Posts

Posted on

New Jersey Devils Receive League Warning After Helmetless Warmup to Honor Brenden Dillon

The New Jersey Devils drew attention Monday by warming up without helmets, leading to a league warning.

The team hit the ice to honor Brenden Dillon’s 1,000th NHL game, wearing No. 5 Jerseys, hats, and special numbers on their sleeves. ​

While their support was evident, the NHL noted that warming up without helmets violated league rules.

​In 2023-24, the NHL mandated that all players who joined the league after the 2019-20 season wear helmets during warmups. ​The rule is officially NHL rule 9.6, which states that “it is mandatory for all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later to wear their helmet during pre-game warm-up. To be clear, all players who entered the League before the 2019-2020 season and who are currently playing are exempt from this mandate.”​

As a result, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly issued the Devils a warning. ​Daly’s warning comes amid a continuing trend of teams deciding not to wear helmets during warmups. ​

Last Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators decided as a team not to wear helmets in hopes of shifting their luck. The Senators won that game.

​The San Jose Sharks also aimed to turn their season around by removing helmets in warmups; however, the team ultimately lost that game.

​Unlike the other teams, the Devils did not forgo helmets in hopes of turning their season around.

The team chose to wear hats to honor their teammate, who became the only active undrafted player to reach 1,000 games. ​

The night didn’t go as hoped. Dillon left the game after Dmitri Voronkov dropped the gloves and knocked the Devils defenseman to the ice. Dillon returned for the second period before exiting the game again. He did not play in the third period.

​Not only that, but the Devils also lost their second straight home game, after starting the season without a regulation home loss for the first 10 games. ​

The team was only issued a warning for violating the NHL rule–a fortunate result. ​

The Devils face the Dallas Stars next. 

THN.com/free

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

The New Jersey Devils Drop Two Straight Home Games

The New Jersey Devils have had a tough week. The team lost two consecutive home games after going unbeaten at home in regulation up until that point.

The Devils first lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3, allowing three goals in the second period. Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov each scored twice.

Following their loss to the Flyers, the Devils aimed to rebound and get back in the win column against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A milestone night honoring Brenden Dillon’s 1,000th game quickly soured.

The Devils took a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period; however, one minute into the second, a brawl broke out.

Dmitri Voronkov fought Dillon, quickly sending him to the ice.

Dillon needed help off the ice. He later returned for three shifts before leaving again, not playing at all in the third period.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe addressed the situation postgame with NJD.tv.

“[Dillon] would never do something like that to another player. That I know for certain,” Keefe said. “I don’t like it. I don’t think Dillon knows he’s in a fight, and he’s tackled from behind. Before he knows it, his helmet’s off, his jersey is over his head, and we saw what happened from there.”

Dillon would skate for just over ten minutes in his milestone game.

Despite leading early, the Devils failed to close out the game and lost 5-3, missing chances to regroup.

These back-to-back home losses marked the first time all season the Devils dropped two straight games on home ice.

Looking ahead, the Devils face a challenging schedule, with games against the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, and Boston Bruins in the coming week.

The Devils play 14 games in 29 days—a heavy load before the Winter Olympic break.

Losing to the Blue Jackets and Flyers is not ideal for this team. With every team in the NHL either holding a playoff spot or within three points of one, there is little margin for error. The Devils, currently second in the Metropolitan Division with 33 points, trail the Flyers by two and the Blue Jackets by 4 in the race for a postseason berth.

Despite injuries, the Devils must find a way to win to remain atop the division, especially with the tough schedule.

THN.com/free

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

Flailing Usman Khawaja’s Test future now lies out of his own hands | Geoff Lemon

After years of selectors arguing that his presence brings stability to Australia, the injured opener is now the team’s main source of uncertainty

As far as surprises go, a 38.95-year-old with a back problem continuing to have a back problem is not up there with the end of The Sixth Sense. The only twists in this story are the ones that Usman Khawaja can’t currently do. With the second Ashes Test in Brisbane coming up on 4 December, the capricious nature of such injuries made it odd that the batter was included in the first place in Australia’s squad on 30 November, and less odd that he was ruled out again on 2 December. But here we are, still engaged in the dance that Australia’s selectors have been doing through a reluctance to part with Khawaja at the top of the order.

From here, other results will decide whether we have reached the end of what has been, like so many others, a very good Test career that declined irreversibly toward its end. For two years Khawaja has struggled with the level of fast bowling that Test openers must combat, looking increasingly out of sorts in the process. Throughout that period, thanks to the faith shown in him by selectors, the solution has remained in his own two hands. One big score, one vigil of the sort he once made routine, and he could lock in the confidence that his later-stage version could bring the benefit of experience with no trade-off in reflexes.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Thunder show Warriors why they can threaten Golden State's historic 73-9 mark

Thunder show Warriors why they can threaten Golden State's historic 73-9 mark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors own the most impressive of regular-season NBA team records, most wins in a season. They took it from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls not quite 10 years ago, but it’s already facing extinction.

They now know why: The Oklahoma City Thunder want the record — and have the goods to take it.

The Thunder rolled into the Bay Area on Tuesday night flashing such shiny possessions as month-old NBA championship rings and a gaudy 20-1 record that sits high atop the league. Golden State, for all its gallant second-half effort to get close, didn’t have enough to avoid a 124-112 loss because OKC’s closing lineup turned lethal.

The Warriors’ comeback attempt was inspiring insofar as it came without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III. Coach Steve Kerr turned to random lineups, and they worked – until they didn’t.

“I didn’t learn much,” Draymond Green said of the second half, when the Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61. “But I hope our guys learned that if we play hard, we can compete with anybody.

“Whether Jimmy is out there or Steph is out there or not, it’s going to be much tougher. The margin for error is a lot less. But you give yourself a chance, and that’s all you can ask for. I hope that’s what we collectively learned.”

To be fair, OKC was taking full advantage of weakened prey. Curry is sidelined with a quad contusion, and Butler, a game-time decision with gluteal contusion, played 15 valiant first-half minutes before hobbling into the night with a sore left knee.

Yet the Warriors, who trailed by as much as 22 in the third quarter, got back in the game. With Seth Curry (14 points in 14 minutes in his Golden State debut) and Pat Spencer (15 points in 12 second-half minutes) leading the charge, the Warriors even took a lead inside the final five minutes, momentarily delighting the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center.

The Thunder’s response was typical of a champion. Neither flinching nor blinking, they ignored the blood on their face and started coming at the Warriors like a squadron of specially trained soldiers, calmly smothering their offense, surgically eviscerating their defense and leaving them for the buzzards with a blistering 18-5 closing run over the final 4:40.

When the Thunder was seriously threatened, their leaders – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren – turned clinical when it mattered most. OKC took eight shots inside over the final 4:40 and made seven.

“They’re 21-1 for a reason,” Kerr said. “Shai is the MVP for a reason. He goes 5 of 6 from three; the step back at the top of the circle was a huge shot. And it’s one you kind of have to live with. You don’t want him getting to the rim. And they made big shots. Isaiah Joe made a corner three. Jalen Williams made a big shot.

“So, give them credit. They’re NBA champs for a reason.”

Champs, yes, but the Thunder are aiming higher. They want to accomplish what the Warriors did not in 2016, which is set a record for wins and then repeat as champions.

“It’s hard, man, but I do think they’re capable,” Green said. “You just need so many things to go right though. Like health, which they kind of plow right through health, so it really don’t matter. You need a lot of breaks to go your way.

“They’re on the right track. And like I said, they’re more than capable. I think 73 wins took some years off my life. It’s hard. But like I said, they’re capable of a lot.”

The Warriors concluded their five-game homestand with a 2-3 record and will be at .500 (11-11) when they fly to Philadelphia on Wednesday to open a three-game tour through the Eastern Conference.

They’ll fly to Philly without Curry, who will stay in the Bay Area and rehab with Rick Celebrini, with the belief that he’ll be cleared when the Warriors return home and face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 12. Butler’s immediate availability is in question.

The Warriors are trying to find themselves while shorthanded.

Meanwhile, OKC will go home with a 21-1 record that puts it well within reach of the record 73 wins Golden State compiled in the 2015-16 NBA season. They might not get there, but they seem to have the necessary thirst for triumph.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Seth Curry, unsurprisingly, fits seamlessly with Warriors in loss to Thunder

Seth Curry, unsurprisingly, fits seamlessly with Warriors in loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — If anyone can ignite a Chase Center crowd in an instant, it’s a Curry.

Without superstar Steph Curry (quad contusion) for Tuesday’s 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center, his younger brother, Seth, who Golden State re-signed on Monday after waiving before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, provided that signature Curry spark with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range in 17 minutes in his Warriors debut.

Curry helped fuel a monstrous 44-28 third quarter for Golden State, which trailed by 19 points at halftime before storming back to lead by as many as four points in the fourth quarter.

“It felt good, it felt good,” Curry shared postgame. “I’ve been waiting to get on this floor for a while now and the fans showed me a lot of love when I stepped on the floor and it felt good to go out there and make my first shot, kind of ease the pressure a little bit. And then from there, I’m just playing basketball.”

Seth’s performance, albeit not the typical Earth-shattering “Curry Flurry” that Golden State has grown accustomed to over the years, was impressive, and came as no surprise to Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his new teammates.

“He comes from the greatest shooting family in the history of basketball,” Kerr said. He’s a pro, the guy’s been around for a long time and he’s helped win a lot of games for a lot of teams. He kept himself ready and he just knows how to play. He’s in the right place at the right time, he doesn’t turn it over, he’s a good passer and he fights defensively. It’s great to have him.”

“It’s in his blood,” Warriors guard Pat Spencer added. “He’s always been a shooter, man. He’s got the green light to shoot it from anywhere on the floor just like his brother. We have full confidence it’s going in.”

Tuesday’s game was Curry’s first real NBA action since April 11 of last season, when he scored 17 points for the Charlotte Hornets in a loss to the Boston Celtics.

There appeared to be no sign of rust.

“It felt normal, it felt natural,” Curry said about his return to the court. “I was a little nervous, I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I got out there. It’s probably been seven, eight months since I played a game, but once I got up and down a couple times, it was basketball. Nothing new.”

The Warriors are hoping to have Steph, who will not travel with the team on its upcoming three-game road trip, back for the Dec. 12 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While his absence leaves a massive void in the starting lineup that nobody can fill, Golden State knows Seth is more than capable of replicating some of what his older brother can do on the court.

“Just to add that level of shooting,” forward Draymond Green explained. “He’s led the league in 3-point percentage multiple times, and at one point, I know he was the career leader … Just being able to add Seth and him come out and get going. What he did tonight was great for us, but the one thing we know he can do and we expect him to do is shoot the ball, so it’s on us to make sure we get him looks.”

For one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, that seems like the right call.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Steph Curry won't travel on Warriors' road trip, out for the next three games

Steph Curry won't travel on Warriors' road trip, out for the next three games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry, out since last Wednesday due to a right quad contusion, is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Thursday, but coach Steve Kerr took some of the guesswork out of the equation.

Curry won’t travel with the Warriors for their upcoming three-game road trip to Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago.

“He’s going to stay home. It was a long shot for him to play in the back-to-back and we don’t play again until Friday,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Chase Center. “So it just makes perfect sense for him to stay home with [director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini], get the rehab done here, get his work in and hopefully be ready for Minnesota next Friday.”

Curry sustained the contusion and muscle strain in the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets last week at Chase Center.

