2014–15 Minnesota Wild Season
The 2014–15 Minnesota Wild season was the 15th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. Off-season Following the team's 4–2 Western Conference Semifinals loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, General Manager Chuck Fletcher was tasked with deciding how to deal with the Wild's 21 free-agents, including 13 unrestricted and nine restricted free agents. The contract situation for all players, including UFAs Dany Heatley, Cody McCormick, Matt Moulson and Nate Prosser, needed to be decided before heading into the NHL's free agency period beginning on July 1, 2014. Playoffs The Minnesota Wild entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's first wild-card. After defeating the St. Louis Blues 4–2 in the first round, they advanced to the second round, where they were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks for the third-straight season. Standings Suspensions/fines Schedule and results Pre-season Regular season Playoffs ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Western Conference (NHL)
The Western Conference (french: Conférence de l'Ouest) is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL) used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference. History Originally named the Clarence Campbell Conference (or Campbell Conference for short), it was created in 1974 when the NHL realigned its teams into two conferences and four divisions. Because the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography, geographical references were removed. The conferences and divisions were re-aligned in 1981 to better reflect the geographical locations of the teams, but the existing names were retained with the Campbell Conference becoming the conference for the NHL's westernmost teams. The names of conferences and divisions were changed in 1993 to reflect their geographic locations. Then-new NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association, N ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dany Heatley
Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League (NHL) rookie of the year in 2002. However, Heatley's time with the Thrashers was derailed when he was at the wheel in a car crash in September 2003 that killed his teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley, who was also seriously injured but eventually made a full recovery, pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and received probation. Traded to the Ottawa Senators, Heatley became one of the team's perennial leading scorers, setting franchise records for single-season goals (50) in 2005–06, and points (105) in 2006–07. He played on the left wing with linemates Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. The line was consistently among the highest-scoring in the NHL after its formation in 2005–06, with the trio combining for a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Niklas Bäckström
Niklas Oskar Bäckström (; born 13 February 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played ten seasons for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL), during which he won both the William M. Jennings Trophy and Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award. He also has won both Urpo Ylönen trophy and Jari Kurri trophy twice. Bäckström is a Swedish-speaking Finn, but also speaks Finnish. Playing career Finland Bäckström won the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a backup goaltender for the Finnish national team, along with players like Olli Jokinen, Niklas Hagman, Mika Noronen, Niko Kapanen, Toni Dahlman and Eero Somervuori. Bäckström was the third goaltender for Finland in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, but did not play any games. In the Finnish SM-liiga, he played for HIFK, SaiPa and Kärpät. Bäckström led Kärpät to two consecutive league titl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Season
The 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 5, 1967. It was a somewhat slow season for the Penguins, as they finished with a sub-.600 points percentage for the first time in 9 years. Off-season On May 16, 2014, Penguins' co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle fired general manager Ray Shero after the team captured the Metropolitan Division title, but failed to beat the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. On June 6, 2014, the Penguins named Jim Rutherford as the new GM, and fired Head Coach Dan Bylsma. On June 25, 2014, over two weeks after new GM Rutherford fired Bylsma, the Penguins appointed Mike Johnston as their new head coach. They also proceeded to fire Tony Granato and Todd Reirden while hiring Rick Tocchet as an assistant coach to Johnston. On June 27, 2014, during the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the Penguins traded right winger James Neal to the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ilya Bryzgalov
Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov (; russian: Илья Николаевич Брызгалов; born 22 June 1980) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. He was drafted by Anaheim in the second round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, 44th overall. In 2006–07, Bryzgalov won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Internationally, he has earned a bronze medal with Russia at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. Bryzgalov also competed in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and is a three-time Olympian. As the starting goaltender, he helped Russia win back-to-back gold medals at the 2009 World Ice Hockey Championships, making them ranked number one in the world. He was also runner-up for the Vezina Trophy and a top-five finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 2009–10 season. Pla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2014–15 Winnipeg Jets Season
The 2014–15 Winnipeg Jets season was the 16th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997, and the fourth in Winnipeg since the franchise relocated from Atlanta following the conclusion of the 2010–11 season. Regular season On April 9, 2015, the Jets qualified for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, marking the return of playoff hockey to Winnipeg for the first time since the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets would set a franchise record, with 99 points, finishing with a 43-26-13 record. Playoffs The Winnipeg Jets entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's second wild card. The Jets faced the Ducks in the opening round, but were swept in four straight games. In the first three games, the Jets had leads going into the third period, but couldn't hold them. Overall in the series, the Ducks outscored the Jets 16-9. The Ducks outscored the Jets 10-1, after the 2nd intermission. Standings Schedule and results Pre-season Regu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Steve Downie
Steve Downie (born April 3, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes, with the Flyers having drafted him in the first round, 29th overall, in 2005. Playing career Downie grew up in Holland Landing, Ontario, the younger son of Anne and the late John Downie. He has one sibling, brother Greg, and attended Sacred Heart High School in Newmarket. He played minor ice hockey for the York-Simcoe Express AAA organization of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), and competed in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with them. Downie led his Express Bantam team to the All-Ontario AAA Championship in April 2002. He later attended St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Windsor, Ontario, in 2004. He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2003 OHL Priority Sel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have played their home games at PPG Paints Arena, originally known as Consol Energy Center, since 2010. The team previously played at the Civic Arena, also known as "the Igloo". The Penguins are currently affiliated with two minor league teams – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Founded during the 1967 expansion, the Penguins have qualified for six Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Stanley Cup five times—in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. Along with the Edmonton Oilers, the Penguins are tied for the most Stanley Cup championships among the non-Original Six teams and sixth overall. With their Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins became the first back-to- ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brock Nelson
Brock Christian Nelson (born October 15, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey player for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nelson was drafted 30th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Islanders. Prior to playing professional hockey, Nelson played at the University of North Dakota. His first experience in professional hockey was at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Islanders' affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Playing career Early career Nelson played hockey at Warroad High School, where he was a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award, given to the top Minnesota high school hockey player. He finished the 2009–10 season with 39 goals and 34 assists for 73 points in 25 games for Warroad. On September 24, 2009, Nelson committed to play Division 1 hockey for the University of North Dakota after considering Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha and later partook in the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evalu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference, and play their home games at UBS Arena. The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area, along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, and their fanbase resides primarily on Long Island. The team was founded in 1972–73 NHL season, 1972 as part of the NHL's maneuvers to keep a team from rival league World Hockey Association (WHA) out of the newly built Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Uniondale, New York. After two years of building up the team's roster, they found almost instant success by securing 14 straight playoff berths starting with their third season. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1980 Stanley Cup Finals, 1980 and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks Season
The 2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 89th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks finished the season with a 48–28–6 record, finishing in third place in the Central Division. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, four games to two. In the next round, they swept the Minnesota Wild in four games. In the Western Conference Finals, the 'Hawks outlasted the Anaheim Ducks, winning the series four games to three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. On June 15, 2015, the team won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Lightning four games to two and winning the Cup at home for the first time since 1938. This was the Blackhawks' third Cup championship in six seasons. Duncan Keith received the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP of the playoffs. On December 21, 2014, the Blackhawks debuted a special decal in remembrance of the passing of assista ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |