Morning Chirps: Sharks & Penguins re-sign valuable depth forwards

Welcome to August! The last month of the year with no NHL hockey games! Start the month and your weekend off with the latest news in today’s Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• You can’t have a lore week without talking about the infamous St. Patrick’s Day Massacre. On March 17, 1991, the heated rivalry between the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues took the hatred to a whole new level.

• On this date in 2020, the Blackhawks began their Qualifying Round postseason series against the Edmonton Oilers. This was the first game action we saw since March 11, 2020, when the National Hockey League suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After allowing an early power-play goal to Connor McDavid, the Blackhawks responded with four goals before the first intermission: two from Jonathan Toews, with tallies from Dylan Strome and Brandon Saad. Dominik Kubalik scored two goals in the second period to go along with his three first-period assists to finish his first career Stanley Cup Playoff game with five points. Edmonton scored two late goals, but could not pull any closer as the Blackhawks won 6-4.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Aug 1: Harold Jackson, Enio Sclisizzi, Dan Vincelette, and Danny Richmond.

NHL Chirps

• The San Jose Sharks signed Collin Graf to a three-year, $12.75 million contract. The undrafted free agent was signed by the Sharks in 2024 after his college career at Quinnipiac ended. He had a breakout season last year, with 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games.

• The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Tommy Noval to a three-year contract extension worth $13.95 million. His $4.64 million AAV won’t kick in until the 2027-28 season. The 29-year-old had 16 goals and 42 points in his first full season with the Penguins. He was acquired from the Nashville Predators with Luke Schenn in a 2025 trade deadline deal for Michael Bunting.

• Former NHL goaltender Louis Dominque has a contract with Italy’s HC Bolzano of the ICEHL. The 34-year-old netminder was originally a fifth-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2010. He went 61-60-10 with a .906 save percentage (SV%), 3.01 goals-against average (GAA), and two shutouts. He made 144 appearances over 10 NHL seasons with the Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Penguins, and New York Rangers. He’s best remembered for revealing that he ate spicy pork and broccoli between overtime periods when he came in to relieve an injured Casey DeSmith in a triple overtime playoff win over the Rangers.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Aug. 1: Gus Marker, Syl Apps, Dave Farrish, Wendell Young, Marc Denis, Anton Stralman, and Uvis Balinskis.

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