NHL News

NHL News and Links – Quick Shifts: June 29th Edition

by Mike Majeski Follow @mmajeski06

NHL Quick Shifts is a daily series where we gather up the latest NHL news and links from the FanSided NHL blogosphere, as well as other NHL / hockey blogs.  So with that, here is today’s edition of Quick Shifts! 

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addresses the crowd before the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
  • Philadelphia Flyers Fans Set Bar High For Booing At Future Drafts – Perhaps it is a clear indication of how the Flyers season and post-season is going when the biggest thing going for Flyers fans is how loud they booed NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Obnoxious booing is the quickest way to spot the Philadelphia sports fan in the room; that and the fact that they’ll proudly tell you in-between bites of a Philly cheesesteak how they once booed Santa Claus. The booing of Gary Bettman during the Stanley Cup presentation and the NHL Draft has become a cliche and just distracts from a good event. Sure, the man has been behind three lockouts and has made some questionable changes to the game, but the majority of fans booing Bettman are doing it because it’s “tradition”. Even Bettman seems to relish the moment now, using it to take a few ironic jabs at Flyers fans. If you want the other side of all this, head over to Broadstreet Buzz and take glee in Bettman being drowned out by a deluge of boos. [ Broadstreet Buzz ]
  • NHL Draft: Evaluating The Metropolitan Division – Pucks and Pitchforks took a quick look at the Metropolitan Division and evaluated how each of the teams did at the 2014 NHL Draft. [ Pucks And Pitchforks ]
  • Danbury Whalers Use Draft Pick On Paralyzed NJ High School Player – The Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League used their fifth and final pick of the 2014 FHL Draft to select Mike Nichols, who was paralyzed on a hit from behind back in January. Nichols and the Danbury Whalers are going to team up to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and promote a safe hockey campaign. [ Puck Daddy ]
  • Alex Ovechkin Is Gliding Through – Instead of attempting to overhaul Alex Ovechkin’s defensive game, newly appointed Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz is choosing to focus on Ovechkin’s offensive game, primarily when he does not have the puck. There is no question that Ovechkin is one of the most dangerous forwards in the NHL when the puck is on his stick, but Trotz feels Ovechkin is too stationary when he does not possess it. He would like to see Ovechkin move more and take some of the glide out of his game. [ Stars and Sticks ]
  • Boston Bruins: Moving On From Iginla – Causeway Crowd takes a look at whether the Boston Bruins will make an attempt to keep forward Jarome Iginla. Over the weekend it was reported that Iginla’s agent, Don Meehan has set up meetings with other interested teams, so the possibility for Iginla to be on another team for 2014-15 seems strong. [ Causeway Crowd ]