The Warriors initially ruled Curry out for at least a week, but he will miss over two weeks if he returns next Friday.

The Warriors were able to beat the lowly New Orleans Pelicans without Curry on Saturday, but Golden State could have used the 37-year-old on Tuesday.

Instead, the two-time NBA MVP was forced to watch the loss from a suite. But he got to watch his younger brother, Seth, make his Warriors debut.

Seth Curry, who signed a contract for the rest of the season on Monday, scored 14 points on 6 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

The elder Curry certainly enjoyed the display.

But he will like it even more when he can get on the court with his brother, and based on Kerr’s statement, that should come on Dec. 12 against the Timberwolves.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Olympic ice surface being built to specs smaller than NHL rinks, per source, sparking new concerns

Olympic ice surface being built to specs smaller than NHL rinks, per source, sparking new concernsAdding to the growing list of concerns regarding the arena being built for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, now there’s this: The ice surface may be smaller than those used in NHL buildings, which could be a safety concern given the speed of the game.

The International Ice Hockey Federation approved a 60-meter by 26-meter sheet of ice (196.85-foot by 85.3-foot) in Milan, a source familiar with the decision tells The Athletic, which is more than three feet shorter and only a hair wider than the 200-foot by 85-foot (60.96-meter by 25.91-meter) dimensions required under NHL rules.

The NHL has sent players to an Olympics with a 60-meter length in the past, but that was with the significantly wider surface (30 meters) typically used for international play. The agreement between the NHL, NHL Players’ Association, International Olympic Committee and IIHF for the Milan Games called for hockey to be played on a surface completed to the specifications used in NHL buildings.

The NHL did not comment on the situation Tuesday when reached by The Athletic. One source with knowledge of the league’s dealings with the IIHF and IOC on the arena said that the league is looking into it, implying that it was not previously aware of the issue.

The NHL Players’ Association also told The Athletic on Tuesday that it is “looking into the matter.”

An ice surface with a shorter length but not substantially greater width will leave players with less room to maneuver. That could put players in dangerous situations based on what we saw at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, which featured some of the fastest, hardest-checking hockey ever played at Montreal’s Bell Centre and Boston’s TD Garden.

“If we learned anything from the 4 Nations, it was like, I don’t want to say mistake-free hockey, but the checking, there was no room,” U.S. men’s Olympic team general manager Bill Guerin told The Athletic in October.

Countries’ Olympic federations have until Dec. 31 to submit 25-player rosters for the Olympics and are aware of the unique rink dimensions. Team Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer visited Milan earlier this fall and mentioned the shorter Olympic ice surface during an interview with Fan 590 in Toronto on Monday, saying, “I don’t understand how that happened.”

Consider it the latest in a string of puzzling developments around Santagiulia Arena, a planned 16,000-seat venue scheduled to host 33 games during the Olympics, including both the men’s and women’s gold-medal finals.

Another problem? Construction is still ongoing, a little more than two months from the opening ceremony. One source well-versed on the building’s status told The Athletic that organizers needed a “big bomb,” not just a fire, lit under them with the clock ticking loudly.

The NHL has been raising alarms about the arena for years, with commissioner Gary Bettman expressing concern as far back as the Board of Governors meeting in December of 2023 about the fact that construction hadn’t started at that point. When a group of league personnel toured the site southeast of Milan in August, it found an arena still under construction, with no infrastructure complete, including no roads built to the building. They’d also yet to break ground on the practice facility.

Those delays forced a planned December test event to be pushed back to Jan. 9 to 11. While there had been growing industry speculation about potentially looking to a rink in Switzerland as a standby venue, it was determined during a mid-November meeting in Stockholm, featuring representatives from the IOC, IIHF and NHL, that there would be no Plan B, according to league sources.

Following that meeting, NHL representatives Derek King and Dean Matsuzaki visited Milan to give a precise update to the league on the status of construction.

