Latest blog entries about NHL
On April 4th in 2009, New York Rangers agitator Sean Avery slapped Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas in the back of the head with his stick during a television timeout in an attempt to unhinge the 2009 Jennings, Crozier and Vezina winner with 5 minutes to play.Both Avery and Thomas received minor roughing penalties on the play. Boston beat the Rangers that afternoon by a score of 1-0 with
On April 1st in 1992, NHLPA freshman boss Bob Goodenow announced the first player strike in NHL history. The labor strife was resolved after only 10 days largely owing to the assistance of US Federal Mediator John Martin. The settlement provided a one year labor truce between owners and players in the form of a two year deal retroactive to the beginning of the season, resulting in several
On March 31st in 1971, Pavel Vladimirovich Bure was born in Moscow, Russia. Sneakily selected 113th in the 1989 NHL Draft, a year before age eligibility owing to international games played, the Red Army right winger electrified NHL audiences for 12 seasons (VAN 7, FLA 3.5, NYR 1.5) with his speed and scoring prowess. After collecting the Calder (1991), the Russian Rocket posted five 50 goal
On March 31st in 2013, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl directed the puck from his skate to stick before errantly backhanding it over Jimmy Howard's left pad, thanks to a timely slash by Chicago Blackhawks forward Jimmy Hayes, giving Chicago it's third goal in 99 seconds and a 3-0 lead less than five minutes to play. Kindl's own goal, credited to Dave Bolland, came on an
On March 31st in 2009, the 97th pick in the 2007 NHL Draft scored a spectacular shootout goal for Sweden in a friendly with Switzerland. Eight months later, Linus Omark was tapped for a shootout attempt in his NHL debut and beat Tampa Bay Lightning backstop Dan Ellis with a spin-o-rama move, cinching a 4-3 win for the Edmonton Oilers. That's today in NHL history.
On March 30th in 2011, Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf tricked referee Gord Dwyer and the off-ice video review crew when he grabbed a puck that had clearly crossed the goal line and was resting on netminder Ray Emery's arm, and inconspicuously placed it in the crease after the whistle preventing Calgary's tying goal. For his encore, Getzlaf denied allegations relating to his suspect role in
On March 30th in 2012, Calgary Flames blueliner Jay Bouwmeester intercepted a pass from Colorado Avalanche forward Mark Olver and accidentally tucked it past the outstretched right pad of Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff for an own goal to open the scoring in a must-win game. Bouwmeester explained, "It was rolling and I tried to play it across my body and put it in the corner. Obviously, it
On March 29th in 2014, Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos fired a pass past defenseman Michael Kostka which deflected off the boards and ended up in his own empty net during a delayed penalty, putting the Buffalo Sabres up 3-2 midway through the third period. Stamkos' own goal was credited to Cory Conacher, the Sabres skater whistled for hooking prompting Ben Bishop to abandon
On March 29th in 2001, Tie Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs pummeled Philadelphia Flyers fan Chris Falcone who, upon being sprayed with water by the bruiser, banged his way through the plexiglass into the penalty box. Falcone required stitches in his forehead and Domi received a $1000 fine from the league. Toronto beat Philadelphia that night 2-1. That's today in NHL history. * See also Today
On March 27th in 2010, former first round draft pick Patrick Eaves of the Detroit Red Wings tripped and fell during a 9th round shootout attempt against netminder Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. Even Eaves enjoyed a laugh about the gaffe afterward the game. The Red Wings eventually sealed a 1-0 shootout win over the Predators that night on the strength of Niklas Kronwall's 11th round
On March 26th in 1996, the Vancouver Canucks acquired Markus Naslund from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Alex Stojanov resulting in each team trading their first round selection from the 1991 NHL Entry Draft (16th for 7th, respectively). Stojanov skated in 45 games for Pittsburgh over the next two seasons amassing six points (2G, 4A) in the process. He spent the remainder of his career
On March 24th in 1998, John Shorthouse called his first NHL game as a paid play-by-play announcer for the Vancouver Canucks filling in for Hall of Famer Jim Robson and working alongside Tom Larscheid. Eighteen months later he inherited the full-time role and his mug has remained behind the microphone ever since. Shorthouse's debut saw the return of recently traded fan favorites Trevor Linden and
On March 23rd in 1952, Bill Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks scored three third period goals in 21 seconds against New York Rangers netminder Lorne Anderson laying claim to the fastest hat trick ever had in the NHL. Assisting on each score, linemate Gus Bodnar owns the league's quickest three assists to date. The hat trick came with Chicago trailing 6-2 in the final frame. The Blackhawks
On March 23rd in 1944, Maurice "Rocket" Richard was awarded each of the game's Three Stars after his five goal Stanley Cup Semifinal performance, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Upon being announced the game's Third Star, fans booed believing none had outperformed Richard that night. When the Rocket was called for the Second Star and then First Star, the
On March 22nd in 1989, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk had his throat inadvertently slit by the skate blade of Steve Tuttle of the St. Louis Blues when he became tangled with Uwe Krupp in a chase for the puck. Losing copious amounts of blood with every heartbeat, Malarchuk's life was saved by the quick actions of the team trainer Jim Pizzutelli and the good fortune of being in the
On March 21st in 2009, Vancouver Canucks boozehound blueliner Shane O'Brien inadvertently scored an own goal into his empty net during a delayed penalty, putting the Phoenix Coyotes up 4-0 midway through the match. Ironically, the goal was credited to Viktor Tikhonov the same Phoenix player who was penalized moments earlier for hooking Vancouver's Sami Salo. The Coyotes beat the Canucks that
On April 9th in 2009, Thrashers superstar Ilya Kovalchuk challenged, fought and finished Panthers bruiser Bryan McCabe. 8 years his junior and 10 pounds his senior, the prize of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft KO'valuchuk'd the once-feared blueliner at the midpoint of their match. Kudos to the captain for handling himself in front of the hometown few. Florida went on to beat Atlanta that night by a
On March 20th in 1948, Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr was born in Parry Sound, Ontario. Widely considered the greatest defenceman to ever play the game, Number 4 revolutionized the blueline position with his fluid skating style and unprecedented offensive approach. Orr entered the NHL at the age of 18 as the league's highest paid player (earning $25,000/year) and soon after became its best. During
On March 20th in 1982, Vancouver Canucks head coach Harry Neale traded punches with Nordiques fan Pierre Fournel in response to an attack against Tiger Williams, resulting in several players entering the stands at Le Colisée before police restored order. Punished with a 10 game suspension for the fisticuffs, assistant coach Roger Neilson guided the team to an undefeated record (9-0-1) during
On March 17th in 1955, Montreal fans rioted when NHL President Clarence Campbell visited the Forum after suspending Maurice Richard for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs for actions four days earlier. Sparked by an eight stitch highstick from Hal Laycoe of the Boston Bruins, the league leading scorer shattered his stick on Laycoe's face then grabbed another from a teammate and
As the 2025-26 NHL regular season and the Eastern Conference playoff push winds down, there are teams that have seized the moment and strung wins together like the Penguins, Flyers and Senators, and there are teams that have spiraled out of previously promising positions to leave an empty feeling like the Red Wings and Islanders. […]
The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Sacramento Kings at the Moda Center this evening in the regular-season finale for both teams. After defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in an inspiring, high-stakes performance on Friday, it’s imperative the Blazers take care of business against the tanking Kings. If they do, the Blazers will head into […]
Pair of prospects head up on an emergency recall.
Game 81: Montreal Canadiens @ New York Islanders Start time: **6:00 PM EDT / 3:00 PM PDT** In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Islanders region: MSGSN Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+ The Islanders completed the majority of their road schedule early, leaving them with 10 of the final 12 games to be played on home ice, a chance to use that advantage to pull away from some division rivals and secure a playoff spot. They haven’t capitalized on that schedule however,...
The Edmonton Oilers have made a late-season call-up as the continue their fight for the Pacific Division title. On Sunday, the team recalled forward Isaac Howard from its American Hockey League affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The #Oilers have recalled forward Isaac Howard from the @Condors. The first-year pro has scored 22 goals & 25 assists in…