Humboldt Broncos captain Graysen Cameron has committed to Division III Northland College, he announced Sunday.
Cameron's announcement comes just two years after he suffered a broken back during the tragic 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash in which 16 people died.
"I'm proud to announce my commitment to Northland College," Cameron tweeted. "Thanks to all my coaches, trainers, teammates, friends, the Humboldt Broncos, and most importantly all my family for helping me over the last year and a half get back on the ice and play ... Dream come true."
The 20-year-old forward finished with five goals and 13 points through 46 games for the Broncos in the SJHL this season. Cameron's efforts helped the club secure a playoff berth before it ultimately fell to the top-ranked Flin Flon Bombers.
"His perseverance speaks for itself," Northland head coach and athletic director Seamus Gregory said, according to Discover Humboldt's Rory McGouran.
He added: "Having had a great relationship with (former Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan) and growing friendship with (current head coach Scott Barney), we know the character men they have and want in their locker room, and Graysen is one of those exemplary human beings."
The Broncos organization retired Cameron's No. 9 in the rafters of the Elgar Peterson Arena.
Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos, who's been recovering from core muscle surgery, says he'll be ready to play if the NHL season resumes.
"With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning, because I thought I would be possibly missing some (Stanley Cup) Playoff games," Stamkos said, according to NHL.com's Mike Battaglino. "And the stoppage happened, we didn't know how long it was going to be, so the kind of silver lining in that was I'll be ready when we resume."
Stamkos underwent surgery March 2, causing him to miss the club's last seven games before the current hiatus.
"I've been able to still use this time to rehab," Stamkos said. "I've been going to the rink three times a week to skate, and just start feeling normal again. So, I guess I have a chance to get out of the house and do that, obviously safely, with all the guidelines we have within our community."
Stamkos ranks second on the team in both goals (29) and points (66) through 57 games. The Lightning sit second in the Atlantic Division.
The 30-year-old Lightning captain isn't the only player who's benefited from the stoppage in play. Carolina Hurricanes blue-liner Dougie Hamilton also said he'll be ready to return after suffering a broken fibula in January, while Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan expects forward Jake Guentzel to be back in the lineup following shoulder surgery in December.
The NHL and NHLPA have reportedly intensified talks regarding a potential plan to finish the season that would see teams play in up to four NHL cities that are not deemed to be coronavirus hotspots. Toronto and Columbus are apparently the leading contenders to become host cities.
The NHL should be deep into postseason action, but with the start of 2019-20 playoffs delayed, theScore's hockey editors are picking their favorite Game 7s from years past.
On Sunday, we're looking back at the conclusion of the 2001 Stanley Cup Final, which will be remembered most for a legendary defenseman finally winning it all.
The setup
The New Jersey Devils were the defending Stanley Cup champions and remained a formidable squad. They led the NHL in scoring, ranked among the league's best in goals against, and finished atop the Atlantic Division with the Eastern Conference's best record.
The Devils defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the opening round of the playoffs, required seven to edge the seventh-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs, and then dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins in five in the conference final.
The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, clinched the Presidents' Trophy with a league-best mark of 52-16-10, led by captain Joe Sakic's 54 goals and 118 points, both of which ranked second in the NHL.
The Avalanche swept the Vancouver Canucks in Round 1, snuck past the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Kings in seven games, and then eliminated the St. Louis Blues in five to advance to the Cup Final.
The series
The Avalanche cruised to a 5-0 win in Game 1, but the Devils prevailed 2-1 in Game 2. Two nights later, Ray Bourque scored the game-winner as Colorado earned a 3-1 victory and a 2-1 series lead.
New Jersey stormed back by grinding out a 3-2 win on home ice in Game 4, then followed it with a 4-1 road victory in Game 5 that put the club within a single win of capturing consecutive championships.
But the Avalanche weren't finished. They forced Game 7 by shutting out the Devils 4-0 - in New Jersey, no less - on the strength of a three-point night from defenseman Adam Foote.
The game
Hyoung Chang / Denver Post / Getty
The stars: In a series pitting two of the greatest goaltenders ever against each other, Patrick Roy outplayed Martin Brodeur over the first six contests. Brodeur had a pedestrian .871 save percentage over that span, while Roy entered Game 7 with a stellar .934 mark.
That trend continued in the decisive matchup: Roy stopped 25 of 26 shots he faced in a 3-1 victory, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for an NHL-record third time.
Sakic also stepped up when it mattered most, setting up Colorado's second goal before lighting the lamp himself on a power play later in the second period.
Bourque played more than any other skater on either club except Foote (by nine seconds) in Game 7, logging a remarkable 29:35 at the age of 40.
The X-factor: Colorado was forced to play the winner-take-all affair without Peter Forsberg, the club's second-leading point producer during the regular season, who remained out with an injury as he had been since the conference final.
In his absence, on the biggest stage and with the season hanging in the balance, 21-year-old winger Alex Tanguay buried two of the Avalanche's three goals and helped to set up the other. Tanguay's big night didn't come out of nowhere - the winger produced 27 goals and 77 points in his second NHL campaign before the playoffs began. But the young forward had his best performance of the postseason in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and his star-caliber effort was critical to Colorado's triumph.
Brian Bahr / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The key moment: While Tanguay's contributions were instrumental, Sakic's marker was the dagger. His league-leading 13th goal of the playoffs gave the Avalanche a 3-0 cushion, and it came less than 90 seconds after Tanguay's second of the game, swinging the momentum fully in Colorado's favor.
It was a dose of brilliance from "Burnaby Joe," who faked a shot from the faceoff circle and then wired home a perfect wrister up high on Brodeur.
The highlight
This game was loaded with future Hall of Famers, and as such, featured its share of skilled plays. However, it's most remembered for what happened once it was over.
After receiving the Stanley Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Sakic immediately handed it to Bourque to lift, in what remains one of hockey's most enduring scenes.
Bourque had waited longer to do that for the first time than any other Cup-winning player in the history of the trophy, and no one can say he didn't earn it.
The fallout
Darren McCollester / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Bourque retired shortly after bringing the Cup back to Boston, where he spent the majority of his career. Sakic won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award and the Lady Byng.
Colorado reached the Western Conference Final in 2002, but lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven. Every game in that matchup was decided by two goals or fewer until Game 7, when the Red Wings crushed the Avalanche 7-0. Colorado was never the same after that, as head coach Bob Hartley was fired in December 2002, and Roy retired in May 2003.
The Avalanche made the playoffs in six of the eight years after winning their second title, but haven't qualified for the conference final since doing so in 2002. Meanwhile, the Devils avenged their Game 7 loss by claiming the Cup two years later with the same core. Impressively, they did so without their leading 2000-01 goal-scorer, Alexander Mogilny, who parlayed his 43-goal campaign into a four-year pact with Toronto.
New Jersey made 13 straight trips to the postseason from 1997 to 2010, though it took them until 2012 to return to the Cup Final, and the club hasn't won it all since 2003.
Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen believes that while head coach John Tortorella may be tough on his players, he gets the job done effectively.
"Rick Nash puts it in a good way when I talk to him about Torts - and they were together in New York - and Rick Nash said that you always know where you're at with John Tortorella," Kekalainen said Sunday on the NHL's "Executive Suite" podcast. "There's no gray area, there's no wondering, 'What does he think of me?' He'll let you know what you do right, what you do wrong, and I think that's a real good quality."
Tortorella has long been known for his outspoken nature, which has led to him publicly criticizing his players. Most recently, he called out Anthony Duclair last season for being "off the rails," adding he was unsure if the winger knows how to play hockey.
"I think that players, at the end of the day, they appreciate it, and I've heard a lot of guys talk about Torts a lot more fondly in the past tense," Kekalainen added. "They learn to appreciate how he was like after the fact, after he had coached them because then they get into other situations and they realize the coach is telling one thing in front and the other thing behind your back, and that's something that I know that the players do not appreciate."
The veteran coach has been at the helm in Columbus since the 2015-16 campaign. He's led the club to the postseason the last three years, including its first playoff series win last season against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2004 and 2017.
Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara isn't yet pondering retirement, even while the 2019-20 season is on pause.
"Definitely not getting ahead of myself. I'm still in the present and I still believe that we're going to play some sort of hockey this season," Chara said on Sportsnet's "After Hours."
He added: "That's where I'm at. I'm not getting too ahead of myself. Obviously I still love the game, I still love going out there and compete, and if everything is right I still want to play."
The 43-year-old Chara is in his 22nd NHL campaign and has spent the last 14 years with the Bruins. He's the only active player from the 1996 draft class and has appeared in 1,553 career games.
"Very honored and privileged to play 1,000 games with the Bruins, over 1,500 games in this league," Chara said. "I've said it many times, I'm very grateful and I'm very lucky to be able to play with so many great teammates and under so many great coaches and good organizations."
The former Norris Trophy winner has amassed 205 goals and 656 points throughout his career, which included stints with the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders. Chara also captured a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 - one of three times he led the Bruins to the Cup Final as captain.
The veteran is set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign. He signed back-to-back one-year deals with the Bruins for the past two seasons.
With the pandemic suspending sporting events worldwide, athletes suddenly have tons of time on their hands. In the latest installment of our weekly NHL series, we look at how they've been keeping themselves entertained - and in shape - while self-isolating.
Ovechkin flexes on The Great One
Typically, if you're going toe to toe with the greatest hockey player of all time, you might want to be a little reserved. That is, unless you're Alex Ovechkin. While the two faced off in a couple of games of NHL 20, raising over $40,000 for charity in the process, Ovechkin celebrated a buzzer-beater game-tying goal the only way he knows how - by screaming at the top of his lungs. Never change, Ovi.
Kendall Coyne Schofield measures in at 5-foot-2 and 125 pounds while her husband, Michael Schofield - an NFL player - clocks in at a towering 6-foot-7, 310 pounds. Kendall shows off some incredible strength by somehow doing a few squats with her husband on her back. Beast mode.
— Kendall Coyne Schofield (@KendallCoyne) April 20, 2020
Marner is a different breed
The Maple Leafs forward is surely missing his teammates on the ice, but is making the most of what he has available to him. Here, he shows off his slick stickhandling on his driveway while teasing his dog in a long game of keep-away.
Patrick and his wife Christina Marleau took some time to take on the whisper challenge, and Patrick didn't bode well at all. After two minutes of trying to guess a pretty simple - but odd - phrase, Patrick had to give up. Maybe stick to hockey.
It’s 2 mins long, but if you want to watch P + I playing the @jimmyfallon whisper challenge, it’s hilarious. Also, please come to my memorial cuz he’s gonna kill me 💀 Phrases were written by my sis and BIL, we are isolating with them...Twizzlers do not give me tummy probs pic.twitter.com/BFGrEUtdAS
The Tkachuk brothers have been keeping busy with each other at home. This week they tackled a game of pickleball and had a tightly contested match while father Keith watched and provided some entertaining play-by-play.
🏒 STUCK WITH THE TKACHUKS 🏒
Week 3 Challenge: @TKACHUKycheese_ and @BradyTkachuk71 face off in a game of Pickleball – accompanied by some legendary play-by-play. 🏓 😂
Imagine going outside to play some road hockey with your neighbors and you're met by two NHL stars and a future top prospect? That would be the Hughes brothers - Quinn, Jack, and Luke. The trio laced up their blades and took to the streets just like the good old days.
How'd you like to play a little road hockey with the Hughes brothers? #HockeyAtHome
"It's disrespectful," Zuccarello said, according to Roy Kvatningen of VG, as translated by Danny Abriano of SNY. "He is getting older, yes, and they have another good keeper, but then they could let him play the games (Igor) Shesterkin doesn't play."
Lundqvist saw a drastic dip in his playing time this season after rookie phenom Igor Shesterkin was promoted from the AHL. Fellow youngster Alexandar Georgiev played the majority of games Shesterkin missed. Lundqvist started just four of a possible 29 contests after Shesterkin was recalled on Jan. 6.
"It is absolutely haunting that he is treated that way," Zuccarello said. "Did anyone ever think that this was going to happen Henrik Lundqvist? None."
With three goaltenders on board, the Rangers have some decisions to make this summer. Shesterkin and Georgiev are both 24 years old, but Lundqvist, 38, is under contract for one more season with a hefty $8.5-million cap hit. It's possible he could be bought out, especially considering the club is up against the cap.
Zuccarello sees some similarities to how the Rangers treated him - New York dealt the winger to the Dallas Stars at the 2018 trade deadline. Lundqvist got choked up when discussing the move afterward.
"I never thought it would happen to me, either. In my eyes, I was about to end (my career with the Rangers). I think Hank would, too," said Zuccarello. "Everything was going to be fine and great, but then the management decided (something else), and then you are not worth a damn."
Lundqvist, who sits sixth on the all-time wins list, owns a .905 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average in 30 games this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes' unlikely run to the conference finals in 2009 may not have happened if it weren't for Jussi Jokinen's heroics.
In the opening round of the playoffs that year, the sixth-seeded Hurricanes were pitted against the third-seeded New Jersey Devils. With New Jersey leading the series 2-1, Jokinen scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 with 0.2 seconds left on the clock in the third period. It stands as the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history.
