Plenty of waiver and suspension news, plus an update on Alex Galchenyuk and much more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.
19-year-old Flames forward Sam Bennett became the youngest player in team history to record a hat trick.
Sam Bennett’s record-setting four-goal night lead the Flames to a lopsided shutout of the Panthers, the Flyers rally back for a win over the Bruins, three unanswered third-period goals lift the Ducks over the Senators, and the Maple Leafs fall to the Blue Jackets. Get the game highlights at NHL.com.
Notable NHL Headlines.
LA PRESSE: Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk apologized to his teammates yesterday for being a potential distraction. News that his girlfriend was arrested for domestic violence over the weekend dominated recent headlines in Montreal.
SUN-SENTINEL.COM: Florida Panthers analyst Denis Potvin issued an apology for calling Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin a “lowlife” on air during a recent game-ending scrum between the two clubs.
ARIZONA REPUBLIC: The Arizona Coyotes claimed defenseman Kevin Connauton off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets and demoted enforcer John Scott.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Scott was voted one of the captains for the upcoming NHL All-Star Game, so his demotion is probably providing even bigger laughs for those who voted for him.
THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators placed center Cody Hodgson on waivers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It looks like Hodgson’s last chance to salvage his NHL career has come to an end. I’ll be surprised if he’s claimed by another club. The once-promising Hodgson’s performance has steadily declined in recent years.
THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Nate Guenin on waivers and demoted Brandon Gormley to the minors. They also place defenseman Erik Johnson (knee injury) on injured reserve.
CSN BAY AREA: The San Jose Sharks assigned forward Raffi Torres to the minors for a two-week conditioning stint. Torres recently completed a 41-game suspension.
NHL.COM: The league fined Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers $5000.00 for crosschecking San Jose’s Tommy Wingels.
NJ.COM: The league also suspended New Jersey Devils winger Bobby Farnham for a “predatory hit” on St. Louis Blues forward Dmitrij Jaskin.
TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (upper-body injury) returned to Pittsburgh for evaluation today. He could be sidelined for a lengthy period.
NEW YORK POST: Denna Laing, who suffered a severe spinal injury during the inaugural Women’s Winter Classic game on Dec. 31, is expected to sue the NHL. Laing remains hospitalized recovering from his injury.
Raffi Torres should follow Matt Cooke into hockey oblivion. He’s a loose-cannon moron.
I like the return of Torres to the Sharks. If he can refrain from pointless hits and bad play, in limited use he could be used to generate momentum. He’s one of the guys not afraid to hit someone at center ice just to get his team pumped. And if you have watched an Sj game they sometimes need it.
Hodgson being waived is a shame. He just never found a team that he clicked with.
Players are on the move it would seem in anticipation of the deadline. I wonder if we will see some fireworks.
So Denna Laing is suing everything in sight, including the NFL. Didn’t take her long to latch onto the law firm of Muck & Mire and follow the lead of every American who suffers injury from hot coffee in the lap to fingers in the soup – and everything in between. Poor ice conditions? How will they prove that beyond any doubt in a court of law after the ice surface has long since disappeared? But hey, they’re rich so let’s get what we can. After all, they’ll just eventually pass the cost onto the fan base at some point.