Bruins Prospect Defenseman Signs With Overseas Club
Blackhawks Currently Have 10 Picks Scheduled In 2025 NHL Draft
The Chicago Blackhawks are still very much a rebuilding team. They are farther along than some other rebuilding squads, but there is still so much work to be done. The 2025 NHL Draft is an event that can help them take another step in their quest to become a winner again.
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USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Offensive line
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. We're going position by position to name the Bears' All-Quarter Century Team for those who played from 2000 through 2024. Rounding out the offense is the offensive line, a group led by one of the best centers in NFL history. Offensive tackle Offensive tackle hasn't exactly been a position of strength for the Bears over the last 25 years, but they have had some studs put together stellar seasons, beginning with James "Big Cat" Williams, a player who didn't even begin his NFL career as an offensive tackle. Though the majority of his career took place in the 1990s, Williams ended his Bears tenure strong at the turn of the century. He helped pave the way for running back Anthony Thomas in 2001, earning Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro honors as the Bears captured a division title. A few years following Williams' retirement, the Bears had big holes to fill at both tackle spots. They took a big swing to fill one of them with John Tait, and the move paid off. Chicago signed Tait to a six-year deal in 2004 away from the Kansas City Chiefs, and he immediately provided stability up front. Tait played both sides on the line but primarily lined up at left tackle. He played in 73 games across five seasons and was a critical piece of the 2006 Super Bowl team that featured a powerful rushing attack. Though he never received any Pro Bowl accolades, Tait was one of the best and most important signings of the Jerry Angelo era. In the 2010s, the Bears found a gem in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft when they selected Charles Leno Jr. out of Boise State. What seemed to be a borderline practice squad player turned into a reliable starting left tackle within just one season. Leno took hold of the left tackle job in Week 4 of the 2015 season and never missed a start for the rest of his Bears career. While Leno earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, he was never a star protector in the league. Still, the Bears had a revolving door at left tackle for a long time, and Leno was the solution. Honorable mention: Fred Miller Offensive guard In 2013, then-general manager Phil Emery shocked Bears fans by selecting a 25-year-old guard with their first-round pick. It turned out to be a great decision. Kyle Long became the Bears' best lineman in the 2010s as he settled into the right guard position, starting as a rookie. Long quickly became one of the league's best young offensive linemen, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of his first three seasons. He was a stud on the interior, and while he and the Bears experimented with him playing right tackle, guard was his best spot. Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, and Long's career didn't last as long as expected, but his prime was the best we have seen from a Bears guard this century. While Long was a successful draft pick, these next two players were successful veteran signings. The Bears took a flyer on Roberto Garza, who signed a one-year deal in 2005 as a backup offensive lineman and potential stopgap. His stint wound up being a decade, as Garza's solid play and versatility were a welcome addition in Chicago. Garza primarily played right guard in the 2000s but filled in on the left side as well. He was a key member of three playoff squads and wound up taking over at center following Olin Kreutz's departure after the Bears couldn't find a suitable outside replacement. Garza was a consummate pro and a team leader, something they needed during that time. Prior to finding Garza, the Bears made a bigger splash with Ruben Brown, one of the best guards from the 1990s and someone who still had enough gas left in the tank during the 2000s when he signed a three-year deal. Brown made eight straight Pro Bowls with the Buffalo Bills and signed in Chicago in 2004. Though injuries limited him to just 45 games over four years, Brown was dominant when healthy and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 during his healthiest season in Chicago. Honorable mention: Chris Villarrial Center There is no debate as to who the Bears' best center of the last 25 years has been. Olin Kreutz was the heart and soul of the team for the vast majority of his career. His leadership and stellar play were a key reason why Chicago became a winning franchise in the mid-2000s. Kreutz anchored the interior of the line for all four of the Bears' playoff appearances in the 2000s, earning First-Team All-Pro honors twice in 2005 and 2006, and