By: Rod Pedersen
1 – PREPARE THE BROOMS: The story of these Stanley Cup Playoffs has become the dominance of the Florida Panthers. The defending Stanley Cup champions moved within a win of sweeping Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final with Saturday’s 6-2 pulverizing of the Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena. The Cats have scored five or more goals in their past four games (including a 6-1 rout of the Leafs in Game 7 of Round 2 on Sunday) and have set a franchise record for 6-plus-goal games (5 of them) this spring. Who holds the record for most 6-plus goal games in one playoff? The 1985 Chicago Blackhawks & 1985 Edmonton Oilers who had seven each. Oh, and the Panthers became the fifth team in NHL history to have four defencemen score three-or-more-goals in one season’s playoff. The others? The 1985 Blackhawks, 1988 Bruins, 1993 Kings and 2009 Red Wings. Good God I love sports history.
2 – WHO’S NEXT?: Assuming Florida wraps up the ECF on Monday – or at any point this week – they’ll have already begun prep work on an eventual Stanley Cup Final opponent. Dallas and Edmonton are tied 1-1 in the WCF with Game 3 going Sunday at Rogers Place. Oh baby! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this series has come down to goaltending. The Stars’ Jake Oettinger is one win away from moving into fourth all-time in playoff wins by a US-born goaltender with 32. Tom Barrasso is #1 all-time (61), followed by Jonathan Quick (49) and Mike Richter (41). Not to be outdone, the Oilers’ Stuart Skinner is one win away from tying Andy Moog for #4 all-time in Oilers playoff history (23). Grant Fuhr is #1 (74) followed by Bill Ranford (25). Oh, and Skinner’s three shutouts in these playoffs have already tied Curtis Joseph for the most in franchise history in one season’s playoff. So when Oiler fans get bitching about their goaltending, I just tune them out. It’s actually surprisingly easy to do.
3 – RATINGS FALLING: We noted in this space prior to the playoffs that U.S. TV networks’ knees were knocking that the Bruins, Rangers, Red Wings and Blackhawks were all missing the playoffs and as it turns out, they had reason to be. Ratings data announced this week revealed that Stanley Cup Finals viewership in the USA has fallen 28% from last year. This Florida-Carolina series certainly isn’t helping, but it’s boring as hell. But there’s a myriad of reasons why the ratings drop probably is, and it’s up to Gary Bettman & Co. to figure out why it is. Also, if you want to know why some teams are “favored” by leagues – but not rigged – this is Exhibit A. The games cannot, and will not, ever be rigged. However thanks to the NBA, it’s hard to disprove that the draft lotteries aren’t fixed. Meh, nobody’s dying and it’s also not a matter of national security. It’s sports. Just go with it.
4 – A-TO-ZITO: Will 2025 finally be the year that Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers finally wins the Jim Gregory Award as NHL GM of the Year? He was named a finalist this week, along with Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars and Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets. Frankly, I’d vote for Chevy because he built the NHL’s #1 regular season team in a market where players voted is the least desirable to play. That’s freakin’ magic! However Zito has his team on the cusp of a third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance and perhaps more importantly, has his club positioned to be a Stanley Cup contender for YEARS to come. He’s alllllllways present, habitually sporting a Panthers tracksuit around the practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, and has his eye on evvvvvverything. The culture I’ve witnessed with the Panthers since I showed up here in 2021 is unmatched. They treat everyone with respect, class and dignity and it’s impossible not to cheer for them.
5 – JUST THE FACTS MA’AM: If you watch the Panthers games closely on TV, there’s a gentleman in a suit always around their bench who’s received plenty of TV time this spring. It’s Florida’s team Head of Security, and he’s a former local Chief of Police. Those team security jobs are highly-coveted by retired, or off-duty cops. I only point it out because Brad Marchand has been kicked out of multiple games recently and this gentleman has been seen escorting him to the dressing room in games in Toronto and Carolina. This week in Raleigh, the ex-cop threw Marchand into a mild hammer lock as they ducked under the canopy at Lenovo Center and I chuckled because it looked like he was putting #63 in the back of a cop car. Marchand is A LOT to handle – for opponents – but he fits this organization like a glove.
6 – LEAFS FALL: As was noted last week in this space, there are plenty of Leaf Lovers who read this column. Like clockwork, their team – the Toronto Maple Leafs – fizzled in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after being eliminated in seven games in Round 2 by Florida last Sunday. In the week since, Toronto’s President of Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan has walked the plank and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President Keith Pelley informed the media on Thursday that Shanahan won’t be replaced. Pelley will take it upon himself, and has vowed a closer association with General Manager Brad Treliving & Head Coach Craig Berube moving forward as he believes in these two. As for the famed “Shana-plan”, it clearly didn’t work. It makes you wonder if anything ever will in Toronto?
7 – CAT SCRATCHES: Following their 6-1 victory in Game 7 at Toronto, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice and players Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand took a swipe at the Toronto media – and the market itself – saying there’s too much pressure applied to the Leafs and a team that talented would have much more success in a market which isn’t as much of a pressure cooker. It ticked off a lot Torontonians and frankly, left me wondering why they felt the need to say anything at all however their heart was in the right place (coming to the defence of their hockey brethren). For our American readers who are wondering what the hell we’re talking bout, consider that the Leafs are hockey’s version of the Dallas Cowboys. That should bring it all into perspective for ya.
8 – DOUBLE PRONGED: Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger (Class of 2015) has exploded onto the media scene and has become all-the-rage this spring on ESPN, Sportsnet and NHL Radio with his analysis of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Admittedly, every time I hear the Dryden, ON product my jaw is on the floor with his raw, unvarnished commentary. Among the many pearls of wisdom he’s dropped recently was his comment on NHL Radio when he said, “The Mats Sundin-era Leafs had it much harder than these guys do now,” Pronger offered. “The local media back then didn’t want them to win and made it hard. The media now ARE FANS!” Omg, truer words have never been spoken! Enjoy Pronger’s honesty now because the longer he’s in the mainstream, the sooner his narrative will become “manicured” to fit the script. Book it.
9 – COMINGS & GOINGS: Last week we listed the many job openings which had been filled across the NHL. There were far fewer this week however on Friday the NY Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as their new General Manager – replacing Lou Lamoriello – as the former NHL player leaves Tampa Bay where he’s worked in hockey operations since 2019; most recently as Assistant General Manager. … Meanwhile the Chicago Blackhawks announced Detroit native Jeff Blashill has been named the 42nd Head Coach in franchise history. He’s served the past three seasons as Assistant Coach in Tampa Bay, and was previously Head Coach of the Red Wings.10 – OVIE’S COMING BACK: Alex Ovechkin said this week he intends to return to the Washington Capitals for his 21st NHL season after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record earlier this spring. Ovechkin joked about joining the minor league Hershey Bears for their playoff run and indicated the question wasn’t whether he’d be back but rather if he had what it takes to earn a spot. “First of all, (I have) to make a roster at 40 years old,” Ovechkin quipped. Ovechkin, who turns 40 in September, has one season left on his five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed in 2021.
See you at the rink!
(Rod Pedersen covers the NHL for the South Florida Tribune. He also hosts the award-winning Cats N Bolts Podcast and the daily Rod Pedersen Show on Game+TV, YouTube Live & Podcast)
