Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid believes a change in attitude throughout the organization helped the club get back into the playoff mix this season.
"Management, coaching staff is all new, we brought in a couple new players, but I think it's just the vibe around the team that's changed," McDavid said on Sportsnet's #Ask31. "Everyone talks about that winning culture, and we didn't have that for a number of years.
"Just changing that whole culture and whole mindset I think has been huge."
After missing the postseason for the third time in four years last season, McDavid was vocal about his disappointment, saying his frustration level was "really high," and that it was "going to be a long summer" without playoff hockey.
The Oilers then used their time off to make some major changes. Edmonton hired longtime Detroit Red Wings executive Ken Holland as general manager, named Dave Tippett its new head coach, and brought in a series of new players, including goaltender Mike Smith and veteran winger James Neal.
The series of moves appeared to have worked, as the Oilers sat comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division with 83 points when the league went on pause March 12.
McDavid, of course, played a big role in the club's success, posting 97 points in 64 games to rank second in league scoring behind teammate Leon Draisaitl.
The deal carries an annual cap hit of $800,000, according to CapFriendly.
Guhle recorded eight points in 30 games with the Ducks this season. He also spent 27 games with the AHL's San Diego Gulls, where he tallied 14 points. The 22-year-old was acquired along with a first-rounder in the trade that sent Brandon Montour to the Buffalo Sabres in February 2019.
Guhle's underlying metrics weren't very impressive. His 41.9% expected goals for was worst among Ducks defensemen who played at least 10 games, and his 43.5% high-danger scoring chance was second-worst, according to Natural Stat Trick. However, there's still plenty of room to grow for the former second-round pick.
The Ducks also signed depth forward Sam Carrick to a one-year deal reportedly worth $700,000. The 28-year-old has collected five points in 34 career NHL games.
Athletes everywhere continue to get creative as they deal with their respective leagues being on hiatus. Some are better at it than others. Every Sunday throughout May, we'll look back on the week that was before crowning a quarantine king or queen. Here are the top isolation moments from the sports world over the last seven days.
10. Jazz dish out their favorite recipes
Members of the Utah Jazz recently launched their "Quarantine Cookbook." The video series provides step-by-step instructions for their favorite homemade dishes. Here's a sample of what to expect, courtesy of Royce O'Neale, who does a mean "Salt Bae" impression.
Sports are stopped, but the work never is for Russell Wilson. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback worked on perfecting his touch with the help of a soccer net, a training partner, and a pile of cones designed to simulate a pocket. Looking good, Russ.
The sports world, as it does every year, had plenty of fun getting creative for Star Wars Day on May 4. Whoever was responsible for animating this tennis compilation deserves a prize. Take the cake, they did.
Whether it's playing one-on-one with his dog or competing in the NBA's Horse Challenge, Trae Young has been keeping himself busy on his driveway court throughout the quarantine period. This week, the Atlanta Hawks star impersonated all of the different AAU warmup routines.
The Bundesliga is set to resume May 16 after getting the green light from the German government, making it the first major soccer competition to restart since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In lieu of fans - who will be unable to attend matches - Borussia Monchengladbach decided to have creepy cutouts of supporters placed in the stands. For a truly authentic feel, they even made sure to include some rival fans.
Racing drivers are getting plenty of virtual laps in to hone their skills while on lockdown. But rising Formula 1 star George Russell is using sim races for a different purpose. The 22-year-old has apparently made it his mission to torment fellow F1 youngster Alex Albon when they race online, going out of his way to barge into his dear friend. Albon screaming "George?!" as he gets torpedoed into the wall time after time is just fantastic.
Somehow, an explanation into the selection of a course for their upcoming golf exhibition turned into a full minute of Peyton Manning absolutely roasting Tom Brady. Manning picked on Brady's recent inadvertent entry into a stranger's home in Florida and his departure from the New England Patriots, cracking up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' new quarterback.
James Harrison doesn't play in the NFL anymore, he just pushes 1,960-pound sleds - and likely makes you feel bad about your own quarantine laziness - for fun. Let's hope somebody gifted the former Pittsburgh Steelers star another weight plate for his 42nd birthday Monday.
James Harrison pushing a 1,960-pound sled at age 42 is bananas 😳😳
While Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was staying sharp with some at-home batting practice, his son Charlie was auditioning for the big leagues. The three-year-old totally overshadowed the four-time All-Star, most notably by showing off his fantastic home-run trot. The kid's already a star.
