Toronto D-Man Jake McCabe Cross Checks Brad Marchand, Is There a Suspension Coming?

From the dirty hits department. At the 3:54 mark of the first period, Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe cross-checks Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in the head area. Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk responds to McCabe's dirty cross-check. The VBruins were given a 5-on-3 power play. However, there was no call on McCabe. I expect that McCabe is going to get a call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety. No Leafs fans, just because the hit was on Marchand doesn't make this hit okay. Finally, does McCabe get a fine or a suspension? This season, Boston is 2-0-1 against the Leafs. 

McCabe crosschecks DeBrusk and Marchand high pic.twitter.com/lbpPgLzJ0i

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 8, 2024

What's the Difference Between Hathaway's and Smith's Hits?

Tonight in Boston, at the 13:57 mark of the second period, San Jose Sharks forward Givani Smith boarded Brad Marchand, and for his efforts, Smith was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for boarding. Smith wasn't awarded any extra penalty minutes for his extracurricular activity, post-hit. Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort took notice and grabbed Smith. Derek Forbort was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing.

Givani Smith hits Brad Marchand from behind and the Bruins immediately come to Marchand’s defense: pic.twitter.com/3NsHLU9q6N

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) December 1, 2023

About five minutes later, at the 19:06 mark of the second period, Bruins forward Trent Frederic and Givani Smith engaged in hand-to-hand combat. This was a direct response to Smith's dirty hit on Brad Marchand. Since the on-ice officials aren't going to protect the players, the players will have to take matters into their own hands. 

Trent Frederic and Givani Smith drop the gloves. pic.twitter.com/psGaKCdk0O

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 1, 2023

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 16:15 mark of the first period, Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway earned himself an early shower with this dirty hit. Why was this a penalty? It was going to be an icing call. When the final box score is posted it will read Garnet Hathaway Boarding against Luke Hughes, five-minute major, and a game misconduct. I wonder if he will get a call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety. Probably not. 

Garnet Hathaway gets a game misconduct for boarding Luke Hughes... pic.twitter.com/nx2iONNErW

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) December 1, 2023

If you put these two plays side-by-side why is one a minor and the other a major? Both plays are dangerous and seem worthy of a five-minute major and a game misconduct.  You can see for yourself.

If you had to guess which one got a major and which didn’t who would you pick? Smith on the left or Hathaway on the right? This leagues a joke pic.twitter.com/sstxysXpkX

— OnlyBruins (@OnlyBruinsPod) December 1, 2023

The Vancouver Canucks Re-sign Brock Boeser

Former University of North Dakota All-American Brock Boeser has re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks.

Boeser signs a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $5.875 million. In 140 career NHL games with the Canucks, Boeser has scored (59g-57a--116pts).

"We're very pleased to have Brock re-sign," Canucks General Manager Jim Benning said. "He's a talented player, a key contributor to our offense and an important part of our team's future. We look forward to having Brock join the team in preparation for the upcoming season."

OFFICIAL: #Canucks re-sign @BBoeser16 to a three-year deal worth an average annual value of $5.875 million. https://t.co/jlLPHCAn6D

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 17, 2019

(Photo Credit: Daniel Yun, Dakota Student)

Toronto Star: Hockey Has Gotten Boring

When I read this article, I can relate.

Vinay Menon, Toronto Star --- That’s right. Hockey has gotten downright boring.

This season that just ended in triumph for the Pittsburgh Penguins will be remembered by many Canadians as the season they forgot about hockey and didn’t miss it one bit. Yes, our national mediocrity — this was the first season no Canadian team earned a spot in the playoffs since 1970 — did much to torch our enthusiasm.

But the slow melting started years ago.

Forget who hosts on TV. The underlying apathy and malaise of who watches is what stakeholders should be scrutinizing through their corporate visors. Is the problem league overexpansion? Is it NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s remarkable capacity to be the most grating executive in any professional league? Is it on-ice changes?

Reading this article, I can relate. This year during the 2016 Stanely Cup Playoffs I found myself watching Netflix instead of some of the series. I told a buddy of mine that the matchup between the Lightning and the Penguins was the best series of the 2106 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In my humble opinion, the second best series was between the Capitals and the Penguins.

