Down the Frozen River

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  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Winnipeg Jets

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Many teams chose to retire (or honor) jersey numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status. With that in mind, what will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? Let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons for former and/or current players that should see their numbers raised to the rafters someday.

    Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    Unknown-3Winnipeg Jets

    Current Retired Numbers- None

     

     

     

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    37 Dan Snyder/Rick Rypien

    There’s no denying the tragic history that followed the Jets from their Thrashers days. Officially retiring number 37 would be a humbling gesture and one of the best things the Winnipeg front office could do to continue to honor Snyder. Although Rick Rypien never suited up for the Jets and was slated to wear number 11 with them (as they haven’t used number 37 while in Winnipeg- it was retired in Atlanta), his last days in the NHL featured the number on the back of his Vancouver Canucks jersey.

    All I’m saying is it would truly bring some closure to all the grief associated with the franchise as well as bring light to the issues of speeding while driving as well as the importance of mental health.

    16 Andrew Ladd

    Ladd became the Jets first captain when the franchise relocated from Atlanta, so it only seems natural that if he spends the rest of his career in Winnipeg, they’ll set aside number 16 in the rafters of the MTS Centre.

    9 Bobby Hull

    It was retired previously by the original Winnipeg Jets, now Arizona Coyotes- and still remains retired to this day in Glendale. Evander Kane asked for Hull’s permission to use the number during his days at the MTS Centre, but has since been dealt to the Buffalo Sabres. Perhaps it’s time to set number 9 aside officially, as to many Jets fans it already is.

    10 Dale Hawerchuk

    The Coyotes retired the number once they reached the desert and once again we have a similar instance here. It’s a once famous number of the previous installation of the Winnipeg Jets. Current Jets center, Bryan Little, refused to wear the number out of respect for Hawerchuk and switched to the number 18 when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg.

    Other Notes

    I’m sure we’ll see at least one of the names and their corresponding numbers retired by the Jets someday if they do something significant or stay relevant to the franchise for long enough that they are honored for their dedication to the team. Bryan Little (18), Blake Wheeler (26), Dustin Byfuglien (33), Tobias Enstrom (39), or Mark Scheifele (55) could one day become enshrined in Winnipeg Jets history.

    With that the “Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters” series has come to a close. I hope you enjoyed all of it, if not your favorite team’s. To catch up on any you may have missed, simply search click on the “DTFR Numbers Game” tag below and find your team.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Washington Capitals

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Many teams chose to retire (or honor) jersey numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status. With that in mind, what will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? Let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons for former and/or current players that should see their numbers raised to the rafters someday.

    Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    Washington Capitals LogoWashington Capitals

    Current Retired Numbers- 5 Rod Langway, 7 Yvon Labre, 11 Mike Gartner, 32 Dale Hunter

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

     

    8 Alex Ovechkin

    Ovi-bvious. Next.

    70 Braden Holtby

    Holtby has solidified his elite goaltender consideration for years to come with the last couple of seasons he’s been having. If he can backstop the Capitals all the way to their first Stanley Cup championship with guys like Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov in front of him, he’ll become even more legendary among Washington faithful.

    Having said that, you could throw in Backstrom’s number 19 into consideration for future discussion.

    I’ll admit that there’s not that much to go off of, but that can only mean that the best is yet to come for the Washington Capitals as an organization, on the ice, as well as for their fans. They’re still heavily favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final as it is right now with one of the best records in the NHL.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Vancouver Canucks

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Many teams chose to retire (or honor) jersey numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status. With that in mind, what will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? Let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons for former and/or current players that should see their numbers raised to the rafters someday.

    Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    Unknown-1Vancouver Canucks

    Current Retired Numbers- 10 Pavel Bure, 12 Stan Smyl, 16 Trevor Linden, 19 Markus Naslund

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    22 Daniel Sedin

    I think this one is rather straightforward, don’t you think? Years after the 1999 NHL Entry Draft saw Brian Burke pull off one of the best trades in the 1st round in the history of the Entry Draft, it would make sense for the franchise to rightfully recognize the faces of their franchise someday.

    33 Henrik Sedin

    I think this one is rather straightforward too, don’t you think? It’s only fitting that if they were to retire one, they retire the other. Also, please remember that Patrik Stefan was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999- you’ll need that someday for trivia (if not already).

    1 Roberto Luongo

    Retiring Luongo’s number 1 may receive some consideration by the Canucks when it comes time for him to hang up the skates, blocker, glove, and leg pads, given how much time he spent with Vancouver, the turnaround, and his love and appreciation for the city and fans. It might not have always been reciprocal, but one thing is for sure, he is always welcome to spend a little time strolling through Stanley Park before a game.

    The Florida Panthers should retire his number, no questions asked, once he removes himself from the game. The Vancouver Canucks should do as they please. I won’t hold anything against them if they do or if they don’t retire Luongo’s number some day.

  • December 29 – Day 80 – Déjà Vu

    In last night’s Game of the Day, we confirmed our beliefs that it’s Los Angeles and the rest of the Pacific Division, as the Kings won in Vancouver with a five-goal shutout that included the first hat trick of the Game of the Day series, courtesy of First Star of the Game Tyler Toffoli.

    The winning goal was the lone tally of the first period, compliments of Toffoli, assisted by Second Star Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic after 15:33 of play.

    6:24 minutes later (if you’re only counting game time and not the intermission!), Trevor Lewis assisted Derek Forbort to his first goal of his career in 11 games, setting the score at 2-0.  Exactly 10 minutes later, Kopitar notched his second assist of the evening with a helper to Brayden McNabb at the 11:57 mark.  The Kings‘ 3-0 lead held into the second intermission.

    If they hadn’t put the final nail in the coffin yet, Los Angeles scored their fourth goal of the evening at the 5:55 mark when Kopitar (yes, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s three assists!) and Alec Martinez assisted Toffoli to his second tally.  Toffoli completed his hat trick at the 12:56 mark with a power play goal, assisted by Drew Doughty and, you guessed it, Kopitar, for his fourth assist of the evening, setting the score at the 5-0 final.

    Third Star (guess that’s what a shutout gets you when there’s a hat trick and a four-assist night) Jonathan Quick made all 27 saves to improve his record to 19-9-1, while Jacob Markstrom’s record falls to 3-4-3 after saving only 33 of 38 (86.8%).

    The DtFR Game of the Day series now stands at 31-13-6, favoring the homers by 26 points over the roadies.

    Ten games will be played this evening in the NHL, with the action getting started at the usual 7 p.m. eastern starting time as four matchups go underway (Ottawa at Boston [RDS2], the New York Islanders at Toronto [TVAS], Carolina at New Jersey and Dallas at Columbus), followed half an hour later by Montréal at Florida (RDS).  8 p.m. eastern brings with it two games (Nashville at St. Louis [NBCSN] and Detroit at Winnipeg), with the final three games beginning an hour later (Anaheim at Calgary, Los Angeles at Edmonton and Chicago at Arizona).

    Six of tonight’s games are divisional rivalries (Ottawa at Boston, Carolina at New Jersey, Montréal at Florida, Nashville at St. Louis, Anaheim at Calgary and Los Angeles at Edmonton), while four feature teams currently qualifying for the playoffs (Ottawa at Boston, Montréal at Florida, Nashville at St. Louis and Chicago at Arizona).  Finally, tonight also features a rematch of the Western Conference Semifinals, as Anaheim takes on Calgary.

    While most of the matchups listed are tantalizing, it is hard to take our attention away from the Ottawa–Boston game due to their deadlock tie in the division table.  To the TD Garden we go!

    Unknown-2Unknown

     

     

     

     

     

    Both squads have been featured five times already in the DtFR Game of the Day series, with their most recent being against each other only two days ago in Ottawa, where the Sens won 3-1.  In the Game of the Day Series, Boston has a lackluster 1-3-1 record, while the Sens host a 2-2-1 record.

    Yes, before you write nasty things in the comment section, I’m fully aware we just watched these two go at it on Sunday (this sounds like as good a time as ever for a plug: here’s my quick-and-dirty recap of that game!).  But, the fact of the matter is that both of these teams are tied at 42 points apiece and qualifying for both the wild card spots, and a win tonight has the potential to move one of these teams into a division qualifying-spot should Detroit lose.

    You can read an analysis of both teams here.

    Some players to watch in tonight’s game include Boston‘s Tuukka Rask (four shutouts [tied for third in the league]) & Ottawa‘s Craig Anderson (16 wins [tied for fifth in the league]), Mike Hoffman (17 goals [tied for seventh in the league]) and Erik Karlsson (31 assists [tied for league lead] and 40 points [tied for fourth in the league]).

    Ottawa spoiled my prediction when they beat the Bruins at home, but I feel much more confident picking Boston to win in the Garden.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Toronto Maple Leafs

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Many teams chose to retire (or honor) jersey numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status. With that in mind, what will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? Let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons for former and/or current players that should see their numbers raised to the rafters someday.

    Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    Unknown-3Toronto Maple Leafs

    Current Retired Numbers- 5 Bill Barilko, 6 Irvine “Ace” Bailey

    Current Honored Numbers- 1 Turk Broda/Johnny Bower, 4 Hap Day/Red Kelly, 7 King Clancy/Tim Horton, 9 Ted Kennedy/Charlie Conacher, 10 Syl Apps/George Armstrong, 13 Mats Sundin, 17 Wendell Clark, 21 Borje Salming, 27 Frank Mahovlich/Darryl Sittler, 93 Doug Gilmour

    Recommended Numbers to Honor

    15 Tomas Kaberle

    Kaberle is the second highest scoring defenseman in franchise history for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That speaks for itself. He may not make an NHL return at this point in his life (and career), but he’s sure to see some well deserved recognition from the Toronto faithful and the organization he spent the most time with in his NHL days.

    29 Félix Potvin

    Surely Potvin deserves some kind of recognition for the way he broke into the league and his impressive numbers for the number of games he played in a single year and shots faced. Perhaps the Maple Leafs front office might see this one as a bit of a stretch, but it’d likely send a nice submittal message to their current goalie tandem that they too, can stand on their head sometimes and make out just fine as long as the team in front of them doesn’t give up.

    Other Notes

    Dion Phaneuf certainly isn’t going to be getting that much love (if any at all) any time soon. The only potential bright spot would be if James van Riemsdyk becomes spectacular on a nightly basis. Only then would I have at least one more player to add to the honored player list in Toronto. So yeah, there’s that.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Tampa Bay Lightning

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Many teams chose to retire (or honor) jersey numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status. With that in mind, what will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? Let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons for former and/or current players that should see their numbers raised to the rafters someday.

    Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    Unknown-1Tampa Bay Lightning

    Current Retired Numbers- None

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    4 Vincent Lecavalier

    Prior to being bought-out by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the summer of 2013, Vincent Lecavalier was crucial to the heart and soul of the franchise. Lecavalier’s leadership and craft left quite an impact on the Lightning, having won a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the franchise. Throughout Lecavalier’s storied career he has had eight 60-points- or more- seasons, all with Tampa, as he has recently battled a rash of injuries and healthy scratches with the Philadelphia Flyers.

    Regardless, Lecavalier remained faithful to the Lightning during his time in Tampa. Rumors had swirled and a trade was nearly complete in 2009, that would have sent him to his hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens, but Lecavalier was determined to stay in Tampa for the rest of his career. He wore number 4 with the Lightning out of respect for two of his all time favorite players- Montreal’s Jean Béliveau and Boston Bruins defenseman, Bobby Orr.

    In Tampa, he made number 4 his own. When the time comes for Lecavalier to call it quits, the Lightning will undoubtedly call it quits on using the number 4 and raise it to the rafters of Amalie Arena.

    The 1st overall selection of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft was the first success story of all things regarding scouting and player development in Tampa and preceded the 1st overall selection, ten years later, that is the current face of the Lightning- and another center- Steven Stamkos.

    26 Martin St. Louis

    St. Louis spent so much of his career proving people wrong about size in hockey. When many were calling for the sport to get bigger, taller, and quite possibly stronger (by default), Martin St. Louis with his 5’8” frame and dominated the game in so many underrated ways. We all know how much of a stale taste was left in the mouths of everyone after the way he left Tampa, but we all know that Lightning fans would be the first to welcome him back for his number retirement ceremony. I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long before number 26 is hanging from the rafters of Amalie Arena.

    The native of Laval, Quebec did not disappoint over the years. In fact, in the years after winning the Cup in 2004, St. Louis put up some even more impressive regular season scoring numbers. It’s too bad we only got to see this phenomenal advocate of the game play in 9 Stanley Cup Playoffs out of his 17-year career. St. Louis was always the underdog you’d root for, because his foundation of class was taller than anyone else on the ice at all times. His clutch performances with the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, although ultimately disappointing in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, will never be forgotten.

    19 Brad Richards

    Richards spent the most amount of time with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his entire career and would surely receive consideration for retiring his number in Tampa, where his game stood out better than any other place he’s been since. While his connection between the Lightning and everything he did for them is surely fading, it is important to remember how much of a role he played for Tampa on the road to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship.

