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Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Hockey antics giving the sport a black eye
Article content If the NHL is in any way a mirror reflecting current society, we've become really, really ugly. Article content I grew up an avid hockey fan. Hockey Night in Canada was both a constant and a highlight of each week. Article content Whether accurate or not, athletes like Dave Keon and George Armstrong were held up as models of sportsmanship, character and professionalism. I raise a modest question mark as to the accuracy of that picture as the absence of social media kept athletes of that era safe from the microscope. Article content Article content The perception of the role sports played in developing character, resilience and sportsmanship did not wane as I moved into adulthood. Article content Article content In years working the streets, I often commented how rare it was to see a young person wearing a team jacket arrested for anything save the odd drunken misstep. Sports, which in Canada mostly meant hockey, were considered a prime avenue of developing fine young men. Then, it was rare for women to be in hockey, although today, women are certainly included in the equation. Article content But, after decades of celebrating hockey, I can hardly stand what has come of my treasured sport, especially at the highest levels. Article content The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs were about as disgusting a feature as has been held since the days of the Roman Colosseum. Article content Let me first state that I am an avid Edmonton Oilers fan, so to demonstrate this is not sour grapes, my first illustration will feature an Oiler. Article content Article content Watching Evan Bouchard purposely, intentionally slash at the injured ankle of Dallas Stars player Roope Hintz was repulsive. Hearing 'respected' hockey commentators declare that is how the game is played today and the reason injuries are never disclosed only proves the point. Article content Our sport has grown uglier and uglier. I understand the initial slash that injured his ankle. It occurs multiple times a game and isn't intended to injure. I also understand some vicious plays that occur spontaneously in the heat of the moment when adrenaline soars. Article content But to know someone has an injury and then purposely attack that injury has absolutely nothing to do with sports, sportsmanship or professionalism. It has everything to do with ugly, cowardly self-service.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What the Noah Dobson acquisition means for what the Canadiens are hoping to accomplish
MONTREAL — Team-building in the NHL is a complicated process, one mired with pitfalls and obstacles and plans that go awry. There are numerous examples of teams that went through a rebuilding process that never came out the other side, or at least haven't yet. Even two of the biggest rebuild success stories, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, have not yet claimed the ultimate prize despite drafting generational players to build around. Advertisement The Montreal Canadiens don't have generational players. They have not even come close to sniffing at that prize. But Friday's acquisition of defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders signals a seismic shift in how the Canadiens are approaching their rebuild. They have firmly exited a rebuild and entered a team-building phase, which is one step closer to entering a contending phase. In Dobson, the Canadiens believe they have acquired not only a crucial piece of their eventual championship puzzle, but also a player who shares that belief that there is in fact a championship puzzle being put together here. Dobson's fit as a player in that puzzle is almost less important than Dobson's belief in that puzzle, because his belief came from the outside, from an interested observer wondering where to continue his career. As a legitimate top-pairing, puck-moving, right-shot defenceman, Dobson would have been a coveted piece across the league. But what the Canadiens are building excited him and he wanted in, and that should be exciting to Canadiens fans who have been searching for a light in the tunnel of this rebuild. This sign-and-trade with the Islanders, this decision by Dobson to eagerly jump in on what is happening in Montreal, should serve as that light. 'Without hesitation, it was a no-brainer for me,' Dobson, 25, said of the decision to sign an eight-year contract worth $9.5 million a year to commit his prime years to the Canadiens. 'Just the opportunity to be part of the Montreal Canadiens, it's an honour. It's the best hockey market in the world. The fans are incredible. I love playing at the Bell Centre. 'And then just also the group of players they have already, the talent they have on the team and what they've been building. I'm just super excited to join that group and add to it, and I'm excited about what we can do down the road here in the future.' Advertisement It is the last part that is vital to what this means for the Canadiens and where they are in their rebuild, because it has been ages since a player in his prime felt that way about this team. And Dobson got that sense through word of mouth. He played for Team Canada in the most recent World Championships with Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson and has a history with Nick Suzuki from the 2019 Canadian world juniors team. 'I think Martin St. Louis has a great reputation throughout the league as a coach and a person,' Dobson said. 'What I heard as a group, they enjoy coming to the rink every day. It's a fun group, a tight-knit group. They've got a great mix of lots of young kids and veterans as well. Everyone just enjoys being together as a group and they have a great time. They try and make it fun and make it exciting to go to the rink every day. 