Vladimir Putin celebrated his birthday in a way hockey fans can only dream of.As he turned 63 Wednesday,
Show All Chicago Bears Jersey the Ru sian president played hockey with NHL legends Vyacheslav Fetisov and Pavel Bureagainst Ru sian officials and tycoons, and scored a whopping seven goals.MORE:
Jonathan Bullard Jersey | Position rankings: | | | , the opposing team consisted ofdefense minister Sergei Shoigu,KHL chairmanGennady Timchenko
Khalil Mack Jersey and Dynamo Moscow president Arkady Rotenberg.Putin was the star of the game, which wasnationally televised, winning 15-
Adam Shaheen Jersey 10 with the help of his NHL teammates. He was awarded with a trophy for the victory and given a medal for hiscontribution to the sport in Ru sia.His party choice this year is much improved from his previousone, asPutin reportedly spent
Jim McMahon Jersey his 62nd birthday in the Siberian wilderne s.
When Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan Kyle Dubas as the club's new general manager, both Shanahan and Dubas said they hoped other high-ranking executives in the organization would hang around, but also made it clear nothing was set in stone.Just 11 days later, and the Maple Leafs' bedrock has been pretty chiseled.On Tuesday, Toronto announced that it has mutually parted ways with former a sistant general manager Mark Hunter.MORE:"Following extensive discu sions with Mark, he and the Toronto Maple Leafs have mutually agreed to part ways,"Shanahansaid Tuesday in announcing Hunter's resignation. "I'd like to
Miami Hurricanes Jersey sincerely thank Mark for everything he's done for this organization over the last four years and I wish him nothing but the best in the future."For the past three seasons, Hunter served withDubasas a sistant general managers. WhenShanahanannouncedDubasas the franchise'
Sam Waardenburg Jersey s new general manager, filling the vacancy left by LouLamoriello,Shanahansaid.Expectation is that while Mark Hunter is departing TOR, because he has time remaining on his contract, one of the conditions of his departure is that he will not be permitted to work for another team until after 2018 draft and free agency period. Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) "It was a difficult decision in that we had two such qualified people, but ultimately I went with Kyle,"Shanahansaid at the time. "I spoke to (Mark) again this morning. Mark likes Kyle, he respects the decision, he has a lot of respect for Kyle, and at this point, its really up to the general manager and his staff to get together in the coming weeks and sort of see how that all plays out."The announcement of this move comes le s than 24 hours after The Athletic reportedLamoriello is heading to the New York Islanders . (On Tuesday, the Isalnders officially announced that move themselves.)After spending the past three seasons serving as Toronto's general manager, Lamoriello transitioned into a senior advisor role following the 2017-
Frank Gore Jersey 18 season, with time remaining on his Maple Leafs contract. At the time that reorganization was announced, Lamoriello said he intended to stay In Toronto
Dominic Proctor Jersey . Likewise, Shanahan and Dubas both seemed optimistic about their chances of retaining Hunter in a Dubas-led Maple Leafs front office.Lamoriello on the po sibility of going to another team: "My responsibility is right here with the . I made a decision three years ago and it was my intent to honor that. ... There are no other thoughts in my mind at this point." Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) But just 11 days after Toronto hosted a pre s conference to install Dubas as the new general manager, the team is now without both Hunter and Lamoriello.Hunter played a big role in Maple Leafs player development and amateur scouting, and has been credited by Shanahan for pushing the team to select Mitch Marner with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.According to TSN'
Jimmy Graham Jersey s Bob McKenzie, the timing of this announcement had to specifically do with the NHL Draft. McKenzie reported the Maple Leafs could have had Hunter run their 2018 Draft, which will be held in Dallas June 22 and 23, but made the decision to part ways now because Hunter .But McKenzie also reported a condition of this move is, despite the fact that Hunter will be permitted to join a new team with time remaining on his Maple Leafs contract, he will have to wait to do so until after the free agency period ends in July.
PITTSBURGH Of course Ian Cole wrapped up Nick Bonino. Thats the least you can do for the guy who scrapes together your bail money. He puts the cash on the table, the door opens up, and you give him a hug.He was right there in front of Cole, Bonino was, a split-second after scoring in overtime and ending the Penguins series against the Capitals. It was
Channing Stribling Jersey Cole who, a few minutes before, had directed the third installment in Pittsburghs .MORE: It was the worst of the three, and it forced OT in a game Pittsburgh shouldve ended in regulation. At 6:32 of the extra period, though, it didnt matter. That was thanks to Phil Ke sel, who found one of his linemates in front of the net, and Carl Hagelin, who put the puck on net and, ultimately, Bonino, who buried the rebound.Nick Bonino ends the series. (Getty Images)All three joined Pittsburgh from July 1, 2015,to Jan. 18,2016, with Hagelin as the midseason addition. Somaybe think of Coles hug as
Ignas Brazdeikis Jersey the culmination of GM Jim Rutherfords on-the-fly rebuild of his team.SN EXCLUSIVE: (And be honest about it: The Penguins were courting of one of all-time choke jobs. Theyd already mi sed out on a chance at eliminating Washington in Game 5, and Game 7s are Game 7s; youd rather not go into one because of a wasted three-goal lead at home. Now, they dont need to worry about that.)I was right next to Bones when he scored and I just hugged him and took him into the gla s, Cole said after the game. Any other Penguin, particularly Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, shouldve done the same; this is the sort of series that, before Christmas, they seemed terminally incapable of winning, and now its over.Malkin and Crosby, despite doing plenty of positive stuff, combined for exactly one goal in six games against the best team in the league. Forget the group that started the season; this was the exact scenario that wouldve railroaded any Pittsburgh team since the franchise's2009 Cup win.MORE: It actually has railroaded a few, particularly after Crosby shook his injury i sues in 2012; you can look at last years example as the template. In the first round against the Rangers, Crosby and Malkin combined for four points. All were by Crosby, and he didnt score a goal after Game 2. They were done in five.Thats not meant as a particular indictment of eithers play overall; theyre still better than point-per-game players in their careers. They have Stanley Cup rings. They just cant do it alone, because nobody can.If anything, its an indictment of hockey; hockey is unforgiving
Mike Hart Jersey . Its chaos. When it comes down to goals, its random, and distre singly so; thats why you dont put all your eggs in two baskets, and thats why the secondary scoring cliche is so true. If you rely too heavily on a pair of players to carry you, from a point-production standpoint, you are going to fail.And thats what Pittsburgh did, due to either injuries or errant roster correction, for years. Teams with sustainable playoff succe s cant rely on guys like Blake Comeau, Nick Spaling, Tanner Gla s and Brian Gibbons to score goals. They cant rely on
De'Veon Smith Jersey Brandon Sutter to center a point-producing line.MORE: They can rely on Matt Cullen, though, They can rely on young, cheapwhirlwinds like Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary. Those are the sorts of players that, when your two superduperstars cant find the net, tend to pick up the slack; they dont just drive play. They score.In this series, most of all, Pittsburgh relied on Ke sel, Hagelin and Bonino.They seemed to be the group that scored all the time in the games, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said.Ke sel leads the team with 12 points overall. Hagelin led it in this series with seven. Bonino, generally, serves as the triggerman for those two, but on Tuesday night, he was the finisher.
C.J. Baird Jersey "He's a cerebral player. He sees the game well on both sides of the puck," Penguins coach MikeSullivan said. "That line, I think, has been really good for us for a long time now."Sullivan tried to spread the love beyond those three, too; Pittsburgh rolls four lines with some degree of succe s."Noteverybody showed up on the score sheet," Sullivan said, "but everybody made a significant contribution to helping us win tonight."Right,but some of them made more significant contributions than others, and the others are named Crosby and Malkin.Not long ago, that seemed impo sible.
Ilya Bryzgalovs time in the NHL may be at an end.Signed to a 2.88 million-dollar deal earlier this season, Bryzgalov was supposed to provide some insurance for Anaheim. He didnt, posting a
Clark Harris Jersey lousy .882 even-strength save percentage in eight games (six starts).MORE: | His save chart isnt doing him
Malik Jefferson Jersey any favors either:So it's no surprise the 34-year-old goalie found himself on waivers. Also not shocking: he went unclaimed.Update: Bryzgalov cleared waivers. Exec VP/GM Bob Murray will discu s his status with Bryzgalovs camp today to determine next steps. Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) While his deal isnt prohibitive his cap hit is a shade under $2 million its hard to imagine Bryzgalov finding any work if he and the Ducks decide to part ways. His market wasnt exactly hot before, and this sample, small as it is,
Ryan Glasgow Jersey does him no favors.More than likely, the veteran would be best served heading to the minors, collecting his paycheck and going about his busine s with hopes a nice stint in the AHL gets him a chance next year. Or
Preston Brown Jersey that injury strikes both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson after the trade deadline, forcing the Ducks to go with the devil they know, rather than some unknown off the street
Hardy Nickerson Jersey option.Of course, the Ducks may have seen enough to just cut bait entirely.Byrzs replacement for now will be Jason LaBarbera. The veteran backup has posted a .917 save percentage in all situations with Norfolk this year. Hell be there to back up Gibson until Andersen returns from his head/neck injury.
Michal Rozsival's injury was gruesome to watch, and Friday we found out why: Rozsival broke his left ankle
Troy Hill Jersey .That's all she wrote for Rozsival this season, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Friday. Surgery is needed to repair the damage.MORE: | At 36, it's po sible this could be the end of the line for Rozsival
Michael Brockers Jersey .It's another twist for coach Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks, who now must replace a top-six defenseman ahead of the Western Conference finals.Rozsival was injured midway through the second period of Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks completed a series sweep, so .Tough lo s, Quenneville said, understated as always.
Rodger Saffold Jersey Doesnt look good.MORE: | Duncan Keith will get a new partner and Quenneville must find a guy to eat more than 20 minutes' ice time a game. No matter whether it's the Anaheim Ducks or Calgary Flames in the next series, the Blackhawks have a glaring need and a gaping hole.Kimmo Timonen might fill parts of it,
Connor Barwin Jersey and David Rundblad is next on the depth chart, according to the . But the 'Hawks lack a patch and were getting by with Roszival because of a thin blue-line corps.Of the options, only Kyle
Kayvon Webster Jersey Cumiskey has playoff experience. Michael Paliotta could be a last resort.Behind their top four, the 'Hawks don't have much. Timonen and someone else must step up.
Washington Capitalsfans saw a familiar face on the visiting bench Friday night. Barry Trotz, who led the team to the franchise's first Stanley Cup championshiplast season, made hisreturn
Johnny Gaudreau Jersey to D.C. with his new team, the New York Islanders.Despite the fact that the Capitals honored their former coach witha tribute video during the first period. Everyone in attendance, including the players, gave Trotz a standing ovation. The longtime coach kept his
Josh Jooris Jersey emotions in check as he motioned thanks to the crowd. The video also thanked a sistants LaneLambert and MitchKorn, who moved with Trotz to the Islanders.To Barry, Lane and Mitch - THANK YOU! Washington Capitals (@Capitals) "My heart is full of good memories," . "I've worked with great people, we've had good teams, won a lot of games
Byron Froese Jersey , and we did the ultimate, we won the Stanley Cup."This whole fan base is so pa sionate, to see theexcitement, it brought (back) all those memories, the parade, the winning, all the other stuff that goes along with it."I've had a smile on my face all day today.". just checking in with his old coach. NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) Trotz manned the Capitals bench for four seasonsand compiled a regular season record of 205-89-34, which was an NHL-best during that span. Along with the Cup, he collected two Presidents' Trophies and was the 2016
Vancouver Canucks Jersey Jack Adams Award winner. When he resigned, he became one of four coaches in the last 40 years to not return to their
Jordan Oesterle Jersey team after winning the Stanley Cup.On Friday, Trotz's new squad came away with a 2-0 victory. In the third period, the Islanders' Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck potted goals while Thomas Grei s picked up the shutout with 19 saves.
Trailing 4-2 halfway through the
Jameis Winston Jersey second period of Sunday's Game 6, the Pittsburgh Penguins were staring at the po sibility of having to gohome for a Game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers.EnterJake Guentzel.The Penguins forward a sisted on a Patric Hornqvisttallyand then took matters into his own hands by scoring four straight goals to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-5series-clinching win in Philadelphia.PENNSYLVANIA STATE CHAMPIONS!...And seeking more. Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) After setting up Hornqvist,Guentzel brought the Penguins level in the final minute of the second period. The 23-year-old deflected Olli Maatta's point shot past Flyers netminder MichalNeuvirth to tie the game at four.Guentzel gave the Penguins the lead just 30 seconds
New Orleans Saints Sweater into the third period. He was the beneficiary ofsome strong forechecking by linemate Phil Ke sel, who took the puck off Flyers defenseman IvanProvorov and put it on a platter for Guentzel to tap into an empty net.The Penguins'
LeGarrette Blount Jersey phenom wasn't done there. With le s than eight minutes to play, Guentzel took Kris Letang's pa s and fired a one-timer past Neuvirth to complete his second career playoff hat trick.Whilefans and commentators alike were questioning whether Letang got away with a trip in the lead-up to the goal, the Penguins were on the attack again. Ten seconds after completing his hat trick, Guentzel grabbed his fourth on a beautiful pa s from Hornqvist to make it 7-4 Pittsburgh.In
Derek Wolfe Women Jersey his two NHL seasons, Guentzel has shown he is capable of playing his best hockey under the brightest lights. He scored 13 goals in 25 gameslast postseason on Pittsburgh's run to the Stanley Cup and tallied six more in the team's first-round series with Philadelphia.Guentzel has just 38 regular season goals in 122 career games.He is now one of seven players inNHL history to record four goals in a series-clinching game.Jake Guentzel became just the seventh player in NHL Playoffs history to score at least four goals in a series-clinching game. NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) Sean Couturier also netted a hat trick for Philadelphia, but it wasn't enough to preventthe Penguins from winning their ninth straight playoff series.The
Torrey Smith Youth Jersey Penguins advance to play the winner of the first-round series between the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets in the next round.
When it comes to major injuries, the Canadiensknow better than most how a single one can send a season spiraling downward. Now they'll need to get by withouttheirmost dynamic offensive player.Alex Galchenyuk,the team's No. 1 center and leading scorer,
Ty Montgomery Jersey will mi ssix to eight weeks with a knee injury, the team announced Wednesday.MORE: Galchenyuk was injured Sunday in a collision with Kings forward Anze Kopitar, and his absence will be felt immediately by a slumping offense that has scoredjust 25 goals in thepast 11
Frank Sinkwich Jersey games (2.27 goals per game). The22-year-old leads the Habs in points
Zach Kent Jersey (23) and goals (nine).To make matters worse,David Desharnais, who centeredMontreal's top line in Galchenyuk's stead duringTuesday's 3-2 lo s to the St. Louis, also is expected to be out six to eight weeks with
Cole Hikutini Jersey a knee injury, leaving the Canadienswith little depth down the middle for the next two months.The Habslead the Eastern Conference with 37 points (17-6-3), but are just4-4-2 in their last 10 games.Galchenyuk's injury in particular will serve as a too-soon reminder of the 2015-16 season, when Montrealsquandered a
Micah Potter Jersey hot startand failed to make the playoffsin the absence of franchise goalie Carey Price, who played only 12 games.
If you've ever had time to kill (), odds are you've played "Would You Rather?" There aren't many better days to break this out than Black Friday. Would you rather read this, eat leftovers and watch sports, or expose
Anthony Miller Jersey yourself to psychopaths willing to kill for a $500 48-inch TV?So, here are 10 NHL Would You Rather scenarios. Thanks to Twitter for facilitating lazine s. would you rather: Henrik Lunqvist's hair, or his playing ability? Matt Janos (@mattjanos) My hair is actually pretty solid, if not Lundqvist-caliber. I'd rather have his face, but that's not the choice I've been given. And either way, really, I'd prefer his playing ability. That ability has made him millions upon millions of dollars and, soon enough, will make him millions upon millions more dollars. With that money, I could buy something approximating his hair, sort of like Tom Brady. Also, part of the Lundqvist tao is his suits. If I were making $7 million a year, I could have a stylist, too. Would you rather have Eugene Melnyk or Ed Snider as your owner?? Scott Wasilewski (@scottywazz) Snider. With him, the Flyers are guaranteed to, if nothing else, spend a ton of money. If I were a general manager, that would be a pretty huge trump card. Sure, he's more demanding than other owners, but that goes with the territory. It'd be tough working for Melnyk, first and foremost, because the Senators operate on an internal budget that's fairly far from the salary cap. That's not going to change, even as the cap goes up. Huge, huge problem, and reason enough for me to pick Snider, . Would you rather have your name engraved on the Stanley Cup, or get to spend a week with it? PDO Dragon (@RangerSmurf) Oh, I'd rather have my name on the Cup. Not close. Having it for a week when you did nothing to earn it would be a pretty hollow experience. "Hey, come back to my place. I have the Stanley Cup," sounds fine enough, but it doesn't compete with the satisfaction of knowing that I was part of the group that won it. Also, most of the perks that'd come
Houston Texans Jackets from having it for seven days could be replicated with the day-long party I'm a suming I'd still get for winning it. Would you rather spend a night out with Patrick Kane or Tyler Seguin? Patrick Kearns (@PatrickKearns) Kane. Part of that: I'm 27, he's 25 and Seguin is 21. Those few years are pretty important when you're dealing with guys in their 20s; it can be the difference between, say, making it home in one piece and winding up in jail. Also, Kane's maturation proce s seems to be in the right place, Chicago is better than Dallas and I have a sneaking suspicion that Seguin likes EDM
Tytus Howard Jersey , which is a real problem for me. Would You Rather have the body/face of the original Phoenix Coyotes logo or always be surrounded by the glowing puck light. Jeff Israel (@jeffisrael25) This is difficult. I like being a person. Relationships would suffer if I were a dog, even a somewhat anthropomorphized one. I feel like people would get used to the glow-puck lightFox pulled the plug too earlyand maybe think I was an angel or something. Would you rather experience the pain Stamkos had when he broke his leg or have Joe Thornton score 4 goals against your team? Hockeysteve54 (@Hockeysteve54) The implication is that I don't want Joe Thornton to score four goals, which is flawed. . Everyone. Would you rather be the elite center Ke sel's never had, or get to play wing and be on the PP with Stamkos? Sarah Barnett (@sbarnett037) Ke sel has a potentially elite center; the problem is that Nazem Kadri is on the second line. Someday, Toronto will fix that. Maybe. OK, maybe not. And either way, playing with Stamkos would be awesome. He's a generational talent and, by all accounts, a good dude. Lots of ice time with him would mean lots of money down the road. Would you
Marcus Cannon Jersey rather sleep inside a 10-year-old hockey goalie bag or spend 1 hour locked in a room with an agitated John Scott? Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) John Scott's 10ish inches taller than me, and I'm quick enough. I feel like I could run through his legs if things got ugly. The other scenario would lead to me vomiting while inside the bag, which is a non-starter. I have a notoriously weak stomach; the smell of locker rooms is tough enough sometimes. would you rather play without a goalie for one period or only skate 4 players for one period? Will Crist (@will_crist) Being on a penalty kill for 20 minutes against a team that clicks on 20 percent of its power plays easily mean at least two goals right away, and probably more, given that it's tougher to change lines during a kill. , you can probably get away without a goalie for a period against the Maple Leafs. Just force them to take a couple penalties and hang out in the neutral zone. Not every team is the Maple Leafs, thoughand the fact that they'd know that there was an empty net (and thus no real chance to make a save) would mean lots of long-range shots that have a decent chance to go in. So20 minutes with four guys. Would
Steven Nelson Jersey you rather walk in on your grandma wearing nothing or walk in on her wearing nothing but the Sabres' 3rd jersey? Adam Herman (@Herman_NYRBlog) If she was wearing the Sabres' third jersey, it'd mean she had dementia. I don't want my grandma to have dementia.
