Carey Price and Pekka Rinne walked into the Hall together from their respective top and bottom draft rankings, the former picked fifth overall in 2005, Rinne a distant 248th a year earlier.
asserted
former → walk → 2005
Rick DiPietro, the first goalie chosen No. 1 overall in the modern draft, played a few years, but never won a playoff series for the Islanders, while Marc-Andre Fleury in that top spot owns three Stanley Cups as a Hall candidate.
asserted
Fleury → choose → candidate
It’s a reminder the game’s most important position remains its most unpredictable from a development angle.
asserted
position → ’ → angle
“I passed on Carey and drafted Bobby Ryan, that’s how much I know,” laughed Brian Burke, the 2007 Stanley Cup general manager of Anaheim.
asserted
Burke → pass → Anaheim
“We all loved Carey, though the conventional thinking then was you can’t take a goalie that high.
asserted
you → love → goalie
“Most teams now take one or two of their picks and use them on a really athletic goalie with size.
asserted
teams → take → size
Take a chance and one of them should hit.
asserted
one → take → them
(Scouting) is better’s now, but still not an exact science and you can still get a lot wrong.
asserted
lot → get → ?
How the Tkachuks pass on parental advice
Good luck telling the Tkachuk brothers to behave, even if you’re their Hall of Fame father.
asserted
you → pass → Fame
On Saturday, Keith Tkachuk told media that Matthew and Brady were being allowed to leave the Florida Panthers and come to induction night, but playfully warned them not to make a distraction of themselves in Florida’s game that night against Boston.
asserted
Matthew → tell → Boston
Brady fought Nikita Zadorov at the opening faceoff, both siblings were involved in later skirmishes that led to misconducts.
asserted
that → fight → misconducts
Informed that Matthew’s opinion was Keith could’ve had even more than 566 career goals if not spending 2,219 minutes in the penalty box, Keith quipped “they should listen to their own advice.”
uncertain
they → inform → advice
Former Arizona and St. Louis teammate Mike Johnson knew Matthew and Brady would take their dad’s career path after witnessing a rough post-practice family skate.
asserted
Matthew → know → skate
“They were always running around.
asserted
They → run → ?
Matthew was on the ice at about three years old, a helmet but no mask, passing a puck back and forth with Keith,” TSN analyst Johnson recalled.
asserted
Johnson → pass → Keith
“One morning I was out with them, Matthew caught a toe and smashed his chin on the ice.
asserted
Matthew → catch → ice
I’d never been around kids and didn’t know how much they could bleed.
uncertain
they → know → kids
It was flowing everywhere and I’m going ‘oh my God, get the trainer, call an ambulance.’
asserted
I → flow → ambulance
“Keith calmly takes a towel, sticks it under Matt’s chin and says ‘are ya good?’
asserted
ya → take → chin
Matthew replies ‘does this mean I gotta get off the ice’?
asserted
I → reply → ice
Keith replies: ‘no — just don’t tell mom.’
asserted
Keith → reply → mom
That’s the family in a nutshell.”
asserted
That → ’ → nutshell
Why Patrice dug in on the dots
asserted
Patrice → dig → dots
If possession is nine-tenths of the law, then Patrice Bergeron winning a hair under 60% of his 26,206 faceoffs was justified as a 12-time Frank Selke Trophy nominee, six-time winner and new Hall member.
asserted
Bergeron → win → nominee
“A faceoff is a 1-on-1 battle, so you want to give yourself as much leverage as you can,” Bergeron said of his approach.
asserted
Bergeron → want → approach
“Get right in there and if you have to use your whole body, use it.
asserted
you → get → it
Over time, you gain some experience, find different ways.
asserted
you → gain → ways
“And obviously you have to think about tendencies of certain centres; what might work against Player X or Y and how you can adjust.”
uncertain
you → think → X
In the 2000s, the NHL went to stricter faceoff enforcements, ejecting pivots with improper stick placement, wingers who jumped early and centres dropping to the ice to glove pucks.
asserted
who → go → pucks
That made it vital for Bergeron to toe the line — and have a good rapport with officials.
asserted
Bergeron → make → officials
“That was challenging with new rules kicking you out.
asserted
That → challenge → you
But I’ve always treated people with respect, not just to get any favours from officials.
asserted
I → treat → officials
They have a tough job every night and without them, you can’t have a league like we do.”
asserted
we → have → league
Why Gunnar Nordstrom had the write stuff
Not to be forgotten Monday were the two new Hall media inductees, veteran play-by-play caller Chris Cuthbert (Foster Hewitt Award) and Swedish journalist Gunnar Nordstrom (Elmer Ferguson Award)
asserted
Nordstrom → forget → play
Working for the newspaper Expressen, Nordstrom is the first European to get the Ferguson.
asserted
Nordstrom → work → Ferguson
Countrymen Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson and Henrik Sedin attended the media lunch.
asserted
Sundin → attend → lunch
Nordstrom began covering hockey on both sides of the ocean in the 1981 Canada Cup and knew Swedish pioneer Borje Salming well.
asserted
Nordstrom → begin → Salming
They exchanged texts as Salming’s ALS condition worsened and it was harder for the Hall of Famer to type.
asserted
Hall → exchange → Famer
Salming died four years ago this month.
asserted
Salming → die → ?
“His last message was simply three heart symbols,” Nordstrom said.
asserted
Nordstrom → say → ?
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