    Until this year, Brad Richards held many playoff records for the Lightning. His 12-14-26 totals in 23 games played in the 2004 playoffs were never seen before by the franchise and not replicated until Tyler Johnson had 13-10-23 totals in 26 games played in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Ultimately the question that will be asked when considering retiring the number 19 in Tampa will look something like this- does being a valuable member of the franchise’s first championship, merely a little more than a decade in existence, translate into having your number retired regardless of how the rest of your career panned out?

    91 Steven Stamkos

    There is little question that number 91 will be retired one day by the Lightning. That is as long as they can keep Stamkos around long enough. The only thing that might put retirement celebrations on hold in Tampa is the looming contract extension agreement that may or may not still occur between Steven Stamkos and the Lightning. Again, as long as they have him for longer than the seven years he’s already been with the club, his number is a shoe in someday to be retired by the organization.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- San Jose Sharks

    By: Nick Lanciani

    What will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    With that in mind, let’s explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons. Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    Unknown-3San Jose Sharks

    Current Retired Numbers- None

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    19 Joe Thornton

    Thornton began his career with the Boston Bruins as the 1st overall selection of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft but was traded to the San Jose Sharks 23 games into the 2005-2006 season and has been an important piece the franchise ever since. Thornton is a stellar playmaker who has fully immersed himself into Bay Area culture to the point that he remains one of the most recognizable Sharks players ever.

    While his goal production may be sagging and his leadership has recently come into question, Thornton’s presence in San Jose was the reason why they became such a dominant team in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Now of course, the Sharks find themselves in a bit of a transition, looking to rebuild their roster and either keep Jumbo Joe as part of their long term plan to capture their first Cup or look to see if there are any organizations willing to take on such a large cap hit.

    At the end of the day, Joe Thornton is certainly deserving of having his number retired by the San Jose Sharks when he decides to hang up the skates, out of his dedication to the team and northern California hockey.

    12 Patrick Marleau

    Marleau is closing in on nearly 20 years with the San Jose Sharks and is the epitome of what it means to be a Shark. His inconsistent play these days shrouds the average hockey fan’s ability to see what Marleau has truly meant to the organization. He is a well liked leader and respected around the league. He is the first successful player to have been developed by the Sharks in their entire franchise history.

    The longtime playmaker is also the youngest player in NHL history to have reached the 1,300 games played milestone. The 2nd overall pick of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft is sure to see his number 12 raised to the rafters of the SAP Center when he steps away from the game.

    11 Owen Nolan

    Nolan spent his longest amount of time with the San Jose Sharks over the course of his 18-year NHL career. He played in eight seasons for the Sharks between the 1995-1996 season and the 2002-2003 season. Nolan, while an iconic player of the 1990s and early 2000s, was most easily recognizable wearing a San Jose teal jersey to many fans of the game.

    For the very reason of popularity alone, he stands a chance of having his number retired by the Sharks. However, compared to longtime Sharks forwards, Thornton and Marleau, Nolan’s got little chance of seeing his jersey number hung from the ceiling.

    20 Evgeni Nabokov

    Nabokov was a San Jose Sharks goaltender for ten years out of his 14-year NHL net minding career. This past season he suited up in 11 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning before being placed on waivers with the purpose of reassignment to Syracuse, ultimately opting for a trade to San Jose to then retire a Shark. Simply put, Evgeni Nabokov was the best goaltender in franchise history for the San Jose Sharks (thus far, anyway). Without a doubt, he’ll likely see his number raised to the rafters within a few years.

  • December 28 – Day 79 – Hollywood vs. Hollywood North

    I predicted a Bruins win, but the Senators proved me wrong with a 3-1 victory on home ice in yesterday’s Game of the Day.

    Ottawa snuck in the only goal of the first period with only 19 seconds remaining.  After Jimmy Hayes was sent to the box for instigating, Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson assisted Mark Stone to a power play goal.

    That late goal did not sit well with Third Star of the Game David Krejci and the Bruins during the intermission, as he scored a goal after 7:54, assisted by Matt Beleskey and Loui Eriksson, to knot the game at one-all.  Again, the Sens waited until the end of the period to take the lead, as Bobby Ryan and Mike Hoffman assisted Second Star Mika Zibanejad to the game-winner with only 1:39 remaining in the second period.

