January 13th, 2018Equal parts exhilarating and devastating, sports are quite simply unpredictable. Ask the city of Pittsburgh. This week 25 years ago, Penguins fans experienced both emotions at the same time. Riding back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and looking like a team destined to three-peat, Mario Lemieux stepped to the podium at a sudden press...
June 15th, 2017Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby joined Mario Lemieux and Bernie Parent as the only other players in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in back-to-back years. Crosby deserved it, posting eight goals and 27 points in 24 playoff games. But he wasn't the only member of the Penguins who played at an MVP level. Both...
May 12th, 2017We are finally reaching that time of the year when everything matters the most; each game, shift, and effort ultimately determines success or failure. Regardless of whether you are an avid fan or casual watcher, there is something special about the spirit of playoff competition that brings out a player’s true nature. There are...
November 29th, 2015There was a huge welcome return to the Chicago Blackhawks line up two weeks ago in the form of defenseman Duncan Keith.
Keith has been out injured for a month, undergoing successful knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. It was originally thought that he would be out for up to six weeks, but made his return after just four weeks after...
May 16th, 2015If a player is awarded the Conn Smythe trophy, it means he had an exemplary run in the playoffs. Out of all the competing teams and players, he was the one to win MVP. Winning this award requires a player to sweat, bleed and overcome tremendous adversity. Past recipients include Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy to name a...
October 11th, 2014News and notes from the hockey world on this day, fifty years ago.
AHL season faces off
The American Hockey League dropped the puck on their 1964-65 season last night with a pair of contests. In Baltimore, the visiting Quebec Aces blanked the Baltimore Clippers 4-0, while in Providence, RI, the Reds doubled the Pittsburgh...
June 9th, 2014The date was June 9, 2003. When the final horn sounded, the New Jersey Devils were Stanley Cup champions for the third time in franchise history, defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, in Game 7. A classic sendoff for Ken Daneyko. A first Cup for Head Coach Pat Burns. For Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Sergei Brylin,...
June 19th, 2013Quick: go to NHL.com, click on the stats home page, and check the league leaders in all major NHL stats categories heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. There, you will find the 2 leading Conn Smythe candidates, as well as an impressively old school plus/minus plateau. Here, let me save you the trouble and share this tweet...