#brianleetch

BY: The New York Rangers NEW YORK, September 20, 2019 – National Hockey League defenseman Dan Girardi announced his retirement today after 13 seasons in the league. “I would like to thank all my coaches, family, friends and teammates for supporting me throughout my entire hockey career,” Girardi said. “I want to thank the New York Rangers for giving me a chance to fulfill my childhood dream of playing in the NHL. Throughout those 11 incredible years, I have made so many friends on and off the ice. I bled Ranger blue and gave it my all for my team, the city, and the Garden faithful. I also want to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning for helping me continue my career by giving me a chance to play for such an amazing organization, city and fan base. The last two years in Tampa Bay have been so much fun for me and my family. I will always fondly remember my time here. Finally, I want to thank my wife Pamela for always being there for me and holding down the fort and to Landon and Shaye for always being daddy’s number one fans. “I gave my all every single night and left it all out on the ice. Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life to begin and I couldn't be happier...and so is my body.” “On behalf of the entire Rangers organization, I want to congratulate Dan on an outstanding NHL career,” Rangers Senior Advisor to the Owner and Alternate Governor Glen Sather said. “Dan was the ultimate warrior. From the moment he joined the Rangers, he gave his heart and soul to his teammates, the organization, and the fans. Dan’s relentless effort and dedication to the Rangers was an inspiration to everyone. The accomplishments we achieved during Dan’s tenure with the Rangers – which included two Division Championships, a Presidents’ Trophy, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014 – would not have been possible without his immeasurable contributions. We wish Dan, his wife Pam, and their two children, Landon and Shaye, the best of luck as they begin their next chapter. They will always be a part of the Rangers family.” Girardi skated in 927 career NHL games with the Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, registering 56 goals and 208 assists for 264 points, along with a plus-78 rating and 314 penalty minutes. Since the NHL began to track blocked shots consistently in 2005-06, Girardi has been credited with more blocked shots than any other NHL player (1,954). He helped his team advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his 12 of his 13 seasons in the league, and he skated in 143 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. During his career, Girardi helped his team advance to the Eastern Conference Final in four different years, as well as the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Over the last 13 seasons, only six NHL players skated in more playoff games than Girardi. In addition, Girardi’s ranks 30th all-time among NHL defensemen in playoff games played. Girardi skated in 788 games with the Rangers over 11 seasons (2006-07 – 2016-17), registering 46 goals and 184 assists for 230 points, along with a plus-54 rating and 275 penalty minutes. He ranks 10th on the Rangers’ all-time games played list among skaters. In addition, Girardi, who was signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent on July 1, 2006, appeared in more games with the Blueshirts than any other undrafted player in franchise history (among players who were eligible to be selected since the NHL Draft was implemented in 1963). The Welland, Ontario native helped the Rangers advance to the playoffs 10 times during his 11 seasons with the franchise (2006-07 – 2008-09; 2010-11 – 2016-17), and in those 10 playoff appearances, the Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference Final three times and the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. In addition, Girardi helped the Rangers finish in first place in their division twice during the regular season (Atlantic Division – 2011-12; Metropolitan Division – 2014-15) and finish with the best record in the NHL during the regular season in 2014-15, as the Blueshirts established single-season franchise records with 53 wins and 113 points. Girardi represented the Rangers at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and finished sixth in voting for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2011-12. He led the league in blocked shots in 2010-11 and 2012-13, and he established career-highs in blocked shots (236), assists (27), and points (31) during the 2010-11 season. In addition, Girardi served as one of the Rangers’ alternate captains for six seasons (2011-12 – 2016-17). Girardi skated in 788 of 820 regular-season games the Rangers played from the time he made his NHL debut on Jan. 27, 2007 through the end of the 2016-17 regular season (96.1%), including 651 of 656 regular-season games the team played from Jan. 27, 2007 through the end of the 2014-15 regular season (99.2%). Girardi skated in at least 80 games in seven seasons in his career, and he played all 82 games of a season five times. Since the NHL implemented an 82-game schedule in 1995-96, Girardi and Brian Leetch are the only Rangers who have played all 82 games of a regular season in five different seasons. Girardi skated in 122 career playoff games with the Rangers, registering six goals and 27 assists for 33 points, along with 36 penalty minutes. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff games played (among skaters) and only trails Henrik Lundqvist (128) in career playoff appearances by a Ranger. Girardi also holds the franchise record (among skaters) in consecutive playoff games, as he skated in 109 consecutive playoff games with the Rangers from his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Atlanta in 2007 to Game 1 of the First Round against Pittsburgh in 2016. Girardi’s 27 career playoff assists and 33 career playoff points rank fifth among Rangers defensemen in franchise history. Girardi registered three game-winning goals during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including one in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Ottawa on April 26, 2012, and his three game-winning goals were tied for the fourth-most any Ranger has recorded in one playoff year in franchise history. Girardi led the NHL in blocked shots (67) and led NHL defensemen in hits (80) during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs while helping the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final. During his tenure with the Rangers, Girardi received several team and league awards and nominations. He was the Rangers’ nominee twice for the Bill Masterton Trophy (2011-12 and 2016-17), which is awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” Girardi received the John Halligan Good Guy Award in 2012-13 for his cooperation with the media, and he was named the Rangers Fan Club Rookie of the Year in 2006-07. Read the full article

Brian Leetch limited autographed card . . #brianleetch #upperdeck #hockeycards #autograph #cardsforsale #whodoyoucollect #thehobby #breakstuffmarket https://www.instagram.com/p/BxUVFnZHKLL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rendy3x6s3y5

L-R Keith Allain, Yale head coach, Bill Riga, Associate head coach Quinnipiac University, Mike Cavanaugh, UCONN head coach, Steve Raab, President SNY, Thomas Gill, Director Economic Development City of Bridgeport, Tom Regan, CHC & USA Hockey, and CJ Marrotolo, Sacred Heart University head coach (PHOTO: Gerry Cantlon) BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings BRIDGEPORT, CT - A new, "Ice Age" is coming to Connecticut. This new "Ice Age" will cover Connecticut in ice, not the kind to cause downed stress, excessive traffic accidents, and inconvenience, but the exciting kind. The type of "Ice Age" that involves Connecticut college ice hockey. At a press conference Monday, an unveiling was made of the first-ever Connecticut Ice Tournament that will be played between January 24-26, 2020 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. The tournament will feature all four of Connecticut's Division I college hockey teams. The tournament is part of a planned Connecticut festival of the sport of hockey. It's kind of a combination of Boston's Beanpot and the Quebec City Winter Carnival. The regional cable network, SNY, which is already affiliated with UCONN basketball and football broadcasts, was the driving force in creating the concept in 2017. After two years of effort, they made it a reality. “This is a very exciting day,” remarked SNY President, Steve Raab. “This has been two years of hard work to design and many people made this day possible.” One of the key elements was to help the growth of hockey in the State of Connecticut. To do so, all four Division I college programs, UCONN, Yale, Sacred Heart, and Quinnipiac needed to be involved. They will all carve out the time from their respective schedules to make this happen. “The spirit this will create, and the entertainment, it will bring many memories. This will bring hockey fans from the state to Bridgeport.” For UCONN head coach Mike Cavanaugh, he is happy and surprised. “To be honest, I couldn’t believe there wasn’t one before, but with all four schools now Division I, it makes it easier and will be a major plus for hockey in Connecticut.” Cavanaugh is in a rare position. He recruited Connecticut hockey players when he was at Boston College, and now as UCONN’s head coach for the last six years, he has a unique point of view. “It's going to help all the schools in recruiting because kids in Connecticut will grow up watching this and will see the benefits right away. A