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New York Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
NHL Nickname Court is in session: What do we think of Scylla and Charybdis? SchaefDaddy?
Hockey nicknames are terrible. We all know this. But some of us might be too young to know that it wasn't always like this. There was a time when hockey nicknames ranged from decent to outright cool, back in a distant time before we just started putting '-y' or '-er' at the end of a player's name and calling it a day. Advertisement Why did this happen? I got into that in this column from a few years ago, but I'm not sure it matters. The point is that the hockey nickname world is a mess right now, and the bigger question is: Can it be fixed? I think it can, and there are two paths to that. One is to just let the weirdos at Hockey-Reference take over because those guys will take absolutely anything and call it a nickname. The second option is to turn it over to you, the readers. That's what we're going to try today. Welcome to the first, and very possibly the last, edition of Nickname Court. A few days ago, I put out a call for submissions, and you responded with lots of entries. Were they good entries? Eh … we'll get to that. But the idea was that you could submit any nickname you wanted us to pass judgment on — already existing ones you weren't sure about, or ones you had made up on your own. I've brought in Peter Baugh and Scott Powers to help me pass judgment on a dozen of your most interesting ideas. Convince at least two out of three judges, and your nickname becomes official and legally binding gets the stamp of approval. Modern hockey nicknames are terrible. Let's see if your ideas are any better. The reason: The 10th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft was picked by Anaheim, which led to pretty much the only memorable moment of the otherwise uncomfortably awkward decentralized draft when the Ducks hustled him off to Disneyland that very night. Roger McQueen meet Lightning McQueen 🤝🏼 #FlyTogether 😂 🚗 — DucksNPucks 🦆🏒 (@DucksNPucks) June 28, 2025 Sean says: I'm starting us off with an easy one, just to get us warmed up. Sure, you could object to calling a guy 'Lightning' in a league where there's a different team using that name, but come on. The Disney crossover potential here is too good to pass up. It's an easy YES. Scott says: The bar is low for hockey nicknames, so anything somewhat different is welcome. This is a YES for me. This one seems like it has gained some early traction. The question is whether it becomes adopted in the dressing room. Covering the Blackhawks, this one feels like it has some staying power, sort of like 'Soupy' with Brian Campbell. Advertisement Peter says: The fact that he seems to have chosen No. 95, the same number as the one on Lightning McQueen's car, is perfect. The nickname works if he plays into it, and early returns are good. It's a YES from me, and hopefully the Ducks can provide young Lightning with some Doc Hudson-esque vets to show him the ropes early in his career. Verdict: A unanimous YES, as expected. Just wanted to make sure this thing was working. Speaking of 2025 draft picks who offer up easy calls, let's try one more. The reason: The first overall pick revealed his own nickname during a podcast appearance shortly after the draft. Sean says: No. Absolutely not. We all need to come together as a society and nip this one in the bud immediately. NO. Scott says: We all make mistakes as teenagers. We have to step in before this one goes too far. NO. Peter says: Let's stick with Schaef. NO. Verdict: It's subtle, but I feel like this one is a NO. Submitted by: Kevin M. The reason: While this one doesn't seem to have broken through to the mainstream, it's apparently been a thing with especially online Rangers fans, who think that Fox kind of looks like this guy. And of course, there's an additional Crimson tie-in, since Fox went to Harvard. Sean says: See, this is the kind of nickname I was hoping to see in Nickname Court. It's a star player, it makes sense, and it fits the classic 'The Adjective Noun' format of so many great nicknames of the past. The only downside is that it's a little on the meme-y side for an old codger like me, but I think I can live with that. YES. Scott says: It might not be as iconic and welcomed as say, The Sultan of Swat, but there is some love, affection, and possibly most importantly, some thought behind a nickname like this. I'm on board. YES. Peter says: This one isn't quite doing it for me. I can't imagine anyone ever using it in conversation or an announcer saying it on a broadcast. I haven't really seen it on Rangers' Twitter, either. Perhaps it has some T-shirt potential, but that's not enough for me. I vote NO. Verdict: Our first split decision is a YES, although the fact that