SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 4/22/2020 Oilers 1173829 A look at the Ducks’ first-round draft picks through the 1173856 Gretzky vs. Ovechkin should be fun on Xbox One years 1173857 One-on-one with : On the time he visited during the Cold War 1173858 Lowetide: ’s Oilers future uncertain as ‘sexy’ 1173830 Arizona Coyotes Nick Schmaltz 'just trying to get options emerge through' NHL quarantine period 1173831 Who stays, who goes? A speculative projection of the Coyotes’ 2020-21 roster 1173859 Hockey star earns her biggest assist during COVID-19 pandemic Bruins 1173860 L.A. teams join forces to raise funds to help those affected 1173832 2010-11 Bruins get together (virtually) to watch Stanley by coronavirus Cup clincher 1173861 LOCAL TEAMS ALIGN TO CREATE “TEAMS FOR LA” 1173833 Charlie McAvoy recalls his Bruins debut TO BENEFIT THE MAYOR’S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES 1173834 Replica of statue is being raffled to benefit pandemic workers Wild 1173835 Charlie McAvoy discussed all things Bruins during video 1173862 Retold hockey stories still among the best town hall meeting 1173863 ‘This really is ours’: The Wild’s thrilling 2014 Game 7 OT 1173836 : Age won’t necessarily hinder Bruins if NHL win, in their words resumes 1173837 This Day in Bruins History: Boston beats up on rival Canadiens 1173864 Canadiens sign Vasili Demchenko to one-year 1173838 My Favorite Player: on Bobby Orr entry-level contract 1173839 What if the Bruins hadn’t traded for Charlie Coyle? 1173865 Canadiens' Nick Suzuki hopes to build on, and continue, rookie 1173866 Canadiens add KHL's Vasili Demchenko to backup goalie 1173840 Sabres draftee Cozens is Player of Year in WHL's Eastern fray Conference 1173867 The Athletic Montreal drafted 4 teams of Canadiens 1173841 It will be weird to watch replay of Sabres' last playoff win greats; now you pick a winner Flames 1173842 Hitmen hold bevy of picks for 'deep' WHL Bantam Draft 1173868 David Poile, Predators will keep close watch on NFL Draft 1173843 Coaching audit: Should the Flames make Geoff Ward their in case NHL's is also held virtually full-time bench boss? Devils 1173869 LeBrun: Devils speak with as team begins 1173844 Canes awards: MVP, best interview, most likely to be coaching interviews named Brock McGinn 1173870 State of the Devils: A potential solution in net, and a looming question Blackhawks 1173845 NHL reportedly considering holding 2020 draft before season resumes 1173871 In 1980, Islanders showed Bruins they had plenty of punch 1173846 NHL 20 sim: Blackhawks eliminated from playoffs in Game 7 loss to Blues 1173847 Does Steve Larmer think the Blackhawks should retire his 1173872 Rangers notebook: Rewatching classic games gives the ? current rebuild context 1173848 What tracking data can tell us about Blackhawks prospects Senators 1173873 Not all is lost if the don't get a chance to finish the season 1173849 Jarmo Kekalainen is Blue Jackets’ biggest supporter for playoff spot Flyers 1173850 ‘I’ve made my decision’: Mikhail Grigorenko still in but 1173874 Flyers center Kevin Hayes teams with South Philly’s other questions persist Angelo’s Pizzeria to send lunch to COVID-19 hospital worke 1173875 This man deserves to be in the Flyers’ Hall of Fame; Alain 1173851 Ben Bishop wants chance at Stars playoff run Vigneault staying ready for restart | On the Fly with or without fans present 1173876 gives high praise to Flyers, says Penguins 1173852 The case for a Stars ‘Ring of Honor’ and possible are preparing for 'dogfight' in members of its inaugural class 1173877 Kevin Hayes teams up with Angelo's Pizzeria to support 1173853 A viewer’s guide for the first three rounds of the 1999 Philly's workers on front amid coronavirus outbrea Stanley Cup playoffs 1173878 The 10 worst Flyers trades of the 2010s Red Wings 1173854 Report: Ex-Red Wing Gerard Gallant interviews for Devils' coaching position 1173855 Luke Glendening: Red Wings 'want to finish,' but plenty of uncertainty remains with NHL season Penguins Websites Continued 1173879 Penguins defenseman John Marino tan, rested, ready for 1173914 The Athletic / ‘Wayne’s World experiment’: Jay Onrait and NHL to return Dan O’Toole adapt to working at home 1173880 Penguins’ offers condolences to victims of 1173915 .ca / Keeping NHL Draft in June raises lots of Nova Scotia shooting questions 1173881 How politics surrounding coronavirus may slow NHL’s 1173916 Sportsnet.ca / Why the Oilers-Flyers '87 Cup Final ranks return, 2016 flashbacks among the best in NHL history 1173882 Penguins defenseman John Marino reflects on a 1173917 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs' Spezza fights to flatten aging curve memorable rookie season as NHL's pause drags on 1173883 A Pirate, a Penguin and a Fortnite-fueled pursuit of $1 1173918 Sportsnet.ca / By the numbers: Looking back at 1993 million Leafs-Red Wings playoff series 1173884 Penguins on pause: Brian Dumoulin's absence 1173919 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Nick Suzuki: 'I definitely have underscores his value high expectations for myself' 1173885 Ron Cook: is a fascination that never ends 1173920 Sportsnet.ca / Sneak peek into a 2020 NHL Awards ballot 1173886 Yohe: These 10 Penguins might be finished playing in in progress Pittsburgh 1173921 TSN.CA / NHL exploring moving Draft up to June – before season is completed 1173922 TSN.CA / hopes to play on with 1173887 How Sharks' Tomas Hertl is progressing, finds motivation Maple Leafs in knee rehab 1173923 TSN.CA / James Reimer advocates for exhibition games if 1173888 Survey says: Sharks fans have mild optimism about NHL season resumes future, want change at goalie 1173924 USA TODAY / Six former pro athletes-turned-medical professionals who are on frontlines of COVID-19 fight St Louis Blues 1173889 Blues were the right team at the right time for Scandella Jets 1173905 Copp hoping to stay sharp by staying active, watching film 1173906 Jets Copp fit, tanned and ready to roll if the NHL returns 1173890 Jason Spezza believes rocky season will benefit young 1173907 The day I got a glimpse of the real Maple Leafs 1173891 Optimistic Jason Spezza sees the benefits for the Maple World Leagues News Leafs in their time off, and in a return 1173925 Roberto Martinez: Catastrophic if coronavirus means 1173892 It’s great to have the chance to revisit history, but why are season is not completed all the games in slow motion? 1173926 Conferences Petition N.C.A.A., Seeking to Cut Sports 1173893 Passion, optimism drive Leafs' Spezza during pause 1173927 Coronavirus: IOC ruffles feathers brought on by COVID-19 1173928 Boise State furloughing coaches due to coronavirus 1173894 Music and the Maple Leafs: The stories behind the songs pandemic about Toronto’s NHL team 1173929 Coronavirus crisis exposes black hole in Cricket Australia's finances Canucks 1173930 Berlin Marathon the first major fall marathon to be altered 1173908 Ben Kuzma: For Canucks’ UFAs, fit over finances may due to coronavirus ease COVID-19 reality 1173931 Esports close to coronavirus proof 1173909 Ed Willes: Some Swedish NHLers skating in Sweden, as 1173932 Lukaku: '23 out of 25 Inter players' had Covid-19 Nordic country questions virus measures symptoms in January 1173933 California Gov. Newsom’s coronavirus plan has grim implications for sports in 2020 1173895 Gerard Gallant reportedly interviews with New Jersey 1173934 NBA fans can proudly wear their team’s face coverings Devils during the coronavirus 1173896 Henderson OKs $60 million in bonds for hockey arena 1173935 Barcelona: Sponsor to name Nou Camp for coronavirus 1173897 Golden Knights’ Defining Moments: Two straight first- funds place showdowns in 1173936 Cricket Australia could lose 'hundreds of millions of dollars' 1173898 Jon Taffer: ‘Sports Teams Need To Play, We Have To Get in coronavirus crisis Back To Work’ 1173937 Coronavirus shutdown has exposed 'inequities' of tennis: King SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1173899 Wayne Gretzky’s advice to Alex Ovechkin with the NHL season on hold: Go inline skating 1173900 The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase: How to watch Alex Ovechkin play Wayne Gretzky in NHL 20 1173901 Wayne Gretzky is rooting 'as hard as anybody' for Alex Ovechkin to break his record 1173902 What is the Caps' best all-time Russian lineup? 1173903 Wayne Gretzky knew Alex Ovechkin would win a Cup after first time meeting 1173904 A salute to the best and most memorable moments of the Capitals’ season Websites 1173910 The Athletic / By the numbers: Finding the NHL’s most unique players 1173911 The Athletic / NHL players didn’t get paid last week. Why it matters – and what comes next 1173912 The Athletic / Author Fredrik Backman: ‘Beartown’ about the very best and very worst in sports 1173913 The Athletic / Battle over pro women’s hockey escalates as NWHL eyes expansion, signs players 1173829 Anaheim Ducks Taken ninth overall, “Rusty” was a no-nonsense tough defenseman for nine seasons who did much of the dirty work on the blue line. Salei, who had the record for most games played by an Anaheim defenseman until A look at the Ducks’ first-round draft picks through the years Cam Fowler broke it, was also quite the character off the ice. One of his biggest moments came when he scored in to win Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Sadly, he was on the team that perished in a 2011 plane crash. Salei wasn’t the only sage pick for them. By Eric Stephens Their next choice was second-rounder Matt Cullen, who played his first five-plus seasons in Anaheim before going on to play until age 42, dress in more than 1,500 contests and win three Stanley Cup titles (one with The NHL Draft has never been more important. The draft also remains Carolina, two with Pittsburgh). an inexact science. 1997 — Michael Holmqvist, C, Djurgardens-SWE For every franchise player or superstar who is procured, there are many, many more who never make a real impact. Or ever play in the league at The 18th pick, Holmqvist didn’t come to North America until 2003 and all. But when it runs on a system that has a hard salary cap, the pressure played only three seasons in the NHL before returning to Sweden. He intensifies to have young talent who can be important players on much lasted just 21 games with the Ducks, who would use him in a with more affordable contracts to balance against the higher-salaried veterans Chicago that brought to Anaheim. Moen, of course, would who are on their second or third deals. form one-third of the famed shutdown line with Samuel Pahlsson and Niedermayer that starred in the 2007 Stanley Cup run. Holmqvist would And that makes teams value their first-round picks as if they are bars of play eight more seasons with Frolunda, Linkopings and Djurgardens gold. You don’t give them up easily. Especially when you are in a before hanging up his skates in 2015. That draft’s best — , rebuilding process. Patrick Marleau, , Marian Hossa — were gone by the time Anaheim chose. Scott Hannan and could have When NHL business does resume and a draft is conducted, it could be been had, though. one of the most important in Ducks history. They’ll be in the lottery, and while no draft order has been determined, it is possible that they could 1998 — Vitaly Vishnevski, D, Torpedo Yaroslavl-RUS wind up with a top-five selection. A rare stroke of draft luck could get them to No. 1 overall. They’ve had six top-five picks, but none since How much has the draft changed? Well, how often do you see physical 2005. And this draft really matters for a club that’s missed the playoffs for stay-at-home defenders get selected among the first few picks? There two straight seasons and is in need of future front-line players or even was a time when brawn was highly valued and Vishnevski, whom the those who can lead a franchise. Ducks took fifth after Vincent Lecavalier, David Legwand, Brad Stuart and Bryan Allen, was an example of that. A hard-hitting blueliner, As the league remains on pause, I thought it would be interesting to dig Vishnevski made the NHL two years later and played his first six seasons through the history books and look at how Anaheim has fared with its with Anaheim before making stops in Atlanta, Nashville and New Jersey. first-round selections through the years. The results have only proved He would play for eight more seasons in his native . how much of an inexact science it remains. How have the Ducks done? What could they have done? Feel free to discuss and reminisce in the 1999 — No selection comments below. The Ducks vacated their pick when they sent it to Phoenix along with Enjoy. to reacquire Tverdovsky. In hindsight, it was a wise move. Not only did they get three more seasons from Tverdovsky, but also they 1993 — , LW, -NCAA weren’t hurt at all by losing the first-rounder. The Coyotes took center , who bounced around in the minor leagues and never The franchise’s very first draft pick remains the gold standard when it suited up in the NHL. Their first two picks, and Niclas comes to hitting on someone who could lead it out of its expansion Havelid, did combine to play 1,323 games. Leopold was dealt to Calgary beginnings. Kariya became its face, and the Ducks got a longtime before he won the Hobey Baker Award at Minnesota. Havelid played five and their first star. Make that superstar as the Hobey Baker seasons for the Ducks, and 2002-03 was a big year as he had career Award winner as a freshman would go on to become one of the NHL’s highs of 11 goals and 33 points while also playing in all 21 playoff games. top players. Ultimately, he was voted into the . His distinguished career lasted 15 years, the first nine coming in Anaheim 2000 — Alexei Smirnov, LW, THK Tver-RUS where he scored 669 points in 606 games. Looking back, it’s clear either Kariya or should have gone first overall instead of This one was a big miss. Smirnov, the 12th selection, played in only 52 Alexandre Daigle and . Coincidentally, the player who went games for Anaheim as he split time between the NHL and American after Kariya went fourth to Anaheim was Rob Niedermayer. Hockey League. He would give North America another try in 2006-07 when he played for the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the ECHL before 1994 — , D, Krylya Sovetov-RUS heading back to his homeland. The Ducks could have had Ron Hainsey, who went 13th. Other notables in that first round were , Brad Tverdovsky would be part of Stanley Cup-winning clubs in New Jersey Boyes, Steve Ott, and . Anaheim’s next (2003) and Carolina (2006). But you can argue that his prime years came pick was also a Russian who had a far greater impact. Ilya Bryzgalov in Anaheim. As the second pick after Florida took , the was a fine backup to Giguere, who won some critical playoff games in smooth Ukrainian defender was the classic case of a team having to give 2006 and 2007 before becoming a runner-up with up something good to get something good as he was part of the deal that Phoenix in 2010. brought Teemu Selanne to Orange County. The Ducks reacquired him in 1999 and he had two of his biggest offensive seasons with the club. But 2001 — Stanislav Chistov, LW, Avangard -RUS his two stints that totaled five years never ended in any postseason action. Chistov may go down as the big tease in Ducks draft history. As a 19- year-old, the fifth overall pick made the club out of the 2002 training 1995 — , LW, Kingston-OHL camp and would play in 79 games. He was a promising who could beat defenders with his speed and had some hands. And he appeared in Kilger is probably most notable for being the other piece in the package all 21 of Anaheim’s playoff games in 2003. But he couldn’t follow up on for Selanne. The fourth overall pick made the club out of training camp in the initial success and fell out of favor when the Ducks had their coaching his draft year and had five goals and seven assists in 45 games. He and management change after the lockout. Chistov lasted only 196 never did become a big scorer as he played in 714 games for seven games before going back to Russia. The very next pick, , teams, with his most productive season for one club coming in 2005-06 became a two-way center and captain with Minnesota who played in when he had 17 goals and 28 points for Toronto. The Ducks could have more than 1,000 games. gone for , who scored 270 goals in 1,090 games, or Shane Doan, who became an institution in Phoenix. Several teams 2002 — , RW, Medicine Hat-WHL missed on Jarome Iginla, who went 11th and should get the Hall of Fame call this year. Two other first-rounders in that draft: Jean-Sebastien The seventh choice, Lupul showed promise as a rookie in Anaheim and Giguere and . was the top scorer for its AHL club during the 2004-05 lockout before bursting onto the scene in 2005-06. Lupul still holds the Ducks record for 1996 — , D, Las Vegas-IHL goals in a playoff game with his four against in Game 3 of an eventual four-game sweep. He was fast becoming a fan favorite when 2009 — Peter Holland, C, Guelph-OHL; Kyle Palmieri, RW, U.S. Under- GM Brian Burke orchestrated a trade with Edmonton after watching the 18-NTDP Oilers’ Chris Pronger deny his Ducks a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. Lupul would return for a second stint, but injuries plagued him Armed with an extra first-rounder after trading Pronger to Philadelphia, during an abbreviated 1 1/2-year run. the Ducks did markedly better with the second of the two picks. Holland looked the part but never panned out in Anaheim before finding his 2003 — Ryan Getzlaf, C, Calgary-WHL; , RW, -OHL footing some with Toronto. After a couple of AHL seasons, the former 15th overall pick and Toronto native had a productive 2019-20 season in The Ducks could have gone in several directions as the first round — if the KHL. Taken 26th, Palmieri would turn out to be a fine choice as a not the draft itself — was loaded. How loaded? Twelve skaters in the first promising goal scorer who had the misfortune of coming up during round have played in more than 1,000 NHL games and the No. 1 overall Perry’s heyday and Selanne’s swan song. He has found greater pick was a goalie who has 466 wins. We won’t throw in a Hugh Jessiman individual success in New Jersey with five straight seasons of 24 goals or joke here, and there were others who didn’t become notable players. But more. GM Bryan Murray and the scouting staff set the franchise up for its greatest success over the long haul by snagging Getzlaf with the 19th 2010 — Cam Fowler, D, Windsor-OHL; Emerson Etem, RW, Medicine pick and coming back with Perry at No. 28. They’d also draft Drew Miller Hat-WHL and The Athletic podcast host Shane O’Brien, who each played in more than 500 games. The Ducks batted .500 when it came to their two selections at this draft in Los Angeles. They could barely contain their glee when Fowler fell into 2004 — Ladislav Smid, D, Liberec-CZE their laps at 12. Looking back, there is no way he should have lasted beyond the top 10, and an argument can be had on whether he should There were home runs (Alex Ovechkin, ), other hits have been in the top five as had been predicted. Fowler has given (Andrew Ladd, , Travis Zajac, Mike Green) and significant Anaheim great value for the pick as he may eventually hold every club misses (Alexandre Picard, A.J. Thelen, Lukas Kaspar). Smid was a solid statistical record for a defenseman. Etem was the kid who had the local single whom the Ducks turned into a home run. He would never dress for SoCal ties along with the talent and personality to be marketable. He had Anaheim but did suit up in 583 games with Edmonton and Calgary before moments here and there — particularly in the postseason — but a knee heading back to the Czech Republic. His name goes down in Ducks lore injury caused by in a 2013 preseason game played a big role as one of the parts who pulled Pronger out of Alberta and brought him to in derailing his hockey career. Anaheim. The rest was history. 2011 — Rickard Rakell, F, Plymouth-OHL 2005 — Bobby Ryan, LW, Owen Sound-OHL There were a couple of elements in this draft for Anaheim that altered the Because the 2003-04 season was canceled due to the bitter lockout dynamic. The Ducks originally had the No. 22 pick, and Plymouth between the owners and the players, the draft lottery was altered to a Whalers center/winger Stefan Noesen was a target. Ottawa grabbed weighted system based on playoff appearances in the previous three Noesen with the 21st choice. Anaheim shifted gears and dealt the No. 22 completed seasons and first overall picks in the prior four drafts. Teams pick to Toronto for the No. 30 choice along with the No. 39 in the second that had one playoff appearance or first overall pick in those years were round. The Leafs moved up and took forward Tyler Biggs. The Ducks given two lottery balls, which Anaheim fell into. Just one team, selected Noesen’s Plymouth teammate at the end of the round and then Pittsburgh, had three balls and all other teams received one. This was took John Gibson with the extra pick. It was a game-changing draft for the Sidney Crosby draft, and the Penguins, who were one of the four them. Rakell and Gibson are mainstays. Josh Manson was grabbed in teams with three, won the lottery. The Ducks took the second-ranked the sixth round. If only they knew William Karlsson (No. 53 pick) would North American skater, and Ryan gave them four 30-goal seasons. blow up into a 43-goal scorer.

2006 — , D, Michigan-NCAA 2012 — Hampus Lindholm, D, Rogle-SWE

There were other misses, but this was one of the biggest in a first round This was the draft of the defenseman. Edmonton didn’t take one with the in which 15 skaters have dressed in 400 or more games and two goalies No. 1 pick, but eight of the next nine selections were blueliners. At the (Jonathan Bernier and ) are still stopping pucks these time, I thought the Ducks would go with either or Matt days. The Ducks were fine in net, but this is when restocking a club that Dumba as I thought would be gone by the time the sixth was in the middle of Cup contention could have turned them into a pick came around. Which was indeed the case. But I was admittedly not potential dynasty. A stay-at-home rearguard, Mitera — who tore his ACL as thorough with my draft homework then and should have looked at this while in college — was one of a few defenders at the bottom half of the fast-rising Swede, whom the Ducks went with ahead of Dumba or opening round who didn’t make it in the NHL. Meanwhile, longtime Trouba. Ultimately, they wouldn’t have gone wrong with any of the three. forwards , or Patrik Berglund could have been The other two have put up more points per game, but Lindholm has had. become Anaheim’s best pure defender.

2007 — Logan MacMillan, C, Halifax-QMJHL 2013 — , D, Seattle-WHL

Looking back, it seemed like a decent way to go. With the 19th pick, why This was another example of the Ducks’ success with finding everyday not tab the son of an NHL forward who could put a few pucks in the net? NHL performers at the bottom half of the round. Theodore was the 26th (His father, Bob, had 255 goals in 906 combined NHL-WHA games). choice overall, going after players such as Kerby Rychel, Emile Poirier, Looking back, you can see some red flags. For one, MacMillan never Hunter Shinkaruk and Michael McCarron. Yes, this 46- performer in averaged a point per game in the offense-happy QMJHL. And things 2019-20 would look very good on Anaheim’s blue line right now. But his went sideways from there, with a concussion and knee injury interrupting development curve took a little longer, and a team called the Vegas his final two junior seasons. There was a DUI in 2010 while playing for Golden Knights was admitted to the league. The rest of the story has Bakersfield in the ECHL. But while he never lived up to his first-round been painfully told. billing, the 30-year-old MacMillan did manage to continue his pro career in Austria and England until 2019. Two other forwards Anaheim could 2014 — Nick Ritchie, LW, Peterborough-OHL have gone after were and David Perron. The 10th pick in a solid first round, Ritchie compiled 44 goals and 67 2008 — , D, Minnetonka (Minn.)-HS assists in 294 games over five seasons before being dealt to Boston in February. He never did become a consistent scorer, but he’ll always Aside from Ryan, Gardiner was among the best picks of the Brian Burke have the Game 7 winner against Edmonton in the 2017 playoffs. It is draft era that didn’t produce many longtime NHLers. Now with Carolina, easy to see David Pastrnak going 25th to the Bruins and wince as he has the Minnesota native has played in 619 games as a terrific skating puck become a top-shelf sniper, but several others passed on him. What is mover on the back end. All but 68 of those games came with Toronto as more ironic is that was a great draft for the Ducks. Marcus Pettersson the Ducks dealt him to the Maple Leafs to reacquire Cup winner Francois went early in the second round. Brandon Montour was plucked 17 picks Beauchemin for what would be five playoffs in six years. What stung later. Ondrej Kase was a steal in the seventh round. All became regulars more was second-rounder ditching them and signing as a for Anaheim. All have also been traded away. free agent with Edmonton after completing his junior season at Wisconsin. 2015 — Jacob Larsson, D, Frolunda-SWE So far, the Ducks have stuck with the 27th selection as he works toward becoming a reliable fixture on their blue line. Recall that they picked this late after making a run to Game 7 of the Western Conference final. Among those whom they could have grabbed was Sebastian Aho, an early second-round selection who has become a franchise player for Carolina. But a number of other players taken around Larsson have also made a modest impact in the NHL or may never make that.

2016 — Max Jones, LW, London-OHL; Sam Steel, C, Regina-WHL

The Ducks had two first-rounders in this draft thanks to the trade of goalie Frederik Andersen to Toronto that gave John Gibson the net. It would be the final pick of the round and it could be a good choice if Steel develops into a two-way center who can settle into their middle-six grouping at forward. Steel and Jones gained a lot more experience this past season. Jones’ development helped make Ritchie expendable. Brett Howden of the New York Rangers could be a decent depth player for some time, and remains a prospect for Boston. Otherwise, the picks between Jones and Steel have either not done much or are still longer-term projects.

2017 — No selection

This pick was vacated once Patrick Eaves and the Ducks reached the 2017 Western Conference final as the conditional second-rounder sent to Dallas turned into a first-round pick. The Ducks don’t pass out first- rounders as if they’re handing out napkins so the resulting injury and illness Eaves has dealt with hurts a little bit, but it’s the price you pay when you’re pushing for a Stanley Cup title. Besides, they could do well if left wing Max Comtois, who was the 50th choice overall, morphs into the power forward who can score they have searched for. Comtois had nine goals and 24 points in 31 AHL games last season.

2018 — Isac Lundestrom, C, Lulea-SWE

Given that many of the selections around Lundestrom, who went 23rd, have yet to make their NHL debuts and are still considered quality prospects, it’s still too early to say whether the Swede was the right pick for the Ducks or if they missed out on a better talent. The 20-year-old has actually played in more games (30) than any other choice from 15-31. We’ll have to check back in a couple of years. But the fact Lundestrom didn’t show a ton of offense in his first full AHL season does give you some feeling that he’s one of those prospects who has a higher floor but not the highest of ceilings.

2019 — Trevor Zegras, C, U.S. Under-18-NTDP; Brayden Tracey, LW, Moose Jaw-WHL

It certainly helps that Zegras and Tracey are both signed to entry-level deals so they’ll be a part of the organization going forward. Zegras is obviously the bigger prospect as the ninth pick and some evaluators consider him a top-five talent because of his pure playmaking ability. An argument can be made that he could have used one more college season, but the 19-year-old is confident and his development will be worth watching. Tracey was the 29th choice whose second WHL season wasn’t as prolific as his first. But he is a goal scorer and another example of the direction the Ducks have turned toward in recent drafts.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173830 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz 'just trying to get through' NHL quarantine period

Richard Morin, Arizona Republic Published 1:43 p.m. MT April 21, 2020

Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz is still in Arizona as he waits out the NHL's season pause, Schmaltz told reporters in a Zoom call on Tuesday.

Schmaltz, who is from Chicago, said he has been trying to stay in as best shape as possible, passing the time until a decision is made by the NHL on whether to resume the 2019-20 season, which had about 15% of regular-season games remaining.

"Just trying to get through the day," Schmaltz said. "Whether it's getting some fresh air on a walk, just trying not to be laying down all day and not playing video games. It's been a lot of calling family, checking up on other guys to see how they're passing the time. Just trying to find as many things as I can to get my mind off of what's going on."

The Coyotes still had eight home games left on their schedule and were four points out of the second wild-card spot when the NHL suspended its season on March 12.

"Obviously as a group we thought we could put together a stretch of games and get into the playoffs," Schmaltz said. "But you never know until you play them. We still had a lot of home games and we were starting to play pretty well at home. A lot of big games, divisional games, so you really never know. But we felt good as a group.

"... I think we had a really fun group and everyone got along really well and I think that's the biggest thing. If you get along together off the ice, that brings you together on the ice."

Schmaltz said the team all had a common goal of making the playoffs this season, a feat the Coyotes have not accomplished since 2012. The Coyotes occupied first place in the Pacific Division standings as late in the season as Jan. 15, but fell off in the following two months.

There has been much discussion about what an NHL return could look like, but no firm plan has been put in place by the league. Still, as the NHL's quarantine period continues — it currently runs through April 30 but probably will be extended even further — the likelihood of 2019-20 regular-season games (and NHL games in general) being played becomes less likely.

There is also the matter of conditioning players back into game shape, which should prove to be especially challenging for players since they don't have access to any practice or playing surfaces.

Many players, including several Coyotes, have already gone longer without skating during this quarantine than they have since adolescence.

"It's definitely a struggle," Schmaltz said. "It's a whole lot different than when you're just conditioning off the ice. It's not fun but we're doing everything we can, even without gyms being open. ... It's tough, at least for me personally. I like doing my conditioning on the ice and that's when you feel where you're at and how you get your stamina up."

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173831 Arizona Coyotes in his left knee) and is ready to go if the season resumes. It has been a challenging couple of months for Garland, as we detailed here.

Forward Lawson Crouse Who stays, who goes? A speculative projection of the Coyotes’ 2020-21 roster Why he’ll stay: Among the few power-forward options coach has at his disposal, Crouse is the one who has earned the most trust from his coach with strong two-way play, a willingness to go to the By Craig Morgan Apr 21, 2020 net, an ability to make plays and some steadily improving production (15 goals this season). Crouse, Garland and Chychrun are the skaters who have shown the most growth under Tocchet. Oh yeah, Crouse is signed for two more seasons at an extremely team-friendly AAV of $1.533 Let’s state this up front. Projecting the Coyotes’ 2020-21 roster is an million. exercise in speculation. You cannot reasonably project next season’s roster with so many variables still in play. Forward Barrett Hayton

Here are some of those variables: Why he’ll stay: Because he is the future of the franchise at the center position. The Coyotes still hope and believe that Hayton can become the What will the 2020-21 salary cap look like in the wake of the COVID-19 No. 1 center they have been lacking for two decades. Assistant GM pandemic? Steve Sullivan said it is clear that Hayton needs to play center now, and How will owner Alex Meruelo’s substantial losses across all of his that he needs to do it as an NHL regular. businesses impact the Coyotes’ internal budget? Forward Christian Dvorak Will the Coyotes face sanctions (fines, loss of draft picks) from an Why he’ll stay: Dvorak has already established himself as a top-nine ongoing league investigation into whether they fitness tested draft-eligible center option with good defensive-zone skills and ever-improving prospects before the 2019 scouting combine? offensive production (18 goals, 38 points). He went without a point in the What will impending and expensive free agent do? Coyotes’ final seven games before the pause so, like the other members of the Coyotes’ core, he must show more consistency. Dvorak is signed Will the league, teams and players’ association agree to allow buyouts for the next five seasons ($4.45 million AAV). (NHL sources suggest that they will not)? Forward Nick Schmaltz None of those questions has a definitive answer yet, so take everything that follows with a grain of salt. And remember that there is always Why he’ll stay: Despite some stretches of inconsistency, Schmaltz led nuance in these listicle-type pieces, but here is our best guess at the the team in points (45) when the season paused, and he had three goals guys who will be staying and the guys who could be going from the 23- in his last three games. When right, Schmaltz gives the Coyotes speed man roster. through the middle of the ice, and that cuts both ways because he is effective in back pressure. Can he shore up some of his defensive Almost untouchable deficiencies down low, and in sustained defensive-zone coverage, while still maintaining a high production level? Schmaltz is signed for the next Note: Nobody on this roster is untouchable. If the Coyotes could obtain six seasons ($5.85 million AAV). an elite No. 1 center or an elite, young goal scorer, they would likely entertain offers for anyone, but these eight guys probably aren’t going Likely returning anywhere unless those unlikely opportunities present themselves. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Goalie Darcy Kuemper Why he’ll stay: Because he is the captain, he still has top-end stretches Why he’ll stay: Because GM John Chayka called him the best player on and he was second among Coyotes defensemen in average ice time the team. The Coyotes are predicated on goaltending and strong (23:01), goals (nine), points (30) and points per game (0.45). It is clear, defensive play. Before his groin injury on Dec. 19, Kuemper was in the however, that the Coyotes need more from their highest-paid player. Vezina and Hart Trophy conversations. He is still third in the NHL save percentage (.928) among goalies who have played at least 25 games, Why he won’t: Because Ekman-Larsson hasn’t been as effective under fifth in goals saved above average (9.84 per naturalstattrick.com), and he Tocchet as he was under , and he carries a cap hit of $8.25 is under contract for two more seasons at a very reasonable cap hit of million for the next seven seasons. Could the Coyotes use that money $4.5 million. elsewhere and could they get adequate return for Ekman-Larsson to justify a trade? Defenseman Jakob Chychrun Ekman-Larsson appeared to have figured out what was needed from him Why he’ll stay: Because he is emerging as an elite NHL defenseman (12 over the final 30 games of the 2018-19 season, but he didn’t carry that goals, 26 points) and he is signed for the next five seasons at a team- level of play into this season. It’s hard to tell where his relationship with friendly cap hit of $4.6 million. He can jump up into the play with excellent Tocchet sits. The two appeared to gain a better understanding of one skating skills, he has one of the best shots on the team and he improved another last season and the Coyotes have given Ekman-Larsson a lot, dramatically in his own end with good stick position and an ability to close including the captaincy, a big contract, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson out offensive players. Chychrun missed the last seven games before the and a two-year AHL contract for his brother Kevin. pause with a psoas muscle strain, but he was set to return to the lineup on March 12 against Vancouver when the NHL shut everything down. Some sources close to Ekman-Larsson suggest he needs to feel the There is plenty of room for growth in his decision-making and game, but constant confidence of his coaching staff and that has not always been Chychrun, 22, is as core a piece as the Coyotes have. the case with Tocchet, who can sometimes form snap (and lasting) judgments on players. Then again, it’s a two-way street. To whom much Forward Clayton Keller is given, much is expected. Ekman-Larsson has a no-move clause for the length of his contract. Why he’ll stay: Because the Coyotes just signed him to an eight-year extension ($7.15 million AAV) that will kick in next season and they are Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson not ready to deal him away, even if his past two seasons haven’t lived up to expectations. Keller is 21. There is time, but the 2020-21 season will Why he’ll stay: Because when he is healthy he is still one of the best provide a real sense of whether he can produce at an elite level. Keller defensive defensemen the game has ever seen, suppressing shots with had 17 goals and 44 points when the season paused, but he had four elite positioning, elite stick play and smart, quick reads. Hjalmarsson is goals and seven points in his last six games. signed for one more season at a cap hit of $5 million. As the standard for fitness, work ethic and professionalism, he brings invaluable commodities Forward Conor Garland to the dressing room.

Why he’ll stay: Because he led the team in goals (22) and he is signed Why he won’t: Because he’ll turn 33 in June, he has missed 77 games for another season with a ridiculously low salary of $800,000. Like the past three seasons with injuries and he would be a valuable addition Chychrun, Garland has fully healed from an injury (a Grade 2 MCL sprain for a contending team, one that might land a good return around draft Why he’ll stay: He knows the system, he can be an effective puck mover time. Hjalmarsson has a no-move clause in his contract. and he’s a fair option to run a second-unit power play. Oesterle (who will turn 28 in June) adds experience to the blue line. Forward Phil Kessel Why he won’t: If the Coyotes need to cut costs, replacing Oesterle with a Why he’ll stay: Because his $6.8 million cap hit (Pittsburgh retained minor-league call-up such as Kyle Capobianco could save them a little salary) for the next two seasons would be hard to move amid the data- money. Oesterle carries a $1.4 million cap hit ($1.6 million salary) in the supported perception that he has lost a step at age 32. He also has final year of his contract. modified no-trade and no-move clauses in his deal. If he does stay, the Coyotes have to find a way to recapture some of the offensive production Forward Christian Fischer that was lacking this season (14 goals, 38 points). That may start with a better training regimen. There can’t be a double standard for Kessel. It Why he’ll stay: Because he will be a restricted free agent with no gets noticed, externally and internally. arbitration rights and declining production, giving him little bargaining power at the table. Why he won’t: If there is a team that believes it can still unlock Kessel’s scoring punch when paired with the right center, it would be a way for the Why he won’t: Fischer, 23, was once considered an excellent prospect Coyotes to unload a contract that does not look good right now. It’s no but he has had a hard time finding consistent ice time under Tocchet. It’s secret that Tocchet wanted Kessel, so if Kessel stays, the coach must doubtful he carries much value in trade scenarios, but if the Coyotes find a way to extract more from him. wanted to give him a fresh start, they might be able to acquire an asset of similar ilk. Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin Forward Vinnie Hinostroza Why he’ll stay: As a restricted free agent, he is cost-controlled (although he has arbitration rights), and he is a right-handed on a blue line Why he’ll stay: Like Fischer, Hinostroza will be an RFA coming off a woefully thin on such options. Lyubushkin progressed in his second disappointing season in which he posted five goals and 22 points in 68 season, earning more ice time with better decision-making, but he was games, one season after scoring a career-high 16 goals (39 points) in 72 still prone to mental mistakes and still probably fits best as a third-pair games. Hinostroza can still bring skill, speed and tenacity on a bottom-six option. role.

Why he won’t: If the Coyotes are in a real cap pinch and feel they can Why he won’t: He has arbitration rights so if things get a little too save some dollars with a cheaper option such as Jordan Gross, expensive the Coyotes could choose to walk away, or the Coyotes might Lyubushkin could become expendable. decide they need a little more size at the bottom of their roster. It should be noted that GM John Chayka has an excellent relationship with Could go either way Hinostroza’s agent, Pete Rutili.

