BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Grand Rapids Griffins trailed the Bakersfield Condors for the entire contest until the final 11 seconds of overtime when Taro Hirose netted his second of the game to give the Griffins a 6-5 victory at Mechanics Bank Arena on Friday night. The Griffins (11-13-1-2) scored the final two goals of regulation before killing off a penalty in overtime and scoring the game winner in the closing seconds of the contest. The Condors (9-11-3-1) held a two-goal advantage for much of the game but could not finish off their chances late. Grand Rapids continues its six-game road trip on Saturday against the Condors at 10 p.m. EST. Notes: Grand Rapids outshot the Condors 33-25 and finished 2-for-4 on the power play…Pickard made 20 saves…Dennis Cholowski made his season debut for the Griffins in the win…Newly acquired Kyle Wood made his career debut for Grand Rapids…The Griffins extended their point streak to four games.  Three Stars: 1. GR Veleno (two goals); 2. GR Tangradi (goal, assist); 3. BAK Benson (two goals)  watch the game highlights below...

THREE HARD LAPS * It was a spooky Friday the 13th in the NHL, with Max Pacioretty scoring in overtime for the Golden Knights – his 13th goal of the season – and No. 13 Valeri Nichushkin recording the game winner for the Avalanche. * Despite being over two years removed from the start of its inaugural season, Vegas rewrote the NHL history books again as they contested their 100th all-time regular-season road game. * Nathan MacKinnon became the third player to reach the 50-point mark this season and first on a team not known as the Edmonton Oilers. GOLDEN KNIGHTS EARN OVERTIME WIN IN 100TH ALL-TIME ROAD GAME Jonathan Marchessault (0-1—1) was among a group of six Vegas players who found the score sheet as the Golden Knights earned an overtime win in the franchise’s 100th all-time regular-season road game. Vegas, which improved to 50-41-9 (109 points) as visitors, owns the best record in NHL history by a franchise through its first 100 road games in terms of wins, points and point percentage – with the latter statistic outlined in the graphic below.

In case you haven't seen Twitter in the last hour.   The Devils are saying this is precautionary. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 14, 2019   I’m told Taylor Hall has not been dealt at this point, however, there is some traction in trade talks the Devils are having with teams and so the risk is not worth playing him play at the moment. Stay tuned. https://t.co/i3273tPiDX — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 14, 2019

from Christina Settimi of Forbes, The Pittsburgh Penguins again ride the Sidney Crosby bandwagon train back to the top of our ranking, where they have been three times since our first list in 2009. The Boston Bruins, one of the league’s Original Six, come in second, as they did in last season’s playoffs; the St. Louis Blues, who won their first Stanley Cup ever, land at No. 7. Rounding out the top three are the Chicago Blackhawks. Former owner and TV-hater Bill Wertz must be rolling over in his grave: The team is now a bigger draw on television than the famed Bulls, per Nielsen. Their research also shows that overall, more fans of the city have watched, attended or listened to a Blackhawks game than to the NBA team. much more

Kovalchuk made the trip with the Kings to Pittsburgh. His last payable bonus goes Sunday ($2.65 million). After that, it's up to him if he wants to leave the Kings or not, and if he does he'd be in breach of his NHL contract, paving way for LAK to put him on unconditional waivers https://t.co/ok8o9ZcPYw — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 13, 2019   Anyone seeing another NHL team having interest in him?

We’re all fighting with @oskarlindblom. pic.twitter.com/8ceHDn4OCk — Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 13, 2019

from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon on Wednesday had a team-high 29 shifts and logged 20:04 of ice time, tops among forwards, in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. He played on all four lines and had the game-winning assist on Mikko Rantanen‘s first goal. MacKinnon and Rantanen, both 2018-19 NHL All-Stars, usually play together but they didn’t begin that way against the Flyers, who must have thrown in the towel as far as matchups were concerned midway through the first period. MacKinnon, the NHL’s third-leading scorer, is on pace to shatter his career-best 99-point season of 2018-19. He is the one player opponents try to shut down offensively. But that’s becoming harder these days because of his unpredictable presence — just the way Colorado coach Jared Bednar likes it. “It makes it tough for a team to just check him with certain guys, or a certain D-pair,” Bednar said Thursday after an optional skate. “The flip side on our side is, when you spot Mac into a line and juggle things around a little bit, even it’s just for a shift or two, those other players are really excited to go out on the ice with him because they know he can help make them better and that they can be difference-makers in the game right then and there on that particular shift.” continued

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, “We just want to make sure we’re putting him in the right position, but he certainly has tested it and feels good about it,” Blashill said. “I anticipate that he’ll play, but until I chat with Steve, I just want to make sure.” Mantha is eager to return. “I wouldn’t be saying I was ready to go if I wasn’t,” Mantha said. “It’s still earlyish in the season and I can risk it. I feel perfectly fine, the (test) results are good, and I did off-ice testing (Thursday) and everything was good, so I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t be in except we’re starting two-in-two (games) these next two days.”... If Mantha plays Saturday, Blashill said they’ll see how he feels before deciding whether to play him Sunday at home against Los Angeles. “You don’t love, necessarily, putting him in back-to-back, but we’ve had so many guys out you just love the fact he wants to play,” Blashill said. “Obviously, it’s Montreal. I get it. If he’s sore, we’ll be precautionary.... Blashill said he anticipates Athanasiou returning after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. Dylan Larkin did not practice Friday, having been sick the past couple of days, but he’ll play Saturday, Blashill said.... Jonathan Ericsson, injured in Thursday’s game, is doubtful for Saturday, but Blashill said, “He’d like to push to try to play, so we’ll see.” more

Sportsnet style.  

Ansar Khan tweets,lines at practice: Bertuzzi-Nielsen-Fabbri (Abdelkader working in) Mantha-Filppula-Zadina Athanasiou-Glendening-Helm Perlini-Ehn-Erne Larkin is not practicing. Has been sick last two days but played last night. RedWings have only five defensemen in practice: Hronek, Green, Daley, Biega, McIlrath. Nemeth not skating. Ericsson injured last night and out for tomorrow. Bowey was recalled but not here. Howard (groin) practicing again but not expected to play this weekend.

from Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News, Zach Bogosian's time with the Buffalo Sabres may soon come to an end. TSN's Darren Dreger reported Thursday night that Bogosian, a 29-year-old defenseman, has requested a trade after spending parts of six seasons with the Sabres. Bogosian was a healthy scratch Thursday night against the Nashville Predators and had averaged 18:45 of ice time since returning to the lineup Nov. 24. Bogosian missed the first 22 games of the season while recovering from hip surgery and multiple setbacks over the summer. Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill had reportedly been shopping for help at forward over the past month.... Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill declined comment. Bogosian, who counts $5.142 million against the Sabres' salary cap, is a pending unrestricted free agent. read on Games played by Bogosian since the 2013-14 season.

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings today recalled defenseman Madison Bowey from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins. Bowey, 24, made his Griffins debut on Dec. 11 and assisted on the game-winning goal in the team's 4-3 win over the San Diego Gulls. The fifth-year pro was acquired in a trade by the Red Wings from the Washington Capitals on Feb. 22 and has appeared in 39 games with the team over the last two seasons, totaling 12 points (2-10-12) and 24 penalty minutes. In 2019-20, Bowey has skated in 22 games, logging eight points (1-7-8), 16 penalty minutes, 27 shots on goal, 19 hits and 21 blocked shots in 17:47 average time on ice. Bowey has totaled 123 NHL games between Detroit and Washington since making his NHL debut during the 2017-18 campaign, recording 30 points (3-27-30) and 86 penalty minutes. He won a 2018 Stanley Cup championship with Washington as a rookie in 2017-18, appearing in 51 regular-season games with the Capitals and chipping in a career-high 12 points (0-12-12).

from Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, The first question for Tim Thomas at the Marriott Marquis was as basic as it gets. The former Bruin and one-time greatest goaltender on the planet was asked what the honor of being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame meant to him. But as he immediately hinted at the emotion welling up inside of him, it was clear that this was not going to be a boilerplate media scrum with the ever-thoughtful Thomas. In a session marked by tears — and a few laughs, as Thomas himself did his best to lighten the mood — the goalie described a living hell that he’s been going through since suffering a concussion in his final NHL season in Florida and Dallas, his complicated relationship with the game that once was all-consuming and, later with a just a couple of familiar reporters, his fleeting thoughts of suicide. “I’m a survivor,” said Thomas prior to the induction dinner. That was not a boast, but rather a declaration of gratitude of what could have, but did not befall him, having avoided the fate of deceased hockey players that he knew such as Steve Montador, Derek Boogaard and Wade Belak. Though he still needs a couple hours each morning to “re-order things,” he has started to feel like himself in just the past couple of years. While Thomas did not know how many concussions he had suffered during an active lifetime that’s included boxing on the street in Flint, Michigan, playing football and, of course, hockey, the one that sent him for a tailspin occurred while he was with the Panthers in 2013-14 when, in warmups, he took a puck off the chin. continued

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, With his mother in the stands and an angel on his shoulder, Jacob Markstrom played Thursday one of the greatest games in net in Vancouver Canucks history. It may not be remembered that way, considering it was a mid-week game in December against the Carolina Hurricanes. But considering that only one week earlier Markstrom was home in Sweden for his father’s funeral after his dad’s agonizing battle with cancer, what the 29-year-old goalie did was truly astounding. He stopped all 43 shots he faced and the Canucks, who should have trailed by three or four goals heading into the third period, somehow won 1-0 on Elias Pettersson’s world-class finish 40 seconds into overtime. There have been a lot of wins for Vancouver in the last three decades, although not nearly enough the last four years, but precious few to celebrate since they entered the National Hockey League in 1970. continued and watch the game highlights below...

from Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal, Never mind two, do good teams lose three games in a row? The Edmonton Oilers certainly hope so. They just dropped a third-straight game for the first time this season, 6-5 to the Minnesota Wild, and need to believe it’s just a temporary flesh wound rather than something far more serious. But with just two wins in the last eight, that’s a subject that is now up for discussion. “We have to dig in here, we’re in a bit of a rut, it starts with the top guys all the way through the lineup,” said Connor McDavid, adding he also needs to be better. “But we’re not panicking here. I think we’re one of the last teams to lose three in a row. Everybody goes through it. We’re going through it now. We’ll find it in here.” After a great run to start the season (7-1-1), this is as rocky as it’s been all year. “We talked about that this morning, this is the first real bit of adversity that’s hit us,” said head coach Dave Tippett. continued Game highlights are below.

from Helene Elliott of the LA Times, Progress is relative and it can be fluid, sometimes difficult to quantify but unmistakable when it pierces the gloom of a dismal rebuilding process. The Kings are a long ways from turning the corner, but they’re inching forward. That’s not based on them scoring a lot of goals or winning a lot of games, because that’s not happening. The scoring part won’t happen until they upgrade their finishing skills, whether this season or next. “Two goals a game in this league anymore, I know we did it in the past but it was a 2-1, 3-2 league back then. Now it seems more like a 4-3 league, so we need to score more goals,” defenseman Drew Doughty said of the Kings’ solid defensive play and low-scoring wins during their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup seasons. Where they’ve moved forward recently is in playing with a cohesiveness they lacked in the early weeks this season and a competitiveness that was far from consistent during their first 20 games. They trust their structure and their coaching, and with good reason. continued

from ESPN, It's never too early to start thinking about the 2020 draft. Which team deserves Alexis Lafreniere the most? Kaplan: The Red Wings sure could use top-end talent to accelerate the rebuild. But do you know what team I'd like to see land Lafreniere? The Minnesota Wild. Bill Guerin has been patient inheriting a roster constructed by two previous GMs.... Peters: I don't know that any team deserves rewards for being so terrible, but the Detroit Red Wings need Lafreniere or Quinton Byfield -- or basically anyone -- right now.... Filipovic: It's the Detroit Red Wings. They've been outscored 131-72 this season. They've held a lead in just 15.3% of their time on the ice.... more from each of the above plus one responder does not mention Detroit...

You have to vote for Detroit's MVP today, who do you have? My top 3 would be Hronek, Fabbri and Mantha with Hronek taking the top spot. You?

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, The Red Wings did something they hadn’t done since Nov. 12, exactly a month. They won a game. Seriously, they did. With Robby Fabbri (two goals, one assist), Filip Zadina (one goal, two assists) and Filip Hronek (goal, two assists) leading the way on Thursday, the Wings ended a 12-game winless streak with a  5-2 victory over Winnipeg. “It’s huge,” said forward Dylan Larkin, who played over 20 minutes despite an illness. “The way we played tonight, I feel it’s repeatable. Our defense did a great job moving the pucks and our power play was on tonight, it made it hard on (Winnipeg goalie Connor) Hellebuyck. “We played physical and together and there was more talk on the ice between the five guys and the goalies and it really helped our game moving up the ice. We had some real chances and it feels to play that way and get rewarded.” continued Below, watch a happy dressing room and extended game highlights.

THREE HARD LAPS * Jack Eichel scored twice, including the game-tying goal, to extend his point streak to 15 games and tie Patrick Kane for the League’s longest such run of the season. * The Wild withstood Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid’s 20th goals of the season to extend their point streak at Xcel Energy Center to 11 contests and outlast the Oilers in an 11-goal affair. * Artemi Panarin scored twice in a span of 47 seconds to become the 17th player in NHL history to score each of his first three career hat tricks with three different teams.

from Julia Kreuz of Sportsnet, Warning: Video may include graphic content. Niagara IceDogs goalie Tucker Tynan is stable and underwent surgery after being severely cut in the leg by a skate during Thursday night’s game against the London Knights, the IceDogs announced. After a collision with a Knights player near the crease, Tynan, 17, went down bleeding profusely from his right leg, and was tended to on the ice for about 10 minutes by trainers and paramedics. continued with video and tweets, video is below too.    Tucker is in stable condition and in surgery now. We will update further once he is out of surgery. — Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) December 13, 2019   added 10:25pm, YouTube video added below.

Good first period by Detroit, jumping out to a 2-0 after 20 minutes. Detroit scored early in the second period to make it 3-0 but Winnipeg scored 2 goals in just over five minutes to make it a game again. With 24 seconds left in the period, Filip Zadina scored a power play goal giving the Wings a 2 goal advantage heading to the third period. An empty net goal by Hronek ices the win 5-2 Detroit. Winning streak at one! Detroit goals and team stats below. Next game is on Saturday at 7:00pm ET in Montreal.

After a 1-0 OT loss to Pittsburgh.   "I don't have any words to describe it" - Torts pic.twitter.com/qXVbtpu1m0 — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 13, 2019

Up first is Robbi Fabbri, below find the game highlights and I will be adding more shortly. added 10:46pm, Zadina below. added 10:57pm, Blashill below. added 11:07pm, 6 minutes with Larkin below. added 11:33pm, Group video below.  

It looks like the Wings are going for their thirteenth loss in a row tonight. That's the way I approach most games nowadays. Given the way things are going the Wings could be tying some old records very soon. Record number of losses in a row, which is a bad thing for the fans. We'll find out soon enough.... It's a Live Blog!

The Insiders have the latest on Zach Bogosian asking for a trade from the Sabres, Bob Boughner will likely coach the Sharks for the rest of the season and why Peter DeBoer and Mike Babcock are expected to take their time before getting back behind an NHL bench. Watch at TSN.

Elliotte Friedman with the update.   The latest on the Taylor Hall situation. #NHLNow | @FriedgeHNIC pic.twitter.com/eV4MIjxz9Y — NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) December 12, 2019

The Detroit #RedWings have acquired defenseman Kyle Wood from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Oliwer Kaski. pic.twitter.com/12rrQi6G4N — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 12, 2019

6 minutes of Blashill.  

Exactly 5 minutes to watch.  

via the Wings Twitter feed, The Detroit #RedWings today recalled right wing Filip Zadina and defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

via Ansar Khan tweets, Athanasiou back at practice after missing a game due to injury. Dylan Larkin not skating today. more as needed...

From the past few weeks in the NHL.  

fGreg Wyshynski of ESPN with his power rankings, 31. Detroit Red Wings Previous ranking: 31 Frans Nielsen. Remember 2016, when Nielsen was a free-agent coup for Detroit? His contract, with trade protection, runs through 2022. In 28 games this season, he has ... one assist. He's on pace for three points this season. Yikes. Nielsen makes $5.25M. the 30 other teams...

from Dieter Kurtenbach of the Mercury News, Sharks owner Hasso Plattner couldn’t fire the entire team, so he fired head coach Pete DeBoer on Wednesday. After five straight losses and amid a season where expectations were high, talent was ample, and disappointment has far outweighed success, the move was necessary. Sharks owner Hasso Plattner couldn’t fire the entire team, so he fired head coach Pete DeBoer on Wednesday. After five straight losses and amid a season where expectations were high, talent was ample, and disappointment has far outweighed success, the move was necessary. continued

THREE HARD LAPS * John Carlson’s fifth game-winning goal and 45th point of 2019-20 helped the Capitals topple the Bruins in a showdown of the League’s top two clubs. * Despite surrendering a multi-goal lead in the third period, the Canadiens secured an overtime win as 20-year-old Cayden Primeau collected his first NHL victory.  * Mikko Rantanen scored twice to record his 19th and 20th points (15 GP) as the Avalanche collected their 20th win and overtook first place in the Western Conference.

Hearing coaching change coming in SJ — hockey related change, nothing else. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 12, 2019

Ansar Khan of Mlive answered questions from his readers and of course questions on Blashill came about... Yzerman has not responded to interview requests and rarely speaks to the media, so I can only tell you what he told NHL.com at the general managers meeting on Nov. 20: “I think (Blashill) and his staff are doing a really good job of preparing the players, of practicing. I like to think we're improving from training camp to the start of the regular season. As we speak here today, I think you’re seeing good progress in our team.” They have gone 0-9 since, so maybe Yzerman’s opinion has changed – or maybe it hasn’t. Certainly, the team's performance indicates a change is needed behind the bench. But like I said last week, I don't think it would yield much different results because the roster lacks talent. Bylsma surely would be the interim if Yzerman makes a change. But I get the feeling Bylsma is not who Yzerman has in mind as the next permanent head coach or else he would have made the change by now. I also think character matters, especially with news that has surfaced in recent weeks about other NHL coaches. Blashill is a good person who is well-respected in the organization. more

Even when the NHL was in the Olympics, there was no evidence it ever did anything to leverage its participation into something more. It would just show up, put on a spectacular spectacle from an entertainment standpoint, and leave, expecting all those international revenues to follow it home. No attempt was made to market in Europe or set up an NHL office there. And then it pulls out of the Olympics after warring with the International Olympic Committee and saying that the returns from participating aren’t worth the risk of injury and the disruption to the schedule once every four years. Well, as the kids say, duh. Hockey is the greatest game in the world. It’s also one of the world’s best-kept secrets. And as long as the league has its current international “strategy” there is nothing to worry about. Because it’s going to stay that way. -Ken Campbell of The Hockey News.  Read more on this topic.

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings today assigned defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Dylan McIlrath to the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins. Cholowski, 21, has appeared in 29 games for Detroit in 2019-20 and is tied for second among the team's defensemen in points, showing eight points (2-6-8), including five points (1-4-5) on the power play to lead Red Wings defensemen and tie for fourth on the team overall. The second-year pro has also registered four penalty minutes, 14 hits, 27 blocked shots and 43 shots on goal while averaging 19:34 time on ice. In 2018-19, Cholowski made the Red Wings out of training camp and scored in his NHL debut on Oct. 4, 2018 vs. Columbus. He has totaled 24 points (9-15-24) and 20 penalty minutes in 81 NHL games over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound blueliner has also appeared in 26 regular-season games for the Griffins since debuting in 2016-17, picking up 12 points (0-12-12) and 12 penalty minutes. Cholowski has also added two assists and two penalty minutes in six career AHL postseason games. McIlrath, 27, has appeared in 16 games with Detroit this season and ranks among team leaders with 23 penalty minutes (2nd) and 48 hits (3rd) in 14:49 average ice time per game. He has also skated in 10 games with the Griffins in 2019-20, registering three points (0-3-3) and 15 penalty minutes. McIlrath has totaled 66 NHL appearances since making his NHL debut in 2013-14, totaling five points (3-2-5) and 121 penalty minutes with the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Red Wings.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, Zadina, 20, had all three assists in the last four games, including setting up Christoffer Ehn for the Wings’ lone goal in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to Winnipeg. After a timid start, Zadina was a bit more noticeable in the last several games. But this transaction likely has more to do with contracts then performance. If Zadina plays less than 10 games, his entry-level contract extends another season, until the completion of the 2021-22 season. It also might be a good idea to get Zadina away from the losing atmosphere right now. The Red Wings have lost their 12 consecutive games. more   Here's my take on Zadina: I didn't expect that they'd keep him up the rest of the season (they made clear when they first recalled him they'd have preferred he get more time in GR), but I think he really showed something these last two weeks (1/) — Max Bultman (@m_bultman) December 11, 2019 more in Bultman's Twitter timeline

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, - At last year’s December Board of Governors’ meeting, Bettman predicted an $83 million cap, only to see it end up at $81.5 million. Because that number wasn’t finalized until late June, the squeeze tortured teams and players. This time, he was more guarded, refusing to give an estimate. Instead, he recognized that the final number will come as part of a negotiation with the players, who have the right to “inflate” the ceiling by up to five per cent. While some clubs will be careful because of what happened a year ago, others have the impression it could be $84-$85 million. Why?... - You know who is looking for a scorer? The New York Islanders. But I’m not expecting Lou Lamoriello to tell me how he feels about Taylor Hall. -  Brendan Shanahan, asked what he would say if another club wanted to talk to Mike Babcock: “I think that’s sort of a hypothetical I wouldn’t want to get into, quite honestly. Much was made of the incident with Mike a few years ago with Mitch Marner, for instance, and I know our general manager at the time (Lou Lamoriello) had called me and let me know about it right away and had addressed it right away with Mike. Mike apologized to Mitch and there was communication with (Lamoriello) and the agent and the family. It wasn’t something that was appropriate or acceptable to us. Since then, my general manager — whether it was Lou or Kyle — had never come to us with a situation like that.  more on the first and last topic plus additional Thoughts...

New York, NY (Dec. 11, 2019) – Forbes today reveals the 21st annual ranking for the National Hockey League’s 31 teams and the New York Rangers maintain the No. 1 spot on the list for the fifth consecutive year, worth $1.65 billion. The Toronto Maple Leafs follow in the second spot, worth $1.5 billion, followed by the Montreal Canadiens, who take the No. 3 spot and are valued at $1.34 billion. “Despite not making the playoffs for the past two seasons, the New York franchise has maintained their position in part because of their location in the city with the biggest companies,” said Mike Ozanian, Managing Editor, Forbes. “In the past two seasons, the Rangers have lost more games than they’ve won but have managed to make the most revenue ($270 million) and operating income ($123 million) in the league during the 2018-19 season.”   The average value of each NHL team rose 6% over the past season, to $667 million. Rounding out the top five most valuable NHL teams are the Chicago Blackhawks (No. 4) and the Boston Bruins (No.4), worth $1 billion and $925 million, respectively.  continued

Many of you have expressed your thoughts in the past, but after 12 games without a win, it needs to be brought up again. Would removing Blashill change the way the team plays?  Possibly but no guarantee, this team lacks talent. Would a new face actually help?  It depends on the face and what kind of changes would be made.   Your turn.

from Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Right now, the Hawks have roughly $70.1 million tied in just 16 players for the 2020-21 season. If the salary cap rises by $2 million again (as it did last summer), the Hawks would have $13.4 million to work with next summer, although Sportsnet recently reported a larger cap increase — perhaps in the $4 million range — could occur. Regardless, Bowman will have his work cut out for him. Dylan Strome will be a restricted free agent and will presumably ask for a salary approaching the $6.4 million Alex DeBrincat will annually receive on his extension. Strome alone could eat up half the Hawks’ space. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford — who currently tout $6 and $5 million hits, respectively — will both be unrestricted free agents, and the Hawks will almost certainly only have the room to retain one. That will be a painful choice to make. Erik Gustafsson will also be a UFA and his asking price should well exceed what the Hawks can afford, thus making it very likely he’ll be dealt in February if the Hawks aren’t in close playoff contention. Koekkoek, Dominik Kubalik and Drake Caggiula will be RFAs, as well. Even if they aren’t retained, the Hawks will need to sign some depth pieces simply to fill out the roster. more

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit Red Wings sound as miserable as they look. Nothing is going in for them, nothing is going right for them. Even their airplane had issues. They ended up overnighting in Winnipeg on Tuesday because their jet had a mechanical issue. They found that out shortly before they lost to the Jets, 5-1. There’ll be a rematch Thursday in Detroit, with the Wings stretched beyond desperation to end what has grown to a 12-game losing streak. The hope they carried into the season, the swagger they earned with a 3-1 start, has been pulverized, blown into pieces as the blowouts balloon. They’ve lost 15 games by three or more goals. They’re 7-22-3, their goal differential bloated to minus-62. continued Below, watch Jeff Blashill post-game.

Sorry for the delay, I feel like I just got hit with a ton of bricks. THREE HARD LAPS * Dougie Hamilton capped a five-goal third period to fend off Connor McDavid and an Oilers’ three-goal comeback as Carolina outlasted Edmonton in a nine-goal affair. * Jack Eichel extended the League’s longest active point streak to 14 games and is on pace to become the third Sabres player to hit the 50-goal and 100-point benchmarks in the same season. * Marc-Andre Fleury (28 saves) came 27 seconds shy of posting a shutout in his first game since the passing of his father and earned the 451st win of his career.

Detroit played well for the first 10 minutes of period one, then the Jets scored a shorthanded goal with about 8 minutes left. The Wings were held without a shot after the goal. The Wings played well for the first 17 minutes of the second period, even tying the game at 1-1, then.... Winnipeg scored 3 goals in 2 minutes late in the period to go up 4-1. Wings lose 5-1. Detroit goal and team stats below. Losing streak hits 12 and and Winnipeg is in town Thursday.  Also, the last game of the season is at home against Tampa on April 4th.

Dougie Hamilton from center ice.  

Mo post game interviews at this point, but maybe in the morning.  

he Edmonton Oilers are a name venerated in Alberta and are the biggest, most obsessively supported sports team in the city. Stanley Cup champions on five occasions but the last of those coming in 1990, there is a hunger within Edmonton to see their beloved team return to the pinnacle of the game. Well, the fans may not have to wait too much longer. With a new state-of-the-art arena in place (Rogers Place to be exact) and a team with one of the best players in the league, the Oilers could be close to making a proper run for the Stanley Cup. There are still some question marks but let’s assess why there is growing optimism that this team could be about to bring the good times back to Edmonton.

There's nothing much to be said about the worst team in the league. I did read something about the Wings being "uniquely bad" whatever that means. Tonight's lineup will include the newest member of the Wings. Eric Comrie, a much needed goaltender and very nice person from what I've read about him. I wish him the very best and success tonight in his first full game with his new team, and, in the future if it all works out. With the current lineup, I'm thinking it will be a baptism by fire.... It's a Live Blog!

via the NHL PR department, December 12 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction (Inductees: Gary Bettman, Brian Gionta, Neal Henderson, Tim Thomas and Krissy Wendell) and Celebration of Lester Patrick (Recipient: Jack Blatherwick) (Washington, D.C.) 19 102nd anniversary of NHL’s first games 19-27 Holiday roster freeze in effect: For all players on an NHL active roster, injured reserve, or with non-roster and injured non-roster status as of midnight (local time) Dec. 19, a roster freeze shall apply through midnight (local time) Dec. 27, with respect to waivers, trades and loans, subject to the exceptions provided for in CBA Article 16.5 (d). 24-26 Holiday break (no scheduled practices – dressing rooms closed) 26 – Jan. 5 IIHF World Junior Championship (Ostrava/Trinec, Czech Republic)

from Kevin Allen Of USA TODAY, The Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg. The NHL introduced the Department of Player Safety. Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings. John Tavares left the New York Islanders for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mike Babcock received a $50 million coaching contract for the Leafs, then was fired in his fifth season. The NHL agreed to expand to 32 teams. The NHL opted not to go to the 2018 Olympics after embracing the Winter Games since 1998. League revenues grew to almost $5 billion. The league locked out players in 2012-13, then both sides agreed last fall not to reopen the collective bargaining agreement early. The NHL has had seven different Norris Trophy winners over the past seven seasons. Fighting has all but evaporated. Clearly, plenty has happened in the NHL over the past decade. But here are 10 people, places and things that have altered the game in that time: continued

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit Red Wings demoted Madison Bowey to send a message. He was assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday after no NHL team claimed him off waivers. Bowey, 24, was described as a “reclamation project” when he joined the Wings last February as part of a trade package, and his lack of growth made him expendable. “At the end of the day, he had gotten into a spot where he was out of the lineup,” coach Jeff Blashill said Tuesday before the game against the Jets. “It had stagnated a little bit. It was a spot where he had some tough games in a row and so we took him out of the lineup. If he is going to be out of the lineup, he should play hockey. “This doesn’t need to be the end for him by any means. As I said to him, go down and play like you don’t belong down there. Then people will be pounding on my door to have him come back up. His play will dictate his opportunities. continued

via Elliotte Friedman tweets, World Cup for Feb 2021 is off...not enough time to get it done. Commissioner still wants one, but won’t be then Commissioner wouldn't be pinned down on a cap number -- said that will be negotiated with players (he's referring to their right to inflate the ceiling by up to 5 per cent). Current number is $81.5M, there is belief it could get to 84-85 depending on future conversations added 3:02pm,   Bettman said the NHL potentially could have an international flavor for the 2021 All-Star Game. He said the League is focused on doing another World Cup of Hockey, but timeline depends on negotiations with the NHLPA. The goal would be to do it soon, but planning takes time. — Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) December 10, 2019

First up Eric Comrie, below is Justin Abdelkader. One question, has Comrie turned 18 yet?  I am getting old.   "A lot of friends on the other side, it's going to be a lot of fun, but hoping to get a win for our team over here." Eric Comrie to make his first start with the #RedWings tonight. pic.twitter.com/L55vxeRAyz — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 10, 2019

If the Wings do have a skate today, it will be added here. Game time is 9:00pm ET tonight. Madison Bowey cleared waivers today, Blashill said yesterday he would head to Grand Rapids if he cleared. Also this..   Paul Maurice on Eric Comrie: "There's a guy that I'm pulling for. Top-five best guys ever." #NHLJets #RedWings — Scott Billeck (@ScottBilleck) December 10, 2019

via the Dallas Stars, Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that Jim Montgomery has been dismissed as the team's Head Coach. Effective immediately, Rick Bowness, who has served as Assistant Coach since June 22, 2018, will assume the role of Interim Head Coach for the team. Additionally, Derek Laxdal, who was serving as the Head Coach of the Texas Stars, will be added to Bowness' staff as Assistant Coach. Neil Graham has been named Head Coach of the Texas Stars. He was serving as Texas' Assistant Coach. Statement from Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill: "The Dallas Stars expect all of our employees to act with integrity and exhibit professional behavior while working for and representing our organization. This decision was made due to unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League."

from Craig Custance of The Athletic, It’s a concept that was coined by former Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi when the Kings were at the peak of their power during the middle of the last decade. He called the trio of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick the Kings’ microcore. The theory was pretty simple: Teams that build around high-end players at those three positions – No. 1 center, No. 1 defenseman and goaltender – should be in pretty darn good position to challenge for a Stanley Cup.... To get a sense of how each NHL team’s microcore stacks up, each team’s microcore was identified and presented to a panel from inside the hockey world to rate each one on a scale of 1-100. To provide an analytics balance, we added in ratings from The Athletic‘s Dom Luszczyszyn as part of the average. Here was the breakdown of the panel: Two NHL executives, two NHL scouts and an NHL coach, plus Dom.... Tampa is rated first with Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy with an average rating of 90.9. Detroit is ranked 30th with Dylan Larkin, Filip Hronek and Jimmy Howard and their rating is 63.9 It’s been a tough season in Detroit but this exercise is another example of just how badly the franchise needs high-end talent at key positions. The pain right now is necessary for a team that needs a couple more top picks in the system. “I like (Dylan) Larkin. He’d be a really good No. 2 center. Maybe a No. 1 winger,” suggested one executive. “(Filip) Hronek is more of a prospect. And you wouldn’t want to be a goalie in Detroit right now.” “Hronek is their No. 1 D?” Asked one panelist. “That’s a tough depth chart. But I have always liked Hronek because of his compete.” the rest of the teams...

THREE HARD LAPS * Matthew Tkachuk eclipsed 200 career regular-season points and joined an elite list of U.S.-born players to reach the milestone before turning 22. * The Islanders required the fewest games in their 47-year franchise history to reach the 20-win mark in a season. * Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is averaging 0.65 goals per game since the beginning of November, and Cam Atkinson, who has tallied at least 20 times in each of his last six seasons, continued to find their scoring touch.

via Frank Seravalli tweets, Bettman: "The world is changing for the better. This is a moment for positive change." commissioner Gary Bettman says "our message is unequivocal. We will not tolerate abuse of any kind." Bettman says #NHL teams have been "put on notice. We don't like surprises." Says there will be "severe discipline" if either him or Bill Daly are not immediately notified immediately. Bettman announces a new mandatory annual training program will be required for all head coaches, asst coaches, minor league coaches, GMs, assistant GMs on diversity and inclusion. It will be a program designed by an outside company. Bettman says inappropriate conduct in the future will be disciplined by the team, league, or both. Bettman says #NHL will be creating a "hotline" in which inappropriate conduct can be reported anonymously for players, teammates or #NHL team personnel. "I can guarantee we will take them seriously."

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,  ...here are my top 10 prospects, as things currently stand, for the 2020 NHL Draft. 1. Alexis Lafreniere, left wing, 6-foot-1, 192 pounds (Rimouski, Quebec junior league): Lafreniere generally has been regarded as the best player in this draft class for several years. He’s an elite stickhandler who can make the hockey highlights with his wizardy with the puck. Scouts like his competitive edge, but there are some reservations about Lafreniere’s skating and speed. “Lafreniere can finish the plays or he can make the plays,” said Craig Button, TSN director of scouting, last month. “He’s the best player at this point, but there are five or six guys who could force their way into the discussion.” 2. Quinton Byfield, center, 6-foot-4, 214 pounds (Sudbury, OHL): Some scouts, in the early projections, are comparing Byfield to a young Evgeni Malkin. Byfield is a towering, big center who has elite skill and is an outstanding skater for his size. This type of center, with his skills, could anchor an organization for a decade. 8 more names...

Je suis un gardien disponible préférablement du lundi au jeudi, si à la recherche de, texter moi au 514.241.3213. Merci !

via Sportsnet's YouTube channel, In this week's episode of Healthy Scratch, Danielle Michaud investigates the current conflicts in the NHL, interviews Hometown Hockey / Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean, gives a stick tap to Laila Anderson’s hero, and the ‘Michplays of the Week’… all in just 9 minutes! watch below...

Sportsnet style, just over 4 minutes to watch.  

NEW YORK (Dec. 9, 2019) – New York Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux has been fined $2,000.00 for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Cody Glass during NHL Game No. 466 in Las Vegas on Sunday, Dec. 8, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 16:40 of the second period.  

NEW YORK (Dec. 9, 2019) – Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 8.

Red Wings place D Madison Bowey on waivers. Has been healthy scratch last 4 of last 6 games. 1g, 7a, minus-13 in 22 games. Was part of Nick Jensen trade last season. — Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) December 9, 2019

from Travis Yost of TSN, There was no misconception about the many obstacles facing the Detroit Red Wings at the start of the 2019-20 season: an aging lineup in perilous need of transition, a new general manager for the first time in more than 20 years, and a coaching staff trying to introduce swaths of developmental level talent while simultaneously remaining competitive. The only hope in Detroit – same as it is in Ottawa or Los Angeles for that matter – is that the team would play well enough to properly evaluate the developmental talent on the active roster. But at the end of the day, the primary goal is to secure as high a first-round pick as possible at the 2020 NHL Draft. Whether it’s Rimouski’s Alexis Lafreniere or any of the other impact players inside of the top five, Detroit knows they have a real shot to replenish their prospect pool come June. But even with the appropriate context, it’s hard to imagine that Detroit is happy in any capacity with the first two months of the season. They’ve surely set themselves up to contend for the best odds come draft lottery time by being utterly futile on the ice. Through 31 games (38 per cent of the regular season), Detroit’s record is 7-21-3. The average game this season – thanks to a -58 goal differential – has seen them losing by just under two goals. And they are uniquely bad, to be sure. continued

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Dylan Larkin looked to Henrik Zetterberg. Darren Helm looked to Kris Draper. Mired in a bleak season, there isn’t much for the Detroit Red Wings to rally around. They struggle to score, struggle to keep the puck out of their own net, and spend most games playing from behind. The next opportunity to stop what has grown to an 11-game losing streak comes Tuesday at Winnipeg. The unifying force in the locker room is to not surrender, to not allow a 31st-place ranking to seep into the culture veterans learned when they were young. Helm provided an example in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, delivering a big shift that culminated with him setting up a goal. It’s the kind of performance he remembers seeing from older teammates. continued

from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Less than 24 hours after they were smoked by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks trailed by two goals less than nine minutes into the first period Sunday and never fully recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center.... The Sharks are now 0-2-1 on this trip that ends Tuesday in Nashville, and have been outscored 14-5 so far through regulation and overtime. On road trips of more than one game this season, the Sharks are now 2-7-2. Add it all up and the Sharks, on a four-game slide, are a pedestrian 15-15-2. “I think we’re a little too relaxed right now,” Sharks winger Evander Kane said. “A couple games where we got off to bad starts and weren’t able to fight back, and we really didn’t have much fight-back after we got down. That’s really the most disappointing part.” more

from Bryan Horwath of the Las Vegas Sun, Many remember how the technology created a glowing puck on TV screens, leaving a cometlike trail of color once the puck reached certain speeds. But FoxTrax didn’t last long, to the delight of hockey purists who’d denounced it as too gimmicky for a sport steeped in tradition. Dave Lehanski, the NHL’s senior vice president of development and innovation, says FoxTrax was “way ahead of its time, but it just wasn’t ready back then. You could see it wasn’t working right.” Now, the NHL is preparing to introduce a more advanced version of the technology in 2020 in an attempt to make itself more attractive to younger viewers. Players will don wearable technology—sensors about the size of an Oreo cookie—on the back of their shoulder pads, which will track certain metrics in real time. The puck will also be outfitted with a chip that can communicate with a series of cameras and sensors. The technology was tested in January during two Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena. Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty says he’s intrigued by the idea, but adds, “There were a lot of issues with bouncing pucks and whatnot.” Still, he says, “It’s something that could be fun for the fans.” That’s the league’s goal for this technology, which will produce more in-game data to enhance the viewing experience, especially for statistics fans and sports bettors who desire more information. read on

THREE HARD LAPS  * Jack Eichel assisted on the Sabres’ overtime goal to extend the League’s longest active point streak to 13 contests. He is one of 10 players on pace to reach the 100-point mark in 2019-20.  * Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau each eclipsed the 35-point mark Sunday. They became the first Panthers teammates to achieve the feat prior to their 30th game.  * Jacob Trouba was one of six Rangers defensemen with a point against the Golden Knights. New York leads all teams in points by defensemen this season (26-60—86).

via Sportsnet, Kyle Bukauskas, Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman discuss the topics that will be discussed at the NHL Board of Governors meeting.  

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, If you look at the Red Wings’ individual statistics today — and some of them are ghastly, so don’t for long — there is a rather surprising player with the fifth-most points on the team. It’s not a forward. It’s defenseman Filip Hronek, who continues to put together an admirable first full season in the NHL, while playing a ton of minutes and basically learning on the job. With Danny DeKeyser hurt for the majority of the season thus far, and Trevor Daley and Mike Green missing portions of the schedule, Hronek has had to play more minutes than probably is ideal for a developing 22-year-old pro. But Hronek has been up to the task, with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 29 games, with a minus-13 rating, while playing a competitive, 23 minutes a game (leading the team) — the brand of hockey that this roster needs. continued

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, All eyes turn to Gary Bettman and Bill Daly. With NHL owners set to gather for a Board of Governors meeting unlike any other in recent memory, the league’s most powerful men will speak publicly for the first time since Bill Peters resigned from the Calgary Flames, Marc Crawford was suspended by the Chicago Blackhawks and hockey’s culture was placed under the microscope by a series of allegations from former players. The two-day gathering at America’s most scenic golf resort isn’t expected to produce sweeping answers. The issues are deep enough and serious enough that time will be required to form a complete plan of action, which is why the tone set by Bettman and Daly will be so significant. The commissioner and deputy commissioner have already met with Akim Aliu, the player who spoke up about mistreatment from Peters — his former coach in the American Hockey League who used racial slurs in the dressing room. That was followed by allegations from others about abuse from their coaches, both physical and mental, which led to Crawford being removed from the bench while the Blackhawks conduct an investigation. continued with more topics which were discussed on Saturday Headlines last night...

via Helene St. James tweet, Tyler Bertuzzi practicing today. Blocked shot yesterday. Red Wings next game is Tuesday at Winnipeg. If there are post-practice interviews, I will add them to this post.

from Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet, Marco Argentino has been the man NHL superstars from Gretzky to McDavid trust with their gear. Now, he's also helping shape the future of equipment design. The smell of leather hangs thick in the air, tangled with the scent of metal and wood and the years-old collections of dust that gather here and there atop the shelves lining every wall in the place. It’s mid-March of 1991, and 26-year-old Marco Argentino is perched on a stool in the back corner of this unassuming shoe repair shop, engrossed as he inspects the finer details of the hockey gloves on the desk in front of him. This isn’t any old run-of-the-mill establishment, though walking down Wellington Street and glancing up at the curling blue-and-white lettering atop the storefront — Cordonnerie Argentino — a passerby could be forgiven for not feeling the full weight of the Argentinos’ place in Montreal’s storied hockey history. No, this shop isn’t interchangeable with any of the others that have lined this street, precisely because the pair of gloves sitting before Argentino isn’t interchangeable with any other in the city. These particular gloves belong to Guy Carbonneau, captain of the Montreal Canadiens, who’s awaiting the results of Argentino’s work as he prepares for the ’91 playoffs. The problem is the palms. The captain wants them replaced with something thinner, something that gives him a better feel for his stick. Argentino’s already made one unsuccessful attempt today, sewing on a fresh horsehide palm and making the trek up to the Montreal Forum, only to be met with a stern, “Thinner.”  continued

Not sure if this is new, but I believe it is.  When the Wings scored last night, the rink lights went out at the LCA except for a spotlight on the goal scorer along with some flashing lights. My idea is just the opposite.  Keep the lights off during play, then turn them on when the Wings score.  Imagine the saved energy! Please LCA, don't do this again.  

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, When a team is as fragile as the Detroit Red Wings are, anything positive helps. Their losing streak has grown to 11 games, but at least they came away from Saturday’s game with a little more confidence in their ability to score. After scoring just five goals the previous six games, the Wings scored twice in the third period in the 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. “We have to do a better job of trying to keep four out, or five, but I thought we competed right till the end and that’s a good sign for this team,” Luke Glendening said. “We had a tough first getting down 2-0, but we battled till the last minute.”     from Ansar Khan of Mlive, It was another night where the Detroit Red Wings answered more questions about the many things that have gone wrong during the team’s worst stretch in years. But if there is anything positive to be gleaned from Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena, it was Dylan Larkin looking like his usual self, following an extended slump. Larkin picked up a goal and an assist, giving him four points in three games (two goals, two assists) after seven games without a point. He led the comeback efforts and had chances to score the tying goal in the final minute before John Marino’s empty-net goal with nine seconds remaining sealed it. “His drive’s great,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. continued

via Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, McLellan, on whether he saw the Zac Rinaldo hit: Well, of course I did. You guys all looked at it too. I’m always asked this question after. What usually happens is one coach says, ‘I haven’t looked at it yet,’ and the other coach says, ‘you know what, I think the player was in a vulnerable position, I think that the head was targeted, I think that the weight went up and I think the feet came off the ice,’ so figure out which coach was which. [Reporter: What about the heart from Kyle Clifford standing up for Pro and the moments that followed?] It’s a team move and that’s what Cliffy does for his teammates. [Reporter: Did they get tossed because it happened during a TV timeout?] Yeah. Watch the hit below. and then the fight...

THREE HARD LAPS * Sebastian Aho (3-2—5) scored an even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goal en route to recording his third career hat trick and the NHL’s eighth five-point performance of the season. * Captain Gabriel Landeskog scored the last of four Avalanche goals as Colorado handed Boston its first regulation loss at TD Garden this season. * Tampa Bay was one of seven teams to score at least five goals Saturday (also Vancouver, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Carolina, Toronto and Nashville). It marked the fourth time this season that seven teams each scored five or more goals on the same night.

Wings played hard, played desperate in the third period but feel short, losing 5-3 to Pittsburgh. Detroit goals, team stats and a thumbs up or down for you are below. Next game on Tuesday at 9:00pm ET in Winnipeg.

Highlights first, below Glendening, Biega, Larkin and Blashill.  

via Sportsnet, Brian Burke discusses the Calgary Flames working their way out of a rough patch and Joe Thornton punching Petr Mrazek.  

via Sportsnet, The panel updates news around the NHL including the upcoming board of governors meetings, and trade rumours surrounding Taylor Hall with the New Jersey Devils and Alex Galchenyuk on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Plus a new idea for the All-Star weekend.  

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, - Checked in with Mathieu Schneider, who has held an executive position with the NHLPA since 2011, and with Glenn Healy, in his third year as executive director of the NHL Alumni Association following a stint with the PA late last decade, whether they had ever received a complaint from a player about coach abuse. The answer from both was: “Never.”... - he cool kids seem to think that “tandeming” in goal is a new thing. It is not. The 1960-61 Red Wings gave 36 starts to Terry Sawchuk and 34 to Hank Bassen. The 1962-63 Maple Leafs gave 42 starts to Johnny Bower and 28 to Don Simmons. The 1965-66 Rangers gave 34 starts to Ed Giacomin, 27 to Cesare Maniago and nine to Simmons. The 1966-67 Black Hawks (that’s what they were then) gave 41 starts to Denis DeJordy and 29 to Glenn Hall. Those were the Original Six days of Original Tandeming. - Four forwards with at least 385:00 of full strength have scored only one five-on-five goal, and they are Jonathan Toews, Phil Kessel, Joe Pavelski and Mikael Backlund. Among the 11 who have scored just two are Hall, Jamie Benn, Johnny Gaudreau, Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly. more on the first topic and other hockey blurbs...

Good job HNIC. via Sportsnet,  

It's nice to be back after a much needed break from all the negativity that has surrounded the Wings since the big decline. A chance to refocus, and, see how it goes between now and the All Star break. Of course, there is more controversy in the news regarding the former coach, but, we don't care about that on a game night. We're here to enjoy whatever happens on the ice. Good or bad. Tonight is Grateful Dead night at the Pizzarena, so with that in mind, a Dead lyric..... "Lately, it occurs to me  What a long, strange trip it's been."  It's a Live Blog!

Tkachuk received 2 for a cross check and 2 for roughing. :24 seconds left in the 3rd, Sens down by one and their goalie pulled.  

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - Brendan Shanahan doesn’t like to look back. At least publicly, he doesn’t. But if he were to take stock of all the moves he’s made since becoming president of the Maple Leafs six years ago, probably the biggest error he made was being too quick to push Lou Lamoriello out as general manager after just three seasons on the job.... - You know this was a forgettable decade for the Maple Leafs when Tyler Bozak not only lead the team in games played but also in assists. Phil Kessel scored the most goals, 181, and the most points, 394. - My NHL all-decade team: Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin up front, Brett Burns and Victor Hedman on defence, Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Second team: Brad Marchand, Claude Giroux and Evgeni Malkin up front; Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty on defence, Carey Price in goal. - Not making the playoffs, which seems rather possible right now, will make this the most disastrous, disappointing Maple Leafs season in memory. And they traded away their first-round pick to get someone to take Patrick Marleau’s salary. more on the first topic plus additional hockey talk...

