NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 6, 2024

by | Sep 6, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 6, 2024

Oilers captain Connor McDavid talks about his offseason, Alex Ovechkin prepares for his 20th season with the Capitals, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SPORTSNET: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid revealed he adjusted his summer training schedule to account for his club’s shorter offseason following the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

McDavid, 27, was also motivated to change his offseason training following the Oilers’ poor start last season.

“I went with a little bit of a different strategy this summer,” said McDavid. “In years past, it’s just been very heavy volume. Very go, go, go. Throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks.”

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

McDavid admitted he felt fatigued at the start of last season following a long summer of heavy training. That contributed to a 2-9-1 start to the season for the Oilers before rebounding following a coaching change.

The Oilers captain said he took some time off the ice this summer though he continued his off-ice workouts. He resumed skating in August and feels good heading toward training camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid is in his playing prime but what worked for him in his offseason regimen several years ago isn’t as effective now. The human body changes as it ages and athletes must adjust accordingly.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Alex Ovechkin has returned to the United States to prepare for the upcoming season with the Washington Capitals.

Entering his 20th NHL season, the 38-year-old Ovechkin is 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. Following a slow start last season, the Capitals captain finished with 31 goals, marking the 18th time he’d reached the 30-goal plateau.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Age is catching up with Ovechkin. Nevertheless, a better start could improve his chances of breaking Gretzky’s record this season.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The funeral of Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew has been scheduled for 12 pm on Monday in Philadelphia. The Gaudreaus were killed by a drunk driver last Thursday.

NEW YORK POST: Former Rangers defenseman Marc Staal has retired as an active player, rejoining the Rangers as a player development coach.

Chosen in the first round of the 2005 NHL Draft (12th overall) by the Rangers, Staal spent 13 seasons with the Rangers (2007-08 to 2019-20). He spent the following four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Staal had 53 goals and 234 points in 1,136 regular-season games and 20 points in 128 playoff contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report also indicated that Staal overcame multiple concussions and played the last 11 years of his 17-season NHL career without vision in his right eye after being struck by a puck in 2012-13. He wore a visor after that and never missed a game because of his eye or vision.

THE SCORE: Long-time NHL defenseman Alex Goligoski also hung up his skates on Thursday.

A second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2004 draft, Goligoski spent 17 seasons in the NHL from 2007-08 to 2023-24. He scored 87 goals and collected 388 assists for 475 career regular-season points with the Penguins, Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. He also had 21 points in 47 playoff games. He won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2008-09.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils invited defenseman Jakub Zboril and goaltender Michael Hutchinson to training camp on professional tryout offers (PTOs).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils also denied a rumor claiming they were bringing Milan Lucic to camp on a PTO. “Categorically untrue. His situation lies with the league. We haven’t and couldn’t sign him to a PTO.”

Lucic entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program following his arrest last fall for a domestic incident. He needs clearance from the league to resume his career but has not yet been cleared by league doctors to exit the program.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Anaheim Ducks prospect forward Beckett Sennecke suffered a broken foot during offseason training and will miss the next six to eight weeks. Sennecke, 18, was chosen third overall by the Ducks in this year’s draft.

The Ducks also signed goaltender Oskar Dansk to a one-year, two-way contract. The former Vegas Golden Knights netminder spent the past two seasons with the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate.

TSN: A London, Ontario court is hearing legal arguments in the sexual assault case of five former players of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Hockey team.

Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged earlier this year in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a hotel in 2018.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former NHL defenseman Larry Trader died Thursday at age 61. Trader played 91 games in the NHL with the Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens from 1982-83 to 1987-88, scoring five goals and 18 points. He also won a Calder Cup with the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings in 1985-86 and a Spengler Cup for Canada in 1986-87.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Trader’s family, friends and former teammates.

US HOCKEY HALL OF FAME: Former NHL players Matt Cullen and Kevin Stevens are among the inductees in the Class of 2024. The induction ceremony will be held on Dec. 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Cullen and Stevens for this great honor.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 12, 2020

by | Jun 12, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 12, 2020

​Training camps slated to open on July 10, CBA updates, and the latest on Patrick Kane, David Pastrnak, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL TRAINING CAMP TO OPEN JULY 10

NHL.COM: The NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced yesterday Phase 3 of the return-to-play plan will see training camps open on July 10. Both parties agree this will take place provided medical and safety conditions allow, and the two sides reach an agreement on resuming play (Phase 4).

NHL training camps could begin on July 1 (Photo via NHL.com).

Earlier this week, the league and PA implemented Phase 2, allowing small-group workouts at team facilities voluntarily.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks listed the outstanding issues that must be addressed before Phase 4 (24-team playoff tournament) begins. They include travel and quarantine restrictions when crossing the Canada-United States border, determining the location of two hub cities to stage the tournament, various health and safety issues, as well as escrow and salary cap issues.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun cautions the start date for Phase 3 could change if negotiations drag between the league and the PA. They’re also hoping for the Phase 4 start date to be around August 1.

Darren Dreger reports Las Vegas is considered a front-runner as one of the two hub cities. Toronto could have the inside track among the three Canadian cities because of its experience hosting the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Vancouver and Edmonton also made pitches to be a host city.

SPORTSNET: Mark Spector reports those three Canadian cities could learn by today if the Canadian government’s quarantine restrictions will be loosened for NHL teams.

If those restrictions aren’t lifted entirely, they could consider extending the quarantine area to include the team employee’s home and arena, thus allowing them to practice while serving out their 14-day quarantine period.

If a Canadian city is chosen as a hub, teams from the United States participating in the tournament could quarantine inside an “NHL bubble” created between the team hotel, practice arena, and the NHL arena.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks star Patrick Kane wants the league to take a cautious approach toward resuming play.

“The NHL is putting out these dates and whatnot, and as players, we’re taking a step back and saying, ‘Why are these dates being put out when we haven’t really agreed to anything yet?’ ” Kane said. “We just want to be cautious.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The PA also agreed to those dates, but as the joint statement yesterday indicated, it’s based on whether medical and safety conditions are met and both sides have reached an agreement on resuming play.

This can still be derailed at any time by the pandemic. The players could also vote against it if they feel their health and safety cannot be assured.

Yesterday’s announcement of training camps opening on July 10 is a positive step, but significant hurdles remain between now and then.

NHL CBA UPDATES

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the two sides are believed discussing a four- or five-year CBA extension. A four-year one would push the CBA to the end of the 2025-26 season. Whatever news rules are agreed upon would be implemented right away.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks reports escrow and the salary cap are the key issues before a CBA extension can be reached before the playoff tournament begins in August.

NHL players could potentially face escrow deductions of 40 percent or more next season. The league and the PA are attempting to negotiate an escrow cap that would allow the players to make their payments over a longer period.

The two sides are also discussing keeping next season’s salary cap at a flat rate ($81.5 million). Without it, Brooks speculates the cap could drop by $10 million. That would produce chaos and instability around the league as teams shed salary, flooding the free-agent market and depressing salaries.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A CBA extension would ensure labor peace for the next six years. It would be the silver lining to the dark cloud of COVID-19 hanging over the league right now.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE SCORE: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak won the Golden Hockey Stick as the Czech Player of the Year for the fourth straight season, tying the record set by future Hall-of-Famer Jaromir Jagr.

TSN: Darren Dreger reports Peter Laviolette could be the front-runner for the role of New Jersey Devils head coach. Laviolette is among four candidates, including Devils interim bench boss Alain Nasreddine.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports sources claim NBC Sports broadcaster Ed Olczyk was among those interviewed for the Devils GM position. When asked, Olczyk said he speaks to a lot of people in the NHL. Interim GM Tom Fitzgerald remains a candidate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils are leaving Nasreddine and Fitzgerald twisting in the wind. Those two should be commended for how well they’re handling this situation.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan is expected to be fully recovered from shoulder surgery to participate in the playoff tournament in August.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Vegas Golden Knights re-signed goaltender Oscar Dansk to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $700K at the NHL level.

TSN: Kim Pegula will be staying on as president of the Buffalo Sabres.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: Former San Jose Sharks forward Tommy Wingels announced his retirement. Wingels spent 337 of his 448 career NHL games with the Sharks from 2010-11 to 2016-17, as well as stops with the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins from 2016-17 to 2017-18. He had 62 goals and 143 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Wingels in his future endeavors.