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New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
The ultimate 2025-26 Penguins fan NHL roadtrip guide: Part 2
Let's get right to it: If you have the itch to see the Penguins play on the road — and I see you in airports and arenas all season long, so I know you do — I'm here to help. Here's the second and final part of my annual rankings of the best cities for Penguins fans to visit. Part 1, which published on Tuesday, is here. Enjoy, and safe travels. • It's a very friendly place. • The food (especially the BBQ) is excellent. • The traffic isn't bad, and you'll find that it's a relaxing place in general. • It's not a terrible drive from Pittsburgh and there are direct flights. • Not a wide variety of hotels, but they're generally cheap there, at least. Advertisement • PNC Arena is pretty mid. • The Penguins haven't won here in eight years (really). • It's not an overly exciting place. Stay at the Crabtree Valley Marriott. The breakfast is outstanding, a great mall is across the street, and you're a 10-minute drive to the arena. I'm actually embarrassed that I have Raleigh ranked this low, simply because I love it. It's not that exciting, but it's a nice city. You get the best of southern charm in Raleigh. If you're looking for a relaxing getaway, go for it. (The Penguins play here twice in March. Maybe Pitt will have a men's basketball game at Duke or North Carolina around this time, which offers the potential of a double dip. Consider this when the ACC hoops schedule is released.) • If you don't like the Saddledome, I don't know if we can be friends. • The Penguins play only two more games in the Saddledome before the new, surely not-as-cool new building opens. • If you like mountains, you'll love Calgary. • Downtown Calgary is a hybrid of Denver and Pittsburgh, in a good way. • Super friendly place, and the steak and bacon here are top notch. • It's quite a lengthy trip. • The weather here in January, when the Penguins visit, can be quite dicey. Rent a car and make the quick drive to Banff. Probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. (Or, if you aren't the scenic type, join me on a three-hour drive to Medicine Hat the night before the Penguins-Flames game to watch Benjamin Kindel play. This way, you can say you've seen him play before he was big-time, and you can say you've been to Medicine Hat.) Calgary is so cool. If you like Denver, you'll like Calgary. It's the superior Alberta city. • The artist formerly known as Staples Center is a very nice building. • You're fairly close to Manhattan Beach, which is a great spot for dining, fishing and vibing (did I use 'vibing' right?). • LAX is hell on earth, but at least we have cheap, direct flights there from Pittsburgh. • I can't emphasize enough how nice the weather always is in Southern California. Advertisement • While L.A. is surrounded by many beautiful beaches and places to visit, the downtown area is awful. • This trip won't give you that nostalgic, hockey-loving feeling that some places will. • Cross-contamination alert: Thursday Night Football rears its ugly head as Steelers-Bengals will still be in the third quarter when the Penguins and Kings drop the puck. If you're doing the California swing, stay in Orange County close to the Ducks arena for the entire trip. Just rent a car and drive to L.A. for the second game of the trip, when the Penguins play the Kings. Traffic in L.A. is terrible but not quite as bad in the years following Covid, and you'd rather stay in Orange County. If you're doing the Kings game, you're probably seeing the Ducks play the Penguins two nights earlier in Anaheim. Both are fun trips worth doing. But, as you'll read below, I think you'll prefer the Anaheim portion of this trip. • Manhattan, you may have heard, offers a fair amount of restaurants and things to do. • Being there for Mike Sullivan's Rangers debut — and Dan Muse's Penguins debut, we should mention — would be something. • Madison Square Garden truly lives up to its reputation. • Because the Penguins are there in October, it should be noted that fall in New York is glorious. • From a transportation perspective, getting to New York is an unimaginable pain on most occasions. • It'll cost you. If you're looking to save some cash, stay in Newark (I know, I know, but the airport Marriott is nice and located right next to a train to the city) and just spend all day in Manhattan. You'll save a few hundred in hotels, and Pittsburgh has direct flights to and from Newark. While I'm not a huge NYC person, I know many people are. There is truly nowhere else like it. And if you haven't experienced MSG, what are you waiting for? It's worth it. • Downtown Chicago, I have concluded, is America at its very