Welcome to Part 3 of The Hockey News Toronto’s ranking of the media meals that are served around the NHL. This week, we move further down the rankings to look at the teams and venues
that ranked No. 9 through No. 16. Enjoy.
No. 16 Utah Mammoth
We have to cut Utah some slack since it’s their first year in the league and they don’t have a proper setup for hockey. They did provide a free voucher for $20 in concessions, which I used at Chick-fil-A. They had an upstairs area that provided coffee and snacks and elevated seating, which was really cool, but it was more fun to actually watch the game from the basketball media seating down low. We never sit this far down low, and you forget how fast the game is.
TikTok · David AlterCheck out David Alter’s video.No. 15 Tampa Bay Lightning
This is a pretty good meal for $8, and they have a traditional salad bar with several different protein options. They always have a serving station at the end of the line, and this time it was pasta. Among the places that serve us ice cream, Tampa is known for having one of the hardest to scoop. Not sure why that is. Up in the press box, they usually have some chips and some form of intermission snack.
No. 14 Anaheim Ducks
This by far was the most improved spot this season. They started accepting credit cards, which pleased me greatly since their arena isn’t in a city and it’s not easy to get cash. There wasn’t a lot of choice, but where they lacked in quantity, they certainly made up in quality. The BBQ chicken was full of flavor. The corn was delicious; I couldn’t get enough of it. They had pulled pork, but surprisingly, no buns were provided with it. I’m a pretty picky eater, so when everything is amazing, you have to rave about it.
TikTok · David Alter598 likes, 15 comments. “#media #meal in Anaheim for #Leafs vs #Ducks was quite delicious. Everything tasted good. Very happy.”No. 13 New York Rangers
The Rangers switched to a voucher system: a $25 credit for a suggested $10 donation. They actually told me they got this idea from the Leafs, but at MSG, your voucher unlocks a lot of options. I’ve done sushi or poke bowls. On my most recent visit, I went to the Carnegie Deli, and I was not disappointed. I loved it. I always tell people that New York is where my soul lives, and MSG is always a great time.
No. 12 Dallas Stars
Their media meal is good. But one thing Dallas does that no other NHL arena does is provide the media with a free morning skate breakfast. How cool is that? Bagels? Coffee? It’s a nice touch. I believe Tampa does do something similar, but not to this magnitude. Also, they are the first and only building in the NHL to offer Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar in the press box. This is one of my fave soft drinks these days. They also have all kinds of snacks and ice cream up in the press box. Fun vibes.
Ranking Every NHL Arena Media Meal (Part 2): Venues 17 to 24 RevealedWelcome back to the second part of our summer-long series ranking NHL media meals. With the schedule revealed this week, I've started booking road trips for the upcoming season, which is also making me hungry and excited for the media meals next season. This week, we count down the No. 17 through 24 media meals in the NHL.
No. 11 Nashville Predators
Nashville is interesting. Every time I’ve been to the building for a media meal, I have no idea what to expect, but I know there will be a lot of it. The snacks they have at the meal are unique. It's the only place I can ever recall having sour cola bottles. They cost $10, and they're delicious. The Preds don’t really have a traditional press box but instead an open space up top for us to work in. One section over is a room where we can get notes and additional snacks. They keep them coming, and I even had this Hunk A Pizza, which was delicious.
No. 10 New York Islanders
Ever since they opened UBS Arena in Elmont, the Islanders went from having one of the worst to one of the best media meals in the NHL. It can be pricey at $20 US, but I’ve been on some sort of list that allowed me to eat for free, which helps a ton. Decent hot dogs and snacks. Their meal room is in the press box. The protein is usually a high cut of meat, and a local Long Island dairy provides the ice cream for the building. They also have cookies, hot dogs, popcorn—you name it—a very traditional hockey experience.
Ranking Every NHL Arena's Media Meal Part 1: The Bottom 8 Revealed (Nos. 25–32)As I write this, I feel blessed that I get to travel as often as I do. And while on the road covering the Toronto Maple Leafs, I like to see what every city has to offer in terms of restaurants, amenities, etc.
