The Bolts
Hockey Canada released the first 18 names on its IIHF World Championship roster. Alex Killorn and Brayden Point will be representing the Tampa Bay Lightning on the ice while head coach Jon Cooper will be behind the bench. [Hockey Canada]
“Before he leaves town for the summer, Stamkos granted LightningInsider.com an exclusive interview where he touched on a number of subjects. In this first part of that interview, Stamkos touches on how dark things were when he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, how this rehab went compared to his previous two injuries, whether he picked up any new hobbies to take his mind off rehab and how difficult it was to watch the team struggle during the first three-plus months of the season.” [Lightning Insider, subscription]
On January 1, the Bolts Better Halves hosted their annual Fashion With a Cause event, raising over $200,000 for The Spring Tampa Bay. Yesterday J.T. Brown and Braydon Coburn had the honor of presenting the check to this important local organization. [Video courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning]
“She strikes a chord of emotion and pride as she sings the National Anthem at the start of Tampa Bay Lightning home games, but out of the spotlight, Sonya Bryson struggles with Multiple Sclerosis… Now Bryson is leaning on fan support for her foundation Voices of Hope, and Lightning fans are responding, showing up at fundraisers and events to support her cause.” [WFLA News Channel 8]
Yanni Gourde looks to follow in the footsteps of good friend and former Lightning forward Jonathan Marchessault. “‘Looking at him, it just gets you better,’ Gourde said. ‘You see him doing so well. You’re like, maybe I can do it too. I could be doing good in the NHL at some point.’ In a sense, Gourde, 25, has already Started along those same footprints.” [Syracuse.com]
It’s good to see the Andrej Sustr – Alex Killorn bromance continue through the summer
The Prospects
If you’re a Lightning fan in search of post-season excitement, look no further than the Syracuse Crunch. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect as Round 1 of the AHL playoffs start tomorrow night. “With all of the demotions from Tampa, on paper the Crunch are one of the best hockey teams in the entire league. That skill and depth will be put to the ultimate test against an IceCaps team that is much better than their seeding would indicate.” [Raw Charge]
Good (early) morning, St. John’s!
The #SyrCrunch have arrived. #FIN15H pic.twitter.com/yGZDzYkT8U
— y – Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) April 19, 2017
The Syracuse Crunch made several lip sync videos over the course of this season, leading to some very amusing bloopers. My personal favorite is hearing the guys describe Backstreet Boys choreography as “Right leg. Show the dice. Toss them away.”
Turns out filming the #SyrCrunch lip sync videos wasn’t always as smooth as the finished product.
Cue the blooper reel 🎥 pic.twitter.com/msWHoCxUL6
— y – Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) April 19, 2017
Connor Ingram is wearing a new Syracuse Crunch themed goalie mask, but he still has his patented Joker across the back. “The backplate is a kind of trademark that he had from the juniors,” said artist Sylvie Marsolais of Sylabrush Airbrush. “Connor wanted to put Heath Ledger’s Joker character holding a card and we added the Bolts logo on the card. Another feature that we added is the ‘Hahahahaha’ from the Joker on the backplate.” [InGoal Magazine]
Cameron Darcy (#13 in red) had another 3-point night (1G, 2A), Brian Hart (#27) scored a goal and an assist, and Nick Riopel stopped 31 of 36 shots to help the Kalamazoo Wings defeat the Toledo Walleye 8-5. Darcy and Hart earned second and third star honors, respectively. The series is tied at 2-2. “A strong argument could be made that the number one star of the night for Kalamazoo was Nick Riopel. Despite giving up five goals on thirty-six shots, the Quebec native stopped several point blank chances from the Walleye, including several without his stick.” [Raw Charge]
Now that the second round of junior hockey playoffs is behind us, let’s take a look at how all the prospects performed. [Raw Charge]
Speaking of junior hockey players, Boris Katchouk just inked his Entry-Level Contract with the Bolts. Congratulations!
The Game
“Almost no one predicted that this series would end in a sweep. However, on Day 8 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Anaheim has become the first team in the NHL to advance to the second round after completing a sweep of the Calgary Flames.” [Anaheim Calling]
Jack Eichel may want out of Buffalo. “WGR’s Paul Hamilton reported [General Manager] Tim Murray is meeting with [Sabres owners] the Pegulas today in Florida, but he buried the lede a bit. In the final sentence of his story, he wrote this: ‘Inside sources have told me that (Jack) Eichel has no desire to sign a contract extension this summer if Bylsma remains the coach, so quite a bit hinges on this meeting.'” [Die by the Blade]
“New Hope for Kids returns to the Amway Center to host the 24th Annual Mascot Games, presented by convenience retail chain Wawa, on Friday June 23 at 12:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. Since its beginning, the Mascot Games has raised more than $520,000 for New Hope for Kids.” [Attractions Magazine]
“The NHL announced Wednesday Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Ryan Kesler of the Anaheim Ducks, and Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild are the finalists for the 2016-17 Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded to ‘to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.’ And by that, it means ‘best two-way center.'” [Puck Daddy]
Other Tampa Bay Sports News
The Tampa Bay Rays win in a crazy walk-off error 8-7 over the Detroit Tigers. [DRaysBay]
The Buccaneers will be featured on this season’s edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks. [BucsNation]
