Good morning Hockey fans,
Hope all is well with you. We are back with more news from around the league.
- As discussed on our show last night, the Newfoundland Growlers have ceased operations as of Tuesday due to bankruptcy, confirmed by Dean MacDonald, chair of Deacon Sports and Entertainment. They had 6 games left and according to the ECHL, all players will become unrestricted free agents. Players on NHL or AHL deals who were on the roster after March 20 are ineligible to play for the remainder of the ECHL campaign, but can be called up to play in either of those two leagues. This is a big loss and hole left for the ECHL. We will see if there will be any more news around it.
- The IIHF is hosting the World Women’s Championship starting on April 3 till the 14, 2024, at the Adirondack Bank Center,in Utica, New York. There will be 10 teams competing for the chance to win big, featuring countries such as the United States, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, Finland and Japan. We look forward to watching some of the talent, and will see if the US can repeat, after beating Canada in the final, earning their 10th title.
- The Anaheim Ducks have announced that Jakob Silfverberg will be retiring at the end of this season, his 12th in the NHL. Silfberberg has 7 goals and 78 games this season, and finishes his career with 817 NHL games, split with Anaheim and the Ottawa Senators (2012-13) putting up 168 goals and 205 assists for a total of 373 points. He also won Olympic silver with Team Sweden at Sochi 2014, adding to his collection of a 2011 World Championship silver medal and a bronze from the 2010 World Juniors. We wish him all the best in his future.
- As discussed on last night’s show, it sounds like the NHL, the Board of Governors and the Arizona Coyotes are working on an agreement to sell and relocate to Salt Lake City and owner Ryan Smith. There is still a lot of moving parts but with no arena set, the bid happening in the summer, and with an uncertainty about players playing at Mullett Arena, there is a lot of balls up in the air and there will be some decisions made. The NHL is preparing a schedule for both in Salt Lake and in Arizona and they are hoping they figure something out but even if the team is moved, there may be an expansion made in the coming years to return back.
- Auston Matthews has scored his 66th goal on the season, holding the active NHL Record and is pushing for 70 for the first time ever in 30 years. He has been excellent and makes it seem so easy, but we can easily say that Auston Matthews is probably the best current goal scorer (and we see you Alex Ovechkin) and continues to be an offensive threat. This is a great feature as he pushes himself into the Hart Nominee conversation.
- We are also at the end of the season with a few more days left, and then we get into the playoffs which is an exciting time for any hockey fan. We are super pumped to see what happens in the post-season and see what storyline emerges from it.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two on TWITTER and give us a follow on YouTube, or at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
