NHL superstar roundtable: Changing playoffs, next expansion teams and cheat meals
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The NHL All-Star Game brought together 44 of hockey’s greatest players, offering an ideal chance to gather their opinions on a variety of topics on and off the ice.
Here are 13 All-Stars on whether they’d change NHL rules or the Stanley Cup Playoff format; where they’d add the next expansion franchise; their favorite non-hockey athlete, cheat meals and other points of interest.
But first, we asked them to give some love to their own teammates.
Player on your own team who is underrated/underappreciated?
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets: I would say [Connor Hellebuyck], actually. I know he’s here [as an All Star] and has that recognition. But we’re not in the place we are without him every night. Especially as a defenseman, I appreciate how good he is and what he does for our team.
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres: I would say Casey Mittelstadt is never getting any credit. He’s always doing the right things out there.
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs: I don’t know if it’s underrated, but obviously 88 [William Nylander], just what he’s done this year has been awesome to be a part of. He’s made our team very successful. I don’t know if it’s undercover or anything, but Willy’s obviously done some great things for us.
Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets: You’ve got Nick Blankenburg, Kent Johnson, Yegor Chinakhov; there’s Kirill Marchenko. I think they have the opportunity and the ability to be at [All-Star] weekends like this.
Should the NHL expand the playoff field?
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: I think keep it at 16 teams. You have to make it really hard to make it. I think 16 is a good number. Eight and eight.
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders: I like it the way it is. I don’t know how much more expanding it would bring to it, but I’m open-minded.
Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes: I think 16 is good. You gotta deserve the spot in the playoffs. That’s the reality.
Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks: I think more, as a sports fan in general, watching the NBA format with the play-in game, it would be fun to watch [that way]. It does bring an extra round of excitement. It’s not a full seven-game series, but I think when they play one game in that elimination [format] in that little play-in game, I think it’s exciting.
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights: I think 16 is good. You’re pretty beat up and exhausted at the end of it. It’s a good sweet spot that they found.
Morrissey: That’s an interesting proposition. There’s an argument around how deep our league is now and all the parity. If you look at the teams just outside of the playoffs, there’s some teams that, if they got in, could challenge. You see that every year. It could be an option, for sure. But I think that’s out of my jurisdiction.
If the NHL expands again, what city deserves a team?
Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames: Anywhere in Canada, really. Quebec is always intriguing to a lot of people, but I’d like to see it in a bigger town too, maybe like Houston. Expand the game and market the game in a big state.
Stephenson: That’s a tough one. I haven’t done a whole lot of traveling. I guess somewhere tropical. Just being [in South Florida], obviously a hockey team is here with this weather. And in Vegas, one of the things you love about it is the weather and how nice it is.
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings: I’d love to see an NHL game in Mexico City, whether it’s a Global Series or whatever.
Terry: I went to Quebec City when I was a peewee. That was always a city I found really cool. I think there’s even a new rink there now. But regardless, just the city and the history and everything I found really cool.
Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks: I’ll stick with America. … Shoot, I don’t know. Somewhere warm weather I’d imagine. [Reporter: “Honolulu?”] Hawai’i? The travel would be insane. I was trying to make it more realistic.
Morrissey: It would be nice to see more teams in Canada. Quebec City has been wanting one for a while. I’ve heard Houston tossed around. When I played in the minors, Austin was a great city that’s growing like crazy too.
Nelson: I’d say Houston. I’m a big fan of Dallas, so let’s go with Houston.
Gaudreau: I got to play in Quebec at the [2016] World Cup of Hockey for an exhibition game. They had awesome fans, it was a great city to play in. So I think that’d be pretty cool.
Svechnikov: Good question. Anywhere in the United States. It’s a hard one, to be honest, because I only go where we’re playing against other teams.
Commissioner for a day: What rule do you change?
Marner: I think all the rules make a lot of sense. But if you wanted it to be a bit crazy, you could definitely do no offside and have it kind of free-flowing and people cheating a little more for offense and maybe get the games a little more offensive.
