Category Archives: Hockey News

New Panther McCann to ask Jagr about hair conditioner

Jared McCann - the newest member of the Florida Panthers - is looking forward to picking Jaromir Jagr's brain.

However, McCann is less interested in the future Hall of Famer's outstanding NHL career, or any type of playing advice he might have. No, what McCann is interested in is what makes Jagr's famous flow so lustrous.

"I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll ask him what conditioner he uses or something like that," McCann told NHL.com's Jameson Olive about his first encounter with Jagr. "I’ve also always looked up to Jaromir Jagr, who is one of the best players in the world. I’m very excited to meet him."

McCann was acquired Wednesday from the Vancouver Canucks in a deal for defenseman Erik Gudbranson, and should compete for a roster spot on the team's bottom six next season.

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Cooper dodges questions about Stamkos’ Game 7 status

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper isn't tipping his hand about whether Steven Stamkos will play in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Speculation swirled after TVA's Renaud Lavoie reported Stamkos boarded the early bus to the arena with his teammates, but Cooper refused to confirm it either way.

"Before we get going, there's a lot more people here than normal, don't ask about the lineup at all, because I don't know," Cooper told reporters before any questions were asked at Thursday's pregame media availability.

The media proceeded to ask about the lineup anyway, specifically the status of the Lightning captain.

"We're preparing to put the best team possible on the ice to win Game 7," Cooper said.

"This is the top couple games of our careers as a group together, and we're going to put our best foot forward. And if Stamkos is in the lineup, it's our best foot forward, and if he's not in the lineup, it's because he wasn't eligible to play."

Stamkos has been out of the lineup since March 31 after having vascular surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He took part in Thursday's optional skate, as he's done frequently in the playoffs, but Stamkos said after that session that his status hadn't changed.

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Buttman? Fan gets Bettman tattoo on rear

Gary Bettman is occasionally the butt of jokes among NHL fans, but one fan took that literally.

On Wednesday, Daylen Hopkins honored a pledge he made in February to get the commissioner's face tattooed on his backside if both the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Hopkins proved a man of his word, although backing out on his promise would have been hard to do with the amount of shares and media coverage the original tweet received.

The New York Rangers fan had a hilarious reaction upon realizing what he'd done.

"Hahahahahaha s--t I have a tattoo of Gary Bettman," he tweeted.

We're just glad this story didn't fall through the cracks.

- With h/t to r/hockey

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Fallon skewers more NHLers in Conference Final superlatives

Jimmy Fallon took aim at several NHL players with a playoff edition of his superlatives segment a couple of weeks ago, and now he's at it again.

This time around, the host of "The Tonight Show" went at some of the players vying for a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

He roasted four members of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula, Victor Hedman, and Anton Stralman) and four San Jose Sharks (Mirco Mueller, Joe Thornton, Tommy Wingels, and Logan Couture), as well as Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray.

For the record, here's actual Gilbert Gottfried:

(Courtesy: Getty Images/Randy Brooke)

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Red Wings reportedly sign Dylan Sadowy after trade with Sharks

The Detroit Red Wings made a minor move Thursday, acquiring forward Dylan Sadowy from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a third-round pick in 2017.

Upon making the trade, the Red Wings also locked up Sadowy, inking the 20-year-old to an entry-level contract, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. If not signed prior to June 1, Sadowy would have been re-entered into next month's draft.

Sadowy is coming off his fourth OHL season, where he split his time between the Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts. He had 20 goals and 34 points in 36 games with the Spirit, but erupted with the Colts, netting 25 goals and 36 points in 28 contests.

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Lightning’s Game 7 viewing party nixed due to NHL policy

Divide the fans, conquer the ratings.

That appears to be the NHL's approach to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in Tampa Bay, at least.

As the Lightning visit the Pittsburgh Penguins to fight for the right to play for the Stanley Cup, fans will not be allowed to gather for a viewing party outside Amalie Arena.

The Lightning, as well as several other teams around the league, have held many viewing parties over the course of the playoffs, but the league is choosing Thursday to clamp down, as per its policy.

The impetus behind the decision would seem to be lighting up as many screens as possible in an attempt to boost ratings.

Owner Jeff Vink will host a "rally with opportunities to view Game 7" at a nearby parking lot, which he owns, which should help to boost his ratings with the Lightning fanbase.

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Report: Gudbranson turned down 4-year, $18M extension from Panthers

Erik Gudbranson could have been with the Florida Panthers for a few more years at least.

The young defenseman was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, circa two weeks after signing a one-year, $3.5-million contract extension with the team.

According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Gudbranson had turned down a four-year deal worth $18 million before signing the one-year bridge contract.

That's significant for his new club seeing as Gudbranson will be a restricted free agent once again at the conclusion of 2016-17, with the ability to become unrestricted in 2018. In order to lock him up and justify dealing prospect Jared McCann along with second- and fourth-round draft picks to Florida, they'll seemingly have to top that offer.

In 309 career games, Gudbranson has recorded 11 goals, 32 assists, and 73 shots on goal.

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Report: Gudbranson turned down 4-year, $18M extension from Panthers

Erik Gudbranson could have been with the Florida Panthers for a few more years at least.

The young defenseman was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, circa two weeks after signing a one-year, $3.5-million contract extension with the team.

According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Gudbranson had turned down a four-year deal worth $18 million before signing the one-year bridge contract.

That's significant for his new club seeing as Gudbranson will be a restricted free agent once again at the conclusion of 2016-17, with the ability to become unrestricted in 2018. In order to lock him up and justify dealing prospect Jared McCann along with second- and fourth-round draft picks to Florida, they'll seemingly have to top that offer.

In 309 career games, Gudbranson has recorded 11 goals, 32 assists, and 73 shots on goal.

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