Latest news with #JakeOettinger
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Six words, one motion: How hockey's Shoulder Check Showcase is enshrining kindness into ritual
NHL (via Getty Images) Before a puck was dropped at the third annual Shoulder Check Showcase, the crowd at Terry Conners Rink was already in synch—by gesture and six words that have become a spreading movement in the hockey universe: "Reach out. Check in. Make contact." This year's Showcase was more than just another midsummer charity game, just another one. It was a reunion, a healing ground, and, to many—both players and fans—a vow kept. Jake Oettinger , Trevor Zegras , Chris Kreider and other NHL stars unite for something greater than the game It started, as always, with a soft but intense moment. Emcee Dave Maloney asked the sold-out arena in Stamford, Connecticut, to put their left hand on their right shoulder. "Don't be shy," he instructed, and the whole rink stood up and recited those words aloud—a tribute to Hayden Thorsen, the 16-year-old from Darien whose heartbreaking death in May 2022 has brought about a nationwide change in how the hockey community approaches mental health. Then the lights went out. John Brancy, a voice known to New York Rangers enthusiasts in Madison Square Garden, starts a rousing performance—not of the national anthem but of "Lean on Me," newly accepted as the official anthem of the Showcase. Cell phone lights flash like candles around the rink, lighting not only faces but also purpose. Shoulder Check Showcase 2025 From NHL trades to personal vows, players are making the message come before the spotlight. Chris Kreider, now with Anaheim, and Trevor Zegras, just traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, haven't missed a single issue since the start. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Washington week is here - Watch live tennis from the US capital all week Tennis TV Watch Now Undo So, has the emotional significance behind why they continue to return. "I think everyone has experienced some struggle with their own mental health," Chris Kreider said. "I know someone who has, so unfortunately that's a fact of life. I think it's a simple concept but an incredibly powerful concept: just checking in and making sure people in your life are OK and being able to have those conversations in communication. " For Jake Oettinger, this year was the first time for him. The Dallas Stars goalie had promised the Thorsen family in 2024. Last year, he couldn't attend. This year, there was nothing that could keep him away. Jake Oettinger took Dallas to the Western Conference Final and was pulled halfway through Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers after two swift, disputed goals were tallied on him. His coach publicly criticized him. For Oettinger, that experience was more than merely a defeat—it was a call to reach out. Washington Capitals defenseman Ryan Leonard was a new addition to the group this year, as were longtime fans Kevin Shattenkirk—now retired and employed by the NHL Players' Association—and Sam Colangelo, who came back with Ducks teammates Frank Vatrano and Mason McTavish. Each tale was different, but the message was the same: Make contact. Be there. Have your voice heard. Also read: Olympic hockey in 2026 promises 'best-on-best' as NHL stars return to represent their nations The Shoulder Check Display is no longer just remembering Hayden Thorsen. It's about keeping his spirit alive through empathy, conversation, and community. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Checking in: How NHL players turned a Connecticut charity game into an offseason hockey destination
STAMFORD, Conn. — One day last summer, Jake Oettinger made a promise. In town for some offseason training, the Stars goaltender met Rob Thorsen, the founder of the annual Shoulder Check Showcase charity game at Terry Conners Ice Rink, less than five miles away from the gym where Oettinger was getting ready for the 2024-25 NHL season. Oettinger couldn't attend the game, he regretfully told Thorsen, but he swore to participate the next year. Advertisement Sure enough, Oettinger, who spends most of his summer in Minnesota, will return to Stamford and suit up in net for Thursday evening's event, joining the likes of the Ducks' Chris Kreider, the Flyers' Trevor Zegras, the Rangers' Adam Fox, the Kraken's Matty Beniers and the Hurricanes' Shayne Gostisbehere on the ice. In total, the rosters for the third-ever Shoulder Check Showcase will feature 25 active players signed to NHL organizations — plus, among others, Rangers prospect Drew Fortescue and longtime defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the latter of whom Thorsen joked was 'coming out of retirement.' As Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev put it, Shoulder Check is a 'can't-say-no' event on the summer calendar. 'It's obvious,' Dorofeyev said, laughing. Minnesota has Da Beauty League, a series of four-on-four exhibitions popular among professional hockey players. Moscow hosts the Match of the Year, pitting NHL stars against domestic KHL opponents. Now Connecticut is home to the Shoulder Check Showcase, which in three years has blossomed into one of the world's largest offseason collections of NHL talent. And that is without considering the game's guest coaches: Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick will co-manage one of this year's teams alongside Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, now behind the Canadiens' bench, while the other will be led by former PWHL player Madison Packer and well-known area strength and conditioning coach Ben Prentiss. 'We wouldn't be where we are without (all this support),' Thorsen said. 'They know the importance of it. It resonates with them, too. They're proud to be a part of it. It means everything. Without them, we would be on the drawing board still.' The idea for the game arose in the wake of a personal tragedy. In May 2022, Hayden Thorsen, son of Thorsen and his wife, Sarah Thompson, died by suicide at age 16. Soon after the couple launched the #HT40 Foundation, using Hayden's initials and hockey number for the name. He was a goalie, known for his warm personality, and trained at Prentiss' gym, where one of his jerseys now hangs near the entrance alongside those of NHL players. Advertisement In addition to the registered nonprofit, the couple started The Shoulder Check, an initiative aimed at raising mental health awareness and encouraging people to reach out to and check in on each other. Prentiss immediately offered his support, as did several professional players at his gym and others in the local hockey community, including Zegras and his father, Gary, who is the foundation's secretary. A year or so later, in summer 2023, the puck dropped on the inaugural Shoulder Check Showcase at the 2,000-seat Terry Conners, with Zegras and Kreider headlining the lineups. 'The cause itself is something that's very relevant, prevalent, not just in the times we're living in but also to the community,' said Kreider, who lived in Connecticut while with the Rangers and plans to stay there in his offseasons after a recent trade to Anaheim. 'It's obviously a terrible, terrible thing that happened, but for them to organize the community and for the community to back them like they have, (it) just goes to show you not only what an important thing it is.' Kreider saw a tangible growth in the event between year one and year two. He joked it could've been from 'the Matt Rempe effect' — the 6-foot-9 forward, a favorite among Rangers fans, flew from his native Alberta to skate in the 2024 showcase. This year is set to feature more than 20 NHLers for the first time, though there won't be any active PWHL players like last year because of summer training schedules. As of Wednesday, the 2,000-seat Terry Conners Ice Rink was sold out. 'Hopefully we get into an even bigger arena, maybe, make it an even bigger event,' Gostisbehere said. Thorsen has received assists from NHL players throughout the leadup to Thursday's game. Zegras, who was with Anaheim before a June 23 trade to Philadelphia, joined Kreider in helping pick the two rosters, convincing multiple then-teammates to play. One of them, the Ducks' Frank Vatrano, is set to appear in his second Shoulder Check game, ahead of which he urged Thorsen to invest in better merchandise. Vatrano even put him in touch with a hat maker. Advertisement 'You let yourself down when you don't have great gear!' Thorsen remembers Vatrano saying. Thorsen took the advice and ordered 500 dark blue hats with a white and teal Shoulder Check logo. He brought some into Prentiss' gym on Monday, handing one each to Rempe and Zegras, who were there for a training session. The NHL players immediately put them on. 'Our reach with this event is definitely growing year after year, and we have more people who are out just advocating for the message,' Thorsen said. 'That seems to be a bit of the arc or the narrative. Even guys just coming farther away for the game, which is great. It means you're reaching more people.' Before the game, everyone in attendance — from players on the ice to fans in the stands — is asked to place a hand on a shoulder of someone next to them. Then they make a pledge: 'I promise to reach out, check in and make contact,' as Thorsen recited Monday in an interview. Thorsen envisions Shoulder Check growing. He delivered a keynote presentation about the concept at the AHL's yearly team business meetings this summer, and both the Devils' and Capitals' team foundations have made donations to #HT40, which has a stated goal of encouraging young people 'to simply be there for their peers, reinforcing social connections and leaving no one out, through our own initiatives and by supporting like-minded organizations working to make a similar impact.' Someday, Thorsen would like to see NHL teams host dedicated Shoulder Check nights — not only to raise future awareness for his family's cause, but also so hockey fans everywhere can take time in the moment to tap a nearby shoulder and see how their neighbor is doing. 'Check your shoulder: It goes with hockey and goes with everyday human life and checking on people,' Gostisbehere said. 'You never know what one phone call can do. He views that as a cause worth circling on the calendar. 'What we can do as professional athletes,' he said, '(is) to get that message out.' (Photo of Kreider celebrating at last year's game: Matthew Raney Photography / #HT40 Foundation )
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Jets' Vilardi glad to have avoided arbitration, calls extension ‘inevitable'
Winnipeg Jets centre Gabriel Vilardi prepares to make a pass as Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, right rear, looks on in the second period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Dallas, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson) Gabriel Vilardi said his contract extension was 'inevitable' and he was glad to avoid arbitration. The Winnipeg Jets forward, a restricted free agent, signed a six-year, US$45 million contract last Friday. Vilardi was coming off a career year in the second of a two-year, $6.88 million deal. 'Everything went pretty smoothly from what I heard,' Vilardi told reporters on Zoom. 'And I'm glad to hear that because from the end of the season, whenever I started thinking about this stuff, it was never any question for me. 'I always wanted to be back in Winnipeg, so it was important that we got it done and we didn't get to arbitration. I don't think anybody wanted that, so how it played out was almost inevitable.' The 25-year-old from Kingston, Ont., helped the Jets to their first-ever Presidents' Trophy last season. Vilardi had career highs with 27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points and 71 regular-season games. He added another four points (one goal, three assists) in nine playoff games after missing the last 11 games of the regular season and first four of the post-season with an upper-body injury. Vilardi also set new single-season bests in power-play goals (12), power-play points (25) and ice time per game (18:08) and matched his six game-winning goals from 2022-23. 'The opportunity for us to win in our window here of four or five years is something I'm very excited about and I want to be a part of,' he said. 'And I love Winnipeg, it's a great spot. 'It feels like home to me and all the fans, the team, the organization, everybody has welcomed me to Winnipeg since I've been there and it's been great. So it made it a pretty easy decision for me.' Vilardi was traded to Winnipeg in the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings on June 27, 2023, coming off a 41-point season (23 goals, 18 assists). He was a first-round pick (11th overall) by the Kings in the 2017 NHL draft. He has 175 points (90 goals, 85 assists) in 270 career games. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025. Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL goalies see big benefits in changes to EBUG system: ‘A long time coming'
Over the grueling NHL season, goaltenders are often caught in a specifically tough predicament of balancing the needs of their team with their personal well-being. The scenario: In the middle of a road trip, the team plane lands in the next city at roughly 3 a.m. local time. The team is holding a skate the following morning, beginning at 10 a.m, but it's optional. Many of the top players won't be partaking, using the time to rest and recover, but the few skaters who do practice would love to have a goalie in the net. So, as most hockey players do, the goalies typically prioritize the good of the group, suck it up, and strap on the pads. Advertisement 'There are eight guys going, and you want to go because you want these guys to have a goalie to shoot on, but you also know that for your body, you probably should stay off the ice,' Stars goalie Jake Oettinger explained. 'We don't want to leave our guys hanging. We want them to have a guy to shoot on.' Due to the demands and the toll of the position, we've seen a decline in the number of starts for workhorse goalies over the last five or six years. Some argue these factors have reduced the value of a top-flight netminder. And with the new, recently ratified collective bargaining agreement beginning in 2026-27, the seasons will only get longer, extending to 84 games. But another tweak to the CBA might help lessen the overall workload: The system for emergency backup goalies is changing. Under the new CBA, the parameters for EBUGs will remain largely unchanged. The goalie cannot have any NHL experience, nor can they have played in more than 80 professional games in their career or played any professional hockey in the previous three years. The big difference is that now every team will have one who travels and practices with the team throughout the season, as opposed to only appearing on standby at home games. Much attention has been paid to how this will affect future storybook moments in games, like when David Ayres, the Zamboni driver for the minor-league Toronto Marlies, was thrust into action in 2020 and helped the Hurricanes beat the Maple Leafs. The actual NHL goalies are focused on the impact it will have on practices. The number of times an EBUG actually sees meaningful action is minuscule; it's happened only six times over the last decade, roughly once in every 2,178 games. But now these goalies will be available for every skate, offering starting netminders the opportunity to pick their spots. Advertisement Oettinger – who has played more games than any NHL goalie over the last three seasons – believes the benefits of this minor rules change could be substantial. 'This is a long time coming, and I think longevity-wise I think it could help goalies stay healthy, and goalies play longer into their career, because they have a guy there to take the load off sometimes,' he said. From the late 1990s through the mid 2010s, it was relatively commonplace for starting goalies to exceed 60 starts. Eleven netminders reached or surpassed that mark as recently as the 2016-17 season, led by the Oilers' Cam Talbot, the NHL's last 70-game goalie. Since then, the number has plummeted. This season only five goalies hit 60 starts: the Jets' Connor Hellebuyck, the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Canadiens' Samuel Montembault, the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin and the Islanders' Ilya Sorokin. Several factors contribute to this trend. The position has become more physically demanding, between the rise of post-integration techniques and increased time spent in the butterfly. As skaters on the ice get faster and more skilled, the margin for error in the net keeps shrinking; being a half-step behind is the difference between saves and goals. Finally, training has improved to a point where the goalie talent pool is considerably deeper. A starter at 90 percent capacity may no longer be a better option than the backup like in the past. As a result, teams are resting their No. 1 options more often. But with the current practice structure, Oettinger believes goalies aren't even getting the true benefit of those games off. 'Some of the hardest skates for me are when (Dallas backup goalie Casey DeSmith) is playing and I'm not,' he explained. 'Then you're doing the morning skate and skating with the scratches.' Whereas that night's starting goalie typically leaves the morning skate early once they get their body moving a bit and feel prepared for the game, the backup goalie stays out much longer, giving the rest of the players someone to try to score on. They'll even stay out long after the regulars leave the ice to work with the healthy-scratched players. Advertisement 'You're backing up because they want to give you rest, but then if you're getting killed at morning skate, you're like, 'Did I actually get rest, or am I actually just as tired as if I played in a game?'' Oettinger said. Even a short skate on an off day is more taxing for goalies than skaters. And besides, the vast majority of practice time isn't beneficial to the goalie in the first place. They spend very little time working with the goalie coach on improving technical aspects of their game and far more serving as a target in shooter-focused drills. 'No offense to the players, but a lot of them can just throw their gear on and go out there on the ice,' Oettinger said. 'For a goalie, there's a lot more warming up. It takes me half an hour to get my body ready to feel like I won't hurt myself when I go on the ice. 'The cumulative buildup of all of that preparation and the cumulative tax that takes on your body and on your mind throughout the course of a season can be pretty big when you add it all up at the end.' Enter the full-time EBUG. These ordinary puck-stoppers are more than happy to step in and face shots from the best in the world. Ayres, who is the only emergency replacement to ever win an NHL game, also served as a practice goalie with the Marlies and Maple Leafs for eight years. He can remember former Leafs goalie Freddie Andersen once telling him with a laugh, 'I'm glad you're going in for this drill and not me.' Continued Ayres, 'They would put me in for 5-on-0 drills, and (then Toronto coach) Sheldon Keefe would say to me, 'We're putting you in this drill because we don't want our goalies to get hurt.' That's fair. They were straight up with me. 'I loved it. I'll take a puck off the head or collarbone to be out there with the guys. I didn't care what it was.' Ayres, now working as a train conductor driving freight trains back and forth from Canada to the U.S., said the experience of getting into an NHL game in 2020 completely changed his life. 'I would go to the store and people would take pictures of me while I was getting groceries or eating food,' he said. 