Florida pastor and Tampa Bay Lightning fan Tyler Moore made a name for himself by posting creative and lighthearted church sings during the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final.
To kick things off this spring, he's showing some love to the five teams from Florida and California that will compete for the Cup, with Canada left out in the cold.
This is just the beginning, and it is indeed good.
It was the fall of 2014 when the NBA contemplated changing its draft lottery format, putting a proposal to owners with a simple goal: eradicating tanking, which was becoming an obvious problem.
Prior to the 2013-14 season, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie was open about building a roster fit to lose in the short term. He never called it "tanking," as many fans like to term it. But he did explain his rationale - and you almost had to appreciate his honesty.
Hinkie said the only way to win a NBA title was with a team capable of winning 55-plus games, and the only way to build such a team was with great players. Those players could only be acquired one of two ways: through the draft, or by trading a package of talent for a player who could help a team make a "big leap."
"We're focused on how to put the building blocks in place that have a chance to compete in May. Those teams win in the high 50s," Hinkie said. "They don't win in the teens and they don't add two or three wins a year and they don't add a win a month for a little while to try and get to where they're going. They get all the way to the 50s.
"And they get there usually on the backs of great players. We are still - as much as I've talked about how we make decisions and as much as I've talked about our organizational goals and our player development - it is a players-driven league, still. When we have a set of players that can carry us deep, that's the only way, that's the only way to get where we're going."
'The Process'
The 76ers won 19 games in 2013-14 and 18 in 2014-15. Hinkie continued to sell his prospects, loading up with more draft picks. He was open about "The Process," worrying enough owners about the integrity of the game and the league.
The proposal presented at a board of governors meeting was simple: discourage losing on purpose.
In the current system, the team with the worst record in the NBA has a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery. The second-worst team has a 19.9 percent chance of winning. The percentages drop accordingly down the list.
NBA Team
Chances of winning
30th
25%
29th
19.9%
28th
15.6%
27th
11.9%
26th
8.8%
Under the proposed new system, the four worst NBA teams would have around an 11 percent chance of winning the top pick. The fifth-last team would have a 10 percent chance of winning, while the team with the best record among non-playoff teams would have a 2 percent chance, up from 0.5 percent.
The vote on the proposal was 17-13 in favor, but it didn't pass, because at least 23 votes in favor were required to implement the reform.
Although the NBA's current lottery system remains unchanged since 1990, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledges a flaw in the system - one that Hinkie continues to exploit. The 76ers GM is still accumulating draft picks; Philadelphia has six first-round picks in 2016, including its own, giving it phenomenal odds of drafting first overall, and potentially twice in the top four.
This season, the 76ers are the worst team in the NBA, with only 10 wins in 78 games.
Auston Dreams
This year, the NHL has adopted a lottery system similar to the NBA's, with one subtle but important difference - the worst team in hockey has a 20 percent chance of winning the lottery, compared to 25 percent in basketball. But the fundamental problem remains. Teams are open about their intentions to sell assets for draft picks and prospects, making games featuring non-playoff teams painful to watch during the final weeks of the regular season.
The NBA's proposed lottery reform was narrowly rejected, but the NHL must adopt it.
Heading into play Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers sit last in the NHL with 67 points. They are followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also have 67 points but have a game in hand. Columbus is next with 70 points, followed by Calgary's 73. Can you really distinguish between these bad teams? Isn't there an argument to be made that all four deserve an 11 percent chance at Auston Matthews, the presumptive first overall pick?
Given the hard salary cap in the NHL and flaws in the points system, a fairer lottery makes sense. Sure, there would be jockeying for position, as has always been the case. But maybe some teams wouldn't view consistently finishing last as a slam-dunk route to success.
The 30-year-old and his cumbersome contract were buried in the minors after Bickell recorded only two assists in 23 games for the Blackhawks this season. He was, however, good for 15 goals and 16 assists in 44 games with Rockford.
A member of the Blackhawks' 2010, 2013, and 2015 Stanley Cup championship teams, Bickell contributed 20 goals in 75 playoff games.
Bickell remains under contract through the end of next season at a cap hit of $4.5 million, but salary matters not in the playoffs, and the Blackhawks appear to be hoping to get something out of him when it matters most.
What a difference a year and a reliable center or two makes.
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres ranked dead last in power-play efficiency, converting on only 13.4 percent of their opportunities. In 2015-16, under head coach Dan Bylsma and with the addition of some key personnel, the Sabres' success rate has risen to 18.9 percent, good for a ranking of 13th.
The improvement was on full display during Tuesday's game against New Jersey, in which Buffalo opened the scoring with a beautifully executed power-play goal from Ryan O'Reilly that was assisted by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen.
Here's how it happened.
The play began with an O'Reilly faceoff win to the left of Cory Schneider, with the puck quickly gobbled up by brother Cal O'Reilly.
Cal wasted no time dishing the puck to Ristolainen on the point.
Eichel, a 19-year-old rookie, was tasked by Bylsma to man the left point, and it's to him that Ristolainen immediately fired a one-touch pass.
Just as quickly as he received the puck, Eichel fires a quick and hard one-touch pass of his own to Ryan, who had been left unchecked by the Devils' defense.
Using the time and space afforded to him by the quick puck movement, Ryan was able to gather the puck and put himself in position to wind up for a slap shot that was delivered top shelf, glove side past Schneider.
Altogether, the play lasted five seconds, with four different Sabres touching the puck as it traveled from the faceoff dot to the back of the net. The play began and ended with Ryan, with Eichel and Ristolainen playing key parts in keeping the puck moving and the defense flummoxed.
This short but effective sequence is but one example of why the Sabres' power play, and the team as a whole, is on the rise heading into next season.
Neither Carey Price nor P.K. Subban will appear in another game for the Montreal Canadiens this season, general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed Wednesday.
The club revealed that Price, who's been out of the lineup since November, has been dealing with a medial collateral ligament injury (MCL sprain) to his right knee.
From team physician Vincent Lacroix:
The MCL provides support to the inside of the knee and is essential for stability and knee function. Acute, isolated MCL injuries are managed without surgery. Rehabilitation treatments lead to full functional recovery. The recovery process can be long in the case of an elite netminder such as Carey, due to the high demand placed on this anatomical structure by modern goaltending techniques.
Although Carey has made excellent progress and is very close to being able to return to competition, he has not presently been cleared to do so. He is expected to make a full recovery over the off-season. This injury was not the same as the one he suffered earlier this season (October 29th at Edmonton), nor in previous years.
Price is still expected to play at the World Cup in September.
GM D. Armstrong: ``We named Carey with the understanding he will be 100% come the World Cup, nothing has changed in that thought process.''
The NHL's second oldest arena will host its final game Thursday when the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Vancouver Canucks.
Known today as Rexall Place, the Oilers' home rink opened in 1974 under the name Northlands Coliseum, providing the setting for several historic moments over the years.
Here's a look at five memories that will stand the test of time.
50 in 39
For the better part of a decade, Wayne Gretzky regularly provided Oilers fans with plenty of reason to be legitimately awed.
It was in 1981, however, when he achieved a level of greatness that will likely never be matched as long as the game is played.
After scoring 45 goals through the first 38 games of the season, The Great One scored five in a single game against the Philadelphia Flyers to hit 50 in 39.
1984 Cup win
The Oilers met the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders in the 1984 final after having been swept by that same team the year before.
This time around, however, Edmonton would not be denied, beating the Islanders in five games and hoisting the first Cup in franchise history on home ice.
Gretzky scored a pair of goals in the series-deciding contest, while Mark Messier was named the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP.
As it turned out, this team was just getting started, with four additional Cup wins coming in the next six years.
Gretzky breaks scoring record
Playing as a member of the Los Angeles Kings, Gretzky fittingly used Rexall Center ice to make NHL history once again on Oct. 15, 1989.
No. 99 entered the game with 1,849 career points, one back of Gordie Howe for first on the all-time scoring list. Gretzky recorded an assist early in the game to tie the record, and went on to score a game-tying, third-period goal to set a new bar.
After a lengthy celebration, in which the Oilers and their fans willingly participated, Gretzky capped the night with a game-winning, overtime goal.
Busted Wings
The past decade of Rexall Center history has not provided much to write home about, but the 2006 Oilers thrilled Edmonton with an unexpected run to the final that was kick started by a massive opening-round upset.
The Detroit Red Wings entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners (124 regular-season points), as well as the Western Conference regular season and Central Division champions. Edmonton came in as the eight seed and as apparent easy fodder.
The Oilers managed to stun Detroit with a 4-2 series win, coming back from a 2-0 deficit on home ice in Game 6 to cap the improbable upset. Ales Hemsky broke a 3-3 tie in the late stages of the third period to play the role of hero.
Sam Gagner's 8-point night
This one came out of nowhere.
With an eight-point outburst in a win over Chicago, then 22-year-old forward Sam Gagner tied a franchise record set by Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
Gagner recorded four goals and four assists in 17:28 of ice time and on six shots.
He became only the 13th player in league history to record eight points in a single game, and by factoring into each one of Edmonton's goals, Gagner matched a feat accomplished only once before by Mario Lemieux.
The Oilers will begin playing in the brand new Rogers Place next season; you're up, Connor McDavid and Co.
The latest on Matt Duchene, Pavel Datsyuk, Milan Lucic, Steven Stamkos and more in today’s NHL rumor mill. Update on Lucic’s contract negotiations. ESPN.COM: Pierre LeBrun reports the Los Angeles Kings and pending UFA left wing Milan Lucic have had contract talks for a month but have yet to reach an agreement on a new deal. He […]
Missing the playoffs two years in a row often leads to change.
That's the situation in Colorado, where the Avalanche were officially eliminated from postseason contention courtesy of a loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
As a result, it's quite possible general manager Joe Sakic will look to shake up the roster during the offseason, and forward Matt Duchene is well aware his name could be at the top of the trade candidate list.
"I'm sure it will be thought about," he said of possibly being dealt, according to Terry Frei of the Denver Post. "Early in the year, there were lots of rumors, and it's part of the business. All I can do is be the best I can be and play as hard as I can for my teammates and do whatever I can do to help this team win."
Back in November, it was reported the Avalanche were indeed calling around to gauge interest in the 25-year-old, and this past week, he was called out by head coach Patrick Roy for celebrating his 30th goal in a loss.
Still, Duchene clearly seems to want to be part of the long-term plan in Colorado.
"Maybe there's a bigger plan at hand here," he said. "I think it's just going to make us better. We have to take the lessons from it and move forward and continue to improve in the offseason and really remember this taste of defeat ... We have a great group in here, we all love each other and we want to stick together as long as we can."
Duchene has recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in 74 games for the Avalanche this season, and has three years remaining on his contract at a salary cap hit of $6 million.
Check out the latest on the playoff race in your NHL morning coffee headlines. TWINCITIES.COM: Despite a 3-0 shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks and being booed off the ice by their fans, the Minnesota Wild clinched the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche’s 4-3 loss to […]
