Latest News Spells Trouble For Ducks in Head Coaching Search
The Anaheim Ducks are currently looking for a new head coach, and the front office has been going through a very long search. Anaheim missed the playoffs once again this past season and eventually fired head coach Greg Cronin.
This started the search for a new head coach, and the search has turned a lot of heads. But one candidate seems to be out of the running as David Carle has agreed to become the new head coach at Denver University.
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This eliminates him from consideration with the Ducks, and Anaheim will look elsewhere. Many fans were hoping for Carle for multiple reasons, but if only to push Anaheim away from a different option.
One name that has generated a ton of buzz is former Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. It has been heavily reported that the Ducks are seriously considering the veteran head coach, much to the anger of the fanbase.
Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville stands behind the bench during the first period between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins at FLA Live Arena.Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Quenneville was part of the 2010 scandal with the Blackhawks, where the team hid a sexual assault accusation. A former player reportedly told Chicago about an incident with a former video coach, and the Blackhawks kept things hidden until after the Stanley Cup Finals were over.
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The veteran coach has been out of the league for a few years following this news, but was reinstated last summer by the commissioner. The Ducks and other teams have been discussing bringing him back to the bench.
It remains to be seen who the Ducks will ultimately hire to replace Cronin, but they seem to be doing their due diligence on candidates. Anaheim wants to get back to the postseason, and whoever takes over will have their work cut out for them.
Related: Ducks Fans Slam Team Over Possible Next Head Coach
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Oilers are unfazed in the face of defeat: ‘This was always going to be a long series'
EDMONTON — It wasn't quite the famous Mark Messier guarantee, but Jake Walman's words after a dreadful loss in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final had the same sentiment. 'This was always going to be a long series,' the Edmonton Oilers defenseman told The Athletic after a 5-2 home-ice defeat to the Florida Panthers left his team on the brink of dropping a second straight Final. Advertisement 'We're going to come back here after a game there, and that's it. There's no doubt.' Walman, Edmonton's key trade-deadline acquisition, had perhaps his worst performance as an Oiler. His team was caved in when he was on the ice, and he was schooled by Brad Marchand before a goal that stood as the game winner. His subpar play mirrored that of most of his teammates. The entire group was as flat as a pancake for most of the game, only finding some life when Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the series 7:24 into the third to put the Oilers within two. Sam Reinhart then replied 46 seconds later, quashing whatever faint hopes existed of a victory. Watching the Oilers bumble around the ice on Saturday night leaves little optimism that a championship is even close to a possibility. Then again, the way the Oilers have responded magnificently throughout the playoffs when they've looked dead and buried is reason enough to change that viewpoint and subscribe to Walman's. 'Knowing that we're in a difficult situation, win our last two games, is something that we're confident that we can do,' said coach Kris Knoblauch. 'We've been through difficult situations before, and it's just another one that we'll overcome.' That the Oilers are bold and brazen makes sense. After all, these are the same Oilers who trailed the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 in their opening-round series and heading into the third periods of the next two games at home. They charged back to knock off the Kings with relative ease. These are the same Oilers who gave the Vegas Golden Knights life with a last-second own-goal in Game 3 of the second round, a result that could have shell-shocked them. They proceeded to drop the hammer, shutting out the Golden Knights in back-to-back games to close them out. These are the same Oilers who collapsed in the third period of the Western Conference final opener against the Dallas Stars by allowing five unanswered goals. They then mopped the floor with the Stars, handling them while claiming the next four games. Advertisement And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series. That was their eighth comeback win of the playoffs. Count these Oilers out at your peril. 'We know that we can get it done,' said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-serving Oiler. 'It's just a matter of going out there and finding a way to do it. It's going to be our hardest challenge yet.' That's the case because of the way they played for most of Saturday's contest. Save for little spurts that were few and far between, the Oilers were awful. Walman and Mattias Ekholm struggled mightily in what was their second attempt at a partnership after a mere 1:31 together at five-on-five during the regular season, per Natural Stat Trick. The Oilers were outshot 4-1 and out-attempted 10-2 in the 5:09 Ekholm and Walman shared the ice at five-on-five in the opening frame. Ekholm had his worst performance since returning from a lower-body injury for the West final climax. He was on the ice for both of Florida's first-period goals against and was a team-worst minus-3. Walman was on with Ekholm for the second of those tallies. The Oilers have now allowed 11 goals against in the first period in this series, at least two in every game. 'It's frustrating when you come into the (dressing) room and you're down,' Walman said. 'We're struggling to get to our game right away. It takes us a little bit. I don't know what the reasoning is. 'We have it in us to play the way that we want.' Ekholm was back with his regular partner, Evan Bouchard, for the second. Walman's night, meanwhile, was bookended by being walked by Marchand. 'That's a good player,' Walman said. 'S—-y feeling as a defenseman. I want to have that one back. I've just got to play everybody hard. It doesn't matter who they are.' Advertisement The Oilers had little offensive pop and went the final 11:10 of the first period without a shot on goal. Knoblauch leaned into his nuclear option of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the second but had to rotate in wingers Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson to spell off elder statesman Corey Perry. Zach Hyman's absence was never felt more. The superstars didn't have their ace complementary winger, and the lineup seemed thinner than ever. McDavid was tasked with playing 25:49, for instance. To the surprise of no one, Calvin Pickard got the start after making 22-of-23 saves in relief of Stuart Skinner from the second period onward of a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4. Pickard's magic ran out as he suffered his first loss in eight decisions in these playoffs after allowing four goals on 18 shots. That calls into question whether he or Skinner should get the call for the pivotal Game 6, the first time all postseason the Oilers are facing elimination. 'From what I saw, Picks didn't have much chance on all those goals,' Knoblauch said. 'There was nothing saying that it was a poor performance.' Given all that happened with the Oilers on Saturday night, it could feel like the Oilers' season might as well be over. Just eight teams have overcome a 3-2 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup, none since the Boston Bruins in 2011, back in Marchand's first full NHL season. The Oilers have a herculean task ahead of them: being the first to beat the defending champs in their own barn and, if they manage that, to then beat them at home. The Panthers just earned their 10th road win, tying an NHL record. 'At this time, it's more about looking forward. I'm not too big on looking in the rearview mirror,' Ekholm said. 'We've just got to go down to Florida and win a game.' The Oilers must be considerably better than they were in Game 5 if they want to get revenge in this matchup and win the first Stanley Cup by a Canadian club in 32 years and end a 35-year franchise drought. Advertisement But if there's a team that can do this, it just might be this one. This Oilers club has leapt over just about every hurdle they've faced over the last two months. What's one more? 'We have confidence in ourselves that we can get the job done,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'What's left is easier said than done. You've got go do it, so we'll look forward to that.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers rebound from a bitter defeat to take pivotal Game 5 against Edmonton Oilers in Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers celebrate after scoring a goal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. -The Florida Panthers are just one win away from being crowned NHL champions for a second consecutive season after a resounding 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The pivotal win comes just 48 hours after the Panthers let a three-goal lead slip away on home ice on Thursday. Advertisement The Panthers' push for back-to-back championships continues to be sparked by 37-year-old trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand, who scored a pair of goals Saturday night to bring his total to six tallies through five games in the finals. With the series knotted at 2-2 entering Game 5, a win would give the victors a distinct advantage moving forward. Teams that win the fifth game a tied Stanley Cup Final have gone on to claim the championship 73% of the time, according to the NHL. As each team looked to get off to a fast start, it was the Panthers who found the back of the net first, midway through the opening period. Marchand collected the puck off a face-off at center ice and split a pair of Oilers defenders before slotting the puck past Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard to give Florida the early 1-0 lead. With two minutes remaining in the first period, Edmonton turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Florida capitalized in the blink of an eye as Sam Bennett scored his fifth goal of the finals to stake the Panthers to a 2-0 lead heading to the first intermission. Bennett leads all players with 15 goals in the 2025 postseason. Advertisement After a scoreless second period, the action picked up again in the third period as the Panthers continued to take the fight to the Oilers. Once again it was Marchand scoring a spectacular goal for Florida on a one-on-one breakaway to put the Panthers ahead 3-0 and bring his total to 10 goals this this year's playoffs. Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers scores his second goal of the night and sixth of the series in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. -In his 16th NHL season, Marchand is putting his name next to some of the NHL's all-time greats. He has become first player since Mario Lemieux to have 5+ goals in two different Stanley Cup Final series. Marchand's scoring outburst has also moved him to 6th place on the list of most goals scored in the finals in the expansion era. Just over two minutes after Marchand's magical goal, Edmonton finally got on the scoreboard as Oilers superstar Connor McDavid scored from a tough angle to cut the Panthers' advantage to 3-1. Advertisement The Panthers answered less than a minute later when Sam Reinhart shot a wrister through traffic to restore Florida's cushion at 4-1. Late in the period with the game out of reach, Edmonton's Corey Perry scored, but Florida again answered with an empty net goal from Eetu Luostarinen to maintain a three-goal winning margin. The best-of seven series now shifts 2,500 miles back to South Florida where the Panthers can become the first team to lift the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons since their in-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2021. Edmonton must find a counter to Florida's two-man wrecking crew of Marchand and Bennett if the Oilers are to have any hope of being the first Canadian team to win a championship since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Advertisement Marchand and Bennett are the first teammates to each score at least five goals in a Stanley Cup Final in over 50 years. Florida will have a chance to close out the series at home on Tuesday in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Brad Marchand's legend keeps growing with exceptional playoff run for Panthers
EDMONTON — Brad Marchand is the king of taking a small window of opportunity and turning it into something much grander, but this may be his finest work yet. Sitting one win shy of a second career Stanley Cup following a trade he never wanted to happen? Matching Mario Lemieux's feats in a final series against the Edmonton Oilers while lining up as the Florida Panthers' third-line left-winger? Transforming a frustrating, injury-plagued campaign into the kind of run that could go a long way to eventually opening the doors to the Hockey Hall of Fame? Advertisement Marchand's legend grows with each passing game. And he's done it by being unapologetically himself, pushing the Panthers to the edge of their second straight Stanley Cup celebration with two massive goals in Saturday's 5-2 win that probably couldn't have been scored by anyone else on the ice. 'They were both unbelievable, but that second one, I don't know how he did that,' said teammate Sam Bennett, the NHL's playoff leader with 15 goals of his own. 'I'm going to have to watch that clip a couple of times and ask him to teach me something.' Bradley Marchand is a Florida Panther 🐀🐀🐀 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 15, 2025 There's a lesson in all of this for everyone: Marchand is a man who stands where his skates are. He doesn't overthink situations or get lost in 'what-ifs.' He's been the perfect fit for a Panthers team that prides itself on taking care of each day, something they did with an exclamation mark in regaining a 3-2 series lead over the Oilers less than 48 hours after blowing a three-goal lead on home ice. It may not have happened without Marchand, who both opened the scoring and went one-on-two to bag the eventual winner. Two moments created seemingly out of nowhere. A pretty good night's work for a guy who didn't quite see 14 minutes of ice time. 'It's those big moments when you need guys to step up,' said Sam Reinhart, seated alongside Marchand at the postgame podium. 'Time and time again, he's there to produce.' At that point, Marchand subtly cut him off by whispering: 'That's good.' However, when asked directly by a reporter what he would have thought years ago had he been told he'd join Lemieux as the only players with at least five goals in multiple Cup Finals since the end of the NHL's Original Six era, Marchand couldn't resist letting his personality show. Advertisement 'Man, that guy's good looking,' he said. 'That'd probably be it.' Nervous? Do you think this guy is nervous? 'It's gonna play out the way it's gonna play out,' said Marchand. 'I've said it a ton of times, we're just enjoying the moment. It's a special time, special memories we're gonna have forever.' Memories that have replaced any of the hurt he felt when Boston elected to deal him away at the March 7 trade deadline, rather than signing him to a deal that would allow him to retire a lifelong Bruin. It's been a career-reviving stretch that has all but wiped away any thought of his least-productive season in a decade, one seemingly slowed by three surgeries last summer and in-season injury. No, the 37-year-old is solely in the here and now. Sitting here with a chance to get his hands back on the Stanley Cup as soon as Tuesday night. Marchand has long been the master of taking the smallest window and turning it into something bigger, darting between or around opponents into the small pockets of available space. Just look at his first goal and the way he anticipated getting to that loose puck after a faceoff, turning to the inside to catch the great Mattias Ekholm off guard and scoring that beauty. BLIZZARD SZN!!! — x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 15, 2025 This wasn't some kind of set play off a faceoff. 'I mean, we have some plays, but that was all Marshy's play,' linemate Anton Lundell said. 'He took the puck and did a really highlight goal. Those are the goals you look at YouTube as a kid, and try and go out and practice yourself. We're all pretty amazed by him.' And then there was the second goal in which Marchand flashed the speed of a 27-year-old, not a 37-year-old, outhustled the Oilers up the ice after recognizing that Eetu Luostarinen would be able to poke the puck into the neutral zone, dipsy-doodled Jake Walman just inside the blue line before finishing the gorgeous goal. Power move by Marchy!! — x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 15, 2025 As Matthew Tkachuk told ESPN, 'I've never seen that move from anybody but him.' 'I didn't even have the time to think. It was just, 'Wow,'' said Lundell. 'What he can do under duress in a small area is world-class,' said coach Paul Maurice. 'It's as good as I've seen.' Matthew Tkachuk's reaction to Brad Marchand's second goal 🤣 "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD" — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 15, 2025 The genius of Bill Zito adding a big-game player of Marchand's pedigree is how poised Marchand is in the big moments under the most stressful situations. It's probably also why and how, as he brags and teammates confirm, he's able to largely clean house in the high-stakes poker games on the team's flights. Advertisement It was Marchand who introduced the Dairy Queen tradition the night before road games in the Carolina Hurricanes series. It was largely he who made sure the Panthers had an all-team 'steam' in the steam room at the hotel the night before Game 5. The Panthers could have crumbled after blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 4 and suffering such a crippling overtime loss at home. Instead, in a tight turnaround behind Marchand's two goals, five shots, five others attempted and plus-3 performance, the Panthers played their most complete game of the series to put themselves a win away from a second straight title. Marchand now has six goals in this Stanley Cup Final, the most by any player in the final round since Esa Tikkanen in 1988. If he gets one more, he'll match Wayne Gretzky's seven in 1985. He's the first player in history to score at least five goals in a Cup Final with two different teams. He's the first player in history to score five goals on the road in a Cup Final. And his highlight-reel second goal Saturday — his 13th in his Stanley Cup Final career to lead all active players — was his 16th career game-winning goal in the playoffs, tying Jaromir Jagr and Patrick Marleau for the 10th-most in NHL history. Several of Marchand's 10 goals this go-around are some of the Panthers' 'biggest' goals of the playoffs. Just think of his two overtime winners, opening Game 3 with a goal less than a minute in and his two goals out of nowhere Saturday night. In the first game after Florida's seven playoff losses, Marchand has a point in each of them and 11 in total, plus seven goals. 'He does everything,' Bennett said. 'He's a guy that we follow. He's a natural leader, he speaks up when he needs to speak and he goes out there and does the hard work that's inspiring for guys. We all look up to him and look to him to lead. He's done a fantastic job at that.' Advertisement Look, this is Florida's third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, so this team has an aura of confidence that's unmatched by most others. It's not like without Marchand a team with guys such as Aleksander Barkov, Tkachuk, Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad would cower in a pivotal Game 5 after a bad loss in Game 4. But when you add the presence of a cool, calm and collected player like Marchand to the mix, it just lightens things up even more in the most pressure-packed games. 'He just has that passion, which you see today,' Lundell said. 'He decided he wanted to go there and be the difference maker, and he did that. Unbelievable player and we're all pretty amazed by him.' This is Marchand's fourth Stanley Cup Final. He won his first one with the Bruins in 2011, then lost the next two. As he has said often during this playoff run, he's just embracing this golden opportunity he never envisioned getting three months ago. And as he's said a few times this series, this is the loosest he has felt in some time and he feels like 'a young guy again.' Marchand talked earlier on Saturday about why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win, and how when it comes down to it, 'We're all big fans of the game. To have these two teams playing each other and playing the way they are and games playing out the way that they have, it makes you realize why you love the game so much. Marchand's arrival in Florida truly feels like the perfect 'add' by Zito, a GM Maurice often credits for always knowing the perfect players who will fit into the culture and style the Panthers want to play. 'That's what you need at this time of year,' said Reinhart. 'Everyone's nervous at times and when you've got personalities like that in the room, it just settles everything down. We're all about having fun here.'
