Tag: Toronto Maple Leafs

Sharks Add Steve Spot, Bring Back Frazer McLaren

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks announced today that they have named Steve Spott as an assistant coach and signed Frazer McLaren.  Both spent last season with the Toronto Maples Leafs organization. Spott was an assistant coach last season, and the organization’s AHL head coach the season before. From the Sharks press release:

“I’m excited to work with Steve again,” said DeBoer. “We have a great relationship and he has grown significantly as a coach in the seven years since we last worked together. We are very fortunate he was available.”

A native of Toronto, Ont., Spott spent two seasons with the Maple Leafs organization, serving as the head coach of the Maple Leafs American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Toronto Marlies in 2013-14. He led the team to a record of 45-25-2-4, winning the North Division title and earning a spot in the Western Conference Final, where the Marlies fell in seven games to the eventual Calder Cup-winning Texas Stars.

Spott has an extensive history with Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer. He spent eleven seasons as an assistant under DeBoer with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers and Kitchener Rangers. Spott became Kitchener’s head coach and general manager in 2008, where he remained for five seasons. During that time, his team went to the playoffs four times and twice to the Western Conference Final.

Spott played 121  games as a forward for Colgate University and 20 AHL games before finishing his playing career with the Netherlands’ Heerenveen.

As reported by Curtis Pashelka and others last May, the Sharks obtained permission from the Toronto Maple Leafs to talk to Spott about an assistant coaching position early this summer.

The Sharks also signed forward Frazer McLaren to a one year contract. McLaren was drafted by the Sharks in the 7th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He spent almost six seasons with the organization before being claimed off of waivers by the Maple Leafs in 2013. He spent three seasons with Toronto, playing 62 games with the Maple Leafs and 28 games with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. His NHL career totals include four goals, seven assists and 261 penalty minutes.  As a Worcester Shark, he was the team’s all time leader in penalty minutes, and has 678 penalty minutes to his credit.

Changes Coming for Sharks, NHL in 2015-16

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By Mary Walsh

The Sharks will have a captain next season, head coach Peter DeBoer told 95.7 the Game on Wednesday. He did not say who it would be, but the floating leadership experiment appears to be over in San Jose.

DeBoer also voiced his support for the changes in the NHL overtime format, approved on June 24. Instead of playing four-on-four, the teams will play three-on-three for five minutes. Last season, the AHL changed its overtime format to three-on-three, but it followed three minutes of four-on-four. Input from players encouraged the NHL to skip the four-on-four and go directly to three-on-three. The plan should reduce the number of shootouts for the upcoming season.

Approved at the same time was the coach’s challenge. For the upcoming season, challenges will be limited to goals scored after potential offside or goalie interference calls. The challenge will result in expanded video review of the play in question. To make a challenge, the team must not have used their timeout yet.

Elsewhere in the NHL, the Arizona Coyotes have reached an agreement with the City of Glendale, yet again. The resolution allows the parties to avoid a more drawn-out legal dispute. Full details of the changes to the agreement will be available on the Glendale City website.

In Toronto, Lou Lamoriello was named general manager of the Maple Leafs. The move surprised many as Lamoriello’s stepping aside in New Jersey appeared to be a sign that he was looking to trim his schedule instead of take on a new GM role.

Sharks rise to the top continues with a victory over Maple Leafs

Published on by Ivan MakarovLeave a comment

By Ivan Makarov

Having won seven out of the last eight games, San Jose Sharks continued to win on Tuesday day when they hosted the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. The game was never close, with home team winning 6-2 and earning seven out of the possible eight points during the four game home stand.

Sharks outshot the Leafs 48-21, have played in the Leafs zone for most of the game (after going 49-28 in face-offs circle), and put one of the more complete games they have played all season.

“We’ve been good during different times throughout the season,” said Joe Pavelski after the game when asked where this victory ranked among others. “We’ve been playing good at home. This was definitely one of them. We got on them early, and had the puck a lot. It was a solid win.”

Before Sharks got the big lead in the game, they had to endure one of the strangest first periods of the season.

Sharks played the way they usually play this season at home in the first period – dominating the play all over the ice. The shot total ended up being 14-6 in the first period in their favor, but they only went up 2-1 on the scoreboard. It could have been more, but Sharks’ good goal scored by Tommy Wingels was disallowed. The replay showed the puck nowhere near being frozen on the play, and going inside behind Toronto’s goaltender James Reimer, but the referees blew the whistle and after discussing it over, disallowed the goal.

However, Marc Eduard Vlasic and Brent Burns scored more goals that counted. Vlasic blasted a slap shot from near the face off circle after a great pass from Matt Nieto who spotted him open on the play. Brent Burns scored in front of the net assisted by Joe Thornton, and there was a wait between the time he scored and when the goal counted, as refereed discussed it between themselves. With loud boos from the crowd, and having disallowed Wingels’ goal just minutes before, they at last awarded the Sharks with the second goal.

The second period continued much like the first. Sharks had the puck more, they were playing with more desperation and they were creating all the chances. All this advantage resulted in two more goals. Tommy Wingels at last got the goal allowed, scoring his 15th on the season on a deflection from the shot by Justin Braun 6:54 into the period. Joe Pavelski got the Sharks lead to three goals when he scored just over a minute later, assisted by Joe Thornton, making it 4-1. Sharks had the chance to make the score even more in their favor, when they went on 5-on-3 power play towards the end of the second period for more than 90 seconds. But the players failed to produce a single shot during that stretch with 2-men advantage as Toronto killed off those penalties.

“We made adjustment or two between [first and second periods], and talked about using our energy, few more pucks to the net,” said Todd McLellan reflecting on what was the key turning point in the game. “Fortunately, [Toronto] played on their end a little bit longer. We had the short change. A lot of the times in the second period the long change is what’s talked about. When you’re on the offense, you have the short change, and can pin teams in. We were able to that.”

The third period seemed more like a formality at that point for the Sharks, having a three goal lead going into the third period. But they continued to play hard while rolling all four lines, and scoring goals – with Joe Pavelski and Marty Havlat getting on the scoreboard.

Besides the goals, the game also saw four fights, with Andrew Desjardins dropping the gloves twice – once against David Clarkson and the second time against Tim Gleason, while Mike Brown fought Troy Bodie early on in the game. Tommy Wingels earned his first “Gordy Howe” hat trick of the night (goal + assist + fight) in the third period when he fought Joffrey Lupul with three minutes left in the game.

Sharks will next play three games on the road, visiting Columbus, New York and Rhode Island before they return back to San Jose.

Sharks win Sixth in a row

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Sharks win Sixth in a row

by Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks started a four game road trip on a successful note as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-2. The Sharks entered the game with 41 points and are in first place in the Pacific Division. With the win they now have 43 points and a record of 19-3-5 for the year. Toronto was looking to snap a four game losing streak but the Sharks were just too much for them as the lost their fifth straight.

The Sharks had Antti Niemi in goal and James Reimer was in the nets for the Leafs The Sharks took a 2-0 lead in the first period. The Sharks’ Mike Brown opened the scoring by lighting the lamp when he deflected a shot into the net off the stick of Jason Demers. Time of goal was at 10:00. The Sharks took a 2-0 lead when they had a two man advantage on the power play. The Leafs’ Jay McClement and Mason Raymond were sent to the penalty box and the Sharks had a great opportunity and the capitalized when Joe Pavelski made a great pass to Joe Thornton and Joe put in past Reimer for the score. For Thornton, it was his fifth goal of the year.

The Leafs came back to tie the game at two apiece in the second period. The Sharks did not play well and the Leafs scored the goals on power plays. The Leafs have the best record scoring power plays on home ice. The Sharks pushed back took a 3-2 lead when Brad Stuart’s shot made it into the net and Dan Boyle assisted on the play.

There was no scoring until late in the third period Logan Couture scored his tenth goal of the season into an empty net with just 1:24 left to play in the game. Final score Sharks win 4-2.

Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots and the Leafs’ Reimer made 37. The Sharks travel to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins Thursday night. They then play Carolina and Minnesota before returning home.