NHL News: Keefe extended, Hagelin retires, and more
Ryan Gagne
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Today’s NHL news follows up on the latest regarding the NHL releasing the U.S. national TV schedule, head coach Sheldon Keefe earning an extension in Toronto, two-time Stanley Cup champion Carl Hagelin retiring, and former NHL head coach Bill Peters now coaching in the WHL.
Whether you are into the latest trade buzz, signing news, and more, stick with The Daily Goal Horn.
NHL News: U.S. national TV schedule released for 2023-24 season
On Wednesday, the U.S. national TV schedule featuring games on ESPN and TNT went public. Of course, as one of the faces of the current on-ice product, first-overall pick Connor Bedard will be front and center on opening night, kicking off a triple-header of games on ESPN.
Altogether, ESPN and TNT will feature 162 games this season, including games on Thanksgiving, the NHL Winter Classic, and the 2024 All-Star Game festivities in February. Outside of the usual doubleheaders, the channels will also carry the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
For those interested in checking out the full schedules, you can find them here: EPSN and TNT.
Toronto Maple Leafs go all in on head coach Sheldon Keefe
Since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021, head coach Sheldon Keefe has reached the playoffs in four straight seasons, recently securing the franchise’s first series win since 2004. Even though his current deal did not expire until the end of this upcoming season, the Maple Leafs decided to grant him a contract extension until the end of 2025-26.
Ultimately, Keefe is fortunate to have superstar players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares to send over the boards nightly. However, each player carries hefty contracts, and the team is no closer to a Stanley Cup title than it was at the beginning of his tenure. Despite the regular season successes, franchises usually want playoff success, and Keefe has yet to deliver them.
Even though many people were curious about his future after a lackluster second-round playoff exit, everyone got their answer on Wednesday when the team announced the extension.
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Carl Hagelin retires
On Wednesday afternoon, another player announced his retirement when Carl Hagelin took to social media to tell everyone his eye injury was too severe to keep playing, ending his 11-year career. Unfortunately, he sustained that injury in practice while skating with the Washington Capitals in March 2022.
As a sixth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2007, he would win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, he played with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, winning the fastest skater competition at the 2012 All-Star Game.
WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes hire former NHL bench boss Bill Peters
Interestingly, there was a lot of NHL news on Wednesday, but the most prominent item to hit the cycle came from the Western Hockey League, where the Lethbridge Hurricanes hired Bill Peters as their new head coach. This is the first North American job for Peters, who left the Calgary Flames in 2019 after news broke of his mistreatment of players while coaching in the American Hockey League with the Rockford IceHogs in 2009, including Akim Aliu.
Peters subsequently went to Russia to lead Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. According to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Peters has undergone the necessary training to return to coaching in Canada.
The Daily Goal Horn Trivia
Can you name the team with the most Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) winners?
Latest trivia answer: The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only Original Six team without a 1,000-point player, with Mats Sundin being the all-time scorer at 987 points.