NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 20, 2025

by | Feb 20, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 20, 2025

The latest 4 Nations Face-Off news on the eve of the championship game, updates on notable sidelined players as NHL teams prepare for the resumption of the schedule, and much more in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF NEWS

NHL.COM: The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between Canada and the United States begins at 8 PM ET on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Boston’s TD Garden. The United States defeated Canada 3-1 during their round-robin game last Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

TSN: Team USA and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy remains in a Boston hospital after undergoing “an irrigation and debridement procedure” stemming from an infection in his right shoulder. He is listed as week-to-week.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (NHL Images).

McAvoy missed the Americans’ 2-1 loss to Sweden on Monday with an upper-body injury suffered earlier in the tournament and was ruled out of Thursday’s championship game. He is being treated with antibiotics and his condition is reportedly improving.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Bruins weren’t pleased with how McAvoy’s condition was handled by Team USA, claiming they felt the blueliner didn’t receive the proper care.

Friedman said McAvoy suffered the injury during Team USA’s game against Finland when he was driven into a goalpost by Finnish forward Joel Armia. An initial diagnosis of the injury may not have revealed the full severity.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins were jockeying for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference when the schedule was paused for the 4 Nations tournament. Losing their top defenseman for several weeks could derail their playoff hopes.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes received medical clearance to return to practice but not to resume playing. He won’t be traveling to Boston to join Team USA in case another defenseman becomes sidelined before Thursday’s championship game.

An injured oblique muscle sidelined Hughes for four games before the 4 Nations tournament. He was in a non-contact jersey for the second straight day as he practiced with his Canucks teammates.

DAILY FACEOFF: Team USA invited New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce and Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson to travel to Boston and serve as potential illness or injury replacements ahead of Thursday’s championship game.

SPORTSNET: Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews practiced with Team USA on Wednesday but Brady Tkachuk was absent with an illness.

The trio were sidelined from Monday’s game against Sweden. Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that he expected all three to be in the lineup for Thursday’s game against Canada.

NHL.COM: Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington will get the start against Team USA in Thursday’s championship game. He’s played in every game for Canada and is the only goalie in this tournament to play a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final. In 2019, Binnington backstopped the St. Louis Blues to the Cup against the Bruins in Boston’s TD Garden.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fans and pundits have criticized Binnington’s performance but he has the steadfast support of his teammates and Team Canada coach Jon Cooper. A win in the championship game should silence his critics.

HEADLINES

TSN: Evgeni Malkin told The Athletic’s Rob Rossi that he has no plans of playing anywhere except Pittsburgh, ending speculation he could return to Russia to finish his playing career in the KHL.

“I retire with Pittsburgh,” said Malkin. “The Penguins are my team. I love this team. When I retire it’s here.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Malkin’s comments put to rest any talk of him waiving his no-movement clause to accept a trade to another NHL club. The 38-year-old center has one season left on his contract with a full no-movement clause.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (upper-body injury) resumed practicing with his teammates on Wednesday. The club intends to ease him back into action.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left practice on Wednesday after tweaking something during pre-practice drills. Leafs head coach Craig Berube said the injury is not believed to be serious but they’ll learn more after Pacioretty is reevaluated on Thursday.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (lower-body injury)was in a full-contact jersey during practice on Tuesday but didn’t partake in any drills. He was placed on long-term injury reserve on Jan. 20. The earliest he could return to action is next Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser expects to return to action on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken. He’s been sidelined since Dec. 12 with a lower-body injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s status for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings is uncertain as he deals with an illness. Center Logan Cooley’s status (lower body) has improved to day-to-day.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Alex Wennberg (upper body) and Nico Sturm (right ankle) could be ready for Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames.

THE SCORE: ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the NHL recently met with a group interested in bringing an expansion franchise to New Orleans.

Prospective ownership groups from Atlanta and Houston have also expressed interest in landing NHL expansion franchises.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently said expansion wasn’t a “front-burner issue” but the league is expected to add two more franchises before the end of the decade.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: NHL Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died two years ago, his widow said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center found that Hull had stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023 at age 84. He suffered short-term memory loss and impaired judgment during the final decade of his life. He chose to donate his brain for research after seeing former teammate and fellow Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita decline during the final years of his life.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hull and Mikita suffered repeated blows to the head during their careers. Mikita became one of the first NHL players to don a helmet in Dec. 1967 after an errant shot tore off a piece of his ear, which was later stitched back on.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Former Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange died Wednesday at age 76. He was the voice of the Penguins beginning in 1974-75, leaving after that season but resuming his duties in 1976-77 on television and radio until health issues forced him to step down in 2021.

Lange gained widespread recognition for his colorful play-by-play and unique catch-phrases, including “Scratch my back with a hacksaw”, “Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too,” and, after every Penguins victory, “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.” He received the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Award in 2001.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I first became aware of Lange during the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in the early 1990s, enjoying his unique, entertaining play-by-play. He narrated the franchise’s greatest highs and lowest lows in a style that will never be equaled – my condolences to his family, friends, and the Penguins organization.










Bobby Hull 1939-2023

by | Jan 30, 2023

Bobby Hull 1939-2023

Hall of Famer Bobby Hull passed away on Jan. 30, 2023. He was 84.

Hull spent 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks from 1957-58 to 1971-72, becoming one of the greatest scorers in NHL history.

Ruggedly handsome with a megawatt smile and a muscular physique from years of farm labor while growing up near Belleville, Ontario, Hull was nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his blonde hair, blazing speed and booming shot. He was the NHL’s biggest star through most of the 1960s until Bobby Orr’s ascension to superstardom toward the end of that decade.

Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull (NHL.com).

His breakout season was in 1959-60 when he won his first Art Ross Trophy with 39 goals and 81 points in 70 games and was named to the First All-Star Team. The following season, he helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. He would also lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1962, 1965 and 1971.

From 1961-62 to 1971-72, Hull took home the Art Ross twice more (1961-62, 1965-66), was a two-time winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy (1964-65, 1965-66), and was the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1964-65.

During that period, he led the league in goals six times, including four years in a row from 1965-66 to 1968-69. He was also named to the First All-Star Team nine times and the Second Team twice.

Hull had his first 50-goal season in 1961-62. He became the first player to score over 50 goals in 1965-66 with 54. He reached 52 the following season and broke his own record with 58 in 1968-69, which stood until Phil Esposito’s 76-goal performance in 1970-71.

In 1972, Hull made history by leaving the Blackhawks following a contract dispute to sign a $1 million deal with the Winnipeg Jets of the upstart World Hockey Association. A number of NHL stars quickly followed Hull to the rival league, which led to a significant, long-overdue increase in player salaries.

Hull’s presence gave the WHA respectability and helped ensure its survival until it was taken over by the NHL at the end of the 1978-79 season. He paid a price for jumping to the rival league as he was barred by the NHL from playing for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series with the Soviet Union. He would play for a team of WHA stars in an eight-game series with the Soviets in 1974 and was the only WHA player on Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup.

During his tenure with the WHA, Hull was named to the First All-Star Team three times and the Second Team twice. He was the league’s MVP in 1972-73 and 1974-75, scoring a league-leading 77 goals in ’74-’75.

After retiring in 1979, Hull returned to the NHL with the Jets in 1979-80, playing 18 games until traded to the Hartford Whalers where he skated for nine more before retiring again. He attempted a comeback with the New York Rangers in 1981 for five exhibition games before hanging up his skates for good.

Hull finished his NHL career with 604 goals and 1,153 points in 1,036 games. He also tallied 303 goals and 638 points in 411 WHA games. He and his son, Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, are the only father and son in NHL history to each score 600 or more career NHL goals.

Hull had a reputation during his playing days for being kind and generous to his fans, often keeping the team bus waiting while he patiently signed autographs. However, there was a dark side to his private life that has cast a dark shadow over his career.

In the book “The Devil and Bobby Hull”, sportswriter Gare Joyce chronicled not only Hull’s hockey accomplishments but also his alcohol abuse and the physical and mental abuse of two of his three wives. His daughter, Michelle, works with battered women as a result of witnessing her father abusing her mother. He also made racist remarks during an interview with a Russian news outlet in 1998 that he subsequently denied.

Hull leaves behind a mixed legacy. On the ice, he was a great player who still holds the Blackhawks’ single-season goal record (58) and the all-time goals record (604). However, his behavior off the ice and unrepentant attitude over his transgressions tarnished his once golden reputation.

My condolences to his family, friends and former teammates.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 22, 2022

by | Feb 22, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 22, 2022

​The Flames win their 10th straight, the Bruins surprise the Avalanche, the Canadiens upset the Leafs, the three stars of the week and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Calgary Flames are the hottest team in the league after picking up their 10th straight win by downing the Winnipeg Jets 3-1. Elias Lindholm extended his goal streak to eight games with the game-winning goal with 47 seconds remaining in the game. Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli also scored for Calgary. The Flames also set a franchise record with a perfect 7-0-0 homestand. With 66 points, they hold a four-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division. The Jets (52 points) remains seven points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

David Pastrnak scored twice and added an assist and Taylor Hall had three helpers to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 win over the league-leading Colorado Avalanche. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman picked up the win with a 28-save performance as the Bruins (62 points) hold a 10-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. The Avs (76 points) remain one point ahead of the Florida Panthers in the overall standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Footage showed Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon appearing to slash linesman Michael Cormier on the leg after tangling with Bruins forward Tomas Nosek. Hockey operations investigated with the officials and determined there was “zero intent” by MacKinnon and no further action is required.

An overtime goal by Brett Pesce lifted the Carolina Hurricanes over the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3. Frederik Andersen kicked out 38 shots for the win while Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes (74 points), who hold a four-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Vancouver Canucks kept their playoff hopes alive with a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller each collected two assists while Thatcher Demko turned aside 25 shots. With 54 points, the Canucks are five points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who hold that final Western wild-card spot.

Montreal Canadiens forwards Josh Anderson and Cole Caufield each had three points to lead their club to a 5-2 upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Anderson scored two goals and added an assist while Caufield had a goal and two assists. Sam Montembeault made 35 stops as the Canadiens have their first three-game win streak of the season. With 67 points, the Leafs sit in third place in the Atlantic Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs’ defensive woes got worse as Jake Muzzin left the game in the second period after striking his head on the ice following a collision with Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman. He was sent to hospital for tests and didn’t travel with the club to Columbus following this game.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Flames center Elias Lindholm, Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger are the league’s three stars for the week ending Feb. 20.

SPORTSNET: The Jets placed rookie forward Cole Perfetti (upper body) on injured reserve.

TSN: The Maple Leafs acquired goaltender Carter Hutton from the Arizona Coyotes for future considerations. GOPHNX.COM reports the Leafs will loan Hutton back to the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Tucson but still have the insurance of an extra goalie in their system.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Leafs, they lost winger Ryan Dzingel off waivers to the San Jose Sharks yesterday. They had acquired Dzingel on Saturday in a trade with the Coyotes.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Blackhawks have mutually parted ways with Bobby Hull as a team ambassador.