The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will implement harsher penalties for players who fight during the upcoming 2020-21 season, it announced Wednesday.
All players involved in a fight will now be assessed a 10-minute misconduct along with a five-minute major. The misconduct will begin only after the five-minute major is served.
Players will also receive an automatic one-game suspension after their third fight and an additional one-game suspension for any additional fights afterward.
"It's very important to protect our players, to make sure he's playing in a safe environment. And today in the hockey business, the way that the game has improved, it's based on speed, skill (not fighting)," QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau told reporters Wednesday, according to The Canadian Press.
The Tampa Bay Lightning got rather creative with their Stanley Cup celebration on Wednesday, as the championship squad floated down the Hillsborough River by boat while showcasing the trophy.
After such a unique NHL season, an equally quirky celebration was only fitting.
Here are the most memorable moments from a parade the Lightning and their fans will never forget:
However, the Wild are reportedly engaged in talks to retain him, and the 26-year-old has said he wants to stay with the team.
Soucy will be a Group 6 UFA by virtue of being at least 25 years old, playing at least three pro seasons, and appearing in fewer than 76 career games, the latter of which was reduced from the standard 80 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He's played in only 66 total NHL contests after missing the final nine regular-season games in 2019-20 due to injury before returning for all four of Minnesota's postseason matchups.
Soucy played this past campaign on a one-year, $750,000 pact he signed with the Wild in July 2019.
He inked a deal with Minnesota rather than opting for free agency in April 2017. Soucy agreed to a two-year, $1.85-million contract with the Wild at the time after playing four years at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
He collected 14 points while averaging 15:38 of ice time and posting a 51.33 expected goals for percentage in 55 regular-season games during the 2019-20 campaign.
It appears as though Cody Ceci will be finding a new home this offseason.
The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Oct. 9 and is headed to the open market, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. However, the 26-year-old could circle back to the Leafs once the market opens, LeBrun adds.
Ceci signed a one-year, $4.5-million deal with Toronto after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators in July 2019.
The 6-foot-2 defenseman tallied one goal and eight points while logging 20:32 of average ice time across 56 contests. He ranked second on the Leafs in hits (92) and third in blocked shots (79).
The Leafs have $6.106 million in projected cap space for next season, according to CapFriendly. Defenseman Travis Dermott and winger Ilya Mikheyev are two important restricted free agents in need of new deals, while 29-year-old blue-liner Tyson Barrie is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
The King's reign on Broadway officially came to an unceremonious end on Wednesday, with the New York Rangers buying out the final two years on the contract of longtime goaltender and face of the franchise Henrik Lundqvist.
It was a business move for the betterment of the team's future, and one that didn't come as a surprise. Still, when a future Hall of Famer who was synonymous with the success of an organization is bought out, it's a massive development.
He may find a new home to chase a Stanley Cup before next season, but for now, let's look back at some defining numbers from Lundqvist's illustrious tenure in the Big Apple.
205: The draft pick the Rangers used to nab their future netminder in 2000. Pretty good value for an unheralded prospect out of Are, Sweden.
459: Regular-season wins, the sixth-most in NHL history. Lundqvist's highest single-season win total was 39 in 2011-12.
.918: Lundqvist's career save percentage, the fourth-highest clip in NHL history among goaltenders to play 500-plus regular-season games.
64: Regular-season shutouts, a league-best since his career began in 2005-06.
887: Games played, the eighth-most among goalies. Lundqvist also ranks seventh on the Rangers' all-time list, which spans 94 years.
80: The percentage of first-place Vezina Trophy votes Lundqvist earned in 2011-12. It was the only campaign when he won the award, and over 62 starts the five-time All-Star was more than deserving after posting a .930 save percentage, 1.97 goals-against average, and 28.37 goals saved above average - all career bests.
23,509: Lundqvist's career regular-season saves to date, the seventh-most ever.
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
61: Lundqvist's playoff win total, which ranks 12th all time.
.923: Lundqvist's save percentage in the lone Stanley Cup Final of his career. The Rangers fell in five games to the Los Angeles Kings, but Hank played well, stopping 88 of 92 shots across two games after New York found itself in a 3-0 hole.
15: The elimination games Lundqvist won between 2012 and 2015 against just four losses. In those contests, he registered a 1.74 goals-against average and two shutouts.
6: The consecutive Game 7s Lundqvist won between 2012 and 2015, an NHL record.
57.2: The number of wins above replacement Lundqvist has provided since 2007, which is 20 more than the next goalie, according to Evolving Hockey. Over that span, The King stopped 278 goals above expected, nearly 200 more than the next netminder on the list.
$99,283,390: Lundqvist's estimated career earnings, according to Cap Friendly.
30: The next Rangers jersey number to be hung from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
LeBrun added that acquiring Mrazek would be more of a "Plan B" for the Oilers.
The 28-year-old goaltender has one season remaining on his contract that carries a value of $3.125 million. Oilers general manager Ken Holland drafted Mrazek in 2010 while with the Detroit Red Wings.
Mrazek appeared in 40 games during the 2019-20 regular season, putting together a 21-16-2 record with a .905 save percentage and 2.69 goals-against average.
The Oilers have goaltender Mikko Koskinen signed for two more seasons with an average annual value of $4.5 million. Mike Smith, who appeared in 39 games for the team last season, is an unrestricted free agent.
The Rangers are expected to buy out the final year of Lundqvist's contract, TSN's Darren Dreger reported during Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."
"Unfortunately for Henrik Lundqvist, there will be a separation from the New York Rangers by form of that buyout," Dreger said.
"This would not come easy to the New York Rangers, again, given everything that Lundqvist has provided to the Rangers as an organization. This was a tough decision but a decision that has to be made moving forward," Dreger added.
Lundqvist has one season remaining on his current contract that carries a cap hit of $8.5 million for the 2020-21 season.
The 38-year-old has spent his entire career with the Rangers since being selected by the team in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL Draft. His 887 games played, 459 wins, and 64 shutouts are all franchise records.
Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said in August that the team's plan is to carry only two goalies on its NHL roster next season. During the 2019-20 season, Lundqvist split starts with teammates Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin.
Since Lundqvist's rookie season in 2005-06, the Rangers have made the playoffs 11 times. He helped guide the team to the Stanley Cup Final once in 2014 and the conference finals on two occasions.