our New York guy is the one voting against it is a bad sign. Advertisement Submitted by: Multiple Panthers fans, since this one has apparently been out there for a while. The reason: It kind of rhymes. And let's face it, once playoff overtime kicks in, the guy is pretty darn swaggy. Sean says: Wait, this doesn't actually rhyme, does it? I'll admit that learning of this nickname made me doubt how I'd been saying 'Verhaeghe' all these years, which led me to this, which is now how I'm going to pronounce it going forward. Sorry, where was I? Unless we're all agreeing to pronounce it 'Sway-ggy', I think I'm a NO. Scott says: I think I'm behind this if we can expand it to Swaggy V. It's a bit of a play on Nick Young's Swaggy P, but it gives it a bit more personalization. Either way, it's having some fun. I'm good with it. YES. Peter says: Do you know what's swaggy? Playoff overtime winners. Verhaeghe has five of them, including one in a Game 7 to upset a historically great regular season team (the 2022-23 Bruins). That track record matters much more to me than whether or not there is a perfect rhyme. In fact, I had no clue that the rhyme was even part of the reason for the nickname until doing this exercise. I vote YES. Verdict: Another split-decision YES. Submitted by: Brian B. The reason: ??? Sean says: This one doesn't make one damn bit of sense. I love it. The modern era version of The Chicoutimi Cucumber. YES. Scott says: These poor non-North American players get saddled with strange nicknames with a 'Finnish', 'Russian' or whatever country they're tied to. I need more info on this one. I'm voting NO for now. Peter says: I guess this one is because he has some flow and fettuccini noodles are long? That's enough of a reason for me, but I'm perhaps a biased party on this because I'm a long lover of alliteration. I'd even vote yes for the Turku Tortellini, even if that pasta shape isn't long like Maccelli's hair. You get a YES from me, Brian. Advertisement Verdict: We're cooking with another YES. (Get it? Cooking? Like with Fettuccine? You know what, let's just move on.) Submitted by: Jay T. The reason: It's an apple, get it? Sean says: My first thought here was a firm no. But then I remembered that after spending the first seven years of his career split between a pair of blue teams in Winnipeg and Seattle, Appleton just signed a UFA deal in Detroit. Yes, he's a Red Wing now. Red Delicious could actually work here. Hey, we all said we wanted Steve Yzerman to add some core players. (crickets chirp) Screw all of you, that's a good pun, I'm a YES. Peter says: You're forgetting, Sean, that he also has red hair. The name is a nod to both the apple in his name and the color on his head — and now jersey, too. Red Delicious isn't the best form of apple (I'm partial to galas or fujis) but it is a quality nickname worthy of our support. I give it a firm YES. Scott says: I feel like you guys have done all the research needed on this one. Red Delicious works at way too many levels not to be accepted. YES. Verdict: A unanimous YES. Submitted by: Patrick D., but with a twist. After 20 years, Patrick is using Nickname Court as an opportunity to push for getting rid of this one. The reason: I'll let Patrick make the case in his own words. 'Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Sidney Patrick Crosby will be 38 years old at the beginning of the 2025-26 season. I kid you not, he is no longer, what one describes as a 'kid.'' Sean says: Patrick's not wrong, and it's fair to point out that 'Sid the Kid' was never a great nickname, even without the obvious best-before date. That said, we're 20 years in now, and I know better than to try to change what's already set in stone. I vote for the nickname to stay, which in this case means I'm a NO. Scott says: It's like a rapper who gets Lil attached to their name. (Got to respect the publication that ranks all the Lil artists.) In the rare case, the person might be able to shed the Lil tag, but it usually sticks. Maybe if the Nickname Court was around back then, Crosby's fate could have been saved, but he's stuck with Sid the Kid. NO. Peter says: Crosby will always be Sid the Kid, and that's how it should be. People still knew Joe DiMaggio as 'Joltin' Joe' long after he retired and his bat slowed down, LeBron James is still King James even though he's no longer the best basketball player in the world, and Crosby remains Sid the Kid. Some nicknames just stick, and we best not try to change them when they do. NO. Advertisement Verdict: The kid stays in the picture nickname. Submitted by: Chuck T. The reason: His name rhymes with 'nevermore'. Sean says: I think there's a valid debate to be had about how far down the lineup we should go, especially when the nickname makes the guy sound like a stud. But Moore had 30 goals once, right? Good enough