Jason Spezza is rooting for former teammate Daniel Alfredsson to make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"I would love to see Alfie get in. I hope he gets the respect that he deserves in terms of voting," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said Tuesday, according to The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton. "He's a guy that didn't win the NHL, but won a lot internationally. He was a guy that was a huge role model for me. Foundationally in Ottawa, he's the guy that really helped bring that club to respectability, and did so much for the community on and off the ice."
Alfredsson's Hall of Fame case has been highly debated since he became eligible in 2017. The 47-year-old - who retired from the NHL in 2014 - has missed the cut the past three years.
While he never won a Stanley Cup, Alfredsson - who spent 17 seasons with the Ottawa Senators before spending his final campaign with the Detroit Red Wings - was one of the most prominent players of his generation.
He racked up 444 goals and 1,157 points in 1,246 career NHL games and took home the Calder Trophy in 1996. Alfredsson also represented Sweden 14 times internationally and helped lead the team to an Olympic gold medal in 2006, an Olympic silver medal in 2014, and numerous other medals at the World Championships.
Spezza - who spent 10 seasons playing alongside Alfredsson in Ottawa - looks back fondly on their time together and said he hopes that the former winger finally gets the respect he deserves when the Hall announces its 2020 inductees Wednesday.
"We had great chemistry on the ice, we had great chemistry off the ice. I can't say I'm not rooting for him," Spezza said. "I'm patiently waiting to see what happens tomorrow. He's been eligible for a couple years, and it feels like this year he might have a little more of a chance. I hope he gets the respect because he's a guy that, in my opinion, deserves to be in the Hall."
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As the NHL prepares for its 24-team postseason, sportsbooks are releasing more and more odds for the uniquely formatted event.
After breaking down odds for each of the highly anticipated play-in series, let's dive into the four-team battles for each conference's top seed. We begin with the Eastern Conference:
TEAM
ODDS
Boston Bruins
+130
Tampa Bay Lightning
+250
Washington Capitals
+500
Philadelphia Flyers
+500
The format
The teams that ranked first through fourth in their conference at the end of the abbreviated regular season will play each other in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding in the 16-team playoff bracket. The clubs will all play each other once at a neutral venue, with the overall winner claiming the conference's top playoff seed.
Boston Bruins (+130)
This format can't be pleasing to Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins, who were eight points ahead of the Lightning, 10 points above the Capitals, and 11 points up on the Flyers when the league halted play. Their impressive 70-game performance could now be undone in the span of three contests. It might feel a cruel fate for Boston, but does it really matter?
The top seed won't get home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, which are expected to take place at neutral venues. The top-ranked team will get some advantages, such as last change, but the usual benefits are significantly mitigated. The top four teams' respective opponents will also be determined by the results of the play-in series, so the first seed isn't even guaranteed the easiest draw.
Given all of those factors - not to mention the lengthy layoff - expect these round-robin games to lack intensity; they'll be glorified exhibition contests, which certainly doesn't play to the strengths of a Bruins team that prefers an in-your-face approach. In a three-game sample following roughly five months of inaction, I can't possibly justify taking the Bruins at such a short price.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+250)
After recovering from a miserable start to the season, the Lightning were on a warpath over the second half of the campaign, climbing their way up the conference standings. They were even pushing the Bruins for the top seed, though they would have had a tough time closing the distance with just 12 games remaining.
This is a second chance for the Bolts, who have a real point to prove after last year's humiliating playoff exit. Tampa's versatile roster can adapt to any style of hockey, which should be a boon in an unfamiliar round-robin format.
The Lightning entered the pause ranked first in the NHL in five-on-five goals and seventh in the league in hits per game - ahead of the Bruins. They also boasted a top-five power play, and they'll return to the ice armed with one of the world's best goaltenders in Andrei Vasilevskiy. In a format rife with uncertainty, the Lightning might be the safest bet to claim the Eastern Conference's top seed.
Washington Capitals (+500)
The Capitals could be the biggest beneficiaries of low-intensity hockey, though that isn't to say they're incapable of playing a physical game. Should these round-robin games lack intensity, penalties should be unusually infrequent. That would play perfectly into the hands of a Capitals team that had the least efficient power play among these four clubs in 2019-20 and owned a middle-of-the-pack penalty kill.
Fewer man advantages would also be another reason to fade the Bruins, who had the NHL's third-best penalty kill and second-best power play this season, yet were 18th league-wide in five-on-five goals. I'd feel much better taking the Capitals at 5-1.
Philadelphia Flyers (+500)
No team was hotter than the Flyers when the NHL announced its shutdown. It will be interesting to see how the long layoff impacts Philadelphia's momentum, but the team has the firepower and the goaltending to match any of these clubs in a brief round-robin affair. Carter Hart is the youngest of the four starting goalies and could thus be the netminder least impacted by the break. If the 21-year-old can be the quickest to find his rhythm between the pipes, the Flyers are a terrific value bet to claim the top seed.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
Pittsburgh is officially out of the running to be a hub city for the NHL's return-to-play plan, the Penguins announced Tuesday.
"We know Pittsburgh would have been a great host city because of our fans and the support we received from the local business community, unions, and our political leaders. We thank commissioner (Gary) Bettman and the NHL for considering us as one of the finalists, which is a reflection on how great of a city Pittsburgh truly is," said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse.
Dallas is also no longer in the mix, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. Columbus and Minnesota have been ruled out as well.
Las Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Chicago are the six remaining options to host the NHL's 24-team playoff format.
The league is currently in Phase 2 of its return plan. It upped the limit for on- and off-ice voluntary workouts from six players to 12 starting Tuesday. Phase 3 features mandatory training camps for each club that qualified for the postseason, beginning July 10.
A decision on the two hub locations is expected by the end of the week.
Pittsburgh is officially out of the running to be a hub city for the NHL's return-to-play plan, the Penguins announced Tuesday.
"We know Pittsburgh would have been a great host city because of our fans and the support we received from the local business community, unions, and our political leaders. We thank commissioner (Gary) Bettman and the NHL for considering us as one of the finalists, which is a reflection on how great of a city Pittsburgh truly is," said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse.
Dallas is also no longer in the mix, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. Columbus and Minnesota have been ruled out as well.
Las Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Chicago are the six remaining options to host the NHL's 24-team playoff format.
The league is currently in Phase 2 of its return plan. It upped the limit for on- and off-ice voluntary workouts from six players to 12 starting Tuesday. Phase 3 features mandatory training camps for each club that qualified for the postseason, beginning July 10.
A decision on the two hub locations is expected by the end of the week.
Coming off a career-defining role in 1999's "The Matrix" only added to the comedy of seeing Keanu Reeves' Falco transform from washed-up former college star to underdog professional quarterback.
89. Billy Chapel
"For Love of the Game" (1999)
Chapel (Kevin Costner), a former pitching star on his last legs with the Detroit Tigers, has just enough left to shoot for a perfect game in what could be his last start at historic Yankee Stadium. Though he's tough and surly throughout much of the film, Chapel's true colors are on display during his romantic journey with Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston).
88. Tommy Conlon
"Warrior" (2011)
Tom Hardy portrays Conlon, a vicious former wrestler turned marine who winds up on a collision course with his estranged brother during a mixed martial arts tournament. Conlon is not only brutally dominant in the cage, but he also doesn't hold back when expressing his feelings toward his trainer and recovering alcoholic father, who is played by Nick Nolte. Conlon secretly has a big heart, though, especially when it comes to his military peers and the widow of his deceased best friend.
87. Paul Blake
"Necessary Roughness" (1991)
Aging quarterback Blake (Scott Bakula) rekindles his dreams of being a star in college by returning to lead a band of misfits at Texas State. The cigarette-smoking, country music-listening QB ends up being a mentor both on and off the field. He takes the biggest punch in a barroom brawl and finds a tutor for a teammate who's struggling with his schoolwork.
86. Babe Ruthless
"Whip It" (2009)
In this spoofy, coming-of-age film about banked track roller derby, small-town alternative girl Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), aka Ruthless, finds direction in life and joins a community she's proud of rather than participate in beauty pageants to appease her overbearing mother. Page warms the heart as an underdog who overcomes countless obstacles to become a star.
85. Mike McDermott
"Rounders" (1998)
McDermott (Matt Damon) is a brilliant poker tactician and reader of emotions, whose arrogance about his craft winds up getting him in trouble at the card table. It's his relationship with childhood best friend and hustler, Worm (Edward Norton), that is the driving force behind his character growing from a frustratingly naive melonhead to likable protagonist who overcomes the odds.
84. Calvin Cambridge
"Like Mike" (2002)
Child labor laws be damned. When orphan Cambridge (Lil Bow Wow) is shocked by lightning, Michael Jordan's talent is transferred into his diminutive frame. He soon finds himself starring in the NBA, squaring off against the likes of Vince Carter and Jason Kidd all while navigating the search for a permanent parental figure.
83. Fulton Reed
"The Mighty Ducks" (1992), "D2: The Mighty Ducks" (1994) and "D3: The Mighty Ducks" (1996)
Reed (Elden Henson) is a street-wise punk with a terrifying slap shot that he can control only with infrequent regularity (think "Nuke" LaLoosh on skates). Reed gives the Mighty Ducks some much-needed sandpaper, playing off the other characters' "Little Rascals" vibes with a cool stoicism.
82. Larry Musgrove
"The Big Green" (1995)
Musgrove (Patrick Renna) is always quick with a quip while also being perpetually horrified by the prospect of actually having to perform his duties as a goalkeeper. His visions of opposing players as literal monsters are something any shot-stopper can sympathize with.
81. Denis Lemieux
"Slap Shot" (1977)
Lemieux (Yvon Barrette) may have been a minor character in "Slap Shot," but the French-Canadian goaltender for the Charlottetown Chiefs supplied a memorable compilation of the film's best quotes, with Barrette delivering the zingers perfectly.
"You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes, by yourself, you know and you feel shame, you know. And then you get free," he hilariously said about getting a penalty.
St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko says the added time off due to the NHL's hiatus has allowed him to strengthen his surgically repaired shoulder.
"I was really close to coming back and playing when the season was delayed so I got some extra time to recover," Tarasenko said Monday, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "Not even recover, extra time practicing and making it more strong. Everything is good."
Tarasenko played only 10 games this season before undergoing a procedure Oct. 29 to repair a dislocated left shoulder. The Russian winger returned to practice Feb. 8 but was unable to get back into a game before the NHL suspended play March 12.
In detailing his recovery, Tarasenko said he needed to get comfortable skating again before gradually adding more difficult components to his game.
"You start slow, you start with the basics, some exercises where you can ... not learn to skate again, but remember the feeling, and I think it'll be pretty quick (to come back)," he said.
"I skated a few times (during the pause) so it wasn't that hard. It's like the usual start to skating, you work on the basics and you move to harder and harder levels."
Tarasenko, who led the Blues in goals in five straight campaigns entering 2019-20, felt rejuvenated from rejoining his teammates before the stoppage. With training camps set to begin July 10, the 28-year-old is excited to carry that momentum into the summer.
"The closer you get, the more positive emotions you have, the more happy you are for seeing the boys for the first time, skating with them," he said. "I was lucky to go on a couple road trips (before the season pause) and feel that atmosphere. I'm ready to come back and play some hockey."
The Blues, along with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Vegas Golden Knights, are slated to compete in a round-robin tournament to establish the top four Western Conference playoff seeds if play returns this summer.