Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Jiri Hudler Signs w Dallas Stars, Sweden adds Hampus Lindholm as Minnesota Wild Tell Fans "Let's Go Crazy"




The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that they have signed free agent Jiri Hudler to a one-year, two million-dollar contract. 

The 32-year-old forward had six goals and five assists in 19 games for the Florida Panthers, after they had acquired him, from the Calgary Flames, just before the trade deadline last season. During the Panthers six Stanley Cup Playoff games, he added one assist. Before the trade, Hudler, put up 10 goals and 25 assists in 53 games for the Flames.

Stars general manager Jim Nill said, “Jiri brings a combination of detail, discipline and skill. He has a championship pedigree and adding him to our group of forwards, solidifies our depth up front, giving our coaching staff a number of options and versatility.”   

During the 2014-2015 National Hockey League season, Hudler put up career numbers, as he scored 31 goals and 45 assists for the Flames. In that season, he helped the Flames knock off the Vancouver Canuks in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. He also won the Lady Byng in 2015. 

Over the course of 11 seasons, Hudler has scored 161 goals and 256 assists between the Detroit Red Wings, Panthers and Flames. He has added 16 goals and 26 assists in 83 postseason games. In 2008, he was able to hoist the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings. 

In other News:


Anaheim Ducks defenseman, Hampus Lindholm, has been added to the 2016 World Cup roster for Team Sweden. Lindholm replaces Red Wings defenseman, Niklas Kronwall, on the Swedish roster. 

Lindholm, 22, put up 10 goals and 18 assists, in 80 games, while patrolling the blue line for the Ducks during the 2015-2016 National Hockey League season. 

Selected by the Ducks in the first round, sixth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Lindholm has scored 23 goals and 69 assists in 236 NHL games. He is currently a restricted free agent this offseason. 

Kronwall, 35, was limited to 64 games this past season, after undergoing knee surgery on January 19. 

Red Wings general manager, Ken Holland told NHL.com on Tuesday, “I talked to Kronwall the other day and he feels a lot better. He has had much better training sessions this summer than he had last summer. He feels his leg is stronger and he has done some things to be more prepared physically for the upcoming season.”
 
TEAM SWEDEN ROSTER
G Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres
G Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
G Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
D Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks
D Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
D Hampus Lindholm, Anaheim Ducks *
D Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
F Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks
F Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
F Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Marcus Kruger, Chicago Blackhawks
F Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
F Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks
F Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
F Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Carl Soderberg, Colorado Avalanche
F Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
* -- named to roster Wednesday

The Minnesota Wild also announced that their new goal celebration song will be Prince’s, “Let’s Go Crazy.” 

The Wild made the announcement on Tuesday after receiving tremendous feedback over the Minnesota native’s song. During the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Wild used the song after the team scored.

As the fans loved the song during the postseason run last year, the team decided they would continue using it at the Xcel Energy Center for the 2016-2017 season. 

John Maher, Vice President of Brand, Content and Communications for the Wild said, “Our in-arena experience is designed for the fans, so it is great to be able to show them we take their feedback to heart. At the same time, it is our privilege to celebrate an iconic hometown artist that has clearly had an incredible impact on our community and the world.”

The Wild first played the song during game six of their Western Conference first round, series with the Stars, following the death of Prince. In the game, Minnesota fell behind 4-0 after two periods of play. 

As the team was able to light the lamp four times in the final period, the song got a lot of air time in the building. While the Wild lost 5-4 on that April night, they nearly were able to force overtime in the game. 

As “Let’s Go Crazy” was able to make an impression on the fans in the “State of Hockey,” they had hoped that the team would keep the song for the upcoming season. The Wild surveyed their full and partial season ticket holders, as well as received calls, emails and social media requests to keep the Prince hit as their goal song. 

Minnesota opens the 2016-2017 NHL season against the Winnipeg Jets on October 15. 

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