National Hockey League Suspends Cody Eakin For Games and Mike Hoffman for Two

The National Hockey League announced two suspensions on Friday afternoon. 

Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin was suspended four games by the Department of Player Safety for his hit on New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. During game number 452, in Dallas on Thursday night, Eakin received a major penalty and a game misconduct for charging Lundqvist midway through the opening period.  

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Eakins will forfeit his 85,555.56 dollars of his player salary. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. This is the first time that Eakin has been suspended in his six-year career.

The DoPS released a video explaining the reasoning for the ruling. https://www.nhl.com/video/eakin-suspended-four-games/t-277440360/c-47459203. 

The DoPS also suspended Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman, two games for cross checking San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture during game number 441 in Ottawa on Wednesday. With just under eight minutes in the final period, Hoffman was assessed a major penalty for cross checking, along with a game misconduct. 

The ruling video from the DoPS gives their explanation for how they came to this decision. https://www.nhl.com/video/hoffman-suspended-two-games/t-277440360/c-47444503. 

The NHL also fined Sharks defenseman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, for dangerous use of his stick towards Senators defenseman, Erik Karlsson. The incident occurred at the 19:04 mark of the middle frame during game 441 on Wednesday night. 

Vlasic was fined 5,000 dollars, which is the maximum amount allowed by the CBA. The monies from the fine go towards the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. 

NHL Announces Details of Centennial Celebrations

The National Hockey League on Tuesday announced their plans for the special events they are planning in preparations for the league’s centennial.

The NHL’s Centennial festivities will faceoff on January 1, 2017 in Toronto with the Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic at Exhibition Stadium. The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Detroit Red Wings, in an “Original Six” matchup. 

During the outdoor game, the league will present the first phase in the announcement of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. They will also set in motion the NHL Fan Arena, the traveling fan friendly experience set to visit every NHL market within North America throughout the year. 

The 100 Greatest NHL Players is the centerpiece of the whole centennial celebration for the league. The list was compiled by an esteemed panel of executives, members of the media and NHL alumni. 

Prior to the Centennial Classic, the league will reveal 34 of those players, the alumni from 1917 through 1966. The remaining 66 players, those from the second half of the century, 1967 to the present, will be revealed during the NHL100, taking place All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles on January 27, at the Microsoft Theater.

The star-studded, NHL100 will be open to the public and fans can purchase tickets to the 90-minute event at www.lakings.com/allstar. Los Angeles Kings season ticket members will receive priority access to the event beginning on December 13. 

The NHL Centennial Fan Arena is a mobile tribute to the game. Some of the key features of the fan arena will include a museum truck, featuring interactive digital displays, video content, historic memorabilia and unique photo moments. 

The Fan Arena will also feature a video truck, which will be a second 53-foot trailer with a giant video screen displaying team trivia and highlights, plus a pop-out stage for special appearances. The Centennial Fan Arena will also have a pop-up ball hockey rink for youth hockey players to show off their skills in clinics and games. 

It will also include a virtual reality experience called Clear the Ice Zamboni. Fans will get the chance to race each other as they virtually resurface the ice. As the fans sit in the mini Zamboni they get the chance to feel what it feels like to clear the ice as they challenge other fans in a timed virtual race. 

Hockey’s holy grail, the Stanley Cup will also make its rounds to every market through the NHL Centennial Fan Arena. Beginning December 19, fans will get the chance to RSVP for the Fan Arena by visiting www.nhl.com/fanarena. The RSVP program includes pre-registration to the free activities as well as event reminders. 

During January and February, the Fan Arena will visit nine markets. Full details on where it will visit in the markets will be announced later.  

December 31 to January 1: Toronto (Exhibition Stadium Lot 2)

January 6 to January 7: Arizona

January 12 to January 14: Dallas

January 18 to January 19: San Jose

January 21 to January 22: Anaheim

January 26 to January 29: Los Angeles (2017 NHL All-Star Game)

February 3 to February 5: St. Louis

February 11 to February 12: Nashville

February 24 to February 25: Pittsburgh 

The league will also have a float in the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on January 2. The float presented by Honda and called A Century of Greatness, will feature floral replicas of a 55-foot long hockey rink, all 30 logos of the NHL teams as well as the official NHL Centennial logo. 

Following NBC’s coverage of the parade they will show the Bridgestone Winter Classic as the St. Louis Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO.

The 2017 NHL Centennial Calendar of Events:

Jan. - Dec., NHL Centennial Fan Arena Traveling Tour
Jan. 1, Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic™ (Toronto, ON)
Jan. 1, 100 Greatest NHL Players Unveiling (Players who played from 1917-1966)
Jan. 2, Tournament of Roses Parade - "A Century of Greatness (1917-2017)" Float (Pasadena, CA)
Jan. 2, 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® (St. Louis, MO)
Jan. 27-29, 2017 NHL® All-Star (Los Angeles, CA)
Jan. 27, THE NHL100™ - 100 Greatest NHL Players Unveiling at Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA (Players who played from 1967 to present day)
Feb. 25, 2017 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ (Pittsburgh, PA)
March 15-18, Stanley Cup® 125th Anniversary Celebrations (Ottawa, ON)
June, 2017 NHL Awards™ (Las Vegas, NV)
Jun. 23-24, 2017 NHL Draft™ (Chicago, IL)
Nov. 26, NHL 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the League
Dec. 19, NHL 100th Anniversary of the First Games Played

Florida Panthers Relieve Head Coach Gerard Gallant of Head Coaching Duities

The Florida Panthers have parted ways with head coach Gerard Gallant following a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. 

The defending Atlantic Division regular season champions were one game over .500 after 22 games this season, with a 11-10-1 record. Last season the Panthers put up a franchise record setting record of 47-26-9 for 103 points. 

Gallant was in the third season of his contract with the Cats, he received a two-year extension in January. Originally hired in Sunrise on June 21, 2014, he has led the Panthers to a 96-65-25 record during his tenure behind the bench. 

This season despite dealing with injuries to key players, such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and Alex Petrovic, the Panthers sit just two points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Florida has also been restructuring the front office of the organization since giving Gallant the extension. 

Team general manager, Tom Rowe, will take over the duties behind the bench on an interim basis. Last season Rowe was behind the bench for the team American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, before becoming the associate general manager for the Panthers in January. 

He was promoted to general manager, when the Panthers promoted Dale Tallon to President of Hockey Operations, in May. The team also parted ways with assistant coach, Mike Kelly as well. 

The news comes as a surprise, not just due to the fact it was made right after a team loss, but also because this past season, Gallant was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, for Coach of the Year. They may have fallen to the New York Islanders in the opening round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but their franchise best season, helped to set higher expectations of the club moving forward.

Gallant and his staff may have had some philosophical differences with management and ownership though in the way they felt the team should be run. The Panthers have had a huge offseason with many changes both on the ice and off. 

Canada’s Sportsnet.ca was the first to report that the Panthers had indeed relieved Gallant of his duties behind the bench, which was then confirmed by The Miami Herald. 

Before leaving PNC Arena in a taxi cab, Gallant told The Miami Herald, “I was let go.”

One of the reporters, outside of the arena had mentioned to him that they thought he had done a good job with the Panthers, he responded by saying, “I thought so too.”

Gallant did partake in the postgame press conference following the loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday prior to being told by management of the decision to let him go. The Miami Herald did report that a source close to Gallant did say that he had felt his job was in jeopardy for some time.

Sunday night’s loss in Raleigh, began a six-game road trip for the Panthers. The Cats will travel to “the windy city” on Tuesday as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks, in Rowe’s first game behind the bench.