A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep.
1. Bob Cole will call his final Hockey Night in Canada game tonight, a Saturday: Montreal and Toronto. Perfect.
At 85 and kicking, here are a few of the reflections we heard this week.
Justin Williams: “If there was a choice to watch any hockey game, you want that guy calling it. It’s just ingrained in my memory. He’s the voice in hockey in Canada…. I’m certainly sad to see him go.”
Jon Cooper: “Greatest hockey announcer of my era. I can still remember the iconic goal calls. One of the greatest memories for me was two years ago in Montreal, Bob came down to our pre-game skate, and as he does, he just strolls right into the coaches’ room unannounced. And he’s the only guy who’s allowed to do it or can do it. I asked him if he would take me to the gondola in Montreal where he broadcasts the games. I go out for the pre-game skate, I come back, I thought he’d forgot about it. Five minutes later, he wheels in there and brings me upstairs. I put a headset on and took pictures. It was just he and I. That was just one of those moments I’ll always cherish, that Bob did that for me. Just the sound of his voice brings happy feelings to me.”
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Mike Babcock: “He’s awesome. He’s an unbelievable gentleman, first of all. I think if you let him, Bob would probably work another 10 years. To me, he’s just fantastic to be around. I like the fact he’s never forgot where he’s from [St. John’s]. He goes back and he lives there and he’s been great for people and great for the game. He’s a big-hearted man, to say the least. He’s found a way to do his job in a positive manner. He’s influenced tons of people. I’m privileged to call him a friend. I don’t know what else to say.”
Rod Brind’Amour: “Total icon. He made the game exciting when you watch it. Still does. It’s just that voice. Every little shot that isn’t that important sounds like it might go in. It just keeps you on the edge of your seat. He’s going to be missed, y’know.
“Bob, he’s the best.”
2. There is a poetry to Cole knotting a bow on his legacy in Montreal.
Not only is the Bell Centre one of his dearest perches to call a game, but it was under Cole’s advice that the press box be positioned as one of the league’s premier overhead views. And Cole’s fellow broadcasters approve.
Ron Corey, the Canadiens president at the time of arena design, tapped Cole for architectural advice during a morning skate.
Now media types rave about it, and newer venues, like Detroit’s spectacular Little Caesars Arena, use it as a template.
It’s like getting Jack Nicklaus to design your golf course.
Like so many Canadians, I’ve had my own personal Cole World encounters. A couple playoffs back, he flew in early to Washington because he was set to call Capitals-Penguins on a Saturday night and wanted to prepare by attending the setup game.
Only because we’re both Sportsnet employees, my assigned chair was beside his. I got so giddy/unworthy when I saw his name stamp beside mine, I snapped a photo.
Then Bob sat down and we watched the game, side by side. A quiet thrill for one of us.
Humbly, he asked if he could go over the lineup with me. He wanted to make sure he was going to pronounce the names correctly on Saturday.
Guentzel.
Sheary.
Ruhwedel.
Surreal.
This was the soundtrack to my childhood. And I have a chance, in the tiniest of ways, to give him an assist?
On another day, I spoke to Cole on the phone. I asked, among so many things, if he ever scribbled down some of the words he might say before a big night, when someone’s season might end.
“You try not to prepare what you’re going to say. That would be too scripted,” Bob Cole told me. “I just go to enjoy the game, which I do.
“Away you go. Feel the game. Enjoy the game. I’m a fan. Not a boring job, my friend.”
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3. The Lightning could arguably have a finalist for every major individual trophy (Vezina, Norris, Jack Adams, Hart, Selke), but unless we include the Mark Messier Leadership Award, captain Steven Stamkos probably won’t be in the running.
Somewhat lost in all the feel-good Tampa stories, Stamkos is enjoying arguably his best season ever. Production-wise, he’s not been this effective since 2011-12, the year he scored 60.
With one game to go, he’s tied his career high of 97 points. He ranks ninth overall in scoring but sees less ice time on average (18:18) than anyone in the top 22. He’s cut down his penalties by almost by half, plus he’s killing them. He scored a hard-work shorty Thursday in Toronto.
Ryan McDonagh calls Stammer “a driving force for us,” and that stems from a confidence swelling from his commitment to both sides of puck.
“Everybody knows about his shot and his goal-scoring ability, but since Day One of me joining this team [in February 2018] I’ve been amazed by his play-making abilities. His vision on the ice. His unselfishness,” McDonagh says.
“You want a guy with his ability shooting the puck the majority of the time, but he realizes when there’s another guy with a great look out there, and he’s able makes those plays.”
The evolution of Stamkos from more than a pure sniper, Cooper says, has everything to do with role.
“When he was younger, he had Marty [St. Louis] and Vinny [Lecavalier] as playmakers. He was the shooter,” the coach explains.
“The game’s changed now. You can look at the Ovechkins as pure shooters, but there’s a lot more to Stammer’s game right now. To see him be north of 40 in goals is what’s expected, but to see him at 50-plus assists, he’s been able to make plays. He’s [always] had that ability; I just don’t think it was needed as much when he was younger.”
4. During his 39 days out of Maple Leafs lineup with a back injury, Jake Gardiner grew tired of fielding questions about his health.
“Not so much from you [reporters] but from teammates,” the defenceman said with a smile ahead of his return.
“I just say, ‘I’m feeling great’ every day. That’s the answer. More annoying questions. Hyman! He caught on that I didn’t like people asking me how I’m feeling, so he asks me every day now.”
So, how ya feeling, Jake?
“Great.”
On a more dour note, we can’t help but wonder how many GMs caught wind that Gardiner and his doctors had debated season-ending surgery over these past few weeks and view that as a red flag as Gardiner closes in on unrestricted free agency.
5. Roberto Luongo will start the Panthers’ season finale tonight at BB&T against the Devils.
If there is any justice, this won’t be his last NHL game.
Just in case, I hope they sell out the barn and salute a man who’s done so much for that community and that franchise. So many of us can fall into the trap of losing our perspective or our humour. Not Luongo.
6. Just like Stamkos, Justin Williams is riding his most productive season in seven years into the playoffs: 23 goals, 53 points, one helluva case that having the right man wear the C matters. More impressive: Dude is 37.
Coach Brind’Amour speaks about his captain in the loftiest of terms.
“He’s having his best career year,” Brind’Amour says.
“He’s the single most important player we have. [Leading scorer Sebastian] Aho is incredible. [Jordan] Staal is right there too. He doesn’t get enough credit for what he does. We have to have that leadership.
“Whether it’s a pre-season game or Game 7, he does it the right way. It’s so invaluable. Every team has those guys, kinda, but we’ve got a special one. I was very fortunate to walk in and have that as a guy to lean on. We’re friends to begin with. We have a history, but I cannot say enough good things about him.”
Staal, a fixture in Carolina’s leadership group, takes no issue with the way Williams — a three-time Cup champ — has grabbed the reins.
“Willy’s done a great job of leading this group, making sure everyone’s mind is right and engaged, ready to go,” he says.
That type of guidance has had a profound effect on a 25-year-old still finding his way like Dougie Hamilton, who got off to a rocky start but now has 18 goals from the blue line.
“Everyone respects him so much for what he’s been through and what he’s done. It’s pretty easy to listen to a guy and follow a guy that’s done what he’s done,” Hamilton says.
“He brings energy every day. Just a great player, it’s so impressive for him to be that age. He’s so smart and so good with the puck, it’s fun to play with him and fun to watch him.”
Worth every penny of his $4.5-million salary, Williams’ contract expires on July 1. He’ll be 38 when the 2019-20 season starts.
On one hand, he can still make an impact. On the other, quenching the NHL’s longest active playoff drought is a fine way to go out.
“I have no idea what the future holds, and I like that,” Williams told Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. “At the end of the season, whenever that may be, I’ll just decompress and see where life takes me.”
7. As spectacular as it was to watch the Hurricanes’ second-half surge into the dance from the comfort of our couch, rookie head coach Brind’Amour doesn’t sugarcoat the journey behind the bench.
“There’s always more heat on ya. When you’re an assistant, you’re just there, it feels like,” says Brind’Amour, who served as an assistant for seven years and this week might’ve become my favourite new coach to scrum. “We’re not the most talented, for sure. But we have a group of guys in there who just come to play. That’s all a coach could ever want, really.”
Brind’Amour, 48, was asked what it feels like to game-plan must-wins for six weeks straight.
“Kinda brutal. I’ll be honest,” he sighed. Brind’Amour sounded spent. Real.
“The coaching thing is awesome when you have a good group, and I have a great group. I lucked out. The hard part is the losing. When you lose, it just weighs you out, and you never recover.”
He could savour any of the victories, because they were expected. And that expectation to win every night, that’s what’s new this season. That belief, Brind’Amour says, is the greatest shift in Raleigh.
As for the losses?
“You get kicked down. This isn’t right. This doesn’t feel so good,” he explained.
“It’s definitely taken a toll on our group. That’s the downside of having to chase.”
The decade-long hunt is over; the playoffs, quite frankly, are gravy.
“We’ve slowly climbed the ladder and become relevant again,” Williams said.
What’s understood but not spoken is that the financial stability of the franchise is at play here. Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon just folded his Alliance of American Football league eight weeks after he helped birth it.
Put it this way: Multiple Hurricanes know the attendance numbers of their last home game, and they’re encouraged to know gate receipts are on the rise. I’ve never heard a player cite attendance stats to me before.
8. Last week, I wondered if the Storm Surge was actually an incentive, if the Canes tried to win so they could do something silly for their fans.
“For sure,” Hamilton told me. “The biggest one was when Evander Holyfield was there. You can’t do that one twice, so we needed to win that night.”
Hamilton says there were even a couple planned Surges that never got to see the light of day. He wouldn’t tell me what they were. “We’ll save it,” he said with a smile.
Brind’Amour — as hockey as a hockey guy gets — was awesome defending the Surge on Tuesday.
“Loved it. You have to understand: The whole premise behind it was to thank our fans, thank them for sticking with this group, this team. We’re in the entertainment business. You don’t have to sell tickets here [in Toronto], but you have to sell tickets in Raleigh. You gotta do a little extra. That’s all it was.
“Instead of the traditional ‘Hey, let’s wave our sticks to the fans,’ it was, ‘Let’s do something different.’ It morphed into something bigger and bigger, mostly because of the attention.
“It was never meant for the media. It was after the game, people. That’s the thing I couldn’t understand. I’m laughing. People are like, ‘You’re showing up the other team.’ No. They’re on the bus going home. I think it’s been great. I love it. It’s been a little sidebar, and it’s helped give this group something to wrap around, to look forward to, too.”
I asked Brind’Amour for his favourite.
“The Holyfield one is great. You can’t make that up. I just love the fact he was right into it. You get an icon like that who’s willing to step out of his comfort zone and do something fun, that’s what it’s all about. He’s in the entertainment business. He understands.”
.@holyfield joins the surge and delivers a KNOCKOUT! pic.twitter.com/zry8VkTR4m
— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) March 2, 2019
9. Don Waddell has done a fine job restoring both the Hurricanes and the turtleneck to relevancy, but just as there was a movement this week to throw former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman into the GM of the Year conversation, Ron Francis deserves some credit for helping the roster.
Francis, who’s part of the triumvirate building Team Canada’s entry at the upcoming world championships, gave a nice interview to Good Show this week (listen below) and is obviously still perturbed at how his dismissal went down.
Because he still holds a minority ownership stake in the Canes, he can’t work for another franchise until mid-season 2019-20, but the gap won’t be a long one.
What stood out most to me from the interview is Francis pouring some cold water on the idea that Canadian player interest in participating in the worlds would spike without Olympic participation or a World Cup on the docket. (Hey, it’s the best international contest we’ve got! Let’s go!)
That actually has a negative effect.
Some players agree to represent Team Canada at the worlds in hopes it will curry favour when Olympic selection rolls around.
So, does Connor McDavid — who won gold in 2016 and captained Canada to a fourth-place finish in 2018 — represent, or does he take a knee? His decision could have a trickle effect on others.
My guess, and it’s only that: McDavid opts for the rest. Hope I’m wrong, though.
10. Lightning backup goalie Louis Domingue dressing up as a bouncer — complete with ear piece, red carpet and velvet rope — to welcome the boys off the ice and into the 60 Win Club is one of my favourite moments of the year.
So, in the name of journalism, I dug into the silly bit way too much.
Depth forward Ryan Callahan wasn’t playing that night, but he watched Domingue set up the whole charade: “He keeps it light. That’s all it’s about. We’re having a really good year in here. For us not to get bombarded by the pressure, keep it light in the room, he’s one of the guys who likes to do that. We have fun coming into the rink every day, and that’s a reflection of that.”
Ryan McDonagh, straight-faced veteran: “I was the first one coming through the tunnel. I was a little surprised about what was going on, and then realized it was Louis. I didn’t recognize him. I just saw the red carpet and the suit, and he was standing sideways, so I couldn’t recognize who it was. He’s had a lot of fun. He’s kept the room really loose, and guys have enjoyed seeing what his next act is.”
Steven Stamkos, who wins because he showed Louis the inside of his wrist, where the nightclub stamp goes: “We’re a fun group. When you have over 60 wins in a year, everyone’s mostly in a good mood. So that helps. Winning is contagious. Our attitude coming into the rink, we’re a lighthearted group, but we want to win as much as anyone else. That’s what I like about our group. We come prepared and want to win every night.”
McDonagh: “It’s a long year. You’ve got to have fun with your guys. Certainly winning builds confidence and allows you to have fun. But we always hone in on what to accomplish during practice. On a game day, we’re really loose in the locker room, but as soon as warm-ups start, our focus really hones in and we get prepared for a tough challenge.”
Callahan: “[Keeping light] is obviously a good trait to have. It can also hurt ya if you’re not ready to switch your mind-set real quick. We’ve done a good job like that this year. There’s times to have fun like that, and there’s times to be serious. Our leadership group knows that. We’ve had a good balance.”
11. Already the winningest club of the salary-cap era, Tampa has a shot to tie the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62-13-7) and become just the second NHL team ever to register 62 wins — a feat Coach Cooper acknowledges “would be awesome.”
Tyler Johnson shrugs 62 wins off as an accomplishment he might look back on when he’s older and think is significant.
“We’ve got one more game,” says Stamkos, ahead of Saturday’s Bruins tilt. “We might as well. We’ll give it a try. It hasn’t been a topic in the room.
“We’ll go for it.”
Could the Lightning have selected a more appropriate soundtrack to go for the record? Their team win song is Jay Rock’s awesome “Win” song. (In which he says the word win only 58 times, not 62.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5KCFFhwpOw
12. And then there’s the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
Long out of contention, their Cup Final goes Tuesday: the Draft Lottery.
In a hilarious show of unity, the teams’ rival fan bases chanted, all together now, “We! Both! Suck!”
Amazing.
Monday’s game at Prudential Center ended with a win for who cares.
