Every young player in the NHL has their guys that they grew up watching. Sidney Crosby is near the top of most lists as he’s been one of the best players in NHL history. For Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, it is well documented how much he looks up to the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. 

Of course, everyone wants to play hockey like Crosby. He has over 600 goals, over 1000 assists, and is closing in on his 1700th career point. Crosby has a chance of becoming the NHL’s all-time second-leading scorer behind Wayne Gretzky. He will break Gretzky’s record for the most career point-per-game seasons this year. 

Even being 37 on a lousy team, he’s putting up big numbers. In addition to these outstanding offensive numbers, Crosby puts much thought into his defensive game. He’s so good at keeping the opposition from scoring, and he has almost always been. 

Crosby's impressive playing has led to three Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe Trophies, Two Hard Trophies, and many other prestigious awards. 

Connor Bedard, and every young player, can learn a lot from watching a player like Sid over the years. The way he plays hockey is as close to perfect as you can get. 

This week, we've seen something else that the young Bedard can learn from Crosby. It isn't all about shooting, passing, and skating either.  

In his two most recent games, Bedard was given a ten-minute game misconduct in each of them. One was from mouthing off to an official and one was him being a part of a scrum late in the game. Multiple people were thrown out with Bedard the second time. 

After practice on Monday, interim head coach Anders Sorensen spoke of the young star dealing with these things.

"Overall, I think he's very mature for being 19, especially with the amount of spotlight that's on him constantly. I'm impressed with how he handles it." Sorensen said about Bdard. 

"I remember Sidney Crosby went through a lot of that. I remember Peter Forsberg came into the league mild-mannered off the ice, but on the ice, it happens, right? They want to win. They want to be successful." 

Sorensen reminded everyone that Crosby dealt with something similar early on in his career. Dealing with confrontations is part of being a player in the NHL and few all-time greats struggled with it early as much as Crosby. 

Over time, Crosby learned how to pick his battles with both the opposition and the officials in the game. It certainly gets easier as the team around gets better. 

Going forward, Bedard can think of this as he continues to learn how to manage his emotions. When he does, it will be another step toward reaching his potential. We'll see if Sorensen's message about Crosby teaches Bedard a lesson that he needs. 

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore has returned to practice in a red, non-contact jersey.

Theodore has been out since the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off after he received a hit and appeared to jam his wrist into the boards. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that the injury Theodore sustained was a broken wrist, but the Golden Knights never officially shared the details of the injury.

The 29-year-old's return date was never revealed either, but his status following the injury was labelled as week-to-week. Multiple insiders reported that Theodore wouldn't be ready until the beginning of the playoffs, but it appears he could be available well before that, barring any hiccups in his recovery. 

While Theodore has been out, Noah Hanifin and Kaedan Korczak have stepped up to fill the void. Korczak is playing on the third pairing alongside Brayden McNabb and has provided the Golden Knights with solid and safe hockey in his minutes.

Hanifin has stepped up to fill the offensive void. Since returning from the 4 Nations, the 28-year-old has scored three goals and nine points in 11 games. 

Theodore will need to practice with full contact at least once before returning to game action. He's currently on the injured reserve and would need to be activated beforehand, but Theodore inching closer to a return is great news for the Golden Knights as they gear up for the start of the playoffs. 

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled Luca Cagnoni from the American Hockey League for the first time.

The rookie defenseman has 47 points (13 goals, 47 assists) in 56 games this season. The defenseman is third in the entire AHL in rookie scoring and is second in points by defenseman overall.

The Sharks have recalled Luca Cagnoni from the @sjbarracuda. ⬆️

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 18, 2025

The 20-year-old has showcased an elite offensive ability from the blue line that the Sharks have desperately needed. His will skate in his first practice with the team on Tuesday and could make his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

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Tuesday evening in Washington, the Detroit Red Wings will begin a two-part, four-game road trip with the potential to define the season.  After playing the Capitals, Detroit will return home for a day off then practice, before visiting the Golden Knights Saturday, Utah Monday, and Colorado Tuesday.  That's three bona fide Stanley Cup contenders in three days  

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The Red Wings begin the trip with 70 points in 67 games.  The Ottawa Senators (77 points in 66 games) have begun to create some separation between themselves in the race for the first wild card place in the East, but the fight for the second remains muddy.  The New York Rangers currently hold that berth with 72 points in 68 games, while the Montreal Canadiens (71 points in 66 games), Red Wings, and Columbus Blue Jackets (losers of four straight, 70 points in 67 games) vying to supplant them.

Over the time span of Detroit's trip, New York hosts the Maple Leafs and Canucks, then visits the Kings; the Habs host Colorado in between visits to the Islanders and Blues; and the Jackets host Florida, travel to Pittsburgh, then host the Islanders.

