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I don’t care if the Seattle Kraken are good or bad. I only care that they’re weird.

The Vegas Golden Knights warped our expectations for how an NHL expansion team should perform in its first season, having leveraged the league’s new advantageous draft rules to maximum compensatory effect. None of us figured the Kraken for a Stanley Cup finalist like the inaugural Knights were, but most felt they’d be better than the .300 points percentage team that entered into action on Wednesday night. Or, at least one with a better team save percentage than the Arizona Coyotes.

Their lack of early success has been … kind of a bummer? Which is a shame, because the first season of an expansion team should be a joyous journey of small victories, embarrassing mishaps and those promising moments that portend a brighter future. It’s like freshman year at college: a time to take chances and explore new things, knowing there’s plenty of time to eventually earn that degree while silently praying that none of that exploration ends up on social media.

Even with their success, Vegas got bizarre. They had that entire arena experience, with the neon-lit drum line, the Medieval Times (dinner and tournament!) pregame show. They had that “Golden Misfits” vibe that fueled them. Their winning and their weirdness made them cult sensations in a crowded entertainment market.

Like anything that achieves cult status, there also cult heroes. For the Knights, it was Marc-Andre Fleury: King of the Misfits, the beaming smile behind the goalie mask on billboards and someone whose play thrilled local hockey fans and helped create new ones.

Every expansion team has them. So who are those cult heroes for the Kraken after just over a month of existence?

“There are so many Brandon Tanev jerseys here, you wouldn’t believe it,” said John Barr, the Seattle fan behind Sound of Hockey.

Why has Tanev, a seven-year veteran previously with the Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins, become the most popular player on the Kraken?

“There are a whole bunch of reasons, actually,” said Patrick M, a Kraken fan found on Twitter at @generationxwing. “It all starts with the ‘oh my god, I’ve seen a ghost’ photo. That’s what first endeared him.”

Tanev’s cult status started with the headshot. The one he took while playing for the Penguins, bulging his eyes widely with a concerned look on his face. His explanation at the time: “I did actually see a ghost. It was walking behind the gentleman who was taking our pictures. Kinda caught me off guard.”

When Tanev was drafted by the Kraken, he was one of the players who showed up in Seattle for the roster unveiling. The photo was shown to the crowd, to rolling laughter.

“We’re a quirky set of people up here. Anyone that looks like he’s a member of a grunge band in a mugshot is going to endear himself quickly,” Patrick M said.

Tanev produced a sequel with his Kraken headshot. “I had to come out and do something a little more extraordinary,” he said. Suddenly, doing “The Tanev” was a thing around the hockey world, from youth teams to friend and former Penguins teammate Kasperi Kapanen.

Hockey cult icons need an on-ice component to their popularity. Despite having the 16th-most ice time among skaters, Tanev was the fifth-leading scorer on the Kraken through 15 games, with six goals and two assists.

“He’s a wrecking-ball player. He’s got that balance of grit and skill, and who can put the energy in the team,” Patrick M said. “As stupid as it is to say, it’s the ‘blue-collar stuff.’ You’re looking for someone to latch on to. We don’t have those high-skills guys, so the next step down is the guy who goes full-tilt.”

Tanev’s popularity on and off the ice has manifested in gear sales. In September, Tanev had one of the best-selling jerseys among all Kraken players in ecommerce, ranking right with established names like Philipp Grubauer and winger Jordan Eberle. Fanatics, the NHL’s official ecommerce partner, said Tanev has the third-highest-selling Kraken jersey since the start of the season, and one of the top 15 best-selling jerseys in the NHL.

“That’s a tough one for me to explain,” Tanev told Sportsnet during a recent broadcast. “Happy to have the jersey sales. I think the jerseys themselves are extraordinary. I think they’ve done a great job with them. I’m fortunate to be up there with some of the top players in the league. We’ll take it.”

