#nhl awards 2021
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Sidney Crosby was his usual humble, appreciative self on Thursday morning after being informed that he was the Penguins' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
No, he's not overcoming a terrible injury or health issue, and he didn't have to battle adversity off the ice. But with the work he puts into his game, there's nobody else that best exemplifies a dedication to hockey. With his role as a leader on the team, an ambassador to the game and just an overall great human, nobody else best exemplifies sportsmanship. And with him having the season he's having at age 36 -- 39 goals and 45 assists in 76 games, on a mission to drag the Penguins into a postseason spot at any cost, he's a model of perseverance in his own way.
While Crosby may not quite agree with his own nomination -- the second nomination of his career, after he was a finalist in 2013 after his bounce back from concussions -- his teammates sure think he's deserving.
"It's everything he stands for," Rickard Rakell said. "It's about the leadership on and off the ice, the time he puts into getting to the top of his game. It's obviously well-deserved."
"It's the way he carries himself," added Marcus Pettersson. "He represents the game, in a way. He doesn't only represent us, for a long time he's been the face of hockey, too. The passion that he brings, and the love for the game that he brings, he's a very, very well-deserving nominee."
As far as sportsmanship, Crosby is a model of that both on and off the ice. Off the ice, he's an ambassador to the game. He never turns down media, and is almost always available to speak in the locker room after games and practices. He's generous with his time, as exemplified in a story Brian Boyle recently shared of Crosby spending nearly an hour playing bubble hockey with Boyle's young son Declan after a game when Boyle's family was in town during the 2021-22 season, and taking the time to FaceTime with Boyle's kids when they were back home in the Boston area. He's accessible to fans, with Mike Sullivan noting that he's never seen Crosby turn down a kid seeking an autograph or looking to meet him.
"Some of the small gestures for me are the ones that mean most," Sullivan said. "Not everybody gets a chance to see that side of Sid."
Crosby is just a giver too, whether it be for teammates or complete strangers. I've seen him before in front of me on the drive into PPG Paints Arena for game nights, and he's cut across lanes approaching an intersection to get next to the median to give money to a homeless person. One of my favorite stories about Crosby came courtesy of Joseph Blandisi, who recalled what Crosby did for Adam Johnson after Johnson's NHL debut in Nashville in 2019.
"I remember that the day after (Johnson's) first NHL game," Blandisi told me after Johnson's death in October. "Crosby had his tailor in the dressing room and got Johnny a suit from his tailor as a congratulations for his first NHL game. That's a story I always tell when people ask me how it was playing with Sid, I always tell the story that he bought Johnny a suit after his first game. That always stuck with me."
Crosby reflected on Letang's win last season on Thursday, after he succeeded him as the Penguins' nominee.
"Given the fact that he had gone through (the stroke) once before, and then having to go through it again and seeing over the years how hard he's worked and what he's gone through to still be playing to a level that he is, it's really impressive," Crosby said. "It was much more deserving, probably, than my nomination."
sid for masterton 🥹
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Family- C. Caufield
Dad Cole Caufield! x mom reader! x daughter!
Summary; The journey of your and Cole’s family
Warnings?; FLUFF, hints to sex, kissing, cursing, pregnancy, mentions of labor, emotions, can’t think of anymore
All credit for this idea to my bby @turcott3
Part of my 1k celly:)
July 2021
Cole stood with Trevor watching you play beer pong with Alex and Jack, a smile bright on his face knowing how well you got along with his best friends.
The two of you had grown up together, both committing to Wisconsin together and both planning a full time move to Montreal this upcoming fall, for Cole to play his first full nhl season and you to being your career in interior design.
“Dude Just ask her out already, the way you two stare at each other is creepy” Trevor laughed beside him.
“We don’t stare at each other!” Cole defended, “I’m just watching her and Alex destroy Jack” he shrugged.
“Dude you two need to give it up already and just admit your feelings, or at least fuck. She’s a dime, and if you don’t swoop her up someone else will” the New York native spoke as he downed the rest of his beer and left his friend alone.
Cole didn’t want to admit his friend was right but sadly he was. He’d always felt something for you, he wasn’t really sure what exactly her felt but he’d always found himself being drawn to you.
Not to mention the way you stood by his side through everything, the way you cried into his shoulder when he was drafted, stood by his side and cried again when he won the Hobey Baker award; Twice. How you talked his anxiety away before his first nhl game and comforted him when the habs lost the cup final.
You were always there for him and he was forever grateful to have someone as amazing as you in his life.
He was taken out of his thoughts at the sight of your bubbly frame making your way towards him with a beaming smile on your face.
“You kick his ass?” He laughed as your arms wrapped around him, his hand that wasn’t holding his drink wrapping around your waist to pull you into his side.
“Annihilated Him” you smirked before cuddling even more into his side.
A blush tinting your cheeks at the feeling of his lips pressing against your head and the way his hand ran up and down your back.
Cole smirked at the shudder that ran down your body at his touch, he always noticed how you always got goosebumps when he was touching you.
“Wanna come get a some snacks with me?” He asked into your hair.
“Sure” you smiled and followed him inside the house.
You took a seat on the counter while Cole scattered through the fridge and cabinets looking for food, “what sounds good to you?” He asked, back facing you.
You weren’t sure if it was the small amount of alcohol in your system or the severe amount of built up sexual tension between the two of you that made you say it but it came out either way.
“You” you spoke causing the blonde boy to turn around quickly.
“What?” He asked making sure he heard you correctly.
“You heard me Cole, I want you” you extended a leg out to wrap around his hip and pull him forward.
“Are you sure? This could mess things up between us if it doesn’t work out” He attempted to be the voice of reason even though he was slotting himself between your thighs.
“I’m positive Cole” you assured before pulling the boy in for a deep kiss.
-
August 2021
Something was up, you had been sick all week and you couldn’t take it anymore. All the guys besides Alex had gone out to golf, having a late night before hand the Kings player decided to stay in.
“Why don’t we run to urgent Care? You could have a real bad case of food poisoning and you and Cole are supposed to leave in three days” He tried.
“Okay fine, let me get ready” you spoke finally agreeing with the boy who had been pushing you to go to the doctors after three days of consistent puking.
You were sat in the room with Alex in the chair next to you, they had wrote all of your symptoms down and had taken blood and urine samples.
“This is taking forever” you grumbled, a hand subconsciously rubbing over your stomach.
“I’m sure it won’t be much longer” the curly haired boy beside you spoke.
Just as you were about to issue another complaint the door opened and the doctor came in with a worried expression on her face.
“So I have some news sweetheart and I’m not really sure if it’s good or bad” she smiled sympathetically causing your stomach to drop.
You and Alex shared a quick look before you asked her to continue.
“You’re five weeks pregnant” she said.
You felt like your world stopped spinning for a moment, Pregnant? There was no way you were pregnant.
“No I’m sorry, it has to be a false negative” you laughed in disbelief.
“Honey your blood and urine test came back positive” she added.
“But I haven’t had any unprotec-“ yes you did, with Cole. Five weeks ago.
“Oh no” you cried, dropping your head into your hands.
“I’m assuming this wasn’t what you wanted to hear, uh are you the father?” She asked pointing to Alex
“Uh no, best friend” he awkwardly smiled in reply.
“Baby-daddy is out golfing” you cried, feeling like a train of emotions hit you at once.
“What? Oh-oh shit” Alex spoke as he finally connected all the dots, you and Cole disappearing that July night and you walking out of his room the next morning with disheveled hair and a limp.
After getting a talk through of the calls and appointments you needed to make the doctor let you leave with some paperwork and a copy of your test results.
“What am I gonna do Alex? There’s no way he wants a baby right now! He’s about to start his first season in the NHL” you cried out to the boy in the drivers seat.
“Hey calm down, I’m sure if you guys talk it out everything will be okay” he smiled reassuringly and patted your knee.
Returning home you found Cole and Jacks cars in the driveway meaning everyone was home.
“Relax, it’s going to be okay” Alex spoke up sensing your anxiety.
You nodded with a smile as you both made your way into the house, hearing everyone in the kitchen.
“Hey we were wondering where you to went” Jack spoke as he watched you both enter.
“Finally convinced someone to go to a doctor” Alex laughed in attempt to get the boys off your back so you could find Cole.
“Uh do you guys know where Cole is?” You asked.
“His room” Trevor replied, he knew something was wrong he could see it on your face and in your eyes.
Mumbling a thank you, you made your way up to the Centers bedroom knocking before entering.
“Hey, everything okay? We came back and you guys were gone” he smiled pulling you into his side from where he stood.
“Um, We need to talk. And you might want to sit down” you mumbled.
“Okay..” he said as he sat at the edge of the bed, you standing in front of him.
“So we went to urgent care to see what was going on and it’s not food poisoning” you began.
“Oh that’s great, what did they say you sicknesses is from then?” Cole smiled happy that you weren’t sick.
“I-uh, I’m five weeks pregnant Cole”
You could see the boy physically pale at the words that dropped from your mouth, his smile had dropped and he looked at you like a deer in headlights.
“I-your what?” He stuttered out in disbelief.
“Pregnant” you whispered.
“Okay” he nodded
“Okay? You’re just perfectly fine with this?” You panicked.
“No, I mean I’m fucking terrified but this is our fault. Our parents taught us what protection is and we chose not to use it. But if this isn’t what you want I won’t be bad, I understand” he softly spoke as he stood up and wrapped you in a hug.
“I’m so scared Cole” you finally broke down.
“Me to but we got this, I promise I will never let you or this baby down” he promised into your ear.
-
November 2021
“Do we have any ice cream left?” You asked looking over at Cole as he sat on the sectional next to you.
“No I gave you the rest last night” he replied
“Can we go to the store?” You smiled up at the man.
“Y/n it’s midnight” he laughed.
“It’s for the baby though! She wants it not me” you pouted.
You two had found the gender a few weeks ago and Cole was beyond excited to be having a baby girl.
“Come on please! I’ll even drive” you offered, doing your best to get the boy to agree with you.
“Fine” he sighed but a smile still covered his face.
“Yay! Come on” you squealed jumping up and heading to the door and sliding on your crocs and grabbing your car keys.
Cole followed behind you slipping on his own shoes, following closely behind you towards the elevator. He smiled at your little dance as you skipped in pure excitement at the thought of getting ice cream.
You sported one of his Wisconsin hoodies, leggings, and your fuzzy crocs-the boy truly thought you’d never looked better.
The ride to the twenty-four hour grocery wasn’t long and you made it there quickly.
“What flavor are you thinking?” He asked as you stood in front of the ice cream section, a look of pure concentration on your face.
“I don’t know, trying to get the baby to send me signals” you groaned knowing it had to hit just right to satisfy the craving.
He laughed, “okay well I’m gonna go grab some chicken while you and our girl pick your flavor” he he smiled softly at your small okay.
Finally after ten minutes you settled on cotton candy and made your way to the meat section to find Cole.
However your happy mood suddenly dropped when you seen what had been taking the boy so long, pretty little brunette.
She stood clad in an outfit not much different then yours, a beautiful smile beaming up at Cole as she made him laugh with something she said-His smile mirroring hers.
You really didn’t have a right to be jealous, you and Cole had both felt that a relationship wouldn’t work between the two of you and that doing this as best friends would be better. But for some reason you couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in your lower stomach.
Sensing eyes on him Cole turned to find you in a staring contest with the ground, obviously stuck in your thoughts.
The girl had followed his eyes to where you stood, body being swallowed by a hoodie that obviously didn’t belong to you.
“Oh I didn’t know you had a girlfriend” she mumbled stepping back a bit.
“She’s not-it’s complicated” he mumbled.
“On and off again complicated Or?” She asked trying to get him to continue.
“We’re best friends but we did some stuff that ended us in a sticky situation, and now I’m not really sure what we are” he did his best not wanted to expose his entire private life to a stranger.
“Ahh” she nodded before continuing, “well if it’s not a problem with you, I’d like to give you my number” she blushed.
“Yeah sure” he blushed back and handed his phone over.
-
November 2021
“Do I look okay?” He questioned stepping out of his room dressed in a nice sweater and jeans.
“You look great” you smiled at the boy.
Cole had began talking to the girl from the grocery store-Sophia was her name, and tonight they had a date.
He nodded in thanks before gathering his things and turning back to you, “You sure you’ll be okay while I’m gone?” He asked
“Yeah, me and Emma are going to grab some pizza and maybe a movie, I’ll be good” you smiled at the boy.
“Okay just call me I-Oh!” He stoped himself and ran back over to you.
“What’s wrong?” You asked with worry at his sudden move.
He ignored you and just leaned down to pull your shirt up over your bump and placed a kiss to the center of your belly.
“Bye sweet girl, be good for mommy” he whispered and placed two more quick kisses to the same spot.
“Had to tell her bye” he shrugged before placing a kiss to your head and heading out the front door.
When Cole returned home that night he found you bundled up and fast asleep on the couch, his heart warmed at the sight. He loved coming home to you and he always would, especially once your baby got here.
Scooping you up in his arms bridal style he carried you to your bedroom, his lips parted in a bright smile at the feeling of you cuddling into his chest.
“God I love you” he whispered to himself as he laid you down and watched you snuggle into your pillow.
Cole wasn’t sure what it was that made him do it but next thing he knew he was opening his phone to text Sophia, thanking her for tonight but that he wasn’t really feeling a relationship; it was a shitty lie but he knew the only girls he’d want in his arms were you and your daughter.
-
March 2022
“You look beautiful” a voice spoke from behind you causing you to jump.
“Christ Cole! You scared the shit out of me” you groaned as you turned around to face the blonde.
“I’m Sorry. But seriously you look gorgeous, stop judging yourself” he scolded you.
“I just feel fat! Nothing fits and my feet hurt” you cried.
It was the morning of your baby shower and all the dresses you had picked didn’t seem to fit anymore causing you to rip through your closet like a mad woman.
“You are not fat, you’re growing our gorgeous baby girl in there” he softly spoke as he made his way towards you.
He came up behind you and wrapped his arms around you while his hands rubbed your belly, smiling as he felt his daughter kick him.
“You look absolutely stunning Y/n, and I love this dress” he complimented.
“Thank you but you’re not really helping” you groaned, head leaning back to rest against his chest.
“Yeah why not?”
“Because I’m an overly hormonal pregnant woman and you just turned me on when both of our families are down the hall”
-
April 2022
“Oh my god Cole she’s perfect” You whispered to the man who was still clad in his dress pants, button up and suit jacket long discarded due to wanting skin to skin with his daughter.
You had gone into Labor right as the Habs were exiting the plane from their short trip to Ottawa meaning cole rushed in right from the airport, not having time to change out of his suit.
“She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” he spoke in a soft voice, tears brimming his eyes as he continued to star at his daughter.
“I can’t believe we made that” you laughed
“Thank you” he suddenly said as he turned to face you, face as serious as ever.
“For what?”
“For giving me a family. I’ve never seen myself settling down or having a child but you’ve blessed me with the most beautiful thing in the world. I truly can’t thank you enough Y/n, I’m so thankful you were the one I was able to do this with.”
“Cole come here” you cried as you pulled the man onto the bed with you, carefully of course.
“I’m thankful to you know, it wasn’t exactly on my bucket list to be a mom at twenty one but I’m grateful that it’s you I get to live through this with” you sweetly smiled at the man as he leaned his forehead against yours.
You felt his eyes shift from your lips to you eyes a few times and just as you were both about to lean in, a knock sounded on the door.
-
July 2022
“You know when I said to make a move I didn’t mean knock her up” Trevor spoke to his friend as he helped set up the candles on the dock.
“Yeah way to baby trap her Cole” Alex laughed from where he picked the petals off the roses.
“I did not baby trap her!” The blonde exclaimed causing his three friends to laugh.
“Hey we’re not judging man, you got the girl you wanted and found a way to keep her around forever” Jack spoke
“You guys are assholes, now hurry up and finish helping before her and Ellen get back” he replied with a shake of his head.
An hour later Alex was blindfolding you and leading you out the back door of the Lake house towards the dock.
“Turcs what’s going on?” You laughed hearing your daughter giggle at Jack and Trevor behind you two.
“Nothing! Just be quite” he sassed and continued leading you.
“Okay take it off” he whispered and when you did you felt warmth flood your cheeks and tears prick your waterline.
There on the dock stood Cole surrounded by beautiful bouquets of white roses and candles while red petals covered the wood below him.
“Wha-?” You muttered as you stumbled towards him.
“Hi” he whispered, taking your hands in his as you approached him.
“What’s all this” you smiled with warm tears now running down your cheeks.
“I uh-You-shit this is harder than I thought” he laughed at his self
“I know we haven’t exactly established what we are but um” he began but was cut off by a loud New York accent.
“Just get on your fucking knee!”
Trevor’s voice caused the group around you-that you hadn’t realized was there to laugh. However it did cause Cole to shake off his nerves and drop down onto his knee.
“Things have always been a bit tricky with us but I’ve always known that I loved you. You’ve been there for all my ups and downs, my lowest of lows and highest of highs. These past eleven months have made me realize that I want you forever, I Want to go to bed to you and wake up to you everyday, I’m sick of telling people your just my best friend because baby you are way more than that. I’ve spent everyday loving you and I want to do that forever, so what I’m trying to say is, baby will you marry me?”
A sob broke through your and if it wasn’t for the smile on your face and nod of your head Cole would have been panicking.
“Yes, A thousand times yes” you cried as he slipped the breathtaking oval diamond onto your finger; the ring you showed him in college drunk off your ass, telling him that if someone ever proposed you wanted this one.
“I love you so much” you whispered as his cupped your cheeks to pull you into a kiss.
Your short moment was interrupted by Jack running down and jumping on Cole while Trevor handed you your daughter. Your families joined to share hugs and congratulations, both of your mothers smothering you in kisses and sweet words.
“Fucking finally Cole grew some balls and made it official” you heard Trevor exclaim causing a round of giggles and head nods.
-
April 2023
“Look Rosie! Here comes daddy and uncle Kirby” you exclaimed to your daughter as she stood against the glass.
“Ada!” She giggled as Cole slammed himself against the glass
“Hi baby!” He waved blowing the small one year old a kiss.
He went to open his mouth but his body was pushed out of the way by three large ones causing your daughter to beam brightly at the three men.
“Hi Rosie!”
“Ahoj Kočka”
“Hi pretty girl”
Spoke Arber, Juraj, and Kirby in sync, all three men smiling brightly at their niece, your daughter babbled in return smacking the glass with her tiny hands.
“Can you fuckers move!” You heard your fiancé yell as he pushed between Arber and Juraj to get back in his daughter’s sight, this time with a puck.
“Here baby, daddy got you a puck” he smiled and tossed one over the glass for you to catch.
You smiled fondly at the two, while you hadn’t expected to be a young mom you wouldn’t trade it for the world. You were madly in love with an amazing man and had a beautiful little girl together.
The journey was bumpy but in the end you got the life you’d always wanted
-
The end…
I apologize for any errors!
#cole caufield fluff#cole caufield x reader#cole caufield#cole caufield imagine#nhl#nhl fanfiction#hockey imagine#nhl imagine#jack hughes#alex turcotte#trevor zegras#montreal canadiens#nhl fluff#nhl fic#jays1kcelly
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connor bedard a devil: devs!player
tagging: @ivy-34, @francesfarhadi, @hzstry8, @cixrosie, @itsnotgray, @estapa94, @trevs-swiftie, @heartz4hischif you want to join the taglist let me know!!
you were in california and jamie had asked you over for dinner with trevor and jack and one of their new teammates. a rookie.
during the dinner, jamie introduced you to mason, a fellow canadian who had just been drafted by the ducks in the 2021 nhl draft.
the three of you spent the dinner tormenting the poor american.
“it was really nice meeting you mason. remember to text me whenever you want and i’ll be there,” you told the young boy, giving him a hug.
and true to the word, mason texted you whenever he needed help, especially as he moved up and down the roster.
by the time world juniors came around, you and mason were best friends on snapchat and had a sixty day streak.
you congratulated him when he was named captain and constructed a regular facetime schedule for mason to gain advice and to rant.
during on of your facetime sessions, you happened to notice a little head walking past ever so often.
“who’s behind you mase?” you asked.
mason turned around and spotted connor giving him a sheepish smile. “that’s just bedsy,” he replied, nonchalantly.
“bedsy?”
“connor bedard,”
you nodded your head in realisation. “hi connor, it’s nice to meet you,” you called to the boy.
connor popped around and said hello. the boy then started animatedly talking about how he looked up to you as an idol. the way you went against all odds and became the first women to get drafted to the nhl.
from that day onwards, whenever you spoke to mason, connor would also be in the room and chime in whenever he felt like it.
but as the competition got cancelled due to covid, you wished the boys luck and gave connor your number with the order to reach out whenever he felt like it.
and he did just that.
as soon as he got back to regina, connor spent any moment he could asking you for advice on how to cope with all the watching eyes.
he’d spoken to mason and kent as well about the advice you’d given them and decided that suffering in silence wasn’t the best option.
summer worlds
when it came to summer worlds, connor had asked if you were willing to come watch. and so you dragged nico with you to meet the bedard boy.
kent saw you first and gave you a hug before calling connor over. the young boy ran to you, lifting you up in your hug.
“hi connor,” you mused.
“hi. thank you for coming,” he whispered.
you squeezed him before stepping back. “of course! neeks and i didn’t have anything planned for this time so we thought why not,” you replied.
throughout the tournament, you spent time with the canadian team, especially connor, the boy followed you and nico to dinner sometimes and had a long standing dinner invitation for when he gets drafted.
nhl draft
connor was nervous.
everyone had hyped him up to go first overall but he saw what happened with shane.
after the draft lottery, you had called him immediately. you asked how he felt about potentially going to chicago and he answered that he was fairly uncertain.
nico had been the one to push against the hawks getting a draft pick that high. but gary bettman didn’t listen.
during the awards, connor came up to you and nico with a shaky breathe.
“i’m kind of scared to go to chicago,” he answered truthfully.
nico put a hand on his shoulder and brought him in for a small hug before handing him off to you. connor wrapped his arms around you first.
“if you want, i can come with you to rookie camp and help you get settled in, but im sure your mum will be there too,” you assured him.
upon thinking of hehe you knew in the organisation, you realised frank and kevin would be at rookie camp. so you informed connor of them and gave him a little advice “everyone’s going to be a little scared so take it and make friends. one of the toughest things for me was i never spoke to anyone during my rookie camp. jack spoke to me a bit but that was all,”
when he heard his name called, he was relieved that he was going to the nhl. he stood up and hugged his family before walking down to find you.
connor pulled you in for a hug and whispered in your ear “thank you for everything,” before walking to wear his jersey.
first game
you made a call to sid.
“y/n, i can’t tell my teammates to stop their defence and let him score,” the older man whined.
“sidney it’s hi first game and he’s nervous!” you emphasised.
sid shook his head. beside him tanger and geno were wearing enormous grins upon hearing your request.
you huffed before thinking of another plan. “well then can you at least be nice to him and let him win a face off?” you asked.
sid chuckled and turned to his two teammates “we will make sure sid let’s him win a face off,” they promised.
majority of the devils team piled in to yours and nico’s living room in order to watch the first game of the season with you.
and they all vowed not to hurt the poor boy. which brendan smith broke
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clementine bedard
Clementine Faye Bedard
Number: 89
Season: fourth
Position: C
Height: 5”8
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
S/C: R/L
NHL: NJD
Prev Team: Vancouver Giants
NHL
Selected 1st overall (first round) by the New Jersey Devils in the 2020 NHL Draft.
WHL
Drafted first overall in 2017, the first WHL player with exceptional status, and won the Jim Piggot Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie player in her debut season.
International
Team Canda
2023 World Championship - Gold Medal, 13 G, 13 A, 10 GP
2022 World Championship- Silver Medal , 10 G, 11 A, 10 GP
2021 World Championship-Gold Medal, 12 G, 12 A, 10 GP
2020 World Junior Championship- Gold Medal, 11 G, 9 A, 7 GP
2019 World Junior Championship- Silver Medal, 9 G, 7 A, 7 GP
2018 World Junior Championship- Gold Medal, 10 G, 6 A, 7 GP
2017 U18 World Championship- Gold Medal, 7 G, 7 A, 7 GP
NHL
Fourth Year (2023-2024)
75 G, 69 A, 80 GP
Singed a contract for 70 millions dollars for the next nine years and three million dollar bonus.
Assistant Captain
Third Year (2022-2023)
67 G, 40 A, 76 GP
Ted Lindsay award
Assistant Captain
Second Year (2021-2022)
50 G, 35 A, 75 GP
Rookie Year (2020-2021)
30 G, 26 A, 56 P, 56 GP
Received the Rookie of the Year award.
Signed a Contract for 12 Million dollars for three years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.
WHL
2019-2020
Vancouver Giants
30 G, 25 A, 28 GP
Bob Clarke Throphy
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
Captain
Draft Year
2018-2019
Vancouver Giants
78 G, 77 A, 72 GP
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
Won the WHL Championship
2017-2018
Vancouver Giants
53 G, 67 A, 72 GP
Rookie of the Year
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
Before WHL
2016-2017
West Van Academic Prep U 18
65 G, 40 A, 50 GP
2015-2016
West Van Academic Prep U 15
50 G, 36 A, 45 GP
Personal
• Born August 31, 2002
• Daughter of Melanie and Jim Bedard
• Has two siblings Connor and Madison Bedard.
#clementinebedard#cb89#connor bedard x reader#jack hughes x reader#nhl x reader#jack hughes#jh86#luke hughes#quinn hughes#quinn hughes x reader#nico hischier x reader#luke hughes x reader#alex holtz x reader#alex holtz#new jersey devils#jesper bratt#dawson mercer#timo meier#john marino#connor bedard
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Mitchell Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Marner led the NHL in takeaways with 104, becoming one of just seven players to reach the century mark since the statistic was introduced in 1997-98, as the Maple Leafs improved to seventh League-wide in team defense (2.68 goals-against per game). The team had finished 19th overall in 2021-22 at 3.07. Only four NHL forwards received more ice time than Marner, who logged a career-high 1702:06 (21:17 per game). Notable in that ice time was duty on the Maple Leafs' top penalty-killing unit; he ranked second among Toronto forwards and 13th among all NHL forwards in total shorthanded time (182:59). In the 25 years ice time has been officially tracked, the only players with 99+ points and that amount of total shorthanded time in a season are Marner and Paul Kariya (Anaheim, 1998-99). Marner, a first time NHL Awards finalist, is vying to become the second Maple Leafs player to win the Selke exactly 30 years after franchise legend Doug Gilmour (1992-93) became the first.
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drawn arrows unseen
part 16 / previous installments/tags
The news about Connor breaks before world juniors. The tone of the draft year coverage immediately shifts. Before, Connor was undersized but built for hockey. Now Connor’s too short to stick as an NHL centre. Before, Connor was the undisputed 1OA. Now mock drafts are showing Fantilli or Carlsson going first. When Connor tries a lacrosse goal in Canada’s embarrassing loss in their opening game, suddenly there’s a bunch of hot takes about whether Canada can win with omegas on the team.
Mason’s furious about it. He watches every game, willing Canada on. Willing Connor on. Trevor tries to talk some shit and ends up baiting Mason into a bet. “When USA wins you have to wear my jersey for arrivals,” Trevor grins at him, crinkle-eyed, obviously not taking this seriously at all. “Or the other way around.”
“Yeah, it’s fucking on,” Mason growls at him. Canada’s going to pull this off, with Connor leading the way. Mason’s not going to have to wear a goddamned Team USA jersey. Trevor’s probably wouldn’t even fit him anyway.
Mason leaves Connor a screaming unhinged voice note after Connor wins the quarterfinals in OT with the slickest goal Mason’s ever seen. And then they win the whole thing, and Connor gets the same MVP award Mason got last summer, and Mason’s so unbearably proud of him it’s easy to focus on that and not on Adam Fantilli or whatever alphas Connor might be playing alongside.
Especially since Connor’s rooming with Zelly. No worries there. doesn’t steal my bars, Connor texts him, but he probably doesn’t know the capital of France. It’s one of the only texts Mason gets during the tournament. Connor’s busy.
The day after Canada wins gold, Trevor reminds Mason to bring his jersey to the game. “Gotta pay up,” he laughs, like it’s no big deal.
As Mason takes his jersey from world juniors off its hanger on his wall, he considers forgetting it instead. Absolving Trevor. But a bet’s a bet. And Trevor doesn’t give a shit anyway, laughing his fool head off about it when he meets Mason at parking to pull Mason’s jersey on over his gameday suit. Mason gamely mugs for the camera as they walk in, but he’s glad to reclaim his jersey and hang it safely in his street locker.
After the game, as they’re getting ready to go out, Trevor reaches in and snatches it off its hook. He starts to tug it over his head. Mason yanks on the sleeve to stop his momentum. “What the hell?”
“Just for fun.” Trevor pops his face through the neck of Mason's jersey, grinning his stupid grin.
Mason’s not going to get into a tug of war with a bratty omega. “Are you going to make him stop?” he asks Jamie instead.
“It’s not a big deal.” Jamie blinks his mild eyes earnestly at Mason. ‘He’s having fun, and it doesn’t bother me, so you don’t have to worry.”
Mason tries to unclench his fists. If Trevor’s mate doesn’t mind him wearing another alpha’s jersey, unbonded Mason doesn’t have any room to complain. It’s not like Mason even wants to see Connor wearing his jersey. He likes Connor in his own Canada jersey, side by side with Mason. Winning together.
When Jamie makes him pose for a picture at the restaurant, Mason wonders if Connor will see. But he never hears anything from Connor about it.
[never forget that this bet is canon]
The hot takes don’t stop after Connor torches world juniors. Dom at The Athletic comes up with a model to analyze the value of presented omega prospects compared to other prospects. The story includes an analysis of Jack Hughes’ performance and how his stats exploded partway through the 2021-22 season after it came out that he and Nico Hischer were bonded.
Mason hates the suggestion that Connor needs an alpha to play his best hockey. Connor can handle himself. Nobody knows that better than Mason.
Shayna Goldman writes a companion piece examining five different bottom-feeder teams as potential destinations for Connor Bedard based on their unbonded alphas. Mason skims it and of course his own shitty team is on there. The story notes that Anaheim’s short on alphas, with only Commer and Fowler left after Verbeek sold everyone off last spring, so he’s probably not going to take a chance on an omega in the 2023 draft.
A week later, Shayna retweets a link to the story with this:
Rumor has it there’s another alpha who’s presented in sunny SoCal, and Team Canada says he’s got great chemistry with a possible 1OA pick.
xoxo
It’s stupid to hope that Connor will get drafted to Anaheim and everything will be okay. But Mason hopes anyway. Connor on his line forever, the two of them putting this lousy franchise on their backs and dragging it into a new era. Connor, living in Anaheim, his draft year behind him, finally eighteen. Mason could finally tell him everything.
As the season rolls on and the Ducks get worse and worse, he texts Connor after especially bad games with a joke about the draft lottery. Sometimes Connor responds. Sometimes he doesn’t.
(next)
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every so often i poke about in your tags because i enjoy, among other things, your mildly-to-majorly despairing comments on the clothing choices of various hockeys. today i found a post about polo shirts, and in that vein may i suggest for your dissection whatever the hell mark stone is doing whenever he is asked to wear anything nicer than a jersey. his media tour 2021 and any nhl awards ceremonies have been. interesting. he also possibly has owned only one tie since 2015
I found this photo for the article "Stone Feels No Pressure At NHL Awards" and said out loud, "I can tell!"
It very quickly became very difficult for me to research this, because it involved telling pictures of Mark Stone the hockey player apart from pictures of assorted Marks Stones who work in media management or play in bands with their dad friends on weekends. I did not think that these pictures were pictures of Mark Stone, and neither does Getty Images.
There is at least one drugstore that has accidentally used these as stock images for a hiring campaign:
The reason I hate polo shirts is that they very rarely fit well in every area. Mark has vaulted himself over that stumbling block by making sure it fits absolutely no part of his body.
On the other hand he also looks like my punk friends stealing copy paper for zines by stuffing it down the fronts of their shirts. So maybe this look is rad. Rage against the Combine, Mark
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GROUNDBREAKING MCFARLANE TOYS CELEBRATES 30TH YEAR OF INNOVATION IN THE TOY INDUSTRY
February 7, 2024 - McFarlane Toys, a trailblazer in the realm of action figures and collectibles, proudly marks its 30th anniversary in 2024 – commemorating three decades of innovation by setting new standards for the toy industry and design excellence.
What began as a small, privately owned business in the early 90’s has evolved into an industry leader, defying the odds against Fortune 500 companies, and maintaining its private ownership throughout its impressive journey.
Founded in 1994 by the visionary Todd McFarlane, the company has continually redefined the possibilities within the world of action figures. At the core of McFarlane Toys’ success is Todd McFarlane’s iconic creation, SPAWN, which stands as one of the world’s best-selling comic books, with hundreds of millions of copies sold globally in over 120 countries. The title’s 1992 debut was a massive success with over 1.7 million copies sold, marking a pivotal moment in the future establishment of McFarlane Toys. SPAWN’s aesthetic appealed to toy industry giants, and several wanted to create figures based on it. However, McFarlane’s goal was to create hyper-realistic and articulated action figures that were not yet available on the market. Todd’s forward-thinking led McFarlane Toys to introduce the first ultra-articulated action figure to the market in the early 90s, setting a new standard for the industry. His innovative approach extended to coloring as well, as McFarlane Toys became the first to incorporate a rich and diverse palette, offering fans an impressive array of colors and designs on their figures – a groundbreaking move that preceded industry norms at the time. This distinctive style, marked by revolutionary articulation and vibrant coloring, has since become McFarlane Toys’ signature look, influencing other toy companies to follow suit.
Throughout the years, McFarlane Toys has expanded its influence by partnering with industry giants like DC Comics, Disney, James Cameron’s Avatar, Warner Brothers, HBO’s Game of Thrones, Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, AMC’s The Walking Dead, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. They’ve also collaborated with iconic and influential figures across various industries, such as Tim Burton, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, and multiple stars from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, among others.
To reach audiences worldwide, McFarlane Toys has formed strategic partnerships with consumer giants such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, BestBuy, and GameStop. These collaborations aim to bring their high-quality action figures to fans and collectors everywhere, further solidifying McFarlane Toys’ presence and influence in a competitive market.
This strategic growth underscores the company’s 30-year commitment to resilience and continuous pursuit of excellence in an ever-evolving industry. The company’s continued and unwavering dedication to authenticity and attention to detail has cultivated a dedicated global fan base, positioning McFarlane Toys as a leader in the world of collectible action figures.
In addition to its creative achievements, McFarlane Toys consistently earns recognition at the Toy Industry Foundation’s annual ‘Toy of the Year’ Awards, for its significant industry contributions. The company has also secured the position of the #1 best-selling action figure on Amazon several times and earned the prestigious ‘Top-Selling Action Figure and Accessories for the U.S. and Canada’ at The NPD’s 2021 Toy Industry Performance Awards.
To commemorate this extraordinary milestone, McFarlane Toys will release several limited edition and exclusive Gold Label figures. Noteworthy among them is a compelling two-pack featuring a SPAWN figure based on Todd’s original teenage design and sketches, paired with a figure of Todd himself. Fans can anticipate an array of exciting releases, social media contests, and announcements throughout the anniversary year.
Follow McFarlane Toys on social (@mcfarlane_toys_official on Instagram) and visit the official website at www.mcfarlane.com for exciting updates and announcements. As McFarlane Toys looks back on 30 years of groundbreaking achievements, the company remains committed to pushing boundaries and delivering exceptional collectibles destined to be cherished for years to come.
#image comics#todd mcfarlane#spawn#history making#breaking records#spawns universe#king spawn#mcfarlane toys#the scorched#30th anniversary#gunslinger
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octavia hughes
Octavia Wren Hughes
Number: 8
Season: Second
Position: LW
Height: 5”10
Hometown: Manchester, New Hampshire
S/C: L
NHL: TOR
Prev School: University of Michigan
NHL
• Selected 2nd overall (first round) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL Draft.
International
Team USA
• 2023 World Junior Championship- Bronze Medal, 9 G, 8 A, 7 GP
• 2022 World Junior Championship- 8 G, 6 A, 5 GP
•2022 IIHF World Championship-13 G, 13 A, 10 GP
• 2021 World Junior Championship- Gold Medal, 13 G, 11 A, 6 GP
•2021 IIHF World Championship-14 G, 12 A, 10 GP
•2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge- Silver Medal, 6 G, 7 A, 6 GP
Second Season (2023-2024)
Toronto Maple Leafs
36 G, 41 A, 77 P, 40 GP
Rookie Season (2022-2023)
Toronto Maple Leafs
65 G, 52 A, 117 P, 78 GP
Received the Rookie of the Year award.
Third in most points in the whole NHL.
Signed a Contract for 12 Million dollars for three years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.
Freshman Year (2021-2022)
•First and only Year at University of Michigan, 45 G, 31 A, 41 GP.
•Big Ten Freshman of the year.
Before University of Michigan
• Played two seasons with the USNTDP.
• Totaled 224 points (138-97--235) in 124 games with the USNTDP, the most points and goals ever in USNTDP history.
• First on the team in scoring in 2019-2020 with 69 goals, 47 assists for 115 points in 61 games with the U17 and U18 team
• Scored 110 points (71-48--118) in 63 games with the U18 team in 2020-2021, First on the team in scoring.
Personal
• Born September 9, 2003
• Daughter of Jim and Ellen Hughes
• Has three siblings, Quinn, Jack, Luke.
#octaviahughes#octaviaxsimon#oh8#jack hughes x reader#nhl x reader#jack hughes#jh86#luke hughes#quinn hughes#quinn hughes x reader#luke hughes x reader#simon nemec x reader#simon nemec#vancouver canucks#nj devils#auston matthews#mitch marner#toronto maple leafs
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Carey Price seeks to redefine what it means to win, on and off the ice
Oct 25, 2022 (x)
What could wind up being one of the last saves of Carey Price’s career was notable because it was so spectacular, and therefore unusual.
