NHL Draft Night for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Tonight was the NHL Draft, and I stuck around since NHL Network has been pried from me somehow by Direct TV and followed the picks online a little bit. This draft definitely seemed to lack the 'sizzle' of a generational prospect, but I am nonetheless interested to see who the Maple Leafs added.

The Hischier kid the New Jersey Devils took #1 overall is dubbed as a Mitch Marner clone.

The Maple Leafs took a kid who is classified as an 'elite' skating defenceman. His name is Timothy Liljegren, and I will undoubtedly fuck up the spelling of his name for years to come. The brass says he's probably going to be with the big team this year.

Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter talks about the @MapleLeafs drafting of @Timmeliljegren. #NHLDraft #TMLTalk pic.twitter.com/g2VlYFFR51

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017

More posts to come tomorrow night once the Maple Leafs have compiled more picks.

Twitter seems to think the Maple Leafs hit a home run:

"What in the hell was everyone thinking letting Timothy Liljegren drop that far" is something you'll hear a bunch in the coming years.

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) June 23, 2017

Not to overhype the kid, but Timothy Liljegren is now the best Swedish defenseman in the province.

— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) June 24, 2017

#Leafs select D Timothy Liljegren at No. 17 from Rogle, a player many thought would be the No. 1 pick at some points in 2015-16.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 24, 2017

The Auston Matthews 2016 Draft Lottery

Here's the full broadcast. It's really a great thing to watch every year; even though you hope your team isn't part of it. Some great players have been drafted as part of this draft lottery, with Auston Matthews being the latest.

It's fun to watch which franchise is going to get their hands on the next number one overall.

Bettman:

New Adidas Hockey Uniforms

Paul Lukas (an asshole) has a breakdown of the new Adidas NHL uniforms.

Pension Plan Puppets breaks down the Leafs' new jersey, which keeps the classic look.

A closer look at the @MapleLeafs @adidashockey jersey for the 2017-18 @NHL season. #FormTheFuture #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/4eEXlL0aDE

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 21, 2017

HONOUR. PRIDE. COURAGE. This is cool.

What we stand for. #FormTheFuture @adidashockey pic.twitter.com/USQAprXlqP

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 21, 2017

It's good to be rooting for a team like the Yankees in hockey that doesn't change up their looks.

NHL Draft Day 2017

I know nothing about the NHL draft. I am not going to pretend to. But tonight; Friday evening in Chicago, is the NHL draft. 

The Maple Leafs hold selections 17, 59, 110, 124, 172, and 203. That's not a bevy of selections where you're really going to make hay and you just hope that the Leafs hit on the first two picks in the first and second rounds and then maybe find a serviceable guy later there. 

A kid named Nico Hischier is expected to be taken #1 overall by the New Jersey Devils as a Centre. The same mock has the Leafs taking Erik Brannstrom, a LH defenceman.

It's just good to be writing about NHL hockey.

Leafs Schedule Released; Golden Knights Expansion

Couple of Thursday night offseason links:

• The Maple Leafs released their 2017-2018 schedule today; highlighted by New Years Eve in Las Vegas, and playing the Capitals outdoors in Maryland at Army stadium. 
• The Las Vegas Golden Knights are delighted with their returns from the expansion draft.
• The Oilers traded Jordan Eberle today. Last of the Mohicans.
• Connor McDavid scored 100 points and was Hart Trophy Award winner. At age 20.
• McDavid got the NHL 18 cover.

My Buddy the Nordsman

I work with this guy at my bank - one of the best dudes I've ever talked hockey with. He crossed paths with John Kordic, Link Gaetz and a bunch of other hockey legends in training camp and the minors.

Literally has more hockey stories than I have hairs. I could listen to him all day. He bums lippers off me, and me him.

My friend, the Nordsman.

Hockey Chirps

This in essence, is why I love hockey....

More Auston Matthews Calder - Soak it In

Your rookie of the year – with 40 goals in his first season – is none other than Auston Matthews. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/ZczHltB0M9

— NHL (@NHL) June 22, 2017

Here's all 40 goals:

Auston Matthews gets the Calder Trophy and a 1-on-1 interview with @GenePrincipe. What a day! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/pfau1QshVa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 22, 2017

Imports Dragon Figures will make an Auston Matthews Figure!

On a night when the Las Vegas Golden Knights made 30 Expansion Draft picks, on a night where the NHL held their awards show and Auston Matthews took down the Calder Trophy; Imports Dragon (unofficially) tipped off fans that an Auston Matthews figure is coming to us collectors!