for me. YES. Scott says: I think this opens the door in the wrong direction for nicknames. Clever? Sure. But I need something more if I'm calling someone 'The Raven.' Something bad is going to happen when you spot a raven. Coming off his 30-goal season, maybe I would have considered it. NO. Peter says: This is an incredible nickname and makes the English major part of my heart very happy. YES times a million. Verdict: Call Trevor Moore an early 2000s teen sitcom, because he's so Raven. Submitted by: Scott A. The reason: P for Palat, B for Bratt, J for Jack. Also, Hughes seems to like PB&J sandwiches. Sean says: I need everyone to listen closely – stop making up line nicknames just based on initials. It's the worst. Taking three letters from guys' names and calling it a line nickname is lazy, and every fan base needs to cut it out. This one is at least vaguely clever, and the initials actually mean something, which makes this a better effort than most. But just on principle, I'm a firm NO. Scott says: I'm open to this to an extent. I was down with Run TMC back in the day. Line nicknames are just so temporary, though. They come, they go. I'm fine with you saying, The PBJ Line. It's catchy and fun. It might end up in a story. But that line would have to be something really special for it to have staying power. I don't foresee that. For all those reasons, I'm voting NO. Peter says: I'd be more inclined to hear this one out if it weren't using one first initial and two last ones. I also don't know if Palat, Bratt and Hughes have played together enough to warrant their own line nickname. Sheldon Keefe used the line a lot this past season (a team-leading 517 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick), but in the two years prior, they were together only 103 minutes, all of which came in the 2022-23 season. We need more longevity before we start making line nicknames. If it's an elite line for the Devils this coming season and they go on a deep playoff run I'd be willing to reconsider, but for now I'm out. NO. Verdict: This sandwich-based nickname is toast. Advertisement Submitted by: Several of you, as it's apparently his real nickname. The reason: He has a peanut allergy. Sean says: I'm a little bit hesitant here, only because the pro sports world already has a famous Peanut. But as the dad of a peanut allergy kid, I think I can get on board, on one condition: If we ever find a player who can neutralize O'Reilly, that guy has to be known as The Epi-Pen. YES. Scott says: It feels slightly mean. Kid, we're going to call you something that has a negative effect on you. But if he's cool with it and it's already in place, there are worse nicknames. He probably just can't come to Chicago and have it stick. YES. Peter says: This one is hilarious. I hope it sticks throughout his career and is something teammates actually call him, not just a name that fades when he goes from junior to the pros. I give it a YES. Verdict: We're unanimously nuts for this nickname. Submitted by: Sean M. The reason: Because it's an absolute travesty that we're not using this for a blueline pairing somewhere. Sean says: We probably should have used this one for the Jaccob Slavin/Brent Burns pairing, especially since one of them spends all day drinking and belching, but here we are. Is this too smart for hockey fans? Probably, but I'm still a YES. Scott says: This is like a great Dennis Miller reference. It's intelligent and definitely works at some level. But, for me, it fails to pass an audible test. I just can't imagine anyone saying 'Scylla and Charybdis' aloud. I'm going NO. Peter says: The Toews-Makar pairing is probably the best in the league, but I think this nickname needs to go to more of a shutdown duo. Reading up on Scylla and Charybdis, with whom I admittedly wasn't particularly familiar, it seems like their deal is that they make it hard to pass through. That makes me think of a pair that doesn't let opponents have easy access to its own net. Toews and Makar are both strong defensively, but they're also offensive forces and get tons of offensive-zone starts. I'm prone to overthinking and could be doing it here, but Scylla and Charybdis feel like they'd be starting off more on the defensive end of the ice. In short, I like the nickname but think it'd be best used on another pairing. So I'm a NO. Verdict: We like the name enough to hold onto it for a more appropriate pairing. Advertisement Submitted by: Marc S. The reason: I admit I had to look this up, but… Sean says: Absolutely perfect. Might have made this entire dumb premise worth doing. No notes. YES. Scott says: I love this, too. The explainer probably needs to be linked every time the nickname is mentioned, but it's worth the joy that it ultimately brings. YES. Peter says: Rempe already has the Rempire State Building moniker, and I think that comes with broader recognition. This one is a bit too niche for my liking. NO. Verdict: Once again, the New York guys wants to spoil our fun for the Rangers, but we still have enough votes for one final YES. (Want to submit your own suggestions for future editions of Nickname Court? Email us here.) (Top photo of Cale Makar and Devon Toews: Alysa Rubin / Getty Images)
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Elara Caring Appoints Ananth Mohan As Chief Executive Officer
DALLAS, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Elara Caring Appoints Ananth Mohan As Chief Executive Officer Elara Caring, a leading national provider of home-based care, today announced that Ananth Mohan, the company's former Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Scott Powers, who is leaving the company after nearly six years as CEO. Under Powers' leadership, Elara Caring evolved into one of the most trusted and integrated providers of high-acuity care in the home. He helped unite the organization under a shared mission, strengthened its infrastructure, and led significant growth across clinical and non-clinical services, technology, and talent. His tenure has been marked by a deep commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality care wherever people call home. 'It's been a privilege to lead Elara through a period of meaningful growth and impact,' said Powers. 'I have every confidence that Ananth will build on this momentum and continue to advance Elara's mission with vision and heart.' 'Scott helped lay the foundation for the Elara we are today—strong, united, and purpose-driven,' said Mohan. 'I'm honored to step into this role and accelerate our growth and expand and enhance the impact of our life-changing mission.' Mohan brings more than two decades of experience leading complex healthcare organizations and has served as Elara Caring's Chief Operating Officer since 2021. In that role, he led Elara's business units and played a critical role in enterprise-wide transformation, working closely with clinical teams, operational leaders, and partners to drive performance and expand access to care. 'We're entering an exciting new chapter—one that builds on our strengths and positions us for continued innovation and growth,' Mohan added. 'Our focus remains on delivering exceptional care in the home, supporting our team members, and ensuring a more connected experience across the full spectrum of our services—from skilled home health and hospice to behavioral health and personal care services.' At the core of Elara Caring's strategy is a simple but powerful belief: the home is where healing happens. The company is committed to expanding its footprint, scaling integrated services, and continuing to invest in technologies that empower its teams and improve patient outcomes. About Elara Caring Elara Caring is among the nation's leading providers of high-quality, value-based home care, offering Skilled Home Health, Hospice, Personal Care Services, Behavioral Health, and Palliative Care. With a footprint in 18 states, it serves more than 60,000 patients and clients daily across 200 locations. At Elara, care is delivered by skilled, compassionate professionals dedicated to supporting patients with expertise and empathy. Through care innovation and a commitment to excellence, Elara ensures patients receive the right care when and where they need it most. Visit our website to learn more. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Zach Hausauer | Senior Director, Communications Elara Caring 7758423223 [email protected]
New York Times
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Inside the NHL's wild world of quirky postgame victory trophies passed from player to player
By Scott Powers, Julian McKenzie and Mark Lazerus Brad Richards had no idea he was starting a long-standing New York Rangers tradition when he presented a fedora to a teammate after a win 14 years ago. He purchased the fedora during the Rangers' trip to Sweden in 2011. On the phone with The Athletic this week, Richards didn't want to get into the specifics, but the story is out there. Advertisement That part isn't important anyway. It's about what followed. 'We got it and took it home, I kind of decided what we'd do,' Richards said. 'We called it the Broadway Hat. It's kind of taken a life of its own now.' That life has included the Rangers continuing to hand out a Broadway Hat to this day. There's a Broadway Hat social media account that has more than 20,000 followers. It's become synonymous with the Rangers. Richards couldn't recall exactly who named it the Broadway Hat, or why they did, but being in Manhattan, it's easy to connect the dots. What Richards did remember was how it all began with one victory. 'I just remember the first game that we won, I was like, let's keep it,' Richards said. 