That's just not fair.
Vladimir Tarasenko returned to his old stomping grounds recently, participating in a shootout contest with the KHL's Novosibirsk Sibir, where he played four seasons from 2008-12.
During the competition, the St. Louis Blues sniper had the puck on a string - literally - and left an unsuspecting goalie in his wake.
- With h/t/ to Puck Daddy
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The Ottawa Senators are examining all options in their quest for a new deal with defenseman Cody Ceci.
The parties have discussed a two-year bridge contract, as well as a long-term, six-year deal, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
Both options fit in the Senators' books, with just over $8.8 million in available cap space.
While it's unclear what direction the team will go, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is optimistic they'll put pen to paper within the next few weeks.
Ceci, 22, enjoyed his most productive NHL campaign in 2015-16, suiting up for 75 games and scoring a career-high 26 points. He also was apart of Canada's gold medal team at this year's IIHF World Championship.
The 15th overall pick in 2012 just completed the final year of his entry-level contract, and as a restricted free agent, he's the only unsigned player on Ottawa's roster.
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When Patrick Roy announced Thursday he was leaving the Colorado Avalanche as head coach and vice president of hockey operations, one of the names immediately linked to the vacancy behind the bench was Bob Hartley.
General manager Joe Sakic said the team will look outside the organization for a new coach, starting immediately.
Hartley, axed by the Calgary Flames in May, coached the Avalanche for five seasons, leading them to a Stanley Cup in 2001 in the prime of Sakic's era as Colorado captain. But success from more than a decade ago shouldn't be grounds for a reunion in the Mile High City.
Here are three reasons Hartley isn't a fit this time around:
Hartley is a fiery, results-driven coach aiming to get the most out of his players, sounds a bit like his predecessor, no?
While a drive to win isn't a flaw as a coach, Hartley's failure to adjust his near non-existent defensive zone structure in Calgary was his undoing.
Hartley and the Flames were the talk of the NHL in 2015 during a thrilling run to the playoffs that saw multiple third period comebacks, and frankly, quite a bit of luck, mirroring what Roy did with the Avalanche the year prior.
Colorado doesn't need another year of unsustainable success, it needs a leader to build a strong foundation for a supremely talented core to buy into.
Hartley's tenure in Calgary doesn't have many supporting statistics to prove it was a success.
His overall record with the Flames from 2013-2016 was 134-135-25, but over four seasons, Calgary managed some dismal possession numbers:
| Statistic | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| CF/60 | 51.61 | 27th |
| CA/60 | 59.6 | 27th |
| CF% | 46.41% | 27th |
Ironically enough, Roy's Avalanche were ranked 28th, 28th, and 29th, respectively, in the above categories.
While the analytics are among the league's worst, Calgary also had the worst penalty kill (75.5 percent) last season, ranked 20th in shots allowed per game (29), and finished dead last in goals allowed both overall (257) and per game (3.13).
Shoddy goaltending can't be pinned on Hartley, but Flames general manager Brad Treliving said it himself when he fired the 55-year-old; you need the puck to win in today's NHL.
(Stats courtesy: corsica)
Unable to build off a momentous season, Hartley's final campaign in Alberta came and went with a whimper.
The Flames finished 26th overall, despite having an above average offense, filled with budding superstars.
One playoff berth and a Jack Adams award was the peak for Hartley in Calgary.
"I just felt at this particular time ... Bob has taken this team as far as I feel he could take it," Treliving said of Hartley's firing in May.
Hartley's a veteran coach, and Colorado brass is in a tough spot to find a new coach only one month out of training camp, but in order to take the next step as a team, Sakic may want to search elsewhere.
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The NHL has a scoring problem. Last season, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks led the league with 106 points, the only player to hit triple digits. Next up? Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars with 89 points.
It gets worse. A year prior, 87 points was all that was needed for Benn to capture the Art Ross Trophy. It marked the lowest total for any scoring leader (not including lockout- and strike-shortened seasons) since Gordie Howe's 86 points in 1962-63.
Fans will call for a crackdown on obstruction, as seen back in the 2005-06 season, but the trick is to increase even-strength scoring. Nobody wants to watch a night of power plays.
We've outlined three ideas on how to see more goals:
This coming season, the NHL will introduce re-engineered goalie equipment, though the measure only takes it half way, reducing the size of the pants and chest protector, but with no change to the biggest offender: the leg pads.
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports confirmed the report in early June. NHL goalies will wear "streamlined" equipment, donning a smaller-look upper body and better, form-fitting protection.
Done deal. Goalies in the NHL will wear adjusted pants next season. Upper body equipment is still a work in progress. 1/2
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 10, 2016
Former NHL goalie Corey Hirsch took it a step further:
How can goaltending equipment get smaller and stay safe? @CoreyHirsch has the answerhttps://t.co/c0OpdRK9wz
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 18, 2016
If it were up to Hirsch (and us), not only would the upper body and pants shrink, but so too would the pads, blocker, and glove.
As Hirsch outlined, pads should be narrower (down to 10 inches), two or three inches shorter, plus the vertical "roll" on each side would be removed. Furthermore, scrap the glove "cheater" and flatten the blocker.
A good idea in theory, but poor in execution.
The trapezoid was brought in to negate good puck-handling goalies, like Carey Price, from knocking the puck out of the zone. Under this rule, goalies can only play the puck in front of the goal line, or in the trapezoid, but not in the corners.