Look closely in the bottom left hand corner of the photo that was posted to their Facebook page. More information should come tomorrow. In the meantime; read a little bit more about Matthews' attire this evening over at Pension Plan Puppets. 

Auston Matthews' Calder

The Calder Trophy goes to @AM34 of the @MapleLeafs, who led all first-year players with 40 goals and 69 points. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/LzRa9SCUXy

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 22, 2017

This is now exclusively an Auston Matthews/Toronto Maple Leafs Blog

It was the biggest Maple Leafs goal of my lifetime (I think). I still have to brush up on the history of hockey's mecca team; but I knew then on that Sunday night that Auston Matthews was my guy.



It ended in futility for the Leafs, being eliminated in game six of the playoffs by the Capitols. They lost 2-1 in the final period.

But really, Auston Matthews had peaked my interest from the very beginning. The night he made his NHL debut, and scored four goals. It was something right out of a storybook.



Very soon, I will be writing about the Leafs daily on this blog. I am going to blog about hockey as hard as I ever have. I'm going to head to Toronto to visit the Hall of Fame and see a Leafs game this upcoming season. Get ready for the Auston Matthews era of Hockey Night the Blog.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have won 16 Games in a Row

[Blue Jackets 3, Oilers 1]

[Jackets Cannon]

The Oilers just didn't have much tonight for the suffocating, mauling Columbus Blue Jackets. I was there to see game number 16 in a row. The streak rolls onward, and the Jackets are now one game from tying the all-time record of 17 wins in a row by the 1992-1993 Pittsburgh Penguins. Unbelievable. 

The Blue Jackets just seem to get stronger as the game goes on instead of folding like they did in the past third periods under different regimes. It's very easy to see if you're there live. 

The Zamboni is doing it's job before the game got started. 

Patrick Maroon had an assist tonight and got into a scuffle. This isn't up on Hockey Fights but I think that Maroon won. 

Connor McDavid had a slow night. He had two breakaways, won three face offs, had two shots on goal, but couldn't log anything else that would show up in the box score. He also had some time in the penalty box. Still great to see his talent live. 

Here's Todd McClellan, who has the Oilers at 19-13-7. 

McDavid serving time in the penalty box. I think it was tripping. The crowd erupted when he entered. 

A better shot of McDavid in the box. 

Seregei Bobrovsky in between the pipes. The guy is on fire right now. He's just not allowing two goals a game during this streak very often. He's a monster. I don't think that the Oilers got 20 shots on him. 

The anthemist, Leo Welsh getting balls deep on the Canadian anthem. He's real good. 

Great shot I got of the jumbotron during the Canadian anthem. 

All in all, a fun night. I wish the Oilers could have snapped the streak. I lost a shitload of money on the Oilers tonight, I thought they would do it. The Blue Jackets are just a monster, devouring everything in their path right now. I think that when you look at the fact they beat the Penguins (second in the NHL right now) 7-1 during this streak and have beaten several teams 10-0 this season, it's a testament to the Oilers only getting beat 3-1. 

My friend Justin and I dined at Mongolian BBQ tonight before the game. Glad to have made my pilgrimmage to Nationwide Arena to see the Oilers like I do each year. Hopefully I get back; maybe I'll go to a playoff game. 

The Edmonton Oilers are 4-1-0

[Box Score]
[Oilers Nation]

The Oilers get so little coverage, I couldn't even find photos of this game worthy of going on the blog. But alas, we've reached a high point in my fandom of the Edmonton Oilers since I started following them in 2010. It was 2011 that they began the season 8-4 and I thought the likes of Taylor Hall, Teddy Peckham and others were onto something. They finished that season 32-40-10. It blended in with all the other Oilers seasons.

But the Oilers have a new feel, a mostly new roster, and a new arena they're defending with an attitude.

Tonight, Connor McDavid refused to go scoreless for a third straight game which he has never done in his career. He set up on a Milan Lucic goal (Lucic's second as an Oiler) to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead and scored an empty netter which leads off this post in the game's final minute to seal the 3-1 win.

The Blues are a solid club to beat, entering the game at 3-0-1.

The Blues only goal was of course, a Nail Yakupov goal to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Pitlick scored quickly after that to tie it, and how nice; the Oilers seem to answer scores this season.

At the moment, Edmonton only trails Vancouver in the division standings. They take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday in the outdoor Heritage Classic.