solid eight, ten years of keeping this tournament going will produce results. The whole state will be excited about this tournament I believe.” Early on, Cavanaugh brought the Boston rivalry piece with him to the Nutmeg State. "That’s why I have scheduled games against all the state teams, and we can develop continuity here. This is a great first step. As you saw at the end of the (promotional) video, you want guys 10-20 years from now talking about how they played in this tournament. Guys can talk about when they won this year, or that year, or scored a goal people, remember. That’s what makes traditions. “ Cavanaugh mentioned what he sees as a, 'cause and effect' by his having been a part of the Beanpot, the 65 year Boston tradition that takes place every February among the four Boston universities BC, BU, Harvard, and Northeastern. “If Tommy Cross (Simsbury) or Cam Atkinson (Greenwich) had played in a tournament like this, they would have been inclined to stay in state. The four schools never really played each other until Quinnipiac went into the ECAC with Yale. Now, with this, it will help grow this tournament and the game in the state." For now, the tournament will be in Bridgeport, but the question comes about if it could be rotated among the venues in the state. “I’m a Hartford guy. That’s our home rink. I’m just glad we're playing here at Webster Bank next year and will see what happens down the road,” said Cavanaugh. A major component to this plan is to have a youth portion in which Bantam age (13-14-year-olds) teams all the way to beginning Mites (6-8-year-olds) will compete on the very same ice as the big boys they watch and cheer for. A Friday night doubleheader will feature, a public school, and prep school hockey matchup, again bringing a whole new generation of youth hockey under one umbrella. “We were approached in 2017 about whether we could get youth hockey involved as part of the overall event,” said the Past President of the CT Hockey Conference, and USA Hockey Director, Tom Regan. He played both his high school and collegiate hockey in Connecticut. "We had discussions the last two years over timing, the format, but getting the four colleges was key. It’s the first event, it takes time and effort to get four schools when they are all in league play to commit to this. That shows you how important they all want this. "To do it (the tournament) in January in the heart of hockey season rather than something earlier in the year, might not have had the same (punch), and it's at ALL the levels and that makes it very important." To get all levels involved was critical for the ability to grow hockey. Having a sport that requires some cash to play was not lost on Regan. “To get the kids on the ice to play and watch the college kids play, it will give real inspiration to those (young) players. The next Brian Leetch, the next Chris Drury will see this grow the game, increase the excitement around the game, and for the tournament." The event had some warm light-hearted moments after the audio didn’t match up with the video at the beginning. Cavanaugh in his remarks uttered the best line of the day, “I could read Chris Drury’s lips and he was saying, if he were playing, he would have gone to UCONN!” C.J. Marrotolo, the head coach of the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, relayed a childhood story. “When I was nine or ten, I begged my parents to go to Yale games." Keith Allain, the Yale head coach deadpanned in his opening remarks, “I was disappointed C.J didn’t mention he wanted to see me playing goal,” Allain, who played at Yale and still holds the record for career saves in addition to guiding the Bulldogs to winning their first NCAA title in 2012, said with a laugh. Quinnipiac's assistant coach, Bill Riga, stood in for head coach Rand Pecknold, who is in preparation for his team's NCAA regional on Friday in Allentown, PA. The game will be played at the PPL Center against NCAA Independent Division I's Arizona State Sun Devils, who will be making their first appearance in the tournament just four years after upgrading their program to NCAA DI status. The Bobcats have reached the NCAA tourney five of the last seven years. Festival Weekend Schedule (Tentative): Friday, January 24, 2020 1:00 – 4:00 pm – Mites Cross Ice Jamboree 4:30 – 6:00 pm – Girls U12 Championship 6:30 – 8:00 pm – Connecticut Prep School Championship 8:30 – 10:00 pm – Connecticut High School Championship Saturday, January 25, 2020 11:30am – 1:00 pm – Squirts Boys Championship 1:30 – 3:00 pm – USA Hockey On-Ice Clinic – U12-U14 (Skills, Checking, Goaltending) 4:00 – 6:30 pm – SNY COLLEGE TOURNAMENT GAME 1 7:30 – 10:00 pm – SNY COLLEGE TOURNAMENT GAME 2 Sunday, January 26, 2020 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Peewee Boys Championship 1:30 – 2:30 pm – USA Hockey On-Ice Clinic – Girls 3:30 – 6:00 pm – COLLEGE TOURNAMENT CONSOLATION – TBD v. TBD 7:00 – 9:30 pm – COLLEGE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP – TBD v. TBD Tickets for the inaugural Connecticut Ice Festival are on sale now via: sny.tv/CTice Discounted ticket packages are available for all Connecticut Youth Hockey League families, as well as for students from the four participating colleges. Group ticket rates are also available for groups of 15 or more. Regular price two-day passes for Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25 are $35.00 for kids (18 & under) and $70.00 for adults. General admission tickets for Friday night’s high school rivalry games will be available at the Webster Bank Arena Box Office. For more information on Connecticut Ice please go to www.SNY.tv/CTice Read the full article

BY: Gerry Cantlon, HOWLINGS HARTFORD, CT - It was an unusually busy week in professional hockey over the past seven days, so strap in and here it is. WOLF PACK 2018-19 The New York Rangers announced officially on Monday what Cantlon's Corner reported last week, the signing of their RFA’s (Restricted Free Agents) to one-year contracts. The latest and one which will have a direct impact on the Wolf Pack roster was the signing of Chris Bigras to a one-year, two-way deal paying him $874,125 in the NHL and $70K in the AHL. Bigras was acquired at the trade deadline on February 26 for Ryan Graves. “Chris did a nice job in the time he had here. He used it well. He showed he could handle duty on the power play and penalty kill. Coming to Hartford, he got a fresh start and used his time effectively to earn a contract.” said Wolf Pack Head Coach, Keith McCambridge, in a phone chat earlier this week. The Rangers also announced the signing of John Gilmour, who split the season between Hartford and New York after getting recalled on February 9th. He earned his first NHL point in his hometown of Montreal and scored an overtime winner in Vancouver on February 28th. He became the first Ranger rookie to score an OT game-winner in the regular season game in franchise history. Gilmour's deal is a one-year, two-way contract that pays $650K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL. The Rangers now have eleven defensemen in NY and six on the roster in Hartford. “You never know what your roster looks like in the AHL. Change occurs every year, but I’m looking forward to developing some really quality young players that we have coming in and returning,” McCambridge said. Bigras could conceivably be McCambridge's most experienced defenseman when the team opens its season against the Providence Bruins come October 5th. The other previously reported signees are Rob O’Gara, Boo Nieves, and Steven Fogarty. The Rangers have seemingly switched directions. They have only signed one AHL veteran to date. That player is Bobby Butler, who, with the returning Cole Schneider, will help to bring along the first and second-year players. Butler replaces Scott Kosmachuk who signed with Colorado (AHL). “Bobby brings a lot to the table as a proven goal scorer in this league, and we're here to develop players for the New York Rangers. (At) training camp, you have a lot of surprises; younger guys are pushing older guys for slots, and you have movement in both directions here, and everything starts in White Plains (at the Rangers training facility) and will go from there.” McCambridge confirmed there again will be just two pre-season exhibition games. The dates are September 26th and 27th against Bridgeport with both scheduled to be at Trinity College's Koeppel Community Center Arena, the home of the national Division III powerhouse, Trinity College Bantams. One player who won't spend next season in New York or Hartford is the Rangers' first-round selection (9th overall), Vitaly Kravtsov. The 6’4, left-handed shooting, 18-year-old, right-winger signed a new one-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL). Kravtsov will not be in Rangers training camp and will only be eligible to play in North America - either the NHL or AHL- once the conclusion of Traktor’s KHL season arrives. The Rangers also have announced David Quinn’s assistant coaches. The first is David Oliver, a former Blueshirt during his playing days. He worked with Quinn at Lake Erie (nee Cleveland) when he was the head coach there as part of the Avalanche organization. Quinn then chose Greg Brown from his collegiate rival, Boston College. They also worked together at USA Hockey. Brown is a long-time friend, and former BC teammate of Ranger great, and Cheshire native, Brian Leetch. Brown has been an assistant with BC for 13 years. The move will certainly not slow the BU-BC rivalry intact with this move. UCONN SCHEDULE UNVEILED The Huskies, who finished the regular season strong, have a light home schedule for the first half of the season, and a strong one over the second half. This scheduling is the complete opposite of last season. The team is on the road their first four games before they make their home opener. The Huskies tango with Army at West Point on Friday, October 12. Then the Huskies are in Hamden to skate against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats on Tuesday, October 16. They then travel to Providence Friday on October 19th then leave for Troy, NY for a non-conference meeting with RPI. Both the RPI and Army games will be the team's first visits there. The Huskies kick off the home schedule against the Maine Black Bears at the XL Center on Friday, October 26th. On Saturday, the 27th, the Huskies will play at 3 pm as part of a UCONN-Wolf Pack XL Center hockey doubleheader. The Huskies have two special road trips this season. They will travel first to Belfast, Northern Ireland to play BU, Union College, and Yale as part of the Friendship Four tourney for the Belpot Championship on November 23rd and 24th. The Odyssey Arena, the home of the UK-based, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), Belfast Giants, will host the games. UCONN will play Yale at Ingalls Rink on New Year’s Eve Day at 4 pm before traveling to Las Vegas to play at the T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. The Huskies will take part in the second annual Ice Vegas Invitational in January school time, game time and broadcast info to be announced at a later date. The complete schedule is available HERE. KAITION DISSED? If you need another reason to hate the Carolina Hurricanes as they look to end one of the last vestiges of the Hartford Whalers radio voice, Chuck Kaiton, read about it HERE. COACHES & PLAYER MOVEMENT Elias Lindholm, the son of former Nighthawk, Mikael Lindholm, was acquired by the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft from Carolina. He signs a four-year extension at $4.85M per season. Congrats to former Quinnipiac player and assistant coach, Reid Cashman, who gets a promotion from the Hershey Bears to the Stanley Cup Champion, Washington Capitals, as their new assistant coach. As part of the wholesale change in Hershey, former Wolf Pack, Randy Murphy, was relieved as an assistant coach, but old Wolf Pack and Yale Bulldog, Alex Westlund, will remain as the goaltending coach. Ex-Pack, Ryan Graves, signs a one-year, two-way deal with the Colorado Avalanche paying $650K in the NHL and $70K in the AHL. Graves will likely start the year with the newest AHL team, the Colorado Eagles (Loveland, CO). Goalie Jon Gillies (Salisbury Prep) signs a two-year deal with Calgary; Gillies gets a two-way deal at $750K in the NHL and $200K in the AHL, and a one-way contract in 2019-20 at $750K. He could start the year in Stockton. The Sound Tigers signed a defenseman, Devon Toews (Quinnipiac University), to a two-year deal. Toews hit a grand slam in this deal with the one-way money of $650K the first year, and $750K the second year. Kyle Burroughs also got a standard two-year two-way deal. The first season he'll earn $650K (NHL) or $100K (AHL). The second-year pays $700K (NHL) $125K (AHL). Kurtis MacDermid, the son of former Whaler, Paul MacDermid, gets a two-year, two-way deal from the LA Kings. The first year he'll make $650K (NHL) or $100K (AHL) with the following season paying $700K (NHL) and $150K (AHL). He will likely start the season in Ontario. Former UCONN Husky, Spencer Naas, who, after completing four years in Storrs, played four games with Cleveland, has signed a one-year AHL deal with the Texas Stars, last season’s AHL Calder Cup finalist. Ex-Pack, Alex Krushelnyski, who was the big hero for Lehigh Valley when he scored the game-winning goal in the fifth overtime against Charlotte, the AHL’s longest playoff game ever, signs a one-year AHL deal with the Phantoms. Tim Army, a Providence, RI native, and a fixture in college and pro hockey, was named the head coach of Iowa. He was an assistant last year with Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Army’s son, Derek (Hotchkiss Prep), retired to become an assistant with Worcester (ECHL). In August, at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, the installation of a new $700K video board will be completed and in time for the 2018-19 season. Ex-Pack, Shawn O’Donnell, who played just one game on a recall last year with the Wolf Pack before suffering a fractured cheekbone, has signed back with Cincinnati (ECHL) for next season. Mike Doherty, a former Yale Bulldog, re-signs with Manchester (ECHL) and his fellow ex-Bulldog, Frankie DiChiara, goes from Worcester (ECHL) to Reading (ECHL). Ex-Pack Mackenzie Skapski departs Orlando (ECHL) and heads to Europe where he signed with HKM Zvolen (Slovakia-SLEL). Joel Martin, a former Sound Tiger goalie, retires from Kalamazoo (ECHL) to become an assistant coach. Ex-Sound Tiger, Ryan Walters, re-signs with Utah (ECHL). Make it ten more AHL’ers heading to Europe. Ex-Pack captain, Mat Bodie, leaves Syracuse for Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL). Also moving to Europe is the Pack’s Dan Catenacci, who was a part of that trade. He signs with HC Bolzano Foxes (Italy-AEHL). Catenacci was acquired from Rochester two years ago for Bodie. In Hartford, he had nine goals and 24 points in 61 games. Catenacci, whose plays in the Austria Elite League, is now following in his father’s skate blades. His dad played strictly in Europe. Maurizio Catenacci had a 13-year career (599 points in 354 games) in Italy and concluded his career with seasons in France, Germany, and Slovenia. The other eight AHL’ers heading to Europe include Adam Comrie, who ended the year in Utica after splitting time in Lehigh Valley and Reading (ECHL). He signs with Klagenfurter AC (Austria-AEHL). Phillip Holm, who was in Utica and played a game in Vancouver before being traded to the Chicago Wolves at the trade deadline, signed with Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL). Mike Latta, Binghamton/Tucson, skates to Kunlun (China, KHL), and Trevor Mingioia leaves Milwaukee for Vasterviks IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan). Mike Blunden leaves Belleville to go to HC Bolzano (Italy-AEHL), and one of the most significant AHL signees, Temmu Pulkkinen, goes from the Chicago Wolves to Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL). Brent Regner leaves Texas for EC Salzburg (Austria-AEHL) while Patrick Cannone leaves Iowa for ERC Ingolstadt (Germany-DEL). 57 players plus one coach have all signed to go to Europe. 24 AHL teams have lost at least one player. Ex-Pack, Travis Oleksuk, leaves HC Bolzano Foxes (Italy-AEHL) after two years but will stay in the league and play in Austria for the EC Graz 99’ers. Ex-Pack, Paul Crowder, goes from defending champion, Cardiff (Wales-EIHL) to Fife (Scotland-EIHL) for next season.. Ex-Sound Tiger, Victor Bartley, goes from Orebro HK (Sweden-SHL) to Kunlun (China-KHL), Evan Richardson, a former UCONN Husky, departs from Tulsa (ECHL) to Manchester (England-EIHL). Ex-Pack, Nicklas Jensen, signed a one-year deal with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland-KHL). Five more collegians have signed overseas. There will be three in France, the World Cup capital of the universe. Mark Auk of Michigan Tech (WCHA) signs with Lukko Rauma (Finland-FEL) and Eetu Torpstrom UMASS-Amherst (HE) signs with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland-KHL). Alex Bontje goes from Robert Morris (AHA) to HC Cholet (France Division-2) and Gianni Mangone along with his collegiate teammate, Derek Thorogood, are headed from Division III Marian University (NCHA) to HC Neuilly-sur-Marne (France Division-2). Brad McClure, the captain of Minnesota State-Mankato, signs with Texas as did Nolan Gluchowski of St. Lawrence (ECACHL). Corey Kalk goes from Dartmouth College (ECACHL) to Orlando (ECHL). Kevin Miller from Ohio State (Big 10) signs with Ft. Wayne (ECHL) while another player has returned to Canadian college hockey in Colin Grannary. He goes from the University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) to Concordia University–Montreal (OUAA). That's now 164 Division I college players that have signed North American pro deals. 218 total college players have signed either North American or European agreements. Four players have now transferred to Canadian college hockey. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks, after a long process, has hired an assistant coach, and Fairbanks native, Steve Largen, to be the Nanooks new head coach the ninth in school history. Defenseman Jordan Smith, whose career was cut short after losing an eye when he played in Portland (AHL), was named associate head coach for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL). His injury ushered in the mandatory half visor rule in the AHL. Some nice ex-Pack news! Former all-time great, Derek Armstrong, had a test for a TV gig with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Their games air on AT&T Sportsnet. Another reason to watch Vegas hockey! Last year Armstrong did ten test games doing pre- and post-game studio work. Armstrong is still the head coach for the LA Kings Triple AAA U-15 and U-18 teams which his sons, Easton and Dawson, are on. Easton is heading to summer development camp with Regina (WHL) who drafted him back in the spring. Armstrong, is the Director of Satellite programming (on ice) for LA which is an outreach development program. He also just hired ex-Nighthawk, Todd Elik, a former LA King, to run the newly designed LA Kings hockey academy in Beijing, China. Another ex-Wolf Pack is now coaching. Defenseman Ronnie Sundin, from the very first Wolf Pack team, coaches Hamhals IF J-18 squad in Sweden. His son, Anton, plays for Frolunda HC J-20 and is eligible to play for the Swedish Hockey League team while his nephew, Felix Sundin-Hellqvist, plays for Falu IF (Sweden Division-2). There are now 20 former Wolf Pack players whose sons and daughters are playing at high levels of hockey. The current known number is 32. Last crazy ex-Pack tidbit... Three former players are involved in the BCMML league (Bantam level) in British Columbia. Two of them are coaches in Geoff Smith, with Thompson, and Peter Hay with Fraser Valley. Jeff Finley has his son playing in the league; Jack was with Okanagan last year. 