Want to support cancer awareness and Oskar’s fight? Here’s a thought: Vote for him to be the captain of the Metro in the All Star game.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom has been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He will miss the rest of the season while he fights this cancer.

You can vote up to 10 times per day until December 20, 2019. Follow this link: https://www.nhl.com/all-star-ballot

Scroll down to the bottom of the Metro column, and search for “Oskar Lindblom”. You will need to pick 3 other captains from the other divisions as well.

Story: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/14/us/oskar-lindblom-ewing-sarcoma-cancer/index.html

“Before you read this next story,” begins Chapter 6 of Jeremy Allingham’s Major Misconduct: The Human Cost of Fighting in Hockey, “I need you to do something first. Grab your phone or computer, search ‘Stephen Peat vs. P.J. Stock’ on your browser, then settle into your seat and brace yourself.” The fight, which took place in a game between Peat’s Washington Capitals and Stock’s Boston Bruins on January 5, 2002, is just one brutal example of the fighting that the author wants to help eradicate from the sport of hockey.

In the book, Allingham delves into the stories of former hockey fighters Peat, James McEwan, and Dale Purinton, all of whom have suffered from common symptoms of CTE since retiring from the sport they love. Drinking, drugs, estrangement from their families, and jail time are common themes indicative of the consequences that all three men attribute to careers spent fighting, or as Allingham puts it, accurately, numerous times throughout the work, “bare knuckle boxing.”

While the three men all have uniquely fascinating stories (McEwan, for example, has turned his life around through spiritual meditation, yoga, and a hallucinogenic drink administered by Amazonian shamans called ayahuasca), they all seem to stem from childhood memories of players fighting on television, and the glorification of the act by the announcers, and in two of the three cases, the boisterous Hockey Night In Canada co-host Don Cherry’s highlight packages of great hockey fights. None of these men, of course, strapped on skates with the intention of becoming known for their fighting prowess, but instead adopted that element into their games in an effort to push to the next level of their professional careers.

Lest you think that Allingham is limiting himself to one side of the story to paint the picture he wants you to see, that is certainly not the case. Allingham speaks with boxing coaches who have trained hockey players, as well as players who have taken boxing classes, all of whom indicate that it’s not about going out on the ice and looking for a fight. Rather, it’s about knowing what to do to protect themselves should they end up in that situation. The author even goes as far as to talk to Georges Laraque, a prolific NHL enforcer who fought over 140 times in the league during stints with the Oilers, Canadiens, Penguins, and Coyotes. Laraque doesn’t share the outlook that fighting is a direct cause of CTE, though he does feel fighting should be eliminated at the junior level.

When I first got the press release from the books publicist, I wrote back that it sounded like a fantastic book. I got the book in the mail either Monday or Tuesday of this week, and I had a hard time putting it down. While I don’t know that Allingham succeeded in his goal of making me want fighting out of the game entirely (I did once watch an entire two-hour VHS tape my then-roommate bought of every single Rob Ray fight), it definitely has me thinking about the consequences these men suffer as a result of repeated blows to the head. It’s also done something I once thought impossible – it’s made me dislike Gary Bettman even more than I did before reading it. This book is definitely worth the read, and absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Nextiva, an innovative tech company dedicated to simplifying business communications, team collaboration, and customer engagement, recently announced that they have partnered with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres to be the team’s official communications partner, setting up all of the communications throughout Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.

While Nextiva plans to present “something special” to give everyone a look at what goes on during game day with the service they provide to the team, I was able to ask a few questions that I, as a Bored Hockey Fan, was curious about when it comes to this partnership.

How do official team partnerships work?

In our case, we were selected as the official communications provider for the Buffalo Sabres thanks to a generous introduction by its channel partner PremCom, who recommended us to them. The Sabres went on to choose Nextiva, and we were definitely excited by the opportunity to support the Sabres, and grateful for the opportunity PremCom had provided.

What other teams throughout the world of sports has Nextiva partnered with?

The Sabres are our first partnership with an NHL or sports team.

What are the benefits of a team using Nextiva for their communications?

The biggest thing we wanted to do was to provide the Sabres organization with concrete solutions, to give confidence that their needs would be met on all levels — for fans, for patrons, and for the team—and that we could provide each and every solution on their list with something feature-rich and seamless from our Unified Communications platform. The suites at the Buffalo Sabres’ home arena, the KeyBank Center, are now outfitted with Nextiva phones and service, and features include voice communications, mobility and desktop sharing, along with the company’s trademarked Amazing Service.

Is the Nextiva partnership visible and accessible to fans aside from the logo on the ice?

The Nextiva logo is prominently featured on the ice, but it is also visible on posters around the KeyBank Center arena, wherever voice communications technology is featured around the arena, and within the private suites.

How many technicians, and how much time, does it take to install a communications suite like the one Nextiva now has at the KeyBank Center?

Joe, we’re working on something special over the next 2-3 months that will give everyone a visceral, immediate and inside look into what goes into staging game day, and into helping an NHL team maximize its communications across the board. We’ll share with you as soon as it’s completed!

If the NHL were to partner, as a whole, with Nextiva, what benefits would the league see as far as communication for on-ice officials to the replay official or the “war room” in Toronto?

Ultimately, we’re able provide system-wide unified communications at the highest level, so that all of their locations can be connected and managed on one single account. We may be able to create a custom solution for on-ice officials and other officials around the arena during game day, similar to what we’ve done for the Conan show.

We also ensure that all arena facilities and private suites are fully equipped with the best in first-class communications features. This means that guests will be using Nextiva communications to make their experiences as enjoyable as possible, using them to call for their food and beverage orders, make requests, and receive service or support as needed while enjoying their experiences in the suites.

I, for one, am looking forward to the special inside look Nextiva is preparing for us over the next 2-3 months. Very special thanks to Nextiva for sharing with us and taking the time to answer a few questions, and we wish them the best of luck for a successful partnership with the Sabres.

Here are selections 62-211 of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft

PICK – TEAM – PLAYER DRAFTED – TEAM DRAFTED PLAYER PLAYED FOR

ROUND THREE
62 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Joseph Woll (USA U18, USHL)
63 – EDMONTON OILERS – Markus Niemelainen (Saginaw, OHL)
64 – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – William Lockwood (USA U18, USHL)
65 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – Vitali Abramov (Gatineau, QMJHL)
66 – CALGARY FLAMES – Adam Fox (USA U18, USHL)
67 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Matt Filipe (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
68 – ARIZONA COYOTES – Can Dineen (North Bay. OHL)
69 – BUFFALO SABRES – Cliff Pu (London, OHL)
70 – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Will Bitten (Flint, OHL)
71 – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Josh Anderson (Prince George, WHL)
72 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – J.D Greenway (US NDTP, USHL)
73 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Joey Anderson (USA U18, USHL)
74 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Hudson Elynuik (Spokane, WHL)
75 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Jack LaFontaine (Janesville, NAHL)
76 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Rem Pitlick (Muskegon, USHL)
77 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Connor Hall (Kitchener, OHL)
78 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Frederic Allard (Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
79 – WINNIPEG JETS – Luke Green (Saint John, QMJHL)
80 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Brandon Gignac (Shawinigan, QMJHL)
81 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Sean Day (Mississauga, OHL)
82 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Carsen Twarynski (Calgary, WHL)
83 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Wouter Peeters (EC Salzburg, AUT U20)
84 – EDMONTON OILERS – Matthew Cairns (Georgetown, OJHL)
85 – ANAHEIM DUCKS – Joshua Mahara (Red Deer, WHL)
86 – BUFFALO SABRES – Casey Fitzgerald (Boston College, H-EAST)
87 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Garrett Pilon (Kamloops, WHL)
88 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Connor Ingram (Kamloops, WHL)
89 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Linus Naasen (Lulea, SWE-Jr)
90 – DALLAS STARS – Fredrik Karlstrom (AIK, SWE-Jr.)
91 – EDMONTON OILERS – Filip Berglund (Skelleftea, SWE-Jr.)
ROUND FOUR
92 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Adam Brooks (Regina, WHL)
93 – ANAHEIM DUCKS – Jack Kopacka (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
94 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Jonathan Ang (Peterborough, OHL)
95 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Anatoli Golyshev (Avtomobilist, KHL)
96 – CALGARY FLAMES – Linus Lindstrom (Skelleftea, SWE-Jr.)
97 – WINNIPEG JETS – Jacob Cederholm (HV71, SWE-Jr.)
98 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Tarmo Reunanen (TPS, FIN-Jr.)
99 – BUFFALO SABRES – Brett Murray (Carleton Place, CCHL)
100 – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Victor Mete (London, OHL)
101 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Keaton Middleton (Saginaw, OHL)
102 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Mikhail Maltsev (Russia U18, Rus-Jr.)
103 – OTTAWA SENATORS – Todd Burgess (Fairbanks, NAHL)
104 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Max Zimmer (Chicago, USHL)
105 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Evan Cormier (Saginaw, OHL)
106 – MINNESOTA WILD – Brandon Duhaime (Tri-City, USHL)
107 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Alfons Malmstrom (Orebro, SWE-Jr.)
108 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Hardy Haman Aktell (Skelleftea, SWE U18)
109 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Connor Bunnaman (Kitchener, OHL)
110 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Lucas Carlsson (Brynas, SHL)
111 – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Noah Gregor (Moose Jaw, WHL)
112 – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Jacob Moverare (HV71, SWE-Jr.)
113 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Nathan Noel (Saint John, QMJHL)
114 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Riley Stillman (Oshawa, OHL)
115 – ANAHEIM DUCKS – Alex Dostie (Gatineau, QMJHL)
116 – DALLAS STARS – Rhett Gardner (North Dakota, NCHC)
117 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Damien Riat (Geneve, NLA)
118 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Ross Colton (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
119 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Tanner Kaspick (Brandon, WHL)
120 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Otto Koivula (Ilves, FIN-Jr.)
121 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Ryan Jones (Lincoln, USHL)
ROUND FIVE
122 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Vladimir Bobylev (Victoria, WHL)
123 – EDMONTON OILERS – Dylan Wells (Peterborough, OHL)
124 – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Casey Staum (Hill-Murray, HIGH-MN)
125 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Nolan Stevens (Northeastern, NCAA H-East)
126 – CALGARY FLAMES – Mitchell Mattson (Grand Rapids, HIGH-MN)
127 – WINNIPEG JETS – Jordan Stallard (Calgary, WHL)
128 – DALLAS STARS – Colton Point (Carleton Place, CCHL)
129 – BUFFALO SABRES – Philip Nyberg (Linkoping, SHL)
130 – BUFFALO SABRES – Vojtech Budik (Prince Albert, WHL)
131 – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Adam Werner (Farjestad, SWE-Jr.)
132 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Yegor Rykov (St. Petersburg, RUS-Jr.)
133 – OTTAWA SENATORS – Maxime Lajoie (Swift Current, WHL)
134 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, OHL)
135 – BOSTON BRUINS – Joona Koppanen (Ilves, FIN-Jr.)
136 – BOSTON BRUINS – Cameron Clarke (Lone Star, NAHL)
137 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Jordan Sambrook (Erie, OHL)
