The Lightning
Did you miss Bolts Family Game Night? No worries! The Tampa Bay Lightning got you:
We had a blast at #BoltsFamilyGameNight. Our players had a blast.
To all who came, we hope you did too! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/n0VqBc1mJQ
— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 12, 2019
More fun with feeling potentially gross things before knowing what those things are!
The initial reactions at the beginning are truly priceless.
Our latest venture into making players touch stuff without knowing what it is… 😂 pic.twitter.com/kh6CBhkTcM
— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 12, 2019
Lightning coach Jon Cooper has dressing room traditions that go back to his days with AHL Norfolk. Joe Smith of The Athletic ran them down. (pay walled)
See, coach Jon Cooper is a huge fan of “Wedding Crashers,” so he has incorporated the movie into his player of the game ritual ever since his days in the American Hockey League. There’s a camouflage jacket and fake rifle, homages to the quail-hunting scene from the film. Lightning players pick who earns each one.
When the jacket is given out, you have to say, “Don’t wait for an opportunity. Make one.”
As for the rifle? “Rule 76” must be repeated: “No excuses. Play like a champion.”
In Norfolk in 2011-12, Cooper preached Rule 76 (“No excuses. Play like a champion.”) and Rule 113 (“Don’t look for opportunities; make them.”)
The Admirals went on to finish the regular season with 113 points in 76 games. https://t.co/b7XHj8c1OD
— Jason Chaimovitch (@JChaimo) March 12, 2019
Jake Muzzin and Ryan McDonagh handled similar trade experiences, and they got through them somehow, says The Athletic. I’d love to give you more details, but I can’t. Heck, most of my preview from the previous Athletic article was from Mr. Chaimovitch’s tweet, so…
Syracuse
The Syracuse Crunch has yet to find a solid identity on the ice. Yesterday, Justin broke down their many faces, and reiterated the fact that playoffs are looming closer and closer. It would behoove Syracuse to figure out who they are before then.
Overall, this is a team that has a good—but not great—power play. They have really, really good goaltending (even if half of the duo is in Orlando). Their defense is really solid, and they have three lines that can score consistently. Those are the good things.
For all that they do well, though, they still have some bad things that that creep into their game. They take too many penalties. They turn the puck over way too much. Lately they’ve had some issues in the third period closing out games. Those can be fatal flaws in the playoffs, and need to be corrected. There is time to work on it, so hopefully the coaching staff can find a way to get it done.
It doesn’t exactly help the team discover their in-game identity, but the Crunch organization as a whole has deservedly developed a reputation as NHL-lite.
Thanks for the Syracuse shoutout, @JeffMarek. #HC12
🎧 at the 26-minute mark: https://t.co/2tdsa1GmVl pic.twitter.com/PhYfJG44Ub
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) March 12, 2019
Shane Conacher is no longer a Crunch player, but his brother Cory Conacher is an integral part of the team, and it was a lot of fun having Shane with the team a few games last season. S. Conacher has had a fairly emotional year, and he joined the NHL Network to discuss it.
Shane Conacher joined #NHLNow to discuss scoring in his emotional return for the @ECHLThunder.#StickItToCancer pic.twitter.com/LlJJuX0jr7
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 12, 2019
Orlando
We have a Connorism update from Connor Ingram in Orlando!
Sure playing hockey in Florida is cool. But I am deathly afraid of snakes and now live in constant fear
— Connor Ingram (@CBIngram1) March 12, 2019
You can catch Orlando play the Steelheads this Saturday!
The season’s winding down so you’ll want to catch every minute of ECHL action that you can.
Join us Saturday night for the https://t.co/RDjVzhzDKj Showcase Game as @Steelheads visit @OrlandoHockey
Tune in reminder ➡️ https://t.co/gqZMpfMlHZ pic.twitter.com/enwKBatNwn
— ECHL (@ECHL) March 12, 2019
The Solar Bears are hosting a First Responders Appreciation Night this Saturday.
Our First Responders Appreciation Night game vs. @Steelheads is this Saturday at @AmwayCenter!
Your ticket also gains entry to our seventh annual Guns N’ Hoses charity game at 2 p.m. between @OCFireRescue and the Central Florida Enforcers (Police)! https://t.co/DXdQ6ePqq6
— Orlando Solar Bears (@OrlandoHockey) March 12, 2019
Prospects
Hark! Entry Level Contract season is upon us! What does this mean for the Lightning org? Geo filled us in yesterday on which prospects might pop up and which are probably still a while off.
Prospect Sammy Walker has been tabbed as a finalist for the B1G Freshman of the Year.
#Gophers rookie Sammy Walker has been tabbed as a finalist for the B1G Freshman of the Year.
The #PrideOnIce rookie leads all Big Ten freshmen with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in his first campaign with the Maroon & Gold. pic.twitter.com/V6JwAhiplp
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) March 12, 2019
Prospect Nick Perbix is the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Rookie of the Week.
☑️ First multi-goal game & career-high 3⃣ points Fri.
☑️ First ⭐️ of the Game Fri.
☑️ All 4⃣ points came on PP, helping SCSU go 5-7 on PP vs. UMD👉 #NCHCHockey Rookie of the Week
📰: https://t.co/z05yS9JPl6 | #unleashSCSU pic.twitter.com/4bGRYZVi6A
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 12, 2019
Hockey: In General
The Buffalo Sabres are building a foundation in a similar way to the Tampa Bay Lightning: Starting at the AHL level and building up.
The LA Kings are gearing up for their You Can Play Night:
Excited to announce the @LAKings are holding a Pride Night game on Thursday. 🏳️🌈🏒#HockeyIsForEveryone #YouCanPlay #GoKingsGo @NHL @NHLPA
❤🧡💛💚💙💜Tickets: https://t.co/jx5gfIzRdZ pic.twitter.com/P98ZalUFWB
— You Can Play Project (@YouCanPlayTeam) March 12, 2019
This past weekend, Seattle hosted the Seattle Hockey Analytics Conference (SeaHAC), and one of the activities was a simulation of the 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft. Who did the Lightning protect? Who might they lose? Find out here!