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  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Islanders – 28/2/2019 – Game Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Islanders – 28/2/2019 – Game Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs (39-20-4 82pts) v. New York Islanders (36-19-7 79pts)

     

    Time: 7pm EST

    Station: TSN4

     

    Preview:

    John Tavares makes his unwelcomed homecoming for the first time since leaving the Island. There is expected to be a ceremony but that the boos will rain loud on Tavares’s party. Leafs look to win their 4th straight and Tavares looks to not let the Islander crowd be a distraction.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner –74 points (22 goals 52 assists)
    John Tavares – 68 points (36 goals 32 assists) 54% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 61 points (15 goals 46 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 59 points (30 goals 29 assists) 53% on Face-offs

    Matthew Barzal – 51 points (17 goals 34 assists)
    Josh Bailey –47 points (14 goals 33 assists)
    Anders Lee – 41 points (21 goals 20 assists)
    Brock Nelson  –41 points (19 goals 22 assists)

    Garrett Sparks
    29-13-3 2.59GAA .923SV%

    Robin Lehner
    19-10-5 2.10GAA .930SV%

    Toronto Maple Leafs:

    Projected Lineup:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Trevor Moore

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Justin Holl – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Ron Hainsey

     

    Garrett Sparks

    Frederik Andersen

     

    Scratched: none

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Jake Gardiner (Back) and Travis Dermott (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Islanders:

    Anders Lee – Brock Nelson– Jordan Eberle

    Andrew Ladd – Matthew Barzal–Leo Komarov

    Anthony Beauviller – Valtteri Filppula – Josh Bailey

    Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas– Cal Clutterbuck

     

    Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk

    Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

    Thomas Hickey – Devin Toews

     

    Robi Lehner

    Thomas Greiss

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: None

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Win Draws – Need to have the puck on your stick at all times, against this team.

    2, Garrett Sparks – Which one will show up? the Good, the Bad or the Ugly?

    3. Robin Lehner – Get traffic in front, get into his head or you will never score,

     

     

  • Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 27/02/2019 – Game Preview and Recap

    Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 27/02/2019 – Game Preview and Recap

    Gameday Preview:  Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    Time: Wednesday, February 27h  2019

    Toronto: 38-20-4 for 80 points

    Edmonton: 26-29-7 for 59 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs look to keep winning at home and continue to hold onto their place in the standings against the severely struggling Connor McDavid and The Edmonton Oilers.0

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner –74 points (22 goals 52 assists)
    John Tavares – 68 points (36 goals 32 assists) 54% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 61 points (15 goals 46 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 59 points (30 goals 29 assists) 53% on Face-offs

    Connor McDavid – 86 points (32 goals 54 assists)
    Leon Draisaitl –77 points (39 goals 38 assists)
    Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 27 points (20 goals 36 assists)
    Darnell Nurse  – 32points (7 goals 24 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    29-13-3 2.59GAA .923SV%

    Mikko Koskinen
    16-16-4 2.87GAA .907SV%

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Travis Dermott – Nikita Zaitsev

    Igor Ozhiganov – Ron Hainsey

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Jake Gardiner (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Edmonton:

    Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Sam Gagner

    Tobias Reider – Leon Draisaitl– Alex Chiasson

    Milan Lucic – Colby Cave – Josh Currie

    Brad Malone – Kyle Brodziak – Zack Kassian

     

    Oscar Klefblom – Adam Larsson

    Darnell Nurse – Kris Russell

    Matt Benning – Andrej Sekera

     

    Mikko Koskinen

    Anthony Stolarz

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jesse Pulijarvi and Juraj Khaira

    Suspension: None

    Keys to Winning against Edmonton:

    1. Shut Down McDavid
      1. McDavid has over 70% of the points the Oilers have if you shut him down the offense is almost non-existent
    2. Puck Possession
      1. Play a game of keep-away cycle the puck and keep them hemmed in their own zone.
    3. Attack the Defence
      1. Oilers defence is known for its giveaways and bad defensive play. Attack them make them rush and pay dividends from the turnovers.

    Gameday:

    https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1100896118844674050

    First Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 10:04 – Morgan Rielly, 2 minutes for Hooking

    Edmonton PP Goal – 11:06 – Leon Draisaitl (39) assisted by Connor McDavid (54) and Darnell Nurse (23)

    Toronto Goal – 18:02 – Patrick Marleau (14) assisted by Jake Muzzin (23) and Connor Brown (17)

    Edmonton Penalty – 15:57 – Alex Chiasson, 2 minutes for Slashing

    End of 1st – EDM–1        TOR – 1

    Shots              12                   12

    Faceoffs     7/19               12/19

    Hits               12                   5

    PP                 1/1                  0/1

     

    Analysis

    Edmonton came out flying and scored a nice powerplay goal courtesy of Leon Draisaitl. But the Leafs settled in and came back to tie it late with a Patrick Marleau goal with 2 minutes left in the 1st.

     

    Need to Do:

    Don’t take stupid penalties and continue to clog up the neutral zone for Connor McDavid.

    https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1100921062844440576
    Second Period:

    Toronto Goal – 1:09 – Mitch Marner (22) assisted by Zach Hyman (15) and Ron Hainsey (13)

    Toronto Goal – 2:26 – Andreas Johnsson (18) assisted by Kasperi Kapanen (22) and Auston Matthews  (29)

    Edmonton Penalty – 4:07 –Darnell Nurse, 2 mins for Slashing

    Toronto PP Goal – 4:50 – William Nylander (5) assisted by Tyler Ennis (5) and Patrick Marleau (19)

    Edmonton Penalty – 6:39–Colby Cave, 2 mins for Interference

    Toronto PP Goal – 8:09 – Andreas Johnsson (19) assisted by John Tavares (32) and Mitch Marner (51)

    Toronto Penalty – 17:12–Auston Matthews, 2 mins for High Sticking

    Edmonton Penalty – 18:47– Leon Draisaitl, 2 mins for High Sticking

    Edmonton Penalty – 19:51– Matt Benning, 2 mins for Cross Checking

    End of 2nd – EDM– 1          TOR –5

    Shots              24                    24

    Faceoffs       14/38              24/38

    Hits              24                      10

    PP                 1/2                   2/5

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs came out in the 2nd period to kill. They held McDavid for most of the night away from the net and then in the 2nd began to score at will. Andreas Johnsson netted a pair in the 2nd to make it 5-1.

     

    Need to Do:

    Tighten up defensively and get ready for a push in the 3rd.

    https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1100936200951656448

    Third Period:

    Toronto PP Goal 00:25 – John Tavares (36) assisted by, Mitch Marner (52) and William Nylander (11)

    Edmonton Goal– 16:06 – Ryan Nugent Hopkins (20) assisted by Darnell Nurse(19)

    End of 3rd – EDM – 2       TOR –6

    Shots            36                  36

    Faceoffs     22/59               37/59

    Hits              33                       17

    PP                1/2                 3/5

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs settle down in the 3rd and carry the game the rest of the way home.

    https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1100949368990064642

    Next Up:

    Toronto (39-20-4 82pts) vs NY Islander (36-19-7 79pts)

    Edmonton (26-30-7 59pts) at Ottawa (22-30-5 49pts)

  • Game Recap – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Ottawa Senators (22-35-5 49pts) v. Washington Capitals (35-21-7 77pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators as they close out the month of February and it would be the Senators who would get the first goal of the game when newly acquired forwards Brian Gibbons and Oscar Lindberg connect for Lindberg’s first goal with the Senators and Gibbons first point with the team to give them the 1-0 lead over the Capitals. Then on a Travis Boyd slashing penalty, the Senators would get a goal from another newly acquired forward Anthony Duclair on the powerplay  to give them a 2-0 lead. However, the Capitals would get back into it when they would take advantage of a poor line change by the Senators as the top line of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, and Tom Wilson would play tic tac toe for Wilson’s 18th of the season, then 53 seconds late Lars Eller would rip one past Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson to tie the game at two.

     

    The Capitals started off the period flying and as a result they would get a powerplay opportunity when Chris Tierney would be called for tripping and the Capitals would make the most of their powerplay opportunity as it would be a John Carlson bomb from the point to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead, but then it would be back to back dirty goals by TJ Oshie and Brett Connolly to give the Capitals a powerful 5-2 lead. Then Oshie would get his second of the game in a confusing sequence as it would be Nilsson knocking the net off the moarings as Oshie shot the puck in the net, but a goal is a goal, and it is now 6-2 for the Capitals with the Senators pulling Nilsson for Craig Anderson.

