Latest news with #GordieHowe
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Words keep coming and they don't stop coming
Baby bump and Swiftie are in the dictionary, right? Um, not quite. Soon, but not yet. English evolves at warp speed now, boosted by social media's endless prose, seeing an archive like Collins barely finding time to add half-sibling or double-space, blastproof and compostable, only for newbies like warp speed and newbie to come knocking. Content creator is now a career, yet only recently made the database. Ditto for terabit (1000 gigabits) and dishwashing. Mid-strength and safe word, beach read and survivor guilt. The siege is relentless, as timezone (one word) and evote (no hyphen) clamour for inclusion. Hence my habit of loitering vestibules, those annexes linked to lexicons listing which words float in limbo, language midway between user-usage and publisher patronage. Some seem obvious, like old soul and outsiderism, slushie or reclick. Others like crickets (for a joke's silent response) or a dog's cone of shame are slang awaiting sanction. While another set is straight-out odd, like helixophile (a corkscrew collector) or hatfishing (wearing a hat in your Tinder pic.) Fusions reign, as usual. My fave is binfluencer, that neighbour who puts out their bins early, swaying everyone else's colour-coded array. Then there's sporror, a subgenre of horror writing centred around fungi, which feels too close to home. Meanwhile, exervious (a blend of excited and nervous) and todorrow (today-tomorrow) won't happen. Headlines can often summon new phrases, such as planet parade, Gulf of America and TACO: Trump Always Chickens Out. Sport can likewise keep the annex busy, the webpage receiving pine-time (minutes on the bench), scorpion kick, spoon bowl (battle for last place) and breadstick. Different from a bagel, where a player loses 0-6, a breadstick sees you go down 1-6. And yes, it can be used as a verb. Loading Sport and politics also mingle, notably in two more nominees. Gordie Howe, a Canadian great of ice-hockey, popularised 'Elbows out!' , shorthand for play hard. Since Trump's tariff splurge, the phrase has been a Canadian catchcry. Just as flood the zone – to overwhelm one part of the field with players – is now a civic ploy, where media are deliberately engulfed in so many new policies that none gain proper scrutiny. One Collins visitor adores Australian birds, insisting firetail and bronzewing find a nest. AlloyMiner, another contributor, digs South African words, from skabenga (hooligan) to moggy (irrational), zol (marijuana) and seshweshwe (printed cotton). The latter batch has enjoyed success too, as all four words were later enshrined in Oxford 's March intake.
The Age
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Words keep coming and they don't stop coming
Baby bump and Swiftie are in the dictionary, right? Um, not quite. Soon, but not yet. English evolves at warp speed now, boosted by social media's endless prose, seeing an archive like Collins barely finding time to add half-sibling or double-space, blastproof and compostable, only for newbies like warp speed and newbie to come knocking. Content creator is now a career, yet only recently made the database. Ditto for terabit (1000 gigabits) and dishwashing. Mid-strength and safe word, beach read and survivor guilt. The siege is relentless, as timezone (one word) and evote (no hyphen) clamour for inclusion. Hence my habit of loitering vestibules, those annexes linked to lexicons listing which words float in limbo, language midway between user-usage and publisher patronage. Some seem obvious, like old soul and outsiderism, slushie or reclick. Others like crickets (for a joke's silent response) or a dog's cone of shame are slang awaiting sanction. While another set is straight-out odd, like helixophile (a corkscrew collector) or hatfishing (wearing a hat in your Tinder pic.) Fusions reign, as usual. My fave is binfluencer, that neighbour who puts out their bins early, swaying everyone else's colour-coded array. Then there's sporror, a subgenre of horror writing centred around fungi, which feels too close to home. Meanwhile, exervious (a blend of excited and nervous) and todorrow (today-tomorrow) won't happen. Headlines can often summon new phrases, such as planet parade, Gulf of America and TACO: Trump Always Chickens Out. Sport can likewise keep the annex busy, the webpage receiving pine-time (minutes on the bench), scorpion kick, spoon bowl (battle for last place) and breadstick. Different from a bagel, where a player loses 0-6, a breadstick sees you go down 1-6. And yes, it can be used as a verb. Loading Sport and politics also mingle, notably in two more nominees. Gordie Howe, a Canadian great of ice-hockey, popularised 'Elbows out!' , shorthand for play hard. Since Trump's tariff splurge, the phrase has been a Canadian catchcry. Just as flood the zone – to overwhelm one part of the field with players – is now a civic ploy, where media are deliberately engulfed in so many new policies that none gain proper scrutiny. One Collins visitor adores Australian birds, insisting firetail and bronzewing find a nest. AlloyMiner, another contributor, digs South African words, from skabenga (hooligan) to moggy (irrational), zol (marijuana) and seshweshwe (printed cotton). The latter batch has enjoyed success too, as all four words were later enshrined in Oxford 's March intake.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brad Marchand to Maple Leafs makes (almost) too much sense
Brad Marchand has tortured the Toronto Maple Leafs for the better part of the last 15 years, particularly when it matters. Only one player has collected more playoff points against the Leafs than Marchand (37), and his name is Gordie Howe (53). Nobody has scored more playoff game-winners versus the Leafs. It's Marchand and Jean Beliveau with five apiece. The Leafs can't beat Marchand, a pending free agent and now two-time Stanley Cup champion. Should they get him to join them instead? It makes almost too much sense. Marchand just won his second Cup with the Florida Panthers, squashing the Leafs along the way with three goals and eight points in a seven-game second-round win. The Leafs need more playoff heroes. Few have earned that rep quite like Marchand. The NHL playoff scoring leaders in the salary-cap era are: Only Alex Ovechkin (77), Joe Pavelski (74), Crosby (71) and Malkin (67) have scored more playoff goals in that time than Marchand (66). Marchand hasn't just trampled over the Leafs. He's trampled over everyone. Over the last eight postseasons, from the early days of his star turn in Boston, Marchand is better than a point-per-game player, with 115 points, including 49 goals, in 108 games. Advertisement He piled up 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games (with only second-unit power-play opportunity) en route to the Cup this spring. Will that playoff magic carry over to the Leafs as Marchand, who will be 38 when the next postseason rolls around, inches closer to 40? His playoff record is so longstanding that there's reason to think so. We've also seen players his age and older do it before in the current era. Mark Recchi put up 50 points in 79 playoff games and won two Stanley Cups after his 38th birthday, the latter at age 43 in 2011 as Marchand's teammate with the Bruins. Bill Guerin, Corey Perry, Pavelski and Martin St. Louis all managed to keep the contributions flowing in the salary-cap era as the greys in their respective beards piled up. The Leafs, at least initially, would be looking for Marchand to fill an opening somewhere in the top six, whether it's on Auston Matthews' soon-to-be vacant right wing or on the left wing of a line that stars William Nylander: Knies – Matthews – Marchand Marchand – ? – Nylander They would be asking more from Marchand than the Panthers just did. Florida had Marchand slice and dice foes from a devastating third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. Which meant, at times, lighter competition. And yet, Marchand still played almost 17 minutes a game in the postseason, which put him sixth among Panther forwards, and it was his line that helped stall Matthews' group in that second-round series. Marchand's star days may be over — he finished top 10 in Hart Trophy voting four times — but it's conceivable to think he could be a top-six contributor for at least the next two seasons. Before he was traded to Florida, when he was still playing top-six minutes for a spiraling Bruins team, Marchand scored at a 28-goal, 63-point pace. At times, he didn't look quite as punchy, including as a limited contributor for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. And there were hints of decline. Fewer takeaways. More giveaways. Continued decline in five-on-five production (which coincided with Patrice Bergeron's retirement). Yet, Marchand still generated shots like usual during the regular season and ranked right near the top of the league in expected goals per 60 minutes. (His actual goals per 60: 1.06.) Marchand shot only 14 percent on high-danger shots, below the league average of 20 percent. A season earlier, he scored 16 goals on 61 shots for a blistering 26 percent shooting percentage. Is the drop-off a product of slightly more rotten luck, age-related decline, or health-related issues for someone who had three surgeries in the 2024 offseason — elbow, groin, and sports hernia — and double-hip surgery in 2022? Advertisement It's tempting to think that Marchand would cash in on a better chunk of his opportunities with a spot next to Matthews and his Arizona pal, Matthew Knies, or Nylander, for that matter. (There are parallels between the fit that Marchand might have with Nylander and the one he had for years with David Pastrnak.) A healthy Matthews can lift his linemates, especially if it's one with Marchand's wide-ranging skill set. Marchand, conversely, could have an uplifting effect on Matthews himself. What could the Leafs expect from Marchand in the regular season? Over the last 15 years, 23 players have kicked in at least 50 points at age 37 or beyond, including six last season. That feels like a reasonable floor for Marchand for at least the next two seasons. The ceiling could be upwards of 70 points, with 25-30 goals, especially if Marchand claims a spot on the Leafs' No. 1 power-play unit. (He played on PP2 in Florida.) That plus a whole whack of penalties drawn. Marchand was still an expert in that department last season, drawing 32 penalties in all, which ranked sixth in the league. He was second the previous season (46 drawn) and third the year before that (41). The Leafs — 22nd overall in penalties drawn last season – could certainly use some of that, though it's worth noting that Marchand takes a large chunk of penalties himself, which cuts into that advantage. Marchand would find roles on both special teams units as a Leafs player. He and Bergeron were long one of the NHL's most feared penalty-killing duos, and it would make some sense for the Leafs to drop him into Mitch Marner's old gig next to Matthews on PK1. Or perhaps, given his age and the need