NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 10, 2025
A four-goal return to action for Joel Eriksson Ek as Marc-Andre Fleury set a new goalie record, the Devils clinch a playoff berth, the hockey world remembers Ray Shero, the Masterton Trophy nominees are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Joel Eriksson Ek scored four goals and Kirill Kaprizov tallied twice, including the winner in overtime, in an 8-7 win over the San Jose Sharks. Matt Boldy had four assists and Mats Zuccarello had three helpers for the Wild, who vaulted over the St. Louis Blues into the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 93 points. Sharks center Macklin Celebrini had a hat trick in a five-point performance while teammate Will Smith had a goal and three assists.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a consequential game for the Wild in more ways than one. Their victory over the Sharks eliminated the Vancouver Canucks and Utah Hockey Club from the postseason race.
Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov returned to action after missing considerable time with injuries. They’ll significantly boost the Wild offense which sputtered during their absence. Meanwhile, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury set the record for most overtime wins (70) in what was likely his final home start for Minnesota.
Celebrini became the first 18-year-old player in Sharks history to tally a hat trick. He holds the single-season franchise record for points by a rookie with 62.
The St. Louis Blues (93 points) dropped into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference following a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Connor Brown scored twice for Edmonton, including the winning goal with 21 seconds remaining in the third period. Oilers captain Connor McDavid had three assists on his return from an eight-game absence with a lower-body injury. Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist for the Blues.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers sit third in the Pacific Division with 95 points. Meanwhile, the Blues sit behind the Wild because the latter holds a game in hand.
Before this game, they placed defenseman John Klingberg on long-term injury reserve while blueliner Jake Walman was a late scratch with an illness.
Anaheim Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier scored the tying and winning goals as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit to upset the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime. Ville Husso stopped 36 shots for the Ducks. Mikael Backlund had a goal and an assist for the Flames (88 points), who sit five points behind the Wild and Blues with two games in hand over the latter.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild have three games remaining in their schedule while the Blues have two. The latter has lost two straight after winning a franchise-record 12 straight games.
The New York Rangers’ playoff hopes suffered a significant setback after an 8-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Tyson Foerster collected his first NHL hat trick and Nick Seeler picked up three assists for the Flyers. Artemi Panarin scored his 300th NHL regular-season goal for the Rangers (79 points), who’ve lost three straight and remain eight points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers are on the brink of elimination from the playoff race. They have the same number of games remaining in the schedule as the Canadiens (four) but the latter needs only three points to punch their ticket to the postseason.
That final wild-card spot is the only playoff berth to be determined in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers’ victory and the Rangers’ loss clinched a playoff spot for the idle New Jersey Devils, who sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points. They’ll face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies scored in overtime to complete a hat trick and defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Auston Matthews collected three assists and Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists for the Leafs (100 points), who opened a three-point lead over the Lightning atop the Atlantic Division. Victor Hedman and Oliver Bjorkstrand each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov picked up an assist to regain first place in the scoring race. He and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon each have 116 points but Kucherov holds the lead with 34 goals to MacKinnon’s 32.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: The hockey world mourned Ray Shero, who died on Wednesday at 62.
Son of former NHL coach and Hall-of-Famer Fred Shero, Ray had a long, successful career in management. He began as an assistant general manager with the Ottawa Senators from 1993 to 1998, and as an assistant GM with the Nashville Predators from 1998 to 2006.
Shero was named general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006, building them into a Stanley Cup contender in 2008 and a Cup champion in 2009. He won the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award in 2012-13.
Fired by the Penguins in 2014, he became GM of the New Jersey Devils from 2015 to 2020, drafting current Devils stars Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt.
Shero was in his fourth season as a senior advisor to Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin.
Guerin, Wild head coach John Hynes, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, former Predators GM David Poile, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released statements honoring Shero’s memory and legacy.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Shero’s family, friends, the Wild organization, and those who knew him from his days with the Senators, Predators, Penguins and Devils.
TSN: Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan, and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin are among the 32 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees. It is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Other notable nominees include Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, and Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the link above to see the full list.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of Landeskog, the Avalanche have loaned him to their AHL affiliate for conditioning as he continues his comeback. The 32-year-old left wing hasn’t played since leading the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in June 2022.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: An update will be made regarding Landeskog’s status over the next couple of days. This move is a significant step in his comeback attempt. If it goes well, he could rejoin the Avalanche in the opening round of the playoffs.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators are confident that team captain Brady Tkachuk will be good to go when the playoffs begin on Apr. 19. He’s missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators clinched a playoff berth so there’s no reason to rush him back to action. They’ll give him all the time he needs between now and Apr. 19 to heal up for the postseason.