Forward Derek Stepan Forward Carl Söderberg

Why he’ll stay: Because many teams could be cap-strapped and it would Why he’ll stay: As an impending unrestricted free agent, Söderberg is be hard to convince them to take a soon-to-be 30-year-old center whose one of the more intriguing players to ponder. If the Coyotes move on from offensive production the past two seasons (63 points in 142 games) has Stepan they may want him around as another center option. On the flip not warranted his $6.5 million cap hit. Stepan still does a lot of things side, Tocchet moved Söderberg to the wing later in the season and liked well, including his defensive play and his hockey IQ which puts him in the how effective he was in that role after hitting a bit of a wall earlier in the right spots nine times out of 10. season. It’s hard to imagine Söderberg demanding that much money as he turns 35 in October. He gave Arizona size, net-front presence and Why he won’t: He has just one year left on his contract. If the Coyotes pretty good production (17 goals, 35 points) this season. were to retain part of his salary, they might be able to move him to free up enough cap space to re-sign Taylor Hall. The Coyotes voided Why he won’t: If somebody offers Söderberg a lucrative one- or two-year Stepan’s no-trade clause when they acquired him at the 2017 NHL Draft. deal, he might become too expensive for the Coyotes to keep, especially if they can’t unload other contracts and still wish to re-sign Hall. Defenseman Alex Goligoski Good chance of leaving Why he’ll stay: He had a renaissance year, mentally and physically, leading all Coyotes defensemen in average ice time (23:03), points (32) Forward Taylor Hall and points per game (.46). With Ekman-Larsson struggling, Tocchet often turned to Chychrun and Goligoski as his top defensive pair. Why he’ll stay: He has made it clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is far Goligoski has a modified no-trade clause for the final year of his contract. more important than his contract concerns, but the timing is awful for Hall, who is set to become a UFA. How many teams will have the Why he won’t: If the Coyotes could shed all or most of Goligoski’s $5.45 financial wherewithal to pay Hall what he wants? He told The Athletic’s million cap hit, it could help free up enough cap space to re-sign Hall. Pierre LeBrun that he doesn’t want to sign a one- or two-year bridge deal to get him through the crisis, but what if the longer-term options aren’t Defenseman Jason Demers appealing?

Why he’ll stay: He’s right-handed, he is beloved in the dressing room, he Why he won’t: Hall and his agent Darren Ferris have made it clear that pairs well with Ekman-Larsson and he’s a relatively inexpensive option they want to be in the playoffs and they want to win. The Coyotes’ swoon as a top-four defenseman. He’ll be 32 in June and he has one year could convince Hall it would be better to sign elsewhere. So could a host remaining on a contract that will pay him $3.6 million next season of other factors. The Coyotes have a lot of work to do to fit Hall under the ($3.9375 million AAV with some retained salary by Florida). cap, and if they do sign him, they’ll have an awful lot of money tied up in Why he won’t: The Coyotes may need to shed space if they hope to re- wings (see Kessel, Keller), which does not qualify as a premium position sign Hall, create flexibility for other moves, or maneuver under a tight cap in Chayka’s analysis. Will they even able be able to afford him in the ceiling. wake of COVID-19 pandemic? If so, will they be able to entice Hall, who might have more attractive options from his hometown or Goalie Antti Raanta from the , who could have lots of cap space and an elite centerman with whom Hall could play in Nate MacKinnon? Why he’ll stay: Because good are hard to find, and Raanta, when healthy, is capable of playing at an elite level. His .921 save Forward Michael Grabner percentage ranks seventh among goalies who played 25 or more games. Why he’ll stay: He is still an elite -killer with ridiculous speed and Why he won’t: Again, if the Coyotes need to shed cap space for a variety enough skill to produce in the right role. The Coyotes may also find it of reasons, the final year of Raanta’s contract ($4.25 million AAV) is one hard to move his $3.35 million AAV in a cap-strapped league where there place where they could look. Despite injury concerns, he still might bring may also be concerns about Grabner’s health following a serious eye a fair return. If they were to move him, they’d either have to believe Adin injury last season. Hill is ready to become a full-time NHL backup or sign another veteran at a reduced price. Why he won’t: The Coyotes need to shed salary to achieve their offseason goals. Grabner found himself a frequent healthy scratch late in Defenseman Jordan Oesterle the season as Tocchet appeared to lose confidence in him. That’s a big AAV for a part-time player.

Forward Brad Richardson

Why he’ll stay: Because he’s still a cheap, effective, veteran fourth-line center option. Few expected Richardson to match the 19 goals he scored in 2018-19, but he did not get off to a good start and the Coyotes felt his leg strength had declined. That said, Richardson played very well late in the season, reprising his role as a shutdown center with penalty-killing acumen and the ability to chip in occasional offense.

Why he won’t: Again, if the Coyotes feel they need to shave money here and there, they could go with a cheaper veteran option at center, or call someone up from Tucson.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173832 Forward Rich Peverley wondered what got into Campbell, noting that he didn’t see the usually stoic fourth-liner smile in the three years he was in Boston.

2010-11 Bruins get together (virtually) to watch Stanley Cup clincher “I miss you guys,” said Campbell. “I missing being with guys I like.”

Soon after Marchand fired into an empty net for the 4-0 final, it was Lucic By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff, Updated April 22, 2020, 12:18 a.m. who recalled ’s signature play-by-play call on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

“Get the duck boats ready!” said Looch. Captain Zdeno Chara was the first to hoist the Stanley Cup when the Bruins won it in 2011. Mark Recchi, who made the Cup clincher the final game of his Hall of Fame career, added, “It never gets old, watching this … it never gets Nine years after clinching the Stanley Cup in Vancouver, the 2010-11 old.” Bruins came together Tuesday night for an online reunion carried live on YouTube, their first time together to watch a replay of their Game 7 win With NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about to present the Cup to over the Canucks. Chara, Lucic implored his band of brothers to “raise a glass.” For the most part, the well-lubricated group needed little coaxing, although Adam Just about the entire gang was there, including reclusive goalie Tim McQuaid and Chara were notable abstainers. Thomas, albeit with none of them in the same room. Instead, they were a team again via the technology of a Zoom session, each of them “I love you guys,” said Lucic. appearing in a postage-stamp-size window on their laptop screens and Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2020 handheld devices.

Team captain Zdeno Chara signed in from Florida. , among the quietest of the bunch, was at his home in Dallas. Milan Lucic, by far the most sentimental of the bunch, was in Los Angeles, where he sipped liberally from a large bottle of wine stamped with the Bruins logo. Michael Ryder signed on from Newfoundland.

The virtual event, which lasted nearly 2½ hours, was a major league lesson in busting chops, the dialogue often laced with language that would make the Gallery Gods blush.

It was Lucic, who has played for Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Calgary since his Boston heyday, who provided the most touching moment, making a point of acknowledging the stellar work that season of Thomas.

“Cheers to you, Tank,” said Lucic, noting that Thomas was named the postseason MVP, even recalling his superlative .938 save percentage. “Tank, I appreciate what you did that year … and what you did for us to be a Stanley Cup champion. Here’s to you, man.”

The sentimental moment came midway through the third period with the Bruins holding a 3-0 lead, Thomas needing only a few more stops to secure his second of the series.

It was particularly poignant in light of the mental health struggles Thomas has endured in recent years, which he made public for the first time in December when he was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Obviously, it was all of us,” said Thomas, clearly touched by Lucic’s words, adding that it was a “super special” season in which every team member made key contributions.

“And I’m looking at your, Sheriff,” said Thomas, acknowledging , one of the club’s depth defensemen that season.

Coach Claude Julien was not part of the online party. Nor was right wing part of the chat, which was sponsored by Budweiser as part of its “Locker Room Time Machine” campaign that it has rolled out during the ongoing pandemic.

Chara, seemingly absorbed in watching the replay throughout the night, said little until the game’s end.

“This is the first time I’ve seen it,” he told his teammates, who often seemed to forget everything they said was being broadcast uncensored. “That’s pretty special, boys. I’m so happy to be part of the group.”

Chara, who moved with his family to Florida soon after the NHL halted play on March 12, was kiddingly accused of “wrestling alligators down there” by fellow defenseman Andrew Ference.

“Yeah, it’s what I do,” said Chara, summoning a fictitious strongman for a TV commercial for fitness clubs, “I pick them up and put them down.”

Gregory Campbell grew more animated and feisty during the replay, which was broadcast in the New England market by NESN. He particularly enjoyed giving the needle to , who is typically the one who dishes out the snipes.

“You’re worth $60 million,” said Campbell, teasing Marchand for his off- ice enterprise selling ball caps. “You don’t need to sell $20 hats! Yeah, everyone needs to buy a hat … he’s struggling.” 1173833 Boston Bruins “Every single day, there’s something you can do to make sure you’re staying in shape,” McAvoy said. "The other part of that is eating well, and just taking care of yourself, so that’s been kind of the focus.

Charlie McAvoy recalls his Bruins debut “In the down time, it’s been a lot of relaxing and movies and TV and playing some Xbox, and stuff like that. Just trying to stay busy. There’s only so much to do.” By Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff ,Updated April 21, 2020, 11:11 p.m. Speaking of video games, McAvoy begrudgingly acknowledged that forward Jake DeBrusk is the best gamer on the team

It has been three years since Charlie McAvoy made his NHL debut. “He’s got the skills,” McAvoy said. “He’ll beat me at every game. But he’s good to have on your team if you’re playing video games, and it’s a two- The Bruins were down defensemen and Torey Krug as player game that’s for sure.” they got set to open a playoff series against the . Asked about his time at BU, McAvoy said he loved every second of it. McAvoy, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, had just completed his sophomore season at Boston University. He was pressed into the lineup “The hockey team has so much history,” McAvoy said. "The facilities are and logged the second-most minutes among Bruins in a 2-1 win at incredible, the school is challenging. It was good, just all the resources Ottawa on April 12, 2017. we had.

“That was incredible," McAvoy said via Zoom Tuesday. "It was a dream “My favorite part was just the team. We had incredible guys there, friends come true, because that was my first NHL game, and that was my entire who I’ll have for life and that I still check in on. Were able to win a lot of life. That was all I wanted to do was play in the NHL, and that was my games and have some fun.” chance. Boston media members were invited to monitor the discussion but did not "And to have it in that playoff atmosphere was incredible. The nerves, the participate in the Q&A. excitement. All of it.” Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2020 Tuesday was McAvoy’s turn to field questions submitted by Bruins season ticket-holders and , the former Bruin defenseman who is now the radio analyst on the club’s broadcasts on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Not surprisingly, McAvoy, 22, listed last season’s run to the Stanley Cup Final as his favorite Bruins moment.

“Going on that playoff run, everything about it was just incredible," he said. "The emotional highs that you have when you’re on that run, every single game feels like a battle.

"After every win, you hug each other a little tighter. You appreciate the moment a little more. I don’t think there’s anything better than winning a playoff series.

“There’s just something about it that’s kind of magical. We were able to go on that run and come together. I just hope we have a chance to do it again.”

Asked if he could play with anyone in hockey history, McAvoy chose Hall of Famer Bobby Orr.

“I think he is without a doubt the best defenseman in NHL history, a Bruins legend, and just an unbelievable guy,” McAvoy said. “I think having him on the left, and I’ll play the right. He can just go and rush the puck all day, and I’ll stay back for him. That would just be incredible to have been able to play with him.”

Of course, the guy he’s playing with now is pretty good too, and McAvoy didn’t hesitate to name Zdeno Chara when asked his favorite player to skate with.

Zdeno Chara hugged Charlie McAvoy after a Bruins overtime win earlier this season.

“He’s just such a great guy," McAvoy said. "He’s our leader, and all that he’s been able to do in his hockey career is incredible. Playing with him has been awesome, and it’s something that I’ll be able to tell my kids about one day, that I was able to play with the big guy.”

While he’s happy to be partnering with Chara on the top defensive pairing for the Bruins, McAvoy revealed that as a young skater, playing forward was his first love. However, his father was the coach of his youth hockey team, and with the entire team clamoring to play forward, he made the decision to move his son back to .

“I think that’s maybe how my offensive side came into it," McAvoy said. "I still wanted to go out and score, rush the puck, a lot of things I still like to do today. I look back at it now, and I wouldn’t change anything.”

McAvoy has kept busy by looking to stay in shape, with Bruins head performance coach Kevin Neeld sending the team instructions on what they should be doing. 1173834 Boston Bruins

Replica of Bobby Orr statue is being raffled to benefit pandemic workers

By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff,Updated April 21, 2020, 7:07 p.m.

Bobby Orr viewed the statue of himself at its unveiling in 2010.

The Boston Bruins Foundation announced Tuesday that it will raffle off a small replica of “The Goal" — the statue of Bobby Orr’s famous Stanley Cup-winning strike in 1970 — with proceeds earmarked for organizations that benefit first responders in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The full-size bronze statue, commonly referred to as the “Flying Bobby," was unveiled 10 years ago and stands as the centerpiece fronting TD Garden’s new Hub on Causeway entrance.

The replica, 18 inches by 18 inches, is one of only 11 in existence, according to the foundation, which already has committed $400,000 to COVID-19-related organizations.

In its media release, the foundation quoted Orr as saying, “Thank you to all the first responders, health care providers, and frontline workers that contribute to the daily battle against COVID-19.”

Orr also referred to the workers as “heroes,” the same term he used in a recent open letter lauding all workers at General Hospital, for their efforts throughout the pandemic.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at nhlalumniassociation.org/Fundraiser.

Sales will end May 8, two days prior to the 50th anniversary of the goal vs. the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the 1970 Cup Final. The goal ended Boston’s 29-year Cup drought.

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173835 Boston Bruins “There are so many incredible talents and like I said earlier, it is very humbling playing in this league,” said McAvoy. “Everybody is so incredibly skilled and talented and every single night there are guys that Charlie McAvoy discussed all things Bruins during video town hall are just incredible. meeting “When you play against guys that are superstars and have been for a long time you get a little star-struck play. Playing against Sid and Ovechkin for the first time and I can go down the list.” By RICH THOMPSON PUBLISHED: April 21, 2020 at 5:41 p.m. | UPDATED: April 21, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. McAvoy followed with a learning incident involving Ovechkin.

“He was in the slot with me and I was with him and I was isolating on him because I didn’t want to let him loose or anything,” said McAvoy. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy envisioned himself playing in the while performing the role of Dallas Smith. “He pushed off me, backed up about five feet and right as he did that the perfect pass came. I was in his line but he flew it right by me into the Smith was the Bruins stay-at-home blue-liner who had the privilege of back of the net.” playing alongside Hall of Famer Bobby Orr during Boston’s Stanley Cup championship runs in 1970 and 1972. Smith had Orr’s back while he Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2020 revolutionized the sport with his length-of-the-ice rushes and prolific scoring.

McAvoy brought up Orr’s name during a town hall Zoom video conference Tuesday morning. McAvoy fielded inquiries from season ticket holders in a Q&A format hosted by Bruins digital content specialist Eric Russo and 98.5 Sports Hub color analyst Bob Beers.

The most revealing question came from a 6-year-old named Joanna.

“If you could play with any player in hockey history, who would that be and why?”

Without hesitation McAvoy chose Orr, who holds a singular place in team and league history.

“I think for me I would have to say I would play with Bobby Orr,” said McAvoy. “I think he is without a doubt the best defenseman in NHL history, a Bruins legend and just an unbelievable guy.

“I think of having him on the left and I would play the right. He can just go rush the puck all day and I’ll stay back. That would just be incredible to play with him.”

McAvoy was the Bruins’ first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. After two productive seasons at Boston University, McAvoy made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs on April 12, 2017.

Since joining the club, McAvoy has been primarily paired on the first unit with future Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara, the Bruins captain who has played in 1,553 NHL games since 1997.

McAvoy brought Chara into the discussion on a question from 12-year- old Skyler.

“Who is your favorite player to play with now?”

McAvoy didn’t have to ponder that one for very long.

“I think playing with Z has been incredible and he is just such a great guy,” said McAvoy. “He’s our leader and all he’s been able to do in his hockey career has just been incredible.

“If you take a look at that, he’s a future Hall of Famer and he has done so much. It’s hard to find the words to explain how he handles himself.

“Playing with him is awesome. It’s something I will tell my kids someday that I was able to play with the big man.”

McAvoy redirected the dialogue toward Bruins’ first-line right wing David Pastrnak, who was leading the league with 48 goals before the NHL shut down in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“Up front we have so many special guys and the most exciting player would be Pasta,” said McAvoy. “His ability to score goals and really his confidence on the ice and the moves he tries and everything like that.

“He is a special player but there are so many special guys and players that I am lucky to call my teammates.”

While McAvoy admires Pastrnak’s exploits at the other end, his job on a nightly basis is shutting down the opponent’s top lines. That shift in the conversation was prompted by Beers.

“You have faced some of the toughest matchups in the league. You faced a lot of good players on a nightly basis. Anybody that stands out?”

McAvoy started with Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and . 1173836 Boston Bruins I’d say at least two weeks to sort of get guys up and running. If they’ve been allowed to skate at our facility whether it’s in small groups, by themselves, large groups, whatever that’s determined, then that number Bruce Cassidy: Age won’t necessarily hinder Bruins if NHL resumes could go down a little bit, but I can’t see anybody saying you’ve got to start in three or four days.” Were closing in on Presidents’ Trophy when play suspended What if the NHL cancels the rest of the regular season and resumes with the playoffs?

By TOM KEEGAN | April 21, 2020 at 5:49 a.m. “Then I don’t see how, no matter what, you can get started before two weeks and not risk the safety of the players, so that you could build in

some scrimmages,” Cassidy said. “I don’t know if it’s realistic to tell your The Bruins aren’t getting any younger as the NHL remains shut down, team, ‘Hey, we’re going to play an exhibition and then turn right around uncertain of how much longer a global pandemic will keep hockey teams and play a playoff game three days later.’ I mean, you’re really risking it from getting back on the ice. there, so it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with once they determine are there regular-season games or not?” Defenseman Zdeno Chara, the oldest player in the NHL, turned 43 last month. First-line center is 34, the age that second-line The whole thing is interesting, and frustrating, particularly so for the center David Krejci turns next Tuesday. Still in his prime, Brad Marchand Bruins, who were looking so good when hockey froze. celebrates his 32nd birthday next month. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2020 Key players, all of them. In theory, it seems, a prolonged interruption to a season would put older teams at a disadvantage because younger bodies can withstand more, are less locked into grooves and don’t take as long to start back up.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy understands that perception, but said on a Zoom conference call with reporters Monday that he does not necessarily agree with it as it pertains to his team.

“I think that nobody knows until we get back out there. We do have some older guys who it might take a little longer, but I think they are true professionals and know how to keep in shape,” Cassidy said, “maybe better than some of the younger guys who just feel like, ‘Well, when we’re ready to go I can ramp it up.’ So I do believe some of the veteran guys know that they need to stay with it because it’s not a switch that you can turn on and off. That I believe works to our advantage. Now, getting your legs under you quicker, yeah, probably a younger guy … less aches and pains the next day. So I think it’s the recovery of the older guys that we have to monitor as much as anything. Less so the conditioning, more the recovery.”

Chara’s grueling, legendary offseason workouts defy his age, keep him forever younger than his age. Bergeron is such a relentless 200-foot , blocking opponents’ paths to victory in so many aspects of the game that he obviously does a great job of staying in top condition.

So Cassidy makes a good point in that it’s not how old as much as it is who is how old. But the late-season interruption is so different from anything anyone has experienced that it certainly adds a mysterious quality to trying to forecast how teams would stack up against each other if the season returns.

When the puck stopped, the Bruins, with 100 points in 70 games, were zeroing in on claiming the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the club with the best regular-season record. The Blues (94 points in 71 games) and the Avalanche and Lightning (92 points in 71 games) were next in the race for the trophy that’s nice, but not as nice as lighting a cigar.

The Presidents’ Trophy hasn’t been a particularly helpful tool in forecasting the postseason. None of the past six winners has made it to the Stanley Cup Final.The 2012-13 Blackhawks are the last team to win both trophies in the same year.

As for intangibles, such as the hunger to win the ultimate prize, you have to like what both the Bruins and Lightning have going for them. Making it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup only to lose at home to the Blues very much gives the B’s a sense of unfinished business. The Lightning won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and were swept out of the first round by a Blue Jackets club that did a nice job of channeling its feisty coach’s personality. That shocker had to make the Lightning eager for the Stanley Cup playoffs to arrive.

When might that be? Nobody knows.

The league doesn’t have any urgency yet to consult coaches on how long a training camp would need to be, but if Cassidy is asked for his input, he’ll be ready to give it.

“That would depend, to me, entirely on have they been able to skate on their own at some point before we go?” Cassidy said. “So for example, we’re told we have to stay off the ice until June 30 and we start July 1st and no one’s been on the ice, then I think you have to have a minimum of 1173837 Boston Bruins

This Day in Bruins History: Boston beats up on rival Montreal Canadiens

By Nick Goss April 21, 2020 12:03 PM

The Boston Bruins have a long history of playing Stanley Cup playoff games on April 21.

They have played 20 games on this date with an impressive 15-5 record. The most recent matchup was a 4-2 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of last season's first-round series. This victory forced a Game 7 in Boston two days later, where the B's won and eliminated the Leafs.

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The most common opponent on April 21 for the Bruins is the rival Montreal Canadiens. These teams have squared off seven times, with the Bruins owning a 5-2 record.

The last matchup was a classic. It was Game 4 of the Bruins-Canadiens first-round series in 2011. Montreal was at home with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Canadiens had every chance possible to emerge victorious, too. They held leads of 1-0, 2-1, 3-1 and 4-3.

The Bruins stormed back from 3-1 down to score four of the next five goals. Andrew Ference started the comeback with a goal midway through the second period, and his celebration started a little controversy. tied the score 4-4 in the third period while wearing a protective cage after suffering an injury earlier in the series. The B's won in overtime when Michael Ryder scored 1:59 into the extra period.

The Bruins won Game 4, Game 5 and Game 7 of this series in overtime. They would go on to win the Stanley Cup for the first in 39 years.

Another memorable playoff matchup between the Bruins and Canadiens on April 21 was Game 2 of their Finals series in 1990. The Bruins won 5-4 in overtime when beat Canadiens goalie in the extra frame. The victory gave Boston a 2-0 series lead, and it would ultimately eliminate Montreal in five games.

Here's a recap of other notable games the Bruins have played on April 21.

2018, First Round: 4-3 loss vs. Leafs

2017, First Round: 3-2 win vs. Senators in 2OT

2010, First Round: 3-2 win vs. Sabres in 2OT

2002, First Round: 6-4 win vs. Canadiens

1994, Conference Qtrs: 6-3 win at Canadiens

1991, Division Finals: 3-2 win at Canadiens

1970, Semifinals: 4-1 win at Blackhawks

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173838 Boston Bruins The way he set up behind the net was magic. Years later, when I was playing for the Leafs in 1993, I’d score one of my most famous goals after setting up behind the net in double overtime against St. Louis. I My Favorite Player: Doug Gilmour on Bobby Orr learned that from Gretzky.

When I was a young checking-line center with the St. Louis Blues early my career, I had the misfortune of matching up against Gretzky. He By Dan Robson Apr 21, 2020 scored four goals and added two assists to beat us 6-5. He just took over. I remember chasing him across the blueline, following him in a

circle, and then falling over while he cut to the net and scored. I just sat As told to Dan Robson. there thinking, “Come on. How did he do that?”

When I was young, there was only one player I dreamed of being: A few years later, I played with Gretzky in the 1987 Cup and Number Four, Bobby Orr. experienced what it was like to be on the right side of his greatness.

I wore that number on the back of my sweater throughout minor hockey, As we got older, I had some great battles with Gretzky when I played in proud to have a name that rhymed with my idol’s: Number Four, Doug Calgary and in Toronto, obviously. Before we’d face him, I’d always get Gilmour. I liked the sound of that. prepared by telling myself that I had to find a way to be better than him that day. He was the best player in the world, so it wasn’t going to I imagined myself playing defence for the Boston Bruins, just like Bobby. happen – but I still had to try. He appeared on our television screen once every few weeks, whenever the Bruins played against the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal I learned that you couldn’t stop and start if you wanted to contain him. Canadiens. You had to turn without losing speed, or he’d be gone. Pat Burns used to get mad at me in practice with the Leafs because I’d spin off the boards Saturday was always the best night of the week, but it was especially during skating drills instead of stopping. But I told him that I had to exciting whenever the Bruins were playing. My dad would be a few Rye- because that was the only way I had any hope of sticking with Gretzky. and-Cokes in with his pals as we watched at our house in Kingston, Ont. He’d lean over when Orr picked up the puck Like Orr, The Great One was on a different planet. Playing on the same behind the Bruins goal line, and say: “Make sure that you watch what he ice as Wayne is what I imagine it must have been like to have been on does.” the ice with Bobby. Even though they were different players, different positions, different skaters — they both possessed the same kind of I always did. And what Orr pulled off on the ice was mesmerizing. magic. Both of them were so skilled as smaller players. They were ahead There’s no other way to say it. Orr would take off from behind the net and of the game. do a spin-o-rama move at the blueline, then blow past every player on the ice. His speed was almost unstoppable. If his opponents recovered To me, they will always be the best and best forward. That’s the puck, Orr would get in position before they had a chance to attack. nothing against guys like or . But Orr and He was out there playing at a level beyond the game’s highest tier. I was Gretzky were essential to how I learned to play the game. They were in awe. giants in my time.

And Orr was tough as hell, too. People forget that. He could be pretty As my childhood idol, Orr will always hold a special place in my mean out there. He never backed down, even though he was undersized. imagination. It’s one of hockey’s greatest misfortunes that he didn’t get to Whenever the Bruins played the Canadiens, the game was particularly play longer than he did. Unfortunately, his career was cut short because rough. Those were some epic battles. Back in the day, you didn’t think of of his knees. You can only imagine what he would have gone on to do if it as violent, but it was violent. he had access to the kind of medical advancements that are available now. Orr’s talent alone was enough for any kid to idolize him. But I was particularly drawn to him because I was small, like him. When I was a But his legend has lived on. peewee — about 12 years old — I was just under five-feet tall, which is I didn’t get to know Orr until I started playing pro. I’m fortunate to have how tall my youngest daughter, Victoria, is now. My defensive partner become good friends with my hero. I’m honoured to help support a was over six feet. Can you imagine that? scholarship fund through his foundation every year. Bobby is just a Many hockey fans don’t know that I was a defenceman until I played superb guy. A first-class man. And that’s a big part of the reason his junior. My dad coached our team. He had me play defence because it legend has continued for so long in Boston and across the NHL. meant more ice time. We only ever had four or five defence on the roster, But it’s also because hockey had never witnessed a player like him so I was almost always in the game. All through minor hockey, I’d rush before and likely never will again. Only a few people make an impact on up and down the ice wearing number four, just like Orr. I tried to copy the game that will never be forgotten. everything he did on the ice. He was the blueprint for how I learned the game. Number four, Bobby Orr, was one.

I should say, it wasn’t uncommon to be a Bruins fans in Kingston at the The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 time. My hometown sits almost exactly halfway between Toronto and Montreal, and there were certainly a lot of Leafs and Canadiens fans in town. But more than any other, the Bruins were Kingston’s team.

At the time, the Bruins held their training camp in town. And the team’s Senior A affiliate, the Aces, played out of the Memorial on York Street. Local guys like and Rick Smith both played for the Bruins in the late ’60s and early ’70s. And another hometown guy, , became the Bruins coach in 1974.

Bobby Orr

But even if the Bruins didn’t have such a hold on Kingston, there’s no doubt that Bobby Orr still would have been my guy.

When I did make the move from defence to centre, while playing with the , I was still only five-foot-nine and 140 pounds. That’s when I started to pay more attention to my other favourite player. Wayne Gretzky was only a few years older than me, but just like Orr, he was already doing things on the ice that people had never witnessed before.

I’d go home to Kingston on the weekends and watch Gretzky highlights, just to study him. 1173839 Boston Bruins more established AHL player. None of these moves would have been good for the players or the organization.

Sweeney’s other option was looking outside. What if the Bruins hadn’t traded for Charlie Coyle? Kevin Hayes was one of the centers who moved before the 2019 trade deadline. Winnipeg paid a heavy price for the Dorchester native: a 2019 By Fluto Shinzawa Apr 21, 2020 first-round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a 2019 conditional fourth-rounder.

Sweeney had already lost his 2018 first-rounder in the swap. He was wary of being without a first for a second consecutive season. Editor’s note: “What if” is an occasional series at The Athletic exploring Hayes, meanwhile, would end up signing with Philadelphia after the Jets what might have happened if things had gone differently at significant lost to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs. points in sports history. Elsewhere, Matt Duchene went to Columbus. But Duchene and Julius For more than a year, Charlie Coyle has been home. Bergman cost the Blue Jackets two first-rounders, among other assets. Like Hayes, Duchene would walk after the playoffs, signing with The Weymouth, Mass., native, acquired from Minnesota on Feb. 20, Nashville. 2019, has played 115 games for his hometown team, including 24 in the playoffs. The 28-year-old is under contract at $5.25 million annually Ex-Bruin Ryan Spooner and Hingham’s Brian Boyle also changed through 2026. This grants Coyle the greatest length of job security uniforms. But the Bruins traded Spooner for a reason. Boyle, a reliable among current Bruins. With David Krejci’s deal due to expire after 2021, fourth-liner, would not have been likely to move the needle as a No. 3 the Bruins have in effect designated Coyle as their future No. 2 center. center.

Coyle, girlfriend Danielle Hooper and dog Bodie are safely quarantined at Coyle was the right fit. Sweeney sent Donato and a conditional pick that the forward’s Boston apartment. Coyle’s Peloton bike, which he originally ultimately became a fourth-rounder to Minnesota for his services. expected to arrive in two weeks, came within two days of its order. Time is giving Coyle more reps as a cook, which, pre-pandemic, was not a The potential fallout regular calling. If the trade with Minnesota hadn’t happened, Sweeney probably would He is grieving the death of grandmother Gail Coyle, 81, who died on have acquired an alternative to Coyle for the stretch run. But that March 24. But in relative terms, things could be far worse for Coyle. acquisition might not have approached the 16-point postseason threshold that Coyle established while centering Heinen and Marcus Johansson. “It’s like when you’re younger,” Coyle said of his professional Without those contributions, the Bruins might not have advanced to homecoming during a video call last Wednesday. “You’re growing up within one win of lifting the Stanley Cup. where you were born. You’re playing hockey. You see your friends. It’s pretty much what it is. But I’m also part of a great organization, a great Coyle, meanwhile, might have finished out the 2018-19 season in team, playing with awesome guys. Everything’s top-notch. That’s two Minnesota. He and the Wild would have missed the playoffs for the great things right there. I feel very fortunate to be where I am right now.” second straight year.

But what if the trade had never happened? Coyle would have entered this season in the final season of his five-year, $16 million deal. Coyle would have stayed on his Wild trajectory — a 6- Third-line vacancy foot-3, 220-pound center/right wing misaligned between his production and his promise. To start 2018, the Bruins granted Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka a special opportunity. While veterans such Perhaps GM could have found a team interested in Coyle as a as Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron stayed stateside, the three rental. Or maybe Coyle would have still been in Minnesota when the youngsters traveled to China for the team’s preseason games in league went dark. The Wild were on pace for their third consecutive Shenzhen and Beijing. postseason no-show.

They did not travel halfway around the world just to see the Great Wall. Either way, chances are that Coyle would not have signed an extension. The three centers were auditioning for the position left vacant when Riley He’d be staring at an unrestricted-free-agency period that has been Nash signed with Columbus. turned upside down. With revenues plummeting and the resumption of the current season uncertain, a six-year, $31.5 million deal like the one Nash served the Bruins well for two seasons. In 2017-18, as the No. 3 that activates next season would have been an unlikely outcome. pivot behind Bergeron and Krejci, Nash exploded for 15 goals and 26 assists. He did so while making $900,000. Nash earned every cent of his Torey Krug, by comparison, is likely to be facing a reduced payout, from three-year, $8.25 million Columbus payday. the Bruins or any other suitor.

Nash’s departure left the Bruins short-handed. The organization’s “I feel very fortunate to be able to be in the situation I am now and to preseason study of their three pups confirmed that No. 3 center was a have that already in the past,” Coyle said of the extension he signed on concern. None of them was ready for NHL battle. Nov. 27. “It means a lot to me and my family. I’m just glad things worked out the way it did. I’m really looking forward to the future.” Forsbacka Karlsson (3-6—9 in 28 games in 2018-19) did not do much with his opportunity. The 2015 second-rounder has since returned to his A perfect fit native Sweden. NHL re-entry is not guaranteed. On July 1, 2021, Krejci will become an unrestricted free agent. If the Frederic did not score a point in 15 games. Studnicka finished out his sides don’t agree to an extension, Coyle’s presence makes the Bruins junior career between and Niagara. better positioned to move on from Krejci after what would be 15 seasons in black and gold. The Bruins didn’t have many other options. Sean Kuraly and Noel Acciari were better suited for fourth-line activity. David Backes’ days in the Based on prior production, the bull-rushing Coyle might not be as potent middle were over. Coach Bruce Cassidy was not about to trust Ryan of a No. 2 center as the creative Krejci. He may not have to be. Donato as a center. By then, Studnicka, Frederic and Oskar Steen could be ready for full-time The absence of a play-driving pivot caused Cassidy to compromise his NHL employment. To this point, the Bruins have not had to accelerate lineup. He often deployed his fourth line more like a third. Wings like any of the centers’ development because Coyle has stabilized the third Donato, Backes, Danton Heinen, Anders Bjork and Peter Cehlarik line. suffered from limited deployment and the lack of a trustworthy center. Players of Coyle’s age have often plateaued. That may not be the case Neither Cassidy nor general manager could allow this to with Coyle. continue. This year, the broad-shouldered forward is averaging 1.77 points per 60 The GM could have force-fed Forsbacka Karlsson (22 years old), minutes of five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick. It is Coyle’s Frederic (20) or the late Colby Cave (23) onto the Boston varsity from the second-highest output of his career, bested only by the 2.04 P/60 he Providence JV. Sweeney could have promoted Jordan Szwarz (27), a averaged in 2016-17. Coyle was especially energized after the All-Star break and bye week. Since then, Coyle has averaged 17:34 of ice time per game, second- highest among team forwards after Brad Marchand (17:57). Coyle has seven goals and three assists for 10 points in the 19 post-break games, fourth-most behind David Pastrnak (25), Marchand (22) and Bergeron (15).

“Some of that was on me,” Cassidy said during an April 6 interview on The Athletic’s Perfection Pod, referring to his earlier preference of feeding shifts to Bergeron, Krejci and Kuraly. “He also took it to heart that, ‘Yes, I need to drive a line, kind of like Bergy does and Krech.’ That’s how we look at it. Your centermen have to be the dominant guy. Or you ask them to be and go from there. I think he’s responded well to that. He signed a new deal. Sometimes at first, that can be tough on you. You have high expectations. But I think once he settled in and just played, worried about being that third-line center that’s going to pull along whoever’s on his wings, he became a more effective player for us.”

Sweeney has executed 20 trades since replacing Peter Chiarelli as GM. Three of them involved moving young left-shot wings — an organizational surplus, for whatever reason. Sweeney traded Frank Vatrano for a 2018 third-round pick, which he spent on Jakub Lauko. Heinen went to Anaheim for Nick Ritchie.

You could argue that by trading Donato, Sweeney made what could be the shrewdest of his 20 moves. Coyle helped the Bruins advance to Game 7 last year. He has filled the No. 3 center position well. Coyle is the No. 2 center of the future. He loves playing for his hometown team.

It is the definition of an excellent trade.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173840 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres draftee Cozens is Player of Year in WHL's Eastern Conference

By Staff Published Tue, Apr 21, 2020|Updated Tue, Apr 21, 2020

Center Dylan Cozens, the Buffalo Sabres' first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, was named Eastern Conference Player of the Year in the and is a nominee for the league's Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, awarded to the Player of the Year. The Four Broncos winner will be announced May 30.

Cozens led the Eastern Conference and ranked third in the WHL with an average of 1.67 points per game. He tallied 85 points (38 goals, 47 assists) in 51 contests with Lethbridge, surpassing his 2018-19 total despite playing in 17 fewer games. He also scored two goals and registered nine points in seven games for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, which interrupted Cozens' season with Lethbridge.

"Right from the start you could tell he was playing at a different pace than anybody else, especially on our team," Lethbridge coach Brent Kisio told Sabres.com. "He was playing at NHL pace and it showed. He came back and led us right away and was a big boost to our hockey club."

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173841 Buffalo Sabres Leighton, who had relieved Boucher after Buffalo's third-period barrage. It bounced right to Ennis, who slid it home to put the Sabres in charge.

On the day he was traded to Washington in 2016, Weber pegged the It will be weird to watch replay of Sabres' last playoff win play as his favorite memory from 10 years in the Sabres organization.

"‘Enzo’ went flying up and gave me the biggest hug ever and then ‘Monty’ By Mike Harrington Published Tue, Apr 21, 2020|Updated Tue, Apr 21, came in, gave me an even bigger hug," Weber said, referring to Ennis 2020 and Montador. "It was pretty special and we had a chance to go home and close out the series. Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted it to but that’s the top right there."

MSG's run of "Sabres Classics" in recent weeks has been quite a look The Sabres' last postseason win set the stage for a game that back at some of those glory days from 2006 and 2007. Some truly unknowingly shaped the franchise for too many years. Buffalo had a 3-1 incredible playoff showdowns. It's great fun to relive the wondrous work lead after the first period in Game 6, which you simply can't blow at home of Daniel Briere, and , as well as the heroics of when you can close out a series. The teams battled back and forth young, floppy-haired stars such as Ryan Miller, and before it went to overtime, where Leino beat Chris Butler to a loose puck Brian Campbell. and stuffed it past Miller.

