NHL Rumors: 84-Game Schedule Discussed to Create More Regional Rivalry Games
Dec 16, 2022
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 24: A general view of the NHL logo on the back of the goal on April 24, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images)
The NHL has discussed expanding the regular season from 82 to 84 games, according to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.
The change would allow for more rivalry games between divisional opponents while also limiting the imbalance under the current format.
With 82 games, each of the 32 teams plays twice against opponents in the other conference and three times against non-divisional opponents in the same conference. It leaves just 26 games for divisional matchups, meaning teams play some of their seven rivals three times and others four times.
Adding two games to the schedule would allow for 28 divisional battles per team, resulting in two home and two away games against each rival.
A problem with the current schedule is that some rivalry matchups are limited to just three games. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers won't play after Dec. 27, for instance.
"They could play Calgary in Edmonton 10 times and sell them all out. It's crazy," one NHL general manager told Wyshynski.
The Oilers' only home matchup against the Flames was its second game of the year, on Oct. 15. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders will also play only three times this season.
In addition to providing extra revenue with big games, the new schedule could reduce travel costs.
"Why not take advantage of rivalries and save money by scheduling more intradivisional games and more games per stop?" a general manager said. "The COVID schedule seemed to work."
During the shortened 2020-21 season, teams exclusively played regional matchups, most often two in a row in the same location, to limit travel.
The NHL Players' Association would need to approve any additional games, as that could add injury risks while also affecting prorated salaries.
The league last had an 84-game schedule in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
Having failed to land a lucrative
long-term contract during the opening two weeks of the 2022 NHL
free-agent market, John Klingberg signed a one-year,
Alex Ovechkin Trademarks 'THE GR8 CHASE' Amid Chase for Wayne Gretzky NHL Goal Record
Dec 15, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 13: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring his 800th career goal during the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on December 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
After becoming the third player in NHL history to score at least 800 career goals, Alex Ovechkin is marketing his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky.
Per ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the Washington Capitals star has trademarked "THE GR8 CHASE" as he goes after the NHL's all-time goals scored record.
Kaplan noted the first phase of Ovechkin's "THE GR8 CHASE" merchandise will be available to fans during Thursday's home game against the Dallas Stars.
"Ovechkin's family was heavily involved in the creation of the logo, as well as the trademark name," Kaplan wrote. "'THE GR8 CHASE' is a triple entendre, alluding to Ovechkin's nickname ('The Great Eight'), Gretzky's nickname ('The Great One') and Ovechkin's chase of history."
Ovechkin's hat trick in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks gave him 800 for his storied career.
Gretzky (894 goals) and Gordie Howe (801) are the only players ahead of Ovechkin on the all-time scoring list. He hit the 800-goal mark in 1,305 career games, while Gretzky scored his 800th in his 1,116th game.
If Ovechkin continues at his career pace, he could surpass Gretzky during the 2024-25 season. He signed a five-year contract extension with the Capitals in July 2021 that runs through the 2025-26 campaign.
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Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin Reflects on Being 3rd NHL Player to Score 800 Goals
Dec 14, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 13: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals poses for a photo after scoring a hat-trick and his 800th career goal, following the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on December 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
Washington Capitals superstar winger Alexander Ovechkin joined an exclusive group Tuesday night, scoring his 800th career NHL goal.
The historic goal came in the third period of a 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, and it also completed a hat trick for the 37-year-old veteran:
Ovechkin is now one of only three players in NHL history to score at least 800 career goals, joining Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).
Per ESPN's Kristen Shilton, Ovechkin appeared on SportsCenter after the game and suggested he was relieved to reach the milestone: "It's a special night. To get two goals right away, I could feel the game. I'm really proud that it's over. Now, we can move on and focus on the next one."
Ovechkin also gave a speech in the locker room, telling his teammates: "This ... it's huge. It's huge for hockey, it's huge for the organization. And to do it with you guys, it's special."
The Russian star's 800th career goal also gave him 20 on the season and made him only the third player in NHL history to score 20 or more goals in at least 18 consecutive seasons.
Aside from the COVID-19-shortened season of 2020-21, Ovechkin has never scored fewer than 32 goals in a single season in his career.
Ovechkin is on pace to score nearly 53 goals this season if he plays in every game, which would give him his second consecutive 50-goal season and the 10th such season of his illustrious career.
It was long thought that no player would ever come close to touching Gretzky's career goals record, but now it feels almost inevitable that Ovechkin will be the one to break it.
Despite being in the midst of his 18th NHL season, Ovechkin isn't slowing down at all, and he is in the mix to potentially lead the league in goals for the 10th time in his career.
Ovechkin has already done it all with nine Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies (leading goal scorer), three Hart Memorial Trophies (MVP), one Art Ross Trophy (leading point scorer), one Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year), one Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) and one Stanley Cup to his credit.
However, scoring 800 goals is one of his biggest accomplishments yet, and it may not be long before he cements himself as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.
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NHL Style Rankings: a Wild Ryan Reaves Appears, but No. 1 on the List Is in Boston
Dec 14, 2022
The Sabres' Tage Thompson made the NHL Style Rankings list ... but is he No. 1?
The holiday season is quickly approaching, and the weather outside is starting to match the temperature at ice level. This can only mean one thing: it's overcoat szn in the NHL, baby.
Plenty of players debuted fresh outerwear in the first half of December, so we've got a lot to cover in this latest edition of the style rankings.
But first, take a look at this video of the Biebers at a Leafs game last week:
Aesthetically, you're either the Justin or the Hailey of your relationship. If you own more than two bucket hats, you're the Justin. It's me, I'm also the Justin.
Sadly no NHL players have stepped up to the plate and purchased the Willy Wonka-esque sunglasses Justin was rocking yet.