RG.ORG: Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov is expected to arrive in Toronto on Friday. He’ll meet with his new team following their game in Ottawa and could make his NHL debut on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Montreal will get 2 of those 3 clinching points tomorrow night in Ottawa.
This will be a case of two evenly-matched teams meeting, with one already in the playoffs and so resting any players they wish to be as healthy as possible once they start, and the other, riding a significant winning streak, having all the motivation they need to all but lock up their appearance in the Cup tournament.
Two of the teams still chasing the Habs are in action tonight, both with a game in hand on Montreal and 8 points back with 79 – the Red Wings in Florida and Columbus hosting the red-hot Sabres.
Was really shocked to hear about Ray Shero’s Passing. Much too young. Condolences to his family.
But while we’re on the subject of NHL GMs, it is completely ridiculous that the award for GM of the year is named after Jim Gregory. I’m sure he was a fine man, but his stint as GM in Toronto was thoroughly mediocre. The award should be named after Sam Pollock, who set the standard for excellence in hockey management.
Howard, you might want to rethink your opinion of Gregory’s stint as Leafs GM as “mediocre”. He drafted Hall of Famers Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald, as well as Tiger Williams, Ian Turnbull and Mike Palmateer, who made up most of the core of the Leafs during his tenure as GM. He also was a trailblazer, turning to Europe to bring in Hall-of-Famer Borje Salming and Inge Hammarstrom. His efforts made the Leafs a playoff club in eight of the 10 seasons he was their GM, and he did it under tyrannical owner Harold Ballard, who continually attempted to undercut Gregory’s efforts before making the disastrous decision to replace him with Punch Imlach.
This is the second time in the last while that you have cited making the playoffs as a significant accomplishment, Lyle.
I know of no team who hangs “made the playoffs” banners on their rafters.
Now, half the league make the playoffs.
Back in Gregory’s time 12 of 18 teams, 2/3 of the league, made the playoffs.
Not exactly a high water mark.
As for being a trail blazer for bringing in Europeans, the honour goes to the Rangers who in 1965 signed the first European born and trained player, Ulf Sterner.
So, I’m with Howard and HF30, why Jim Gregory at all, let alone over Sam Pollock?
Thank you for your thoughts Lyle, but I stand by my assessment. The name of the game for a GM is building a winning team. And the leafs under Gregory’s tenure were a mediocre team.
When Gregory took over the Leafs, there were 12 teams in the NHL, 8 of whom made the playoffs. By the end of his tenure, there were 17 teams, 12 of whom made the playoffs. In that view, merely making the playoffs 8 of 10 years is hardly a Herculean feat. And while the Leafs did win 2 or 3 of the best of 3 “preliminary round” series the league had in those days, they won only one best of 7 series during Gregory’s tenure. If that’s not mediocrity then I guess the two of us have different definitions of the word.
Bottom line is that when Gregory became GM, the Leafs were a team in transition. A recent championship team that had aged and was starting to bring in younger players. And the inescapable fact is that Gregory never built a team that came anywhere close to contention. That’s the very definition of mediocrity.
It’s about time the nhl does some smart marketing and rename all its awards after more modern players. Richards is now the ovi trophy. Which is fun to say too! Norris…. Might be makar soon enough. Hart is now the crosby trophy. Vezina… brodeur trophy. New names open for debate but nhl should move on with names people younger than 60 might have actually seen.
And we would then rename the Ovi trophy, and all others, in time as well Chrisms?
And the Stanley Cup too? And then the NFL would follow suit and rename the Lombardi trophy?
I think the Stanley cup and Lombardi trophy as champions trophies should stay. And yes. In a generation or two… rename that ovi trophy. It makes sense. A business gots to appeal to younger new customers. But as a middle aged man the vezina Richard’s hart etc trophies mean nothing to mean. Could be the Harry Bob and Joe trophies and it would hold the same meaning.
