VANCOUVER, BC – All the Vancouver Canuckshave done for most of the last eight years is lose. Ian Cole is the opposite.
While there hasn’t been a National Hockey League playoff game in Vancouver since 2015, Cole has made it to the Stanley Cup tournament the last nine seasons. And with six different teams.
VANCOUVER, BC – When you’ve been a defender in the NHL for 14 years, you get a sense of who is a challenging attacker.
Your job, after all, is to stop the guys who are trying to score.
Ian Cole has a good sense of what made the Vancouver Canucks tick offensively, both from playing against the likes of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes, and from his teammates with top-end offensive talent.
Cole’s career resume is astounding when adding up the future hall of famers he’s counted as teammates, starting with this past season in Tampa Bay with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Or Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar before that in Colorado.
VANCOUVER, BC – Defenceman Ian Cole has agreed to terms on a one-year, $3 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks, the club announced on Saturday.
Cole, 34, from Ann Arbor, Mich., has 182 points in 748 NHL games with Tampa Bay, Carolina, Colorado, Minnesota, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
He will provide a veteran presence lost by the buyout of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who joined the Panthers on Saturday.
TAMPA BAY, FL – Two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Ian Cole, has signed a one year, $3 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 33-year-old defenseman had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 75 regular-season games and two points (one goal, one assist) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round (No. 18) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Cole has 165 points (29 goals, 136 assists) in 670 regular-season games for the Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Blues and 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 110 playoff games.
Cole won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
RALEIGH, NC – Ian Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-1 Wednesday night and take Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
The defenseman’s second career playoff goal capped a late comeback by the Hurricanes after they trailed most of the night. Sebastian Aho finally pushed one past Shesterkin in the final minutes of the third period to send the game into OT.
Every team has a player or players that, despite having a strong season, do not get the recognition they deserve. These are the less talked about players whose play has helped their team have success this season. Here are the top-10 underrated players of the 2021-22 season.
Craig Smith has been a welcome addition to the Boston Bruins’ lineup the last two seasons as he has helped provide solid bottom-six scoring for the team. He has 29 even-strength points this season in 62 games and has helped them outscore the opposition 41-34 when he has been on the ice. Most importantly, he has shown he can play up and down the lineup having success in 178 minutes playing on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
As for Smith’s analytics, they are amongst the best on the Bruins. He has a 55.40% Corsi at even strength along with a 57.77% shots for percentage and a 55.20% high danger chances for percentage. Lastly, he isn’t afraid to play physically, as he has 80 hits this season. The 32-year-old has been a force in 2021-22 and the Bruins’ third line of Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle and himself should cause havoc for the opposition once the postseason begins.
Ian Cole is having one of the best seasons of his career for the Hurricanes this year. The 33-year-old defenceman has 18 points this season and is less than 30 minutes of even-strength time on ice from passing 1,000 minutes for the season. He is a versatile defenceman who has shown he can play not just with a rotating cast of partners, but also on both sides of the ice as the left-shot defenceman has played over 200 minutes on the right side.
This season, Cole has a 56.74% Corsi while the Hurricanes have outscored opponents 43 to 33 at even strength. Lastly, he has thrown 93 hits while blocking 86 shots. Carolina has a very deep team, and the two-time Stanley Cup winner is a big reason why their defensive group is one of the best in the entire NHL.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare centers one of, if not the best fourth line in the NHL, playing alongside Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon. His work shorthanded has Tampa as a top-10 penalty-killing team in the league, and at even strength, the Lightning have only allowed 17 total goals in the 770 minutes of ice time he has played this season. He has become a premier shut-down center in the league and is one of its best defensive forwards this season.
While Bellemare is known for his defensive play, the Lightning have done well in the offensive zone with him on the ice as well. Tampa has scored 35 goals at even strength, with him collecting 16 even strength points on the season. Lastly, he has been one of their best faceoff men all season, recording a 51.4% win percentage. If the Lightning have eyes on capturing a third straight Stanley Cup, he will play a key role in the process.
RALEIGH, NC – When it comes to acts of kindness, Ian Cole always manages to go top shelf.
The 33-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion from Ann Arbor, Michigan, knows how to make a hockey fan’s day.
Whether it’s putting a smile on the face of a young girl who was sad about losing a tooth, to signing a jersey for one of his biggest fans, to offering a fist bump during warm-ups, the Carolina Hurricanes defenceman, now in his 12th NHL season, has a knack for leaving a lasting impression.
When five-year-old Lorelai Moose was crestfallen after losing her first tooth, Cole, who has lost a few teeth of his own over his NHL career, stepped up to offer his support for the young girl diagnosed with autism.
RALEIGH, NC – Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Ian Cole on a one-year, $2.9 million contract.
“Ian is a big, physical defenseman,” said Waddell. “We’re thrilled to add a veteran with his experience to our team.”
Cole, 32, skated in two games with Colorado last season before being traded to Minnesota. He then recorded eight points (1g, 7a) in 52 games during the regular season and played seven playoff games with the Wild. The 6’1″, 225-pound defenseman has registered 146 points (27g, 119a) in 595 career NHL games with St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Colorado and Minnesota since making his NHL debut with the Blues on Nov. 6, 2010.
DULUTH, MN – This weekend, the United States Navy Blue Angels will be performing at the Duluth Airshow. But Wednesday, they welcomed a special guest and a big fan.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Ian Cole was in town to fly with the Blue Angels. The Ann Arbor, MI native comes from a military background with both of his grandfathers having served. He is also a big fan of the Duluth area, too.
“If I was left to my own devices, I’d probably be scared of heights. But you’re with some of the best pilots in the world, the best pilots in the world. I’m not nervous. I’m not scared of heights. I’m going to put my trust in his hands and let him do his job,” Cole said.
Cole is an ambassador for the United Heroes League, which keeps children from military families active in sports through camps and special experiences and is using this experience to spread the word on the organization.
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