Carle took a different path
Anchorage-born David Carle, Jim Montgomery’s successor as head coach at the University of Denver, will be the bench boss for Team USA at the next World Junior Championship, beginning Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Older brother Matt Carle, the Hobey Baker winner in his final season (200506) on the Denver blue line, played 10plus seasons in the NHL, including two trips to the Stanely Cup Final (2010 with Philadelphia, 2015 with Tampa Bay).
Alex Carle, the youngest of the trio, wrapped a four-year career on the Merrimack blue line in 2019.
David, who took over for Montgomery at Denver in the summer of ’18, has steered the Pioneers to 116 wins in his five seasons as coach.
He was tracking in Matt’s path to the pros, and starrring at Shattuck St. Mary’s School, until being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a potentially fatal thickening of heart muscle.
He then enrolled at Denver in the fall of ’08, and immediately embarked on his career path by becoming a student assistant coach his freshman year.
Wild await reinforcements
The Wild, with a playoff berth secured in the West, had star forward Kirill Kaprizov back in the lineup Saturday for the first time since he was injured March 8 vs. Winnipeg. Kaprizov was on pace for 90-plus points, following his 108 last season.
Ex-Maine Black Bear Gustav Nyquist also could be a playoff boost for the Wild. GM Bill Guerin picked him from Columbus at the trade deadline for a fifth-round draft pick. Nyquist, 33, can still wheel and has skills versatile enough to play up and down the lineup. He was injured (shoulder) in late January and was eyeing a possible return this weekend.
Guerin wants more giddy-up in the lineup, in part why he wheeled veteran winger Jordan Greenway, ex- of BU, to the Sabres at the deadline. Entering weekend play, only 8 points separated the top six teams in the West, with no matchups determined. In today’s game, speed is always the go-to game plan, no matter the prospective opponent.
Loose pucks
Craig Smith’s offensive struggles continued after being dished to Washington as part of the Dmitry Orlov-Garnet Hathaway acquisitions. He was 1-0–1 in his last 14 games as he entered the weekend with the DNQ
Capitals. He’ll hit the UFA market in July, and given his age (34 in September) and lackluster numbers, won’t see offers anywhere near the three years/$9.3 million he landed with Boston here summer 2020 . . . Alex Lyon originally was Flyers property, signed as an undrafted free agent after collecting 50 wins in three years in the Yale net. After spending last season in the Hurricanes organization, he signed a oneyear deal last summer with the Panthers, promised only $310,000 for his work in the minors. Now on track to be the playoff starter, his total earnings for 2022-23 will be less than $400K . . . Thursday marked the third time this season the Bruins have won without playing with a lead (3-9-2 overall in 14 such situations prior to weekend play). In all three games, David Pastrnak provided the winner in OT . . . A column here the other day noted that Pastrnak, who potted his 57th goal Thursday, has a chance to become only the 23rd NHLer to tally 60 goals in a season. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid became No. 22 recently. Limited space prevented including that Paul Coffey set the mark for defensemen when he scored 48 with the 1985-86 powerhouse Oilers. Bobby Orr held the previous mark, 46, set here in 1974-75 . . . If the Bruins face the Panthers, keep an eye on defenseman Brandon Montour, who has emerged as Florida’s No. 1 offensive force (1556–71) on the blue line. Just another guy prior to GM Bill Zito filching him from Buffalo at the ’21 deadline for a third-rounder, Montour has thrived, fed increased ice time by coach Paul Maurice and often being point option No. 1 on the power play. The former UMass short-timer (2014-15), originally a Ducks draft pick, nearly has doubled his previous career high. As of Friday morning, he was tied for fourth in points among all NHL blue liners, along with Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey and the Rangers’ Adam Fox, who was the Norris Trophy winner in ’21 . . . Leaguewide, scoring this season has ticked up to nearly 6.4 goals per game, its best, highest level in nearly 30 years (6.48 in ’93-94). Yes, “best” is subjective. But as noted by your faithful puck chronicler for years, ad nauseam, fans pay those high ticket prices to see the red light go on, which is the other side of the equation to why players like, say Pastrnak, coin big dough for, wait for it, turning on the red light. Thank Gordie Howe in heaven the dead puck era appears to be over . . . Why am I filled with this sense of dread, after seeing the gaudy light show at Fenway staged to celebrate home runs, that NHL rinks soon will adopt identical space laser light extravaganzas to recognize hat tricks or a 50th goal or 1,000th point? The combination of lights and music over at the lyric little bandbox of a ballpark gives the 111-year-old joint the feel of a Vegas casino when someone’s rung up a slot machine for a cool million. Rinks already are annoyingly saturated with excess noise in the spirit of “game experience.” Please, can we leave the lights alone, or even dim them between periods for an 18-minute shelter from the sensorial storm?