SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken selected Jordan Eberle as their captain Tuesday moments before their season opener, filling the last void at that spot among the NHL's 32 teams.
Every team in the league has a captain for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Utah Hockey Club recently announced Clayton Keller as their captain, and the Buffalo Sabres put the “C” on young leader Rasmus Dahlin before they opened their season in Prague. The other new captains this year are Anaheim's Radko Gudas, Chicago's Nick Foligno and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman, the successor to Steven Stamkos, who was not re-signed and left for Nashville in free agency.
Many teams in recent years have chosen to go without a captain and instead rely on a leadership group of three alternates wearing an “A” on their jerseys.
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Pregame lights and lasers flash before an NHL hockey game between the Seattle Kraken and the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Couples who look awkward on skates — and on dates — had a chance to celebrate their cute clumsiness in a Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest at Philadelphia’s RockyFest on Friday.
The evening event at the University of Pennsylvania’s 1923 Ice Rink was meant to echo the pair’s first date in “Rocky.” In the classic 1976 film, the eponymous boxer never actually dons ice skates in the scene, but instead shuffles alongside his best friend Paulie’s sister as she tries to stay upright.
The contest's winning prize was a dinner at South Philadelphia’s iconic Victor Café, where the servers also sing opera, along with a hotel stay and a $250 certificate for a Rocky-themed gift shop.
New York City firefighter Jason Carrion and his wife, Roxanne Carrion, took first place.
“I wanted to do something because we’re the biggest ‘Rocky’ fans, I think, ever. I mean, just look at us,” said Jason Carrion, dressed in a leather jacket and hat identical to Rocky's street wear in the movie.
Roxanne Carrion called the event her dream date. “I’m going ice skating, going to the ‘Rocky’ steps dressing up, and now we’re going to see ‘Rocky’ film at the movie theater. So this has been the perfect date for us,” she said.
She said the film has garnered such widespread appeal because of the “underdog” theme: "It’s an inspirational story that transcends any age or a person, doesn’t it?”
Philadelphia served as a backdrop to the popular “Rocky” franchise, something the city is celebrating nearly 50 years later with a five-day festival that grew out of the inaugural Rocky Day in 2023.
The events this week have included a mural unveiling, movie marathons, talks on the enduring appeal of the Sylvester Stallone character and a bus tour of favorite scenes.
Meanwhile, a second cast of the Rocky statue was unveiled at the top of the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art — the original was featured in “Rocky III” — and will remain there through Dec. 31.
“This statue represents everything that the Rocky films stand for: resilience, heart, and the unbreakable bond between Rocky and the people of Philadelphia,” Stallone said in a statement.
Contestants of the Rocky and Adrian look-alike stand on Penn Ice Rink during RockyFest in Philadelphia, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Jason and Roxanne Carrion, from New York, dress up as Rocky and Adrian for the look-alike contest during the RockyFest at Penn Ice Rink in Philadelphia, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Visitors gather around the Rocky Statue and the “Rocky Steps” during RockyFest 2024 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo Tassanee Vejpongsa)
FILE - Sylvester Stallone, left, poses with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in front of the Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum for a "Creed II" photo op, Friday, April 6, 2018, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Michael Perez)
Visitors gather around the Rocky Statue and the “Rocky Steps” during RockyFest 2024 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo Tassanee Vejpongsa)
