Category: NHL

The Captain humbled by number retirement by Coyotes

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Photo credit: @pjbreenphoto

COMMENTARY
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, February 24, 2019

GLENDALE, Ariz. — During the last few seasons of his NHL career, Shane Doan occasionally mentioned his love for the game. So much, he said, “I’ll play in a no-checking rec league.” Now retired for two seasons, Doan said that, in fact, he located one.
“It’s in north Scottsdale. I play once a week or so,” Doan explained on the night his number was retired by the Arizona Coyotes. “We have fun.”

Asked if other players were a little intimidated by having an NHL veteran in the league, Doan smiled and said, “I don’t shoot!”

In his 21 seasons in the NHL, Doan did plenty of shooting in his 1,540 games for the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise, scoring 402 goals, 570 assists and 972 points — all team records. But as one former teammate after another pointed out in their comments, it was more than the numbers that made Doan a special teammate.

Tyson Nash, a former teammate who does commentary on Coyotes TV, said during the lengthy pregame ceremony, “When I look up at that jersey, it won’t be the goals, assists and points. I will remember the stories, the dinners, the card games, the celebrations, the losses, the inside jokes, the wrestling matches, the smile.

“He’s the best person I ever got to call my friend, my teammate and my captain. I love you buddy,” Bettman said, “As I got to know Shane over the years, I’ll tell you a couple of things: 1) He is truly a great guy with incredible integrity, and 2) this franchise wouldn’t be here without him.”

Video tributes came from a list including everyone from former Diamondback Paul Goldschmidt to former teammates Jeremy Roenick and Keith Yandle to Garth Brooks.
Roenick said, “Not only was he a phenomenal hockey player, he was an incredible leader, teammate and most importantly, a great friend. Shane Doan, you are what people aspire to.”

Other touches: Doan’s No. 19 also painted on the ice behind each goal cage in the trapezoid. There was no shortage of banners throughout the crowd that also had a noticeable number of banners, including “Doan’t Stop Believing’,” while many had simple Thank you’s. Both the Jets and Coyotes players wore No, 19 on the back of their jerseys during the pregame skate, which will be put up for charity auction.

After comments from Bettman, Coyotes President and CEO Ahron Cohen, current Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, former Coyote Daniel Briere, Doan stepped to the podium at center ice.

“Being with one organization for 22 years was very special,” he said, adding that he wanted to thank his parents for “dedication, support and their work ethic.”

Doan gave a shout out to the commish, and the team’s numerous former owners (including the NHL itself) “for having the vision to put a team here.”

Addressing his approach to hockey and life, Doan recalled an old, favorite proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. And the only reason that I’m here and the only reason I’m celebrated is because of everything that everyone sacrificed around me.”

Doan mentioned his children, saying, “My kids sacrificed so much for me. … My children are truly amazing. They’re funny, they have empathy, they love each other. They are truly phenomenal.”

On his wife, Andrea, “I met her in the parking lot at a 7-11. Couldn’t take my eyes off of her!

“Strong tough, married a hockey player. She had to be! The game was always demanding of our time. Andrea was always great for me in every single way.”

Doan said, “Hockey taught me when I’m tired to keep going. It humbled me, and gave me more joy than I could ever imagine. … I played because of The Creator. I didn’t choose any of these things, but I benefited from them all.”

In true Doan style, he said, “I was never a superstar, I just kept hanging around, which is good; I would have been a lousy cowboy anyway. So, I kept playing hockey.”

Doan received a custom No. 19 golf cart, unveiled with Oliver Eckman-Larsson, and a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle, With that, his No. 19 was raised to the rafters with thunderous applause, cheering and another standing ovation.

When Doan and the Coyotes parted ways in 2017, it didn’t end well when the veteran reluctantly waived his no-trade clause near the trading deadline and there were no takers. Soon after, the Coyotes informed Doan they weren’t bringing him back. He retired soon afterward. Time healed that wound, and the time finally arrived for the Coyotes to honor “The Captain.”

After the ceremony, Doan, as is his nature, said “I had a hard time even walking out onto the ice because I didn’t feel comfortable with all the attention.”

As the chairs and mats were being removed, the public address announcer proclaimed, “One more time, Give it up for the Captain — Shane Doan!” Frankly, the crowd didn’t have to be asked.

Pavelski’s Hat Trick Leads Sharks to 5-3 Win Over Red Wings

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Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 at Little Caesars Arena Sunday. Joe Pavelski scored three unanswered goals, after goals from Tim Heed and Brent Burns. The Red Wings got goals from Darren Helm, Gustav Nyquist and Mike Green. The Sharks’ Aaron Dell made 20 saves for the win while Jonathan Bernier made 32 saves in the loss.

The Sharks passed some milestones in Sunday’s game. Joe Pavelski earned his 350th (and 351st) NHL points, Marc-Edouard Vlasic earned his 300th and Brent Burns passed the 70 point mark in 65 games for the season. Burns became the first defenseman to do that since 1994 when Ray Bourque did it.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Tim Heed described the team’s approach to a fast Detroit team: “Like you said they have a really speedy team and a lot of skills. In the first period they were all over us, then in the second and third I thought we took away their time and space and that’s… after that I think we took over the game.”

Tim Heed gave the Sharks an early lead with a goal at 3:46. Initially it looked like Joe Thornton had tipped Heed’s blue line shot but the puck actually went off of a defenseman’s skate. Assists went to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Kevin Labanc.

The Red Wings responded with goals at 14:39 and 19:23. Darren Helm tied the game with a shot off of a breakaway, narrowly avoiding Brent Burns’s stick. Assists went to Justin Abdelkader and Mike Green.

Gustav Nyquist gave the Red Wings a lead in the final minute of the period. A backhand pass from Tyler Bertuzzi near the blue line found Dylan Larkin on the goal line. Larkin quickly moved it to the net where several Sharks and Red Wings descended upon it. Aaron Dell wound up down on the left side of the blue paint with Burns on the ice behind him. Burns stopped a couple of shots but Nyquist finally found the puck in the open and put it away. Assists went to Larkin and Bertuzzi.

At the end of the first, the Sharks had just five shots on goal to Detroit’s 15. The Sharks had some zone time but the Red Wings did a good job of limiting shot opportunities and blocking the ones the Sharks attempted.

One minute into the period, the Sharks were on the penalty kill after Brenden Dillon was called for high sticking Dylan Larkin. The Detroit power play lasted just 14 seconds before Dylan Larkin was called for hooking Tomas Hertl.

The Sharks made some adjustments for the second period, including some extra time on the ice for Evander Kane. In the first five minutes, the Sharks had five shots to the Red Wings one. Nevertheless, the Red Wings scored again at the 8 minute mark.

Mike Green found himself very much in the open with all the attention on the other side of the ice, where Justin Abdelkader had the puck in the corner. Abdelkader made a pass through traffic and across the goal mouth to Green. Dell tried to get across but could not get there in time. Assists went to Abdelkader and Anthony Mantha. That was Detroit’s third shot of the period and their last.

The Red Wings held the two goal lead until 13:50 of the second. Logan Couture won an offensive zone faceoff and Timo Meier helped the puck get to Brent Burns at the point. Burns’s shot went right through for his 13th of the season. Assists went to Meier and Couture.

Joe Pavelski tied the game at 15:50 on the power play. The Sharks spent a lot of time moving around the offensive zone before Joe Thornton finally took a shot. Bernier stopped it but the rebound didn’t travel far. Joe Pavelski was right in front of the goaltender and, while falling to his knees, he pushed the puck around the goalie and in. Thornton and Burns got the assists.

Pavelski gave the Sharks the lead at 16:45, deflecting a Vlasic shot while standing eight feet or so outside the slot. Assists went to Vlasic and Hertl.

The Sharks had 16 shots in the second to Detroit’s 3 in the second. In the third, the Red Wings got their first shot near the 14 minute mark, on a power play. The Sharks had 12 by then for the third period.

The only goal of the period came in the final minute, an empty net goal right off the faceoff. Joe Pavelski completed a natural hat trick with an almost casual backhand from the neutral zone. Logan Couture picked up an assist on that goal.

The faceoff was preceded by an off side call on the Red Wings, which followed a strange collision at the bench between players changing and the goalie leaving the ice. Kronwall seemed to get the worst of it, being knocked down. The extra skater in the final minute did little to help.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Boston against the Bruins at 4:00 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Coyotes retiring Doan’s number 19; Flyers take in the fresh air in outdoor game; Trades ahoy starts today; plus more

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Photo credit: @Sportsnet650

On the NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Coyotes retiring Shane Doan’s No. 19

2 Flyers stun Pittsburgh in outdoor OT

3 Teams getting busy before trading deadline

4 Innovations allow NHL to host an outdoor game almost anywhere

Catch the NHL podcast with Daniel each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sharks Shut Out 4-0 By Blue Jackets

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were shut out 4-0 in Columbus Saturday. The Blue Jackets got goals from Boone Jenner, Matt Duchene (on his second day with the team), Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Sergei Bobrovski made 26 saves for the shut out, while the Sharks’ Martin Jones made 19 saves on 23 shots before being replaced by Aaron Dell, who made three saves on as many shots.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said: “We don’t need a refresher. You know, we had a shut out the other night, so it’s not 6-5 every night. We’re doing our job defensively, that’s why we’re scoring. Tonight was one that kind of got away from us. Our special teams weren’t great, and five-on-five … didn’t generate a lot.”

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “Fugly. I mean, you know, not much else to say. It’s one of those… you have a few of those games a year, I don’t know why. We didn’t execute, they were hungrier, they were more desperate, they deserved to win. Having said that, it was still a 2-0 game, we had some chances to maybe turn it a little bit but we didn’t deserve… We got what we deserved tonight.”

The Blue Jackets struck first at the 11-minute mark of the first. Josh Anderson carried the puck into the zone, facing resistance from Erik Karlsson. Brent Burns was also keeping an eye on him, perhaps too close an eye. Boone Jenner entered the zone behind Burns and caught Anderson’s pass for an unimpeded shot from the slot. Anderson got the only assist.

Columbus doubled their lead just 59 seconds into the second period. Artemi Panarin carried the puck in and waited until the last second to shoot. Jones stopped that but two Sharks defenders with one Blue Jacket crowded in front of the net and made it oddly difficult to see where that puck was going. Matt Duchene, however, had a god view of it as he skated to the net and popped the puck over the line. Assists went to Cam Atkinson and Panarin. It was Duchene’s first goal as a Blue Jacket since being traded to Columbus on Friday.

There were no penalties in the first period, but five were called in the second. Two of those power plays went to the Sharks, but they had no shots on goal in their first power play and just one in their second. The Sharks killed two of the Blue Jackets’ power plays, but they gave up a goal on the third.

With just 6.9 seconds left in the period and 1:36 left in the power play, Zach Werenski took a shot from the blue line that hit Jones and then trickled under him. Cam Atkinson found the puck behind the goalie and pushed it over the line. Assists went to Werenski and Panarin.

The Blue Jackets made it 4-0 at 6:02 of the third. Pierre-Luc Dubois skated into the zone, pressured by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The pressure was not enough as Dubois got the shot off anyway. It did not look like Martin Jones expected that as the puck went right under him. Assists went to Dean Kukan and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

After the fourth goal, the Sharks pulled Martin Jones and put Aaron Dell in the net.

Erik Karlsson left the game after just four shifts in the second period. After the game, Pete DeBoer said that he had re-tweaked something and they “will see where it’s at tomorrow.” Marcus Sorensen left early in the third after being hit in the face by a shot from Dean Kukan.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Detroit against the Red Wings at 12:00 noon PT.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: CBJs Bobrovsky gets in front of 22 shots to blank Sens 3-0; Flames win fourth straight; Jets turn up the offense on Knights; plus more

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Photo credit: @BlueJackets

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Columbus Blue Jackets shutout the Ottawa Senators 3-0 behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky who stopped 22 shots and it was done on Ottawa ice. The Blue Jackets’ Matt Duchene, who was just dealt to the CBJs from the Sens, said he enjoyed his last game in Ottawa, but in a different uniform.

#2  The Calgary Flames did it again with their fourth straight win, thanks to a go-ahead goal by the Flames’ Andrew Mangiapane at 3:29 to give the Flames a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

#3 The Winnipeg Jets’ Patrik Laine scored twice and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots as the Jets defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3. The Jets lead the Central Division and Jets head coach Paul Maurice picked up his 685th win to pass Pat Quinn for eighth place on the coaches winningest list.

#4 J.T. Compher got two for the Colorado Avalanche. On his second goal, Compher scored on a breakaway to break a tie and get the go-ahead goal to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. The Hawks’ Patrick Kane scored his 39th goal of the season and extended his 20-game point streak.

#5 The San Jose Sharks brought back Michael Haley from the Florida Panthers. Some wondered why? Haley proved necessary when things got rough when the Sharks ended up getting into a line brawl towards the end of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh and expect Haley to pay off in the home stretch of the season when things get physical and rough.

Matt does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks getting offensive help from key players; Get set for CBJs Sunday

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Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks kept the Pittsburgh Penguins going all game with three goals in the first period and the Pens couldn’t figure the Sharks out.

#2 The Sharks goaltender Martin Jones went perfect 26-26 shutting out the Pens.

#3 Thomas Hertl scored two goals his offense has be indicative with the line he has been on.

#4 Len talks about the line brawl in the closing moments of the game, the Penguins started to take out their frustrations on the Sharks.

#5 The Sharks take on the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM in Columbus.

Len does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Will Flames and Sharks grind it out for first in the Pacific until season’s end?

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Photo credit: @MLB_News247

On the NHL podcast with Joe:

#1 How serious is this Calgary Flames team (37-16-7) ever since that loss to the San Jose Sharks back on Feb. 7th as they’ve been a team on fire?

#2 The Flames first in the Pacific got goal help on Wednesday night when Austin Czarnik and Johnny Gaudreau scored 29 seconds apart talk about team work.

#3 The Flames won their third straight game in that 4-2 win over the New York Islanders (35-18-6). The Isles are no slouches either.

#4 The Islanders on Wednesday got goal help from Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee. These two have been key for New York this season.

#5 The Flames won’t face the Sharks for the rest of the regular season, but most likely will meet them in the playoffs. The last time the two teams met the Flames’ Sam Bennett rocked the Sharks’ Radim Simek. Would that translate that these two teams will rival each other right down to the postseason if and when they meet?

Joe Lami does the NHL podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hertl provides half the Sharks’ goals as they roll to 4-0 victory  

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~ AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose had no even-strength goals in their win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday.

I wonder if Tomas Hertl likes penguins as animals as he certainly had no mercy for the team. Back when the teams played January 15 in a 5-2 victory, on he was the first star again with a hat trick that included an empty-netter.

This time he started the scoring just 57 seconds in.

Martin Jones was a perfect 26-for-26 in net on the other end of the ice. This included shutting down Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby who was on another season-high six-game points streak. Jones plus the Sharks’ defense held Crosby to three shots on goal.

Hertl last had two goals February 7 and the Penguins were last shutout February 5. The last time San Jose shut out a team was back on December 18 versus the Minnesota Wild by the identical score of 4-0.

Brent Burns was the second star of the game with one goal and two assists.

The Sharks finished 3-for-6 on the power play, taking advantage of their opportunities.

Hertl’s first goal came just one second after Jack Johnson was called for tripping.

Evander Kane doubled the lead short-handed at 10:01.

Hertl reappeared at 13:19, with his second power-play goal of the period. Kevin Labanc assisted on both of Hertl’s goals as the goal came on another tripping penalty by the Penguins.

This provided a tough hill for Pittsburgh to climb.

Neither team scored in the second with each taking nine shots on goal. The Penguins had two more penalties and San Jose another one.

That penalty action escalated in the third. It started with Hertl and Tanner Pearson called for roughing minors at 2:20. 15:24 was the highlight, with Pittsburgh’s Marcus Pettersson, Crosby and the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon and Micheal Haley, all receiving 10 minute misconducts. At that same time, Kane and Pearson again received a five minute fighting major. Two seconds later, Phil Kessel was called for a high stick. Kris Letang, who led with six shots on goal, received a cross check minor at 15:17 and Evgeni Malkin capped the period off at 19:47 with a 10 minute misconduct.

Burns managed to capitalize at the height of this in between as he scored at 16:51.