In the third period of the Montreal Canadiens’ final game of the 2021-22 season, with his team up 8-1 on the Florida Panthers, Price’s former teammate Ben Chiarot let go of a shot from the slot labeled for the far corner. Price flung his trapper out and caught the puck before proceeding to do a big windmill with it, applying not only mustard, but also ketchup and relish on what was already a good save in a meaningless game.
Price looked at Chiarot and flashed him a smile. He was having fun with it.
But saves like these are not what made Price one of the best goaltenders of his generation. It was the lack of saves like these that did that; his ability to make difficult saves look easy, his silky smooth mobility within his crease that made it so he was often in position before the puck even arrived, allowing it to hit him and land harmlessly in front of him where he could immediately cover it up.
His rebound control was pinpoint accurate, rarely resulting in a second chance opportunity for his opponent. Once at practice for Team Canada during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, assistant coach Bill Peters was concerned that he didn’t have enough pucks for the next drill while standing in the corner next to Price’s net. When Price learned of Peters’ predicament while doing the current drill in progress, he steered the next seven or eight shots he faced directly into Peters’ corner of the ice.
“Do you have enough now?” Price asked Peters.
What defined Price, what made him unique, was his ability to make the difficult look simple, the impossible look mundane. It is why every teammate he’s ever had has always marveled at his calm demeanor in net, and why every opponent he’s ever faced seemed intimidated by that same demeanor.
Whereas Dominik Hasek used his athleticism to flop all over his crease and perform miracles, Price used his to make it seem like he wasn’t even trying.
“That is a byproduct of, ever since I was a kid, my dad always preached that you’re trying to eliminate unnecessary movements out there, to be as efficient as possible,” Price said. “So ever since I was a kid, that’s kind of been my mindset. Yeah, you’re going to put a little bit of salt and pepper on one on Saturday night, probably. But for the most part, I’ve always just tried to be as efficient as possible.”
Salt and pepper, see, was not the norm. Except when certain occasions called for it. Like that save on Chiarot in Price’s last game, perhaps, of his career.
“Oh yeah, that was jerk chicken, that one,” Price said with a laugh. “We had a good laugh about that after.”
There have been many great goaltenders since Price entered the NHL in 2007, but perhaps none played the most chaotic position in the game with as much calm and as little panic as Carey Price, which is why he comes in at No. 88 on our list of the best players in the modern era of the NHL. It is what set him apart, what made him unique, and what made teammates everywhere feel an unusual sense of confidence in their team’s ability to win that night.
And this was never more evident than during the 2014-15 season, when Price put together one of the greatest goaltending performances in NHL history. He played 66 games that season and allowed more than two goals just 20 times, winning the Hart and Vezina trophies and the Ted Lindsay Award.
“It was a strange confidence,” Canadiens teammate Brendan Gallagher said of playing in front of Price that year. “If you were able to score three goals in a night, you would win. If your power play could score a goal, if you could win special teams, if you could chip in and find a way to score, we were going to win that game.”
But it wasn’t just his Canadiens teammates who felt that. It was also Price’s teammates on one of the most dominant international teams ever put together, the 2014 Canadian team at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where Price had a .972 save percentage and 0.59 goals against average in five games.
“That is why he was so good, because he’s so calm and under control in the net,” said Los Angeles Kings defenseman and Sochi teammate Drew Doughty. “You literally never think anything is going to get by him. He’s probably the calmest goalie I played in front of.”
And the impact that calm could have on opponents was intimidating.
Rick Nash, another of Price’s teammates in Sochi, recalled discussing how to beat Price with a teammate on the bench. Based on Nash’s experience of having seemingly perfect shots, shots that felt unstoppable when they left his stick, die somewhere on Price’s chest pad, he suggested that the most efficient way to beat Price was to fan on your shot.
“Carey almost knew where you were going to shoot it,” Nash said. “So how’s he supposed to know where you’re shooting if even you don’t know where you’re shooting? Sometimes if you don’t know where you’re going, that’s the best way to beat him.”
It could get in your head, the effortlessness of it all.
“He just did everything as close to perfect as perfect can get,” said Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn, another teammate in Sochi. “So technically sound, he’s a great athlete. He didn’t really have too many weaknesses, if any.”
For Price, that effortlessness was a mirage. There was effort behind everything he did, it just wasn’t the kind of effort you could see, because it was happening behind the scenes.
It was happening in his mind.
“I know over the course of my career, like, every player gets nervous. If you don’t, you’re dead,” Price said. “So I don’t know, I think some of it was a conscious decision (to look calm), but it’s also when I’m doing something, I get extremely focused on what I’m doing. … I just am really good at zoning in on a goal and going all in on it.”
Carey Price hoping for a miracle in bid to make unlikely NHL return.
Price was never quite as zoned in as he was from 2013-14 to 2016-17, a four-season span where an argument could be made he was the best hockey player in the world.
Over that span, Price’s save percentage was .928, by far the best among goalies who played at least 150 games. The next best save percentage was the .922 put up by Cam Talbot and Sergei Bobrovsky. That is a six-point gap between the best goalie and the next-best goalie. If you work backwards from Talbot and Bobrovsky, there were 19 goalies who fell within the same gap that separated Price and the second-best goalie over that span.
As a point of comparison, Sidney Crosby was the most offensively productive player in the NHL over those four seasons with 362 points, 34 points clear of Patrick Kane in second place. If you work back from Kane, you would have only six players fall within that same 34-point gap.
In terms of separating himself from the pack, what Price did over those years was unmatched.
“He’s had an amazing career,” Crosby said. “There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and he handled it well and delivered on all the expectations that were on him.”
The past tense Crosby used there is what Price is trying to cope with.
A debilitating knee injury risks prematurely ending Price’s career. He’s not quite there yet, but Price knows he will need a miracle to avoid this outcome. His career resume is glittered in international gold — World Junior Championship, Olympics, World Cup — but there is a definite lack of silverware. The Stanley Cup is something Price has always wanted, and it doesn’t look like something he will get, at least not as a player.
He came close in 2021 when he led the Canadiens on an improbable run to the final, but in chasing that elusive Cup, Price knowingly put the rest of his career in jeopardy because he had never been so close to his dream. Both he and Shea Weber played through injuries they knew they might never come back from.
“I knew,” Gallagher said. “To what extent, maybe not. But I knew. I don’t know if everyone knew. There are certain times throughout the playoffs where things would slow down, and you’d be alone and they kind of open up and talk to you a little bit. You don’t ask too many questions, but I knew where Pricey was at, and I knew Webby, what he had gone through and that he was at the end as well. I knew it was bad. Pricey, I just knew.”
Price, however, seems to be at peace.
“Well, yeah, it’s something that I wanted to do but I’m also, I think I’m more looking at it from a perspective of I’m very thankful for the career that I had,” Price said. “I had a long career of success. As an athlete, you’re always driven, goal orientated. It’s something that you’ve wanted to achieve your whole life. And it’s like, well, no, it didn’t happen, but on the other side of the coin, a goal of a hockey player is also to play in the NHL. And that’s something that I was really blessed to be able to do for, really, an extraordinary length of time.”
Even though Price might not realize it, he did win.
Except that victory came off the ice.
Price was asked if he remembered the moment from 2021, the one when he realized he needed help.
The answer came immediately.
“Yeah I do,” he responded. “It would have been October 3, and waking up, I was in a pretty bad place. And I was just like, you know what? This isn’t working for me; it’s not working for my family.”
That morning, Price recalled, was the sixth or seventh in a row where he woke up still feeling the effects of what he drank the night before.
It was a Sunday, Price remembers, and by the following Thursday, Oct. 7, he voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and admitted himself into a residential rehabilitation facility.
Price was given the opportunity during our conversation to avoid this topic, to keep the details of his battle with alcohol private. But he wanted to talk about it because he knows how much good came from him simply announcing he was seeking help.
So, yes, he was willing to talk about it, wanted to even.
“I think most of it, I see it in sports and high stress positions, there’s a lot of pressure on athletes these days, I think even more so with social media, media attention, you’re always under the microscope,” Price began. “And I think no matter how good you are at dealing with it, it’s still a weight on your mind, the pressure to perform. It’s not easy to do that day in, day out. Yeah, it’s a fun job, but you’re still doing a job and having to perform at a peak level every day. It’s something that you strive to do as an athlete, you enjoy doing it, but it’s not particularly easy to do, especially when things aren’t going well. And I feel like a way to escape that for a lot of athletes is having fun, having a good time. It’s very prominent in sports. And if you can really manage that, I think it’s really good to go out and have a good time with your teammates. I think it’s great team bonding to be able to get together, have a party, but you get to a point where you’re not having fun anymore.
“I think after we lost in the (2021) Finals and coming so close to a goal and having a surgery, and knowing that I’m right on the 18th hole (of my career) here, I was not a happy person, I wasn’t being a good father. I was drinking a lot. I just got to a point where I was like, I’m not even having fun doing this. Like, what am I doing? I felt like I was getting to a point in my life where I had to make a decision. And substance abuse has been a very big issue in First Nations communities. I’ve had friends and family that have passed away from it. So, I could have done this privately. Nobody ever would have known about it. But at the end of the day, I was like, if I’m dealing with it, if I can lead by example and show that it’s OK to reach out for help. … Maybe I could have gone out and stopped on my own. Yeah, maybe. But at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to show it’s OK to ask for help.”
There’s a lot to unpack there. But we should begin with him mentioning how alcohol has ravaged First Nations communities in this country, how it has touched people he loves, because instilling a sense of pride in Indigenous peoples in Canada is important to Price. Always has been.
He is well aware how much he means not only to the Ulkatcho First Nation, the people his mother Lynda has led as chief, the people he grew up with, but to all Indigenous people across Canada.
When Price was given the biggest platform of his career at the 2015 NHL Awards, when he accepted the one award he was basically guaranteed to win that year, the Vezina Trophy, he sent that message loud and clear.
“I would like to take a moment to encourage First Nations youth,” Price said on stage in Las Vegas that night. “A lot of people would say that it is very improbable that I would make it to this point in my life. I’ve made it here because I wasn’t discouraged. I’ve worked hard to get here, took advantage of every opportunity that I had, and I’d really like to encourage First Nations youth to be leaders in their communities, be proud of your heritage and don’t be discouraged from the improbable.”
That sentiment has not changed for Price, especially in light of how Canada is coming to grips with its past horrors and how they impacted First Nations peoples.
“Well, I’ll just come out and say, starting with the residential schools, I grew up knowing about it, obviously my grandmother went to one, but I don’t think I really comprehended how unknown it was,” Price said. “When I started playing with Canadian hockey players, especially over the last few years where it’s really come to the surface, young Canadians not even knowing what a residential school was. It was like, ‘Oh, you didn’t know that?’ And then I go back and think, going through social studies classes and stuff like that, it was just never brought up.
“Being a role model for young Natives was always something that I had in mind because I was always constantly reminded of that. I’ve received so much support from First Nations communities across Canada. I receive letters in the mail, young fans, and even older fans, they go out of their way to come to Montreal to come watch us even just practice. I’ve always known that and kept that in mind.”
So that is one part of why Price felt the need to be so public with his own struggles. But his desire to help does not end there.
A few years ago, the Canadiens were in Dallas to face the Stars and were out at a bar when Price had a conversation that stuck with him. He spoke to his then-teammate Nate Thompson, who has also battled drugs and alcohol, and asked questions about how he was able to be in a bar without drinking, how he managed his sobriety, lots of things.
“I think he was kind of feeling it out with me and asking how it was,” Thompson said. “He was saying maybe it might be a possibility of him doing something like that, and he was just asking me questions and was very curious.”
Thompson, who celebrated six years of sobriety on Oct. 10, has been open about his journey in the hopes it helps other people. But that took some time, and seeing Price reach the same point makes him proud.
“I needed to get a year of sobriety before I could feel comfortable being open about it, and everyone’s different,” Thompson said. “Some guys want to keep it private, and some guys want to be open about it. I think for me, the biggest thing that helped me be open about it was to realize that with our platform, with my platform, with Carey’s platform, this thing’s bigger than us. It’s not just a problem that’s happening with athletes, this is a problem that’s happening all over the world that people are dealing with day in and day out.
“I think being able to carry a message that is so strong and so powerful, for people to see that, and especially coming from a guy like him, from Carey Price, that’s going to help a ton of people.”
Price entered the residential rehabilitation facility on Oct. 7, and there have been challenges since.
“Once I left the facility, like that first three months, it’s something new, you’re excited about it. But that next six months, I felt like it was on my mind a lot, I was thinking about it a lot,” Price said. “Not to say that I was ready to jump off the wagon, but I can see why the success rate, it’s not that great. Going through that, I was like, ‘Well, yeah, I can see why.’ But I also have my kids at home every day. And I’m like, well, if not for them, then … first and foremost, you do it for yourself. But I look at my kids every day and to be able to not be wasting mornings of my life anymore and be able to wake up on Sunday morning and cook my kids pancakes is something very fulfilling to me.
“And since then, I would say over the last few months, the last couple of months especially, I’ve gone to weddings, I’ve gone to team parties and stuff like that. I think once you kind of get over your own social anxiety, that’s when you start feeling comfortable with just being yourself. I feel socially awkward sometimes and I feel like I just used (alcohol) as a bit of a crutch. Lately, I feel like I’m just totally fine with just being myself, not drinking, just being comfortable, just being present.”
This is where the help Price chose to seek comes in because he learned how to cope with and alter the lifestyle he had created for himself. As he said, perhaps he could have done that on his own, but getting help made that process much easier.
“It’s all about forming new habits and a new thought process,” Price said. “Like, every time we would have a social event, for me it was like, ‘You’re drinking, you’re having a beer, it’s just a social thing, it’s what you do.’ You’re creating a pattern, and it takes a long time to break a pattern.
“I learned that while I was at that facility; you create a path and once you stray from that path, you might be bushwhacking for a little while, but eventually you create a new path.”
This is the big win for Price, not only being able to face this affliction but being able to share it publicly. But he wants it to be known that he had to get help before he could help others.
“It was a great thing, it’s awesome, but that’s not to glorify what I was doing before,” Price said. “You have to be doing some bad stuff, not living life well, to be able to turn that around.
“I think that’s the biggest message, you have the rest of your life to live. Live it well.”
Price has had a tremendous career. He will likely wind up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He holds just about every major goaltending record in Canadiens franchise history. But more important than any of that has been Price’s willingness to help others through his own experience, something he has done throughout his career with First Nations peoples and is now doing for people who struggle with substance use.
No, Carey Price never won a Stanley Cup. But no one could ever say he is not a winner.
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ANDREW LORD NAMED ECHL COACH OF THE YEAR
Fourth-year bench boss becomes first in both franchise and Greenville hockey history to receive recognition
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC—The ECHL announced today that Andrew Lord, Head Coach/General Manager of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, a proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, received the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's Coach of the Year.
Lord, who finished as runner-up for the award in his first season in 2021, becomes the first coach in both franchise and Greenville professional hockey history to receive the league's honor.
The John Brophy Award is presented annually to the ECHL coach who has contributed the most to his team's success. The coach is chosen by ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors, and media members. The trophy is named for John Brophy, who won a record three ECHL titles with Hampton Roads in 1991, 1992, and 1998 and was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009.
