As the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks get set to do battle in this year's Stanley Cup Final - with the Sharks in pursuit of their first ever Cup and the Penguins in search of their first since 2009 - one thing is evident, the Sharks are bigger, heavier, and more experienced than their counterparts.
The Penguins however, have the luxury of having been to the Stanley Cup Finals twice since 2008, while the Sharks enter the final round of the postseason for their first time in franchise history.
With that said, David and Goliath will get their first look at one another when Game 1 goes down Monday night in Pittsburgh.
Updates on Marc-Andre Fleury and Alex Chiasson, plus the latest on the Red Wings in your NHL rumor mill. MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan responded to readers’ questions about how the Detroit Red Wings can improve their defense corps this summer. He doesn’t believe they can pry Dougie Hamilton away from the Calgary Flames or Jacob Trouba […]
With the start of the Stanley Cup Final looming, here’s this morning’s collection of NHL headlines. USA TODAY: Joe Thornton said he never lost faith in the San Jose Sharks reaching the Stanley Cup Final. “Even last year, not making the playoffs, I honestly thought we were a couple of pieces away and here we […]
Willie O'Ree was a pioneer, and Joel Ward believes it's time for him to be honored appropriately.
O'Ree was the first black player in the NHL. He made his debut in 1958, playing two games as a call-up for the Boston Bruins. He scored four goals and added 10 assists in 43 games with the Bruins during the 1960-61 season.
Ward, a San Jose Sharks forward, believes it's time the NHL discussed retiring O'Ree's No. 22, writes ESPN's Joe McDonald, much like Major League Baseball did with Jackie Robinson's No. 42.
"That's something to definitely talk about for sure," Ward said. "It would be great if they did. Obviously that's something that would be a great discussion about. With the amount of respect Willie has around the league, it would definitely be something special if that did come up.
"I definitely think Willie should be recognized for sure. The league obviously does that with a task force, but I do think that Willie should definitely be a big part of the league for sure for what he did. It's a no-brainer. Without Willie, it would be tough for me to be sitting here today. I definitely think Willie should be a big part of this."
Ward wears No. 42 to honor Robinson, the first black player in MLB history. In 1997, MLB retired Robinson's number, and the league celebrates his legacy each season on Jackie Robinson Day, every April 15.
Keith Tkachuk knows a thing or two about scoring big goals.
The former NHLer was in attendance Sunday to watch his son score twice in the Memorial Cup final, including the game-winner in overtime for the London Knights. The two embraced on the ice after the game, resulting in a whole lot of feelings.
Matthew, who culminated his final season before going pro in the best possible way, told NHL.com's Aaron Vickers that he was playing on a sprained ankle since the OHL final.
"You can't give up on guys that battle all year for you," Matthew said.
Matthew Tkachuk scored the Memorial Cup-winning goal in overtime against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday.
The winner was Tkachuk's second goal of the game and fifth of the week. He opened the scoring in the first period.
The Knights trailed 2-1 late in the third period, before Christian Dvorak tied up the game with 4:11 left to play, setting up Tkachuk's heroics. The win was London's 17th in a row.
Tkachuk - a Scottsdale, Ariz., native and the son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk - had 30 goals and 107 points in 57 games during the regular season, and 40 points in 20 playoff games before the Memorial Cup. He's expected to be selected in the top five at this summer's NHL entry draft.
The Toronto Marlies' dominant season ended in the most disappointing fashion Sunday, as the AHL club was eliminated by the Hershey Bears - the Washington Capitals' affiliate - in Game 5 by a 3-2 score.
The Marlies fell behind 3-0 and although they made a game of it, couldn't find the tying goal to keep their season alive. The Bears will face the Lake Erie Monsters - the Columbus Blue Jackets' affiliate - in the Calder Cup Finals.
The Marlies were a force all season, finishing as the league's best team with a 54-16-5-1 record. The playoffs, though, were a different story, as the baby Maple Leafs lost seven of 15 games.
Toronto's goaltending was its downfall in the postseason. Antoine Bibeau struggled again in Game 5, stopping only 17 of 20 shots. He ends the postseason with a .900 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average in 12 games.
Sheldon Keefe: "Our players grew a lot through this."
The Bears, meanwhile, are headed to their 23rd Calder Cup Finals, and fifth in 11 seasons since linking with the Capitals.
Justin Peters was the opposite of Bibeau in the crease for Hershey. He'll play for the AHL's ultimate prize with a .929 save percentage and two shutouts this spring.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - There was a time when it was unclear if Sidney Crosby would ever play again, let alone reach another Stanley Cup final.
For more than a year, from January 2011 until March 2012, the effects of a concussion cast doubts over t...
TORONTO - Nathan Walker scored the eventual winner early in the second period as the Hershey Bears captured the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference title on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies.
The Bears took the series...
Dean Lombardi and company at Team USA headquarters overthought this one.
Phil Kessel was a surprising omission from the United States' World Cup of Hockey team when the full squad was announced Friday, and the decision is no less curious 48 hours later. In fact, it's only becoming more difficult to justify, especially when you look at the numbers.
While Kessel saw a drop in production in his first season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he still managed to score 25 goals, a number most forwards would kill for. More importantly, he's lighting it up in the playoffs. He has nine goals and nine assists in 18 games as the Penguins prepare to play for the Stanley Cup. He now has 22 goals in 40 career playoff games, all the more impressive considering the Toronto Maple Leafs wasted his prime. He rises to the occasion when the competition is the stiffest, which will be the case in the fall at the World Cup.
It's as simple as this: Only one American-born player has more points than Kessel since 2010, and only one American-born player has scored more goals than Kessel since 2010.
Goals since 2010
Rank
Player
Goals
GP
1
Joe Pavelski
183
450
2
Kessel
177
458
3
Patrick Kane
175
414
4
Max Pacioretty
168
395
5
Bobby Ryan
139
439
6
Zach Parise
139
354
7
David Backes
135
445
8
Blake Wheeler
134
452
9
Ryan Kesler
133
413
10
James van Riemsdyk
121
368
11
Ryan Callahan
119
396
16
T.J. Oshie
104
390
25
Brandon Dubinsky
82
381
28
Justin Abdelkader
77
426
Points since 2010
Rank
Player
Points
GP
1
Kane
433
414
2
Kessel
398
458
3
Pavelski
385
450
4
Wheeler
357
452
5
Pacioretty
319
395
6
Ryan
316
439
7
Derek Stepan
305
434
8
Backes
304
445
9
Dustin Byfuglien
288
418
10
Parise
284
354
15
Callahan
251
396
19
Dubinsky
242
381
38
Abdelkader
168
426
Canada proved at the Sochi Olympics that even in a short tournament, the most talented team is going to win. For the Americans to win the World Cup, they need the Kessels of the world on the ice, not - with all due respect - the Callahans, Dubinskys, and Abdelkaders.
"It is what it is," Kessel said Sunday of his World Cup snub. It was the diplomatic answer. The truth is, it's a foolish decision, and the Americans will regret it.