Matvei Gridin wins Sidney Crosby Trophy as QMJHL's top rookie
The 19-year-old Russian had previously played in the USHL and was selected 28 th overall in last year's draft by the Flames.
When he was cut at the end of training camp, Flames head coach Ryan Huska spoke about the high expectations he had for Gridin.
'I almost envision him as a guy that's going to go away and he's going to dominate in the (QMJHL) and he's going to come back next year and be in a position to make our team,' Huska said.
Gridin certainly lived up to those lofty expectations and while his offensive numbers certainly popped, he told Postmedia a couple of weeks ago that he was more focused on improving the other areas of his game so that he can fight for a spot on the NHL roster at training camp in September.
'I understand I have to play better without the puck to play at the next level, so this year I improved a lot at this,' Gridin said. 'I've just gotta show that I compete hard and can make plays. What I think, Sam Honzek is a great example for me — what he did last year at the main camp. So what's the problem for me to do the same thing?'
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Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
Detroit Red Wings finally retiring legend's number
Russian did it all in Detroit and was first-ballot hall of famer. Sergei Fedorov will. become the ninth player to have his jersey retired by the Detroit Red Wings. Photo by Ted Rhodes / Postmedia Files The Detroit Red Wings are finally retiring Sergei Fedorov's number. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Russian's No. 91 will be retired at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12, 2026 before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Red Wings announced Tuesday. The move comes long after Fedorov played his last game for the club or in the NHL. He spent 13 seasons with the Wings after coming over from the then Soviet Union in 1990, a year after he was drafted shortly after Alexander Mogilny's defection. 'We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,' Red Wings governor and chief executive officer Chris Ilitch said Tuesday in a release. 'His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise's most prestigious honor. My parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fedorov ranks fourth on the team's all-time goals list and sixth in points. He's also in the Top 10 in many other categories and only he and Steve Yzerman had multiple 100-point seasons as a Red Wing. 'I'm extremely grateful for this tremendous honor,' Fedorov said. 'Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I'm proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way – with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership – will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It's a moment I'll always cherish. I can't wait to see everyone in January.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Amongst Russian players, only Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin have notched more NHL goals and points than Fedorov and he was the first European-trained player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy and is still the only player to win the Hart and Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in the same season (he also won the Ted Lindsay Award voted on by players that year too). The jersey retirement likely took this long because of Fedorov's messy exit from Detroit to Anaheim following a contract dispute. The 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee will become the ninth Red Wing with a retired number, joining Sid Abel (No. 12), Alex Delvecchio (No. 10), Gordie Howe (No. 9), Red Kelly (No. 4), Nicklas Lidstrom (No. 5), Ted Lindsay (No. 7), Terry Sawchuk (No. 1) and Yzerman (No. 19). Toronto Blue Jays NHL Sunshine Girls Canada World
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Detroit Red Wings finally retiring legend's number
The Detroit Red Wings are finally retiring Sergei Fedorov's number. Article content The Russian's No. 91 will be retired at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12, 2026 before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Red Wings announced Tuesday. Article content Article content The move comes long after Fedorov played his last game for the club or in the NHL. He spent 13 seasons with the Wings after coming over from the then Soviet Union in 1990, a year after he was drafted shortly after Alexander Mogilny's defection. Article content 'We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,' Red Wings governor and chief executive officer Chris Ilitch said Tuesday in a release. Article content Article content 'His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise's most prestigious honor. My parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.' Article content Fedorov ranks fourth on the team's all-time goals list and sixth in points. He's also in the Top 10 in many other categories and only he and Steve Yzerman had multiple 100-point seasons as a Red Wing. Article content Article content 'I'm extremely grateful for this tremendous honor,' Fedorov said. 'Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I'm proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way – with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership – will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It's a moment I'll always cherish. I can't wait to see everyone in January.' Article content Amongst Russian players, only Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin have notched more NHL goals and points than Fedorov and he was the first European-trained player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy and is still the only player to win the Hart and Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in the same season (he also won the Ted Lindsay Award voted on by players that year too). Article content The jersey retirement likely took this long because of Fedorov's messy exit from Detroit to Anaheim following a contract dispute.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
PWHL Vancouver: Coach Brian Idalski's history includes Hammer time
PWHL Vancouver coach Brian Idalski can obviously talk pro women's hockey. He can also talk Dave (The Hammer) Schultz. Idalski, 54, added to what has to be one of the more unique resumes in the sport a few weeks back when he was named bench boss of the Vancouver expansion team that starts play based out of the Pacific Coliseum in the fall. Idalski was coach of Team China at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. He guided a Chinese team in a Russian pro women's league for three seasons. He was bench boss of the University of North Dakota squad that helped produce American Olympians like twin sisters Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux but folded in 2017 due to funding constraints at the school. Before that, the Warren, Mich., native was a steady, stay-at-home defenceman who saw action in minor pro for five seasons. That included suiting up in 1996-97 for the Madison Monsters, a team in the Colonial Hockey League that was coached by Schultz, a winger for the Philadelphia Flyers in their Broad Street Bullies days. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. There have been four seasons in NHL history where a player has amassed 400 minutes or more in penalties. Schultz owns two of those, including a league record 472 minutes in 1974-75. Schultz was at the helm for Idalski's second year in Madison. Mark Johnson was the coach for the first campaign, and as a player he was a stylish, savvy centre who starred with the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and then went on see duty in 11 seasons in the NHL. For comparison's sake, Johnson totalled a mere 269 minutes in the sin bin in his career. 'The Hammer? I enjoyed playing for him, but it was funny because that was such a different era,' said Idalski, who was heading up minor hockey camps at the North Shore Winter Club this past weekend. 'Mark had brought in some Europeans and we were playing on an Olympic-sized sheet, so we were all over the place. Dave had a hard time with that. He was used to the Broad Street Bullies in the 1970s, up and down the wing, get it in deep and go. 'He was a great human being. I really enjoyed playing for him as a person. But there are a fair number of stories coming out of that year that I still chuckle about.' Idalski comes to PWHL Vancouver after spending the past three seasons guiding the St. Cloud State University Huskies. The St. Cloud, Minn., program had a 16-point jump in the overall standings in his first season in 2022-23, leading Idalski to win U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) coach of the year honours. Part of the appeal with the new job is the roster that general manager Cara Gardner Morey has assembled. The forward crew includes national team stalwart Sarah Nurse along with homegrown talents Hannah Miller and Jenn Gardiner . The defence features reigning PWHL defender of the year finalists Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, and the netminding has two former starters in the loop in Kristen Campbell and Emerance Maschmeyer. The team looks like it will contend instantly and, as Idalski says, 'The fact that I get the keys to something that has the opportunity to be special right away is really something — normally, you have to cut your teeth, pay your dues for a few years.' Running an NCAA team has become a complicated proposition of late as well, with more frequent player movement due to looser transfer regulations and enticements like Name Image Likeness (NIL) sponsorship deals ruling the day. 'This is a best-on-best league, and how you show up, how you prepare, gives you have a chance to win and that's on you,' Idalski said. 'There's a lot of things in college … it didn't matter how much time I put or how hard I worked.' All told, Idalski has coached 18 seasons in the NCAA, including 10 at North Dakota. They were a prominent program then, particularly when they had the Lamoureux sisters. The pair represented the U.S. at three Olympics, including Vancouver 2010. In 2017, North Dakota shut down the team as well as the men's and women's swimming squads in a bid to slice $1.3 million from the athletic budget. 'I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially with what we had built and what was around the corner for us,' Idalski said. 'But, out of that, I can turn around and say that it was one of the best things that happened to me. I got to go to the Olympics, I got to coach overseas and live in China and Russia. Who gets to do those things? 'I probably would have stayed in North Dakota another 10 or 15 years. I may have ended my career there. But it forced me to grow. Dealing with that made me a better person.' After North Dakota, Idalski went to the KRS Vanke Rays and guided the team from Shenzhen, China to two titles in three years in the Russian Zhenskaya Hockey League. That led to him being named bench boss of the Chinese team for Beijing 2022. China went 2-2-0 there. Highlights from that stretch for him — a kid who grew up in a Detroit suburb — included having breakfast with former Red Wings winger Slava Kozlov when their teams wound up staying at the same hotel, and watching former Red Wings centre Pavel Datsyuk play in a 5,000-seat arena. 'I loved it. I thought it was just an awesome experience,' Idalski said. The PWHL has yet to announce its schedule for its upcoming third season, which now features eight teams with the additions of Vancouver and Seattle. Teams played 30-game seasons last year, beginning on Nov. 30. Check the PWHL Vancouver website for more information . @SteveEwen SEwen@