Don't you wonder how many games Campbell would be suspended for in Leino scored again in Game 7, giving him three goals in the series. He 2020 for that iconic bodycheck on R.J. Umberger 14 years ago? had been a good playoff performer the previous year as well, with 21 points in 19 games. No doubt that gave Pegula the impetus to push GM If you're too young to remember, you're learning how good to give Leino the hideous six-year, $27 million contract in was next to in the broadcast booth. And based on all the free agency that they used a compliance buyout on in 2014 after he had lousy hockey we've seen in recent years around here, why were we – no goals in 58 games for the Sabres. Buffalo wrapped up paying Leino both fans and media – always so quick to jump on Thomas Vanek, Derek this season, owing him just over $1.2 million. Roy and Maxim Afinogenov? The Sabres have barely sniffed the playoffs since, with a revolving door The 2006 Eastern Conference final is running this week on MSG, but I'll of coaches and general managers on the scene since Ruff and Regier be taking a late-afternoon detour to NBC Sports Network Wednesday at were fired nine months apart in 2013 and not nearly enough talent on the 5:30. The "Scary Good" and "Better Days" eras, remember, were not the ice. last time the Sabres were in the playoffs. Wednesday will mark the ninth anniversary of the last time the Sabres won a postseason game. There's Briere was the best player in the series, scoring six goals to burn his old no real hockey to see, so I'll be watching to remember what it was like. team. When he was here in February for 2000s Night, he didn't even realize that was the last time the Sabres had been in the postseason. The date was April 22, 2011. Game 5 of the first-round series between the Sabres and in Wells Fargo Center. It was the "That was the last playoff round for the Sabres? Wow, I knew the last few swing game, with the series tied at two wins apiece. The Sabres won, 4- years have been tough. I didn't realize that was the last time," Briere 3, on a Tyler Ennis goal at 5:31 of overtime. The Sabres lost Game 6 at said. "It's hard to imagine." home in overtime on a goal by and were blown out, 5-2, in Game 7. They haven't been in the playoffs since. It really is.

This was not a good Buffalo team for much of the year. The Sabres were Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2020 coming off a division title, but started the season 3-9-2 and were battling uphill the entire year. There were some veteran holdovers such as Connolly, Pominville, Vanek, Miller, Paul Gaustad and Mike Grier, but most of the roster had been turned over since '07.

It took until Jan. 23 to get a points percentage over .500. The Sabres were 27-25-6 and had lost three straight when took over as owner for the Feb. 23 home game against Atlanta.

You might remember the standing ovation the new owner got that night and the surprise on-ice greeting he received from the French Connection, less than a month before 's tragic death. Quite a scene indeed. The bloom long off Pegula's hockey rose, the owner must look at it wistfully now.

The Sabres won that night and kept winning. They finished the season 16-4-4 to slide into the No. 7 slot opposite the Flyers, who had lost the Stanley Cup final to Chicago one year earlier.

It was a weird series. Miller, a hallmark of consistency most of his career, was oddly all or nothing. The Flyers were the first team since 1964 to win a playoff series using three goalies as went 4-1, 2.10/.934 in the series to outplay Miller (3-4, 2.93/.917). Sergei Bobrovsky – then a 22-year-old rookie with a much smaller bank account than he has now in Florida – and Michael Leighton each took a loss for Philadelphia.

Miller posted 1-0 in Games 1 and 4 but gave up 17 goals in the Flyers' four wins, posting sickly figures of 4.53/.875 in the Buffalo losses.

Even the Game 5 victory was problematic for Miller as the Sabres built a 3-0 advantage through 15 1/2 minutes on goals by Ennis, Vanek and Marc-Andre Gragnani but blew the lead.

Philly tied the game as and Andrej Meszaros – who became a symbol of the Buffalo tank four years later – scored in a 1:45 span of the second period and Briere netted his third of the series early in the third.

The Sabres won it in overtime when Mike Weber took a pass across the blueline from the late Steve Montador and fired a low shot off the pad of 1173842 Calgary Flames With a dozen picks in this year’s 10-round draft, including three in the sixth round, the day should pay off handsomely for the Hitmen.

“Not in my wildest dreams did I think we would have every selection in Hitmen hold bevy of picks for 'deep' WHL Bantam Draft this year’s draft,” Chynoweth said. “We were planning on making a run for it this year, and we didn’t think we had to add a lot. We ended up making a trade for (20-year-old) Kyle Olson to change the look of our Author of the article:Todd Saelhof forward group, and we were looking at another defenceman. Then, when (star defenceman) Egor Zamula gets hurt and has (season-ending) back

surgery and Layne Toder decided to leave the hockey club to go play The future certainly looks sunny for the . Junior ‘A’, we got caught between a rock and a hard place and couldn’t make a deal. With an eye-popping dirty dozen’s worth of draft picks in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, how can it not bode well for the Western Hockey League “But as it turned out, we’ve got all our picks in a draft class we’re excited club, even if there’s only a moderate amount of success that comes out about.” of the annual crap-shoot? That doesn’t mean, though, that the Hitmen GM wouldn’t be unavailable But given that it’s considered a deep draft class for Wednesday’s virtual to make some sort of trade, just as he did last year on draft day when he pick-em, the odds are in the Hitmen’s favour of getting quite the return for landed top-tier d-man Jett Woo. their day at the table that begins at 10 a.m. online at whl.ca. “If something presents itself (like Woo last year), absolutely we’ll look at Especially if they elect to keep — and use — all 12 picks. it,” Chynoweth added. “But right now, it’s highly unlikely. I’d rather have the options of having the picks than not have them at all — they mean so “I’d be highly surprised if we made any deals,” said Hitmen GM Jeff much. Chynoweth. “Until we know what’s going to happen with our 20-year- olds, it’s tough for us to get involved in those type of trades at this time of “You’re hoping to get three-to-five out of each draft class to play on your year. roster at some point. So when you draft 10 guys and you add in two others (in forward Hunter Anderson and defenceman Briggs Orr) from the “So unless something comes out of left field, we’re going to stay status U.S. Prospects Draft two weeks ago, we’re going to have 12 2005-born quo.” players on our player list when this ends.

Not that it’s a bad thing. “We feel comfortable we’re going to get a good group. Hopefully they can develop and lead us to some on-ice success down the road.” No, sir … not this year. HITMEN ON DRAFT DAY “This draft has long been talked about for its level of talent and depth, and we are excited to own one pick in every round, including a trio of 1st round — 12th overall sixth-round selections,” said Hitmen director of player personnel Dallas Thompson. “Our scouting staff has invested a lot of time preparing for 2nd round — 34th overall Wednesday, and we are excited to add to our protected list with a 3rd round — 65th overall (acquired from in Andrew number of future Hitmen.” Fyten trade) Just who they will be has yet to be determined. 4th round — 78th overall But one thing is for sure, Thompson & Co. feel like they’ve had plenty of 5th round — 91st overall (acquired from Tri City Americans in Dom time, with the coronavirus pandemic suspending the last five weeks of Schmiemann trade) the schedule, to do their homework for the draft, which has been moved ahead from May 7 with the current health crisis changing the face of the 6th round — 112th overall (acquired from in Hunter calendar. Campbell trade)

“There’s no substitute for skill,” said Chynoweth on what they’re looking 6th round — 121st overall (acquired from in Zach for from their first-round pick. “We want to get a forward that brings as Huber trade) much skill as he can to our hockey club. And we want a puck-moving defenceman if we do go that way — the game is so fast now that a 6th round — 131st overall (acquired from Everett Silvertips in Jameson defenceman has to be able to get the puck up to the forwards quickly.” Murray trade)

Of course, whichever one they opt for with that 12th overall pick will be 7th round — 144th overall decided with the help of the 11 other choices made ahead of them. 8th round — 166th overall

With the first-overall selection, the have declared they are 9th round — 188th overall taking — and have already signed — centre Connor Bedard, possibly the most highly touted player ever to join the WHL and the league MVP of 10th round — 210th overall the Canadian Sport School Hockey League after scoring 84 points in 36 games with the West Vancouver Warriors. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.22.2020

Then, it’s likely to be a pair of Saskatoon Midget ‘AAA’ Contacts taken in centre Brayden Yager and winger Riley Heidt by the teams in the second- and third-overall slots, the and the Moose Jaw Warriors, although the supposed most complete blueliner, Tanner Molendyk of B.C.’s Yale Academy Lions, should draw big consideration as well.

But fear not, Hitmen fans.

After that, there’s plenty of talent in the hopper for the remainder of the pick-em.

“There’s some top-end players like there always is, but there’s a lot of chatter that there is more depth this year,” Chynoweth agreed. “But I always caution that you shouldn’t judge a draft class until three years after the time that you select these players.

“But yeah … there’s 22 teams with 22 different lists, and you might have a guy in the third round that other teams have in the sixth round, so you’ve got that kind of depth.” 1173843 Calgary Flames Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the circumstances.

Ward had been around the block, yes. Coached here, coached there. And he’d been ordered to hop into the breach before. Coaching audit: Should the Flames make Geoff Ward their full-time bench boss? Midseason, he took over the 1994-95 OHL and the 2002-03 AHL Hamilton Bulldogs. And, twice, he has been replaced.

Challenging situations, but this was something else entirely. By Scott Cruickshank Apr 21, 2020 Ward, though, thrived.

He marshalled the Flames — his Flames now — to a 25-15-3 record and Every winter, NHL coaching staffs are remade on the fly. Every team into a playoff position before the NHL’s pause. The .616 winning considers it at some point. percentage over that stretch is eighth-best in the NHL.

Rate your desperation level. Punt the head honcho. Announce a Among other things, he re-energized the offence, which, oddly enough, replacement. Carry on, hopefully in reinvigorated fashion. had gone dormant under his predecessor’s watch — to 30th overall. Heck, sometimes you end up winning the Stanley Cup. Average output with Ward at the switch? Tenth overall.

It had been years since the Calgary Flames opted for that particular The power play, controlled by Ray Edwards, the development coach gambit, though. There were a couple at the turn of the millennium — Don elevated to an on-site assistant’s role, was the NHL’s third-best after Hay to Greg Gilbert in March 2001, Gilbert to in December Peters’ departure. 2002 — and none since. Penalty killing, which is ’s baby, is slotted eighth overall, after Mid-winter switches, nevertheless, are becoming commonplace. This all 70 contests. season — possibly with visions of dancing in their heads — The defensive game, it should be pointed out, flatlined — 19th in goals- general managers whacked coaches with regularity. against with Peters, 19th with Ward.

Eight skippers were kissed off by Valentine’s Day. Meaning his three and a half months are not without hiccups. But his Few of the shakeups, however, mirrored what happened in Calgary. worthiness is backed by plenty of positive signs. And the evidence, however judged, is sufficiently broad. The club had been on an eastern swing in late-November when the scandal erupted. Akim Aliu’s allegations of racism — quickly The boss said so the other day during his weekly give-and-take with local corroborated — thrust the Flames into the news cycle, here and around reporters. the world. A who had dropped N-bombs? And, as it turned “Yeah, I think we have enough information,” Treliving said. “Obviously, out, had physically abused players? Goodness. we went through an unusual situation. As much as it was a coaching Peters was sent home from Buffalo. change … the way ours happened there was a lot of chaos around it, (but) we still weren’t introducing new people. Geoff had always been General manager , with the aim of transparency amid the here. The staff had always been together. Even bringing in Ray as part of team’s investigation, made regular statements to the press. the staff, he knew this group closely — he worked very closely with the group in Stockton — and worked with the coaches here, knew the The next steps, as obvious as they were, took a few days. coaches here, so it wasn’t like there was a bunch of new band members Nov. 29, Peters officially resigned. trying to figure out how to play together. This was pretty smooth.

By then, Geoff Ward had already been shouldered to centre stage, given “So I feel comfortable making any evaluation.” the responsibility for directing the on-ice product of what was then the While the comments are not a full-fledged vouching of Ward’s handiwork, league’s most scrutinized team. they point to the power of stability, a term not exactly synonymous with Promoted from associate to interim head coach — the i-word remains the Flames staff. glued to his job title — Ward, at 57, was suddenly at the helm of an NHL For perspective, has skated for eight head coaches in outfit. Calgary. Sam Bennett, four already. Ridiculous. Enough already. For the first time. Understandably, in the aftermath of those ugly Some observers have made the case that Peters, the season after accusations/confirmations, Peters was finished here. The only shock propelling the Flames to 107 points, should have been removed for would have been if he’d somehow stayed employed. The Flames could hockey-related shortcomings. When he marched off the bench Nov. 25 not keep Peters. — following an overtime loss at Pittsburgh — and straight into a world of Ward’s fate, though, is in their hands. ridicule, his highly touted group was floundering, just 11-12-4. So, back to our original task — The Coaching Audit. Regardless, Peters was gone. How about this for a conclusion? Go ahead, shorten his title — scrub off And there stood Ward, stunned by the turn of events. the ‘interim.’ He’s earned it. Watching a friend walk a plank of his own making, then taking over an Not only did he bail out the team, nursing coaches and players alike underperforming crew at a time of unprecedented turmoil — this was the through a stormy patch, but he’s also the right man, with the right moment he’d been waiting for his entire professional life? temperament, for the job. Yes, bittersweetly. When Ward showed up at the Saddledome that first day, staring down “This is difficult — I’m still reeling from it myself,” Ward said at the time. the season’s biggest media scrum, he could not have been more “It’s an unfortunate, unfortunate situation. I really haven’t had time to confident, more poised, despite the uncomfortable state of affairs. It was digest all the facts.” only a single post-practice address. Yet, immediately, he presented exactly what the team needed then — and needs going forward. Not one bit of that preamble is news, of course. The rehash is by way of introducing Ward as a topic for discussion. A steady hand.

The assignment here is to roll out a version of The Coaching Audit, a stiff It’s not just about allowing guys to blare their playlists during practice. It’s title for basically deciding if a guy is lousy or not, perhaps with a should- not just about letting them play soccer/handball at the end of on-ice he-stay-or-should-he-go determination. sessions.

But, as his entrance from stage right is recounted, this quite naturally He brought out the paddle when needed. He could fume. turned into an appreciation of the man — what he walked into and how he handled himself. You’ve seen this team play. It’s that kind of group, anxiety-inducing at times. And Ward is no push-over.

Rather, he is straight-shooting. And if his postgame comments were issued uncoded to the press, imagine how unvarnished his messages were to the players.

To reporters one night: “In this league, the work ethic and the battle level and the compete, that’s your ante.”

After another game: “Right now, if we’re having issues about how we need to play, if we don’t understand how we need to play, then we’re in trouble.”

And: “I’m as frustrated as everybody else is probably.”

Ward (and his staff) did exhibit some curiosities.

For one thing, giving nods to David Rittich when it felt like Cam Talbot should be keeping the net.

For another, rampant line-juggling, which included shoving centreman Mikael Backlund to right wing, his off-wing — something no one had ever seen before and something we’ll never see again. Not that the oddball move had interrupted a bountiful season by Backlund. It didn’t — the Swede struggled through the schedule’s early stages.

Eventually, though, Ward began to jot down his lines in ballpoint. And Backlund, back in the middle, recovered his groove. As did Johnny Gaudreau, who, on March 11, his most recent scrum, lamented the ever- changing configurations of the first line.

But in the weeks leading up to the NHL’s pause, the locals looked strong. How else to explain the 9-5-1 stretch? Which included winning in Boston where the Bruins had lost only twice before the Flames’ drop-in.

For detractors, however, there is plenty of ammo.

Primarily this: the tantalizing list of available (and established) bench bosses — , , Gerard Gallant, — and the notion that this special collection of talent deserves a special coach.

After Ward’s first home date — a win, the second of seven in a row — he raved about the players’ bearing.

In the process, although it hadn’t been his intention, the coach made a terrific case for himself as he described the improved culture.

“It’s evident on the bench,” Ward said. “The frustration level’s not high right now. Guys are really helping each other out, talking, finding solutions. We’re more solution-oriented than frustration-oriented, which, at some points earlier, may have been the case. So we’re moving in the right direction.

“We’re starting to see that their play is turning up … and they’re finding ways to feel good about it, they’re finding ways to support each other. As a result, the mood on the bench has been real, real, real good.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173844 Carolina Hurricanes James Reimer made me genuinely laugh so many times throughout the season, on top of being insightful and unique.

There was that time he punched , of all people to punch … Canes awards: MVP, best interview, most likely to be named Brock McGinn Reimer, unstrapping his gear and preparing for interview: “How’s it going, guys?”

The Athletic: “Good, how are you?” By Sara Civian Apr 21, 2020 Reimer: “Oh, not too bad. Better after a W, eh? Gave the fans something to cheer for. That would’ve been a boring, 3-0 win.”

The good news? I’ve finally been around long enough to claim a bi- (The Hurricanes blew a 3-0 lead but ultimately won.) annual project, which we are now calling The Canes Awards (TM) . The bad news? This year, it’s tough to figure out when to do them. The Athletic: “You and Mrazek clearly aren’t shy about defending the crease …” Considering none of us know if the 2019-20 season will resume, let’s make a regular-season version now and a postseason version if the Reimer: “With Kassian you know you’re gonna (bumped or poked, audio occasion calls. not clear) all night, which is fine — it’s fun, it’s hockey. But I thought he kinda came in late there, then I didn’t even know who it was, I just felt MVP: Dougie Hamilton someone slash me. So I punched him. I looked up and it was him and I’m Dougie Hamilton was third in the league in GSVA (game score value like, ‘I probably could have picked someone who isn’t as tough as he is.’ added) before his injury. He was on pace for a career-high 24 goals and But you don’t want to get whacked and you want to protect your area. 70 points while averaging a career-high 23:17 per night. He was also the Thankfully the boys stepped in so I didn’t get my face punched in.” most compelling adjustment on what had become a halfway decent There was also that time he was blasting “Return of The Mack” because power play. He was headed for his first All-Star Game appearance. Oh, it’s “his wakeboarding song.” and he was playing well in his own end. You never know what you’re going to get with him, but it’s always going He earned some serious praise from Rod Brind’Amour after the injury: to be good. “It’s a huge loss, obviously. He’s arguably our No. 1 guy on everything.” Chillest: Teuvo Teravainen It’s a shame to wonder what the Norris contender would’ve done at that trajectory, but at least it was a clean break and he’s already been cleared He’s going to win an award like this every single time, folks. He is the to return to the ice. With a defensive partner like Jaccob Slavin locked only person I know who would miss the widest open net of the season down, it’s safe to assume we’ll see more of the same from Hamilton because he was trying to pass, go on to score two goals later that game, should he stay a Hurricane. then tell me in the post-game he still would’ve rather passed. You just have to respect it. Most likely to become president: Sebastian Aho Most likely to succeed: Andrei Svechnikov When I say “president” I mean “captain,” but we’re sticking with the high school yearbook theme, here. Anyone paying attention to Andrei Svechnikov’s rookie year knew something special was brewing, but his sophomore year was about At this point Sebastian Aho is absolutely one of the Top 15 centers in the forcing everyone else to pay attention. league and it’s not a debate. He averaged 19:25 TOI/per game last season and scored 38 goals — tied for sixth in the league. He was on 2018-19: Games played: 82. Goals: 20 Assists: 17. Points: 37. pace (two goals away … math!) to become just the third player in Plus/minus: 0. goals: 0. First-line Svech: Only happened in the Hurricanes franchise history to hit the 40-goal mark. All of this while last two minutes of losing games. improving his play away from the puck. Now that he’s got some depth underneath and around him he’s less of a constant target and he can 2019-20: Games played: 68. Goals: 24. Assists: 37. Points: 61. really flourish offensively. Plus/minus: plus-9. Lacrosse goals: 2. First-line Svech: Success!

He’s also in the running for The Beanie Baby Award for being worth the Sneaky class clown: Joel Edmundson investment. Jordan Martinook is the obvious pick, here, but Joe Edmundson is low- Best sport: Petr Mrazek key funny. Once I walked by him doing his post-game workout and he goes “TEN THOUSAND, TEN THOUSAND ONE …” It seems like at least 70 years ago when Joe Thornton punched Petr Mrazek. Yeah, it was a cheap shot, but yeah … Mrazek sold it. The next He also picked “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain for his post-game day at practice, the Hurricanes drew an outline of his body at the scene tune. I got a chuckle out of him challenging Michelle Obama to the of the crime. Well played. Instagram pushup quarantine challenge that was going around last month. Most improved: Haydn Fleury I could go on. At the beginning of the season, Haydn Fleury set out to add some snarl to his game and decrease his happy-go-lucky per/60. He gained traction Comeback of the year: Hurricanes TV host Mike Maniscalco all season, then scored his first NHL goal about 24 hours after becoming Enough said. the longest-tenured NHL player with zero goals. Rookie of the year: Martin Necas We went sort of in-depth about how he improved here. Martin Necas was somewhat overlooked in a heated vs. Considering the “improvement” is likely largely based on how many Cale Makar Calder Trophy battle, in a class stacked with a few other minutes he gets now opposed to how sparingly he was used before, I’m worthy contenders. Regardless, he was fourth among rookies in goals not sure if “most improved” is the perfect terminology. But there’s with 16 and seventh in points with 36. Mind you, he averaged 53rd in something to be said about earning Brind’Amour’s trust, and where he time on ice per game, at 14:10. might’ve tossed Fleury out of the lineup before, now he has to think twice. Think of the potential when that’s bumped up.

Worst chirps: Jake Gardiner I think this season was huge in setting up the rest of his career, and that’s obviously more important than winning the Calder. He proved he How could I leave this out? could not only hang in the NHL but he could thrive — at both even Most likely to come back to the NHL after a brief hiatus and immediately strength and as a key playmaker on the power play. Everyone knew he pot like, seven consecutive game-winning goals: Justin Williams had that in him though, the most pleasant surprise to me was the amount of big, late-game goals he managed to score. Best interview: James Reimer Brock McGinn: Most likely to be named Brock McGinn I always go through The Athletic comments because y’all are awesome and you always make me laugh or think. A few days ago, Justin Bourne wrote that the Hurricanes should have a documentary. No offense to Bourne, but commenter Josef S. stole the show:

“Sounds great, Justin. So long as some team can loosen up on the white knuckle control-freakery to allow the filmmakers to go with the downs, as well as the ups of the season.

“Agree Carolina would be ideal. This is the bunch who are loose enough to let their Stormsurge hang out, after all.

“They have an interesting mix: Svechnikov exuberantly playing lacrosse, Dougie letting his museum-freak flag fly. swashbuckling Petr Mrazek and his ego are a 2 for 1. He’s teamed with Reimer, a charming wholesome Mennonite from the prairies. Brock McGinn is named Brock McGinn and plays like it.

“Hopefully, Justin Williams would still be around to be the beloved- veteran-who-can-hang-with-the-kids. Rod Brind’Amour is the frightening appearing coach who is actually really thoughtful. And Eric Tulsky is the genius math nerd whom the players stuff in a locker on sight, but who gets all the chicks. Also, featuring Sara Civian as the sardonic town hockey reporter whom everyone has a crush on, but are also afraid she’ll eviscerate them on Twitter.”

Come on, “Brock McGinn is named Brock McGinn and plays like it.”

I laughed so hard I cried.

Most popular: Morgan Geekie and Dave Ayres

Can someone tell me how the Hurricanes managed to have the Morgan Geekie game, the Dave Ayres game and two Andrei Svechnikov Michigan goals in one season that didn’t even last 82 games?

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173845

NHL reportedly considering holding 2020 draft before season resumes

By Charlie Roumeliotis April 21, 2020 6:30 PM

The NHL is reportedly considering holding the 2020 draft in June before the potential conclusion of the 2019-20 season, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told TSN's Pierre LeBrun after Tuesday's conference call with the general managers. It would likely be conducted virtually, although nothing has been decided.

The obvious complication in this scenario is finalizing the lottery and rest of the order before the Stanley Cup is awarded, and ironing out conditional draft picks. It could also eliminate the possibility of draft day trades unless there's a creative workaround, considering the league is still operating for this season and the trade deadline was Feb. 24.

The Blackhawks are currently projected to own the No. 9 overall pick if the percentages fall where they're supposed to. It would mark the third consecutive year the Blackhawks pick inside the top 10, with Adam Boqvist being taken No. 8 overall in 2018 and No. 3 overall in 2019.

The 2020 NHL Draft was originally scheduled to take place from June 26 to 27 in Montreal, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league remains committed to finishing the 2019-20 season in some capacity.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173846 Chicago Blackhawks Jordan Binnington 30/32, .938 SV% (2.97 GAA, .899 SV% in series)

While Crawford starred in Games 2-4, Binnington a force in Games 5-7, recording an amazing .942 SV% against the underdog Blackhawks. It’s NHL 20 sim: Blackhawks eliminated from playoffs in Game 7 loss to not that Crawford was bad late in the series, but Binnington played at a Blues Conn Smyth level and was the biggest difference between the two teams.

By Matthew Rooney April 21, 2020 6:20 AM Power play

Chicago: 0-1 (0-9 in series)

For the second time since 2016, the Blackhawks and Blues will meet in St. Louis: 1-1 (5-9 in series) Game 7 of a first round matchup. In 2016, the Blues jumped out to a 3-1 If there is ever a perfect example for how important special teams are in series lead, the Hawks fought back to force a Game 7, only for St. Louis the playoffs, look no further than this series. The Blackhawks took the to fight off the comeback attempt and advance in the playoffs. This time West’s best on the brink of elimination and had it tied 2-2 late on the road around, it was the Blackhawks holding a 3-1 lead only to find themselves in Game 7 without recording a single power play goal in the series. Had in a seventh game after the Blues won back-to-back overtime thrillers. they just been minimally better on both special teams, it’s very likely we Coach mixed up the lines in an effort to give his offense would be previewing their second round matchup right now instead of a jolt, re-uniting the “nuclear option” of Dominik Kubalik, wondering what could have been. and Patrick Kane on the top line. Will the line changes finally get Kane Series MVPs going and spark the Blackhawks to a huge upset? Chicago: Alex DeBrincat Game 7: Blackhawks at Blues (April 21) St. Louis: Jordan Binnington Result: Blues win 5-2 (STL wins series 4-3) Despite O’Reilly’s huge performance, Alex DeBrincat led all scorers this : series. After slumping much of the regular season, The Cat shined with First Star: Ryan O’Reilly (1 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, +2, 10-15 FO) the lights on bright, chipping in three goals and seven assists for the Hawks in his first playoff action. Second Star: Jaden Schwartz (2 G, 5 SOG, +2) While Chicago might not be advancing this season, DeBrincat’s Third Star: Jordan Binnington (30 Saves) performance bodes well for what's to come from the budding star in future playoff series. As for the Blues, you could have picked O’Reilly and If this series is any indicator of how the rest of the playoffs will go, it would be hard to disagree, but Binnington’s effort in Games 5-7 O’Reilly could be well on his way to another Conn Smythe award. He ultimately decided the series. finished the series with five goals and three assists, scoring the game- winner while adding in assist in Game 7. Each goal seemingly came at The Hawks still found ways to win Games 2-4 with O’Reilly buzzing, but an important juncture. when Binnington turned it on late in the series, the Hawks had no answers. Chicago has some positives to build on heading into the Schwartz followed up his overtime winner in Game 6 with a two-goal offseason, but no doubt there will be some wondering of what could have performance in Game 7 and really turned it on in the latter portion of the been after squandering their 3-1 series lead. series to help fuel the Blues’ comeback win. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 Scoring Summary:

First Period

2:17 Jaden Schwartz (C. Gunnarsson, B. Schenn) 1-0

15:32 Alex DeBrincat (D. Caggiula, D. Keith) 1-1

Second Period

10:58 Ivan Barbashev (Z. Sanford, M. Scandella) 2-1

11:21 Adam Boqvist (D. Strome, D. Keith) 2-2

15:06 PP Ryan O’Reilly (B. Schenn) 3-2

Third Period

2:49 Jaden Schwartz (R. O’Reilly, A. Pietrangelo) 4-2

19:47 Jonathan Toews (B. Saad, A. DeBrincat) 2-2

19:50 Robert Thomas (Unassisted) 5-2

Box score:

Shots on goal

Chicago: 32

St. Louis: 30

It wasn’t a bad effort from the Blackhawks, but in the end the Blues depth was just a little more impactful. The Blackhawks took the “nuclear option” with their line combinations but the Kubalik-Toews-Kane trio was shut down, not generating any goal scoring in Game 7.

Your best players need to stand out in Game 7s. The Blues got that from O’Reilly and Schwartz; the Hawks did not from Kane and Toews.

Goalies

Corey Crawford 25/29, .862 SV% (2.84 GAA, .890 SV% in series) 1173847 Chicago Blackhawks

Does Steve Larmer think the Blackhawks should retire his number?

By Scott King April 20, 2020 9:02 PM

Former Blackhawks legend Steve Larmer joined Hawks pre and postgame host Pat Boyle on the latest episode of the Blackhawks Talk Podcast.

Larmer was asked about such topics as playing for former Chicago and New York Rangers coach , if his number should be retired by the Blackhawks, if he should be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and more.

The 120th overall pick in the 1980 draft by the Blackhawks played the majority of his career for the polarizing Keenan both in Chicago and then with the New York Rangers, where they won a Stanley Cup together in 1994.

"I think I played for him for about eight years, so I probably played for him longer than anybody else," Larmer said of Keenan. "The first couple of years are rocky because you're learning and you're not necessarily agreeing on everything, so there's a little bit of a pushback and stuff like that. After the first couple of years, I think everything was really good.

"I always had a good relationship with him in the fact that I think he liked me as a player and gave me all kinds of opportunities to play in all kinds of different situations. I never really had an issue with him from that regard or what not. He went into every season like we're winning 82 games. He was playing to win every game, every single night."

The former Hawks alternate captain was also asked if he had thoughts on if his number should be retired, something fans bring up on a regular basis.

"Not really. It's a number," Larmer said. "I'd almost rather have somebody wear it. Nobody wants 28 anyway, so what difference does it make? A lot of great years there. Got to play with some wonderful people and I grew up there. So nothing but fond memories and wonderful experiences."

An even bigger honor Blackhawks fans would love to see Larmer get is a rightful passage to the Hockey Hall of Fame for recording 1,012 points in 1,006 NHL games.

"It's like a lot of things in life that are out of your control, I [did] what I could when I played and my time came to an end and that's really about it," he said.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173848 Chicago Blackhawks carried it into the zone eight times. Hagel had 18 attempts with nine carries. Dylan Sikura had 18 attempted entries with nine carries. Alexandre Fortin had 10 entry attempts with seven carries, which was the What tracking data can tell us about Blackhawks prospects highest successful carry percentage (minimum five carries). Gabriel Gagne had 10 entry attempts with three carries.

Nilsson and Entwistle are worth mentioning again here, too. Nilsson By Scott Powers Apr 21, 2020 carried the puck into the offensive zone on 6-of-8 attempts. He had the second highest successful carry percentage. Entwistle was 4-of-8. Phillip

Kurashev, who played in just one of the recorded games, was 2-of-2. In the AHL, the eye test and your standard stats are often all we have to Anton Wedin was 3-of-5. assess players. Sznajder also tracked forechecks. Hagel and Dylan Sikura had the most The league doesn’t even provide ice time, at least publicly. attempts of applying forecheck pressure. Sikura was counted for 14 times and Hagel for 11. No one else had more than seven attempts. In With some more time on my hands, I turned to Corey Sznajder to see if another forecheck category called exit disruption, Sikura had the most we could take a deeper dive into the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the with seven and Hagel was second with six. Fortin and Tyler Sikura didn’t Rockford IceHogs, and try something different. Could we learn something apply pressure often with six attempts, but they each disrupted the more about the Blackhawks’ prospects by tracking some of the IceHogs opposition’s exit four times. John Quenneville had two disruptions on games just as he does NHL games? He was down to find out. three pressures.

I picked three late-season games for him to track. He thought it’d be After Sznajder completed the tracking, I asked him for his general valuable to choose games where there were fewer than eight total power thoughts from the games. plays, so there would be enough 5-on-5 ice time. We ended up with the IceHogs vs. the on Feb. 15, against the San Antonio “I thought Carlsson and D. Sikura were their best players,” Sznajder Rampage on Feb. 21 and against the on March 8, the wrote. “Overall, they had some issues with putting two passes together IceHogs’ final game. Every game didn’t include all the same players, but and the only offense they were creating were short passes. Beaudin had this was a healthier stretch for the IceHogs and included most of their top a few nice plays, though, and Krys looked really good in the one game I players. I also watched all three games to see if his tracking data saw from him. I felt like Beaudin didn’t see the ice much compared to matched what I was seeing. McCoshen, Tuulola and Gilbert.

Let’s start with 5-on-5 offense. This chart shows his tracking numbers for “Tuulola is interesting. Played a lot, had the best controlled exit shots and primary passes that led to shots. percentage on the team but didn’t contribute much offense, also turned the puck over a lot. The entire team defended the line well, but I’m It’s no surprise forwards Dylan Sikura and Brandon Hagel lead this list. wondering how much of that is the AHL skill level since a lot of players Sikura may not have translated his game to the NHL yet, but he’s been don’t try to make the extra move to get into the zone. Quenneville, pretty dominant in the AHL. Sikura had a team-high 13 shots and five Entwistle and Hagel seemed to do well in that forechecking type of scoring chances in 5-on-5 play during the three games. His 15 primary environment.” assists that led to shots were by far the most on the IceHogs. The next player had nine. Hagel, who made his NHL debut right before play was Here are some of my own thoughts from watching the games: suspended, has also been one of the IceHogs’ better forwards this • The IceHogs played well in all three games. They didn’t allow more than season. He had 12 shots and a team-best seven scoring chances. 28 shots on net in any of the games. The IceHogs are a pretty good 5- Defenseman Ian McCoshen may be a surprise here because the on-5 team. They don’t have a lot of finishers and not many offensively- Blackhawks never gave him an NHL shot after acquiring him from the gifted defensemen, so they struggle to score, but they defend well and in October, but McCoshen often played on the top often have the puck. It helped that they limited their penalties. The pairing for the IceHogs this season. He was second to Sikura with nine IceHogs have a league-worst 76.2 penalty kill percentage. primary assists that led to shots. • Dylan Sikura and Hagel were often the most noticeable players on the Garrett Mitchell is a 28-year-old forward the IceHogs added late in the ice. There was one game where they were together on a pretty dominant season on a PTO, and he earned himself an AHL contract for the rest of line. Not sure if Sikura ever figures it out at the NHL level, but it still this season and next season. Mitchell had nine shots and two scoring seems early to write him off. Hagel showed a lot of speed in all facets of chances over the three games. the game. It’s too bad he didn’t get more of a look at the NHL before play stopped. On the below clip, Carlsson comes with the big shot off the Defenseman Lucas Carlsson played in just two of the three games bench, Entwistle later creates a shot on net and Hagel cleans it up for the tracked, but you can see where he can help create offense. His 12 shots goal. were tied with Hagel for the second most. Forwards MacKenzie Entwistle and Jacob Nilsson each had eight primary shot assists. Only Sikura and • Entwistle definitely has a chance to be an NHLer. He’s probably not McCoshen had more. Entwistle’s four scoring chances were third on the more than a third-line forward, but he appears to make smart and team behind Hagel and Sikura. efficient plays. He knows where to put himself. He has size and a pretty good shot, too. The below sequence ends with Hagel feeding Entwistle Sznajder also tracked 5-on-5 zone exits: for a goal.

Joni Tuulola was the most effective defenseman getting the IceHogs out • Nilsson and Tyler Sikura had their moments, too. Both are older of the defensive zone. He also had the most exit assists. Defenseman players, but they’re quality players and the type of players that are Dennis Gilbert had the most attempts and the most possession exits, but important to have on AHL teams. The IceHogs would be wise to try to he also had the fewest assists and most clears. Gilbert and McCoshen keep them around for another season or two. Nilsson could opt to return each had a team-high three icings. to Europe next season.

Sikura and Entwistle are also notable in this chart as they both often had • Kurashev played in just one of the games and was just coming back a number of successful possession exits. Entwistle had the highest exit from injury, so I wouldn’t read too much into his numbers. From all possession percentage at 70.0. Hagel (62.5) and Tyler Sikura (55.6) also accounts, he was playing at a high level before his injury. He plays with a had higher possession exit percentages. kind of creativity you don’t see much from the organization’s other prospects. He did score a goal in the last game (see below). Of the players with a minimum of 10 exit attempts, Mitchell had the highest successful exit percentage at 92.3. Dylan Sikura was next at 78.3 • The IceHogs have some quality AHL defensemen, but it’s hard to say and was followed by Tuulola (77.3) and Gilbert (76.3). Defenseman now if any will become consistent NHL defensemen. Carlsson has a Dmitry Osipov (58.3) and Nicolas Beaudin (60.0) had the worst chance because he passes the puck so well. Gilbert could be one if he percentages with a minimum of 10 attempts. eliminates some of his mistakes. It’s early with Beaudin, but he didn’t earn a lot of trust from the coaches this season and was often placed in a Sznajder also tracked zone entries: third-pairing role. It’s sort of odd he was called up when he was late in There were five players who had 10 or more attempted zone entries. the season. Beaudin did have his moments in the three games (see Tyler Sikura led the team with 20 attempted entries and successfully below). • I’m not sure where the Blackhawks stand with Fortin, but he seems like another forward who still has a shot. He wasn’t as consistently noticeable as Hagel or Sikura, but he’d pop up and make a play nearly every game. He scored a shorthanded goal one game. He had successful zone entries. When he was aggressive on the forecheck, he forced turnovers. He’s a restricted free agent after the season, so we’ll see what the Blackhawks do. Below is an example of Fortin against the Wolves.

• This wasn’t a project with goalies in mind, but Collin Delia and Matt Tomkins both played well in the games. Delia started two of the games and stopped 27-of-28 shots in one game and 28-of-28 in the other. Tomkins allowed three goals to the Wolves, but two of them were off power plays and the other was in overtime.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173849 Columbus Blue Jackets "I’m saying this with tongue in cheek and understanding I don’t have any scientific background, but who knows? Maybe it’s realistic that a month from now or two months from now where you actually even have Jarmo Kekalainen is Blue Jackets’ biggest supporter for playoff spot crowds," he said. "This changes so much every day that anything is possible."

Doubt the CBJ’s non-scientist all you wish. But it doesn’t take a medical Rob Oller The Columbus Dispatch expert to know his optimism is contagious.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2020 Medical science is not Jarmo Kekalainen’s bag. The Blue Jackets general manager is no expert on antibodies, coronavirus testing or knowing the timetable of finding a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

"I’m just a citizen trying to educate myself as much as possible," Kekalainen said on Monday. "I do not feel like a scientist, but I do have a lot more respect for the scientists and people on the front lines. It’s awesome to see them in the field, the overwhelming courage those people have and how they go about their business saving lives."

In a conference call with reporters, Kekalainen emphasized that his job of saving the Blue Jackets’ season is not nearly as critical. But it is important to a lot of fans, which is why he feels a responsibility to press for a solution most advantageous to the franchise.

"I’m lobbying for getting into the playoffs, yes I am," he said.

I know a few lobbyists. They are smart, smooth, relentless. That describes Kekalainen. In poker, he needs no sunglasses to hide his tell. His stone-cold expression gives nothing away.

That is exactly the type of negotiator the CBJ needs at this juncture, when one of the scenarios on the table would keep the Blue Jackets out of the playoffs by a mere .009 of a point.

If the NHL decides to scrap the rest of the regular season and go straight to the postseason with its eight-teams-per-conference format, the Blue Jackets, who currently hold the second wild-card spot, likely will be on the outside looking in.

The NHL could choose those 16 teams by points percentage, not points compiled, because teams have not played an equal number of games. In that scenario, the New York Islanders (80 points in 68 games, .588) would get the No. 8 seed ahead of the Blue Jackets (81 points in 70 games, .579)

Enter Kekalainen, who will not go quietly into that nightmare.

"It would be very difficult (to accomplish), which is why I don’t think it is going to happen," he said of jumping directly into the playoffs. "I’m sure the league will find the right way, the fair way, to continue and salvage the season."

He is sure. But the NHL has offered the Blue Jackets no promises. Does that make Kekalainen nervous? Not quite. Jarmo sweats less than Chuck Norris.

"If you go directly into the playoffs, I think it has to be expanded from 16 teams," he said. "Otherwise you have to cut it right off and where do you do that when teams have different schedules … more home games? I’m not sure there’s a fair way to cut to 16 teams right away."

Translated: Don’t stick it to Nationwide and Front.

Kekalainen already has presented something of a playoff plan to the league. He would not share details, but expansion would seem to be part of the equation.

"We’ve already given the league one (idea), but it’s kind of the thing that’s evolving," he said. "You give your first idea and you work on that and you think about it for another month and, ‘Well, maybe we should have thought of that instead.’ We have some ideas, and obviously we want to be part of it, because we were right there when play paused."

Kekalainen’s bottom line: The Blue Jackets should not be punished for having earned enough points to make the playoffs. I won’t argue with the man. (I might be afraid to, actually. During this stay-at-home period, I have binged on James Bond movies. Pretty sure I saw Jarmo in a few of them — and not on 007’s side.)

Of course, any playoff plan depends on whether the NHL resumes play at all. Kekalainen remains hopeful, to the point of creating scenarios in which COVID-19 testing and possibly even a miracle cure happens soon enough for the season to resume this summer. 1173850 Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Grigorenko can play all three forward positions as well as the power play. He’s pursued Grigorenko since late in 2018, Grigorenko said, trying to add more skill to ‘I’ve made my decision’: Mikhail Grigorenko still in but other questions the roster. persist Kekalainen’s pursuit was enough to impress Grigorenko. But so is the opportunity that awaits in Columbus, he said. He could have signed with another NHL team, or he could have stayed in Russia for a much more By Aaron Portzline Apr 21, 2020 lucrative contract, according to his agent, Dan Milstein.

“Their interest from Columbus was one thing,” Grigorenko said. “The other thing is they’re a team that can offer me an opportunity. There COLUMBUS, Ohio — In Mikhail Grigorenko’s mind, the contract he aren’t a lot of teams in the NHL that can offer that. signed with the Blue Jackets on Monday is valid — no matter what the NHL might say. “I know if I come to camp well prepared and play really good and earn my ice time, I’m actually going to play. Everything’s in my hands at this The league rejected Grigorenko’s one-year, $1.2 million contract with the point.” Blue Jackets because it ran afoul of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. He’s not eligible to sign a contract for the 2020-21 season The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 until July 1.

So that’s exactly what he plans to do, he said, giving his word to the Blue Jackets after the deal fell apart shortly after the club announced it.

“I’ve made my decision,” Grigorenko told The Athletic on Tuesday from his summer home in City, Canada.

“I believe the contract is valid and it will be filed on July 1. I don’t think anything changes. There’s no way I’m going to talk to any other teams.”

With that out of the way, the Blue Jackets can get back to contemplating the other questions that surround Grigorenko’s return to the NHL.

The biggest? Can he be a more engaged, competitive player than he was in previous NHL stops with Buffalo and Colorado?

The Avalanche opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Grigorenko in 2017, making the then-22-year-old a free agent. That’s a staggeringly fast fall from grace for a player who was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

“When you’re in junior, most of the first-round guys have more skill to get away with things in junior that you can’t get away with in the NHL,” Grigorenko said. “When everybody is that skilled and that strong, it’s an adjustment you have to make as a young player.

“I can’t say I’m a physical player, running around and hitting. But I’m a smart player. I know when to hit when to get hit, when to make the right play. … Everyone has to learn their own qualities, and I play the game the right way.”

Grigorenko pointed to the spring of 2019 — the KHL playoffs, followed by the IIHF World Championships — as proof that he’s now a two-way player.

In the playoffs, Grigorenko had 13-8-21 in 20 games and was named the playoff MVP after guiding CSKA to the Cup.

“I was the go-to guy, led the playoffs in goals and points,” Grigorenko said.

One week later, he was added to Russia’s World Championship roster, which is not an easy lineup to crack.

“Ovechkin, Malkin, Kucherov … all these guys played,” Grigorenko said. “I earned a spot because of my performance in the playoffs, but the coaches asked me to be a defensive guy, play on the penalty kill.

“I had to adapt really quickly from a power-play guy to a shut-down guy. That shows my versatility, my two-way play.”

Grigorenko spoke with current Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and former Blue Jackets defenseman before he signed the contract.

He also spoke with Blue Jackets coach , a stickler for 200- foot hockey and two-way play. It could be an interesting relationship to watch next season.

“(Tortorella) told me a little bit about the team and about himself,” Grigorenko said. “The conversation went well. I liked what I heard.

“He said if I come prepared and work hard and give my 100 percent in every practice and every game, I’m not going to have any problems with him.” 1173851 Dallas Stars

Ben Bishop wants chance at Stars Stanley Cup playoff run with or without fans present

Dallas’ goalie is still hoping for a playoff run in July or August.

By SportsDay Staff

Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop joined NHL Now on a remote episode to discuss a potential start to the Stanley Cup playoffs, his skills as a grill master and more. Here are the highlights of that conversation, edited for clarity.

How have things been being at home with the family?

Bishop: "It’s been great. That’s been the silver lining behind this is you get to spend a lot of time with the family. I have respect for the wife, being home 24/7 with the little guys is not an easy task. We sleep well chasing them all day.

“We’ve got another one on the way in a couple months so we’ve been setting up the room upstairs where Benjamin is going to move into. So I’ve been hanging some shelves, getting the carpet laid down and doing all the little things to get the room ready.”

How have your grilling skills been evolving during the break?

Bishop: “I sent that (picture) to Tom and it’s a little steak, horse radish, potato and mixed vegetables too. We’re trying to keep it healthy in quarantine too.”

What shows have you been watching lately?

Bishop: "We’ve watched a few things. We started the thing last night which was obviously really cool. We finished season three of Ozark and we watched Tiger King. But we don’t have too much time.

“At night time after we put them down we’re ready for bed, but we’ve watched the top shows right now. So we’ve finished those and we’ve got to find a new one.”

If we could come back and play into the summer would you be OK with that?

Bishop: "Yeah absolutely. I think most of the guys don’t have that many opportunities to win a Stanley Cup in your career. If that was taken away from you it’d be a tough pill to swallow. I kind of changed my mindset, assuming that we will come back at some point and just treating April and May as almost like your summer, then really start to gear it up.

"Hopefully in July or August we start at that time. It’s almost like our summer is going on right now and when we pick up it might be like the world cup: straight into playoffs. I think we all have our fingers crossed but obviously the important thing is the health of the world right now.

“Just keeping everyone healthy but hopefully we’ll turn the corner here and we can start playing some hockey. Whether it’s with fans or not, as long as we can get out there and do the things we love and hopefully people can watch. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Do you think Carole Baskin killed her husband?

Bishop: “I think so. I think one of the tigers had a good dinner. Well, I wouldn’t say a good dinner, but had a dinner.”

The final question is referring to the Netflix documentary called “Tiger King” Joe Exotic and other private zoo owners across the nation.

Fun fact: before Exotic opened his zoo in Oklahoma he owned a pet store in Arlington.

Bishop’s comments about the rarity of having a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup shed light on why cancellation of the 2020 playoffs would be more difficult for the Stars than the Mavericks.

One thing about the playoffs does look certain: if there is a chance to play them safely, Ben Bishop and his team are willing to do what it takes to make it happen.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173852 Dallas Stars As stated above, there are a variety of ways to go about it, if the Stars ever chose to add something like a Ring of Honor. For this exercise, I’m choosing to include the players with their jersey retired in the Ring of The case for a Stars ‘Ring of Honor’ and possible members of its Honor and add a few others, dividing it into two tiers. inaugural class Tier 1

This first tier is just the six jersey numbers already retired by the Stars. By Saad Yousuf Apr 21, 2020 That includes three players who played most, if not all, of their careers with the before the franchise relocated to Dallas. It’s worth noting that the Stars chose to continue to honor those numbers, something that isn’t a given. The Colorado Avalanche put the four retired Accolades are earned by players throughout their careers. The honors numbers from Quebec back in circulation when they relocated to , come at varying levels, some held in higher regard than others. Among and Carolina did the same with two of its three retired numbers going the honor held for the highest of highs is seeing your jersey number back to Hartford. hanging in the rafters, never to be worn again by any player who comes through the franchise. Mike Modano

The standard is high for Stars fans, too. That much was apparent in The No. 9 retired: March 8, 2014 Athletic’s fan survey last week when we asked the question, “After Sergei Zubov (has his jersey retired next season), are there any Stars players Not much needs to be said for the greatest American-born hockey player not currently active that should have their number retired?” The in NHL history. Between his four years in Minnesota prior to relocation overwhelming response, 332 votes, went to “no.” The next highest vote- and then 16 more in Dallas, Modano is the franchise. He leads the Stars getter was with 85 votes, followed by Marty Turco’s 81 games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802), points (1,359), short- votes. handed goals (29), game-winning goals (92) and power-play goals (156). It’s all capped off by back-to-back Stanley Cup runs and the 1999 “It’s a sacred thing,” Turco said of jersey retirements. “I would never lose championship. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. sleep over it. It is super sacred.” As it stands today, the Stars’ method of honoring players is black and white. Either the jersey number is retired and put on a banner to display No. 26 retired: November 24, 2017 at the American Airlines Center, or there’s nothing. That seems simple Drafted by the franchise in 1992, Lehtinen is a Dallas Stars lifer. His NHL and obvious, but there’s also a potential bridge to those two ends of the career began in 1995, and by the time it ended in 2010, Lehtinen had . worked his way into the Stars’ top-10 in game played (875), goals (243), The are one example. They have retired six points (514) and remains No. 1 in plus/minus at plus-176. He won the numbers (10, 12, 16, 19, 22, 33) for the standard definition of what leads Selke Trophy three times and helped Dallas to the 1999 championship. to that prestigious honor (along with No. 99, retired league-wide for Sergei Zubov Wayne Gretzky). They have also unofficially retired three numbers (11, 28, 37) to honor players who tragically passed away during their playing No. 56 retired: 2020-21 careers. And then they have a Ring of Honour, which celebrates players that have made “a lasting impact” on the franchise. Though a high honor, Zubov is the gold standard for defensemen in Stars history. He spent 12 this group is different from the immortalization of having one’s jersey of his 16 NHL seasons with the Stars and remains the franchise leader retired. In fact, none of the seven Canucks Ring of Honour members among defensemen in points (549), goals (111), assists (438), games have their jersey retired, and none of the six players with their jerseys (839), power-play goals (60), plus/minus (plus-103) and shots on goal retired are in the Ring of Honour. Those are two distinct tiers. (1,694). He helped the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup title and is freshly inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dallas announced last fall that Teams have approached this differently throughout the NHL. The New Zubov’s No. 56 will be added to the rafters next season. York Islanders have jerseys retired as well as a team Hall of Fame. Of the eight jersey numbers retired, six of those players are also in the team Hall of Fame. The Arizona Coyotes have seven names in their Ring of No. 19 retired: January 17, 1987 Honor but only one jersey retired (No. 19, Shane Doan). Calgary has retired three numbers but they also have a program called “Forever a Masterton was the first player to ever sign with the franchise back in Flame,” in which they raise a banner to honor players even though the 1967. He was an accomplished hockey player coming in, winning two jersey number isn’t taken out of circulation. Like the Canucks, there is no national championships in college at the University of Denver. His career, overlap between the three players with their jerseys retired and the two and life, was tragically cut short due to a severe head injury suffered on players in the “Forever a Flame” (one being Joe Nieuwendyk). Other January 13, 1968, during his first season with the Minnesota North Stars. examples exist around the league. He passed away a few days later at the age of 29.

“Ultimately it comes down to each organization’s philosophy on the matter,” Turco said. “My opinion on each and every organization would No. 7 retired: February 7, 1998 differ, but for the most part, it has to have a certain amount of tenure, coupled with some form of success — winning, being a leader and Broten spent the majority of his career with the franchise in Minnesota, overall impact on the organization — to back it up. playing for the North Stars from 1980 to 1993. He followed the team over and played that first full season in Dallas, scoring the first goal in the new “I think that’s what goes into it. They’re great debates and fun to have. I city, before going on to spend parts of two more years of his career in always bow out of anything. I didn’t play my first game in the NHL until I Dallas. Overall, he played in 992 games, scored 867 points and 274 was 25 years old, so my expectations are pretty low.” goals for the franchise. Aside from the Stars jerseys already in the rafters — throughout this Bill Goldsworthy entire piece, assume that includes Sergei Zubov, too — there are worthy candidates to be honored between jersey retirements and the existing No. 8 retired: February 15, 1992 abyss. It would also allow the Stars to fill in some holes that exist in the franchise’s story when only told by retired numbers. Goldsworthy is the only player on this list that had a lengthy NHL career but never played in Dallas. However, in his 14-year NHL career, he spent “The Ring of Honor, I think it’s classy and a way to honor the history and nine full seasons and part of a 10th in Minnesota with the North Stars heritage,” Turco said. “Either way, I’m glass-half-full (about possibly after being selected in the 1967 expansion draft. He finished his career being honored); today and tomorrow are important, not yesterday. It with the franchise with 267 goals, 239 assists and 506 points in 670 wouldn’t change my life, but I think there are a lot of great players that we regular-season games and one signature celebration, the Goldy Shuffle. could really highlight, showcase and remind our fans of the great history we have relative to our tenure to other teams. We’ve had a lot of great Tier 2 players come through here, so to celebrate them would be very cool.” Here’s where things get interesting. These players don’t have their He was the leader of the defensive corps for years and finished his jerseys retired and, in most cases, they likely never will. But the history of career with 71 goals and 294 points in 827 points with the franchise. the Dallas Stars can’t be written without them. While the jersey retirement club is exclusive, the Ring of Honor has to have exclusivity as well in order to maintain its shine. That means the list is limited in who makes His case: Belfour doesn’t have the same longevity as some of the other the cut, and there may be debate for a few other names. Here’s the players on this list. but his five seasons in Dallas — out of 17 years total inaugural list we have. in the NHL — were very important. He played in 160 games, almost as Marty Turco many as he played in Chicago (201) despite three more seasons there. Belfour was critical to the Stars winning the 1999 Stanley Cup. He won His case: For the entire first decade of the 21st century, Turco was a his final Jennings Trophy that season and put on a show during the stabilizing force during the Stars’ post-championship years. He has the playoff run. He outdueled and Patrick Roy, and outlasted longevity and the production to warrant this honor, playing a total of 509 Dominik Hašek in the Game 6 triple-overtime finish to win the games in nine years in Dallas and notching a .911 save percentage. championship.

“The thing we’re most proud of, or at least I am, is that every year, we Joe Nieuwendyk talked about winning a Stanley Cup and that was our goal,” Turco said. “We had a lot of pride for Mr. (Tom) Hicks, the Dallas Stars sweater and His case: Nieuwendyk spent seven years in Dallas, helping the Stars win our fans. We poured everything we had into it and had a great time doing the 1999 Stanley Cup with 21 points during that playoff run and it.” deservingly being awarded the . He played seven seasons in Dallas, accumulating 178 goals and 340 points in 442 games Turco was not just talented on the ice but established himself as a fan- with the team. Nieuwendyk was a model teammate, clutch player and a favorite and a leader in the locker room. great leader throughout his tenure. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. “I’ve never seen a goalie work harder,” Brenden Morrow said. “I knew we could count on 35. The bigger the stage, the better he played.” One of the greatest what-ifs in franchise history will always come down to what happens if Nieuwendyk doesn’t tear his ACL in the 1998 playoffs. Turco likely won’t have his No. 35 retired, and it’s been worn by two That team took the to six games in the conference players since he left the Stars in 2010: Mike McKenna in 2018 and Anton finals, and Detroit swept Washington in the . It can be Khudobin for the past two seasons. The number holds significance for argued that the winner of Stars vs. Red Wings wins the championship Turco personally because he chose it to follow in the footsteps of Tony that season. With a healthy Nieuwendyk, would that have been Dallas? Esposito, the Hall of Fame goaltender of the Chicago Blackhawks who shares a hometown with Turco. Ironically, Turco left Dallas in 2010 and Jamie Langenbrunner signed with the Blackhawks for a season and had to wear No. 30 because 35 was already out of circulation and hanging in the rafters His case: Yet another member of the 1999 title team, Langenbrunner thanks to his inspiration. was a young talent who was producing during the glory days. Accounting for his eight seasons in Dallas to start his career and his one season later Brenden Morrow on when he came back, Langenbrunner scored 95 goals in 471 games with the Stars. Given his championship and eventual captaincy in New His case: Morrow was the bridge captain from the championship era to Jersey, it’s easy to wonder how much greater Langenbrunner’s legacy the present. He assumed the captaincy from Modano in 2006 and served could have been in Dallas had he not been traded away. However, the in that role for seven seasons before passing it on to Jamie Benn in time he did spend Dallas warrants his inclusion on this list. 2013. Morrow played 13 of his 15 NHL seasons in Dallas, totaling the fifth-most games in franchise history at 835. He finished in the top 10 in The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 most statistical categories for the franchise, including goals, points, plus- minus, goals created, game-winning goals and shooting percentage.

Though Morrow’s No. 10 is unlikely to be retired given how often it’s been handed out since he left, seeing it on other players is still strange for at least one longtime teammate of Morrow.

“When I see other players out there wearing numbers of my buddies that played here for a long time, like a No. 10, once in a while it just catches you off guard because you’re so ingrained of seeing it on (Morrow),” Turco said. “I had a lot of time looking at the back of No. 9 and No. 10 skating away from me, going the other way. Any time I see somebody else wearing No. 10, I think that’s weird, but that’s life. We really don’t complain, to be honest.”

As for Morrow himself, he says he is fine with his playing number not being retired. On No. 10 specifically, Morrow said he never had any attachment to that specific number the way Turco did with No. 35. He started his career in 1999 wearing No. 45, but that changed going into his sophomore campaign, courtesy of .

“We showed up to training camp the next year, and we were doing a line meeting or maybe it was just a practice, and Hully just said to Hitch, “Hey, this fucking kid can’t play in the NHL wearing a football number, so give him a real number,’” Morrow said. “I didn’t request it, I would have been just fine. I was just happy to be in the NHL, so this was all Hully’s doing.”

Morrow wore No. 10 for the rest of his NHL career, which totaled 12.5 years in Dallas, half of a season in Pittsburgh and a season each in St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

Derian Hatcher

His case: Not only is Hatcher the longest-tenured captain in franchise history, having spent eight years in that role, but his role as the only captain of a Stars Stanley Cup-winner sometimes gets overshadowed between the presence of Modano and Ed Belfour’s presence plus Brett Hull’s walk-off goal. He has the longevity, too, playing 10 of his 16 NHL seasons in Dallas after two earlier ones with the Minnesota North Stars. 1173853 Dallas Stars for good reason, and his contributions to the championships are a big reason why No. 56 will be retired next season.

Brett Hull – He’s not going to be all over the screen, but he’ll float around A viewer’s guide for the first three rounds of the 1999 Stanley Cup and score a big goal or two. playoffs Mike Modano – The Stars’ brand and team were built around Modano for a long time, but the one thing missing from his legacy has been a By Sean Shapiro Apr 21, 2020 championship. He’s 28 during this Cup run, still close to his prime, and had recently evolved into a complete two-way player because of his battles with .

On Monday afternoon, Fox Sports Southwest announced it would be re- Jere Lehtinen – Modano’s and Hull’s running mate for much of the airing the 16 victories from the Dallas Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup run, postseason. He was nicknamed Mr. Fix-It for a reason. starting April 20 and ending with the Cup-clinching win on May 12. Derian Hatcher – He’ll be suspended five playoff games to start because Here is the full schedule. he decided to break ’s jaw late in the regular season. It’s the longest playoff suspension in NHL history at the time. Upon his YOU CAN WATCH ALL 16 WINS FROM THE 1999 STANLEY CUP return, he’ll eventually be the first American captain to hoist the Stanley RUN ON FSSW. HERE IS THE SCHEDULE SO YOU CAN SET THE Cup. DVR PIC.TWITTER.COM/LTBRGKWYGG Ed Belfour – Belfour was already considered one of the best goalies in — SEAN SHAPIRO (@SEANSHAPIRO) APRIL 20, 2020 NHL history, but, like Modano, the knock against him was that he never For some, this will be a nice trip down memory lane. For others, this will won the Stanley Cup. He’ll go head-to-head with three Hockey Hall of be the first viewing of the best team in franchise history. Fame-bound goalies on this run.

With that in mind, here’s a quick viewer’s guide for the first three rounds. Ken Hitchcock – Recent fans have a sour taste because of how his We’ll have a Stanley Cup Finals viewing guide the first week of May return to Dallas played out, but Hitchcock remains the only head coach to before the four wins against the Buffalo Sabres are replayed. win a Stanley Cup in franchise history.

What to know before watching Five to watch before the finals

You’re probably aware the Stars are going to eventually win the whole You may be planning on watching the entire Cup run — all 16 games. thing; that’s not a spoiler. But it does help to take a look back the 1998- But if you aren’t, these are the five you should watch or DVR to capture 99 regular season, when the Stars were also the NHL’s best team over a the spirit of the thing before watching all four games of the final series. much larger sample size. First Round, Game 4 against the – This was a 1 vs. 8 Dallas won the Presidents’ Trophy with 114 points, nine points clear of series, and it was a sweep. It was also as close as a series sweep could the second-place ’ 105 points. In the Western be. The Stars won all four games by one goal and were the better team, Conference, it was even more of a runaway since Dallas finished 16 but was superb for Edmonton in keeping it closer than it points clear of the second-place Colorado Avalanche. should have been.

The Presidents’ Trophy has been awarded since the 1985-86 season; This is a triple-OT thriller, so it’s like watching two games, but it really since it was formally introduced, the Presidents’ Trophy winner has won captures the first-round series perfectly as the Stars dominate play yet the Stanley Cup eight times. It’s now considered a bit of a curse, as the need a key goal late. past six winners have failed to make it past the conference finals and Second Round, Game 2 against the St. Louis Blues – This was the late only two Presidents’ Trophy winners since 2003 (the 2007-08 Detroit Red ’90s and these are the defensively stout Stars, which means lots of Wings and 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks) have actually completed the games from this Cup run are going to be low-scoring. You’ve been double. warned. While it feels like the kiss of death now – ask the 2018-19 Tampa Bay But if you want a glimpse of back-and-forth action and overtime included, Lightning – it was more common for the Presidents’ Trophy winner to the nine-goal show in Game 2 against the Blues sets up well and is hoist the Stanley Cup in the prior era. Between 1986 and 2002, six of the another reminder of why Nieuwendyk will eventually win the Conn 17 Stanley Cup champions had won the Presidents’ Trophy. Smythe trophy. The 1997-98 Stars were among the teams that won the Presidents’ Second Round, Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues – First, it’s the Stars Trophy but failed to win the Stanley Cup. They were ousted by the Detroit actually winning an elimination game against St. Louis – those aren’t Red Wings in six games in the Western Conference Final. common anymore. The Stars’ shortcomings in the 1998 playoffs came in the offensive end. Second, this game plays an important part in the lore and history of Puck Joe Nieuwendyk was injured and only played one playoff game, while the Off. rest of the Stars only scored 11 goals in six games against Detroit and were shut out twice. Third Round, Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche – This was a redemption game for Belfour and the Stars. The Avalanche won Game 5 So the Stars signed Brett Hull, who couldn’t get the deal or the no-trade by a score of 7-5, and Belfour looked pedestrian on a night when Patrick clause he wanted from the St. Louis Blues. Roy was just OK as well. Hull scored 32 goals in the regular season while the Stars defensive This was supposed to be Colorado’s chance to advance to the Stanley system was still the best in a clutch-and-grab era. The Stars allowed a Cup Final at home with a 3-2 series lead. league-low 168 goals, seven better than the second-best Buffalo Sabres. Third Round, Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche – I maintain this is The key characters the biggest home game in franchise history. You can Google the full roster, but if you are going through a first-time Do or die for a trip to the Stanley Cup, and it’s held at rocking Reunion viewing or needed a quick refresher on the most important figures to Arena. You are going to like after this one. focus on, this is the list. The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 Joe Nieuwendyk – As mentioned earlier, Nieuwendyk’s absence in 1998 was a contributing factor to that team not reaching the Stanley Cup. He then, expectedly, turns into a driving force in 1999 and eventually wins the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP.

Sergei Zubov – You are going to see a lot of Zubov while watching these games. He averaged 30:16 of ice time per game during the 199 playoffs 1173854 Detroit Red Wings

Report: Ex-Red Wing Gerard Gallant interviews for Devils' coaching position

The Detroit News Published 9:06 p.m. ET April 21, 2020

Former Red Wing Gerard Gallant interviewed for the New Jersey Devils' coaching position last week, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Gallant, a former linemate and a possible coaching candidate in Detroit if isn't retained this year, was fired from the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this season.

Alain Nasreddine is the interim coach of the Devils and one of the candidates being considered by interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald, according to LeBrun.

LeBrun also confirmed that the NHL draft may be held in June before the potential resumption of the season.

"Yes, it's being considered," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173855 Detroit Red Wings Staying in shape while being in self-quarantine continues to be a tricky situation for Glendening and all professional athletes.

The inability to skate is huge, but Glendening said players are trying to Luke Glendening: Red Wings 'want to finish,' but plenty of uncertainty make the best of the situation. remains with NHL season “Whether it’s some gym work or biking or running, you’re trying to do something, because it’s good for the mental health as well,” Glendening Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 5:04 p.m. ET April 21, 2020 | said. “But it is difficult. When you come back for training camp, you’ve Updated 5:04 p.m. ET April 21, 2020 been skating leading into it.”

Glendening sometimes goes back to March 12, when the Wings were scheduled to play in Washington, and thinking play would be suspended Detroit —The questions from teammates keep coming, but Luke for a couple weeks. Glendening doesn’t have all the answers. “Now we’re sitting at five weeks,” Glendening said. “I figured we’d be Along with being a key part of the lineup and being a Red Wings’ playing by now. But after I got home and dug in and studied it, I knew it alternate captain, Glendening is the team’s NHL Players Association wouldn’t be a week or two and we’d be digging in for the long haul. player representative. “Now it’s been five weeks and we’re no closer to seeing where the end is Red Wings center Luke Glendening says there's plenty of "uncertainty" to this.” surrounding the remainder of the NHL season. Through all that is happening, Glendening is keeping everything in So Glendening has been a go-to guy for details during this coronavirus perspective as to what it is going on around him and how hockey fits in to pandemic. the current world.

But as teammates ask about a possible resumption of the season, and There are more important matters than NHL hockey. when, and how it will be done, Glendening can only help so much. “It’s hard to think about hockey when you see what is going on,” There are more questions than answers at this time. Glendening said. “Hockey brings people together and it’s something we like to do. But you see the people struggling so bad with this, and you’re “A lot of guys are wondering, but there’s so much uncertainty and nobody thinking about the people on the front lines, the workers stepping into a has the answers that you want,” Glendening said, referring to a possible battlefield every day, it’s real hard to think about hockey.” completion to the Wings season. “You watch or read the news every day and it seems like the guidelines are changing, and all they (officials) Detroit News LOADED: 04.22.2020 know is changing. So there’s so much uncertainty.

“But it makes it more difficult when you don’t know, or how long we’re going to be in lockdown.”

The NHL hit the pause button on its season March 12. The Wings, who were scheduled to play in Washington that night, had 11 games left on what’s been a difficult regular season

But Glendening and his teammates would love to finish the schedule — if it’s safe and possible.

“For sure, guys want to finish,” Glendening said. “But the hardest thing is how we are going to make it work. Can we do it in a way that makes sense for health issues? But also whether it makes sense in terms of scheduling, so there are many intangibles that have to be figured out. How far can you push it (this season), but at some point you want to save the integrity of next year, too.

“But I can tell you guys are chomping at the bit to play.”

Health and safety concerns will be crucial, said Glendening, along with lead time to play.

Given the fact players already have been off the ice for more than a month, with no end in sight, there would need to be an extensive training camp.

“You’ll have to retrain your entire system to skate again,” Glendening said. “Guys have not been able to skate for what would be eight or nine weeks, maybe. That’s another thing guys have talked about. If we do come back, what is it going to look like in terms of (a training camp).”

Resuming the season also could help fans with getting their minds off all that is happening around them.

"Sports gives people something to cheer for and get their minds off things that are going on," Glendening said.

About half of the roster is still in the Detroit area, Glendening said, while others have left for their offseason homes.

The Wings haven’t entered the Zoom craze, Glendening said, as many corporations have, but there are group chats.

“We talk on the chat, but there’s been nothing too crazy,” Glendening said. “It’s been good to keep everyone in the loop and check in on each other. It’s been a difficult time for everybody, and one of the coolest parts about hockey is the family atmosphere and the camaraderie you have playing an 82-game season with the guys.” 1173856 Edmonton Oilers “Hey, Ovie’s fun to watch. I watch all the Oiler games and I watch a lot of Washington ones. I remember when he was at 699 goals and he got stalled trying to get to 700 I told him ‘relax, you’re too nervous. I told him Gretzky vs. Ovechkin should be fun on Xbox One ‘before you know it, you’ll be at 800.,’’’ said Gretzky.

“I knew the feeling because I was there trying to break Gordie’s record. You put so much pressure on yourself. You have 10 media, then 20 Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal media (following), then there’s 40. It’s stressful.”

“When he got to 700, I told him he wouldn’t look back.”

The bigger the game the better Wayne Gretzky played but NHL20 on Gretzky sent Ovechkin, who is huge into memorabilia, a stick after the Xbox One? Caps Cup win in 2018.

Not so much. His skills with a controller are closer to Dave Hunter than “We had dinner one night and I said I’d give him one when he won a the Great One. Stanley Cup. Peter Millar (Los Angeles Kings equipment manager who used to do the same in Edmonton) kept track of all my goal sticks and I Which is a polite way of saying Gretzky doesn’t figure he has a chance in wanted to send him 808 but I couldn’t find it. I sent him the stick I got my his best-of-three video game showdown with Alex Ovechkin Wednesday 807th goal with. which will be streamed at 6 p.m. MDT on the Washington Capitals Twitch channel. Not unless his three boys Trevor, Ty and Tristan get to assist. He said he showed it to all the guys on the team and they couldn’t believe I played with a stick like that because it was so heavy and big,” Not really a fair fight since Gretzky grew up with table top hockey with all said Gretzky. the knobs to pull and push and Ovechkin, 25 years younger, knows his way around the video variety, but… Ovechkin has always been a gunslinger, a shooter, a scorer.

“Ovie and I had a practice game (Monday) his current Washington Gretzky has those 894 goals but 1,963 assists. People felt he was more Capitals against the old Oilers…Mess, , , Kevin play-maker. Lowe, Andy (), Simmer (), Charlie Huddy, Grant Fuhr. We lost 2-1,” said Gretzky. “Hullie (Brett Hull) and I always laugh about that. The year I got 92 goals, I had 12 shorthanded goals and 12 empty-net and after Oiler practice Obviously it wasn’t the same as the heydays Oilers where every game when the ice was bad, I would shoot pucks from all over the ice at the was 7-4. empty net. Somebody said ‘why do you do that?’ I said ‘my dad told me that every goal counts,’’’ said Gretzky. “I dunno…Grant still had to make an awful lot of saves,” laughed Gretzky. “Hullie said to me one night at dinner ‘well, I have the real (single- “You could tell it wasn’t real. Charlie (Huddy) lost a fight and I’m thinking season) record of 86 goals because you have 12 empty-netters.’ I said to ‘good god.’” him ‘well, I can’t help that if you weren’t good enough to be on the ice in Even it wasn’t real, Gretzky and Ovechkin both scored, right? the last minute.’”

“Yeah,” said No. 99, who is No. 1 in all-time goals with 894 and Ovechkin Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2020 has 706 and realistically has a shot at catching Gretzky if he can stay in one piece and doesn’t have a major injury.

“My boys are taking this so seriously, they’re all fired up, and I’m saying ‘hey it’s all for fun, for charity,’’’ said Gretzky, with donations during the streamed event going to the Edmonton Food Bank and Ovechkin’s to the Feeding the Frontlines fund which helps families in the D.C. area during COVID-19.

The reality is I don’t think Ovie is very good at this either. We had so much fun in the practice game, I wish they had taped it because it would probably be better than on Wednesday. It’ll be the rare exhibition game that’s better than a league game,” said Gretzky, who got the idea for the match-up when he saw Ovechkin playing NHL 20 with his son Sergei on instagram.

When a guy missed a shot in the (video practice) game…Ovie was saying the same things I would have said. Like if Semenk () missed a shot in the slot I would have said ‘why does Semenk have the shot right there?’’’ said Gretzky, who unfortunately won’t have his boys as line-mates to help him Wednesday. He’s flying solo.

When Gretzky retired April 18, 1999, Mario Lemieux said “his records are all safe” but maybe not. If anybody has a shot at Gretzky’s 894 it’s Ovechkin. “This is kind of out of left-field, nobody saw this coming,” said Gretzky, who easily would have scaled the 900-goal plateau but for two large blocks of missed games in the 90s.

“I missed 40 games because of the lockout in 1994 and another 40 with an injury (back ) in ’92 so that’s one year but that’s fine over 20 (NHL) years. I really didn’t have much (out of lineup).”

He’s pulling for Ovechkin, with not a selfish bone in his body.

“I’m proud of what I did but Ovie’s got a legitimate chance, I hope he does do it. If he breaks it, that’s great, man. Great for hockey,” said Gretzky.

“He’s in great shape, the big key is staying healthy. He’s on a good team, he’s got a good centreman (Nik Backstrom) who’s as good a passer as there’s been in the NHL. Brett Hull, (Mike) Bossy, Jari (Kurri), they never seemed to miss the net. With Ovie he NEVER misses the net and they cover him (power play),” said Gretzky. 1173857 Edmonton Oilers different things they had. When we went to Vladdy’s house, they couldn’t have been nicer.

On spending time with Tretiak One-on-one with Wayne Gretzky: On the time he visited Moscow during the Cold War I was still in awe. I was a kid and it seemed like the day before we were watching (the) ’72 (). He and (Alexander) Yakushev were the two big Soviet players that busted on the scene, so to speak. Of By Daniel Nugent-Bowman Apr 21, 2020 course, we knew (Phil) Esposito and all the Canadian guys. This was all new to us.

We didn’t grow up in that era watching the Olympic Games or the world With the Cold War at a point of intense hostilities between the Soviet championships. We followed the Leafs and the Red Wings and the Union and the West, hockey’s greatest player set out to make a Canadiens. You want to get your name on the Stanley Cup. Tretiak really seemingly unexpected journey into enemy territory. made a name for himself in ’72 and ’76.