No. 9 Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are known for one thing in their media meal: Pulled pork. It’s always at the very end of the food line of whatever they may be serving. But it’s really good, and it’s nice to know they have the option. They have other proteins, salads, and they serve Cheerwine on tap; it’s a cherry soda that is apparently widely available in the south. I had never heard of it until my first trip to Raleigh. It's decently priced at $11 and good quality.
So, which venue has the best media meal in the NHL? Find out next week when we reveal the Top eight venues.
(Top photo credit: David Alter on TikTok)
Mitch Marner's Return To Toronto And Other Key Dates As Maple Leafs Unveil Full 2025-26 NHL Regular Season ScheduleThe Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their 2025-26 regular season schedule on Wednesday.
Maple Leafs Honor Rock Legend Ozzy Osbourne, The NHL’s Most Unexpected Hockey FanOn Tuesday, the world mourned as Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, passed away at age 76. Osbourne, who had been dealing with several health issues in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease, had performed in Birmingham, England, where he reunited with Black Sabbath in a performance dubbed his “final show”. Matt Martin might be retired, but he remembers playing with Mitch Marner on the Toronto Maple Leafs like it was yesterday.
The 36-year-old, now the special assistant to New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, appeared on The Cam & Strick Podcast with Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland earlier this week and reminisced on playing with Marner in Toronto and his departure from the Maple Leafs.
Toronto moved Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, where the Maple Leafs acquired Nicolas Roy in return. The former Toronto forward signed an eight-year, $96 million contract before being traded to the Golden Knights.
"First of all, he's an exceptional player, probably in a discussion for one of the best in the league. Any given year, he's top three winger in the NHL, obviously [Nikita] Kucherov being pretty special as well. But he does it all; power play, penalty kill. I mean, they had him playing defense when they were down (players) in games a few years ago," Martin said.
"I think Vegas is going to be a great situation for him. Just kind of a totally different market, really good team. He's kind of got that Vegas flair to him, too. But I know he loved the Leafs. He loved the Leafs, playing for the Leafs, and he really wanted to get the job done there. It didn't work out and that's the end of it now."
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Martin and Marner were teammates on the Maple Leafs for two seasons, from 2016 to 2018. Being more of a veteran in the NHL at the time, Martin took Marner under his wing, and the two players became great friends.
"I really don't think there's better personality off the ice. He's just a guy that, even at 18,19, he was a guy that just brought everybody together. Loved to spend time with the guys, loves to hang out." added Martin.
"Ultimately, I think he poured his heart into everything. I do believe that. I think he really wore it. He took a lot of criticism when they didn't get the job done. And with making that kind of money, all those guys are going to get extreme criticism for not getting the job done, that's part of it."
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During the podcast, Martin admitted that his final season in Toronto was difficult because of the lack of playing time. He spoke with then-GM Lou Lamiorello about being traded, and while Lamiorello tried to move him in-season, there wasn't a good enough fit for the Maple Leafs.
Lamiorello would leave Toronto in 2018 and join the New York Islanders as the president of hockey operations. One of his first orders of business was to acquire Martin from Toronto in exchange for goaltender Eamon McAdam, who wouldn't play a game for the Maple Leafs.
"Most of the guys I was playing with (on the Islanders before joining the Maple Leafs) were still here and it felt like home and it felt right," said Martin.
"It was a great situation to come back into. It's not often you get that opportunity to go back to where you came from, so I'm extremely fortunate for that and grateful for that because who knows what would've happened if that trade didn't transpire."
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Amid Martin's situation, former Islanders captain John Tavares was figuring out where he'd land in free agency. Two days before Martin was traded, Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with Toronto, ending his tenure with the Islanders, who drafted him first overall in 2009.
Martin vividly remembers Tavares' return to Long Island. Toronto fell 6-1 to New York on February 28, 2019, in a building where the crowd was giving it to Tavares the entire night. It was an evening many won't forget, even if you weren't in the arena for that game.
Martin played in that game.
"That was a crazy, crazy game. I think it was a pretty incredible game to be a part of, and I'm not saying that to dig at Johnny. Listen, he did what he did, he wanted to go to Toronto, that's fine by me. Go play where you want to play. He's a friend of mine, I'm happy for him," Martin said.
"I don't know if we really feel that bad for one another when it comes to like a hockey environment. Like, to me, it was just a crazy, crazy game to be a part of. The energy in there was insane. I'l never forget that hockey game. They're throwing stuff at him, and some of that you can do without, but in terms of atmosphere, I loved playing in that game."
'Always Working His Ass Off': Sharks' Ryan Reaves Praises Auston Matthews After First Year As Maple Leafs CaptainAuston Matthews might have had a down year with goalscoring, but there was growth in other facets of his game.
Since joining the Maple Leafs in 2018, Tavares has scored 493 points (222 goals and 271 assists) in 515 games. The Maple Leafs named Tavares captain in 2019, after a year with the club. He served in the role for five years, passing it on to Auston Matthews in August 2024.
Tavares could've tested free agency on July 1st, however, instead, he signed a four-year, $17.55 million extension with the Maple Leafs on June 27. The annual average value of the veteran forward's contract is $4.39 million.
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: 'I Think He Really Wore It': Matt Martin Reflects On Mitch Marner's Move To Golden Knights And His Two Seasons With Maple Leafs
(Top photo of Marner and Martin: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
Even for players like Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov, making your first NHL appearance can be a little frazzling.
Michkov, 20, made his NHL debut on Oct. 11, playing against Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, and reining Jack Adams Award winner (and his new head coach) Rick Tocchet.
Things didn't go the Canucks' way last season, of course, but it's always a challenge going up against guys like that.
In a recent interview with ЛЁД (Translated: Ice) Special, Michkov reflected on his first regular season game with the Flyers, offering up some comedic but very real insights on his experience.
When I went out against Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, it was like I was playing on a PlayStation. The players were skating around me, my head was spinning, I didn't understand where I was at all, even the light was falling on the rink differently, everything was different," Michkov recounted. "I was under the impression when I was still doing the rookie lap. I thought, 'Damn, where did I end up?' It was such a pleasant excitement."
Michkov ultimately played 18:32, third amongst all Flyers forwards, recording four shots on goal, taking a hooking penalty in the first period, and drawing a tripping penalty from Filip Hronek in the second period.
Matvei Michkov Praises Oleg Znarok's Work with FlyersStar rookie Matvei Michkov took flight for the Philadelphia Flyers last season, but he wasn't able to adapt and do it all on his own.
Michkov ultimately missed his first NHL shootout attempt, but that ended up being insignificant. Now-traded center Morgan Frost got the job done with the 10th total attempt in the shootout.
"The game started, the first period was a bit shaky, but the second and third periods were more or less played. They even trusted me to shoot the penalty shot, though I didn't score, but it gave me even more of a push and motivation for the next game to concentrate and really start scoring and passing, helping the team," added Michkov.
Ultimately, the Russian phenom finished his rookie season by leading all rookies in goals (26), while tying Macklin Celebrini for the second-most points amongst the newcomers (63).
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Of course, Michkov missed out on a unanimous selection to the NHL All-Rookie Team by one point, while fellow rookies Dustin Wolf, Lane Hutson, and Celebrini were all unanimous picks.
That's neither here nor there now, though. Michkov showed obvious signs of growth throughout the season, and now we have a point of reference for where he was at mentally at the beginning of the year.
All signs point to the 2025-26 season being even better for Michkov and the Flyers.
One of the newest members of the Florida Panthers just had his day with the Stanley Cup.
Defenseman Seth Jones was acquired by Florida a few days ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick heading back to the Chicago Blackhawks in the exchange.
Jones was not the typical deadline add, though.
He arrived with plenty of term on his contract, which doesn’t expire until the summer of 2030, but part of the trade was Chicago retaining 26% of Jones’ salary, so Jones’ annual cap hit for Florida is $7 million (his full AAV is $9.5 million).
Funnily enough, Jones has played more playoff games with the Panthers than regular season games.
He finished the regular season with two goals and nine points to go along with four penalty minutes and a minus-nine on-ice rating in 21 outings while working hard to acclimate himself to Florida’s systems.
When the playoffs rolled around, Jones scored four goals and added five helpers in 23 postseason contests, but his plus-minus shot up to a plus-11, a strong indicator of how much he was adjusting to Florida’s style of playing the game.
On Wednesday, the 30-year-old Texas native brought the Stanley Cup back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where Jones spent much of his upbringing.
“My family's here, this is where I call home in the summertime when I'm not in Florida,” Jones said. “I skate here; I do a lot of things around this area. This was definitely a place I wanted to come back to.”
On a day that included plans to take the Stanley Cup golfing and to host an intimate party with close friends and family, Jones’ first stop with the historic trophy was at the Children’s Health StarCenter, where he enjoyed playing youth hockey and being a part of the program during some very important years in his growth as a player.
“I played almost five years here, and it was in a really prime spot in my development, about 10 years old to 15 years old,” he said. “Those are some big years when you talk about youth hockey.”
Video of Jones' visit can be seen in the video below:
Dozens of young hockey players and their families packed the rink for a chance to see Jones and catch a glimpse of the Stanley Cup.
During Wednesday’s visit, Jones signed autographs and took photos with the youngsters who came out, hoping to inspire some of the next generation of hockey players to reach for the stars, just as he did.
“I wanted to come in and give back to the kids here at the youth hockey program,” Jones said. “I think growing up, when I moved here to Texas, I spent a lot of time here for a lot of different coaches, a lot of different teams, and without the development of Texas youth hockey and the growth that we've seen over the last 10-15, years, I know I wouldn't be where I'm standing today.”
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Photo caption: Seth Jones carries the Stanley Cup through the Children's Health Star Center while surrounded by youth hockey players. (Florida Panthers)
Earlier this week, Adam Proteau wrote about the Montreal Canadiens’ rivalry with the Ottawa Senators. While there’s no arguing that a rivalry exists and that both franchises’ players dislike each other, that rivalry is still a far cry from the best the Canadiens have ever known.
Granted, Brendan Gallagher calling out Tim Stutzle for embellishment, and Juraj Slafkovsky mentioning that he needs to play like Brady Tkachuk to be successful, have added fuel to a fire that was already burning. Still, we’re not in inferno territory, at least not yet.
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I’m not sure any rivalry will ever match the one the Canadiens had with the Quebec Nordiques, after living it firsthand from 1980 to 1996. I was born in 1980 in Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, a small town that has since been merged with Lévis on the South Shore of Quebec. As a result, I was destined to be a Nordiques fan. However, my dad, a die-hard Fleury fan, made one fatal mistake: he introduced me to hockey the year Patrick Roy arrived on the scene.
As I discovered the sport that would become a lifelong passion, Roy was making save after save after save and was fast becoming my favourite player. It didn’t take long before I started watching the games wearing pillows on my legs and mimicking the saves the Canadiens’ goaltender was making.
That Spring, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, and that was it. I was, at the tender age of 6, a fully-fledged Canadiens fan to my father’s disgust. Although, to be fair, he did manage to convince my mother to let me watch all the games, even the late ones in the final against the Calgary Flames.
From then on, every morning, I was stealing the newspaper from him to see what was happening in the hockey world and the standings. If his Nordiques had lost, I would have teased him relentlessly all day, and if the Habs had done the same.
I was too young to watch the Adams Division’s playoffs the year of the Good Friday mayhem, or the following year when the Nordiques were hungry for revenge. Decades later, though, I read a book that made it clear to me just how massive the Quebec-Montreal rivalry was.
The book was The Hockey News’: The Greatest Game I Ever Played. It’s a fun read that features 40 articles about some of the best or most significant games in which players, coaches, and even a referee have taken part.
The sixth article is about former referee Kerry Fraser, who officiated the 1985 series between the two teams. It was a year after the Good Friday massacre, and he was on duty for Game 7. In his third year in the league at the tender age of 32, this was going to be the most crucial game he had ever worked.
So important that when he woke up on game day, his body was entirely covered in red blotches, which were itchy and painful, sending him running to the nearest drugstore and the pharmacist. He told him that he was more than likely suffering from a bad case of the hives brought on by anxiety, and he sent him on his way with an antihistamine. That’s how big and meaningful this rivalry was.