     

    Going in the third period the Capitals would waste no time as Evgeny Kuznetsov would score 17 seconds into the game to make it 7-2 for the Capitals. The Capitals would control the play in the third to kill the clock and secure the victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Ottawa Senators:

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Anthony Duclair

    Rudolfs Balcers — Chris Tierney — Mikkel Boedker

    Zack Smith — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Bobby Ryan

    Brian Gibbons — Oscar Lindberg — Magnus Paajarvi

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur — Cody Ceci

    Anders Nilsson

    Craig Anderson

    Scratched: Christian Wolanin

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos

     

    First Period:

    Senators Goal – 3:16 – Oscar Lindberg (5) from Brian Gibbons (4) and Magnus Paajarvi (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:22 – Travis Boyd 2 minutes for Slashing

    Senators PPG – 7:10 – Anthony Duclair (12) from Cody Ceci (16) and Christian Jaros (7)

    Capitals Goal – 16:57 – Tom Wilson (18) from Alex Ovechkin (29) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (41)

    Capitals Goal – 17:50 – Lars Eller (8) from Dmitry Orlov (16) and Brett Connolly (19)

     

    End of 1st – OTT – 2       WAS – 2

    Shots              13                09

    Faceoffs         09                12

    Hits               05                  03

    PP                 1/1                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Senators Penalty – 2:00 – Chris Tierney 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 2:38 – John Carlson (10) from Nicklas Backstrom (44) and TJ Oshie (21)

    Capitals Goal – 6:29 – TJ Oshie (19) from Brooks Orpik (5) and Nicklas Backstrom (45)

    Capitals Goal – 9:05 – Brett Connolly (16) from Andre Burakovsky (12)

    Capitals Goal – 10:33 – TJ Oshie (20) from Dmitry Orlov (17) and Jakub Vrana (21)

     

    End of 2nd – OTT – 2        WAS – 6

    Shots               18                 26

    Faceoffs          22                 23

    Hits                 11                  06

    PP                   1/1                  1/1

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – :17 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (17) from Alex Ovechkin (30) and Tom Wilson (15)

     

    End of 3rd – OTT – 2         WAS – 7

    Shots              23                   37

    Faceoffs        35                    30

    Hits               15                     08

    PP                 1/1                    1/1

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (36-21-7 79pts) @ NY Islanders (36-19-7 79pts)

    Ottawa (22-36-5 49pts) v. Edmonton (26-29-7 59pts)

  • Washington Pride Hockey Takes Over Rockville Ice Arena This Weekend!

    Washington Pride Hockey Takes Over Rockville Ice Arena This Weekend!

    This weekend at Rockville Ice Arena in Rockville, MD the Washington Pride 19’s take on Liberty University in weekend Women’s Hockey action before heading to Burlington, VT for the JWHL Playoffs.

     

    For the first game of the back to back between these two teams will take place this Saturday, March 2nd at 520p on Rink 1. Then the second game will take place Sunday, March 3rd at 920a also on Rink 1.

     

    Also TXHT’s own Michael Lindenbaum will be the PA Announcer for both games.

  • Gameday Preview – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Ottawa Senators (22-35-5 49pts) v. Washington Capitals (35-21-7 77pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals close off the end of February with a tilt at home against the Ottawa Senators, or what’s left of them that is. The Capitals will be looking to win their fourth game in five games, while the Senators will be looking to start anew after a very busy trade deadline.

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Anthony Duclair

    Rudolfs Balcers — Chris Tierney — Mikkel Boedker

    Zack Smith — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Bobby Ryan

    Brian Gibbons — Oscar Lindberg — Magnus Paajarvi

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur — Cody Ceci

    Anders Nilsson

    Craig Anderson

    Scratched: Christian Wolanin

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Just play the game

    The expectations for the Senators are very low, and with that they should just play their game and see if they can steal one against the Capitals tonight.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Braden Holtby is expected to start in goal tonight.

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Don’t overlook the Senators

    The Senators may be at the bottom of the barrel, and traded away a lot of their key players, but thwy are still showing up to play. The Capitals need these two points more than the Senators do, and that is a scary thought.

