It was media day ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, and some of the talk was about the incredible playoff run by Mitch Marner, and how he has excelled since leaving Toronto, which has had many of Marner's teammates coming to his defence.
The Vancouver Canucks have found their new bench boss, naming Manny Malhotra as the 23rd head coach in franchise history. Malhotra, 46, has served as head coach of Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, for the past two seasons.
SportsCentre will be spotlighting players who are making a big impact on their teams in the midst of championship runs to celebrate Jumpstart month. Today they look at Mitch Marner who currently leads all players in playoff scoring.
After an up and down season, the Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy, and hired John Tortorella as head coach with eight games left. Tortorella said that it wasn't hard to put forth his message, and that bonding through experiences have helped build relationships. The players also admitted that they like Tortorella's straight-up approach and communication as they believe he has their best interests at heart.
The Golden Knights last won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and have a number of returning players from that time. Understanding the pressure that a Cup Final brings on and off of the ice, Vegas says that it makes it easier to deal with and aren't bothered by the extra attention.
While the Golden Knights say that they respect the Hurricanes, they won't break down how they play, and will just stick to their game. Vegas also believe that they can win games at home and on the road, and aren't concerned with starting the Stanley Cup Final in Carolina.
Brendan Gallagher thanks Canadiens' fans for embracing him throughout his career but understands it's time for a change. He touches on not getting an opportunity later in the playoffs and says he felt like he could've helped the team.
Ivan Demidov is entering the final year of his entry level contract with the Canadiens but says his goal is to remain in Montreal for as long as possible with his next deal.
Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky was asked about his attempt to acquire Mitch Marner from the Leafs prior to the last season's trade deadline and while he would not comment on a player under contract with another team, head coach Rod Brind'Amour couldn't help but chime in.
Rod Brind'Amour spoke about the need to win for his team to be perceived as one that has broken through. The Hurricanes head coach also touched on the quick transition from winning the Western Conference Final to preparing for the Stanley Cup Final.
Patrik Laine says he didn't play a lot of hockey this year, which wasn't ideal and is unsure of what his future holds at this point.
Alex Newhook discusses the steps he took in the playoffs and is grateful he was able to produce when given more opportunity.
The Canadiens top line discuss their production dip in the playoffs and why they were getting much more attention than they had been in the regular season.
TSN Hockey analyst Bruce Boudreau shares his top three x-factors for the Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and Hurricanes, which kicks off in Carolina on Tuesday night.
Canadiens' captain Nick Suzuki says it's always disappointing to lose but knows their team is young and is already looking forward to next year knowing the potential they have.
Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle wouldn't get into details but did admit he was playing through 'something' in the playoffs.
A candid Cole Caufield was critical of his playoff performance after the Canadiens were knocked out in the Eastern Conference final.
Juraj Slafkovsky reflects on the Canadiens' post-season run and why he learned that he just needs to simplify things, when things aren't going his way.
Lane Hutson discusses what he and the team learned in their Eastern Conference final loss to the Hurricanes. He discusses the little errors that cost them and why he feels they didn't reach another level against Carolina.
Noah Dobson discusses his return from injury in the Stanley Cup playoffs and why the path to make the final only gets harder, after they were eliminated by the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.
Canadiens' management Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes discuss what opportunities they may have to improve the team in the offseason and if now is the right time to go 'all-in'.
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