Even as an All-Star, Canes Noah Hanifin knows there s much more to learn

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1 Even as an All-Star, Canes Noah Hanifin knows there s much more to learn By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com January 28, :55 AM Updated 8 minutes ago Being at the NHL All-Star Game for the first time has given Noah Hanifin time to reflect on all that has happened the past few years. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman has gone from Boston College to being a first-round draft pick to playing in the NHL at 18 to being selected an All-Star at 21. Yeah, it s pretty crazy, Hanifin said. The big thing is you look back and it seems like it was yesterday I was just coming into the league. It goes by past and you learn so much. I remember it was a great experience coming in and being a young guy and kind of figuring out what the league is all about. Three years in, Hanifin is still figuring it out. While named to the Metropolitan Division team for Sunday s All-Star Game in Tampa, Fla., while spending a few days hanging out with the NHL s best, he realizes there s still much to be done, much to learn. Hanifin s last game for the Canes may have been his best with the Canes. On his 21st birthday, he had three assists and a plus-5 rating matching that of defensive partner Trevor van Riemsdyk on Thursday as the Canes took a 6-5 road win over the Montreal Canadiens. That had to lighten any fatigue factor and make the flight to Tampa seem shorter. It was also was the kind of game Canes coach Bill Peters hopes Hanifin can replicate in the stretch run of the season as the Canes ( ) fight to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Asked in Montreal about Hanifin s development, Peters said the game was starting to slow down for the D-man. In the beginning, everything was fast, everything was new, Peters said. Everything now is a little more routine and more structured and more in control. He s better defensively. His decisions with the puck have been more consistent. To be sure, Hanifin has made his share of poor decisions, some glaring and others not as noticeable. In a Jan. 9 loss to Tampa Bay, Hanifin was beaten to a puck by the Lightning s Tyler Johnson and then shouldered to the ice by the 5-9, 185-pound forward, who punched the puck past goalie Cam Ward. Three days later, after Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon was officially introduced as the Hurricanes new majority owner, the Canes led the Capitals 3-2 with barely three minutes left in regulation at PNC Arena. A bad pass by Hanifin allowed the Caps to tie the score and Washington won in the final seconds of regulation a gut-punch loss for the Canes. I can get a little aggravated when something like that happens, Hanifin said. A little aggravated? Closeups of Hanifin on the bench after poor plays often show him smoldering. I m a pretty competitive guy, so sometimes I get aggravated, but that s been my nature my whole life, he said. I know I can be better than that. But you have to know mistakes are part of the game. Everybody in the league makes them. All you can do is learn from them. I think I let them go. While Hanifin s defensive work continues, he has become a more potent offensive player. While home in Boston this past summer, he spent time working with Adam Nicholas, a hockey skills instructor, and has added more velocity to his shot. He sure talks about it enough, Canes defenseman Justin Faulk joked. The results are there: Hanifin leads the Canes defensemen with seven goals and 24 points in 49 games. There s huge upside to be reached, Peters said. Hanifin said the All-Star game would be a fun experience, and he spent time with old friends such as Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel, who was kidding him about his flow at Saturday s All- Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena. But it s back at it Monday as the Canes, four points out wildcard playoff position, play the next eight games at home. The real grind begins.

2 All-Star Recap: Hanifin All Smiles as Weekend Wraps Up Metropolitan Division falls 7-4 to Atlantic Division in All- Star Game by Michael / CarolinaHurricanes.com January 28th, 2018 TAMPA - The Metropolitan Division's quest for back-to-back NHL All-Star Game titles ended in a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Atlantic Division, but that's a negligible fact when compared to the experience for Noah Hanifin. Hanifin, who just celebrated his 21st birthday on Thursday and is in his third NHL season, was all smiles at the podium as his first NHL All-Star Weekend was winding down. "It's been great. You never know when you can go through this again, so I just tried to cherish the moment," Hanifin said. "It's definitely a weekend I will never forget. I'm happy my family got to come and experience it with me." Today's 3-on-3 All-Star match-up, which pitted the Metropolitan Division against the Atlantic Division, was one dreams are made of, as Hanifin jumped over the boards with forwards Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. "It was awesome. It was just a great day overall," Hanifin said. "To be able to play with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin out there was an unbelievable experience. Those were two guys I idolized as a kid growing up. Just to be able to go out there and play in the game was a blast. Unfortunately we lost, but it was still a lot of fun." On Hanifin's first shift, in fact, he became a quick plus-1, as Ovechkin dished to Crosby to give the Metropolitan Division an early lead. Hanifin would notch another plus in the second period when Crosby returned to the favor to Ovechkin. "I just tried to get the puck to those guys," Hanifin said. "Those are probably two of the best players in the entire world and some of the best players to ever play the game. It was definitely special to be out there and have some fun with them." Hanifin had a quality scoring chance of his own in the first period when he dangled in front of the net and tried to go backhand on Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made the pad save. Hanifin also made a nice defensive play in the first period, putting his stick down in front of the net to intercept a crosscrease attempt that likely would have resulted in a goal for the Atlantic. "Guys were just trying to have fun and make some good plays in front of the fan for entertainment," Hanifin said. "There were a lot of cool goals out there, and guys were having a lot of fun with it," Hanifin said. "Any time you get a group like that together, they're all super competitive players. At the end of the day, even though we're all having fun, we still want to win. Unfortunately we weren't able to. There was definitely a line there. You didn't want to come out and try too hard at the beginning, but as the game goes on, the pace picks up." Hanifin also shared the ice with a number of his USA Hockey National Team Development Program peers: he played alongside Zach Werenski and faced off against Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews. "All those guys are great players. We've played against each other so much, and it was fun to be able to hang out with them for the weekend," Hanifin said. "I got to play with Zach tonight. That's the first time since we played together at NTDP, so that was a cool experience. It's usually never too fun playing against Auston and Jack. They're great players. It was a good experience." Among the non-hanifin-related noteworthy plays in the Eastern Conference match-up: a hat trick for Nikita Kucherov - much to the delight of the hometown fans - and an offside challenge - successful, too, as referee Wes McCauley emphatically ruled the play offside. "That was a great call by Coach Trotz. I loved that move," Hanifin said. "All the guys were pretty fired up for it." It was clear from Hanifin's demeanor and smile postgame that he enjoyed the entire All-Star experience from start to finish, even if that finish didn't bring home a little extra spending money and Metropolitan Division bragging rights. With a memorable weekend soon to be in the rearview mirror, it will be back to work on Monday for Hanifin and the Hurricanes, who will continue their push for a playoff spot with a season-long eight-game homestand that begins on Tuesday against Ottawa. "When I get back to Raleigh, it's back to business. It was a lot of fun here and a good time, but when everyone goes their separate ways, it's back to how it was," Hanifin said. "We're all competing for playoff spots. It's going to get pretty intense in the last two months of the season. I'm excited to get back with the guys on the team and get to work."

3 Warren Foegele, Valentin Zykov Help Eastern Conference to Victory at AHL All-Star Skills Competition Written by Paul Branecky Published: January 28, 2018 Checkers forwards Warren Foegele and Valentin Zykov helped the Eastern Conference to an victory at the AHL All-Star Classic s Skills Competition on Sunday. Zykov helped the Checkers new/old conference earn points in the Accuracy Shooting challenge, where he hit all four targets on seven attempts, and in the breakaway relay, where he beat Milwaukee s Anders Lindback. He also participated in the puck control relay, where, as the third man on a three-man team, he nearly erased a significant deficit for his team with a strong individual effort down the stretch. Foegele participated in the Fastest Skater competition that was ultimately won by teammate John Gilmour of Hartford. He came agonizingly close to earning points for his team in his other two events, scoring a goal in the Pass and Score event that came just after the buzzer and hitting the post after an impressive move in the breakaway relay. The two Checkers will now try to turn in another strong showing at Monday s All-Star Challenge, where they will represent the Atlantic Division in a three-on-three, roundrobin tournament beginning at 7 p.m. The event will be televised on the NHL Network and available for free online at AHLLive.com. All-Star Skills Competition Results Winners of all six events from Amalie Arena January 27th, 2018 This year, the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition was revamped, featuring six events: Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater, Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge, GEICO NHL Save Streak, Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay, PPG NHL Hardest Shot and Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting. Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater Eight skaters will compete in the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater. Each skater will be timed for one full lap around the rink. The skater may choose the direction of the lap and can be positioned a maximum of three feet behind the start line located on the penalty box side of the center red line. The skater must start on the referee's whistle and the timing clock will start when the skater crosses the start line. In the event of a clock malfunction, the official time will be recorded by the referee's stopwatch. The skater with the fastest time is the winner of the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater, and if there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will skate another lap to determine the winner.

4 Player Time (secs.) 1. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks Noah Hanifin, Carolina Hurricanes Josh Bailey, New York Islanders Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater Winner: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (13.454) Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge Eight players will compete in the Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge, which consists of three skills over one round, including (1) Target Passing, where each player must complete four successful passes to targets that light up in a random sequence; (2) Give and Go, where each player must successfully complete the four required passes through a course set up in the neutral zone; and (3) Mini Nets, where each player must complete one pass over a barricade and into each of four mini nets, as well as an additional pass into the game net. Each skill must be completed before a player moves on to the next. The referee's whistle signals completion of each skill. The player to complete all three skills in the fastest time is deemed the winner of the Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge, and if there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner. Player Time (secs.) 1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning 1: Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers 1: Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues 1: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes 1: Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins 1: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings 1: Dunkin' Donuts NHL Passing Challenge Winner: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues (46.610) GEICO NHL Save Streak Five goalies and all 36 skaters will participate in the GEICO NHL Save Streak, a shootout grouped by division where goalies compete to make the most consecutive saves. Each goalie will face one opposing division and a minimum of nine scoring attempts. Each scoring attempt is officiated in accordance with NHL shootout rules and begins on the referee's whistle. Players from each division will shoot in numerical order, lowest to highest, with the divisional captain shooting ninth. A goalie's round at the GEICO NHL Save Streak cannot end with a save -- if the divisional captain's shot is saved, the goalie will continue to face shooters until a goal is scored. If the goalie makes a save on the divisional captain's shot, the order of shooters to follow is the same as at the original order. The goalie with the longest consecutive save streak during his time in net is the winner of the GEICO NHL Save Streak. If there is a tie for longest consecutive save streak, the goalie with the highest total saves made during his round will be crowned the winner. Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers vs. Central Division Shooters Goal or Save 1. John Klingberg Save (1), Save (4) 2. Brayden Schenn Save (2), Save (5) 3. Eric Staal Save (3), Goal 4. Blake Wheeler Save (4) 5. Alex Pietrangelo Save (5) 6. Nathan MacKinnon Goal 7. Patrick Kane Save (1) 8. Tyler Seguin Save (2) 9. P.K. Subban Save (3) Longest Save Streak: 5 Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets vs. Pacific Division Shooters Goal or Save 1. Brock Boeser Save (1), Goal 2. Drew Doughty Save (2) 3. Anze Kopitar Goal 4. Johnny Gaudreau Save (1) 5. James Neal Save (2) 6. Oliver Ekman-Larsson Save (3) 7. Rickard Rakell Goal 8. Brent Burns Goal 9. Connor McDavid Save (1) Longest Save Streak: 3 Goaltender: Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators vs. Metropolitan Division Shooters Goal or Save 1. Noah Hanifin Save (1), Save (10) 2. Zach Werenski Save (2), Save (11) 3. Brian Boyle Save (3), Save (12) 4. Josh Bailey Save (4), Save (13) 5. Claude Giroux Save (5), Goal 6. Kris Letang Save (6) 7. Sidney Crosby Save (7)

5 8. John Tavares Save (8) 9. Alex Ovechkin Save (9) Longest Save Streak: 13 Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Atlantic Division Shooters Goal or Save 1. Jack Eichel Save (1), Save (8) 2. Aleksander Barkov Goal, Save (9) 3. Brayden Point Save (1), Save (10) 4. Mike Green Save (2), Save (11) 5. Auston Matthews Save (3), Save (12) 6. Brad Marchand Save (4), Save (13) 7. Erik Karlsson Save (5), Save (14) 8. Nikita Kucherov Save (6), Goal 9. Steven Stamkos Save (7) Longest Save Streak: 14 Goaltender: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Central Division Shooters Goal or Save 1. John Klingberg Save (1) 2. Brayden Schenn Goal 3. Eric Staal Save (1) 4. Blake Wheeler Save (2) 5. Alex Pietrangelo Save (3) 6. Nathan MacKinnon Goal 7. Patrick Kane Save (1) 8. Tyler Seguin Save (2) 9. P.K. Subban Goal Longest Save Streak: 3 GEICO NHL Save Streak Winner: Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights (14) Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay Eight players will compete in the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay, a timed single-round event that includes three skills: (1) Stickhandling, where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line; (2) Cone Control, where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation; and (3) Gates, where a skater approaches a gate and is required to shoot or otherwise guide the puck through the lighted rung of a gate. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next skill. The referee's whistles will signal completion of each skill and the player to complete the three skills in the fastest time is deemed the winner of the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay. If there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner. Player Time 1. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators John Tavares, New York Islanders Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay Winner: Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames (24.650) PPG NHL Hardest Shot Five players will compete in the PPG NHL Hardest Shot. Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour (mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded. After each player's first attempt, the order of shots for second attempts will be based on the speed recorded in the first round, slowest to fastest. For each attempt, a single puck is positioned on the ice 30 feet from the center of the goal. Starting no further than the nearest blue line, the shooter may skate towards the puck and shoot it from its positioned spot into the goal. Shots must be on goal to be calculated and all shots are recorded by radar in miles per hour. If a puck enters the goal uncalculated due to a malfunction of the radar equipment, the shooter will be allowed an additional attempt. If player breaks his stick he will be given another attempt. The player who records the fastest speed is the winner of the PPG NHL Hardest Shot. If there is a tie for the fastest speed, the tied players will shoot again to determine the winner. ROUND 1 Player Shot 1 (mph) 1. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning 95.2 ROUND 2 Player Shot 2 (mph) 1. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators John Klingberg, Dallas Stars Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals PPG NHL Hardest Shot Winner: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (101.3) Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting

6 Eight players will compete in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting, a timed event where a shooter is positioned 25 feet from the goal line and shoots pucks at five LED targets located in the net. On the referee's whistle, one of the five LED targets will randomly light up for three seconds and the player will attempt to hit the lighted target. Hit targets will be taken out of the random sequencing and if the target is not hit within three seconds, the next target will be lighted. The clock stops when the player has successfully hit all five targets, the player that hits all five targets in the fastest time will be crowned the winner of the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting. If there is a tie for the fastest time, the tied players will compete again to determine the winner. Player Time (secs.) 1. Brian Boyle, New Jersey Devils Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting Winner: Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks (11.136) TODAY S LINKS Carolina Hurricanes Even as an All-Star, Canes Noah Hanifin knows there s much more to learn BY CHIP ALEXANDER January 28, :55 AM Updated 4 hours 53 minutes ago Being at the NHL All-Star Game for the first time has given Noah Hanifin time to reflect on all that has happened the past few years. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman has gone from Boston College to being a first-round draft pick to playing in the NHL at 18 to being selected an All-Star at 21. Yeah, it s pretty crazy, Hanifin said. The big thing is you look back and it seems like it was yesterday I was just coming into the league. It goes by past and you learn so much. I remember it was a great experience coming in and being a young guy and kind of figuring out what the league is all about. Three years in, Hanifin is still figuring it out. While named to the Metropolitan Division team for Sunday s All-Star Game in Tampa, Fla., while spending a few days hanging out with the NHL s best, he realizes there s still much to be done, much to learn. Hanifin s last game for the Canes may have been his best with the Canes. On his 21st birthday, he had three assists and a plus-5 rating matching that of defensive partner Trevor van Riemsdyk on Thursday as the Canes took a 6-5 road win over the Montreal Canadiens. That had to lighten any fatigue factor and make the flight to Tampa seem shorter. It was also was the kind of game Canes coach Bill Peters hopes Hanifin can replicate in the stretch run of the season as the Canes ( ) fight to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Asked in Montreal about Hanifin s development, Peters said the game was starting to slow down for the D-man. In the beginning, everything was fast, everything was new, Peters said. Everything now is a little more routine and more structured and more in control. He s better defensively. His decisions with the puck have been more consistent. To be sure, Hanifin has made his share of poor decisions, some glaring and others not as noticeable. In a Jan. 9 loss to Tampa Bay, Hanifin was beaten to a puck by the Lightning s Tyler Johnson and then shouldered to the ice by the 5-9, 185- pound forward, who punched the puck past goalie Cam Ward. Three days later, after Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon was officially introduced as the Hurricanes new majority owner, the Canes led the Capitals 3-2 with barely three minutes left in regulation at PNC Arena. A

7 bad pass by Hanifin allowed the Caps to tie the score and Washington won in the final seconds of regulation a gut-punch loss for the Canes. I can get a little aggravated when something like that happens, Hanifin said. A little aggravated? Closeups of Hanifin on the bench after poor plays often show him smoldering. I m a pretty competitive guy, so sometimes I get aggravated, but that s been my nature my whole life, he said. I know I can be better than that. But you have to know mistakes are part of the game. Everybody in the league makes them. All you can do is learn from them. I think I let them go. While Hanifin s defensive work continues, he has become a more potent offensive player. While home in Boston this past summer, he spent time working with Adam Nicholas, a hockey skills instructor, and has added more velocity to his shot. He sure talks about it enough, Canes defenseman Justin Faulk joked. The results are there: Hanifin leads the Canes defensemen with seven goals and 24 points in 49 games. There s huge upside to be reached, Peters said. Hanifin said the All-Star game would be a fun experience, and he spent time with old friends such as Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel, who was kidding him about his flow at Saturday s All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena. But it s back at it Monday as the Canes, four points out wild-card playoff position, play the next eight games at home. The real grind begins. Herald-Sun LOADED: Montreal Canadiens Hickey on Hockey: Even as a seller, Habs have limited options for trade deadline deals Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette Published on: January 28, 2018 Last Updated: January 28, :03 PM EST With the trade deadline less than a month away, it s becoming clear that, if the Canadiens aren t going to be sellers, they are certainly not going to be buyers. With each loss, they become less likely to reach the playoffs and the focus has to be on the future. But there is one team that has emerged as a surprise seller. The New York Rangers are only one point out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but reports from the Big Apple indicate the Rangers are willing to trade some of their key assets. There are some obvious candidates, like 30-something forwards Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and former Canadien David Desharnais. But the rumour mill says captain Ryan McDonagh and leading scorer Mats Zuccarello could be had if the price is right. The Rangers have reached the Stanley Cup final in the past decade (losing to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014), but the feeling is they have wasted the best years of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist s career he s 35 and it s time to retool. As for the Canadiens, there are any number of rumours concerning Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk, as well as free-agent-to-be Tomas Plekanec, who is the perfect fit for a team that needs a short-term rental on a shutdown centre. Pacioretty probably has the most value, but he s a proven 30-goal scorer on a team that struggles to score and it would be insane to trade him unless the player coming back is John Tavares. But Pacioretty and the Canadiens should sit down and discuss his role as a captain. It s an honour to be a captain but in Pacioretty s case, it s a distraction he doesn t need. Galchenyuk should be an untouchable because he s still young, has a reasonable contract and has some potential, even if he isn t the centre everyone wanted him to be. If the Canadiens do make a deal, they should be looking for NHL-ready bodies in return. It makes no sense to trade for a first-round draft pick unless it figures to be a top-five lottery pick and those aren t available if you re dealing with a contender. Kucherov best to date: After a 50-year hiatus, the Professional Hockey Writers Association has revived the practice of polling its members on the top players at mid-season and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning gets the nod as the Hart Trophy favourite over Nathan McKinnon and John Tavares. Not surprisingly, there are no Canadiens in the top three (or the top 10 for that matter) in any of the categories. In the categories where PHWA members vote for the season-end awards, Victor Hedman (Norris Trophy), Patrice Bergeron (Selke Trophy), Matt Barzal (Calder Trophy) and Johnny Gaudreau (Lady Byng) are the mid-season picks. The writers also selected choices for coach of the year (Vegas s Gerard Gallant), Vézina Trophy (Tampa s Andrei Vasilevskiy) and top GM (Vegas s George McPhee). They also created two new awards the Rod Langway Award for best defensive defenceman (Drew Doughty) and comeback player of the year (Steven Stamkos). Poulin to lead Canadian women: It should come as no surprise Marie- Philip Poulin has been selected as the captain of the Canadian women s hockey team that will compete in the Winter Olympics next month in South Korea. She succeeds Caroline Ouellette, who retired from international competition after winning four Olympic gold medals. Poulin, a Beauceville native, has already made Olympic history by scoring the winning goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. The alternate captains are Brianne Jenner, Meghan Agosta and Jocelyne Larocque. Heavy demand for Habs tickets at a discount: The folks at ticket reseller StubHub report the Canadiens remain a popular ticket, although there are a couple of reasons for the popularity and neither of them are good. StubHub reports demand for Canadiens tickets are No. 2 in Canada behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and that s because (a) ticket holders are willing to part with their seats and (b) prices for Montreal games are reaching historic lows. Reds have been available for less than $100 at many games. There are Canadiens games in the second half of the season that rank in the top 10 in demand for Canadian teams, There was the Jan. 17 home game against Boston, the March 3 home game against Boston and the Canadiens Feb. 17 visit to Las Vegas. CWHL adds USA castoff: Kunlun Red Star, the Chinese-based team that is pushing Les Canadiennes for first place in the Canadian Women s Hockey League, has added some offence in Alex Carpenter, the 2015 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Trophy as the top player in the U.S. women s college hockey while playing at Boston College. Carpenter joined Red Star after being cut from the U.S. Olympic team. The decision to join Kunlun was a no-brainer because her father, former NHL player Bobby Carpenter, is the coach of the Red Star men s team in the KHL. Montreal Gazette LOADED: Montreal Canadiens

8 Canadiens fans have their say on Marc Bergevin conundrum François Lauzon, Montreal Gazette Published on: January 28, 2018 Last Updated: January 28, :03 PM EST To fire or not to fire. That is the question, for Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson, on the fate of GM Marc Bergevin. In 2018, which is actually the year 25 A.C., the 25th year After (Last Stanley) Cup, we find ourselves pondering the Montreal Canadiens future. The winter of our hockey discontent is cold and long. My story on Bergevin s performance, and why it is time to move on for the franchise, generated many comments far and wide. My poll question on what Molson should do with Bergevin had respondants voting 76 per cent in favour of firing the Habs GM immediately. The reaction ended up having this long-suffering Habs fan answering questions on the 91.9 Sports radio morning show, Du Sport, Le matin with radio hosts Michel Langevin and Enrico Ciccone. I was grilled and cold-hard facts were demanded by Langevin and Ciccone. Hockey lingo ensued, points were debated, but throughout this journalistic waterboarding, the words of the many Habs fans who wrote to me danced in my head. I received many s of disgruntled fans who bleed bleu-blanc-rouge. So this week, at Conscience-of-the-Montreal-Canadiens Central, we have decided to let you have your say. Here are a few of the comments generated by real, flesh-and-blood, long-suffering fans. The last names have been redacted to protect the identities of the innocent hockey whistleblowers. (Comments have been edited for clarity and length.) From David: Hey François, I am one of many Habs fans here in our glorious country. On the subject of firing Bergervin. Yes! The organization has to do what it must in order to be successful. That means it cannot be wholly based on language, demographics, colour, etc. Businesses do not operate this way. You build a team with the best components. The days of Guy Lafleur, Pierre Bouchard, Mario Tremblay are over. And the fans who pad the ownerships s pockets pay for this. I am not going to discuss the needs the team has had for years, because we already know this. But from the GM down to the coaching staff we certainly can make changes. Look at the coaches we could have had, (Ken) Hitchcock, (Mike) Babcock, and not to mention letting go (Gerard) Gallant. These are just a few out of the bucket I am drawing off. The same can be said for experienced GM s out there. This is a business at the end of the day, run it properly. Acquire the best. Even if he or she is from the planet Zetron, who cares!! Get an interpreter, this happens all over the world. Having successful teams coached by personnel not attuned to the culture is prevalent. But winning and rolling that Cup parade back down Ste- Catherine St. is important and it is where it belongs. From Howard: When a fish decays it rots first from the head. I wonder if Molson is smart enough to realize that he hired Bergevin, and the Canadiens collapse starts with Molson himself. Or does he realize that Bergevin has only regressed over six years, and that is much too long to evaluate failure (for ordinary folk). Ticket resellers are paying 20% to 60% of face value for the Junior Golden Knights. Will empty seats no beer or hotdogs or sweatshirts are sold to empty seats and zero income from playoffs awaken Molson? I wonder. Will he fire Bergevin who has a French name? (Where is Lou Lamoriello when you need him? John Davidson, etc.?) I have my doubts. From Edouard (translated from French): I listened to you on the radio this morning. You were right on many points but your assesment was incomplete. Bergevin s work right from the beginning was a succession of errors camouflaged by Carey Price s performance. The fact of not giving P.K. Subban a long-term contract early, forced him to pay $3 million-4 million more later. His trade value decreased because teams could not pay his inflated salary. David Desharnais s contract was too expensive to the Canadiens. Same thing for Jeff Petry, Alexei Emelin and Tomas Plekanec. Check all of the Canadiens contracts, they are all inflated. It s true that when you talked about the Subban trade, everything seemed to tumble for the Canadiens and it put Bergevin in the spotlight. Before that, nobody was questioning his moves. Getting Jonathan Drouin was not a mistake. The mistake was giving up your best talent (Mikhail Sergachev) for him. Tampa would not have kept Drouin anyway. We could have traded Nikita Scherbak or Noah Juulsen. Fred on legendary Montreal Gazette hockey writer Red Fisher s passing: Like so many young sports-minded Montrealers, I started reading newspapers because of Red Fisher. As a devout Habs fan from age 8 onward, I religiously sought out the Montreal Star and later the Gazette to see what Red had to say about the boys. My favourite catchphrase (which I related to his daughter Cheryl some years ago) after the team had laid an egg at the old Forum was The team looked like they were skating on sand tonight. I miss Red s insights and his take-no-prisoners approach to journalism. He has been missed since his retirement a few years back, but never more than now No more post retirement specials to the Gazette on the passing of one of the Habs greats like he did so eloquently for Dickie (Moore)! Days of reckoning for the storied franchise These are some of the comments I received this past week. Habs fans are articulate and passionate. So as we all rest our hockey grey matter this all-star weekend, the ghosts of the Forum may well be singing a siren s song to (Geoff) Molson. Will he listen and wade into the murky waters of letting go of Bergevin, or will he sip a tumbler of aged Chivas Regal (Red Fisher s favourite) and wonder what Red would do? Montreal Gazette LOADED:

9 Montreal Canadiens Basu: What is All-Star weekend really about? By Arpon Basu 16 hours ago The NHL has struggled for years to make all-star weekend more compelling, largely because it is the source of so much criticism and is generally seen as a waste of time. The game is not competitive, the skills contest is not all that dramatic, the whole thing should be scrapped, many have said. The NHL put money on the table and switched to what was hoped would be a more entertaining 3-on-3 format in order to address some of those concerns. I, for one, commend the effort, if not necessarily the execution. The NHL should do everything it can to preserve and improve the all-star weekend, because the weekend is not supposed to cater to the people complaining about it. It is not even about the corporate sponsors who get invited to lavish parties throughout the weekend as thanks for their financial support. And it is definitely not about the players, many of whom would rather be anywhere else. No, the primary people served by the all-star festivities, and this is why I have always defended the event, is young fans. To a kid, the all-star game is cool, at least it was to me. It is a chance to see the players on your favourite team go up against the best in the league, even if the game is played at half speed and no one really cares what happens. That s not important. What s important is your guy is there. One of my most vivid hockey memories, for a reason I find difficult to defend or explain today, is the 1988 all-star game. That s the one where Mario Lemieux got a point on every one of the Wales Conference goals, scoring the overtime winner himself, in a 6-5 victory, setting a new all-star game record for points. I loved Lemieux as a kid, but this is not why this game was so memorable. It was the fact that Mats Naslund my favourite player was riding shotgun on Lemieux s wing and collected an all-star game record five assists. I thought this was the most incredible thing in the world. This is why I ve also vehemently defended the policy of having one player from every team at the event, because if your guy isn t there, then what s the point? Which brings us to the skills competition Saturday night. The NHL, in an attempt to streamline the evening, did away with most of the events where a goalie could participate, including the shootout challenge that used to happen at the end and made the night drag on needlessly. So, kudos for getting rid of that. In its place was a better event, a contest to see which goalie could make the most consecutive saves against the best shooters in the world. It was more exciting and provided yet another feel good story for Marc-André Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights, so for the most part, it worked. Except there were only five goalies involved, and of the eight goalies to choose from there were two who were the lone representatives of their team at the event. One was Henrik Lundqvist, who took part and had P.K. Subban throw a glove at him as thanks for his effort. The other was Carey Price. Frankly, the Canadiens don t really have a deserving all-star candidate and, for a whole slew of reasons, the NHL needed another goalie behind Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Atlantic Division. So Price got to go to his sixth all-star game instead of, say, Brendan Gallagher going to his first. And that s fine, sometimes you need to be practical. But to choose Price as the Canadiens lone representative and then not choose him to take part in the only event for goalies made no sense at all. The NHL s department of player safety is in charge of the player assignments for the skills competition and it s possible Price asked them for the night off. If so, that should not have been an option for him. Any of the six other goaltenders who had teammates with them for the weekend would have been fine candidates to sit this one out, but Lundqvist and Price were musts. One of the other goalies who did nothing all night, Mike Smith, pictured above chatting with Price, wondered why he had to bother gearing up at all. This might not seem like a big deal, and it isn t, but I was a little outraged when I learned Price did not take part in any events at the skills competition (full disclosure, I did not watch it because, for the first time in many years, I had this weekend off and for one of the only times this season, I had Saturday night off. So I had better things to do. I did laundry instead). I thought back to my 12-year-old self watching Mats Naslund feeding Mario Lemieux for goals, and how excited and proud I was and how that memory has somehow stayed with me all these years. Then I thought of a 12-year-old Canadiens fan being excited to watch Price in the skills competition. That fan is what this weekend is all about. That fan still cares about stuff like this. That fan might have remembered what Price did in that event for the rest of his or her life. That fan must have been really disappointed Saturday night. The Athletic LOADED: Detroit Red Wings Red Wings Mike Green scores twice, but Pacific wins NHL All-Star Game Fred Goodall, AP SPORTS WRITER Published 8:35 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018 TAMPA, Fla. Rickard Rakell had two goals and rookie Brock Boeser, Johnny Gaudreau and Drew Doughty also scored to help the Pacific Division win the NHL All-Star Game with a 5-2 victory over the Atlantic Division on Sunday. Pacific goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Mike Smith teamed to allow just four goals in the two games their team captured to claim the $1 million shared by the winners of the four-team divisional tournament played in an entertaining three-on-three format. The Canucks Boeser, the only rookie among 15 first-time All-Stars, also had a goal in the Pacific s 5-2 semifinal victory over the Central Division and named game MVP. Red Wings defenseman Mike Green had two goals for the Atlantic, one off both Fleury and Smith in the final. All-Star weekend began with a free outdoor concert headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums and also featured a three-day fun fest for fans, as well as the annual skills competition that wrapped up Saturday s festivities. Adding spice and a unique flavor to the experience was Tampa s annual Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, which drew what officials estimated as an additional 200,000 people to the downtown waterfront for a parade and other activities. Players walked the red carpet, posing for pictures and signing autographs before entering Amalie Arena for the first All-Star game played in Tampa since 1999, the last of Wayne Gretzky s 18 appearances in the midseason showcase that shifts to San Jose, California, next season.

10 With the Lightning s Jon Cooper coaching the Atlantic Division, and the team with the NHL s best record represented by a league-high four players, the sellout crowd of 19,092 roared its approval when the Atlantic-Metropolitan semifinal began with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, plus forwards Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos on the ice at the same time. Kucherov s hat trick in the 7-4 semifinal victory was the first for an All- Star game since the NHL adopted the three-match, three-on-three tournament format in Point, Toronto s Auston Matthews and Buffalo s Jack Eichel also scored for the Atlantic, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit after Vasilevskiy allowed early goals to Pittsburgh s Sidney Crosby, Philadelphia s Claude Giroux and Washington s Alex Ovechkin. Green had an assist in that game. Boeser snapped a 2-2 tie, James Neal of the Western Conferenceleading Vegas Golden Knights scored two goals, and Edmonton s Connor McDavid had four assists in the Pacific s semifinal win over the Central Division. Detroit Free Press LOADED: Detroit Red Wings Krupa: Wings youth movement shows promising signs Gregg Krupa, The Detroit News Published 11:03 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018 Updated 11:07 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018 Detroit It is fairly bleak, for certain. Late January, the All-Star weekend, and the Red Wings looking forward not to the playoffs, but to the intrigues of the trade deadline. For a second season, a roster of stars too old, and prospective ones either developing or not, is failing to add up to postseason play. The contracts up and down the roster suggest this could go on for a while. That their performance in the last game before the break sputtered and coughed like too many before, in a season when a team that vowed to play with chip firmly on shoulder has sometimes skated and played docilely. There are, however, reasons for Red Wings fans to be optimistic. Some fans recoil from the assertion, but good things are happening for the Red Wings. They are certainly less compelling than playing and winning in late May and June. But to regain that glory, the Wings must emerge from the decline. Passing the torch At 21, Dylan Larkin is asked to play a major role in leading the way. A significant development through 46 games is Larkin handling a good portion of the part. It is Larkin (19:56) among the forwards, not Henrik Zetterberg (19:38), who leads in time on ice at the break. It is Larkin (38) who leads the team in points, not Zetterberg (32). It is Larkin (30) who leads the team in assists, not Zetterberg (26). While the two top offensive performers are struggling for goals, the trend is the same there, too: Larkin has eight, Zetterberg six. The torch will need to be passed. Zetterberg is 37 and talks about playing at least one more season. But the time is coming, and something to be happy about is a young guy from the heart of Oakland County, and a product of the internationallycompetitive youth hockey programs in Metro Detroit, the National Team Development Program in Plymouth and Red Berenson s great program at UM, taking some effective steps into the breach. Like Larkin, the Wings leading scorer is either a star in training, or he is not. Anthony Mantha s 16 goals have him on pace for 28 or 29. On a team that lacks for finish, Mantha, 23, with 116 career games played, tallies like a player of significant value. He is also better defensively and without the puck. Shift-by-shift, does he affect the game? No. Game-by-game? Not yet. Part of the evidence of underperformance is four goals since Dec. 1. But evidence of something quite different has included six goals and four assists in seven games beginning Halloween and ending with two goals, an assist and 25 penalty minutes against the Flames, Nov. 15. Sometimes in the NHL big men of skill and brawn, but primarily skill, require frequent reminders to remain assertive even absent a scoring chance. Instructive on the topic would be a dialogue between Brendan Shanahan and Scotty Bowman, 16 years later. But Shanahan scored 22 goals at age 19 and, at 20, at the pace of a point-per-game. Mantha, 23, has progressed significantly in his three-and-a-half seasons since junior hockey. If he advances further, the Red Wings may have a scoring star who understands the rough stuff is occasionally required. Considerable contributions Andreas Athanasiou has played less than 19:24 in a game only three times in a month. He is better without the puck, defensively, and in the shift-by-shift effectiveness, even absent scoring, the Wings are seeking from each of the trio of young players. Athanasiou s scoring pace would yield a 22-goal season, in his fourth professional season. And his shooting percentage is down by more than a third from his previous two seasons in the NHL. With his previous accuracy and a full season, Athanasiou, 23, would be on a pace for about 30. That he showed up for work after contractual machinations not just prepared, not just game ready, but playing pretty well from the start, speaks of a player who respects the game and seeks his place. Tyler Bertuzzi is unlikely to score as much as his uncle, especially at Todd s pace from But Tyler might play well enough otherwise that his contribution is considerable. On his resume is a generally high ratio of shifts on which he is effective. His awareness is keen. Bertuzzi appears capable of sustained, outstanding fore-checking. Martin Frk is determinedly a diamond in the rough, who seems to require repeated rediscovery. Zetterberg, a veritable lion in winter, climbs up the list of all-time Red Wings performers, while addressing every loss and letting his hardworking followers talk about the wins. Jimmy Howard s performance has been about the best of his career.