138 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Patrick Harper (Avon Old Farms, HIGH-CT)
139 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Linus Hogberg (Vaxjo, SHL)
140 – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – Cole Candella (Hamilton, OHL)
141 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Tim Gettinger (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
142 – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Mikey Eyssimont (Fargo, USHL)
143 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Mathias From (Rogle, SWE-Jr.)
144 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Connor Bleackley (Red Deer, WHL)
145 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Beck Malenstyn (Calgary, WHL)
146 – DALLAS STARS – Nicholas Caamano (Flint, OHL)
147 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Axel Jonsson Fjallby (Djurgardens, SHL)
148 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Christopher Paquette (Niagara, OHL)
149 – EDMONTON OILERS – Graham McPhee (USA U18, USHL)
150 – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Manuel Wiederer (Moncton, QMJHL)
151 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Niclas Almari (Jokerit, FIN-Jr.)
ROUND SIX
152 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Jack Walker (Victoria, WHL)
153 – EDMONTON OILERS – Aapeli Rasanen (Tappara, FIN-Jr.)
154 – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – Jakob Stukel (Calgary, WHL)
155 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – Peter Thome (Aberdeen Wings, NAHL)
156 – CALGARY FLAMES – Eetu Tuulola (HPK, FIN-Jr.)
157 – WINNIPEG JETS – Mikhail Berdin (RUS U18, RUS-Jr.)
158 – ARIZONA COYOTES – Patrick Kudla (Oakville, OJHL)
159 – BUFFALO SABRES – Brandon Hagel (Red Deer, WHL)
160 – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Michael Pezzetta (Sudbury, OHL)
161 – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Nathan Clurman (Culver Academt, HIGH-IN)
162 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Jesper Bratt (AIK, Allsvenska)
163 – OTTAWA SENATORS – Markus Nurmi (TPS, FIN-Jr.)
164 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Noah Carroll (Guelph, OHL)
165 – BOSTON BRUINS – Oskar Steen (Farjestad, SWE-Jr.)
166 – CALGARY FLAMES – Matthew Phillips (Victoria, WHL)
167 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Filip Larsson (Djurgarden, SWE-Jr.)
168 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Alexander Volkov (SKA St. Petersburg, RUS-Jr.)
169 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Tanner Laczynski (Lincoln, USHL)
170 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Collin Adams (Muskegon, USHL)
171 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Gabriel Fontaine (Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
172 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Anthony Salinitri (Sarnia, OHL)
173 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Blake Hillamn (Dubuque, USHL)
174 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Tyler Wall (Leamington, GOJHL)
175 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Maxim Mamin (CSKA, RUS-Jr.)
176 – DALLAS STARS – Jakob Stenqvist (Modo, SHL)
177 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Chase Priskie (Quinnipiac, ECAC)
178 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Oleg Sosunov (Yaroslavl, RUS-Jr.)
179 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Nicholas Mattinen (London, OHL)
180 – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Mark Shoemaker (North Bay, OHL)
181 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Joseph Masonius (UCONN, NCAA H-East)
ROUND SEVEN
182 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Nikolai Chebykin (HK MVD Balashik., MHL)
183 – EDMONTON OILERS – Vincent Desharnais (Providence, NCAA H-East)
184 – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – Rodrigo Abols (Portland, WHL)
185 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – Calvin Thurkauf (Kelowna, WHL)
186 – CALGARY FLAMES – Stepan Falkovsky (Ottawa, OHL)
187 – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Arvid Henrikson (AIK U18, SWE-Jr.)
188 – ARIZONA COYOTES – Dean Stewart (Portage, MJHL)
189 – BUFFALO SABRES – Austin Osmanski (Mississauga, OHL)
190 – BUFFALO SABRES – Vasili Glotov (LVY St. Petersburg, RUS-Jr.)
191 – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Travis Barron (Oshawa, OHL)
192 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Jeremy Davies (Bloomington, USHL)
193 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Nick Pastujov (USA U18, USHL)
194 – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – Brett McKenzie (North Bay, OHL)
195 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Benjamin Finkelstein (Kimball Union, USHS)
196 – MINNESOTA WILD – Dmitri Sokolov (Sudbury, OHL)
197 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Mattias Elfstrom (Malmo, SHL)
198 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Adam Smith (Bowling Green, NCAA WCHA)
199 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – David Bernhardt (Djurgarden, SWE-Jr.)
200 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – David Quennevile (Medicine Hat, WHL)
201 – NEW YORK RANGERS – Ty Ronning (Vancouver, WHL)
202 – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Jacob Friend (Owen Sound, WHL)
203 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Jake Ryczek (Waterloo, USHL)
204 – MINNESOTA WILD – Brayden Chizen (Kelowna, WHL)
205 – ANAHEIM DUCKS Tyler Soy (Victoria, WHL)
206 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Otto Somppi (Halifax, QMJHL)
207 – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – Dmitri Zaitsev (WB/Scranton, NAHL)
208 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Ryan Lohin (Waterloo, USHL)
209 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Nikolaj Krag Christensen (Rodovre, DEN)
210 – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Joachim Blichfeld (Malmo, SHL)
211 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Filip Helt (HC Litvinov U18, CZE-U18)

