A big story earlier this week was the comment caught on a hot microphone by now former NHL referee, Tim Peel. The quote was, “It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a #$&%*! penalty against Nashville early in the…”. An unfortunate comment but it confirms what a lot of fans have felt for a long time that NHL referees manage the game and call penalties accordingly. We commonly hear commentators say things like, “The refs are putting the whistle away” or “Looks like a make-up call,” etc. Depending on who you ask, you might find people that have no issue with that approach to the game. Others tend to argue that a penalty is a penalty whether it is the first minute of the game or the last minute of the game.
I am not advocating for how the game should be refereed in this post, I just want to look at the data to gather any insights on how and when penalties are called in a game.
NHL Penalties Called by Period
Already this is a bit of a ‘tell’ on how penalties are called in the NHL. Of course, our analysis will not stop here so let us dig into this a bit.
Third Period Penalties Called
It is worth exploring the third period a bit. Conventional wisdom says that referees tend to “put their whistles away” towards the end of a game. I chose to breakdown the period in five-minute increments and compare how penalties are called in the period.
A couple interesting things to see is that the third period tends to have the most even distribution of penalties called in these five-minute increments when compared to the other two periods. The first and second periods tend to ramp up in penalties called during the course of the period while the third period stays relatively flat. Also compared to the other periods, the third period has less penalties called in the last ten minutes.
…But that is not telling the whole story.
NHL Penalties by Period with Game Context
What we need is context of the penalties relative to the game situation. For this I use goal differential. However, we cannot simply look at how many penalties are called based on the goal differential in a game because the data would be inherently biased due the fact that games start in a tie and one-goal games are more common earlier in the game compared to two-or-more-goal differential games.
30 percent of game minutes are played when the game is tied; 36 percent are played with a one-goal differential; 18 percent are played with a two-goal differential, which leaves 16 percent at a goal differential of three or more. If we just look at volume, the data will be skewed toward tie and one-goal games since there is more time (opportunity) to call penalties. To figure out a rate of penalties called I have landed on “penalties per 60 minutes”.
This agrees with the belief that referees tend to avoid calling penalties in tight games (either tied or one-goal games). Let’s go to another level of detail by looking at this spread by period.
Ok, now we are getting somewhere. This says that there is an average of 2.4 penalties called per 60 minutes in the third period compared to three and 3.6 penalties called per 60 in the first and second period respectively.
Now if we just isolate the third period and we break the period into five-minute chunks, we see that the tie games in the last five minutes of the third period has the lowest rate of penalties called per 60.
There is still more work to be done here, but directionally it would appear that managing the game and putting away the whistle is common across the NHL relative to game differential based on this quick analysis.
I hope this gave you some insight into some of the narrative around the referees this week. If you have any questions or feedback feel free to drop me a note in the comments section or on Twitter. Thanks for reading.
It’s been a roller coaster of a week in the hockey world with several high points matched by equally low points. We at Sound Of Hockey are here to fill you in on anything you may have missed on this wild ride. Please ensure your safety belt is fastened, keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and secure your belongings. Because it’s time for another round on the high-octane thrill ride that is Weekly One-Timers.
Some good news, some very ugly news for local WHL teams
Thunderbirds dismiss two players after racial incident
We will start with the ugly and certainly more scandalous news out of the WHL. The Seattle Thunderbirds announced in a statement Thursday that two of their players have been removed from their roster following an incident in the team’s dressing room, in which they made racist comments aimed at a third player on the team.
It’s not a good situation, and I feel for the victim of the verbal abuse. It’s yet another stark reminder that hockey has a very long way to go before it can claim to be an inclusive community, which it certainly still is not.
Credit to the Thunderbirds for taking the situation seriously and invoking their zero-tolerance policy toward racism and bullying.
Dustin Wolf is good at hockey
Ok, here’s the good stuff I promised. Dustin Wolf has played three full games for the Everett Silvertips this season. He has not yet allowed a goal. The latest triumph for the 19-year-old Calgary Flames prospect came by way of a 3-0 victory over the Tri-City Americans on Wednesday, in which Wolf confidently stopped all 30 of the shots he faced.
Remember, Wolf was one of the players who was allowed to temporarily play in the AHL with the eligibility rules altered due to the ongoing pandemic. While playing for the Stockton Heat, Wolf appeared in three games. He was shellacked the first night but rebounded to allow just three combined goals in his second and third starts, returning to the WHL with a 2-1-0 professional record.
Now back in the WHL and facing shots from players more his age, Wolf looks unbeatable. The streak ties Wolf with Carter Hart for most consecutive shutouts by a Silvertips goalie and leaves him one shy of tying the league record. He now has 23 career WHL shutouts and is just three away from tying Hart and Tyson Sexsmith for the WHL career shutout record of 26.
Can Wolf come up with four more shutouts in this short 24-game season to break the all-time WHL record for career shutouts?
Tim Peel gets fired
This happened on Tuesday. Please note there is naughty language heard in the below video, so please say “Earmuffs” to any small children in the immediate vicinity before pressing the play button.
Maybe if you're a mic'd up ref, you shouldn't express how you wanted to call a penalty against a team earlier in the game, changing how you ref the rest of the game.
“What?!? How could they fire him for that? He’s just doing his job!”
“Completely unacceptable! Tim Peel shouldn’t have been fired!”
“I can’t believe the league did that!”
“This is exactly what has been happening in the NHL forever!”
Worth mentioning, none of the above quotes are real quotes from the internet, but it is a pretty fair representation of what was being said within the given timeline.
The general opinion of Sound Of Hockey on the matter is that Tim Peel got screwed. He was a veteran referee on his way to retirement after this season. He was managing the game, just like every NHL referee has done and will continue to do. His only crime was that he got caught on a hot mic verbalizing the unwritten strategies that officials employ to make sure they aren’t the ones deciding the outcomes of games.
Have you ever noticed that there are far fewer penalties called later in games? Have you ever noticed that if a team has a questionable call go against it, it tends to get the next one in its favor? Have you ever noticed that penalties are simply not called consistently in any game ever?
It’s all game management. Peel just talked about it and was heard on a broadcast, and now he’s been scapegoated.
If the league wants referees to simply call games as they see them, then it needs to identify the game-management approach as a problem and holistically re-think how it trains officials. Firing a guy just for talking about what he’s always been expected to do isn’t the answer.
Here’s a little something to remember Peel by as he rides off into the sunset in a way he certainly never expected.
In honor of the @NHL firing referee Tim Peel today for his hot mic incident, I'd like to play him off with his finest moment as an official when he took a puck to the nuts that ended up in the net pic.twitter.com/4c7PDfYEtw
The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament is starting Friday morning (that’s today!) at 10AM Pacific when MY WISCONSIN BADGERS take on the Bemidji State Beavers on ESPN2. Could MY WISCONSIN BADGERS follow in the enormous footsteps of the Badger women by winning another national championship for the **undisputed best school in the nation?
**Note: Asterisks indicate a heavily disputed claim.
As much as I would love to see Wisconsin win this thing (UPDATE: Wisconsin lost in the first round to Bemidji State), it’s North Dakota’s tournament to lose. But as we learn every year, anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s what makes it such a great viewing experience.
There was supposed to be a second game played at 10AM Friday, but Notre Dame has been forced to back out of the tournament due to COVID protocols. Ironically, the Fighting Irish were only included in the field because St. Lawrence University previously had to shut down its season for the same reason. Notre Dame’s game against Boston College is considered a no-contest, so the Eagles automatically advance and will now have to win just one game to reach the Frozen Four.
Hopefully this is the last COVID-related hiccup, as this is primed to be an incredible tournament.
UPDATE: It was not the last hiccup, as Michigan has also had to back out due to a positive test. UMD automatically advances.
Here is the full bracket.
NWHL Isobel Cup Playoffs
Another big-time tournament gets underway on Friday, as the NWHL will finally finish its condensed season and award the Isobel Cup this weekend. The semifinals will be played Friday at 2PM and 5PM Pacific and the final will be played Saturday at 4PM Pacific. All games will be shown live on NBCSN.
The Boston Pride, Connecticut Whale, Minnesota Whitecaps, and Toronto Six make up the four-team field.
You Don’t See That Every Day
Goalie Goal
We have a goalie goal in the USHL! I repeat, we have a goalie goal in the USHL! This is not a drill.
Tri-City Storm netminder Todd Scott absolutely drills it, then celebrates accordingly. Yes, I am crying. It’s just so beautiful.
“We’re going to need clean-up in the Taggart box, please”
Pierre Dorion got really mad after his Ottawa Senators lost in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and took his frustrations out on what appears to be lemonade or some other citrusy beverage.
We’re just really hoping our box gets cleaned before we can get back into it…😂 https://t.co/MAzVBUcTTE
The outburst reminded me of Cam Neely whipping his water bottle two years ago during the playoffs, and it also reminded me that I performed some video magic at that time.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Here we go with Sound Of Hockey’s fourth mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. Queue the blaring horns and confetti cannons.
Like the previous three that were written by colleagues John Barr, Josh Horton, and Darren Brown, I found the exercise fun and harder than it would appear. It turns out that it’s easier to mock other people’s drafts than it is to mock your own Expansion Draft.
Also, this gives me the chance to do two things I don’t actually enjoy – writing in first-person and doing a mock draft. But I’m a team player and so here my neck is, out and exposed.
When doing this I tried to put myself into the head space of Kraken general manager Ron Francis to figure out how he would go through the Expansion Draft process. I also imagined what it was like to win the Stanley Cup, which Francis has done twice. It seems like it would be nice, so let’s hope that is what he ends up doing here in Seattle.
I tried to balance youth with experience for my first Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. I say ‘my first’ but let’s face it, nobody is going to ask me to participate in a real one, ever. Finding that balance is harder than it seems. It’s also made harder since we are tied to the rules we established. Trust me, I tried to make an exception or two, but was told I couldn’t.
These mocks come after a great deal of effort and – I think – level-headed guess work, as we tried to predict how the protection lists of the other 30 teams would look. You should definitely check those out at some point; they are worth your while.
After a brief look at those rules, we’ll get into it with my team. A feisty, scrappy, and hard-working group that will win at least 20 games, year one. Plan a parade.
Rules of the Sound Of Hockey Mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft
Protection lists are based on latest projections on Sound Of Hockey (Central, East, West, North).
You are allowed one UFA draft-and-sign selection. This selection should pass the sniff test of being a legitimate option (i.e. expecting to draft and sign Alex Ovechkin does not feel legitimate).
No side deals. Although we are aware that this will be a major part of the actual Expansion Draft, we don’t have enough insider knowledge about what could be done here or what the Kraken would actually try to pull off. So for the purposes of this Mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, we’re keeping this off the table.
The Expansion Draft picks
Anaheim: Danton Heinen (LW) – The Ducks have a couple of veteran defensemen who could make intriguing picks, but I felt I could get defensemen elsewhere so went with winger Danton Heinen. I don’t expect scoring from a guy who will be a depth winger, but I want him to win shifts and his career positive Corsi and expected goal numbers show he can do that.
Arizona Coyotes: Adin Hill (G) – Hill, who played for the Portland Winterhawks, is a promising 24-year-old goaltender. He has the potential to be a number one but may still need some seasoning as a backup for a year or two. More on that later in this draft.
Boston Bruins: Nick Ritchie (LW) – Another young forward, Ritchie drives the play and could end up in the Kraken’s top six. If the Kraken can get players like that in the Expansion Draft then they will be in good shape.
Buffalo Sabres: Cody Eaken (C) – There is not a lot to choose from off of the Sabres roster as things are not going so well in Buffalo. I nabbed Eaken here as a veteran of over 600 games who could provide experience in the bottom six.
Calgary Flames: Sam Bennett (C) – Bennett has recently begged out of Calgary so lets get him a new home and hope he can bring his playoff success into the regular season.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jake Bean (D) – The Hurricanes have a number of good players who will be exposed and I’m picking up Bean here. A former first-round pick of Francis, he’s coming off a season where he won the AHL’s Defenseman of the Year award and should work his way into a top-pairing role with the Kraken.
Chicago Blackhawks: Brandon Hagel (LW) – Hopefully Hagel doesn’t play himself into being protected by the Blackhawks, but he’s 22 and only getting better. He will probably end up protected, but within the rules of this Mock Draft, I’m taking him.
Colorado Avalanche: Devon Toews (D) – An obvious choice here and Seattle will add a top-pairing defenseman. If the Avalanche choose to protect him, it will open up other nice options for Francis and the Kraken.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Eric Robinson (LW) – Speed is the name of the game in today’s NHL and Robinson has it. That’s enough for me to add him here.
Dallas Stars: Jason Dickinson (C) – Watch veteran Joe Pavelski here. If he’s exposed by the Stars, which could free them of his high salary, he might be the pick. But we have him protected so I’m going with Dickinson who is a possession center.
Detroit Red Wings: Troy Stetcher (D) – The picking is slim with the Red Wings but I like Stetcher as a bottom-pairing defenseman. He won’t be flashy but plays a solid game.
Edmonton Oilers: Tyson Barrie (D) – Barrie is having a strong resurgence this season and will be a nice, puck-moving defenseman for the Kraken. His underlying numbers are solid, and I’m using my one UFA allowance here, which won’t break the bank.
Florida Panthers: Anton Stralman (D) – I’m going with a veteran two-way defenseman, but I’m interested to see if the Panthers expose Patric Hornqvist. If they do, I might be tempted to add him and his offense.
Los Angeles Kings: Olli Maatta (D) – I wasn’t blown away by what the Kings have to offer, and I went with Maatta who’s better days may very well be behind him. I like him for depth and the Kraken would only need to pay him for one more season.
Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba (D) – This is a no-brainer pick as Dumba is a top defenseman and still early in his career. There are rumors out there that the Wild could move him before the Kraken can get their mitts on him. If that’s the case, then I’d go with another defenseman in Carson Soucy.
Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen (G) – It is becoming more and more clear that Allen is destined for Seattle in the Expansion Draft to become Seattle’s starting goalie. I like him to serve as a mentor for the younger, less proven, goalies I’m stocking up on.
Nashville Predators: Connor Ingram (G) – Speaking of unproven goalies, I’m taking a swing at one with Ingram. He’s put up great AHL numbers but has yet to play an NHL game. If all goes well, Ingram and Hill take over the crease in a couple of seasons.
New Jersey Devils: Miles Wood (LW) – Wood has a glue-guy type of game and every team can use on of those, so welcome to Seattle, Miles.
New York Islanders: Josh Bailey (RW) – Another veteran who does a little of everything. You can’t go wrong with Bailey in your lineup.