to conserve his minutes somewhat during the regular season, the Leafs could opt to use him in a more depth role. Marchand has scored nine short-handed goals over the last five seasons. Advertisement It's a mystery at this point what the Leafs will do on the power play next season, but Marchand would figure into a prominent role on one of the two units. Only Leon Draisaitl (21) has scored more power-play goals in the playoffs since 2018 than Marchand (18). The Leafs have lacked finishers in that department every postseason. What also can't be discounted with Marchand? The intangible boost he would add to the Leafs. General manager Brad Treliving is seeking a change this offseason. It would be hard to find any one player who might help with that, who might infect the group with a swaggier personality in the playoffs, more than Marchand, still a never-scared pest after all these years. It's more than that, though. Marchand has always been comfortable in the spotlight, and there's no reason to think that would change even amid brighter lights in Toronto. Having him around might ease the burden on Matthews, Nylander and others. The Leafs could turn to Marchand when the waters need cooling, whether that's with the media, on the bench or in the dressing room. The team has lacked a guy like that since Jason Spezza. There's also this from the business side of things: With his playing style and persona, Marchand would instantly become one of the most popular players on the team. No. 63 Leaf jerseys would become ubiquitous in the city. Why not bring him in? The risk of soon-ish decline, which could be costly if the Leafs were to meet what could be Marchand's apparent going rate of a four-year deal, with a cap hit of $8 million. Again and again, the Leafs have witnessed firsthand — from Spezza to Wayne Simmonds, Patrick Marleau, Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie and Joe Thornton, among others — how quickly the bottom can drop out on older players. And Marchand isn't exactly a big guy, making future injuries even likelier, perhaps. Advertisement Perhaps it won't happen until year three of the deal, when Marchand is 39. However, it may happen sooner than that. Marleau signed a three-year deal with the Leafs not long before his 38th birthday. Marleau had 27 goals and 47 points in year one, adding four goals in seven playoff games. A season later, he dropped to 16 goals and 37 points in the regular season and couldn't keep up in the playoffs. The Leafs parted with a first-round pick to rid themselves of the last year of his contract. As with Marleau, and unlike the addition of a younger player, the Leafs wouldn't be buying upside with Marchand but rather some combination of status quo and decline. The playoff run doesn't exactly prove anything for the future, but it would seem to suggest that Marchand still has some gas left in the tank. He's going to decline. He is declining already. But it's not silly to think he could be a useful top-six forward for the next two seasons and fall into third-line duty after that. Even as a third-liner, Marchand would be helpful to a team that has perennially lacked contributions from down there when it matters. The only forwards currently signed beyond next season are Matthews, Nylander, Max Domi, and David Kämpf, with Knies soon to join the group. In other words, it's possible, likely even, that Marchand, two seasons from now, would land lower on the depth chart, decline or not, than he presumably would next fall. There's also the rising cap to consider, as well as the Leafs' contention window. An $8 million player next season is more like a $7.4 million player this past season. A year after that, it's more like a $6.7 million player and so on. In other words, as Marchand grows older and presumably less effective, his share of the cap will fall too. Matthews has three years remaining on his contract, mind you, which, until another contract extension rolls around, puts a neat bow on the Leafs' apparent window to win big. Advertisement The Leafs could fortuitously structure the deal. And if that decline becomes problematic, it will likely be tied to physical decline that makes an LTIR exit viable. Should the Leafs go for it then? Try as I might to find reasons not to gamble on Marchand, I can't find many beyond the risk mentioned above that comes with signing an aging player to a pricey long-ish deal. The Leafs' time is now — and there aren't many, if any, free agents out there who check as many potential boxes as Marchand, nor are there many trades, given the team's limited pool of assets, that make substantial upgrades elsewhere on the roster possible. Marchand the Leaf? It may be worth the risk. — Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference, Stat Head, PuckPedia
CBC
10-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
45 years later, NHL awards John Garrett 2nd assist on historic Gordie Howe goal
Social Sharing When the big announcement came Friday night during the second intermission of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final, John Garrett had just changed channels to catch the baseball score. "I'm a big Blue Jays fan and, sure enough, during the intermissions, what do you do? I switched to the baseball game. And then all of a sudden my phone started blowing up," he laughed. The calls and texts were to congratulate Garrett, a former NHL goaltender and longtime Vancouver Canucks broadcaster, on being awarding the second assist on a hockey legend's historic goal from 45 years ago. "It was a surprise to me, too," said the 73-year-old Garrett. "I'm quite happy that I'm finally getting the assist on Gordie Howe's last NHL goal." On April 9, 1980, Garrett, affectionately known as "Cheech," was in goal for the Hartford Whalers during an 8-4 playoff game loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Garrett played the puck to Mark Howe, who then passed it to his dad. Mr. Hockey, aged 52, proceeded to score the 801st and final goal of his career. "There was no trapezoid [rule] back then and I was never a very good puck handler so I had to switch hands on my stick," said Garrett. "The puck was in the corner and I went out and threw it around to Mark. And Mark, the great player that he was, made a nice play to Gordie, and Gordie kind of got a fluky goal. But it was still a pretty obvious second assist." Garrett said at the time he wasn't at all concerned about being left off the official score sheet, especially given the shellacking his team endured. But as years passed, it crossed his mind that receiving official recognition for a moment of hockey history would be a wonderful memento. "It was great to have Gordie as a friend and teammate in his last years," said Garrett. "One of the best players on the ice and one of the best human beings off the ice." Enter Greg Shannon, longtime Rogers Sportsnet Vancouver Canucks game producer and Garrett colleague. In 2013, he started the #giveittocheech hashtag on social media and began writing periodically to the NHL to ask for a review. Until Friday's news, the answer from the league was a solid no. It expressed concerns that it had no record of a request for a review right after the game, and that proceeding with one so many years later would contravene NHL rules of the day. The league also said that adding Garrett's assist could lead to an avalanche of demands to examine other historical judgment calls. So why the change of heart now? Even Garrett doesn't know for sure. Part of it, he thinks, has to do with Shannon's persistence. Another factor could be the influence of an old friend in a high place. "I think my buddy [NHL executive vice-president] Colin Campbell and our Peterborough Petes connection — he might have got one last e-mail from somebody and said, 'Well, OK, we can make an exception here and go back 45 years and give Cheech an assist.'"
New York Post
07-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Gordie Howe's final NHL goal gets a historic change 45 years later
Proponents of video review in hockey argue that they just want to get the call right, no matter how long it takes. Those folks will be happy to know that the NHL's longest scoring review has finally reached a conclusion, and it looks like the league got this one right. It just took 45 years. The review in question was on the final goal — No. 801 — of Gordie Howe's legendary career. Scored on April 9, 1980, for the Hartford Whalers against the Canadiens in the playoffs, Mr. Hockey took a pass from his son, Mark, and beat goaltender Denis Herron to cut Montreal's lead to 8-4. The goal would go down as Howe from Howe. How romantic. Only one problem. The scorer ignored the pass from Whalers goaltender John 'Cheech' Garrett to Mark Howe. 6 Gordie Howe controls the puck before his score. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube Garrett, who would play in 207 NHL games before an illustrious career as a broadcaster for the Canucks, didn't initially launch an appeal to the league, but he's been vocal about getting the assist added to his ledger for nearly half a century. In an interview on Sportsnet's 'After Hours' in 2023, Garrett continued his appeal. 6 Goalie John Garrett didn't credit for an assist for 45 years. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube 6 Moments before Howe scored. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube 'That's a hard pass,' Garrett said in the interview. 'Mark takes it, Mark gives it to Gordie, Gordie scores this beautiful goal. How can I not get an assist on that? I phoned Benny Ercolani — he's now retired, but Benny was the statistician for the league.' Garrett said he didn't complain immediately after the game because of how it would have looked after he conceded eight goals in a loss. But as the years went on, the man known as 'Cheech' used his platform as a broadcaster to raise awareness for his cause. He also had plenty of support from Canucks fans, who launched a social media campaign supporting Garrett's quest back in 2013. 6 John Garrett during a 1982 game. Getty Images All the lobbying has finally paid off. During the second intermission of Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, 'Hockey Night in Canada' broadcaster Ron MacLean announced the league was finally awarding Garrett with an assist on Mr. Hockey's final goal. 'Colin Campbell of the NHL has begged all of you former NHLers, please do not be writing the league looking for credit on an assist,' joked MacLean. 'They are adding one to the record books, and this is a beauty.' 'John Garrett was denied official status for this assist. He moves the puck. In the record books, it just has Howe from Mark. It did not feature Cheech's assist. It will, forevermore.' 6 Gordie Howe #9 and Mark Howe #5 of the Hartford Whalers look on against the Montreal Canadiens. NHLI via Getty Images 6 Gordie Howe #9 of the Hartford Whalers skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980's at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. NHLI via Getty Images He concluded: 'It's official, John Garrett, you have an assist on the last goal Mr. Hockey ever scored,' he concluded.
