Boston Celtics minority owner and prospective NHL owner David Bonderman was in Seattle this week to meet with city council members about proposed renovations to the area's KeyArena, a long-speculated destination for pro hockey, of NBC affiliate KING-TV. Bonderman was spotted in the Seattle City Hall lobby late Monday morning, with Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, and OVG's Director of Special Projects Lance Lopes, talking with Seattle City councilmember Debora Juarez and was later seen leaving with Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell. Oak View Group is the company behind a proposed $564 million makeover of KeyArena, which is currently home to Seattle University's men's basketball team and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. And Bonderman is the man publicly working to take ownership of an NHL franchise -- something he , three years before also attempting to purchase the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Monday's meeting between the two sides shouldn't come as a surprise considering for Seattle' s KeyArena renovation plans -- additions that upped the board's representation of advocates for an NHL team in the city.
There was a packed slate of NHL action over the weekend, and that means there is plenty to discu s today. One of the biggest trades of the season is already working out for the , as scored in his first game with the blue shirts . Two different players had four-goal games on Saturday and managed to do something he had never accomplished in his prolific NHL career. Let's take a look at the biggest storylines and best highlights from the weekend that was in the NHL. Goal of the weekend: pays the price for glory Not every goal can be breezing past a defender and deking a goaltender out of his jockstrap. Some of them have to be greasy. Garnet Hathaway's tally against the is the best of both worlds. After a Bruins turnover, Hathaway had a free lane to the high slot, and he fired a bullet over the shoulder of . However, that goal didn't come without a little pain. Bruins defenseman came in with a slightly-more-than-late hit on Hathaway that knocked him to the ice. Garnet Hathaway scores, takes a huge hit, then does his celly from the ice B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) Completely undeterred by getting dropped like a sack of potatoes, Hathaway simply chose to celebrate on his back. That is goal of the weekend material right there. Robbery of the weekend: shuts down a 2-on-0 Luukonen had a tough game against the , but this was still one of the best saves of the season. On a power play, lost his footing, resulting in a shorthanded 2-on-0 for the Flames, which isn't something you see every day. dished a pa s over to , but Luukonen was anticipating that. He slid from post to post, and Dube's shot hit right in the webbing of Luukkonen's glove. Luukkonen ROBS the Flames on a shorthanded 2-on-0. Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) The shot was so hard that the puck popped out of Luukonen's glove, but he had the presence of mind to pounce on the rebound before any Flame could get near it. Luukkonen did allow seven goals in this game, but this save was on highlight reels all weekend. Tarasenko makes great first impre sion with Rangers On Friday night, Tarasenko made his debut against the at Madison Square Garden, and he put on a show. Before the puck even dropped, fans in New York were fired up to see Tarasenko in blue and red. MSG gets LOUD for Vladimir Tarasenkos first intro B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) Le s than three minutes into the game, found his new teammate streaking toward the net and threw a pa s into the low slot. Tarasenko chipped Panarin's pa s by and caused an eruption at MSG. FIRST SHOT AS A RANGER FIRST GOAL AS A RANGER New York Rangers (@NYRangers) After his first goal as a Ranger, the crowd in New York chanted Tarasenko's name as the team cruised to a 6-3 win. "TARASENKO" chants at MSG after he gets his first as a Ranger B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) Artemi Panarin scores a hat trick plus one Panarin may have a sisted on Tarasenko's first goal, but he was the one finding the back of the net most on Saturday's 6-2 win over the . The red-hot Panarin put on a clinic as he led the Rangers' late surge. With just over two minutes remaining in the second period, the Rangers trailed 2-1, but Panarin evened the score with a shot from the high circle that beat Freddie Andersen cleanly. Trocheck Panarin = B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) Le s than five minutes into the third period, Panarin gave the Rangers a lead. This time, he cashed in on a rebound with reflexes so quick that it initially appeared as though scored, but Panarin's stick