Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki doing everything on — and off — the ice to prove why he's been the right choice for captain. Plus, GM Bill Guerin reacts to Olympic snubs and Alex Tuch on why making the playoffs is no longer the goal for the Buffalo Sabres.
Arrrrrr, you ready for some outdoor hockey?
With a pirate-themed venue and a Florida forecast, tonight's outdoor Stadium Series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins is sure to be one-of-a-kind. Based on the reviews of the ice surface, it also might be the last of its kind.
“It's real soft," said Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. "Obviously we get it after they practised on it. I don't know how many people skated on it before, but yeah, it's not great.”
Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov agreed: "It’s fun, but the ice? Man, come on. You can't do Formula 1 in the f—-ing dirt, you know?”
Here's the thing about outdoor games: they are gimmicky — and they are always far from perfect. Rain almost ruined an outdoor game between Pittsburgh and Washington in 2011, while a blizzard postponed this week's outdoor game between Penn State University and Michigan State University.
Sunday’s forecast is actually supposed to be one of the coldest Feb. 1 temperatures on record in the Tampa Bay area. Plus, with fans expected to be dressing in puffy shirts and eye-patches, will anyone care what the ice surface is like?
“When it's filled up with a lot of Bolts fans and a couple drunk pirates, it'll be a lot of fun,” said Tampa Bay's Nick Paul
10-Point Game
The Maple Leafs celebrated the 50th anniversary of Darryl Sittler's 10-point game last week. Here are some of the best reactions:
“Ten points in one game?! I don’t have 10 points this year.”
— Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit reacting to the 50th anniversary of Darryl Sittler's 10-point game against the Boston Bruins on Feb 7, 1976.
“The price of the ticket was 10 bucks.”
— Sittler on finding a game ticket from his monumental night.
“I hate to say this … but I was a Leafs fan growing up”
— Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff on Sittler's 10-point game
Tanned And Ready
Erik Johnson spent 14 seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. So now that the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman has transitioned to a broadcasting role, it's natural that his former teammates would give him a little ribbing. That was the case when a tanned-looking Johnson interviewed Avlanche's Nathan MacKinnon after a recent game.
Johnson: “How big was this game for you and your club coming into Detroit?”
MacKinnon: “As big as that spray tan you’ve got, that’s for sure.”
So Many Snubs
As of Sunday, Cole Caufield, Jason Robertson and Alex DeBrincat are leading all American-born players in goals scored. As of Sunday, neither of them are on Team USA's roster for the Olympics. It's a stunning omission, especially when you also consider that Lane Hutson, who is second among all NHL defenseman with 52 points, was also snubbed. But Team USA GM Bill Guerin told Sportsnet on Saturday that he still believes the team is good enough to win gold.
"All I know is that I was never going to make everybody happy."
— Team USA GM Bill Guerin on the criticism he's received over his roster decisions.
"Those guys are right there."
— Guerin on Caufield, Robertson and DeBrincat.
He Said What?
“I think Saros did a pretty good job to sell it. Throw the blocker and everything. Might have an Oscar for that one.”
— New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy was not happy with the goalie interference call against Nashville's Juuse Saros.
"We're not just going to go for the playoffs, we're going for the Cup."— Buffalo's Alex Tuch on how expectations have changed for the Sabres, who have a six-point lead as the first wild card team in the East.
"It'll be big. We'll tape a few guys together and see what we can put together."
— Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice on the injuries that have plagued his team during a critical part of the season.
Our Fans Are Way Louder Than Your Fans
“I really, really appreciate the fans that came out, but I don’t want to see that many red in the future.”
— Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the amount of Canadiens fans that made the trip to Buffalo for their game on Saturday
“Our fans are way louder than theirs.”
— Islanders defenseman Mathew Schaeffer throwing some shade to rival New York Rangers fans.
Puck The Stigma
After sitting out for a month due to mental health leave, Linus Ullmark returned to the Senators net on Saturday and was feted by Ottawa fans who showed a ton of compassion for the popular goalie. A video tribute played for Ullmark, while fans filled the building with signs reading "Loud 4 Linus" and "Puck The Stigma". Ullmark allowed one goal on 27 shots in the 4-1 win against New Jersey.
"It felt like I came out of retirement."
— Linus Ullmark on his return to the NHL.
"Our MVP tonight was Linus Ullmark ... he was a rockstar tonight."
— Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
O' Captain My Captain
Nick Suzuki, who was named captain of the Montreal Canadiens when he was just 23 years old, is in his fourth season wearing the 'C'. And with the Habs sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, thanks to a three-game winning streak, it's safe to say that he's become more and more comfortable in his leadership role. Aside from his team-leading 64 points, Suzuki has made just as big of an impact in regards to team building, where he purchased Montreal's player-of-the-game award.
“I found it online. Marty talks about having a pack mentality, so wolf’s a big theme.”
— Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki explaining why he chose a wolf's head hat for the player-of-the-game award.
“Everything he has done has happened organically. We haven’t forced anything. I know we gave him the (captaincy) at a pretty young age. We didn’t tell him how he needed to lead. ‘Just go be yourself.’ He’s gotten better every year, just like his game on the ice. He’s a big part of our team.”
— Martin St. Louis on Suzuki's growth as captain.