This season, Lord guided the Swamp Rabbits to a 44-23-4-1 record and 93 points in the standings, claiming the organization's first South Division Championship in over a decade with a second straight 40-win campaign. Additionally, the Swamp Rabbits earned their 30th win of the season in just 42 games, the fastest pace ever in Greenville professional hockey history. They won eight straight road games from November 14th to December 9th, a new franchise record. By holding the highest win percentage in the Eastern Conference before the Christmas break, Lord was named one of two coaches of the ECHL All-Star Team for the 2024 ECHL All-Star Classic in January.
"I'm extremely honored to receive this award from the ECHL. It's truly humbling," said Lord. "A recognition like this is a true testament to the organization that we have here in Greenville. From Assistant Coach Kyle Mountain, Video Coach River Pease, our support staff in Alec Muise and AJ Smith, our players, front office, and ownership, this is a collective effort and a true reflection of our culture and determination to be better both on the ice and in the community. I'm grateful to Jeff Dickerson, our owner, Todd Mackin, Tim Vieira, our President, and everyone who made this season possible. It's a true honor, and I'm thankful for the ECHL's recognition."
Over four years in the Upstate, Lord has compiled a 155-94-30-9 record in 288 games, a 0.606 win percentage. He's led the Swamp Rabbits to the Kelly Cup Playoffs each season, reaching as far as the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals in his first campaign.
"I couldn't be prouder of Andrew in receiving this honor from the ECHL. It is very much well deserved," said Todd Mackin, President of Spire Holdings. "It was apparent during our hiring process four years ago that Andrew had what it takes to transform our team into one of the most competitive in the entire ECHL. He tirelessly works with his staff to build a team that's worthy of representing our community and competing amongst the best in the league. Back-to-back 40-win seasons, postseason qualification each year, and over a dozen players promoted to the American Hockey League only scratches the surface of where his career trajectory will take him. We are grateful for everything he's done for our team, both on and off the ice. I look forward to watching him continue this excellence as he pursues our first Kelly Cup Championship as an organization."
Before joining Greenville before the 2020-21 season, Lord led the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League to nine separate titles, including three Conference championships, two Challenge Cup championships, two League titles, and two Playoff championships. As the winningest coach in Devils history, he led the team to a 221-75-22 record across his six seasons as head coach. Before entering the coaching ranks, Lord enjoyed a lengthy professional hockey career out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He spent ten seasons in the pro ranks, totaling 462 games. His best work as a pro was done in the EIHL, where he scored 173 points in 216 games, all with Cardiff.
"Coach Lord epitomizes what it takes to be the best at his craft. The accountability and urgency he brings to our team make us better as an organization, not only on the ice, but off the ice and in the community," said Tim Vieira, Swamp Rabbits President. "Working with him is an immense privilege. His leadership of our men on the ice and our support staff has been evident from the very first day we worked together – and this recognition is a culmination of that dedication since day one. From coaching the ECHL All-Stars, to setting team records, and elevating everyone around him, there is no one more deserving of this honor."
The Swamp Rabbits, 2024 South Division Champions, now look forward to the beginning of the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs, taking on the Orlando Solar Bears in the South Division Semifinals. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday, April 21st, slated for a 3:05 p.m. EST puck drop at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
John Brophy Award Winners (ECHL Coach of the Year)
2023-24 Andrew Lord, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
2022-23 Everett Sheen, Idaho Steelheads
2021-22 Jeff Pyle, Atlanta Gladiators
2020-21 Bruce Ramsay, Wichita Thunder
2019-20 Steve Bergin, South Carolina Stingrays
2018-19 Matt Thomas, Cincinnati Cyclones
2017-18 Brad Ralph, Florida Everblades
2016-17 Dan Watson, Toledo Walleye
2015-16 Richard Matvichuk, Missouri Mavericks
2014-15 Derek Lalonde, Toledo Walleye
2013-14 Spencer Carbery, South Carolina Stingrays
2012-13 Jarrod Skalde, Cincinnati Cyclones
2011-12 Rob Murray, Alaska Aces and John Wroblewski, Gwinnett Gladiators
2010-11 Brent Thompson, Alaska Aces
2009-10 Derek Laxdal, Idaho Steelheads
2008-09 Rick Kowalsky, Trenton Devils
2007-08 Chuck Weber, Cincinnati Cyclones
2006-07 Davis Payne, Alaska Aces
2005-06 Glen Gulutzan, Las Vegas Wranglers
2004-05 Nick Vitucci, Toledo Storm
2003-04 Pat Bingham, Wheeling Nailers
2002-03 Claude Noel, Toledo Storm
2001-02 Dave Farrish, Louisiana Ice Gators
2000-01 Troy Ward, Trenton Titans
1999-00 Bob Ferguson, Florida Everblades
1998-99 Bob Ferguson, Florida Everblades
1997-98 Chris Nilan, Chesapeake IceBreakers
1996-97 Brian McCutcheon, Columbus Chill
1995-96 Roy Sommer, Richmond Renegades
1994-95 Jim Playfair, Dayton Bombers
1993-94 Barry Smith, Knoxville Cherokees
1992-93 Kurt Kleinendorst, Raleigh IceCaps
1991-92 Doug Sauter, Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1990-91 Don Jackson, Knoxville Cherokees
1989-90 Dave Allison, Virginia Lancers
1988-89 Ron Hansis, Erie Panthers
About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly, the Greenville Road Warriors and the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL'sLAntario Reign. Greenville is a ECHL, Premier' AA' Hockey League member.
GREENVILLEAA'AMP RABBITS
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Devils Acquire Kahkonen from San Jose | RELEASE
New Jersey sends Vanecek and a 7th-round pick in 2025 to San Jose
Kahkonen - 1920x1080
By
Devils PR
@NJDevils NewJerseyDevils.com
4:30 PM
The New Jersey Devils announced today that the team has acquired goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for netminder Vitek Vanecek and New Jersey’s seventh-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The announcement was made by President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.
Kahkonen, 27, joins New Jersey after spending parts of the last three seasons with San Jose from 2021-22 to 2023-24. The 6’2”, 215lbs. goaltender was traded to San Jose from the Minnesota Wild on March 21, 2022. Kahkonen began his NHL career with Minnesota and logged his NHL debut on Nov. 26, 2019, in a 3-2 win at New Jersey. He spent parts of three seasons with the Wild (2019-20 to 2021-22), and owns a career 48-63-15 overall record with a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA).
The native of Helsinki, Finland earned a career-high 16 wins and two shutouts with Minnesota in 2020-21, which set a franchise record for the most wins that a rookie goaltender earned in a single season. Additionally, he recorded a nine-game winning streak from February 18 to March 16, 2021 which marked the fifth-longest stretch that a rookie goaltender earned in NHL history.
Before his NHL experience, Kahkonen spent parts of two seasons with Minnesota’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Iowa from 2018-19 to 2019-20. He posted a 25-6-5 record with Iowa in 2019-20, while his 25 wins and seven shutouts ranked first for all AHL netminders. Additionally, his .927 save percentage and 2.07 GAA ranked in the top five for AHL goaltenders in 2019-20. He then earned the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for the 2019-20 season.
Born on Aug. 16, 1996, Minnesota selected Kahkonen in the fourth round, 109th overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft. The Finnish goaltender also represented his home country at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) U18 2012-13 and 2013-14 World Junior Championship (WJC) and helped Finland win a Bronze Medal at the 2012-13 tournament. He then earned a Gold Medal with Finland at the 2015-16 WJC, after posting a 4-0-0 record with a .909 save percentage and 2.52 GAA.
Kahkonen was teammates with current Devils forward Timo Meier in San Jose from 2021-22 to 2022-23.
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