“It appears that positive forward progress is being made with respect to the necessary hockey-related facilities in Milan,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun on Nov. 19. “We intend to continue to monitor progress as we get closer to the planned test events and the Games themselves.”

In October, the IOC said in a statement that the arena is “scheduled for completion in mid-December,” and an IOC spokesperson told The Athletic two weeks ago that the IOC stood by that statement.

The first Olympic event scheduled for Santagiulia is a women’s preliminary round game between Italy and France on Feb. 5. The men’s tournament runs from Feb. 11 to 22.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

NHL, Sports Business, Olympics, Women's Hockey

2025 The Athletic Media Company

Posted on

Scott Morrow Presented With Opportunity To Show He Belongs In The NHL

 Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Scott Morrow has a golden opportunity presented right in front of him. 

With Adam Fox placed on long-term injured reserve, Morrow has been jolted into a prominent position for the New York Rangers. 

He’ll have an opportunity to carve out a role in the Rangers’ lineup. 

Given Morrow’s experience with the Hurricanes, playing in 16 regular season games and five playoff games, Morrow is prepared to step into an everyday rotational role for the Rangers.

“I know I'm ready for the opportunity, Morrow emphasized. “It's not gonna be like my first game. I know what to expect, and I'll be ready to go.”

The Rangers clearly thought highly of Morrow, as the team specifically sought to acquire him in the sign-and-trade deal with the Carolina Hurricanes involving K’Andre Miller. 

Morrow’s talent is undeniable, but Mike Sullivan still wants to see him play with a certain assertive energy he hasn't really shown in his four games with the Rangers this season.

“Assertive play,” Sullivan said about what he wants to see from Morrow. “Making decisions with conviction and not being in between. Eliminating hesitation from his game.”

Jonathan Quick Making Progress In Recovery From Injury Jonathan Quick Making Progress In Recovery From Injury It appears as if Jonathan Quick is inching closer to making a return for the New York Rangers. 

The 23-year-old defenseman agrees with his head coach’s assessment and knows that he needs to play stress-free in order to unlock that assertive play.

“I think there's definitely an opportunity for me to be more physical at times,” Morrow said. “Sometimes when you're just coming into an NHL game, when you haven't played at this level a lot, there's a level of a little bit of intimidation, not being quite as assertive. I think I definitely need to play like it's any other game and not change my game at all.”

For now, it appears as if Morrow will hold a spot in the lineup over Urho Vaakanainen, but that could obviously change based on his performance. 

Nonetheless, this is a big chance for Morrow to prove himself at the NHL level.  

Posted on

Sabres Facing A Long Road To Hoe

The Buffalo Sabres 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday has lifted them out the basement of the Eastern Conference, but the club faces the difficult task of playing their next six games on the road, where they have not enjoyed much success this season. 

The Sabres have the worst record in the NHL on the road at 2-6-2, but are coming off a 3-2 shootout victory in Minnesota on Saturday. Buffalo will play the Flyers in Philadelphia on Wednesday, before heading to Western Canada to play the Jets, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest against Seattle over the next 11 days.  

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Guerin Gathering Info On Possible Olympic Options 

"This is a big trip for us. We need to improve our road play and hopefully use that game in Minnesota as a game that kind of turns in the right direction for us." Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after practice on Tuesday. "I couldn't remember (a) trip this long. It goes back even with the other teams I've been with. So it is different. There will be a lot of time together, practicing a couple days on the road, won't be a lot of practice, but the way the schedule unfolds, probably we get one or two."

Ruff indicated that the club will likely recall a defenseman before heading west, after they sent Zach Metsa back to AHL Rochester on Monday. He also indicated that blueliner Michael Kesselring will not travel with the team and will continue skating in Buffalo after suffering a lower body injury last month, and that forward Tyson Kozak has been hampered by an unspecified injury, 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

THN.Com/Free
Posted on

Former Mets LHP Danny Young signs with Braves on one-year, split contract

Danny Young is staying in the NL East.

