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Post by SeaBass on Apr 5, 2021 13:17:35 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 6, 2021 7:07:07 GMT -5
ANOKA, Minn. -- Last month's death of "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey standout Mark Pavelich was ruled a suicide, a Minnesota medical examiner said Monday.
The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Anoka County said in a news release that Pavelich died of asphyxia. His body was found March 3 at the Eagle's Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He was 63.
Pavelich was undergoing treatment at the home as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in Cook County, Minnesota, in August 2019. Pavelich thought the man had spiked his beer.
He was charged with felony assault, but Judge Michael Cuzzo found he was incompetent to stand trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous. The judge said psychologists found that Pavelich was suffering from delusions and paranoia. Experts also diagnosed him with a mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury, likely related to repeated head injuries.
Pavelich, the speedy center from the Minnesota Iron Range, assisted on Mike Eruzione's winning goal against the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. That U.S. team went on to win the gold medal. Pavelich sold his gold medal for more than $250,000 in 2014, two years after his wife, Kara, died in an accidental fall.
Pavelich starred at Eveleth High School and was an All-America selection at the University of Minnesota Duluth before earning a spot on the Olympic team.
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound forward spent five seasons with the New York Rangers and played briefly for the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks, finishing with 137 goals and 192 assists in 355 NHL regular-season games. He had a five-goal game for the Rangers on Feb. 23, 1983, in an 11-3 victory over Hartford.
"As a kid growing up in Hibbing I used to go to the arena and hang out with gear in hand waiting to see if I could skate with the teams that rented the ice," former Minnesota and NHL player Pat Micheletti tweeted after Pavelich died. "Mark Pavelich always let me join with the Eveleth guys. He taught me so much about the game."
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 7, 2021 6:20:47 GMT -5
Brad Marchand now has most shorthanded points in franchise history, breaking out of tie with Ed Westfall and Bobby Orr.
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Post by kjc2 on Apr 8, 2021 5:20:20 GMT -5
Just checking our record in the last 10 games and I was shocked to see 6-2-2. I watched every game but that record is pretty flattering. The Rangers are 6-3–1. If we don’t get healthy for the next ten it’s going to be disaster of a season.
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 8, 2021 8:23:17 GMT -5
The schedule is going to help us down the stretch....assuming we can beat Buffalo and New Jersey. Both will have lesser teams after the deadline. After next week our schedule gets easier and NYR gets harder.
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 8, 2021 10:55:57 GMT -5
Bruins, with fingers crossed, hoping full team can be covid vaccinated within next 10-11 days. Possibly 4/19.
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Post by nfld77 on Apr 8, 2021 13:40:58 GMT -5
The schedule is going to help us down the stretch....assuming we can beat Buffalo and New Jersey. Both will have lesser teams after the deadline. After next week our schedule gets easier and NYR gets harder. Bruins are 4 behind Pens with 3 games in hand, they should be looking ahead, NOT at the teams behind them..
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Post by Losing my mind on Apr 8, 2021 16:40:26 GMT -5
Bruins, with fingers crossed, hoping full team can be covid vaccinated within next 10-11 days. Possibly 4/19. I assume that's just the first shot? Hopefully they don't feel exhausted the next day like me. Half the guys in my firehall felt the same way. We were back to 'normal' a day later.
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Post by nfld77 on Apr 9, 2021 16:42:57 GMT -5
Which season was the more convienant for Montreal to make postseason?
2020 when they finished 12th out of 15 teams in conference?
2021 being the 4th best team in Canada?
$%$#ing Joke, especially last season..
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Post by RascalHoudi on Apr 9, 2021 17:29:43 GMT -5
Which season was the more convienant for Montreal to make postseason? 2020 when they finished 12th out of 15 teams in conference? 2021 being the 4th best team in Canada? $%$#ing Joke, especially last season.. I like it! It means the Bergevin will get a contract extension! The B's should offer to pay half if they sign him for 10 more years
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Post by nfld77 on Apr 9, 2021 22:29:29 GMT -5
Which season was the more convienant for Montreal to make postseason? 2020 when they finished 12th out of 15 teams in conference? 2021 being the 4th best team in Canada? $%$#ing Joke, especially last season.. I like it! It means the Bergevin will get a contract extension! The B's should offer to pay half if they sign him for 10 more years Hahaha, good one..
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 12, 2021 8:24:10 GMT -5
The trade: The Bruins receive forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar.
The Sabres receive forward Anders Bjork and a second-round pick. The Sabres retain 50 percent of Hall’s cap hit.
Dom Luszczyszyn: Considering the current market, where both Nick Foligno and David Savard command a first-round pick, and where a backup goaltender can net a third, it is unfathomable to think a former MVP only cost a second and a marginal NHLer.
Hall has been a top-line talent throughout his career and though his value is not there this season, that’s almost entirely due to rotten shooting luck on the worst team in hockey. He still makes plays (he’s first in the league in high danger passing according to data tracked by Corey Sznajder), he still moves the puck up ice well (70 percent carry-in rate), and he still drives offence (top 20 in driving expected goals for). Hall has two goals in 37 games and that fact has been very publicized, but it only takes a limited amount of critical thinking to understand why. We see this time and time again — he’s not broken because he’s scoring on just 2.3 percent of his shots. He didn’t forget how to score, it’s an anomaly made worse by his surroundings. He’s a career 10 percent shooter and that’s much closer to what Boston should expect from him than what he did in Buffalo.
The lack of finishing is concerning and his value has tanked, but it feels like Hall is being judged based on what people expect and not what he still can do. That and his teams always losing. That seems to be a major sticking point for many and is also total bullshit. It is not Hall’s fault he was drafted by Edmonton, traded to New Jersey and then traded to Arizona. Buffalo was a very poor choice on top of that, but he wasn’t the guy who built the team he was joining. Boston is the first actually good team he’ll ever play for.
The Bruins capitalized on an extreme buy-low opportunity, parting with very little for a player who at his very worst is a middle-six forward. By GSVA, Hall is playing at a one-win pace this year, despite scoring just two goals — that’s his floor. He’s projected to deliver 1.4 wins per 82 still, a top-six winger rate. And that’s with his most recent data being skewered by bad luck. His ceiling, once he remembers how to score, is still a top-line winger and he has shown enough to still be that. If he can get there with Boston, the deal can be a real steal.
Hall is not the player he once was, but there are parts of his game that remain quite strong. He is still an elite play-maker and puck-mover. That still carries a ton of value and those inside hockey with access to better data than me have said similar things, confirming Sznajder’s tracked findings. He was the best forward available at his absolute floor. It’s more than reasonable to expect he’ll be significantly better in Boston, a much stronger team. It’s amazing a second is all it took (Curtis Lazar and Anders Bjork are a wash).
And look, I get this was a difficult one for Buffalo. The optics around Hall aren’t great and his poor play this season didn’t make things easy. He has two goals this year, his point-rate is down, and his teams never win. But this is seriously the best Buffalo could do? Foligno just went for a first and a fourth and Hall only got them a second? In the worst season of Hall’s career, an epic disappointment, he is still out-scoring Foligno, not to mention his play-driving stats are stronger too.
This is just as embarrassing for the other contending teams that couldn’t beat this offer, but the fact this happened a full 15 hours before the deadline is frankly pathetic for the Sabres. Sleep on it. Wait it out. There’s no way this tiny offer that will likely amount to nothing wasn’t going to be there in the morning.
Moves like this are the reason Buffalo is in the basement every season. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge, they’ll find some way to mess it up. This is an awful return.
Bruins grade: A+ Sabres grade: F-
Eric Duhatschek: For weeks now, it was clear that Taylor Hall would be on the move, the only questions were where he would land and what he will provide his new team, in the regular season, and more importantly, in the playoffs. The answer to Question 1 came Sunday night: Hall was traded to the Bruins along with Curtis Lazar in exchange for Anders Bjork and a second-round draft choice.
Hall originally signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sabres this year that included a full no-move, thinking it would be an opportunity to audition for both player and team. When it turned out badly for both, the Sabres did the next best thing and moved Hall along for a future asset. In the present, the Bruins added a Hart Trophy winner who has been off his game for the better part of two years, moving from New Jersey to Arizona to Buffalo and now to Boston. Can he find it time to help the Bruins?
Well, he is a left-shot winger who will slot in behind Brad Marchand on the Bruins’ depth chart which, on paper, provides far more pop for the second line than they had before. Hall lost his goal-scoring touch this year — he had an astonishing two goals and 17 assists in 37 games for the Sabres and an ugly minus-21 rating. The Sabres have been holding him out of the lineup recently, anticipating that a deal was in the offing. Two places where he’d previously been rumored to go — the Islanders and Maple Leafs — shopped elsewhere, the Isles landing Kyle Palmieri from the Devils, the Leafs landing Nick Foligno from the Blue Jackets.
It’s a significant fall from grace for a player who not long ago edged out Nathan MacKinnon to win the league’s 2018 MVP award. What Hall has at stake here is a chance for redemption — on a good team that, if it sorts out its goaltending between now and the playoffs, believes it can make a run at a championship with an impressive veteran nucleus. Nothing in Sunday’s disastrous 8-1 loss to the Capitals suggested there was anything remotely championship in the Bruins’ DNA this year, though that’s a function of playing without their two top goalies and half their best defense corps.
Mike Reilly, added from Ottawa, helps solidify them on the blue line. All along, the Bruins believed they needed to shore up an attack that fell off dramatically once you got past the top three — of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. If Hall is revitalized by a change of scenery and the chance to play for the first genuine Stanley Cup contender of his career, then it may well pay dividends for both the team and the player (who will be seeking a long-term contract in the offseason).
Bjork never realized his potential in Boston; a change of scenery might inspire him to new heights. Lazar is an underrated support piece — an energizer bunny of a depth forward, with a pleasing personality and an easy dressing-room charm. A second-rounder, going Buffalo’s way, when it took firsts to land Foligno and Palmieri, suggests just how far Hall’s stock has fallen. On the other hand, considering Hall’s pedigree and presumably his motivation to succeed, it’s a risk well worth taking if you’re the Bruins. It’s up to Hall to provide the necessary reward. From Buffalo’s side, to extract any sort of value for a player that came and went in such a flash has to be seen as a positive.
Bruins grade: C-plus Sabres grade: B minus
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 14, 2021 12:58:46 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 15, 2021 6:35:33 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 15, 2021 6:38:05 GMT -5
/photo/2
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 15, 2021 9:09:15 GMT -5
The texts did not make sense. Thirty or 40, which is 30 or 40 more than he usually receives, had accumulated on Ken Swayman’s phone while he was playing hockey in his 50-and-over league. He couldn’t comprehend their content. Most of the messages, circulated among a chain of University of Maine hockey parents, read, “RIP Red.”
So on the morning of April 9, Swayman called his son. Jeremy Swayman confirmed the news. Red Gendron, the goalie’s coach at Maine for three seasons, was dead. He was 63.
“Red’s gone. Red’s gone,” the son said.
Jeremy Swayman was in Philadelphia. Ken Swayman was in Anchorage. Father and son, separated by the length of a continent, cried over the death of their friend.
“My heart was broken,” Ken Swayman said. “It still is.”
Four days later, Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins’ fourth-round pick in 2017, played at TD Garden for the first time as an NHLer. In the shootout, Swayman turned back Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson. At the other end, Jake DeBrusk followed up Charlie Coyle’s goal to seal a 3-2 win for the Bruins.
Swayman looked up at the Garden ceiling for several seconds. Then he pointed to the sky.
“That was a pretty special moment,” said the rookie, now 3-1-0 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. “I know I wasn’t alone out there. It was pretty emotional at the end.”
A perfect fit
Orono, Maine quite literally, is on the other end of America as Anchorage, Swayman’s hometown. If Swayman had wanted to attend a school farther east, it would have been underwater.
Heavyweight programs closer to home wanted Swayman: Minnesota, Denver, Colorado College. The University of Alaska-Anchorage — the program for which his father, an Anchorage doctor, once volunteered his services — came calling.
After meeting Gendron, Swayman had no other choice.
In October of 2016, Swayman was playing for Sioux Falls in the USHL. Ken and wife Terese were visiting. Gendron needed a goalie. He saw his opening.
On Oct. 15, Maine concluded a Friday-Saturday series against Quinnipiac at Alfond Arena. That night, Gendron flew to Sioux Falls. He met the 17-year-old goalie and his family the following day.
They talked over a Sunday lunch. The conversation flowed around history, travel, philosophy and family. Hockey was a small slice of the chatter.
Finally, Gendron asked Swayman the critical question.
“So what do you think, son?” Gendron asked.
“I just want to be your goalie,” Swayman answered.
Ken Swayman was delighted. He was taken with Gendron.
Father and son have been close for life. Jeremy, not even a year old, sat on Ken’s back at Alaska-Anchorage games. As a teenager, Jeremy paced the trails of Anchorage next to his dad.
If Maine were to be the 17-year-old’s destination, their relationship would change just by the reality of continental separation. In that way, Ken Swayman wanted a mentor and a community and a family for his son, more so than the gilding of a bells-and-whistles facility or trophies from past accomplishments.
“This is the guy,” Ken Swayman recalled thinking of Gendron. “This is the guy.”
His son’s decision aligned. Swayman thrived at Maine from 2017 to 2020, when he turned pro after his junior year. He made 100 appearances over three seasons.
Swayman earned the experience, as Gendron always said, that one cannot buy at Target. Three seasons of workhorse puck stopping would serve as the foundation for a starry first pro season (8-1-0, 1.89 GAA, .933 save percentage in Providence) that will continue for Swayman on Thursday, in all likelihood, as Tuukka Rask’s backup.
Under Gendron’s watch, Swayman continued to grow into the thoughtful and respectful 22-year-old he’s become. After the shootout victory, Swayman made sure to mention Jan, Gendron’s wife, and his two daughters.
“I loved Red,” Swayman said, coughing to catch his voice. “I loved Red so much. The things he taught me, I’ll have for the rest of my life. My heart reaches out to Jan and Katie and Allison. It’s a beautiful family that I consider my own. I’m just so grateful for the experiences I had with him. He’s definitely going to be a role model for the rest of my life.”
Playing for Red
Kevin Dean and Jay Pandolfo were shaken. Dean was a New Jersey defenseman from 1994 to 1996 when Gendron was an assistant to Jacques Lemaire. Pandolfo spent his first two pro years playing for Gendron in Albany, New Jersey’s AHL affiliate.
Bruce Cassidy saw how hard his assistants, 52 and 46, respectively, took the news on the day of Gendron’s death. The Bruins coach assured his 22-year-old goalie he was not obligated to make his scheduled start the following day against Philadelphia.
Swayman said he was in.
“I know what he would want me to do. That would be to go out and play my game and have fun doing it,” Swayman said on Tuesday. “That’s what I tried to do today. That’s what I try to do every day. I want to do everything I can to honor him and continue his legacy. Because he would do the same thing. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Merit Waldrop was watching from Anchorage. Waldrop, one of Swayman’s youth coaches, was not surprised his ex-pupil declined to take his option.
“I don’t see him as a kid who’s going to hold his head down and be upset,” Waldrop said. “He’s more like, ‘No, I’m going to make you proud.’”
Ken Swayman connected with Gendron. During his visits to Orono, the two regularly chatted in Gendron’s office. Gendron was the kind of guy who knew everything, from the most beautiful trails in Acadia National Park to the best lobster shacks. The elder Swayman slept well with the knowledge that a good man was watching over his son.
It’s Jeremy Swayman’s turn now to do the same with Gendron. He left a legacy of kindness, caring and belief. Swayman intends to share it.
“No matter how he felt, he would always have a smile on his face,” Swayman said. “It was honestly incredible. He always knew what to say, even in the most trying times. It’s something I want to try to continue to honor him. If I could teach someone else what he taught me, I think that would be a pretty incredible gift.”
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 16, 2021 6:19:27 GMT -5
So apparently Smith is not going to win the 7th player award. I guess Ritchie is going to get it.
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 10:58:43 GMT -5
Of the three new Guys who has the biggest impact??
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 11:00:38 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 16, 2021 11:02:34 GMT -5
Of the three new Guys who has the biggest impact?? I would go with: 1 - Lazar - The 4th line is a new animal right now. They set the tone last night on the 1st shift. 2 - Reilly - Smart player, quick release and makes a solid first pass 3 - Hall - With him on the 2nd line everybody is where they should be now.
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 11:05:26 GMT -5
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 12:50:05 GMT -5
Of the three new Guys who has the biggest impact?? I would go with: 1 - Lazar - The 4th line is a new animal right now. They set the tone last night on the 1st shift. 2 - Reilly - Smart player, quick release and makes a solid first pass 3 - Hall - With him on the 2nd line everybody is where they should be now. I really think Lazar will push the competition of being in the lineup or not , which is great going forward. I didn’t know much about Reilly until we got him , Sens GM said the Bruins would love Reilly as he brings all the tools for the job . The reasoning for the trade was to make room for there Yutes
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 12:56:42 GMT -5
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Post by RascalHoudi on Apr 16, 2021 13:13:58 GMT -5
I had no idea that they were all from Alabama!
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Post by madmarx on Apr 16, 2021 14:33:28 GMT -5
I had no idea that they were all from Alabama! Cue the banjo’s
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Post by kjc2 on Apr 16, 2021 17:33:56 GMT -5
I would go with: 1 - Lazar - The 4th line is a new animal right now. They set the tone last night on the 1st shift. 2 - Reilly - Smart player, quick release and makes a solid first pass 3 - Hall - With him on the 2nd line everybody is where they should be now. I really think Lazar will push the competition of being in the lineup or not , which is great going forward. I didn’t know much about Reilly until we got him , Sens GM said the Bruins would love Reilly as he brings all the tools for the job . The reasoning for the trade was to make room for there Yutes That’s a tough question, all three fill a void and are an upgrade on what we had. Hall is the best player and has the best chance to make a huge impact. On the other hand, left defence was our biggest need and Reilly already looks like our best left Dman. Lazar has brought energy and enthusiasm to the fourth line that has been missing all year. I’m going with Reilly because our zone exits are better and he gets pucks through. That was by far our our biggest weakness and need.
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Post by madmarx on Apr 17, 2021 5:50:33 GMT -5
I really think Lazar will push the competition of being in the lineup or not , which is great going forward. I didn’t know much about Reilly until we got him , Sens GM said the Bruins would love Reilly as he brings all the tools for the job . The reasoning for the trade was to make room for there Yutes That’s a tough question, all three fill a void and are an upgrade on what we had. Hall is the best player and has the best chance to make a huge impact. On the other hand, left defence was our biggest need and Reilly already looks like our best left Dman. Lazar has brought energy and enthusiasm to the fourth line that has been missing all year. I’m going with Reilly because our zone exits are better and he gets pucks through. That was by far our our biggest weakness and need. I know it’s way early to judge these Players on a few games but these moves by Sweeney have allowed Players to be slotted in there proper positions. Usually it takes a while for Players to slot into a new team , these Guys have hit the ground running.
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Post by kjc2 on Apr 17, 2021 7:23:54 GMT -5
That’s a tough question, all three fill a void and are an upgrade on what we had. Hall is the best player and has the best chance to make a huge impact. On the other hand, left defence was our biggest need and Reilly already looks like our best left Dman. Lazar has brought energy and enthusiasm to the fourth line that has been missing all year. I’m going with Reilly because our zone exits are better and he gets pucks through. That was by far our our biggest weakness and need. I know it’s way early to judge these Players on a few games but these moves by Sweeney have allowed Players to be slotted in there proper positions. Usually it takes a while for Players to slot into a new team , these Guys have hit the ground running. I agree, it’s early but things are fitting together nicely. No reason to change the lineup every game or throw the lines into a blender, every forward line is looking good. Also as NFLD was saying yesterday it’s balancing the minutes played a lot better. Bergeron and Marchand in particular have been carrying the team, they’re the only reason this team stayed in contention, bringing there minutes down for the stretch run should be a priority. If we can get Carlo, Grz and Miller back soon our blueline pairing will be the best they’ve been all year. Bring on the Caps! I want us to have some redemption after that 8-1 drubbing.
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Post by madmarx on Apr 17, 2021 8:03:27 GMT -5
I know it’s way early to judge these Players on a few games but these moves by Sweeney have allowed Players to be slotted in there proper positions. Usually it takes a while for Players to slot into a new team , these Guys have hit the ground running. I agree, it’s early but things are fitting together nicely. No reason to change the lineup every game or throw the lines into a blender, every forward line is looking good. Also as NFLD was saying yesterday it’s balancing the minutes played a lot better. Bergeron and Marchand in particular have been carrying the team, they’re the only reason this team stayed in contention, bringing there minutes down for the stretch run should be a priority. If we can get Carlo, Grz and Miller back soon our blueline pairing will be the best they’ve been all year. Bring on the Caps! I want us to have some redemption after that 8-1 drubbing. Great point by NFLD about keeping are Guys fresh 👍
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 20, 2021 11:49:12 GMT -5
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