St. Louis Blues and Head Coach Ken Hitchcock Agree to One Year Extension

The St. Louis Blues and head coach, Ken Hitchcock agreed to a one-year contract extension for the 2016-2017 National Hockey League season on Tuesday. 

Hitchcock, who is expected to be making next season his final one behind an NHL bench said on Tuesday, “I just feel I have got this really good year in me. This season invigorated me like no season before.” Hitchcock also added, that he knew about two days before the end of the Blues season, that next season would be his final one. 

The Blues reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2001, before falling to the San Jose Sharks in six games. 2016 was the first time the Blues won a playoff round, since they reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, four years ago. 

Hitchcock pretty much knew two days after the completion of the Blues season, that the next season would be his final one. He said, “We have a 12-month clock, as coaches. A fanatical clock that we run on, and the 12-month clock is the clock in the offseason. And the clock in the offseason, is the stuff that I start doing in July, and I am gunned up and ready to do the stuff I need to do in July and August this year, to get ready for next season.”

As the playoff run inspired him to comeback for one last hurrah, he still felt that the fact he is not willing to put in that offseason effort anymore is the reason next year will be his last. He said, “You have to sign up a year in advance, and the stuff that I do to get better and stay current, which quite frankly helped us this year in some areas, those things have been on my desk for two months and I am not willing to sign them. If you are not willing to sign them, it means you are ready to flat-line and you are going to go backwards.”

He also added, “I thought the playoffs, getting through it, I would take a look at it again, and I am not willing to do it, so I am done. So to me, I am ready to go for next year, I am excited. This is an unbelievable group of guys with a lot of potential, and I am ready to do it, but if I am not going to get better myself during the offseason, then I am doing a disservice to the hockey club, and I am not going to do it.” 

Hitchcock, who turns 65 in December, is 224-103-36 in 363 regular season games with the Blues, second behind Joel Quenneville. His .667 winning percentage is the best in St. Louis Blues history. Under Hitchcock, the Blues went 20-27 in the postseason, including a 10-10 this past season. 

Blues general manager, Doug Armstrong said, “Ken did a fabulous job, in my opinion, throughout the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Since the day he has walked through the door, we have won two out of every three games, we have played. Just digest that for a second. We win two out of every three games we play, that is an incredible winning percentage.”

 

Armstrong added, “We have stubbed our toe, more than we want to admit in the playoffs. This year we did not stub our toe. This year we knocked off the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks and we knocked off the best team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars. We did not get our ultimate goal, but that showed me there is enough left in the tank for Ken, if he had enough left in the tank.”

 

In 19 seasons and 1,404 games, behind the bench in the NHL, with the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Stars, and Blues, Hitchcock holds a 757-453-106 record with 88 ties. He is 26 victories to pass Al Arbour for third place on the NHL all-time list. Scotty Bowman is sitting in first with 1,244 victories and Quenneville in second with 801. 

Hitchcock led the Stars to a Stanley Cup victory in 1999 over the Buffalo Sabres, while making a return trip the following season, falling to the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 Stanley Cup Final. The 2012 Jack Adams Award winner, also has three Olympic gold medals as an assistant coach of Team Canada in 2002, 2010 and 2014. 

Armstrong offered one-year contracts to the entire coaching staff, but associate coach, Brad Shaw will not return as he wished to pursue other options. Which leaves former Devils captain, Kirk Muller, who played for Hitchcock in Dallas as the leading option to take over the reigns after next season when Hitchcock retires. Muller has head coaching experience, from his time behind the Carolina Hurricanes bench between 2011 and 2014. 

Armstrong added, “I would say Muller stands out as someone that has been a head coach, I know him really well. He has been very good for our group here. Brad Shaw is not coming back. That one is easy, and I think assistant coach Ray Bennett and I have had a good conversation. I think Ray is in a good spot in the support that he can give a head coach right now. I would say Muller is a name I want to talk to. There is a lot of things that he and I would have to hash through before he and I would get to that point.”

He also said, “If for whatever reason, Muller would like to explore other things, that opens up my avenue to a whole host of things that I can explore.” 

Hitchcock would not address what he would do once his coaching career is finished saying, “I do not know if I am going to retire. I might move over to the media.” He then jokingly replied, “Oh God, no.”