making the Pro Bowl six years in a row from 2001 through 2006. He was also named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. Kreutz was arguably the best and most important player on offense since the turn of the century. Though there's a sizeable gap between Kreutz and the next-best center, the Bears found a good one when they drafted Cody Whitehair in 2016. Whitehair wound up filling it at center due to injuries and became a fixture at the position. While he also played guard in the back half of his career, Whitehair started at center in every game for his first three years, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. Whitehair did everything that was asked of him and did it well. He, like Leno, wasn't a star player on the line, but he brought consistency and reliability. Honorable mention: Roberto Garza Bears All-Quarter Century Team Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Bobrovsky won two Stanley Cups with Panthers. He's ‘excited for what's coming next'
You won't see Sergei Bobrovsky having a wild, rambunctious time celebrating the Florida Panthers' second consecutive Stanley Cup championship like many of his teammates. That's not in the stoic, veteran goaltender's demeanor. 'I'm a little different,' Bobrovsky said. 'I celebrate a little different. I don't know. I feel humble and appreciative for the opportunity.' It's an opportunity Bobrovsky wasn't sure he would experience. He had already been in the NHL for 12 seasons before going on this run with the Florida Panthers that he wasn't sure he would ever experience. Three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. Two Stanley Cup wins. But no amount of experience could have prepared him for what it would truly take to understand the demands and the emotions that go into competing for and ultimately winning a Stanley Cup — and then doing it again 12 months later. Bobrovsky said Florida's first trip to the Cup Final in 2023, when they lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, was where he learned the most at any stage in his career to that point — even though he had already played nearly 650 regular-season games and had eight previous playoff runs under his belt. 'It's a process,' Bobrovsky said. 'The first Cup Final appearance, that experience gave me so much. It gave me a lot more than my 13 or 12 years, how many I played before in the NHL, in the league, so just that whole experience of playoffs and going that deep, it helped so much to learn about what demands there are, what's most important and what's less important. All those things helped me to get the win last year and help us to win this year.' Bobrovsky is always learning, always growing. He's now 15 seasons into his NHL career that all-but-assuredly will end with him landing in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his longevity and accolades. He's a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender. He has the 10th-most wins in NHL history (429) despite only playing the 24th-most games in league history by a goaltender (754) and has a chance to climb into the top five in wins by the end of next season. And now he has a pair of Stanley Cup titles to add to that resume. He's also showing no signs of slowing down. Bobrovsky, who turns 37 on Sept. 20, is entering the final year of his seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers but is playing near the top of his game when it matters the most. How much longer can Bobrovsky feasibly keep playing? He doesn't want to think that far into the future. Fitting, considering his ability, drive and desire to stay in the moment and prioritize only what's in front of him. And what's in front of him is good right now. 'It's tough to predict for five years right now,' Bobrovsky said. 'I don't want that because I feel like when you think too much ahead of yourself, you lose the focus on the moment, and I don't want to lose that. I've got so many great things right now, and I value them so much. I live in Florida, in an unbelievable city, an unbelievable environment. I have my great family. My second great family is here. We've got everything great here, and I want to the full advantage of this moment.' 'I'm playing my best hockey right now' But for the sake of argument, how rare is it for a goaltender Bobrovsky's age to not only continue to play but thrive this late in his career? It's rare. Only 12 goaltenders in NHL history have had a season where they have played at least 50 games during their age-37 season or beyond: Marc-Andre Fleury, Craig Anderson, Martin Brodeur, Tim Thomas, Dwayne Roloson, Olaf Kolzig, Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph, Patrick Roy, Tony Esposito and Johnny Bower. Fleury and Anderson are the only ones to do so since the 2011-12 season. Seven of those goaltenders — Brodeur, Belfour, Hasek, Joseph, Roy, Esposito and Bower — are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with Fleury and Anderson likely locks to be selected in due time. 'Those age categories, not that many people can play at that level,' Bobrovsky said. 