The Box Seats: Edition Twenty
NHL Recap for the Week of February 19th-25th, 2024
THE BOX SEATS (Edition Twenty, February 19th-25th, 2024.)
Hello, and welcome to “The Box Seats”, a column designed to keep Pro Hockey fans informed, educated and entertained with the news and notes from around the National Hockey League. So kick back, and read along every week during the National Hockey League season.
The National Hockey League headed back outdoors this past weekend out at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and both games certainly did not disappoint, with the Devils doubling up the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon, the New York Rangers battled back from an early 4-1 deficit against the New York Islanders, scoring two goals with their goaltender pulled late in the third period to force overtime, and just ten seconds into the extra frame, Blueshirts forward Artemi Panarin muscled home the game-winning goal in a true instant classic of a showdown between hated division rivals. We’ve got a ton of great action ahead as we are just two weeks away from the NHL Trade Deadline, So let’s start things off with a player to watch for in this week’s NHL Recap
PLAYER TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Connor Bedard – Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are firmly entrenched in another rebuilding year, and with tons of injuries striking the club, there’s been a severe drop-off with the scoring from the West Side club, until this weekend brought the return of rookie phenom Connor Bedard, who was out for 41 days recovering from a surgically-repaired jaw.
Bedard scored a goal for the Hawks in their 3-2 victory over Ottawa on Saturday afternoon, and had it not been for an offsides challenge won by the Senators, Bedard would have added a second tally on the board. He now reclaims the team lead in Points with 34, along with still leading the league amongst Rookies in the same category.
Chicago takes on Carolina on the road Monday, back home for Wednesday against Philadelphia and Friday versus Winnipeg before we see Patrick Kane make his first return to the United Center on Sunday evening as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in what will be a sold-out crowd for Chris Chelios’ number retirement ceremony before the game.
Team Trends To Watch For
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 11-3 SU last 14 games at home
- Florida Panthers: 7-1 SU last eight games overall
- Edmonton Oilers: 18-2 SU last 20 games overall
- Vancouver Canucks: 12-4 SU last 16 games overall and 5-1 SU last six games at home.
NHL FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
February 19th
Toronto at St. Louis 
– 1:00p ET on ESPN/ESPN+
The Worldwide Leader is treating those who have President’s Day off of work and school on Monday to a doubleheader, starting off with NHL leading goal-scorer Auston Matthews and the Leafs heading to the Gateway City.
Detroit at Seattle 
– 3:30p ET on ESPN/ESPN+
Another matinee affair continues on President’s Day as Alex DeBrincat and the Red Wings head out to Seattle to take on Joey Daccord and the Kraken.
February 21st
Philadelphia at Chicago 
– 7:30p ET on TNT/MAX
National audiences will get to see rookie Connor Bedard skate again for the Blackhawks, after missing 41 days with a broken jaw. The Hawks host the Flyers in the first of a TNT doubleheader.
Boston at Edmonton 
– 10:00p ET on TNT/MAX
This is a late night contest worth staying up for as the scorching hot Edmonton Oilers host the Boston Bruins, who need to shake out of their recent slump in this possible Stanley Cup Final preview come this June?
February 22nd
Washington at Tampa Bay 
– 7:00p ET on ESPN
Two former division rivals clash down in the Sunshine State as Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning take on Alex Ovechkin and the Caps.
Nashville at Los Angeles 
– 10:00p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
The struggling Los Angeles Kings return home on Thursday night to host a Nashville club that has dominated them in Hollywood, winning 12 of their last 15 meetings.
February 23rd
Buffalo at Columbus 
– 7:00p ET on NHL Network
Expect goals in this one as we saw Columbus win 9-4 over Buffalo back in December, and these two clubs have issues defensively and in goal.
February 24th
St. Louis at Detroit – 12:00p ET on ABC/ESPN+
The weekend kicks off with an early puck drop in the Motor City as two former Central Division rivals face-off with the Blues taking on the Red Wings.
NY Rangers at Philadelphia – 3:00p ET on ABC/ESPN+
With both clubs just a week separated from outdoor games in New Jersey, the Blueshirts and Flyers hook up in the City of Brotherly Love to conclude the ABC matinee doubleheader.
Toronto at Colorado 
– 7:00p ET on NHL Network
Two of the faster clubs in the National Hockey League meet up in Denver for Hockey Night in Canada as the Avs host the Maple Leafs.
February 25th
Tampa Bay at New Jersey 
– 1:00p ET on TNT/MAX
Two clubs looking to secure points in an effort to make it towards the postseason clash on Sunday as the Lightning head to Newark to skate with the Devils.
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh 
– 3:30p ET on TNT/MAX
The Keystone State Battle is always full of excitement and fireworks, and this edition shouldn’t be any different as Sidney Crosby faces off with the Flyers for the 87th time in his illustrious 19-year career.
Detroit at Chicago – 6:00p ET on NHL Network
The Weekly NHL Preview wraps up with an Original Six showdown that will be focused on the past and the current as Chris Chelios gets his number 7 retired at the United Center and Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane returns to the West Side of Chicago as a member of the deeply hated Detroit Red Wings.
Frozen Fashion: The Hockey Jersey of The Week
Each Week, we will select one NHL team jersey to highlight the design and the history of that specific sweater. This week, we look at a new drop from Tampa that might be one of their best looks in franchise history.
Tampa Bay Lightning 2023-24 Alternate Black Jersey
The Tampa Bay Lightning recently dropped a new alternate jersey, replacing the black and gray gradient look with the current Lightning Bolt logo crest, and going with a more retro styled look, using a solid black jersey, with a more detailed crest, using the lightning bolt with a circular wordmark of “Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Club” surrounding the logo.
Three stripes in three different colors, White, Blue and Gray adorn the arms. These three stripes represent the three Stanley Cup titles the franchise won in 2004, 2020, and 2021, and the blue drop shadow numbers are an homage to the first set of uniforms worn by the club in their inaugural year of 1992.
Tampa Bay wore these jerseys twice last week, and will wear them four more times this year, and it’s already been announced that this jersey will be around for two more seasons.
With February being Black History Month, The Box Seats will depart from NHL Trivia for the next two editions to give you a moment of Hockey History from a Black Perspective:
GREAT MOMENTS IN BLACK HOCKEY HISTORY
1987-88: Forward Tony McKegney becomes first Black player in NHL history to score 40 or more goals in a single season.
Born Anthony Syiid McKegney in Montreal in 1958, Tony’s birth parents were Nigerian from his father and Canadian from his mother, but he would be adopted by an all-White family in Sarnia, Ontario, where him and older brother Ian, both would fly through the junior ranks in their area.
Tony’s pro career was supposed to start in the World Hockey Association, with the Birmingham Bulls. However, many racist Bulls fans in the Alabama city threatened to boycott games if McKegney was signed and team owners tore up the contract.
Tony would later be drafted 32nd overall in the 1978 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, who also had in their organization at the time a young African-American enforcer named Val James, who would become the first Black American to skate in an NHL game in 1981. McKegney broke in with the club in the 1979-1980 season, showing off his scoring prowess with the first of five straight seasons with 20+ or more goals.
After trades saw McKegney go from Quebec to Minnesota and to the New York Rangers, Tony would land in St. Louis for the 1987-88 season, where he made history, becoming the first black player to score 40 goals, wrapping up with 78 points as well for the season.
McKegney’s NHL career would end with a brief nine-game stint in Chicago, and he would retire from pro hockey after a year with the San Diego Gulls of the old International Hockey League in 1993. With 320 goals in 912 games, McKegney is one of the most underrated scorers from the era of the 1980s in the National Hockey League.
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