'We won again. I was like, let's start handing it out every game. Not necessarily the player of the game, but the guy who made a big play, whatever the story was going to be. It wasn't just about goals. It could be a blocked shot. It could be a big save, whatever it was. Just kind of went with it. … It's just good memories. We had a few good runs there.' Today's Rangers Broadway Hat isn't the original. The first one was much smaller. 'The original one didn't fit everyone's head,' Richards said. 'It's funny to see people try to put it on. I remember Mike Rupp, a big boy, tried to put it on one time and barely got over the brow of his head. Just good memories. It's cool to see that it's still going. Now it's got some fancy ones. Now they look a lot more expensive than the one we got originally.' The Rangers' Broadway Hat is probably the longest-running victory trophy around the league, but nearly every team has something it hands out. Some 'trophies' have great meaning, some less so, but they're part of nearly every team's postgame victory ritual. Here's what each NHL team passes around after a win. A post shared by Philadelphia Flyers (@philadelphiaflyers) From the neutral-zone trap to four-forward power plays to the Reverse VH, the NHL is nothing if not a copycat league. That goes for victory awards, too. The Venn diagram between hockey fans and wrestling fans sometimes feels like a circle, so it shouldn't be a big surprise that the players love a wrestling-style championship belt. At least some of the teams personalize the belt with little touches, from logos to winners' names. Advertisement A post shared by Seattle Kraken (@seattlekraken) The Kraken have a belt, too. A post shared by Toronto Maple Leafs (@mapleleafs) The Leafs at least try to make their belt-related photos a little more fun. A post shared by Edmonton Oilers (@edmontonoilers) The Oilers have two trophies, and both are common. The top offensive contributor in a win gets the championship belt, while the top defensive contributor gets a hard hat. As you'll see, NHL players can be as original with victory trophies as they are with nicknames. Preschools don't have as much construction-themed equipment as these guys do. A post shared by Anaheim Ducks (@anaheimducks) The Ducks chose a hard hat because it signified the way they wanted to play. Ryan Strome provided the hat. 'It's part of us playing simple, hard-nosed hockey,' Ducks captain Radko Gudas said. 'I think it's a blue-collar statement of hard workers, so for us, it was a simple choice. It was an easy choice to give the guy that worked his back off as the hardest-working guy out there that game. The most blue-collar representative of the game, as the way it should be played. It was an easy choice for us.' A post shared by Nashville Predators (@predsnhl) Given how downtown Nashville has been overwhelmed by hotel construction over the past decade, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Predators stuck to the theme. They give out a small shovel to their player of the game. As Roman Josi explained early in the season, it represents the group needing to 'dig in.' The only surprise is that Connor McDavid didn't think of it first. The Wild adopted the word 'hard' to enforce a specific mentality this season and, through the craftwork of forward Ryan Hartman, created a chain with that word on it to award after victories. 'It goes to the guy who not necessarily puts up the most points in a game,' Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. As Hartman said: 'Otherwise, Kirill (Kaprizov) could win it every game. Sometimes you want to spread it out.' Advertisement A post shared by Chicago Blackhawks (@nhlblackhawks) The Blackhawks may have pioneered the championship belt more than a decade ago, an idea that came to defenseman Brent Seabrook over beers on an off night in Glendale, Ariz. The belt was passed around for years but was retired after it became filled up with names and dates. From there, the Blackhawks began passing around a chain with a puck on it. But beginning this season, captain Nick Foligno began a new tradition of handing out a Blackhawks-themed tool belt. Get it? Rebuild? Tool belt? 'I just think it's something to change it up,' Foligno said. 'Something has to be personal. It was cool with the puck, but, you know, personal touch. I thought the tool belt, we're trying to build something here. You need one of those to build. Just something tacky but funny.' A post shared by Boston Bruins (@nhlbruins) The Bruins keep it simple during the regular season and hand out a game puck following wins. In the playoffs, however, they break out an old-school Bruins leather jacket. With the way things are trending in Boston, we might not see that one for a while. A post shared by Colorado Avalanche (@coloradoavalanche) Oversized hats seem to be having a moment with sports fans. The Avalanche adopted one as their postgame trophy. You can even follow the award winners on the Avalanche's Reddit by searching 'big ass Avs hat,' a series of words that is now on a New York Times-hosted website forever. The Red Wings used to give out a football helmet to their player of the game. That has since changed to a fedora first brought in by Dylan Larkin. Kid Rock's restaurant at Little Caesars Arena may have closed back in 2019, but his legacy lives on in the Red Wings locker room. Well, maybe? 