in a sweep. The Hurricanes have now reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs six straight seasons.
The Flyers vs the Hurricanes will come down to which goaltender stays hot for their team in the second round of action. By far the Flyers goalie Dan Vladar, a veteran in this league for years getting his first taste of the post-season, was the MVP versus the Penguins. Vladar had 1.61 goals against average in six post season games. He concluded the series with 42 saves shut out. Then we have Frederik Andersen of the Hurricanes who has been a staple the last few seasons in the post-season. He led all goalies in the first round with 1.10 goals against average along with a .955save %. One of these goalies will have to continue to dominate the net for their team if they want to reach the conference finals.
I did not pick either of these teams in round 1. The Hurricanes I was at least leaning towards. They both proved me wrong. The Flyers are a young and upcoming team, making strides that were unexpected to this point. The Hurricanes are a complete team along with having a roster filled with post-season experience. The Young-en’s will be schooled this round. While Dan Vladar’s deal with the devil selling his soul to the guy with the pointy tail will come to an end. I like Flyers stealing two games in this series to make it interesting.
OUR PREDICTION: HURRICANES IN SIX GAMES
MONTREAL CANADIENS VS BUFFALO SABRES
First round victims: Canadiens eliminated Lightning while Sabres eliminated the Bruins.
It took Montreal the full 7 games of the series to knock off the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canadiens were the last team to qualify for round two action. The Sabres were playing their first post-season action since 2011. They rolled over the Bruins in six games and won their first post-season series since 2007.
This series between the Sabres and Canadiens is an example why the Stanley Cup post-season is one of the best if not the best in sports. The Montreal Canadiens top line is one of the best in the NHL which features Nick Suzuki, & Cole Caufield along with Juraj Slafkovsky. This line was very quiet in the first round of the post-season. Too quiet as the Lightning did a great job holding them in check. The Canadiens ended up winning the series. Meanwhile the Sabres top line features Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, and Tage Thompson who were all skating on all cylinders as they created kaos for the Boston Bruins defense. This series Montreal can’t repeat the performance of their top line going cold, especially against a Sabres team that had some big dudes on defense who can skate well. All the games should be very close in this series. I think Sabres have the edge overall in skating and the faster team. Alex Lyon, who replaced Ukko Pekka in the Sabres net, is the X-factor of this series. I think Lyon will stay hot and the Sabres topline will get it done in this round to dispatch the Canadians out of the tournament.
OUR PREDICTION: SABRES IN SIX GAMES
WESTERN CONFERENCE
MINNESOTA WILD VS COLORADO AVALANCHE
First round victims: Wild eliminated the Stars while Avalanche eliminated the Kings.
The Wild break an ugly streak of 8 first round losses in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Wild advance to the second for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile it was business like for the Avalanche who swept the Kings out of the post-season only allowing 5 goals in the 4 games.
The Wild went with rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in the first round versus the Stars and it paid off for Minnesota. The Stars to some were their pick to win the Stanley Cup this season. Can Wallstedt become the Berlin wall with this Avalanche team that has a roster it seems without any kinks in their armor? The Wild last year relied heavily on defense. This year they built an offensive presence that included six goals from Matt Boldy in the first round. How does the Wild deal with all the talented centers the Avalanche have on each line? Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best players in the league.
Jack Drury, former Hurricane, is now playing center on one of Colorado’s deadly assassin lines. The Avalanche also have Nazem Kadri and Brock Nelson. The Wild penalty kill closed out 60% of the Stars penalties. The Avalanche power play has all kinds of bells and whistles and I don’t see the Wild penalty kill unit closing at that kind of percentage. This is the Wild best team they have getting this far after experiencing the early exit. The wind will come out of the Wild sails. I think the Avalanche prevails in a good hard fought series which they really did not get from the Kings in the first round. Colorado is rested and will be ready to move on.
OUR PREDICTION: AVALANCHE IN SIX GAMES
LAS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
First round victims: Golden Knights eliminated Mammoth while Ducks eliminated the Oilers
The Anaheim Ducks knocked out the Oilers in the first round who went back to back years to the Stanley Cup finals representing the Western Conference. The Oilers are not the same juggernaut they once were but they still have the best hockey player on the planet right now in Connor McDavid. The Golden Knights were down 2 games to 1 at one point versus Utah in the first round. Vegas stormed back winning three straight games to find themselves once again in the second round for the 3rd time in 4 years. Vegas won back to back overtime games which included one that went into double OT.
The Golden Knights will give the Ducks another pair of hockey assassin goal scorers in Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel. The Ducks have dealt with the best in what the Oilers drilled at them in first round. However the Ducks will have to contend with a slew of defenders the Golden Knights have that can prevent solid shot going at their net. Plus Carter Hart played well between the pipes for Vegas against a talented Mammoth team. The Ducks may want to try to turn this series into a track meet to ruffle some feathers.
The Ducks have their younger stars like the Mammoth who Vegas dealt with. However the Ducks veteran leadership was all over the stat sheets in the first series vs the Oilers. Such as two time Stanley Cup champion Alex Killoran, who you remember had plenty of great years with Tampa Bay. Then Chris Krieder who has skated in 129 post-season games. I like the Ducks having Joel Quenneville as the team’s head coach. I feel his leadership alone can help this Ducks team along with the talent they have to get past the Golden Knights. It will be a series that goes the distance. At the end it will be something Ducky. Vegas will have to head back to the drawing board to play the old Nintendo game of Duck Hunt, a tad better.
The city of Boston’s sports landscape is backed by a die hard fan base. Boston sports may have the backing of one of the most passionate fan bases in the states and in the sports world. You have to love the city of Boston for all the historical stuff. Including one of the best baseball stadiums that is still standing in present day, Fenway Park. The greatest sitcom of all time is based out of Boston. Where everyone knows your name in Cheers. Out of the 4 main sports in America starting with baseball, then football, basketball, and hockey, Boston has done very well winning titles. In basketball the Celtics have won the most NBA titles with 18. In football we had to watch the Patriots dynasty steam roll the competition with Tom Brady and his coach Oscar the Grouch, Bill Belichick, collected 6 Superbowl trophies which is tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most all-time.The Bruins, an original six team in the NHL, has a 6 pack of their own in titles won which is 4th most on the ice. Then the Red Sox with 9 titles. We have come accustomed to hate the Evil Empire Yankees because they spend money and buy their titles. What about LA? The dream team Dodgers and all of that Hollywood crap. Boston can’t hide anymore. Bean Town has become the city with 4 teams that are annoying to the rest of the world. I love when the shit hits the fan in Boston because it is epic when things go bad.
Let’s roll the calendar back to the month of February as somehow the New England Patriots made it back to the Superbowl. The Patriots took advantage of an easy schedule. The Patriots made a savvy hire in signing somehow available Mike Vrabel, a former player who helped this franchise win three titles as a linebacker. Vrabel brought back Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator who was a big part of that hated dynasty with Tom Brady all those years. The Patriots were the number two seed and played the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game and won. Of course the Broncos were playing this important game without their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, who was injured. The Patriots find a way as the Mandalorian would say. It was a rematch of an old Superbowl from years ago with the Seahawks and Patriots clashing. That Superbowl Seattle should have won if they only handed the ball off to Marshawn Lynch at the goal line to seal the deal. Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator back then, went with a pass that was intercepted and once again Tom Brady prevails. Only a few months ago this go around, Seattle would get revenge and beat up on this Patriots team that probably should have never gotten there in the first place. The Patriots like always make headlines off the field like they did back in the day during the dynasty. Before the Superbowl, Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore had an incident with his girlfriend who he pushed to the ground. Then another classy citizen, Stefon Diggs, choking a female chef about the bill. Let’s not forget the affair of Varabel with ESPN side line reporter Dianna Russini. Her career is screwed while Vrabel will be on the Patriots sideline this season.
The Buffalo Sabres, a team that broke the longest playoff drought in the NHL this season, squared off against the Bruins in the first round. The Sabres dominated this series. They dispatched the Bruins in six games of which game six was on Boston’s home ice which is always priceless to see a team you’re rooting against loose in front of the home faithful. The Bruins were booed off their home ice in game 4 when the Sabres blew them out on a Sunday afternoon. After the blow out loss, goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s frustrations boiled over in an outburst. The Bruins had multiple stick infractions in this series versus the Sabres. In game six, the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy delivered a high stick on the Sabres’ Zach Benson in the remaining seconds of the game. Yes, these are two teams that don’t like each other. Yes, it was a chippy series with plenty of words and threats exchanged in the six games played. In my book the Sabres were the quicker team. They were the better team and that did not go well with the Bruins players as they tried to get their revenge with dirty play. In the end seeing both teams line up for the hand shake, which the NHL does to conclude all post-season series was priceless. Seeing the Bruins season end, you immediately went into your happy dance.
In baseball the Red Sox just fired their manager, Alex Cora, who helped the Red Sox win a title in 2018. The Red Sox have started out of the gates poorly & that has led to Cora’s dismissal. Cora came from the Houston coaching staff of the Astros who stole the 2017 World Series with sign stealing. Cora was let go by the Red Sox in 2020 because of the part he played with the Astros in that sign stealing scandal. After only missing one season, Cora was quickly reinstated by the Red Sox. Because baseball let these guys off easily. How many scandals did the Patriots dynasty get into? We had deflate gate. We had the Tom Brady new tuck rule. Bill Belichick was busted for spy gate and you are surprised it was not a peep hole in the cheerleaders’ locker room. Let’s not forget the owner of the Patriots who got busted in a massage parlor for trying to land a hooker. Do you remember Aaron Hernandez, the tight end for the Patriots, that got life in prison for murder? Lots of classy citizens in Bean Town representing the Boston sports landscape.
The Boston Celtics won their last NBA title in 2024. The Celtics have always been a classy organization in the Boston landscape. The Irish name, the shamrock in the logo, and green and white uniforms make a statement. The Celtics stand out with superstars in the 1980’s like Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. All classy guys playing the game of basketball the right way and winning championships like a team. Not every athlete who put on the Boston uniform of whatever sport they played should be dragged through the mud or lynched. Who does not like the Big Papi? David Ortiz and great Red Sox players like Jim Rice along with Wade Boggs were fan favorites. My favorite Red Sox players were Kevin Youkilis and Carlton Fisk, who switched their Sox allegiance to White. In Cheers, Ted Danson played an X-Red Sox reliever named Sam May Day Malone. Also in Cheers, Eddie LeBec, who played goalie for the Bruins & married Carla, is my favorite Boston hockey player.
When the Red Sox made that huge comeback in the post-season being down three games to none with the Evil Empire Yankees in the ALCS in 2004. The Red Sox would go one and win the World Series. I liked that team. You can’t jump on the Boston bandwagon. In 2005 it was the White Sox who knocked out the 2004 defending champions in the first round of the post-season. That was the first hurdle for the White Sox road to the World Series and winning it all while breaking an 88 year drought for the southsiders since they won their last in 1917. Boston sports landscape have been very rewarding for the Chicago sports landscape. In 2013 the Blackhawks dynasty rolled over the Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals to win one of three cups. Which included scoring two goals off the Bruins in 17 seconds in the last 1:16 of regulation to win it all in game 6. The Bears won their only Superbowl versus the New England Patriots in 1986 in a rout.
Michael Jordan and the Bulls never beat Larry Bird’s Celtics in the post-season. However Robert Parish won his 4th ring with the Bulls in the 1996-97 season helping them off the bench. The NBA has changed and is a league presently that does not play defense. Chucking three pointers all day & all night. The Bulls and Celtics should not even be talked about like the rest of the NBA. It was the Celtics that I may have even complimented them out of all the 4 main sports in Boston. Some cities’ sports landscapes can change. Boston once upon a time ago was easy to root for. The Patriots have killed that city after that dynasty and present day events from that franchise. The Red Sox and Bruins may have a liking sometime in the future. Right now Bean Town is better off rooting against them. Their failures are priceless.
I think the NHL post-season is one of the best in sports. The Lord Stanley Cup is the best trophy in all of sports. The first round features some epic match ups. This season will not have a repeat of the Panthers and Oilers in the finals. Florida did not make post-season play while the Oilers are not that same team they were the last few seasons. We have selected a winner out of each series. We have thrown in some intel on each series. We even threw in a guess like a dart throw on how many games it take the team to win the first round series. We have some guesses. We have some educated guesses. We have some hunches that may be just a bit outside. I would not bet any money on our predictions. Maybe go the opposite. We may dazzle. We may sink like all the teams that did not make it into Lord Stanley’s post-season. We will predict each round. After the conclusion of each round. Our early thoughts have us getting behind the Buffalo Sabres. We may get ducky about Anaheim especially because we have them knocking off the Oilers of Edmonton. Read it. Enjoy it. That’s all we got.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(WC 1) BOSTON BRUINS (45-27-10) 100 POINTS VS (D1) BUFFALO SABRES (50-23-9) 109 POINTS
The Boston Bruins have been a regular staple in these Lord Stanley Cup playoffs for years. The Buffalo Sabres broke a 14 year drought as they finally get back to the playoffs. Both teams have played well in the last several months. The Sabres have had one of the best records in the league since the month of December and grabbed the top spot in the Eastern conference. The Bruins have played well since January and have had one of the better records in the league since that time.
In the NHL, a goalie could certainly cool off the other team and help your team get deep into the post-season. The Bruins goaltender needs to get hot as Jeremy Swayman is coming off a career year where he won 30 games.
Everything is a mission for one of the Sabres leaders in Alex Tuch, who has tallied up 33 goals and 33 assists in this magical season for Buffalo. He may be the team’s rally along with being the backbone of this Sabres team.
The Sabres come into the post-season with a lack of playoff experience. The Bruins rookie head coach Marco Sturm will get a taste of his first post-season experience as the man. The Sabres have an elite group of skaters. They have a solid defense and solid goal tending. The Bruins have created a stronger second line by moving Casey Mittelstadt from center to wing. He has played alongside Pavel Zacha and this line has created some noise for the Bruins. I like the Sabres’ Tage Thompson who has at least one point a game this season. He has played in 81 games and has tallied 40 goals while dishing out 40 assists. With the other young skaters the Sabres have and the confidence this team has had, I like them moving on from the first round.
OUR PREDICTION: SABRES IN 5 GAMES
(D3) MONTREAL CANADIENS (48-24-10) 106 POINTS VS (D2) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (50-26-6) 106 POINTS
The Canadiens and the Lightning are very good at putting the biscuit in the basket. Both teams finished with the same amount of points in the standings. The Lightning average 3.52 points per game. The Canadiens had a monster year from Nick Suzuki who went over the 100 point mark for the season.
Suzuki had 29 goals while dishing out 72 assists for 101 points. You have to go back 40 years since a Montreal player eclipsed 100 points. The Lightning have the Russian Rifle Nikita Kucheron who had 130 points this season. He had 44 goals and 86 assists.
Is 40 year old Corey Perry the lucky rabbit foot to get the Lightning back to finals? The only problem is he has been in the finals 5 out of the last 6 years and his teams have lost them all like the Edmonton Oilers last year. Perry has won a cup in 2007 with the Ducks. Last year he was valuable for the Oilers scoring 10 goals in 22 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Let’s not forget the Canadiens have Cole Caufield who scored 50 goals in the regular season. Montreal is a top 10 scoring team on the power play. The Lightning’s weakness is their power play. The experience goes to the Lightning. The goal tending goes to the Lightning as Andrei Vasilevskiy has been here before and has done very well. I like a long series as Lightning strikes in game seven to end Montreal.
When are the Hurricanes going to get over the hump in these Stanley Cup playoffs? Carolina is probably the team that experiences the most heartbreak losses in the Stanley Cup post-season the last few seasons. They say defense is a great recipe to win in the post-season as the Ottawa Senators have one of the best defensive squads in the tournament. The Hurricanes have the second best overall offense in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The Hurricanes have talent on defense as well with a few guys that can shut down some of the bigger parts of your opponent’s offense.
The Hurricanes used a tandem unit in the net with Frederik Anderson and Brandon Bussi. Anderson has done a nice job over the last few seasons in the post-season for the Canes. Bussi had 31 wins for the Hurricanes during regular season. He could certainly become a factor.
The Senators have a pair of skaters that have lit the lamp with 30 goals this season. Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson makes up the Senators’ two-headed monster on offense for Ottawa.
The Hurricanes have the post-season experience. The Senators come in with a lethal power play. The Hurricanes’ special teams on the penalty kill is a top 10 unit. The Hurricanes have some great skaters in Sebastin Aho who lit the lamp 27 times during regular season. Seth Jarvis can cause problems for the Senators. How will the Senators goalie Linus Ullmark do during this post-season with a legit offense the Hurricanes have? I like defense that could help the Senators goalie play better. My X-factor is the younger Tkachuk Brady, who played for the USA team during the Olympics. His brother is a big deal with the Florida Panthers. I think Brady will come up big in this tournament. This is a series destined to go the full tilt.
OUR PREDICTION: SENATORS WIN IT IN 7 GAMES
(D3) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (43-27-12) 98 POINTS VS (D2) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (41-25-16) 98 POINTS
It’s the battle of Pennsylvania in the first round between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. You have to always think the Pittsburgh Penguins are a threat in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s the first time the Flyers have been in the post-season since 2020. The Flyers were 9 points out of the second wild card spot on March 10th. The Flyers finished the season strong with a 13-4-1 record to get into the tournament. The Penguins head coach Dan Muse has done a solid job in his first year. Muse was never a head coach before and has his team playing the game without free flowing and not a care in the world. The Flyers are a young team & their star have overachieved this season. The Flyers veteran goalie is coming off his best NHL season as well.
Dan Vladar is 28 years of age and has played for three franchises in the NHL. In his 6th season between the pipes, Vladar’s first season as a Flyer won a career high of 29 games as the starting goalie.
The three time Stanley cup winner Sid the Kid Crosby for the Penguins can still light up the lamp as he had 29 goals this regular season.
The Penguins season was on the brink with some injuries. The Penguins General manager made some nice savvy moves to keep this team afloat. The Penguins acquired Egor Chinahov along with Elmer Soderblom. Two guys that helped this team in the second half of the season. The Flyers younger stars get their taste of the post-season which could be a building process for the future. The Flyers have 3 upcoming stars in Porter Martowe, Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov could really make a name for themselves in these playoffs. The Penguins have the experience and super powers like Evgeni Malkin who can be dangerous for Vlader, who is inexperienced in post-season play. The Penguins’ highly paid defensemen former Shark Erik Karlsson can do some damage on the offensive side of the ice. I like the experience as a whole for Pittsburgh. I think the Flyers will steal a few games as the Penguins’ goal tending is not very special. The Penguins will be able to dispatch the Flyers rather easily.
OUR PREDICTION: PENGUINS IN 6 GAMES
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(W2) LA KINGS (35-27-20) 90 POINTS VS (D1) COLORADO AVALANCHE (55-16-11) 121 POINTS
It seems like the LA Kings always have to face the best team in round 1. The Colorado Avalanche roster has plenty of depth. Last year the Kings got off to 2-0 over the Edmonton Oilers & then hit the big slide in the game of Chutes and Ladders.
This is the last post-season for the Kings’ long time captain, Anze Kopitar, who is hanging up the skates after one more chance at Lord Stanley’s Cup. He has won two Cups with the Kings.
The Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood this regular season achieved his first 30 win season between the pipes.
The Avalanche have 4 lines that are solid. They have three defensive pairings that can get the job done on defense. They have two solid goalies. They average 3.65 goals per game while allowing the fewest at 2.43 per game. The Kings traded for Artemi Panarin who came over from the Rangers & helped LA playoff push down the threat. Panarin, who played for the three biggest market in the states now, in Chicago, New York and LA, will have to come up big if they can find a way to upset the Avalanche juggernaut. The Avalanche superstar Nathan Mackinnon, unlike in the Olympics, will come up huge in this series to prevent an LA upset.
This match up you have to call it the North Stars series.
How does a hockey team move away from the state of Minnesota where hockey and ice fishing is everything, to the state of Texas? The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and dropped the North in their nickname, becoming just the Stars. The Wild would replace the North Stars as an expansion team later on. The Stars of Dallas made it to the Western Conference finals last year and lost to the Edmonton Oilers. The Wild were ousted in the first round by the Golden Knights. Both teams you have to believe improved from last year.
The Wild relied heavily on their defense last year. This year they improved their scoring as they are one of the strongest teams in the offensive zones at lighting the lamp. The team still has a great defense and a tandem of goalies that can get the job done on any night. Or ride the hotter hand. The Wild have two studs between the pipes in Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. They are 4th in the league with 2.87 goals against per games.
The Dallas Stars have finished the regular season with over 100 points in the standings 4 straight years. After the loss to the Oilers, the Stars thought they needed a new direction at head coach and fired Pete DeBoer during the summer. The new hire has already paid off what Pete did last regular season as the new face and head coach is Glen Gulutzan who worked with the Oilers coaching staff. The team that knocked out the Stars. The Stars are hoping with a new face and different post-season adjustments and knowledge of one of the best teams in the conference, it will pay off this go around. Many questioned the move DeBoer made in game versus the Oilers benching their franchise goalie Jake Oettinger.
I think this series may be one of the hardest ones to determine a winner. The Wild are better than last year and could give these Stars an early exit. The Stars are just so talented and have survived plenty of first rounds in post-season and went deep in the playoffs. I see the Stars aligning in survival and somehow coming through in a series that goes the distance like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed’s epic bout.
OUR PREDICTION: STARS WIN IT IN 7 GAMES
(WC1) UTAH MAMMOTH (43-32-6) 92 POINTS VS (D1) LAS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (39-26-17) 95 POINTS
This is the first time the Utah Mammoth have made the post-season since the Arizona Coyotes franchise moved to Mormon territory. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have been a staple in post-season since they arrived in the league as an expansion team. The Golden Knights won it all in 2023 and fired the head coach of that team in Bruce Cassidy only weeks ago. They gave the job to John Tortorella, who won 7 out of 8 games down the stretch for Vegas.
The captain of the Mammoth, a guy who played several years with the Coyotes the team that drafted him, had another good year. In year two with Utah he scored 26 goals and dished out 62 assists for 88 points. His leadership with some additional veterans this team added this off-season means they hope can go beyond the first round.
When it comes to the post-season, Mitch Marner does it all for the Golden Knights. He plays heavy minutes. He helps on defense. He averages at least 1 point per contest in the last 3 post-seasons. He scored 24 goals and dished out 56 assists this regular season.
The Mammoth can light the lamp and have many guys that can get the puck in the net. The Mammoth have 6 players that have 20 or more goals this season. They have 10 players that have double figures in goals scored.
Since John Tortorella took over, the Golden Knights save percentage went up. Carter Hart had .887 save percentage for the Golden Knights. Then he made six starts with the new head coach down the stretch & he was stellar in the net with .930 save %.
The Mammoth additions of veterans equals out to 4 Cups and 59 post-season games. The Mammoth are in the top 10 allowing the few shots on net and scoring chances. I feel like the Mammoth will make some noise in this first round by dispatching this Golden Knight team even though they are playing better with the new coach.
The Edmonton Oilers have lost in back to back Stanley Cup finals two straight seasons. The bright side is they will not have to worry about the Florida Panthers because they did not make the Stanley Cup post-season this year.
It did not take Joel Quenneville very long to get the Anaheim Ducks into the post-season. This is the first post-season action for the former Blackhawks head coach since he was banned from the league. He helped Chicago win three Stanley Cups. Then went to Florida & had to step away from the game because he helped cover up a sexual assault investigation back in his Chicago days.
The Oilers have the best hockey player in the league in Connor McDavid. The supporting cast is in question for this year’s Oilers squad. McDavid is Batman and Leon Draisaitl is a better Robin. However Leon may not be available for this playoff run due to an injury.
Meanwhile the Ducks have built around the youth players like Leo Carlsson who notched 29 goals and dished out 38 assists this season. The Ducks brought in veterans like John Carlson who has done wonders for that Ducky defense. Others they brought in that have made a difference are Mikael Granlund, Radko Gudas, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba.
The supporting cast around the Oilers super heroes is different this season. They have lost veterans like Connor Brown, Evander Kane, Brett Kulak, John Klingberg, and Corey Perry who are all playing elsewhere. The Oilers have dug themselves in holes the last few seasons and others on the roster would step up and help the superstars get back on track. Edmonton may not be so lucky this year. I think the Oilers time is up this season like the Panthers. Joel Q is a mad scientist. His game plan will help the Ducks get by the power of McDavid. They will move on to the second round because they have more depth on their entire roster than Edmonton has to offer.
The San Jose Sharks have been around since 1991 and have been a staple most of their existence in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. In 34 seasons the Sharks have made the post-season 21 times. The last seven years the Sharks have not been swimming close to beaches as they’ve been hanging out in deeper waters instead. Last time the Sharks made post-season play was back in the 2018-19 season. This season suddenly the youth have gone wild. The Sharks have added some nice veterans to the mix. This year’s team finds themselves one point behind the Seattle Kraken & LA Kings for the second wild spot in the Western Conference. Last year the Sharks sank deep into the depth of the NHL standings and tallied up only 44 points. This season they have a winning record at 32-28-6 which is good for 70 points. One of the biggest reasons why the Sharks are swimming closer to the coast line this season is because of the rise of Macklin Celebrini. He’s a 19 year old in his 2nd NHL season making an early statement being one of the league’s up-and-coming Superstars.
Macklin Celebrini was drafted number 1 overall in the NHL draft in 2024. In his rookie season Celebrini tallied 25 goals while racking up 38 assists for a total of 63 points. In year two of his NHL career, Celebrini is 5th in the NHL in points. This season the Sharks’ young forward has lit the lamp 35 times which is already 10 goals more than his rookie season. He has dished out 60 assists which is good for 95 points. In two seasons Celebrini has tallied up 60 goals along with dishing out 98 assists for 158 points. He has helped the Sharks franchise speed up the process. He is getting his team to the level of playing meaningful hockey this quickly in his career. The next Connor McDavid was going to be the number 1 draft pick in the 2023 NHL draft from the Blackhawks in Connor Bedard. Bedard has been around 3 seasons in Chicago. In those 3 seasons he has lit the lamp 72 times while racking up 120 assists for 192 total points. Bedard has had some injuries he has dealt with so far in his first three seasons. Celebrini looks closer to McDavid than Bedard. The Blackhawks have tried to add pieces around their young superstar with veterans and trying to develop young draft picks to play alongside Bedard, but it has not worked out. It’s the same ole story for Chicago as they are once again at the bottom of the barrel in the hockey world. While Celebrini was skating with the top line with McDavid for Canada at the recent Winter Olympics. Bedard did not play in the Olympics.
Connor Bedard was drafted by the Blackhawks number 1 overall in 2023. In the same year, the San Jose Sharks selected center Will Smith at number 4 overall in the 2023 NHL draft. Smith came one season earlier than Macklin Celebrini. In two seasons hockey experts compare Smith and Celebrini as that young pair of superstars the last Blackhawks dynasty had in Jonathan Toews along with Patrick Kane. Let’s remember Kane and Toews hoisted three Stanley Cups for the Blackhawks and took that franchise out of the ark ages. In the first few seasons before they hoisted their first one in 2010, they were on the brink taking their team to the post-season. Then the Chicago dynamic duo finally made the Stanley Cup playoffs and shone. Then Chicago added more talent around them and the rest is history with that dynasty. Smith this season has 19 goals along with assists which is good for 45 points and he is only 21 years of age. These two Sharks are growing into Great Whites as we speak.
The Sharks record after the Olympic break in the action of the NHL are 5-4-2 which counts that loss last night to Connor McDavid’s Oilers. The Sharks have added some nice veterans to this squad. The last two years Tyler Toffoli has contributed to the Sharks. He’s a 14 year veteran in the NHL and has 18 goals this season. The Sharks do not have a true captain on this team. As they have multiple alternates which includes Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini. Other players on the Sharks that have authority on the team on and off the ice include veteran Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow started his career with the Sharks in the 2014-15 season. The 32 year old winger has been back wearing the teal in his second stint with the team for last two seasons. He comes back to San Jose after winning two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sharks roster also features some younger players which are starting to develop. The Sharks have only made it to one Stanley Cup with all those post-season appearances which was in 2016. Goodrow was on that Sharks team with stars they had like Joe Thornton, Logan Culture, Patrick Marleau, and Brent Burns. That 2016 team did not win the Cup that year as the Penguins knocked out San Jose that season. With a young dynamic duo in place with Smith and Celebrini, the Sharks could be better than those old teams they used to have. If the Sharks make it to post-season this year earlier than projected with all those young guys, it will be a good thing just with the experience they can get.These guys are growing together. Most of the veterans they have now will be gone when this team gets really good. New veteran pieces will be added along with these solid younger pieces they assembled who continue to take another step each season. Celebrini looks legit and will be the one of the next superstars in the NHL for years and years. I hope the Sharks make it to the post-season to see these kids experience their first taste in the Lord Stanley Cup post-season.
Some professional athletes that play their game in your town for so many ‘X’ amount of years then linger around after their career is over. You feel like they are part of the city. They are a citizen of your town. Many athletes come to your town, get paid for what they do, and leave for another city. Many don’t even stay during the off-season. Like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, there is no place like home. For 12 seasons, Troy Murray skated for the Blackhawks in the NHL and was the team that drafted him in the 3rd round in the 1980 draft. When Murray finished his NHL career, he was not done playing hockey. He suited up 1 more season for the minor league hockey team in Chicago, the Wolves, who played at the time for the IHL (International Hockey League.) After 16 years of professional hockey, Troy, nicknamed “Muzz,” took another job with the Blackhawks as one of the team’s broadcasters. He was a hockey analyst giving the Blackhawks fan base the insight of the game from 1998 until he recently as he passed away after battling cancer the last 5 years. Troy Murray was part of Chicago and the sports landscape for 45 years. He is also a guy we lost way too early at the age of 63.
Troy Murray started his NHL career during the 1981-’82 season making his debut for only 1 game. His NHL career ended playing his final year for the Colorado Avalanche where he helped them win a cup. That is a nice way to ride off into the sunset because that was the only Cup he would ever hoist in his professional hockey career. Murray played hockey before the Blackhawks at University of North Dakota, where he helped the Fighting Hawks win the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship in 1982. From 1980-82 he played in 80 games for the Fighting Hawks scoring 55 goals while dishing out 74 assists for 129 points. He then would go from the Fighting Hawks to the Blackhawks. Murray was from Calgary, Alberta in Canada where most hockey players are factory-made. In 15 seasons in the NHL, he suited up for 5 different franchise which also included the Jets, Senators, and the Penguins. He had two stints with the Blackhawks. He missed playing with the Blackhawks team that made it to the Stanley Cup with the Penguins by one season which was the 1991-’92 season. The first time he left the Blackhawks organization as a player, his last season was 1990-’91. He was a center by trade. He was awarded the Frank J Selke award being the top defensive forward for his play in the 1985-’86 season. That season was by far the best season he had in the NHL. That year he scored 45 goals and had 99 points for the Blackhawks. During his career he did hit 20 or more goals in a season a total of 5 times. With the Blackhawks points-wise he did the most damage on the back of his hockey card with 197 tallies, dishing out 291 passes for goals, and accumulating 488 total points. For his career in played in 915 NHL games. Lit the lamp 230 times while dishing out 354 assists which tallies up to 584 points.
During the 1980’s and early 90’s the Blackhawks were always a fixture in the post-season it seemed. Back then the Blackhawks owner was Bill Wirtz and he was a terrible owner. The only way to watch the Blackhawks on television were only their road games and they were on cable, not regular TV. The home games were blacked out. Only way to see them play was going to the game. They were a hard ticket to buy back then. Especially for someone like my father, who was raised during the Great Depression. Troy Murray played with many great players during his time on the ice in Chicago. Like Dennis Savard, Eddie Belfour, Steve Larmer, Bob Murray, and the great Doug Wilson to name some of them. I think if the Blackhawks had a halfway decent owner at the time, his management may have went out and added to this core of players to make them Stanley Cup worthy. After being swept by the Penguins in the 1992 Stanley Cup finals, the Blackhawks went into the dark ages of one of the worst franchises in sports. It would be Bill Wirtz’s son after the passing of his father that helped get this original six franchise out of the dark ages in 2008 and 2009 when things started getting exciting again. They won the cup in 2010. That was the Blackhawks dynasty with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane which Troy Murray was part of because he was an analyst for the team. He would end up being around the Blackhawks hoisting more than one Cup during his time with the organization. Murray was also the President of the Blackhawks Alumni Association after his playing days came to an end. During the dark ages of the Blackhawks, the Wolves arrived at the perfect time. You saw Murray as the captain of the team. You saw former Murray’s teammates like Al Secord and Chris Chelios suit up for the Wolves who are still around today. The IHL folded up shop. The Wolves moved into the AHL which is the American Hockey League. The Wolves games were cheaper to go to than the Blackhawks. Many years it was well worth it seeing better hockey being played by the Wolves over the Blackhawks who were playing in front of crickets than actual fans.
In 2021, Troy Murray told everyone he was diagnosed with cancer. He still worked as a broadcaster for the Blackhawks in the last 5 seasons. He did not have the full tilt schedule he had so many years doing all the games. It’s far too young to pass away at the age of 63. Cancer has gotten many people in this world, which sucks. He will be missed on the airwaves. He had terrific insight in every game he called. He will never be forgotten wearing the Indian-head sweater and the Wolves. He was a solid player who gave it his best every game he played. Being from Canada, but always a Chicagoan in my book spending most of his life in this town for so many months a year. It counts. We lost a neighbor and I’m sure a friend at the same time. You may watch a game on the ice this weekend with a cold one. Make sure you raise a glass, can, or bottle to good ole number 19, Troy Murray. May he rest in peace and our prayers go out to his family.
The U.S Men’s hockey team slayed their personal demons on Sunday in Milan, Italy as they beat the Canadians in the finals. The United States earned themselves the gold medal for the first time since 1980 when the Miracle on Ice took place in Lake Placid. In 1980 it was college players pulling off the major upset beating the Russian machine for the gold pulling off one of the biggest miracles in sports history. Then 46 years later a U.S team made up of NHL players beat the country that breeds and bleeds hockey, the Canadians, 2-1 in overtime. They pulled off an upset against a neighboring country that was loaded as well with NHL talent across the boards. The USA Olympic hockey team has formed a brotherhood of players built like a fraternity of close friends and family. The roster actually has two sets of brothers that are actually blood related. The Hughes and Tkachuk families who made a big dent in why the US. team went a perfect 6-0. They played for one of their fallen teammates as well, Johnny Hockey. Johnny Gaudreau had his life cut down short when he and his brother were mowed down by a drunken driver in New Jersey while cycling. The motivation and the comradery of this team pulled off something special that will go down in the history books on Sunday with this team pulling off the gold medal while many loaded NHL U.S. teams have failed miserably against the Maple Leafs.
It was Jack Hughes’ shot in the extra frame that ended the demons of the past that gave the United States their second goal of the game and the decider. It was a great pass by Zach Werenski that gave Jack the perfect shot and his biggest goal of his career. Jack plays for the Devils & he had 4 goals and 3 assists in the 2026 Olympics. His brother Quinn Hughes, who plays for the Minnesota Wild, had 1 goal and dished out 7 assists in the ’26 Olympics. It was Matt Boldy who got the U.S. team on the board in the first period in the gold round to give his country the 1-0 lead. In the second period it was Cale Makar with the equalizer that tied things up after two periods. The Tkachuks made their presence in every game of the Olympics that the USA played. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the biggest cogs in this USA wheel as he had 6 assists. His play is all over the ice doing the dirty work and the little things that don’t find their way on the stat sheet at the end of the night. He has now won two Stanley Cup championships in back to back years with the Panthers. Both championships were the last two years and he now adds a gold medal to the back of his hockey card. His brother Brady who plays for the Senators had 3 goals and 2 assists in the Olympics. Back to Jack Hughes who was playing with a bloody mouth and had some teeth that went missing in this big game. He still played through the pain and really came up big. After the game he commented on the brotherhood of this USA team which goes back to other teams that have lost to Canada in the past in these Olympic games.
In 2002 in Salt Lake City, the U.S. lost to Canada in the gold medal round 5-2. In 2010 in Vancouver it was Sid the Kid Crosby’s memorable goal that ended the USA in the gold round 3-2 in OT.
In the preliminary round of 2010, U.S. did beat Canada 5-3 but the Maple Leafs would get the last laugh in that one. Then in 2014 Canada shut out the United States at the Sochi Winter Olympics 1-0 in the semi-finals. The Canadians have been a thorn in the side for U.S teams for decades in these Olympic games.
This game between USA and Canada came down to solid goal tending by both countries. Jordan Binnington for Canada was amazing but came up short giving up the second goal in OT. Connor Hellebuyck was just better perhaps with a little help from the spirit of Johnny Gaudreau, especially how the hell he got his stick on a puck Devon Toews could have gotten in the net in his sleep. Devon got the rebound and tapped it into a practically wide open net. In the last second, Hellebuyck reached out with his stick to stop that shot. In second period he also snuffed out a breakaway from one of the NHL superstars in Connor McDavid. How many goalies could say that they stopped McDavid coming right at you by themself? He also stopped a breakaway from Macklin Celebrini that was a huge save in the game. Hellebuyck stopped 41 out of Canada’s 42 shots including overtime.
On August 29th of 2024, Johnny Gaudreau was in the prime of his hockey career when he was killed at 31 years of age. Johnny and brother Matthew were riding bikes near their home the night before their sister’s wedding. He played 11 seasons in the NHL which started with the Calgary Flames. He played 9 seasons in Calgary. The last two seasons of Johnny Hockey’s career he suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played in 763 NHL games & scored 243 goals while dishing out 500 assists for 743 total NHL points. He would have been a part of this gold medal team if he was not killed. The team honored him by having his number 13 jersey displayed in the locker room. They brought it out to the bench. They had a banner with both Gaudreau brothers in their hockey uniforms. Matthew was in his Boston College uniform. The Gaudreau family was in attendance. This includes his parents Jane and Guy Gaudreau. His wife Meredith and their two children, 3 year old daughter Noa and 2 year old Johnny Jr.. After the Americans won, for the celebratory picture on the ice with the team a few of the players brought Johnny’s kids out there. They ended up in the picture which really makes this win very special in many ways. We really have never seen USA Hockey win the gold medal because it’s been almost 50 years. To win it this icon medal for your country and give a player and his family a tribute is really something the world should take notice of. This is how humanity should be coming together after going through some kind of tragedy. Johnny would have been 32 years of age and you have to believe he would have made the USA team and contributed to this magical run they had this season. The family of Johnny needed that. These tributes celebrate the fallen like the Billy Joel song, “Only the Good Die Young.” All these athletes playing in the Olympics have their own stories. They had people they loved that have passed away. The motivation. How they got here. How they performed for those missing people who are watching from the heavens. The NHL players are professional players. Sometimes professionals need a little reminder that life can be good, bad, and ugly. It’s how you handle yourself. They handle it by achieving their goal winning the gold. Some day I hope Johnny Graudeau Jr. becomes a professional hockey player. Johnny Hockey II, sounds like an up and coming superstar in the NHL. Maybe he will help USA win another gold medal.
The Captain, Jonathan Toews, returned to Chicago for the first time wearing something else instead of the Indian-head sweater. Tazer’s contract ended after the 2022-’23 season for the Blackhawks which was a year Captain Serious only played in 53 games. Health issues had followed the center like dark clouds since the pandemic was lingering in the world. He never retired from the game as the Blackhawks had no interest in bringing him back. After a few seasons of healing the body and redefining the mindset, he then made a plan of attack on a comeback to the NHL. The Captain was sharpening up his hockey skills with weeks of training to ink a one year deal with his hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets. His hockey home will always be at the United Center in Chicago where the former Blackhawk was like a rockstar in his return to Chicago. The fans wanted encore after encore because, ‘Let’s be Serious,” he did help the franchise hoist three Stanley Cup Championships.
In his first season with the visiting Jets, Jonathan Toews has played in 49 games. This season he has lit the lamp 7 times and has dished out 11 assists for a total of 18 points. The Jets wanted to add some leadership to a team that was one of the top seeds in their conference and made the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. The Jets have been struggling this season so far. They did not get out to the fast start they did last year. In his comeback, Toews has struggled on the ice most of the season. Still very good at face-offs. Knows what he is doing on the ice but does not have that ice speed he once had. The Captain still has those leadership skills on display every night on the ice. He has improved over the last few weeks overall in his game. Perhaps he is still knocking off the rust and maybe the body is responding to the grind on the ice in a 37 year old body. He scored 372 goals in a Blackhawks uniform in 15 seasons with the team that drafted him. He also served up 511 assists wearing the Indian head sweater. He has played in 1,116 games in the NHL and will be for sure a first ballot Hall of Famer when he does hang up the skates permanently.
