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National Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Edmonton Oilers have more resolve in Cup rematch with Florida: Ken Hitchcock
As the fourth winningest coach in NHL history, Ken Hitchcock has a pretty good feel for hockey teams and what he sees from the Edmonton Oilers through this 16-game run to the Stanley Cup final against Florida is more resolve in their style of play. Article content Article content They took the Panthers to Game 7 last June but Hitchcock sees a better Oilers today. Article content 'They have learned a very valuable lesson, one that takes a long time to learn,' said the Hall of Famer Hitchcock, whose last coaching job was with his hometown team. 'You can talk about it but what the Oilers have learned is there's a big difference between fighting for space and looking for space. Article content Article content 'The Edmonton Oilers now fight for that space as good as anybody in the National Hockey League. They're not looking for quick areas, they're not hoping pucks squirt free. They're fighting for that space and that's why they're going to be such a hard out in this final,' said Hitchcock, who coached defenceman John Klingberg in Dallas and had fellow blueliner Jake Walman when both were in St. Louis, so he has an attachment to the Oilers apart from growing up here. Article content Worm vs. the rat Article content Hitchcock greatly admires both Corey (the Worm) Perry and Brad (the Rat) Marchand and is keen to see the two villains in the finals. Article content 'Perry's got it (greasiness) naturally. He's just that type of player. Corey has a presence and he plays to that presence whereas Marchand can impact games in numerous areas. He seems to make the right play at the right time, get the big goal, make the right assist,' said Hitchcock. Article content 'They're both exceptional players getting on in years, guys who still make an impact on a game in a major way. Perry was never the quickest player but what's impressed me about him is he hasn't gotten slower, at all. Boy, he brings a lot to the table. He's an honest competitor. Marchand is a small guy who plays like a big player,' he said. Article content Article content Article content Marchand, 37, is chattier on the ice than the oftimes laconic Perry, 40. Article content Article content 'As an opposition coach, Marchand can really make you laugh. I know he got on me a few times. Yeah, it was pretty funny,' said Hitchcock. Article content Marchand's sense of humour has been on display in Florida as fans throw all the plastic rats on the ice at game's end — their tradition since Scott Mellanby killed a real rodent in the dressing room at Florida's home opener in 1995, and Mellanby went out and scored three goals which brought out the 'rat-trick' line. Article content Daryl Reaugh, once the Oilers second-round draft pick in 1984 and back-up in net to Grant Fuhr, was just voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the broadcast wing after his 30 years in the business in Dallas — as a colour commentator and a TV play-by-play man.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ranking All 32 NHL Squads' Special Teams With The '100 Rule'
Ken Hitchcock, who coached Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus, St. Louis and Edmonton during a Hall of Fame career, used to say if an NHL team's combined power-play and penalty-kill rate was below 100 percent, 'you're in trouble.' He was right, though teams can sometimes overcome poor special teams play with dominance at even strength and with outstanding goaltending. Hitchcock arrived at his '100 Rule' by simply adding a team's power-play percentage to its penalty-kill percentage. Hence, if a team had, say, a 20-percent rate on the power play and killed 85 percent of its penalties, it would be in good standing with a 105 total. The special teams numbers in the chart below show why Winnipeg (tops in special teams with a 112.4 percentage), New Jersey (second at 110.2), Washington (fourth at 107.4) and Carolina (fifth at 106.8) are among the NHL's best teams. All four are also strong at even strength. Based on Hitchcock's 100 Rule, these are the teams in trouble unless their 5-on-5 play or goaltending is very good: Los Angeles, Columbus, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Jose, Buffalo, Calgary, St. Louis, Minnesota, Boston, Anaheim and the New York Islanders. All are below 100 percent, some just barely, others to an alarming into the games on Jan. 28, Minnesota has a combined special-teams percentage of just 89.6 – far below the 100 Rule. The Wild are 29th in special teams in the 32-team NHL. Yet, the Wild rank eighth in the league standings, thanks to their goaltending and solid 5-on-5 play, where they scored 97 goals and conceded 88 for a 10th-best 52.43 goals-for percentage, per When you examine the special teams' numbers, it's amazing that the New York Islanders are even in the playoff race. They are last on the power play and penalty kill and have a ridiculously low 80.2 rate – by far the worst in the league, behind next-to-last Anaheim (86.4). Chicago would be a contender if it only had to play on special teams. The Blackhawks have the eighth-ranked special teams but the 31st-most points. Blame the Blackhawks' atrocious 5-on-5 play: their goals-for percentage is 30th in the NHL. The same can be said for Pittsburgh and Nashville – two teams with great special teams but among the league's bottom four at 5-on-5 goals-for percentage. Here is a look at the 32 NHL teams and where they rank in combined play of their special (or not so special) teams, with stats heading into Jan. 28: 1. Winnipeg Jets: 112.4 percent (33.3 power-play percent, 79.1 penalty-kill percent) 2. New Jersey Devils: 110.2 (28.1 PP, 82.1 PK) 3. Tampa Bay Lightning: 109.8 (27.9 PP, 81.9 PK) 4. Washington Capitals: 107.4 (22.6 PP, 84.8 PK) 5. Carolina Hurricanes: 106.8 (21.1 PP, 85.7 PK) 6. Vegas Golden Knights: 105.6 (28 PP, 77.6 PK) 7. Pittsburgh Penguins: 105.5 (26.2 PP, 79.3 PK) 8. Chicago Blackhawks: 104.6 (23.7 PP, 80.9 PK) 9. Nashville Predators: 104 (22.1 PP, 81.9 PK) 10. Dallas Stars: 103.9 (19.2 PP, 84.7 PK) 11. New York Rangers: 103.7 (20.3 PP, 83.4 PK) 12. Utah Hockey Club: 103.6 (21.9 PP, 81.7 PK) 13. Florida Panthers: 103.3 (24.2 PP, 79.1 PK) 14. Vancouver Canucks: 102.6 (22.6 PP, 80 PK) 15. Toronto Maple Leafs: 102.1 (21.6 PP, 80.5 PK) 16. Montreal Canadiens: 102 (20.3 PP, 81.7 PK) 17. Edmonton Oilers: 101.8 (24.4 PP, 77.4 PK) 18. Ottawa Senators: 101.1 (22.2 PP, 78.9 PK) 19. Colorado Avalanche: 100.4 (20.5 PP, 79.9 PK) 20. Los Angeles Kings: 97.8 (15.9 PP, 81.9 PK) 21. Columbus Blue Jackets: 97.4 (22.6 PP, 74.8 PK) 22. Detroit Red Wings: 97.4 (27.8 PP, 69.6 PK) 23. Seattle Kraken: 95.3 (18.3 PP, 77 PK) 24. Philadelphia Flyers: 94.9 (16.4 PP, 78.5 PK) 25. San Jose Sharks: 94.5 (17.8 PP, 76.7 PK) 26. Buffalo Sabres: 94.3 (16.7 PP, 77.6 PK) 27. Calgary Flames: 92.4 (21.2 PP, 71.2 PK) 28. St. Louis Blues: 90.6 (18.8 PP, 71.8 PK) 29. Minnesota Wild: 89.6 (19.4 PP, 70.2 PK) 30. Boston Bruins: 89.4 (13.4 PP, 76 PK) 31. Anaheim Ducks: 87.5 (13.4 PP, 74.1 PK) 32. New York Islanders: 80.2 (11.9 PP, 68.3 PK) Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on or by visiting our forum.