best. • Probably America's best food city. • Plentiful and inexpensive direct flights there from Pittsburgh. • As big cities go, the hotels are very cheap (and very nice). • As big cities go, the people are so friendly. • The area around the United Center isn't the best. • This probably won't be a Stanley Cup Final preview. Advertisement So, the Penguins play here on Dec. 28. Maybe you're off from work that week. If so, flying on the morning of the 28th to Chicago and giving yourself a long weekend for New Year's Eve in one of America's greatest cities isn't the worst idea. (Bonus tip: Find a good Steelers bar — there are a few — and watch Steelers-Browns early in the afternoon before making your way over to the United Center. Now that's a day.) I personally like Chicago for baseball more than hockey, primarily because the weather in June is a little nicer than December and Wrigley Field is a place you need to experience. That said, you should do this trip if you're off that week and feeling it. It's fun. • American Airlines stinks, but American Airlines Arena is really nice. • Downtown Dallas is great. • The JFK Museum is within walking distance of the arena and is an amazing place. • One of the finer steakhouse cities I've encountered. • Hotels are plentiful and cheap. • Direct flights are easy to find. • Not what I would call a great hockey town. • The Penguins play here on the same day as a Steelers-Ravens game, another cross-contamination concern. I can't speak highly enough of the JFK Museum. If you're lucky, Penguins communications czar Tom McMillan will be giving private tours. I like Dallas a lot. It's easily my favorite city in Texas. It might not be worth making this trip without an additional reason to go to Dallas that weekend. Then again, it might be. You'll like it. • It's a simple, five-hour drive from Pittsburgh, or you can take a direct flight. • The building isn't young but has held up quite nicely. • It's one of the world's greatest cities, filled with culture and a diverse range of activities that is hard to articulate. • The Hockey Hall of Fame is a must-see destination for any hockey fan. Advertisement • Ticket prices in Toronto are notoriously absurd. • Toronto traffic is worse than Los Angeles traffic, in my opinion. So, check this out. If you're looking to save money before the holidays — most of us are — but still want to treat yourself, I have a plan for you. The Penguins play in Toronto on Dec. 23, which is a Tuesday, at 4 p.m. The league scheduled this game at 4 so players can have extra time off over the holidays. Because of this … it would be a long, long day … but if you want to remove all hotel costs and plane costs, you could pull off a day trip. Leave Pittsburgh at 9 a.m., get there by 2 p.m., visit the HHOF for an hour, go to the game, get out of town by 7 p.m., and you're home at midnight. It's worth it. It's Toronto, which means it's a little overwhelming. But it's always worth it. • The Swedish people are very polite and likable. • Stockholm is beautiful, walkable and truly worth seeing. • The air and water quality are noticeably better than what we get in Pittsburgh. • The breakfast food in Sweden is top-notch. (The rest of the food is pretty blah but not awful.) • Old Town, located on the edge of downtown Stockholm, is a great blend of history, restaurants and shopping. • Everyone speaks English, and transportation is very simple and comfortable. • Those are a long couple of flights. • There will only be a few hours of daylight when the Penguins play here in November. Go to the ABBA Museum and thank me later. In fact, there are a number of magnificent museums all located within walking distance from one another. You can very easily spend a few days here and never be bored. The Penguins and Predators play two games in Stockholm in November. Because I was just in Stockholm for Worlds in May, I figured I'd add this city to the list. Truthfully, I can't recommend this trip enough. Rent a car for a day, drive north and enjoy a northern lights show. See some hockey along the way. Stockholm is a breathtaking city. I absolutely loved it and suspect most of you would, too. You may even meet friends there. I met Penguins fans Alvin and Ellen there, and now we are pals. Advertisement • If you like to drink, this is your trip. • If you like live music, this is your trip. • If you like country music in particular, this is your trip. • Lots of direct flights on Southwest to Nashville from Pittsburgh, and they're usually cheap. • It's a surprisingly good hockey town, and reminding Preds fans of the Patric Hornqvist trade will be fun for the whole family. • If an entire downtown full of people binge drinking annoys you … well, think twice about this trip. • The price of those downtown hotels will get you every time. Stay at a hotel near the Grand Ole Opry and Uber into downtown. You'll save a ton of money and maybe even check out a concert at the famous venue, if that's your thing. Also, while downtown, you have to visit the Johnny Cash Museum. It never disappoints. Nashville has dropped a smidge in my ratings, though it remains a great destination for a hockey trip. I'm not a big drinker so it can get a little excessive at times. That said, it's great fun and I recommend it. (But not until next season, as the Penguins don't play in Nashville until the 2026-27 campaign.) • Orange County > Los Angeles by a wide margin. • Disneyland is about two miles away — literally. • Beautiful beaches are nearby. • It's very easy to get tickets at Honda Center. • Good, affordable hotel scene. • I like Honda Center, but it's starting to show its age. • Not exactly a great hockey atmosphere; it's pretty terrible, in fact. Avoid LAX at all costs. It's a horrible place. I strongly recommend flying to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. If you just want a couple of relaxing days at the beach, or Disneyland, and in the California sun, this is a great spot. Catching a hockey game is a nice bonus. Strongly recommended trip. Advertisement • You get to see the champs, and they're worth seeing. • You're a mere 30-minute drive from the ocean while watching an NHL game. Not bad. • The area around the Panthers' arena is great, with a beautiful mall and lots of good places to eat. • Tons of Pittsburghers will be joining you. • There are many affordable, direct flights to Fort Lauderdale. • The Penguins play here in October, which means it will feel like a swamp. • Driving on South Florida highways is legitimately frightening. Stay at the beach. It's a bit more expensive, but don't taunt yourself by staying inland, even if that would save you some cash. Go big or go home. Or something like that. You save a lot of money on tickets and on your flight, so you can splurge a bit on the hotel. You can't go wrong with this trip. Personally, I like the Gulf Coast a bit more. It's a little more laid-back and more of a Midwest vibe, which is more my speed. South Florida is intense, but it's also very entertaining, and you'll enjoy this trip quite a bit. • Magnificent beauty at the footstep of the Rocky Mountains. • Downtown Denver is a treat. • You know Sidney Crosby will be fired up to play against Nate MacKinnon. • Lots of direct flights, lots of nice hotels. • You'll be joined by about 7,000 Penguins fans. • The airport is about seven counties from downtown. • The weather is usually nice … usually. Rent a car. That Uber to downtown is expensive and — more to the point — if you're that close to the mountains, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't take a drive and enjoy them. I have to say, I don't think I've ever met anyone who dislikes Denver. Everyone is friendly. Lots of Pittsburghers live there. It's a beautiful place and a good hockey town. So long as the high altitude doesn't bother you, you'll love it. Advertisement • Downtown Tampa has rapidly improved over the years and is a very nice place to visit. • Lovely beaches are nearby. • The weather during the winter really can't be beaten. • As southern markets go, this is a great hockey town. • Hattricks Tavern is a great hockey bar. • Bern's Steak House is legendary; the best restaurant I've ever experienced. • Inexpensive, direct flights. • Hotels here are wildly expensive. • Florida isn't for everyone. Get to games super early. The traffic in Tampa is much worse than you'd think. Plus, the area around Amalie Arena is great fun before puck drop. One of my favorite stops. You'll be in a good mood the whole time you're here. Fun hockey town, beautiful weather, and there's so much to see and do. Also, I'll note that the Penguins play here in April on my birthday. Bern's would be a thoughtful birthday gift. Just saying. • It's Vegas. If you know, you know. • You won't get bored, nor will you go hungry. • T-Mobile Arena is one of the NHL's best venues. • Vegas has become a true hockey town in short order. • Sure, we have casinos in Pittsburgh now, but gambling in Vegas just feels different — and better. • The weather in March will likely be nice and, during the hockey season, it's pretty much always nice in Vegas. • Only one, but it's a big one. The cost of being in Vegas has become outrageous. Since Covid, the price gouging at casinos — namely the cost of hotel rooms, the outrageous resort fees, and the price of food (the days of $5 prime rib are long gone) — has taken something away from this trip, or any visit to Vegas for that matter. I'm a Vegas guy. I'll always love it there. But I have to call it like I see it. I'm the least cheap person you'll ever meet, but don't pay $8 for a bottle of water in the casinos. Find a drug store on the Strip and stock up there. Advertisement It's a must-do if you've never been to America's playground. You'll enjoy it. I don't normally harp about money so much, but I'm telling you, things have really changed in Vegas. (If you're abundantly wealthy, disregard, and throw me a few chips in March.) • Geographically speaking, easily the most beautiful city in the NHL. • If you like the outdoors, there are hiking trails galore (so I hear). • A perfectly diverse city in every imaginable way. • If you like to experiment with different types of cuisine, this is your city. • High-level nightlife. • Hotel prices are not so good; in general, this is a very expensive place. • It requires a long day of flying to get there. Try to book a flight that arrives in Vancouver around sunset. Best view in the league. Breathtaking. It's very expensive, it takes a long time to get there and it might rain once you arrive. No matter. This is the crown jewel of NHL cities in many ways. The natural beauty, diverse eateries and overall experiences will blow you away. • Greatest atmosphere in hockey. • The Bell Center remains a spectacular venue. • Gibbys steakhouse is a must-visit. • A walk around Old Montreal is as good as it gets. • The nightlife is legendary. • None that I've ever encountered. Stay at the Marriott Chateau Champlain. Excellent hotel located right beside the Bell Center. It's also a quick walk to the hotspots in downtown Montreal. Montreal's love for Crosby will warm your heart. Also, the Penguins play here only once this season, but it's on the final Saturday before Christmas. Perfect. Montreal is beautiful during the holiday season. There is a vibe in that city that I've never been able to articulate, but it's the best. The nightlife, the food, the hockey atmosphere and the style are unlike anywhere else on the NHL circuit. (Top photo of Sidney Crosby in Vancouver: Derek Cain / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. 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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Carolina Hurricanes forward retires from NHL due to injuries
The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) react after a goal by teammate Teuvo Teravainen (86) to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead in the second period on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at PNC Arena, in Raleigh N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) react after a goal by teammate Teuvo Teravainen (86) to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead in the second period on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at PNC Arena, in Raleigh N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Jesper Fast always hoped of recovering from a neck injury and returning to the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL. But the forward has decided to retire. The Hurricanes announced Monday that the Swedish winger had made the decision to end his NHL career after 11 seasons. Advertisement Fast, 33, was a valuable and versatile player for the Hurricanes, capable of playing an effective 200-foot game. He was a part of three Stanley Cup playoff teams with Carolina, at times playing with center Jordan Staal and winger Jordan Martinook to form a formidable checking line. Fast twice had overtime goals during the 2023 playoffs. The first beat the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the opening round, and the second goal clinched the Canes' playoff series in Game 5 against New Jersey. Fast was injured in the final game of the 2023-24 season in Columbus after taking a cross-check from the Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson and crashing into the boards. During his end-of-season media interview, Fast said sitting out the 2024 playoffs was the 'worst-case scenario' and said he was 'hopeful' of a return. But Fast had neck surgery Aug. 6, 2024 and was ruled out of the 2024-25 season as he underwent physical rehab. Advertisement 'I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,' Fast said in a statement. 'I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream.' Fast played 703 career regular-season games for the New York Rangers and Hurricanes over 11 seasons, finishing with 91 goals and 157 assists and a plus-41 plus/minus rating. The Nassjo, Sweden, native also appeared in 80 career Stanley Cup playoff games. Fast, after playing parts of seven seasons with the Rangers, signed with Carolina as a free agent on October 2020. He established career highs in games played (82), goals (14), points (34) and plus/minus (+24) in the 2021-22 season. Fast was selected as the winner of the Steve Chiasson Award that honors the player who best exemplifies determination and dedication while proving to be an inspiration to his teammates through his performance and approach to the game. Fast was in the second year of a two-year contract that paid $2.4 million a year and was due to become an unrestricted free agent.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Hurricanes killer Matthew Tkachuk is ‘back' — but is this a different Tkachuk?
RALEIGH, N.C. — It all started here at Lenovo Center two years ago with Matthew Tkachuk's heroics in Game 1 of a Florida Panthers sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a night that set the tone for this tremendous run by the Florida Panthers — for two straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, the first championship in team history a year ago and now a third straight Eastern Conference final, opening Tuesday night. Advertisement Thirteen seconds before what would have been the fifth overtime in a contest that started on May 18 and had carried into the early hours of May 19, Tkachuk ended the sixth-longest game in NHL history with a quadruple-overtime winner, then headed right for the corner exit leading to the visitors locker room of what was then called PNC Arena, motioning to his exhausted teammates to follow him off. 'I remember being really tired after the first one, and just the way I scored and looked, the first thing I saw was, like, the door,' Tkachuk said Monday, a day after he and the Panthers ended the season of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 'So, I left.' FOUR OVERTIMES ONLY ONE MATTHEW TKACHUK — x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 19, 2023 So naturally, in Game 2 of that 2023 series, when Tkachuk ended things less than two minutes into the first overtime, the Panthers' resident shift disturber thought it would be funny to stick to the theme — opening the exit door and going right to the locker room in lieu of an all-out pile-up celebration on the ice. 'Bus in 10 (minutes),' Tkachuk famously called it at the time. In other words, let's get out of Dodge and back to Fort Lauderdale. 'Just the way I was going, the door was right there,' Tkachuk recalled Monday. 'So it was, 'Let's just get out of here.' I remember we kind of stole that game, too, a little bit. We played well, but, yeah, that was just, like, 'Let's get out of here fast.'' TKACHUK DOES IT AGAIN‼️ HE SCORES HIS SECOND STRAIGHT OT WINNER FOR FLORIDA! #StanleyCup — NHL (@NHL) May 21, 2023 Tkachuk wasn't done with the Hurricanes. In Game 3, he had the primary assist on Sam Reinhart's power-play winner in a 1-0 win. And in Game 4, he scored twice, including a tiebreaking buzzer-beater with 4.9 seconds left in the third period. Of all players, it had to be Tkachuk who put the final shiv in the Canes' back. TKACHUK BURIES THE GO-AHEAD GOAL WITH 4 SECONDS LEFT!! 😻🙌 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 25, 2023 Yes, the Panthers ended up losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final that year, but it was a step along the path to becoming champs a year later. And much to the dismay of Hurricanes fans, Tkachuk said Monday that in his view, not much has changed since the last time they saw him in the playoffs. Advertisement 'There's really not much different with us,' he said. 'Like, we're still goofing around, having fun, joking all the time. But when it's time to put those work boots on, I mean, I don't think there's a team that works harder. 'That's what makes it so much fun and so much more rewarding, is the grind of the season. We talk about it a lot. You know, start from training camp and building our game, and that playoff experience started three years ago, and this building was a part of that.' Not that Tkachuk, 27, expects anything to come easy here — not against this battle-tested, refined Hurricanes team. 'I don't think anybody really enjoys playing Carolina,' Tkachuk said, laughing. 'Very tough team to play against, and they make it hard on you every game. There were good memories here in this building a couple years ago, and that whole series for us. But it's all back to zeros now. It's a new year, new series. 'I mean, I personally thought Carolina was going to beat the Rangers last year. So when you look at it, it could have been three years in a row of us playing against each other in the conference final. So I think that just speaks to how not only talented our two teams are, but how we're built for playoffs. And they are as well. They're a great team, and it's going to make for another great showdown.' Tkachuk knows the history the Hurricanes have even beyond these past three years, a team he's seen knocking on the door of winning the East 'for almost 10 years now' — well before he arrived in South Florida, traded to the Panthers from the Calgary Flames in the Jonathan Huberdeau-MacKenzie Weegar blockbuster in 2022. 