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2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Rangers

2018-19 Record: 32-36-14 78pts. – – 7th Place in Metropolitan

Playoffs: Missed

2019-20 Jersey Guide:

Key Additions: F – Kaapo Kakko, F – Greg McKegg, F – Artemi Panarin, D – Jacob Trouba, D – Adam Fox, F – Phillip Di Giuseppe

Key Departures: G – Dustin Tokarski, F – Jimmy Vesey, D – Neal Pionk, D – Kevin Shattenkirk

2019-20 Preview:

For the New York Rangers the 2019 Offseason wasn’t just a part of the rebuild process for the Rangers, but that of a statement that the Rangers are looking to come back to dominance with the hopes to give their aging cornerstone Henrik Lunqvist one more chance at a Stanley Cup. The key to the Rangers moves this offseason amounted in one trade, a free agent signing, and a draft pick.

First we will look at the trade that bolstered the Rangers defense with the addition of Jacob Trouba, whom the Rangers acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Trouba will add size and defensive stability. Rangers also made a trade back in April for defensive prospect Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes, and Fox is expected to be in the Rangers Opening Day lineup depending on how he impresses at training camp.

Next up you had the big free agent signing of forward Artemi Panarin, which many believed would have gone to Florida with Sergei Bobrovsky, who gives the Rangers a legitimate scoring threat. Panarin will also provide a boost to the Rangers powerplay which will be much needed.

Then lastly the Rangers hit the jackpot with with the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft when they selected forward Kaapo Kakko. This past season alone Kakko helped Finland win the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2019 IIHF World Championship. Kakko will be viewed as the future of the franchise in the years to come.

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September 20, 2019
AwesomeMania – Legally Live *NSFW*

Welcome to AwesomeMania!!

Audio Version:

This week on AwesomeMania Ben and Michael recap WWE Clash of Champions, as well as take a look at the future of Wednesday Nights as NXT has debuted on the USA Network and AEW is priming for their TNT debut. Plus news and notes, and so much more!!

Opening Music from https://filmmusic.io:
“Motherlode” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This week’s episode was recorded on Thursday, September 19th, 2019

Have a question you want answered on the show? Ask us! Comment on here or on one of our Social Media outlets, and we’ll answer it.

September 19, 2019
Capitals Trim Training Camp Roster to 44

Today the Washington Capitals announced that they have trimmed their training camp roster down to 44 after making the following moves.

Loaned to Juniors

#24 – Connor McMichael (F) (London; OHL)

#59 – Aliaksei Protas (F) (Prince Albert; WHL)

#58 – Eric Florchuk (F) (Saskatoon; WHL)

#53 – Alex Kannok-Leipert (D) (Vancouver: WHL)

Returned to Europe

#94 – Damian Riat (F) (Biel; Swiss NLA)

Sent to Hershey

#71 – Kody Clark (F) (Injury Rehabilitation – Upper Body)

#67 – Riley Sutter (F) (Injury Rehabilitation – Upper Body)

#82 – Casey Bailey (F)

#80 – Erik Burgdoerfer (D)

#56 – Tommy Hughes (D)

#89 – Kale Kessy (F)

#73 – Chris McCarthy (F)

#25 – Matt Moulson (F)

#35 – Logan Thompson (G)

#86 – Matthew Weis (F)

#85 – Steven Whitney (F)

Released from ATO

#60 – Beck Warm (G)

#31 – Hayden Hawkey (G)

In total the Capitals cut three goaltenders, three defensemen, and 12 forwards. The most surprising roster cut is that of forward Connor McMichael who was the Capitals first overall pick in this past summer’s NHL Draft. From what we saw in the first two preseason games he looked solid, and played well with who is was put with. McMichael may not have made the opening night roster, but an extended look was more or less expected for him. The Capitals obviously saw enough and told him what he needed to work on under Dale Hunter in London this season.

Groups and lines for tomorrow's Training Camp session. Group Blue will begin at 9:30 a.m. at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, with Group Red following at 11:30 a.m. Updated roster: https://t.co/K1c8N4iaRM pic.twitter.com/EU66brqUj3

— Capitals PR (@CapitalsPR) September 19, 2019

The Capitals are now carrying 24 forwards, 16 defensemen, and 4 goaltenders. The Capitals have also gone from three groups to two with the Blue group consisting of what the NHL roster will look like with the possible exception of Vitek Vanecek as Braden Holtby’s backup, as Pheonix Copley will be looked to fill that role once again this season.

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September 19, 2019
TXHT Card Share – 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of TXHT Card Share as we take a look at the latest Upper Deck release with the 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee set.

O-Pee-Chee is one of the longer running sets when it comes to hockey and is usually the first one to offer a massive set to start the season with their 600 card set. The set includes 500 common base cards and 100 short print cards which covers 50 Marquee Rookies, 31 team checklists, 10 season highlights, and 9 League leaders cards.

For the Rookies it is the same deal as with MVP as players like Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will be added later in the season as part of the update packs, but you still get players like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Filip Zadina, and many other rookies. Also just like MVP because it was being printed during Free Agency you still have players with the teams they finished 2018-19 with like with Phil Kessel with the Pittsburgh Penguins instead of the Arizona Coyotes.

O-Pee-Chee also comes with its own inserts and specialty cards, and one of the main stays of the O-Pee-Chee series has been the retro editions of the base set cards. there are also parallels to the base cards as well. for the parallels there are Blue Border cards (1:3 packs) and Gold Glossy Border (1:24 packs), plus for the Retro (1 per pack) there is a special Hobby box exclusive Retro Black Border (#/100).

O-Pee-Chee has also brought back the Playing Cards (#2 to King – 1:5 packs) and short print Aces (1:120 packs). The playing cards is very creative and has been done the last couple of seasons, and is always a welcome sub set to collect. Also there is a new sub set known as Caramels which honors the retro design with 2″ x 3.5″ sizing. They average 1:5 packs for the base cards, with the 40 card set also features six short prints (1:44 packs) and six super short prints (1:88 packs). For the Blaster boxes they have exclusive Caramel Border Parallels for the base (1:9 packs), short print (1:76 packs), and supershort print (1:152 packs).

There are also 2019 Stanley Cup Final Moments (1:360 packs), In Action (1:1152 packs), and Retro High Series Cup Captain (1:4608 packs) cards. O-Pee-Chee Patches also returns, and this season features trophy winners along with Hall of Fame logos and some logo updates from past seasons sets. The Patches are exclusive to the Hobby boxes and range from 1:937 packs to 1:18,750 packs for the odds of pulling one.

Overall the 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee set is a solid one and for those who wanted to do some bigger set building, this will keep you occupied in building the full 600 card set until November when the next big set debuts with 2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 (Upper Deck does have at least one more set coming out before UDS1).

*All pictures taken by Michael Lindenbaum. All cards pictured were purchased by Michael for his personal collection.

Sponsored by:

Just Hockey Cards by Donald Gakenheimer – – For Deals on Hockey Cards email him today at Blake4AV@aol.com

September 19, 2019
1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team Coming to CSA Shows

Earlier this week CSA Shows announced that on October 13th Alex Ovechkin will be appearing and that 1980 USA Olympic Hockey goaltender Jim Craig would be there as well.

CSA Shows has announced this week that more members of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team will be joining Craig on Sunday, October 13th.

The reunion will feature Jack O’Callahan, Bill Baker, former Washington Capital Dave Christian, Steve Christoff, Mike Eruzione, John Harrington, Steve Janaszak, Mark Johnson, Rob McClanahan, Ken Morrow, Mike Ramsey, Buzz Schneider, Dave Silk, Eric Strobel, Phil Verchota, Mark Wells, Craig Patrick, and the aforementioned Jim Craig.

The players and Patrick will be doing autographs and a group photo op (except for Jack O’Callahan) and tickets can be purchased on the CSA Shows website today.

Sponsored by:

September 19, 2019
2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Islanders

2018-19 Record: 48-27-7 103pts. – – 2nd Place in Metropolitan

Playoffs: Lost in Second Round to Carolina

2019-20 Jersey Guide:

Key Additions: G – Jared Coreau, G – Semyon Varlamov

Key Departures: F – Steve Bernier, F – Valtteri Filppula, G – Robin Lehner

2019-20 Preview:

After sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round only to be swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, the New York Islanders look to make it back to the playoffs this upcoming season. However, they will not be doing it with Robin Lehner in goal, but that of Semyon Varlamov who was the Islanders only major pick up of the offseason. Whether or not Varlamov will be an improvement over Lehner will remain to be seen, especially given Varlamov’s injury history.

For the Islanders though, they did save face after last offseason’s departure of forward John Tavares when they resigned forward Anders Lee. However, the Islanders still need scoring, and their powerplay needs a lot of work.

Can the Islanders make the playoffs again in 2019-20? Sure, but they will need to play with that same mentality that head coach Barry Trotz made everyone buy into last season.

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September 19, 2019
NWHL News and Notes – September 18th, 2019

Today in the NWHL we had eight player signings and a coaching hire announced today.

Minnesota Whitecaps

Today the Minnesota Whitecaps have announced the signing of four players for the 2019-20 season.

First the Whitecaps announced that they have signed defender Rose Alleva to a one year deal.

Alleva, who was born in China and raised in Red Wing, MN, played in the CWHL the last two seasons and was a part of the Whitecaps for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. Alleva played for the Vanke Rays where she played a total of 41 games over the last two seasons. This will be Alleva’s first season in the NWHL, and third with the Whitecaps.

Then the Whitecaps announced that they have re-signed defender Emma Stauber to a one year deal.

Stauber, who is the 12th member from last season’s championship team to return for the 2019-20 season, was the Whitecaps third highest scoring defender and lead the team in blocked shots.

Next the Whitecaps announced that they have signed forward Nina Rodgers for the 2019-20 season.

Rodgers, a member of the Connecticut Whale last season, is a two time national champion with the University of Minnesota, and was fifth on the Whale in scoring last season. This will be Rodgers’ first season with the Whitecaps.

Lastly the Whitecaps announced that they have signed forward Sam Donovan to a one year deal.

Donovan, the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NWHL Draft, played the last two seasons with the Connecticut Whale, and will be entering her first season with the Whitecaps this season.

Metropolitan Riveters

The Metropolitan Riveters announced that they have signed two defenders for the 2019-20 season.

First the Riveters announced that they have signed former Connecticut Whale defender Cassie Dunne to a one year contract.

Dunne, a Philadelphia, PA native, played for the Whale during the 2017-18 season, and will be entering her second season in the NWHL with this season being her first with the Riveters.

Lastly the Riveters also announced that they have signed Leila Kilduff for the 2019-20 season.

Kilduff, a San Jose, CA native, played all four seasons of her collegiate career at Minnesota State University where she would play 92 career games for the school. This will be Kilduff’s first season in the NWHL and with the Riveters.

Boston Pride

The Boston Pride announced today that they have signed forward Carlee Toews for the 2019-20 season.

Toews, the former Captain of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, is a two way winger that played in every game but one for the Wildcats where she would score 14 goals with 28 assists for 42 points. This will be Toews rookie season in the NWHL.

Buffalo Beauts

The Buffalo Beauts made two announcements today as they hired an assistant coach and made a player signing.

First the Beauts announced that Rhea Coad has been hired as an assistant coach to Pete Perram.

Coad played college hockey with SUNY Canton, and is also currently an assistant coach with Nazareth College.

The Beauts also announced that they have signed forward/defender Sara Bustad to a one year deal.

Bustad played for the Minnesota State University Mavericks where she would score five goals with 11 assists in 138 career games. Bustad also attended two USA Hockey National Development Camps before she began her collegiate career. Bustad also previously worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning as Community Hockey Coordinator for Diversity Development and Sled Hockey. This will be Bustad’s rookie season in the NWHL.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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September 18, 2019
2019-20 NHL Previews – New Jersey Devils

2018-19 Record: 31-41-10 72pts. – – 8th Place in Metropolitan

Playoffs: Missed

2019-20 Jersey Guide:

Key Additions: F – Jack Hughes, F – Wayne Simmonds, F – Ben Street, D – Matt Tennyson, F – John Hayden, D – PK Subban, F – Nikita Gusev

Key Departures: F – Kenny Agostino, F – Kurtis Gabriel, D – Steven Santini, F – John Quenneville

2019-20 Preview:

The New Jersey Devils entered the 2019 Offseason with the first pick overall in the NHL Draft, and they selected forward Jack Hughes. The Devils would also acquire defenseman PK Subban from the Nashville Predators and sign forward Wayne Simmonds.

Some good solid pickups for the Devils without any real subtractions from their roster. The Devils will look to bounce back from their abysmal 2018-19 season, though let’s be honest. Once they started getting hit with injuries they went into tank mode.

This season should be different, and it will be interesting to see how they do this season and if they can return to the playoffs once again.

Sponsored by:

September 18, 2019
Nerdy Notions – Iron Man’s Got Issues

Welcome to the Nerdtastic Podcast!

Audio Version:

In today’s episode of “Nerdy Notions” Sasha continues her dive into the infancy of the MCU with “Iron Man 2” debuting the characters of War Machine and Black Widow.

Opening Music from https://filmmusic.io:
“Welcome to the Show” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Want to hear Sasha talk about a specific topic? Let us know and we’ll get it on the list of topics to discuss on the show.

Sponsored by:

September 17, 2019
NWHL News and Notes – September 17th, 2019

Today in the NWHL it was announced that a team of investors led by Cannon Capital managing partner Miles Arnone has purchased the Boston Pride.

The Pride were informed on Monday night prior to the practice. Arnone met with the team’s players and staff, and as part of their new ownership of the team, their immediate plans for the Pride include investments in player and team development, increases in marketing and promotion, along with more youth hockey initiatives to be created. Also Arnone plans to hire a team president for the Pride to run all of the day to day operations of the team.

Per the NWHL’s Press Release this morning Arnone brings to the Pride and NWHL “more than 20 years of investment experience and a background in engineering, turn-around management and start-ups. He is the author of two books, founder of three start-ups and principal inventor on 125 patents. A Long Island native, Arnone earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has called Boston home for more than thirty years.”

“My investors and I believe in the NWHL, and we are honored to take on the responsibility of leading the Boston Pride during this important era of growth for women’s sports. We will build the Pride into a world-class team and an innovative and thoughtful business venture that demonstrates the power of professional women’s hockey and the value of the game’s remarkable athletes.”

– Miles Arnone

The sale of the Boston Pride to Miles Arnone’s investment group was facilitated by the Sports Advisory Group, which is an idustry leader in the sale and acquisition of major and minor league sports teams. This sale can also be viewed as a catalyst for the NWHL to consider the sale of the other current teams that the league runs, and also brings in the prospect of bringing in expansion teams with investors who are genuinely dedicated to the women’s game.

We here at TXHT see this as a huge plus for the NWHL and for Women’s Hockey as a whole. With how the offseason unfolded and with the dedication of the NWHL to continue to grow, today’s announcement proves that their vision and dedication to the women’s game is undeterred and that the 2019-20 season will be another year of growth.

Also today the Connecticut Whale have announced that former NHLer Colton Orr and NWHL Veteran Laura Brennan will be the coaches for the team this season.

Orr will be the Whale’s head coach with Brennan serving as his assistant coach. Brennan will also act as Interim Head Coach while Orr competes on CBC’s “Battle of the Blades” tv show.

“I’m honored to have the privilege of leading the Connecticut Whale. This game means a lot to me, and these fantastic athletes on the Whale and across the NWHL are role models to the next generation – including my daughter, who is in the Learn to Play program. I’m determined to take all of the hockey knowledge and life lessons learned from great NHL people like (former Rangers coach) Tom Renney and apply them to the Whale. I’m grateful to Laura Brennan for running the show while I’m away, and I can’t wait to get back to Connecticut to work with her and the players and give the Whale fans a team they can believe in.”

– Colton Orr

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September 17, 2019