Rival in Focus: New Jersey Devils by Bill Meltzer @BillMeltzer / philadelphiaflyers.com
It doesn t feel like all that long ago that the New Jersey Devils gave fits to virtually every team in the National Hockey League they were, after all, three-time Stanley Cup champions between 1995 and 2003 and took four trips to the Cup Final between 1995 and 2012 but none more so than the Flyers. The Flyers lost twice to the Devils in the Eastern Conference Final (1995, 2000) on New Jersey s way to winning the Stanley Cup and also fell to the Devils in the second playoff round in New Jersey s most recent run (2012) to winning the Eastern Conference Championship. While the Devils fell on hard times thereafter and have missed the playoffs in eight of the last 10 years, they ve often continued to, well, bedevil Philadelphia.
With Springfield Thunderbirds opting out of AHL season, St. Louis Blues set to share affiliate with Vancouver Canucks
Updated Jan 06, 2021;
Posted Jan 06, 2021
Photos from the Springfield Thunderbirds What If? Night as The Springfield Ice-O-Topes at The MassMutual Center in Downtown Springfield on February 1, 2020. Photo by Erik Kaplan
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The St. Louis Blues will share an affiliate with the Vancouver Canucks this winter as the Springfield Thunderbirds sit out the abbreviated 2020-2021 American Hockey League season.
The Thunderbirds announced their decision to opt out of the 26-game season Monday due to safety and logistical concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Springfield is one of three teams to opt out of the AHL season.
Goalie Week: Memorable Masks by Bill Meltzer @BillMeltzer / philadelphiaflyers.com
Ever since Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante, in 1959, became the first NHL goaltender to permanently don a face mask and the use of masks went from a curiosity piece to a necessity over the next decade-plus, the masks themselves evolved from strictly a utilitarian piece of equipment to a colorful expression of a goalie s personality, At first, splashes of color and/or team logos were added. Later, elaborate designs, thematic motifs and a full palette of colors were added; sometimes at the goalie s own behest, and quite often at the suggestion of professional mask designers.