On Breaking T, a T-shirt site that has a partnership with the NHLPA, Tanev has the most popular Seattle Kraken shirt. Not surprisingly, it’s a photo of his headshot, with the words “Release the Tanev.”

Morgan Geekie doesn’t have a shirt there yet, but the 23-year-old Seattle forward is also a contender for cult hero status, as a certified goofball. The kind of player who does an interview with Geek Wire because of his last name. (Geekie: “It’s not every day that half your name is in a worldwide technology [news site].”)

He went viral while with the Carolina Hurricanes when he inserted the phrase “you can’t out-pizza the Hut” into a post-practice interview, after some teammates bet him that he couldn’t sneak in the Pizza Hut catchphrase. When asked about it as a member of the Kraken, Geekie said, “I can show you my [Pizza Hut] gold card, [but] I don’t carry it anymore. I got a new wallet.”

He’d probably challenge Tanev for expansion cult hero status if he had more than two goals in his first 15 games with Seattle. As it stands, Tanev’s the man.

“He’s leaned into it. He’s a maniac on the ice, no bucket in warm-ups, his hair’s all wacko, gives some non-traditional interviews. And he’s playing well! So when you put that all together you have a cult hero. Especially when he also cares so much,” said Barr. “I think he appeals to new fans. Look, they don’t know who Jared McCann is, and he’s close to being the best player on the team. But Tanev has reached out to the new fans. They know he’s a character.”

That’s the essential ingredient for an expansion cult hero: that connection with the fans.

Stu Grimson felt it from his first home game with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993-94, against the Detroit Red Wings and their legendary enforcer, the late Bob Probert. Grimson had fought him numerous times as part of the Chicago Blackhawks‘ battles with their “Chuck Norris Division” rivals from Detroit. The Red Wings annihilated Anaheim 7-2, but the crowd came alive late in the third period when Grimson and Probert renewed acquaintances.

“They were like, ‘OK, this is cool.’ We lost the first one, but they sure as hell got good value that night,” Grimson said. “We did what we could to make the game relevant, and to become a part of the fabric of that community, right out of the gate. What was really fun in those first two years was seeing fans start to appreciate the more subtle parts of the game.”

Grimson, nicknamed “The Grim Reaper” in his playing days, was one of the cult heroes of that first Ducks team, along with players like goalie Guy Hebert and forward Terry Yake.

“We had a lot of players that were used to having elite guys on their other teams that commanded all the attention. So when the spotlight was shown on these working-class players, we were happy to dive in and do whatever the organization asked of us,” Grimson said.

Like going to Disneyland, where the Disney-owned team was placed on a float for a parade down Main Street USA: The Grim Reaper, at the happiest place on Earth, waving to toddlers.

Years later, Grimson would play his final NHL season with the Nashville Predators, who were in their fourth season of existence but were very much still trying to build a fan base. Seeking that cult hero, they made Grimson their centerpiece signing in the summer of 2001, and put him on a private jet to Nashville.

“The fact that they’re flying in a fourth-line ham-and-egger for a press conference is astonishing enough. But then they loaded me up in a Winnebago, they dressed up their director of ticket sales as the Grim Reaper, and he leads me into the press conference. And I was like, ‘Wow, this is a different market.’ They were at a stage of their history where someone like me was a featured attraction,” he said.

The Predators also put up a massive billboard of Grimson in his gear in one of the most high-traffic areas in downtown Nashville, something he said “was absolutely comical to see.”

Ron Tugnutt felt a little comical, too, when he became an expansion cult hero with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2000-01.

The memorably monikered goalie was a member of two different first-season teams: drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993-94 and signed as a free agent by the Jackets. In fact, he earned the first win for both of those franchises — a distinction he was worried could be threatened if Marc-Andre Fleury had ended up with the Kraken instead of the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason.

Heading into that inaugural season for the Blue Jackets, Tugnutt was a 33-year-old veteran coming off a notable playoff run with the Penguins. Columbus wanted him to be a front-facing talent for the team, someone who connect the franchise with new fans.

“I have to credit the Blue Jackets front office for being creative in getting us out there before the season started,” he said. “Like when I started doing commercials about running for President of the United States.”

Sorry, what?

Before he ever played a game for the Blue Jackets, Tugnutt was walking through local parks in his full goalie gear — minus the skates — giving “campaign speeches” to the citizens of Columbus.

“I was in tears laughing when the idea brought it to me,” he said. “I walked through farm fields, flipping up my mask to talk to farmers. Patted cows with my goalie equipment on, which wasn’t easy — I just kept looking at my gear getting muck and stuff on it. But it was a legitimate presidential campaign that was shown all over Columbus.”

According to The Hockey News, Tugnutt actually earned 12 votes as a write-in candidate in the 2000 presidential election.

The Blue Jackets had a good run in their first season, remaining in the playoff race until the last month. That success came at an advantageous time for the franchise, because Ohio State’s football team — which otherwise sucks up every last bit of media and fan attention — was in the midst of a three-season valley in between first-place finishes in the Big 10.

That’s been one of the challenges for the Kraken this season: Getting attention while the Seattle Seahawks are still playing meaningful games.

“I don’t think it’s fully in the sports lexicon here yet. The Seahawks still dominate in the media here, and frankly there’s not a lot of people that know about hockey here,” said Barr. “So you have die-hard fans that are chomping at the bit for more, and a new fan base that’s not getting a lot from the media outlets here.”

That’s why expansion team cult heroes like Tanev and Geekie are important. Their connection to the fans isn’t tied to wins or losses. It’s about effort, charisma, being a part of the community. And perhaps above all, it’s about that glorious weirdness that makes the first season of a franchise’s existence so endearing.

“There’s not as much pressure on an expansion team. You can kind of relax. There’s a honeymoon. You get one or two years, and then they expect you to start winning,” said Tugnutt, who said he loved his time on the expansion teams. “It kept me in the league longer. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I think you asked most people on expansion teams, they’d tell you they loved it. I hope the Seattle Kraken are having a great time.”

He also has some advice for the players who are in the position now that he was in back in 2000-01:

“I’d tell the Kraken to enjoy it. You’re building relationships with each other and building relationships in the community. You guys are the pioneers in leading this team into the NHL.”

Now that’s a campaign speech.

Jersey Fouls

From Sin City:

What an absolute insult to the only true No. 1 in Golden Knights history — goalie Dylan Ferguson — to have his jersey number repurposed for a crummy commercial.

Three players I’m a little worried about

1. Kirill Kaprizov, F, Minnesota Wild. Kirill The Thrill has been anything but this season. He has 11 points in 15 games, but only three of those were goals — and he’s generated a paltry 6.1% shooting percentage after shooting 17.2% in his rookie of the year campaign last season. Maybe that carousel of centers has something to do with it.

2. Jeff Petry, D, Montreal Canadiens. As NHL Watcher notes, “Jeff Petry has not scored in 43 straight games dating back to last year’s regular season and playoffs. Has one goal in his last 66 games.” He has two points in 18 games this season as well. The Montreal Gazette writes: “Petry is not having a good year and that could be because he is playing through injuries, and he is being asked to play a larger role in the absence of Shea Weber and his partner from last season, Joel Edmundson.”

3. Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken. With his loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday, the Kraken’s prized free agent has now lost four straight games and has given up three or more goals in each one. He has a minus-12.1 goals saved above average, and has cost his team over two wins thus far. If Seattle’s going to make a move up the standings, it needs a version of Philipp Grubauer it’s currently not seeing.

Winners and Losers of the Week

Winner: Travis Green

With all the ire in Vancouver targeted at GM Jim Benning and the owner who’s enabled him during this disastrous season, coach Travis Green continues to skate by without shouldering his share of the criticism. That’s not to say that roster construction doesn’t play a huge role in their demise, as three out of every four transactions from Benning are somewhat inexplicable to a neutral observer. But tactically, this team can’t create off the rush, and Green has had a points percentage over .500 only once in five seasons.