The Braves have signed the former Mets reliever to a one-year, split contract. 

Young, of course, was non-tendered by the Mets late last month. 

The southpaw is working his way back from Tommy John, and according to a Will Sammon of the Athletic, he has already resumed throwing. 

He will begin the year on the IL, but is on pace to return at some point in the first half.

Young was limited to just 10 games last season before going down to injury. 

When healthy he put together a bit of an up-and-down tenure in Queens, pitching to 4.50 ERA in 52 outings. 

He’ll now return to Atlanta, where he spent some time during the 2023 campaign. 

Young will also have the opportunity to reunite with former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. 

Posted on

Newcastle 2-2 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

Cristian Romero’s late overhead kick salvaged a point for Spurs after Newcastle were awarded a contentious penalty

Tottenham Hotspur kick off. A fine early-evening-pints-fuelled atmosphere at St James’ Park. Spurs are kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half.

The teams are out! Newcastle in their famous black and white stripes, Spurs in 1982 FA Cup final yellow. A quick blast of the theme from Local Hero and we’ll be away. Howay!

Continue reading...
Posted on

NHL Jack Adams Award Rankings: Ducks' Quenneville, Penguins' Muse Lead

Deciding who deserves to be the NHL's coach of the year is an interesting exercise.

Does it always go to the best coach? Does the squad need to have significantly more points than the year before? Does the coach deserve the honor if his team's roster is stacked?

Voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Association, the Jack Adams Award technically goes to "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery received the award last season after guiding his team to a 20-point improvement. The last coach to win the Jack Adams Award while their team captured the Presidents' Trophy was Jim Montgomery in 2022-23, when his Boston Bruins improved by 28 points to put up a record-breaking 135 points in a season.

In this ranking of our top five Jack Adams Award candidates, only one of these coaches has won it before.

Speaking of coaches who haven't won the Jack Adams, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar deserves an honorable mention for what he has accomplished with his team. With Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, it'd be a surprise if the Avalanche weren't thriving, but if they threaten to break the Bruins' record for most points in a season, Bednar could get the award.

Here is my five for the Jack Adams Award just over a quarter of the way into the 2025-26 NHL season.

5. Martin St-Louis, Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have been growing every season under Martin St-Louis. As the youngest squad in the NHL, according to eliteprospects.com, the organization has its coach to thank for its come-up.

Last season, St-Louis led the Canadiens to their first playoff berth since 2021, showing signs of improvement and becoming a more competitive team.

For those efforts, St-Louis was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, finishing third in voting behind runner-up and Winnipeg Jets bench boss Scott Arniel.

This year, the Habs' coach should find himself in the mix for the award once again if his team continues to perform the way they have.

Montreal is third in the Atlantic Division with 29 points in 24 games, thanks to a 13-8-3 record. Going into November, they were leading the division, meaning they've had a bit of a slump, resulting in St-Louis dropping to No. 5.

BetMGM Jack Adams Award odds: 17.00/+1600

4. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning

It's a true mystery and shock to think that Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has never won a Jack Adams Award despite winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, making it to two additional Eastern Conference finals and capturing the Presidents' Trophy.

The closest Cooper got was in 2018-19 when he finished as a runner-up to New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz. He also finished third in voting in 2013-14, when Patrick Roy earned the award with the Avalanche.

Cooper's Lightning had a terrible 1-4-2 start to the season, leaving all to wonder if he's taken Tampa Bay as far as he could. However, that narrative has completely changed as the Bolts top the Atlantic as of Dec. 2.

Even though a handful of his players haven't been playing up to their standard – such as Brayden Point with three goals and 11 points in 21 games and Oliver Bjorkstrand with two goals and nine points in 25 games – Cooper has kept the team performing at the highest level.

Maybe this is the year Cooper finally gets his flowers and some individual hardware.

BetMGM Jack Adams Award odds: 11.00/+1000

3. Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins

There wasn't much of an expectation for the Bruins going into this season. At last year's trade deadline, they turned into sellers, trading away captain Brad Marchand and others for draft picks and young players.

Despite this change in the organization over the last season or so, new coach Marco Sturm has kept the Bruins in a playoff position, as they have been for most of the past decade.

With Sturm's help behind the bench, Boston is second in the Atlantic. Their power-play success rate ranks fourth in the NHL, and their penalty-kill rate ranks seventh.

After spending seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings organization as an NHL assistant and AHL coach, this is his first year as an NHL head coach.

BetMGM Jack Adams Award odds: 31.00/+3000

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse instructs players during a timeout against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Nov. 1. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

2. Dan Muse, Pittsburgh Penguins

It's been truly remarkable what Dan Muse has pulled out of the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. It would be difficult to find many non-biased observers who thought this team would be in the position they are in now.

The Penguins were a write-off for this campaign, and many had them pencilled in as a lottery team. In fact, when Muse was brought in to lead duties behind the bench, there wasn't much expectation, as the highest level he'd head-coached was with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the USHL. He was also an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators and the New York Rangers.

Since he was appointed, he's silenced all his critics, pushing the Penguins into a playoff spot as they hold on to the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They're also ninth in the NHL.

Those results aren't bad for a rookie NHL bench boss.

BetMGM Jack Adams Award odds: 15.00/+1400

1. Joel Quenneville, Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks haven't been to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the last seven seasons, but the fans in Orange County may not have to wait much longer.

The addition of veteran coach Joel Quenneville, who was reinstated by the NHL in 2024, was the perfect fit for the young and exciting Ducks.

Anaheim finished 25th in the NHL last season but leads the Pacific Division and ranks fifth in the league this year.

The Ducks have one of the best offenses in the NHL, averaging 3.62 goals-for. They only sit behind the Avalanche in that category.

There's an argument that this success can be credited to the players having breakout seasons. Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe and others all have a say in that.

However, Quenneville, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and Jack Adams winner in 2000, has done an effective job of handling a maturing team like his Ducks.

BetMGM Jack Adams Award odds: 3.10/+210

Image

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

What we learned as Warriors' epic comeback falls short in brutal loss to Thunder

What we learned as Warriors' epic comeback falls short in brutal loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – As predicted, the key to stopping the machine that is the Oklahoma City Thunder is a Warriors team being down both Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.

No, the Warriors didn’t win, falling 124-112 Tuesday night at Chase Center. What they did do is flip a switch in the second half and fight until the very end. 

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61 in the second half behind a plethora of role players answering the call.

Curry missed his second straight game due to a quad contusion. Butler, who came into the game questionable, did not play the entire second half. Butler played 15 minutes in the first half and was a minus-13. He scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. 

Seth Curry made his long-awaited Warriors debut and was even better than anybody could have expected, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting while playing 18 minutes off the bench. 

Pat Spencer tied his career-high of 17 points, going 8 of 14 from the field, and added six assists without any turnovers. Brandin Podziemski also scored 17 points to go with four rebounds and four assists, but his four turnovers were a team high for the Warriors (11-11). 

Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 38 points for the Thunder (21-1).

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ loss to end a 2-3 homestand.

Butler Tries To Power Through

It was exactly three weeks ago when the Warriors lost by 24 points to the Thunder, with Steph Curry, in a game that they trailed by as much as 36. Beating the defending champions with their superstar was a tall enough task. Without him, the proposition felt impossible. 

After seeing the scary fall Butler took Saturday night in the Warriors’ win against the New Orleans Pelicans, sitting him would have been understandable. But after being questionable all day due to a left gluteal contusion, Butler played and gave his best effort. 

Butler was scoreless in the first quarter and only took one shot. He was ultra-aggressive to begin the second quarter, taking six shots and scoring six points. Halfway through the second quarter, Butler, slightly limping, went to the Warriors’ locker room. He returned for the final two minutes of the first half. 