Linkies

The Edmonton Oilers play again tonight at 9:00 PM. It's our job to carry over until that point and get some quality hockey links up. Every year this time of year we write a lot about hockey.

• Auston Matthews is ready (four goals, NHL Debut ready). [Deadspin]
• Evander Kane, hurt real bad. [Twitter]
• The Columbus Blue Jackets lost the most Columbus Blue Jacket game ever in their home opener last night. [Puck Rakers]
• Top analytics expert rips Oilers for Taylor Hall trade to New Jersey Devils. [Cult of Hockey]
• Jack Eichel is hurt pretty bad, which sucks for my fantasy team. [Die by the Blade]
• The Pens raised their Stanley Cup banner. [Puck Daddy]

Oilers win the first game at Rogers Place 7-4 behind Captain Connor

[Box Score]
[Cult of Hockey]

Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist last night. Milan Lucic got in a fight to defend the Edmonton captain, and the Oilers are 1-0 in their new arena and with McDavid wearing the 'C'.

Here's McDavid's game-winning goal against Brian Elliot on a penalty shot:

Connor McDavid is named the Oilers Captain

McDavid joins a legendary group of #Oilers captains. pic.twitter.com/sizbyIwtsR

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 5, 2016

Connor McDavid has deservingly been named the youngest team captain in NHL History.

Here's the list:

Connor McDavid – 19 years, 266 days
Gabriel Landeskog – 19 years, 286 days
Sidney Crosby – 19 years, 297 days
Vincent Lecavalier – 19 years, 315 days
Jonathan Toews – 20 years, 80 days
Steve Yzerman – 21 years, 151 days
Jim Schoenfeld – 21 years, 362 days

I saw Connor McDavid play live

There's a lot of cool places in this world I haven't been to yet. There's a lot of athletes I'll never see play. But I will live and die knowing I saw Connor McDavid play and score his 13th goal of his career live. Here it was:

Some other notes from the game:

• The head linesman Darren Gibbs got hit with a puck off the stick of Mark Fayne and had to leave the game.
• I caught a Blue Jackets t-shirt. 
• Taylor Hall scored on a powerplay, his 22nd of the season. Connor McDavid on the assist.

• Leon Draisatl had his 17th goal of the season.
• The Oilers gifted three goals back to Columbus within :45 of scoring each of their own. Totally pathetic. 

Connor McDavid: 1, Jack Eichel: 0

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey] [Die by the Blade]

I'm sad I wasn't watching this one on NHL Gamecentre. I missed one of Connor McDavid's first true great moments. 

He opened up scoring with his quickest goal to open a game in his career. Just :22 into the ballgame, McDavid got his 11th goal of the season on a little backhander. It looked easy. 

Then in overtime with about 80 seconds left before a shootout, Jack Eichel missed the Oilers goal. McDavid gets the puck at the bottom of the screen and decided to use his speed; his finest tool, to take the game and deliver it to the Oilers.



It was McDavid's second goal of the night, the game-winner in OT; and his 12th of the season. Clearly, the guy has the edge over a fine young player in Jack Eichel.

In what is shaping up to be another miserable season for the 24-34-7 Oilers, McDavid did all the work and delivered the Oilers a win in Buffalo.

Connor McDavid's first Five-Point Game

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey]

Connor McDavid notched his first five-point game of his young career, and his eighth and ninth goals of his rookie season in a 5-2 Oilers win against the team that felt it was their given right to have him. 

The night was special because he set up Jordan Eberle three times for Eberle's first hat-trick of his career. 

Goal #1


Goal #2 (One of the first real shots I've seen him score on)


The Oilers lost a few tough games since this one. But this will no doubt go down of the first HUGE game of McDavid's career and it came against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Connor McDavid returns in Edmonton with a Goal

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey] [CBC] [NHL.com]

You just knew it was coming last night. When it was announced that Connor McDavid would make his return against the Columbus Blue Jackets, you knew he was going to do something dramatic. That's the way he is. 

He scored his sixth goal of the season, possibly his most jaw-dropping one yet in his career; and it ripped the roof off Rexall place as the Oilers won the game 5-1 and took a 2-1 lead on the McDavid score tally.

He also added two other assists, which is a pretty common occurrence/just another night at the office for McJesus. The Oilers sit at 20-26-5 and have to keep it going to get back in things. It's great to see McDavid back on the ice at full speed and continuing his magical rookie year just as he was before he got hurt.