The Lightning
-Tampa Bay will host the New York Rangers tonight. They are finally back home after their successful visit to Sweden.
#Bolts back on the ice for the first time since the Sweden trip, preparing for tomorrow’s game against the NY Rangers. pic.twitter.com/U4u0AaXu5L
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) November 13, 2019
In addition to a nice “welcome home” vibe, tonight’s contest will also be the Lightning’s Military Appreciation Night. The evening will feature many different elements honoring those in service, including jerseys.
The players will also wear camo jerseys during pre-game warm-ups and give those jerseys to military members on the ice following the conclusion of the game. Camo jerseys and other merchandise will be available for purchase at the Tampa Bay Sports store inside AMALIE Arena.
-This Saturday, the Lightning plans to honor Tampa Bay radio host Steve Duemig, who passed away this past May. The team will officially re-name the IHeartMedia Tampa Bay suite as the “Duemig Den” in a ceremony during the first period.
“’The Big Dog was an icon across the Tampa Bay sports media landscape,” Lightning chief executive office Steve Griggs said. “Steve was never afraid to tell it like was while still serving as a proponent for all local teams, including the Lightning. That transparency earned him the trust and adoration of fans throughout the Bay Area and the country. We are proud to honor Steve and his legacy with a permanent space inside AMALIE Arena where he will always be among the fans that he enjoyed broadcasting to so much.”
-Steven Stamkos and a few other NHL captains sat down with Mike Zeisberger to discuss their leadership roles.
-Here’s an interesting look at successful vs. not successful coaches when it comes to the coach’s challenge.
Which coaches are best with their Coach’s Challenge and how has the number of challenges trended over the years as the rules have changed? I wrote about it over at @TheAthleticNHL https://t.co/0FDt4VNOQm pic.twitter.com/PxjDXKWMw6
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) November 13, 2019
The Crunch
-Organizational goalie Spencer Martin is prepared to play the game.
“There’s always pressure. There hasn’t been a time in my five years that it’s just OK, here, go ahead and play. It’s your net. It’s always like this,” he said. “I think the further you could separate yourself from worrying about anything like that, the better you’re off. But definitely early in your career, it’s tough. Where I’m at now, I think I just focus on playing. It’s one little step at a time.”
-Crunch goalie Scott Wedgewood had a bit of help in net from his defensemen during the team’s game at Rochester last night. Dominik Masin and Cal Foote teamed up to literally just…be a wall.
The Masin-Foote pairing is perfect between the pipes tonight.#SYRvsROC pic.twitter.com/bYRd9mxC1A
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) November 14, 2019
-The Crunch is hosting a shoe drive this weekend, just in time for the holiday season:
This weekend, we’re helping Ralph Rotella collect shoes for his annual shoe drive benefiting the @RescueMission.
Collection bins will be in the War Memorial Arena lobbies this Friday and Saturday. https://t.co/oi6Ny7MCqX
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) November 13, 2019
-A Day to Remember was welcomed to Syracuse in the usual Crunch style for their show at the War Memorial.
Our @adtr ✖️ @SyracuseCrunch collab dropping soon.
Thanks for rocking the #SyrCrunch last night. 🤘 pic.twitter.com/q7OAxIgm1l
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) November 13, 2019
-The team’s front office also hosted some local students.
Students from Solvay and Liverpool DECA visited the Syracuse Crunch facilities on Friday for a sports management conference. Thank you to Jim, Owen, Kristen ,Todd ,and Danielle for making this happen! @SolvaySchools @LiverpoolDECA @SyracuseCrunch @DECAInc #regionalsready pic.twitter.com/B1PuIUER40
— Solvay DECA (@SolvayDECA) November 13, 2019
The Game
-Yesterday was World Kindness day, and the Carolina Hurricanes decided to make Hockey Twitter a little nicer:
In honor of #WorldKindnessDay, we thought it would be nice to spread some love to our @NHL friends
A thread:
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 13, 2019
Here’s their shoutout to the Lightning, and the team’s response:
we love YOUR name and are working studiously to get you a perfect corresponding emoji like we are lucky to have 🥰
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 13, 2019
In the same theme, here’s a touching story about Paul Bissonnette and Auston Matthews helping a fan achieve his dream of attending a Toronto Maple Leafs game.
I want to thank the @NHL, @Heidi_Golightly & @smay2758 for giving me & my friend @peshghi the opportunity to bring Ron & his boys to Toronto. Also, we can’t thank the @MapleLeafs enough for rolling out the red carpet for us. Ron & the boys were over the moon about meeting @AM34. https://t.co/TK3bV0bfXd
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) November 13, 2019
-Joe Yerdon took some time to cover the AHL for The Athletic.
New for you: Life on the road in the AHL means riding the bus and that means traditions old and new help build bonds on the highway https://t.co/FLC1DdVyoh
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) November 13, 2019
-Mike McKenna sat down with Tony Ferrari to break the myth that goalies are voodoo, among other topics.
TF: What is the biggest tool a goalie can have in order to be successful at the professional level?
MM: Skating. Not sprinting to the blue 100 mph: goalie skating. If a goaltender is crisp, powerful, and smooth in their crease movements, they have a much better chance of beating the play, getting their feet set, and making the save.
-Roberto Luongo is re-joining the Florida Panthers in an off-ice capacity: he is now the club’s Special Advisor to the General Manager.
“I’ve had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise’s hockey operations staff,” said Tallon. “Roberto always approached every game with an unmatched work ethic and we are confident he will take to this new role with the same passion. A cornerstone player in our franchise’s history, we are thrilled that ‘Lu’ will have a hand in shaping our franchise’s future.”