Up Next: San Jose plays the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday at 2 pm.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks start four-game roadie with Pittsburgh tonight

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sfchronicle.com photo: The Boston Bruins Charlie McAvoy (73) is jubilant after scoring go ahead goal against the San Jose Sharks on Monday night at SAP Center

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks Joe Thornton scored a hat trick against his old team the Boston Bruins on Monday night at SAP Center the Bruins no easy customer

#2 The Bruins despite Thornton’s hat trick got a game winning goal from extra skater Charlie McAvoy with 1:01 left for the 6-5 win

#3 The Bruins swept all three California teams on this last road trip Kings, Ducks and Sharks

#4 Joe Pavelski had three points and Logan Couture picked up two in the loss. Neither San Jose’s Martin Jones (14 saves)

#5 The Sharks have lost two out of their last three games and open a four game road trip tonight in Pittsburgh Mary talks about how she sees this game

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Thornton Scores Hat Trick, but Bruins Rally Late Amidst Controversy then Win 6-5 In OT

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BarDown 

By Jerry Feitelberg

Joe Thornton scored a hat trick and the San Jose Sharks erased a three-goal first period deficit, but the Boston Bruins escaped the SAP Center with a 6-5 overtime win Monday night. Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winner with 1:01 left in the extra skate to give Boston the sweep of the trio of California teams and Chris Wagner scored a controversial goal to tie the game late after Joe Thornton’s third goal gave the Sharks a then 5-4 lead.

Joe Pavelski had three points and Logan Couture picked up two in the loss. Neither San Jose’s Martin Jones (14 saves) nor Tuuka Rask of Boston (33 saves) were particularly sharp in net for their respective teams.

McAvoy’s overtime strike came after her and Evander Kane got tangled up in the Sharks offensive end after some physical play. Kane went off for a change, McAvoy stayed on and snuck into the slot for a pass from David Krejci (three assists), with the defenseman’s shot beating Jones for the win with 1:01 left in overtime.

The Bruins put themselves in the position to win despite managing only 20 shots, including four in the second period and seven in the third after Chris Wagner’s career-best eighth goal of the season. Wagner scored with 1:49 left in regulation after batting a puck down from midair behind Martin Jones. Since Wagner hit the puck once more before the puck crossed the goal-line and the official didn’t rule his touch a high stick and a stop of play, the play was not review-able and the game-tying goal counted. It was one of many moments of frustration between the Sharks and referees as Evander Kane also had a late breakaway blown dead after the Bruins net was dislodge and play continued without the net being replaced by a trailing official.

While one point is a small consolation for the Sharks, it was a tremendous comeback effort led by First Star and former Bruin Joe Thornton and teammate Joe Pavekski. With a first goal in toe for Jumbo but the Sharks trailing 3-1 after 20 minutes, the Sharks vets stepped up in a big way down the final 40. Pavelski scored a power play strike, his team-leading 32nd goal, 2:24 into the second to cut the Bruins’ lead to 3-2, but a Jake DeBrusk power play tally, one of three points for the winger, 6:30 into the second put the Bruins back up by two. Thornton scored his 12th goal of the season 3:57 from the second intermission and Logan Couture scored the ultra-rare short-handed penalty shot goal, beating Rask with 25 second left in the period after a Bruin covered the puck in the crease with their hand. Couture’s 22nd goal pulled San Jose down 4-3 heading into the final frame. Couture also assisted on Pavelski’s power play goal.

Thornton brought down a rain of hats with 6:28 left in regulation after doing something he was often criticized for not doing in Boston; he shot the puck. It was a rocket of a shot that may have deflected off McAvoy into the back of the net for Thornton’s first hat trick since 2010 and 13th goal of the year.

Boston held a 3-0 lead with just over 1:30 left in the first. Torey Krug picked up his sixth goal of the year 13:49 into the period on the man advantage, Zdeno Chara scored on a shot off a Sean Kuraly faceoff win 16:26 into the frame and Karson Kuhlman scored his first goal of his NHL career with 1:36 left in the period. Thornton scored with just three seconds left in the period to give San Jose a slight boost heading into the dressing room after the first period.

San Jose sits a point back of Calgary since the Flames won Monday night. The Sharks travel to Pittsburgh to face the former Stanley Cup foe Penguins Thursday, then travel to Columbus for a Saturday matchup against the Blue Jackets and then a Sunday tilt in the Motor City. The Sharks will then face these same Bruins in Boston in just over one week next Tuesday.