![]() The last player to pick up 100 assists was former Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky in 1990-91. Can Connor McDavid become the latest to hit the feat despite a goal-scoring drought?
What is more impressive: scoring 70 goals or registering 100 assists?
It is a question that could end up deciding who wins the Hart Trophy this year. On one side, you have Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews, who is trying to become the first player in more than 30 goals to score 70 goals. At the other end of the spectrum is Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who is trying to become only the fourth player in NHL history to pick up 100 assists. Both would be impressive feats. And yet, what McDavid is doing is extra special when you consider how he has gone from goal-scorer to playmaker. A year ago, the Oilers captain won the Rocket Richard Trophy after leading the NHL with 64 goals. This year, he only has 21 goals in 53 games — a pace that would result in one of his lowest goal totals since entering the league. But he also recorded 89 assists last season, the most since Joe Thornton's 92 in 2006-07. Heading into Monday's game against Los Angeles, he leads the league with 68 assists. At his current pace, McDavid would finish the season with 101 assists — the most since Wayne Gretzky had 122 assists in 1990-91. "I've decided I'm just going to see how many assists I can get," McDavid jokingly told reporters on Monday. "That's the focus, I'm not going to shoot the puck anymore." It's not exactly that far from the truth. While McDavid is still averaging 3.3 shots per game (his career average is 3.4 shots per game), since returning from the all-star break, he has just one goal in 10 games. Of course, he has 21 assists during that span — including a six point outburst against the Red Wings. "I want to help this team any way I can, and scoring goals is part of that," McDavid told reporters. "I've gone through stretches where I haven't scored and still been productive." McDavid's supposed selflessness has appeared to help Zach Hyman, who has already scored a career-best 37 goals — one up from the 36 he scored a year ago. "I wouldn't have this year without him," said Hyman, who ranks fourth in the Rocket Richard Trophy race. "I think he makes his read every time he's out there, whether it's shooting or passing. He's not trying to set records for himself, he's just trying to win hockey games."
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40 years later: ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ classic ‘Turkeys Away’ episode inspired by Atlanta station26/2/2024 ![]() Originally posted on Thanksgiving, November 22, 2018 by RODNEY HO/[email protected] on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog My annual tradition is to re-post this story about “WKRP in Cincinnati’s” classic “Turkeys Away” episode I wrote a few years back. I have since seen a 2012 oral history of the episode and have amended the story to reflect that. Also, the creator of this show Hugh Wilson passed away earlier this year. Although the late 1970s sitcom CBS’s “WKRP in Cincinnati” about a wacky cast of radio station characters was never a monster hit, one particular episode has stood the test of time and is still talked about four decades later. Called “Turkeys Away,” it featured a botched radio promotion inspired in part by something that happened at classic local top 40 station 790/WQXI-AM - known as “Quixie in Dixie” in its heyday. (It was for a time popular sports talk station the Zone and now airs a Korean language station. Times change!) For a Thanksgiving Day giveaway promotion, WKRP's hapless general manager Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson thinks it would be a great idea to give away turkeys by throwing them out of a helicopter. The turkeys come crashing down as reporter Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) is seen providing play by play. (We do not see the turkeys themselves.) Noting they are hitting the ground "likes bags of cement," Nessman cites the old Hindenburg line, "Oh, the humanity!" Later, covered in turkey feathers, a dazed Carlson returns to the station and utters the line that has stuck like stuffing in the lining of your stomach: “As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!” The show was created by former Atlanta ad executive Hugh Wilson, who based some of the characters and antics from QXI, a powerhouse Atlanta top 40 station back when AM radio ruled. Dr. Johnny Fever, played by Howard Hessemen, was based in part on "Skinny" Bobby Harper of WQXI. Carlson, the general manager played by Gordon Jump, was based in part on Jerry Blum, the WQXI general manager. Fashion-challenged Herb Tarleck (Frank Bonner) was a stand-in for long-time Atlanta radio executive Clarke Brown. According to Blum's son Gary, this disaster was inspired by a much less horrific turkey giveaway Blum supposedly conjured up in the late 1950s in Dallas for KBOX when he dropped turkeys off a flatbed pickup truck in a shopping center parking lot. Gary told me years later that his dad never did anything like that again. “The public went nuts fighting over the turkeys and it was a mess,” Blum said. “That was about the whole story. Hugh Wilson, the writer of the series, was a friend of the station when he was in the ad business in Atlanta. He used that story, along with other funny stories, and embellished them to come up with the many story lines on ‘WKRP.’ To my knowledge, the turkey drop was never repeated.” Blum told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1996 that he actually uttered the words, “I didn’t know turkeys couldn’t fly, ” similar to Carlson’s words on the show. Curiously, former WQXI executive Brown in a 2012 oral history with historian Stephen Bowie insisted a comparable turkey drop happened in Atlanta. “The turkey drop was actually a real incident,” Brown told Bowie. “It was at a shopping centre in Atlanta; I think it was Broadview Plaza, which no longer exists. It was a Thanksgiving promotion. We thought that we could throw these live turkeys out into the crowd for their Thanksgiving dinners. All of us, naïve and uneducated, thought that turkeys could fly. Of course, they went just f**kin’ splat.” "People were laughing at us, not with us," he added. "But it became a legend. There were other stories of this nature that were embellished [on WRKP]; that one was really not embellished that much. Although the turkeys were thrown off the back of a truck, as opposed to how it was depicted on the [show]." Gary Blum, in 2018, saw that quote and said that Brown is clearly mistaken. “Quixie never did any type of turkey drop,” he said. “I am positive. That’s how myths and legends grow!” But he did wear a special “Turkey Drop” T-shirt on Thanksgiving this year to mark the occasion. Whatever the story, fans would recite that “as God as my witness” line to Wilson all the time. “I didn’t realise people would remember it a quarter century later!” Wilson told me in 2011. TAMPA (WFLA) – “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” That quote comes from one of the most hilarious Thanksgiving-themed television sitcom episodes ever. The infamous “Turkeys Away” episode of WKRP in Cincinnati aired Oct. 30, 1978 in the first season of the TV show about a radio station and its staff of misfits. This episode has become a cult classic during the holidays and now with social media and YouTube, we can relive it every year. Arthur “Big Guy” Carlson (Gordon Jump) has a big idea for an unforgettable Thanksgiving promo for the struggling station he manages — drop live turkeys from a helicopter into a crowd waiting below. Newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) reports live on the air. He describes the scene echoing the famous 1937 report of the Hindenberg disaster. “Oh! They’re plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! The turkeys are hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!” Oh, and more quotable phrases continue: “The Pinedale shopping mall has just been bombed with live turkeys…film at 11,” DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hessman) says, cutting away from Les. According to the blog Classic TV History, the WKRP turkey drop was based on an actual promotion for an Atlanta station. The difference is only that the live turkeys were tossed from the back of a truck and not from a helicopter. You’ll have to watch the complete episode to fully appreciate the payoff, including one of the most often-quoted closing lines in sitcoms. So before you eat, take a trip back to the 1970s with us and spend time laughing for Thanksgiving. MeTV is airing the “Turkeys Away” episode this Thanksgiving. You can watch on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on MeTV. ![]() It's the shortest longest winning streak for any team during the Matthews-Marner era, joining Detroit, Arizona and Ottawa. By Dave Feschuk Sports Columnist TORONTO STAR It has been an impressive run by any number of measuring sticks.
In winning six straight games, the Maple Leafs have outscored their opponents by a combined 20 goals. They’ve been the highest-scoring team in the NHL over that stretch, averaging just short of six goals a game. They’ve been among the best defensive teams, too, allowing a nightly average of 2.33 goals against. The previously unheralded Bobby McMann has solidified a spot in the line up by racking up seven goals along the way and that has helped ease fear that Toronto’s chronic lack of depth scoring might prove to be a fatal flaw. Auston Matthews has amassed a stunning 10 goals in the five most recent wins — a goal-scoring spree not seen in Leafland since Rick Vaive in 1983 — and that has only underlined the urgency of the situation. When you’re in possession of the greatest goal-scoring weapon on the planet, you’d be well advised not to squander the opportunity. The goaltending has been generally splendid, toning down any inkling to rush Joseph Woll back from injury. But maybe the most remarkable thing about Toronto’s six-game win streak is something else entirely: Since Matthews and Mitch Marner burst onto the scene in 2016-17, the Leafs have never had a more substantial one. This is it. This is the hottest of their hot streaks. Six straight wins is the most the Shanaplan Leafs have ever strung together. How does that stack up against the rest of the league? If you’re comparing longest win streaks, there isn't an NHL club that's had a shorter one over that span. Detroit, Arizona and Ottawa also claim six-game win streaks as their franchise high water marks since the beginning of 2016-17, according to Randy Robles of the Elias Sports Bureau. Detroit, Arizona and Ottawa have combined to make the playoffs twice in that time fame. Toronto, of course, can blow past that crowd with a seventh consecutive win on Saturday in Colorado, where they will conclude their four-game road trip against the Avalanche. And what will it mean if they do? Who knows? It’s not as though the length of one's longest win streak is some foolproof identifier of a great team. When all is said and done, they generally ask, “How many?” Not, “How many in a row?” Still, it’s long been a fact of NHL life that good teams tend to find a way to ride the wave of a hot streak to formidable effect, at least now and then. The Edmonton Oilers ran off a 16-game win streak earlier this season that left them one victory short of the NHL record held by the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins. The New Jersey Devils ran off a 13-gamer last season. The Florida Panthers did the same the year before that. Heck, the Columbus Blue Jackets ran off a 16-game win streak in 2016-17. There have been 22 win streaks of 10 games or longer since Matthews and Marner broke into the league. The Lightning have three. Colorado has a couple. Boston has one. Anybody who has watched the Leafs probably has a theory about why they haven’t yet added themselves to that club. Start with a chronic lack of roster depth that puts too much responsibility on the backs of too few. Add in a well-earned, and not unrelated, reputation for inconsistency. Tack on a long-observed tendency to meet the first modicum of success with a satisfied sigh and the next night off. And there you have it: a team that finds a way to follow up the latest hottest stretch with a cryogenically frozen one. What we’re talking about here, of course, is mere history, no matter how recent. And there’s hope that what’s happening lately is proof there’s a divergent new chapter in the works, proof of a team suddenly and dependably showcasing new-found depth and 200-foot maturity at a moment when management is in the midst of making important pre-trade-deadline decisions. “We’ve been talking about consistency being the difference,” head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters after Thursday’s 7-3 win in Las Vegas, explaining the key to this moment of prosperity. “We’ve played good hockey over the course of the season, but we haven’t put together a stretch like this. So that’s what’s been tremendous.” The consistency has come with a new-found emphasis on the collective, perhaps best exhibited in the 4-1 win over St. Louis on Feb. 13 that began the current win streak. In that game, with No. 1 defenceman Gorgan Rielly serving his first of a five-game suspension, and with Mitch Marner and John Tavares out with illness, McMann swooped in with an out-of-nowhere hat trick while Toronto’s commitment to a simple, defensively prudent style provided the blueprint the Leafs have been mostly following since. “We have everyone going right now,” said Max Domi, who scored two goals in Thursday’s win after supplying just one goal in the previous 15 games. “When you have everyone involved, and everyone’s playing and everyone’s taking short shifts and staying out of the box, those are the things that are winning hockey. And that’s what we’re doing right now. Everyone was good tonight. We had contributions from everyone.” That’s six “everyones,” if you’re counting. Whether Toronto’s depth players are performing better because they’ve finally been afforded more opportunity or whether they’ve being afforded more opportunity because they’re finally performing better probably depends on your opinion of Keefe’s line-shuffling acumen. The significance of the current win streak is in the eye of the beholder, too. Either it’s a grand-scheme blip or it’s an inspiring plot twist for a team newly determined to write something other than the same old story. How long it goes might determine which rings truest. ![]() Finnish prospect suffered a concussion last summer, lost his father to cancer, then suffered an eye injury in October that could have ended career. By Ken The Idiot Campbell Special to the Star Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that his team was losing by six goals , or it might have been that classic Finnish stoicism on display, but when Roni Hirvonen scored his first North American professional goal for the Toronto Marlies two weeks ago, he barely raised his arms. But that goal meant something, both for Hirvonen and the Maple Leafs organisation that took him