'I think people said that it belonged to Kid Rock,' defenseman Justin Holl said. 'I don't know if that's true or not. But I think that's the story is that it's Kid Rock's fedora. But maybe we just say that because Kid Rock wears a fedora sometimes.' A post shared by X – Dallas Stars (@dallasstars) Dallas keeps it very on-brand with its postgame cowboy hat. But that's just for the public, though — something the organization's social media team came up with. There's another victory award. A secret one. 'We're not that big on that (cowboy hat),' Stars forward Matt Duchene said. 'I've been on a lot of teams where that thing is a big deal, and you make a big thing out of it. Well, we do have one other thing that people don't know about, but I can't talk about it. That one's kind of our thing. But the hat goes to the guy that gets that initial thing. Some teams have that culture where that stuff is a big part of it. For us, it's not really as much. We have a ton of fun as a group, and I guess that's something that we don't do maybe as much as other teams. I've had it both ways, and it's whatever is organic to the group.' Advertisement A post shared by Vegas Golden Knights (@vegasgoldenknights) Vegas has a local flavor to its postgame award, too. Alas, it's not a rhinestone-and-feathers headdress, but rather a bedazzled replica of the famous 'Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas' sign on a chain. A post shared by Washington Capitals (@capitals) What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens in an NHL locker room is supposed to stay there, too. So, there is some secrecy around a number of the teams' trophies. We know what the Capitals give out: an oversized gold chain. We just don't know why. They prefer to keep the backstory internal. The specter of Lou Lamoriello must still haunt the Devils' dreams because they keep their trophy completely secret. A team spokesperson did give at least a little hint, saying the award is something related to Prague, where the Devils started the 2024-25 season. A Pilsner Urquell? A trdelník? A rye bread bowl filled with piping-hot goulash? The mind reels with possibilities. A post shared by Carolina Hurricanes (@canes) Most of these trophies are handled by the players, with the previous winner choosing that night's honoree. But Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour is the one responsible for the Hurricanes' award. He hands out hats after wins. He makes his way through the entire team, and no one gets it twice. Once everyone has received a hat, he starts giving them to the assistant coaches, medical staff, trainers, equipment staff, etc. Eventually, Homer Simpson might finally get his turn. Laner, un homme de peu de mots 😊 Laner said what he needed to say#GoHabsGo — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 19, 2025 The Canadiens get some points for originality. They once had a Conan the Barbarian sword. Last season, they had two trophies: a helmet with antlers and an actual trophy marked the 'Golden Nut Sack.' This year, whoever is deemed player of the game just wears a pair of fun glasses. Drake Batherson on @ComingInHotSens explaining why the Senators don't celebrate their own player of the game in the locker room. They were supposed to but…@jasonyork33 @localpodcaster — Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) March 12, 2025 The Senators were supposed to have a postgame award, but it got lost after a night out in Dallas. The award? A large branch that fell on Tyler Kleven's head. 'We're sitting under this tree outside on the patio, I'm sitting next to (Tyler) Kleven,' Senators forward Drake Batherson told the 'Coming in Hot' podcast in March. 