As the third anniversary of the trade deadline deal that brought Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning approaches, it is easy to overlook the 31-year-old’s contributions to the team since arriving in the Bay Area. With a roster headlined by the electric offense of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov, as well as
Player Profiles
When the Minnesota Wild drafted Kirill Kaprizov 135th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, no one could imagine the impact he’d have in his rookie season six years later. At the start of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising that many casual NHL fans didn’t know who he was. For starters, when Kaprizov was
The Calgary Flames’ first-round draft pick in 1984, Gary Roberts, played 10 memorable seasons in the Stampede City. He finished his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning over two decades later. He shattered no NHL records and never won an individual award but he played in three All-Star Games. Roberts was also loved by fans in
Former Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla was both a great hockey player and a class act. Now, he’s on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Related: Meet the 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame Class In this post, I want to help fans get to know the former Flame a little better. Here are
The Colorado Avalanche has been a long storied franchise going back to the Quebec Nordique days. They have seen plenty of Hall of Fame-caliber players don their sweaters throughout the years. But, there is one player that stands out far and above the rest and has contributed to the team’s success both on and off
With more and more new hockey fans enjoying the game we feel it’s more important than ever to look back at some of the game’s greatest. When discussing all-time great defensemen Bobby Orr’s name is always the first mentioned, as it should be, but the list directly below him is crowded. Names like Nicklas Lidstrom,
Ondrej Palat was born in Frýdek-Místek, Czechoslovakia, in 1991, a blue-collared city with a population of 56,000. Like most players in the NHL, he started playing hockey at a young age. At the age of 14, he began playing hockey competitively in his hometown for HC Frýdek-Místek of the Czech Hockey League. He played in the
The ’12 Days of Christmas’ is a classic holiday song first published in its current form in 1908. In a nod to the classic carol, join The Hockey Writers as we count down the 12 Days of Hockeymas. Each day, we will provide you with a piece of hockey history as we eagerly await the start of the
The ’12 Days of Christmas’ is a classic holiday song first published in its current form in 1908. In a nod to the classic carol, join The Hockey Writers as we count down the 12 Days of Hockeymas. Each day, we will provide you with a piece of hockey history as we eagerly await the start of the
The ’12 Days of Christmas’ is a classic holiday song first published in its current form in 1908. In a nod to the classic carol, join The Hockey Writers as we count down the 12 Days of Hockeymas. Each day, we will provide you with a piece of hockey history as we eagerly await the start of the
Rod Gilbert and the New York Rangers were a perfect match. It’s been over half a century since Gilbert made his debut at the old Madison Square Garden (located on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets), yet many of the franchise records he set during his tenure still stand. But it almost didn’t happen.
Many hockey fans remember winger Darcy Tucker for his days as a Toronto Maple Leaf. He had spent the most time with the organization and played a significant role along with other forwards such as Mats Sundin and Tie Domi among others. However, the Leafs were just one of four clubs Tucker played for. He
Yesterday marked the 18th anniversary of Bob Probert’s retirement from the NHL. Tragically, on July 5 of this wretched year, it is now a decade since the giant of a man suddenly passed. As such, this is my tribute to a near mythical being gone far too soon. Meeting my Hero At age 16, I
Throughout their history, the Montreal Canadiens have had a lot of greats. However, there are some whose contributions aren’t recognized enough. A great example of this is Jacques Lemaire, who was a key part of the late 1960s and 1970s teams, but was often overshadowed by his more flashy teammates. In terms of points, Lemaire
Taylor Hall isn’t the only former Edmonton Oiler who signed with the Buffalo Sabres this offseason. Fellow 2010 draft pick Brandon Davidson joined Hall and Tobias Rieder as former Oiler draft picks signing with the Sabres in free agency. Ex-Oilers’ coach Ralph Krueger also coaches the team. Taylor Hall and Brandon Davidson were both drafted
Matt Roy was born in Canton, Michigan. The now 25-year-old played youth hockey with Victory Honda before playing juniors with the Indiana Ice of the USHL. He went on to play three seasons of hockey in the NCAA with Michigan Tech. After his first season playing college hockey, the Los Angeles Kings drafted Roy with
Pekka Rinne was born on Nov. 3, 1982, in Kempele, Finland, and was drafted in the fourth round at 258th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. Before becoming Nashville’s starting goalie in the 2008-09 season, he played in the SM-liiga for Kärpät. His best season with them was in 2004-05,
The 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning had it all. They were stacked on offense with forwards such as Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, and Cory Stillman. They also had a plethora of defensemen in Dan Boyle, Pavel Kubina, and Cory Sarich among others who provided stellar support on the blue line.