In the first television timeout, the Blackhawks honored Jonathan Toews with a video tribute of all his top highlights in a Blackhawks uniform. After the tribute, the fans gave the Captain one of the longest standing ovations of all-time. Chants of “Johnny” filled the air inside the UC. Toews would go on the ice waving to all his fans from the Chicago days. Both teams behind the benches whacked their sticks against the boards like in a game when their team scores or one of their own wins a fight on the ice. Toews circled the ice & raised his stick as the thunderous applause kept coming down on him as it went on for 3 to 4 minutes. The Captain looked awkward for a moment because it went on and on. Toews was never a guy that looked for the fan appreciation. He played his game on ice and did everything he could to help lead his team to a victory on that night. The hard work paid off as the UC exploded with love for their former Captain who will one day have his jersey retired after his playing days come to an end.
When Patrick Kane played his first game at the UC in the enemy sweater the night of Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement night, he crashed the party. Kane did get a thunderous applause by the fans at the UC along with a video tribute. Kaner would end up scoring the winning goal in that game as his Red Wings beat the Blackhawks in OT. In the return of Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks shut out the Jets 2-0 as Spencer Knight had a magnificent night in front of the net stopping 32 shots for his 3rd shut out of the season. Jason Dickerson scored the first goal of the game for the Blackhawks for his 6th of the season. Then the Blackhawks’ next superstar, they hope, Connor Bedard added an empty netter late in the contest to make it the final 2-0. On hand were two young superstars right now in the mix of the Chicago sports landscape. Caleb Williams is the quarterback of the Chicago Bears who just lost in the divisional round the night before to the Rams. Then Pete Crow-Armstrong is the centerfielder of the Cubs. The Cubs made the post-season last year. All three of these guys – Williams & Crow-Armstrong along with Bedard, could learn a lot from what they witnessed at the UC in the return of the Captain. You play hard and give it all you can on the field, ice, or court playing in the town of Chicago. They will love you for a lifetime. It did not hurt that Johnny Be Good Toews helped the city capture three championships along the way. You hate seeing guys like Toews wear another team’s jersey. That’s the nature of sports nowadays which has been going on for decades. You don’t get many players from any sport that stay with one team. I wish Toews the best of luck with his home team he grew up watching, the Jets. It’s a great story. Down the road I’ll be excited when we bring back the Captain to Chicago with all the bells and whistles when the organization retires his sweater to the UC rafters, with all the great Bulls and Blackhawks players of the past. Oh Johnny, that will be hot.
For the first time ever, two Chicago Blackhawks legends faced off against each other in the NHL not wearing the Indian sweater. Before last night, the only time you saw Captain Serious Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane going against each other, was in international play. Kane was born in in the United States while Toews was born in Canada. They won three Stanley Cups together skating for the Blackhawks. They came up around the same time and gave the Blackhawks franchise life again. They played 15 seasons together as they were roommates all those years on the road. They will be friends for life and eventually will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame when their time comes. To end the year of 2025, Toews with the Winnipeg Jets were the visiting team playing Patrick Kane’s Detroit Red Wings at the Little Caesars arena. I don’t know what was stranger… both Blackhawks legends wearing a different sweater or a arena named after Little Sleazers.
At one point, it looked like this reunion of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would never happen. The last time Toews was on the ice for a NHL team was his last season in Chicago, the 2022-’23 season. He had a 2 year hiatus from the game and the league due to health reasons.
It’s very much like when Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins leaves Gotham to train with the League of Shadows to improve his entire crime fighting skillset. Jonathan Toews did a 5 week stint in the country of India to improve his health and overall mind set with yoga, meditation, and herbal medicines. Then after his return to North America from India, he had weeks of hockey training to get back to his old form. Toews would sign a one year deal worth 2 million to play for his home team, the Winnipeg Jets.
Patrick Kane’s final season playing for the Blackhawks came in the same year as Jonathan Toews, the 2022-’23 season. Kane was traded to the New York Rangers while Toews’ contract ran out and was not re-signed because he was injured most of that season. The following season Kane would sign with the Detroit Red Wings, which is now his 3rd season in Detroit. He has already been back to Chicago to face the team that drafted him.
Both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are 37 years of age. In the Captains’ return he has played in more games this season than his partner in crime from the Chicago days, 38 games. Kane recently returned from the injured list and could have missed this reunion. Kane has played in only 26 games but has been more productive than Toews. Kane has tallied 6 goals and dished out 17 assists for 23 points. He is only two goals shy of 500. Kane’s career numbers are impressive as he has 498 goals with 868 assists for 1,366 points total. Toews has lit the lamp only three times and has dished out 8 assists. In 16 seasons in the NHL, he has 375 goals with 519 assists and has accumulated 894 points. Kane is in his 19th season in the NHL.
This first reunion in different sweaters favored Patrick Kane’s team as the Red Wings won 2-1 over the Jets in this New Year’s Eve game. Neither Kane or Jonathan Toews were a factor in this game. The Red Wings have the better record this season as they are 24-14-3 to this point. The Jets made the post-season last season and got off to a great start. This season right now they have a losing record of 15-19-4. The reason the Jets signed Toews, was to be that veteran guy with his leadership skills and hoped they’d get something out of him on the stat sheets. So far Towes has done well on face offs. In general he has great instincts but has been very slow on the ice. Not sure how long this Toews comeback will last after this season concludes. It was a great story for Captain Serious returning to his hometown to wear the Jets sweater. This reunion with Kane was a nice story to end the 2025 year off with. Down the road we might not see these two legends on the ice at the same time. They may not be enshrined together in the Hockey Hall of Fame at the same time because they may not retire at the same time. If I was the Blackhawks front office, retiring both of their numbers one day at the same time would be very special. It would make a great finish with these two NHL legends while seeing them both together in the same ceremony one more time. While wearing the right sweaters, instead of the enemy Red Wings jersey or the Jets.
The last time the Chicago Blackhawks made the post-season was in 2020. The regular season was cut down short due to the pandemic in 2020. The NHL and other sports expanded the post-season that year. The Blackhawks participated in the qualifying round and beat the Edmonton Oilers. Then reality hit them when the Las Vegas Golden Knights eliminated them in 5 games in the next round. Since then, the Blackhawks dynasty crumbled. The last few years have been disastrous. The Blackhawks number one phenom Connor Bedard has been regressing since last season on the ice from his rookie debut.The experts believe he was supposed to be the next Connor McDavid of the league. This is Chicago sports where great teams come along ever 17 years like Haley’s comet. Last year the Blackhawks were 5-12 in their first 17 games with none of those losses coming in over time. The first 30 games the Blackhawks played in the 2024-25 season, they only won 9 of them. This season in 17 games they are 8-5-4 for 20 points.
If we could only freeze time. The Blackhawks would be in the post-season. What’s different than last season and all the other years we Chicago fans were tortured by this team on the ice?
Have the Chicago Blackhawks stumbled upon an actually great hire as their head coach? It’s Jeff Blashill’s first season as the Blackhawks head coach. It’s his second head coaching job in his career in the NHL. He will be a retread style coach which sometimes works, but sometimes it’s the same ole story same ole song and dance. I will say it’s way too early to start printing up post-season tickets or name him coach of the year. Blashill has developed a new identity for this young Blackhawks team. He has given them confidence and has developed structure with positive leadership skills. You can tell he already has an impact on the younger players. You know it starts with the Blackhawks and the NHL “we hope” future superstar in Connor Bedard.
Connor is sizzling on the ice so far as he is second in points in the NHL right now. He has scored 10 goals while dishing out 16 assists. Bedard had 23 goals in 82 games last year. On October 29th, Bedard registered his first NHL hat trick in 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Besides the younger guys being impacted so far this season. Tyler Bertuzzi, a ten year veteran of the NHL who was drafted by the hated Red Wings, has made some noise on the ice. Bertuzzi is 30 years old and has scored six goals in the last three games. Bertuzzi has had 14 points in the first 15 games of the season. He has played in 16 games & has one game winning goal. He has tallied 9 total goals while dishing out six assists for 15 points this season so far. Last season Bertuzzi had 23 goals while dishing out 23 assists. I know two guys can’t carry the entire load the entire season. The Blackhawks will need more guys to get the offensive production they need to continue to put up W’s in the standings. You want to see a positive veteran presence with the rise of Bedard contributing. The last Blackhawks dynasty had Marion Hossa playing a big role with guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp.
This season early on, the Blackhawks have gotten great goal tending unlike the last few seasons. It may be one of the best savvy moves made by current Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson at the trade deadline last season. He acquired a young on the rise goaltender in Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers for an overpaid waste of a defenseman in Seth Jones. Knight has been a wall in front of the net wearing the Indian head sweater. His record so far this season in net is 6-3-3. He has recorded one shut out. He has allowed only 2.46 GAA (Goals Against Average.) His save percentage in the net has been stellar at .923%.
We know it is way too early to be this optimistic about the Blackhawks, not even 20 games into the season. The NHL is a long grueling season with 82 games on the docket. Right now the Blackhawks are putting the puck into the net and getting great goaltending along with solid leadership. The team has had defensive struggles they will need to iron out. How will this team adjust when other teams make adjustments to their game plans? The team has not had any significant injuries yet. We do not know how this year will play out. Usually the best teams make it to the post-season. Some suspect teams slip in there from time to time. I think most Blackhawks fans would take a winning team with a winning record and in the thick of things making positive steps to get back to the post-season by the end of this season. Post-season would be cherries on the sundae for this team if they made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. We want to see pillars in place for the future. We want to see the organization plan start working. We are sick of the word REBUILD in Chicago sports. That has become a staple like pizza and Italian beef sandwiches in the Windy City. Right now I’m ecstatic just about watching exciting hockey instead of turning the channel to the same old new generation style of television that is mostly garbage. Most of the time when Chicago sports teams are winning, they pretty much accidentally stumble upon it and tell us lies saying it was the plan all along. We will enjoy it while we have it and hope it continues all season long.
In present day ice hockey in the NHL, who are the toughest enforcers in the league? Who are the Bob Probert’s or the Stu Grimson’s on the ice these days? In present day hockey, fighting is not quite outlawed yet. The sport has less bouts in present day than in the past. Hockey still needs the goon to police the activity on the ice and protect their star players at the same time. In the Big Apple, a 23 year old center is taking the league by storm going up against the baddest of the bad in the NHL. He plays for the Rangers and his nickname is the Rempire State Building. He may be the same height as the Empire State building in New York standing at 6’9″ & weighing 261 pounds. His last name is Rempe so the clever play on words was formed with how tall he is. Playing in New York why not The Rempire State Building? That may be one of the best nicknames of all-time in sports. Matt Rempe dropped the gloves once again with veteran winger Ryan Reaves with the San Jose Sharks and it was an epic fight that took place Thursday night between the old enforcer and the new.
Ryan Reaves has skated in the NHL for 16 seasons playing the position of right winger and is a guy that will scrap it up with on the ice any night. The NHL season is still very young so far and Reaves before Thursday night already dropped the gloves with Ross Johnston of the Anaheim Ducks. Reaves has played in 919 NHL games, is 38 years of age, and will mix with anyone. He has played for multiple teams as he was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 5th round of the 2005 NHL draft. He has suited up with the Penguins, Rangers, Golden Knights, Wild, Maple Leafs, and this is his first season with the Sharks. He is not paid to put the puck in the net. Reaves has scored 64 goals over his career while dishing out 74 assists for 138 total points. During warm ups between the Sharks and Rangers, he was seen chatting with one of New York’s top goal scorers, Artemi Panarin. Obviously the Rempire State Building had to have his say about this little conversation as both enforcers dropped the gloves and exchanged hay makers.
Ryan Reaves to me and you is a big dude weighting 225 pounds while standing at 6’2″. Matt Rempe being 6’9″ and with his long arms, it looks like Reaves is a rag doll to the bigger opponent.
Reaves is a scrapper and wily veteran as he looked like Rocky Balboa on the Ice. Not Sly Stallone in Rocky 2 skating with Adrian.
Ryan Reaves landed some devastating punches in this bout as he was determined to crumble the bigger building on the ice. This is not the first time these two enforcers have met on the job. Last year Reaves was on the Maple Leafs and these two had a brief tangle. In part two on Thursday, both enforcers put on a great show like two heavy weight fighters in the boxing ring. Both goons landed solid punches in an epic fight that you wish you would see more often. In present day, sports are changing. You can’t touch the quarterback in football. In baseball, pitchers are on pitch count instead of trying to complete the entire game. I guess you have to give Reaves the decision on this fight card because the Rempire State Building did not return to the ice after the bout. He would leave the game with an upper body injury. The Sharks would win their first game of the season beating the Rangers 6-5. I’m sure this will not be the last time these two enforcers cross paths
Matt Rempe has been in the NHL for only 3 seasons and has played in 68 games. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 6th round of the NHL 2020 draft. In 68 games he has only tallied 5 goals and dished out six assists. Once again he is not here to put the puck in the net which is just icing on the cake if he polices the ice for his team.
The Rempire State Building has already made a name for himself before dropping the gloves with Ryan Reaves on Thursday. He has fought many of the toughest enforcers in the league in only his third year in the league. He had an epic fight with Philadelphia Flyers tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers while leaving his mark on his face. He has fought Islanders tough guy Matt Martin, Kurtis MacDermid on the Devils, and Mathieu Oliver of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Stu Grimson as an enforcer still to this day has the best nickname ever by a tough guy being called the Grim Reaper. The Rempire State Building has to be up on the charts as well. Maybe some day Matt Rempe will have a book like the Grim Reaper telling it all about how the Enforcer goes about business on the ice. At 23 I believe we will see many more bouts from The Rempire State Building. It is nice to actually know goons are still lingering in the league and making a name for themselves. As a hockey fan, in the past it seemed like every team had a name on the roster that was the enforcer that you knew. The full back is basically dead in the sport of football. Maybe the Enforcer position will make a prestige return to the ice.
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