'This branch snaps off the tree, comes down, cracks him in the head. He was hurt, he had a bag of ice the rest of the time just sitting there. We were like, 'That's it, boys, it's the branch.' We're carrying that branch around. It was an old branch. We bring it to dinner after and we give it to the valet guy. The valet guy lost it.' Advertisement Bjugy passed the game 🏀 to Crouser last night 🔥 — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 9, 2025 Utah Hockey Club's players wanted to give something out after wins, but they hadn't put much thought into it. So, when the time came, they just grabbed something that was around. It's how an ordinary basketball became their player of the game trophy. Hey, what do you want from a franchise that had only a few months' notice that it even existed? This is only the beginning. #stlblues — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 26, 2024 Some awards have been given some deeper thought and meaning. In November, the Blues began dedicating their postgame award to former Blues player and commentator Kelly Chase, who is battling leukemia. The team hands out Chase's shoulder pads. A post shared by Columbus Blue Jackets (@bluejacketsnhl) In remembrance of Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets are giving out a donkey hat after wins. Gaudreau was known to call his friends and teammates 'donkeys' as a term of endearment. They found the hat on Etsy. 'He called me a donkey probably a million times,' Sean Monahan said when he was interviewed on TV early in the season. A post shared by LA Kings (@lakings) The Kings have two awards they hand out. They began the season with just a racing helmet, but they also added a firefighter's helmet after the fires that broke out in Southern California later in the year. They were given the helmet by Boston natives who have worked in the LAFD for many years. They give out the racing helmet on the road and firefighter's helmet at home. 'You look at the firemen's helmet, that's something that signifies something I think everybody can grab onto,' Kings defenseman Kyle Burroughs said. 'I think that's something important for us, that we are obviously super privileged to have that relationship. We have a lot of respect for the fire (department), and I think it kind of digs in deep with the person that gets it in that game. It's an unsung hero, maybe. It's someone that pushes every day. Might not be the sexiest results all the time, but they're doing the right stuff. They're locking us down, whether that's offensively or defensively. 'You see Kuemps (Darcy Kuemper) wearing that hat a lot because he does lock us down. It's something that I think is really cool to do, and it's a really cool item. And for us to be able to honor not even just the firefighters – obviously it is a fire helmet – but first responders. Obviously, because it was a tough time going through L.A. with all the families (affected) and stuff like that, if we can shine a light on that anytime, it's kind of twofold. It's pretty freakin' cool to get that helmet and it's cool for us to be able to also show that we're with them.' Advertisement A post shared by Buffalo Sabres (@buffalosabres) The Sabres have a victory vest that was made in Germany when the team visited as part of the NHL's Global Series last fall. Whose idea was it to have it made and get his team invested? 'It came from Lindy (Ruff),' Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. 'It's about being invested in what we're doing here. If you are doing the right work. It's for whoever has the best game, obviously, but does their job, playing the right way.' A post shared by San Jose Sharks (@sanjosesharks) The Sharks chose to hand out a football helmet this year. Aside from the San Francisco 49ers being nearby, there isn't much more significance to it. Asked how it came about and what it meant, veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic shrugged and said, 'No idea.' A post shared by Winnipeg Jets (@nhljets) The Jets used to have their own helmet they handed out. With Rick Bowness as coach, they started a tradition of awarding players bomber jackets. They have one that they call a mechanic's jacket that goes to the game's unsung hero. The other is given to the player of the game. Couldn't get a picture of the Islanders' rubber chicken in the dressing room last night, but this is what it looks like. Mat Barzal won it last night after scoring the game-winning goal. — Ethan Sears (@ethan_sears) January 12, 2025 The Islanders are secretive about most things, including what they give out, but they reportedly pass around a rubber chicken this year. Don't tell Lamoriello. A post shared by Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) The Penguins' leaders often switch it up after every year. They landed on a racing helmet for this season. Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, also owns RFK Racing, so the Penguins have adopted one of its NASCAR helmets this season. That helmet is signed through the end of the 2028-29 season and has a full no-movement clause. The Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks do not have a trophy this season. —The Athletic's Eric Stephens, Aaron Portzline, Michael Russo, Daniel Nugent-Bowman, Jeremy Rutherford, Murat Ates, Matthew Fairburn and Cory Lavalette contributed to this report (Top photo of Nathan MacKinnon: Michael Martin / NHLI via Getty Images)