I still think total regime change is the answer in Vancouver, but there’s a case to be made that seeing what a new coach does with this roster — Bruce Boudreau, anybody? — should precede the general manager being dismissed. A flimsy case, but a case nonetheless.

Loser: Canucks’ penalty kill

Any hopes of the Canucks rallying this season will be subverted by a penalty kill that’s last in the NHL, at 60.3%. They’ve given up at least one power-play goal in 10 straight games. They gave up two or more power-play goals in eight of those 10 games. Absolutely atrocious.

Winner: Shiny heads

Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights: You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome! Seriously, these lids are sweet, and more teams should have versions of them.

Loser: Headaches

The Ottawa Senators had to postpone three games because of a COVID-19 outbreak on their team. Players and coaches are still missing time because of positive tests.

All systems remain “go” for the NHL to attend the 2022 Beijing Games. The only possible reason the players wouldn’t go would be the COVID-19 situation over there, or because the league has too many games to make up over here. We’re far from either scenario at the moment, but the Ottawa situation is a reminder that we’re not in the clear yet.

Winner: Alex DeBrincat

The Blackhawks forward tallied a Gordie Howe hat trick on Wednesday night, with his fourth career fight and first bout since Nov. 2019. “A superstar in the making,” Patrick Kane said after the win against the Kraken, before correcting himself: “Already a superstar.”

Loser: Player safety

Brendan Gallagher claimed that Barclay Goodrow did “some acting” on this sucker punch, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a sucker punch. He was fined $2,500 for the punch. Dylan Larkin got a game suspension after punching a player who boarded him. Gallagher deserved at least that.

Winner: Utica Comets

Congrats to the Utica Comets, the minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, who tied an AHL record for longest winning streak to start a season with their 11th straight win, tying the mark set by the 1984-85 Rochester Americans.

Loser: New York Islanders

The Islanders are finally making their debut at the spiffy UBS Arena on Saturday, and their fans aren’t even going to recognize them. Who is this team with the .462 points percentage after 13 road games? This Lou Lamoriello roster that’s 30th in team offense? This Barry Trotz team that’s 17th in team defense? The hype locally for the opening of the new barn is a bit muted because of it.

Puck headlines

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

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2 hours ago

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May 18, 2025

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

  • ESPN News Services

May 18, 2025, 12:25 AM ET

DALLAS — Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele scored a goal in his club’s must-win Game 6 of the second-round playoff series at Dallas on Saturday night, hours after the unexpected death of his father.

But he also had the penalty that set up the Stars’ power-play goal in overtime for a 2-1 win that knocked the top-ranked Jets out of the playoffs.

Jets captain Adam Lowry went and got Scheifele out of the box when the game ended.

“We’re a family. Just to let him know that we’re there for him. It’s just an awful day for him,” Lowry said. “You want to give him the strength, you want to get that kill so bad. We just couldn’t do it.”

During the handshake line afterward, Scheifele hugged and talked to just about everyone, with Stars players clearly offering their support to him in a heartwarming moment.

Scheifele scored his fifth goal of the playoffs 5½ minutes into the second period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. He scored on a short snap shot from just outside the crease after gathering the rebound of a shot by Kyle Connor.

“I just I know we have a great group here. I knew, going in, once we found out the news that he’s going to have a great support group and we’re going to be there for him through the highs and the lows and obviously today was a real low,” defenseman Neal Pionk said of Scheifele. “[We] did everything we could to give him some words of encouragement, [and] for him to play tonight, and play the way he did, is flat out one of the most courageous things we’ve ever seen.”

The game was tied at 1 when Sam Steel, who had already scored for Dallas, was on a break. Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line with 14.8 seconds in regulation. Scheifele and the Jets avoided a penalty shot on the play, but ended up losing on the power play when Thomas Harley scored 1:33 into overtime.

Jets coach Scott Arniel said the news of Brad Scheifele’s passing overnight was difficult for the entire team. The team was told before the optional morning skate.

“On behalf of the Winnipeg Jets family, our condolences to Mark and his family. It rocked us all this morning when we found out,” Arniel said before the game. “Mark will be playing tonight. As he said, that’d be the wishes of his dad. He would have wanted him to play.”

Scheifele was the last Jets player to leave the ice following pregame warmups, and during at least part of the singing of “O Canada,” he had his head bowed and his eyes closed. He took the opening faceoff against Roope Hintz.

“The thing about Mr. Scheifele is he’s part of our family. He’s part of the Jets family. He goes back to 2011 when Mark was first drafted here,” Arniel said. “We have a lot of players that came in around the time that are still here that he’s been a big part of their life, along with their family. So it’s certainly, obviously devastating for Mark, but also for a lot of guys on this team.”

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the organization was doing everything it can to support Scheifele. There was no immediate word on the cause of Brad Scheifele’s death.

The 32-year-old Mark Scheifele finished with 11 points (five goals, six assists) while playing in 11 of the Jets’ 13 games this postseason. He missed Games 6 and 7 of the first-round series against St. Louis with an undisclosed injury after taking a pair of big hits early in Game 5 of that series.

In Game 5 against the Stars on Thursday night, a 4-0 win by Winnipeg that extended the series, Scheifele was sucker-punched by Stars captain Jamie Benn during a late scrum. Benn got a game misconduct penalty and was fined by the NHL the maximum-allowed $5,000 but avoided a suspension.

Scheifele had 87 points (39 goals and 48 assists) in the 82 regular-season games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Stars win, oust Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets

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May 18, 2025

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Stars win, oust Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets

  • ESPN News Services

May 17, 2025, 11:43 PM ET

DALLAS — Thomas Harley scored on a power play 1:33 into overtime and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final for the third season in a row, beating the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in Game 6 on Saturday night.

Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets hours after the unexpected death of his father, but also had a tripping penalty with 14.8 seconds left in regulation that set up Dallas to start overtime with a man advantage.

Sam Steel, who had scored earlier for Dallas, was on a break when Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line. The Stars called a timeout, but missed a shot and had another one blocked before the end of regulation.

The Stars move on to face the Edmonton Oilers in the West final for the second year in a row and will host Game 1. Connor McDavid and his club, which won in six games last year, wrapped up their second-round series with a 1-0 overtime win over Vegas on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to wrap up his sixth playoff series win over the past three seasons. He made an incredible diving save with 8½ minutes left in regulation, leaning to the right before having to lunge back across his body toward the left post to knock down a shot by Mason Appleton.

Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots but couldn’t prevent a loss that assured a winless record for his club on the road this postseason. Meanwhile, his final goal allowed continued a magical season for Harley, Dallas’ breakout blueliner who also played for Team Canada this season in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Not surprising to the guys in here,” Oettinger said of Harley’s rise to prominence. “We’re very lucky.”

Steel notched his first goal of the playoffs midway through the second period. He shot a long rebound from the top of the right circle, sending the puck into the upper right corner of the net just above Hellebuyck’s glove.

“I’m just disappointed,” Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry said. “We couldn’t get that [penalty] kill for [the fans], and get it back to win in Winnipeg for Game 7. But you know, [I’m] really proud of this group, and the way they handled everything, and the way we fought back. … It just came up short.”

The Jets become the next in a long line of Presidents’ Trophy winners to bow out early. The award, which goes to the NHL’s top regular-season team, was won by the New York Rangers last season before they lost in the Eastern Conference final. Two years ago, the No. 1 seed Boston Bruins lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers.

“We lost to a great team,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “We lost to a team that was in our rearview mirror all year long.”

Scheifele’s effort was a focus for Dallas coach Pete DeBoer, who began his postgame media availability by saying what the Jets star forward did in playing Saturday was “courageous,” adding “I’m sure his dad would’ve been really proud of him and what he did.”

For the Stars, it’s off to the NHL’s final four, as the franchise continues to seek its second Stanley Cup title.

“I think we’ve got something special going on. We’re going to have to prove it again,” DeBoer said. “You know, we’ve been to this spot the last two years and haven’t taken the next step, so that’s the challenge.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Eichel, Knights seek ‘common ground’ on new deal

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May 18, 2025

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Eichel, Knights seek 'common ground' on new deal

  • ESPN News Services

May 17, 2025, 04:09 PM ET

As the Vegas Golden Knights absorb being knocked out in the second round of the NHL playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers, they don’t have to wait long before planning for their future. Jack Eichel, who has one season left on his eight-year, $80 million contract, is eligible for an extension beginning July 1.

“He’s one of the top guys in the NHL,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “He’s got great character, great leadership. You see night in, night out what he does for our team, so that will be a really important piece of business for us. We certainly hope to keep Jack in our organization. Jack loves it here, so I would hope we could find common ground.”

Eichel, 28, comes off the best season of his 10-year career, the past four with the Golden Knights. He set career highs with 66 assists and 94 points to go with 28 goals as the center on the team’s top line. He also skated for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, where his club finished second to Canada.

“Can’t say enough about my teammates and the people in this building and the people that make this organization what it is,” Eichel said. “I’m super proud to be part of this organization and the city and represent the Vegas Golden Knights. Contractually, I think things kind of take care of itself. I’ll just worry about trying to prepare for next season this offseason and go from there.”

Management, which is not known for sitting on its hands, will have other significant decisions to make as well on the team’s direction after the Golden Knights were eliminated in the second round for the second year in a row.

“I like our team,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t have a problem with any player in that room. I think every one of them is a great teammate. They care about one another. Are there areas of our game we could complement better? Probably. We’ll evaluate that.

“All the guys that were up, their contracts, they were all good players for us. All good players. No disappointments at all. We’ll probably have to look at areas because we’re not the last team standing. Usually, you think, ‘Where can we upgrade? Where can I upgrade what I do?'”

McCrimmon offered a similar assessment.

“I feel our team was good enough to win,” McCrimmon said.

The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup two years ago and thought they had another contender this season after capturing the Pacific Division and securing the Western Conference’s second-best record. But Vegas had to rally from a 2-1 series deficit to beat Minnesota in the opening round, winning twice in overtime. Then the Golden Knights lost two overtime games in the 4-1 series loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

“I didn’t walk away from Edmonton saying, ‘We had no chance. They’re just better,'” Cassidy said. “I didn’t feel that way. I felt we needed to execute better in a few of the games and we could be the team moving on.”

Forward William Karlsson said losing to the Oilers made it “a wasted season.” McCrimmon wasn’t as blunt, instead labeling the loss as “a missed opportunity.”

Change will come, but at least given the tenor of the comments by Cassidy and McCrimmon, the Golden Knights will largely return their roster intact next season.

“I think we have a great organization,” goaltender Adin Hill said. “Best management I’ve been under. I think they’re going to do the things that they see fit for [the] roster, whether it’s keeping it the same or whether it’s changing up a few things. I don’t know. That’s their decision, above my paygrade, but it will be exciting to see. We know that we’re going to be contenders every year.”

Forward Reilly Smith made it clear he wants to return. An original Golden Knight, Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins after winning the Stanley Cup and then sent to the New York Rangers a year later. The Golden Knights reacquired the 34-year-old on March 6.

Smith made a smooth transition back into the lineup with three goals and eight assists in 21 games. Then he delivered the play of the postseason for the Golden Knights, scoring with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Oilers in Game 3, and finished with three goals and an assist in 11 playoff games.

“Probably the best hockey I’ve played in my career has been wearing this jersey,” Smith said. “It’s a fun group to be a part of and a fun place to call home. My family loves it here, so if there’s a way to make it work, it’d be great. At the end of the day, it’s a business. My contract negotiations, I probably know as little as [the media does] right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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