Here are selections 31-61 of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft

PICK – TEAM – PLAYER DRAFTED – TEAM DRAFTED PLAYER PLAYED FOR

31 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Yegor Korshkov (Yaroslavl, KHL)
32 – EDMONTON OILERS – Tyler Benson (Vancouver, WHL)
33 – BUFFALO SABRES – Rasmus Asplund (Farjestad BK, SHL) (Traded Mark Pysyk, Pk 38 ’16, Pk 89 ’16 to FLA for Dmitry Kulikov, Pk 33 ’16)
34 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – Andrew Peeke (Green Bay, USHL)
35 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia, OHL) (Traded Brian Elliott to CAL for Pk 35 ’16, cond. 3rd 2018)
36 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville, QMJHL) (Traded Pk 18 ’16 and Pk 79 ’16 to WPG for Pk 22 ’16, Pk 36 ’16)
37 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Libor Hajek (Saksatoon, WHL) (Traded Anthony DeAngelo to ARZ for Pk 37 ’16)
38 – FLORIDA PANTHERS – Adam Mascherin (Kitchener, OHL) (Traded Dmitry Kulikov, Pk 33 ’16 to BUF for Mark Pysyk, Pk 38 ’16, Pk 89 ’16)
39 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Alex DeBrincat (Erie, OHL) (Traded Andrew Shaw to MTL for Pk 39 ’16, Pk 45 ’16)
40 – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Cameron Morrison (Youngstown, USHL) (Traded BUF 2nd Rd ’15 to SJ for 2nd Rd ’15, COL 6th Rd ’17. Pk 40 ’16)
41 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Nathan Bastian (Mississauga, OHL)
42 – OTTAWA SENATORS – Jonathan Dahlen (Timra IK, SWE-2)
43 – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Janne Kuokkanen (Karpat, SM-Liiga)
44 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Boris Katchouk (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) (Traded Brett Connolly to BOS for 2nd Rd ’15. Pk 44 ’16)
45 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Chad Krys (US NTDP, USHL) (Traded Andrew Shaw to MTL for Pk 39 ’16, Pk 45 ’16)
46 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Givani Smith (Guelph, OHL)
47 – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Samuel Girard (Shawinigan, QMJHL)
48 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Carter Hart (Everett, WHL)
49 – BOSTON BRUINS – Ryan Lindgren (US NTDP, USHL) (Traded PHI 2nd Rd ’15, cond. 3rd Rd ’15, Pk 49 ’16 to NYI for Johnny Boychuk)
50 – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Artur Kayumov (Russia U18, MHL) (Traded Teuvo Teravainen, Bryan Bickell to CAR for CHI 3rd Rd ’17, Pk 50 ’16)
51 – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Kale Clague (Brandon, WHL)
52 – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Wade Allison (Tri-City, WHL) (Traded 2nd Rd ’15, Pk 52 ’16 to PHI for Kimmo Timonen
53 – DETROIT RED WINGS – Filip Hronek (Mountfield HK, CZE) (Traded Pavel Datsyuk, Pk 16 ’16 to ARZ for Joe Vitale, Pk 53 ’16, Pk 20 ’16)
54 – CALGARY FLAMES – Tyler Parsons (London, OHL) (Traded Jiri Hudler to FLA for 4th Rd ’18, Pk 54 ’16)
55 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Filip Gustavsson (Lulea HF, SHL) (Traded cond. 3rd Rd pick ’16, Brandon Sutter to VAN for Nick Bonino, Adam Glendening, Pk 55 ’16)
56 – CALGARY FLAMES – Dillon Dube (Kelowna, WHL) (Traded Kris Russell to DAL for Jyrki Jokipakka, Brett Pollock, Pk 56 ’16)
57 – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Carl Grundstrom (Modo, SHL) (Traded Daniel Winnik, Pk 145 ’16 to WSH for Brooks Laich, Connor Carrick, Pk 57 ’16)
58 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – Taylor Raddysh (Erie, OHL)
59 – ST. LOUIS BLUES – Evan Fitzpatrick (Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
60 – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Dylan Gambrell (U. Denver, NCAA HCNC)
61 – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Kasper Bjorkqvist (Espoo, SM-Liiga) (Traded Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Pk 72 ’16, Pk 30 ’16 to TOR for Phil Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, Pk 61 ’16)

The 2016 NHL Awards took place in Las Vegas, on the 22nd June. Here are the list of nominees for each award, with the winners in bold.

CALDER TROPHY
Nominees: Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI), Connor McDavid (EDM), Artemi Panarin (CHI)

TED LINDSAY AWARD
Nominees: Jamie Benn (DAL), Patrick Kane (CHI), Braden Holtby (WSH)

KING CLANCY MEMORIAL TROPHY
Winner: Henrik Sedin (VAN)

EA SPORTS NHL 17 COVER ATHLETE
Nominees: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL), Joe Pavelski (SJ)

JACK ADAMS AWARD
Nominees: Gerard Gallant (FLA), Lindy Ruff (DAL), Barry Trotz (WSH)

LADY BYNG TROPHY
Nominees: Anze Kopitar (LAK), Loui Eriksson (BOS), Aleksander Barkov (FLA)

VEZINA TROPHY
Nominees: Ben Bishop, Braden Holtby (WSH), Jonathan Quick (LAK)

SELKE TROPHY
Nominees: Ryan Kesler (ANA), Patrice Bergeron (BOS), Anze Kopitar (LAK)

NORRIS TROPHY
Nominees: Drew Doughty (LAK), Erik Karlsson (OTT), Brent Burns (SJ)

NHL FOUNDATION PLAYER AWARD
Nominees: Matt Martin (NYI), P.K. Subban (MTL), Mark Giordano (CGY)

MARK MESSIER NHL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Nominees: Alex Ovechkin (WSH), Shea Weber (NSH), John Tavares (NYI)

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jim Nill (DAL), Brian MacLellan (WSH), Jim Rutherford (PIT)

MASTERTON TROPHY
Nominees: Jaromir Jagr (FLA), Mats Zuccarello (NYR), Pascal Dupuis (PIT)

HART TROPHY
Nominees: Sidney Crosby (PIT), Jamie Benn (DAL), Patrick Kane (CHI)

In 1967, the NHL expanded from 6 teams to 12, adding franchises in California, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

In 1979, the National Hockey League merged with the World Hockey Association, with WHA franchises Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Minnesota North Stars joining the NHL for the 79-80 season.