'As a player, that's all you can ask for.' And since Dobson feels that way, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is hopeful it will lead to more players feeling that way. 'I think it also probably makes it a more attractive place to play for a prospective forward, whether that's this year or in the future,' Hughes said late Friday night. 'We've talked about getting players who could help out in our top-six, but if we could have a team that we hope to have, similar to Florida where they're rolling two real good lines – well, they have three – but both lines would want a puck-moving D out there to get them pucks and moving. 'So I think in that regard, when the puzzle's complete, we're going to have more puck-movers to move through our lineup.' Hughes says he has spent the last three weeks on the phone 'nearly every waking hour' trying to improve his team. The Canadiens continue to say they are not desperate to improve right away, that they are not willing to do anything stupid, but there was definitely pressure on the organization to build on its first playoff berth of this rebuild, to not take a step back, to make a tangible improvement. Advertisement This move accomplished that, in more ways than one. The first is the hockey part, that the Canadiens now have two top-end puck-moving defencemen in Dobson and Calder Trophy-winner Lane Hutson that they can deploy on two pairings, potentially having an elite puck-mover on the ice for 45 to 50 minutes a game. Even if the Canadiens don't succeed in finding a top-six forward to help their second line – and Hughes says he is still trying to do that – that alone should improve the offensive performance of the forwards the Canadiens already have. 'I think if you look at how we play, we try to deny pucks a lot and deny ice and we send a lot of D back, if their D partner's up holding the blue line and they're going back to retrieve,' Hughes said. 'His ability to retrieve pucks and spring the offence for us was a big piece. We've seen how Lane's done that for us this year. We're confident. We did a lot of homework on (Dobson), a lot of people that have coached him.' The reason Hughes felt the need to express confidence in the research the Canadiens did on Dobson is he is coming off a down year, as he followed up a career-high 70 points last season with 39 points this season. Hughes called it an outlier, and over the course of Dobson's career, it would appear to be. But Dobson characterized it more as a learning experience, one that should now benefit the Canadiens. 'I think it was a difficult season at times as a whole, not just individually, but as a team,' Dobson said. 'We struggled to score a lot, collectively as a team, especially earlier in the year. The team dealt with a lot of injuries, a lot of moving parts moving in and out. Like any season, there's highs and lows throughout that. 'I think just taking the learning experience, dealing with, as a team and individually, struggling to score and produce and having to find ways to be effective each night when things aren't going in was something I really tried to learn from and grow and evolve.' Advertisement There is some mild risk here from a hockey perspective, considering how Dobson's season went, but it's mitigated by the three years of excellent hockey he played prior. He is a top-pair defenceman, despite how this season went, and the Canadiens paid a top-pair-defenceman price in both acquisition cost and with the contract, which is structured very favourably for Dobson. Noah Dobson 8 year $9.5M Cap Hit #Isles/#GoHabsGo sign & trade: Yr 1/2/3: 1M Base & 11M Signing BonusYr 4: 5M Base & 5M SBYr 5: 8.4M BaseYr 6/7/8: 7.2M Base Years 2-8: 14 Team No Trade Clause Rep'd by Olivier Fortier @wassermanhockey — PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 28, 2025 But more than the hockey fit, the signal the Dobson acquisition sends is almost of greater importance. It signals an emergence from a rebuild, and a willingness to smooth out the imperfections in the Canadiens' roster in order to build one capable of winning the Stanley Cup down the road. It's possible Dobson isn't the right player to drive that forward, but what the Canadiens believe him to be absolutely would drive that forward. And what that means is that every subsequent move will serve the same purpose. The Canadiens are in a different phase, an exciting phase in which a competitive team will continue being added to and improved incrementally with a long view of building a contender and a shorter view of continuing to build momentum. It is the first stepping stone this Canadiens administration has added that didn't require some sort of abstract projection of what an acquired asset could potentially mean if everything went right. Dobson's projection is not very abstract. 'I don't want to say everything happens in phases, but I guess we spent the early part of my time here trying to accumulate assets, which for the most part were draft picks, but there were prospects,' Hughes said. 'But once you go through that phase, I think you come to a time where you start to look at, how are we constructing a hockey team and how do we want to play and what are the players that fit that idea, that mandate. Advertisement 'This is probably a pretty significant sign on our part that, OK, we're adding a piece from the outside, we didn't draft it, and we're going to try to continue to take those next steps. I think part of it was driven by the success the team had and the desire the dressing room has to keep moving this thing forward.' The Canadiens made a significant investment in Dobson, and Dobson committed the prime of his NHL career to the Canadiens. They are both hoping for the same thing, that this marriage will result in rings. That end result is still abstract and still requires more work. But Dobson's acquisition is the first sign that work toward the desired end result has now begun.
