Michigan's Hagelin Hangs Up NHL Skates

Longtime NHL left wing Carl Hagelin (Michigan) has decided to call it a playing career. The Sodertalje, Sweden native, who sat out the entire 2022-23 NHL campaign due to an eye injury, has announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Drafted 168th overall in 2007 by the New York Rangers, he played four seasons in Manhattan while helping the Rangers to the 2014 Eastern Conference crown. He also played for Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Washington in his 11-year NHL career, which spanned 713 regular-season contests from 2011 to 2022, and included 110 goals and 186 assists for 296 points. 

Hagelin also added 22-28—50 points in 141 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and won two Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh (2016, 2017). In addition, he appeared in 22 career AHL games with Hartford/Connecticut his first year as a professional, before joining the NHL ranks for good that same year.

Prior to turning pro, Hagelin, 35, skated four full collegiate seasons at Michigan (2007-2011), in which he rang up 61-91—152 points in 171 appearances with the Wolverines. He helped Michigan to the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four as a freshman, and then captained the team his senior season as they came within an overtime goal of a national title. He also helped Michigan to two CCHA regular-season and two conference playoff championships in his career. 

Internationally, Hagelin won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, six years after doing the same with Sweden at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship.

NHL, AHL, ECHL Champions Crowned

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out the 2015-16 hockey season with a 3-1 victory at San Jose on Sunday night to win the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Penguins, who defeated the Sharks in six games, have won all four of their Cups on the road, dating back to 1991.

Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) opened the scoring for the Penguins on a first-period power play, assisted by Nick Schultz (Wisconsin) and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State). Less than two minutes after the Sharks tied the game in the second period, Conor Sheary (UMass) help set up the Cup-winning goal by Kris Letang. Pittsburgh then scored into an empty net late in the third stanza to seal the victory.

Other former NCAA players who starred for Pittsburgh this postseason included the HBK line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota), who combined for 56 points and a +23 plus-minus rating. The Penguins were led by head coach Mike Sullivan (Boston University), who took the reins in December and then led Pittsburgh to a 16-8 playoff mark.

The Lake Erie Monsters brought Cleveland its first professional hockey title since 1964 with Saturday night's 1-0 overtime victory over the Hershey Bears at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Final in four games.

Lake Erie, the top farm team of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, went 15-2 during the postseason to complete its ninth season in Ohio and the league’s 80th season, according to TheAHL.com. Rookie defenseman Zach Werenski (Michigan) finished among the top scorers in the AHL playoffs with five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 17 games with the Monsters. Hershey forward Carter Camper (Miami) was second overall among AHL postseason scorers with six goals and 17 points in 21 outings.

The Monsters' Calder Cup victory came two nights after the ECHL's Allen Americans won their second consecutive Kelly Cup with a six-game, final-round victory over the Wheeling Nailers. Riley Gill (Western Michigan) backstopped the Americans to the title, his third ECHL crown, with a 12-5-0 playoff record, according to ECHL.com. Allen is the first repeat ECHL champion since the Toledo Storm in 1993-1994.

See you next season.

Penguins One Win from Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one win away from claiming their first Stanley Cup since 2009.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) assisted on Pittsburgh's first two goals on Monday night, and Carl Hagelin (Michigan) set up an insurance tally with just over two minutes remaining in regulation as the Penguins recorded a 3-1 victory over the host San Jose Sharks in Game Four at the SAP Center in California. Pittsburgh now leads the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, three games to one, after dropping Game Three, 3-2, in overtime in San Jose on Saturday night.

The Penguins can clinch their fourth NHL title overall, and fourth since 1991, with a victory in Game Five at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

Former Minutemen Trade Goals as Penguins Take 2-0 Lead

The HBK line struck again in another postseason win for the Pittsburgh Penguins, although a pair of former UMass Minutemen traded late goals to decide the outcome.

The line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) combined on Pittsburgh's first goal Wednesday night as the Penguins edged the visiting San Jose Sharks, 2-1, in overtime in Game Two of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

Hagelin stole the puck deep in the San Jose end just over eight minutes into a scoreless second period, and fed Bonino to his left across the slot. Bonino pulled up and sent the puck across the crease, where it glanced off a San Jose stick to Kessel for a tap-in and his 10th goal of the postseason. The HBK line has now totaled 50 points to date in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Penguins have posted a 14-6 record so far this spring.

The NCAA heroics weren't finished at Consol Energy Center after Pittsburgh took the lead.

After San Jose defenseman Justin Braun (UMass) tied the game on a slap shot that went in off the far post with 4:05 remaining in regulation for his first career playoff tally, Conor Sheary (UMass) won it for the Penguins on a wrist shot 2:35 into the overtime session following a face-off.  Braun graduated from Massachusetts in 2010, while Sheary, who also had a goal in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win in Game One on Monday, followed four years later. 

Pittsburgh outshot San Jose, 30-22, while the two squads combined to go 0-for-3 on the power play. The two teams also hit three posts each with shots in regulation.

Game Three is Saturday night in San Jose. The last team to lose the opening two games of the final on the road and still win the Stanley Cup was the Boston Bruins, who rebounded from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games five years ago.

Pittsburgh Ties Series with Tampa Bay

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) and Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) assisted on Sidney Crosby’s game-winning goal 40 seconds into overtime Tuesday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, in Game Two of their Eastern Conference semifinal series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) scored Pittsburgh’s second goal, assisted by Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Carl Hagelin (Michigan), to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead at the time. J.T. Brown (Minnesota-Duluth) and Matt Carle (Denver) set up Tampa Bay’s second goal in the last minute of the first period, by Jonathan Drouin, that tied the contest. Pittsburgh outshot Tampa Bay, 41-21, overall on the night at Consol Energy Center, while both teams were blanked in a combined total of three power-play attempts, two by the Pens.

The series is now tied at one win apiece, with Game Three to be played Wednesday night in Tampa (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN). It is not yet known if Lightning No. 1 netminder Ben Bishop (Maine) will return from a lower-body injury suffered in Game One on Friday, a 3-1 Tampa Bay victory.

Penguins Eliminate Capitals in Game 6

Jay Beagle (Alaska Anchorage) made the save of the game. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop the Washington Capitals’ 2015-16 NHL campaign from ending.

Nick Bonino (Boston University) backhanded home the rebound of a shot by Carl Hagelin (Michigan) 6:32 into overtime Tuesday night to lift the host Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Caps in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series at Consol Energy Center in Pennsylvania. The goal came several minutes after Beagle had slid through the Washington crease to stick away an opposing shot.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) also assisted on Bonino’s goal, and scored two goals of his own while Hagelin added another as the Pens won the series in six games. Pittsburgh, which has now won eight of nine Stanley Cup playoff series all-time against Washington, will face Tampa Bay, a six-game winner over the New York Islanders, for the Eastern Conference crown, which was won last season by the Lightning.

The Capitals, who finished with the best regular-season record in the NHL this season, battled back from a 3-1 deficit after 40 minutes with two goals in the third period Tuesday thanks to three consecutive Pittsburgh delay-of-game penalties. Washington, however couldn't complete the comeback and force Game 7, and again couldn’t advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1998.

Montoya Stops Hagelin in U-M Meeting

Michigan stopped Michigan on Monday night in the Florida Panthers’ 2-1 shootout win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

Former University Michigan forward Carl Hagelin had a breakaway against former Wolverine netminder Al Montoya during the contest, but Montoya made the save. It was Hagelin's only shot on goal of the game.

Montoya made 31 saves in regulation before stopping four of five shootout attempts. Scott Bjugstad (Minnesota) scored for the Panthers before the shootout, while Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) tallied for the Penguins.

Hagelin, who started the year with the Anaheim Ducks after being acquired in the off-season from the New York Rangers, skated for Michigan from 2007 to 2011, notching 152 points in 171 games, according to USCHO.com. He also led the Wolverines to the NCAA championship game as a senior, before helping the Rangers to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. 

Montoya backstopped U-M from 2002 to 2005, compiling an 86-29-8 record in 123 NCAA appearances, and is now with his third NHL organization since making his debut with the New York Islanders in 2010-11.

Devils Edge Rangers, 5-4, Behind Two NCAA Netminders

Keith Kincaid (Union) and Scott Clemmensen (Boston College) teamed up to record a combined 20 saves as the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Rangers, 5-4, in the 2014 NHL preseason opener for both teams at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

Kinkaid picked up the win in relief, making 12 saves on 14 shots, after starter Clemmensen recorded eight stops on 10 attempts. Michael Ryder scored twice and Adam Henrique notched the game-winning goal with 51.7 seconds remaining in regulation for New Jersey, which has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the last two seasons.

Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) took the loss in relief with 16 saves on 19 shots for New York, and also picked up an assist. The Rangers, who won the Eastern Conference last season, got goals from Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Ryan Malone (St. Cloud) and Chris Kreider (Boston College).

Quick, Kings Win Game 1 of Final

Carl Hagelin (Michigan) scored a shorthanded goal, and Brian Boyle (Boston College) and Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) both registered assists on the evening—but the New York Rangers fell to the host Los Angeles Kings, 3-2, in overtime in Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

The Rangers, who won the Eastern Conference for the first time in 20 years, had a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Hagelin scoring the second goal as New York was killing a holding penalty to Mats Zuccarello. The Western Conference champion Kings, as they have all playoffs, however, rallied to tie the game by the middle of the second stanza.

Hagelin had another breakaway in the final minute of regulation, but was stopped by Kings netminder Jonathan Quick (UMass), who finished with 25 stops. Quick had also earlier made a glove save on Martin St. Louis (Vermont) on a shot from the left circle.

The contest ended less than five minutes into the extra session when Justin Williams beat Henrik Lundqvist (40 saves) to the short side from the slot, after New York couldn't clear the puck out of its zone. The two teams went a combined 0-for-7 on the power play. Hagelin and LA's Willie Mitchell (Clarkson) each had a game-high five shots on goal, as did the Kings' Slava Voynov.

Game 2 is slated for Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET in California, before the NHL's championship series shifts to Manhattan on Monday.

