Crosby & McDavid favorites again in NHLPA annual poll
Madden signs 3-year contract with Los Angeles Kings
WASHINGTON, April 1, (AP): Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is still regarded as the NHL’s top forward, while peers consider Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby the game’s most complete player.
When it comes to game-day dress code, hockey players overwhelming favor relaxing the rule requiring a suit and tie, according to the results of the NHL Players’ Association’s annual poll of players released.
Players voted 411 to 152 in favoring the NHL adopt the NBA’s dresscode policy, which requires players wearing “business or conservative attire” when arriving at and leaving a game.
The NHLPA said 588 players participated in the 21-question poll, which covered topics involving skills, arenas, teams and off-ice fun. That category ranged from who they considered the league’s best golfer (Dallas’ Joe Pavelski) to the top player to follow on social media (New Jersey’s P.K. Subban).
This is the third consecutive year the NHLPA has conducted the poll, though not all the categories - including the dress-code question have been the same. The results were released while the NHL’s season has been suspended and players asked to self-isolate because of the new coronavirus.
McDavid was the overwhelming favorite as the league’s top forward. He received 379 of 555 votes, followed by Crosby (83) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (37). The results were similar to last year’s poll.
Crosby finished first in two other categories, including the league’s most complete player. The Penguins captain received 230 of 506 votes, beating out Boston’s Patrice Bergeron (129), Florida’s Aleksander Barkov (38) and St Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly (27).
With 224 votes (68 more than McDavid), Crosby also topped the list of who players would want on their team when needing to win one game.
Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman was selected the top defenseman for a second straight year with 196 votes, 85 more than Washington’s John Carlson.
Montreal’s Carey Price repeated as the league’s top goalie with 214 votes, 127 ahead of Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
And Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin got 198 votes to edge out America’s Hilary Knight (180) as the world’s best female hockey player. America’s Kendal Coyne Schofield (77) finished third. That’s a switch from last year, when Poulin edged out Knight by a little over three percentage points.
Boston’s Brad Marchand topped the lists for a second consecutive year as both the best and worst trashWhen talker. Florida defenseman Keith Yandle repeated as the game’s funniest player.
Wayne Gretzky was the top votegetter in the new category of which player, past or present, players would pay to see play. Gretzky received 155 of 485 votes, followed by Bobby Orr (73), Mario Lemieux (45) and McDavid (38).
Montreal’s Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice for a third consecutive year, followed by Edmonton’s Rogers Place and Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place. Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena finished fourth, having the best ice among US-based teams.
Players were split on whether they’d prefer customizing their skates, helmets or sticks to show off their personalities. Only 53% of the 529 players who voted favored the option, with nearly 44% of those choosing custom skates.
it comes to mascots, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty was the runaway favorite for a second straight year. Gritty received 273 of 393 votes, finishing ahead of Nashville’s Gnash and Arizona’s Howler, who got 11 votes each.
Meanwhile, Tyler Madden has signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings.
The forward recently completed his sophomore season at Northeastern University before signing with LA.
Madden was originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in third round of the 2018 draft, but the Kings acquired his rights last month as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade.
Madden led Northeastern with 37 points this season. His 1.37 points per game ranked fifth in the country and his 19 goals were tied for 11th. Madden was a first-team selection to the Hockey East All-Star team and a two-time nominee for the Hobey Baker Award.
The Deerfield Beach, Florida, native also skated for the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. The US captured a silver medal at the tournament.
Madden’s father John, won three Stanley Cups - two with the New Jersey Devils and one with the Chicago Blackhawks.
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ST LOUIS: St Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo says teammate Jay Bouwmeester is in good health some seven weeks after having a cardioverter defibrillator implanted in his chest.
Pietrangelo said he and his teammates have occasionally stopped in to see Bouwmeester while the NHL is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he’s pleased to see Bouwmeester taking walks through their St Louis-area neighborhood.
Saying “Bow’s good,” the Blues veteran defenseman provided the update Tuesday during an NHL video conference call featuring Central Division players.
The 36-year-old Bouwmeester has been ruled out from returning to play this season, including the playoffs, after he collapsed on the bench during the first period of a game at the Anaheim Ducks on Feb 11.
He spent five nights at the UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange
County, California, where he had the device implanted to monitor heart functions. The defibrillator can deliver a shock to the heart if an arrhythmia occurs to restore a regular heartbeat.
Pietrangelo said Bouwmeester was already a regular at Blues home games and practices before the season was suspended on March 12.
“That was kind of a breath of fresh air for us, knowing he’s out and about and hanging around the guys,” he added.
Pietrangelo said Bouwmeester’s plan was to stay in St Louis until the season ended, before seeking medical clearance to return home to Edmonton, Alberta.