Tag: NHL

NHL fans roasted John Tavares for reportedly promoting a magic amulet that blocks Wi-Fi signals

John Tavares reportedly endorses a magic amulet with healing properties and NHL fans had so many jokes about it.

NHL endorsements probably don’t get much weirder than magic amulets and for that we have John Tavares to thank.

Over the last few days, a post on Twitter/X from Washington Post reporter Will Sommer has gone viral in the NHL sphere. In the tweet, Sommer explains that Russell Brand — former actor turned conspiracy theorist and reportedly all-around piece of work — has been selling magic amulets that protect people from Wi-Fi signals and evil energies for nearly $250 a pop.

On it’s own, it’s a pretty weird story. But where does Tavares factor in? Well, in a quote tweet off the original, user @BacklogReviewer dove further into the magical amulets and found out that Tavares was featured on the website Aires Tech where they can be purchased, stating that they help him recover faster from injury. Tavares’ page has since been removed, but he still features in the drop-down menu under “Aires Athletes” as of this article’s publication.

Given that hockey fans are, well, hockey fans, this revelation caused a mass outpouring of memes and jokes from the NHL community. Of course, it’s unclear if Tavares actually endorses these magic amulets or if Aires Tech fabricated the whole thing, but hockey fans could not help but roast the Toronto Maple Leafs’ alternate captain for it all the same.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1996]

Blue Jackets honor Johnny Gaudreau with No. 13 warmup jerseys during Columbus home opener

What a wonderful tribute to Johnny Gaudreau.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers made a heartwarming tribute to Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday.

The 2024-25 NHL season has officially started in Columbus, with Tuesday being the Blue Jackets’ home opener in front of their fans. And, as expected, the tributes for Gaudreau and his brother Matthew — who were killed in a tragic accident that shouldn’t have happened in August — poured in throughout the evening.

MORE: What is the helmet decal NHL players are wearing to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau?

Perhaps the most touching moment of all came before Tuesday’s game started, as both the Blue Jackets and Panthers stepped out onto the ice for pregame warmups in No. 13 jerseys, a tribute to the number worn by Gaudreau throughout his career.

Here are the jerseys in action as the teams skated for warmups.

What an incredibly moving tribute to a hockey player and person lost all too soon.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1996]

Notre Dame sophomore forward named Big Ten First Star of the Week

Congrats, Cole!

With the 2024-25 season barely underway for the Notre Dame hockey team, a prestigious honor already has been awarded. Specifically, the award has been given to sophomore forward [autotag]Cole Knuble[/autotag], the son of former NHL player Mike Knuble.

The Big Ten has announced its second Three Stars of the Week for the season, and Knuble has been named the First Star. He earned the honor after picking up four points, including three goals, over the Irish’s first two regular-season games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson.

Joining Knuble this week are Second Star Connor Kurth of Minnesota and Third Star Charlie Stramel of Michigan State.

Through two games, Knuble’s four points have tied him for the Irish lead in scoring. Also with that total is senior forward [autotag]Justin Janicke[/autotag], who picked up three of his four points on assists. Nobody on the team besides those two has more than two points so far:

The Irish will open their home schedule with games Saturday and Sunday against Alaska.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

How far is Alex Ovechkin from Wayne Gretzky’s goals record at the start of the 2024-25 NHL season?

Alex Ovechkin is within reach of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals scoring record.

Alex Ovechkin is unquestionably one of the greatest hockey players to ever play in the NHL, and whenever he decides to call it a career, he’ll be celebrated and revered as such.

Although the Washington Capitals forward just turned 39, retirement doesn’t seem too near in the future. And that give him a chance to try to catch Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 career goals.

Going into the 2024-25 NHL season, Ovechkin has 853 career goals, which puts him in second behind the Great One. Washington’s captain needs 41 goals to tie Gretzky and 42 to break the record and stand alone.

That’s a tall order for one season, and especially from an aging superstar, but it’s still possible — especially if Ovechkin starts the season out hot in his office.

In Ovechkin’s previous 19 seasons in the NHL, he’s scored 42 goals or more 13 times, most recently scoring 42 in the 2022-23 season. At most, Ovechkin scored 65 goals in the 2007-08 season, but he tallied 31 last season.

Scoring 42 this season won’t be easy, but if Ovechkin plays a couple more seasons, Gretzky’s record will likely be his at some point regardless.

The Washington Captials’ season starts October 12 at home against the New Jersey Devils, and Ovechkin will return to trying to catch Gretzky’s mark.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393275]

The Utah Hockey Club goal horn has been unveiled and it’s fantastic

It’s loud, it’s wonderful and it’s finally here, Utah fans.

Hockey fans around the world turned their eyes to Salt Lake City, Utah on Tuesday night as the Utah Hockey Club took the ice for the first regular season game in franchise history. Many tuned in hoping for a chance to learn the answer to one of the sport’s biggest mysteries…

What’s that Utah goal horn sound like?

No, seriously, this is a big point of contention for hockey fans. Goal horns are iconic. They are meant to shock fans out of their seats and make the pit in the stomaches of their opponents even deeper after letting up a goal. It’s one of the key elements of every team’s game presentation. And on Tuesday we finally got our answer as Utah scored five times in a 5-2 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks on Opening Night.

Volume up. Here it is:

WHEW.

Utah crushed it. It’s not just a wall of sound. It’s a wall of sound that grows more intense at the end of each honk. It almost wraps you in a bear hug before fading off.

The best part is Utah fans didn’t even have to wait long to hear it in action. UHC’s Dylan Guenther got the scoring started five minutes into the first period, giving hockey fans everywhere a chance to listen to the goal horn in all of it’s brass glory.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1996]

Former Notre Dame right wing Bryan Rust shows off delicious milkshake

Delicious.

Two years ago, my wife and I took a trip to Pittsburgh and got to experience the local institution known as the Milkshake Factory. During that time, the chain was offering a milkshake named after then-Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel. The milkshake went away when the Penguins dealt Guentzel during last season’s trade deadline.

But a new season means a chance at a new milkshake involving a Penguins player. The Milkshake Factory has taken advantage of that chance and teamed up with former Notre Dame right wing [autotag]Bryan Rust[/autotag].

Rust’s milkshake differs from Guentzel’s, but it’s my opinion that this one is better, and I wish I had the opportunity to travel to the Steel City right now just to try it. Yes, I would try it over the Campfire Milkshake that proved to be the only thing most people liked about the Chicago White Sox’s historically awful season they just had.

Rust will start this season on injured reserve, but at least this milkshake always will be available as long as it’s being offered.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Bruins’ Max Jones accidentally slashed a referee while scuffling with Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues

You can’t do that, even on accident!

Boston Bruins forward Max Jones got off on the wrong foot to start the new NHL season on Tuesday night.

While engaged in a scuffle with Florida Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues, Jones accidentally slashed his hockey stick at a referee’s arm.

You could see the look on both of the players’ faces after Jones made accidental contact with the official instead of Rodrigues’ stick. Another referee quickly called a foul on Jones for the incident.

Jones immediately went to check on the referee after the hit and looked sorry for the mix-up, as this was an honest mistake in a rough-and-tumble game.

However, accidentally slashing a referee will typically get you sent to the box.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1996]

The Kraken honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau with a wonderful 13-second moment of silence

This was so sweet from Seattle.

The Seattle Kraken held a beautiful moment of silence to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau ahead of their season opener.

On Tuesday, the NHL kicked off its regular season in North America with a slate of three games throughout the day. Ahead of the Kraken’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues, the team held a 13-second moment of silence to honor the Gaudreaus after the pair were tragically killed in a car accident that should never have happened the night before their sister’s wedding in August.

Before the start of the NHL regular season in Europe over the weekend, the league released a wonderful tribute video to honor the two brothers who meant so much to the hockey world. And on Tuesday, the Kraken continued the memorial with a 13-second moment of silence, in honor of Johnny Gaudreau’s number he wore.

The Utah Hockey Club, the NHL’s newest franchise for the 2024-25 season, explained

Who are the Utah Hockey Club, the NHL’s newest franchise for the 2024-25 season?

The NHL has a new franchise for the 2024-25 season. Yet, you may have noticed, the NHL still has 32 teams. So, what gives?

Enter the Utah Hockey Club.

Back in April, the Arizona Coyotes played their last game as a franchise as we knew them. After a long, messy stay in Arizona that lasted 28 years, the Coyotes were relocated to Utah at the end of the 2023-24 NHL season.

And thus, Utah Hockey Club was born! The team is officially set up in Salt Lake City after being bought by Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group. Utah Hockey Club will also play games at the Delta Center alongside the Jazz, with the arena set to be updated to accommodate both clubs better.

Utah is still a young, burgeoning franchise, but here’s everything we know about the team so far.

Is Utah Hockey Club the final team name?

It is not! Because Utah had such a short time between its inception as a franchise and the start of the 2024-25 season, the team chose not to rush the decision and go with Utah Hockey Club for its inaugural season.

Fans, however, did get to vote on the final name, which will be revealed before the 2025-26 season. The team’s colors — black, blue and white — will be the same going forward though.

What conference and division does the Utah Hockey Club play in?

Even though the franchise relocated, Utah Hockey Club will remain in the Western Conference and in the Central Division.

Who are the general manager and head coach of Utah Hockey Club?

Bill Armstrong is the general manager for Utah coming into the 2024-25 season. Armstrong was previously the general manager for Arizona. As for Utah’s head coach, André Tourigny returns to be the bench boss, as he also was the Coyotes’ head coach before the relocation.

Most importantly, does Utah have a mascot?

Technically no, but Jazz Bear will be pulling double duty as the Utah Hockey Club’s unofficial mascot for the 2024-25 season!

What is the helmet decal NHL players are wearing to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau?

Team USA Hockey and the NHL are beautifully honoring the Gaudreau brothers.

It’s been just over a month since former Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in a tragic accident in a situation that should have never happened. With the 2024 NHL season now here, Team USA hockey has decided to honor the two brothers in a beautiful way.

According to a Team USA hockey press release, NHL players who are part of the U.S. National Team will wear a special “Gaudreau” helmet decal with both of the brothers’ jersey numbers and dueling hockey sticks this season.

Here is USA Hockey’s executive director Pat Kelleher on the move:

“Johnny and Matthew [Gaudreau], along with their families, will forever be a part of the USA Hockey family. This is a small way to not only honor their memory, but help keep their wonderful spirit for our great game and life in general in the forefront.”

Not only that, the NHL will also have their own decal honoring the Gaudreau brothers through October 24.

Kudos to everyone involved in this wonderful tribute.