New York Rangers: Brendan Lemieux (LW) – Boy, most of the Rangers’ interesting players are not available in the Expansion Draft so come to Seattle, Lemieux, here’s a nice Kraken jersey for you.
Ottawa Senators: Chris Tierney (C) – Another veteran from a team without a lot of exciting options. He can play and is having an OK season for a bad Senators team.
Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere (D) – I like defensemen who can score so I’m taking the ‘Ghost Bear’ from the Flyers. There are other options here up front and keep an eye on Jakub Voracek. Gostisbehere is not the best defensive defenseman but he’ll be my power play guy.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Teddy Blueger (C) – I like Blueger’s game. He won’t light up the scoreboard but can kill penalties and give you good minutes every night.
San Jose Sharks: Alexander True (C) – It came down to the two hometown guys with the Sharks. I took True over Bonney Lake’s Dylan Gambrell because he’s younger, bigger, and I like big centers.
St. Louis Blues: Zach Sanford (LW) – I wanted a power forward up front and Sanford gives me that.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Ondrej Palat (RW) – The Lightning have a number of options and are probably primed for a side deal with the Kraken that will give Seattle an Expansion Draft bounty of sorts. I’m taking Palat here as he has the potential to be a staple in the Kraken top six.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Adam Brooks (C) – I’m taking another swing here at future potential with Brooks. He’s scored at the lower levels. Can he in the NHL? Let’s find out.
Vancouver Canucks: Kole Lind (LW) – Perhaps the Canucks’ top prospect, Lind is knocking on the NHL door and we could strike gold here.
Washington Capitals: T.J. Oshie (RW) – Honestly, I wanted to avoid being the Kraken message board hero here. I don’t believe in drafting guys with local ties to breed excitement amongst the fans. I only want productive players. Turns out, Oshie is still productive, so let the reunion begin.
Winnipeg Jets: Logan Stanley (D) – If he’s exposed, I like Stanley. He’s huge and physical and will anchor what will now be known as the “imposing Kraken blueline”.
Overall Thoughts
The thing that jumps out at me when trying to predict who the Seattle Kraken select in July’s Expansion Draft is that centers are at a premium.
Most of the talent available to Francis is on the wing and on defense. Center is important so it will be a position that may need to be addressed in free agency or in the NHL Draft. It may also be something the Kraken can fill through side deals or trades.
It happened on Mother’s Day 2017. In Regina, Saskatchewan, Game 6 of the Western Hockey League’s Championship went to overtime. At 12:46 in the extra frame, Seattle’s Alexander True knocked his own rebound into the Regina Pats goal to give the Thunderbirds their first league championship.
Looking at the Thunderbirds roster you might think that winning the championship was a no-brainer for Seattle. Led by Mathew Barzal and Ethan Bear, the Thunderbirds had five players who would go on to play in the NHL.
But Seattle didn’t breeze its way to glory.
The Thunderbirds faced uncertainty both during the regular season and in the playoffs. They had to rely on a green 16-year-old rookie goalie along with what seemed to be a playoff-ending injury to Bear.
They overcame it all and this is their story told by some of the players that were there. To help re-live that magical season, we spoke with Bear, his defense partner Turner Ottenbreit, co-captain Scott Eansor, winger Donovan Neuls, defenseman Austin Strand, winger Keegan Kolesar, and assistant coach Matt O’Dette.
O’Dette served as Steve Konowalchuk’s assistant and took over the Seattle bench the next season. He is one of the last remaining links to that team who is still with the Thunderbirds.
Ethan Bear was the 2017 WHL Defenseman of the Year playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds. (Brian Liesse)
The 2016-2017 season started after the Thunderbirds dropped a tough four games to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL Championship Series the spring before. That loss lingered into the offseason and into the new year.
Ethan Bear: It was very tough. We went all the way to the finals and when another team hoists the trophy in your arena, it stings. We really wanted to win. They were a good team so hats off, but it lit that fire inside all of us returning guys.
Keegan Kolesar: It was a hard one honestly. I know a lot of guys from that team, and I see them in the summer and it always gets brought up. We have a huge argument about it and I lose it because we didn’t win.
Donovan Neuls: It was nice to get there but very disappointing. The worst part was we lost three games in overtime, being up in the third period. Looking back now a couple of overtime goals they got the bounces and we didn’t.
Matt O’Dette: Looking back, there was a really good chance we could have put two in a row together. Arguably we might have had a better team but lost those first three games going into overtime. I think in each we had a lead in the third period. Just the way we lost them was heartbreaking. Great series and obviously a lot of guys from both teams moved on to the NHL. The bounces just didn’t go our way.
Scott Eansor: It was the first time we had gone far in the playoffs and we really came together that year. To see the older guys go, we had a really good leadership group. We were really unsure as to who was coming back next year, and it was really hard to lose that.
Turner Ottenbreit: That was really tough. We had a great team that year and Brandon was a great team too. It was a great series.
Kolesar: At the time I thought we had pissed away our chance to win it all.
Thunderbirds start 2016-2017 season with uncertainty
Who would return the next year? Ryan Gropp and his deadly wrist shot had been drafted and signed by the New York Rangers. A would-be 20-year-old that could really help was likely not coming back. Barzal was going to head to the New York Islanders training camp with an eye on making the NHL. As the season began, neither player was in Seattle.
Neuls: We weren’t sure what to expect. We weren’t sure if those big guys were coming back.
Kolesar: I was confident in our team the next year too. I looked at our roster and thought depending on who gets traded, who makes pro, we still have a really good roster, but you never know how many chances you have.
Eansor: I don’t think we had expectations. When some of those guys were away a lot of guys stepped up. We were winning but not at the rate that we were with those key guys. Guys like Donny Neuls, Nolan Volcan, and Sami Moilanen really stepped up and I think that gave them some confidence in secondary scoring and leadership.
The Thunderbirds started the 2016-2017 season unsure if Mathew Barzal would return. (Brian Liesse)
O’Dette: A lot of unknowns. We were looking to build off our playoff experience. Hoping for Barzy to come back and when he came back, we were really in business. You didn’t necessarily know what was going to happen and then we got Gropp back as a 20 and now the band was back together.
Kolesar: You want to see your buddies move on to the next level. We were all rooting for Barzy and Gropper to make the jump to the next level…I think the team was in limbo trying to figure out what to do. Were we gearing up for another run or going into a rebuild?
The Thunderbirds welcomed Gropp back first after the New York Rangers sent him back from the AHL.
Bear: That was a surprise…(Gropp) coming back, he had that extra motivation and it gave us an extra spark getting Gropper back. He’s a sniper and a damn good player.
Eansor: It was a big boost. Groppy is an awesome guy in the locker room and just really a positive, good guy and it just cheers you up to see one of your best buddies come back. But it’s also sad, he deserved to stay up there.
A month after the surprise return of Gropp, word broke that the Islanders had returned Barzal to the Thunderbirds.
Kolesar: The dogs are back. We had our core group back and once we all knew we had the roster that we did, we knew we had something special.
Neuls: Everybody was excited because we knew we had a chance. We had a good group of guys who played well together.
O’Dette: He’s a friend of all the guys in the room, it was a close-knit team. When you get him back morale goes up off the ice and then the type of player you’re adding on the ice, he’s one of the best players in the league. You add that and it could be a 180 for your team. As coaches, it was hard not to be excited.
Ottenbreit: We’re having a great season as it is and to get that guy back in the lineup. We know what kind of player he is, he’s a special player and just a great person all around.
Barzal’s first game back was in Vancouver as the Thunderbirds beat the Vancouver Giants. After the game, Barzal said he told the team that he’d spring for Chipotle if they won. Did he own up and pay?
Bear: I have no clue. I don’t remember that. He bought Chipotle a couple times, so he probably did own up to it.
Ottenbreit: I’m not sure, I can’t remember but he bought us enough stuff.
Neuls:There’s no way he did. He might have bought us one along the line but there’s no way he bought us all one together.
Eansor: Probably not. He probably didn’t own to that. He didn’t at all.
Kolesar: I would give him credit if he actually did it, but I know for sure that guy sat on his wallet. Bear is just being nice.
Thunderbirds make depth moves at trade deadline to make championship run
With the offense in place, the Thunderbirds looked to shore up their defense. At the trade deadline, general manager Russ Farwell swung a pair of trades that weren’t blockbusters but helped provide much needed depth. In separate moves, he added Aaron Hyman from the Calgary Hitmen and Austin Strand from the Red Deer Rebels.
Austin Strand: I kind of expected a trade. I wasn’t sure where, but I was talking with my agent and thought it would be best for me to go somewhere else. It happened early January after Christmas break. I was taking a pregame nap and my billet dad woke me up… I was pretty pumped when I heard Seattle because my best buddy (Rylan) Toth got traded there at the beginning of the year.
Austin Strand came to Seattle in a mid-season trade and gave the Thunderbirds depth on defense. (Brian Liesse)
Kolesar: They were great guys. I got to sit next to Hyman in the locker room and I got to know him. He was easy to get along with, same with Strander. We had an incredible group of guys which made that season a lot of fun.
Ottenbreit: Those two played a huge role for us and bolstered the blue line. They were huge all the second half and playoffs and stepped up big time. We knew we could score but didn’t know how our defense would be, but they stepped up.
O’Dette: At the time they felt like subtle moves but to win a championship you need six D that can play. We were fairly top-heavy at the time with Bear and Ottenbreit. We needed depth to stretch out our back end some more. Russ made some crafty moves to add Strand and Hyman. It put less stress on our top two defenseman there.
Strand: They brought me on board and told me to do what I do. I remember I had a pretty good game in Seattle and Russ remembered that. They just told me to fit in as much as I could. I ended up getting to know those guys really well.
Eansor: The two big things with those guys is, they fit right in…they both fit in so well. Strander didn’t play with us very long but he still comes out to help with Bearsy’s camp. As a player he played a role and he stepped up to the plate and as you can see by him earning an NHL contract, he’s a really good player.