In reality, this rule restricts skill. If you're fortunate enough to have a goalie who can handle the puck, why not allow him to create a play? And hey, even the goalies with poor puck-handling skills often create a play, in error, much to the chagrin of their coach.
Beyond that, the rule has proven to be dangerous for defensemen, left to grab the puck from the corner, with their back exposed to the oncoming fore-checker. Hybrid icing has eliminated much of this issue, but removing the trapezoid will further eradicate it.
It won't directly increase scoring, but it will make the standings far easier to read, particularly for new fans.
Instead of having some games worth three points and others handing out two, why not adopt the scoring system of the other three major leagues? In other words, keep it simple: wins, losses, and winning percentage.
If your team loses in regulation, 3-on-3, or the shootout, it's a loss. No loser points. Here's how last year's standings look in this format, using the Atlantic Division as an example:
| Team | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 47 | 35 | .573 |
| Tampa Bay | 46 | 36 | .561 |
| Detroit | 41 | 41 | .500 |
| Boston | 42 | 40 | .512 |
| Ottawa | 38 | 44 | .463 |
| Montreal | 38 | 44 | .463 |
| Buffalo | 35 | 47 | .427 |
| Toronto | 29 | 53 | .354 |
If you're a fan of the Boston Bruins, you'll like this system. Under this format, the Bruins make the playoffs last year and the Detroit Red Wings's playoff streak stops at 24 years. And besides, shouldn't the teams with more wins, rather than those holding on for consolation points, be the teams rewarded with a postseason berth?
With no loser points, teams tied late in a game will push for the win, rather than playing it safe for the single point. That means teams will pour on the offensive pressure, ultimately creating more scoring mayhem for viewers.
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Penny Oleksiak used to be Jamie's brother.
Jamie Oleksiak, after all, is a professional hockey player - a former NHL first-round pick who's expected to contribute on the Dallas Stars' blue line next season. One week into the Summer Olympics, though, Jamie is now known as Penny's brother.
The swimmer cemented her legacy as one of Canada's most decorated Olympic athletes on Thursday night, winning a gold medal - her fourth medal at Rio 2016. And she's only 16 years old.
Jamie's in Rio to watch his sister's coming out party, and, much like the rest of Canada, he's seeing gold.
Looks like gold to me 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/17cQvfccNK
— Jamie Oleksiak (@jamieoleksiak) August 12, 2016
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The Las Vegas Nighthawks, the Las Vegas Desert Hawks, or the Las Vegas Red Hawks.
Which one do you prefer? Because there's a good chance it's going to be one of those three.
According to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bill Foley, owner of Vegas' expansion NHL franchise, confirmed a Sportslogos.net report Thursday night that the club is close to finalizing its team name, narrowing the choices down to those three and another two.
Bill Foley confirms Las Vegas Nighthawks, Desert Hawks & Red Hawks all owned by his company along with 2 others that are being processed.
— Steve Carp (@stevecarprj) August 12, 2016
Foley wouldn't divulge the other two names, Carp added.
An announcement is expected in the very near future.
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The transition between coaches won't be an easy one for the Colorado Avalanche.
The club watched as Patrick Roy shocked the hockey world on Thursday, announcing he was leaving the team. The news was hard to take for players, especially defenseman Erik Johnson, who learned about the news after hitting the ice for practice.
"I was skating at the practice rink and when I got off the ice, [I] had a couple missed calls from [Roy] and I'm like, 'Oh god, I got traded, where am I going?'" Johnson said on Altitude Sports Radio 950, according to NHL.com.
"I guess you don't really think the news would be Patty stepping down, but I talked to him on the phone. He just said it was time for him to go and he didn't elaborate too much."
Roy had only spent three seasons as coach of the club, but in his time grew a strong rapport with his players who were saddened by his decision.
"I had a bunch of phone calls right after the news broke from different guys and everyone was super upset because of how much we loved playing for Patty and it's going to be tough for sure, it's going to be an adjustment," Johnson said. "At the end of the day, the players have to be [upset] at themselves. I mean, I'm mad at myself; I'm sure there are a ton of guys that are mad at themselves because if we played better and won, this wouldn't be happening.
"I don't want to share too much of the intricate details of what we talked about but from the players' perspective, myself and probably 90 percent of my teammates, which is a lot on any team because no coach is going to have everyone that loves him, but I can tell you that probably over 90 percent of the guys loved playing for Patty. We respected him, we thought he was a great coach and we'll all really miss him."
The onus now rests on general manager Joe Sakic, who must now quickly find a replacement coach for his young and talented club.
Related: Sakic: Avalanche will look outside team for new coach
As for Johnson, he feels there should be no shortage of candidates interested in the job.
"I would assume coaches would be falling over themselves to coach this team," Johnson said. "While we haven't gotten the results we've wanted over the past couple of years, the talent's there and if you look at our top three forwards, our defense, our goalie, there's a lot of upper echelon talent there and I think a lot of coaches would like to form it into a winning team, which I know we can be."
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Ryan Murphy has captured gold in Rio.
Of course, that is not to say the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is actually an Olympic swimmer in his spare time, but rather that his namesake captured gold for the second time at these Olympics, most recently in the 200m backstroke on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the Hurricanes' Murphy is taking all the glory he can for the achievement.
Little heavy! pic.twitter.com/eBHPKrFUqk
— ryan murphy (@ryanmurphy24) August 12, 2016
What a race, what a win, no better feeling!! Time to dry off and celebrate!!
— ryan murphy (@ryanmurphy24) August 12, 2016
Congratulations, Ryan Murphy!
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