Eight years later, the two teams faced one another again in the first round of the playoffs, and the teasing from my dad reached epic proportions by the time the Nordiques took a 2-0 lead. Like many Quebec fans, he thought Montreal was down and out, but it was far from being the case.
As the Canadiens started to claw their way back in the series, I was able to reciprocate and take things to a whole new level when Montreal won the sixth game, taking the series. My dad watched the rest of the playoffs with me, and you could see he was getting more annoyed with every Canadiens’ win, biding his time until my team would suffer the same fate as his, so he could rub it in. However, that moment never came.
We had no idea that less than two years later, he would lose his team forever as the Nordiques would be sold and moved to Colorado. That, I did not make fun of. Neither did he make fun of me on the December 1995 night when the Canadiens were obliterated by the Detroit Red Wings and my favourite player called time on his career with the Habs.
I was 15 back then, and I was so upset that the Canadiens chose Mario Tremblay over the face of the franchise; I couldn’t even comprehend how that was happening. Days later, when Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, my dad looked at me and said, 'Well, guess we could root for the same team now.' Colorado has my team and your goaltender.
I couldn’t do it, I had been a Canadiens’ fan for nearly ten years by then, and it would have felt wrong. A few months later, though, when my geography teacher organised a field trip that included Roy’s return to Montreal in Colorado’s colours, I wore a Nordiques jersey for the first time in my life... and as much as I wanted to support Roy, it felt oh so wrong.
Photo credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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The Kitchener Rangers might have discovered their new goaltender to step in for the reigning Goaltender of the Year, Jackson Parsons.
On Thursday, the Rangers organization announced that they have signed Swiss netminder Christian Kirsch to an OHL Standard Player Agreement.
Press Release: Rangers Sign Goaltender Christian Kirsch To Standard Player Agreement
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) July 24, 2025
🗞️ https://t.co/Tqi78kdE8K#RTown | #BattleBuiltpic.twitter.com/9dRMB2HYko
The 6-foot-4, 201-pound netminder was drafted in the fourth round (116th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are still in their rebuild and on the search for a goaltender they feel will be their starter for years to come. Is Kirsch the answer?
The Basel, Switzerland native was picked in the first round (44th overall) by Kitchener in the 2025 CHL Import Draft. Ottawa 67’s forward Kimi Korbler was the only Swiss forward in the OHL last season, and he is expected to return home to play for the EHC Kloten organization.
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Kirsch recorded an 8-15-0 record with a 3.16 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage for the Janesville Jets of the NAHL during the 2024-25 season. He also played three games in the USHL for the Green Bay Gamblers, but struggled in his appearances in the crease, posting a 5.09 goals-against-average and a .842 save percentage.
The Gamblers traded Kirsch to the Chicago Steel in exchange for a Phase 2 seventh-round draft pick, and he was recently at their development camp. However, Rangers GM Mike McKenzie mentioned after drafting him earlier this month that Kirsch sounded very keen and excited to join Kitchener and play in the OHL next season.
The Rangers roll into the 2025-26 season now with a one-two punch in the net with the Sharks prospect Kirsch and 2026 NHL draft-eligible Jason Schaubel.
North Bay Battalion Sign Russian Import First-Round Pick The import signings in the OHL continue, with another first-round pick from the 2025 CHL Import Draft committing. After the Niagara IceDogs were able to sign all three of their draft picks, the North Bay Battalion have joined in on the action.
Although the 2008-born Schaubel didn’t perform poorly as the backup to Parsons last season, asking the kid to take on the role of a starter would’ve been a task, potentially setting him up for failure in a pivotal season of his career.
Kirsch represented his country at the 2025 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, recording a 3.52 goals-against-average and a .878 save percentage. He stopped 11-of-12 against Kazakhstan in Switzerland’s only win of the tournament, a victory that saved them from the relegation game.
Kirsch becomes the eighth NHL-affiliated prospect on the Rangers’ roster for the 2025-26 season. There will be many NHL scouts watching Kitchener this season, tracking their players' development.
(Top photo credit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)
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