Hamilton Spectator
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canucks select Cootes with 15th pick at NHL draft; Flames snag Reschny at No. 18
LOS ANGELES - Braeden Cootes spent a year living in Vancouver. The Canucks' opening-round pick at the 2025 NHL draft is hoping it's eventually home for a long time. The first Canadian club to make a selection Friday night chose the centre from the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds at No. 15. 'Honestly, kind of blacked out for a second,' Cootes said. 'It was crazy. It was an unbelievable moment I'll always remember.' The 18-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., put up 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points across 60 games as Seattle's captain in 2024-25. Cootes lived in Vancouver for a year earlier in his teens and is familiar with the city. 'Went to quite a few Canucks games,' said the five-foot-11, 183-pound forward. 'This is unbelievable.' Vancouver finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, six points below the playoff cutline. 'I love it out west,' Cootes said. 'Couldn't be happier.' The Canucks have already been active this off-season, acquiring Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, while fellow winger Brock Boeser is set to become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday. The Montreal Canadiens owned the 16th and 17th picks, but dealt both to the New York Islanders along with forward Emil Heineman for defenceman Noah Dobson in a blockbuster swap. The Calgary Flames were the next Canadian club on the draft board, selecting centre Cole Reschny with the 18th overall pick. The Senators chose defenceman Logan Hensler with No. 23 pick after trading down from No. 21 in a deal with the Nashville Predators that also secured the 67th overall pick for Ottawa. The Winnipeg Jets took Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne at No. 28 before the Flames rounded out the first day of the draft by nabbing centre Cullen Potter at No. 32. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers previously traded their first-round picks. Rounds two through seven go Saturday. The 18-year-old Reschny registered 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in 62 games with the WHL's Victoria Royals in 2024-25. 'Special just getting this opportunity to be drafted by such a great organization,' said the product of Macklin, Sask. 'But it's also a dream come true. It's something I've worked towards my whole life and my young hockey career. 'I can't wait to get started with the Flames.' Reschny added that growing up in a community of 1,200 people helped mould him on and off the ice. 'It's a blue-collar town,' he said of Macklin, which is close to the border with Alberta. 'We're lucky. We've got a nice rink there. We've got nice ball diamonds and a nice nine-hole golf course. I helped my grandparents on the farm for a lot of years, my dad on the farm. 'It just shaped me into the hard-working and competitive guy I am today.' Reschny didn't have a great start to his draft-eligible season, but came on strong in the second half of the schedule and the playoffs. 'I'm very confident,' he said. 'I just tried to stay level-headed all throughout the year. I knew it was a big year for me. Getting this opportunity to go through this process was special. 'It was just sticking to it and having the right mindset of getting better day in and day out. That was the mindset I had, and it worked out for me.' The six-foot-two, 192-pound Hensler had two goals and 10 assists in 32 games at the University of Wisconsin in 2024-25. The product of Woodbury, Minn., was part of the United States team that won gold at the 2025 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa back in January. 'It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play in the NHL,' Hensler said. 'All good emotions … I'm super excited.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canucks select Cootes with 15th pick at NHL draft; Flames snag Reschny at No. 18
LOS ANGELES – Braeden Cootes spent a year living in Vancouver. The Canucks' opening-round pick at the 2025 NHL draft is hoping it's eventually home for a long time. The first Canadian club to make a selection Friday night chose the centre from the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds at No. 15. 'Honestly, kind of blacked out for a second,' Cootes said. 'It was crazy. It was an unbelievable moment I'll always remember.' The 18-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., put up 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points across 60 games as Seattle's captain in 2024-25. Cootes lived in Vancouver for a year earlier in his teens and is familiar with the city. 'Went to quite a few Canucks games,' said the five-foot-11, 183-pound forward. 'This is unbelievable.' Vancouver finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, six points below the playoff cutline. 'I love it out west,' Cootes said. 