Until then, here are the 10 best-dressed players in the league from the last two weeks.
Charleston, Massachusetts' GQ Ambassador Matt Grzelcyk finally cracked the Top 10 with this matchy-matchy Thom Browne moment.
It's cute that he and Pastrňák have the same classic suit in different colors. Do we think they called each other and coordinated who would wear it on which day?
It's tempting, but I will not succumb to the pressure of picking Auston Matthews just because I haven't yet. How could I, when Nylander is always right there serving looks of his own?
Love a fancy topcoat, especially in the Toronto cold.
If houndstooth has ten fans, I am one of them. If houndstooth has one fan, it is me. If houndstooth has zero fans, I have died.
Kapanen has a lovely take on the trendy-yet-timeless pattern, here. The beautiful luggage that happens to match is just the icing on the cake he will surely receive for his No. 8 spot on this week's style rankings.
Few shine in the outerwear department quite like Lowry. It takes a special person to not only brave the Winnipeg winter, but to look good doing it. He's killing the coat/pants combination in the first photo, and he's showing us he's still dedicated to the outfits underneath the coats with the cool silver-y pinstripe look in the second.
Give me fuel, give me fire, give me Nino Niederreiter's style rankings debut.
Niederreiter almost always has a fun pair of socks on, and that vibe clearly extended to the rest of his outfit, here. The purple and pink color combination is a good example of how to look put together when going for two bold colors: match the undershirt with the secondary color (usually the tie)!
Miller has once again obliterated the rest of the competition in the texture category. I'm loving thicker material that manages to keep its shape lately, not to mention the green gradient might be one of the best color schemes we've seen from Miller thus far.
Does he deserve better than No. 5 this week? Please let me know in the comments.
Also, the Rangers released an adorable video with Miller detailing some of his "fashion secrets" earlier this week. As you can see, it was basically him looking at some of his best outfits and going, "Yeah, I looked great that day," but as humbly as possible.
Reaves made two equally important debuts in the past month: His Minnesota Wild debut, and his 2022-23 NHL style rankings debut. The man knows how to make an entrance.
Again, we must commend Thompson for his dedication to clothes that fit his 6'6" frame.
And class, what do we always say? That's right, "Look good, play good." You'll recall Thompson scored five goals in less than 15 minutes against Columbus Dec. 7. It was a highlight in what appears to be a breakout season for the Sabres forward on the ice. His outfits lately indicate it might be a breakout season off the ice, too.
I'm especially fond of the first one pictured, that screams "Scoring five goals in one hockey game at 7 pm, performing in a My Chemical Romance cover band at 10 pm."
Folks, it appears that Mr. Double-breasted suit is slowly winning me over.
It might be his sense of humor about the whole thing, which showed up again in his interview with Spittin' Chiclets yesterday.
"You guys talk about fashion, but I'm not that fashionable, I'm not like (Auston) Matthews who does GQ stuff and everything," he said on the podcast. "I just like nice suits. All I care about is making sure I look good when I get to the game -- outside of that I have basic style...I don't sit at the websites and order new essentials. I know all the brands, but it's just like, stupid. I have two kids and a wife, like, come on guys. I'm not going to spend f----- money on some sh---."
That philosophy is smart and efficient, if you ask me. Anyway, I thought the blue leather was different and fun, and he looks fantastic in the plaid while staying true to his jacket preferences.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark is currently leading the NHL in wins, save percentage, and goals against average. His contributions to Boston's historic start cannot be understated.
Big woop.
Today, he's officially No. 1 in the most important metric of all: suit game per 60.
There's just no one out there doing it better day in and day out right now, and we can thank his (and maybe his stylist's?) combination of creativity and class. He nailed three drastically different looks in one week with ease, and that'll get you your first No. 1 spot on the NHL style power rankings.
Jaromír Jágr's Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Delayed After Helping His Team Play Game
Dec 13, 2022
FILE-In this Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, file photo, Jaromir Jagr during a practice session at the Kladno Knights hockey club in Kladno, Czech Republic. Jaromir Jagr is ageless. On Thursday April 29, 2021, the 49-year-old had an assist on the way to his Kladno Knights's 5-2 victory over Jihlava to clinch their playoff series 4-3 and qualify for the top Czech league in next season. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek/ File)
NHL legend Jaromír Jágr pushed back his timeline for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame due to making his return to professional hockey on Sunday.
According to Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now, the 50-year-old Jágr played for the Kladno Knights, which is the Czech Extraliga team he owns.
Illnesses left Kladno short on players, so rather than asking for the game to be postponed and potentially risking punishment from the league, Jágr decided to play in a pro hockey game for the first time since April.
Jágr seemingly didn't miss a beat, as he recorded two assists, although Kladno fell to HC Bílí Tygři Liberec by a 7-3 score.
Jágr's on-ice return also ensured that he won't officially become a Hall of Famer until at least 2026 since the Hockey Hall of Fame does not allow a player to be inducted until they have been retired from professional hockey for at least three years.
Jágr has not played in the NHL since the 2017-18 season, which he spent with the Calgary Flames, but he has seen at least some action for Kladno in each of the six seasons since then.
The Czech legend is a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible thanks to what he accomplished during a 24-year NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Flames.
Jágr ranks fourth in NHL history in regular-season games played (1,733), fourth in goals (766), fifth in assists (1,155) and second in points (1,921) behind only the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
He is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner, a five-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading point scorer and a one-time winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP.
On top of that, Jágr won an Olympic gold medal for the Czech Republic in 1998 and followed it up with a bronze in 2006.
While Jágr's Hall of Fame wait has been extended, he proved Sunday that even at the age of 50, he can still play at a high level in one of the top professional leagues in the world.
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