got to the loose puck first. WHEN THE BREAD GETS HOT New York Rangers (@NYRangers) Late in the third period, the Hurricanes were pushing for a goal to tie the game, and all five skaters got caught deep in the New York zone. That gave Panarin a breakaway off a turnover, and he did not mi s his chance to provide some insurance. As Panarin celebrated, hats and bread came flying over the gla s in Raleigh. GIVE HIM THE HATS, BABY New York Rangers (@NYRangers) After an empty-net goal from , Panarin decided that he wasn't content with just the hat trick, so he slipped one more past Andersen for good measure. BREAD FOUR THE WIN. | New York Rangers (@NYRangers) While Panarin has been piling up a sists lately, he hadn't scored in the eight games leading up to his four-goal outburst. That's quite a way to break out of a scoring slump. As does ... Panarin wasn't the only player to score four goals in a single game on Saturday. Just hours after Panarin's explosion, Adrian Kempe went to work against the . Early in the second period, Kempe picked up a rebound, with some help from , and fired a shot off the cro sbar and in to give the a 3-0 lead. A JUICY ONE TO MAKE IT 3-0 LA Kings (@LAKings) Just a few minutes later, Kopitar found Kempe again, this time off the rush. Kempe took Kopitar's feed and placed it just underneath the arm of for his second goal of the night. WE'RE HAVING FUN LA Kings (@LAKings) Kempe completed the hat trick before the second period was even over, and you'll never believe who a sisted on the goal. This time, Kopitar got some help when his pa s kicked off the skate of a Penguins penalty killer and popped right to Kempe at the side of the net. THAT'S AN ADRIAN KEMPE HAT TRICK LA Kings (@LAKings) In the third period, the Kings had a 5-on-3 power play, and this time Kempe scored without any help from Koptar at all. teed up a one-timer for Kempe, and he blasted a shot past DeSmith to make it four goals in a row. THE JUICE JUST KEEPS FLOWING LA Kings (@LAKings) With that goal, Kempe became just the seventh players in the last 30 years to score four straight goals in a game. Oddly enough it was also the first time a Kings player scored four goals in a game since did it in 2018, and he had his number retired before Saturday's game. Sidney Crosby gets to sed against Kings On the other side of that 6-0 beatdown in Los Angeles, there was Sidney Crosby, who got to strike another first off his career to-do list. I'm not sure was something Crosby was aiming for before retirement, but he did it anyway. Midway through the third period, Kings defenseman cro s-checked Crosby in front of the net. Anderson was whistled for the penalty, but he and Crosby jawed at one another after the play. That earned both players a 10-minute misconduct. Anderson was fine to end the incident there, but Crosby was unable to cool down in the moment. The Penguins legend said something -- either to Anderson or an official -- that earned him a full game misconduct. Sidney Crosby was given a ten-minute and a game misconduct following an altercation with Mikey Anderson. Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) After the game, and took a not-so-thinly-veiled shot at the officiating. "Can I really say what I think anyway?" Crosby said. "Let's be honest here." At least Crosby didn't have to endure the last 10:14 of a blowout. That's a veteran move. Appointment viewing this week Bruins at Stars | Tuesday, Feb. 14: When the two top teams in each conference do battle, it's must see TV. Shockingly enough, the Bruins have lost four of their last five while the Stars are coming off a deflating lo s at the hands of the . These two teams will be hungry to get back into the win column. Lightning at | Tuesday, Feb. 14: We just saw these teams face off in what turned out to be a dominant 5-0 win by the Lightning. Still, I doubt we'll see another blowout like that in a rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Rangers at | Friday, Feb. 17: When the season started, these were two teams that were in the conversation to reach the Stanley Cup Final. With the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko, the Rangers look more dangerous than ever. The offensive firepower on the ice in this one is endle s. at Penguins| Saturday, Feb. 18: It's been an up-and-down year for the Penguins to say the least. They're clinging to the final Wild Card spot, mostly due to inconsistent play in net. The Devils have been victorious in the first two meetings, so a win here would go a long way. at Hurricanes, Saturday, Feb. 18: The two Metropolitan Division foes will do battle in the Stadium Series at NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium. Outdoors games are always a ton of fun and seeing two playoff teams go head-to-head will be entertaining theater.