  • Game Recap – 2/24/2019 – New York Rangers v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/24/2019 – New York Rangers v. Washington Capitals

    New York Rangers (27-26-8 62pts) v. Washington Capitals (34-21-7 75pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    For the Washington Capitals, they finally get to return home but it would be spoiled right away as Chris Kreider would score 21 seconds into the game to give the New York Rangers a 1-0 lead. However, the Capitals would respond late in the period as both Nicklas Backstrom and Michal Kempny would score to give the Capitals 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.

     

    Then in the second period it would be a penalty affair that would see Tom Wilson score on the powerplay for his 17th of the season to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead. But then later in the period Brady Skjei would do a blast from the point to beat Pheonix Copley to cut the Capitals lead to one going into the second intermission.

     

    The Rangers would open the period the same way they started the game with a goal 21 seconds into the period, this time by Jimmy Vesey with a knuckler from the point to tie the game. The Capitals would respond with back to back goals from Nic Dowd and Backstrom to give them their two goal lead back. However, on a Carl Hagelin hooking penalty the Rangers would get a weird bounce off of Vladislav Namestnikov for the powerplay goal and reduce the Capitals lead to one again. The with 30 seconds left in the period Skjei would score his second of the game to tie this game at 5 a piece and send the game to overtime.

     

    In overtime, this one would almost go the distance but it would be Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov connecting for the game winner with 40 seconds left in what was a mayhem filled sequence.

     

    Lineups:

    New York Rangers:

    Chris Kreider — Mika Zibanejad — Jimmy Vesey

    Vladislav Namestnikov — Ryan Strome — Jesper Fast

    Filip Chytil — Lias Andersson — Pavel Buchnevich

    Brendan Smith — Boo Nieves — Connor Brickley

    Brady Skjei — Fredrik Claesson

    Marc Staal — Neal Pionk

    Tony DeAngelo — Kevin Shattenkirk

    Henrik Lundqvist

    Alexandar Georgiev

    Scratched: Adam McQuaid, Kevin Hayes

    Injured: Brett Howden (knee sprain)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Christian Djoos

     

    First Period:

    Rangers Goal – :21 – Chris Kreider (26) from Jimmy Vesey (17) and Mika Zibanejad (35)

    Rangers Penalty – 4:19 – Brady Skjei 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Capitals Goal – 18:42 – Nicklas Backstrom (14) from John Carlson (47) and TJ Oshie (20)

    Capitals Goal – 19:03 – Michal Kempny (6) from Brett Connolly (18) and Andre Burakovsky (11)

     

    End of 1st – NYR – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              07                07

    Faceoffs         10                05

    Hits               00                  00

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 1:24 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Rangers Penalty – 3:39 – Lias Andersson 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals PPG – 5:09 – Tom Wilson (17) from Jakub Vrana (20) and Lars Eller (20)

    Rangers Penalty – 6:01 – Bench (Chris Kreider) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Rangers Penalty – 12:47 – Lias Andersson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 12:47 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 15:50 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Slashing

    Rangers Goal – 18:18 – Brady Skjei (5) from Connor Brickley (2) and Lias Andersson (4)

     

    End of 2nd – NYR – 2        WAS – 3

    Shots               20                 20

    Faceoffs          17                 16

    Hits                 12                  13

    PP                   0/2                  1/3

     

    Third Period:

    Rangers Goal – :21 – Jimmy Vesey (15) from unassisted

    Capitals Goal – 2:25 – Nic Dowd (6) from Travis Boyd (12) and Brooks Orpik (4)

    Capitals Goal – 3:01 – Nicklas Backstrom (15) from unassisted

    Capitals Penalty – 4:54 – Carl Hagelin 2 minutes for Hooking

    Rangers PPG – 6:01 – Vladislav Namestnikov (8) from Neal Pionk (16) and Anthony DeAngelo (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Matt Niskanen 5 minute major for Fighting

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Dylan Strome 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Ryan Strome 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Anthony DeAngelo 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Capitals Penalty – 16:17 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 16:17 – Connor Brickley 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 16:17 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Rangers Goal – 19:29 – Brady Skjei (6) from Kevin Shattenkirk (18) and Mika Zibanejad (36)

     

    End of 3rd – NYR – 5         WAS – 5

    Shots              30                   32

    Faceoffs        29                    28

    Hits               16                     20

    PP                 1/4                    1/3

     

    OT:

    Capitals Goal – 4:20 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (16) from Alex Ovechkin (28)  and Dmitry Orlov (15)

     

    End of OT – NYR – 5         WAS – 6

    Shots              31                   35

    Faceoffs        30                    28

    Hits               16                     20

    PP                 1/4                    1/3

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (35-21-7 77pts) v. Ottawa (22-34-5 49pts)

    NY Rangers (27-26-9 63pts) v. Tampa Bay (47-11-4 98pts)

  • African American NHLers: A Huge Impact

    Black History Month has been a reminder of the unfortunate past and the awakening to the impact that African Americans have had in the world today. Today TXHT ventures into a series of articles called “A Huge Impact: a review of the impact of nationality on Hockey”. Each article will discuss the unique impact each nationality has had on the game of hockey. Starting with African American Hockey Players.

    Willie O’Ree:

    First African American player to play in the NHL. Most call him the Jackie Robinson of Hockey. O’Ree Started off in the Boston Bruins organization as a winger, where he played 45 games for the Boston Bruins over his career. O’Ree spent his whole career and post-career breaking barriers in Hockey. O’Ree has served as the NHL’s Director of Youth Development and Ambassador for NHL Diversity since 1998 – Where his impact has become more about making sure everyone gets to play on the ice no matter the barrier. Willie O’Ree was rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

    Anson Carter:

    Carter was a special breed of player – a tenacious, hard-hitting, goal scorer who wasn’t afraid to mix it up with the fists. Carter was a breed of players who sometimes dealt with racial slurs at games. But Carter like Willie O’Ree was a player who broke down barriers and showing that a kid no matter the color of your skin, you can do whatever you want – that for Anson Carter was playing hockey.

    Jarome Iginla:

    Iginla was such a talented player and leader. Willing to do anything for his team – the ultimate teammate and captain. On top of hockey, Iginla played baseball and was a catcher on the Canadian national junior team. Iginla says that if it wasn’t for his grandfather he would have never even been able to play hockey – as his father and mother were always working. Iginla grew up admiring other black hockey players – his favorite being Grant Fuhr – which made Iginla start off as a goalie before turning into a right-winger. Iginla impacted hockey not by his skill only but how he carried himself as a person, which was a role model for all players. Iginla is well known for his kind-hearted nature. Former Flames General manager Craig Button called Iginla grounded:

    “He doesn’t carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He’s confident in his abilities. He’s self-assured. He’s genuine. He’s a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is.”  (Button, 2010)

    Iginla always strived to be an example to all,  but his heart was to make sure young black kids had a role model. A story is told during the 2002 Winter Olympic in Salt Lake City, Iginla started a conversation with 4 young men from Calgary and found out they were sleeping in their car outside of the hotel. He excused himself and went to book hotel rooms for the young men for the duration they were there on Iginla’s expense.

    Iginla is now an ambassador with the NHL Diversity program, which supports youth hockey organizations that offer economically disadvantaged kids the opportunity to play. Since 2008, he has been a hockey spokesperson for Scotiabank, appearing in commercials and at events supporting its grassroots hockey programs.

    Grant Fuhr:

    Widely considered one of the best goalies ever to play the game, if not the best. Fuhr revolutionized the goalie position with his play and being one of the very first black goalies. Fuhr struggled with addictions during his career, He was suspended on occasions but more as punishment. Fuhr helped revolutionize the way addiction would be treated in the NHL. From punishment to help.

    “It’s like night and day now because the NHL now will help players, where when I got suspended it was about punishment,” Fuhr said. “It wasn’t about rehabilitating players or helping them get better in life, it was about punishing them. I think the NHL has gone leaps and bounds in getting better at that where they’ve got programs in place now and they actually will help players, and they’ll help players before they get themselves in trouble.” (Fuhr, 2011)

    PK Subban:

    Subban is an interesting character, some people love him others hate him. But that doesn’t change the way Subban has impacted the game. Subban came into the NHL with a bigger than life personality, but there are a few things no one knows about Subban. This is how he impacted the game, Subban greets everyone he meets by name, he takes time to get to know your name and then always makes sure you are called by that. Subban has always leveraged his fame for good. That was proven when he received his first HUGE contract, he donated his whole first year’s salary – $10 million. Subban impacted by bringing swagger to the ice and with his 2-way game, but also by his work off the ice – just like Jarome Iginla. Subban shows that money and fame mean nothing but it’s how you live. Subban spends a lot of his free time with underprivileged children, especially in black communities, helping them with sport and trying to help them have better lives.

    These are just a few African American players who have impacted the game of hockey whether on or off the ice. Some of the greatest players to ever step on the ice were African American and there impact on the game will go on for years.

     

  • February 24th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    February 24th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, February 24th, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were 11 contests in NHL action yesterday…

    BUFFALO 5, Washington 2

    The Washington Capitals would end their six game road trip with a thud, losing to the Buffalo Sabres with a 5-2 loss.

    TXHT has your complete coverage between the Capitals and the Sabres at the following page.

     

     

    NY RANGERS 5, New Jersey 2

     

    ST. LOUIS 2, Boston 1 (SO)

     

    The Boston Bruins would fall to the St. Louis Blues with a 2-1 loss in the shootout frame.

     

     

    FLORIDA 6, Los Angeles 1

    There would be six different scorers for the Florida Panthers in this contest and would crush the Los Angeles Kings with the 6-1 win last night.

    With the Panthers win, goaltender Roberto Luongo would go on to tie Ed Belfour for third place on the NHL’s all-time lead for wins.

     

    COLUMBUS 4, San Jose 0

     

     

    The San Jose Sharks would get crushed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, losing 4-0 in Columbus last night.

     

     

    Carolina 3, DALLAS 0

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes would visit the Dallas Stars and win the contest 3-0.  With the Hurricanes win, the team would move to 18-6-1 in their last 25 contests.

     

     

    Colorado 5, NASHVILLE 0

     

    The Nashville Predators would continue their slide with the 5-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche yesterday.

     

     

    Toronto 6, MONTREAL 3

     

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would take on the Montreal Canadiens and double up Montreal with a 6-3 win last night.

     

     

    PHILADELPHIA 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT) – 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series

    The Philadelphia Flyers would take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series and would escape with the 4-3 win in overtime, after being down 3-1 late in the contest.

    TXHT has your complete coverage of the contest at the following page.

     

    EDMONTON 2, Anaheim 1

     

    NY Islanders 4, VANCOUVER 0

     

    Today’s NHL Schedule of Games

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats….

     

     

    NWHL

     

    In the NWHL yesterday…

    BUFFALO BEAUTS 4, Metropolitan Riveters 1

     

    The Buffalo Beauts would register their sixth consecutive win with the 4-1 win over the Metropolitan Riveters yesterday afternoon.

    Despite the loss, Riveters goaltender Katie Fitzgerald would register 33 saves on 36 shots in the contest.

    The first ten minutes of the contest was fast paced and both teams generated chances.

    Buffalo’s Kelly Babstock would open up the scoring in the contest with her goal at the 15:21 mark in the first period with her third goal on the season.

    Buffalo’s Taylor Accursi would score her third goal on the season at the 4:19 mark in the second period followed by Buffalo’s third goal in the contest, scored by Emily Janiga at the 12:36 mark in the second.

    The Riveters would score their lone goal in the contest when Rebecca Russo scored her fourth goal on the season at the 6:24 mark in the third period.  Emily Janiga would score her second goal of the season, an empty net goal at the 18:21 mark in the third period.

    Buffalo moves to 10-4-0 on the season, tied with Boston Pride for best record in the league and the Metropolitan Riveters are now 3-12-0 on the season.

    Buffalo Beauts Final Regular Season Games:

    March 2nd: at Connecticut Whale
    March 3rd: at Metropolitan Riveters

    Metropolitan Riveters Regular Season Finale:

    March 3rd: vs. Buffalo Beauts

  • 2019 NHL Stadium Series Recap – 2/23/2019 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers

    2019 NHL Stadium Series Recap – 2/23/2019 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers

    Pittsburgh Penguins (32-22-7 71pts) v. Philadelphia Flyers (28-26-7 63pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The 2019 Stadium Series has arrived to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the Flyers would cough up the puck in their own zone and it would be Sidney Crosby scoring to give the Pittsburgh Penguins the early 1-0 lead. However, the Flyers would respond when Sean Couturier would walk right up the slot to make it a 1-1 game. Then we would have some fireworks after a very clean hit by Wayne Simmonds on Brian Dumoulin.