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The last pick is a 17-year-old, right-handed shooting defenseman. His name is Nils Lundkvist and he's from Lulea HF of the Swedish Hockey League. He went 28th overall. Lundkvist is 5’11 and just 172 pounds. He played on Lulea’s J-20 team. In 26 games, Lundkvist had three goals and 14 points and was voted best defenseman. He also played with the SHL club for 29 games scoring two goals and had five points. He was 16 for most of the season playing against men. He played on Sweden’s U-18 team that won the bronze medal at the IIHF U-18. championships. All three players are eligible for their national World Junior Championship squads. Expect to see them at the tourney which will be held in Vancouver, and Victoria, BC starting December 26 on Canada's Boxing Day. The aforementioned four sets of Rangers dual first round draft picks were interesting parts of Ranger history. In 1971, Steve Vickers, who had a solid Rangers career playing in 698 games and scoring 241 goals, registered 340 assists (586 points), and the highly combustible, the late Steve Durbano. He never played a game for the Rangers and was traded to St. Louis, but in the words of the late great Ranger broadcaster, Bill “Big Whistle” Chadwick,“ speaking of Durbano he said, "He was suspended in every league he ever played in." The words came during his wild fight with Nick Fotiu at the Garden in 1979 when he was on his second tour with the Blues. It set off a major bench clearing melee after a hat trick goal was scored and he exited the ice surface by bending over and mooning the MSG crowd. In 1972, Al Blanchard, who never played a game with the Rangers but played in the AHL with Providence and Springfield, and Bob MacMillan, who played 22 games with the Rangers, but would have a nice career with St. Louis, Atlanta/Calgary Flames, the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils and Chicago, but not the Rangers. He is presently an amateur scout with Calgary. In 1977 they took Lucien DeBlois and Ron Duguay. They played well in New York. Two years later went the team went to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens where they lost in five games. The Rangers passed on Mike Bossy who would become one of the greatest scoring right wings in NHL history who helped the New York Islanders win four consecutive Stanley Cups. The last set of multiple first round picks came in 1999 at the draft in Boston. The picks that year were Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark. Brendl never played in New York. His lack of conditioning and inflated ego impaled his career in North America. He played in just 77 NHL games with four different teams none of whom were named Rangers. After a stellar junior year with Calgary (WHL), Brendl was assigned to the Wolf Pack for the post season of their Calder Cup winning spring. He ended up being sent home after two games when he tried to instruct head coach John Paddock on how to run the team’s powerplay during practice. Brendl played in Europe last season after taking a year off due to a medical condition. He's rostered to the HC Arlanda Swedish who play in the first division. Lundmark played in 114 games posting 11-19-30 with the Rangers. He had 295 NHL games in total. He played parts of his time with Calgary, Phoenix (nee Arizona) and LA. While with the Wolf Pack, Lundmark played 165 games with 50 goals 68 assists and 118 points Lundmark retired this season after a six year career with Klagenfurter AC in the Austrian Elite League. The first 19 years of the NHL Draft were held in Montreal. 1985 was the first year that it wasn’t. That year the draft was held in Toronto. The first time it was held in the US was in Detroit in 1987. HOCKEY NEWS Late Thursday, Rangers GM, Jeff Gorton, confirmed that Adam Tambellini was not going to receive a qualifying offer. He is free to negotiate a new deal elsewhere. Steven Fogarty was given a qualifying offer and it remains to be seen if he takes it or tries his luck elsewhere. Two more AHL’ers are off to Europe. Miro Aaltonen, from the Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies, heads back to a yet unnamed KHL team. Leland Irving leaves San Diego for HC Bolzano (Italy-AEHL). Read the full article