Wayne Gretzky visited Moscow when he was 21 after the 1982 season, One thing I found out was how big a celebrity he really was in the city as a guest of star goaltender , then 30. His decision to and in Russia. We walked a lot of places in Moscow and around Red go stemmed from intrigue, education and respect. Square. One time, there were four limousines that were driving by us at a stoplight. All of a sudden, Vladdy put his hand to his forehead; he was Invited by the Soviet hockey federation, Gretzky was convinced by saluting them. They had black windows and white curtains. The curtain friends Aggie Kukulowicz and Charlie Henry to travel east. Kukulowicz opened. It was (Soviet leader Leonid) Brezhnev. He knew which car he was an interpreter for the and a friend of Tretiak’s. Henry was in and he knew his name. It was pretty cool to see. had travelled to Russia with a youth team a decade earlier. On his visit to the Red Army session Gretzky and Team Canada had lost the 1981 to Tretiak and the Soviets only months earlier. (Gretzky was the tournament’s leading We did a day on the ice with the youth hockey players in the Red Army. scorer and Tretiak was the event’s MVP.) So,Gretzky was on a bit of a There was a kid on the ice that Vladdy introduced me to. He said, “This quest for knowledge. The six-day visit of the capital city was captured by kid’s gonna be our next (Valeri) Kharlamov or Yakushev.” At the time, he a documentary crew, which Gretzky said shot footage of nearly every was 11. It was . It was just by coincidence that we were waking moment. filming that Red Army team and Pavel was on it.

“Everybody had known so much about Canadian hockey and North He was head and shoulders faster than everybody else and his puck- American hockey that maybe there was a way to show the handling ability and everything that goes with that. It was interesting that Soviet system and lifestyle and everything that goes with that,” Gretzky they had him pegged at 10 that he was gonna be their next guy. They said. knew that early on that he was gonna be that good.

“We got a good dose of pretty much everything there was to do in On learning about Soviet hockey culture Moscow – as much as we could get in. It was a pretty intense trip. Let me put it this way: there was really no down time.” One intriguing thing about the Soviet players at that time was there was a little bit of a language barrier – and there was a little bit of a culture Joining him on the trip were his parents, Walter and Phyllis, and then- barrier. There was a respect factor with Esposito and Tretiak, and Tretiak girlfriend Vikki Moss. They visited all sorts of culture places like and (Paul) Henderson, and so on and so forth. But there wasn’t a lot of restaurants, the opera, the ballet, various churches and Red Square. communication in those days.

During his stay, Gretzky witnessed a training session for a youth Red It was the Cold War. We can’t be friends with one another, so let’s not Army team featuring a future Hall of Famer. talk to each other. (Laughs) In a lot of ways, it was silly. Obviously, that all changed. I remember shaking ’s hand in ’84 in Calgary They were welcomed to dinner at the Tretiak home, where they were (at the Canada Cup) and him speaking English to me. I didn’t know up treated to vodka and caviar. until that point how many guys on the time actually spoke English The cherry on top was allowing Gretzky’s father to see a part of the world because we just didn’t communicate. near where his own father had emigrated from. Walter’s dad, Tony, was I was a 21-year-old kid. I didn’t ever think that or, Soviets at from Minsk, Belarus – then part of the Soviet Empire. that time, would ever be allowed to play in the NHL. Back then, they “I really wanted to do it for my dad more than anything,” Gretzky said. wanted that chance. They wanted that opportunity. (Viacheslav) Fetisov Walter knew a little bit of the dialect, although Gretzky and Co. relied on was one of the band leaders in the early ’80s to jumpstart guys and get an interpreter to communicate. guys coming over to North America and playing. Then the rest is history because they all started coming. As The Athletic looks at some of the hard-to-believe moments in sport, Gretzky shared some of the details of his unbelievable trip and how it I think Vladdy always dreamed of playing for the Montreal Canadiens. He changed his hockey outlook. These are his words. had a good kinship with the fans in Montreal and the .

On experiencing a new culture — and culture shock On befriending Tretiak and eventually asking a pressing question

It was a little nerve-racking coming from Canada and travelling in North We became pretty good friends. The one thing I had to ask him as life America. You get off the airplane and there’s a lot of military people. It went on was why he thought he got pulled (against the at may be more like that today when you travel through North America. But the 1980 Olympics) in Lake Placid. back then, an airport in a lot of ways was like going to a grocery store. He just pointed out that he’d won so many gold medals and there was You just buy your ticket and get on the plane. always this in-house tug-of-war with (coach Viktor) Tikhonov, who We’re much more security-oriented now. Back then, when you got off the wanted attention from the military people and the generals. He thought it plane there were armed guards and army tanks. It was definitely a was more important than Vladdy. different mindset and educational from what you were used to seeing. That was his opportunity, Vladdy thinks. He thought his team was so The ballet was completely something that was out of my element. I was good that he could take Vladdy out, win the gold medal and show the intrigued by it. The opera was phenomenal, but the language was a military that he was more important to the team than Tretiak. That was barrier, obviously. My dad and I toured some churches that were interesting to hear Vladdy tell me that. Maybe the Americans still would spectacular. Going through Red Square was remarkable. The whole have won. We don’t know. I sure think I would have kept my best goalie thing from beginning to end was truly fascinating. I was fortunate. in the net to try and win a gold medal if I were them — I’ll put it that way.

I’d been coached by a friend about how life is over there and what to On one of his biggest career frustrations – never playing in Russia expect. When you’re 21, I can’t speak for every kid, but I know my kids One of the things that I learned over the years was that when they came get stuck with what they like to eat at that age. You don’t get too here and played here in ’72 and (against) the WHA in ’74 and in ’76 (for adventurous. I made a decision over there that I was going to get the the Canada Cup), we got an opportunity to see their players – and see their best players at their best. We never really got that chance as Canadians to go over to play in Russia.

I’ve always been disappointed I didn’t get the chance to do something similar to the Summit Series. It would have been a great experience. The fans in Russia would have loved watching Mario (Lemieux) and (Mark) Messier and and guys like that play. I’m disappointed from that point of view.

The ’72 series didn’t end the way they wanted it to end, but it was something that all of hockey needed – as far as a boost goes. It rallied our country together, probably more than ever. Guys like and and (Yvan) Cournoyer, they became such a huge, important part of our youth and our livelihood in the ’70s and ’80s. Esposito was so good in that series. He was a dominant force.

I wish the Russian people could have seen , Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr. We sometimes forget that they were three of our greatest players ever – and they didn’t play in that series. It would have been interesting to see those three guys participate in that ’72 series. It would have been something really special.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173858 Edmonton Oilers 43.56

46.2

Lowetide: Adam Larsson’s Oilers future uncertain as ‘sexy’ options 7-8 emerge Klefbom-Manning

40 By Allan Mitchell Apr 21, 2020 48.28

46.81 The math is starting to work against Adam Larsson as an Edmonton Oilers defenceman. On the day he was acquired in June 2016, general 44.76 manager Peter Chiarelli conceded Larsson wasn’t “sexy” but stated: “He 2-3 moves the puck, defends well. He can log a lot of minutes and match up against all the top forwards.” Klefbom-Russell

Four years later, sexy is closing in from all corners, and Larsson’s 148 expiring contract may place him in some roster peril. 39.64 He entered the season as the top-pairing option on Edmonton’s right side 40.97 and lost ground during the year. As we enter summer, the pipeline is producing strong options and general manager is shaping 40.62 the roster in his own image. Larsson, a year from free agency, is in a difficult spot. 3-3

Is there still room for a classic shutdown defenceman who doesn’t move The first half was poison on the second pair for Tippett. Although he did the puck with offensive flair? Let’s have a look. correctly identify the best available option (Klefbom-Larsson), the duo was running bad luck (3-11 goal differential on a 51 percent shot share). Larsson’s injury and Klefbom’s wandering Larsson lost one slot on the depth chart during the first half (Ethan Bear You may recall Larsson was hurt opening night, after chasing the moving ahead of him), but Joel Persson couldn’t take advantage of his Vancouver Canucks’ Jay Miller-Bo Horvat-Tanner Pearson line with opportunity. Tippett used the early games to make a decision on partner . The duo had a terrible time exit passing, a Persson, meaning Larsson entered the second half as the prime second- problem that was solved for half of the pairing when Nurse checked down pairing option on the right side. to partner Ethan Bear. All numbers from NaturalStatTrick are at five-on- five and between opening night and December 31. January 2020

Nurse-Bear A lot of things changed when the Oilers called Kailer Yamamoto from the , and a lot of that had to do with coaching. Tippett 646 moved Leon Draiaitl to centre and threw Yamamoto and Ryan Nugent- Hopkins on his wings, and the Oilers started winning with greater 50.33 regularity. 49.21 He also had a better idea about how he would run his top two pairings, 50.29 and that consistency allowed him to run his top four defencemen heavily when required in the second half. Here are the numbers for the top pair 34-42 (again at five-on-five):

Remember, Dave Tippett was a new coach looking to solve problems, Nurse-Bear and once this pairing started to click, he ran with it. All numbers are solid except for goal differential, with the save percentage (.881) the major 506 factor. 48.08 Tippett’s first half of the season defensively became a lot about who 48.84 could play with Klefbom on the other top pairing. He had plenty of options, tried them all, then waited for Larsson to return: 47.48

Klefbom-Bear 21-20

75 The top pairing had some wobble in the second half, falling off in possession stats and expected goals. As is often the case, the 49.66 regression in goal differential corrected (if only slightly) as the duo ran 54.79 some good fortune in the second half with a plus-one total.

59.59 Here are the second pairings of 100 or more minutes during the last half of the season. Notice the absence of Kris Russell and Matt Benning and 5-2 the presence of Caleb Jones:

Klefbom-Larsson Klefbom-Larsson

198 307

45.99 48.56

51.04 48.88

49.97 50.57

3-11 15-12

Klefbom-Persson Jones-Larsson

162 149

46.08 49.24 48.53

47.68

8-5

The second pairing after Jan. 1 (Klefbom-Larsson) enjoyed some real success in possession and goal differential. Jones-Larsson also had good numbers, just not quite as effective as the two Swedes.

Russell and Benning had troubles. Russell had groin and concussion issues in the second half, Benning had another concussion, and Tippett was hesitant to run him heavily in the second half. Here are the numbers for each man in five-on-five time on ice for the first and second halves:

Kris Russell

14:39

12:32

Matt Benning

12:47

11:45

Injuries affected things, there’s no doubt about it. The second part of that discussion involves Tippett finding two pairings that excluded these men, then deploying Jones (13:33) more in the second half than Russell or Benning. Entering the deadline period, Larsson was second-pair right side and having a fine second half of the season.

Mike Green

Mike Green was acquired at the deadline and inserted into a prominent role. He used 14:11 at five-on-five in his two games with Edmonton before he was injured. Holland routinely employed older defencemen when he ran the Detroit Red Wings, and Green signed with Holland on July 1, 2015. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the two men agree on another free-agent deal during the offseason. It’s also possible Edmonton would deploy Green on the second pair with Klefbom, giving the club a veteran who can defend and is a better puck mover.

Evan Bouchard

The real enemy for Larsson, Benning and even Green is former top-10 selection Evan Bouchard. He spent the entire 2019-20 season in Bakersfield and will push for a job opening night 2020-21. That likely affects Benning and Russell more than Larsson, but the Oilers likely see a Bear-Bouchard tandem on the right side defensively for the top two pairings not far into the future.

What does it all mean?

The day Edmonton acquired Larsson, I reached out to an industry expert for a good read on the player. I was told he would be effective in shot and goal suppression and could play against top talent without getting caved. I was also told he wasn’t an especially capable outlet passer.

My contact nailed it top dead centre. During Larsson’s four seasons, his on-ice goal differential against elites is 70-64 (via Puck IQ), while Bear, Manning, Green and Bouchard all can pass the puck with more success.

Larsson is 27, plays about 21 minutes a game and can play a prominent shutdown role on a playoff team. The idea of Edmonton trading him a year before free agency is due, in part, to having enough attractive options who are less expensive and under control. That’s not a familiar place for the Oilers.

Keeping Larsson is a strong option. However, if the Oilers truly believe in Bouchard, trading Larsson makes sense. The trade would allow the club to retain Benning (an effective player on his own) and perhaps acquire a scoring winger or a No. 3 centre for Larsson.

The Edmonton Oilers have reached a point where management can contemplate dealing from strength to address weakness. That might be even rarer than making the playoffs for this franchise.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173859 Los Angeles Kings Tokyo Olympics. Wickenheiser, a member of the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission, said the organization’s initial refusal to delay the Games was “insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.”

Hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser earns her biggest assist during That didn’t go over well with out-of-touch IOC bigwigs, but she didn’t COVID-19 pandemic backtrack. Not long afterward, Canada said it wouldn’t send its athletes if the Games were held as scheduled. A few days later, the IOC pushed the Games back until the summer of 2021. By HELENE ELLIOTTSPORTS COLUMNIST APRIL 21, 20202:58 PM Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Arizona Diamondbacks

Her experiences also led Wickenheiser to believe the NHL and other The hands that once gripped a hockey stick so skillfully have a new and sports can’t finish their respective seasons. heroic purpose. Every time Hayley Wickenheiser collects cartons of masks, surgical gowns, face shields or hand sanitizer and brings them to “Not in the format that we know. Absolutely not, not given what I’ve seen front-line medical personnel battling the COVID-19 pandemic, she earns and all of North America essentially is shut down right now,” said an assist more momentous than any point she scored during a brilliant Wickenheiser, who has been an assistant director of player development career that took her from rural to the Hockey Hall of for the Toronto Maple Leafs since 2018. “And if it comes back, I don’t Fame. know that it could be with 20,000 people in the stadium or 18,000. It’s an incubator for disease, really, for this virus. I’m not sure logistically how Wickenheiser, widely considered the best female player in hockey you could pull that off. Maybe playing in empty stadiums ... but in its history, won four Olympic gold medals and one silver medal during a current format, I cannot see that.” dominant run that spanned 23 years and included a rare Winter-Summer Olympic double after she made Canada’s softball roster for the 2000 Before the pandemic, a typical day meant she was on the ice with the Sydney Games. She retired in 2017 to pursue her dream of becoming an Maple Leafs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and worked an emergency room shift emergency room doctor and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019, her from 3 to midnight. “Now I’m kind of a keyboard warrior, doing a lot of first year of eligibility. things from home to try and keep this momentum going,” she said. But keyboard warriors can fight noble battles, too. When the pandemic hit, Wickenheiser was working in the emergency rooms of several hospitals in Toronto as part of her final year of medical “Just like everyone else, I can’t wait for hockey to return, but to be honest school. The doctors training her were reassigned to treat COVID-19 it’s one of the last things I’m thinking about right now just because for patients; she wasn’t allowed to directly treat those patients but felt she hockey to return we need people to be safe and healthy,” she said. couldn’t sit idle while colleagues in the trenches were running low on “Hockey and sport in general is something that can give people a lot of personal protective equipment. hope and joy when life can go back to normal. The one thing I’ve always appreciated about hockey in Canada is that it unites people like no other, “They pulled all the trainees out of hospitals about three weeks ago and so I can hardly wait for those rinks to be full again and for people to be redeployed us to do things like contact tracing and sourcing PPE and enjoying a hockey game.” things like that,” she said, “because they need the attending doctors to focus on treating patients, not teaching, and also they don’t want to LA Times: LOADED: 04.22.2020 deplete supplies.”

That inspired her to tweet a request for N95 masks, surgical masks, gloves and chemotherapy gowns and offer to pick them up herself in Toronto. Her voice and reach were amplified when Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds stepped up and offered videos and memorabilia to donors, triggering a blizzard of responses.

They’ve since teamed up with Conquer COVID-19, which unites Canadian physicians, business leaders and volunteers to get essential supplies to those in need. That means hospitals, shelters, clinics, long- term care facilities and group homes in Canada are getting PPE and such necessities as diapers and baby monitors.

“I knew as soon as Ryan Reynolds blew it up that it was going to be big, and knowing what I know from being in the front lines myself, that there’s such a shortage and this would really resonate with people,” Wickenheiser said. “I’m not surprised, but it’s been heartwarming to see just how many people have volunteered or given money or wanted to spread the message on social media.

“It’s been really a grassroots movement. And since we partnered with Conquer COVID-19 it’s really gone above and beyond anything that I thought it would, from the 40,000 or so items I asked for to well over a million items and now into millions of dollars raised.”

Her experience has changed her as an aspiring doctor, magnifying her respect for “those who toil away in labs all over the world trying to figure out vaccines and cures for disease.”

She has changed as a person, too. “It just reinforces why I went into medicine,” she said. “I’m not sure if this is the last pandemic that we’ll see in my lifetime. I’m sure there will be another one. But I think it reinforces, outside medicine, just how short life is. How uncertain it is. It forces everyone to slow down.

“It has forced us all, I think, to reevaluate what’s important moving forward. Also just how important being prepared is. I think it just highlights all the areas we forget about in life. But you’re grateful, also, for not having to live on the street or struggle through. Just an overall feeling of gratitude.”

Based on what she knows and has seen, she felt compelled to speak up when the International Olympic Committee hesitated to postpone the 1173860 Los Angeles Kings

L.A. teams join forces to raise funds to help those affected by coronavirus

Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Sparks and Galaxy launch a “Teams for L.A.” sale to raise funds to help those affected by COVID-19

By MIRJAM SWANSON | PUBLISHED: April 21, 2020 at 6:09 p.m. | UPDATED: April 21, 2020 at 6:11 p.m.

Talk about teaming up.

In it together, L.A. sports franchises are launching a “Teams for L.A.” campaign to raise funds to help those affected by COVID-19 in the city.

To benefit the Mayor’s L.A. Emergency COVID-19 Crisis Fund, the Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Sparks and Galaxy are launching a “Teams for L.A.” online sale, which will offer more than 30,000 items of logo-bearing team merchandise at discounted prices.

Proceeds from sale will support critical needs as they arise, including childcare and meals, relief and counseling for frontline healthcare workers, critical healthcare equipment as well as services for those experiencing homelessness.

“All of us in the Los Angeles sports community have been looking for additional ways to support the tremendous efforts of our City’s leadership and to help those in our community that are most impacted by the coronavirus outbreak,” said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO for AEG, in a news release. “Our collective donation of merchandise will provide our fans a way to show their ongoing support for their favorite teams while also contributing to help their fellow Angelenos in need.”

Visit teamlastore.com/collections/teamsforla to contribute by shopping for jerseys, hats, T-shirts, warm-ups, scarfs, bobbleheads and other specialty items. Those include merchandise from the Reign and Team USA , as well as other high-profile event that have taken place in the city, such as the 2011 and 2018 NBA All-Star Games, the 2017 NHL All-Star Game, the Amgen Tour of California, championship boxing events, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Grammy Awards.

New items will be added as they become available as well as other ways to support those affected in our region and buyers will have the option of donating gear through the site directly to local shelters and non-profits for those that need it most.

“The Sparks are honored to partner with AEG, Staples Center, Rank + Rally, and the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Galaxy to raise money for Mayor (Eric) Garcetti’s COVID-19 crisis fund,” Sparks President and COO Danita Johnson said in a statement. “This initiative will benefit Angelenos in most critical need of our support during this difficult time while giving fans an opportunity to show pride for their teams and give back to the community.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173861 Los Angeles Kings Fans are encouraged to visit the site often as new items will be added as they become available as well as other ways to support those affected in our region.

LOCAL TEAMS ALIGN TO CREATE “TEAMS FOR LA” TO BENEFIT LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.22.2020 THE MAYOR’S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES

JON ROSEN APRIL 21, 2020

Lots more on this during the upcoming week. A consortium of Los Angeles teams will contribute to a discounted online memorabilia market with all proceeds benefiting the Mayor’s Fund of Los Angeles, designed to transfer resources expeditiously and fluidly to needs that arise across the city during the Covid-19 pandemic. I spoke with Kelly Cheeseman this morning and look forward to sharing a few more details and media to support the cause.

Via the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and via the LA Kings:

LOCAL SPORTS FRANCHISES COME TOGETHER TO CREATE ‘TEAMS FOR LA’ TO BENEFIT THE MAYOR’S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES

On-Line Donation Platforms Allows the Acquisition of Sports and Music- Related Merchandise Created by AEG, the LA Clippers, LA Galaxy, LA Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Sparks and Rank + Rally Launches Today with All Proceeds to Help Those Impacted by COVID-19 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, April 21, 2020 – Fans of many of Los Angeles’ most popular professional sports franchises will now have the chance to acquire merchandise bearing their favorite team’s recognizable logos and colors while also donating to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.

AEG, the LA Clippers, LA Galaxy, LA Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Sparks and Rank + Rally have joined forces to launch the TEAMS FOR LA ON-LINE SUPERSALE to sell logoed team merchandise, as well as classic merchandise from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the GRAMMY Awards, to benefit the Mayor’s L.A. Emergency COVID-19 Crisis Fund. Proceeds from the website that launched today — teamlastore.com/collections/teamsforla — support critical needs as they arise in our city – such as childcare and meals for the neediest, relief and counseling for frontline healthcare workers, critical healthcare equipment, and services for our homeless population.

The site, which will be updated regularly, will offer jerseys, hats, t-shirts, warm-ups, scarves, bobbleheads and other specialty items bearing the current and classic logos of the LA Clippers, LA Galaxy, LA Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Sparks, and TEAM USA (basketball), as well as merchandise from high-profile events that have taken place in Los Angeles including the 2011 and 2018 NBA All Star Games, the 2017 NHL All Star Game, the Amgen Tour of California, memorable championship boxing events and music events such as the GRAMMY Awards and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

“All of us in the Los Angeles sports community have been looking for additional ways to support the tremendous efforts of our City’s leadership and to help those in our community that are most impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak,” said Dan Beckerman, President and CEO, AEG. “Our collective donation of merchandise will provide our fans a way to show their ongoing support for their favorite teams while also contributing to help their fellow Angelenos in need.”

In addition to the 30,000-plus items offered at discounted prices, fans who visit the site will have the opportunity donate cash to the Mayor’s Fund. All financial contributions collected on the site will facilitate the donation of an additional 30,000 items of merchandise by the Los Angeles teams to local shelters and non-profits supporting the community.

Said Kings Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman: “Teams for LA is a great opportunity for our city and another example of how our fans can continue to give back in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sports plays a special role in society and when we join forces it only amplifies what we can accomplish, and with more than 300,000 units of merchandise to aide local shelters and other worthwhile local programs we can collectively accomplish so much. On behalf of the LA Kings and AEG we are thrilled to work with Mayor Garcetti to help support the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.” 1173862 as Sonmor stories. We were warming up in Duluth. The UMD band is up there, and the tuba player has a crêpe Bulldog on the mouth of it. An- Tonn says, ‘Watch this.’ He fired a puck up there, misses, but the second Retold Glen Sonmor hockey stories still among the best one … goes through that Bulldog into the tuba.”

The only stories better than former Gophers, Fighting Saints and North Ferroni said: “An-Tonn was like a son for Glen and Marge. After his Stars coach Glen Sonmor telling his were others telling theirs about him. sophomore year, Glen couldn’t come up with a solution to get Mike out of general college and keep him eligible. He said, ‘Foof, I don’t think we’re going to have him.’ Then, Glen went to a game that night in the Braemar summer league and An-Tonn had seven goals. PATRICK REUSSE “I saw Glen the next morning and he said: ‘Seven goals, Foof. I’ll think of

something.’ ” Dave Ferroni has a considerable background with sports characters, Happy birthday, Glen, from all who have shared in Sonmor stories — starting with the fact was his uncle. Ferroni was the media telling, or being told. director for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. He was ’ media guy for the 1980 Olympic hockey team. And he spent four decades doing Write to Patrick Reusse by e-mailing [email protected] and PR in auto racing. including his name in the subject line.

There’s a whole bunch of retro going on in our sports reporting these Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2020 days, and I called “Foof” earlier this month to check on … I’m not sure what it was now, because the conversation quickly turned into a collection of “Sonmor” stories.

And this is fact: The only stories better than Glen Sonmor telling his were others telling theirs about him.

Sonmor died Dec. 14, 2015. Wednesday would have been Glen’s 91st birthday. And if you can’t get a column out of that during a pandemic, it’s all over.

“I was Glen’s student manager with the Gophers in 1969-70,” Ferroni said. “Herbie was the assistant coach. We were opening the season in Duluth in the middle of November. First series of Mike Antonovich’s career. We were loaded. So was Duluth, including having in goal. They blew us out 7-3 on Friday night, even though An-Tonn had a couple of goals.”

And then came Saturday night; tied 2-2 in overtime. Antonovich gets boarded near the Gophers bench where Sonmor is coaching. The boards are so low, Antonovich gets stuck on them for a second.

Glen Sonmor

“Some guy who had been on Glen all night reaches over, grabs An- Tonn’s stick, jersey, something, and he won’t let him go,” said Bruce McIntosh, a junior on that team. “A second later, Glen is off the bench and throwing punches … wailing on the guy. And Frank Sanders’ father, who was gigantic, is rumbling down the steps to join in, trips and comes crashing down. Frank’s saying, ‘Dad, what are you doing?’ and he said, ‘I was going to help Glen.’”

Antonovich laughed from his home in Coleraine this week and said: “Glen didn’t need any help. He was in there with his glass eye, an 18- year-old kid again, throwing punches in a hockey fight.

“When it was over, Glen’s shirt was torn off, but he still had his tie. We won it a minute later on a goal by Craig Sarner — and there’s Glen walking across the ice, celebrating, with just a tie covering his very hairy chest.”

The Gophers won the WCHA that winter. Somehow, they wound up in Duluth — where the Bulldogs had faded to eighth after it was revealed at midseason that coach Bill Selman was out — for a single-elimination first-round playoff game.

“Glen brought Jim Carter and a couple of other Gophers football players with us and had them sit right behind the bench, in case he needed help,” Ferroni said.

Ferroni could write a book on the adventures of Sonmor, coach , Wayne Belisle and prior owners from those Fighting Saints years.

“Glen was both coach and GM that first year, and we were in Ottawa,” Ferroni said. “His wife, Marge, had bought him a velour sports jacket. Lavender. Glen knew nothing about clothes, so he’s wearing the coat, and there are fans behind the bench, riding him all night. Finally, someone yells, ‘Hey Liberace.’

“He could take a lot but not being told he was dressed like Liberace. Glen came off the bench and started throwing punches.”

Antonovich was Sonmor’s all-time favorite player and McIntosh said: “What you should know is there are almost as many Antonovich stories 1173863 Minnesota Wild subscribers during the broadcast, perhaps with some other surprise guests.

During the past several weeks, The Athletic talked to many of the Wild ‘This really is ours’: The Wild’s thrilling 2014 Game 7 OT win, in their players, coaches and trainers who took part in this rollercoaster of a words game. It provided a fun inside look into what was taking place behind the scenes before, during and after the game.

Michael Russo Apr 21, 2020 So, enjoy this blast of a trip down memory lane through the voices of those involved.

Exorcizing Mile High demons ’s shot dinging the back bar of the cage. A jumping Kyle Brodziak screaming “Yeah!” at the top of his lungs. Mike Yeo leaping into The Avalanche won Games 1, 2 and 5 in Denver, so the Wild knew they the arms of his assistant coaches and trainers. The posterized visual of were going into a place where they faced all sorts of adversity in the ’s fist pump celebration as he slid on one knee following series. They would have trouble getting the matchups. This is where his dramatic, late overtime-forcing goal. And the stomach-turning MacKinnon was lighting them up for fun, this is where they were the emotions as the Wild needed to do everything from changing goalies victims of some missed calls by the officials. But the Wild hopped on their during a third-period deficit to having to come back from a goal down charter and were soaring with confidence after a big Game 6 victory. The over and over and over and … (one last) over again. players and coaches packed enough clothes and the trainers brought enough equipment and sticks and everything they’d need if the team These are the vivid memories that go through the minds of every Wild fan moved on. After all, presuming the Wild would win in Denver, they’d head whenever they think back to that goosebump-inducing Game 7 in the right to Chicago for Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference 2014 opening-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche. semifinals starting two days later.

“I can’t tell you how many people still tell me to this day, ‘It was easily Yeo: I remember going into the dressing room well before the morning one of the best Game 7s ever,’” Yeo said of the epic playoff-round finale skate — you know, the coaches get there early before the players arrive, that saw the Wild rally four times before Niederreiter propelled them into and I remember Tony (DaCosta), our equipment manager, changed the second round for the first time in 11 years with the sickest of laser- everything. Like everything. So, where guys sat previously every time we beam wristers. had ever been in Denver in that dressing room, Tony completely flipped it around. I thought it was an awesome move. We’re all superstitious, but it It was the perfectly-fitting climax to an incredible playoff series that had was even sort of like a message to the guys, “Hey, this time it’s different.” already included: Tony DaCosta, Wild equipment manager: Yeah, I said, “Why not,” so I • Avs coach Patrick Roy starting a new trend in the NHL by pulling his moved the whole room around. The players — the D, the forwards — are goalie for an way earlier than we had traditionally seen in always in the same spot. I mean, you could go in there blindfolded and the past, a move that paid off in Game 1 when Colorado rallied to win a still probably find ’s stall. You know where he is every time game the Wild carried a 4-2 lead into the third period. you go to Colorado. So I threw a curveball when everybody walked in • The Wild having to move on from two significant goals-against, there. I did this once in Calgary when we hadn’t won there in awhile and including the late Game 5 tying goal of an eventual overtime loss, that we won the game. So I thought, “Let’s try it again.” Sometimes changing would have been wiped out in today’s NHL because was things up almost makes you think you’re somewhere else. prior to both. Having not won in Colorado yet, the coaches put a lot of thought into how “Not that you start to think that you’re cursed, but at a certain point, they needed to operate to get players in the right mindset. Yeo scaled things start to pop in your mind, like, ‘Maybe it’s not meant to be,’” Yeo down his meetings. Instead of showing video of Colorado’s tendencies said. “But I didn’t feel that we deserved to be in the position that we’re in and areas the Wild needed to adjust or focus on before the morning and we’re adults, so what are we going to do? Are we going to sit around skate, Yeo showed several clips of the Wild dominating portions of the and feel sorry for ourselves and say, ‘It just wasn’t our year?’ Or are we series and what they were doing that allowed that. going to dig in? That’s what playoffs is all about. You move on.” Yeo: The message was, “I don’t care what they do. If we do our thing • One of the best individual efforts in Wild history — Mikael Granlund, off until that final buzzer goes, then we’re going to be successful at the end an outstanding forecheck, then textbook puck support with linemates of the night.” The other thing we did, we posted the total scoring chances Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, dancing with the puck, fighting off a and shots — for and against, through Game 7. Basically, the message to check, then spinning away from Jan Hejda off the half wall, centering the guys was: We had been the better team. We deserve to win this himself through the slot and scoring his first career playoff goal by diving game. But we have to continue to do the right things and believe that to the ice past for a critical 1-0 Game 3 OT win. these things will end in our favor if we continue to do this.

“And remember, it was at the end of regulation when Granny was Yeo had one other tweak up his sleeve. throwing his body in front of shot after shot with no stick,” reminded Yeo, Yeo: When the players come back to the rink before the game, normally I now an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers. would have a number of things on the board — key points, key players • Rookie Erik Haula masterfully shadowing and shutting down young with different things that we would want them to think about before we Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon in the three home games (MacKinnon even talk about it. But I had two things written. One was the quote from had two goals and eight assists in Games 1, 2 and 5 in Denver and no Bob Johnson, “It’s a great day for hockey,” because I didn’t want things points in Games 3, 4 and 6 in Minnesota). to be so overwhelming in that Game 7. We have to remember that it’s a game, and you’ve got to love these opportunities to play in a Game 7, Yeo said, “I remember calling Haulzy in between Games 2 and 3 and I and this is what we dream of as a kid. … Then the other thing that we said, ‘Do you think that you could shut down Nathan MacKinnon if I put wrote was, “No regrets.” Don’t at the end of the game say, “I wish I you on the ice every single time he’s out there?’ Haulzy is so full of would’ve tried to make that play.” Don’t let fear or nerves dictate the way confidence, and he looked at me and goes, ‘I want that.’” that you’re going to play this game and the outcome of this game. We have to lay it on the line and let the chips fall. • Parise’s monster Game 6 in which he scored two goals and two assists, including the tie-breaking winning goal with 6:29 left in the third period. Yeo remembers thinking he wanted to do everything possible to portray how calm he was because he didn’t want his players to be overcome by The victory catapulted the Wild into a win-or-your-season’s-over Game 7 jitters. inside hostile, ear-piercing Pepsi Center, a game in which the pivotal moments were endless as the Wild continually clawed out of holes, had Yeo: If you don’t want to win that game with every fiber of your bone in to sub out an injured goalie in the third period and ultimately rallied for a your body, then why the hell are you doing this? You’re going to want 5-4 overtime win despite leading for exactly zero seconds of the game. that more than anything. I think what’s important, though if your players are looking at you and you’re a bundle of nerves, then they’re going to Fox Sports North plans to re-air this Wild classic next Monday at 7 p.m. feed off your emotion. So even though I was dying inside, I was trying to Chad Graff, The Athletic’s Vikings writer who covered the Wild for the pretend like I was full of confidence. Pioneer Press at the time, and I will host a live discussion with Chasing immediately played well. I was happy to be playing with those guys, two great guys. It was fun for me to get a chance to contribute with them because it was a The team that scores first in the NHL wins the majority of games, and tough year for me individually. that’s especially true historically in Game 7s. Yeo knew how important it would be to get the first goal. So, naturally, the Wild took an early penalty Heatley was actually on for four. Not only was Heatley scratched the first and Colorado’s Nick Holden would score just 2:52 into the game. two games of the series, Brodziak was scratched in Game 3 when Yeo decided to take advantage of the last change and use Haula to drape all Yeo: Goalie interference. Another goal in the series where I wish I had a over MacKinnon. But when Matt Cooke kneed in Game 3 challenge flag. and ended the defenseman’s season to earn a seven-game suspension, Just like Stastny’s two offside non-calls earlier in the series not being Brodziak re-entered the lineup in Game 4. reviewable, neither was Jamie McGinn crashing into Wild goalie Darcy Yeo: I give Heater a lot of credit, and I give Brodzy a lot of credit. Both Kuemper and taking him out of the play before Holden’s goal. But, a little those guys for me, veteran guys that had individually faced some tough more than five minutes later, Mikko Koivu answered. times in the series. But when things mattered the most, both those guys Yeo: We had a very strong focus how we were going to play the game. showed their experience and their character. And you look at the last And that was, in the offensive side of things, we wanted to control the couple of games, we had great performances from everybody — Zach in puck down low as much as possible. Mikko’s goal was a good example Game 6, Sutes all series, Mikko scoring the first goal in Game 7. That of that, playing below the goal line, use the back of the net, Charlie team, they were all-in for each other. It’s crazy the amount of adversity (Coyle) hanging onto it. And it was as much an offensive tactic or focus that they faced in the series, but especially in Game 7 alone. Every time for us, but it was also huge for our defensive game, because that allowed we got punched, we got back up and answered. us really to keep a really good F3 and get really aggressive with our Brodziak’s stellar setup defensemen. We found that what happened in the first couple of games and earlier in the season against them, their speed can make you Heatley’s goal deadlocked the game heading into the third period, but scared. And when you’re scared, you can start to be safe. And when we Stastny put the Wild in familiar territory just 2:55 into the third period with started to get scared and we started to get safe, our gap, we started to his fifth goal of the series. But the Wild once again answered 3 1/2 back up. Well, that’s when their speed becomes more and more minutes later when Heatley handed the puck to Brodziak in the neutral dangerous. So, our message was we have to stop their speed before it zone. Like a bull, Brodziak skated hard into the offensive zone and starts. passed the puck to his right just evading Stastny. Niederreiter let her rip for his first career playoff goal. But in an indicator of what was on the horizon, McGinn made it 2-1 5 1/2 minutes later — the second of four Colorado leads. Brodziak, who is effectively retired from the NHL due to a back injury: I really didn’t like my game (in the first two periods), but for some reason, I Kuemper gets hurt felt more of a calm feeling in the third period. … That rush, just skating Even though Kuemper wasn’t pulled from the game until 8:13 left in the through the middle, I knew I had Nino on the wing, so I was trying to find third period, he was actually injured 3:14 into the second period with the a way to get it to him. Fortunately, was able to do that. Just looking back, Wild trailing 2-1. Kuemper went behind the net to play a puck when Matt I forgot how far away from the goal he was when he shot that. But still, it Duchene collided with him. Kuemper got bent back and fell awkwardly, was just a laser by him. Everybody who’s played with him knows he can smacking his head onto Suter’s left hip. shoot the puck like that, but just an unbelievable shot.

Kuemper looked so shaken up, Ilya Bryzgalov actually began stretching Niederreiter: I remember Heater gave it to Brodzy and he flew through in the tunnel prepping to come into the game. Kuemper stayed in and the neutral zone and bumped to me on the right side. I just made like a didn’t give up a goal in the second period, but he never looked quick release on the far corner to the left side. I think it might have went completely right or comfortable again. Luckily, the Wild only gave up five through a screen as well. I was pretty pumped. Obviously, that was my shots in the period. first playoff goal as well, which was cool.

Yeo: I remember, we did the old, “Is he OK? Is he OK?” And he brushed Yeo: That entry by Brodzy was phenomenal. Those situations were so us off. In between periods talking to him, he also said he was OK. critical in the game because your entries with a team like that are huge. We asked the guys, “Listen, this is going to fall on your shoulders. You , Wild goalie coach: I talked to him between periods and he have to make plays. But just know that if you make high-risk plays, if you said he was OK. make the wrong play, then their team is turning around and they’re on the fly and they’re on the rush, probably with numbers.” Spurgeon: I remember in between periods Kuemps was saying something about it. But none of us were too worried about it. I remember Kuemper comes out him just telling Mase and Yeozy he was fine. So I barely even listened because it didn’t seem like a big deal. It turned out to be, though. With the score tied at 3, Erik Johnson, the Bloomington native, scored to make it 4-3 Avalanche with 8:44 left. Thirty-one seconds later, there was Kuemper had played so well in the series that the Wild trusted the goalie a TV timeout and Kuemper stayed in the cage the entire time. But just and let him start the third period. before play resumed, Suter skated up to Kuemper to make sure he was OK. He was not. Suter skated to the bench and told Yeo he needed to The Niederreiter-Brodziak-Heatley line get Bryzgalov ready and send then-athletic trainer Don Fuller onto the would tie the score at 2-2 with the final playoff goal of his ice. Replays show Suter trying to convince Kuemper he needed to come terrific NHL career. The goal, coming off a Granlund rebound, came just out of the game. When Fuller arrived, Suter tells inquisitive referee Wes as a power play expired. Soon after, Yeo can’t remember why, but he McCauley that Kuemper “said he can’t see.” decided to tweak his lines and link Niederreiter-Brodziak-Heatley. Suter: He’s like, “I can’t see.” I was like, “Well, that’s not good.” So I went Yeo: Sometimes it’s just a hunch. Sometimes it’s just a feeling, whatever to get Bryz. the case is. Yeo: Kuemps wanted to continue on. But at that point you have to make Niederreiter, who now plays for the Carolina Hurricanes: The whole a decision as a coach. At some point, you’ve got to make the call, and we game we knew we were right in this game. But the whole game, we’d just made the call. We sensed he wasn’t 100 percent. But then, Sutes came keep chasing. They were always up a goal. Then we’d tie it and over and yelled to me, “He says he can’t see,” so that makes it pretty immediately be down again. … I’m sure Wild fans were freaking out at easy at that point if your goalie can’t see. Didn’t have to think about that home. But it made for a fun game and it’s weird, I never was worried. The one too long. whole game was always just up and down, and even the whole series, Bryzgalov, who is currently a retired NHLer and “self-quarantiner” living in which is maybe why I wasn’t worried. I mean, we were always down, New Jersey: Mike Yeo goes, “Bryz, you got to go,” so do you have any whether it was 2-0 in the series returning home or 3-2 returning home for choice? Just go in the net and I have to do my job. Stop the puck. … I Game 6. You knew there was nothing to lose. And I’m glad Yeozy put me was like 33 years old. I’m not like a rookie or something. I had huge back with Heatley and Brodzy. We played well together. experience. Played in the NHL. I knew I had to go there and do my job as Heatley, who is now retired and living in Southern California: I liked best as possible to give my team a chance to tie the game and win the playing with those guys. We were on for three of the five goals, so we game. So, in came Bryzgalov, who gave up eight goals in the first two games more and when he passed it to me, I could just see someone coming out but was tremendous down the stretch of the regular season. While the of the corner of my eye. So I knew I wasn’t going to be able to one-time Wild were lucky they had an experienced veteran entering the game, this it, so I just delayed long enough and swept it far-side. Fortunately, it went was also par for the course for a team that had an incredible goalie in, but what a play by Nino. carousel in 2013-14, using five and dressing a team-record seven. Bryzgalov was acquired at the trade deadline from Edmonton for a Niederreiter: I saw Spurgeon coming down the pike, and he absolutely fourth-round pick and went 7-1-3 in 12 games with a 2.12 goals-against sniped it. I mean, just to wait there, when there’s so much pressure for us average and three shutouts. As Bryzgalov entered and Kuemper exited, to score, that’s an absolute high-end play by Spurge. I honestly think he’s Minnesota native John Curry sprinted into the locker room, suited up and one of the few guys that could show that patience and then still get off a backed up the rest of the game. great shot.

Niederreiter: It was a whole disaster. I think the whole year, we had like Brodziak: For Spurge to make a play like that, at that time in the game, I five goalies or something going on, from Josh Harding to (Niklas) remember thinking right as soon as it happened, “I can’t believe he just Backstrom to Kuemper and all of a sudden Bryz was in. I don’t even did what he did at that stage.” To get it and have the patience to wait the know who else was in there at some point. guy out sliding there and to put it right under the bar was … that was incredible. Heatley: Bryz is so out there that something like this is not going to faze the guy. So I didn’t really feel that uncomfortable. He was a veteran. I DAMN, I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THAT PLAY. THE wasn’t worried. I don’t know about other guys, but he would just be the IMPORTANCE AND THE SKILL LEVEL OF THAT GOAL MIGHT BE AT type of guy that could come in cold and make 10, 15 saves if you needed TOP IN WILD HISTORY. I DON’T NORMALLY JUMP OUT OF MY him to. CHAIR PUT I REMEMBER GETTING SERIOUS VERT AFTER THAT GOAL!! HTTPS://T.CO/NXRF3GNKG8 Ilya Bryzgalov — WES WALZ (@WALZ3737) APRIL 3, 2020 Yeo: It was a, “Here we go again,” moment. But the message on the bench was, “We’re doing the right things. Dig in defensively, but defend Yeo: Perfect guy to score the tying goal because he does so many things with the puck, be aggressive and we’ll find a way to battle back and tie to give you a chance to win a hockey game. When Spurge scored, I think this game.” And if we do, I knew we’re winning it. As a coach, yeah, there our mindset was, “This really is ours.” We said it enough times that day was adversity there again, but I had no reason to believe that our guys and throughout the entire series: “We’re the better team. We deserve were going to crumble in that moment because all they had done was this, we deserve this. Trust that it’s going to happen.” And I think when battle through adversity the entire series. that puck went into the net, I think everyone just kind of looked at each other and said, “You know what, it’s true. We really do deserve this.” Brodziak: At that time of the game for him to go in cold like that, that’s a tough situation to be put into, even for the most experienced goaltending. Spurgeon: I think in a Game 7, I’d much rather be the team that ties it up It was a good job by the team not to give up anything. late than the team that gave up the goal late because even though you’re back to even and anybody can win it in overtime, the team that gave up In fact, the Wild didn’t give up a single shot the rest of regulation. the goal is almost stunned while the team that just forced overtime is in the mind frame that they’re going to carry that momentum right into Bryzgalov: The team in front played very well in the short period of time I overtime. And we sure did. played in the net. Heart-thumping overtime Spurgeon: There’s no real conscious, “Oh, we have a new goalie. We better protect Bryz and not give up any shots.” I think it was more so that The extra session only lasted 5:02, but it was hold-your-breath frantic. you’re down a goal with eight minutes left in a Game 7, so you’re playing Parise nearly scored on a wraparound. Eight seconds after Semyon for your lives at that point. So, I think as soon as Johnson’s shot went in, Varlamov stopped a Koivu slap shot, Bryzgalov made his only official we all looked at each other and said, “We have to go for it.” save of the 13:15 he played. It came at 2:18 of the overtime, and it was a doozy. Stastny took MacKinnon’s pass and stepped up deep inside the But even though the Wild were giving the Avs squat offensively, they left circle before ripping a shot that grazed off Bryzgalov’s left shoulder. couldn’t find the tying goal. Bryzgalov: It was through a screen. I didn’t see the shot. I felt the puck hit Brodziak: At that point, everybody’s just praying, “Let’s get something, me right in the arm. I was like, “Oh my God, lucky arm.” If they score, and just anything.” we lose, it’s like, “Here we go Bryz, great job. You play 10 minutes of the The Avalanche are a rarity in the NHL in that they don’t allow scratched game and can’t even make one save and just buried the team.” players to sit in the press box. So Leipold invited the Wild’s scratched Yeo: Overtime, didn’t last long, but it felt like forever, that’s for sure. players for the night into his suite with Fletcher and then-assistant GM Brent Flahr. The players included Cooke, Jon Blum, and Nine seconds after Bryzgalov’s “lucky” save on Stastny, Granlund stole a Justin Fontaine. puck in the neutral zone, skated in on a short breakaway and was stopped by Varlamov. Suddenly action went end to end. One shift and Leipold: With about four minutes left in the game, when we were down by two Avs rushes before Minnesota’s winner, Suter went down to brilliantly one, all the players that were in my suite left because they thought we block ’s centering pass to Stastny, who was standing were going to lose and they wanted to be in the locker room when the right atop the goalmouth. players walked off the ice to high-five them and give them hugs and console them. So now, the suite is empty. Well, let’s just say all those Thirty seconds later the Wild dumped the puck, executed a line change, players came running back into my suite so they could watch the and this is where things went awry for the Avs. Johnson pinched down overtime. the left wall and tried to center a pass for P.A. Parenteau. Marco Scandella nudged Parenteau at Bryzgalov’s doorstep and Johnson’s Spurgeon ties it up pass ended up on Heatley’s stick. Heatley looked up and sauced a pass With the third period inching toward the final buzzer and Yeo mulling to Brodziak to trigger a 2-on-1 with Niederreiter. Heatley’s pass just flew when to pull Bryzgalov for an extra attacker, the Niederreiter-Brodziak- over Ryan O’Reilly’s stick. Heatley line stepped up once more — a sign of things to come. Brodziak Yeo: Unbelievable pass. It seemed like that thing just floated in air. You backhanded a puck from the left corner behind the net. Niederreiter, first know, like in slow motion. Landed flat. Just a phenomenal play. in on the forecheck, made a strong play on Hejda to come away with the puck. He passed to Spurgeon in the right circle. No defenseman in Wild Niederreiter skated down the right wing past the Wild bench, changed his history has scored more goals than Spurgeon and many have come from angle and let rip a blinding wrist shot that sailed over Varlamov’s glove that same spot in the right circle. But this time, Spurgeon had the and in to become the third NHL player in history to register his first two impressive patience to wait for MacKinnon to slide out of the play before playoff goals in a Game 7. ripping a shot off the left post and in with 2:27 left in regulation. Niederreiter: Heatley made a hell of a sauce pass through what felt like Leipold: Un-be-lievable goal. Upper left corner. three sticks. Then Brodziak just bumped it over to me because I was a little bit ahead of him. I just tried to give myself the best angle I could. Spurgeon: I just remembering Nino getting the puck behind the net and thinking to myself, “There’s no one in front of me.” So I snuck down a bit Bryzgalov: Top cheese shot. Beauty. Yeo: Before overtime, I knew that there was tension in the room and I mean, I barely knew him, just from the little bit he was up with us, and I just lost it and said, “Guys, this is, this is amazing. How awesome is this haven’t talked to him ever since, but that’s one of those memories that I’ll to be a part of a game this great. This is why we’re here. So, let’s go win never forget. It’s just funny because I’m in the pile going crazy with all my this thing.” But the other part of the message was, “We cannot pass up a teammates that I knew well, but when you’re in the course of the game shot.” We, as a team, had a tendency to be a pass-first team and while it and how intense it was, it almost doesn’t even dawn on you that Kuemps would have been great if Nino slid it backdoor and Brodzy put it in, I knew left the game and what would have happened if Bryz got hurt? But then I Nino would remember what I said. look over my shoulder and saw John Curry fly in there, and I gave him a big hug. It was pretty funny. Well, actually … Leipold: We’re just screaming and everybody in the suites around us and Niederreiter: I tried to open up myself a little bit because at the beginning all the Avs fans in the stands right in front of us — during the game, they I always wanted to give it over to Brodzy because I knew he was in a knew who we were when you’re sitting with six or seven guys who are one-timer position. But then I worried I couldn’t get the puck through so I bruised up with teeth missing and wearing suits — and yelling, “Shut the decided to shoot the puck. fuck up,” and everything else, you know, blah, blah, blah, and all this Brodziak: I’m glad he did. To be honest, as soon as I passed it, I opened stuff. But we couldn’t care less. It was that awesome. Watching that up and I was wanting him to shoot the whole time just because I know handshake line was just a real exciting moment. what kind of a shooter he is. You saw the third goal earlier in the period, Nino Niederreiter like, he’s got a hot stick. I wanted him to shoot. I opened up for, you know, if he got into trouble he can pass to me, or a lot of times you open Postgame elation, celebration up just to draw the defender more towards you to give him a shot. The D- man slid. It was a perfect slide if it was a half-second earlier, but for Nino The celebration continued into the locker room, and the Wild had a little to get that shot off that quick was unreal. That’s my favorite goal of all- longer than usual to celebrate because the charter service officially had time that I was ever a part of. I think you can hear me yelling as soon as to file its flight plan toward Chicago rather than Minnesota. They would it goes in. That’s probably the happiest hockey moment I’ve ever had in land in Chicago around 4 a.m. May 1 and open the next night. my life. Brodziak: It was the happiest point of the year, for sure, and the happiest Leipold, whose suite was directly behind the net in which Niederreiter a lot of guys have probably ever been in their hockey career. I know that scored: The was an absolutely surreal moment when Nino came down was definitely one of the highest moments for me. But I just remember, the right side. I mean, it was like nothing to something in like two seconds you get in the locker room, you celebrate for a while, and then all of a because Heatley made that great pass for the odd-man rush. Just a great sudden you’re like, “Oh yeah, we’ve got to fly to Chicago.” shot. But honestly, I just couldn’t react to it for probably like five seconds Heatley: But there was a lot of relief, excitement, excitement to be and that seemed like five minutes. I was that shocked. We went freaking moving on. I think for a lot of guys, that might’ve been their first playoff crazy. I owned two NHL teams at that point for 16 years, and that was my series win. It felt like Colorado was favored. I mean, they were the young, first time getting out of the first round. It was such an exciting moment. sexy team who was coming up and we were a little bit older. But to win in In fact, Niederreiter wasn’t entirely sure if the puck actually did go in the their building was huge. For us to stick with it and keep coming back, and net or he hit the crossbar. He just trusted Brodziak. Heatley, too, wasn’t hang on and hang on, and then to finally do it in their rink was fun. Guys sure. As the Wild celebrated, it actually took two or three minutes as the are happy, some guys were hurt. Gave us a little time to just take a league confirmed Niederreiter’s blast actually hit the back of the net. But breath, enjoy it, have a couple of beers, and then get on the plane, get replays clearly showed the puck pin-balling off the back bar and out. ready for Chicago. Finally, McCauley took off his headset and signaled good goal. Niederreiter: Everybody was just super pumped, but exhausted, too, Brodziak: I knew. I knew. There was a bit of a delay because not because it was such a long game as well. There was not much time to everybody knew what happened. Then, I’ll admit I kind of second- think about afterward because we went straight to Chicago because we guessed myself. I’m like, “I’m pretty sure that went in, but if it didn’t, this played two days later again. We didn’t have a lot of time to soak it all in. It is going to look really bad right now.” happened, and then you went on the bus and all of a sudden you’re in Chicago. It was not much time to think about the whole thing, but Niederreiter: Like, from the way the puck came out, I knew that might’ve obviously, when the season ended, and you’re actually starting to realize, gone in, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. Then, obviously, Brodziak was “OK, did that really happen?” you’re just pumped. jumping up and down. I was like, “Yeah, that had to go in.” Yeo: There was so much emotion and not a lot of rest. The message Brodziak: I was almost positive that it was in. You can just … it just has a after the game was, “Enjoy it, but we’re going to have to turn our sights different sound when it goes in like that. I was pretty sure, but thankfully it toward the next challenge.” We didn’t want that to be it. did, because after everybody stormed the ice, that would have been a pretty bad situation if it didn’t actually end up going in. It would have been Unfortunately for the Wild, it was. The Wild actually played a solid second humiliating. round against the Blackhawks, but Chicago eliminated Minnesota for the second consecutive of what would be three straight postseasons. The Niederreiter: The funny part, whenever I watch it sometimes, even Dany Wild were doomed at home when Patrick Kane scored an OT winner in Heatley wasn’t sure because O’Reilly was right in front of him. So Game 6 after a dump-in hit a partition and popped out to the slot. Heatley tried to put the puck in just in case it didn’t go in. Dany was trying to still put it in and kind of missed it, too. Then he was like, “Ah, fuck it. Bryzgalov: Stupid stanchion. As great as the Colorado win was, that Let’s go celebrate and hopefully it was in.” The whole situation was sucked. something we’ll never forget. It was pretty cool. Parise and Suter believe that 2014 team was the best version of any Wild Heatley: I’m glad it did go in because I kind of let up on the rebound. I team they’ve played on. For many of the players, that Game 7 was the didn’t even put it away, so I was like, “Shit, that better be in. That better best game they’ve ever played in. be in.” I was pretty sure, too, because everyone stopped, the referee Heatley: Whenever the Wild come through Cali, I always go to dinner stopped, so it was kind of weird. I saw Brodzy going crazy, so I was like, with the trainers or see (assistant coach) Darby (Hendrickson) or Mason “That must’ve been a goal.” and we always talk about that game because it was such a satisfying Yeo: I knew it went in. I knew. All chaos broke. The guys on the bench, win. I think, for me personally, too, being scratched the first two games. It everybody instantly started jumping around. I remember I turned and as was just such a back-and-forth series, and this turned out to be the soon as I turned, (assistant coach) Darryl Sydor jumped up and I perfect finale because, in a test of wills and emotion, where you’re up, basically had to catch him. It was like that scene from Dirty Dancing you’re down, where every time we tied it up, they’d score right back to almost. I’m hanging onto him there. Lots of emotion for our guys and for take the lead, and then we’d tie it again — it’s one of the most special us as a staff. It was a big moment. memories for me in hockey. It was that fun a game to be part of.

Spurgeon: I think one of the best moments I’ve ever been a part of was, Niederreiter: Having a chance to win that Game 7 is something you’ll after we won, just being in the pile and looking besides me and (third never forget, but the whole series is probably the most exciting series I’ve goalie) John Curry was already in the pile, all dressed in his gear, and ever been a part of. Wild fans talk about that series all the time, and flying out there. It’s weird, but that’s one of my fondest memories, just when they post a picture or video on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook of laughing and celebrating with Curry, and how quickly he got out there. I my goal or Granny’s goal or Spurge’s goal, it shows how much it means to them. That’s when sometimes I’ll go back and watch that scene again.

Spurgeon: The memory of it is pretty vivid in my mind. But I’ve never really gone back and watched it because living it was good enough for me.

Note: Portions of the lede of this oral history came from a contribution Russo made to a Richard Deitsch piece in The Athletic in February 2019 titled, “The Best Game I Ever Covered.”

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Canadiens sign goaltender Vasili Demchenko to one-year entry-level contract

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Montreal Canadiens have signed goaltender Vasili Demchenko to a one-year entry-level contract.

The deal is worth US$700,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the AHL, with a signing bonus of $92,500.

Demchenko, 26, played 36 games with and Magnitogorsk in the KHL in 2019-20, totalling nine wins, along with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Since making his KHL debut in 2011-12, the six-foot-two, 165-pound goaltender registered an 81-86-25 record in 212 contests with Chelyabinsk (198 games) and Magnitogorsk (14 games).

The native of Chelyabinsk, Russia posted 14 shutouts, with a 2.37 goals- against average and a .925 save percentage.

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Canadiens' Nick Suzuki hopes to build on, and continue, rookie season

Pat Hickey Montreal Gazette

Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki has had a memorable rookie NHL season and he’s hoping that he can finish it.

“We’re all hoping we come back, but it’s not in our hands,” Suzuki said Tuesday during a conference call from his parents’ home in London, Ont. “Getting ice is tough, but you have to do everything you can to be prepared. It could mean a short summer, but I’ve had short summers before. You just have to hope you get back into game shape quickly.”

Suzuki was considered the key piece in the 2018 trade that sent captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights. Tomas Tatar’s sterling play has revised that assessment, but Suzuki has proved that he has top-six talent in his first pro season. When the NHL season was halted by the coronavirus on March 12, Suzuki ranked sixth among rookie scorers with 41 points.

After failing to make the team in his first training camp, Suzuki impressed the coaching staff last fall with a combination of skill and hard work.

“I came to camp with an open mind, I wanted to learn,” said Suzuki. “The coaches helped me a lot, especially in training camp. I had a bit of a slow start (to the season). I felt I was watching too much, not asserting myself. But once I got my first goal, I had my confidence and I started playing a lot better.”

Suzuki said he received encouragement and helping hands from teammates like Nate Thompson and Phil Danault and from the way and carried themselves in the dressing room.

He arrived with a reputation as a creative offensive player and, from the start, the Canadiens found room for him on the power play. But he was quick to realize the game is played at both ends of the ice.

“I thought my game developed, especially on the defensive side,” said Suzuki. “I knew I had to work on my (defence) and I did that in practice, going up against players like Phil’s line. I did a god job of learning every day.”

Suzuki had a bit of a slump before the pause, picking up only one assist in his last nine games. There was a speculation that Suzuki had hit a wall as had a year earlier. But he said that wasn’t the case.

“I was playing well, but the puck wasn’t going in,” Suzuki noted. “I don’t think I hit a wall. I wasn’t feeling tired. It was just a case of bad puck luck.”

Suzuki was originally drafted by the Golden Knights, who were the youngest franchise in the NHL, and was traded to the team that has been around the longest.

“When you’re in the dressing room and you see the pictures of all those great players, you want to be a part of that history,” said Suzuki.

While Suzuki wants to be playing again, he is taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time with his younger brother Ryan, who is a Carolina Hurricanes prospect.

“We haven’t spent a lot of time at home for the last three years because we’ve been away playing hockey, so it’s good I have some time to hang out with him and do things together like train and play video games,” said Suzuki.

“I miss being able to watch sports on TV and you can’t do normal things like going to the mall, but I’m looking forward to the NFL draft.”

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Canadiens add KHL's Vasili Demchenko to backup goalie fray

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens’ search for a backup goaltender has extended to the KHL.

General manager announced Tuesday that the Canadiens have signed free-agent Vasili Demchenko, a 26-year-old goaltender who has put up good numbers on a couple of very bad Kontinental Hockey League teams.

The one-year, two-way deal is a low-risk proposition for the Canadiens. Demchenko will earn US$700,000 if he cracks Montreal’s lineup and US$70,000 if he plays in the AHL. He also received a signing bonus of US$92,500.

The Canadiens struck out last summer when they signed Keith Kinkaid to back up Carey Price. It took only six appearances to realize that he wasn’t up to the task and he was sent to Laval early in December. Kinkaid was on a one-year contract and won’t be back.

Charlie Lindgren was Price’s backup when the NHL season was halted on March 22. Lindgren is signed to a one-way contract, but he played in only six games — posting a 2-4 record, 3.33 goals-against average and .888 save percentage — and the reluctance to use him is a sign that the Canadiens feel they need an upgrade.

Top prospect Cayden Primeau is regarded as the eventual answer, but there are questions about whether he’s ready to play regularly in the NHL. The Canadiens also have Michael McNiven in the organization, but he is not signed for next season.

Demchenko played 36 games with Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk in the KHL in 2019-20, totalling nine wins, along with a 2.77 GAA and a .907 SP.

Since making his KHL debut in 2011-12, the 6-foot-1, 165-pounder has an 81-86-25 record in 212 games with Chelyabinsk (198 games) and Magnitogorsk (14 games). While his win-loss record isn’t great, his other career numbers are solid. The native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, posted 14 shutouts, with a 2.37 GAA and a .925 SP.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173867 Montreal Canadiens OK together. Let’s not talk about how their professional relationship ended.

Round 3 The Athletic Montreal drafted 4 teams of Canadiens greats; now you pick a winner Gordon: – When you already have two-thirds of the top line from the best single-season team in NHL history, might as well round it out. His 408 career goals don’t hurt either.

By The Athletic Montreal Apr 21, 2020 Basu: Patrick Roy – You could argue this is a bit early to take a goalie, but not when you’re talking about this goalie. Best in franchise history in my humble opinion. It is difficult to fully grasp the rich history of the Canadiens sometimes. There is so much of it and it is brought up so often, that it becomes Dumont: – You could argue this is a bit early to take a goalie almost abstract, or like a pointillist painting. Sometimes you need to re- but Arpon got me started. Best save percentage in team history, not to focus your eyes to see its true beauty. mention he basically won all the awards. It’s a shame the Bruins traded him. A real shame… This exercise we undertook at The Athletic Montreal allowed us to do that. The four writers who regularly cover the Canadiens – Arpon Basu, Godin: – I would have liked for him to play at centre, Marc Dumont, Marc Antoine Godin and Sean Gordon – undertook the and not his brother Pete, but anyway. Frank came to Montreal late in his task of drafting four teams of former or current Canadiens players. And career, but he was dominant with the Canadiens. when it was all done, Dumont had a brief reaction that put it all in Round 4 perspective. Godin: Bernard Geoffrion – He was, in his own way, the Brett Hull of his “These are…very good teams,” he wrote in our Slack channel. era, if not the Alex Ovechkin. With Cournoyer, Mahovlich and Boom They really are, which is why we need your help to decide who has the Boom, I won’t be lacking finishers. best of the four teams. Dumont: – Underrated. He scored at a higher rate than some First, some background on the parameters. The rosters were limited to highly-celebrated players, including Cournoyer and Shutt. He didn’t fight those who would be in uniform on a given night: 12 forwards, six for the puck when he went into the corners of the ice, because that defencemen and two goalies. We decided not to draft players who played implies he ever had a chance to lose the battle. He won them. His at a time when none of us and few of you would be able to put them in chemistry with is the stuff of legend. context today. So the somewhat arbitrary cutoff we agreed on was 1943- Basu: – An electrifying two-way defenceman before they 44, which was the year the Canadiens ended what was the longest really existed, as good with the puck on his stick as without it. Despite Stanley Cup drought – 12 years – in franchise history … until the current playing only 402 games in a Canadiens uniform, he is eighth in franchise one more than doubled it. scoring among defencemen and first in points per game.

These teams are to be evaluated solely on what the player did in a Gordon: – Robinson was my guy when I was a kid, but Canadiens uniform. So Chris Chelios doesn’t get credit for the 1,249 Lapointe was a truly amazing player – only Big Bird scored more points games he played after he was stupidly traded away from Montreal as we from the Canadiens blue line. I wasn’t passing on him here even though has entering his inhuman prime on June 29, 1990, just the first 402 he’ll drive the boys crazy with his pranks. games of his Hall of Fame career. Round 5 Before we get to our rosters, however, let’s break down how the draft unfolded. It wasn’t easy. Gordon: – Pointu is going to need a partner, might as well give him a guy who won seven Norris Trophies (including four in a row). Round 1 I’ll be handing Harvey the ‘C’.

Gordon: Guy Lafleur – I may not have taken the club’s out-and-out Basu: – The reason Chelios only played 402 games with greatest player first overall, but he’s the one member of the Canadiens’ the Canadiens was because this guy traded him. Should make for some Mount Rushmore I saw with my own eyes, and he was my favourite interesting dressing room conversation. Savard is wearing an ‘A’ on this player as a kid. ALSO: leading scorer in franchise history. team only because Béliveau.

Basu: Jean Béliveau – Team captain and No. 1 centre all taken care of Dumont: Andrei Markov – You may think I picked the third-best after one round. The greatest centre in franchise history, longest-serving defenceman in team history because of his talent, but it’s actually captain and just a towering presence, both literally and figuratively. because of his notorious sense of humour. OK, it’s for the outlet passes, Dumont: Maurice Richard – *Stares in intense Maurice Richard eyes* I’ll admit it. Rumour has it Marvel based the character Vision on Markov. There’s no explanation necessary for picking the greatest hero in Godin: Saku Koivu – There it is, my first centre. It was worth the wait. I franchise history. He will serve as the team captain. finally give Saku what he always lacked; an abundance of star wingers to Godin: – With the Holy Trinity already gone, I turned to play with. He and Robinson will be Cournoyer’s two alternate captains. the player who, in my eyes, was the best defenceman in franchise Round 6 history. Godin: – Since Dumont already had The Rocket and Elmer Round 2 Lach, I figured picking Toe Blake would give me some trade leverage. Godin: – Perhaps I should have gone with the team’s But we don’t have trades in this little game. other legendary centre (), but I preferred going with an Dumont: P.K. Subban – This is where I complete the by explosion of speed and scoring touch instead. If he was good enough to picking Toe…damn you Marc-Antoine! OK this is where I find a perfect be captain during the 1970s dynasty years, he’s good enough to be partner for Markov by picking the only guy to win a Norris trophy on this captain of my team. team since Chris Chelios.

Dumont: Henri Richard – Has so many Cup rings that he used them to Basu: – I have Naslund, might as well get his centre too. level out the freezer in his basement when needed. Oh, and he’s also the Going 1-2 with Béliveau and Smith makes us HUGE and super skilled third-highest scoring player in team history. That’s good, too. down the middle.

Basu: Mats Naslund – Le Petit Viking is 12th all time in franchise scoring Gordon: – Six picks, six Hall of Famers. This is fun! and second among left wings, behind only Steve Shutt. But more Plante is self-explanatory as a choice, I feel. importantly, he was by far my favourite player as a kid and I wanted him on my team. Round 7

Gordon: – I was hoping Henri Richard might fall to me Gordon: – I was secretly hoping Bobby Smith here, but Lemaire is a pretty strong fallback, and he and Lafleur were, uh, would be available, but Damphousse also has size, gets Selke votes and scores a point per game (0.95 actually, the same as Smith). He’ll look Godin: Brendan Gallagher – There’s no shame in picking someone from great in the 2C hole, and with an A on his chest. the current team, right? Gallagher fits the perfect profile for this team and will be an excellent role player. Basu: Dickie Moore – One of the finest offensive players of his era, Moore was also tough as nails and spent some time at left wing with his Round 12 great friend Béliveau over his career. He’ll do the same for us. And he’ll wear the other ‘A’. This is a steal in the seventh round. Godin: Phillip Danault – I was hesitating between Danault and Tomas Plekanec, but his chemistry with Gallagher is worth maintaining. I can Dumont: Eric Desjardins – I suspect some of these games will be played only hope to be able to draft Tomas Tatar later in the draft. in overtime, which means Desjardins is bound to score and is bound to nail the call. Dumont: Tomas Plekanec – People seem to think Plekanec struggled to score throughout his career. Yes, he’s great defensively, but he’s also Godin: Carey Price – I played with fire long enough before taking my first the 12th-highest scoring forward in team history. goalie. I’m very happy Price will (finally) have a great team in front of him. Basu: Alex Kovalev – L’Artiste playing alongside Le Gros Bill and Dickie Round 8 Moore on the top line? Sign me up. No way Kovalev dogs it playing with these two. Godin: – Only in Montreal would there be complaints about a player who, in two years, put up the second-best rate of points Gordon: – Corson and Damphousse were once traded per game (1.22) in the team’s modern history. for each other, then played together a few years later. I like the mix of power, stick-to-it-iveness and skill. He’ll get 30 and no guff shall be taken. Dumont: Shea Weber – On second thought, forget the Markov-Subban pairing. You better believe I’m playing Weber and Subban on the same Round 13 pairing. Damn the torpedoes! Gordon: – Big man, scores big goals. Welcome aboard. Basu: Mark Recchi – How often does a trade as awful as the one that brought Recchi to Montreal still net you a fantastic player? He will play Basu: Pierre Larouche – You know how many centres in franchise history opposite Naslund with Smith on what should be a dynamite second line. have scored 50 goals in a season? One. This guy.

Gordon: Jacques Laperrière – Every blue line needs a transition beast. Dumont: Bobby Rousseau – My father told me he was good. Here’s one. If it’s possible for a Hall of Famer to be underrated, Godin: Tomas Tatar – Others drafted Gainey, Carbonneau and Provost Laperrière was. One of the best defenders to ever lace up a pair of to have a top checking forward. I can do them one better by having a line skates. He also gets an ‘A’ on his jersey because of his gentlemanly that simply has the puck all the time. bearing. Round 14 Round 9 Godin: – I get my hands on a versatile defenceman Gordon: Stéphane Richer – What can I say, I like wingers who score 50 who can move the puck and play on my second power-play unit. goals. This club is going to have a slightly above-average 1-2 punch on the right side. Dumont: Réjean Houle – A very good player, but more importantly, his nickname is Peanut and that makes me smile. Nicknames are terrible Basu: – An understated, effective player for a long nowadays. I’m just upset I wasn’t allowed to draft the Chicoutimi time…ahhh, who am I kidding? I picked him way too early and should Cucumber. have taken Gainey. Basu: – Fourth line and pest extraordinaire with Dumont: – Coach, general manager and they invented a finish and a serious clutch gene to boot. I’ll see your Peanut, Dumont, freaking trophy for him. ‘Nuff said. and raise you a Pepé.

Godin: – Since I took Robinson in the first round, I’ve Gordon: – Petry on a third pair? This blue line is going to be decided to build a defence that is imposing, both physically and incredible. offensively. I like where this is going. Round 15 Round 10 Gordon: – This is 100 percent a reaction to Arpon Godin: Max Pacioretty – With Mahovlich, Blake and Pacioretty, I have taking Claude Lemieux. I shall not be out-pested. goals coming from the left side of the ice. One of the three will wind up on my third line. I’m in the driver’s seat. Basu: Butch Bouchard – Captain for his eight final seasons and a rock solid stay at home defender to free up Savard to work his magic on the Dumont: – He’s going to win every single faceoff and top pair. play on a line with Bob Gainey. would be proud. And then he’d yell at them for not winning enough Stanley Cups during their Dumont: John Ferguson – He’s going to score, beat the crap out of you, Stanley Cup parade. and then score again. Lemieux might be annoying, but Ferguson would just pick him up and break him in half. Basu: Claude Provost – Dumont having scooped up Gainey and Carbonneau, I went for their precursor with the Canadiens, the original Godin: Roman Hamrlik – Another versatile defenceman, big body, shutdown forward and a hell of a good one. minute-eater. He can play on a second or third pairing.

Gordon: Ralph Backstrom – He could skate, he could score, he was the Round 16 3C behind Béliveau and the Pocket Rocket. He’ll have the same job Godin: Bill Durnan – Haha, I’m proud of this one! If Carey Price is fourth here. Bonus points for lifting the Kings out of last place in 1970, thus behind Roy, Dryden and Plante, with Durnan, I’m assured of having by allowing to nab Lafleur with Oakland’s pick. far the best goaltending duo in our league. Round 11 Dumont: – A Norris trophy winner in the 16th round? Twist Gordon: Jean-Claude Tremblay – Puck-mover? Here’s your puck-mover. my arm! Although J.C. Superstar deserves to be on this team for the lob goals Basu: Vladimir Malakhov – I loved watching this guy play. Silky smooth, a alone. Not the biggest guy, but Laperrière will look after him. Also, they monster physically and if you ever got him mad, look out. Never really have a combined 645 career points. That’ll do for the second pair. had the results to match the enormous talent. Basu: – Mr. Intangibles, Captain Kirk could do it all and, to my Gordon: – Scored 30 goals three times, played shut-down mild surprise, is tied for 14th in franchise history in points per game defence. He’ll be the conscience of the third line with Backstrom and (0.93). Lambert. A wild animal on our penalty kill. Dumont: Peter Mahovlich – One of the most productive players in team Round 17 history, it’s a little ridiculous he was available at this point in the draft. The pride of Timmins doesn’t get enough respect around these parts. Gordon: Jose Theodore – My sentimental choice for the backup role is 24 Bunny Larocque, but I’ll gladly take the former Hart winner who’s seventh in team history for point shares. 2,632

Basu: – A Hall of Fame backup goalie in the 17th round? 4,321 Sold. 6,953

Dumont: Jaroslav Halak – Arguably the most underrated goaltender in 9,971 the last two decades. 0.7 Godin: Denis Savard – We forget, but his average of 0.85 points per game in Montreal is better than Henri Richard, Koivu and Plekanec. A 397 Hall of Fame fourth-line centre? Sold. 757 Round 18 Dumont Godin: Mark Napier – A bit of a forgotten name and one largely 7 associated with because Napier was drafted ahead of him. But his three final seasons in Montreal? How about 35, 40 and 40 goals? 59 I’ll take that. 1 Dumont: – Ferguson can’t have all the fun. Sometimes he’ll be busy scoring. Enter Nilan. “Knuckles” also had a great nickname, 2 which, again, is very important. If he was playing nowadays he’d be 5 called Niler. Or Niley. Or “Sir, please stop punching me in the face.” 7 Basu: – An absolute speed demon who boneheadedly ran in the third period of Game 6 of the 1989 final, leading 34 to Doug Gilmour’s Cup-winning goal on the ensuing power play. But I’ve clearly gotten over it. So clearly, I’m mentioning it 31 years later. 3,111

Gordon: – Because every team needs a mad bomber 4,956 who blows pucks through the net from the blue line. 8,233 Round 19 12,685 Gordon: Mike McPhee – We are not getting outmuscled along the boards 0.65 or in the corners, isn’t that right, Mike? 314 Basu: Craig Ludwig – Chelios’ former partner, a shot-blocking, body- slamming, defensive machine who will allow his free-wheeling partner to 498 do his thing on the second pairing. Godin Dumont: Mike Keane – An unsung hero on the Canadiens roster, it’s never a bad idea to draft a former captain to play on your fourth line. 8

Godin: – He won the Norris Trophy after he was traded to 36 Washington, but at the beginning of the he was already a very 2 reliable defender and the second-most productive defenceman on the team behind Robinson. 2

Round 20 7

Godin: Terry Harper – I would have been happier with Kenny Reardon 0 but, perhaps for no good reason, I was concerned about a balance of righties and lefties on the blue line and figured I needed a righty here. 26 Harper is a robust, reliable, no-frills option. 2,505

Dumont: Lyle Odelein – The man, the myth, the legend. Quill Lake, 3,909 represent! This was easily the steal of the draft. He will shut down Lafleur with ease and look great doing it. Shoutout to Selmar. 6,414

Basu: – Hmmm…20th and final round, 10th in franchise 8,689 history for goals, 16th in points? No brainer. Just have to make sure he never sneaks behind the bench. Also, Roy wanted to be his roommate 0.74 again, and what Roy wants, Roy gets. If only Mario had gotten the memo 556 on this… 1,065 Gordon: – When McPhee, Risebrough and Jarvis hop over the boards to protect a lead, that will be the crowd’s cue to leave. Nothing Gordon more is happening with those guys out there. 7 Tale of the tape 65 Basu 4 8 7 53 7 2 0 1 36 4 3,202 0 5,041 8,243 Vladimir Malakhov

11,390 Petr Svoboda

0.72 Goal

455 Patrick Roy

909 Rogie Vachon

Team Gordon Team Dumont

Forwards Forwards

Steve Shutt Elmer Lach

Jacques Lemaire Henri Richard

Guy Lafleur Maurice Richard

Shayne Corson Bob Gainey

Vincent Damphousse Guy Carbonneau

Stéphane Richer Peter Mahovlich

Yvon Lambert Réjean Houle

Ralph Backstrom Tomas Plekanec

Pierre Mondou Bobby Rousseau

Mike McPhee Chris Nilan

Doug Risebrough John Ferguson

Doug Jarvis Mike Keane

Defence Defence

Guy Lapointe Andrei Markov

Doug Harvey P.K. Subban

Jacques Laperrière Eric Desjardins

Jean-Claude Tremblay Shea Weber

Gaston Gingras Lyle Odelein

Jeff Petry Tom Johnson

Goal Goal

Jacques Plante Ken Dryden

Jose Theodore Jaroslav Halak

Team Basu Team Godin

Forwards Forwards

Dickie Moore Frank Mahovlich

Jean Béliveau Saku Koivu

Alex Kovalev Yvan Cournoyer

Mats Naslund Toe Blake

Bobby Smith Pierre Turgeon

Mark Recchi Bernard Geoffrion

Russ Courtnall Tomas Tatar

Pierre Larouche Phillip Danault

Mario Tremblay Brendan Gallagher

Claude Lemieux Max Pacioretty

Kirk Muller Denis Savard

Claude Provost Mark Napier

Defence Defence

Serge Savard Larry Robinson

Butch Bouchard Mathieu Schneider

Craig Ludwig Roman Hamrlik

Chris Chelios Sheldon Souray Rod Langway

Terry Harper

Goal

Carey Price

Bill Durnan

So there you have it, the rosters for our four-team mini-tournament. Check back later this week, as we will reveal our semi-final matchups along with arguments from each GM of why his team will win, and your chance to pick the winners. In the meantime, let us know how we did in the comments.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173868 Nashville Predators

David Poile, Predators will keep close watch on NFL Draft in case NHL's is also held virtually

Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 5:02 p.m. CT April 21, 2020

NHL eyes will be on the NFL this week.

At least the eyes of hockey's general managers.

Predators GM David Poile said he'll be taking notes to learn the best practices used by the NFL for its draft, which will be held virtually starting Thursday because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year an estimated 600,000 people attended the NFL Draft in Nashville.

This year's event originally was to be held in Las Vegas. In late March the NHL postponed its draft, combine and annual awards show. The league paused play indefinitely March 12 and though it hopes to hold a Stanley Cup Final this season, there is no timetable for play to resume.

The NHL may also have to virtually hold its draft, originally scheduled to take place June 26-27 in Montreal.

"I want to learn as much as I can about that," Poile said about how the NFL Draft works. "We have a pretty good relationship with the Titans and ... when their draft is done and we know what we're going to do, I will reach out to them to see what they did with their scouts and their player personnel, all of those type of things."

The cancellation of college seasons and other pro leagues presents a challenge for NHL scouts, who must rely on scouting reports and a lot of video scouting going into this year's draft.

Poile said this will be a "good exercise" for his scouts and he's confident his team will make the right selections, regardless of the circumstances.

Said Predators director of player personnel Jeff Kealty: "It's not an ideal situation, but we'll be able to fill the gaps as best we can."

The Predators hold five picks in the first three rounds.

"The biggest challenge right now is time lost, in terms of ... getting your last viewings in on guys," Kealty said. "But we have a really experienced staff. We had our viewings over the course of the year, and now with the video work that we're able to do, our (amateur scouting coordinator) Nick Lubrano is really hard at work trying to supplement a lot of the games we might have missed when scouting the rest of the season."

But an NHL Draft without all the hoopla and prep time wouldn't be unprecedented.

The league held its draft in July 2005, less than two weeks after a lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season. General managers gathered in an Ottawa hotel, and teams made their picks without much time to prepare.

"It very well may be something like that, so we're going to prepare as best we can for that," Kealty said. "We're going through the paces a little bit, kind of just trying to have a gradual build. So when the draft does take place we're prepared for it, but it's kind of touch and go at this point."

Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173869 New Jersey Devils Boughner remains a top candidate for the full-time gig in San Jose. The Sharks’ front office is currently in year-end, season evaluation mode on the player side and I don’t believe anything further has been determined LeBrun: Devils speak with Gerard Gallant as team begins coaching on the coaching front. Again, other than Boughner getting a real look for interviews the permanent job. Whether or not the Sharks in the months ahead reach out to other candidates is not clear, but they haven’t done so yet.

One thing to remember is that there will be other candidates who become By Pierre LeBrun Apr 21, 2020 available once the season ends for real, whether there’s potentially other head coaches fired or assistant coaches ready to become head coaches.

But those people won’t be in play until later on. It’s not the offseason yet in the NHL and heck, under some proposals for The timing for some of these decisions could really be thrown off by a resuming the season, the official offseason may not arrive until season resumption and July-August hockey. It means a condensed September. offseason to begin with, lasting maybe only three or four weeks in But for clear non-playoff teams, there is work to be done even if they’re September or October, instead of the normal two-plus months. pulled back into playing some regular-season games this summer before The bottom line, it makes sense for a team like New Jersey to be shutting it down again. conducting coaching interviews already, even if a final decision on the The New Jersey Devils, for example, are not sitting idly by during the matter isn’t warranted for quite a while. pause. They’ve obviously been busy preparing for the draft, considering Board of Governors they may have three picks in the first round. On Monday, as they have done every two weeks since the first pausing But they’ve also got their coaching situation to figure out. the season on March 12, the NHL held a Board of Governors call. Let me be clear in saying that interim head coach Alain Nasreddine is a According to a couple of sources, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman legitimate candidate to keep the job. However, sources have also reiterated that basically, all options remain on the table and that there confirmed that recently the Devils have started conducting interviews with were still too many variables at this stage of the pandemic to plan too far other candidates, including a virtual chat last week with Gerard Gallant. ahead. It’s believed Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has also chatted with several However, one governor relayed to me that Bettman once again other coaching candidates. mentioned during the call the possibility of multiple neutral sites being Another thing that sets this situation apart outside of it occurring during a used for a potential NHL season resumption and that the league, at some pause, is that Fitzgerald himself still carries the interim tag on his GM point over the next few weeks, may have to start looking more into those title. But he’s clearly got the green light from Devils ownership to talk to options. coaching candidates in the meantime. Draft before season resumes? I haven’t heard of any other NHL team conducting coaching interviews Count me in as a hard yes. during this time, but more on that below. I got wind Tuesday afternoon of a rather intriguing idea the NHL has However, I do think it’s a progressive way to go about it. I like that the been discussing, holding the draft in June before the potential resumption Devils are using this time to prepare for beyond this season. No different of the season. – as I reported a few weeks ago – then the Anaheim Ducks who conducted their player exit meetings. What’s a handful of regular-season NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed Tuesday that the league games in July going to change in the season-ending process for teams has discussed the possibility. that are not making the playoffs? “Yes it’s being considered,” Daly said via email. Speaking with Gallant early is a wise move for the Devils, affording them the chance to speak to him before the market heats up for the former It certainly would provide some buzz and content for the league in June Vegas Golden Knights coach, who should be in high demand. And as before the potential puck drop comes a month later. Not to mention mentioned before, it would be shocking to me if Seattle didn’t reach out music to the ears of 2020 draft prospects who could otherwise be waiting to Gallant at some point given his rather obvious, recent resume with an months longer to get drafted if the league waits until after the playoffs to . hold the draft.

I reported back in late February that Seattle had been given the green Just how the league figures out the draft order and all those conditional light to hire a coach as early as this summer – more than a year before picks that are tied to playoff performance is obviously the tough part and puck drop – if GM Ron Francis felt the right candidate was available. as Daly said, the league “would have to work through the complications.”

The fact that the likes of Gallant, Peter Laviolette, Bruce Boudreau and But I do think it’s an idea worth exploring. Like the NFL draft this week, Mike Babcock are sitting out there (although we’ll see if Babcock wants an NHL draft, if held in June, would be mostly virtual in form. My guess is to coach again), would seem to suggest that Seattle should reach out for whether or not the NHL follows through with having a draft before the some conversations. season resumes will depend to some degree on what the blowback is like. There are some teams who either won’t like the idea or certainly the What’s changed, of course, is that now there may be summer hockey in solution to the draft order and conditional picks. the NHL. That the offseason league-wide may not hit until September. And if that’s the case, does Seattle wait or is the fact those coaches The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 mentioned above are available now still lead Francis to reach out this summer regardless of the potential season resumption?

Like New Jersey, the Flames (Geoff Ward), Stars (), Wild () and Sharks () also have interim coaches in place right now.

Dallas, Minnesota and Calgary have the potential of playoff games this summer, so it’s not surprising sources on all three teams confirmed on Tuesday that they’re not going to address their coaching situation until after their respective seasons are over.

At this juncture, that leaves only San Jose, last in the Western Conference, as the only other team other than New Jersey with no playoff games on the horizon and the window to address the coaching situation open for whenever they see fit. 1173870 New Jersey Devils 0.512

6

State of the Devils: A potential solution in net, and a looming question

0.9

By Corey Masisak Apr 21, 2020 -2.4

-8.09

The 2019-20 NHL season is currently on hiatus because of the 0.273 coronavirus pandemic, and when or if the season will resume remains unclear. While we wait for either a compressed completion of this 3 season, or the official start of the offseason, The Athletic takes a deep Louis Domingue dive into the state of the Devils. In the series, we will examine where each position stands and how the club needs to progress in the near and 0.879 long term to become a Stanley Cup contender again. -5.9 Part I: Centers -9.95 Part II: Goalies 0.286 Part III: Wings 5 Part IV: Defensemen 5v5 Sv% = 5-on-5 save percentage; GAR = goals above replacement; The list of problems for the Devils over the past two seasons is lengthy, GSAA = goals saved above average; QS% = quality start percentage; but both years it has started in net. RBS = really bad starts (save% below .850)

Goaltending, specifically in the first half of the season, has been a It doesn’t matter what type of statistics are used — the picture here is disaster. There have been far too many nights where the play in net pretty clear. Mackenzie Blackwood took a big step forward in his second rendered the club unable to be competitive, regardless of how the other NHL season and clearly took control of the New Jersey net. For the guys were playing. second straight year, Cory Schneider had a terrible start before eventually recovering with some strong starts. The Devils added Louis But, for the second straight year, it was also the position that improved Domingue in a low-risk trade during the season, but he was not the the most from start to finish. And for the second straight year, there is answer as Blackwood’s backup and was dealt again to Vancouver just hope for the near- and long-term future as the offseason looms — and before the trade deadline. that could make it tougher for the Devils to determine the correct path forward. Mackenzie Blackwood

First, let’s take a look at how the goaltenders have performed this Age: 23 (Dec. 9, 1996) season: Contract: Restricted free agent in 2020 Traditional stats 2019-20: Before the season started, had said his ideal plan Mackenzie Blackwood for the goaltenders was for Schneider to play 50-55 games and Blackwood around 30 to help ease his transition to full-time starter. 47 When the Devils lost Alain Nasreddine’s first game in charge on Dec. 3, 43 Blackwood allowed four goals on 30 shots. His save percentage through 0.915 20 appearances was .896. It was his eighth appearance since Nov. 15, which included two sets of back-to-backs. 2.77 “I think the plan was not to have Mackenzie play as many games or 22-14-8 minutes that he ended up playing, especially early, but early in the season is a different beast when you’re playing catch up,” interim general Cory Schneider manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “Coaches play the goalie they feel gives 13 them the best chance to win, and in those games obviously it was Mackenzie. I think Mackenzie hit a wall at a point, and we as an 11 organization looked at it and said that’s not healthy for him as a goaltender moving forward.” 0.887 The Devils did get him a little rest — he played twice in the next nine 3.53 days — and, from that point until the shutdown, Blackwood was one of 3-6-2002 the best goaltenders in the league. He went 14-6-5 in his final 27 games with a .927 save percentage. Louis Domingue New Jersey’s underlying numbers did not improve during that span. The 16 Devils did produce more offense, but they also gave up more shot attempts and scoring chances. The difference was Blackwood, and his 14 excellent play made the Devils a pesky opponent despite all of their other 0.882 weaknesses.

3.79 Blackwood has played in 70 NHL games in two seasons. It’s enough of a sample size to prove he belongs in the league and has the potential to be 3-8-2002 at least a league-average starter. It’s easy to look at his size, his athleticism and the improvements he made this year and see a ceiling Advanced stats that’s even greater than that. Mackenzie Blackwood His production through two years puts him in pretty good company. 0.926 Here’s a look at the 15 goaltenders who have played at least 50 games through their first two NHL seasons since 2005-06 (with a maximum age 12.6 of 25).

7.08 CAR Sergei Bobrovsky

0.892 PHI

3.16 0.909

88 2.73

N/A 83

N/A 27.1

Henrik Lundqvist -11.47

NYR Carey Price

0.919 MTL

2.3 0.912

123 2.71

N/A 93

N/A 33

Jeff Deslauriers 9.89

EDM Devan Dubnyk

0.901 EDM

3.27 0.907

58 3

3.6 54

-18.61 11.4

Matt Murray -9.06

PIT Connor Hellebuyck

0.925 WPG

2.32 0.91

62 2.71

23.9 82

17.39 13.1

Peter Budaj -8.45

COL Steve Mason

0.903 CBJ

2.75 0.908

91 2.65

-6 119

-16.23 2

Mackenzie Blackwood -8.36

NJD Mike Smith

0.916 DAL/TBL

2.72 0.905

70 2.45

20.4 57

13.1 -5.5

Carter Hart -5.61

PHI Frederik Anderson

0.915 ANA

2.59 0.918

74 2.35

17.4 82

12.49 22.8 5.07 2.62

James Reimer 85

TOR 32.3

0.911 9.9

2.83 James Reimer

71 TOR

8.4 0.917

-3.85 2.85

The GAR and GSAA data goes back only to 2007-08, so Lundqvist’s and 69 Ward’s first two seasons aren’t available. Blackwood rates well against his peers through his first two years, including a few who are future 16.5 Vezina Trophy winners. 7.22

The two advanced metrics use different formulas, which leads to different Henrik Lundqvist orders. Blackwood is 11th in the NHL in GAR among goalies so far this season, but 19th in GSAA. NYR

The future: Blackwood needs a new contract, but he is the club’s No. 1 0.914 goaltender and could be for several years. That said, every player does 2.33 not follow the same developmental path and goaltenders especially need more time at the NHL level. 142

Here are those same 15 goaltenders in Years 3 and 4 of their careers: 69.1

Sergei Bobrovsky 19.39

CBJ Matt Murray

0.926 PIT

2.23 0.913

96 2.8

29.3 99

35.72 15

Carey Price 7.2

MTL Cam Ward

0.919 CAR

2.5 0.91

113 2.6

37 137

24.24 40.8

Connor Hellebuyck -1.2

WPG Mike Smith

0.918 TBL

2.62 0.908

130 2.85

46.2 83

24.71 1

Frederik Anderson -2.08

ANA/TOR Jeff Deslauriers

0.918 ANA

2.53 0.903

109 2.74

46.2 4

10.08 1.2

Devan Dubnyk -1.06

EDM

0.917 COL 0.901 26.7

2.75 21.04

91 Steve Mason

-1.8 CBJ/PHI

-17.39 0.921

Steve Mason 2.41

CBJ 132

0.898 12.6

3.19 7.5

100 Sergei Bobrovsky

-29.6 CBJ

-44.93 0.921

Carter Hart 2.44

PHI 151

--- 47

--- 28.24

--- Mike Smith

--- TBL/ARZ

--- 0.92

Mackenzie Blackwood 2.43

NJD 123

--- 37.4

--- 22.88

--- Cam Ward

--- CAR

--- 0.918

Eight of the 12 (we’re leaving out Delauriers and his four games played) 2.66 had a better save percentage in that span. 189 Here are the same group of goalies in years Years 5-7 of their careers: 88.7 Jeff Deslauriers 29.63 N/A Carey Price N/A MTL N/A 0.918 N/A 2.43 N/A 163 N/A 46.4 Henrik Lundqvist 18.78 NYR James Reimer 0.924 TOR/SJS/FLA 2.22 0.917 201 2.62 107.2 118 63.15 14.6 Connor Hellebuyck* 3.37 WPG Devan Dubnyk 0.922 EDM/NSH/ARZ/MIN 2.57 0.916 58 2.46 159 “I think Mackenzie is up and coming. He obviously showed that he’s a No. 1 goalie. Now trying to help him with a tandem, and whether it’s Cory -0.2 or somebody else, I don’t have an answer for you right now. But I think -20.16 when you saw the resurgence of Mackenzie’s season and where he started to go back up was when we did limit his minutes. … I think you Frederik Anderson saw a healthier, rested goaltender and the sky is the limit for him.”

TOR Cory Schneider

0.915 Age: 34 (Mar. 18, 1986)

2.81 Contract: $6 million through 2021-22

178 2019-20: This season has been almost a mirror image of the previous one for Schneider, except the shutdown has limited his ability to finish as 63.1 strongly. 22.24 The 2018-19 season featured 12 bad games (0-7-2, .867 save Peter Budaj percentage) followed by 14 where he looked like prime-era Schneider (6- 6-2, .927 save percentage). After he had hip surgery before the season, COL/MTL he was sent to Binghamton mid-year 0n an injury rehab assignment.

0.903 Schneider played well down the stretch and at the world championships for the United States, and then was lights out in the preseason. It was all 2.94 systems go, but he left the season-opening game with cramps and by 77 November was back in Binghamton. This time, the Devils put him on waivers and demoted him. 4.7 “Well, I don’t think it’s a secret: There were some struggles both years at -5.84 the beginning of the season,” Fitzgerald said. “This season, we felt what was best for him as a player was to go find his game in the American Matt Murray* Hockey League and basically rehab your game, get it back to where it PIT needs to be.

0.899 “He got off to a tough start, to be quite frank, down there, but he really turned it around and found his game and found his confidence and felt 2.87 that he he was back on the right track to respectability in the league.”

38 After going 0-6-1 with a .852 save percentage in his first nine games, -2.9 Schneider returned from a second stint with the B-Devils and again looked like a new (old) Schneider. He gave up six goals in four games, -10.59 went 3-0-1 and stopped 95 percent of the opposing shots.

Carter Hart Schneider was likely to start five or six of the team’s final 13 games of the season, but the pandemic might prevent him from having any more PHI chances to fight for his future with the club.

--- “I think we were on that right path up to the point of the shutdown,” --- Fitzgerald said. “He seemed very confident every time he took the net. I don’t think the players in front of them played differently than they have in --- the past. I think they just played knowing that Cory was going to make that first stop and we were going to be in every game.” --- The future: When Schneider was stuck in Binghamton in November, it --- seemed like buying out the final two years of his contract was a fait Mackenzie Blackwood accompli. But he did rebound near the end of the season again and he has been a mentor for Blackwood and the other young goalies in the NJD organization.

--- If the Devils plan to be in win-now mode in 2020-21, a buyout would make sense. It would cost $2 million against the cap for the next four --- seasons, clear $4 million in cap space for each of the next two seasons --- and make it easier for New Jersey to pursue a mid-level veteran goaltender to pair with Blackwood as a No. 1B type. --- That said, if Fitzgerald gets the GM job moving forward, he has said the * Currently in fifth NHL season focus will be on helping the young players develop next year. That doesn’t mean tanking, but it also doesn’t mean “win now, at all costs.” Of the 10 goaltenders who have played seven seasons, only three (Lundqvist, Price, Ward) spent all seven with the same team. Also, 10 of In that scenario, is it worth saddling the club with a $2 million penalty in the 12 who have played at least five seasons had a save percentage of 2023 and 2024 to buy out the final two years of Schneider’s deal? The .915 or more in Years 5-7, and Murray could shrug off a down year and Devils will almost certainly be in win-now mode at that point. The Devils make that 11 of 12. The data indicates that if an NHL team has trusted a could keep Schneider, still add a veteran goalie to compete with him for young goalie to play at least 50 games over his first two seasons in the the backup job (just maybe not one that costs $4-5 million per season) salary cap era, the odds of him becoming above-average in the prime of and give him one more chance to find consistency in a limited role. his career are pretty good. If it doesn’t work out, they could send him to Binghamton again. Also, at Managing Blackwood’s workload over the next couple of years could be the end of next season, he’ll have only one year left on his contract and a key part of his development, especially since the Devils admitted to the Seattle expansion draft will be looming so a trade would be easier to overworking him for part of this season. complete.

“(Martin Brodeur) will tell you, the days of Marty playing 70 games a year “He did his part,” Fitzgerald said. “What’s Cory’s future? That’s on pause, … I think those days are gonna be out the window,” Fitzgerald said. “I as well. We can throw around all kinds of ideas and options. We all know think you’re looking at tandems moving forward. what some of these options are. Right now, we’re not really worried about that. We’re not concentrating on that. We just want to get back .905 (30 GP) playing. N/A “Cory has left a good impression, that’s for sure — a better impression than what he started with.” Felix Potvin

Here is a group of goaltenders who each had a .905 save percentage or 0.897 worse (with a minimum of 70 games played) during their age 31-33 N/A seasons over the past 30 years, and what they produced at ages 34 and 35. N/A

Sean Burke

0.905 0.895

.922 (62 GP) .907 (23 GP)

.920 (60 GP) .883 (21 GP)

Marty Turco Mike Dunham

0.905

.913 (54 GP) 0.895

.897 (29 GP) .889 (19 GP)

Kari Lehtonen N/A

0.904

.912 (34 GP) 0.894

N/A .910 (35 GP)

Ken Wregget .907 (36 GP)

0.903 Grant Fuhr

.906 (27 GP) 0.894

.900 (29 GP) .901 (73 GP)

Cory Schneider .898 (58 GP)

0.903 Chris Terreri

??? 0.893

??? .898 (12 GP)

Jean-Sebastien Giguere .876 (12 GP)

0.902 Patrick Lalime

.919 (32 GP) 0.89

.908 (18 GP) .900 (24 GP)

Mathieu Garon .907 (16 GP)

0.9 Kirk McLean

.901 (48 GP) 0.89

.897 (18 GP) .889 (23 GP)

Tommy Salo N/A

0.899 Bill Ranford

N/A 0.889

N/A N/A

Mike Vernon N/A

0.898 Vesa Toskala

.896 (62 GP) 0.887

.911 (49 GP) N/A

Nikolai Khabibulin N/A

0.898 Andy Moog

.902 (60 GP) 0.886

.909 (50 GP) .915 (31 GP)

Mikhail Shtalenkov .900 (41 GP)

0.897 0.886 young goalies in the organization, selecting a college or European prospect (one that has more time to develop) would make sense. .872 (41 GP) The second question: What happens with Schmid? He had a crazy 2018- .833 (3 GP) 19 season that ended with him in Omaha in the USHL, and he developed Jon Casey into a top goalie prospect on The Athletic’s Corey Pronman’s list entering 2019-20. 0.883 Then Omaha parted ways with his goaltending coach, Jason Power, who .866 (15 GP) earned a lot of credit for Schmid’s rapid rise the year before, and Schmid got hurt. Omaha recalled a younger goalie from the NAHL whom they N/A had drafted to replace Schmid after 2019-20. He played well while Fourteen of the 23 other goaltenders on that list had a better save Schmid was sidelined and the Lancers traded Schmid to Sioux City. percentage at 34 than they did in their age 31-33 seasons combined. It’s Where Schmid will play next season is to be determined. The Devils also worth noting that nearly 40 of them (9 of 23) did not play in the NHL could sign him to play for Binghamton or Adirondack. He could try to go at 35. to college, but he would likely face NCAA eligibility issues because he Gilles Senn played in one Western Hockey League game last year and one game in the Swiss top division in 2017-18. He’s also still young enough to sign Age: 24 (Mar. 1, 1996) with a WHL team or return to the USHL for one more year.

Contract: Entry-level contract through 2020-21 The biggest thing is he needs to play. Schmid got 40 games between the WHL, NAHL and USHL last year, plus three at the world junior 2019-20: Senn’s first season in North America got off to a bumpy start. championships. He’s played 13 games so far this season. He yielded four or more goals in seven of his first 15 starts, but the club also wasn’t playing very well in front of him for part of that. He allowed The Devils’ most recent draft pick in net, Cole Brady, played well for four goals in two of his final 11 starts before the hiatus, and had a .920 Fargo in the USHL this season and will be a freshman at Arizona State save percentage in that stretch. next year. It will likely be another two or three seasons before he’s ready to sign with the organization. He also made his NHL debut in one start with the Devils while they were scrambling to find a backup and give Blackwood some rest. Binghamton Here’s the Devils’ current and future depth chart in goal, withe the was the hottest team in the AHL when the pandemic put sports on hold, understanding that Schneider’s situation could change in the coming having won 27 of the past 36 games. Senn’s improved play in net was months. one of the factors in the surge. Starter “Specifically with Gilles, that’s as much growth out of a young goaltender over an eight-month period as I’ve ever seen,” Binghamton coach Mark Cory Schenider Dennehy said. “I’m not a goalie guru, but I’ve been doing this a long time. Mackenzie Blackwood He really came a long way in a short amount of time.” Backup The future: Senn still only has 29 games of North American hockey on his resume. He might have a chance to compete for the backup job in Keith Kinkaid training camp, but is more likely ticketed for another year in Binghamton with the potential for more NHL games if New Jersey has injury issues. Cory Schneider

He’ll play most of next season at 24 years old. There have been plenty of No. 3 NHL goalies, particularly ones from Europe, who didn’t become regulars Eddie Lack until they were 24 or older. That includes a couple of examples from this season: Elvis Merzlikins, 25, with Columbus, and the Rangers’ Igor Louis Domingue Shesterkin, who turned 24 in December. Gilles Senn Evan Cormier No. 4 Age: 22 (Nov. 6, 1997) Mackenzie Blackwood Contract: Entry-level contract through 2020-21 Gilles Senn 2019-20: Cormier played 15 games with Binghamton during a wild 2018- 19 season that started with him playing Canadian college hockey. That Evan Cormier made him the more experienced of the two goaltenders — at least on Akira Schmid North American professional ice — at the start of this year. He did not play as well at the start of this season as he did a year ago. Between No. 5 Schneider’s demotion and adding Domingue, Cormier played just twice Cam Johnson for Binghamton after Dec. 21. Evan Cormier The future: If the Devils do add another veteran goaltender, Cormier could end up starting the year back in the ECHL with Adirondack. It’s Akira Schmid also possible the Devils will sign Akira Schmid to an entry-level contract for next season, which could leave him and Cormier battling for playing The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 time behind Senn or against each other in Adirondack.

Cormier is a restricted free agent at the end of next season. If he doesn’t produce, the Devils could decide against retaining him, with others coming up the pipeline.

Looking forward

There are a couple of other important questions for the Devils this offseason in net. One, will they continue Ray Shero’s strategy of selecting a goaltender in every draft since 2015? Given that the Devils could have three first-round picks, they could target Iaroslav Askarov, the Russian goalie who stymied Jack Hughes and Team USA at the U-18 world championships last season and is one of the best prospects at the position in recent draft history. If not Askarov, the Devils could tab a goaltender later in the draft. Given the timelines of some of the other 1173871 New York Islanders The Islanders took a 3-0 series lead with a 5-3 win in Game 3 at that featured four more fights, including two more Gillies- O’Reilly bouts in the second period.

In 1980, Islanders showed Bruins they had plenty of punch “Clarkie, he probably became a Hall of Famer, in my mind, in that series,” Potvin said.

By Andrew Gross “When you see stuff like that, you kick yourself in the rear end and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to do the same thing,’ ” Nystrom said. “I think we really stood up for ourselves and that was a turning point for us because we felt we could play that kind of game or we could play a finesse type of game Road roommates Bobby Nystrom and were at their Boston with [Bryan] Trottier, Bossy, Clarkie, Denis and the boys.” hotel watching a local sportscaster prognosticate the Islanders’ upcoming quarterfinal series against the Bruins in the 1980 NHL playoffs. The Bruins salvaged Game 4, 4-3, with Nystrom fighting Brad McCrimmon in the first period. But the Islanders eliminated the Bruins “This guy said, ‘The Bruins are going to run them right out of the with a 4-2 win in Game 5 at , with Gillies involved in one building,’ ” Nystrom recalled to Newsday this month as the Islanders of the two fights. mark the 40th anniversary of the first of four straight Stanley Cup championships. “I was so ticked off with it. I said, ‘We’ve got to show “We got the rest of the league to take notice that ‘Holy cow, this team had them.’ ” never done that before,’ ” Gillies said. “We had just pounded the Big Bad Bruins into submission.” “The guy says the Bruins will intimidate the Islanders and that they won’t even want to play and the Bruins will win this in five games,” Gillies FIVE FOR FIGHTING remembered in a separate conversation with Newsday this month. “I thought Bobby Nystrom was going to go through the TV after this guy. He The Islanders went toe-to-toe with the Bruins in their five-game turned to me and said, ‘Clarkie, we’re not going to let that happen.’ ” quarterfinal series win in 1980. The penalty minutes for the leading combatants: Being upset and muscled out of the 1978 quarterfinals by the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games fostered the notion that the Islanders would BRUINS wither against an intimidating opponent in a playoff series. Nystrom didn't Terry O'Reilly 47 want to see a repeat. And so was hatched the plan to prove, finally, that the Islanders could play a physical game with anybody. Al Secord 38

Nystrom assigned the matchups: He took bruiser and told 37 Gillies to stay on Terry O’Reilly, one of the toughest, strongest players in NHL history. Wayne Cashman 30

The resulting fight-filled, five-game win over the Bruins from April 16-22, 27 1980, was a crucial turning point in the Islanders’ evolution from ISLANDERS perennial Cup contenders to perennial Cup winners. The Islanders won the first two games in overtime at Boston Garden. More impressive, the 47 Islanders took a 3-0 series lead even though sniper Mike Bossy was 39 sidelined until Game 4 with a fractured thumb. Clark Gillies 31 Pat Calabria, Newsday’s beat reporter during the Islanders’ dynasty, was on the team bus going to Boston Garden for Game 1. 31

“There was not a peep on the bus,” Calabria said in an interview this 27 month. “They were totally into their game faces.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.22.2020 “The team was ready to play whatever style they needed to play,” told Newsday this month. “But they weren’t going to get run out of that building.”

The 2-1 victory in Game 1 was just a feeling-out prelude, with the teams combining for a relatively gentlemanly eight minor penalties. The series really erupted in the Islanders’ 5-4 overtime win in Game 2. It featured 254 penalty minutes, including 248 in a first period that ended with a bench-clearing brawl.

“We knew it was going to be an incredibly physical series,” captain told Newsday this month. “Speaking personally, the first thing you do, you try to get over the fear of getting killed, which was very much what could happen when you’re facing Terry O’Reilly, Stan Jonathan, John Wensink, Wayne Cashman. A whole slew of very, very tough guys on the other team.

“And you’re going to play in a little box of an arena,” Potvin said of the undersized rink, which measured 191 feet by 83 feet, nine feet shorter and two feet narrower than the standard rink. “There wasn’t a lot of room. In terms of trying to avoid getting hit, it was almost impossible.”

Gillies and O’Reilly fought twice in the first period of Game 2. Garry Howatt fought Cashman. Nystrom fought Wensink. The Islanders’ Gord Lane, Bob Lorimer, Duane Sutter and Howatt and the Bruins’ Cashman, Jonathan, Al Secord and Mike Milbury earned game misconducts in the period-ending melee.

“It really made us understand we were a pretty tough team,” Nystrom said. “I think of one guy that came into the locker room after that big brawl and it was Bobby Lorimer. He had a pretty good gash underneath one eye. He bled all over the place. He says, ‘Don’t worry about it, boys, this isn’t going to slow me down at all.’ And that was the epitome of us in that series.” 1173872 New York Rangers I think the current team is in a similar place as it was before the Rangers started that run, but has a lot more potential talent coming, and is going to have cap space after next season to add more. This team is going to Rangers notebook: Rewatching classic games gives the current rebuild need some prospects to turn into legit top players – and there’s almost context no chance that they all will – but there’s every chance its corner-turning “arrival” version of 2011-12 is coming soon.

KREIDER UPDATE: Man, I barely had a chance to talk to Kreider after By Rick Carpiniello Apr 21, 2020 his contract signing (then the flu), followed by his broken foot, then the season’s pause. But Kreider was in on a Boston-themed NHL Zoom chat

Monday, along with the Flyers’ Kevin Hayes, the Bruins’ Chris Wagner Perspective can be interesting. and Florida’s Keith Yandle.

During this sports pause, we’re seeing a bunch of old hockey games on Kreider is still at his Connecticut home, social distancing like the rest of TV, and it occurred to me that I now know better where the Rangers’ us. “Just kind of slowly losing my mind, trying to find things to keep busy,” current rebuild stands. he said.

Specifically, I watched the anniversary of Wayne Gretzky’s final game He was asked about the foot, which was broken on a shot by from 1999 – and how is it even possible that it’s been 21 years? – on Philadelphia’s Philippe Myers Feb. 28. Saturday. “My foot feels good – Kev, thank your teammate for me, for that,” Kreider As cool as that was to be there and to see it again now, I was struck by said. “The foot was better a few weeks ago so I’m able to work on kind of how miserably bad that team was, even with The Great One, Brian rehabbing it and getting it back to where it was now.” Kreider had Leetch and pre-injury and Adam Graves. Granted they had resumed light skating by the season’s stoppage a bunch of banged-up players, but in the lineup that day were Chris I learned something new about Kreider, too. We all know about the Tamer, Richard Brennan, Johan Withall, Peter Popovic, Rumun Ndur, languages – especially the Russian, which Hayes said Kreider stepped Eric Lacroix and Brent Fedyk. Gretzky’s linemates were John MacLean up specifically to be able to communicate with Pavel Buchnevich when and Niklas Sundstrom. Other names in the game included backup goalie he arrived. I didn’t know he was multi-musically talented – he plays the Dan Cloutier, , , Darren Langdon, Mike guitar, the piano and the sax. Knuble, Mathieu Schneider and Marc Savard. RICHTER VS. LUNDQVIST: I did a story last week catching up with Mike Perhaps that team shouldn’t have been so bad, but my God, it was. That Richter. I always think about him in the conversation with Lundqvist, who was only two years into what would be seven straight seasons out of the is almost certainly the best goalie in franchise history. But Richter has playoffs (plus an eighth season canceled by a lockout). Just the darkest one Cup – the franchise’s only one in 80 years as of April 13, the of dark days. anniversary of the 1940 championship – and Lundqvist, obviously, none. Then you fast forward as you continue looking back and watch some of Lundqvist at his best, I believe, would have/could have/should have won the Rangers’ return to relative glory – including the 2014 Stanley Cup the Cup if he played on that ’94 team. He’s never played on a team final and the decisive game in Los Angeles or the Eastern remotely close to that one in terms of overall skill, depth, size, toughness. Conference final against Montreal that preceded it. That said, I do wonder if Richter at his best might not have won the Cup That makes you appreciate how good those Rangers teams of that era in ’14, because Richter, at his best, was sensational. really were. I mean, especially when and Martin St. Louis were producing, the Rangers were loaded in those few years from 2011- Another Richter story: When he suffered his second ACL tear in a home 12 through 2014-15. They weren’t ever the best team in the league in game – the first came at the 2000 all-star skills competition in Toronto – terms of top-end talent, but they were ridiculously deep in the 2014 run to Richter made his way back from the hospital, on crutches, because he the final and the Presidents’ Trophy season of ’14-15 when they probably thought the media would like to talk to him. That’s the kind of guy we’re would have been in the Cup final again if they hadn’t lost talking about. early and hadn’t had four injured defensemen for Game 7 of the Eastern final against Tampa. ANDERSSON UPDATE: In case you missed it, Lias Andersson – the first-round pick who was sent to Hartford, demanded a trade, then left the And I agree with some of those I spoke with about Game 6 of the 2014 team earlier this season, then was loaned to HV71 of the Swedish league Eastern final, a series-clinching 1-0 victory at the Garden. That was so that he could continue playing – was interviewed by the Gothenburg about as perfect a game as you can play. The Rangers gave the Post recently. Canadiens next-to-nothing, and Henrik Lundqvist gave them zero. Andersson, 21, said he struggled with his self confidence and that led to I think this current still-very-much rebuilding team has quite a way to go bad habits and sleep difficulties. Now he is feeling better. to be as deep as those teams. At the same time, I think the current group is heads and shoulders better than Gretzky’s farewell group (or any of Asked what’s going to happen now, Andersson said (via Google those teams that followed over the years). Translate): “I have no idea what’s going on. No fucking idea whatsoever. I just practice – and see what happens. I’m open to anything. I just want The start of that run, under John Tortorella in 2011-12, was a team with to have fun. I just want to play hockey.” little depth, a team with a bunch of younger players who arrived a year or two earlier than expected. That team wasn’t deep, and aside from Marian I don’t believe the Rangers have completely slammed the door on a Gaborik, then Rick Nash, didn’t have the top-end talent of an Artemi potential return for Andersson. We’ll see. Panarin or a Mika Zibanejad. That team had really only three lines, and NEW YOUNG FACES: The Rangers signing free agents Patrick most of those were made up of bottom-six guys, really – Brian Boyle, Khodorenko, Auston Rueschhoff and Justin Richards might not mean Brandon Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko were the third line, not the fourth. much at all in the big picture. But it could mean a lot of competition for On defense they had only two pairs of defensemen, with Michael Del bottom-six jobs, and should make it more challenging for incumbents to Zotto and either Stu Bickel or Steve Eminger filling third-pairs in theory keep those jobs, including Brett Howden, Julien Gauthier and Phil only. They were tough as hell, though, and shot-blocked their way to a DiGiuseppe, not to mention Brendan Smith. near Presidents’ Trophy and an Eastern final in ’12. Later, with Nash, Richards, St. Louis, Anton Stralman and Kevin Klein added to Derek It should also mean a better team in Hartford – which was headed for the Stepan, Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Benoit Pouliot, a young Chris AHL playoffs – though it’s difficult to quantify how much of that relative Kreider, Dom Moore, Boyle, etc., it really could have won a Cup in 2014 success was due to having Igor Shesterkin in goal for half a season. or 2015. I’ve been saying this for a while, but pretty much every incoming player Also, looking back at 2014 now, even though that series got to 3-0 in should expect to start his career in Hartford next fall. That should be the favor of L.A. in what seemed like 15 minutes and ended in five games, new norm, like the old norm, and there should be no entitlement. the Rangers, with any luck, really could have had that series 2-2 after four and really could have won Game 5 many times. ONE MORE 99 ANECDOTE: Going through some files on the anniversary, I came across this first quote from Gretzky’s post-final-game press conference:

“It’s time,” he said. “(Coach) John (Muckler) called timeout there with 30 seconds to go. He’s got a daughter that is about to give birth in Edmonton, and he called timeout … and I came over and he said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said ‘I just had a grandson today and you’ve got to get the winner.’ And maybe when I was younger I might have gotten the winner for him. I didn’t get it for him today, and I know it’s the right time.”

