Deep Blue Sea: Ryane Clowe joins Rangers as operations advisor

By my estimation, Ryan Clowe will join the San Jose Sharks organization by 2026, because they are now the last of his former clubs to offer him a job post-retirement. The 39-year-old former NHL winger has joined the New York Rangers’ front office as a hockey operations adviser, per Bleacher Report’s Adam Herman.

The NYR website now has him listed as a “hockey operations adviser.”

— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) February 16, 2022

Clowe’s post-NHL career began with an assistant coach role with the New Jersey Devils in 2016, having played his final two seasons with the club from 2013 to 2015. He looked to be on the fast track to a head coaching career when two years later, he was scooped up to become the inaugural head coach of the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.

Unfortunately, Clowe’s playing career was ended after a concussion had ruled him unfit to play the 2015-16 season and likewise, his coaching career had to hit pause by January 2019, as he continued to suffer symptoms stemming from the brain injury. The Growlers’ success Clowe had fostered continued, and the team won both the North Conference and the ECHL’s Kelly Cup that year.

The Sharks drafted Clowe in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Draft. The majority of his playing career was spent within the Sharks organization, coming up through the AHL as an MVP, to playing on the first line with the big club alongside Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, to becoming the veteran third-liner who kept an infant Logan Couture from being flattened every shift.

Most importantly, he famously embarrassed Jarrett Stoll from the bench and the league thought it was a very funny and cool thing to do, because they didn’t even punish him for it. He also denied doing it, which makes him even cooler in my book.

Clowe was a massive piece of the Sharks’ identity in the 2000s, and he deserves his due in retirement. I can’t wait until the day he finds himself back with the Sharks (and perhaps even behind their bench), but until then, it’s great to see him reentering the hockey world.

News & Notes

• Meier Has a Blast in All-Star Debut [NHL.com]
• Sharks’ Hill shut down with injury, causing concern as busy stretch looms [The Mercury News]
• A Radical Idea for Jumpstarting Sharks Power Play [San Jose Hockey Now]
• NHL Power Rankings: Avalanche Still on Top [The Hockey News]
• The best of the NHL: Each franchise’s best team ever [Newsday]
• Canucks next game: Fishing for Sharks [The Province]/

Blood in the Water

• Flyers reportedly give Giroux’s agent permission to speak with teams [Broad Street Hockey]
• Wild are probably having a safe trade deadline [Hockey Wilderness]
• Bruce Boudreau names his top five wrestlers of all time [Pass It To Bulis]
• NHL Rumors: Flames, Canadiens, Rangers, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights [The Hockey Writers]
• B/R NHL Roundtable: Playoff Matchups We’re Desperate to See [Bleacher Report]
• Kent Hughes sends clear message to NHL that Canadiens are open for business if their prices are met [The Athletic]
• Lumsden-born NHL referee Peter MacDougall whistles while he works [Regina Leader Post]
• Without NHL players, Olympic men’s hockey just doesn’t matter | Opinion [USA Today]
• International Ice Hockey Federation, NHL officials hoping for early deal for 2026 Winter Olympics [ESPN]
• Stubborn IOC must move men’s hockey to Summer Olympics [Yahoo! Sports]
• On-ice attack during Duluth high school hockey game leads to sportsmanship work [Star Tribune]/

Scores & Recaps

• Minnesota Wild 3, Winnipeg Jets 6
• Florida Panthers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (OT)
• Anaheim Ducks 2, Calgary Flames 6
• Colorado Avalanche 2, Vegas Golden Knights 0/

Click on a team name to find a recap on their SB Nation site!

On the Schedule

• Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on NBCSP, NBCSWA, ESPN+
• Detroit Red Wings at New York Rangers, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on MSG, BSDET, ESPN+
• Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on TVAS, SNO, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+
• St. Louis Blues at Montreal Canadiens, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on TSN2, RDS, BSMW, ESPN+
• Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on MSG-B, TSN5, RDS2, ESPN+
• Boston Bruins at New York Islanders, 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET on MSG+, NESN, ESPN+
• Seattle Kraken at Winnipeg Jets, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on NHLN, TSN3, ROOT-NW
• Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks, 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSCH, BSOH, ESPN+
• Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on SN360, SNW, BSW, ESPN+
• Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks, 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSCA, SNP, ESPN+/