Also, during this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, there were no villains, no players to despise. There were no real controversies. I found the playoffs to be very vanilla and at times very boring. There were no Kings, no Blackhawks after the first round. No players that you could vilify. For the first time in a very long time, there were no Canadian teams. Not one. There were no players like Alex Burrows or Brad Marchand to hate on. I thought the playoffs were very B-O-R-I-N-G.

To be honest with you, I am glad that the 2015-16 NHL season is over. After watching the hometown seal the deal for the first time in 16 years, I was emotionally drained. Nothing could compare to the UND's title drive. When the Wild took a dive in the first round, I basically lost interest. When the last UND alum was eliminated from the playoffs, I checked out. there was nothing there to keep my attention. So, again, I can relate with the Canadians.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was looking through some of my hockey cards yesterday and found these beauties. As we found out this week, the Florida Panthers have re-signed the tireless wonder Jaromir Jagr for another season. The fact that Jagr is still playing at a high level in the NHL is remarkable.  I would credit his offseason training regime. Next season, Jagr will be 45 years old. Also, check out my Denver Pioneers head coach Jim Montgomery.

A Couple of Thoughts on the NHL's GM Meetings

I was kind of shocked by this, but I guess the GM's are cool with the current head rule that is known as NHL Rule 48.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The NHL’s general managers didn’t see any reason to expand Rule 48 at their annual meetings.

A sub-group met with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety to go over the topic, amongst other issues. Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was reportedly bullish on adding blindside hits to the rule, which was made to curb headshots. According to general managers who were part of the group, this was shot down.

”Watched a lot of video and unanimously felt the rule is working. And they’re doing an excellent job of having it policed,” Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said. “I don’t have any numbers. There were no statistics presented in there. You look at isolated incidents and try to see how they could have been prevented, if they could have been prevented and is it part of hitting in the game. But certainly everybody’s concerned about the safety. We had a lot of people in the room today.” (Josh Cooper, Puck Daddy)

The goalie equipment in the NHL is going to get smaller. I would say it's about EFN time. I am very happy about this. I think you will see the goalies numbers go down a bit and the players stats actually improve. So, there are some good things coming out of the NHL's GM meetings.

“The question was asked today, ‘Well, what’s different this time around?' Well, we are attacking it together,” Whitmore said. “You are hearing from some of the best goalies in the game and they think this is what is right. They want a level playing field within their ranks.”

Whitmore said that the league will be “cutting away all the fat, the parts that extend out past the body and don’t wrap” in the chest, pants and upper body area.

He noted that goaltender safety won’t be compromised by changing equipment.

NHL hockey operations director Colin Campbell said there is currently a rule that goaltenders will be suspended two games and fined $25,000 if they cheat with equipment. Campbell said the rule will be better enforced for next season.

“When Kay makes a decision on the goaltending equipment now in place and suspends a guy, don’t holler and scream,” Campbell said. “Believe in the process.” (puck daddy)

NHL Scoring: Is the Solution That Easy?

View image | gettyimages.com

My friend Ken Frank and I have had a few discussion about how the NHL can increase scoring. In other words, we would like to see more goals scored in the NHL. People don't come to watch Sidney Crosby being hacked, hooked, or held up and down the ice. They pay great wads of money to watch him score goal and make plays.

More specifically; let's push this point even further. It's not just about the regular season. I'd like to get more goal scoring during the Stanley Cup Playoffs? There's doesn't need to be a bunch of gimmicks to make this happen.

My buddies solution to the NHL's goal drought "BLOW THE F#(KING WHISTLE". Simple right? Call penalties when there are penalties. It's just a very simplistic solution. If the ref sees an infraction on the ice, i.e. a player takes his hand off of his stick to hold up an opposing player in any zone on the ice. Or if a player hooks another player with his stick going through the neutral zone. "BLOW THE F#(KING WHISTLE".

Well, I'll be damned, Adam Gretz from CBS Sports has this same suggestion in a recent blog post on how to increase scoring in the NHL.

