NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 19, 2023

by | Aug 19, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 19, 2023

Former NHL stars turn out for Marian Hossa’s “Goodbye Game” in Slovakia, the Sabres trade Ilya Lyubushkin to the Ducks, the Sharks add Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek to their hockey operations staff, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE SCORE: A number of former NHL stars participated in Marian Hossa’s “Goodbye Game” in Slovakia on Friday. Hossa’s playing career was ended prematurely following the 2016-17 season by a rare skin condition. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

Hockey Hall of Fame winger Marian Hossa (NHL Images).

Many of the players were former teammates of Hossa, who played for the Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks during his 19-season NHL career.

Among the notables were Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, Daniel Alfredsson, Duncan Keith, Henrik Zetterberg, Jonathan Toews, Peter Bondra, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, Martin Havlat and Miroslav Satan.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hossa, 44, delighted the crowd with a breakaway goal in the third period.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: The Sabres traded defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2025.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: To quote Cap Friendly, “There’s nothing like a Friday night trade in the middle of August.” I jokingly suggested that they did it to see if we were paying attention. The timing could in fact be due to the Sabres and their fans mourning the passing of broadcasting icon Rick Jeanneret.

The Sabres had nine defensemen under NHL contract and had to clear the logjam on their blueline. Lyubushkin, 29, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. This move also frees up $2.75 million from their cap payroll.

For the Ducks, Lyubushkin adds another measure of size, physicality and experience to their blueline after signing Radko Gudas earlier this summer.

SPORTSNET: The San Jose Sharks added former Sabres Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek to their hockey operations department. The pair are former teammates of Sharks general manager Mike Grier.

Miller will scout draft-eligible goaltenders for the Sharks and will assist in the development of their goalies. Vanek, meanwhile, becomes an amateur scout in the Minnesota region.

TVA SPORTS: The Montreal Canadiens hired former NHL forward Fernando Pisani as an amateur scout. He played for the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks from 2002-03 to 2010-11, with seven of those seasons with the Oilers.

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid topped the NHL Network’s recent ranking of the top 20 centers for the 2023-24 season. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 7, 2020

by | Dec 7, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 7, 2020

​Check out the latest on Vladimir Tarasenko, P.K. Subban, Jarome Iginla and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

STLTODAY.COM: St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko is over two months into recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and seems to be doing well. He and teammate Alexander Steen won’t be healthy enough to be on the active roster when the season begins.

New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (NHL Images).

 MONTREAL GAZETTE: New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban’s marriage to skier Lindsey Vonn was slated for this past July but is now indefinitely on hold due to COVID-19. They’re waiting until their families, spread throughout North America and Europe, can safely attend.

CALGARY SUN: A Boston TV station had no idea they were interviewing NHL Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla when speaking with several local motorists dealing with a winter storm on Friday. Iginla and his family live in the Boston area.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It probably would’ve been a different story if Iginla had spent the bulk of his playing career with the Bruins instead of with the Calgary Flames. He only played one season with the Bruins in 2013-14, reaching the 30-goal plateau for the 12th and final time in his 20-year NHL career.

THE SCORE: Former NHL forward Thomas Vanek believes the league isn’t as tough as it was early in his career. He points out big defensemen like Chris Pronger and Derian Hatcher were rarely called for penalties for inflicting punishment on forwards parked in front of the net. “Now the game has changed. You’ve got a lot of smaller defensemen who are more mobile,” said Vanek. “They cross-check a little bit, but those guys (Pronger, Hatcher) are nonexistent really anymore.”

RDS: Former NHL forward Maxim Lapierre announced his retirement on Sunday. He tallied 65 goals and 74 assists for 139 points in 614 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins from 2005-06 to 2014-15. He spent the last five seasons playing in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

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

NHL.COM: Former NHL linesman Neil Armstrong passed away Sunday at age 87. He officiated in 1,744 NHL regular-season games from 1957 to 1978 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. He was the father of St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Armstrong’s family, friends and colleagues.