'It feels like a long time,' he said. 'They've had a great run. And it's no surprise that we're facing them.' It hasn't been an easy road for Tkachuk to make it back, personally, though. Almost three months ago, after the United States lost to Canada in overtime in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game, he could barely walk out of TD Garden. He wouldn't play another game until Game 1 of the playoffs after undergoing surgery for a lower-body injury. Advertisement Then, in that series opener against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, Tkachuk scored two goals and an assist in less than 12 minutes. In 12 playoff games, he's tied for fifth on the Panthers with three goals and tied for sixth with 9 points. Is he healthy? 'I honestly feel great,' Tkachuk insisted. 'I'm expecting to just continue to get better. The longer this goes, the better you feel. So hopefully we keep this going for a while.' With Tkachuk, even if he isn't producing, he's effective. In the Toronto series, he had no goals and four assists in seven games but was defensively sound, got in the Maple Leafs' face, got in Joseph Woll's kitchen and made sure to let William Nylander know to keep his head up at the end of Game 5 when Max Domi decided to take a last-second, message-sending run at Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Matthew Tkachuk exchanges words with the Toronto bench at the final buzzer 🍿 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025 'He brings a lot to the table, even when he's not scoring or getting points,' Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. 'He's being physical. He's a bench presence. He's a little thorn in the other team's side. So we appreciate everything he does.' It was clear that even though he wasn't producing at the level we've all grown to expect from Tkachuk in the Toronto series, his line with Sam Bennett and 'Mr. Clutch' Carter Verhaeghe was getting better and better. In Game 4, according to Natural Stat Trick, Tkachuk's line was even in five-on-five numbers. Tkachuk did assist on Verhaeghe's game-winning power-play goal. In a Game 5 rout in Toronto, Tkachuk's line was dominant, with a 16-3 advantage on attempts, a 9-1 edge on scoring chances, a 71 percent expected goal share and a 1-0 upper hand on goals, with Tkachuk assisting on Dmitry Kulikov's winner. Advertisement In a Game 6 loss in Florida, Tkachuk's line had a 20-6 advantage on attempts, a 7-3 edge on scoring chances, a 3-1 upper hand on high-danger chances and a 75 percent expected goal share. And in the Game 7 win, Tkachuk's line won the attempts battle at 23-13. 'I thought he was considerably behind it in the Tampa series,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday. 'I mean, I played him 12 minutes the first night, and a lot of that was power play. And then he just kind of built and built, and now it's back up close to (20 minutes per game), and I don't think about it. 'He's back. I know he's like 100 percent. Taking hits, giving hits. We don't talk about his minutes. So he's had a really big impact. I think it built through the Toronto series. I had (Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk) almost in the three-hole at the start, but that's because the (Anton) Lundell line (with leading scorers Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen) was going so well. And then (Sunday) night, I ran those guys hard, because they were right.' If Tkachuk is indeed 100 percent, the Hurricanes know better than anyone that he is always a threat for a big moment or three, whether that's in the first period, the waning seconds of the third period or, yes, deep into quadruple overtime. 'He does all the things right,' said Panthers defenseman Seth Jones, who'd known Tkachuk only as an opponent until coming over in a pre-deadline trade. 'He doesn't cheat the game. When he's not backchecking, he's physical. He's constantly in the other team's crease, causing havoc, drawing penalties, just being a pest out there. And I think that, along with the goal scoring, he's one of the best in the world at that. 'Off the ice, when I first got here, he was hurt. He was injured. And when he came back, you could feel the energy in the room. Whether it's pregame, on a practice day, anything like that, he's constantly talking. He's constantly keeping the room light and getting everyone going, making sure everyone feels good about themselves in their game and where they're at. On and off the ice, he's a big leader on this team.' And Canes fans have seen, with Tkachuk at Lenovo Center, 'off the ice' can mean heading for the corner exit with a victory in hand.
