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The NHL Alumni Association announced this afternoon that former NHL player Tomáš Klouček died Sunday in a skiing accident. He was 45 years old.
A Czechia native, Klouček spent his junior days in his hometown of Prague. He generated enough buzz there to get selected by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 1998 draft. He immediately made the jump to North America, playing a year of major junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles before turning pro in the Rangers organization for the 1999-00 season. The heavy-hitting lefty made an impact out of the gate, posting 113 PIMs and a +22 rating in 73 games with AHL Hartford en route to a Calder Cup championship and an All-Rookie Team nod for his standout defensive play.
Klouček made the Rangers for the first time in 2000-01, and it ended up being the best season of his career. Making 43 appearances after an early-season recall, he averaged a career-high 16:43 per game and posted 1-4–5 with a minus-three rating – a respectable figure on the league’s worst defensive team that season – and 74 PIMs. After subsequent trades to the Predators and Thrashers, he totaled 2-8–10 with a minus-nine rating in 141 career appearances by the time his NHL career drew to a close in 2006.
Klouček remained in high-level leagues for another decade after playing his last NHL game. He spent 2006-07 with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, then affiliated with the Blue Jackets, before jumping back over the Atlantic to play with Czechia’s HC Zlín and then Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent three years with the Kazakh club – more time spent with any team in his career other than Hartford – and posted 7-26–33 in 111 career KHL games.
The last few years of Klouček’s career were spent in his home country with HC Oceláři Třinec and the Jaromír Jágr-owned Rytíři Kladno, but also in neighboring Slovakia, where he won an Extraliga title with HC Kosice in 2014. He closed the book on his stint in pro hockey with France’s Epinal in the top-circuit Ligue Magnus in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
PHR sends our condolences to Klouček’s family, friends, and former teammates.
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Previewing The Habs First Preseason Game Against The Penguins
It is finally game day for the Montreal Canadiens for the first time since being eliminated on April 30th by the Washington Capitals. Tonight, the Canadiens will start their 6-game preseason schedule against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:00 pm ET at the Bell Centre. Earlier today, the Habs announced that rookie sensation Ivan Demidov will make his preseason debut alongside his linemates Patrik Laine and Oliver Kapanen, who is supposedly filling a role on the line as a stopgap while Kirby Dach continues to be brought back into game shape slowly. It seems that Dach likely will get to play a game at some point during the preseason, but for precautionary reasons they won’t rush him back to the lineup, especially for preseason action. On top of the Laine and Demidov duo in the lineup against the Penguins, the Habs will also feature Noah Dobson in his taste of game action in a Canadiens jersey. He will be paired with veteran Mike Matheson, who looked like arguably the best defenseman on the Habs during the team scrimmages at Training Camp so far. However, there is still some worry about how two offensively minded defensemen can function as a pairing when the regular season starts. Tonight will be their first chance to show that they can actually be a strong pairing heading into the season. The expectations for them will likely be to dominate against a Penguins team that won’t be featuring any of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang. The best player in the Penguins’ lineup is arguably Anthony Mantha or Danton Heinen, as they will be shelling a very young prospect-heavy lineup tonight at the Bell Centre. There is no reason why Dobson and Matheson can’t have a great game tonight as they continue to develop more chemistry throughout Training Camp and the preseason. Another very notable name that will be playing tonight is goaltender Jacob Fowler, who should be splitting tonight’s game with Samuel Montembeault. It will be fun to watch him compete against some NHL talent, even though the Penguins won’t be dressing their top guys; he will still get to face some true NHL talent for the first time in his young career. If the Rookie Showcase was any indication, we should see him perform pretty well against a roster of mainly AHL prospects tonight. Fowler will be under the microscope closely this season as he plays his first full pro hockey season. The projected 4th line of Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher will also see playing time tonight as the two wingers hope to develop the same chemistry with Evans that they had with Christian Dvorak last season. In all honesty, this line should bring a lot of energy as all 3 players are workhorses and will always find ways to be noticed when on the ice. Not to mention, they can also chip in offensively at times. The Habs may have the best 4th line in the league with these three veterans this year. Adam Engstrom and Jayden Struble will be a pairing tonight, as both players try to prove that they are worthy of making the Habs’ opening night lineup. Tonight’s game should be a fun one for the fans as there will be a good mix of high-end NHL talent and Habs prospects in the lineup tonight. *If you are heading to the game tonight, please note that the STM Metro will be closed between 5:45 pm and 11:00 pm, while buses won’t be running between 6:00 pm and 11:15 pm due to the strike.
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield drops harsh quote about former coach after win
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was forced to lead a game-winning drive against the New York Jets after a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown took away a chance for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to ice the game at 29-20 with less than two minutes to play. With 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mayfield engineered a seven-play, 48-yard drive that ended in a successful 36-yard field goal attempt by kicker Chase McLaughlin to give the Buccaneers a 3-0 start with a 29-27 win over the Jets in front of 62,872 fans at Raymond James Stadium. What Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield had to say about former coach Following the game, Mayfield said he felt vindicated by beating New York, especially defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who cut the former first-round pick (after using him as a scout-team defensive lineman) when he was the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2022. “I loved it," Mayfield said of beating the Jets via Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. "Their D-coordinator (Steve Wilks) was the one who cut me in Carolina. A lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick. Former Jet. A lot of people.” The loss dropped Wilks and first-year head coach Aaron Glenn to 0-3. The Jets fought hard with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor filling in for Justin Fields, who is still in the concussion protocol from Week 2. Mayfield didn't impress Wilks during his time in Carolina, but he showed the defensive coordinator why he's worthy to be a starter in the league. Mayfield went 19-of-29 passing for 233 yards and one touchdown on Sunday. He added 44 yards rushing on four carries against Wilks' defense.
Packers Coach Matt LaFleur Provides Injury Updates After Loss to Browns
On Friday, Green Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom was conflicted about trying to play through the oblique injury sustained in Week 1. Tom opted to play. He made it through one snap before he had to be helped off the field during the 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On the bright side, Tom didn’t make the injury worse by trying to play. “I wouldn’t say he further reaggravated,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “It’s always hard to simulate what you’re going to face in a game. You’d have to ask him, but I think that the force of the guy that he’s going against, it hurt him. He didn’t feel like he could go.” Tom’s injury wasn’t the only one on Sunday. Left guard Aaron Banks, who was inactive last week with a groin injury, missed the second half with a different groin injury. Safety Javon Bullard is in the concussion protocol after a collision with linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt is “day to day” with a knee injury. On Friday, after practicing as limited participation for a third consecutive day, Tom acknowledged the long-term concern after sitting out the Week 2 win vs. Washington. “I want to be out there, but I also want to be able to play well,” he said. As it turns out, Tom just wasn’t ready to play. Maybe some full-speed reps would have made the decision easier, but the team had to give him as much time as possible to heal. When Tom got to the bench, he put his head in his hands in disappointment. “Yeah, it’s tough,” LaFleur said of the decision. “I would chalk it up to it’s hard to simulate what these guys are going to go against in the game. We did our best in terms of trying to put them through enough and certainly had them going in practice, but still the game’s a different speed.” LaFleur disagreed with the notion that the team’s medical staff, historically so conservative in putting injured players back on the field, had changed philosophies. Still, last year, cornerback Jaire Alexander suffered a knee injury late in the game against Jacksonville. A couple weeks later, he tried to play but only lasted about 10 snaps. For most of the rest of the season, Alexander practiced but never felt good enough to get back on the field. So, does the team need to reconsider its return-to-play protocol after one of its most important players made it through only one snap, which left the team a man down on the line. “Yeah, I think every situation is a little bit different,” LaFleur said. “I’m confident in our guys. I think they do a great job. They’re thorough. Certainly, the players got say-so in the return to play, as well, in terms of their confidence level. Obviously, first and foremost you have to be cleared medically, and we never want to put a guy out there who could potentially have a setback. I think those guys do a really thorough job.” When Tom exited, Jordan Morgan stepped in at right tackle – a mostly foreign position to him after filling in at left tackle and left guard throughout training camp and playing right guard as a rookie. When Banks couldn’t play in the second half, Morgan moved to left guard. It’s been a challenge for last year’s first-round pick, who gave up one sacks and three pressures and was guilty of a couple penalties as Green Bay’s offensive line was overrun by the Browns’ powerhouse defensive line for the better part of four quarters. LaFleur agreed that the Packers might be asking too much of Morgan to play here, there and everywhere on a moment’s notice. But that was the way to Green Bay’s best combination of blockers on the field. “Yeah, I think there’s some merit to that, for sure, especially when you look at just yesterday playing multiple spots in one game,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think that’s easy on anybody, especially a guy who’s still a relatively young player. That’s something we’ve got to certainly look at.” By the end of the game, quarterback Jordan Love was sacked five times and Josh Jacobs had more yards after contact than he had yards. “Obviously, going into the game, there was a huge emphasis on not allowing Myles Garrett to wreck the game in terms of just trying to chip him,” LaFleur said. “Typically when we chip, we usually chip and then get out as a checkdown, where we were spending a lot of time on him, and it did not enable some of our checkdowns to get out.” Garrett, however, had only one sacks. The carnage came from everywhere. “Those other guys feasted and they had a good day. It’s a credit to them,” LaFleur continued. “I knew that D-line was pretty good, probably underestimated them to some level, the other guys. Obviously, Myles we all know and he’s well-respected across the league. But all those other guys, those interior guys were a problem, running their games. They just had a great jump off the ball. “So, we’ve got to look at certain things we’re asking our guys to do, and if we’re not having success, then you’ve got to find another avenue as a coach. That’s my job is to put our guys in the best position possible to go out there and compete and have success. And I obviously did not do that.”
SEC says No. 7 Oklahoma's trick-play TD shouldn't have counted
The Southeastern Conference said late Saturday that the touchdown on a trick play by No. 7 Oklahoma should have been wiped away, with the Sooners being penalized. Oklahoma beat Auburn, 24-17, in Norman, Oklahoma, in a battle of 3-0 teams. Oklahoma Sooners' trick play shouldn't have counted due to this NCAA rule The game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter when Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna III. But the play should have been penalized as Sategna had faked like he was going to the bench, only to stop short of the sideline. Unnoticed by Auburn, Sategna streaked down the sideline and easily caught the pass from Mateer near the goal line and stepped into the end zone. The TD and ensuing extra point put the Sooners up 10-3 with 10 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second quarter. In its statement several hours after the game, the SEC cited an NCAA rule regarding "unfair tactics" as to why the play should have been taken off the board, and the Sooners assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Part of the rule, Rule 9-2 Article 2, reads: "No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution." The SEC said it would deal with the officiating crew and issue any further discipline "without additional comment." Oklahoma took a 22-17 lead with 5:01 left in the game on Mateer's nine-yard TD run and failed two-point conversion, then added a safety with 1:10 remaining.
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