Mark Smith (ice Hockey)
Mark Christopher Smith (born October 24, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames. Playing career Smith was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the ninth round, 219th overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. On July 24, 2006, Smith was awarded a $700,000 one-year contract through arbitration. In September 2007, he was invited for a tryout at the New York Rangers training camp; however, after playing in 2 pre-season games with the club, he was released. Less than a week later, he was signed by the Flames. His career was ended when he was crushed into the boards by Derek Boogaard and suffered neck injuries on March 22, 2008. Mercury News Taking it to the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Centre (ice Hockey)
The centre (or center in American English) in ice hockey is a forward (ice hockey), forward position of a player whose primary Hockey rink#Zones, zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the sideboards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and therefore often end up covering more ice surface than any other player. Centres are ideally strong, fast skaters who are able to Checking (ice hockey)#Backchecking, backcheck quickly from deep in the opposing zone. Generally, centres are expected to be gifted passers more so than goal scorers, although there are exceptions - typically larger centres who position themselves directly in front of the net in order to score off rebounds. They are also expected to have exceptional "ice vision", Hockey IQ, intelligence, and creativity. They also generally are the most defensively-oriented forwards on the ice, as they are expected to play the role of the third player in defense, after the defenceman, defencemen. Centres usuall ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of September. In other team sports, like association football or basketball, it is generally from August or September to May although in some countries – such as Northern Europe, North America or East Asia – the season for oudoor summer sports starts in the spring and finishes in autumn, mainly due to weather conditions encountered during the winter. A year can often be broken up into several distinct sections (sometimes themselves called seasons). These are: a preseason, usually a series of exhibition games played for training purposes; a regular season, the main period of the league's competition; the postseason, a playoff tournament played against the league's top teams to determine the league's champion; and the offseason, the time w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Canada. As of the 2024–25 AHL season, all 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an AHL team. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson. A player must be at least 18 years old and not belong to a junior ice hockey team to be eligible. The league limits the number of experienced professional players in a team's lineup during any given game; only five skaters can have accumulated more than 260 games played at the professional level (goaltenders are exempt from this rule). The annual playoff champion is awarded the Calder Cup, named for Frank ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kentucky Thoroughblades
The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena. The Thoroughblades were an affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. History The Thoroughblades were the first professional ice hockey team to play in Lexington, Kentucky. Initially, attendance was high. During the 1997–98 season, Kentucky averaged 7,847 fans per game, despite a losing record on ice. Attendance decreased in the next three seasons, even with two consecutive division championships. In their final season, attendance averaged only 4,461 fans per game. In 2001, the team moved to Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the Cleveland Barons. In 2006, the team then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, becoming the Worcester Sharks. In 2015, the team moved to San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and po ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1997–98 AHL Season
The 1997–98 AHL season was the 62nd season of the American Hockey League. The AHL shifts teams in their divisions, and the Canadian division reverts to being named Atlantic division. The Northern conference is renamed the Eastern conference, and the Southern conference renamed the Western conference. The league introduces three new trophies. The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy first awarded for the team which finishes in first place in the league during the regular season. The Yanick Dupre Memorial Award is given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit of community service. The Thomas Ebright Memorial Award honors an individual with outstanding career contributions to the AHL. Eighteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Philadelphia Phantoms repeated finishing first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship. Team changes * The Binghamton Rangers move to Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the Hartford Wolf Pack, playing in the Ne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1997–98 WHL Season
The 1997–98 WHL season was the 32nd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The season featured eighteen teams and a 72-game season. The Portland Winter Hawks won both the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions and the President's Cup as playoff champions before going on to win the 1998 Memorial Cup, which was hosted by the Spokane Chiefs. Regular season Final standings Scoring leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes'' Goaltending leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties ; GA = Goals against; SO = Total shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average'' 1998 WHL Playoffs *Top eight teams in the Eastern Conference (East and Central divisions) qualified for playoffs *Top six teams in the Western Conference (division) qualified for the playoffs Conference quarterfinals Eastern Conference Western Conference Conference ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1996–97 WHL Season
The 1996–97 WHL season was the 31st season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring eighteen teams and a 72-game regular season. The Lethbridge Hurricanes won both the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions and the President's Cup as playoff champions, both for the first time in team history. The Hurricanes went on to finish as runners-up at the 1997 Memorial Cup tournament. The Edmonton Ice joined the WHL as its eighteenth team, and the first to call Edmonton home since the second iteration of the Oil Kings left the city in 1979. League notes *The addition of the Edmonton Ice to the Central Division precipitated a realignment for the Swift Current Broncos, who moved to the East Division. Regular season Final standings Scoring leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes'' Goaltending leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties ; GA = Goal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1995–96 WHL Season
The 1995–96 WHL season was the 30th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring seventeen teams and a 72-game regular season. The Brandon Wheat Kings won the franchise's fourth Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for posting the best regular season record, and followed this up in the playoffs by securing their second President's Cup as league champions, their first since 1978–79. The Calgary Hitmen joined the WHL as its seventeenth franchise, and the first to be located in Calgary since the Calgary Wranglers in 1987. The Tacoma Rockets relocated to Kelowna, British Columbia and became the Kelowna Rockets. League notes *Following the addition of the Calgary Hitmen and the relocation of the Rockets to Kelowna, the WHL divided into three divisions: The East and Central Divisions formed the Eastern Conference, consisting of five teams per division. The West Division was made up of the seven B.C. and U.S.-based teams. *The playoff format was changed so that the top eig ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 23 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions, each. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises 12 teams from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. The league will expand to 24 teams by 2026 with the addition of a team in Chilliwack, British Columbia. The league was founded in 1966 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL), with seven teams in Sas ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lethbridge Hurricanes
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and play their home games at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. The team replaced Lethbridge's first major junior team, the Broncos, who played in the city from 1974 to 1986. When that team relocated to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the city acquired the Calgary Wranglers franchise and the Hurricanes began play in 1987. History The Lethbridge Broncos played at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena from 1974 until 1986. Originally the Swift Current Broncos, the team returned to Swift Current in 1986 when local investors gathered enough resources to make the team a community-owned club. However, neither the league nor the city wanted Lethbridge to be left without a team, and just one year later, the Calgary Wranglers were relocated to Lethbridge to become the Hurricanes, which was a community-owned team. W ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1994–95 WHL Season
The 1994–95 WHL season was the 29th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring sixteen teams and a 72-game regular season. The Kamloops Blazers entrenched their major junior dynasty by winning their seventh Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy, their sixth President's Cup championship—their third in four seasons—and their third Memorial Cup title in four seasons. The season was the first for the Prince George Cougars, after the Victoria Cougars relocated to Prince George, British Columbia in the off-season, making the Cougars the northern-most team in the Canadian Hockey League. Team changes *The Victoria Cougars relocate to Prince George, British Columbia, becoming the Prince George Cougars. Regular season Final standings Scoring leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes'' 1995 WHL Playoffs *In the West Division, 2 groups of 3 teams played a round robin of 4 games to determine who would advance t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Penalty (ice Hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penalties are called and enforced by the Official (ice hockey)#Referees, referee, or in some cases, the Official (ice hockey)#Linesmen, linesman. The offending team may not replace the player on the ice (although there are some exceptions, such as fighting), leaving them short handed, short-handed as opposed to full strength. When the opposing team is said to be on a ''Power play (ice hockey), power play'', they will have one more player on the ice than the short-handed team. The short-handed team is said to be "on the penalty kill" until the penalty expires and the penalized player returns to play. While standards vary somewhat between leagues, most leagues recognize several common varieties of penalties, as well as common infractions. The statist ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |