Thomas Vanek

NHL

Talk Increasing of Maple Leafs As a ‘Legit’ Playoff Team

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: March 7, 2013

They haven’t seen post-season action since 2004, or held a Stanley Cup since 1967. But the Toronto Maple Leafs are earning more accolades, and observers inside and outside of the NHL are saying the Blue and White are definite playoff contenders. Take Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien. He knows how to cajole a Cup-winning...

NHL

Farewell Stompin’ Tom ‘The Hockey Song’ Connors

• Al Dannity

• Last Updated: March 7, 2013

The man who coined Canada’s alternate national anthem passed away on Wednesday at 77. Al Dannity pays tribute to Stompin’ Tom Connors, the voice and mind behind The Hockey Song. Sometimes it takes a long time for a song to really get going. Do you know Stand By Me? Of course you do but you...

NHL

Gruesome Eye Injury Revives Visor Debate in NHL

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: March 6, 2013

It was a horrible sight for anyone watching. New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal dropped to the ice to block an incoming shot. The slapper deflected off a stick and struck Staal in the region of his right orbital bone. As soon as it happened, Staal writhed in pain on the ice, legs flailing as...

NHL

NHL Saturday Give and Go: Questioning the Canucks

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: March 1, 2013

Saturday’s NHL Preview, Odds and Picks Since we’re closing in on the midway point of the NHL season, we figured it was high time we get a weekly column together. Frank will check in on a handful of Saturday’s games, giving his picks. What you go do with those picks are entirely up to you....

NHL

Three years on, Crosby’s goal is still golden

• Al Dannity

• Last Updated: February 28, 2013

Al Dannity remembers a moment when all of Canada came together, first in tension and then in jubilation, as Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in the Olympic Hockey Final and looks ahead to the challenge in Sochi. In this gig you watch a lot of Hockey games. Most are a blur, some jump out...

NHL

Pro Hockey Realignment Proposal Means New Rivalries

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: February 25, 2013

The drum beats began anew last Saturday with a series of tweets by Hockey Night In Canada analyst Elliotte Friedman in which he revealed the latest proposal for National Hockey League realignment. It’s not confirmed at this point — the plan needs ratification by the owners and players — but this could be what the...

NHL

Coach Randy Carlyle Warns Leafs After Sabres Fire Lindy Ruff

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: February 21, 2013

Sabres Visit Toronto With New Coach Buffalo Sabres management sent its players a major message yesterday by firing Lindy Ruff and Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle has his players on notice. The Sabres visit the Maple Leafs tonight with Ron Rolston taking over behind the bench on an interim basis. Rolston was in his...

NHL

Scrivens Superb in Leafs’ Net with Back-to-Back Shutouts

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: February 19, 2013

Anyone out there who might have been worried about whether Ben Scrivens could carry the load as the main goaltender of the Toronto Maple Leafs can rest easy. The 26-year-old registered his second consecutive scoreless performance Monday night in a 3-0 whitewashing of the Panthers in Florida. Scrivens hasn’t let a puck hit the back...

NHL

Unwanted in Montreal, Scott Gomez Signs with San Jose

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 24, 2013

The pride of Anchorage, Alaska has landed on his skates again. Centre Scott Gomez — labelled a bust with the Montreal Canadiens, who have bought him out of his ludicrously large contract — has been picked up by the San Jose Sharks. Terms of the one-year agreement were not disclosed publicly by the club, but...

NHL

Southeast Division Preview: Capitals Ready for Revival

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 18, 2013

As the Pacific Division was once an afterthought in the Western Conference, the Southeast Division has long been regarded as the weak link in the East. A couple of teams have made moves to improve, and that should hold them in good stead. NHL props NHL futures Carolina Hurricanes Jim Rutherford was a busy general...

NHL

NHL Preview: Sleepers, Schedules and Best Bets

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: January 18, 2013

NHL Fantasy, Team Betting Targets, NHL Schedule Conflicts As the NHL runs out apologies all across the league, fantasy freaks, bettors, and traditional fans are all scrambling to get ready for Saturday’s opening day. There are a lot of variables to consider this season. Firstly, we’re obviously dealing with a 48-game shortened schedule that will...

NHL

Central Division Preview: Blues Predicted to Repeat

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 17, 2013

Four of the five teams in the Central Division tallied at least 100 points last season, and their quality means that they all have a good shot of making the playoffs again. Other than St. Louis, though, all of these teams have some significant questions to answer. NHL props NHL futures Chicago Blackhawks They broke...

NHL

Northwest Division Preview: Canucks See Rivals on Horizon

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 15, 2013

First place in the Northwest has been the exclusive possession of the Vancouver Canucks for the past few seasons, but now some contenders are emerging to challenge their dominance of the division. NHL props NHL futures Calgary Flames The season hasn’t even started yet, but already things are going less than smoothly for some of...

NHL

Pacific Division Preview: Kings Seek to Maintain Rule

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 14, 2013

Long regarded as one of the weakest regions in the National Hockey League, the Pacific is the home of two of the seven Stanley Cup-winning teams since 2005: the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and now the Los Angeles Kings. One of the other themes in this division is the abundance of players aged 35 or...

NHL

Leafs Fire Burke Days Before Training Camp Set to Start

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 9, 2013

Just as the NHL owners are meeting to ratify the memorandum of understanding to end the lockout and get the league going after 113 days, the Toronto Maple Leafs brain trust has made a significant move. Brian Burke has been dismissed as general manager and replaced by Dave Nonis. If that triggers a feeling of...

NHL

Hockey Lockout Appears Over As Tentative Deal Is Reached

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: January 6, 2013

Fans of the National Hockey League should get ready for a short season — but at least it seems there will be some sort of season after all. Early on Sunday morning, an agreement in principle had been reached between the NHL and its players’ association for a new collective bargaining framework. Details were sketchy...

NHL

Four Greats Are Inducted Into the Hockey Hall of Fame

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: November 12, 2012

While the NHL-related news isn’t so great elsewhere, for one night the fans of the “greatest game on ice” get a feel-good story. Mats Sundin, Joe Sakic, Adam Oates and Pavel Bure each made their own indelible contributions, and it’s fitting to have them recognized for their efforts by inducting them into the Hockey Hall...

NBA

Pro Basketball Visits Canada; Still No Cure For Pro Hockey

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 25, 2012

With the ongoing lockout in the NHL, many arenas in North America are experiencing more open dates and dark nights than they’d like to have. So the people who run the MTS Centre in Winnipeg must have been happy to get as many as 12,163 (the announced attendance) to see the Minnesota Timberwolves play the...

NHL

New York Islanders Announce Move to New Arena in Brooklyn

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 24, 2012

The Barclays Center, the home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, is getting another major tenant. The New York Islanders of the National Hockey League have announced they will leave Long Island as of the 2015 season for the brand-new facility. Owner Charles Wang has long sought a new building to replace the Nassau Coliseum, which...

NHL

Hockey Analyst Adds Fuel to Luongo-to-Leafs Rumours

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 19, 2012

The lack of NHL games certainly isn’t stopping the NHL rumour mill. On Friday, Sportsnet.ca analyst John Shannon posted an opinion column where he repeated what he said Wednesday night during a discussion on the Hockeycentral TV program shown on Rogers Sportsnet: he has heard “from a reputable source” that current Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto...