Tag: hockey

Texas Hockey sets bar high after A&M series sweep, eyes conference title

Don’t underestimate the power of hockey in the South, learn why UT is making the case for a conference win.

When you think of Texas, hockey probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. For many, the Lone Star State conjures images of football, BBQ, and wide-open spaces—not the ice rink. Even outsiders, like Ohio State, have been hilariously misinformed about Texas, mistakenly believing cacti grow in Arlington. Yet, hockey is carving out its place in Austin, where students and local fans are rallying behind the sport with growing enthusiasm.

Fresh off an undefeated 4-0 run at the Big Mountain Hockey Conference tournament, the Texas Longhorns brought that momentum back home this past weekend. In back-to-back games against their fiercest rival, Texas A&M, the Longhorns delivered a statement. They secured a gritty 3–2 win on Friday, then traveled to College Station on Saturday and unleashed an offensive onslaught, skating to an emphatic 11–3 victory to close out the Lone Star Showdown on ice.

“Come down here and play,” senior goaltender Jesse Reinhard said. “A lot of people don’t know about the sport, and a lot of them love it. They just (have) got to get to know it. Southern hockey would be sweet to be big.”

Playing in the Texas Collegiate Hockey Association (TCHA), a Division II league under the American Club Hockey Association (ACHA), the Longhorns don’t receive scholarships or financial assistance. Instead, these players rely on their families, their own funds, and a shared love for the game to keep their skates on the ice.

“It’s important for them because they all probably played in high school,” said Reinhard’s mother, Terri Reinhard. “It’s hard to get into the majors. It’s hard to get into D1 schools, and club hockey is way more competitive than people think.”

With their weekend wins, the Longhorns clinched the top spot in the TCHA standings with a 17–6–2 record and just one game left in the regular season. Now, their sights are set on earning their first league championship and making a deep run at nationals—a testament to how far hockey has come in Texas. “I think we need to make a run and make an appearance at nationals and show people that Texas has hockey,” graduate Forward Brayden Stevenson said to the University paper.

New Orleans’ frozen Canal Street had people playing hockey in the streets (don’t tell Gary Bettman)

Outdoor hockey in New Orleans!?

New Orleans was blanketed by a record-breaking amount of snow this week with as much as 10 inches falling on the city in some areas — seven inches more than has ever been recorded in The Big Easy. In other areas of the city, the streets became so icy, it appeared more efficient to get around in skates than shoes.

That includes the city’s famed Canal Street along the French Quarter, and apparently one former minor leaguer put that notion to the test. In a video that made the social media rounds Tuesday, someone really, truly began playing hockey outdoors in New Orleans.

According to multiple reports, that’s former minor league hockey player Jay Croop skating around downtown — previously a member of the Columbus (Ga.) River Dragons of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Croop’s apparently had quite the year, including getting traded by his own father.

Now, existential crisis over climate change aside, obviously the biggest problem here is figuring out how to keep NHL commissioner Gary Bettman from seeing these videoes.

Best case scenario, Bettman sees this and plans the next Winter Classic along Canal Street. Worst case, Bettman immediately moves the Ottawa Senators to a city known for its pro sports teams’ ability to torture fans in cruel and unusual ways. As much as hockey in New Orleans would rule for all the reasons hockey in Nashville rules, we don’t need Bettman to get more ideas about southern expansion again.

In the meantime, enjoy this hopefully once-in-a-lifetime moment where January in the French Quarter looks more like Montreal than Cannes.

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Full 4 Nations Face-Off rosters for Team USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland

The official rosters for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off have been revealed!

Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the winner of the first 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but on Wednesday, the full rosters for the tournament were officially unveiled.

In place of the NHL’s hit-or-miss All-Star Weekend, the league and the NHLPA have teamed up to put on the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. The round robin tournament will include NHL players from four countries — the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland — and will be played in both Boston and Montreal across the seven-game slate.

It’s all very reminiscent of the NHL’s attempt to make the World Cup of Hockey happen back in 2016, so we’ll have to see how fans take to this version of a best-on-best international tournament. However, considering the amount of talent on these rosters — featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid —  we should be in for a treat.

Here’s the full set of rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off!

United States 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
  • F Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
  • F Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • F Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers)
  • F Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators)
  • F Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild)
  • F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
  • F Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • F Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
  • F J.T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks)
  • F Chris Kreider (New York Rangers)
  • F Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings)
  • F Brock Nelson (New York Islanders)
  • F Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers)
  • D Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
  • D Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)
  • D Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins)
  • D Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild)
  • D Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes)
  • D Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
  • D Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • G Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
  • G Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars)
  • G Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins)

Canada 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
  • F Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguns)
  • F Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
  • F Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
  • F Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
  • F Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • F Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes)
  • F Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • F Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers)
  • F Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers)
  • F Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)
  • F Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • F Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • F Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers)
  • D Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
  • D Devon Toews (Colorado Avalanche)
  • D Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • D Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • D Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets)
  • D Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues)
  • D Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers)
  • G Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues)
  • G Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • G Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens)

Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Andre Ringuette/Getty Images
  • F Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators)
  • F William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)
  • F Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers)
  • F William Karlsson (Vegas Golden Knights)
  • F Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils)
  • F Leo Carlsson (Anaheim Ducks)
  • F Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild)
  • F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings)
  • F Elias Lindholm (Boston Bruins)
  • F Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
  • F Gustav Nyquist (Nashville Predators)
  • F Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings)
  • F Viktor Arvidsson (Edmonton Oilers)
  • D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • D Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins)
  • D Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers)
  • D Rasmus Andersson (Calgary Flames)
  • D Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
  • D Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton Oilers)
  • D Jonas Brodin (Minnesota Wild)
  • G Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild)
  • G Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey Devils)
  • G Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators)

Finland 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
  • F Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
  • F Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)
  • F Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche)
  • F Roope Hintz (Dallas Stars)
  • F Joel Armia (Montreal Canadiens)
  • F Mikael Granlund (San Jose Sharks)
  • F Erik Haula (New Jersey Devils)
  • F Kaapo Kakko (New York Rangers)
  • F Artturi Lehkonen (Colorado Avalanche)
  • F Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers)
  • F Patrik Laine (Montreal Canadiens)
  • F Eetu Luostarinen (Florida Panthers)
  • F Teuvo Teravainen (Chicago Blackhawks)
  • D Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars)
  • D Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars)
  • D Jani Hakanpää (Toronto Maple Leafs)
  • D Niko Mikkola (Florida Panthers)
  • D Olli Maatta (Utah Hockey Club)
  • D Rasmus Ristolainen (Philadelphia Flyers)
  • D Juuso Valimaki (Utah Hockey Club)
  • G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
  • G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
  • G Kevin Lankinen (Vancouver Canucks)

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Welcome to The Rink, the hockey-themed party hole at the LPGA’s CPKC Women’s Open

They turned the par-3 17th hole into The Rink, a hockey-themed party hole where fans sit in the Penalty Box.

Hockey season may be over, but that doesn’t mean that even at a golf tournament Canadians aren’t going to be thinking about their national pasttime.

That includes this week’s LPGA stop north of the border in Calgary, Alberta, home of the Earl Grey Golf Club and the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, Canada’s national championship.

For the tournament, organizers turned the par-3 17th into The Rink, the hockey-themed party hole and fans who upgrade their tickets can sit near the tee box in the “Penalty Box.”

The marshals are dressed up like referees, the tee box markers are mini goalie helmets and everyone up and down both sides of the hole bangs on the boards after the players tees off.

“It’s very cool. It’s very loud and a lot of energy there. Makes it really fun for us players, and I think the fans enjoy it as well,” said Canadian Brooke Henderson, who is drawing the biggest galleries this week at Earl Grey.

Fellow Canadian Alena Sharp, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, admitted she’d don a Calgary Flames sweater on the hole on Sunday.

“I don’t want to get booed.”

Former Wisconsin center has a chance at history in NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 7

Former Wisconsin center has a chance at history in NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 7

Former Wisconsin Badgers and current Edmonton Oilers center Dylan Holloway has a chance at history on Monday night in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

He and the Oilers forced a deciding game seven of the series against the Florida Panthers after falling into a 3-0 series deficit. Holloway and the Oilers are only the first team since the 1944-45 Detroit Red Wings to do so in the Stanley Cup Final. With a win on Monday night, they would be the first to win the series under such circumstances since the Toronto Maple Leafs did it just 82 years ago in 1942.

For further context, NHL teams are 206-4 after building a 3-0 series lead like the Panthers did in this series. The Oilers have the chance to make that record 206-5.

Holloway played for Wisconsin from 2019-2021, totaling 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 total points during that two-year span.

He was selected with the 14th overall pick by the Oilers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft before returning to college for the 2020-21 season. The talented center then officially signed with the Oilers in April of 2021.

