Thursday, May 9, 2024
-The Vancouver Canucks took game one of their second-round playoff series with Edmonton beating the Oilers 5-4 last night. In the other game – the Florida Panthers downed the Boston Bruins 6-1 to tie their series at one. Tonight – the Carolina Hurricanes host the Rangers – New York leads 2-0 – and the Avalanche visit the Dallas Stars. Colorado leads 1-0.
-The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly fired head coach Sheldon Keefe after his fifth playoff run with the team ended in a fourth opening-round exit. The team said it “will immediately begin the search for a new head coach, and decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will follow.” The Maple Leafs’ season ended on Saturday with a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. Toronto went 46-26-10 in the regular season, finishing third in the Atlantic Division.
-The Brandon Wheat Kings will pick 14th and have six selections in the top 103 choices in the WHL prospects draft today. The Everett Silvertips have first pick, followed by the Prince Albert Raiders, the Tri-City Americans, the Kelowna Rockets and the Edmonton Oil Kings. Last year, 232 players were selected, with 38 from Manitoba. In the U-S Priority Draft, the Wheat Kings selected Colin Grubb of Minot with their first pick, 14th overall, and Ethan Sung of Los Angeles with their second pick, 36th overall.
-Brandon’s Kristen Campbell got the shutout as Toronto blanked Minnesota 4-0 in Game One of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s best-of-five semifinal. Game two goes Friday in Toronto.
-and ownership of Utah’s NHL team has given fans 20 choices to vote on for the franchise’s new name. The options are – Frost, Ice, Powder, Mountaineers, Freeze, Mammoth, Black Diamonds, Blast, Caribou, Blizzard, Swarm, Hive, Outlaws, Yeti, Squall, Fury, Glaciers, Canyons, Venom and HC, which stands for Hockey Club. Smith Entertainment Group bought the Arizona Coyotes from former owner Alex Meruelo for $1.2 billion and relocated the team to Salt Lake City.