It will cost you $4.5M. from Judy Rose at the Detroit Free Press, Pavel Datsyuk,the former Red Wing superstar fans called "The Magic Man," built this stunning lakeside house during the 14 years he played hockey in Detroit. On the outside, it is a limestone castle, even to the tall, skinny turret where a vertical slit forms the front window — a spot where hidden archers could repel an enemy. But step inside and the home turns super sleek — curving walls, curving glass, white marble, granite, porcelain tile, lacquered zebra wood. Fine woods glow on accent walls. Spaces are defined by curves, including the three-story curving stairs. It’s a unique house, designed by architect Alexander Bogaerts. continued with pictures...

Blashill first, Ericsson below.   "If continue to play good hockey we'll find our way to a win. Once you find your way to a win you'll boost your confidence. Nobody can inject confidence in you, you have to go out and earn it." Coach Blashill | #PITvsDET pic.twitter.com/xcenwKYSb2 — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 7, 2019

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, During his days on Broadway, zipping around in what was coach Herb Brooks’s novel, circle-back Ranger game plan, Mark Pavelich didn’t say much. One of the stars of the 1980 US Olympic team, “Pav” also was among the quietest Team USA players, then had little urge or inclination to talk upon coming to the big city to launch his NHL career. The running joke, rooted in both truth and humor, was that he wouldn’t appear for postgame interviews on the Rangers’ TV broadcasts unless the payout included fishing gear that he could lug back home to Minnesota come springtime. Pavelich, 61, on Wednesday was left with little to say, or perhaps was incapable of expressing anything, when Minnesota judge Michael Cuzzo deemed him mentally ill and dangerous, and ultimately incapable of standing trial for a felony assault charge. In August, Pavelich allegedly beat a friend with a metal pole, inflicting a number of injuries, including cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, and a fractured vertebra.  continued plus more hockey topics...

from Samantha Pell of The Washington Post, ... Carlson’s strong defense created offense. As his point total continues to soar — 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) after Friday night’s win— his teammates and coaches find themselves reminding reporters of Carlson’s defensive strengths. They don’t want Carlson to be typecast as an “offensive defenseman.” “He’s not all offense; he’s not carrying the puck the entire game like some of the other guys in the league that I would call offensive,” Coach Todd Reirden said.... The label “offensive defenseman” has been thrown around for years in hockey, but in this era, what is its true definition? Do players get miffed when they are categorized as “offensive”? The answers vary. Drew Doughty, the 2015-16 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, sees offensive defensemen as being defined in two ways. First, there are players who can skate, rush the puck often and make plays.... The mold of offensive defensemen started in the late 1960s with how Bobby Orr played the game, opening up the creativity and the freedom to jump into plays. It continued with players such as Paul Coffey and Nicklas Lidstrom. “Teams were searching for quarterback, offensive-type defensemen that just add a lot to your team,” said Doug Wilson... more players mentioned...

from Max Bultman of The Athletic, At present, the Red Wings are at 47 of the maximum 50 contracts, according to CapFriendly. That shouldn’t pose an issue since a handful of those contracts (including those of Trevor Daley, Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and Jimmy Howard) expire as unrestricted free agents after the season. Of the prospects on Detroit’s reserve list, whom Yzerman must either sign or relinquish the right to do so by this summer, only goalie prospect Victor Brattstrom looks like a solid bet to do so. There are prospects Detroit could choose to sign earlier than it has to (in order to bring them over from Europe or lure them from college, for example) but still, even if the Red Wings wanted to sign a couple of outside free agents, they could, in theory, bring all their RFAs back. But that doesn’t seem likely. Whether because of prospect development, planning for future moves, or simply an evaluation that certain pieces don’t fit, at least some of the Red Wings’ pending restricted free-agent forwards are likely going to have to head elsewhere after this season.... With one caveat: I won’t get into the big three of Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Bertuzzi in this piece. They’re all obvious locks to bring back (barring a trade of some kind) and I’ll go more in-depth on their situations and potential contracts later on.... On the inside track Robby Fabbri: Let’s start with the most immediately successful of the Red Wings’ in-season trades because he’s the most obvious candidate to be back next season.  many more (paid subscription) names including those in Grand Rapids...

from Amy Lamare of Celebrity Net Worth, To own a pro-sports team is to be in a very exclusive club. In fact, it's a club open exclusively to billionaires. That's true in the NFL, NBA, and the NHL. The 15-richest NHL team owners have a combined net worth near $115 billion. The richest of them all is David Thomson, owner of the Winnipeg Jets. He has a net worth of $33 billion, thanks to his family's media empire. #15. Brian Roberts — Philadelphia Flyers Net Worth: $2 billion Age: 60 Nationality: American Brian Roberts is the son of Comcast co-founder Ralph Roberts. Brian has been the CEO of the media giant since 2002. He inherited the company when his father died in 2015. read on

from Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, Retired Detroit Red Wings forward Darren McCarty said Friday there was a strong current of disrespect from former Wings coach Mike Babcock that spared almost no one and cost the team the Stanley Cup in 2009. McCarty played for coaches Scotty Bowman and Dave Lewis from 1993 to 2004. He returned for the 2008-09 and ’08-’09 seasons, when Babcock was the coach. The Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup finals in ’08 and lost to the Pens in the finals the next season. “And our (dressing) room worked in different ways and when I came back you could tell that things were different,” McCarty told the Free Press, “but the thing that didn’t change was that guys played for each other. “That’s the key. In spite of him, right? In spite of him. And I learned that more getting into ’09 because we won in ’08 in spite of him and lost in ’09 because of him. That’s exactly the thing because he misused (Pavel) Datsyuk, (Henrik) Zetterberg and just because he’s stubborn and that was his way.” continued

from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, P.K. Subban should be embarrassed. The Devils invested a lot in the bombastic defenseman, and he has become an absolute shell of himself on the ice. Imagine, after this debacle of a season in New Jersey where his insipid play surely helped to get a good man and good coach in John Hynes fired, Subban is on the books for an annual $9 million for the next two years. Players fade. Subban is 30 years old, and that happens. But what should be embarrassing is that during this time of organizational upheaval, he is out and about almost every day with another promotion. On Wednesday, a day after Hynes was fired following desultory efforts in a 4-0 loss to the Rangers at home and a 7-1 thumping up in Buffalo, Subban was at Bryant Park doing an appearance for Red Bull. The press release said he was “2103 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.” On Thursday night, he was at the Adidas flagship store in Manhattan. What a great way to get ready for a big back-to-back under new coach Alain Nasreddine, Friday night at home against the Blackhawks and then Subban’s big return to Nashville on Saturday night. Should be a barnburner (or tape burner?). The league has bought in, too. continued

THREE HARD LAPS * A self-described “nice guy who tries hard and loves the game” made his return to the City of Champions, where he helped the Penguins win consecutive Stanley Cups. * Twelve of 14 games contested over the last two days have been decided by a one-goal margin (85.7%), including four of five on Friday. * Three of the top six leading scorers this season are in action tonight when the Bruins host the Avalanche at TD Garden.