With the NHL season set to embark in just six days, the Tampa Bay Lightning ensured that star forward, Brayden Point would be in the lineup come puck drop. After an extended off-season and some uncertainty and concern regarding Point’s status in 2019, both sides were eager to get this deal out of the way. Let’s take a closer look at how both the player and team reached an agreement.
After the signing of his fellow defensive compatriot, Charlie McAvoy, it was only a matter of time before we saw Brandon Carlo’s name in the headlines for the Boston Bruins. After a summer of uncertainty, and the start of the 2019/20 NHL campaign just around the corner, it was evident that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and his management group had some work to do and business to conduct. He did more than just “conduct”: business, and inked Carlo to a two-year bridge contract extension, worth a total of $5.7M. Here’s how both the Bruins as an organization and Carlo reached an agreement.
After bursting onto the scene in October 2017, Charlie McAvoy and the Boston Bruins were on the clock as training camps from across the NHL kicked off. The 21-year old, smooth-skating defenseman was one of four high profile restricted free agent blue-liners this summer, joining teammate, Brandon Carlo, and the likes of Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov. It took a few months, but McAvoy and the Bruins reached a 3-year/$14.7M contract extension.
Dom Lunardo | September 18th, 2019 The crown jewel and hometown boy who grew up a die-hard Maple Leafs fan has signed on the dotted
After jubilantly raising Lord Stanley’s illustrious mug for the very first time in franchise history back in June 2018, it was a bitter and rather premature end to the season for the Washington Capitals during the 2018/19 campaign. A fourth straight Metropolitan Division crown was a recipe for yet another hopeful (and successful) postseason in the nation’s capital, but for Alexander Ovechkin and Co., this wasn’t to be this time around.
And you really don’t remember, was it something that he said? Are the voices in your head calling Gloria?” Gloria, a hit song by Laura Branigan, became the staple tune for the St. Louis Blues and their fans during their remarkable run to the 2018/19 Stanley Cup Championship last June. For a team that looked absolutely dead in the water at the start of the calendar year, Head Coach Craig Berube and his wonderful staff, coupled with the trust, belief, and backing from General Manager Doug Armstrong turned a lackluster, underperforming team into one of the best sports stories in recent memory. And let’s not forget the emergence of goaltender Jordan Binnington and the rest of the Blues roster who were each instrumental during their unbelievable stretch run. What can the Blues produce as an encore heading into the new campaign which is set to kick off in just under four weeks time?
“Getting strong now…won’t be long now”. (Cue the iconic and timeless theme song from the classic Rocky Balboa films). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Home to the famous Liberty Bell, the “Philly Cheesesteak”, and die-hard sports fans who good or bad, ruthlessly cheer for their Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and of course, the black and orange, Philadelphia Flyers. Let’s take a closer look and delve into what the upcoming season has in store for one of the most legendary franchises in the National Hockey League.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for its Three Sisters Bridges, “Steelerstown”, and the 5-time Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr, and of course Sidney Crosby, are just some of the famous names who have donned the famous uniform in The ‘Burgh. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the die-hard fans in Pittsburgh have rather unpleasantly seen their beloved Penguins endure consecutive postseason appearances end much earlier than expected. Hey, as they say, you can’t win em all. But with 71 and 87 getting into their mid-to-late 30s, the time is now for the Penguins to push and hopefully raise Lord Stanley one more time.
“Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit”. Scintillating set of lyrics that forms a direct correlation with the Red Wings and the die-hard sports fans in Detroit, Michigan.
Minnesota. The state of hockey. Proud home to one of the most passionate fan bases in the National Hockey League. A state known for its widespread hospitality, infamous “Twin-cities”, and it’s love for all sports from the collegiate to the professional level. Teams like the Twins, Golden Gophers, Timberwolves, Vikings, and of course, the Wild, dominate headlines and conversations from all facets of life. Although there have been changes both on and off the ice this off-season, one thing remains certain. The love and dedication of the Minnesota fans for their sports teams run high and deep across the beautiful state of Minnesota.
Boston, Massachusetts. One of the most successful sports cities in all of North America. The city where the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, and even the New England Patriots can flex their muscles to the rest of the die-hard sports fans from different cities across the U.S. who can only wish for such supremacy and bragging rights. Enter the good old Boston Bruins. The big, bad Bruins, Killer B’s, Bears, or Black and Gold. A historic, original-six franchise who hockey fans either love or hate…unless you’re from Boston, of course.
Winnipeg, Manitoba. “The Peg” as it’s commonly referred to, is home to the Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the one and only Winnipeg Jets. When the Jets relocated from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 1996, one fan held up perhaps one of the most iconic flags in the history of the NHL. The flag proclaimed: “One day our Jets will fly again”. Die-hard hockey fans from around the globe probably shed a tear whenever they hear such sentiments. That sign is just the tip of the iceberg for the passion that runs high in Winnipeg, MB for their beloved Jets.
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