'It's just been a journey for me. So I feel like I'm playing my best hockey right now, the last three years or so. I feel good. I'm excited about next season. I feel great physically. I feel great mentally. ... I'm excited for what's coming next. I'm excited for new challenges. I'm excited to go through them with my teammates.' And they are excited to have Bobrovsky to go through it with them. After struggling his first four regular seasons with the Panthers, Bobrovsky rounded back into form during the 2023 postseason — Florida's first of three consecutive Cup Final appearances. During the past three postseasons, Bobrovsky has posted a .912 save percentage in 66 games (65 starts), with Florida winning 44 of his 65 starts.. He has six shutouts in that span — one in 2023, two in 2024 and three in 2025 — and 39 games with two or fewer goals allowed. 'A lot of times you'd say there's some sort of genetic thing, right? He's a freak of nature. He's this incredibly fit guy. He just happens to be able to operate [that well] at 37 years old, but there's so much more than that with Sergei,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'You see the amount of time he puts in to be a great pro, and that's the reason why. He's just worked so hard to get right. He's the perfect fit for our team.' 'One moment at a time' That goes back to his preparation and his mindset. Bobrovsky is at the point in his career where he knows his body and knows down to the tiniest detail what he needs to do to get ready for game day. His routine is ever-evolving but his mission is to stay where his feet are. Don't look too far back. Don't look too far ahead. Nothing, not even a pair of Stanley Cup titles, is changing that philosophy. 'I try to stay with one moment at a time, you know?' Bobrovsky said. 'At the moment, I'm just, I appreciate the experience I just had. It's been amazing, and I just want to value that experience and take my time to break it down and enjoy it completely and then think about what's next.' What's next, in the immediate, is a summer of recharging and refocusing. He'll wind down for a bit, spend some time with his wife and two daughters, enjoy the moments of free time while they're here. And then, before you know it, the work will begin again. The routine will ramp up. The chase for a third consecutive title will arrive. A new moment will be upon him. 'Next season, it starts from zero for everybody,' Bobrovsky said. 'There is no advantage. There is nothing we're going to have again. We're going to have our ups and downs. There are low points. If you lose, it's going to be sad. If you win, it's going to be happiness, That's how it goes again. As soon as training camps opens, nobody cares about what happened last year. Everybody's going to be excited for the goal, for the season ahead. Nobody's gonna think about what happened last year. But we have the experience, and we're gonna have to build a new atmosphere, new belief, new trust. We have to bring ourselves back to humble, back to zero and start chipping away, because the potential here is huge in this locker room.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Evander Kane says he has been traded from the Oilers to the Canucks
Edmonton Oilers' Evander Kane, left, talks to Adam Henrique before a faceoff during third period of Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers, in Edmonton, Alberta, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Evander Kane says he has been traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Vancouver Canucks. Kane posted a lengthy message on social media Wednesday thanking the Oilers and saying he was looking forward to the next chapter of his NHL career in his hometown in British Columbia. Agent Dan Milstein confirmed the trade had been agreed to between the teams. Advertisement The terms of the deal involving the soon-to-be-34-year-old winger were not immediately clear. Kane returned early in the playoffs after missing the entire regular season following multiple surgeries to repair a series of injuries and had six goals and six assists on Edmonton's second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup Final. He took six minor penalties and led all players with 32 penalty minutes in the series loss to Florida. 'To my teammates — thank you for the battles, the friendships, and the memories,' Kane posted. 'I'll always remember the playoff runs, the highs and lows, and the pride of going to war with a special group of guys.' Vancouver will be the fifth organization and sixth city for Kane, who was drafted by Atlanta, followed that franchise to Winnipeg and also has played for Buffalo and San Jose. He played at the junior level for the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants. Advertisement 'It's an honor to become part of an organization and team I grew up watching as a kid," Kane said. "Vancouver is a city that lives and breathes hockey, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of my hometown.' ___ AP NHL:
