By Staff Writer, Matt Osborne Victor Wembanyama was the talk of the sports world when he was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in last week’s NBA Draft, but fewer sports fans may know there’s another generational talent preparing to be selected No. 1 in his sport’s respective draft. 17-year-old Connor Bedard from Canada is considered by many experts to be one of the best hockey prospects of all time. Playing this past season in the CHL (Canada’s premier hockey league for young players up to 20 years old), Bedard recorded…
Category Archives: Hockey
-
Diagnosing Our Idols
Continue Reading -
How Do You Define Success and Failure?
Continue ReadingBy Staff Writer, Matt Osborne The NBA and NHL playoffs are currently in full swing, and fans of both leagues have already been blindsided by historic upsets. In the NHL, the top-seeded Boston Bruins blew a 3-1 series lead against the Florida Panthers, failing to even get past the first round after putting together the best regular season in hockey history. Meanwhile, in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks also fell victim to being upset by an eight-seed as they were outclassed by the Miami Heat in five games. Rarely does a…
-
Striving for Excellence with Eyes on the Prize
Continue ReadingBy Guest Contributor, Mike Burch The Boston Bruins made history in the 2022-23 regular season, breaking the single-season record for points with 133 and eclipsing the previous win record of 63. They finished the regular season with an impressive record of 64-12-5, boasting the best penalty-kill percentage at 87.1%. The team scored 296 goals and allowed only 170 goals against, showcasing their dedication, perseverance, and unity throughout the season. The Bruins worked hard all year as they strived for excellence which prepared them for what comes next. As head coach Jim…
-
2020 BEST of UNPACK this…Eating a Reuben to Winning Goalie
Continue ReadingSaturday night’s NHL game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs turned out to be an extraordinarily memorable one. Dave Ayres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver, became the first-ever emergency backup goalie to win a game and the oldest goalie in NHL history to win his regular-season debut. Ayres was available to either team in case both active goalies would get injured. But the Hurricanes lost James Reimer in the first period and Petr Mrazek in the second period, so he went in as the goaltender with Carolina leading 3-1. While…
-
Eating a Reuben to Winning Goalie
Continue ReadingSaturday night’s NHL game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs turned out to be an extraordinarily memorable one. Dave Ayres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver, became the first-ever emergency backup goalie to win a game and the oldest goalie in NHL history to win his regular-season debut. Ayres was available to either team in case both active goalies would get injured. But the Hurricanes lost James Reimer in the first period and Petr Mrazek in the second period, so he went in as the goaltender with Carolina leading 3-1. While…
-
The Powerful Pregame Speech
Continue ReadingEveryone loves a Game 7 in sports and thanks to the Boston Bruins win last night, we will see one this Wednesday as they take on the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins, of course, needed last night’s win to extend the series. We could discuss different reasons for why they won the game, but let’s consider what actually inspired them to execute the way they did. Many of the Bruins players pointed to the pregame speech by alternate captain, Patrice Bergeron, as setting the tone…
-
Are We Playing Goalie?
Continue ReadingIn any sport, Game 7’s are greatly anticipated and intensely played, so tonight’s matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars is expected to be a good one. On Sunday, the Blues won Game 6 by a score of 4-1 to extend the series and force a deciding Game 7 on their home ice tonight. Jordan Binnington, St. Louis’ rookie goalie, will be back in goal after his recent strong performance. Binnington stopped 22 shots on goal in Game 6, and despite letting one sneak by during a power-play…
-
Victims of Our Own Success
Continue ReadingDuring the NHL’s regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning was one of the best teams to ever take the ice. They scored goals at an incredible rate and blew out teams by a margin of three or more goals in 30 of their wins. They had a total of 62 wins – tying for the most in NHL history. They coasted and dominated throughout the season and had high hopes for the playoffs. However, things changed quickly when the Lightning was swept out of the playoffs in the first round,…
-
Perception of Him Changed
Continue ReadingThe Washington Capitals have a 3-1 series lead over the Las Vegas Golden Knights heading into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. The Caps are led by captain, Alex Ovechkin, who has been averaging 1.14 points per game throughout the playoffs and performing at an extremely high level with his tone-setting and game-winning goals. Considered one of the best players in the league, Ovechkin has been criticized in the past for his disappointing playoff finishes and for not taking his team further. This year, however, he’s receiving credit…
-
“It’s Desperation Really”
Continue ReadingThe Eastern Conference Finals are heading to a Game 7 with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. The Washington Capitals were leading the series 2-0 before the Tampa Bay Lightning won three straight games. With the Capitals facing elimination last night in Game 6, they came out and played physical, including 39 hits which helped bring them a 3-0 victory. Capitals’ defenseman, Brooks Orpik, tied for a game-high six hits and made this comment following the game: “That’s one area where we have an edge is…