1. Bring back the power play and call penalties

This is the most practical solution of them all when it comes to increasing scoring.

Just enforce the rules. It doesn't require any changes to the game. It doesn't require any changes to the equipment or the size of the ice. It's just a matter of enforcing what is already in the rule books.

There is a pretty direct relationship between the number of power plays teams get and the number of goals they score, and as goal scoring has plummeted in recent years, so to have the number of power plays. It's not a coincidence.

There it is. Just blow the whistle and call the penalties. Finally, don't have two rule books, one for the regular season and one for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. An obstruction penalty in October should be a penalty in June.

NBC's NHL Broadcast Schedule

Wed., Oct. 7	N.Y. Rangers	Chicago	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 7	San Jose	Los Angeles	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 8	Minnesota	Colorado	NBCSN	9 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 13	Tampa Bay	Detroit	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 14	Chicago	Philadelphia	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 20	Dallas	Philadelphia	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 21	Philadelphia	Boston	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 27	Tampa Bay	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 28	Pittsburgh	Washington	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 28	Nashville	San Jose	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 3	Los Angeles	St. Louis	NBCSN	8:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 4	St. Louis	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 10	Buffalo	Tampa Bay	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 11	Montreal	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 17	Minnesota	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 18	Washington	Detroit	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 25	Philadelphia	N.Y. Islanders	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 25	Chicago	San Jose	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Fri., Nov 27	N.Y. Rangers	Boston	NBC	1 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 27	Chicago	Anaheim	NBCSN	5 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 1	Minnesota	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 1	Pittsburgh	San Jose	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 2	N.Y. Rangers	N.Y. Islanders	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 8	Detroit	Washington	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 9	Boston	Montreal	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 9	Pittsburgh	Colorado	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 15	Colorado	Chicago	NBCSN	8:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 16	Pittsburgh	Boston	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 22	Montreal	Minnesota	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 22	San Jose	Los Angeles	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 29	Nashville	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 30	N.Y. Rangers	Tampa Bay	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 30	Philadelphia	San Jose	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 1	Montreal	Boston	NBC	1 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 4	Los Angeles	Colorado	NBCSN	9 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 5	Montreal	Philadelphia	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 6	Pittsburgh	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Thur., Jan. 7	Philadelphia	Minnesota	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 10	New Jersey	Minnesota	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 12	Tampa Bay	Colorado	NBCSN	9 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 13	Boston	Philadelphia	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Thur., Jan. 14	Chicago	Montreal	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 17	Philadelphia	Detroit	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 18	Pittsburgh	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 19	Chicago	Nashville	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 20	St. Louis	Detroit	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 20	Minnesota	Anaheim	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 24	Pittsburgh	Washington	NBC	12:30 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 25	Buffalo	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., Jan 26	Chicago	Carolina	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., Jan 26	Colorado	San Jose	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 27	Philadelphia	Washington	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 27	Colorado	Los Angeles	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Tues., Feb. 2	Florida	Washington	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 3	Detroit	Tampa Bay	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 4	N.Y. Islanders	Washington	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 4	Anaheim	Los Angeles	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 7	Philadelphia	Washington	NBC	12 p.m.
Tues., Feb. 9	Dallas	Minnesota	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 10	N.Y. Rangers	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 14	Boston	Detroit	NBC	3 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 14	Philadelphia	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., Feb. 16	Dallas	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 17	Chicago	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 18	Detroit	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	7 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 21	Pittsburgh	Buffalo	NBC	12:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 21	Chicago	Minnesota	NBC	3:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 21	Detroit	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	7 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 22	San Jose	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., Feb. 23	Columbus	Detroit	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 24	Pittsburgh	Boston	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 24	San Jose	Colorado	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 25	Nashville	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 27	Detroit	Colorado	NBC	8 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 28	Washington	Chicago	NBC	12:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 28	Tampa Bay	Boston	NBCSN	6:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb 28	Los Angeles	Anaheim	NBCSN	9 p.m.
Tues., March 1	Edmonton	Buffalo	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., March 2	Chicago	Detroit	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., March 6	St. Louis	Minnesota	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Mon., March 7	Arizona	Colorado	NBCSN	9 p.m.
Tues., March 8	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Islanders	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., March 9	Chicago	St. Louis	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., March 13	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	NBC	12:30 p.m.
Sun., March 13	Toronto	Detroit	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Mon., March 14	Los Angeles	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., March 15	Detroit	Philadelphia	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., March 15	Boston	San Jose	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Wed., March 16	Philadelphia	Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., March 20	Washington	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	6 p.m.
Sun., March 20	Minnesota	Chicago	NBCSN	8:30 p.m.
Mon., March 21	Philadelphia	N.Y. Islanders	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Tues., March 22	Los Angeles	Minnesota	NBCSN	8:30 p.m.
Wed., March 23	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., March 27	N.Y. Rangers	Pittsburgh	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Mon., March 28	Buffalo	Detroit	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Mon., March 28	Los Angeles	San Jose	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Tues., March 29	Colorado	St. Louis	NBCSN	8:30 p.m.
Wed., March 30	Washington	Philadelphia	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sun., April 3	Boston	Chicago	NBC	12:30 p.m.
Sun., April 3	St. Louis	Colorado	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Tues., April 5	Tampa Bay	N.Y. Rangers	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
Wed., April 6	Philadelphia	Detroit	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sat., April 9	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	NBC	3 p.m.
Sat., April 9	TBD	TBD	NBCSN	TBD

NBC releases their tv schedule for the 2015-16 season.

Twenty players headed for salary arbitration

There are 20 NHL players headed toward salary arbitration. As you can see, there's a college hockey connection for some of the players on the list.


Arizona Coyotes: Philip Samuelsson (July 21) B.C., Brendan Shinnimin (July 20)
Calgary Flames: Lance Bouma (July 22), Paul Byron (July 30), Josh Jooris (July 28) UC
Colorado Avalanche: Andrew Agozzino (July 20), Mat Clark (July 22)
Edmonton Oilers: Justin Schultz (July 24) * UW
Minnesota Wild: Erik Haula (July 31) MN
Nashville Predators: Craig Smith UW (July 20), Colin Wilson (July 28) BU
New Jersey Devils: Eric Gelinas (July 21), Adam Larsson (July 29)
New York Rangers: Derek Stepan (July 27) UW
Ottawa Senators: Alex Chiasson (July 23) BU, Mike Hoffman (July 30)
Philadelphia Flyers: Michael Del Zotto (July 21)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jonathan Bernier (July 31)*
Washington Capitals: Braden Holtby (July 23), Marcus Johansson (July 29)

Play the GM for an Hour

by Redwing77

Ok, I heard an ad for this segment on NHL radio on Sirius/XM and I was unable to catch this segment but it got me thinking.

Here's what the host challenged:  You are the GM of your favorite team for 1 hour in which you can make any ONE move, no strings attached.  What would it be?

The host stipulated that it could be a front office move, a trade, a buyout, a signing, or whatever realistically possible and rational (so, no "I'd trade my 2015 7th round draft pick for Jonathan Toews" nonsense).

Which team would it be and what would you do?

After following the Blackhawks this postseason, and I was Bowman, I'd go against the grain and try to keep Sharp and get rid of....  Bickell and Crawford.  Look, Bickell is the next Dave Bolland.  Yeah, he's nice to have but he wasn't really visible.  And with the emergence of Shaw, you don't need him.  And Crawford may have two rings now but he's the most mediocre ring-winner I've seen.  I'd trade Crawford and Bickell to Philly for one of their logjammed D prosects, a 2015 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2016 midround pick.  The Blackhawks now have taken two nobody goaltenders and turned them into Stanley Cup champions (Niemi and Crawford).  They can do the same with Raanta and Darling... or they could go out and sign Ramo or someone.  Who really cares.  It's plug and play.


As for my Wings?  Yeesh.  They need depth at forward and, imo, a top 4 defenseman.  I think I'd do something rash like.... win the lottery again and try to steal Dougie Hamilton away from the Bruins.  NHL Radio suggests that Edmonton could do this very thing but comon Dougie, Motown is better than Edmonton!

So, what would you do?

Gwoz to leave Lightning to pursue other opportunities

Per the Tampa Bay Lightning team page, former Denver head coach George Gwozdecky is moving on after spending two season with the Lightning.

Tampa Bay Lightning team release - Assistant Coach George Gwozdecky is leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning to pursue other opportunities, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Gwozdecky has been with the Lightning on head coach Jon Cooper's staff for two seasons, most recently helping the franchise to the 2015 Eastern Conference Championship and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

"Jon Cooper and I, along with the entire Lightning organization, would like to thank George and his family for giving us the past two years," said Yzerman upon making the announcement. "He helped turn a young, unproven team into the Eastern Conference Champions and we appreciate his professionalism and dedication."

Gwozdecky joined the Lightning on August 9, 2013 after serving as the head coach at the University of Denver for 19 seasons. At Denver, Gwozdecky won back-to-back national championships (2004, 2005) and was named National Coach of the Year twice (1993, 2005). He also served as head coach at Miami (OH) University for five seasons and his 593 collegiate wins as a head coach rank 11th all-time in the NCAA.

"I have fulfilled my obligation with the Tampa Bay Lightning and I am going to take some time away to consider my next career step," said Gwozdecky. "I would like to thank owner Jeff Vinik, GM Steve Yzerman, coach Jon Cooper and the entire Lightning staff for two very memorable years."

In two seasons with Gwozdecky as an assistant, the Lightning won 96 of 164 regular season games, making back-to-back playoff appearances. The team begins the 2015 offseason after losing the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks. En route to the Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning defeated the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers

It will be interesting to see where Gwoz ends up next.

Phoenix Coyotes: Glendale City Council votes 5-2 to nullify the Gila River Arena lease agreement

The Phoenix Coyotes saga is really turning into a gong show. This is a huge Charlie foxtrot. Last night, the Glendale City Council voted to nullify the Gila River Arena lease agreement. Here's the release by from the Coyotes. At what point does the NHL pull the pin on the Coyotes and move the team to another city that might actually appreciate them? I just don't see an end to this mess.

GLENDALE -- The City Council of Glendale on Wednesday night voted, 5-2, to cancel its arena lease agreement with the Coyotes – a 15-year deal established in July of 2013.

After the vote, attorney Nicholas Wood said the team would file for injunctive relief and a temporary restraining order, and file a $200 million lawsuit against the City.

"What we have witnessed here tonight is possibly the most shameful exhibition of government I have ever witnessed," Coyotes Co-Owner, President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. "The citizens of Glendale should be very concerned about the government that they have leading them right now, because this was not appropriate… We have been absolutely wronged this evening by a group that is acting in incredibly bad faith."

He added: "Our view is the team will remain here, but the City is not acting in a business-friendly way and should be ashamed."

While the City Council meeting was taking place, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Hockey Night in Canada viewers: "I'm not concerned about the Coyotes. If I lived in Glendale, I'd be concerned about my government." LeBlanc said he was pleased by the number of Coyotes fans who attended the meeting and especially pleased by those who took the time to vocally support the team during the portion of the meeting designated for public comments.

"One thing that was illustrated tonight is that we have fantastic fans,” LeBlanc said. “God love them for coming back to this council chamber after all the times they’ve been in here over the years."

NHL Rules Committee Recomends Expanded Video Review

The NHL Rules Committee has recommended expanding the video review process. Obviously, the league's board of governors will have to sign off on it before it becomes law.

I think it's a step in the right direction, but I am not so sure I like the part where teams must have a time out available to have a coaches challenge.

Michael Russo, Russo's Rants -- Expanded Video Review: Coach's Challenge - The Committee recommends that a Coach's Challenge be adopted for expanded video review for goals that may have resulted from (1) goaltender interference and (2) offside plays. The video review process and all decisions on goals where goaltender interference may have occurred will be the responsibility of the Referees at ice level, in consultation with the NHL’s Situation Room in Toronto; similarly, goals that may have resulted from an offside play will be reviewed and determined by the on-ice officials, in consultation with the NHL's Situation Room in Toronto. In order for a coach to make a challenge, the team must have its timeout available.