'Even to this day, I cross the border fairly often for work, and I'd say once or twice a week I'll get someone who will recognize me.' Advertisement Ayres used his platform to speak at charity events and raise awareness about organ donation, drawing inspiration from his mother's 2004 donation of a kidney to him. And while he's disappointed many of his EBUG brethren may not get to experience the thrill of NHL action under the new CBA, he understands why the overhaul is happening. 'Not that I wanted it to change, because there are a lot of guys in the EBUG fraternity who put their heart and soul into it,' he said. 'I knew it was only a matter of time until they changed it at some point.' With the stipulations on professional experience remaining relatively similar, there's a chance the dream won't end for every current EBUG. These changes won't take effect for a full year, leaving teams with plenty to still iron out. 'When I first saw it come out, I thought it was done, but now I'm not as sure,' said Connor Beaupre, who has served as EBUG for the Minnesota Wild since 2016-17. 'I'm curious as to what teams think their prototypical EBUG will be.' Beaupre has practiced with the Wild extensively over the years. He has seen the relief on goalies' faces when they realize they can take a few drills off, and the elation on skaters' faces when they see they have a goalie — any goalie — to shoot on. 'With a goalie, they can be a little more competitive and push themselves a little bit more, instead of doing the drill around the dot and shooting into an empty net,' Beaupre said. Providing teams with a full-time practice goalie is a minor adjustment that could have significant consequences, allowing NHL goalies to focus their practice time on improving their own technique. 'The goalies love it,' Ayres said of his practice time with the Leafs and Marlies. 'They would actually get to spend time at one end with the goalie coach to work on some things to tighten their game up, and I'd be at the other end taking a beating.' Advertisement It could also lead to healthier NHL goalies playing games, an obvious win for both league and sport. 'Even if it's three skates a month that you take off, throughout the course of a season you put your pads on 20 less times, and that could be five more games you can play,' Oettinger said. 'It gives you the opportunity to be more fresh, and gives the performance guys more opportunity for you to pick your spots.' Some of the changes to the CBA sparked contentious debates between the NHL Players' Association and the owners. But not when it came to revamping the EBUG system. 'I don't think there was any pushback,' said Oettinger, the Stars' alternative player representative on the NHLPA executive board. '(The owners) understood why we were asking for it. It's a win-win for both sides, and a no-brainer.' (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photo: istock)
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stars Release Statement After Shocking Firing of Peter DeBoer
Stars Release Statement After Shocking Firing of Peter DeBoer originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Stars have fired head coach Peter DeBoer after losing in the Western Conference Final. This move comes after a disappointing ending to the season for Dallas and some major backlash from the players. Advertisement Stars general manager Jim Nill released a statement on the firing of the veteran coach. 'After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,' Nill said. 'We'd like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.' DeBoer posted a record of 149-68-29 over 246 regular-season games with the Stars. The veteran coach went 29-27 in the postseason, including helping Dallas make three straight Western Conference Final appearances. But the team couldn't get over the hump to win the Stanley Cup. The team never made the Stanley Cup Final under the leadership of DeBoer. Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer looks on during the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. David Banks-Imagn Images A lot of this firing likely had to do with how DeBoer handled star goalie Jake Oettinger in the final game of the conference final this year. Oettinger was pulled from the game early after allowing multiple goals, and DeBoer then threw him under the bus. Advertisement "The reality is, if you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton and we gave up two (goals) on two (shots) in an elimination game," DeBoer said of Oettinger. "It was partly to spark our team and wake them up and partly knowing that status quo had not been working. And that's a pretty big sample size." Many people in the organization didn't like this from DeBoer, and he now has suffered the consequences of his actions. Dallas will now look for a new leader to help this team go forward. The Stars have a lot of talent on the roster, but they need to figure out how to maximize this group going forward. Related: Panthers' Paul Maurice Raises Eyebrows With Stanley Cup Final Comments This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
