It's been more than six months since Jim Montgomery was fired as head coach of the Dallas Stars for unprofessional conduct, and the 50-year-old says he hopes to return to the NHL one day.
"I'm hopeful for an opportunity," he told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I don't control that. Right now I'm just focused on myself and my family."
Montgomery checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction less than a month after his firing. The Stars had reportedly warned him about his public drinking episodes, and he wasn't fired for one single incident, but it's still unknown what exactly led to his dismissal.
He said he deserved to be let go and was thankful for his firing because it served as a wake-up call. He's now been sober for five-and-a-half months.
"My rock bottom helps me. And that's why I'm grateful to the Stars. Because I have my health, I have my family, and I haven't lost any close friends," he said.
Montgomery believes that if he's able to land another job, his sobriety will make him a better coach than he was before, offering life on the road as an example.
"Unfortunately, there were nights where I spent that time doing the wrong things," he said. "That's going to be the time to do the right things now. That's going to just make me a better coach, let alone a much better person."
Across parts of two seasons, Montgomery led the Stars to a 61-43-10 record and a first-round playoff series win. Prior to his tenure in Dallas, he coached at the University of Denver, where he won a national championship in 2017.
New York Islanders legend Bob Bourne believes the 1980s teams should be among the first mentioned in the debate about the greatest sports dynasties of all time.
The Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983 before losing to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 Final. Bourne believes those 19 playoff series successes in a row are a feat that will never be matched by any team in sports.
"Nineteen wins in a row. No one says it. I never see it. It's always the Chicago Bulls, maybe the New England Patriots. But no one gives us credit," Bourne told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "Nineteen. That's what I'm very proud of. No one in this world, in any sport, will ever beat 19 in a row. No one. It's impossible. And we did it."
The 1990s Bulls won six championships in eight years, but they managed to win only 13 playoff series in a row. Meanwhile, the Patriots' longest postseason win streak is seven games. Even the 1960s Boston Celtics, who won 11 rings in 13 years, peaked at winning 18 straight playoff series, as the majority of their postseason runs required only two series.
Sunday marked the 40-year anniversary of the Islanders' first Cup. Bourne is rarely mentioned alongside Hall of Fame teammates Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, or Billy Smith, but he was an integral part of those teams, tallying 74 points in 74 playoff games during the four Cup runs.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is discontinuing its men's hockey program due to financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, the school announced Friday.
UAH is the first Division I hockey school to cancel its program since the pandemic and the first to do so since Wayne State in 2008, according to USCHO. The university also eliminated its men's and women's tennis programs.
The Chargers won two games this season and have a combined record of 48-181-24 over the last seven years.
UAH's departure leaves Arizona State as the only D-I men's hockey program located in the Sun Belt.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
The NHL and the players' union are working on a 24-team playoff setup based on conference standings, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman noted that nothing is set in stone and that both teams and players must still approve it. He added that discussions on the proposal could happen as early as Thursday.
Friedman admitted he's not certain of every detail, but said he has an idea of how it would work: The top four seeds (based on points percentage) in each conference would receive byes through the play-in but participate in a three-game tournament to serve as a tune-up.
The rest of the playoffs would be "bracketed." In each conference, the No. 5 seed faces the No. 12 seed (winner plays No. 4), No. 6 faces No. 11 (winner plays No. 3), No. 7 faces No. 10 (winner plays No. 2), and No. 8 faces No. 9 (winner plays No. 1).
The play-in series would be a best-of-five, and the rest of the postseason would be best-of-seven series.
Here's a look at the current standings based on points percentage:
Eastern Conference
Rank
Team
PTS%
1.
Boston Bruins
.714
2.
Tampa Bay Lightning
.657
3.
Washington Capitals
.652
4.
Philadelphia Flyers
.645
5.
Pittsburgh Penguins
.623
6.
Carolina Hurricanes
.596
7.
New York Islanders
.588
8.
Toronto Maple Leafs
.579
9.
Columbus Blue Jackets
.579
10.
Florida Panthers
.565
11.
New York Rangers
.564
12.
Montreal Candiens
.500
Western Conference
Rank
Team
PTS%
1.
St. Louis Blues
.662
2.
Colorado Avalanche
.657
3.
Vegas Golden Knights
.606
4.
Dallas Stars
.594
5.
Edmonton Oilers
.585
6.
Nashville Predators
.565
7.
Vancouver Canucks
.565
8.
Calgary Flames
.564
9.
Winnipeg Jets
.563
10.
Minnesota Wild
.558
11.
Arizona Coyotes
.529
12.
Chicago Blackhawks
.514
Another major change in this format would be the lack of reseeding. For example, if a No. 10, 11, or 12 seed managed to pull off an upset in the Eastern Conference play-in, the higher-ranked winner of Toronto and Columbus would still play Boston next.
This conference-based format would erase the NHL's much-maligned divisional playoff system - at least for one season.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
The coronavirus has cost Taylor Hall and other pending unrestricted free agents money this summer.
Before the pandemic hit, the NHL salary cap was projected to rise to somewhere between $84 million and $88.2 million for next season. Now, with the campaign on pause, the 2020-21 cap ceiling is unlikely to rise above the current $81.5 million.
Despite this, Hall doesn't plan on signing a one-year contract in order to get a bigger long-term payday a year from now, according to Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet.
"You're talking about a guy who, before this, was going to make a ton of money," Tocchet said on the "ESPN On Ice" podcast, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "With this whole pandemic, like he told me, he doesn't want to go through another year trying to play on a one-year contract. He wants to get settled somewhere. So, he's got a lot of different options that he's gotta weigh."
Where Hall chooses to spend the next chapter of his career remains to be seen, but Tocchet believes the Coyotes have a strong chance.
"I'm not saying he is going to sign here, but I definitely think we're a team he's very interested in staying with," Tocchet said.
General manager John Chayka would have to get creative to keep Hall in Arizona. The Coyotes already have $79.9 million committed to their payroll for next season, according to CapFriendly. Multiple players would likely have to be traded in order for the team to afford Hall.
The former Hart Trophy winner was traded from the New Jersey Devils to Arizona in January. He's totaled 52 points in 65 games this season between the two clubs.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
Oilers Entertainment Group, the city of Edmonton, and the province of Alberta have made a joint bid to become an NHL hub city if the 2019-20 season resumes, Alberta premier Jason Kenney said Tuesday, according to Global News' Scott Johnston.
While making his pitch to a group of reporters, Kenney dubbed Edmonton the "safest place in the continent" to host the NHL playoffs due to the city's low number of COVID-19 cases.
"We're down to (58) active cases in this population in Greater Edmonton of 1.2 million people, and a handful of people in hospital with hundreds of acute care beds that have been set aside for COVID(-19) patients, together with the highest per capita testing in North America, if not the world,” Kenney said.
Additionally, Kenney believes Edmonton would be a top choice based on logistics.
"We've got one of the best facilities, I would say the best facility, with the brand new Rogers Place arena," he said.
Rogers Place, the Oilers' state-of-the-art arena, opened in 2016. It features several dressing rooms, an in-house practice rink, and an attached 364-room luxury JW Marriot Hotel. OEG vice president Tim Shipton said there are enough rooms for 12 teams and their support staff in the immediate downtown area.
Edmonton mayor Don Iveson, who tweeted out his letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday, agrees.
"In addition, the city of Edmonton is working closely with OEG on an agreement to use our high-quality civic recreational facilities, currently closed to Edmontonians during the pandemic, where NHL teams could practice and train safely while in Edmonton," Iveson wrote in his letter.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday that the league is evaluating eight or nine potential hub cities that could host about a dozen teams in one location.
The NHL was not happy that a handful of teams signed players to entry-level contracts with "to be determined" start dates, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.
In a normal season, a team could sign a player to its "reserve list" on an ELC and later have that player join the club for the remainder of its campaign - much like the Colorado Avalanche did last season with Cale Makar, who made his NHL debut in the playoffs after his NCAA campaign wrapped up.
But with the season suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NHL made a rule that any contract signed at this time cannot include a 2019-20 start date. That rule would prohibit a team like the Minnesota Wild - who sat one point out of a playoff spot when the season was postponed - from bringing in KHL star Kirill Kaprizov for the stretch run. In a normal season, Kaprizov wouldn't be able to join the Wild this season because the KHL campaign would still be running.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly made it clear to the Wild that the rule won't be changed, sources told Russo.
However, a handful of teams and players - including the Montreal Canadiens with Alexander Romanov, the Florida Panthers with Grigori Denisenko, the Chicago Blackhawks with Ian Mitchell, and the St. Louis Blues with Scott Perunovich - later found a potential loophole, agreeing to terms with TBD start dates, which irked the league office.
The NHL has not allowed any of those contracts to be submitted to its Central Registry with that terminology, Russo added.
Boudreau joined NBC's broadcast of a throwback Capitals game from the 2007-08 season on Monday. Even though Boudreau was in his first season as an NHL bench boss and Backstrom was in his rookie campaign, the coach could tell early on he had something special in the Swede.
"Backstrom, even though he was really young at that age, was going to be a great player," Boudreau said, according to NBC's J.J. Regan. "(His) mind was thinking a thought ahead over everybody."
Backstrom has spent most of his career in the shadow of teammate Alex Ovechkin. The 2007-08 campaign was no exception, as Backstrom finished second in Calder Trophy voting to Patrick Kane with 69 points, but Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy after potting 65 goals.
When Boudreau was asked who Backstrom reminded him of, the coach put the pivot in some elite company.
"A player who's not overly fast or overly strong, like a Brian Trottier," he said.
Trottier, a Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup champion, is regarded as one of the best centers of all time. Playing on the great New York Islanders teams of the early '80s, he was also sometimes overshadowed by legendary teammates, like Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin.
Backstrom, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best playmakers of his generation. Since entering the league, no player - not even Sidney Crosby or Joe Thornton - can match Backstrom's 684 assists, and he ranks fifth with 927 points during that span.
If the 32-year-old can remain productive during the back nine of his career, he too could have a case for the Hall of Fame one day, but a lack of individual hardware may eventually keep him out.
Despite battling multiple injuries over the last few seasons, New Jersey Devils netminder Cory Schneider is not considering hanging up his pads in the near future.
"It's all about trying to be in peak physical condition because I feel good, mentally," Schneider told NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "I want to continue my career. I haven't entertained thoughts of retirement at all."
Schneider had surgery to repair a core muscle injury after the 2015-16 season. Two years later, he had another procedure to repair torn cartilage in his hip.
Before the injuries, Schneider was one of the game's elite goaltenders. He posted a 2.14 goals-against average and .924 save percentage while averaging 56 starts per campaign over his first three seasons with the Devils from 2013-16. Over the four seasons since the core muscle surgery, the netminder owns a 2.96 goals-against average and .906 save percentage while starting an average of 33 games.
The 34-year-old hit rock bottom in 2019-20, going 3-6-2 with a 3.53 goals-against average and .887 save percentage. He was sent down to the AHL on two different occasions.
Even with 23-year-old MacKenzie Blackwood showing the promise of a capable long-term starter, Schneider still thinks he can be a contributor to the rebuilding Devils.
"I have two years left on my contract and my obligation and my goal is to do that and see where it goes from there," he said. "I'm not naive to the business side of things, but feel that when I'm playing well, I can do a lot for our team on the ice and off the ice. That's the role that I want to fill."
The veteran is signed through the 2021-22 season with a $6-million cap hit. The Devils could buy him out for $2 million against the cap through 2023-24, according to CapFriendly.
Schneider was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 offseason in exchange for the ninth overall pick in that year's draft, which turned into Bo Horvat. Then-general manager Lou Lamoriello signed the goaltender to a seven-year, $42-million deal the following summer.
The NHL postseason is unpredictable in a normal year. But under current circumstances, which may include a three-to-five month wait before 24 teams head into a revamped Stanley Cup Playoffs after a brief tune-up at most, there's no telling what could happen.
With the league and players' union reportedly progressing toward an expanded 24-team postseason format, we decided to put together a list of three dark-horse teams that could surprise and embark on a deep playoff run.
Only clubs that wouldn't have made the playoffs in a normal 16-team format based on points percentage were included.
New York Rangers
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
Record: 37-28-5 (.564 PTS%) Rank: 11th in Eastern Conference
Shesterkin went 10-2-0 in 12 starts with a .932 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average after he was recalled from the AHL midseason. If the 24-year-old can pick up where he left off when the season resumes, he'd hide some of the club's defensive warts and allow the offense to go to work.
With an average age of 26.2, the Rangers are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets as the league's youngest team. This may help them get back up to speed quicker than some of the more veteran squads in the Eastern Conference, like the Boston Bruins or Washington Capitals.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Jamie Sabau / National Hockey League / Getty
Record: 33-22-15 (.579 PTS%) Rank: 9th in Eastern Conference
The Blue Jackets have been a resilient group this season. The club lost Panarin, Matt Duchene, and Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency and dealt with an abundance of injuries but managed to carve out a rather impressive campaign.
Though the timing of the NHL's postponement wasn't ideal for anyone, injury-riddled teams like the Jackets stood to benefit more than others. At the time of the pause, Columbus was without Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexandre Texier, and Josh Anderson. Perhaps with the exception of Anderson, who was given a four-to-six month timeline at the beginning of March, the Jackets would have all key pieces back in the fold.
The Blue Jackets play a grinding, defensive style of hockey that can be effective in the playoffs and are backed by a stellar goaltender in Elvis Merzlikins. The St. Louis Blues used a similar formula to win the Cup a year ago.
Winnipeg Jets
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Record: 37-28-6 (.563 PTS%) Rank: 9th in Western Conference
The Jets would be a frightening postseason opponent. If the series turns into some river hockey, Winnipeg's offensive core of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, and Nikolaj Ehlers can go toe to toe with any in the league. If the series morphs into a defensive battle, the Jets have Vezina Trophy favorite Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes.
It's also possible that the Jets get Bryan Little back after the forward missed all but seven games this season due to a concussion and then a perforated eardrum.