While Hitchcock was excited to be able to commit to one final year, he added that he did not want any part of a farewell tour.  

Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks Look to be Evenly Matched Stanley Cup

The National Hockey League is down to two teams standing, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks will square off in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final beginning Monday, May 30, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

The Eastern Conference Champion, Penguins will be making their fifth appearance in a Stanley Cup, while the Sharks will be playing for hockey’s holy grail, for the first time in the 25-year history of the franchise. In the Penguins four other trips to the Stanley Cup Final, they hold a 3-1 record. 

The Penguins and Sharks are both well balanced organizations, with plenty of depth and can light the lamp a lot during a game. 

The Penguins have seen a lot of positive impact from the rookies on their squad during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl and Conor Sheary have combined for nine goals and 20 points during the postseason. Only the St. Louis Blues got better production out of their first year players. The Blues rookies of Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson had 23 points. 

Rust became the eighth rookie in NHL history to record multiple goals in a game seven. Adam Henrique of the New Jersey Devils, was the last rookie to accomplish the feat, scoring his in the opening round of the 2012 playoffs against the Florida Panthers. 

Rust also become just the second rookie, since Jeremy Roenick, to have two multi-goal games, in one playoff year. Both of Rust’s multi-goal games came in series clinchers, game five of the opening round against the New York Rangers and again in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Rust’s plus-10 is tied with Sharks defenseman, Paul Martin for third in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Rookie goaltender, Matt Murray has an 11-4 record for the Penguins, tying him for sixth overall in the NHL for most victories by a rookie netminder in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

  

While the Penguins have been getting some good vibes from their young talent, the Sharks on the other hand have an older squad, with plenty of veterans. Five Sharks are over the age of 35; Martin (35), Joel Ward (35), Patrick Marleau (36), Joe Thornton (36) and Dainius Zubrus (37).   

The Sharks may have an advantage in the third period, as they have outscored the opponents during the postseason 29-14 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. They had 11 more goals in the third, then the Lightning, who had the second best third period scoring. 

The Sharks plus-15 goal differential, is a big reason why they hold an 8-0 record, when carrying a lead into the final 20, during the 2016 playoffs. The Penguins outscored the opposition 17-15 in the third period, and hold a 9-1 record when leading after two periods.  

The Penguins have outshot their opponents 233-194 in the postseason. Kuhnhackl, a defensive specialist for the Pens, has started 233 shifts in the defensive zone, compared to 28 in the offensive end of the ice, for a zone-start percentage of 17.4, the fourth lowest in the NHL. 

As the Penguins have taken more shots than their opponents, the Sharks have pretty much made the most from their opportunities. Pittsburgh ranks third in the league with 35.1 percent, while the San Jose’s 28 percent was 11^th overall. 

The Sharks lead the NHL with about three and a half goals per game, for a league best, 12.5 shooting percentage. With 13 goals on 61 shots, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski leads the league with a 21.3 shooting percentage. 

Faceoffs, while not a major important stat, could often help evenly matched squads tilt the tables one way or another. The Sharks had the lowest faceoff winning percentage, at 46.8 percent amongst all 16 teams in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Penguins hold a slight advantage in the faceoff department, winning about 50 percent of their draws. 

As Sharks defenseman, Brent Burns has generated a lot of attention towards him as his six goals and 20 points in 18 playoff games leads all blueliners. With the attention Burns has been getting from other teams, fellow defenseman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been able to step up and be as equally valuable for the Sharks. 

Vlasic is tied with Lightning forward, Nikita Kucherov with a plus-13 during the postseason. He has lined up 120 faceoffs in the defensive zone, as opposed to 70 draws in the offensive end of the ice and leads the Sharks with 19:47 average even-strength, time on ice and second on the team with 2:00 on the penalty kill. Only Martin (2:05) had more shorthanded ice time for San Jose. 

Vlasic scored one goal and 10 assists, tying him for fourth in points amongst NHL defensemen, Kevin Shattenkirk of the Blues.

The Penguins who have been getting some production from their “HBK Line” of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel as well as their young guys, will need their stars, like captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to also continue to add to the production if they are to raise the Stanley Cup at the series end. If the Sharks want to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup, for the first time in the 25-year history they will need the same from their core of players.

Both Murray and Martin Jones, have been spectacular between the pipes for their clubs, throughout the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their clubs hope that their netminders can keep up their stellar play, and give them the chance to make the play at the other end that will lead them to raise the Stanley Cup.

San Jose Sharks Journey to the Stanley Cup Final

The San Jose Sharks are the absolute epitome of a team that suffers heartbreak constantly in the NHL. Through 25 years of hockey in the Bay Area, San Jose has had some great teams, but they have failed to reach that next step. The Sharks are now in the Stanley Cup Final, as they will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the franchise’s first Stanley Cup appearance.

 The Sharks failed to make the playoffs last season, which resulted in the firing of Todd McLellan, who was hired by the Edmonton Oilers. The team brought in Peter DeBoer, who worked his magic with the underdog New Jersey Devils, taking the team all the way to the Stanley Cup in 2012. San Jose certainly didn’t get off to the start they wanted to, as they were an underwhelming 18-18-2 in early January. However, a game in January changed everything for the San Jose Sharks. 

On January 9^th, San Jose faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they routed Toronto, 7-0 which kick started the Sharks season. We’ve been hearing a lot of how the Penguins have been playing great hockey for a while, but the Sharks have been equally as great since January. From that point, San Jose went a ridiculous 40-18-4, as they have now finally reached hockey’s greatest spectacle. 

San Jose easily got into the playoffs, as they would be facing off against the consensus Western Conference favorite, the Los Angeles Kings. San Jose came into this series with memories of blowing a 3-0 lead against the Kings a few years back, but it didn’t affect them this time. San Jose won the series in an easy five games, but the second round was bound to be tougher. 

They faced off against the Nashville Predators, who took them to seven games, before eventually being shut out by San Jose in a Sharks Game 7 win. San Jose faced off against the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals. 

Despite not having home ice advantage, the Sharks defeated the Blues in six games, as they finally have made it to the Stanley Cup. Could it be that the Sharks are a team of destiny? Or are they just a contender that’s been waiting to break out of the bottle? We’ll find out everything when the Stanley Cup Final kicks off Monday at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. 

Stanley Cup Final Preview: San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The San Jose Sharks have been a successful franchise for their 25 years of existence. They have had many great players come to the Bay Area. However, the team has never made it to hockey’s greatest spectacle, the Stanley Cup Final. Now, after a brutally long wait, the Sharks are finally in the Stanley Cup Final. Awaiting them on the other side are the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that knows full well about what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. 

The San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins will meet in the Stanley Cup Final, as both teams vie to hold Lord Stanley’s Cup. Game 1 will be on Monday at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The two squads met two times during the regular season, and the teams split the season series. The Sharks won the first game, 3-1 in Pittsburgh, while the Penguins won the second game, 5-1 at the SAP Center in San Jose. In the first round, the Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings, the consensus Western Conference favorite in five games. 

Then in the Semifinals, San Jose defeated the Nashville Predators in seven games. In the Western Conference Finals, the Sharks outlasted the St. Louis Blues in six games to reach the Stanley Cup Final. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Pittsburgh defeated the New York Rangers in five games, after dropping Game 1 of that series. Then in the second round, they ousted the President’s Cup Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals in six games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the Tampa Lightning in seven games to advance to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2009.

San Jose

The Sharks surprising run to the Stanley Cup has been steered by the club’s core of veterans. Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau have combined for 52 points this postseason. All three of these players will be making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks stingy defense has been led by Brent Burns, who has 20 points in these playoffs. San Jose has gotten increased production from defenseman Marc Edouard-Vlasic, who has 11 points, and a team leading 13 plus-minus rating. Goaltender Martin Jones has evolved into a playoff star for the Sharks. The netminder is 12-6 this postseason, with a 2.12 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Jones has also had three shutouts, including in Game 7 of the second round against Nashville. San Jose doesn’t have home ice advantage in the finals, but it doesn’t seem to faze the resilient squad. San Jose had home ice advantage for just one of the team’s three playoff series. San Jose is a physical squad that can wear you down very easily. However, what’s truly gotten them to this point is their balanced attack. San Jose possesses the ability to win in a high-scoring affair, or in a close, physical game. San Jose has relied on that attack throughout the postseason, and it is why they have reached this point. When Jones is playing up to his full potential, the Sharks are a really hard team to beat.

Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made at to this point because of one main reason, their offense. The team had the best offense during the regular season, and they haven’t slowed down during the playoffs. Leading the way on offense for Pittsburgh has been Phil Kessel. The right winger has a team leading 18 points, as he has been the star of the postseason for the Penguins. Also, the club has gotten production from its two star centers. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have combined for 30 points, as they are consistently the best center duo in the NHL. Pittsburgh has received unexpected production from rookie Bryan Rust, who has eight points this postseason. Rust recorded two goals in the Penguins Game 7 win over the Lightning. The big question mark for Pittsburgh is goaltending. Matt Murray has been in net for practically all of the playoffs. However, the team just got starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury back from a concussion injury. Fleury started in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but he allowed four goals. Murray has gone 11-4 during the postseason, he has a 2.22 GAA, and he has a .924 save percentage. Pittsburgh knows what they’ll got from the offense, but they will need some of their second and third line defenders to step up, or else it could be a long series for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins Journey to the 2016 Stanley Cup

The 2016 Stanley Cup Final is set and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be representing the Eastern Conference as they take on the Western Conference Champions, the San Jose Sharks. 

The Penguins did not get a great start out of the gate during the 2105-2016 season. Around mid-December, general manager Jim Rutherford decided it was time to make a change behind the bench to shake up the team. 

On December 12, the Penguins promoted Mike Sullivan, from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to replace Mike Johnston. The Penguins went 36-16-5 after the coaching change helping turn around their season. They acquired third best points in the standings during that timeframe. 

The Penguins finished the regular season with the second best record in the Eastern Conference, as well as the Metropolitan Division and fourth best in the National Hockey League. 

The Penguins opened the 2016 NHL Playoffs against the New York Rangers and were not sure of their goaltending situation. Marc-Andre Fleury had been out with concussion symptoms, backup netminder Matt Murray was injured in last game of season, so they turned to their third string goalie, Jeff Zatkoff to open the postseason. 

Zatkoff, turned away 35 Rangers shots in the Pens playoff opener as they defeated the Blueshirts at the Consol Energy Center. After losing game two, Sullivan went back with rookie, Murray for game three. The decision proved to pay off, as the Penguins won both games in New York, before returning back home to finish off the Rangers in five games.

In the second round the two best teams in the Eastern Conference were matched up against each other. The Washington Capitals took off, right out of the gate, distancing themselves from their nearest competitor in the East, as well as the league, to capture the President’s Trophy for best record in the NHL. 

Unlike in the matchup with the Penguins cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, who the Capitals had steamrolled in the opening round, the Caps were unable to solve the red hot Penguins in the second round. The Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel line led the way for the Penguins against the Capitals. 

With the exception of game five in the second round, every game between the two Metropolitan rivals, was a one goal game, as three of the six games needed more than 60 minutes to decide a winner.

The Eastern Conference Finals pitted the Penguins against the defending Eastern Conference Champion, Tampa Bay Lightning. The series went seven games with rookie, Bryan Rust scoring twice to help the Penguins capture the Prince of Wales Trophy. 

The Lightning lost goaltender Ben Bishop, to a knee injury in the opening game and backup netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy did some good work, trying to hold the fort against the Penguins.

After the Bolts beat Murray for four goals in game four of the conference finals, Fleury came in relief for the Penguins, but the surge from the goalie change was not enough to help the comeback attempt. For game five Sullivan gambled and unsuccessfully went with Fleury before going back to Murray for games six and seven. 

While Rust became the second rookie, since Jeremy Roenick, to score two multiple goal games in one playoff year, both in series clinchers, Murray became the sixth rookie netminder to win a game seven. The last rookie goalie to accomplish the feat was Cam Ward, 10 years ago. 

The Penguins will be playing in their fifth Stanley Cup Final when they open the 2016 Stanley Cup, against the San Jose Sharks, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins last won the Cup in 2009, when they beat the Detroit Red Wings, as they got their revenge from the previous Stanley Cup when the Red Wings beat them. They have also won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992.