Derek Lalonde’s Journey To Head Coach Of The Detroit Red Wings Has Come Via A Long And Winding Path By:  Neal E. Boudette The Beatles sang a famous song about a long and winding road. Derek Lalonde, the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, has traveled it. Lalonde grew up in a tiny place in upstate New York called Brasher Falls. In fact, with a population of 769, it’s not even a town or a village. It’s officially classified as a hamlet. How far north is it? Well, it’s a half-hour drive to the Canadian border and a 353-mile drive away from New York City. A goaltender in high scho ..read more

By:  Jessi Pierce Nate Schmidt never subscribed to the “stick to hockey” mantra. Being a one-sport athlete didn’t appeal to the kid from St. Cloud, Minn., at least not until he came to that crossroad. And that formula seems to have worked well for the 30-year-old defenseman who is entering his 10th professional hockey season and first with the Winnipeg Jets.  Schmidt’s movement from the field to track and rink to court was no coincidence. There was his instant love of sports, sure, but he also credits the strategic parenting of his father, Tom, for much of his success.  “My d ..read more

By:  Christie Casciano Burns The NHL successfully rolled out its plan for the return to play. Now it's our turn to come up with a playbook to safely bring hockey back into our lives. There's no doubt things will be different this season. From our kids walking into the arena fully dressed, to the constant cleaning of our kids' equipment and the environment inside the rink, to wondering how we're going to pull off socially distanced fundraisers, we'll face plenty of challenges to ensure the game can go on.    Detroit hockey mom Sherri French, who is also a lifestyle and pa ..read more

NHL Commissioner Part of Impressive U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class By:  Alyssa Hertel   Gary Bettman is more than just the longest-serving active commissioner in all of professional sports. He is also the architect of a number of innovations that have moved the game forward at many different levels. For all his accomplishments over the course his 26 years in office, Bettman will headline a distinguished class that will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Bettman will be joined by former NHL stars Brian Gionta and Tim Thomas, two-time women’s Olympian Krissy We ..read more

“The Banker” Continues To Be Counted On To Help The Sharks Cash In By:  Jeff Carpenter For all the acclaim that the San Jose Sharks have received over the years as a model of consistency, their lack of success come playoff time often dominates the conversation.   The team is a regular challenger for the Pacific Division crown, boasting a strong team filled with a nucleus of veteran stalwarts with an infusion of skilled youngsters. And while they’ve made the playoffs in 19 of the past 21 seasons, the Sharks have never won the Stanley Cup, reaching the finals only once, in 2016 when ..read more

Dylan Larkin Leading The Charge Into The Future For The Rebuilding Red Wings By:  Jeff Carpenter With a number of NHL teams scrambling to secure their playoff positioning on the final day of the NHL regular season, the Detroit Red Wings stood on the outside looking in.    Their final game against the Buffalo Sabres was virtually meaningless, other than its impact on their odds in the upcoming draft lottery. At stake was a shot at this year’s top prize, American phenom Jack Hughes, who was honing his craft just down the road from Motown at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mic ..read more

As The Carolina Hurricanes Surge Up The Standings, Opinions Swirl Around The Team’s Postgame Celebrations By:  Jeff Carpenter With less than a month left in the NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes have put themselves in a position to do something they haven’t done since the 2008-09 season – make the playoffs. And they’ve celebrated each step along the way, especially after every hard-earned victory on home ice.   Traditionally, most winning teams simply raise their sticks in unison to the salute the home crowd after a win. When the final whistle sounds, the only thing being r ..read more

Timeline of Episode with Ice Manager at New Irvine Facility, Host Committee for Girls Tier I By:  Jeff Carpenter USA Hockey Magazine Podcast Art Trottier, March 7, 2019 Podcast Timeline   This podcast features Art Trottier, the Vice President of Ice Management at Great Park Ice and Sports Complex, as well as part of the host committee for the Chipotle 2019 USA Hockey Girls Tier National Championship that the new facility in Irvine, Calif., will host April 4-8. Trottier talks about the new facility and all of its features, prepping for Nationals and the excitement as the days dwind ..read more

UMD’s Perunovich’s Play An Example Of Hockey’s Shift To Speed And Skill By:  Jeff Carpenter If patience is a virtue, then Scott Perunovich knows it well.   His patience with the puck is on display on a nightly basis in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, along with his uncanny ability to locate open passing lanes and thread the needle with tape-to-tape passes.   Despite these in-demand skills, Perunovich’s patience off the ice was tested the past few summers when he was passed over not once, but twice in the NHL Draft. He didn’t latch on with an NHL organization until ..read more

Minnesota Native Leads Youthful Resurgence In Vancouver By:  Jeff Carpenter In a game earlier this month against the Colorado Avalanche, Brock Boeser uncorked a shot off of a face-off, lighting the lamp mere moments after the Pepsi Center’s stoppage music halted.   The goal was the 50th of Boeser’s young career, propelling him into legendary company as the second-fastest Canuck in team history to reach the half-century goal mark, trailing only Pavel Bure, who did it in 82 games.   There’s no doubt that the Burnsville, Minn., native would have reached the mark sooner if a back ..read more