'Couldn't be happier.' The Canucks have already been active this off-season, acquiring Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, while fellow winger Brock Boeser is set to become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday. The Montreal Canadiens owned the 16th and 17th picks, but dealt both to the New York Islanders along with forward Emil Heineman for defenceman Noah Dobson in a blockbuster swap. The Calgary Flames were the next Canadian club on the draft board, selecting centre Cole Reschny with the 18th overall pick. The Senators chose defenceman Logan Hensler with No. 23 pick after trading down from No. 21 in a deal with the Nashville Predators that also secured the 67th overall pick for Ottawa. The Winnipeg Jets took Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne at No. 28 before the Flames rounded out the first day of the draft by nabbing centre Cullen Potter at No. 32. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers previously traded their first-round picks. Rounds two through seven go Saturday. The 18-year-old Reschny registered 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in 62 games with the WHL's Victoria Royals in 2024-25. 'Special just getting this opportunity to be drafted by such a great organization,' said the product of Macklin, Sask. 'But it's also a dream come true. It's something I've worked towards my whole life and my young hockey career. 'I can't wait to get started with the Flames.' Reschny added that growing up in a community of 1,200 people helped mould him on and off the ice. 'It's a blue-collar town,' he said of Macklin, which is close to the border with Alberta. 'We're lucky. We've got a nice rink there. We've got nice ball diamonds and a nice nine-hole golf course. I helped my grandparents on the farm for a lot of years, my dad on the farm. 'It just shaped me into the hard-working and competitive guy I am today.' Reschny didn't have a great start to his draft-eligible season, but came on strong in the second half of the schedule and the playoffs. 'I'm very confident,' he said. 'I just tried to stay level-headed all throughout the year. I knew it was a big year for me. Getting this opportunity to go through this process was special. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'It was just sticking to it and having the right mindset of getting better day in and day out. That was the mindset I had, and it worked out for me.' The six-foot-two, 192-pound Hensler had two goals and 10 assists in 32 games at the University of Wisconsin in 2024-25. The product of Woodbury, Minn., was part of the United States team that won gold at the 2025 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa back in January. 'It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play in the NHL,' Hensler said. 'All good emotions … I'm super excited.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
From Connor McDavid's decade of dominance to Matthew Schaefer's tearful tribute, the 2025 NHL Draft night captured hockey's full circle
NHL-Matthew Schaefer with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman looks on after being drafted (Credit: Getty Images) Ten years after being selected first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor McDavid stood at the same event, this time as an icon, not a prospect. With each year, McDavid has not only lived up to the massive expectations that once surrounded him but surpassed them. The Edmonton Oilers captain's journey now sets the benchmark for hockey excellence. McDavid's decade-long presence has become a timeline for change within the league. From being the face of the Oilers rebuild to carrying the weight of Canadian hockey dreams, his consistency and leadership have solidified his role as both a star and a mentor figure to younger players entering the league today. It's been 10 years since Connor McDavid was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers Matthew Schaefer honors late mother on NHL stage As one career reaches a milestone, another begins. Matthew Schaefer, a highly skilled defenseman and the New York Islanders' first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. This brought emotion to the stage by honoring his late mother during the biggest night of his young life. The draft allowed Schaefer to step into the NHL spotlight, but it also became a moment of remembrance, while much attention focused on which team chose which player, Schaefer reminded the hockey world of the personal costs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Take a Look) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo That often accompany professional dreams. his tribute turned a routine pick into one of the most powerful moments of the night. Matthew Schaefer & family react to going No. 1 overall to the Islanders | 2025 NHL Draft Draft night shows NHL's circle of inspiration The dual narratives of Connor McDavid and Matthew Schaefer stood out as symbolic bookends of the NHL's generational cycle. One player looking back on a decade of dominance, the other just beginning his climb. Together, they illustrated how deeply personal the draft can be, not just as a professional milestone, but as a human story. As the draft continues to usher in fresh talent, it also quietly builds on a history shaped by personal triumphs, heartbreaks, and legacies. This year, it did both, through McDavid's reflection and Schaefer's tribute. The heart of hockey beats in both. Also Read: NHL trade rumor: NHL trade twist as Canadiens and Blues reportedly engage Islanders over $12,000,000 defenseman per insider leak Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