Jones: I would change the shootout. Extend the overtime. Make overtime 10 minutes, keep it 3-on-3. I think you’d see a lot of games end.
Nelson: I actually think extending overtime would be pretty cool.
Who’s a non-hockey athlete you love?
Kadri: LeBron [James] is up there. You talk about longevity, the guy is [almost] 40 years old and still putting up amazing numbers. As an athlete, I know how hard that is and I respect it. I just try to watch him as much as I can because he’s a living legend. The game is going to miss him when he’s gone.
Morrisey: I love watching Tiger Woods. In recent years, Rory McIlroy too. Steph Curry, I’m a big fan of his. I love sports in general, so you could probably go to any sport and I could have a favorite guy.
Dahlin: I like soccer. I like the World Cup. I like to see all the best guys. [Kylian Mbappé] is up there. He’s a lot of fun to watch. I don’t know if this guy is going to keep playing but [Zlatan Ibrahimovic], he’s top of my list.
Gaudreau: I like to watch the Eagles, I like to watch Jalen Hurts. Love to watch Joel Embiid and the Sixers. And then golfers. I got to play with Corey Conners [at an event] and it was just crazy to see how good he was.
Stephenson: I’d say either [Michael Jordan] or Tiger. I like golf. And ever since that “Last Dance” documentary came out on MJ, it was pretty spectacular what he did. Just kind of the dynasty that they had in Chicago.
Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles Kings: Roger Federer was always my idol. He’s not active anymore, but he’s always been the big icon for me.
Nelson: Probably Rafael Nadal. I’m big tennis guy. How hard he works. How hard he grinds. He goes out there and he competes and he never gives up on anything. It looks like he’s having a good time. Might have been the logo, too — big fan of the headband. As a lefty, he has a different style. Federer is an all-timer too, but I pull for Nadal.
Morrissey: Big golf fan, even though we don’t get the chance too often during the season in Winnipeg to hit the links and keep our game sharp. Loved Tiger over the years. Love Rory McIlroy. In the NBA, I’m a big Steph Curry fan. Those are the guys, I think.
What’s your go-to cheat meal?
Marner: This body can eat a lot of cheat meals, to be honest with you. It burns a lot of calories. I can eat a lot. So the go-to cheat meal is always a burger for me, [from] Five Guys or Burger Priest. A nice bacon cheeseburger always fills my spot.
Nelson: Chick-fil-A. Spicy chicken and some fries. Can’t pass up the waffle fries.
Fiala: There’s a lot I like in L.A. So many good Mexican restaurants. But I like In-n-Out, you know? I like to get it after games sometimes. Just a standard Double-Double [burger].
Morrissey: Well, you know it’s all about trying to get pucks in deep. But there are definitely times you can enjoy a cheat meal. [Laughs] I think the usual stuff. Some pizza. I also have a little bit of a sweet tooth, so I try to stay away from that before it gets the better of me. Not so much a candy guy as pastries and things like that.
The first 12-team College Football Playoff is down to the final two contenders: Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish and eighth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T. Whichever team wins will end a championship drought. Notre Dame aims for its first title since 1988. Ohio State’s lull isn’t nearly as long, as the Buckeyes won the first CFP championship a decade ago, but given how consistently elite they are, it seems like a while.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are also aiming for their first championships as head coaches, and Freeman’s past will be in the spotlight. Freeman and the Irish lost to the Buckeyes and Day in each of the past two seasons. But after a masterful coaching job this season, Freeman now will face his alma mater — he was an All-Big Ten linebacker for Ohio State under coach Jim Tressel — with everything on the line. Day, meanwhile, can secure the loftiest goal for a team that fell short of earlier ones, but never stopped swinging.
Here’s your first look at the championship matchup and what to expect in the ATL. — Adam Rittenberg
When: Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in the semifinal: Notre Dame’s resilience and situational awareness/execution are undeniably its signature traits and could propel the team to a title. The Irish have overcome injuries all season and did so again against Penn State. They also erased two deficits and continued to hold the edge in the “middle eight” — the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half — while dominating third down on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame can rely on front men such as quarterback Riley Leonard, running back Jeremiyah Love and linebacker Jack Kiser, but also on backup QB Steve Angeli, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and kicker Mitch Jeter. These Irish fight, and they’re very hard to knock out.
X factor: Greathouse entered Thursday with moderate numbers — 29 receptions, 359 yards, one touchdown — and had only three total catches for 14 yards in the first two CFP games. But he recorded career highs in both receptions (7) and receiving yards (105) and tied the score on a 54-yard touchdown with 4:38 to play. A Notre Dame offense looking for more from its wide receivers, especially downfield, could lean more on Greathouse, who exceeded his receptions total from the previous five games but might be finding his groove at the perfect time. He also came up huge in the clutch, recording all but six of his receiving yards in the second half.
How Notre Dame wins: The Irish won’t have the talent edge in Atlanta, partly because they’ve lost several stars to season-ending injuries, but they have the right traits to hang with any opponent. Notre Dame needs contributions in all three phases and must continue to sprinkle in downfield passes, an element offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has pushed. And they finally did start seeing results against Penn State. The Irish likely can’t afford to lose the turnover margin, although they can help themselves by replicating their third-down brilliance — 11 of 17 conversions on offense, 3 of 11 conversions allowed on defense — from the Penn State win. — Rittenberg
What we learned in the semifinal: The Buckeyes have a defense with championship mettle, headlined by senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, who delivered one of the biggest defensive plays in Ohio State history. On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Sawyer sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, forcing a fumble that he scooped up and raced 83 yards for a game-clinching touchdown, propelling Ohio State to the national title game. The Buckeyes weren’t perfect in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and they struggled offensively for much of the night against a talented Texas defense. But Ohio State showed late why its defense is arguably the best in college football, too.
X factor: The play two snaps before the Sawyer scoop-and-score set the table. On second-and-goal from the Ohio State 1-yard line, unheralded senior safety Lathan Ransom dashed past incoming blockers and dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, the Longhorns were forced into desperation mode on fourth-and-goal down a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. All-American safety Caleb Downs, who had an interception on Texas’ ensuing drive, rightfully gets all the headlines for the Ohio State secondary. But the Buckeyes have other veteran standouts such as Ransom throughout their defense.
How Ohio State wins: Texas took away Ohio State’s top offensive playmaker, true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had only one reception for 3 yards on three targets. As the first two playoff games underscored, the Buckeyes offense is at its best when Smith gets the ball early and often. Notre Dame is sure to emulate the Texas blueprint, positioning the defensive backs to challenge Smith. Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has to counter with a plan that finds ways to get the ball into Smith’s hands, no matter what the Fighting Irish do. — Jake Trotter
-
Doug Greenberg, ESPN
Ohio State opened as a 9.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, per ESPN BET odds.
If that line holds, it would be tied for the second-largest spread in a CFP national championship game and the fourth largest in the CFP/BCS era. Georgia was -13.5 against TCU in the 2022 national championship, while Alabama showed -9.5 against none other than Ohio State to decide the 2020 campaign. Both favorites covered the spread in blowout fashion, combining for a cover margin of 63.
Notre Dame is 12-3 against the spread this season, tied with Arizona State (12-2) and Marshall (12-1) for the most covers in the nation. The Irish are 7-0 ATS against ranked teams and 2-0 ATS as underdogs, with both covers going down as outright victories, including their win over Penn State (-1.5) in the CFP national semifinal.
However, Notre Dame was also on the losing end of the largest outright upset of the college football season when it fell as a 28.5-point favorite to Northern Illinois.
Ohio State is 9-6 against the spread and has been a favorite in every game it has played this season; it has covered the favorite spread in every CFP game thus far, including in its semifinal win against Texas when it covered -6 with overwhelming public support.
The Buckeyes also have been an extremely popular pick in the futures market all season. At BetMGM as of Friday morning, OSU had garnered a leading 28.2% of money and 16.8% of bets to win the national title, checking in as the sportsbook’s greatest liability.
Ohio State opened at +700 to win it all this season and is now -350 with just one game to play.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway