Boston Bruins defenseman John-Michael Liles will not be disciplined for a hit to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.
Liles had a hearing after he caught Kucherov with a forearm/elbow at the Bruins blue line.
Kucherov visited the quiet room to be tested for a potential concussion, but returned to the game symptom-free. Liles wasn't penalized on the play.
Acquired at the trade deadline by Boston, Liles has two assists in five games with his new club.
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Brooks Laich went from first to last, from Stanley Cup contender to 1967, but he doesn't want anybody to feel sorry for him.
The veteran, a star in Washington during his time with the Capitals, spoke to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and told him it's "a dream come true" to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Laich realized he was living out a childhood ambition when the 32-year-old from Saskatchewan stood on the blue line at the Air Canada Centre and heard "O Canada."
"I had obviously been in the building many times before but always as the opposition," Laich said earlier in the week. "This time playing for the home team, I mean, I used to watch 'Hockey Night In Canada' every Saturday like every kid in Canada. I wanted to play for the Leafs. I was a (Doug) Gilmour fan, a (Mats) Sundin fan. When we had the anthem and the Canadian flag was going down the one side in the crowd, the Maple Leafs flag was going down the other, and I was playing for the Leafs, people were rooting for me, that's when it really hit home. This was a dream come true. It really is. It's something very special.
"A lot of people might look at the situation that got me here and say, 'Oh, he's disappointed, he must be upset.' No, I look at it like a tremendous opportunity, I'm very fortunate to be here."
Laich understands the reality of his situation. His production's fallen off a cliff, and in order for Toronto to net a second-round draft pick and prospect Connor Carrick, it had to take Laich and his $4.5-million contract for the remainder of this season and next. But he's not looking at the trade - one he asked Capitals general manager Brian McLellan not to make - as the beginning of the end of his career. It's a reset.
"I'm trying to prove myself," Laich said, adding that he's taking it day by day in Toronto. He understands he's around to provide leadership and to mentor the William Nylanders, Nikita Soshnikovs, and Zach Hymans.
"My job first and foremost is to rebuild my career, play the way I can. Be an effective, everyday consistent player," Laich said. "And then when doing so, the other intangibles come naturally. I love teammates, I love the team atmosphere of hockey, I love the enthusiasm of young kids, I remember being there 10 years ago, being one myself. But all those things come after me first playing well. I have to play well in order to have my voice carry any weight in the locker room."
As for the Capitals, Laich said he hasn't "gone through the anger stage" regarding the trade, adding there's no guarantee the Capitals win the Stanley Cup, because nothing's guaranteed in sports, especially not in hockey.
"This is a new lease on my career here, a chance to rebuild my career. I had such a diminished role in Washington; it didn't look like there was a future there. Here I've got a chance to play and re-establish myself and further my career. That's something I'm really excited about."
Laich said he's watched the Capitals on TV since the trade, but doesn't know how easy it will be to root for Washington come the playoffs, even though he has a number of great friends on the team.
"I really wish my friends well, at the same time, it would be really hard to see. ... I really don't know how I'll feel if everything goes their way," Laich said.
You have to appreciate his honesty.
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Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has been suspended three games under the NHL's aggressor rule after an incident with Roman Polak of the San Jose Sharks, the league has announced.
As the video shows, Nurse received a minor penalty for roughing and a five-minute major for fighting Polak late in Tuesday's game in Edmonton.
In the league's view, Nurse's actions - which included eight punches - served as a "gross violation" of the aggressor rule as an attempt to inflict punishment on an unwilling participant or opponent in a defenseless position.
On top of that, the NHL believes Nurse's actions were in direct response to a hit levied by Polak on teammate Matt Hendricks earlier in the period.
This is Nurse's first NHL suspension.
(Video courtesy: NHL.com)
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Ok @kobebryant here is my autograph. Enjoy!!! pic.twitter.com/P7IwSyT0lJ
— Bailey LA Kings (@BaileyLAKings) March 10, 2016
Greatness recognizes greatness.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant continued his retirement tour at home Wednesday, watching the Los Angeles Kings beat the Washington Capitals in overtime.
A win, an appearance on the kiss cam, and it got even better: Kings mascot Bailey's autograph.
Kobe has it all.
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Gabriel Landeskog could be watching for a bit.
The Colorado Avalanche captain went up high with a cross-check to the side of the head of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Simon Despres on Wednesday night, and will having a hearing with the Department of Player Safety, according to TSN's Gino Reda.
The play somehow went unpenalized. The Avs shut out the Ducks 3-0.
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Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson will start Thursday's game against the Florida Panthers after being out of the lineup since March 1 with a lower-body injury.
His presence will be a boost for a club that went 1-2-1 in his absence, although it's probably too late to make much of a difference in the playoff race, as the Senators sit five points out of a wild-card spot with 14 games remaining on the schedule.
Anderson has posted a record of 27-20-4 with a .917 save percentage in 52 appearances this season.
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Pres. Obama jokes to Canadian PM Trudeau: "Where's the Stanley Cup right now? I'm sorry, is it in my hometown?" https://t.co/y616fS2DyK
— ABC News (@ABC) March 10, 2016
A discussion over the state of hockey has risen straight to the top.
While introducing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington on Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama tried to end the "which country is better at hockey?" debate by pointing to his hometown Chicago Blackhawks as the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Trudeau wisely pointed out the debate is a bit more nuanced than that:
PM Trudeau just shot back that Canada exports many high quality goods to the US like Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp.
— Stefanie Gordon (@Stefmara) March 10, 2016
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No further discipline.
St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves will not be hearing from the NHL after he took out Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff with a high hit Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune's Chris Kuc.
Reaves was given five and a game after he clocked Ehrhoff behind Chicago's net. The league concluded the hit was hard, but legal, according to Kuc's source.
The Blues won a chippy game, 3-2 in a shootout. Reaves played only 2:29 before being tossed, while Ehroff finished with 11:45 in ice time over 17 shifts.
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On Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET, the NHL's trade deadline will be 10 days old. Almost prehistoric. And that means it's time to look at how those players who changed addresses (since Feb. 21) are faring, and determine whether trades went boom or bust.
As for Lee Stempniak, it should come as no surprise that he's fitting in with his new team, the Boston Bruins. This is what Mr. Stempniak does - get traded, keep producing, rinse, and repeat.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | PPP | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Stempniak | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | Bruins |
| Alex Tanguay | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | Coyotes |
| Patrick Maroon | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | Oilers |
| Andrew Ladd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Blackhawks |
| Shawn Matthias | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | Avalanche |
| Devante Smith-Pelly | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Devils |
| Mikkel Boedker | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Avalanche |
| Jamie McGinn | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Ducks |
| Jiri Hudler | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Panthers |
| Eric Staal | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Rangers |
| Markus Granlund | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Canucks |
| Teddy Purcell | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Panthers |
| David Jones | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Wild |
| Tomas Fleischmann | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Blackhawks |
| Shane Prince | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Islanders |
| Brooks Laich | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Maple Leafs |
| Dale Weise | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Blackhawks |
| Kris Versteeg | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kings |
| Daniel Winnik | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Capitals |
Notes:
Meanwhile, a couple of forwards who weren't traded have only two goals in seven games between them:
| Player | GP | G | A | P | PPP | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loui Eriksson | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Bruins |
| Radim Vrbata | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Canucks |
| Player | GP | G | A | P | PPP | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Russell | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Stars |
| John-Michael Liles | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Bruins |
| Jyrki Jokipakka | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Flames |
| Connor Carrick | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Maple Leafs |
| Rob Scuderi | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Kings |
| Justin Schultz | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Penguins |
| Christian Ehrhoff | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Blackhawks |
Notes:
The highest-scoring defenseman since Feb. 29 who was on the trading block but didn't get moved? Dan Hamhuis, of course.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | PPP | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Hamhuis | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | Canucks |
Bravo, Vancouver.
James Reimer was the only goalie of note to be traded before the deadline, acquired by the Sharks from the Maple Leafs.
| Player | GS | W | SV% | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reimer | 2 | 1 | .946 | 1 | 1.53 |
Notes:
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