While Sam Pollack was a great GM and did win a pile of Stanley Cups which is quite the accomplishment by anybody`s standard. Jim Gregory changed the NHL which is even harder to do. You look at todays NHL you still see what Gregory accomplished while what Pollack did is only seen in the history books and remembered by a few. I can still remember watching the impact of Hammerstrom and Salming when they started playing in the NHL and I can still see the impact of Gregory did everytime I watch a NHL game now. Sorry hab fans Pollack won a bunch of cups while Gregory changed the NHL not even a close call
Heh chrisms, this from a guy who thinks the rare tradition of someone playing out his entire career with one team is more important than a GM using that player to make his team better in the coming seasons.
And, acknowledging that doing so also creates some unique history for the game, keeping the original trophy names could also instill some measure of research into the game’s rich history by young fans.
Fair points George. But keeping Crosby a pen still fits within a set generational time. Something I can talk about with my generation as we get older. Renaming awards to make them more relevant after several generations makes sense to me. Let’s be honest… how many young people want to hear “back in my day” stories? Of course… that’s till they get old enough to tell them themselves and bore their own grandchildren
Crosby has only won the Hart twice, why would he get it? Gretzky 9 times and two active players with 3. Ovechkin and Mcdavid.
Chrisms, is hearing some of the stuff that the young generation has to say any better than listening to a history lesson?
And what are record breaking accomplishments, if not a measure of success against past accomplishments? If there were no Gretzky’s 894 goal total then what mark did Ovi just pass? What is its significance? Why then name any trophies?
Milestones and records are kept because they are how we measure performance. Otherwise there are no records and great seasons are merely accomplishments of the moment which immediately fade and are replaced by the next moment in time.
Amnesia without context or cure.
Captain I put that one in there for funzies. The name changes could be easily debated. Rocket changing to ovi trophy is fun. Art Ross being Gretzky? Makes sense. Vezina being Marty also makes sense. Actually having the trophies change to these titles and having the trophy change to your name if you beat those guys records adds some more spice to chasing those records as well. That’s a neat idea lj.
Lyle,
Jim Gregory did some fine things as you noted but Sam Pollock did engineer 9 Stanley Cups in 14 years as GM is a standard of excellence to strive for.
The number of hall of fame players he drafted or found a way to get , eg Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, and guided through the Habs system is too many to count.
On the other hand given the Habs dominance historically regarding Stanley Cups, hall of fame a case can be made for most of the awards but they need to be shared with the rest of the league’s teams.
Howard. LOL. You don’t know anything about him and what he had to deal with. As a Leafs fan, I hope we never see an owner like Ballard for any team. A guy that was all about him and didn’t care everything to make everyone’s life hell. If you want to bad mouth Gregory, first know your history and second, realize he accomplished all he could, which was a fair bit, to only have it torn down by your boss.
I don’t know how anyone could have any success under Ballard and looking back the 20 somewhat years Ballard was in charge was basically a wrecking ball towards anything with a hint of success.
Ron, I know as much as you do about Gregory and I certainly remember the Ballard years and how horrible the owners interference made it for management. But that doesn’t change my assessment. I’m certainly not saying that Gregory is solely to blame but the fact is that his team never came close to winning anything.
Honors are not given for excuses. They’re given for championships. And Gregory never had any of those. And speaking of bad owners, George Steinbrenner was as overbearing and horrible as Ballard. Yet the Yankees won plenty in his time.
My issue wasn’t with your opinion about who the GM of the Year award should be named after, but your calling Gregory a mediocre general manager when the record clearly indicates he did a good job under difficult circumstances.
Steinbrenner was as overbearing and as horrible as Ballard. The difference was, Steinbrenner was willing to pay for talent. Ballard did not, and that was the biggest factor undercutting Gregory during his tenure as Leafs GM.
By the way, Gregory got the honor largely because of his overall career as an popular NHL executive and his work with the Hockey Hall of Fame. In fact, he was inducted as a builder into the HHoF. The name of the GM of the Year award was made posthumously to honor the memory of the affable Gregory.
We may well be able to say Gregory was affable.
We can’t say he would have accomplished more were it not for Ballard. That is mere speculation.
As Howard has said, Lyle, excuses are not honoured. Or they shouldn’t be. For as you have just pointed out, the award was named after Gregory because he was popular amongst the NHL clique.
It is what it is. It is also what it is not.
Yogi, saying that Gregory changed the game is utterly ridiculous. As LJ points out, Salming and Hammerstrom were not the first Europeans to play in the NHL. The entry of Euros was inevitable and hardly a one man accomplishment.
Lyle, we all know that life isn’t fair. Gregory was certainly put into a tough situation but were judged by what we accomplish and not what we could have accomplished under different circumstances. And the fact is that Gregory’s teams accomplished very little. And saying that Ballard wasn’t willing to spend isn’t completely accurate. If you’ve read Imlachs book, he wrote that he felt Ballard was often too generous with players. It must also be considered that nearly unfettered free agency came to MLB decades before it came to the NHL. So teams couldn’t buy championships like they could in MLB. A GM had to build a winner the old fashioned way. Draft and develop well, make smart deals and hire the right people. And as nice a guy as Gregory was, he did not do so.
As you point out Lyle, Gregory had the award named after him and was elected to the Hall of Fame because he was an affable and popular guy who was well liked. The Old Boys Club still rules the NHL.
Again, I have no issue with you questioning naming the trophy after Gregory. Again, I take issue with you calling Gregory “mediocre” when the facts clearly show he wasn’t.
I read Imlach’s book decades ago and his comments about Ballard’s “generosity” toward Leafs players don’t hold up. See Bernie Parent, Dave Keon, Sittler, etc. In fact, Imlach’s take on Ballard should be taken with a huge grain of salt given their close friendship. It’s well-documented that Ballard’s meddling in management hampered Gregory’s efforts, as well as those of other general managers who worked for the Leafs owner over the years.
Someone made the point that Gregory wasn’t a trailblazer, citing the Rangers bringing over Ulf Sterner. They may have been first, but Sterner’s brief appearance in the NHL didn’t have the same impact as Gregory’s signings of Salming and Hammarstrom. In that regard, Gregory took it further and had a greater effect on the NHL.
Gord Stellick, another former Leafs GM under Ballard, certainly doesn’t consider Gregory “mediocre”. He praised Gregory’s efforts, citing the facts that I’ve made in this debate.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/remembering-jim-gregory-impact-maple-leafs-gm/
Furthermore, Gregory’s management record with the Leafs is among the citations for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his being awarded the Order of Canada in Hockey.
https://www.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind07Gregory.shtml
https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/corporate/awards/order-hockey-canada/honourees/jim-gregory
Gregory’s career with the Leafs was among the reasons he garnered those honors and why he was so well-respected around the league up to his death. He wasn’t a great general manager, certainly not in the class of his management peers like Sam Pollock and Bill Torrey. However, the facts clearly show he wasn’t mediocre. He was a good general manager who might’ve achieved greater heights if not for the fact he worked for arguably the worst owner in NHL history.
RIP Ray Shero, he was exactly what the Devils needed at the time to turn the franchise around, not only drafting Hischier and Jack Hughes, but making big moves like Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson
as for the Rangers, what a mess that is. Chris Drury is just way over his head to manage the team. The threat to Trouba last summer rocked the team leadership, and descended down. Rangers need to replace him with an experienced GM (like the Leafs did) before they descend into a long run of no playoffs. With the cap they can’t buy their way out of issues like they used to.
The new GM will want a refresh, so Laviolette will probably be let go to. His coaching history shows a big impact in his first year and then let down afterwards, I guess the teams get sick of his coaching ways.
Team needs to move on from Zibenejad and Kreider and go a different route. After trading Trouba and Lindgren their defense is no longer threatening to offensive forwards, they need to fix that. Panarin is their only offensive threat, no sense to get rid of him.
MikeP. There’s been stories that Drury disconnect started when he got rid of long time trainer Jim Ramsey. That rubbed a lot of vets the wrong way as he was well liked in the room. The Goodrow and Trouba moves weren’t handled the best. His personality seems to overshadow his actual job skills. Rangers demise has been an avalanche of everything that could go wrong did. Personally, I feel too much change to roster considering how far they went last year. Watching them has become painful. They look like a pick up team. Just throw different lines and pairings out every night.
you are so right. It seemed that Drury wanted to just make moves, this season, to show who is in charge. Nevermind the impact to the team nor the locker room (which is greatly underestimated by outsiders). Younger execs like Drury and Dubas show they are bright, but when it comes to running an NHL team, it shows their vulnerabilities. Teams should greatly encourage hiring (previously experienced) execs to help out any new/younger inexperienced GM’s they higher, who can provide an experienced view. But in some cases those young execs may balk because they feel they won’t have the full spotlight
As a Devils fans, on the one hand you don’t balk to see a rival slip back, but in reality, you want your rivals to remain at the top of their game, because that really makes for strong games, and really brings out the fans. This years’ Devils/Rangers games just haven’t felt the same way as previous, and the Devils have basically dominated the Rangers, especially at home.
