Todd Woodcroft, former Winnipeg Jets assistant coach and new University of Vermont head coach, joins the show to discuss a variety of topics, including:
The Capitals superstar's flair for the dramatic and penchant for exuberant celebrations extend to video games, too, as Ovechkin forced overtime with a goal in the dying seconds.
Gretzky played alongside his son, Ty, in the first game, but switched to his other son, Trevor, for the second contest. After Ovechkin scored to make it 2-0 in the latter affair, the Great One had a great line about his decision to change partners.
Ovechkin held on for a 4-1 victory, which they agreed to end after two periods.
Both competitors shared parting messages on Twitter afterward.
That was so much fun. Great game, great cause. Thanks @ovi8. Probably best we both stick to the real game @NHL Ps. Thanks everyone for your donations. pic.twitter.com/2UDr8e3933
It was a great time to play with u and your boys!! don’t trade them they are good players ))) huge thx to all the fans who donate and support us! See u guys soon https://t.co/ZrwM3m4n2h
The event raised more than $20,000, and both participants' families matched half of that total apiece to bring it up to $40,000, the Capitals announced. The funds will be split between the Edmonton Food Bank and Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation's "Feeding the Frontlines" fund.
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Dolan has donated his blood plasma toward research for potential treatments, Charania adds.
The 64-year-old executive tested positive for COVID-19 on March 28. He was said to be experiencing little-to-no symptoms and continued to oversee the team.
A day after the Knicks announced Dolan's diagnosis, it was reported that the NBA requested personnel within the league to consider donating plasma to the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project.
Dolan is the only NBA team owner known to have contracted the virus.
In the state of New York, there have been more than 257,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and over 15,000 deaths as of Wednesday, according to The New York Times.
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The NHL is targeting July as a potential return date as it continues to evaluate all options for resuming the 2019-20 season, Florida Panthers president Matthew Caldwell said Wednesday, according to The Florida Channel.
"At least for the NHL, we're trying to target sometime in July and then when we feel that players are safe, we have enough testing, and have enough ways to get back on the ice, it's probably going to be contained to playing at four or five neutral sites so that's all being discussed right now," Caldwell said. "My guess is that we would start with either limited fans or empty arenas.
"None of this has been finalized but this is the direction things are going."
What Caldwell means by neutral sites is unclear, as ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman both reported earlier Wednesday that the league's plan to host games at non-NHL arenas has been abandoned. According to the report, the league is now shifting it's focus toward two-to-four regular NHL cities where the coronavirus outbreak is contained and restrictions would allow it.
The league's ability to test players for COVID-19 will also be paramount to its return, and commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly has plans to connect with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss potential testing options.
Another hurdle is the fact players have been self-quarantining in their own homes for over one month, and haven't been able to skate or train to a degree that would keep them in game shape.
"I know for the NHL, our players are quarantined until the end of April which will probably be extended into May," Caldwell said. "When we are able to come out from the quarantined period, players are going to need time to work out. I think all leagues are considering some type of mini training camp before the start of the season so that's going to take us into June."
Bettman said players will need at least two-to-three weeks of training camp before the season resumes.
The campaign was officially suspended March 12. All eight NHL players who tested positive for the virus have since recovered.
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Despite interest from various cities, the plan never gained traction due to a lack of accommodations and difficulty televising games. The league is now shifting its focus toward two-to-four regular NHL cities where the coronavirus outbreak is contained and restrictions would allow games to be played, but there's no timetable at this point, Wyshynski adds.
The NHL is focusing on one arena per division. The home rinks of the Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan), Edmonton Oilers (Pacific), and Minnesota Wild (Central) are currently the front-runners. A location for the Atlantic Division is yet to be determined.
Four cities contacted the league after the NHL went on pause March 12: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie was among the players to speak out on potentially playing neutral-site games, saying he'd play anywhere if it brought back the chance to compete for a Stanley Cup.
The NHL pushed its self-quarantine period to April 30 last week, and several options to ensure a fair format for all teams and safety for players are being considered as the pandemic persists across North America.
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NHL general managers and executives will be paying close attention to the NFL's first-ever virtual draft on Thursday, as they could be following suit in a few months.
"It's going to be really interesting," Flames general manager Brad Treliving told The Canadian Press. "I know the NHL is watching what they're doing closely. We may be following their lead."
"Certainly our draft is going to be remote, that would be safe to say," Treliving continued. "For sure I'm going to be watching (the NFL draft) and doing a lot of homework on not only that, but different ideas of how we could potentially do our draft."
The NFL's draft will be held virtually due to coronavirus-related restrictions on mass gatherings. Teams recently went through a trial run, and despite some technical glitches at the start, the overall success of the proceedings satisfied GMs.
The NHL draft, originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal, was postponed last month. A makeup date and potential new format haven't been determined yet.
Montreal Canadiens assistant general manager Trevor Timmins believes the NFL's execution of a virtual draft will give the NHL a solid example.
"We can learn a lot from that - what works, what doesn't work," Timmons said. "I've been in contact with my NFL contacts discussing how they are preparing with the limitations."
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Despite a free-agency landscape that's completely up in the air, Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka won't let the NHL's current stoppage prevent him from trying to lock up forward Taylor Hall to a long-term deal.
Hall was recently asked whether he'd prefer to seek a long-term deal as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, or if he'd rather settle for a one-year contract in case teams are wary of big commitments after the coronavirus-induced pause. The winger said he wants security, and Chayka won't let the hiatus affect Arizona's efforts to retain its star.
"At the end of the day, the NHL will still be here, once we work through everything," Chayka told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "The Coyotes will be as well. I don't think long term vs. short term is a huge discussion vs. what it's going to look like. There's certainly implications of this. I'm not saying it doesn't apply. But we weren't afraid to have a discussion about a longer term before, and this doesn't change that opinion."
The Coyotes made a major splash by acquiring Hall from the New Jersey Devils in December. The 28-year-old headlines the list of pending free-agent forwards slated to hit the market whenever the NHL's signing period opens.
Hall had notched 52 points in 65 games this season before the break began on March 12, including 27 points in 35 games after the trade to Arizona.
The NHL should be deep into postseason action, but with the start of 2019-20 playoffs delayed, theScore's hockey editors are picking their favorite Game 7s from years past.
On Wednesday, we look back at the deciding contest of the Philadelphia Flyers' unprecedented comeback against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The setup
With several teams jockeying for playoff berths through the final weeks of the 2009-10 regular season, Boston closed out the campaign with three straight wins to comfortably secure the Eastern Conference's sixth seed. The Flyers' season, on the other hand, culminated in a win-and-you're-in contest against the New York Rangers on the final day of the campaign, a game Philadelphia won in one of the most memorable shootouts in NHL history.
The Bruins and Flyers both pulled off upsets in the opening round of the postseason. Riding the momentum of its late-season playoff push, Philadelphia steamrolled the second-seeded New Jersey Devils in five games. Boston, meanwhile, knocked off the third-seeded Buffalo Sabres in six.
The series
The Bruins took a pair of one-goal contests on home ice, including a 5-4 overtime thriller in Game 1, before pushing the Flyers to the brink with a dominant 4-1 win in Philadelphia.
Down 3-0 in the series, the Flyers faced sudden-death elimination as Game 4 went to overtime. Philly wouldn't lay down, though, as star forward Simon Gagne delivered the game-winner in the extra frame to catalyze a comeback for the ages.
Philadelphia's convincing 4-0 win in Game 5 came at a hefty cost when starting netminder Brian Boucher was forced from the tilt with a leg injury, further dampening his team's comeback chances. But in Game 6, backup Michael Leighton made 30 saves in his first career playoff start to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 victory and set up a seventh and decisive contest.
Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / Getty
The game
It appeared the Flyers' miraculous comeback would fall short after the Bruins leapt out to a 3-0 first-period lead in front of a raucous Boston crowd. But Philadelphia's fight in the contest matched its resilience in the series: The Bruins let another 3-0 lead slip away as the Flyers stormed back to win 4-3. Philadelphia became just the third team in NHL history to win a playoff series after trailing 3 games to none, and the first to do so after facing a multi-goal deficit in Game 7.
The stars: The Flyers' game-breakers were there when the team needed them most. Despite registering just one assist between them, Chris Pronger and Mike Richards were dominant all over the ice in Game 7. Pronger led all players with 31:42 of ice time, including a 1:43 shift to end the game, while Richards paced all forwards by playing 22:21, primarily against the Bruins' top unit.
Philadelphia's line of Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino was sensational, combining for six points in the second and third periods. Briere, undoubtedly the Flyer's most valuable player of the series with five goals and 10 points, notched the game-tying tally in Game 7.
The hero, once again, was played by Gagne. After missing Games 1-3 due to injury, Gagne potted his second game-winning goal of the series as the Flyers improved to 4-0 with him in their postseason lineup.
Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / Getty
The X-factor: After allowing three goals on the first 13 shots he faced, Leighton locked things down to give the Flyers a chance. The backup netminder made 12 straight stops to end the game, highlighted by a point-blank save on Marc Savard with 3:50 remaining in the third period. Making just his second career postseason start, Leighton never wavered following a rocky first period.
The key moment: With nine minutes left in the third frame and the score tied 3-3, Bruins forward Milan Lucic came inches from putting Boston back on top when he clanked a heavy wrist shot off the post. Not only did the score remain even, but the Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice just 15 seconds later. With all the momentum tilted in Philadelphia's favor, that costly near-miss and subsequent error proved the difference.
The highlight
On the ensuing power play, Gagne found twine with a perfect shot over the shoulder of Tuukka Rask to put the Flyers ahead 4-3 with seven minutes left in regulation. The rest is history.
The fallout
The Flyers continued their Cinderella run, knocking off a red-hot Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens in the third round to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1996-97. Unfortunately, the club's miracle season was halted by a juggernaut Chicago Blackhawks team that defeated Philadelphia in six games for the first of its three Stanley Cups of the decade.
The Bruins took their embarrassing collapse personally and came back stronger because of it. After establishing another 3-0 series lead over the Flyers in the second round of the 2011 playoffs, Boston completed the sweep with conviction, outscoring the Flyers 20-7 in the series. The Bruins rode that momentum to a third-round knockout of the Tampa Bay Lightning before upsetting the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in seven games to capture their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
Want to relive all the action? Catch the full game here.
