Canucks 2011
No Vancouver Canucks remain from the 2011 Stanley Cup Final roster that lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games. Alex Edler was the final member of that squad to depart the Canucks, signing with the Los Angeles Kings following the 2020-’21 season.
As for the Bruins, while some of the Vancouver villains still linger or have re-upped, another one leaves for good.
Center David Krejci will meet the media via zoom on Tuesday following the announcement of his NHL retirement. He joins fellow right-handed centreman Patrice Bergeron in hanging up his skates this summer.
Age-24 at the time of the championship, Czechia native Krejci was a bit understated compared to the likes of his teammates Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic. Despite his more subtle nature, Krejci finished the 2011 playoffs with 23 points in 25 games.
Speaking of Marchand and Lucic, the latter being a Vancouver native and a Memorial Cup winner with the Giants, those two continue on. The talented pest Marchand enters his 14th full season with the Bruins while Lucic just re-signed with the club and returns after eight years away with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Eight years is the amount of time he originally spent in Boston.
Marchand has two seasons remaining on his deal at $6.1-million while Lucic signed for a single year and a million bucks.
Both were 2006 Bruins NHL Draft picks; Lucic in the 2nd-round, Marchand in the 3rd. No other player remains from the 2011 roster.
The Worst Kind of Loss
Monday morning the Toronto Maple Leafs announced the passing of their 2020 1st-round draft choice Rodion Amirov, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour back in February of 2022.
“The entire Maple Leafs organization is devastated by this tragic loss,” Maple Leafs President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan said in a statement. “Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion’s positivity inspired everyone around him, and he made lasting impressions with our team and fans in his brief visits to Toronto. It’s incredibly sad to see a young man with so much promise taken from us so soon. We offer our deepest condolences to Rodion’s family and friends as we mourn this loss together.”
A prominent junior player in Russia, taken 15th-overall in the NHL Draft, Amirov grew up playing for his home region Salavat Ufa teams. He died in Munich, Germany.
Ovie
According to NHL.com, Russian superstar and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin is very happy with the club’s new head coach Spencer Carbery. The 41-year-old bench boss gets his first top job in the NHL after two years as an assistant with the Maple Leafs. That followed three seasons as the head coach of the Capitals top farm club in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Bears.
The online outlet reported comments Ovie made to the Russian newspaper Sport-Express over the weekend.
“We already knew him, we have a great relationship, I was happy with this hiring because he knows me, and he knows many of the guys on our team who had previously played in Hershey. I don’t think we should expect any problems. The coaching staff has changed by 90 percent. Our power play will be different, perhaps the penalty kill and the system as a whole, too. The first month of training camp will be very important in that regard,” Ovechkin stated.
Ovie pointed to major injuries as one of the main reasons the Capitals failed to make the playoffs last season. Carbery replaced Peter Laviolette, who was fired by DC in April and hired by the New York Rangers in June.
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