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- Morning Skate - Wednesday, June 29
Morning Skate - Wednesday, June 29
Morning Skate - Playoff Numbers & Hungry for the Hall
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Last Night's News 📰
THE NEW CLASS: On Monday, the Hockey Hall of Fame officially announced its 2022 class, a group that includes Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Daniel Alfredsson, Riikka Sallinen, and the late Herb Carnegie. Congratulations to all the new inductees!
RICHARDSON TAKES THE REIGNS: The Chicago Blackhawks announced Monday that they hired Luke Richardson as their new head coach. He replaces Derek King, who went 27-33-10 as interim coach following the firing of Jeremy Colliton on Nov. 7. Richardson spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens.
TO THE POINT OF PAIN: During the Tampa Bay Lightning's exit interviews, the team revealed that Brayden Point has a torn quadricep muscle but will be healthy by training camp. Numerous other injuries sustained by the Bolts came to light, including a broken foot, sprained knee ligaments, and a dislocated shoulder.
DATES SET FOR WORLD JUNIORS: Germany and the United States will square off on the opening night of the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship. Multiple COVID outbreaks postponed last year's tournament in December, which is rescheduled for Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton.
SUFFERING SPONSORS AND SUPPORT: In light of the organization settling a recent sexual assault case, Hockey Canada is seeing multiple sponsors pull out of the upcoming 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. Scotiabank has suspended its sponsorship, while Canadian Tire and Telus are retracting their support from the World Juniors. All three companies are re-evaluating their relationships with Hockey Canada moving forward.
MEMORIAL CUP DOGFIGHT: A goal midway through the first overtime period ended the hopes for an all-Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Memorial Cup Final, as the Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Shawinigan Cataractes 4-3. Hamilton plays the host Saint John Sea Dogs tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Who Said It
"It's tough to lose, but to be able to watch the guys and see the effort they put in and the sacrifices they made to their bodies to get to the Final again and give us another chance to win was pretty incredible."
Brayden Point
Jon Cooper
Julien BriseBois
"The guys in the room, they are all warriors. I am really proud to be a part of that team and we are not done."
Pat Maroon
Steven Stamkos
Andrei Vasilevskiy
"Of the three runs, this was the one we didn't win, but I might be the most proud in terms of how hard it was to get here."
Victor Hedman
Steven Stamkos
Alex Killorn
Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.
But What About...?
The annual Hockey Hall of Fame induction announcement always tends to bring about plenty of praise and celebration of those set to be enshrined, but also plenty of acknowledgment of other deserving candidates who haven't gotten the call. With Monday's announcement of the 2022 class, this year has proved to be no exception.
Look, I mean no disrespect to an exceptional class that includes former Vancouver Canucks teammates Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins, along with Daniel Alfredsson, Finnish women's star Riikka Salimen and the late Herb Carnegie. But it's hard not to compare that group to others who merit a Hall consideration. So let's do just that:
Congrats Daniel Sedin, But What About Alex Mogilny?
Alexander Moligny (Jamie Squire/Allsport)
The Sedin twins are always seen as a package deal, having shared identical career tenures entirely in Vancouver. But did they have to go in together? Individually, their inclusion raises questions about other comparable players not in. Take Alexander Mogilny, for example. Daniel managed nine more career points but in 316 more career games. Each winger earned two All-Star invites, but it is the Russian sniper who boasts 80 more career goals and, most importantly, a Stanley Cup ring.
Congrats Daniel Alfredsson, But What About Theo Fleury?
Theoren Fleury (Stephen Dyrgas/Flickr)
This pair of smaller right wings spent many successful years playing in Canadian markets, as Daniel Alfredsson and Theo Fleury have a fair bit in common. But is Alfredsson better? Fleury, whose decorated career came amidst struggles with drugs and alcohol, had 69 fewer career points but in 162 fewer games—roughly two full seasons. The Calgary Flames fan favorite also has the Cup ring that eluded Alfie during his long tenure as captain of the Ottawa Senators.
Congrats Roberto Luongo, But What About Tom Barrasso?
Tom Barrasso, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1991 Stanley Cup (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
Similar to how offensive players from the 1980s "live puck era" can have inflated statistics, goaltenders from that time tend to have numbers that look a little gnarly. While Tom Barrasso's 3.24 goals against average and .892 save percentage certainly don't scream Hall of Fame, his resume also includes two Cups, a Calder Trophy, a Vezina Trophy, and three All-Star appearances. It's fair to wonder whether the Hall-bound Luongo, with better numbers but less hardware and no Cups, would trade careers with Barrasso.
By the Numbers: 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Colorado is your 2022 Stanley Cup champions, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had won the last two Stanley Cups, 2-1 on Sunday night in Game 6. Here we look at some notable numbers related to the 2022 Playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche are the 2022 Stanley Cup champs (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
3 -
Cup titles the Avs have in their history, beginning in Quebec (as the Nordiques) in 1979 and moving to Colorado in 1995. All three have come while the team was in Denver, winning their first in the season after moving (1996). Colorado won its second five years following the first, before the 21-year hiatus up to this season.
1 -
Players who have won the Hobey Baker Award (best NCAA hockey player), the Calder Trophy (top NHL rookie), the Norris Trophy (best all-around defenseman), the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), and Stanley Cup. That player is Cale Makar.
29 -
Points Makar had in the playoffs this year, third-most of any player and six more than the next-closest defenseman (Adam Fox, New York Rangers). The 23-year-old scored eight goals and tallied 21 assists in 20 postseason games, including three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup Final.
33 -
Playoff points Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid had this year, the most of any player. After winning the Art Ross Trophy as the highest point-scorer during the regular season, the 25-year-old registered 10 goals and 23 assists in 16 postseason games. Teammate Leon Draisaitl finished second with 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists) in 16 games.
9-1 -
Colorado's record away from home this postseason is the third-best road record in a single playoff in NHL history. Only the 2012 Los Angeles Kings and the 1995 New Jersey Devils, who both went 10-1, posted better records.
54 -
Wins by home teams this postseason, tied for fourth-most all-time. Colorado was the only team to finish the playoffs with a winning record on the road. The next-best away team was the Lightning, who went 6-6 outside of Tampa (and two of those six were in their home state of Florida).
85 -
Goals scored by the Avalanche in the 2022 Playoffs, 18 more than the next-closest team (Lightning). They also led all teams in goals per game (4.25) and power play percentage (32.8).