With the continuation of minor league realignment, the AHL has sent out a press release detailing the plans for a Pacific Division. From the release:
The Board has approved the following:
• The Anaheim Ducks will purchase the Norfolk Admirals AHL franchise and will relocate it from Norfolk, Va., to San Diego, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Calgary Flames will relocate from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Stockton, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Edmonton Oilers will relocate from Oklahoma City, Okla., to Bakersfield, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Los Angeles Kings will relocate from Manchester, N.H., to Ontario, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the San Jose Sharks will relocate from Worcester, Mass., to San Jose, Calif.
Full division alignments and schedule formats for the 2015-16 season will be determined by the Board of Governors at a later date.
From a geographical standpoint this makes sense. NHL teams want to have their AHL affiliate close by so call-ups are easier and (likely) less expensive. It also gives the AHL a strong west coast presence, which is something they've really lacked at having.
One, and probably the only, issue with this would be the fact that all franchises are located in California. Nothing against California, as the success of the Kings, Ducks, and Sharks have immensely helped hockey grow in the state. It's more out of curiosity if the NHL and AHL explored going to Oregon, Washington, or somewhere in western Canada.
Overall this will be a good move for the NHL and AHL. The AHL gets a proper west coast division and the NHL gets affiliates closer to their parent teams.
Martin Brodeur Retires
The last goalie from the golden age of goaltenders is done. Martin Brodeur announced his retirement Tuesday. The 20th overall pick in the 1990 draft finishes his career having played 1266 regular season games and winning a record 691 of them.
In his 22-year NHL career, Brodeur has racked up a laundry list of accomplishments. Along with being the all-time leader in regular season games played and wins, Brodeur also holds the record for shutouts (125) and saves (28,928). He backstopped the Devils to three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003). He's also a four time Vezina winner (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), five time Jennings winner (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2010), and won the Calder trophy for rookies of the year (1994). He's also been named to the end-of-season First (2003, 2004, 2007) and Second (1997, 1998, 2006, 2008) All-Star Teams and the All-Rookie Team (1994).
Brodeur also has success at the international level. He has been named to Canada's Olympic team four times (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), winning the gold medal on two of those occasions (2002, 2010). He also played for Canada at the World Cup twice (1996, 2004), winning once (2004). He only fell short at the World Championship, as both times he represented Canada at that tournament (1996, 2005) he came away as a Silver medalist.
On-ice, Brodeur was a bit of an oddity. While every goalie was switching styles and playing more in the butterfly, Brodeur continued to play a more traditional stand-up style (which probably contributed to his longevity). Brodeur was also one of the best puck-handling goalies, at times acting as a third defenseman. His puck-handling skills has helped him score one* of his three career goals. It can be argued that his skills with the puck lead to the NHL installing the trapezoid to limit a goaltender's ability to play the puck.
While he's done playing for them, Brodeur intends to stay on with the Blues in a front office role. It's weird that he doesn't go straight to the Devils (a move that is expected to happen in the offseason), but it is understandable why he stays with the Blues for the rest of the year. St. Louis was willing to give him a contract to continue his career, and he may have felt spurn by the Devils since they wanted to go in a different direction.
Even though his play has declined for years, he desire to continue on his career is admirable. Enjoy retirement Marty.
*Update: I originally had that he scored twice shooting the puck. That was incorrect. I have fixed it to reflect that he only had one goal by shooting the puck. My bad.
Radek Dvorak Retires
Just hours after Brodeur, Radek Dvorak announced his retirement. The 10th overall pick in the 1995 draft had a lengthy career, playing 1260 regular season games for eight NHL teams (Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, and Carolina Hurricanes). He registered 227 goals and 363 assists for 590 points in his NHL career. While he has played for the Stanley Cup twice (Florida in 1996, Edmonton in 2006), he has left empty handed both times. He did have better success on the international stage, winning World Championship gold three times with the Czech Republic (1999, 2001, and 2005). He also represents the Czech Republic in the Olympics (2002) and World Cup (2004).
Have a happy retirement Radek.
Lineup Notables
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens
Washington: Aaron Volpatti (neck), John Erskine (neck), and Dmitry Orlov (wrist) are out. Braden Holby starts this afternoon.
Montreal: Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (upper body) is out. Carey Price is in net.
Arizona Coyotes vs. Ottawa Senators
Arizona: Mikkel Boedker (spleen) and Joe Vitale (upper body) are out. Mike Smith gets the start.
Ottawa: Zack Smith (upper body), Alex Chiasson, and Craig Anderson (hand) are out. Robin Lehner will be in net.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto: Dion Phaneuf (hand) is probable. Number One James Reimer gets the start.
Philadelphia: Chris Pronger (concussion), Scott Laughton (concussion), Kimmo Timonen (blood clot), and Braydon Coburn is out while Michael Raffl (illness) and Nicklas Grossman (upper body) are questionable. Steve Mason might be in net.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets
Dallas: Valeri Nichushkin (groin), Erik Cole (upper body), Rich Peverly (heart-related issues), and Patrik Nemeth (arm) are out. Kari Lehtonen might be in net.
Winnipeg: Matt Halischuk and Grant Clitsome (upper body) are out. Michael Hutchinson will start.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames
Edmonton: Taylor Hall (leg), Nikita Nikitin (shoulder), and Tyler Pitlick (spleen) are out. Ben Scrivens might start.
Calgary: Curtis Glencross, Sam Bennett (shoulder), and Ladislav Smid are out. Jonas Hiller is in net tonight.
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