Front Page

Gambrell Extended, Gold for Canada, Head Coach Hirings, and More

Thursday’s Edition of the Links, News and Notes

Are we ready for some off-season action? Well, not before we go through what is slated to be one exciting Stanley Cup Final. While we await the crowning of the next Champion, let’s take a tour of the weekly news from around the hockey world:

Our Canadian women continue to rise to the occasion at every level. Team Canada’s U-18 team captured the Gold medal after winning 3-2 against Team USA. Amongst the winning players was Jade Iginla, daughter of former hockey player Jarome Iginla, the beloved long-time Calgary Flame.
Darren Dreger reported last night that assistant GM Peter MacTavish will be leaving the Ottawa Senators to join Quartexx Hockey. This leaves the Sens front office with Pierre Dorion and umm.... Pierre Dorion?
More on the Sens, Dylan Gambrell seems to have impressed Dorion with the work he’s done this season. Yesterday, the team announced that they have signed Gambrell to a 1-year extension worth $950,000. Gambrell was acquired from the Sharks in October in exchange for a seventh-round pick. He played 63 games last season scoring 3 goals and adding 4 assists.
Bruce Cassidy’s firing from the Boston Bruins was a shock to everyone including Cassidy himself. As expected he didn’t last long in the unemployed pool. As usual, the Vegas Golden Knights have to show off and grab one of the most coveted available coaches in the league. The Golden Knights underachieved this season whether it was due to injuries or just general disappointments from some key players, missing the playoffs was not what was expected of them. That being said, between Eichel, Stone and Pietrangelo, they are considered one of the most talented teams in the Western Conference, and Cassidy should have no problem bringing the best out of them.
A coach that has lost some popularity over the years is John Tortorella. Nonetheless, the Philadelphia Flyers seem to be desperate enough to give him another chance. It’s been reported that the Flyers have offered Torts the head coach job but he’s still discussing the contract for now.
After the tragic findings that have come out of the Chicago Blackhawks organization, the NHL is taking further steps to try and salvage the integrity of the players in this league. Gary Bettman has announced that they will be investigating and interviewing all the players who were part of the 2018 Team Canada sexual assault. He is promising that he will be as transparent as he legally can be. The most important part of his transparency claims is the release of the findings of the investigation and whether that includes the names of the players involved.
Taking down the 2-time Stanley Cup Champions is not easy, a lesson the Colorado Avalanche is learning the hard way. The Avs were up 3-1 when the Bolts stormed to tie the game with goals 48 seconds apart. To keep the first game of the Cup finals as exciting as promised, the game went to overtime where Andre Burakovsky became the hero for the Avs to give the home team a 1-0 lead./