Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 6

The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has turned into appointment viewing for even the average fan thanks to the high-intensity matchups. The tournament has now moved to Boston; all remaining games will be played at TD Garden, the home of the Boston Bruins. On Monday, Team Finland faces a desperate Team Canada on the heels of […]

What an incredible start to Saturday night’s massive 4 Nations tournament game between Team USA and Team Canada at Bell Centre! You could cut the tension in the building with a knife, starting with more controversial booing of the United States’ national anthem. But immediately after the opening face-off at center ice, the physical play […]

While the Golden State Warriors have moved on from Oracle Arena, the venue is still being used and building more memories. Oracle Arena was the sight of the 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night, and is hosting the HBCU All-Star Classic on Saturday before the 2025 NBA All-Star Game is played at Chase […]

The National Hockey League Trade Deadline is now just weeks away, and there are several teams who will soon be looking toward the future and officially punt on the 2024-25 season. One of those teams is the Seattle Kraken, who are on track to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in their […]

The offseason work has begun for Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan, and he’s already made a decision regarding the future of one key player on the defensive side of the ball. Khan has informed linebacker Preston Smith that he won’t be returning to the Steelers in 2025, releasing him from the roster. We have […]

It’s nearly time for Team Sweden and Team Finland to face one another in the 4 Nations Face-off tournament, and both teams will be looking for their first victory after having been defeated by Team Canada and Team USA, respectively. After having started Filip Gustavsson in their loss to Canada on Wednesday, Finland has made […]

Are we about to witness the end of an era with the Boston Bruins? Former Boston head coach Mike Milbury believes that the Bruins could be forced into a very painful decision of trading team captain Brad Marchand if they aren’t in a playoff position when the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around less than a […]

Not only did the Dallas Cowboys fail to live up to team owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ pledge to go “all-in” during their last offseason, but they went through a frustrating 2024 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also missed considerable time with a season-ending hamstring injury, which halted […]

The Montreal Canadiens have struggled in recent weeks after a lengthy hot streak, and it’s also included power-play specialist Patrik Laine seeing his ice time reduced. Laine, who will play for Finland in the 4 Nations Face-off, is looking forward to seeing his ice time increase as part of the tournament and also delivered a […]

The Buffalo Bills have begun their process of making tweaks to their coaching staff, having fired special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. And they didn’t have to wait long to select who his replacement would be. As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are set to hire former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor as […]

The 4 Nations Face-Off is upon us, and not surprisingly, the roster for Team USA includes Florida Panthers assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. The brothers are the sons of former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk, who played for the United States internationally in the Olympics as well as helping them win […]

As the four teams that will be competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament continue to practice, a classy gesture from Team USA has been making the rounds on social media. Guy Gaudreau, the father of the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, was invited to practice and was on the ice with the players, participating […]

The 4 Nations Face-off is scheduled to get underway starting on Wednesday, pitting the best NHL players from the United States, Finland, Canada and Sweden against one another for national pride and bragging rights. Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman was an easy choice to be named to the Swedish roster, and was also named […]

Is this curtains for Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans in the only NHL town he’s ever played for? It looks as though the Canadiens and the pending unrestricted free-agent could soon split from one another. According to NHL analyst Pierre LeBrun, the Canadiens and Evans aren’t close on a new contract as the NHL Trade […]

St. Louis Blues veteran defenseman Ryan Suter’s career spans nearly 20 full years, and he appeared in his 1,500th game on Saturday night against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center. To celebrate the career achievement, the Blues celebrated Suter with a special acknowledgement of him becoming just the seventh defenseman in NHL history to […]

As if the Vancouver Canucks needed more drama, they’re dealing with some once again – this time, once again on the injury front. Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, who missed all but one postseason game last spring and the first several weeks of this season, has departed Saturday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with […]

There’s both bad news and good news for the New York Rangers on a Saturday afternoon. The bad news is that goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the team’s franchise goaltender whom they just signed to a mammoth new contract extension, is going to be missing the next one to two weeks with an injury. The good news? […]

The Vancouver Canucks have been an extremely busy team in terms of recent trades, and now they’ve completed another transaction – though this one didn’t hold quite the same magnitude. On Friday, the Canucks traded depth defenseman Mark Friedman to the Nashville Predators in return for future considerations. A journeyman depth blue liner, Friedman had […]

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to struggle as the NHL’s worst team in the 2024-25 season, and appear well on their way to landing another top selection in the Draft Lottery. All eyes continue to be on sophomore forward Connor Bedard, who was the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft after Chicago controversially won […]

It’s only a matter of time before we witness National Hockey League history by Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who is on the cusp of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin inched closer to the record during Tuesday night’s victory on home ice over the Florida Panthers; he scored into the […]

The National Hockey League Department of Player Safety suspended Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for 10 games following his actions against Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle during their recent matchup on Saturday night. Despite this being the fifth suspension of Hartman’s NHL career, he’s got some high-profile backers in his corner now. On Wednesday evening, […]

While the Calgary Flames remain very much alive in the postseason hunt for 2025, there is still one key type of player that they’re looking for in their lineup. According to Flames general manager Craig Conroy, the Flames are in the market for a forward that shoots right-handed, via The Fourth Period. “I’ve talked about […]

The Buffalo Sabres were raked over the coals on Sunday when they failed to step in after star forward Tage Thompson was rocked with a dirty hit from New Jersey Devils forward Stefan Noesen. No Buffalo Sabre standing up for Tage Thompson here is unbelievable and unacceptable #sabrehood pic.twitter.com/LGqieOQt7E — Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) February 2, […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to take on the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome, but Toronto could be without one of their top players. Mitch Marner, who is on pace for a career-high in points, may be unable to play against the Flames after having missed two-straight practice sessions and is […]

The Vancouver Canucks have made a series of trades in the last week that included sending the disgruntled J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers for Filip Chytil while also acquiring Drew O’Connor and Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais. Could the Canucks already be looking to […]

The new-look Calgary Flames are set to host the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday evening, marking Toronto’s first and only visit to Calgary this season. And as has been customary, the Flames are preparing for large numbers of Maple Leafs fans to invade their building. Toronto fans travel well, and for […]

The National Hockey League Department of Player Safety is making an example out of repeat offender Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild. He’s been suspended for 10 games thanks to his actions on Saturday night during Minnesota’s game against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. The incident took place near the end of […]

The Montreal Canadiens suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, losing by a 3-2 final score and missing a chance to pick up key points in the standings. And it was notable that Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis decided to bench power play specialist forward Patrik Laine during […]

The struggling Buffalo Sabres may have emerged victorious over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday by a 4-3 final score, but they also lost forward Tage Thompson following a questionable high hit from Devils forward Stefan Noesen. The hit from Noesen spun Thompson around and knocked his helmet off; there was also a notable lack […]

The Minnesota Wild were soundly defeated on Saturday night by the Ottawa Senators, losing a 6-0 final score in which they managed only 16 shots on goal while allowing 52. And the considerable loss on the scoreboard wasn’t the only loss by the Wild, who soon be without forward Ryan Hartman thanks to his actions […]

The struggling Buffalo Sabres may have picked up a 4-3 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon, but there was one particular incident during the game that had many accusing Buffalo of failing to step up and defend their teammate. Sabres forward Tage Thompson was rocked by a dirty hit from Stefan […]

The JT Miller era officially ended for the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night, as he was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round draft pick. Coincidently, the deal that sent Miller to the Rangers wasn’t the only trade that the Canucks completed late […]

The Vancouver Canucks traded away forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, his original NHL club, on Friday. The trade came after weeks of rumors that Miller wasn’t getting along with teammate Elias Pettersson. He’s back with the Rangers, who drafted him 15th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He and his new Rangers […]

The Seattle Kraken have mostly struggled in the 2024-25 NHL season, and are on track to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in their four-year history. With a record of 23-27-3, things aren’t looking promising for a return to the postseason. And earlier on Friday, the Kraken announced unfortunate injury news to […]

The Vancouver Canucks are the reigning Pacific Division champions, but they’re going to be hard-pressed to continue holding the division crown thanks to their inconsistent play so far in the 2024-25 NHL Season. Not only has their on-ice play been up and down, but they’ve also had to deal with the drama of an alleged […]

The Utah Hockey Club are in their inaugural season in Salt Lake City after their move from the desert and their previous identity as the Arizona Coyotes. They weren’t able to settle on an official new identity and mascot, so they’re simply known as the Utah Hockey Club for now. Reports indicate that they were […]

Veteran forward Taylor Hall has joined his seventh team last week, as he was included in the blockbuster three-team trade between the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes; he was traded from Chicago to Carolina, and it’s a move that he approves of. Hall explained that he’s happy to be in a new location […]

Philadelphia Flyers firebrand head coach John Tortorella has countless examples throughout his coaching career of him blowing his top at players, media members and the officials. Simply put – when he’s unhappy, you’re going to know about it. And he lost his cool during Wednesday night’s Flyers game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential […]

The tenure of former Stanley Cup-winning forward Brandon Saad with the St. Louis Blues is coming to a close. According to multiple reports, he and the Blues have worked out a mutual contract termination that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent. NHL Insider Chris Johnston noted that with the contract termination, Saad is […]