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  • TXHT Podcast – 2/2/2019

    TXHT Podcast – 2/2/2019

    The TXHT podcast is back with Serious Hockey Talk for Serious Hockey Fans!

     

    Audio Version:

     

    YouTube Version:

     

    This week on TXHT, Michael Lindenbaum is joined by TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs writer Steve Gardiner.

     

    Michael and Steve start the episode off talking about the NHL All Star festivities and the impact the women had on the weekend, and also talk about the growing women’s game.

     

    Then Michael and Steve talk about the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs. Plus a little NHL news, along with some NWHL updates, and some chatter about the Calgary Flames and 2019 Stadium Series uniforms.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

    Opening Music: “Human Chess” by Crimson Orchid

     

    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.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 1/2/2019 – Game Day Preview

    Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 1/2/2019 – Game Day Preview

    Time: Saturday, February 2nd,  2019

    Toronto: 30-17-3 for 63 points

    Pittsburgh: 28-17-6 for 62 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs look to pick up the pieces and continue their winning ways against teams that are in a playoff position as they take on the Pittsburgh Pengins at home.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner –62 points (20 goals 42 assists)
    John Tavares – 54 points (30 goals 24 assists) 54% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 51 points (13 goals 38 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 45 points (22 goals 23 assists) 53% on Face-offs)

    Sidney Crosby – 60 points (22 goals 38 assists)
    Phil Kessel – 57 points (21 goal 36 assist)
    Evgeni Malkin – 55 points (14 goal 41 assists)
    Jake Guentzel – 49 points (26 goal 23 assists)

    Garrett Sparks
    6-3-1 2.91GAA .909SV%

    Casey DeSmith
    13-9-4 2.69GAA .918SV%

     

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Kasperi Kapanen – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Connor Brown – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Andreas Johnsson – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Ron Hainsey

     

    Garrett Sparks

    Frederik Andersen

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back),Tyler Ennis (Leg)

    Suspension: None

     

    Pittsburgh:

    Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Dominik Simon

    Bryan Rust– Nick Bjugstad– Phil Kessel

    Tanner Pearson –  Jared McCann – Patric Hornqvist

    Garrett Wilson – Teddy Blueger – Matt Cullen

     

    Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang

    Olli Maatta – Juuso Riikola

    Marcus Petterson – Jack Johnson

     

    Casey DeSmith

    Matt Murray

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Justin Schultz, Zach Aston-Reese & Evgeni Malkin

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Pittsburgh

    1. Attack the Defence
      1. A lot young inexperienced blueliners on Pittsburgh right now. Force them to make plays under pressure.
    2. Better defensive positioning
      1. Need to be better in the defensive end or else that top line especially will make us pay.
    3. Powerplay
      1. This has got to get going and fast. 0-5 yesterday and a whopping 1-11 in the last few days.

     

  • February 2nd, 2019 — News and Notes

    February 2nd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, February 2nd, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight contests in the NHL last night.

     

    Chicago 7, BUFFALO 3

     

    The Chicago Blackhawks would go onto defeat the Buffalo Sabres with a decisive 7-3 win in Buffalo last night.

     

     

     


    Nashville 4, FLORIDA 1

     

    The Nashville Predators would go on to defeat the Florida Panthers with a 4-1 win.  Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson would score twice to join the 20 goal plateau on the season.

     

     


    Tampa Bay 1, NY ISLANDERS 0 (SO)

     

     


    PITTSBURGH 5, Ottawa 3

     


    WASHINGTON 4, Calgary 3

    The Washington Capitals, fresh off the All-Star break and the bye week, would take on the Calgary Flames and defeat Calgary by the score of 4-3.  With this win by Washington, they would snap their seven-game losing streak.

     

    TXHT has your full recap of the contest between the Calgary Flames and the Washington Capitals at the following page.


    DETROIT 3, Toronto 2 (OT)

    In a pre-game ceremony last night prior to the face-off between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Red Wings would retire Red Kelly’s number to the rafters at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would go on to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs by the score of 3-2 in overtime.

     

    TXHT has your full recap of the contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at the following page.

     

     

    CAROLINA 5, Vegas 2

    The Vegas Golden Knights would fall after their bye week to the Carolina Hurricanes with a 5-2 loss in Carolina last night.

     

    DALLAS 3, Minnesota 1

     

    In this contest, the Dallas Stars would defeat the Minnesota Wild 3-1.  With this win by the Stars, they have now won their last three games.

     

     

    Stars F Tyler Seguin would score twice, and join one of 45 players this season to have at least 20 goals on the season.  This would be his sixth straight season to have at least 20 goals.