Former Gopher Mike Reilly Being Courted by 9 Teams

One of the major news stories making the rounds the last couple of days is that Former Minnesota Golden Gopher Mike Reilly is being courted by nine NHL teams.


The Minnesota Wild are one of the teams that are included on the list of teams in pursuit. I read multiple twitter stories and a couple of blog posts that said that the Chicago Blackhawks were tops on Reilly's list. Russo also confirmed this in a blog post, too.

The 9 clubs Reilly meeting with: CHI, CBJ, DET, EDM, LA, MIN, MTL, NYR, PIT. Reilly officially becomes UFA on June 16. — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 4, 2015

First Round Shaking out Like I Thought

So far, the First round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been pretty fun to watch. Last night's games in Calgary and Chicago were top notch. The Saddle Dome in Calgary was rocking as the Calgary Flames advanced to the second round for the first time since 2004.

The action on the ice has been fantastic. Taking a look at my 2015 Stanely Cup picks, my favorite to win the Stanley Cup is on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have given the Lightnings fits and they haven't allowed them to generate offense. The Red Wings also have gotten good goaltending from Petr Mrazek (3-2, 1.92 GAA, .937 SV%). Mrazek also has two shutouts.

For comparison sake, Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk is (3-2, 2.61 GAA, .898 SV%).  The Wild can look to end that series this afternoon.

Midnight Hockey Causing Problems for Hockey Fans

This has become a subject of much discussion on twitter the past couple of night. Games aren't starting on time, games for central time zones are an hour and a half later than usual.

First NBC has done us a favor by having all of the game on during the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second year in a row. For that, most of us are thankful. There's been some really good hockey during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately, there’s has been some really late night hockey games. Hopefully, that will change during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when there are fewer games on.

Dan Caesar, St. Louis Post-Dispatch – And because of television, fans of several teams in the Central time zone also have been subject to games that are scheduled to start 90 minutes later than is the norm in the regular season — 8:30 p.m. instead of 7 o’clock. Three contests in the Blues-Wild series have been tabbed for that inconvenient time. The reason: The networks often show an earlier game and hope it will end before the later contest begins. But that 8:30 “start” time isn’t really when the game begins.

The opening faceoff for a weeknight game last week in St. Louis was 8:40. And Wednesday in Minnesota it was 8:45 p.m.

The worst case occurred Tuesday in Chicago, where the Blackhawks’ contest with Nashville didn’t start until 8:45 — 15 minutes after the listed time. The game wasn’t decided until the third overtime period and ended at 1:16 a.m. A normal start of shortly after 7 p.m. would have had that ending about 11:15 p.m. — much more palatable for fans who still had to get home and to bed before getting up for normal weekday activities a few hours later.

Taking a Look at the Subban Slash on Stone

It's the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and on the opening night there's already some controversy.

At the 8:23 mark of the second period, Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for slashing Mark Stone. Some have said that the slash was weak and Stone embellished the call. I don't know. Stone suffered a microfracture on the play.

The Senators want Subban to be suspended for his slash on Stone and the Senators head coach Dave Cameron had some interesting things to say after the game.

Failing that, Cameron warned darkly, his team might have to inflict its own brand of justice on the Canadiens. “I think it’s quite simple,” Cameron said. “It’s a vicious slash on an unprotected part of his body and you either do one of two things. I think it’s an easy solution: You either suspend him or one of their best players gets slashed and you just give us five. It’s not that complicated.” Those are fighting words – literally, if Chris Neil dresses for Game 2. (Habs Inside Out)

Subban with a big chop on Stone that gets him 5 minutes and tossed from the game. The #Sens will have 5-on-3 for 1:51. #GoSensGo
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 16, 2015

Injury update: #Sens Mark Stone has suffered a microfracture of his right wrist & his availability for the series is unknown at this time.
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 16, 2015

According to the NHL, Subban will not be suspended for his hit on Stone.

