It turns out Braden Holtby can save more than just pucks.
The Washington Capitals netminder and his wife, Brandi, helped rescue a trapped kitten on Monday.
Tonight, our evening walk turned into a rescue mission to save a sweet (& very frightened) kitten who was hiding in a little hole on the Woodrow Wilson bridge! pic.twitter.com/WxXrbQMJON
With the help of some amazing strangers, a can of tuna, and a bit of patience, we got her out! (She is in the box so we could walk her off the bridge without being clawed) pic.twitter.com/VbYHAN5TTt
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British Columbia Premier John Horgan will speak with commissioner Gary Bettman over the phone Wednesday about the possibility of staging NHL games in the province.
"I’d very much like to see it happen if we can do it in a safe way," Horgan told CTV's Emad Agahi.
The provincial government has had dialogues with the Vancouver Canucks ownership group led by Francesco Aquilini, which also owns Rogers Arena.
"We believe we can do a pretty good job. We have a lot of hotel capacity," Horgan said.
"We've got some outstanding facilities, not just Rogers Arena, but a whole host of other arenas around the province."
Horgan added that any players, coaches, or officials who set foot in the province will need to follow its 14-day self-quarantine policy.
Toronto and Edmonton have also expressed interest in serving as host cities if the NHL resumes play.
The league postponed its season on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
You could draw three stripes - yellow, blue, white - and every soccer fan on the planet would instantly know what they represent. The five-time World Cup winners first donned their iconic kit in 1954 following the national tragedy that was a home defeat to Uruguay at the 1950 World Cup in all-white attire. A newspaper ran a contest to design a new strip for the national team that needed to incorporate all four colors of Brazil's flag: green, yellow, blue, and white. A 19-year old illustrator won the prize, in part thanks to his genius idea to use green merely as trim on the yellow shirts.
39. Portland Trail Blazers (1990s)
Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty
The Blazers' diagonal jersey stripe debuted in the '70s but was perfected in the '90s. The fluidity of the design running down the side of the shorts is magnificent work, and the pinwheel logo on the opposite leg, along with a bolder wordmark than in years past, created a uniform that never needs to be altered.
38. Real Madrid (2011-12)
ullstein bild / ullstein bild / Getty
The panache and glamor of Real Madrid live vicariously through their all-white kits. Owning perhaps the most iconic look in all of Europe on a year-to-year basis, Los Blancos' style peaked in 2011-12 with a look that featured collars and gold trim. Really, though, pick any given year and you'll find one of the cleanest and classiest home kits in all of footy.
37. Miami Dolphins (1970s)
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Not only did the Dolphins produce a perfect season in 1972, but they also owned perfect uniforms. The aqua and orange combo sparkles to this day, but the prime years of Miami's franchise and uniforms also featured the ideal jersey and sock stripes, along with a cartoonish yet brilliant helmet logo. It's no wonder today's Dolphins are showered with praise any time they break out their '70s throwbacks.
36. St. Louis Blues (1970s)
Denis Brodeur / National Hockey League / Getty
After joining the NHL in the league's first wave of expansion in 1967, the Blues opened eyes by making the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons. They also made an immediate impact by looking incredible as soon as they took the ice, donning uniforms that rivaled those in the "Original 6." St. Louis' blue was unique compared to those of the Maple Leafs, Rangers, and Canadiens back in the day, and the dull yellow complemented it exquisitely. Shifting to darker shades is a decision we wish the Blues never made.
35. Penn State football (current)
Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / Getty
It's difficult to conceive of a more simple uniform than the Nittany Lions' white stripeless pants, navy blue stripeless home jerseys, and logo-less white helmets adorned with a single navy stripe. In this case, simplicity is pretty close to perfection.
34. Netherlands (2016)
Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The flag of the Netherlands is red, white, and blue, but the Dutch aren't counted among the too-long list of sports teams donning those three colors. Instead, they've carved out perhaps the most unique and famous look in international sports by wearing the colors of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. The throngs of orange-clad fans who follow the Netherlands' national soccer teams create a home stadium atmosphere anywhere on the planet.
33. Kansas City Chiefs (current)
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Full credit to the Chiefs for never entertaining the idea of redesigning their traditional uniforms, as tempting as it may have been, over the decades that passed between their Super Bowl appearances. Now, with the best football player alive donning red and yellow, the Chiefs' classic look has a new sheen. Those bright colors really pop under the September sun in Arrowhead, but they also look great on a snowy Sunday night in January.
32. Vegas Golden Knights (current)
Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / Getty
The Golden Knights needed to make a splash with their identity as Sin City's first professional franchise. And as if making the Stanley Cup Final in their expansion season wasn't enough, they also happened to settle on a perfect contemporary design. Vegas opted for granite, gold, white, and a clever dash of red. The use of white gloves with the road uniforms was a phenomenal touch, one that bucked the conservative nature that consistently holds hockey back.
31. Toronto Blue Jays (1990s)
ROBERT SULLIVAN / AFP / Getty
The Blue Jays' digs are sharp today, but the original look that provided the inspiration for Toronto's current uniforms was even better. The tri-color hat is an all-time classic, and the use of baby blue in the logo and stripes is a style forever immortalized thanks to the club's back-to-back World Series titles in the early '90's.
The Capitals entered the league in 1974, and they came in looking fresh. From their inception until 1995, Washington rocked these incredible red, white, and blue sweaters adorned with stars across the chest and down the sleeves and pants. The club made a very '90s switch to blue, black, and bronze, but then returned to its original colors (albeit with a modernized design) during the Alex Ovechkin era in the late 2000s. Fans are still waiting and hoping for these exact beauties to come back on a full-time basis.
49. Tennessee football (current)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
More bright colors in football, please! The Vols hit their orange and white design out of the park nearly a century ago and have stuck with it ever since. Tennessee's current getup evokes the traditions of one of the most popular programs in America, yet it also features a few modern touches - namely the font - to maintain a near-perfect balance.
48. Milwaukee Brewers (1980s)
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Below the shoulders, there's nothing particularly special about this uniform. It's that logo that sets it above so many others. The renowned "ball-in-glove" identifier recently made its return (with a few subtle and unnecessary tweaks), correcting a mistake made a quarter-century ago when the team ditched its wonderfully clever graphic representation of an "m" and a "b."
47. Pittsburgh Steelers (1970s)
Sylvia Allen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Steelers' uniform changes over the past few decades have been minimal, but their "Steel Curtain" digs represent the team's best. So much of the franchise's identity was formed wearing these, as Pittsburgh won four Super Bowl titles from 1974-79, giving this version the nod over the current renditions. Give us standard block numbers over the current rounded and italicized number font every time.
46. Philadelphia Flyers (current)
Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / Getty
Few teams in the NHL have an identity as strong as that of the Flyers. They've always played brash, in-your-face hockey, and the vibrant shade of orange they wear at home helps drive that message into the heads of their opponents. Design-wise, the white stripe running down the entire sleeve is a look exclusive to Philadelphia, as is the block-style nameplate that helps make this uniform pop.
45. Argentina (1980s)
Peter Robinson - EMPICS / PA Images / Getty
This is one of the most exemplary kits in international football, plain and simple. The sky-blue vertical stripes have been represented by dozens of legends in the beautiful game, but the simplicity of the uniforms rocked by Maradona and Co. en route to a World Cup victory in 1986 is what takes the cake. It will be a shame if we never see Messi hoist a major international trophy in these colors.
44. Indianapolis Colts (current)
Frederick Breedon / Getty Images Sport / Getty
A simple single-color look is all you need sometimes, and Indianapolis' uncomplicated blue-and-white mix is always easy on the eyes. The grey facemask is probably inferior to the former blue version, but we'll give that a pass because it's a more accurate representation of what the Colts wore in their early days. Everything else, from the everlasting horseshoe logo on the helmet to the dual stripes on the shoulders and pants, makes this uniform one of the NFL's gems. The squad is updating its jersey numbers to a slightly different serifed font this season, which is a change we support.
43. Alabama football (current)
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Sport / Getty
There's something truly special about watching highlights of a program like Alabama that's enjoyed an unprecedented run of success over the decades. The star players come and go, but the uniform never changes, and all that history in Tuscaloosa is interwoven in crimson. We love the simple striping on the helmet and pants, and a jersey free of everything but a player's name and number helps deliver the timeless aesthetic. The numbers on the helmet rock, too.
42. Chicago Bulls (current)
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association / Getty
These uniforms haven't changed for decades, but we can all agree they're best represented by the Michael Jordan-led era of the '90s Bulls. MJ's dominance helped Chicago become one of the most famous franchises in the world, and the jerseys today are still instantly recognizable. Red and black is the only appropriate color scheme for the Bulls, and the bold wordmark across the chest will live on forever.
41. Dallas Cowboys (current)
Harry How / Getty Images Sport / Getty
America's Team looks so good in home whites that it hardly ever finds the need to wear a different uniform. The star-branded helmets are truly iconic, and the straightforward jerseys are flat-out gorgeous, but the silvery-blue pants not quite matching the helmets is what prevents the Cowboys from being closer to the top of our list.
After the NHL suspended its season amid the coronavirus pandemic in March, the league told teams that no contracts for draft picks or college, junior, or European free agents could be signed with a start date of the current season.
Any signing will be dated July 1 and will take effect in 2020-21, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported at the time.
Several clubs hoped the NHL would change the rule and allow the players they've already inked or hope to sign to join them for the rest of this season if it were to resume, according to Russo.
The Minnesota Wild are one of those teams, as the league reportedly informed them there's "zero chance" highly touted prospect Kirill Kaprizov will be allowed to debut this summer should the 2019-20 campaign proceed.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in a similar situation after top NCAA point producer Jack Dugan agreed to join them Monday. Dugan would reportedly prefer to join them this season, but is more likely to do so in 2020-21 because of the rule.
When the Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Alexander Romanov last week, they clarified that the start date was to be determined due to the pause. There was also uncertainty at the time about whether the NHL would change the policy.
The Los Angeles Kings won't renew the expiring contract of assistant general manager Mike Futa, the team announced Monday in a statement obtained by Kings Insider Jon Rosen.
"We appreciate his contributions to our organization and are thankful for his effort and dedication," the statement said.
Futa, who specializes in drafting and amateur scouting, has been with the organization since 2007. Kings director of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti will instead run the draft.
Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake confirmed to Rosen that the club is in no rush to fill its AGM vacancy.
Futa's been in consideration for many GM vacancies over the years, including the Carolina Hurricanes' job in 2018 and the Buffalo Sabres' opening in 2017.
It's a two-year, entry-level contract, reports The Athletic's Jesse Granger, who adds that Dugan would prefer to start his pro career immediately when hockey resumes. However, he's unlikely to do so until 2020-21, because when the NHL paused its season in March, the league told teams that no contracts for draft picks nor college, junior, or European free agents could be signed with a start date of 2019-20.
The 22-year-old forward was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award - handed out annually to the top NCAA Division I men's hockey player - after leading the nation with 52 points in 34 games this season in his sophomore campaign with Providence.
Dugan led all NCAA skaters in assists (42) and even-strength points (30). He also had a productive freshman year in 2018-19, notching 39 points in 41 contests.
The Golden Knights selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.
Mike Gartner ended his 19-year NHL career as one of the most prolific goal-scorers and fastest skaters in league history, but what made his feats even more remarkable is that he played while essentially blind in one eye.
Gartner struggled his entire career with amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, but largely kept it to himself.
"My left eye is my dominant eye, I have 20-20 vision in my left eye and 20/200 vision in my right eye," Gartner told The Athletic's Eric Duhatschek. "If I cover my left eye and look out of my right eye, I couldn't even drive my car. It didn't really come into play until I turned pro, at which point I had to take an eye test. The doctor said, 'Cover one eye, and then cover the other' - and I said, 'I can't see out of that eye.' For years, the doctors just kinda looked the other way - I would take the black thing they use to cover your eye and move it a little so I could read the eye charts. They didn't care if I could see out of both eyes, as long as I could pass the eye test - and score goals."
Gartner's lack of vision didn't seem to hold him back, as his 708 career tallies rank seventh in NHL history. He also holds the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons with 15.
However, he did face several obstacles while keeping his condition secret, particularly when coaches asked him to play on the left wing.
"I was pretty limited that way, I was a right-winger, I really couldn't play anywhere else," said Gartner. "I remember, one time, they tried to put me on left wing and I told them, 'I can't play over there. I don't feel comfortable.' I really think it was because I couldn’t see the ice the same way - whereas playing right wing, I could see the entire ice surface, because my left eye was dominant. When I went on the off wing, I couldn't see as well. I told them, 'I'm not a very good left-winger. You're better off just keeping me on the right side.'"
Gartner played 1,432 NHL games split between the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Phoenix Coyotes. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
