The St. Louis Blues will get a huge lift Saturday night when LW David Perron rejoins the lineup to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Perron has been out of action since Nov. 4, 2010, after sustaining a concussion on this hit from San Jose’s Joe Thornton:
Similarities have been drawn between Perron and Sidney Crosby — who recently returned from a concussion-related absence himself — with the main issue being premature returns. After getting nailed by David Steckel in the 2011 Winter Classic, Crosby not only returned to the game, but played the following contest against Tampa Bay (it would be his final game of the season after taking a hit from Victor Hedman.)
Perron, meanwhile, left the game after getting nailed by Thornton — but only momentarily. He returned to the ice (and scored a goal) 10 minutes after getting hit, a decision that has since been questioned.
That said, both recovery processes displayed much more patience, and that patience seems to have paid off. Perron now must be chomping at the bit to rejoin a Blues team that’s found new life – they’re 8-1-2 under Ken Hitchcock and have jumped from 14th to fifth in the Western Conference.
The Blues should be just as excited to get Perron back. They’re ranked 30th in the NHL on the power play (8.8 percent), 21st in goals per game (2.46) and could definitely use his offensive spark.
Given St. Louis’ depth down the middle, there’s no shortage of places for Perron to play. Hitch likely won’t break up the Alex Steen-David Backes-TJ Oshie line (his only constant scoring unit) but could skate Perron with Matt D’Agostini and Patrik Berglund, or Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner.
MONTREAL — Cole Caufield‘s season is over.
The Montreal Canadiens announced the forward will require season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. The club didn’t give a specific date for the operation and added it will provide an update on Caufield’s recovery period following the procedure.
The 22-year-old Caufield had 36 points, including 26 goals, in 46 games this season.
The Canadiens also placed forward Jonathan Drouin on injured reserve while recalling forward Alex Belzile from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes winger Max Pacioretty suffered a second tear of his right Achilles tendon, the team said.
Pacioretty was placed on injured reserve after he was hurt late in the third quarter of a win over Minnesota.
Players placed on IR must sit out a minimum of seven days, but this injury will almost certainly end Pacioretty’s season. The 34-year-old had surgery over the summer after the initial tear of his right Achilles tendon.
Pacioretty went down with 19.3 seconds left in the game while he had control of the puck near the goal and the boards. He pulled up as he tried to change directions and grabbed at the back of his lower right leg.
He had to be helped to the locker room while putting no weight on the leg.
“Not in very good spirits, as you know,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Pacioretty. “He’s getting checked out today. … It’s kind of what you would expect.”
The Hurricanes acquired Pacioretty from Vegas in a July trade in hopes of him filling a need as a wing scoring option. He made his season debut on Jan. 5 and played five games for Carolina, scoring three goals.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Vancouver Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau became emotional on Friday when asked about rumors that he may soon be fired.
“I’d be a fool not to say that I don’t know what’s going on,” Boudreau said as tears welled in his eyes. “But … you come to work and you realize, you know how great the game is.”
Boudreau’s job security has been in question since the Canucks (18-23-3) got off to an 0-5-2 start. Vancouver was sixth in the Pacific Division, 12 points out of a playoff spot, entering Friday’s home game against Colorado.
The 68-year-old Boudreau, who previously coached the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, was hired on Dec. 6, 2021 to replace Travis Green. Vancouver began last season 8-15-2 under Green but went 32-15-10 under Boudreau, missing the playoffs by five points.
The success has not carried over to this season. The Canucks are allowing 3.96 goals per game and their penalty kill has a league-worst 66.9% success rate.
Jim Rutherford, the team’s president of hockey operations, told reporters on Monday that he’s had conversations over the last few months about bringing in a new coach.
“Bruce is our coach right now,” Rutherford said.
Asked Friday what it means to be a head coach in the NHL, Boudreau said, “I’ll talk later,” turning away from reporters.
Earlier, Boudreau said he’s been trying to block out the noise.
“It’s tough not to feel it,” he said. “But, look – you love it, you want to go do it. So that’s the way I shut it out, just basically realizing how much you care about the game and the players and all that goes on.”
PHILADELPHIA – Flyers coach John Tortorella defended Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov‘s decision to cite religious beliefs as his reason to boycott the team’s pregame Pride celebration.
“Provy did nothing wrong,” Tortorella said Thursday. “Just because you don’t agree with his decision doesn’t mean he did anything wrong.”
Before Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, the 26-year-old Provorov sat out warmups, during which the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow tape.
Provorov is Russian Orthodox, and said after the game that he respected ” everybody’s choices.”
“My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say,” he said, declining to answer follow-up questions.
Tortorella said had “very healthy” conversations with Provorov, general manager Chuck Fletcher and select players days ahead of the game. Provorov’s decision was not a surprise to the organization.
The first-year Flyers coach also said he never considered benching Provorov.
“Why would I bench him? Because of a decision he’s making on his beliefs and his religion?” Tortorella said. “It turned out to be a great night for Pride night.”
The Flyers, led by players James van Riemsdyk and Scott Laughton, have been staunch supporters of the LGBTQ community and launched a program in support of LGBTQ youth in the greater Philadelphia area. The Flyers also hosted a pregame skate for local LGBTQ youth, and Laughton and van Riemsdyk met after the game with about 50 people from the community.
“I don’t hold anything against anyone,” Laughton said Tuesday. “It’s nothing like that. It was an awesome night and I’m very happy we got a win on a night like this.”
Tortorella dismissed criticisms that Provorov’s actions “embarrassed the organization,” saying, “I don’t look it at like that all.”
Tortorella has coached five NHL teams and drew comparisons to his own controversy in 2016 in Columbus, when he threatened to bench any player that protested or took a knee during the national anthem. His comments came in the wake of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit or kneel during the anthem because he said the country “oppresses Black people and people of color.”
Tortorella has since said, and reiterated Thursday, he was wrong.
“I learned a lot through that experience,” Tortorella said. “My feelings toward any time of protest to the flag during the anthem, it disgusts me, to this day. It disgusts me. It shouldn’t be done. Those are my feelings. I can’t push those feelings on to someone else. So I was wrong in saying that back then. I didn’t realize I was.
“But I was went through it all, who am I to push my feelings on to someone else. Same situation here.”
The Russian Orthodox Church, like other major Eastern Orthodox branches, doesn’t perform or recognize same-sex marriages. Its leader, Patriarch Kirill, has been supportive of moves by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government to implement anti-LGBTQ legislation.
The NHL also champions the You Can Play Project, which aims to ensure equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. The NHL has never had an openly gay active player. You Can Play co-founder Brian Kitts said in a statement that “religion and support for fans and teammates aren’t mutually exclusive.”
The NHL said that clubs “decide whom to celebrate, when and how” and that players “are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.”
Tortorella said Provorov knew “he was going to have some blow back.”
“Provy’s not out there banging a drum against Pride night,” he said. “He felt strongly with his beliefs and he stayed with it.”
The Flyers have only 19 wins but have won four of five headed into Thursday’s game against Chicago and are 8-2 since an overtime win Dec. 29 at San Jose.
Tortorella insisted the lingering affects of Pride night would not splinter the locker room.
“Not for a second,” Tortorella said. “The meeting at the end of the game, the 15, 20 minutes we spent together was very healthy. Really good process in a very important situation. To me, it bonds the team going through something like that. I’m not concerned about speculation of a team splitting up. Not a chance.”