in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft. It was the culmination of his return from a series of setbacks that could have stopped the 22-year-old left winger in his tracks. Most scouting publications have Hirvonen pegged in the bottom half of the Leafs’ top 10 prospects, so there’s no guarantee he’ll become an NHL regular. But if the determination to overcome adversity is any measuring device, Hirvonen will one day take his game east on the Gardiner Expressway from the Coca-Cola Coliseum to Scotiabank Arena. Exactly 100 days elapsed between July 8 and Oct. 15 last year, and it would be difficult to imagine anyone in the hockey world who had a worse stretch than Hirvonen . It started and ended with Hirvonen lying on the ice dazed and confused and wondering about his future. In the middle , he had to deal with the death of his father in Finland, fewer than five months before what would have been Timo Hirvonen’s 50th birthday. Hayley Wickenheiser, the Leafs assistant GM in charge of player development, knows a little about intestinal fortitude. She played in six Olympics — five in hockey, one in softball — was a member of Canada’s women’s hockey team for 23 years and juggles her work with Leaf prospects with her job as an emergency physician. So when Wickenheiser says Hirvonen “is about as mentally tough as any athlete I’ve ever met in my life,” that’s quite an endorsement. When Hirvonen showed up for the Leafs’ development camp in July, he knew his father had a brain tumour, but his family was hopeful that surgery later that month would improve Timo’s prospects. During a scrimmage on the final day of camp, Hirvonen was carrying the puck through the neutral zone when he received a thunderous hit from Nolan Dillingham, a free-agent invite. Hirvonen went back to Finland concussed to be with his father. Timo Hirvonen underwent surgery for the brain tumour but never woke up from the procedure. He died July 28. Timo was a grinding winger who had a long career in the Finnish pro league and was Roni’s most influential mentor. After his father’s death, Hirvonen changed his number from 22 to 33, the number Timo wore during his playing career. “He taught me a lot about hockey,” Hirvonen said after a recent Marlies practice. “But he also taught me to be happy about life every day and that I’m in a good spot. I get to play hockey and live my dream. I miss him a lot and I think about him every day. I know he’s watching me.” A little more than a month after his father died, Hirvonen came to North America to start his career. It was at the Leafs prospect tournament in Traverse City, Mich., that he decided to take No. 33. He played in three of the Leafs’ seven pre-season games, registering one assist, and was sent to the Marlies to start the season. But his pro career almost ended in his second game. Max Willman of the Utica Devils attempted a backhand shot and the blade of his stick went under Hirvonen's visor and directly on his left eye. The damage was so extensive that all Hirvonen and the Marlies could do was wait to see if the eye healed. It turned out Hirvonen did not need surgery but he was out of the Marlies' line up for three months before returning in late January. His vision is still not 100 per cent, and likely never will be, and the pupil in his left eye is dilated to about three times the size of the one in the right.
“It was very scary," Wickenheiser said. “He’s got a bit of a blind spot depending on certain areas but it’s not impacting the day-to-day. So I would say he’s made a pretty remarkable recovery. He’ll have some long-term damage, but he’s able to see out of both eyes and play at a level that he’s comfortable, which we weren’t sure of when it happened.” All Hirvonen could do for three months was wait and heal. And mourn. The Marlies were sure to make him feel a part of things, including him in team meetings and some road trips. His girlfriend was with him in Toronto, which helped, and his mother and sisters were able to come over for Christmas. Fellow Finnish team mates Topi Niemelä and Mikko Kokkonen helped with the process, but it was Hirvonen’s mental toughness that got him through. “He never said to me that he can’t do something,” Niemelä said. “He was always like, ‘It’s going to be all right and I’m going to get back and I’m going to recover.’ He’s so tough and mentally strong that he can handle so many things. "We tried to do some things and help him get his mind out of the bad things, but I think it was hard for him to talk about his father, especially because it was so (recent). I just told him, ‘Text me if you want to talk about it.’ ” Marlies coach John Gruden is happy to have Hirvonen back in the line up. He has a goal and four assists in the 12 games since he returned and the Marlies are 6-2-4. Gruden said team mates want to play with Hirvonen because he’s an industrious, hard-working and low-maintenance player. “Guys like him always come out on top,” Gruden said. “He’s got that character, that part you can’t teach. To see what he’s gone through and to see how he attacked it every day is quite remarkable, actually.” Even before all the setbacks, Hirvonen was armed with a pretty good sense of perspective, knowing there is more to life than hockey. His father helped teach him that, probably on the lake one of the many times the two went fishing. But after more than 100 days of uncertainty and loss, he realises it more than ever. “There are a lot of things in life to be happy about,” Hirvonen said. “If you think about it in the big picture, it was a short time in my life I was not playing. Now that I’m playing again, if feels like I enjoy it even more.” ![]() In 1977, legendary hockey film "Slap Shot" was released to a great reception. And in this THN archive story from 2008, superstar actor Paul Newman's amazing contributions to "Slap Shot" were celebrated.
Today marks the 47th anniversary of the release of the legendary hockey film “Slap Shot”. And in this feature story from THN’s October 21, 2008 edition (Vol. 62, Issue 6) from veteran THN correspondent Jay Greenberg, we celebrated the life and hockey connections of “Slap Shot” icon Paul Newman.
Written by Greenberg after Newman died at age 83 on September 26, 2008, the THN story focused on Newman’s friendships he made via “Slap Shot” – chief among them (pun intended), the famous Hanson Brothers. Newman said he loved filming the movie in no small part because players like the Hansons made the film feel realistic. “He was so into helping Jeff, Dave and myself,” Steve Carlson, who portrayed Steve Hanson, said of Newman. “We weren’t actors, although we had been acting all our lives. Paul would give us tips and we would tell him what a real hockey player would do. He pulled off a cult classic. “You know in 1977, nobody talked like that on the screen and they wanted to rate it ‘X.’ He and (director) George Roy Hill argued it had to be realistic and used their influence to get it rated ‘R,’ and into (mainstream) theatres.” That sense of realism included Newman doing many of his on-ice scenes, but Carlson noted many of “Slap Shots” most memorable scenes came via the joy of the moment. “Paul did almost all his own skating,” Carlson told Greenberg. “The scene where the ref warns me during the national anthem and I say, “I’m listening to the (expletive) song!’ took four days because the ref kept falling. He finally stumbles up and gives his line and I’m so bored, bleeped off and said it so angrily, George Roy Hill thought it was perfect. “There was a lot of ad-libbing. We weren’t supposed to beat up the soda machine in the train station as badly as we did. We had to buy them a new one. Hey, it took my quarter. “The toy race cars? The truth, too. The bars were closed in Johnstown on Sundays and we had to entertain ourselves so we got a keg and these race car sets and bet. “The sign of the cross I did before we jumped the other team? That was ad-libbed, like Paul encouraged us. We lost a great man.” PAUL'S LAST SHIFT By Jay Greenberg October 21, 2008 “DON’T ACT.” That was the advice of one of the great actors of his generation to three kids hired to play themselves. “Put yourself in the situation,” the Academy Award winner told Steve Carlson, who swears – as Nancy Dowd’s script had its characters doing often in the comic masterpiece Slap Shot – that indeed there was a lot of the earthy, impish, Reggie Dunlop in Paul Newman, regular guy. “The first time I met him, I introduced myself to Mr. Newman and he said, ‘My name is Paul,’” said Carlson, who played one of the movie’s famous Hanson brothers along with real life brother Jeff Carlson and cousin Dave Hanson. “In his trailer between scenes you would talk to him about anything you wanted. We invited him to our place and he came a few times. We would go out and he didn’t say, ‘Put it all on my tab.’ We all bought. “The scene when Strother Martin (playing Charlestown Chiefs GM Joe McGrath) came into the dressing room all bleeped off that we had stopped gooning it up, we shot 20 times. “Strother’s pants were halfway down his butt and they were hanging differently each time. Newman was bleeping his pants, we all thought it was so funny. That’s the stuff I remember about him.” Likewise, Newman, who died Sept. 26 at age 83 from cancer, always recalled Slap Shot, inspired in part by the real-life antics of the Johnstown Jets’ Carlson brothers and filmed in the Western Pennsylvania mill town, as one of the most enjoyably shot of his 65-plus films. “He said that on talk shows,” said Steve, who later coached in Johnstown and now lives in Kenosha, Wisc. “He was so into helping Jeff, Dave and myself. We weren’t actors, although we had been acting all our lives. Paul would give us tips and we would tell him what a real hockey player would do. He pulled off a cult classic. “You know in 1977, nobody talked like that on the screen and they wanted to rate it ‘X.’ He and (director) George Roy Hill argued it had to be realistic and used their influence to get it rated ‘R,’ and into (mainstream) theatres.” A second sequel will debut in November, with the Hansons, who have taken their act to arenas for years, “putting on the foil” again for old time’s sake and old-time hockey’s sake. Even after 31 years, the original still “hones” the hockey community’s heart. “Paul did almost all his own skating,” Carlson said. “The scene where the ref warns me during the national anthem and I say, “I’m listening to the (expletive) song!’ took four days because the ref kept falling. He finally stumbles up and gives his line and I’m so bored, bleeped off and said it so angrily, George Roy Hill thought it was perfect. “There was a lot of ad-libbing. We weren’t supposed to beat up the soda machine in the train station as badly as we did. We had to buy them a new one. Hey, it took my quarter. “The toy race cars? The truth, too. The bars were closed in Johnstown on Sundays and we had to entertain ourselves so we got a keg and these race car sets and bet. “The sign of the cross I did before we jumped the other team? That was ad-libbed, like Paul encouraged us. We lost a great man.” B.C. BALLBAG IS BACK - Why didn't the pape cocksucker attack Pyjama Boy after empty net break away?25/2/2024 ![]()
Pyjama Boy is shit and over paid. He is a load Dubasshole should have swallowed. So what has the Laffs hero been up to?
WOODROW ROOSEVELT KHUNTAIR BALLSWIDTH CLITHRUST III outraged HockeyChat Leafs Reporter
Hello once again, I'm Woodrow Roosevelt Khuntair Ballswidth III, here to bring you all the news that's shockingly not reported by the so-called "mainstream media". The news those cowardly pukes at TSN and Sportsnet are afraid to report with their attitudes and their: "You aren't accredited Woody. That's what happens when you brandish a gun at a Leafs' practice."
Well, fuck them! So what is in the news today? Well, the stories begin and end with the return from suspension of the B.C. Ballbag. Yes, the most over-rated defenceman in the history of the NHL since the last Leafs number one defenceman, made his presence known by being away for five games which the Leafs then handily won. Organ Rielly has all the ice skills and leadership of Dion "Suck It" Phaneuf. And today's number one story involves him and the captain Pyjama Boy.
Here is a "high-light" of our boy the leader in action last night against the Avalanche. The 09:52 mark of the video shall illuminate his skill and talent with the intensity of a thousand Suns.
What are we seeing you ask? Well, that is the outcome of a John Tavares empty net break away. After throwing the puck away due to the pressure of having an empty net and no one around, the Avalanche are returning to the Leafs end for a last second man-advantaged attempt and shot on the Laffs goal.
Sadly, the display of ultimate talent was not caught and stored in any of the team friendly "high-light" packages available on the interwebs. For those still unsure of what happened, imagine THIS, only down the left side of the ice:
So finally we may get to where we are going with all this. If Organ Rielly was so incensed by this play by Ridly Greig:
... resulting in this sort of reaction (and punishment):
How come the fucking piece of dog shit did not attack and high-stick to the face and head the talent-free bollard of a Leafs captain? Why wasn't he showing his frustration at this play?
Which leads us all TO THIS!