The Thunderbirds had a championship roster but faced key injuries in second half
The adversity started on New Year’s Eve against the Portland Winterhawks. Eansor, one of the team’s co-captains and key players, was injured. He would go on to miss the bulk of the season’s second half. He wasn’t alone as the Thunderbirds found a way to keep winning despite several injuries and would end the season with an impressive 46-20-4-2record.
Eansor: Sitting on the sidelines after a strong start to the season is never easy. What really made it nice was everybody was stepping up to the plate. I definitely cared about future aspirations of pro hockey, but I really wanted to enjoy and win in my last year in Seattle. It was really hard be a leader and having new guys not really knowing you since you’re not around.
Bear: It was almost like we would win at will. When we get together, we talk about it and laugh about it. A lot of our success came from having good coaches in Kono and O’Dette. They kept pushing us and after every win we’d celebrate for 30 minutes and then move on… We were bred that season to never be satisfied. We had a lot of guys willing to play their roles and bear down with every chance. We really didn’t have ego on that team. It was a really close group and I’ve never been on a team like that.
Kolesar: It was just the next man was up. No matter what happened we were still a confident team. I think that was our greatest attribute. No matter what happened we felt we were going to win.
Ottenbreit: I think the depth was huge but also going into games being confident that we could win every night. We had that mindset. We went into games knowing we were going to win. Confidence, you’d be surprised how long you could roll with that… We always had guys who would step it up.
Strand: If guys went out other guys stepped up. We had so much depth, our third line I think had Volcan and Eansor. We just knew once one of those guys got hurt everyone would elevate their game. Kono had us on a tight ship and everyone was accountable.
Neuls: A lot of guys just stepped up when they needed to. With the top guys, the other guys might have been overlooked a little bit. We didn’t necessarily fill their shoes, but we helped get the job done.
Eansor: I felt kind of guilty being out, but I just couldn’t do it.
O’Dette: Those types of situations battle test you. Strengthens your team, strengthens those bonds. When the playoffs came and we had some more kinks, those adversities that hit us in the playoffs, we were used to those things that happened. It’s just rolling with the punches.
The Thunderbirds tore down the stretch in a race with the Everett Silvertips. They would endure a couple more big injuries as the playoffs loomed. We’ll have that and more in part two of our oral history, coming soon on Sound Of Hockey.
It’s a unique episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, as a personal matter for one the hosts makes recording a full episode impossible. As an alternative, the guys chat – for a whopping fourth time – with best friend of the pod, Chris Peters.
Chris never disappoints. He brings the heat as always, diving deep into the NCAA Hockey Tournament and what to anticipate from that. He also takes a look at the NHL Draft and which prospects will be in range for the Seattle Kraken to select. He even dishes on who from the college or junior ranks could make a good coach for the Kraken.
Thanks for bearing with the guys on an altered format this week, but they hope you enjoy this great conversation with Chris. The Sound Of Hockey Podcast will be back with its regularly scheduled programming next week.
It’s a unique episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, as a personal matter for one the hosts makes recording a full episode impossible. As an alternative, the guys chat – for a whopping fourth time – with best friend of the pod, Chris Peters.
Chris never disappoints. He brings the heat as always, diving deep into the NCAA Hockey Tournament and what to anticipate from that. He also takes a look at the NHL Draft and which prospects will be in range for the Seattle Kraken to select. He even dishes on who from the college or junior ranks could make a good coach for the Kraken.
Thanks for bearing with the guys on an altered format this week, but they hope you enjoy this great conversation with Chris. The Sound Of Hockey Podcast will be back with its regularly scheduled programming next week.
Any trades between now and the NHL trade deadline on April 12 should help solidify the 30 rosters of teams participating in the NHL Expansion Draft in July. But Kraken fans should also be keeping an eye out for several potential extensions and therefore additions to protected lists across the league that could also shake up some Expansion Draft rosters.
Here are seven teams with potential player contract extensions that could shape their protected lists in preparation for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft.
Carolina Hurricanes: Dougie Hamilton
The 27-year-old Hamilton is second in points on the Hurricanes this season and is a big reason behind their success. Re-signing Hamilton is a priority for the Canes and is likely to happen. This will add Hamilton to the defenseman protected list with Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. With the three protected defensemen accounted for, this will expose young prospect Jake Bean who has been cracking the Hurricanes lineup more often this season.
Colorado Avalanche: Brandon Saad and Gabriel Landeskog
Saad and Landeskog are both 28 years old and having productive seasons for the Avalanche. Saad is playing his first year in Colorado after being acquired last offseason in a trade. Landeskog has played his entire career in Colorado and is the captain for the Avalanche. Saad has signaled that he would like to re-sign in Colorado, but the team might only have room for one of the two. If that is the case, then it is probably the captain Landeskog that remains. If the Avs manage to sign both Saad and Landeskog it might force them to expose 23-year-old forward Tyson Jost and solid defenseman Devon Toews from which the Kraken will have to choose.
Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
RNH has been a pillar in the Oilers’ forward core since he was the first overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. It’s hard to get a read on contract negotiations out of Edmonton, but his market value might prove too rich for general manager Ken Holland. If Nugent-Hopkins makes it to free agency, the Oilers will likely protect forward prospect Tyler Benson who has gotten off to a good start in the AHL.
New Jersey Devils: Kyle Palmieri
Palmieri has been the most consistent forward on New Jersey since he arrived in 2015. He has over 20 goals in each of his five seasons with the club. Palmieri is a solid NHL veteran that the Devils will want to keep around as they progress through their rebuild. The downside for the Devils in re-signing him to an extension means that they will need to expose at least one of the younger forwards they have in their stables: Janne Kuokkanen, Yegor Sharangovich, or Nick Merkley.
Nashville Predators: Mikael Granlund
There is a lot of dust that needs to settle in Nashville before we have a clear picture of who they protect. Nashville has a glut of decent forwards on their squad and they cannot protect them all. They will not be able to trade themselves out of exposing at least one of them. If Granlund re-signs, he will be a lock to be protected. Assuming these guys are on the team come July 17, when NHL teams must submit their protection list to the NHL, you can assume Filip Forsberg, Luke Kunin, and Viktor Arvidsson are also locks to be protected in the forward category. After that, the Predators will only be able to protect three of the following forwards: Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons, Matt Duchene, Rocco Grimaldi, Ryan Johansen, and Yakov Trenin. Nashville is expected to be active before the trade deadline so we would expect a lot of this to change between now and the Expansion Draft.
St. Louis Blues: Jaden Schwartz
The Blues are another team that will be in a bit of a bind for the Expansion Draft that will leave some quality middle-six forwards exposed. Locks to be protected are Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Re-signing Schwartz will add him to the protected list and that means six of the seven slots are filled. That leaves only one spot for David Perron, Zach Sanford, Ivan Barbashev, or Oskar Sundqvist.
Los Angeles Kings: Alex Iafallo
The Kings do not have a whole lot to offer in the Expansion Draft, but there are a couple forwards that could be intriguing should they remain with the team at the time of the draft. Iafallo will be protected if he signs an extension with the Kings. That would likely expose Dustin Brown and Andreas Athanasiou. Of course, if Iafallo walks to free agency and Dustin Brown is traded before the Expansion Draft, the Kraken will not have many options to choose from in LA.
A lot can change between now and July, but monitoring the trade deadline and the re-signing of some of these key players will help us forecast the protection lists for the Expansion Draft.
It was a relatively quiet week from a Seattle Kraken perspective, but we did get a few new images of the inside of Climate Pledge Arena and the progress that is being made there.
NEW: @ClimateArena is starting to really take shape.
These pictures, via the @SeattleKraken, show how the light will shine in & how the bowl will be dramatically different than the old barn that sat here.
A personal hockey anecdote comes to mind when I look at these photos of Climate Pledge Arena. When I was a young lad, growing up playing goalie for a city called Burnsville, a suburb of Minneapolis, our closest rival was Apple Valley. One of Apple Valley’s two ice arenas was connected to its high school and had a glass façade on one end, allowing sun to freely shine through during the day. It allowed for some great natural light, no doubt a rarity in hockey arenas around the globe.
But perhaps there is a reason that most arenas do not allow for significant natural light to enter.
If you had the misfortune of tending goal during a day game at Apple Valley High School, then Godspeed to you when you played at the end that faced that façade, because you could not see a damn thing. I recall getting absolutely torched during a Saturday afternoon game in peewees and then vehemently blaming the sun in the locker room after the game. As a consolation prize for giving up nine goals that day, I at least went home with a nice tan, partially from the sun and partially from the goal light illuminating behind me so frequently.
With this torturous experience in mind, I can’t help wondering if curtains will be installed at Climate Pledge Arena, because if not, then we will likely have more of the below.
My guess is that the Kraken have thought of this for Climate Pledge Arena. The sun, after all, is the NHL’s greatest enemy as per Gary Bettman.
Oh, and also, the Kraken have been ranked higher than the Buffalo Sabres in the latest NHL power rankings produced by The Buffalo News. Movin’ on up!
31. Seattle Kraken. Bettman hopeful Opening Night in October will be in front of full house. (NR)
32. Buffalo Sabres. A circus act that deserves to be below a yet-to-start expansion team. (31)
Ralph Krueger out, Don Granato in
Speaking of Buffalo, the Sabres have fired Ralph Krueger after an abysmal start to the season and a downright impressive 12-game losing streak. When the axe finally fell, Krueger’s Sabres were 6-18-4. He becomes the sixth coach fired in Buffalo in just eight years and lasted just one and a half seasons behind the bench. It’s quite remarkable how many different tactics they’ve taken within that organization; how many different players, coaches, and managers they’ve thrown at the issue that is Sabres hockey with seemingly the same miserable result every season.
