NHL Notes: McQuaid empathizes, Campbell misses playing

The only thing Adam McQuaid is concerned with these days is returning to the lineup. He’s missed 33 games since breaking his right fibula on Oct. 19 and he’s recently been cleared to return to game action, but since the Bruins are winning coach Bruce Cassidy hasn’t made any lineup changes.

As frustrating as it must be for McQuaid, he was reminded recently that there are more important things than hockey. He learned that New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider was diagnosed with a blood clot in his arm, which is a scenario all too familiar for McQuaid.



During the 2012 offseason, McQuaid experienced numbness in his shoulder, arm, wrist and hand. Doctors found a blood clot near his collarbone and he needed surgery before the condition became life-threatening. He had two procedures, including having a rib removed, which is known as thoracic outlet syndrome.

Besides playing against Kreider, McQuaid does not know him personally. Even though the Rangers have not officially announced that Kreider has thoracic outlet syndrome, the team did say Friday he will have a portion of his rib removed.

“It brings you right back (because) I went through it,” McQuaid said. “Immediately, when I hear of a guy with a blood clot in his arm I wondering if it’s thoracic outlet syndrome. It might not be the exact same situation I was in but it puts things into perspective pretty quick when you’re dealing with things like that. You take care of it and do what you need to do and you get back at it.”

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had a similar procedure during the 2015-16 season and it forced him to miss the entire Stanley Cup playoffs with the exception of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Former Bruins forward Gregory Campbell is enjoying life after his playing days as a development coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“It’s good,” Campbell told BostonSportsJournal.com. “I’m learning a lot and getting a couple of different angles at it. With this job, I get to do a little bit of coaching with being in Cleveland with the AHL team. I also get the see the management view of it and experience meetings and scouting meetings. I really like it.”

Campbell began his NHL career with the Florida Panthers and spent six seasons with that organization before he was traded to Boston, along with Nathan Horton in exchange for Dennis Wideman on June 22, 2010. Campbell became a fan favorite with the Bruins for his relentless style of play and his willingness to drop the gloves during his five seasons here that included the 2011 Stanley Cup championship.

Now, he’s helping to develop the young talent in the Columbus organization, the team his concluded his playing career with after the 2015-16 season.

“I enjoy working with the kids and the younger guys,” he said. “A lot of very receptive and want to learn. I miss playing, no doubt – that’s a given. But I’m still on the ice quite a bit with the minor league team, so it’s good. I’m grateful I’m still in hockey and I want to continue to be in hockey. There’s a long way to go, but I’m learning every day so it’s good.”

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Team USA won bronze at the recent World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. and Bruins prospect Trent Frederic scored four goals to lead the Americans to a 9-3 win over the Czech Republic for third place in the tournament. The Bruins selected Frederic with the 29^th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He’ll return to the University of Wisconsin where he already has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 21 games this season. . . This week was the one-year anniversary of Milt Schmidt’s death. The Bruins legend passed away on Jan. 4, 2017. He was 98. . . The Vegas Golden Knights sit atop the Western Conference standings with a 28-10-2 record for 58 points. Goalie Malcolm Subban, who was placed on waivers by Boston and picked up by Vegas at the start of the season, is 11-2-0 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage for the Golden Knights. He’s registered wins in each of his last seven games, posing a 7-0-0 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .913 SP. . . Penguins captain Sidney Crosby registered a four-point game during Pittsburgh’s 4-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday. He had one goal and three assists in that game and now has 31 career games with at least four points, which is the most by any player in the NHL since making his debut in 2005-06. . . Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg collected his 600^th NHL assist during Friday’s 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. He became the sixth player in franchise history to record at least 600 assists and moved within four of tying Pavel Datsyuk for fifth on the Red Wings’ all-time list. . . The Colorado Avalanche retired Milan Hejduk’s No. 23 on Saturday. . . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist posted his 424^th career win during Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes to pass Tony Esposito for sole possession of eighth place on the NHL’s all-time list.

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In this edition of Drill of the Week we focus on skating and shooting. This is another drill the Bruins include in their weekly skill work. You start on the side wall (can switch sides) and set up three tires in a triangle. The player starts with the puck, goes around the first tire and gets a shot on net. The player continues around the net and pivots around the second tire in the opposite faceoff circle and receives a pass before taking a quick shot on net. The player then circles around the third tire, picks up the puck with a defender on his back and takes a third shot.

 

 

 

 



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