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November 23, 2015
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
IT HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND JOURNEY for New York Islanders left winger Anders Lee, 25, from his hometown of Edina, Minn., to his new hockey hometown of Brooklyn. He calls it a surreal, dream-like experience. And it’s nowhere near over, as he’s part of an exciting young core of Islanders players moving forward. A three-sport varsity athlete at Edina High School, Lee essentially had his pick of sports in which to pursue a pro career. He was a finalist for Minnesota’s Mr. Football award in 2008 and Mr. Hockey in 2009. But he credits the hockey opportunities he was given for choosing to trade in his football pads and baseball glove for skates and a stick full time. The big opportunity arrived when the Isles drafted him 152nd overall in 2009.…
PUTTING THE FUN BACK IN FLINT
THE FIRST FOUR SUB-TOPICS that pop up when you type “Flint, Michigan” into Google Images are pretty harrowing: Ghetto, Ghost Town, Crime, Abandoned. So when the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers were moved this summer to Flint, the rechristened Firebirds had a bit of a PR battle on their hands. The team had a solid veteran core with NHL picks such as goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina), right winger Connor Chatham (New Jersey) and defenseman Alex Peters (Dallas), but they were Plymouth holdovers. Would it be harder to retain and bring in talent when parents look at their teen son’s potential new mailing address? “That’s what we focused in on this summer,” said coach John Gruden. “We showed them the arena, the high school and the Grand Blanc area, which is really coming alive.” Grand…
SPEZZA’S ROOTS GROW DEEPER
JASON SPEZZA THOUGHT HE HAD IT all figured out. He was ready for a move out of Ottawa, picked the right team in Dallas and was raring to go last season. And yet…it didn’t work out the way he planned. “I underestimated just what a big change it was going to be, and that hurt me last year,” Spezza said. “I’m more prepared this season.” And the extra year wasn’t just about finding his spot on the ice. Spezza found a new neighborhood, got his kids situated in a new school and became a part of the Dallas landscape. Oh yeah, and the four-year contract extension at $7.5 million per season didn’t hurt. “We’re ready to win now,” said Stars GM Jim Nill, “and Jason Spezza is a big part of that.” That…
JUST CALL HIM NAIL MCYAKUPOV
WHEN THE EDMONTON OILERS drafted Connor McDavid last summer, they didn’t just get a generational talent described as the best player since Sidney Crosby, they got a bonus first overall pick thrown in for free. Nail Yakupov. Yakupov, 22, had been dying on the vine since the Oilers took him in 2012, playing limited minutes on the third line, struggling to score and amassing the league’s worst plus-minus over the past two years (minus-68). The effort and determination were there, but he couldn’t channel his energy in the right direction, resulting in a fast-paced but often aimless game that bore little resemblance to anything a coach drew on a whiteboard. As the minuses piled up and the goals didn’t, whispers of “busted pick” began filtering through press boxes. Then came McDavid and new coach…
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