MikeP. True. I was at game last week in Newark. Yawner. Also side note. With Canadiens on brink of getting in, Gorton must be feeling it! Replaced by Drury and landing with team knocking them out. And I think Ramsey with them too.
This is why I hope rangers hold onto their 1st this year. Drury inspires no confidence he will right the ship next year. Could be even worse than this one. I hope pens get that first. Could be a lotto pick.
Good morning GeorgeO. I’d like to address a comment from the other day. Sometimes I pop in and out of this site and saw a response from you day after you commented. You seemed to think I attacked ds over a difference of opinion. My reference to Kreider “haters” was plural and directed at Ranger fandom in general that I see on social media.
Haters was used in slang form that actually refers to folks with strong negative opinions on people. Ironically you used word”woke” which is a word whose meaning has been hijacked by right wingers in the US and seems to refer to anything they’re against. Those same people are the ones that support making your homeland the 51st state. Both the word and ideas like this I try to ignore. Good day sir. No worries.
One last thought. As one of the elder statesman that posts here, I respect your opinions. You’ve probably forgotten a lot more about hockey than most have learned. Maybe you’d appreciate my defense of Kreider. Playing his whole career so far with an original 6 team and being in top 10 of every goal scoring category, I scratch my head at some of the disrespect I see online.
and i didnt think any more of our banter from past years from it… and yes there is a legion of Kreider haters…. started with him not wanting the C and his ipad focus;-0
my main issue with Kreider and the current Ranger roster is that something is broke on this team and their effort. how does #13 regress so badly? was it the new contract? it gets hard to watch the games with the likes of K’Miller,Laf,Kreider, Mika etc almost looking too loose and not doing what it takes. thats imho
ds. This has absolutely been 1 of the most disappointing years I can remember. I hate just blowing things up. The Laf extension really looking bad. Hard to see so many young players doing well and this is the kid that was supposedly heading for stardom? As far as Kreider, I feel sometimes expectations are so high just based on his physical gifts. A lot of good things go unnoticed. Like his 10th 20 goal season in 13 years. Tied for 2nd all time Rangers list. Laf has 1 so far and he’s set to get paid more than Kreider next year.
really boils down to poor roster management. How many LW do the Rangers need in their organization, while there are barely any RW or natural centers in their ranks ?
but more importantly, like I stated, the Rangers defense no longer scares any opponents. Trouba scared opponents forwards coming down the wing, similar to Scott Stevens in his prime, as Trouba would always throw big hits, some of them borderline illegal, and blocked shots. His offense was a bonus. Ryan Lindgren is just an absolute warrior who wouldn’t let any injury stop him. He didn’t put up big numbers, and his size didn’t scare off teams, but was important in the Rangers locker room. The guys brought in to replace them aren’t even close on the ice or in the locker room. Don’t see anything in free agency available to replace them. You just can’t have all offensive dmen on your team. Brandon Schneider has the potential to be at their level, but not yet.
Good point on letting Ramsey go, a long time respected trainer. Gooderow is a grinder but always put team first and well respected in any locker room. Guess you cant keep everyone but his loss was big. He was overpaid for his play, under cap rules though. Kaapo Kakko was wasted under Rangers mgmt, his play in Seattle showed the talent he is. Lafrenniere is in danger of falling in the same realm, was last season a fantasy? this year’s AL seems to be the same player Rangers saw before last year. Goes back to playing players out of position because the team stacked up in the same position. Teams need to plan better under a cap position
Correction. Spectors note about the Rangers. The Habs magic number was 3 before the game. DET and NYR being tied with 5 games left. Rangers loss moves their elimination number to 1. Still three to eliminate DET.
Don’t forget Columbus and NYI still in that mix as well.
2 weeks ago seemed like nobody wanted it. Congrats to Habs stepping up and going on a tear.
Thanks for the clarification Slick62. Your response aroused my curiosity and I did a bit of searching as to the term’s origin, and came up with this
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=why+is+the+word+%22hater%22+so+frequently+used%3F
Since it supposedly tracks back to Hip-Hop culture, that would explain my ignorance of its evolved over-usage – lol – at 87 y/o Hip-Hop or anything attached to it was not in my sphere of interest.
I guess my instinctive dislike of the term simply stems from the intensity of the root word “hate” – something I’ve seen a lot of over the years which led to wars, racial and religious intolerance, and my instinctive objection to see it so commonly used in something as mundane as sports preferences.