And speaking of Burnsville, Minnesota, Don Granato—a Burnsville High School alumnus—takes the job over on an interim basis. Granato had been Krueger’s assistant and frankly has paid his dues. He has coached at seemingly every level of hockey, from USHL to the National Team Development Program to college hockey to the NHL. He is the brother of Seattle Kraken pro scout Cammi Granato and University of Wisconsin men’s head coach Tony Granato.
Don Granato nearly died last year after complications from pneumonia, so one has to feel good about the guy getting a shot. Still, it will be a steep uphill battle for him because the situation in Buffalo is quite dire. Only time will tell if Granato can right that porous and listing ship, or if yet another coach will be brought in to face the same impossibilities as the previous half-dozen combatants.
Women’s Frozen Four
The first day of the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four played out on Thursday.
In the earlier of two semi-finals, Skylar Fontaine scored late in the first overtime period to give tournament favorite Northeastern a 3-2 win over Minnesota Duluth.
🚨 NORTHEASTERN GOAL 🚨
In the final minute of the first overtime…SKYLAR FONTAINE WINS IT FOR THE HUSKIES! pic.twitter.com/0nHo4il3CL
The Huskies overcame a 2-0 deficit in the contest with three unanswered goals. The win means they will play in their first ever NCAA championship game.
In the later semi-final, Wisconsin jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Ohio State. The Buckeyes made a game of it, but ultimately the Badgers came away with a 4-2 victory. Wisconsin now has a chance to win its sixth NCAA title.
Northeastern and Wisconsin were the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds entering the tournament, so this should be a fun matchup for the title. That final game will be played Saturday at 4:30PM Pacific (today!) and can be viewed nationally on ESPNU.
NWHL’s founder resigns
Dani Rylan Kearney founded the NWHL in 2015 and served as commissioner of the league until this past October. Since then, she stayed involved in an advisory role and continued serving as president of W Hockey Partners, which owns the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps. She has resigned from those remaining roles, meaning her involvement in the league that she created has now ceased.
The league didn’t give any particulars on why Rylan Kearney severed ties with the league she launched, opting to instead issue a vague press release.
The NWHL is still planning on finishing its season March 26 and 27 at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass.
You don’t see that every day
Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras each score first goal
The Anaheim Ducks have several touted prospects in their pipeline, highlighted by Trevor Zegras, the superstar of the gold-medal-winning Team USA World Junior Championship team. Zegras, 19, has been up with the Ducks for 11 games but entering Thursday’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes had been held without his first NHL marker.
That changed when the slick-mitted forward gathered a bouncing Troy Terry pass and lofted it over the outstretched pad of potential future Kraken Aiden Hill.
What was most remarkable about Zegras scoring his first NHL goal was the fact that his roommate, Jamie Drysdale, had beaten him onto the scoreboard with his first NHL goal just minutes earlier, and Drysdale also assisted on Zegras’s goal. Oh, and by the way, this was Drysdale’s first NHL game.
The New York Rangers, who frankly haven’t been great this season, hung a nine spot on the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. You don’t see that every day. What you especially don’t see every day is a team hanging a nine spot on another NHL team when the winners do not have any of their coaching staff on the bench due to Covid-19 protocols.
Here are all nine tallies, including three from Mika Zibanajad, who doubled his season goal total in one period.
Perhaps the struggles on Broadway have been because of the guys behind the bench?
Tragedy in Russia
We at Sound Of Hockey were devastated to hear of the tragic passing of Timur Faizutdinov, a 19-year-old who was playing for Dynamo St. Petersburg’s junior team.
Faizutdinov was struck in the head by a puck during a game this week against Yaroslavl and eventually perished after several days in the hospital. The fatal blow came from an innocuous-looking dump-in from the neutral zone that apparently found its way around Faizutdinov’s helmet and hit him in exactly the wrong place.
Our thoughts are with Faizutdinov’s friends, teammates, and loved ones.
19-year-old Dynamo Saint Petersburg defenseman Timur Faizutdinov has tragically passed away.
He was in intensive care following a head injury sustained in an MHL match against Loko Yaroslavl on March 12.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
On this week’s Sound Of Hockey Podcast, the guys break down your latest Seattle Kraken news, focusing on the final payment update and the team’s beer deal (about which Darren is not thrilled).
The guys also discuss WHL and college hockey before diving into the huge news of last week, which was ESPN’s seven-year agreement with the NHL. There’s plenty of commentary on what that means for the league and its fans in this show.
John, Andy, and Darren give their expectations for the upcoming trade deadline before moving onto their bit, Sound Of Hockey’s Three Stars.
Segments this week include Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
On this week’s Sound Of Hockey Podcast, the guys break down your latest Seattle Kraken news, focusing on the final payment update and the team’s beer deal (about which Darren is not thrilled).
The guys also discuss WHL and college hockey before diving into the huge news of last week, which was ESPN’s seven-year agreement with the NHL. There’s plenty of commentary on what that means for the league and its fans in this show.
John, Andy, and Darren give their expectations for the upcoming trade deadline before moving onto their bit, Sound Of Hockey’s Three Stars.
Segments this week include Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