On June 22, 2016, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced, that starting from the 2017-18 season, there would be 31 teams in the National Hockey League, with the addition of a franchise in Las Vegas. This will be the first expansion draft in the NHL since the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets entered the league in the 2000-01 season.

The expansion draft will occur in 2017, whère Vegas will select 30 players, one from each existing franchise, including at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. The existimg teams have the option to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie.

Any current player with a no-move clause in their contract, at the end of the 2017 season, must be included in their franchises list of protected players.

Draft picks get traded every single NHL season. In the 2015 draft alone, 78 of the 211 picks moved from their original team. Draft picks are usually traded, in order to spice up a deal to obtain players, to move their position in the draft or to have more picks in the draft, allowing them to have more draft picks.

However, there are some draft picks that get traded more, than the player that was drafted with the pick, with some of those draft picks being in some of the biggest and well-known trades in hockey.

One such pick, is Pick 32 of the 2010 Entry Draft.

The Toronto Maple Leafs originally held the #32 pick, the second pick of the second round, by finishing 29th in the 09-10 season, only better than the Edmonton Oilers. However, on the 3rd of July 2008, Toronto traded the pick, along with defensemen Greg Pateryn, to the Montreal Canadiens, for forward Mikhail Grabovski.

Pick 32’s travels didn’t end there. Montreal moved the pick on September 12, 2008, to the Chicago Blackhawks, in exchange for forward Robert Lang.

Chicago, on the 5th September, 2009, moved pick 32, back to the franchise that originally held the pick, Toronto. In return, the Blackhawks received picks 43 and 69 in the 2010 draft, which were used to draft Brandon Saad (43), and
Michael Paliotta (69).

With the Maple Leafs regaining the pick, it would be moved one more time before reaching its final destination. On the 18th of September, 2009, Toronto sent the pick, as well as their first round pick in 2010, and their first round pick in 2011, to the Boston Bruins, in exchange for Phil Kessel. Boston would use the picks to draft Tyler Seguin (Pick 2, 2010), Dougie Hamilton (Pick 9, 2011) and with pick 32 of the NHL draft, Jared Knight.

Knight would spend time in Boston, before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, on March 2, 2015, in exchange for Zack Phillips, where he remains on the roster. Thus ends this draft pick road. Four franchises and seven players were all affected in some way shape or form, by pick 32, with another player and franchise affected after Jared Knight was drafted. As for the franchises and players affected?

Greg Pateryn remains in Montreal, under contract until 2018. Mikhail Grabovski was bought out by the Leafs, spent one season in Washington, before signing for the New York Islanders, where he currently plays.
Robert Lang would spend the remainder of the 08-09 season in Montreal, before signing as a Free Agent for his final season, the 09-10 season, in Arizona.

Brandon Saad and Michael Paliotta, would both remain members of the Chicago Blackhawks, before both were traded in the same deal, along with Alex Broadhurst, to the Columbus Blue Jackets, in exchange for Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Trapp, Marko Dano and a 2016 4th Rd pick.

Tyler Seguin would win a Stanley Cup in Boston, before being traded with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button, to the Dallas Stars. In return, the Bruins received Loui Eriksson, Matt Fraser, Reilly Smith and Joe Morrow.
Dougie Hamilton would also be traded out of Boston. Moved to the Calgary Flames organization, in exchange for a 2015 1st Rd pick (Zach Senshyn, 15), and two 2nd Rd picks (Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, 45), (Jeremy Lauzon, 52).

Phil Kessel would lead scoring for the Maple Leafs in every season he was a member of the roster, before the Pittsburgh Penguins came calling. Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a 2nd Rd pick in 2016 (61), would head to Pittsburgh, with Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a 2016 1st Rd pick (30), and a 2016 3rd Rd pick (72).

Zack Phillips would be traded to the St. Louis Blues on March 4, 2016 for future considerations, and on July 1, after his NHL contract expired, Phillips agreed to a one-year deal with Swedish Allsvenskan franchise, Tingsryds AIF.