Let’s take a look around at some of the top news and notes from around the NHL during this Thanksgiving weekend.
Blues Fire Mike Yeo
The St. Louis Blues announced on Monday that they have fired head coach Mike Yeo and named Craig Berube as the interim coach. General manager Doug Armstrong announced that the Blues could hire another coach before the end of the 2018-19 regular season. Yeo was fired just hours after the St. Louis Blues were shut out by the Los Angeles Kings, their second straight shutout and third in four games. St. Louis had just a 7-9-3 record at the time of the firing. Yeo, 45, took over the Blues in February of 2017 and posted a 73-49-11 record as head coach in St. Louis. Berube joined the Blues as the associate head coach on June 15, 2017, after a successful run with the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League.
Mikko Rantanen Fined By NHL
Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen has been fined by the NHL for what the league is calling embellishment. The fine will cost Rantanen $2,000 under the league’s policy that is intended to reduce diving and embellishment by the players. Rantanen was initially warned by the NHL for a play that occurred on October 16 against the Rangers. The Avalanche star earned the fine in a November 14 game against the Boston Bruins when he was penalized for embellishment. Rantanen has scored eight goals and dished out 24 assists this season to lead the NHL with 32 points.
Crosby Returns To Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby returned the lineup on Wednesday after missing a week with an upper-body injury. Crosby suffered the injury in a game against the New Jersey Devils on November 13, and the team struggled in his absence. Pittsburgh went 0-2-1 without Crosby and have fallen into last place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins did not give further details into the nature of Crosby’s injury, but the team did rule out a concussion. Crosby has scored eight goals and registered 11 assists in his 16 games played this season.
Vincent Trocheck Out Indefinitely
Florida Panthers center Vincent Trocheck underwent surgery to repair his injured ankle, and the team has announced that he is out indefinitely. Trocheck injured his ankle in a game against the Ottawa Senators on Monday in a gruesome fall as he was chasing a puck. The center remained on the ice for several minutes after the fall, and he was eventually carted off on a stretcher with the assistance of the Panthers medical staff. Trocheck was an All-Star last season, registering 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists) and playing in all 82 games for the Panthers. He has recorded 13 points through the first 17 games this season.
Ducks To Remain in Anaheim
The city of Anaheim has approved a deal that will keep the Ducks in the city, and local Honda Center, through the year 2048. The City Council met on Tuesday and approved a deal that will add an additional 25-year extension to the deal that was set to expire in 2023. In the deal, the Ducks promised to continue to feature the word Anaheim in the name of their team. The city of Anaheim will also get a larger cut of arena revenues in the new deal.
Patrice Bergeron Injured
The Boston Bruins announced that their star center, Patrice Bergeron, has injuries that will keep him out for a span of at least four weeks. Bergeron suffered a rib and sternoclavicular injury in the Bruins 1-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on November 16. The injury occurred when Bergeron was checked into the boards by Stars forward Radek Faksa, and he left the game but initially returned to the ice. Bergeron has had a storied career in the NHL and is close to a few career milestones that will now be waited on. The center is just two goals shy of 300 in his career and will reach the 1,000 games played milestone when he appears in just 18 more games. He has won the Selke Award four times during his career, which is given to the best defensive forward in the NHL.