All good George!
Oh, and before I forget … I am on record in this site as to the potential value of adding Kreider to a roster, and I have stated that I would love to see him in Ottawa … but the cap situation here makes that all but impossible, not to mention the fact that Kreider likely has no interest in Ottawa as a destination.
I also have pointed out that he is hardly alone on the Rangers in having a down season – which points to a more fundamental, collective reasoning for their dramatic fall from last season’s record.
I believe he is one of those veteran types who would see a complete turnaround with a change of scenery.
George, normally I’d agree on Kreider value. I’m just not sure what’s going on with his back. Anyone that’s dealt with back issues knows what it’s like. I’ve posted before. A year on ltir might be coming. As you said, the cap hit doesn’t help. 2 more years at 6.5 mil. Especially when you add health issues.
Out west, with the official elimination of Vancouver and Utah, they’re down to one team still trying to break into a playoff spot – Calgary. And their chances range from slim to none, sitting 5 back of both St. Louis and Minnesota. Oh, they do have 2 games in hand on the Blues, whose long winning streak was broken a few days ago and now shows a 2-game losing skid, with just 2 games left, and also 1 in hand on the Wild, who have 3 remaining.
The Flames would need to win 3 of their 4 remaining games (at home to the Wild on April 11, home to San Jose April 13, home to Vegas April 15 and @ L.A. April 17) while St. Louis would have to drop both of theirs – @ Seattle on April 12 and home to Utah April 15 and the Wild all 3 of theirs (@ Calgary April 11, @ Vancouver April 12 – so a back-to-back – and @ home to Anaheim April 15.
As I say, slim chance bordering on none.
Howard you don`t know squat about Ballard and the lengths he went to, to save a penny. Steinbrenner might have been a terrible owner but he was nothing compared to Ballard. Steinbrenner used his wealth to win, while Ballard was the exact opposite pinched every penny he could, especially when the WHA was formed. The players Ballard refused to pay and were allowed to jump to the WHA was quite impressive, Toronto might just of won a few cups if they had hung onto Bernie Parent instead of letting him go to the WHA. Yes Bernie was the Leafs property, so was Cheevers What Gregory accomplished in Toronto despite Ballard is actually quite amazing
Good points on Jim Gregory, Yogi. Cannot fathom what it must have been like to work for an a-hole like Ballard. Or Steinbrenner for that matter.
And yet, there are awards named after both.
In the former Yankees owner’s case, it”s the George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award, handed out yearly in recognition of someone who has made noteworthy contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
Where Ballard is concerned there’s actually two: The Harold E. Ballard Award is given to someone who has rendered outstanding service, loyalty and contributions to the Toronto Marlboros. The other is called the Ballard Cup, awarded annually to the winner of every season’s series between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
Sorry but the measure of a GM isn’t related to a meddling owner or how he’s dealt with.
The measure of a GM is success, and that is measured by Stanley Cups.
Everything else is rationalization, excuses explaining how nice, smart, affable , innovative…..everything but winning.
Decades ago the bumper sticker was 2nd place is 1st loser
The measure of a GM is how he impacts the game. Whether he wins a cup or changes the game forever. You can look up what Pollack did in a history book or you can see what Gregory did by simply watching a game tonight. Pollack deserves to be remembered, name a street after him. If winning is the only thing that matters to you then you don`t really know what sports is about. That`s like telling every kid that plays a sport, if you don`t win you`re a loser
Sam Pollock impacted the game in ways you can see today and set a standard for winning in the process.
Whether you accept it or not, the goal is winning and the GM job is to build the franchise to deliver the Stanley Cup. Every year one GM succeeds and Sam Pollock had a 65% rate of being that one.
He drafted young talent and built his teams around them, de rigeur today but novel then.
He traded away vets and minor leaguers for draft picks, stockpiling them for years, also de rigeur today but novel then.
His genius looking down the road using draft picks and trades to build Stanley Cup winners 9 times in 14 years.
He won Stanley Cups during the original six era, the expansion era and during the NHL’s battle with the WHA (who were the ones that brought Europeans into pro hockey in NA) after the eye opening Russia/Canada summit series.
In other words he was able to adapt to changing landscapes and continue to succeed showing the way for other GMs
I’m pretty sure that every kid who played hockey and rose to the NHL level played to win and not for participation.
Yogi, we’re talking about pro sports here and winning is the way pro teams and athletes are measured.
No question that Sam Pollock tops the list.