Bodie Roethlisberger is getting accustomed to winning immediately.
Ben Roethlisberger's third child was born Thursday morning, and the family was overjoyed to welcome him into the world.
Each of them showed their support for the Stanley Cup-bound Pittsburgh Penguins, displaying team attire in a bedside family photo.
The quarterback has won two Super Bowls during his career for the Steelers, so establishing a standard early seems imperative for Roethlisberger and his growing brood.
In a feverish fifteen-minute stretch Friday evening, roster submissions from those responsible for the North American entries at the World Cup of Hockey's rebirth were announced within just moments of one another.
That chaos quickly became confusion for many, as a handful of elite talents - some still competing, and others who move the needle for the league - weren't selected to represent their national teams at the NHL-branded commercial showcase.
Now, with our bearings, we present the first and second all-snub rosters.
First Team
Taylor Hall - One of the league's premier left wingers and the second-highest scorer at his position among countrymen last season, Hall wasn't rewarded for his prominent role in back-to-back wins at the World Championship for Hockey Canada.
Tyler Johnson - Small man, big-game contributor. Johnson's outrageous 20-goal, 40-point output in 43 playoff games over the last two seasons is 10 more points than any player named to a North American roster.
Phil Kessel - Pittsburgh's leading scorer and his country's top producer at the last best-on-best international competition - the 2014 Sochi Olympics - Kessel, by virtue of his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, might be the biggest snub on the board. Kessel's racked up 55 points since his former teammate and USA selection James van Riemsdyk last found the back of the net.
Kris Letang - No defender's had a greater impact on his team than Letang since Mike Sullivan took the reins in Pittsburgh in the middle of December. Only Crosby, Thornton, Kane, and Kopitar have more regular-season points than Letang since that mark. And, oh yeah, he's the only headliner on a no-name defense set to drop the puck on the Stanley Cup Final.
P.K. Subban - One of the NHL's greatest personalities and with the talent to match, Subban's apparently fallen out of favor with Hockey Canada despite being one of just four at his position with over 200 points over the last four seasons. Like Letang, he's at a disadvantage as a right-shooting defender.
Second Team
Alex Galchenyuk - Only the greatest goal-scorer of a generation, Alex Ovechkin, found the back of the net more once teams reconvened after the All-Star break.
Ryan O'Reilly - One of the more well-rounded players in the NHL, he's an asset to even the most talented of rosters. He led Buffalo in scoring in his first season, but his finest work might have been in the defensive zone, helping rescue a penalty-killing unit that jumped 22 slots in the overall performance standing.
Corey Perry - He checked off all the boxes: a premier NHL goal-scorer with contrasting skills, existing chemistry with a previously chosen player, and a history of coming through for his country. It was Perry - not Getzlaf - who was producing when Anaheim struggled for the first two-and-a-half months.
Mark Giordano - Considered to have an advantage because of the direction his blade takes, Giordano might have been denied due to something else out of his control: He doesn't share the ice with one of the league's greatest. It's hard to imagine Jake Muzzin making Canada's top seven if he didn't have regular reps with Drew Doughty.
Justin Faulk - An Olympian two seasons ago and still up-and-coming, Faulk is one of his country's more talented defenders - period.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Defenseman
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks * Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles Kings * Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues * Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Forwards
Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche * Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers * Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins * Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning John Tavares, New York Islanders Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks * Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup takes place Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto.
Surprisingly, during a red-hot playoff run, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel was left off the list, even after making the last two USA Olympic teams.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils
Defenseman
Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets John Carlson, Washington Capitals Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche * Jack Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets * Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers Matt Niskanen, Washington Capitals * Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
Forwards
Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings David Backes, St. Louis Blues * Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning * Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets * Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks Derek Stepan, New York Rangers James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs * Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup takes place Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto.
Auston Matthews will have an appropriately unique introduction to the NHL brand.
The projected No. 1 overall draft pick has been tabbed as one of the final selections for North America's roster at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, meaning his first strides at Air Canada Centre will not be made with a Maple Leafs (or Jets) logo on his chest.
Here's the complete Team North America roster, with Friday's seven added selections in bold:
Goaltenders
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
Defensemen
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers * Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets Ryan Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues * Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs Jacob Trouba, Winnipeg Jets *
Forwards
Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers Jonathan Drouin, Tampa Bay Lightning * Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Auston Matthews, ZSC Lions * Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers J.T. Miller, New York Rangers Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers * Brandon Saad, Columbus Blue Jackets Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets *
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup is set to take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, with the young guns opening versus Team Finland.
Team Europe's 23-man roster for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey was finalized Friday, with Marian Gaborik leading a group of seven additions to the culturally diverse roster.
Here's a look at the squad:
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks (Denmark) Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders (Slovakia) Thomas Greiss, New York Islanders (Germany) *
Defenseman
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins (Slovakia) Christian Ehrhoff, Chicago Blackhawks (Germany) * Roman Josi, Nashville Predators (Switzerland) Luca Sbisa, Vancouver Canucks (Switzerland) * Dennis Seidenberg, Boston Bruins (Germany) Andrej Sekera, Edmonton Oilers (Slovakia) Mark Streit, Philadelphia Flyers (Switzerland)
Forwards
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Philadelphia Flyers (France) * Mikkel Boedker, Colorado Avalanche (Denmark) Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers (Germany) Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles Kings (Slovakia) * Jannik Hansen, Vancouver Canucks (Denmark) Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks (Slovakia) Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings (Slovenia) Nino Niederreiter, Minnesota Wild (Switzerland) * Frans Nielsen, New York Islanders (Denmark) Tobias Rieder, Arizona Coyotes (Germany) * Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings (Slovakia) Thomas Vanek, Minnesota Wild (Austria) Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers (Norway)
* added to roster Friday
The World Cup is set to take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto, with Team Europe opening versus Team USA.
He was, however, inching closer and closer to form, telling Erik Erlendsson that his targeted return was Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final - had the Lightning made it that far.
The Vezina Trophy nominee lauded the work of backup Andrei Vasilevskiy, who kept the Lightning in a series in which they were severely outshot when he entered in relief.
"You need two goalies to win," Bishop said, according to the team's official Twitter feed. "Right now we have that. I'm a full supporter of (Vasilevskiy) and he supports me. We complement each other well."
The Lightning crease will remain a talking point through the summer, and as the threat of expansion looms. Bishop's scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Now that Tampa Bay's season is in the books, the focus shifts to Stamkos' future. The pending unrestricted free agent will obviously have plenty of suitors but it comes down to him, and if he still sees the Lightning as a good fit.
Stamkos: 'I certainly hope to be back, we have unfinished business here. The city has been great for me.' #TBLightning
— Michelle Gingras (@michellegingras) May 27, 2016
Stamkos has reached three Eastern Conference finals in his tenure in Tampa Bay, advancing further once.
The Lightning certainly want him to return, but the salary cap could restrict that if Stamkos is seeking a max contract, which isn't in Tampa Bay's books.
General manager Steve Yzerman has plenty on his plate. On top of the Stamkos saga, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, and Vladislav Namestnikov are all restricted free agents this year and are due for a raise.
It's clear the Lightning have a tight-knit group, and even clearer they boast elite talent, but Stamkos will remain the talk of the town, and league, until a decision is made.
Now that Tampa Bay's season is in the books, the focus shifts to Stamkos' future. The pending unrestricted free agent will obviously have plenty of suitors but it comes down to him, and if he still sees the Lightning as a good fit.
Stamkos: 'I certainly hope to be back, we have unfinished business here. The city has been great for me.' #TBLightning
— Michelle Gingras (@michellegingras) May 27, 2016
Stamkos has reached three Eastern Conference finals in his tenure in Tampa Bay, advancing further once.
The Lightning certainly want him to return, but the salary cap could restrict that if Stamkos is seeking a max contract, which isn't in Tampa Bay's books.
General manager Steve Yzerman has plenty on his plate. On top of the Stamkos saga, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, and Vladislav Namestnikov are all restricted free agents this year and are due for a raise.
It's clear the Lightning have a tight-knit group, and even clearer they boast elite talent, but Stamkos will remain the talk of the town, and league, until a decision is made.
If one thing was for certain when the NHL announced it would mobilize an international tournament on its own ice, it's that the league would at some point clash with the Russian Hockey Federation.
Well, here we are.
In response to an ESPN report Friday morning that suggested the NHL would work to block former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov from participating in the showcase event, Russian coach Oleg Znarok has fired back.
"Only we, I mean our coaching staff and Hockey Russia, can determine who's going to play and who's not. World Cup is an international tournament, it's not just (the NHL's). So I don't think there should be any questions regarding Voynov."
Voynov received an indefinite suspension from the NHL in October 2014 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges. He returned to Russia after serving a 90-day jail sentence, and played 23 games for SKA St. Petersburg this past season.
He was one of seven Russian players added to the World Cup final roster.