If it is so bad to take a slap shot and score at an empty net, how come tough guy Pyjama Boy could only bring himself to break the $140 stick? The stick for which someone else paid? And Uber Tough Guy Rielly was on the ice; how come he did not attack Chara? Just in case there is any doubt or mistake, here is the link as a plain URL: http://players.brightcove.net/1704050871/default_default/index.html?videoId=6104786844001 Screen Shots: Leafs' Goaltending Thrives, Panthers Likely to be Buyers, Coyotes Still Struggling25/2/2024 ![]() Adam Pro Toe discusses what Toronto's goaltending uprise means for the deadline, what the Panthers' plans are given their solid record as of late and how it is finally time for the Coyotes to blow it all up and avoid relocation.
Welcome to another edition of Screen Shots, an ongoing THN.com column in which we break down a few hockey topics and write about them in a handful of paragraphs. Let’s get right to it:
Leafs' Goal Tending Struggles Turn to Triumph Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll is closer to returning to the NHL, appearing for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this week as he works to overcome a high-ankle sprain that’s kept him sidelined since Dec. 7. And suddenly, the Leafs have to deal with a problem most other teams would love to have – a slew of goaltending depth. With Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones giving Toronto some tremendous performances in Woll’s absence, there’s no longer a dire need to address the team’s net minding. And because of that, we’re taking the Leafs off of our radar when it comes to acquiring a veteran goalie leading up to the NHL’s March. 8 trade deadline. Buds GM Brad Treliving only has a handful of draft picks, prospects and cap space the organisation is comfortable parting ways with, and with the goaltending about to be as good as it’s been in many a year, Treliving can focus on adding help – first and foremost, on defence, and after that, potentially adding depth up front at forward. As per Puck Pedia, the Leafs currently have approximately $2.1 million in cap space, and to bring in a highly-valued new piece of the puzzle, Toronto may need a trade partner to retain some salary to make a deal work under the cap. That dependence will almost certainly require Treliving to boost his offers to include a first-round draft pick and a prospect like current Marlies star Nick Abruzzese. And if the player Toronto targets is signed beyond this season, the Leafs will probably have to improve their offers to get a meaningful deal done. But back to where we began this section – Woll’s return. Considering how solid Woll was before the injury – including a 2.80 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 15 appearances – Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe can breathe easy that he’ll have as many options between the pipes as possible. If injuries rear their head again, Toronto has terrific depth in net, and for that reason, while there’s a slight chance Treliving acquires a veteran goalie, it’s far more likely the Leafs stick with the trio they’ve got. Red Hot Chili Panthers Likely Buyers at the Deadline Despite losing a 1-0 game to Carolina Thursday, the Florida Panthers once again look like world-beaters, going 10-2-0 in their past dozen games and breathing down the collective neck of the Atlantic-Division-leading Boston Bruins. That said, like every team in hockey’s best league, the Panthers have their flaws – not to mention the injuries they’re now dealing with. Star winger Matthew Tkachuk will miss Florida’s game Saturday against Washington, and though his injury isn’t expected to keep him out for very long, the top spot in the Atlantic may come down to one or two standings points. That makes it imperative for the Panthers to keep rolling the way they have. If they don’t, it’s not like they have much in the way of cap space, draft picks and prospects to outbid other suitors. Florida’s schedule features 12 of their remaining 25 games coming against teams that currently aren’t in a playoff position. Barring a total collapse, they’re all but locked into the playoffs, but to secure home ice advantage, they have to show resilience in the face of pressure. But they do have more than $4.39-million in cap space, and Panthers GM Bill Zito knows his team has to be all-in during the immediate days and weeks ahead. This is why you should expect Florida to be a big-time player by the deadline. Same Old Struggles for the Coyotes Finally, the Arizona Coyotes have let themselves down once again, going 0-10-1 in their past 11 games. Those regulation-time defeats almost surely will be the reason why they miss the post-season for the fourth consecutive season and the 11th time in their past 12 seasons. And now, ‘Yotes GM Bill Armstrong has to be a seller at the trade deadline, putting veterans such as winger Jason Zucker and defenceman Matt Dumba on the block for the highest bidder. To be frank, at this stage, we think there should be very few untouchables on Arizona’s roster. There are blue-chippers worth building around, but by now, there needs to be more consequences for Coyotes players than there have been in recent years. As Coyotes ownership flails away as it tries not to relocate the team, the on-ice product has continued to be less-than-thrilling. They’re not going to get a boatload of assets for Dumba or Zucker, and if they don’t shake things up with a blockbuster deal in the next two weeks or so, they should be considered to be a prime candidate to make blockbuster moves this summer. Returning the same core of talent and having the same awful results should tell everyone it’s time for large-scale change. ![]()
Luke Fox SPORTSNET
A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Beautiful, big-bodied, righthanded defencemen just don't fall out the sky, y'know. (Unless they are in Russie; then it is a window)
1. As the Toronto Maple Leafs hopped off a plane and laid an 18-man, 7-3 beatdown on the Stanley Cup champs in their own building Thursday, Joel Quenneville, watching from afar, took notice. "They were flying. I don't think I've ever seen them skate that well," the three-time champion coach told The Leafs Nation Friday. "I think I'm a lot like Sheldon, where we let the players dictate who deserves more ice time." Toronto GM Brad Treliving spent the first half of his club's campaign lamenting a lack of consistency. In his last public comments, he downplayed the notion that a big splash was coming. Is he reconsidering that stance based on recent evidence? Judging by the past two weeks, a switch has been flipped. Consistency has set up shop for a six-game stretch of Leafs dominance. And Quenneville echoes the sentiment of the players themselves when he points to Ridly Greig's aggressive ENG and Morgan Rielly's visceral response as a flashpoint for inciting action. "Hey, that was a great moment," Quenneville said. "Maybe not the guy you'd expect to do it — made it even better." (Sidebar: Quenneville was asked when he'll be back behind an NHL bench. "Good question. I can't put a number on it," he replied.)
To follow any recent Leafs regular seasons is to strap into Leviathan and ride the narrative's summits and plummets. The way the team is performing on its current road trip — which wraps Saturday in Denver with a Hart Trophy debate game and showdown against the mighty Avalanche — offers optimism. The players are building a case for Treliving to be more aggressive at the trade deadline than previously planned. Heck, betting sites are now offering lines on whether Auston Matthews will score 80 goals or more (+500). Believed a bust just six weeks ago, Ilya Samsonov is on a five-game win streak, and Joseph Woll is warming in the bullpen. Support scoring is coming around. The defence pairs are rounding into form — although the line up is screaming for a top-four right shot. (Rielly needs a partner, and T.J. Brodie needs to keep playing his natural left side.) Further, the players seem to be sticking up for one another in scrums. If you're the one with keys to the picks and prospects, is the room starting to convince you to invest? Treliving has been quiet of late. Patient. Not getting a jump on the trade market early and letting his current roster prove they're worth spending on appears to have been a wise choice. Now, the million-dollar question becomes: Just how much does management believe in this particular group? Are we talking third-rounder-for–Ilya Lyubushkin belief? First-rounder for Chris Tanev? Sean Walker? Or something even bigger and bolder? Right now, the players are voting in favour of a boost. 2. John Tavares is graciously accepting his (temporary?) bump to the second power-play unit and third line, where he's centring the relatively inexperienced Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. "Our team's obviously been playing really well, so Keefer's wanted to keep things rolling," Tavares says. "Two guys that have made great impacts for us all year and certainly have been playing really good hockey as of late. Bobby's been on a roll and finding the net, doing a lot of good things, so a great chance for me to go out there and impact the game and help make them better and find chemistry with them too." The captain has responded with his first 5-on-5 goals since Dec. 11. One in Arizona, then another in Vegas. He's been effective against softer match-ups. While the coach may have stumbled into his new-look, balanced top-nine when Tavares dealt with the double blow of an illness and minor injury, the shift away from a loaded top six is contributing to wins. Moreover, it's a refreshing look for the fans and many of the players. "It is a good opportunity to look at some different things," Keefe says. "John has taken a bit of a step back in terms of his role on the power play or with different line mates. But at the same time, it is an opportunity to embrace some of our younger guys, bring them along, and support those guys with his leadership." 4. "We need to get younger," Kyle Dubas declared this week, while fielding a series of trade-deadline questions at his press conference. That much is obvious. With an average age of 31.3, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the oldest team in the league. For sure, the general manager will and should consider trading Jake Guentzel within the next two weeks. That's his best chance to get a first-rounder (plus) in return. But all this talk of restocking the cupboards and turning the roster over with a movement of youth cannot begin in earnest until Dubas slices into the core. Evgeni Malkin is 37 and under contract for two seasons beyond this one. Kris Letang is 36 and locked up for four more. Erik Karlsson is 33 and signed for three more. They all hold full no-move clauses. Dubas has no easy outs here. Father Time hasn't caught Sidney Crosby yet. But the captain is 36 and eligible to sign an extension this summer. We're fascinated to see how quickly Crosby re-ups with the franchise he's been loyal to. Or if he wants to see how the landscape is shaped around him before he commits. 5. With the Flyers open to trade, opposing companies would love to get their mitts on a gamer like Travis Konecny. The 26-year-old is on pace to set career highs in goals, assists, and plus/minus. He's also a pain in rear end. That Philadelphia slapped an A on his sweater this month suggests the organisation is much more interested in re-signing Konecny (UFA 2025), perhaps as early as July 1. John Tortorella very much will have a say in the core of this roster, and the coach is a fan. "TK has brought a different level of game and attitude toward us. I think he deserves being part of that group with the letters," Tortorella says. "He's by example. He got an engine on him that doesn't stop and has made big plays at key times. Does everything for us. He's a penalty killer for us now. Power play. I'd hate to think what we would be if we didn't have his energy in our line up. So, not so much him talking. Just what he is as a pro, what he's become as a pro. And I think there's more there."
6. One final thought on Morgan Rielly's failed appeal to his five-game suspension. Anyone else wonder if the department of player safety maxed the defenceman's ban at five games to prevent the appeal process from elevating to the second stage of an independent adjudicator? Some in the Leafs quarters believe so. Surely, Gary Bettman doesn't want to encourage a flood of appeals following suspensions. Whether you agree with the ruling or not, by backing George Parros, the commissioner is doing his part to discourage future appeals. If players believe the process pays off, more will file. Otherwise, they may just accept their punishment, figuring an appeal is a waste of time. Why bother? 7. Who cares if 2024 still has more than 10 months to go? That stunt Quinton Byfield pulled on the Columbus Blue Jackets will be Goal of the Year:
Memo to managers: Be patient with your prized prospects. Quinton's on the way.
“He took a little bit of flak early in his career but is just starting to get his legs going,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller told reporters. “As a young player, you just got to get out there and establish yourself as a dependable player that works. Once you do that, then the coach gives you a little bit more freedom, and you gain a little more confidence.” 8. For those inside the NCAA rink, the Mullett Arena experience remains an absolute blast for a once-a-year anomaly. Like catching a band that has long achieved stadium status rock a dive bar. However, for the Coyotes, sentenced to 41 games of amateur atmosphere, the setup is embarrassing and financially detrimental. With the franchise's future unknown, it occurred to me Wednesday that Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies might have to wait a while for their next homecoming game. Both weighed in on the necessity for a proper NHL rink in the Scottsdale area. "That's kinda been the story for the last little while. It would mean a lot. I think that's the only way to do it. Obviously, there's a lot of hoops you gotta jump through, a lot of people, regulations, all that stuff," Matthews says. "Talking to the guys who play here and friends on the [Coyotes], it's an amazing place to live, amazing place to play. But just missing the rink situation, it's a little bit off. So if they could figure that out, I'm positive they could find a solution." Knies fondly recalls attending the whiteout playoff run of 2012 and seeing Shane Doan, his buddy Josh's dad, play meaningful games every other day. He got to hang around the dressing room and meet the local hockey heroes. He wishes a new rink could offer the same for the next generation of Arizona youth. "It'd mean a lot," Knies says. "I loved growing up and watching hockey here. It's important that young kids get the same opportunity I had. I was pretty fortunate to be around all those NHL players and get to watch the Coyotes in the playoffs. Arizona grew to be more of a hockey [state]. I'm looking forward to them growing a place here and building a bigger community." 9. Quote of the Week. "I wanna say thanks to Dominika, my girlfriend. She is too young to remember I played in Pittsburgh. But I told her all the stories, so don't worry about it." —Jaromir Jagr, certified legend, during his number retirement ceremony in Pittsburgh
10. Lauded as the PTO that paid off, the speedy Noah Gregor had established himself as everyday fourth-liner for the Maple Leafs — until this week. Despite the absence of Calle Järnkrok (broken knuckle), the internal battle for bottom-six ice time in Toronto is heating up. Gregor, now mired in a 25-game goal drought, has been healthy-scratched in two of Toronto's past three games. Coach Keefe says he's disrupting the winger's rhythm in hopes he can re-evaluate his role, get refreshed, and snap back in place. "Whether it is Reavo [Ryan Reaves], McMann, [Pontus] Hölmberg, or Robertson, these guys have all played well and taken steps," Keefe says. "Each of them has responded well when their number wasn't called and they had to take a step back, miss games, or move around the line up. [Gregor] hasn't taken the same kind of steps. "He has plateaued a little bit in his play — not just because it has been a long time since he has scored but also the other intangibles of his game that we need to be really good." Gregor had endured the scratch treatment in San Jose before, just not with the Leafs. He concedes to a "dip" in his play. "Just trying to get back to my game," Gregor says. "Continuing to play with pace. Bringing some energy. I think I've done a pretty good job of that consistently throughout the year, having a high compete level. But it's always having it — not taking any dips. Because if you do, there's other guys that want to get in the line up that having been playing good. "It sucks. You never want to be out of the line up. You want to be helping the guys win. So when you get back in there, you gotta do your best to not come back out again." 11. Blame the media! Feeling the heat as his Devils trail the likes of the Flyers and Capitals in the standings and are in danger of missing the post season, coach Lindy Ruff used a rather weak excuse as to why his power-play has scored just twice in its past 46 opportunities. "I imagine you've asked every player — now they're feeling it, and you guys are creating excess pressure," Ruff told New Jersey reporters. The coach added that the Devils staff met with individual PP groups to make tweaks that will yield improvement. The notion that reporters are creating pressure by inquiring about an underachieving team's flaws, however, is silly. Pressure and expectations are inherent in professional sports. Excuses like Ruff's this week are a lazy way out. Coaches who want accountability from their players are better off keeping themselves accountable, too. For contrast's sake, here's Rick Tocchet after the Canucks lost a season-worst fourth straight Thursday: "Not much compete from the guys. That's on me; I’ve got to take the blame for that. I didn't get the guys to compete hard enough, so I'll take the heat on this one." 12. During the Islanders' shutout loss to the Blues Thursday, head coach Patrick Roy yanked his goalie with 11(!) minutes to go and his club down 3-0. Sure, Pavel Buchnevich promptly deposited an empty-net dagger with 9:21 still to go, but I do appreciate having Roy's unpredictable boldness back in the show. The league needs more wildcards.
![]() The Anaheim Ducks have reportedly listened to teams about Trevor Zegras. Tony Ferrari breaks down his game and what has turned into an intriguing – yet befuddling – storyline to watch.
He’s been on the cover of the NHL video game, produced some of the best highlights in hockey in recent years and become the face of uber-skilled fun hockey.
So with his name appearing in trade speculation, why would the Anaheim Ducks even consider moving on from Trevor Zegras just before his 23rd birthday? To start, a down statistical year has played a big role. Injured at the moment, Zegras has just four goals and seven points through 20 games this season. He hasn’t quite been his dynamic self with any level of consistency. This comes after notching 61 and 65 points in his first two seasons. Zegras was an RFA this past summer, and the negotiations were a bit contentious, lasting through most of training camp. The Ducks finally got a deal done with their young star on Oct. 2, less than two weeks before the start of the regular season. Although he was working out in New York before signing, missing that much of training camp set him up for a slow start. We’ve seen how much missing training camp can affect a player in the past with other players as well. William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs signed his deal hours before the deadline to sign during the 2018-19 campaign. He then had a terrible season that remains an outlier in his career, with 27 points in 54 games. Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson got off to a slow start in 2021-22 after missing training camp before getting hot in the second half of the year to salvage what could have been a brutal season. Nylander and Pettersson sit inside the NHL’s top 10 scorers this season. Trevor Zegras started slowly and then suffered a lower-body injury. He returned and got into eight games, collecting five of his seven points in the span before suffering a broken ankle that required surgery in early January. The injury timeline should see him return to action in early March, which coincidentally lines up with the NHL’s trade deadline of March 8. When assessing this situation, the biggest question is, “What exactly is Trevor Zegras?” The flashy forward is a machine in transition and finds a way to constantly involve himself in moving the puck out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone. He uses his speed and agility to gather pucks low in the defensive zone and then bursts up ice. His puckhandling through the neutral zone allows him to bob and weave through traffic as if it were a cone drill at times. That said, his defensive play in his end can leave much to be desired when he isn’t just retrieving pucks and moving them up ice. He isn’t a fully engaged player battling along the walls or defending physically. He is more of an opportunistic player who can make you pay for mistakes by counter-attacking with speed. Zegras’ most value comes in the offensive zone where he can put his otherworldly skill on display. His name has almost become synonymous with the lacrosse goal, pulling it off more efficiently and seamlessly each time he’s done it. He even turned the threat of him doing it into playmaking opportunities as he’s flipped the puck over the net for a team mate. His highlight-reel goals generate a ton of buzz, but his playmaking is his bread and butter. Zegras has excellent vision and awareness in the offensive zone, seeing passing lanes as they develop and hitting the hole with his passes at just the right time. That crafty passing and puck handling ability has made Zegras a difference-maker in his first couple of full NHL seasons. All of this high-end potential and elite puck skill are fantastic when it comes to selling sweaters and putting butts in seats. When you go to the rink and know that at any given moment, you have the chance to see the goal of the year or a play that you’ll be bragging to your friends about seeing live, it makes for a fun time. That same upper-echelon puck skill and uber-creative style of play have drawn criticism over the last year or so. Former TV analyst and current Philadelphia Flyers coach and virtuoso cock sucker John Tortorella criticised his over-the-net flip pass to Sonny Milano for a highlight-reel goal, questioning if that kind of play was good for the game. Hall of Fame forward and jealous old fuck who rode Brett Hull's coat-tails Adam Oates said he’s trying to help take the “Instagram skill” out of Zegras’s game. While the greater hockey community, especially the younger fans and media, seemed to think it was a case of the older generation being mad at fun and the slow deterioration of the game they used to know, there is something to simplifying the game to become more effective at times. Almost every hyper-skilled player in junior or college hockey has had to learn what they can and can’t do at the professional level. The thing about Zegras, though, is that he was finding success while playing his style of game. Was some of it going to mature out of his game naturally? Of course, but that takes time – time that a 22-year-old hasn’t had yet. That brings us back to why Anaheim would even consider trading their young, budding star. They have a very solid young core of talent coming up the pipeline, particularly at forward and down the middle. The Ducks took Leo Carlsson second over all in the 2023 NHL draft and Mason McTavish third over all in 2021. They’ve established themselves as the top-six centres of the future. Anaheim also just traded for 2022 fifth over all pick Cutter Gauthier, who is one of the top prospects outside of the NHL. Troy Terry, 26, is the veteran of their core of forwards, and he’s traditionally been Zegras’s running mate when both are healthy. Carlsson, McTavish, and Gauthier all bring a physical element to the game on top of their top-six offensive skill. Terry challenged 40 goals a couple of years ago. One would think that adding – or keeping – Zegras into that young group of impressive forwards would make Anaheim one of the most dangerous teams for years to come. Alas, the Ducks seem to be at least listening to teams about Zegras – not necessarily shopping him but not slamming the door on any club asking about him, either. If they do move the insanely skilled potential offensive dynamo, they will surely get a huge package back. That begs the question: why trade Zegras and kick the can down the road, hoping a prospect or draft pick they get in return can fill a role as a dynamic presence in their top six, when they already have Zegras? His $5.75-million cap hit through the 2025-26 season is more than manageable and gives them time to truly evaluate the talent level of a player they invested a top-10 pick on. As befuddling as this situation may be, it has become one of the most interesting storylines in hockey this season. Is the slump temporary, with missing training camp and injuries playing a role? Has Zegras been “figured out” by the league? If the Ducks move him, will they regret trading him, or will they be happy that they got out from the circus that his talent and persona bring? Or will they think the speculation was all over the top, and they keep Zegras and see him bring his game to another level? Only time will tell, but as we approach the NHL trade deadline in less than two weeks, the Trevor Zegras saga will be among the top narratives to follow. ![]() Is John Tavares still a top-six forward?
With the recent promotion of Max Domi to the second line — and subsequent demotion of Tavares to the third line — it looks like that is not the case. Which puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a difficult situation. After all, how many third-liners are earning $11-million? Then again, how long did anyone expect a 33-year-old to be a top-line performer? This was always an inevitability. Tavares is the second-oldest forward on the Leafs. Only Ryan Reaves is older. And Reaves isn't exactly a full-time roster player anymore. Even when he was younger, Tavares was never the fastest skater. And Father Time has only slowed him down even more. This year, the Leafs captain has 17 goals and 43 points in 54 games — a pace that would have him finishing with some of his worst totals since joining the Leafs. Of course, the more glaring stat is his minus-2 rating. Tavares has become a bit of a defensive liability. He no longer can match up against the other teams' top lines, which is why Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to move Domi up to the second line alongside William Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi in a lopsided 7-3 win against Vegas on Thursday. It was a move that rewarded Domi with a pair of goals. But it was the defensive upgrade that Keefe praised the most. "His checking defensively coming back and tracking and getting back above the puck and using his speed and tenacity to close and kill plays defensively has been tremendous and that’s what’s going to allow him to continue to play a role in a situation like that," Keefe told The Hockey News' David Alter. "When he’s skating and competing at that level he can play against anybody in the league. And we’ve seen what he can contribute offensively. "Whether it’s scoring like he has tonight or making plays and facilitating for others." What does this mean for Tavares? Well, he's now relegated to playing mentor on a line with a pair of youngsters in Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. It's a role that puts far less pressure on the team's elder statesman. And while it might not be permanent, chances are that if Tavares does make it back to the second line, it probably will be as a winger. At least, until his contract expires in 2026. TOP 10 TRENDING STORIES 1) It's Not Going To Work Over The Long Haul: Mark Chipman gives The Athletic's Chris Johnston an inside look at the financials surrounding the Winnipeg Jets. 2) Maple Leafs Interested In Two Sharks Leaders: According to reports, Toronto is interested in acquiring San Jose Sharks defenceman Mario Ferraro and forward Luke Kunin. 3) Belief Growing Penguins Extend Jake Guentzel: Signing the winger to a new deal is coming stronger. 4) 'I'm Hoping There's Many More Years': Warren Foegele Reveals What He Loves About the Oilers and Why He Doesn't Want to be Traded: Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele's exclusive interview with The Hockey News. 5) NHL Insider Saying Mittelstadt Is Drawing Lots Of Interest: Buffalo also could have interest in Noah Hanifin if he reaches the free agent market this summer 6) Larkin Leads the Way, Walman-Seider Pass Serious Test, and Lyon Stars Again: Red Wings-Avalanche Statistical Review: A dive into the underlying numbers from the Red Wings 2-1 OT win over Colorado 7) Why The Golden Knights Should Explore A Jake Guentzel Trade: Vegas is littered with injuries and need help scoring. 8) Canucks Centreman Voted Top-10 NHL Centre By Players And Executives: Vancouver Canucks centreman Elias Pettersson was voted the 10th best centre in the NHL, according to a vote done by NHL players and executives 9) Why Mason Lohrei is Bruins' No-Cost Deadline Upgrade: The Bruins don't have many assets to work with this season, but Lohrei has started to show that he is the no-cost deadline option the team needs 10) Lightning Linked to Hard-Hitting Ducks Defenceman: Tampa Bay is eyeing under-the-radar trade target Ilya Lyubushkin |
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