     

    The second period would see the Flyers buzzing in the Penguins zone, but would not be able to convert. Especially after Jack Johnson kneed Nolan Patrick to give the Flyers the first powerplay of the game, which should have been a 5 minute major and a game misconduct, the Flyers would continue to buzz despite not capitalizing on the powerplay. Then Justin Schultz would blast a shot past Brian Elliott to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

     

    The Flyers would start the third period with some jump in their step again, but still would be stone walled by Matt Murray and the lack of whistles from the officials (another story for another day). However, the Penguins would benefit for a very fortunate bounce as an Evgeni Malkin shot would take a flukey bounce off of Elliott’s skate and in to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Then later in the period James van Reimsdyk would crash the net and bat in the rebound to cut the deficit to one on the powerplay. And then with 20 seconds left in regulation Jakub Voracek would shoot the puck on a bad angle and beat Murray to tie the game at three and send the game to overtime.

     

    In overtime it had a vibe that the Penguins were going to win it with the mistakes the Flyers were making, but it would be Claude Giroux who would score the game winner two minutes into overtime to cap off the Flyers comeback victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

    Zach Aston-Reese — Evgeni Malkin — Phil Kessel

    Jared McCann — Nick Bjugstad — Patric Hornqvist

    Tanner Pearson — Matt Cullen — Dominik Simon

    Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

    Jack Johnson — Justin Schultz

    Marcus Pettersson — Chad Ruhwedel

    Matt Murray

    Casey DeSmith

    Scratched: Garrett Wilson, Juuso Riikola, Teddy Blueger

    Injured: Olli Maatta (upper body)

     

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Claude Giroux — Nolan Patrick — Travis Konecny

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Jakub Voracek

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Wayne Simmonds

    James van Riemsdyk — Phil Varone — Justin Bailey

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Philippe Myers

    Robert Hagg — Andrew MacDonald

    Brian Elliott

    Cam Talbot

    Scratched: Corban Knight

    Injured: Michal Neuvirth (lower body), Carter Hart (lower body)

    Suspended: Radko Gudas

     

    First Period:

    Penguins Penalty – 5:47 – Garrett Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Flyers Penalty – 5:47 – Robert Hagg 2 minutes for Roughing

    Penguins Goal – 7:59 – Sidney Crosby (26) from Kris Letang (38)

    Flyers Goal – 12:06 – Sean Couturier (25) from Oskar Linblom (13) and Jakub Voracek (36)

    Flyers Penalty – 16:23 – Wayne Simmonds 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Penguins Penalty – 16:23 – Kris Letang 2 minutes for Unsportsmalike Conduct

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 1       PHI – 1

    Shots              18                08

    Faceoffs         06                08

    Hits               09                  14

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Penguins Penalty – 1:03 – Jack Johnson 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins Goal – 10:01 – Justin Schultz (1) from Sidney Crosby (49) and Patric Hornqvist (12)

     

    End of 2nd – PIT – 2        PHI – 1

    Shots               30                 17

    Faceoffs          18                 20

    Hits                 26                  25

    PP                   0/0                  0/1

     

    Third Period:

    Penguins Goal – 6:29 – Evgeni Malkin (19) from Phil Kessel (42) and Zach Aston-Reese (8)

    Penguins Penalty – 14:51 – Evgeni Malkin 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Flyers Penalty – 14:51 – Robert Hagg 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Penguins Penalty – 15:40 – Matt Cullen 2 minutes for Slashing

    Flyers PPG – 16:56 – James van Reimsdyk (16) from Jakub Voracek (37) and Claude Giroux (45)

    Flyers Goal – 19:40 – Jakub Voracek (16) from Sean Couturier (33)

     

    End of 3rd – PIT – 3         PHI – 3

    Shots              40                   35

    Faceoffs        29                    37

    Hits               34                     29

    PP                 0/0                    1/2

     

    OT:

    Flyers Goal – 1:59 – Claude Giroux (18) from Nolan Patrick (12) and Travis Sanheim (19)

     

    End of OT – PIT – 3         PHI – 4

    Shots              43                   37

    Faceoffs        31                    40

    Hits               35                     30

    PP                 0/0                    1/2

     

    Next Up:

    Philadelphia (29-26-7 65pts) v. Buffalo (29-24-8 66pts)

    Pittsburgh (32-22-8 72pts) @ Columbus (35-23-3 73pts)

  • Bad Weather is Coming – Should the NHL Stadium Series Game Be Played?

    Bad Weather is Coming – Should the NHL Stadium Series Game Be Played?

    It’s Saturday, February 23rd and it game day for the NHL Stadium Series featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins against their rival Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. However, the number one thing everyone is talking about is the fact that the weather is going to look very problematic tonight for the game.

     

    With the Philadelphia forecast predicting rain for the area tonight the NHL released the following statement:

    PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Feb. 23, 2019) – The National Hockey League announced today that the start time of tonight’s 2019 Coors Light NHLStadium Series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field will remain at 8 p.m. ET. While we are expecting a chance of a relatively light amount of precipitation in and around the game window, current forecasts are indicating that we will have playable conditions. We will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the day and if a different determination becomes necessary due to the weather conditions being worse than anticipated, we will adjust accordingly.”

     

    Now how does the league plan to “adjust accordingly”? Well we’ll tell you, and let’s be honest, it’s very radical.

     

    The following are the weather-related GAME procedure contingencies for the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins:

     

    ·Once the game has begun, it may be subject to one or more temporary stoppages due to unplayable weather conditions, at the discretion of the Commissioner.

    • This is how all outdoor games work so this isn’t very surprising.

     

    ·Period and game format may be reconfigured to accommodate temporary stoppages as determined appropriate by the Commissioner.

    • Sounds logical… maybe?

     

    ·In the event of high winds at the ice surface, the clubs will switch ends at the 10:00 minute mark of the third period as signaled by a “hard whistle.” The face off will take place where the play was whistled dead. This identical procedure will take place at the 2:30 minute mark of an overtime period, if needed.

    • Again this is how all outdoor games work so this is status quo.

     

    · In the event of a shootout, each club will determine what end they prefer to defend, which could be the same end.

    • Also status quo.

     

    ·If the game is started, then stopped permanently due to unplayable weather conditions, it will be deemed “official” once two periods have been played. The team leading at the time play is stopped will be declared the winner and will be awarded two points in the standings.

    • So I don’t know if this is something that has ever happened before in the NHL, but if it has I don’t ever recalling a time when it did.

     

    ·If the game is tied at the time play is stopped permanently, any time after two periods of play, each team will be awarded one point in the standings, with an opportunity to earn an additional point in a standard shootout format.

    • Read thoughts under the next contingency.

     

    ·If weather conditions permit, the shootout will be conducted at Lincoln Financial Field immediately after regulation play has been stopped. If weather conditions make it impossible to conduct a shootout safely at Lincoln Financial Field, the shootout will take place at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, March 17 prior to the regularly scheduled Philadelphia-Pittsburgh game, with Philadelphia deemed the home club for shootout purposes only.

    • So to touch on the first point above, if the weather permits the game from being played after two periods and it’s tied, then both teams will get a point in the standings but they will do a shootout to determine a winner, but if they are stopping the game due to the weather then how can they do the shootout? You can’t unless you want to try to force it.
    • Secondly, why should these two teams have to wait for March 17th to do the shootout if they can’t do it tonight? Just award it as a tie. Remember those? I do.

     

    ·If the game is started, and stopped permanently due to unplayable weather conditions, and fewer than two periods of regular time has been played, the game will be officially “postponed” and, if possible, will be played in its entirety at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Feb. 24. If the game cannot be replayed at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Feb. 24, it will be rescheduled at Wells Fargo Center on a date to be determined later in the season.

    • So we’re going to try to play this game, but if the weather conditions make it unplayable and you know that this is going to be like that then why even try? Is it really worth putting the players at risk when you know tomorrow is supposed to be rain and 60 degrees? Philadelphia Flyers rookie goalie sensation Carter Hart was injured yesterday at practice in Lincoln Financial Field because of the ice and will miss 10 days at minimum, so why risk anyone else?

     

    The idea that this game is going on and that so many contingencies have been put in place, and with so many at the commissioner’s discretion (another story for another day) one has to beg the question of what is really going on?

     

    TXHT will be covering the Stadium Series tonight, but we will be curious to see how this really goes.

     

    *All contingencies posted are posted in full as presented by the National Hockey League.