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Bobby Orr understands the desire to see hockey return, but he also comprehends the danger of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to come back, but to think that you're going to finish the season, have a playoff, and then start next season, I think we have to be really careful," the legendary former defenseman told TSN's James Duthie. "We just cannot come back until the players are safe, the families are safe, anybody connected with those games, around the games, if they do come back, (we have to make sure) that everyone is safe."
The Hockey Hall of Famer, who's celebrating the 50th anniversary of his iconic airborne Stanley Cup-winning goal Sunday, emphasized that the sport's significance pales in comparison to the world's current predicament.
"This is bigger than the game," Orr said. "This is life and death. We have to be real careful and real sure that everyone is prepared, and we can't be putting our players back out on the ice without proper conditioning. Staying at home the way they are now, it’s pretty difficult to stay in hockey skating shape.
"There's more important things than sports," he added. "I’m the biggest hockey fan in the world, and I miss it. I miss it a lot. But we can't be coming back too quickly. Things have to be right for the game to start up (again) and for the players to come back."
The NHL paused its season March 12 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In late April, the league was targeting a July return and hoped to reopen facilities in mid-to-late May, but the latter phase reportedly won't be initiated until a majority of clubs are able to do so.
In early April, Orr wrote a letter thanking workers at Massachusetts General Hospital, calling them the "true heroes."
In late May 1979, the Montreal Canadiens were on home ice with a 3-1 series lead and a chance to close out the New York Rangers for their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup to end the decade.
Thanks to two goals from Jacques Lemaire and 14 stops from Ken Dryden, the Habs got the job done with a 4-1 victory, winning their 22nd title in franchise history.
Watch the game in the livestream below at 8:00 p.m. ET.
If the NHL resumes its 2019-20 campaign, Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone will be ready to return from the injury that sidelined him before the pause.
Stone was deemed week-to-week due to a lower-body ailment on March 1, with his team in the thick of the Pacific Division playoff race. Over two months later, he's healthy enough to return.
"I'm good. Healing up," Stone told Gary Lawless of the club's website. "Still have a couple little obstacles to get over, but overall in a good spot. Just want to play hockey again."
"I don't know exactly the day I got hurt, but I think it has been almost 10 weeks now. When I first got injured, I was gunning to be back in four weeks," he added. "It's crazy how things can turn but I'm excited to be getting healthy and feeling at a 100 percent."
Stone missed six games before the coronavirus-induced season suspension on March 12. The 27-year-old two-way star ranks second on the team with 63 points in 65 games during his first campaign in Vegas.
The Golden Knights remain three points clear of the Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific.
If you've ever wanted to live on a street named after your favorite hockey player, Las Vegas might be the place for you.
A new community in the city's north end is naming 30 streets after members of the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights, who went to the Stanley Cup Final in their historic inaugural season, according to construction and planning documents obtained by The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
"We wanted to capitalize on all the excitement that the Golden Knights bring to the city, and especially in northern Las Vegas," Taylor Morrison division president James Gomez said. "The community has been such an integral part of our growth and so supportive of our opening. The idea to name the streets after players' names has created quite a buzz and we've already had a lot of interest from different prospects on what street they will buy on, based on their favorite players."
Here's a list of all 30 streets:
Street name
Golden Knights Way
George McPhee Road
Gerard Gallant Street
Marc-Andre Fleury Road
Nate Schmidt Road
William Karlsson Street
Marchessault Road
Shea Theodore Road
Ryan Reaves Street
Reilly Smith Street
Alex Tuch Road
William Carrier Road
Brayden McNabb Street
Erik Haula Court
Malcolm Subban Street
Tomas Nosek Street
David Perron Street
Jon Merrill Street
Deryk Engelland Road
Cody Eakin Road
Ryan Carpenter Road
Pierre Edourard Street
Colin Miller Road
Tomas Tatar Court
Oscar Lindberg Street
Brad Hunt Road
Oscar Dansk Road
Nick Suzuki Street
Maxime Lagace Road
Luca Sbisa Street
Oddly enough, there are no reported street names for owner Bill Foley or sniper James Neal.
"The community is set to open in June 2020. It's our first Taylor Morrison product in Las Vegas, and we couldn't think of a more fitting way to honor the city," Gomez said.