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Edmonton Journal
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
'The Oilers time has come': NHL's elder statesmen both pick Edmonton to win
Article content This in from Don 'Grapes' Cherry, 91, and Stan 'The Maven' Fischler, 93, the two elder statesmen of National Hockey League commentary, their predictions that the Edmonton Oilers will win the Stanley Cup in 2025 over the Florida Panthers. Article content 'I'm still sticking with Edmonton,' Don Cherry said this weekend on his Grapevine podcast. 'Skinner is playing just as good (as Bobrvosky). Whether he'll do it in the Finals, we'll see.' Article content If Florida tries to injure Skinner by accidentally mashing into Skinner, Oilers pest Corey Perry will respond in kind, Cherry said. 'That's his style.' As for Fischler, the long-time Hockey News columnist and New York hockey writer, has been on social media with his prediction that the Oilers will win in five. 'The Maven cannot imagine a more fascinating, hard-to-predict, well-balanced Final coming up between the defending champs, Florida Pantherfs and Edmonton Oilers; truly the best in the NHL. This looms as a fantastic playoff. Lots to like on both sides; especially good-guy-good-coaches…. This is obvious but what the heck, a Maven redundancy; the series will hinge on whether Florida Panthers (coach) Paul Maurice can produce an anti-McDavid machine in time for Wednesday. Stopping or not stopping Connor will decide the series. If not, then it might be up to Brad Marchand. Article content Fischler continued: 'I'm as impressed with Edmonton Oilers' KrisKnoblauch as I am with Florida Panthers PaulMaurice. I'm picking Edmonton in 5 because the Oilers time has come. And the Cats don't have McDavid. Still, it could go 7 and I'd just love that as would many fans. Really sorry about Hyman!' And: 'I'm itchy for the Final to start; very excited; more even than last year. I'm sticking with the Edmonton Oilers in 5 because of — McD, Leon, Stu, plus and plus MOTIVATION (WIN IT FOR ZACH). BUT The Maven overflows with respect for the Florida Panthers. (Should be a best of 9 series!)' My take 1. I've never found Fischler or Cherry to be major boosters of the Edmonton Oilers, which makes sense given both are somewhat neutral commentators, with Fischler's focus the New York-area teams and Cherry all about the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm glad then that both of them see enough in the Oilers to pick them over a fantastic two-way team like the 2025 Florida Panthers. 2. Florida is a beast of a team. It's likely better than it was last year. It's got a Core 12 of players as good as any team, and it's surrounded them with aggressive, hitting role players. But I think the Oilers mobile defence corps will be the difference in this series, as well as the better health this Final of players like Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and Evander Kane, who were all seriously banged up last year. Latest National Stories
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NHL announces Stanley Cup Final referees and linesmen team after injury scare recovery
The National Hockey League has finalized its officiating crew for the Stanley Cup Final and four referees have been selected to oversee the games. The referees named are Francis Charron, Jean Hebert, Wes McCauley, and Chris Rooney. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Each of these officials has earned this spot through consistent performance over the season and in the playoff rounds. Their selection marks a continued commitment from the NHL to field experienced and reliable referees for hockey's biggest stage. McCauley leads the group with 11 previous Stanley Cup Finals appearances, followed by Rooney. He has officiated in 8. Charron and Hebert bring with them a solid presence. With each having officiated in 3 Stanley Cup Finals, while not as seasoned as McCauley or Rooney. Their inclusion signals the league's trust in their judgment and consistency. Chris Rooney returns after eye injury in playoffs Among the four, Chris Rooney's return holds special weight. He suffered a facial injury near his eye during Game 7 of the second-round clash between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. The impact looked serious at first, raising concerns about his availability for the rest of the postseason, and fortunately, the injury missed his eye. He recovered quickly enough to rejoin officiating duties. Linesmen lineup confirmed for the championship series NHL referee Jean Hebert (15) (Credit: Getty Image) Alongside the referees, the NHL also announced the four linesmen for the Final, and the selected group includes Devin Berg, Scott Cherrey, Ryan Gibbons, and Trent Knorr, all these officials will handle offside calls, faceoffs. And help manage player interactions throughout the series. Like the referees, they have all worked their way up through years of regular season and playoff assignments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Read more: With all officiating positions now confirmed, the NHL has ensured a well-balanced team of officials for the Stanley Cup Final. The pairing of seasoned referees with rising talents. This helps maintain the standard of fairness and consistency that fans and players. Expect during the championship, as the puck drops on Game 1. Both teams and supporters can trust. And the games will be guided by capable and experienced hands.
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
A look at Brad Treliving's work two years into his tenure as Maple Leafs GM
Article content In the two years since the Maple Leafs hired Treliving to be the 18th general manager in franchise history, the 55-year-old has set the team on a new course, one that took greater shape when head coach Craig Berube was brought on board last spring. In a perfect Treliving world, the Leafs will be a team that evolves into one of the top defensively responsible outfits in the National Hockey League, to the point that it becomes an annual Stanley Cup contender. In the wake of another frustrating exit from the playoffs, this time culminating in a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the second round, the Leafs aren't there yet.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
A player that epitomizes the Panthers' success? Look no further than Aleksander Barkov
In a span of eight seconds, Aleksander Barkov showcased just about everything that makes him one of the National Hockey League's top players and the epitome of the Florida Panthers' recent run of success. Barkov receives the puck from Sam Reinhart along the right wall and begins his magic. As he moves around the boards, going behind the net and looking for open space, Barkov muscles his way past Dmitry Orlov, stops and spins. With a couple taps of his stick, he eludes another defender in Eric Robinson and makes his way to the front of the net. And then, in one swift motion, he sends the puck across the goalmouth, just beyond the reach of Alexander Nikishin's stick, to Carter Verhaeghe, who roofs a tough-angle shot into the net for the Panthers' game-winning — and Eastern Conference final-clinch — goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. 'Such a great player,' Verhaeghe said. 'It was such a great play by him. It was all him.' Added Reinhart: 'He's got so much strength. Big players make big plays at the biggest moments when you need them, and he's certainly the leader of this team.' Barkov is as fitting of a player to fit that role. The Panthers are a team that preaches selflessness. Every player on the team — from Barkov and stars such as Matthew Tkachuk, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brad Marchand to players fighting for playing time in Uvis Balinskis, Jesper Boqvist and Nico Sturm — is treated equally. No one is bigger than anyone else in the dressing room. The camaraderie of the team's core along with the integration of newcomers to round out the roster each year has fed into Florida's success, which has the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year and in a position to repeat as champions. It's a position Barkov longed to see. He was here during the team's lean years. Florida made the postseason just once in Barkov's first six seasons before things finally started to turn over the past half-dozen years. There were doubts Florida would ever consistently make the playoffs, let alone be annual Stanley Cup contenders. That's a thing of the past now. 'I think it was a long time coming,' Barkov said. 'Obviously, there's been a lot of work put in by this organization to become better and reach the level where we want to win Stanley Cups, we want to compete for Stanley Cups every single year. There are 31 other teams in the league, and it's hard every single year. They want to do that too, so it's not easy. But we've managed to do it three years in a row, which is, I think, an incredible achievement so far.' For that success to occur, the respect and trust has to be established from the top. There had to be a driving force inside the room to establish the foundation and keep the drive and hunger going. That is Aleksander Barkov. 'Sasha has almost become like a planet, with the energy that comes from him,' said Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito, who took over ahead of the 2020-21 season and has said multiple times how fortunate he was to already have Barkov as a franchise cornerstone. 'How caring he is as a human and a teammate — he forces you to want to be better. It cannot be overstated the grace of each of our guys. If you came into the meal room you wouldn't know who just scored the winning goal and who didn't play.' Barkov doesn't need the praise — and frankly, he doesn't want it. That's not how he operates. Ever since the Panthers selected him second overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Level Draft, the elite two-way center from Finland has done his best to make as much of an impact for the Panthers without making waves. Even after taking over as captain ahead of the 2018-19 season, Barkov didn't change his approach. Why would he? 'Just being myself,' Barkov said, 'and doing my job as good as possible.' That's more than enough to command the attention and respect of his teammates. Barkov owns basically every record of merit for a skater in Panthers franchise history — games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782), power-play goals (84), game-winning goals (52), multipoint games (209), multigoal games (33), the list keeps going. He became the first Finnish-born player to captain his team to a Stanley Cup when Florida beat Edmonton in seven games last year. And through all the success, he remains humble. He's still one of the first on the ice every day at practice, a regular during optional workouts because he knows the example he sets by being on the ice. He twice has won the Selke Trophy given annually to the league's top defensive forward and is nominated for the award again this year. 'He's just trying to do everything right, by the book,' said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who is in his second stint with the Panthers and was on that 2013-14 roster when Barkov was a rookie. 'He doesn't cheat the the game. He's an honest player. He just works his bag off and obviously has a lot of skill to complement his hard work. When you see a guy like that, your captain, being the hardest working guy, that brings everybody with him.' Added Tkachuk: 'That's the stuff that fires us up the most is the little battles, the little stick lifts, the 1-on-1 wins, the little plays, the skills that maybe the average fan doesn't notice, but we definitely notice. He's the full package. I've seen it here for almost three years now. It's an honor to play with him, so lucky to share the ice with him.' Oops. There's more praise. Barkov would probably want that spread around to the rest of the team. There's good reason for that, especially on this current playoff run. Consider this: The Panthers enter the Stanley Cup Final with 19 players who have scored at least one goal and 10 players who have produced at least 11 points this postseason — with Barkov leading with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists). Florida's balance and depth has been its calling card all season, something that was only amplified at the trade deadline when the Panthers added Marchand and defenseman Seth Jones into the mix. That said, the success starts somewhere. It starts with the leader who makes everyone feel appreciated, the player who knows how to say a lot without really needing to say anything. It starts with Aleksander Barkov. 'We are getting contributions from everybody,' Tkachuk said, 'but he has definitely been been leading the charge, and we're so lucky to be able to follow him.'
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Oilers, Panthers set for 12th Stanley Cup final rematch in NHL history
Article content Given that one of 16 teams emerges from each National Hockey League conference to contest the final every year, the chances of a consecutive, repeat matchup currently are one in 4,096. It had happened just 11 times since 1927 — and not at all since Detroit and Pittsburgh went back-to-back in 2008 and '09 — before the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers made it an even dozen and will face off again, with the Panthers looking to defend their Cup title from 2024.
