Category Archives: General

General

New Division Names!!

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Six divisions have now become four, as the NHL released the names of the new divisions, which will be in place starting from the 2013-14 season.

The Atlantic Division will consist of: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Metropolitan Division will consist of: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

The Central Division will consist of: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

The Pacific Division will consist of: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

The Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions will make up the Eastern Conference, whilst the Central and Pacific will be the Western Conference. Detroit and Columbus are moving to the East, and Winnipeg is moving West. The schedule makes sure that all 30 teams will play in all 30 arenas at least once in the regular season.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will still be made up of 16 teams, but qualifying for the dance has been modified. The top three from each division will automatically qualify, and the final four spots will be made up of ‘wild card’ teams from both conferences, regardless of division, meaning it is possible for one division to send five teams, and the other only send three to the playoffs.

The playoff seedings will still be based on points earned in the regular season. The winner of the conference, who will be the division winner with the highest points,  will face the wild-card team with the fewest points. Second in the conference, and the other division winner, will face the wild-card team with the second fewest points.

The four winners will advance on to play for a berth in the conference championship series, with the winner of the conference advancing to the Stanley Cup.

General

Guess Who’s Going To Sochi

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The NHL and NHLPA have made an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), to allow NHL players to participate in the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

Since Nagano in 1998, NHL’ers have been able to represent their respective countries, and 2014 will be no different with an estimated 120 or more players, weill be representing the 12 countries competing.

The NHL schedule will take a break from February 9, 2014 to February 26, 2014, to allow the NHl’ers to participate without the NHL franchises they play for being affected by their loss. This also means that Team USA and Team Canada will be favourites once again,along with Team Russia, who would still have been affected if this deal didn’t go through, but not as much due to the strength of the KHL.

The preliminary rounds will be made up of three groups, consisting of four teams each. Group A will have Russia, Slovenia, Sl0vakia and the United States. Group B sees Austria take on Canada, Finland and Norway, whereas Group C will see the Czech Republic, Latvia, Switzerland and Sweden do battle.

Full schedule details can be found by clicking this LINK, which will take you to the IIHF website.

General, Hockey Media

NHL 14 EA Sports Hockey I.Q. Gameplay Improvements Trailer

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The developers of NHL have released more details on their upcoming NHL 14, scheduled to release September 10 in North America.

Details about the new Gameplay Improvements – Hockey I.Q. can be found by watching the following trailer:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ1IUtI96B4[/youtube]

Full details on the new EA Sports Hockey I.Q. can be found at the link below:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-gameplay-improvements-hockey-iq

Don’t forget to pre-order NHL 14 for exclusive pre-order content at your favourite game retailers! Details on NHL 14 pre-order bonuses can be found at the following link:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-pre-order

General

2013 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inductees

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Four men and one woman will be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame on November 11, 2013, in Toronto. Scott Niedermayer, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Geraldine Heaney and Ray Shero were voted in by the Hall’s 18-member selection committee on Tuesday July 9.

Scott Niedermayer played 1263 regular season games in the NHL, for 740 points (172G, 568A), and 202 playoff games for 98 points (25G, 73A). He also won two Olympic Gold Medals for Canada (2002, 2010), the World Junior Championship (1991), World Championship (2004), and the World Cup of Hockey (2004).

Chris Chelios started in the NHL in the 1983-84 season, and played his last season in 2009-10. A career spanning 27 years, Chelios racked up 1,651 NHL Games, 185 Goals and 763 assists in the regular season alone. Three Stanley Cups and Three Norris Trophys to go with the Silver Medal he won as part of Team USA during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Brendan Shanahan is one of only five people (including Scott Niedermayer), that is a member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic Gold medal (2002), World Championship (1994), and Stanley Cup (1997, 1998, 2002)), that are also in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Shanahan also scored 134 points in the playoffs, to go with the 1354 he scored in the regular season.

Geraldine Heaney won seven Gold Medals, as a member of the Canadian Women’s hockey team at the IIHF World Women’s Championship, becoming the only woman to win Gold in the first seven Championships. She also won a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics, and Gold in 2002 as a member of Team Canada.

Fred Shero made the playoffs in eight of his ten seasons he coached in the NHL, only missing in the first and last years of his NHL coaching career. Shero coached the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup in 1974-75 and 1975-76, as well as various minor championships including the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL in 1970 (also won AHL Coach of the Year) and the Omaha Knights of the CHL the following season.

General, Hockey Media

NHL 14 NHL ’94 Anniversary Mode Gameplay Trailer

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The developers of NHL have released more details on their upcoming NHL 14, scheduled to release September 10 in North America.

Details about the new NHL ’94 Anniversary mode have been released!

NHL ’94 ANNIVERSARY MODE TRAILER

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8pLV4-RImk[/youtube]

Full details on the new NHL ’94 Anniversary Mode trailer can be found at the link below:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-nhl-94-anniversary-mode-revealed

Don’t forget to pre-order NHL 14 for exclusive pre-order content at your favourite game retailers! Details on NHL 14 pre-order bonuses can be found at the following link:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-pre-order

General, Hockey Media

NHL 14 Goalies Gameplay Improvements Trailer

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The developers of NHL have released more details on their upcoming NHL 14, scheduled to release September 10 in North America.

