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NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
NHL, with the help of kids, gives Aleksander Barkov the Selke and King Clancy awards
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida's Aleksander Barkov thought the team meeting was over. He found it odd that the Panthers hadn't been told they could leave. Turns out, there was a good reason — two of them, actually. The Panthers hadn't had an opportunity to spend any time at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital — a facility Barkov works with and raises money for — during their playoff run, so the team decided to bring some of the patients into the team facility for a visit instead. And the kids came bearing gifts for Barkov. 'I thought maybe some picture, some art that they had drawn for me,' Barkov said. He hopped over the back row of seats in the Panthers' theater-style meeting room and went down to meet the kids. And imagine his surprise when the 'gifts' were brought in — first the King Clancy Trophy that gets awarded to the player that combines leadership on and off the ice with humanitarian work, then the Selke Trophy that gets presented to the NHL's best defensive forward. It's the third Selke for Barkov, and the first King Clancy. 'It was amazing,' Barkov told The Associated Press. 'I got a little emotional there. I didn't really have words to say. That was very nicely done, and I was really thankful for everyone who was part of it.' The NHL is announcing the winners of top individual awards a little differently this year, adding surprise elements with only a handful of people knowing what is happening ahead of time. The NHL and TNT had cameras and microphones inside the team meeting room for the Barkov announcement, which might have been a sign that something unusual was happening that day. And the Barkov surprises were sold perfectly, too. Panthers coach Paul Maurice was standing in his customary spot in the front of the room, purportedly waiting for another speaker and wondering if they were locked out. He opened the door on the room's right side so hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito could walk in, and Zito went right into character. Zito introduced one of the young patients, under the guise of presenting Barkov with 'a little thank-you gift.' The boy spoke for a few seconds, finishing with 'bring in the gift,' and that's when someone from the NHL carried the Clancy into the room. 'Thank you, guys,' Barkov said, holding the Clancy while addressing the handful of kids and their family members who were invited to be part of the surprise. 'Obviously, I was not expecting this. Not really too many words to say right now, but it means a lot and obviously, you guys — well, I'm a little emotional here — but I love how you guys showed up here.' If that wasn't enough, then the theater's other door opened: more kids came in, and the Selke was wheeled in with them as well. 'Another speech?' Barkov asked, still holding the Clancy as his teammates remained standing and applauded again. 'Thanks a lot, again. Couldn't have been done without you guys. Love you guys, and we still have a job to do.' That job is winning another Stanley Cup, a quest that resumes when the Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the title series. It's a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final, won by Florida in seven games. The kids at Joe DiMaggio will be watching, and Barkov considers that a privilege. 'I'm really happy to be able to help them in some way,' Barkov said.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flyers fire John Tortorella after rebuilding comments, reported verbal alteraction with Cam York
The Philadelphia Flyers reached the final straw with head coach John Tortorella. The long-time NHL coach was fired Thursday after saying he was "not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season." Additionally, a report from The Athletic's Kevin Kurz on Friday indicated that an altercation between Tortorella and Flyers defenseman Cam York, where the two reportedly "both crossed a line," contributed to the coach's firing. The team confirmed the news on Thursday, though made no mention of Tortorella's comments or the fight in the press release. Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported later on Friday that York and Tortorella did not have a physical fight, but "a heated verbal exchange." York was benched for Thursday's matchup against the Montreal Canadiens as a result of the altercation; per Seravalli, Philadelphia couldn't scratch York due to NHL rules about playing with a full roster. For Tortorella, it was seemingly the final straw. Advertisement Tortorella went 97-107-33 in three seasons with the Flyers. Associate coach Brad Shaw will take over as the team's interim head coach moving forward. Tortorella's firing comes after the Flyers fell 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. It was Philadelphia's sixth straight loss. Following the contest, Tortorella drew criticism by implying he had no interest in coaching the team. "When you're in this type of situation and you're losing all the time, and there's nothing at the end of the tunnel for you, there's certainly going to be some frustration. But, this falls on me. I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now. But I have to do a better job. So this falls on me, getting the team prepared to play the proper way until we get to the end." Some interpreted those comments as Tortorella trying to take the blame off his players. Others viewed it as Tortorella raising the white flag. At 28-36-9, the Flyers rank ninth in the Eastern Conference. The team hasn't been officially eliminated from the postseason yet, though that will likely happen soon. John Tortorella struggled to turn Flyers around Tortorella was hired by the Flyers ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season. The team was coming off an eighth-place finish in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers showed slight improvement in Tortorella's first year, improving to 31 wins. Advertisement Things looked more promising in his second season, as the team turned in a 38-33-11 record. Despite finishing the year over .500, the Flyers failed to make it to the postseason. The team failed to capitalize on that improvement this year, and sat at .500 at the trade deadline. Instead of making additions, the Flyers shipped out three players. The team went into a tailspin after the deadline, going just 1-10 in its next 11 games. Prior to coaching the Flyers, Tortorella coached the Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He led the Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship during the 2003-04 NHL season.
