“Once they said, ‘OK, Pat, you can’t play hockey anymore’ — this is what they tell you, that’s how you come to the realization you’re no good anymore and you’re never coming back — I started to do things I never got to do as a player,” said Verbeek, who was hired in early February […]
Continue readingThe most frustrated I’ve ever been with the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee was 10 years ago, when its members snubbed coach Pat Burns. He was dying of cancer. “I know my life is nearing its end, and I accept that,” Burns said in April of that year. The Hall of Fame chose not […]
Continue readingThis isn’t meant to be a “Jeopardy!” answer to “This National Hockey League team has had six head coaches, four general managers and zero playoff appearances since 2011,” although that would be applicable. This is a legitimate question: Who are they? What style do they play? Is the roster built for a hard-checking strategy or […]
Continue readingEvery season, there are teams that sacrifice the future through picks or prospects in an attempt to contend for a championship. Every season, there are teams that ship out players because of financial considerations, hoping to make the most of that monetary bind with some future assets. And then, in a few seasons, these moves […]
Continue readingAs we hit mid-December, we pulled together our panel of NHL experts to discuss some of the hot topics of the 2019-20 campaign. Which teams take the West wild-card berths? Who is the top rookie to build around? Where will the Lightning finish? How did the Flyers find their mojo? Which team deserves draft prize […]
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