    The final goal only occurred because Tuukka Rask was on the bench to give the Bruins a man-advantage.  It was a copy of the Senators‘ first goal, with Turris and Karlsson assisting Stone to an empty netter with 54 seconds remaining in the game, setting the score at the 3-1 final.

    First Star Craig Anderson made 38 of 39 saves (97.4%) to improve his record to 16-9-4, while Rask’s record falls to 13-9-3 after saving 19 of 21 (90.5%).

    The DtFR Game of the Day series now stands at 31-12-6 in favor of the home side, leading the roadies by 28 points.

    After 18 games over the weekend, Monday is a slightly relaxed schedule, featuring six matchups.  The action gets started at 7 p.m. eastern when Washington visits Buffalo, followed half an hour later by Montréal at Tampa Bay (RDS).  Two games drop the opening puck at 8 p.m. eastern (the New York Rangers at Nashville [TVAS] and Detroit at Minnesota) and are the last games to start before 10 p.m. eastern, when Los Angeles visits Vancouver.  Finally, this evening’s nightcap gets started at 10:30 p.m. eastern when Colorado visits San Jose.

    Two of tonight’s games are between divisional rivals (Montréal at Tampa Bay and Los Angeles at Vancouver), while three are between quality squads currently qualifying for the playoffs (New York at Nashville, Detroit at Minnesota and Los Angeles at Vancouver).  Finally, Montréal at Tampa Bay is also a rematch of one of last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.

    Even though the rematch provides interesting storylines, I’m taking the personal leverage to instead focus in the Los Angeles–Vancouver, mostly because I want to look into the Kings‘ play.  I know, selfish.

    UnknownUnknown-1

     

     

     

    This will be Los Angeles‘ second appearance in the DtFR Game of the Day – the other time they were featured, they fell in Chicago 4-2 on November 2.  Tonight’s game will be Vancouver‘s first appearance as the Game of the Day.

    The 21-11-2 Los Angeles Kings currently own a seven-point lead in the Pacific Division, and are tied for third in the Western Conference.  They’ve found that success by playing one of the best defenses in the league, even though their most recent showing, a 4-3 overtime victory in Arizona on Saturday may not be indicative of that.

    Thanks in part to Alec Martinez’ team-leading 73 blocks, the Kings have allowed only 958 shots to reach the net, of which 18-9-1 Jonathan Quick and co. have saved 92.1%, allowing only 78 goals, the second best in the league.  The Kings have also killed 82.11% of penalties, allowing 22 goals on 123 attempts.

    I say it on a regular basis, but more shots usually turn into more goals.  While the Kings‘ percentages may not be on par with the league average, 86 (led by Tyler Toffoli’s 14 goals) of their 1097 shots (led by Jeff Carter’s 103 shots) have found the back of the net.  One point that the Kings should focus on to improve their offense should be their power play.  They have been successful on only 18%, scoring 18 goals on, you guessed it, 100 attempts.

    Their counterparts, the 14-14-9 Vancouver Canucks, currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, but eighth in the Western Conference.  They are currently riding a two-game win streak, with their most recent showing a 2-1 overtime victory over the Oilers on Saturday.  So far this season, the Canucks have been a better team with the puck on their stick, but both sides of the ice are performing below the league average.

    Led by Daniel Sedin’s 133 shots, Vancouver has put 1086 shots on net so far this season (well above the league average), but only 91 have found the back of the net, led by Sedin’s 16 tallies.  The main facet of Vancouver‘s offense that is holding them back is their lack of success on the power play.  On 124 attempts (well-above the league average), the Canucks only have the league-average 21 goals to their credit, led by Sedin’s five.  Given the weak competition in the Pacific division, I expect Vancouver to make moves to improve their offense in preparation of a playoff run.

    Defensively, the Canucks have needed all the help they can get.  Even though Chris Tanev has a team-leading 89 blocks to his credit, Vancouver has allowed 1129 shots to reach 10-11-6 Ryan Miller and co., of which they’ve saved 91.2% and allowed 102 goals.  The special teams’ issues continue when defending against the man-advantage, as the Canucks have allowed 124 opportunities to the opposition.  Of those, they’ve killed 79.69%, allowing 26 goals.

    Some players to watch include Los Angeles‘ Carter (+16 [tied for fifth in the league]), Quick (18 wins [tied for second in the league] and two shutouts [tied for eighth in the league]) and Toffoli (+18 [third in the league]) & Vancouver‘s D. Sedin (37 points [tied for seventh in the league] and 16 goals [tied for ninth in the league]) and Henrik Sedin (24 assists [tied for seventh in the league]).