(As with every week at this moment in the season,) it's a week that could re-tier.  Having bounce back from their six-game losing streak with two wins from three games, the Red Wings' playoff hopes remain alive, so long as Detroit can manage a bear of a schedule.  

According to MoneyPuck.com, the Red Wings enter the trip with a 10.9% chance at qualifying for the playoffs.  Here are three questions that will help determine whether they can improve those odds in the week to come?

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Can Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin Re-Discover Their Peak Form?

In the 12 games since the 4 Nations Face-Off, Dylan Larkin has nine points (four goals and five assists), and Lucas Raymond has 10 (two goals and eight assists).  That's not bad production by any means, but it's also not quite to the standards those two have set for themselves.

Larkin also went point-less in four straight games Between Feb. 25 and Mar. 4, and he hasn't found a point in either of his last two games.  Meanwhile, Raymond went five straight games without a point between Feb. 25 and Mar. 6 and snapped a 10-game goal-less drought by scoring against the Golden Knights Sunday.

The Red Wings are heavily dependent on four players offensively (Raymond, Larkin, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat), but lately, it's been Kane and DeBrincat doing the heaviest lifting offensively.

At the moment, Larkin and Raymond are playing with Elmer Soderblom on their top line.  Asked last week about Soderblom's role on that line, Larkin observed, "Since he's come back up, I've noticed that he uses his body really well.  He doesn't shy away, and he's much more consistent.  It seems like every night he's on, and when you're a big guy like that, it's such a weapon to have on your team, where you can create a cycle by yourself and attract so many people, because they feel like they need to double up on you to take away your reach and whatnot.  So he really sets us up and starts the cycle for us and creates O zone presence."

Soderblom helps Larkin and Raymond establish possession down low in the offensive zone, opening up space for quality chances around the net.  His ridiculous reach is also clearly a factor for that line in all three zones when it comes to winning back pucks.  There are, however, moments when Soderblom doesn't quite seem to have the foot speed to keep up with those two running mates.  All told, short of breaking up Kane and DeBrincat, he's probably Detroit's best option with Larkin and Raymond with Marco Kasper back at center.

It's impossible to say just how big a factor the 4 Nations is in Larkin and Raymond's current form, and both players shoulder a significant two-way match-up responsibility, but the Red Wings will likely need just a bit more from them offensively to walk the difficult tightrope of their late season schedule to a playoff berth.

How Long Will Todd McLellan Be Able to Ride Petr Mrazek's Hot Hand?

The (very) early returns on the Red Wings' bet on Petr Mrazek's comeback to Hockeytown are positive.  He's won two of his three games, making 69 saves on 75 shots (.920 save percentage) with a 2.01 goals against average.  Mrazek is coming off an 18-save shutout to beat the Golden Knights Sunday, and now he's poised for his fourth start in a row Tuesday night in Washington.

Mrazek has a long-standing reputation as running hot and cold, and the return to Detroit has coaxed a hot spell out of him.  The Red Wings would hardly be the first team to ride great late-season goaltending to a playoff bid (hello, Alex Lyon and the '22-23 Florida Panthers), but it's fair to wonder just how long coach Todd McLellan can and will count on Mrazek to stay hot.

In his post-deadline press conference, general manager Steve Yzerman—answering a question about the future of 2021 Detroit first round pick Sebastian Cossa, presently tending the Griffins' goal in AHL Grand Rapids—noted that goaltenders need to play to stay sharp.

The back-to-back in Utah and Colorado early next week will require McLellan to spell Mrazek, but will he choose to do so before that also?  Cam Talbot has been the back-up for all of Mrazek's starts.  After Yzerman effectively declared after the deadline that Lyon isn't part of his team's future plans, McLellan also doesn't appear to count on him in the short term.

If Detroit keeps defending the way it did against Vegas Sunday afternoon, it's capable of making a strong case for the playoffs no matter who starts in net.

Which Way Will the Red Wings' Special Teams Bubble Burst?

The NHL began tracking power play statistics in 1977.  This year, the Red Wings are tracking for their best ever power play since that date and worst ever penalty kill.

To start with the good, the power play (currently humming along at 28.3%) is on pace to unseat the '08-09 unit (25.5%) as the club's best on record.  Those big four forwards mentioned above plus Moritz Seider have been nothing short of extraordinary, and a unit that was good under the old coaching staff has become even more formidable since McLellan's arrival.  On the other side of the coin, Detroit's penalty kill is at a 69.9% success rate, just over a percentage point worse than the '85-86 PK, which managed just a 71.0% kill rate.

It's a tragicomic dynamic with the potential to seriously swing the Red Wings' playoff fate.  Other than goaltending, the special teams battle tends to be the biggest driver in any individual game's outcome.  At this point in the season, neither of these units are going to regress to average; both of them are exceptional, for better or worse.

However, if Detroit can push the PK up to passable, it could force its way to the front of the wild card race, while if the PP slips to just really good instead of historic, the Red Wings could easily fall out entirely.

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Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley ranked third with an A grade in a recent poll that ranked all 32 NHL owners by The Athletic.

When Foley set a goal of winning a Stanley Cup inside the first six years of the franchise's existence, it raised plenty of eyebrows, but Foley and the Golden Knights have proved the doubters wrong.

The Golden Knights have played in eight seasons, winning a Stanley Cup, losing in the finals and making another two conference finals appearances. Their willingness to continue to trade or sign established players instead of developing drafted prospects is a philosophy that is very uncommon in today's game due to the salary cap, but it has changed the league.

ICYMI: Ranking the NHL's 32 ownership groups. Lot of great comments in here from fan bases from every team https://t.co/1Ujtz1CPTX

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) March 18, 2025

Recently, teams have been more inclined to ship draft picks and prospects at the deadline in search of players who drastically upgrade their lineup and improve their chances of winning the Stanley Cup.

The all-out mindset in pursuing greatness stems from the owner, and the fans who voted in The Athletic's poll recognized this.

"VGK ownership is second to none. He supports his organizational team to the max and lets them do their jobs without any interference from him."

"Love his willingness to go all-in from Day 1."

Ranking ahead of Foley were Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola, both owners of teams that haven't been shy about spending their cash and assets to acquire top NHL talent.

What separates Foley from other owners is the situation he stepped into and the speed at which he found success. The Seattle Kraken, the league's most recent expansion team hasn't found garnering success as easily as the Golden Knights, but what the Kraken are going through was to be expected. 

"It’s almost ridiculous what the Golden Knights have accomplished in fewer than eight seasons in the league," said James Mirtle, the author of this article. "A trip to the Final in Year 1 as an expansion franchise. Four trips to the final four in their first seven postseasons. A pile of blockbusters trades and players flocking to a market many were skeptical of when Vegas was awarded an expansion team less than a decade ago. Foley set a lofty goal of winning a Stanley Cup within six seasons, and he certainly delivered. And, as a bonus, there may not be a more entertaining building to be at for a big game. Vegas fans voted Foley No. 1 in willingness to spend to win and fifth in franchise vision."

The Golden Knights are once again in a great situation to go on a long playoff run with a roster filled with super stars and depth.

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The NHL announced Tuesday that the Nashville Predators will participate in the 2025 Global Series presented by Fastenal in Stockholm, Sweden. 

The Predators will play two regular-season games against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. CT (8 p.m. CET) and on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 8 a.m. CT (3 p.m. CET).

The @NHL, @NHLPA and Live Nation announced the 2025 #NHLGlobalSeries Sweden presented by Fastenal, a pair of regular-season games featuring the @PredsNHL and @Penguins in Stockholm, Sweden on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16.

For more: https://t.co/qQJZorUSf8pic.twitter.com/PnCCBSKlWv

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 18, 2025

Filip Forsberg, a native of Ostervala, Sweden, and the Predators' all-time leading goal scorer, spoke Tuesday morning at Bridgestone Arena about the opportunity to play NHL games in his native country for the first time.

"It's going to be a great time," Forsberg said. "[It's] a great opportunity, obviously, for me. I have a lot of people that might not be able to travel here to watch and now get the chance to watch me play in the NHL at home. It's pretty special."

Forsberg played junior hockey in Sweden for Leksands IF, about 160 miles northwest of Stockholm, before being drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2012.

"I don't know if I have any fans in Stockholm," he chuckled. "But I do know the Leksands proud will travel well and hopefully be well represented [at the Global Series games]."

Forsberg leads Nashville this season with 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) in 66 games, played at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has scored at least 40 goals in two of the past four seasons. He is joined on the Predators' by fellow countrymen Adam Wilsby and Andreas Englund, both of whom are from Stockholm.

The NHL and Live Nation will offer ticket presales for the Global Series on Tuesday, March 25 at 4 a.m. CT; tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 26 at 4 a.m. CT at LiveNation.se. The first opportunity to purchase tickets to both games will be available to fans in attendance at the first-ever Hockey Day in Sweden celebration, hosted this year by the city of Linköping on March 21-22.

March 16th, 2002, started just like any other day. That night, the Columbus Blue Jackets were playing the Calgary Flames at Nationwide Arena, and I would be there. Little did we know how bad the day would turn out for one family though.  

The Jackets would beat the Flames 3-1 that night. Geoff Sanderson scored, Cole Sillinger's dad Mike would score, and Ray Whitney would put on a show, scoring a goal and getting two assists. 

The game also had some legends playing. Players like Bob Boughner, Jarome Iginla, Marc Savard, Craig Conroy, and Craig Berube were playing for the Flames. The Jackets had Jody Shelley, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Kevin Dineen, Mike Sillinger, and Rusty Klesla playing. It was the O.G. days of CBJ hockey for sure. 

That night I sat in section 219, staring down at the attack twice net for the Flames. Midway through the second period, Norwegian forward Espen Knutsen took a harmless shot that was deflected way up into the stands behind Columbus goalie Ron Rugnutt. That happened a lot, with pucks flying into the stands. You can usually see the ushers walking down to where the puck landed and giving a thumbs-up if everyone is okay. 

1st Annual Gaudreau Family 5K Run/Walk & Family Day Set For May 31st In New JerseyOn May 31st, the 1st annual Gaudreau Family 5K Run/Walk & Family Day will occur in Washington Lake Park, Sewell, NJ. If you’re in Columbus, Calgary, or anywhere else in North America and would like to participate, you’ll be able to do just that by completing a virtual 5k.

But on this one, someone was hurt. A few minutes later, you could see what looked to be a teenage girl walking with a coat pressed to her head, and leaving. Usually, that means the puck drew blood and that they were going to get patched up. The game continued, the Jackets won, and fans went home happy. 

Little did we know though, that the young girl who was struck, suffered a skull fracture and had been taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital in downtown Columbus. Reports say that she suffered a seizure and was kept for observation. She seemed to be doing fine according to reports, even still holding the puck that hit her while sitting in her hospital bed. 

The hospital performed a CT Scan on Brittanie but failed to see that she had a torn vertebral artery, which resulted in severe clotting, causing her brain to swell. On March 18, 2002, young Brittanie Cecil passed away at 5:15 PM after developing a high fever and losing consciousness. She was just 13 years old. She died two days before her 14th birthday. 

When the local news and newspapers reported Brittanie's passing, fans in Columbus and around the league were shocked. How could this happen? What could be done to prevent this? 

Jackets forward Espen Knutsen said about the incident, "I think about it all the time. It was a terrible accident, and I cannot get it off my mind." Knutsen was given the option of sitting out the next game but chose to play. Reports say that Knutsen was sobbing in the Columbus locker room after he heard of Cecil's passing. 

"I'm not sure what being haunted by something really means, but if it means feeling the pain of what happened to that little girl all these years, feeling so bad for her family, wanting to tell them how sorry I am, then I guess that's what this is for me," Knutsen told the Columbus Dispatch in 2010. Former CBJ head coach Dave King said, "That incident ended his career. Espen was a wonderful person, and he had talent. But he was never the same player after that." King also said, "He was beyond consoling, and that was for weeks and weeks."

Knutsen, who had two stellar seasons for the expansion Jackets, scoring 22 goals and totaling 95 points, was never the same. In the next two seasons, he played just 45 games, mainly due to injury. He would retire in 2005 after playing just 211 NHL games. 

Flames defenseman Derek Morris said,  "You try to say, 'It happens all the time,' but you can't. I don't know how many times pucks get deflected over the glass, but it doesn't make it any better. You can always say, 'It's not my fault,' but you always feel like it is, a little." Morris would go on to play 1107 NHL games over 16 seasons. 

In the aftermath of Cecil's death, the NHL implemented certain safety measures to prevent something like this from happening ever again. Gary Bettman ordered that glass be a standardized height in all arenas, and also protective netting be added to prevent high-speed pucks from going into the stands. Nowadays, most fans don't even notice the netting, as it has just become part of the experience. 

Cecil's family would set up The Brittanie Nichole Cecil Memorial Scholarship Fund. Per their website -  "The Fund will award scholarships to graduating seniors of Hilliard Darby and Twin Valley South High Schools who wish to become the best person they can be."

On this date, March 18th, we remember young Blue Jackets fan Brittanie Cecil, who would be 37 years old on March 20th.

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Blue Jackets Stop Scoring Drought At 183 Minutes, But Drop Fourth Straight GameWell, it finally happened. After approximately 183 minutes, the Columbus Blue Jackets scored an NHL goal. In a strange twist, Mathieu Olivier is the one who scored the last goal against the Devils last Tuesday and scored the lone goal against the Devils on Monday. It is his 16th goal of the season.  Blue Jackets Weekly Injury Report: Week 22The NHL season is winding down, but injuries are piling up across the league. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, they have 16 games left in the season, but unlike most teams, they’re getting players back from injury.