11 Absent the two games against the Canadiens and Thursday against the Blackhawks and Howard s numbers prove the point. Presiding is a young coach who, though not yet improving the standing of his team in his third season, has remained unflappable in the face of frequent frustrating failure. Coach Jeff Blashill is proving incapable of marshalling the necessary upgrades to put the Wings in the playoffs, and their identity is fleeting. Under Blashill, some players are developing. His focus might have darkened, but it still seems clear. Detroit News LOADED: Detroit Red Wings Red Wings Green strikes twice in All-Star Game Associated Press Published 9:12 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018 Updated 10:08 p.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018 Tampa, Fla. Vancouver s Brock Boeser was more than happy to just be at the NHL All-Star game, mingling with some of the high-profile players he grew up admiring. Leaving Amalie Arena as the first rookie to take MVP honors since Mario Lemieux in 1985 on Sunday far exceeded anything he imagined possible. Shocked, the 20-year-old said Canucks star said, describing his reaction. I never would have dreamt this any time in life. Rickard Rakell had two goals and Boeser, Johnny Gaudreau and Drew Doughty also scored to help the Pacific Division beat the Atlantic 5-2 in the championship game of a four-team divisional tournament played in an entertaining three-on-three format adopted for the All-Star game in The NHL s leading rookie scorer with 24 goals and 19 assists for the Canucks also had a helper in the final after scoring to put his team ahead for good in the Pacific s 5-2 semifinal victory over the Central Division. I was definitely nervous coming into it, said Boeser, the only rookie among 15 first-time All-Stars. (I said) enjoy this, just have fun, smile. That s what I did. Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Mike Smith teamed to allow just four goals in the two games the Pacific won to claim the $1 million winnertake-all prize. Red Wings defenseman Mike Green had two goals for the Atlantic, one off both Fleury and Smith in the final. According to RedWings.com, Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who coached the Atlantic, got a text from good friend and Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill after the game. Blashill: You needed more Wings. Cooper: He finally got good coaching. Tampa Bay s Nikita Kucherov had three goals in the Atlantic s 7-4 semifinal win over the Metropolitan Division, however the Lightning s young star was shut out in the championship game. After we saw that we won the first game, we said we needed to tighten up a little bit and play a little harder there for the cash, said Gaudreau, who plays for the Calgary Flames. We made sure we were ready to go. (Because) now there s something to play for in the finals, said Smith, who stopped six of seven shots in the second half. Our guys did a good job to up the tempo. Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, of Grosse Pointe, and Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of Commerce Township talk about the all-star experience. Tom Gromak All-Star weekend began with a free outdoor concert headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums and also featured a three-day fun fest for fans, as well as the annual skills competition that wrapped up Saturday s festivities. Adding spice and a unique flavor to the experience was Tampa s annual Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, which drew what officials estimated as an additional 200,000 people to the downtown waterfront for a parade and other activities. Players walked the red carpet, posing for pictures and signing autographs before entering Amalie Arena for the first All-Star game played in Tampa since 1999, the last of Wayne Gretzky s 18 appearances in the midseason showcase that shifts to San Jose, California, next season. Tampa proved it s a great hockey town, said Lightning first-time All-Star Brayden Point, added to the game because of an injury to Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman. It s awesome. With the Lightning s Jon Cooper coaching the Atlantic Division, and the team with the NHL s best record represented by a league-high four players, the sellout crowd of 19,092 roared its approval when the Atlantic-Metropolitan semifinal began with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, plus Kucherov, Point and Steven Stamkos on the ice at the same time. Kucherov s hat trick in the Atlantic s semifinal win was the first for an All- Star game since the NHL instituted the three-match, three-on-three tournament format. He s a magical player, Cooper of the 24-year-old two-time All-Star who s among the league s leading scorers. Point, Toronto s Auston Matthews and Buffalo s Jack Eichel also scored for the Atlantic, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit after Vasilevskiy allowed early goals to Pittsburgh s Sidney Crosby, Philadelphia s Claude Giroux and Washington s Alex Ovechkin. Boeser snapped a 2-2 tie, James Neal of the Western Conferenceleading Vegas Golden Knights scored two goals, and Edmonton s Connor McDavid had four assists in the Pacific s semifinal win over the Central Division. Detroit News LOADED: Websites The Athletic / Custance: Appetite to change the NHL playoff system is increasing By Craig Custance TAMPA, Fla. Barry Trotz made sure to clarify that this wasn t sour grapes. He was asked about the current playoff format and was giving an honest answer. He believes there might be better options than what's happening now. He s not alone. The current wild-card format was implemented for the postseason and there s a growing appetite to give it a hard look as to whether it s the best system moving forward.