The Seattle Kraken, like all NHL organizations, are going to need a quality leadership group next season if they are going to be successful in their inaugural year. When looking back on the Carolina Hurricanes team that general manager Ron Francis had managed, they always consisted of a well-respected leadership group. Whether it was the
NHL Expansion
The National Hockey League’s playoffs are rapidly approaching, and things could look very different this season. Not only do teams need to consider their own strengths and weaknesses as they relate to potential playoff runs, but COVID-related quarantine periods will also factor in, as will the thought that a piece they gain for the remainder
I recently wrote an article highlighting young players or prospects that the Seattle Kraken could target in the Expansion Draft. While this is a worthwhile approach that I believe they should use, it is not very conducive to Stanley Cup contention in the short term. If Seattle hopes to contend from its inception, as I
The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators finished up a two-game set on Monday, with each claiming a win. Both clubs have been great examples over the years of what NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman envisioned when the league expanded into the southern United States. In cities where the sport of ice hockey was mostly
This week the Buffalo Sabres made the unavoidable decision to relieve head coach Ralph Krueger of his duties. The Sabres, as has so often been the case in recent years, are having an awful season. A series of Covid-19 cases ravaged the team in February, and their captain suffered a neck injury that has kept
In the Scotiabank North Division, teams have been battling each other for more than a month. The All-Canadian division has suffered very few COVID-19 related interruptions compared to the divisions south of the border, other than some extended quarantines and a recent inconclusive test that caused Edmonton Oiler winger Jesse Puljujärvi to miss a single
On June 25, 1997, the NHL’s board of governors approved new teams for four cities in an ambitious plan to expand to 30 clubs within three years. (from ‘N.H.L. Names 4 Cities For Its New Franchises,’ New York Times, 06/18/1997) Nashville was the first to join for the 1998-99 season, followed by Atlanta the next
Could the Detroit Red Wings have a new rival soon? Now that the Seattle Kraken have officially revealed their team name, the NHL suddenly has two octopus-affiliated franchises. There are two schools of thought on a potential Red Wings-Kraken rivalry: “Sure, why not” and “please don’t force this.” Personally, I’m with the former, because that
On June 7, 2018, after 44 years of trying, the Washington Capitals finally lifted the Stanley Cup. In Oakland, California, 43 years, 2 months, and 10 days earlier, the same team took turns lifting a trash can around the ice in mock jubilation. The achievement they were celebrating? A regular-season road win. It would turn
SEATTLE — John Goodwin had the honour of being the first and it was a bit unnerving. He was a pro scout representing a franchise without a nickname and nearly two years away from having a roster — with an arena still under construction — and walking into an NHL arena for the first time
We look at some options for new Seattle NHL team names, a more difficult task than days gone by. Sports back in Grandpa’s heyday were so much easier than they are today. Case in point: team monikers. Back then, franchise names were so simple, so logical that they rolled right off the tongue. The NFL
The Vegas Golden Knights are a paradox. For one, they’re an ice hockey team based in the desert. The National Hockey League’s success – or lack thereof – in such markets doesn’t exactly inspire great confidence (see: Coyotes, Arizona). Plus, the Golden Knights were the first major professional sports team to call Las Vegas home
report this ad June 6, 1967. If you are an old-time hockey fan, or a purist, that date is a day of infamy. If you are of the more modern generation, you likely think of it as the day that the Original Six became 12. No matter how you view the date, it is the