| ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks each earned titles Sunday (Nov. 24) at the 10th annual USA Hockey Sled Classic, presented by the NHL.The four-day event that began last Thursday (Nov. 21) was hosted by the St. Louis Blues in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights, Missouri, at Centene Community Ice Center. The field included a record 31 teams associated with 19 NHL clubs. The Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings each earned their first division title in event history. The Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-2, to earn the O’Connor Courage Trophy, significant of capturing the Tier I championship, while the Red Wings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1, in the Tier IV championship. The Lightning secured the Tier III title after defeating the Anaheim Ducks, 2-0, while the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, in the Tier II championship. The Chicago Blackhawks, who had three teams represented in championship games, claimed the Tier V championship title by defeating the Penguins, 3-2, to close out the competition on Sunday. For full tournament results and statistics, click here.In addition to the record number of competing teams, the event included nearly 350 skaters representing 19 NHL clubs across five divisions. Of those 350 participants, 36 are current members of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team and U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team.In addition to the five championship-winning clubs, other NHL clubs represented at the event included the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights. Each team represented their associated NHL club by wearing official NHL jerseys with local club marks and logos.The Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings became the 16th and 17th different NHL club to win a division title in the event’s 10-year history while the Blackhawks’ Tier V crown brings their total division titles to five, which surpasses the Colorado Avalanche for the most among all NHL clubs at the event. Other NHL clubs to capture a division title in tournament play include the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals.NOTES: The Nashville Predators had four associated teams in this year’s USA Hockey Sled Classic, while the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning each had three teams … Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the tournament in Chicago where the Colorado Avalanche captured the Tier I Division, the Nashville Predators claimed the Tier II crown, the Philadelphia Flyers won the Tier III Division and the Tampa Bay Lightning captured the Tier IV and Tier V divisions … Previous NHL teams to host the event include the Colorado Avalanche (2010-11: Denver, Colo.); Philadelphia Flyers (2011-12: Voorhees, N.J.); Buffalo Sabres (2012-13: Williamsville, N.Y.); Pittsburgh Penguins (2013-14: Pittsburgh, Pa.); Washington Capitals (2014-15: Arlington, Va.); Florida Panthers (2015-16: Sunrise, Fla.); Nashville Predators (2016-17: Antioch, Tenn.); Minnesota Wild (2017-18: Minneapolis, Minn.); and the Chicago Blackhawks (2018-19: Chicago)… For more information on the sport of sled hockey, click here. |