    The Kings and Canucks have already played two games in their five-game season series.  The Canucks won the first meeting 3-0 on October 13 in the Staples Center, but the Kings were able to hold home ice on the first day of this month, winning 2-1 in overtime.

    Given Vancouver‘s defensive woes, it’s hard to pick against a stellar Kings team, even if the Canucks have played Los Angeles tough twice this season.  Expect Los Angeles to get the win north of the border.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- St. Louis Blues

    By: Nick Lanciani

    What will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    With that in mind, I explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons. Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    Unknown-1St. Louis Blues

    Current Retired Numbers- 2 Al MacInnis, 3 Bob Gassoff, 8 Barclay Plager, 11 Brian Sutter, 16 Brett Hull, 24 Bernie Federko

    Current Honored Numbers- 5 Bob Plager, 7 Red Berenson/ Garry Unger/ Joe Mullen/ Keith Tkachuk, 14 Doug Wickenheiser

    Recommended Numbers to Retire/Honor

    38 Pavol Demitra

    Demitra spent the longest time in his career with St. Louis. He had several tremendous seasons with the Blues in scoring. Sadly, he was killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslav plane crash. Out of pure respect for all who play the game and good guys like Demitra, the onus is really on the Blues to put aside his number for good in remembrance.

    20 Alexander Steen

    Steen has had a remarkable career so far with the Blues and is destined to see his number honored by St. Louis in some fashion, provided he isn’t moved by the end of his days on the ice.

    42 David Backes

    Backes encapsulates the consummate power forward and St. Louis Blue. It is without a doubt that this fan favorite, and captain, will remain a part of the Blues for years to come and see his number raised to the roof of the Scottrade Center in some capacity.

    91 Vladimir Tarasenko

    As long as Tarasenko can keep up with the thrills of his career so far, then there’s already a place reserved in the rafters for a number 91 banner at the end of his projected superstar career.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Pittsburgh Penguins

    By: Nick Lanciani

    What will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    With that in mind, I explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons. Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    Pittsburgh Penguins LogoPittsburgh Penguins

    Current Retired Numbers- 21 Michel Briere, 66 Mario Lemieux

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    87 Sidney Crosby

    To say the Pittsburgh Penguins will never retire Crosby’s number 87 sweater after his career is over is like saying penguins can fly.

    71 Evgeni Malkin

    The same goes for Malkin, as long as the relationship between the club and player never goes sour.

    81 Phil Kessel

    That’s right, I’m calling it. The Penguins will retire Phil Kessel’s number 81 one day. Not only am I crazy for making this declaration before he even touches the ice in a Pittsburgh sweater, but, well on second thought, that’s pretty much the only reason why I’m crazy. Kessel can score, that’s a fact. And anyone that plays alongside Crosby or Malkin is automatically made ten times better (if you’re not the one scoring, you’re the one passing the puck to Sid the Kid or Geno).

    So that’s why I think his number will see the rafters in Pittsburgh in the future, aside from the fact that he’s finally found an organization he can settle in for longer than ever before. *I wrote this before the season started, as things are right now, his Pittsburgh venture is about as memorable as Colby Armstrong’s days in the Steel City.*

    14 Chris Kunitz

    Kunitz may be the first beneficiary of the Crosby-Malkin affect, as he is closest to retirement, but while he has been superb for the Penguins, his number 14 likely won’t rest alongside Michel Briere’s number 21 and Mario Lemieux’s number 66.

    29 Marc-Andre Fleury

    If he lets more beach balls by him, then all bets are off. Otherwise, Fleury’s the best goaltender Pittsburgh has seen in a long time, but is that enough to put number 29 out of commission after his career is over?

    58 Kris Letang

    Letang will likely be around for a long time in Pittsburgh and given the fact that he’s their best defenseman, there’s a good chance number 58 will see immortality above the ice at the Consol Energy Center. His health issues aside, Letang is one remarkable player in all of his resilience and persistence in the game. Including his health, Letang is superhuman.

    9 Pascal Dupuis

    As a player, Dupuis was committed to the Penguins through and through. He might not have been the greatest there ever was, but he’s certainly worthy of receiving the distinction of having his number retired by Pittsburgh. Best of luck to Dupuis in his transition to the front office aspect of the game within the organization.