Well, it seems some of the Tampa Bay Lightning players are off having a good time together before getting ready for the season together. If nothing else, there is photographic proof that they like hanging out together.
From the bars referenced on the post (which appears to have come from Jake Guentzel’s Instagram) it looks like they’re in Ireland. It’s always fun to see which former teammates are in the group, and in this case it’s Pat Maroon (who was on the ice in Tampa earlier this summer helping run a hockey camp) and Cam Atkinson. Victor Hedman, Guentzel, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Ryan McDonagh round out the group. Good to see them unwinding a bit before the grind of getting ready for a long season begins.
Hockey News
Team Canada announces coaching staff for Olympics [Hockey Canada]
The presumptive favorites to win the gold medal are rolling back the coaching staff from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Hey, if it isn’t broke, why try and fix it? Coach Jon Cooper is also bringing along Dr. Ryan Hamilton, the mental performance consultant that works with the Lightning.
Prospects make college commitments [Broad Street Hockey and Instagram]
It’s been a rough recruiting season for Michigan State. First they lost Isaac Howard to the Oilers, then Gavin McKenna and Ryder Ritchie spurned them for other schools. They finally landed a top prospect as Porter Martone, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, is going to be a Spartan. There was some speculation that the Flyers prospect might shoot for a spot on the roster this season, but it looks like he’ll play some college hockey first.
Not to be outdone, Michigan looks to have landed their goaltender as Jack Ivankovic announced on his Instagram page that he had committed to Big Blue. He was selected 58th overall by Nashville last month.
Ranking every team’s broadcast crew [The Athletic]
We’ll save you the trouble of logging into your Athletic account. The Lightning ranked 13th. That’s down from 10th last year, but still in the top third of the league. Local fans credited them for “being largely neutral, while still drawing fans in with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable broadcast.” We fully expect disagreement in the comments.
Alex Ovechkin is on a year-to-year basis [RMNB]
The Gr8 One is under contract for one more season and he has committed to fulfilling his obligation. After that, well the 39-year-old will see how it goes. He should clear 900 goals this season (he only needs three more) and is on pace to play in 1500 career games. Would a strong season compel him to stick around to try for 1,000 goals?