Details about how the Goaltenders have been improved, have been revealed in the following gameplay trailer..

NHL 14 GOALIES GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS TRAILER

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFhIG7UEfq0[/youtube]

Full details on the new Goalie Gameplay Improvements can be found at the link below:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-gameplay-improvements-goalies

Don’t forget to pre-order NHL 14 for exclusive pre-order content at your favourite game retailers! Details on NHL 14 pre-order bonuses can be found at the following link:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-pre-order

General

2013 NHL Entry Draft – By Team

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Who did your team draft in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft? Find out by following the links below.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Washington Capitals

General

2013 NHL Entry Draft Results – Top 10

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Sunday June 30 saw the 2013 NHL Entry Draft take place in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The projected top picks include American Defencemen Seth Jones, Canadian Forwards Nathan McKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, Finnish Forward Alexander Barkov Jr., and Russian Forward Valeri Nichuskin.

2013 NHL ENTRY DRAFT – 1ST ROUND – Top 10

Pick – Team – Player Chosen (position in brackets) – Nationality – Junior/Club/College Team

1 – Colorado Avalanche – Nathan McKinnon (C) – Canada – Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
2 – Florida Panthers – Alexander Barkov Jr. (C) – Finland – Tappara (SM-liiga)
3 – Tampa Bay Lightning – Jonathan Drouin (LW) – Canada – Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4 – Nashville Predators – Seth Jones (D) – United States – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
5 – Carolina Hurricanes – Elias Lindholm (C) – Sweden – Brynas IF (SHL)
6 – Calgary Flames – Sean Monahan (C) – Canada – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
7 – Edmonton Oilers – Darnell Nurse (C) – Canada – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
8 – Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Ristolainen (D) – Finland – TPS Turku (SM-liiga)
9 – Vancouver Canucks – Bo Horvat (C) – Canada – London Knights (OHL)
10 – Dallas Stars – Valeri Nichuskin (RW) – Russia – HC Dynamo Moscow (KHL)

The biggest trade made during the draft involved the New Jersey Devils trading away the ninth pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, to the Vancouver Canucks, for G Cory Schneider.

General, Hockey Media

NHL 14 Cover Vote – Final Result

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For the first time since John Vanbiesbrouck on the cover of NHL ’97, a Goaltender will grace the cover of an EA Sports NHL game. Martin Brodeur from the New Jersey Devils, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets, were voted by the fans, as the final two, with only one being able to be on the cover of NHL ’14.

So, without further adieu, let’s reveal the winner of the cover vote, for NHL ’14!

Continue reading →

General

NHL Awards 2012/13

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The NHL Awards were announced over two nights on Friday 14th June and Saturday 15th June 2013.

The winners are identified in bold, with finalists/minor placings stated below.

 

NIGHT ONE

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY

Awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game

Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks
Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins
Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings

JACK ADAMS AWARD

Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success

Paul MacLean – Ottawa Senators
Bruce Boudreau – Anaheim Ducks
Joel Quenneville – Chicago Blackhawks

GM OF THE YEAR

Awarded to the top National Hockey League General Manager

Ray Shero – Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc Bergevin – Montreal Canadiens
Bob Murray – Anaheim Ducks

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability

Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning
Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
Matt Moulson – New York Islanders

NHL FOUNDATION PLAYER AWARD

Awarded to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community

Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit Red Wings

KING CLANCY MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community

Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins

BILL MASTERTON MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey

Josh Harding – Minnesota Wild
Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
Adam McQuaid – Boston Bruins

BRIDGESTONE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD

Awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season

Daniel Alfredsson – Ottawa Senators
Dustin Brown – Los Angeles Kings
Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks

MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY

Awarded to the top goalscorer in the regular season

Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals – 32gls
Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning – 29gls
John Tavares – New York Islanders – 28gls

ART ROSS TROPHY

Awarded to the player with the most points at the end of the regular season

Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning – 60pts
Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning – 57pts
Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals – 56pts

WILLIAM M. JENNINGS TROPHY

Awarded to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it in the regular season

Corey Crawford/Ray Emery – Chicago Blackhawks

 

NIGHT TWO

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the NHL’s Most Outstanding Rookie

Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida Panthers
Brendan Gallagher – Montreal Canadiens
Brandon Saad – Chicago Blackhawks

TED LINDSAY AWARD

Awarded to the NHL’s outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association

Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning

VEZINA TROPHY

Awarded to the NHL’s top goaltender

Sergei Bobrovsky – Columbus Blue Jackets
Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
Antti Niemi – San Jose Sharks

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position

P.K. Subban – Montreal Canadiens
Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan Suter – Minnesota Wild

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY

Awarded to the NHL’s Most Valuable Player

Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
John Tavares – New York Islanders