I recently attended the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. It was my first time, mostly due to a lack of talent as a player, and I have to say I was blown away by how electric it was to be there.
Grant Fuhr, Mark Messier, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky ... the list of legends goes on and on. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game, along with today’s stars, all converged in one venue for a special night.
This was a special year as the expansion draft definitely added to the atmosphere. It was great to see history being made; I felt like I was at a fantasy draft party on steroids. Cheers and groans greeted owner Bill Foley and general manager George McPhee as they announced their picks on stage.
The loudest cheers were saved for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and rightfully so - as an expansion team they’re going to need him.
After the show, I was impressed with how Fleury and Edmonton Oilers megastar Connor McDavid handled themselves with the media. They are professional and polite - true gentlemen of the game.
During the media scrum, I asked McDavid what he was going to work on over the summer. Without hesitation, he said he wanted to become stronger, faster, work on his wrist shot, and get better on faceoffs. Impressive, given he had just cleaned house at the NHL awards - and even shut out Sidney Crosby.
The NHL Awards were a huge hit, and it's clear Las Vegas is ready to go big.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
On the flip side of desert hockey, what’s going on with the Arizona Coyotes is mind boggling. The most recent head-scratcher: the Coyotes relieving Dave Tippett of his head coaching duties. It was reportedly mutual, but at the moment, the Coyotes are looking an awful lot like a scrap yard, stripping down parts and getting ready to sell.
Right now, Arizona currently lacks:
- President/CEO
- Head coach
- Special teams coach
- Athletic training staff
- Captain
- No. 1 center
- Starting goaltender
- New arena deal
I’m curious to see how they will hit the salary cap floor, and am intrigued at whether or not at some point the NHL will step in and say enough is enough.
There were rumors of Sean Burke as president of the Coyotes, but I’m hearing that Burke will soon be appointed the general manager of The Canadian national men's entry at next year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. It comes as no surprise, as Burke was a goaltender for Canada during the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and won silver for Canada at the 1992 Winter Games in France.
That was a time when NHL players did not go to the Olympics, and the men’s national team was a year-round program. Burke has seen firsthand the sacrifice and dedication it takes to win at that level with an amateur program. He will have the task of putting together a roster of Canadian amateurs playing in the AHL, College, and in Europe.
Burke spent last season working as a pro scout for the Montreal Canadiens. He was previously the GM for Canada at the Deutschland Cup, then put together the Canadian team that won the Spengler Cup in Switzerland.
Look for him to be a general manager in the NHL one day.
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