Holloway’s NHL career thus far has included 89 games played, nine goals and nine assists. He has added five goals and two assists in the Oilers’ run to the cup final.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Jack Nicklaus attends Stanley Cup Final, bangs drum before Game 5 in Florida

Jack Nicklaus is a busy man.

Jack Nicklaus is a busy man.

Two weeks ago, he was all over Muirfield Village Golf Club hosting his Memorial Tournament for the PGA Tour. And on Tuesday night, he had a big responsibility before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Sunrise, Florida.

Nicklaus was in attendance for the matchup between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, and he had the honor of banging the drum to fire up the crowd before the potential series-clinching game.

Sporting a Panthers’ sweater with the No. 18 on it for his number of major titles, Nicklaus helped bring the crowd to its feet before the puck dropped in Game 5.

Ultimately, the visiting Oilers won 5-3 to extend the series and send it back to Canada for Game 6.

Perhaps the Panthers needed some of Nicklaus’ ability in the clutch to close out the series.

Ouch: Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch sends shot at Bills ahead of Stanley Cup Final

Ouch! Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch takes shot at Bills ahead of Stanley Cup Final

Well, that was uncalled for, Kris.

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will do battle in the upcoming NHL Stanley Cup Final. Ahead of the series, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about championship experience … or lack thereof for his team.

In answering how important having that is, he mentioned the Buffalo Bills. And not in the nicest of ways.

Knoblauch, referring to the four straight Super Bowls the Bills lost in the early ’90s, used the football team as an example of why experience might not matter all that much.

Knoblauch’s comment can be found in the Sportsnet clip below:

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A Canadian Hockey League fight was filmed by a camera person on the ice and the result is so cool

Now this is cinema!

Hockey fights have never looked as cinematic as this one captured in the Canadian Hockey League.

On Monday, during the round robin stage of the 2024 Memorial Cup between the London Knights and Moose Jaw Warriors, a fight broke out at the end of the second period. When Moose Jaw defenseman Kalem Parker and London forward Max McCue dropped the gloves, fans watching at home got a unique look at the fight, as a hand-held camera was skated around the two players as punches flew.

Yes, a TSN cameraman jumped out onto the ice to capture the fight at ice level, giving fans a rare look at the action from a front seat.

Pretty cool! The camera angle definitely makes this feel super cinematic compared to the usual high angle most fights are captured at.

And hilariously, behind the scenes footage revealed that the TSN cameraman was wearing all white to try to blend in with the ice!

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Watch: New Commanders TE Ben Sinnott was a standout hockey player

Washington fans are going to love TE Ben Sinnott.

Most tight ends in today’s NFL are known more for their ability to impact the passing game. Travis Kelce is a future Hall of Famer, but he isn’t known for his blocking.

George Kittle is the NFL’s most complete tight end because he is an excellent receiver and blocker.

The Washington Commanders entered the 2024 NFL draft knowing they needed a tight end. General manager Adam Peters, who came from San Francisco, played a role in drafting Kittle. Could Peters find his next Kittle?

With the No. 53 overall pick, the Commanders selected Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott. On the NFL Network’s draft telecast, Daniel Jeremiah said Sinnott was a combination of Kittle and standout fullback Kyle Juszczyk. In his Day 2 wrapup with the media, Peters used those same comparisons.

Sinnott can block, run and catch. When watching him play, it’s no surprise he is a former hockey player. Check this out:

Sinnott began playing hockey at three and played until high school, where he led his team in points and penalty minutes. That explains a lot when you watch him on the football field.

Washington fans are going to love Sinnott.

 

Chiefs wish Kansas City Mavericks good luck in the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs

The #Chiefs wished the Kansas City Mavericks good luck in the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs in a social media post on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs may not be the only team to bring the City of Fountains a title in 2024.

On Thursday, the Chiefs wished the Kansas City Mavericks good luck in the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs as they look to bring the city yet another championship to celebrate.

The Mavericks, who finished with an impressive 54 wins over the course of their 72-game season, have already won the 2024 Brabham Cup. They also set the ECHL record for most road wins at 29, and set their franchise record for most goals with 305 on the season.

Set to face the Tulsa Oilers tonight, the Mavericks are a No. 1 seed in the ECHL playoffs and may prove to have the mettle to compete for the league’s ultimate prize, the Kelly Cup.

Whether they win the ECHL championship or not, though, the Mavericks have had an incredible season, and have caught the attention of the defending Super Bowl champions, which is an honor all its own.