Posts by @Dom Lunardo

When you look at the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team, one thing comes to mind: Togetherness. Over the last couple of seasons, the Hurricanes, perhaps better than any other franchise has established that its the Canes and then there are 30 other NHL franchises. Whether it’s the post-game “storm surges”, the intense roar of the red and white-covered crowd from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, or their ability to play hard game after game, the Hurricanes, without question, have some special brewing.

The New Jersey Devils as an organization had high expectations for themselves heading into the 2019-20 campaign. After landing the P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Nikita Gusev, and Jack Hughes, who the Devils selected with the first-overall pick in last summer’s draft, things were looking quite positive for a Devils fan base, two seasons removed from their last postseason berth.

“One day our Jets will fly again” For fans of the Winnipeg Jets from all across Canada, that phrase loomed large when the team sadly relocated to Phoenix, Arizona at the end of the 1995-96 season. 16 years later, the Jets (and their newly ignited fan base) made their triumphant return to the National Hockey League during the 2011-12 season. That infamous phrase was at the forefront once again in the eyes of hockey fans in Winnipeg: ”One day our Jets will fly again”.

When the puck dropped on the 2019-20 National Hockey League season, few could have predicted how the first few months would unfold for the Calgary Flames and their passionate fan base. An up and down, inconsistent start to the season that saw the Flames go 10-12-3,  was completely overshadowed in large part due to allegations surrounding Akim Aliu and Bill Peters which shocked the hockey world. Within a span of 5 days, Peters won OUT as head coach following his resignation, and Geoff Ward was brought in as interim head coach to right the ship.

The Oil City/City of Champions has seen its fair share of talent over the past 41 years. We’re all familiar with the all-time greats such as Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, and several others. The Oilers also own the luxury of having none other than both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl donning the blue, white, and orange of Edmonton. As a tandem, McDavid and Draisaitl can do it all and have become the most lethal 1-2 punch in the National Hockey League by a country mile. Both 29 and 97 represents everything positive in the city of Edmonton and their strong play has ignited a fan-base that was rather dormant for long, long stretches over the past decade

Vancouver, British Columbia. Where the mountains meet the ocean, and breathtaking landscapes and scenery are in abundance. This beautiful city located in the heartland of Western Canada is also home to the Vancouver Canucks. Over the past few seasons, things have been anything but roses and unicorns in the city of Vancouver. Long departed are the Sedin brothers (Daniel and Henrik) who together spent the better part of 17 seasons in a Canucks uniform. The team has seen a fundamental shift in personnel both on and off the ice to a squad built around skill, speed, charisma, grit and youthful exuberance.

It’s the old adage when it comes to professional sports franchises, in that you’re either “selling wins, or selling hope”. This leaves no room for interpretation or grey area, it’s simply one or the other.

Back in the 80s-90s, if an older gentleman walked into a barbershop in Toronto, and it took 30 minutes to get a haircut, chances are that he would spend five minutes talking about politics and the other 25 minutes talking about hockey. It’s instances and stories from the old days that without question fully embody what it means to be a fan of one of the most iconic franchises in NHL history, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Montreal Canadiens remain one of the most famous and recognizable franchises in the National Hockey League. We’ve all heard the names who have donned the white, red, and blue “Tricolore” of Montreal and marveled at icons such as Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jean Beliveau, Patrick Roy, Henri Richard, Guy Lafleur, and Yvan Cournoyer. Fast forward a generation (or two), to the current crop of players on the “Habs” with the likes of Max Domi, Carey Price, Tomas Tatar, and Shea Weber. Although these are all pretty good pieces, they’re a far cry from the “good old days” that so many Canadiens from across Canada and the United States were accustomed to during the 1970s.

Redefining the concept of the backup goaltender position at the National Hockey League Level. This seems like a job (best-suited) for….Jaroslav Halak of the Boston Bruins. It’s the old adage, “It’s never easy being a backup goaltender in the NHL”. When you take into consideration the lack of overall playing time, “catering” to the starter, and both the mental and physical demands of having to be 100% prepared to enter any game at the drop of a hat can be quite the daunting task. It’s also a typical and overwhelming feat for 31 goaltenders across the league. But as they say, “it comes with the territory”.

Dom Lunardo | March 30th, 2020  Belarusian-American, now that’s quite the unusual combination for an NHL player now, isn’t it? Minnesota Wild centerman, Alex Galchenyuk was

Participant in the CHL Top Prospects Game, NHL All-Star, and a Stanley Cup Winner with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. These are just some of the career accolades for current Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Toffoli. Excitement was in abundance when Jim Benning, General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, pulled off the trade that brought Toffoli to the west coach back on February 17. Benning and his management team knew they were getting not only a great player on the ice but an even better person off it. For a Canucks team that was right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race when the NHL hit the “pause” button due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canucks fans quickly recognized that Toffoli was going to be a very important piece of the puzzle.