The Warriors trailed by 11 when he exited the Warriors’ bench, and 14 once he returned a few minutes later. Trouble came in the final few seconds of the first half. Butler tried to cut behind the Thunder’s defense and wound up with a bad limp.

Butler was not on the floor or on the bench to begin the third quarter. At the end of the third quarter, he officially was ruled out the rest of the game because of left knee soreness.

Seth’s Sensational Debut 

Steve Kerr, during his pregame press conference, said he wouldn’t hesitate to play Curry after waiting to be signed for the last six weeks. The wait finally ended at the end of the first quarter. Curry was the Warriors’ 11th player to see the floor, coming in for the last 23.8 seconds of the first quarter. 

He then started the second quarter, too. Curry’s first shot attempt and make as a Warrior came with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half when he beat the buzzer and nailed a stepback jumper. The long-distance shooting the Curry family is known for showed up a little over a minute later. 

Those were Curry’s only two shots of the first half, making both. Curry was a big part of the Warriors’ third-quarter flurry, finding his rhythm and getting better as the game went on.

Curry, after scoring five points in the first half, scored nine in the second half – four in the third quarter and five in the fourth. The last thing he looked like was a player who had been on a month-and-a-half sabbatical. His first game as a Warrior was as encouraging as it possibly could have been. 

Stunning Second Half

Watching the Warriors without their Batman and Robin of Steph Curry and Butler can feel like putting anchovies on pizza. Cereal without milk. Dry, bland, and straight up gross.

Except something sparked inside them coming out of halftime without their top two stars. What looked to be a blowout loss became an absolute battle. The Warriors went from being down 19 points at halftime to making it a two-point game going into the fourth quarter, even cutting the deficit to one point with less than two minutes remaining in the third. 

After scoring just 44 points in the first half, the Warriors exploded for 44 points in the third quarter. A total of 10 Warriors played in the third quarter, and seven scored. Spencer scored nine points, Podziemski scored eight, Draymond Green scored seven, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga scored six, and Curry and Buddy Hield each scored four.

A three from Payton at the 8:28 mark of the fourth quarter gave the Warriors their first lead since it was 6-5. Each team kept throwing a combination of haymakers and body blows, connecting each time and never letting up. The more talented team just happened to prevail in the end. 

The Thunder scored 33 points in the fourth quarter, nine more than the Warriors’ 24.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Cristian Romero overhead kick snatches late Tottenham draw to deny Newcastle

Two late goals from Cristian Romero enabled Thomas Frank to leave Tyneside celebrating the sort of dramatic draw that can be construed as a form of moral victory.

The Tottenham captain’s equaliser in stoppage time, his second leveller of the scrappiest of games, not merely camouflaged plenty of visiting flaws but surely reinforced his manager’s recently fragile looking job security.

Continue reading...
Posted on

The Wraparound: Could Laurent Brossoit Help A Contending NHL Team?

The Wraparound is here to discuss more rapid-fire NHL and hockey topics.

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello, and Kelsey Surmacz discussed in this episode:

0:00: Breaking down Logan Cooley's injury against the St. Louis Blues

4:55: Can the management group in Calgary build toward contention in the time of their new extensions?

9:01: What has led to the Philadelphia Flyers' recent success?

12:42: Will Rutger McGroarty play a bigger role with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season?

17:22: Can the Maple Leafs' goaltending break them out of their early-season slump?

22:06: Looking at the top early candidates for the Vezina Trophy

25:50: Could Laurent Brossoit be an effective goalie on a contending team this season?

30:28: What will it take for the Winnipeg Jets to get back on track? 

Could Laurent Brossoit Help A Contending NHL Team? by The WraparoundCould Laurent Brossoit Help A Contending NHL Team? by The Wraparound

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Podbean

iHeartRadio

Amazon