     

     

    There are 13 contests in action today.

     

     

    In NHL news…

     

    The Stadium Series jerseys were unveiled yesterday.  For more on that story, check out TXHT’s article at the following page.

     

     

    NWHL

     

     

    There are two games taking place today in the NWHL.

    This week’s NWHL Twitter Game of the Week puts the Buffalo Beauts against the Metropolitan Riveters at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

     

    The other NWHL game today pits the Connecticut Whale against the Boston Pride.

  • Stadium Series Jerseys Unveiled

    Stadium Series Jerseys Unveiled

    NHL_SS19_Primary_Marks_BrandedThe NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled for the jerseys that will be worn for the Stadium Series game on February 23rd, 2019.

     

    This year’s Stadium Series game is to be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins jersey has a base colour of black with with the Penguins logo in yellow as well as the numbers on the arms of the jerseys and the back of the jersey.  The nameplate on the jersey will also be in yellow.

     

     

     

    For the Philadelphia Flyers, the base colour of the jersey has a burnt orange look with the rest of the accents on the jersey being in black.

     

    This Stadium Series jersey is the second to be made by Adidas and is now available on Shop.NHL.com and is available at the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins team shops.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings – 1/2/2019 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings – 1/2/2019 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (30-17-2 62 pts) v, Detroit Red Wings (19-25-7 47pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Kasperi Kapanen – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Connor Brown – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Andreas Johnsson – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Ron Hainsey

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back),Tyler Ennis (Leg)

    Suspension: None

     

    Detroit:

    Justin Abdelkader – Dylan Larkin – Gustav Nyquist

    Tomas Vanek– Frans Nielsen– Anthony Mantha

    Andreas Anathansiou –  Luke Glendening – Darren Helm

    Christoffer Ehn – Jacob De La Rose – Martin Frk

     

    Nicklas Kronwall – Mike Green

    Danny DeKeyser – Niclas Jensen

    Jonathan Ericsson – Dennis Cholowski

     

    Jimmy Howard

    Jonathan Bernier

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Henrik Zetterberg, Evgeny Svechnikov, Trevor Daley, Michael Rasmussen, Tyler Bertuzzi.

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 10:58 – Mitch Marner, 2 minutes for Holding

    Detroit Penalty – 14:03 – Luke Glendening, 2 minutes for Holding

    Detroit Penalty – 18:39 – Jacob De La Rose, 2 minutes for Goaltender Interference

    End of 1st – TOR –0        DET – 0

    Shots              5                   10

    Faceoffs     8/18              10/18

    Hits               4                     7

    PP                 0/2                  0/1

     

    Analysis

    Leafs looked slow the whole period and acting like they’re still on vacation.

     

    Need to Do:

    Need to pick up the game in the 2nd or else this could be a long game.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 1:27 –Par Lindholm, 2 mins for Holding the Stick

    Detroit Penalty – 4:28 –Danny DeKeyser, 2 mins for Slashing

    Detroit Goal–8:14 – Gustav Nyquist (12), assisted by Andreas Anathansiou (14)

    Toronto Goal–18:11 – Auston Matthews (22), assisted by Patrick Marleau (12)

     

    End of 2nd – TOR– 1          DET – 1

    Shots              13                    17

    Faceoffs       15/32            17/30

    Hits              13                      11

    PP                 0/3                 0/2

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs gain some life in the 2nd after giving up the first goal, Matthews responds. New Leaf Jake Muzzin has been quiet which is what a coach likes from his defencemen.

     

    Need to Do:

    Better defensively and more offensive zone time

    Third Period:

    Detroit Penalty – 00:10 –Andreas Anathansiou, 2 mins for Tripping

    Toronto Penalty – 03:11 –Mitch Marner, 2 mins for Tripping

    Detroit Penalty – 10:40 –Gustav Nyquist, 2 mins for Hooking

    Toronto Penalty – 12:54 –Patrick Marleau, 2 mins for Hooking

    Detroit PP Goal–13:31 – Dylan Larkin (22), assisted by Tomas Vanek (14)  and Andreas Anathansiou  (15)

    Toronto Goal–17:41 – Patrick Marleau (12), assisted by Auston Matthews (23)  and Morgan Rielly  (38)

     

    End of 3rd – TOR – 2       DET – 2

    Shots             21                  33

    Faceoffs     25/53                28/53

    Hits               13                        16

    PP                0/5                    1/4

     

    Analysis:

    Played a sloppy period but showed they can score.

     

    OT:

    Detroit Goal–2:40 – Danny DeKeyser (2), assisted by Gustav Nyquist (33)  and Andreas Anathansiou  (16)

     

    End of OT – TOR – 2       DET – 3

    Shots             21                  33

    Faceoffs     25/53                28/53

    Hits               13                        16

    PP                0/5                    1/4

     

    Analysis:

    Back and forth overtime but the Leafs couldn’t buy one.

    Next Up:

    Pittsburgh (28-17-6 62pts) vs Toronto (30-17-3 63pts)

    Detroit (20-25-7 47pts) at Ottawa (19-27-5 43pts)

  • Game Recap – 2/1/2019 – Calgary Flames v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/1/2019 – Calgary Flames v. Washington Capitals

    Calgary Flames (33-13-5 71pts) v. Washington Capitals (27-17-6 60pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals came back from the break looking fresh, and would show it early on as they would get the first goal of the game when the Capitals would force the play in the Calgary Flames zone and Nic Dowd would tip in a John Carlson point shot for his fifth of the season. The first period would feature a lot of back and forth between these two teams, but late in the period we would have some fireworks when Mikael Backlund would score on a beautiful individual effort to tie the game at one a piece, but the Capitals would not lay down as they brought the play to the Flames and crashed Mike Smith’s net and Dmitrij Jaskin would knock in the rebound for his second of the season, and give the Capitals the 2-1 lead with less than 45 seconds left in the period.

     

    The Capitals would start the second period on fire as the second line of Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Jakub Vrana would connect for a quick goal on a Wilson wrister less than a minute into the period. Then 83 seconds later, the Flames would get one back as a point shot by TJ Brodie would take a couple deflections and go off of Garnet Hathaway to cut the Capitals lead back to one. The Flames would take back to back penalties to allow the Capitals powerplay an opportunity to get into the game, and while the first powerplay looked good for the Capitals, the second opportunity was not as good. However, the Capitals would get their third straight powerplay opportunity when Mark Giordano would take his second penalty of the period. The Capitals would get some good looks, but once again would not be able to capitalize on the powerplay. In the second period the Capitals out shot the Flames 16 to 7.

     

    The third period would not start in the Capitals favor as Michal Kempny would be called for a penalty 45 seconds into the period, but would kill off that penalty only to take another penalty when Dmitry Orlov would be called for holding. The Capitals would persevere as they would kill off their second straight penalty. However, the Flames would tie the game up when Elias Lindholm would tip in a Johnny Gaudreau point shot. But it would be a late penalty against Backlund for Holding that would result in a powerplay goal by Kuznetsov to win the game for the Capitals and end their 7 game losing streak.

     

    Lineups:

    Calgary Flames:

    Johnny Gaudreau — Sean Monahan — Elias Lindholm

    Sam Bennett — Mark Jankowski — James Neal

    Matthew Tkachuk — Mikael Backlund — Michael Frolik

    Andrew Mangiapane — Derek Ryan — Garnet Hathaway

    Mark Giordano — TJ Brodie

    Noah Hanifin — Travis Hamonic

    Oliver Kylington — Rasmus Andersson

    Mike Smith

    David Rittich

    Scratched: Austin Czarnik, Dalton Prout  

    Injured: Michael Stone (blood clot)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Chandler Stephenson — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky – Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson

    Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Travis Boyd, Madison Bowey

    Injured: Christian Djoos (thigh)

    Suspended: Alex Ovechkin

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:00 – Nic Dowd (5) from John Carlson (40) and Michal Kempny (12)

    Flames Goal – 17:37 – Mikael Backlund (13) from unassisted

    Capitals Goal – 19:24 – Dmitrij Jaskin (2) from Lars Eller (16) and Brooks Orpik (3)

     

    End of 1st – CAL – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              13                13

    Faceoffs         13                14

    Hits               08                  19

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – :54 – Tom Wilson (14) from Jakub Vrana (14) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (33)

    Flames Goal – 2:17 – Garnet Hathaway (6) from Derek Ryan (13) and TJ Brodie (20)

    Flames Penalty – 8:29 – Mark Giordano 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Flames Penalty – 13:33 – Garnet Hathaway 2 minutes Tripping

    Flames Penalty – 15:55 – Mark Giordano 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd – CAL – 2        WAS – 3

    Shots               20                 29

    Faceoffs          24                 22

    Hits                 11                  29

    PP                   0/0                  0/3

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :45 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 8:29 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Holding

    Flames Goal – 12:01 – Elias Lindholm (22) from Johnny Gaudreau (45) and TJ Brodie (21)

    Flames Penalty – 18:02 – Mikael Backlund 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals PPG – 19:03 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (10) from TJ Oshie (14) and Nicklas Backstrom (39)

    Capitals Penalty – 20:00 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 20:00 – Brooks Orpik 5 minute major for Fighting

    Flames Penalty – 20:00 – Matthew Tkachuk 5 minute major for Fighting

     

    End of 3rd – CAL – 3         WAS – 4

    Shots              30                   40

    Faceoffs        41                    33

    Hits               14                     34

    PP                 0/2                    1/4

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (28-17-6 62pts) v. Boston (27-17-7 61pts)

    Calgary (33-14-5 71pts) @ Carolina (25-20-6 56pts)

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings – 1/2/2019 – Game Day Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings – 1/2/2019 – Game Day Preview

    Time: Friday February 1st,  2019

    Toronto: 30-17-2 for 62 points

    Detroit: 19-25-7 for 45 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs look to pick up where they left off against the Washington Capitals tonight as they begin the second half against the Detroit Red Wings.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner –62 points (20 goals 42 assists)
    John Tavares – 54 points (30 goals 24 assists) 54% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 50 points (13 goals 37 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 43 points (21 goals 22 assists) 53% on Face-offs)

    Dylan Larkin – 48 points (21 goals 27 assists)
    Gustav Nyquist – 43 points (11 goal 32 assist)
    Andreas Anthansiou – 30 points (17 goal 13 assists)
    Tyler Bertuzzi – 28 points (13 goal 15 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    22-11-1 2.56GAA .923SV%

    Jimmy Howard
    14-13-5 2.76GAA .916SV%

     

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Kasperi Kapanen – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Connor Brown – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Andreas Johnsson – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Ron Hainsey

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back),Tyler Ennis (Leg)

    Suspension: None

     

    Detroit:

    Justin Abdelkader – Dylan Larkin – Gustav Nyquist

    Tomas Vanek– Frans Nielsen– Anthony Mantha

    Andreas Anathansiou –  Luke Glendening – Darren Helm

    Christoffer Ehn – Jacob De La Rose – Martin Frk

     

    Nicklas Kronwall – Mike Green

    Danny DeKeyser – Niclas Jensen

    Jonathan Ericsson – Dennis Cholowski

     

    Jimmy Howard

    Jonathan Bernier

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Henrik Zetterberg, Evgeny Svechnikov, Trevor Daley, Michael Rasmussen, Tyler Bertuzzi.

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Detroit

    1. Skate and Check furiously.
      1. Just because Detroit is in the bottom of the standings doesn’t mean they aren’t competitive.
    2. Big guns needs to show up
      1. It need to start now and set a precedence for the rest of the season.
    3. Powerplay
      1. Been struggling for a while. Gotta get it going again to make the Leafs dangerous
  • Gameday Preview – 2/1/2019 – Calgary Flames v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 2/1/2019 – Calgary Flames v. Washington Capitals

    Calgary Flames (33-13-5 71pts) v. Washington Capitals (27-17-6 60pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and Sportsnet West

     

    Preview:

    It’s time to get back to work for the Washington Capitals after having the past week and a half off for the All Star Break and Bye Week. The Capitals return from their break in the midst of a seven game losing streak as they play host to the red hot Calgary Flames.

     

    For the Capitals the break was much needed for the entire team as we all could see that they were fatigued from all of the hockey they have been playing the past 16 months, and with preseason, regular season, and playoffs combined the Capitals have played 170 games, which is a lot of hockey. The Capitals will be the first to admit that they were tired from all of the hockey they have played, and with yesterday’s practice it can be said that the time off came at the right time as the players looked refreshed.

     

    Calgary Flames:

    Projected Lineup:

    Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Elias Lindholm

    Matthew Tkachuk – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik

    Sam Bennett – Mark Jankowski – James Neal

    Andrew Mangiapane – Derek Ryan – Garnet Hathaway

    Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie

    Noah Hanifin – Travis Hamonic

    Oliver Kylington – Rasmus Andersson

    Mike Smith

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Test the Capitals

    The Capitals say they are refreshed and ready to go into the playoff push, and the Flames need to go out there and test the Capitals. Calgary needs to force the play and really push the Capitals tonight.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get a good start

    Despite getting their well needed rest, the Capitals still are on a 7 game losing streak, and will be looking to end it tonight. If the Capitals can get a quick goal and get the Capital One Arena crowd buzzing, this could be the night the Capitals need.

  • Mental Health & Addiction is a Very Serious Issue

    Mental Health & Addiction is a Very Serious Issue

    Here at TXHT we believe in bringing you the best Hockey News and we normally stay away from something that is a menial topic or has emotional implications because it’s more of an opinion than solid news.

    But the topic we will hit on tonight is a very important one, I will not try to convince anyone of its importance but will just discuss those who have been affected by Addiction and Mental Health. I will leave their stories in hopes that we all can see that these professional athletes are people just like everyone else and that Mental Health and Addiction shows no bias, it affects everyone. Let’s start taking a look at these stories.

    rick_rypien
    (Source: Getty Images)

    Rick Rypien – (May 16, 1984 – August 15, 2011)

    Known most prominently for his hitting and fighting, Rypien started his career off with playing four years for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, then signed a professional contract to play for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League in 2005. The following season Rypien would sign with the Vancouver Canucks and split the next 6 seasons between the Canucks and the Moose. He then signed with the Jets in 2010 but never made it to training camp. Rypien was scheduled to get on a plane to Winnipeg but was found dead in his apartment with what was ruled later as suicide.

    His battle with Clinical depression was well known to everyone including close friend Kevin Bieksa(Who has now started a website to commemorate his friend).

    belak487
    (Source: Adrian Wyld)

    Wade Belak – (July 3, 1976 – August 31, 2011)

    Belak was drafted 12th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    August 31, 2011, Belak was found dead in a condo in Toronto. Police did not confirm a cause of his death, but Toronto Police treated it as a suicide.

    After Belak’s death, his mother stated that he had been suffering from depression. Michael Landsberg reported that he had spoken with Belak one week before his death about their mutual depression and that Belak admitted having been on “happy pills” for the previous four to five years.

    Edmonton Oilers v Minnesota Wild
    (Getty Images)

    Derek Boogaard – (June 23, 1982 – May 13, 2011)

    Boogaard played for the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. His fighting prowess earned him the nicknames of “Boogeyman” and “The Mountie”, and made him a favorite with fans. At age 28 Boogaard from an accidental drug and alcohol overdose while recovering from a concussion. A posthumous examination of his brain found he had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

    setoguchi08
    (Source: Wikipedia)

    Devin Setoguchi 

    Once a promising player who was expected to have an impact on the game for years to come. Setoguchi managed a few successful seasons with the San Jose Sharks before being traded to Minnesota and then eventually demoted to the minors, Setoguchi found himself drinking two 26 ounce bottles of Jameson every day. This lead to a mental breakdown and ultimately rehab. Now sober he attempted a comeback with the LA Kings but it didn’t work out.

    new+york+rangers+v+toronto+maple+leafs+c3uaxa1muu9l
    (Source: Getty Images)

    Rich Clune

    From his time in junior hockey, he would start drinking every morning and every day. This eventually turned into heavy cocaine abuse, where Clune would wake up in a fit of tremors. He would eventually check himself into rehab, but walk at one point in denial of his addiction. He would eventually return to the same clinic and complete his treatment. He is completely sober and clean and has never relapsed.

    austin-watson-1040x572
    (Mark Humphrey/AP)

    Auston Watson

    Before the season began Austin Watson had been suspended 18 games for an altercation between him and his girlfriend, after pleading no contest to a domestic assault charge in July. His girlfriend, Jenn Guardino, issued a statement in October taking the blame for the incident in the parking lot of a gas station, saying she had struggled with alcoholism for years and was involved in AA. Watson shared an Instagram post stating that he’d been dealing with anxiety, depression, and alcoholism since the age of 18. He said that he was currently sober and committed to a “healthy lifestyle. Watson has been suspended again recently but not for any setbacks but so that he can complete stage two of the NHL’s substance abuse program

    These are just some of the stories, I could go on for days. But let’s keep these things at the front of our minds. These are real people, no matter their pay grade. Mental health and Addictions are real issues that can find anyone, and affect their life drastically.

  • Leafs Acquire Veteran Blueliner Jake Muzzin

    jake-muzzin
    Photo credit| NHL.com & MapleLeafsHotStove.com

    The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired 29 year old Jake Muzzin in exchange for Prospect Carl Grundstrom & Sean Durzi (rights), along with a 1st round selection in 2019.

    Muzzin brings size and options for Mike Babcock. The defence pairing should now look like this going forward.

    Morgan Rielly – Jake Muzzin
    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev
    Travis Dermott – Ron Hainsey

    On top of adding a defencemen with experience and 2 Stanley Cups, Muzzin brings another year on his contract meaning this is not a rental deal. But a Hockey deal. The same thing that GM Kyle Dubas said he was only going to do.