The NHL trade deadline may be fast approaching, but there is another deadline nearing as well to compete for the designation of.
The Kraft Hockeyville program is designed to bring communities together to share theirpa sion for hockey and theirlocal ice hockey arena. Nominations for the coveted prize are beingaccepted until Feb. 29. The winning community will receive $10,000 in equipment through the NHLPA's Goals and Dreams Foundation,host a preseason NHL game that will be aired on NBC, and receive $150,000towardrink upgrades. This year, prizes will also be given to the first runner-up, which will receive $30,000, and the second runner-up, which will receive $10,000.
The top four entrants will be announced March 22, followed by voting March 28 and 29. The winners will be announced March 29.
NHL trade tracker 2020:
Former NHL star and current NBC Sportsanalyst Patrick Sharp serves as the amba sadorfor the program that aims to give back and grow the game around the country.
Sharp, who captured three Stanley Cup championshipswith the Chicago Blackhawks,recently spoke with Sporting News regarding Kraft Matt Szczur Jersey Hockeyville, the upcoming trade deadline and his early playoff predictions including whether this is the year a Canadian team finally pushes through.
(Note: Portionsof theinterview have been edited for brevity, clarity and timeline s.)
SPORTING NEWS: How important is it for these rinks to have this opportunity and to win this awardto get the renovations?
PATRICK SHARP: Oh, I mean, I could only imaginemy hometown, Thunder Bay Ont. ,had won this contest 20 years ago, 30 years ago when I was a kid playing hockey, a couple times a day, three times on the weekendsometimes for tournaments, could have made a huge difference. Locker rooms could get upgraded, maybe it's a scoreboard, maybe it's minor repairs around the building. Either way, it draws the community together, and $150,000 could go a long way, so I'm excited Johnny Manziel Jersey to see who wins. We've been to Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York;I keep saying that I'm hoping to get to, like, Arizona, Texas, Florida, somewhere nice and warm come September so I can go host the event.
SN: The trade deadline is coming up. What are your thoughts on who the biggest sellers are, who the biggest buyers will be?
PS: There's a lot of teams that are right on the fence, right on the bubble that want to compete the rest of the way to try to make the playoffs, but at the same time, are you one of those teams that's planning for the future that think that you can win in the next three to five years? In that case, maybe you're a seller.
Blake Snell JerseyThere's a lot of names that are floating around out there, a lot of teams. We know who the top teams are that are, relatively speaking,comfortable in their playoff spot. I think the Boston Bruins are one of those teams that can maybe go out and add something at the deadline;we saw them add some secondary scoring last year. Tampa Bay looks like they're ready to erase last year's memory of their playoff sweep, at the hands of Columbus, this season, somaybe they addsomething. Note: this interview was conducted before the Lightningtraded for Blake Coleman.
TRADE GRADES: | |
Ilike the St. Louis Blues making a move; they want totry to defend the Stanley Cup championship they'vegot a team that looks like they can do it. And how about Colorado?I mean, they're a team that everybody's looking to win a couple of playoff rounds this year. They've got an exciting team but it's a tricky time of year because you Trevor Hoffman Jersey don't want to make too many moves that are going to disrupt your future.A team like Colorado that should be good for the next five or eight years,you don't want to make any drastic moves that set yourself back.So it's a tricky time of year and an intense time of year for a lot of players because who knows where you're going to end up.
SN: How do you make that decision? Some teams know they're already out of the playoff picture, like Detroit and Ottawa . . .
PS: Well, I hope they know. I hope those teams know they're not making the playoffs when they look at the standings. They know they're not going to make it.
SN: But how do teams that are on that bubble make that decision? Like a Montreal?
PS: I get what you're saying. Whether you make the playoffs or not, I think every organization kind of gauges where they are in the grand scheme of things. Are they going to be a Cup contender? You can never say what year you're going to win the Stanley Cup but you can say what year you feel your team is going to be best ready to compete for that Stanley Cup and we don't want to disrupt that timeline.
So, you mentioned the Montreal Canadiens. Well, Ty France Jersey their playoff hopes aren'tfinished, but ... they're kind of slipping a little bit here. Even if they did make the playoffs, I don't thinkMontreal feels they're a team that can run the table and win.Now, St Louis, proved everybody wrong last year. Once the playoffs start anything can happen, so getting in is one thing winning the Stanley Cup is another. All these general managers are going to make trades that are best suited for their team going forward, whether that's short term, long term, you name it, there's 31 different scenarios out there.
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SN: Were you surprised by the Jason Zucker trade ?PS: Every time there's a trade with big names like that and a lot going back the other way, it does get your attention.I don't know if surprised is the right word when you really look at this trade;it's two general managers that know each other well, Bill Guerin trading with his former team with the Pittsburgh Penguins. And then Pittsburgh, much like the Chicago Blackhawks over the years, they're a team, they're currently in the win-nowmoment. They've got Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, they've got two good goaltenders. They got a lot of guys in the prime of their careers, so they kind of owe it to themselves and their fan base to try to win now. Greg Garcia Jersey So, bringing in a guy like Zucker to replace an injury to Jake Guentzelis a great move. And look what they're giving up, they're giving up pieces for the future.
SN: Obviously Chris Kreider is a big name that is out there. Where do you think he fits?
PS: Anybody, really. He's a guy that's got some good playoff experience under his belt. St. Louis Blues cometo mind, Boston Bruins. He's a big body that can play both wing positions, play the power play and he's done it before.I don't know. That's a decision the Rangers have to make:If they do want to let him go or maybe
