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Stanley Cup Final Opponents, Dates Determined
The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Final opponents were determined on Thursday night after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. Because the Penguins had a higher placing in the overall league standings, they will await the arrival of the San Jose Sharks to Pittsburgh this Memorial Day weekend as both teams will play Game 1 at the CONSOL Energy Center on Monday. All games are slated to start after 5 pm Pacific Daylight Time.
This will be the first trip to the Final for the Penguins since winning their last Cup in 2009 over the Detroit Red Wings. They are making their fifth overall appearance, third appearance in the last eight years and will be seeking their fourth overall title. For the Sharks, this will be their first appearance in its 25 years of their existence in the NHL. Like the Sharks, former Seattle Thunderbirds players Patrick Marleau and Brenden Dillon are also making their first appearance. Marleau has played his entire 19-year NHL career with the Sharks, while Dillon came over to San Jose via trade with the Dallas Stars back in November 2014.
NBC, NBCSN, and NBC Sports Radio to Air Stanley Cup Final
The NBC Sports Group released their schedule on Friday of its upcoming exclusive coverage of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final with a new addition. For the first time since 2008, national radio coverage of the Stanley Cup Final returns to terrestrial national radio as NBC Sports Radio, in association with its distribution partner Westwood One, will provide live coverage of every game starting on May 30th. Westwood One Sports, which made the announcement earlier this month, will provide supplemental coverage via NBC Sports Radio for its affiliates and will stream all games on their website as well.
Here are the following dates for each game:
Game 1 – Monday May 30th
Game 2 – Wednesday June 1st
Game 3 – Saturday June 4th
Game 4 – Monday June 6th
*Game 5 – Thursday June 9th
*Game 6 – Sunday June 12th
*Game 7 – Wednesday June 15th
Marlies Avoid Sweep in AHL Playoffs
The Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) will have another chance at clinching their Eastern Conference Final series against the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs) after they found themselves on the losing end of a 5-0 shutout to the Marlies on Friday night at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. The best-of-seven series resumes in Toronto with Game 5 coming up on Sunday afternoon (12 pm Pacific). On Wednesday night, the Lake Erie Monsters defeated the Ontario Reign in the Western Conference Final. The top farm system of the Columbus Blue Jackets eliminated the Los Angeles Kings affiliate in four straight games. They await the winner of the Marlies-Bears series to play in the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final.
Stanley Cup Opponents’ Affiliates in ECHL Kelly Cup Final
The Sharks and Penguins are not the only ones playing for a pro hockey championship, but so are their respective ECHL affiliates. The defending Kelly Cup champion Allen Americans [Sharks] will meet the Wheeling Nailers [Penguins] in the best-of-seven league championship series on Saturday.
Memorial Cup Final Set – London vs. Rouyn-Noranda
The Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup champion will be determined on Sunday afternoon between the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the London Knights. The Huskies defeated the tournament-host Red Deer Rebels, 3-1, on Friday at the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta, and will appear in the title game for the first time in history.
Team USA World Cup Team Finalized
It is hard to believe that the 2016 World Cup of Hockey is only three months away. Majority of other countries completed their rosters this week but Team USA finalized their roster on Friday to include former Seattle Junior Hockey Association member T.J. Oshie, who just finished his first season with the Capitals after spending a few years with the St. Louis Blues. Team North America also finalized their roster and that roster included the NHL’s top draft prospect in Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Arizona).
Additional Coaches Added in Everett Youth Hockey
Everett Youth Hockey added two more coaches to its organization on Friday. Dennis Hagemann will serve as head coach of the Junior Silvertips’ Pee Wee A1 team following several seasons coaching high school hockey in Tennessee before coaching over a decade’s worth of youth hockey in Maine. Rich Demoors will assist Hagemann behind the bench this upcoming season following coaching the Everett Stars Pee Wee A2 team earlier this year. According to EYH’s website, they plan on adding a third coach before the start of the new hockey season.