P.K. Subban reportedly will not be suspended for his slash on Ottawa's Mark Stone http://t.co/6ifBWU8Ghx pic.twitter.com/iIlfMl3eQd
— HockeyNightInCanada (@hockeynight) April 16, 2015

Tuesday at the Links: Wild Finish Expected

This is the last week of hockey in the NHL. The Frozen Four kicks off this weekend. There's a lot of hockey news breaking.

The NHL’s 2014-15 regular season is over this weekend. Apparently, Ron MacLean has fallen out of favor with Rogers Sport Ca.

David Shoalts, the Globe and Mail -- The start of the NHL playoffs next week will likely bring a significant change for television viewers. For the first time in 28 years, Ron MacLean is not scheduled to be in a host’s chair for any of the first-round series. MacLean will only be seen in his role as Don Cherry’s sidekick on Coach’s Corner, although the plan is to have the popular duo on the air almost every night.

When Rogers Communications Inc. wrested the Canadian national broadcast rights away from the CBC and TSN before this season, MacLean was replaced as the main Hockey Night In Canada host by George Stroumboulopoulos. MacLean retained his role with Cherry, but his host duties were confined to Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcasts on Sunday nights on the Sportsnet and City networks. Hometown Hockey wrapped for the season last Sunday.

Brett Slawson of the Hockey Writers has his top-ten free agents.

Devan Dubnyk has been likely the most inspiring story in the NHL this year. After a disastrous 2013-14 season, Dubnyk’s NHL career looked to be coming to an end, however, since being given an opportunity with Arizona and now Minnesota, Devan has established himself as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL today.

Like Soderberg, Dubnyk is also in an interesting situation. Prior to this season, Dubnyk struggled to say the least, making it difficult for a club to reward Dubnyk for one stellar season amid a career of inconsistency.

At the age of 28, Dubnyk has a ton of hockey ahead of him, while his current cap hit of 378K with the Wild, per conditions of his trade from Arizona, make Dubnyk the best bargain in the NHL. His 2014-15 contract, which pays 800K in total, is likely much less than the Wild or any other team will be willing to pay Devan for his services.

Considering Minnesota’s lack of goaltending options, the Wild will likely retain Dubnyk with a one to two year contract, as despite his stellar play this year, it’s hard to see a large number of NHL teams bidding for Dubnyk’s inconsistent services.

Hockey Wilderness: Wild Fail to Punch their Ticket to the Postseason

NHL Rumors: Bruins could look to trade Marc Savard's contract

SBN College Hockey: Goaltending key to Frozen Four Teams

Julien: We aren't out of the woods for playoff spot

New York Post: Refs’ Dangerous Let-Em-Play Policy Is Killing Offense

Recently, I had this discussion with a friend of mine. His argument was, if you want to increase scoring, the refs need to blow the whistle more. If you think about this, it sounds like a simple solution.

Basically, in a nutshell, it would appear that the number of penalties being called on the ice in the NHL are down this season.

Brett Cyrgalis, New York Post – So many games I’ve seen this year have devolved into something out of Jacques Lemaire’s Devils playbook. And you know who does about as well at it as anyone? Those fast-paced Rangers. That one-goal lead they held in the third period Thursday night against the Wild — there was no chance they were letting that slip away, because there was no chance they were letting Minnesota players get out of arm’s reach. Dump it in, get a third man high, clog the neutral zone, double-team in corners — and if someone happens to get a good look, let it be one-on-one with the goalie.

Snip

Yes, there are other factors in why scoring is so low. The goalie equipment is huge, and the nets are the same size. The talent pool is now fully international, and the teams are deeper.

But if the league wants more scoring — which you would think it does — they have to start with the officiating. And it’s too late now, the regular season is practically over, and the new version of officiating is about to take effect

What do you think? There may be something to the argument. This season, there’s not one player close to scoring 100 points. The NHL only has five players that have a shot a making 80 points. Currently, only Sidney Crosby has scored (26g-54a—80pts).

Ovie Takes Krug Slap Shot in the Junk.

S/t to Pete Blackburn.... Alex Ovechkin takes a Torey Krug slap shot in the junk. Dead center.

Right. In. The. Dingleberries. https://t.co/N7Krc4SHma
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) March 16, 2015