Rangers Push Habs to Brink with 3-2 OT Win

Carl Hagelin (Michigan) scored for the second straight contest, and Martin St. Louis (Vermont) notched the game-winning goal just 6:02 into overtime to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Hagelin, who scored on a first-period breakaway off a set-up from Brian Boyle (Boston College) and Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin), also assisted on St. Louis' game-winner as the Rangers took a 3-1 lead in their Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Habs. Rene Bourque (Wisconsin) assisted on the Canadiens first goal of the game as Montreal twice fought back from one-goal deficits to again force sudden death.

Game 5, and New York's first chance to clinch the series and move on to the final, will be on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Former College Players Help Canada to Gold Again

For the second straight Winter Olympics, Canada won the men's hockey gold medal, this time with a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Sunday at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia.

The NCAA helped a little bit again, as five skaters on this year's Canadian squad once plied their amateur trade at an American university. They included Jonathan Toews (North Dakota), Chris Kunitz (Ferris State), Patrick Sharp (Vermont), Martin St. Louis (Vermont) and Duncan Keith (Michigan State). Toews and Kunitz sandwiched goals around one by Sindey Crosby in yesterday's gold medal championship win, the first goals of the 2014 tournament by each member of that trio.

Toews, Sharp and Keith all won the Stanley Cup both last year and in 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks. St. Louis claimed hockey's biggest prize 10 years ago with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Kunitz was a 2009 Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Toews and Keith were also on Canada's 2010 gold-medal winning club in Vancouver, when Canada beat the United States, 3-2, for gold that year on Crosby's overtime goal.

Carl Hagelin (Michigan) of the New York Rangers was on the Swedish squad that earned silver this year. It was Sweden's first Olympic men's hockey medal since 2006, when the Swedes took gold in Torino, Italy. Phil Kessel (Minnesota) of the United States was named the top forward in the Sochi tournament, with eight points in five games, although the Americans finished fourth and out of medal contention with Saturday's 5-0 loss to Finland.

The NHL now resumes its 2013-14 season tomorrow night following a two-week Olympic break, perhaps the last time that league players will do so. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games will take place in South Korea.

Totorella: Hagelin "Stinks on the Power Play"

The New York Rangers trailed their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Bruins by a game after dropping the opener, 3-2, in overtime on Thursday, and had gone just 2-for-31 on the power play to that point.

Asked why he didn't use second-year speedster and Michigan alumnus Carl Hagelin on the man-advantage unit, Rangers head coach John Tortorella, himself a Maine alumnus, gave a pretty pointed answer to the New York Times and other outlets.

“Because he stinks on the power play,” said Tortorella on Saturday. “I don’t know why. I wish I could play him on the power play. Every time I put him on, he stinks.”
To be fair, Tortorella suggested that Hagelin was sort of a "jitterbug" on the ice, one who perhaps moved too fast for purposes of the power play, which is more of a stationary situation. Kind of understandable when you have speed like Hagelin, who won the Fastest Skater competition at the 2012 All-Star Game festivities in Ottawa, does.

Calling out a second-year player who's just 24 years old, when millionaires like Rick Nash and Brad Richards have done nothing on the power play throughout the playoffs so far this year, though, is surprising.

Hagelin, who played at Michigan from 2007 to 2011, recorded 152 points in that span while leading the Wolverines to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish his senior season. He had 38 points in 64 NHL games as a rookie in 2011-12, and added 24 points in 48 games in the lockout-shortened 2013 regular season. To date he has two goals and five points in eight Stanley Cup Playoff outings so far this spring.

Wonder what Hagelin's college coach, retired NHL player Red Berenson, would think about Totorella's words. Not that the oft-brusque Tortorella would care.

Hagelin played 17:02 and had four shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss in Game 2 at Boston on Sunday, which put the Rangers in an 0-2 hole for the second straight series. New York also went 0-for-5 on the power play. Game 3 at Madison Square Garden is slated for Tuesday night in Manhattan.

Hagelin Wins NHL Fastest Skater Competition

Rookie forward Carl Hagelin of the New York Rangers, who played collegiately at the University of Michigan, won the Fastest Skater competition at the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge in Ottawa tonight. He completed the circuit in 13.218 seconds in the final against Ottawa's Colin Greening (13.303), a former Cornell University standout.

Hagelin, who played four years at Michigan (2007-2011) and helped the Wolverines to two Frozen Fours and one NCAA title game in his career, tallied 61 goals and 91 assists for 152 points in his collegiate career. A native of Sodertalje, Sweden, Hagelin made his professional debut last spring with Connecticut (AHL), where he also began the 2011-12 campaign.

Hagelin has posted 8-8—16 points in 29 NHL games with the Rangers, and will play for Team Alfreddson in Sunday's NHL All-Star Game.

Greening suited up for Cornell from 2006 to 2010, and collected 55-63—118 points in 137 career outings with the Big Red before apprenticing in Binghamton (AHL) to begin last season. He then joined Ottawa, notching 13 points in 24 games, and has 17 goals and 39 points in 52 contests so far this season with the Senators.

Greening, who hails from St. John's, Nfld. will skate for Team Chara on Sunday afternoon.