Washington Capitals farmhand Madison Bowey appeared to direct a homophobic slur at Toronto Marlies forward Kasperi Kapanen in Game 4 of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference Final on Friday night.
The exchange happened while the Hershey Bears defender was being escorted off the ice for targeting Kapanen's head with an ugly elbow along the boards.
San Jose Sharks forward Matt Nieto will use the off-days leading up to the Stanley Cup Final to get back into game shape, as he "absolutely" expects to be an option versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Nieto's been out of action since Game 6 against the Nashville Predators when he suffered an upper-body injury after colliding with the goal post, but says his recovery's on schedule for a return soon.
"It's progressed well," Nieto said, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. "I felt really good out there today and people were roughing it up, so it was good."
He added, "I've been shooting the puck fine, and passing and moving great, so to take that next step was a good feeling."
Before the injury, Nieto was on the Sharks' third line with Chris Tierney and Joel Ward. He's scored three points in 11 postseason games.
In his selection to represent Canada at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, Brad Marchand cracked the most competitive, formidable roster the sport can offer.
And now he's out to show why.
Shortly after he was officially tabbed Friday, Marchand said he was incredibly honored to have been chosen to wear the red and white - and, on a more personal level, acknowledged the opportunity he has to show hockey circles that he's matured in his profession and really is among the game's elite.
"It's something that I think we all take a lot of pride in, and something that is - it's not an easy accomplishment," Marchand said, according to CSN's Joe Haggerty.
He added, "I think being part of a team like this is on a different level, and people may give a little more respect to that fact and may look at more of the kind of player I am, other than just the stuff they've seen in the past, with the hits and being a pest and stuff like that. Maybe those people will realize that I'm an OK hockey player, and I do play the game as well."
Though he might still feel stigmatized for his previous transgressions - which include suspensions, dives, and myriad cheap shots - Marchand's latest stat sheet should be validation enough. He scored the second-most goals among Canadians this season and emerged as a truly dominant defensive winger at even strength, as well as on the penalty kill in tandem with fellow national Patrice Bergeron.
TORONTO - William Nylander came up big for the Toronto Marlies when they needed him the most.
Nylander scored his first hat trick of the season and Antoine Bibeau earned the shutout as the Marlies blanked the Hershey Bears 5-0 to stave off el...
Bodie Roethlisberger is getting accustomed to winning immediately.
Ben Roethlisberger's third child was born Thursday morning, and the family was overjoyed to welcome him into the world.
Each of them showed their support for the Stanley Cup-bound Pittsburgh Penguins, displaying team attire in a bedside family photo.
The quarterback has won two Super Bowls during his career for the Steelers, so establishing a standard early seems imperative for Roethlisberger and his growing brood.
In a feverish fifteen-minute stretch Friday evening, roster submissions from those responsible for the North American entries at the World Cup of Hockey's rebirth were announced within just moments of one another.
That chaos quickly became confusion for many, as a handful of elite talents - some still competing, and others who move the needle for the league - weren't selected to represent their national teams at the NHL-branded commercial showcase.
Now, with our bearings, we present the first and second all-snub rosters.
First Team
Taylor Hall - One of the league's premier left wingers and the second-highest scorer at his position among countrymen last season, Hall wasn't rewarded for his prominent role in back-to-back wins at the World Championship for Hockey Canada.
Tyler Johnson - Small man, big-game contributor. Johnson's outrageous 20-goal, 40-point output in 43 playoff games over the last two seasons is 10 more points than any player named to a North American roster.
Phil Kessel - Pittsburgh's leading scorer and his country's top producer at the last best-on-best international competition - the 2014 Sochi Olympics - Kessel, by virtue of his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, might be the biggest snub on the board. Kessel's racked up 55 points since his former teammate and USA selection James van Riemsdyk last found the back of the net.
Kris Letang - No defender's had a greater impact on his team than Letang since Mike Sullivan took the reins in Pittsburgh in the middle of December. Only Crosby, Thornton, Kane, and Kopitar have more regular-season points than Letang since that mark. And, oh yeah, he's the only headliner on a no-name defense set to drop the puck on the Stanley Cup Final.
P.K. Subban - One of the NHL's greatest personalities and with the talent to match, Subban's apparently fallen out of favor with Hockey Canada despite being one of just four at his position with over 200 points over the last four seasons. Like Letang, he's at a disadvantage as a right-shooting defender.
Second Team
Alex Galchenyuk - Only the greatest goal-scorer of a generation, Alex Ovechkin, found the back of the net more once teams reconvened after the All-Star break.
Ryan O'Reilly - One of the more well-rounded players in the NHL, he's an asset to even the most talented of rosters. He led Buffalo in scoring in his first season, but his finest work might have been in the defensive zone, helping rescue a penalty-killing unit that jumped 22 slots in the overall performance standing.
Corey Perry - He checked off all the boxes: a premier NHL goal-scorer with contrasting skills, existing chemistry with a previously chosen player, and a history of coming through for his country. It was Perry - not Getzlaf - who was producing when Anaheim struggled for the first two-and-a-half months.
Mark Giordano - Considered to have an advantage because of the direction his blade takes, Giordano might have been denied due to something else out of his control: He doesn't share the ice with one of the league's greatest. It's hard to imagine Jake Muzzin making Canada's top seven if he didn't have regular reps with Drew Doughty.
Justin Faulk - An Olympian two seasons ago and still up-and-coming, Faulk is one of his country's more talented defenders - period.
A look at the 23 players named to Canada's World Cup roster:
Forwards
Sidney Crosby: Canada's captain for the Olympic gold-medal winning squad, Crosby was a lock for the World Cup team. Struggling through an uncharacteristic slow start thi...
TORONTO - The Canadian team has rounded out its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Seven players were named to the team Friday evening.
Forwards Matt Duchene, Brad Marchand, Claude Giroux and Joe Thornton joined the squad along with ...
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Defenseman
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks * Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles Kings * Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues * Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Forwards
Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche * Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers * Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins * Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning John Tavares, New York Islanders Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks * Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup takes place Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto.
Surprisingly, during a red-hot playoff run, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel was left off the list, even after making the last two USA Olympic teams.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils
Defenseman
Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets John Carlson, Washington Capitals Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche * Jack Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets * Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers Matt Niskanen, Washington Capitals * Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
Forwards
Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings David Backes, St. Louis Blues * Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning * Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets * Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks Derek Stepan, New York Rangers James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs * Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup takes place Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto.