A minute or so later, he said, “I wish I could have been Jordan hitting that last shot to win the championship. That wasn’t going to happen.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020

1173873 Ottawa Senators Golden Knights at the 2018 trade deadline. He started the season with Ottawa, but was sent down in early December, then had four goals and 19 assists in 27 games with Belleville, but was sidelined by injury when the pause took place. Not all is lost if the Belleville Senators don't get a chance to finish the season “Brannstrom certainly improved his defensive game,” Mann said. “People have to realize Brannstrom isn’t a very big player (5-9), so he’s going to have win his battles through stick positioning and closing and using his feet and his intelligence. At the end of the day, as much as we want to Bruce Garrioch have him box out in front of the net and win those 50/50 battles, he’s not April 21, 2020 4:43 PM EDT going to win all of those.

“What we tried to work on as the season progressed was more stick detail, more positional awareness because we knew he wasn’t going to There are players on the AHL roster that have taken steps in the right be able win all those battles. I think he improved in that area, but for two direction and will push for spots in Ottawa next season. straight years he’s been injured and that hasn’t helped. Both seasons, just when you liked where his game was and where he was at mentally, If the Belleville Senators don’t get a chance to compete in the American he got hurt. Hockey League playoffs that won’t mean all the work done this season will be for naught. “He’s a heck of a player and he’s going to be a good one but he needs some consistent time without injuries.” While it appears a decision on the rest of the AHL will schedule will likely be made when the league’s board of governors reconvene on May 1, Unfortunately for the Senators, all they have right now is time on their even if the Ottawa Senators’ minor-league affiliate doesn’t get a chance hands. to return to CAA Arena this spring and compete in the playoffs, several players on the roster have made steps in the right direction towards making the roster next Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.22.2020 season.

Though many were given a taste of what it takes to play in the league before it went on pause March 12 because of the world-wide threat of the spread of the novel coronavirus, whenever the Senators open camp next season, there are players on the Belleville roster that have taken steps in the right direction and will at least push for spots under Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith next season.

Just because the Belleville players may not get an opportunity to compete in the AHL playoffs this spring doesn’t mean their growth will be stunted.

“They’ve developed anyway, but, as a coach, you always want a little bit more and you want to be a little bit selfish,” Belleville coach Troy Mann said Monday. “From my perspective, I really wanted to see how our young guys reacted down the stretch … I wanted to see the young guys in the last 10 games and see how they reacted to playoff positioning and fighting against teams that were on the outside like Laval and Syracuse, that were two or three points out.

“The next step is getting into the playoffs and how they would react in Round 1? How would they react in Game 1 on the road? We were so successful on the road, it was unreal how impressive it was, but how were we going to be on the road in the playoffs? So those were all the things that go through my mind. To me that’s part of development.”

There’s no question there will be prospects on Belleville who will push for spots next season with Ottawa. Among them will be forwards Josh Norris, Logan Brown, Vitaly Abramov, Rudolfs Balcers, Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton, and defenceman Erik Brannstrom should be in the mix. Goalie Marcus Hogberg is on a one-way contract, while Joey Daccord and Filip Gustavsson have also taken steps in the right direction.

Among those to keep an eye on is the 21-year-old Batherson. The Senators’ fourth-round pick in 2017 had 16 goals and 38 assists in 44 games with Belleville, but also had three goals and 10 points in 23 games with Ottawa.

“He has nothing left to prove, at least in the regular season, at the American league level,” Mann said. “He would admit that he didn’t have a great training camp and the stuff that we talked to him about and D.J. (Smith) talked to him about, he was really conscious in trying to accomplish that and I think he did.

“From a skill perspective and elite hockey sense at this level, I don’t think he has anything else to prove. He can come back to Belleville next year and he’s still going to lead the league in scoring or be a top five scorer, but to me it’s not about that. Now, for him this summer, and it might be a little bit more difficult, he’s got to become that player in Ottawa that he’s been showing here. He’s worked on the things we’ve talked about to make him more prepared for October.”

Another player who made progress, but has work to do is Brannstrom, who was the key piece in the deal that sent Mark Stone to the Vegas 1173874 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers center Kevin Hayes teams with South Philly’s Angelo’s Pizzeria to send lunch to COVID-19 hospital workers

by Sam Carchidi

Flyers center Kevin Hayes and Angelo’s Pizzeria in South Philadelphia teamed up Tuesday to donate lunch to Hospital of the University of workers in the COVID-19 intensive-care units.

In a video he made for the Flyers, Hayes thanked front-line workers "for everything you are doing. Thank you so much for being everyday heroes and putting your lives on the line to help others. It’s very impressive. I don’t think you guys are getting the recognition you deserve.”

Hayes said the workers “have been amazing, and you guys are saving this world.” He added that he was sending “happy and healthy vibes.” And lunch to COVID-19 workers on three floors.

Hayes, 27, was second on the Flyers with 23 goals when the NHL season was suspended March 12 because of the coronavirus.

» HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173875 Philadelphia Flyers respectively, in our 16-team Flyers bracket. The No. 1 overall athlete from among the Flyers, Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers will be chosen.

Coronavirus could become the modern equivalent of the war years for This man deserves to be in the Flyers’ Hall of Fame; athletes chasing milestones. The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is an example, staying ready for restart | On the Fly writes columnist Bob Ford.

Flyers center Kevin Hayes and his Boston pals enjoy the chance to chirp each other. NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika has the story. by Sam Carchid Vigneault 'optimistic’

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault and his staff are keeping in touch and There are a handful of people who should be strongly considered for staying ready, hoping the NHL resumes at some point. The league induction into the Flyers’ Hall of Fame, including Simon Gagne, Rick suspended its season March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak. Tocchet, Paul Holmgren, and Mark Recchi. “I’m in the optimistic group,” Vigneault said last week from , But there is another person who deserves to go into the team’s Hall over Quebec, where he has settled after spending time at his home in South everyone, and, to be honest, it’s surprising he isn’t already in there. Florida. “I believe we will resume play at some point, even if it’s later in the summer, and I’m preparing as such.” Overdue honor Vigneault has been chatting on the phone with his assistants and general There is only one person who has worked for the Flyers continuously manager , “so we will be ready for any scenario,” he said. since their inception in 1967 and still remains with the franchise. In the meantime, he waits. Hello, . “This is bigger than hockey and sports,” he said of the pandemic. “With Nolan deserves to be in the team’s Hall of Fame. The affable public- news changing every day, I’m just doing my part with social distancing address announcer started working for the Flyers as Joe Kadlec’s and helping support the community.” sidekick in 1967. Kadlec was the team’s first public-relations director, and spent 40 years working for the team and setting a high standard that Vigneault said he has been reading, watching movies, and exercising to Zack Hill, the current PR director, has maintained. pass the time.

“In Philadelphia, Lou isn’t just the friendly voice we have come to know Important Dates: and respect during his many years as the Flyers’ public-address announcer,” legendary former goalie once told me. “He is Tuesday: Forty-three years ago, the Flyers beat Toronto, 4-3, at Maple a man of great integrity and values, a man who has a beautiful Leaf Gardens to win their fourth straight and capture their playoff series, association with the Flyers and the fans.” four games to two. Third-period goals by Rick MacLeish and Jimmy Watson (with 2:38 left) erased a 3-2 deficit. Nolan, who left the public-relations department in 1972 and became the team’s public-address announcer, has been with the Flyers for 53 years. Wednesday: Twelve years ago, Joffrey Lupul scored on a power-play Think about that. rebound, lifting the Flyers to a 3-2 win in Washington and giving them the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, four games to three. “He’s been with the Flyers longer than anyone and that speaks volumes about his professionalism. ‚” Parent said. “You don’t last that long unless Wednesday: Four years ago, MichalNeuvirth’s 44 saves sparked the you’re a true pro.” Flyers past host Washington, 2-0, and cut the Caps’ series lead to 3-2 in the conference quarterfinals. The Flyers were outshot, 44-11, but got You could make a strong case that Kadlec, widely respected around the goals from Ryan White and Chris VandeVelde (empty-netter). league, also should be in the Flyers’ Hall. Thursday , one of the best right wingers in the Flyers’ But back to Nolan. He has witnessed virtually everything in his career, history, turns 70. including consecutive Stanley Cup championships for the Flyers in 1974 and 1975, an epic win over the Soviet Red Army, key games in the Friday: Nine years ago, Ville Leino scored on rebound of ’s remarkable 35-game unbeaten streak, the unexpected march to the shot, giving the Flyers a 5-4 OT win in Buffalo and forcing a Game 7 in Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, and much more. the first-round playoff series. The Flyers won Game 7.

From Parent to Carter Hart, and every goalie in between, Nolan has been Answer: Thanks for the question, Todd. That may depend on whether The Voice. In fact, he has witnessed every player to ever wear the is traded in the offseason. Gostisbehere is Orange and Black. expendable, and Braun, who is an unrestricted free agent, overcame a slow start and played a big part in the Flyers’ resurgence. He’s 33, a He has done it with class, done it with humor, done it with his own righthanded shot, and a solid veteran. distinctive announcing style, one that has been imitated from Wayne to Wildwood. Gostisbehere has been bothered by a knee injury this season. He had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in January. If healthy, he can be a They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Another form: Going great offensive weapon. into the team’s Hall of Fame. General manager Chuck Fletcher will have an interesting decision on Editor’s note: Sam Carchidi and Lou Nolan co-authored the book “If Braun, whose quiet leadership spread to his teammates. The salary These Walls Could Talk”, published in 2017. cap’s total, whatever that ends up being, will also play a role in the GM’s decision on Braun, who had a $3.8 million cap hit this season. Public-address announcer Lou Nolan has been with the Flyers longer than anyone.

Public-address announcer Lou Nolan has been with the Flyers longer Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2020 than anyone.

Things to know

The NHL needs to shut down the regular season and use a shortened playoff system -- if the medical experts give the go-ahead. My column.

Rookie winger Joel Farabee says the Flyers would welcome playing without fans. They just want to get back on the ice.

Voting is still open in our NCAA-style, 64-player bracket to name the best Philly athlete of all-time. and Bernie Parent are seeded 1-2, 1173876 Philadelphia Flyers Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020

Mark Recchi gives high praise to Flyers, says Penguins are preparing for 'dogfight' in Stanley Cup Playoffs

By Jordan Hall

April 21, 2020 5:45 PM

The Flyers and Penguins have had some battles during the 2019-20 regular season.

Mark Recchi remembers them well and is likely rewatching them during the ongoing suspension of the NHL season amid the coronavirus outbreak.

If the 2019-20 regular season ended today and the league was to jump directly into the Stanley Cup Playoffs under its regular format, the Flyers would face the Penguins. The Flyers are in second place of the , which would slot them to meet third-place Pittsburgh for a first-round date.

Recchi, a Hockey Hall of Famer and current Penguins assistant coach, said the mindset of Pittsburgh's staff is pretty much on Philly. After all, if the NHL is able to find a way to finish the regular-season slate, the Flyers and Penguins would still have one more matchup. Both clubs have 13 games apiece left on the NHL's remaining regular-season schedule, the status of which is up in the air (along with the playoffs, as well).

“We actually think if we do play, we’re going to probably end up playing them, so we’re kind of preparing like we are anyways," Recchi said Tuesday in a video interview with former Flyer and current Flyers Pregame and Postgame Live analyst .

Recchi has been impressed with the Flyers' 2019-20 resurgence under Alain Vigneault and company.

One of general manager Chuck Fletcher's initiatives last offseason was to make the Flyers tougher to play against. With the implementation of Vigneault's system and the help of offseason additions Kevin Hayes, , Tyler Pitlick and Justin Braun, the Flyers accomplished that goal. They've allowed the NHL's fewest shots per game (28.7) and own a plus-36 goal differential after surrendering the league's third-most goals per game (3.41) last season and finishing with a minus-37 goal differential.

"You know what, they really came together as a team this year — they have become a really stingy team," Recchi said. "Our first 40, 50 games, with all of our injuries, we kind of played to that same identity. ... I think [the Flyers] didn’t get off to a great start, but they really did a good job, the players did a terrific job, obviously the coaches did a great job.

"They’re tough, they’ve done a great job, their goaltending has been very good, their combination of the veteran (Brian Elliott) and the young Carter Hart. It’s good, I think their D core is very solid, Matt Niskanen was a huge pickup for them. I think he’s a terrific defenseman — good veteran that stabilizes things and he’s a really good person.”

The three matchups between the Flyers and Penguins were all different. Pittsburgh blasted the Flyers, 7-1, in October. The Flyers then dominated the Penguins, 3-0, in January before losing to them, 4-3, in overtime later that month.

The potential series would project to be as competitive as any in the opening round.

Recchi, the former Flyer and three-time Stanley Cup champion as a player, can see why.

"They’re a really good team and they were stingy," Recchi said of the Flyers. "When we played them those couple of games — right before the break and then we played them not long after — they were tough games. They were playing really, really good hockey, so if we end up facing them, we know, no matter what, we’re going to be in for a dogfight. Because they were playing terrific before and it’s not going to go far away, they’re still going to come back, they obviously have the right attitude, the players do, so they’ve done a heck of a job there."

1173877 Philadelphia Flyers

Kevin Hayes teams up with Angelo's Pizzeria to support Philly's workers on front line amid coronavirus outbreak

By Jordan Hall

April 21, 2020 1:10 PM

With his first season in Philadelphia not even over yet, Kevin Hayes has fully embraced the city as his home.

And it has embraced him, too, just like the Flyers' locker room.

“Meeting these guys, making memories, where I live, my family coming down — it’s been great, much better than I expected, honestly," Hayes said Feb. 25. "I’m having an absolute blast playing hockey.”

In Year 1 of Hayes' seven-year, $50 million deal with the Flyers, Philly has enjoyed him just as much.

Angelo's Pizzeria, a popular spot on South 9th Street, gave us light on a really cool gesture from Hayes as the city (and world) battles the coronavirus outbreak.

Hayes donated a bunch of food for those working on the front line during this pandemic.

Hayes, who has a place in the city, has supported the local business.

At the start of the NHL pause, the league advised its players to return home and self-isolate, so Hayes is back in his hometown of Boston for now.

But he's still looking out for Philly.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173878 Philadelphia Flyers Now, the Flyers’ prospect depth was arguably at its Hextall-engineered peak in 2017, and one could argue it was an ideal time for Philadelphia to pivot from a volume-based approach to one centered on nabbing specific targets, no matter the cost. Still, if you’re going to be that aggressive, you The 10 worst Flyers trades of the 2010s have to get the pick right, and even though it’s far too early to give up on Ratcliffe, it’s now three years removed from the 2017 draft and he isn’t

close to securing a full-time NHL job. Charlie O'Connor Could Ratcliffe still prove himself worthy of a mid-first-round valuation? Apr 21, 2020 Sure. But when you give up that package of picks, you do so thinking you’re adding a potential impact NHLer. So far, it’s more of a hope than an expectation that Ratcliffe becomes one.

So far, Charlie’s Countdown has focused on the positives of recent 8. Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus for 2012 second- and fourth-round Philadelphia Flyers history — the most rewatchable games of 2019-20, picks, and a 2013 fourth-round pick (2012) best free-agent signings of the 2010s, best draft picks of the era, and last week, the 10 best trades of the 2010s. Some will argue this trade should be far higher on the list, and when viewed in isolation, they’re right. Trading a future two-time Vezina Trophy Consider this both a direct sequel to last week’s Countdown and our first winner for a collection of mid-round picks looks extremely foolish in dip into the pool of negativity. It was inevitable — this is Philadelphia, retrospect. The Flyers had their solution in goal, and they gave him away. after all. Why does the Bobrovsky trade only rank eighth? It’s because the trade This week, we’ll look at the 10 worst Flyers trades from 2010 to 2019. itself wasn’t the issue. When , infuriated by yet another Any trades made during that 10-year window were considered, including goaltending debacle in the 2011 playoffs, mandated that Holmgren finally player-for-player swaps, draft-day trade-ups, trade deadline deals and, in acquire a long-term, proven solution in goal, it sounded the death knell one special circumstance, a trade for a particularly notable pending for Bobrovsky’s time in Philadelphia. The youngster wasn’t just going to unrestricted free agent. patiently wait out Ilya Bryzgalov’s nine-year contract and serve as a backup his entire career. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, and none of these trades were executed without some sort of rational justification by the general manager who In fact, Jay Greenberg revealed in his invaluable retrospective, “The finalized the deal. Even so, sometimes a trade doesn’t work out, due to a Philadelphia Flyers at 50,” that Bobrovsky had informed the Flyers during flawed process, bad luck or a combination of the two. These are those the 2011-12 season that if he remained the team’s backup, he would trades. return to Russia when his entry-level contract expired rather than sign a new deal. So, it was either trade him to a team with a realistic path to a 10. 2011 first- and third-round picks to Toronto for Kris Versteeg (2011) starting job or lose him for nothing at the end of 2012-13. It’s been years since the Flyers were active buyers at the trade deadline, Yes, it was a bad trade. But it was a bad trade only because of the but GM Chuck Fletcher’s decision to nab rentals Derek Grant and Nate situation the Flyers put themselves in when they opted for Bryzgalov. Thompson this season signaled a jump back into those waters. But while Given the circumstances — remember, Bobrovsky was coming off an deadline deals are exciting for fans from a “We’re going for it!” underwhelming season as Philadelphia’s backup in 2011-12 — this perspective, they don’t always work out for the buyer. Case in point: the wasn’t a bad haul, and it’s not like Holmgren had much of a choice. Still, Versteeg trade, which was meant to beef up an already-stacked Flyers the fact that the Flyers traded away a future star without getting a single forward corps for the 2010-11 stretch run. roster player in return means it can’t be left off the list. In fairness to then-GM Paul Holmgren, the trade didn’t look awful at the 7. 2018 third-round pick to Detroit for Petr Mrazek (2018) time — even if giving up a first-round pick was a hefty price. Versteeg was just 24, already had two 20-goal seasons, and wasn’t even a rental; The logic behind trading for Mrazek was sound. The Flyers had lost Brian he was under contract for the 2011-12 season at a reasonable $3.083 Elliott and Michal Neuvirth to injury, and were in the thick of the playoff million cap hit. Plus, the Flyers looked like legitimate Stanley Cup race. Rather than turn to rookie netminder Alex Lyon, Hextall spent a contenders, as they led the Eastern Conference standings for the bulk of mid-round pick to acquire the best rental goalie on the market to serve as the year. a Band-Aid.

The problem? Versteeg wasn’t healthy. He had surgery for a sports Mrazek, unfortunately for the Flyers, just wasn’t any good in Philadelphia. hernia after the Boston Bruins swept the Flyers in the second round, which helped to explain why he never lived up to his advance billing. In He got off to a fantastic start, winning his first three games and even 38 games with Philadelphia, Versteeg managed just eight goals, and posting a shutout. Then, disaster. Mrazek had a hideous March in which never found his place in the lineup. he lost eight of 10 decisions and recorded a horrific 0.876 save percentage. In fact, the unproven Lyon measurably outplayed Mrazek One could argue that Holmgren recouped most of the value that he that month (0.907 save percentage), raising the question of whether the traded away to Toronto by shipping Versteeg to Florida just a few months Flyers would’ve been better off with the youngster than acquiring Mrazek later for 2012 second- and third-round picks — essentially, the Flyers and essentially lighting a third-round pick on fire. downgraded from a late first-round pick in 2011 to a late second-rounder in 2012. But that ignores the fact that a healthy Versteeg delivered This wasn’t a trade that hurt the Flyers much long-term — it would’ve arguably the best season of his career with the Panthers in 2011-12, been nice to have another pick, but Philly was swimming in prospects at when he would have been under contract with the Flyers. Philadelphia that point. Still, Mrazek failed to provide anything of value to the team ended up getting him for the only two months in his contract when beyond his first three starts. Versteeg wasn’t very good. 6. Simon Gagné to Tampa Bay for Matt Walker and a 2011 fourth-round 9. 2017 second-, third- and fourth-round picks to Arizona for a 2017 pick (2010) second-round pick that became Isaac Ratcliffe (2017) This trade just felt wrong the minute it was made. This isn’t meant to bury Isaac Ratcliffe, whose potential I still rate quite If the decade of the ’00s had a single, defining Flyer, it was Gagné. He highly, even if his first professional season was a bit underwhelming. But wasn’t always the best player on the team, but he was an ever-present, it’s noteworthy how much Hextall and the Flyers paid to move up and consistently impactful one who blossomed into a bona fide sniper, with grab him with the 35th overall selection in the 2017 draft. back-to-back 40-goal seasons in the heart of his prime. During the 2010 To jump nine spots and draft Ratcliffe, Philadelphia relinquished the No. run to the Cup final, Gagné scored some of the biggest goals, including 44, No. 75 and No. 108 picks. Per Michael Schuckers’ then-public Draft the Game 4 overtime tally that began the Flyers’ unbelievable comeback Value Chart, the price that the Flyers paid had equivalent value to the against the Bruins, and the Game 7 game-winning goal that capped it off. No. 14 pick. In other words, for Ratcliffe to be “worth the cost,” he’d Gagné’s “reward”? He was jettisoned that summer in a salary cap-driven roughly have to perform like a mid-first-round talent. Even Coyotes GM move. John Chayka apparently told Hextall he would have to overpay if he wanted the No. 35 pick and Ratcliffe. Hextall took the plunge anyway. It’s true that the Flyers were in cap hell during those years. It’s also true 3. Matt Clackson, a 2011 third-round pick and a 2012 third-round pick to that Gagné — while still effective — was past his prime at that stage of Phoenix for Ilya Bryzgalov (2011) his career. But it felt like he deserved better than to be asked to waive a no-movement clause soon after coming just two games short of winning Generally speaking, I’ve been categorizing “rights trades” — trading for the Stanley Cup with his longtime team. the negotiating rights of a pending unrestricted free agent — as part of the free-agent signing process during these Countdown exercises. But And it’s not like the Flyers wisely used the cap space cleared by the come on, the Bryzgalov deal couldn’t be left off this list. trade. They proceeded to sign Nikolay Zherdev — best remembered as “the guy Snider hated so much that he almost didn’t let Jakub Voracek It still boggles the mind that the Flyers had to pay a price of two third- wear No. 93” — a 38-year-old Sean O’Donnell and Jody Shelley round picks for the privilege to hand Bryzgalov a nine-year, $51 million with the available cap space, while adding Walker’s $1.7 million cap hit to contract. And that’s not even getting into the implications of the decision their books as well. to target Bryzgalov in the first place: the marginalization of Bobrovsky; the subsequent trades of and Mike Richards; and, the fact It can be argued that Holmgren was just making the best of a bad that Bryzgalov was 31 when he began his first season in Philadelphia. situation, and that it’s easier to fill out a roster when you can allot about Had the Flyers not used a compliance buyout on him in 2013, the $5 million in cap space to three players rather than one. Both points are contract would just be reaching its end this season. true to varying degrees. But, in the moment and in retrospect, this felt like a borderline franchise legend having to take the fall for the club’s cap So why doesn’t the Bryzgalov trade top the list? It did turn out to be a issues. That justifiably didn’t sit well with many fans, and it didn’t make spectacular failure on multiple levels. But it was just Step 1 of the the Flyers better. process that made him a Flyer — the team still had to sign him. More importantly, circumstances have to be taken into account. While 5. 2012 second-round pick and 2013 third-round pick to Dallas for Holmgren was technically the “GM of record” on this deal, Bryzgalov Nicklas Grossmann and Jon Kalinski, a 2012 second-round pick and a became a Flyer because Snider had lost patience with the revolving door 2013 fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay for (2012) that was the Flyers’ goalie position. While that doesn’t make the move any less foolish in retrospect, it’s hard to place it at No. 1 on a list that OK, this is cheating a bit, since these were two separate trades. But they mainly judges the work of GMs. That’s not fair to Holmgren. seem inextricably linked, and not just because Holmgren pulled them off within three days of each other in the lead-up to the 2012 trade deadline. The irony, of course, is that just as Snider had reached his wit’s end with an endless train of low-budget goaltending “solutions,” his front office had The Grossmann and Kubina trades stand as testaments to the missteps finally unearthed an answer to their problem — Snider just didn’t realize that doomed the latter half of Holmgren’s tenure as GM. Holmgren had it. I’ve always wondered if how the Bryzgalov situation played out finally bet big on Chris Pronger aging like Chris Chelios or Zdeno Chara, and convinced Snider that a more long-term, Hextallian approach was the when injuries ended Pronger’s career in the first half of 2011-12, it was only way to put the organization back on track to being a sustainable the beginning of the end for that Flyers era. For starters, the club lost contender. Pronger, who was still a high-end, No. 1 blueliner. But just as detrimental were Holmgren’s many failed attempts at replacing Pronger — with 2. Matt Mangene, a 2015 second-round pick, and a 2014 third-round pick Grossmann and Kubina serving as attempts one and two. to the New York Islanders for Andrew MacDonald (2014)

In Grossmann, the Flyers hoped to approximate Pronger’s ability to “clear Had Holmgren and the Flyers traded for MacDonald with a plan to use the crease” for his goalies; in Kubina, they got a defenseman with a him as a rental player for the 2013-14 stretch run, then waved goodbye booming slap shot. The problem? Neither of them were particularly that summer, this trade may have still made the list, but not all the way effective all-around blueliners. Grossmann had his moments, but up at No. 2. consistently graded out awfully by play-driving metrics, and ideally was nothing more than a limited-role, third-pair defenseman. (Holmgren Six years and $30 million dollars later, however, and it was a lock for the ultimately gave him a four-year extension.) Kubina would be done in the top three. NHL after the 2012 playoffs. And for the pair, all said, the Flyers The Flyers acquired MacDonald with every intention of signing him long relinquished four picks — picks that could’ve been used to find term, a goal they achieved before their 2013-14 playoff series against the defensemen in the draft. New York Rangers. With the Islanders, MacDonald had slowly These may have been Holmgren’s first major missteps in evaluating transitioned into a big-minutes role, establishing himself as one of the defensemen outside of the organization after Pronger’s injury, but they league’s preeminent shot blockers. The problem? By even-strength certainly wouldn’t be the last. The issue would plague him for the advanced metrics, MacDonald was one of the league’s worst play-driving remainder of his time as GM. defensemen in that role, and hockey followers who bought into the efficacy of those stats loudly warned the Flyers of the foolishness of 4. to Columbus for R.J. Umberger and a 2015 fourth-round committing big money to him, or even acquiring him at all. pick (2014) Guess what? The stat people were right. It’s strange to think that Hextall’s worst trade as Flyers GM was his very first one. Perhaps MacDonald could have thrived (or at least held his own) in a third-pair role with the Flyers. But that wasn’t how he was deployed, and In fairness, there was a bit more going on here than a simple player-for- it certainly wasn’t how he was paid. MacDonald became another player swap. Hartnell’s contract — six years, $4.75 million cap hit — had example of the Holmgren front office’s post-Pronger struggles to properly the look of a future albatross, and it was only one year into that deal. In evaluate defensemen, and he’s probably the least popular player of the addition, the trade screamed “new GM wants to send a message to his era among fans. And while the Philly faithful occasionally were overly team,” and shipping out the popular Hartnell was a way to grab the cruel to MacDonald, they weren’t wrong in their belief that an attention of the players and make it clear that standards were being organization stuck in a cycle of mediocrity was passing off a defenseman raised. best suited for the No. 5 or No. 6 slot on the depth chart as a viable No. 2. MacDonald became a symbol of the era for frustrated fans. That said, Hextall almost certainly thought Umberger had much more left in the tank than he actually did. And the Flyers relinquished a second-round pick (that ultimately turned into Brandon Carlo) and a third-round pick (Ilya Sorokin) for the right to Hartnell would remain a useful player in Columbus — though, in Hextall’s make MacDonald that symbol. Yikes. defense, the Blue Jackets would buy him out with two years remaining on the contract. Umberger, on the other hand, was a shell of himself in his 1. James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for (2012) second go-round with Philadelphia. He couldn’t score anymore, struggled to keep up with the play and proved to be barely fourth-line caliber — all All of the other “worst trades” on our list have mitigating circumstances, on a contract with a $4.6 million cap hit. He didn’t survive the length of or at least arguments can be made in their defense. There were cap his deal, either, with Hextall ultimately admitting defeat with a 2016 implications in the Hartnell deal. The Bryzgalov trade and signing were buyout. driven by ownership, not the front office. Even with the MacDonald deal, one could make the case that the trade itself wasn’t the major issue — it In theory, the Hartnell trade was justifiable at the time. But not for that was the massive overpay of a contract that truly goes down in infamy. return. There’s nothing that can be said to “defend” James van Riemsdyk for Luke Schenn, however. It was simply an awful, awful trade.

JvR had his moments in his first three seasons in Philadelphia, but to that point, he’d failed to live up to the hype that came with being the second overall pick in the 2007 draft. Still, he’d averaged 1.93 points/60 minutes at 5-on-5 — near first-liner levels — and was a plus play-driver each year. Van Riemsdyk may have been inconsistent, but his potential was evident.

Instead, Holmgren deemed JvR expendable and shipped him to Toronto in a one-for-one deal for Schenn, a trade that was sold as two teams swapping underachieving former top prospects (Schenn was the fifth overall pick in 2008) in an attempt to find better fits for both.

As it turned out, van Riemsdyk just needed more ice time and a bigger opportunity. Placed in Toronto’s top six, he quickly blossomed into a 30- goal scorer. Schenn, on the other hand, needed nothing less than a league-wide shift back to a pre-lockout NHL style of play to live up to expectations, and that era wasn’t coming back. Schenn lacked the skating ability and puck skills to be more than a bottom-half-of-the-lineup defenseman; the days of a player like Adam Foote, a regularly cited draft comparable for Schenn, thriving as a top-pair blueliner for a Cup contender were long gone.

By 2015-16, Schenn was out of Philadelphia. Van Riemsdyk, on the other hand, scored 154 goals and 294 points over six seasons with the Maple Leafs, before Hextall rectified the club’s mistake and brought back JvR via free agency. Maybe van Riemsdyk would’ve never become the star that fans wanted the second overall pick to be. But he turned himself into a heck of a goal scorer, and the Flyers could’ve used one of those in the 2010s a lot more than a stay-at-home, third-pair defenseman.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173879 exactly notorious for engaging in proper diet or sleep patterns, especially at a level fitting of an NHL-er.

“It sounds a little cliched, but it’s all true,” Marino said. “Nutrition, Penguins defenseman John Marino tan, rested, ready for NHL to return stretching before and after games, working out, too, on the side. All those things add up. It’s big for injury prevention, too. With how many games we’re playing and how high the (competition) level is every game … you just want to do everything you can in your power to help yourself avoid SETH RORABAUGH (injury) and prepare for everything.” Tuesday, April 21, 2020 6:32 p.m. For now, Marino is trying to prepare for his next game — whenever that might be — in sunny South Carolina.

John Marino’s face looked different Tuesday. “I’ve been in contact with the trainers,” Marino said. “We sent them (a listing of) the equipment that we have here, and they come up with your It was tan. own workout plan. Being here, you at least get to be outdoors, whether it’s going on a run or a bike ride or playing some tennis. Just being as Typically, people in Western Pennsylvania (or Marino’s native active as possible. We might not all have a full gym set up, but you make Massachusetts, for that matter) don’t get to enjoy much in the way of the most of it. Vitamin D in the early portion of spring. “It’s all about commitment and discipline.” But with the NHL on pause because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Marino and his family are spending time in the temperate environment of Hilton Head, S.C. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2020 There was another cosmetic difference immediately apparent when Marino held an interview session with media via video.

It wasn’t bruised.

Way back in the carefree days that were February of 2020, a bygone era when “social” and “distancing” weren’t terms typically butted up against one another, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman saw his marvelous rookie season come to a halt thanks to a puck that struck the left side of his head.

On Feb. 7, Lightning forward , blessed with one of the NHL’s more furious one-timers, had a shot glance off of Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese’s stick and deflect into Marino’s face.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Marino suffered a handful of broken bones and displayed some unsightly black and blue marks for several weeks afterward.

Undergoing surgery Feb. 10, Marino missed 11 games and returned to the lineup Feb. 3 with a full shield to protect his face. Nine days later, the NHL shut things down league-wide because of the coronavirus.

“This (down) time has given me a lot of time to heal and recover,” said Marino, 22. “If we start playing again soon, I don’t think I’ll have to wear the full face mask. You can kind of take advantage of that. At least it gave me some time to heal up.”

Before the pandemic and even prior to his facial injuries, the biggest question about Marino’s physical well being was about his endurance.

As a first-year professional, he was experiencing the rigors of an NHL season without the benefit of development in the AHL or another .

During his three-year NCAA career at Harvard, Marino had never played more than 35 games in a season. This season, before the NHL halted play, he had appeared in 56 games and scored a tidy 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) while averaging a stout 20 minutes, 15 seconds of ice time.

He admitted there was some significant wear and tear beyond the zygomatic damage he suffered in February.

“Definitely bumps and bruises here and there,” Marino said. “There were definitely some, I wouldn’t say injuries, but some nagging stuff that you don’t really experience until you play the full NHL season. You play that many (more) games. … In college, you’re only playing on the weekends and you have the whole week to rest up your body whereas there isn’t as much rest time in the NHL.

“It’s all about preparation and nutrition and doing all those little things. Staying in contact with the athletic trainers and letting them know, communicating with them to make sure you’re going to be as close to healthy as you can for the games. It’s definitely a little more of a challenge but you have to take it at a professional level and make sure you know what’s going on.”

The off-ice requirements of being a professional have offered an education of sorts for the former Ivy Leaguer. College-aged males aren’t 1173880 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins’ Sidney Crosby offers condolences to victims of Nova Scotia shooting

SETH RORABAUGH

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 1:56 p.m.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby offered condolences to the victims of a mass shooting that took place in his home province of Nova Scotia this past weekend.

In the deadliest shooting in Canadian history, 19 people were murdered in various towns throughout the small province over a 12-hour span beginning Saturday night and ending on Sunday morning.

One of the victims, constable Heidi Stevenson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was a native of Crosby’s hometown of Cole Harbour.

Through his foundation, Crosby issued a statement:

“I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of constable Heidi Stevenson of Cole Harbour, and to all of the families that have lost loved ones and have been affectd by this terrible act.

“This tragic event has devastated communities throughout Nova Scotia, but I know we will come together and help each other get through this. I am thinking of everyone at home.”

The start of the shooting originated in Portapique, a small town approximately 80 miles north of Cole Harbour.

The suspected shooter, Gabriel Wortman, was shot and killed by police in Enfield, just outside of Halifax.

Crosby maintains a residence in Nova Scotia and spends the majority of his offseason there.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173881 Pittsburgh Penguins

How politics surrounding coronavirus may slow NHL’s return, 2016 flashbacks

TIM BENZ

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 6:32 a.m.

During this week’s Essey Tire podcast, we solve all the world’s problems.

Who am I kidding? We complain about the state of affairs we are all dealing with in this coronavirus-shut-in-addled existence we are all muddling through.

We couldn’t find any answers to the wide topics of curing the biggest pandemic in modern history, while at the same time trying to prevent economic collapse around the globe.

Instead, we take on a different task: How the heck can hockey be saved?

Is Atlanta a candidate to join the theoretical “bubble destinations” of the hockey world? We explain why it may be thrown into the mix.

We also get into how commissioners, owners and players’ unions within the various sports leagues are especially susceptible to political scrutiny when making decisions about how to come out of the lockdown. That could slow the process of sports, in general, coming back. Not just the NHL.

On a lighter note, AT&T SportsNet replayed Game 4 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final Monday night. Metz and I talk about how that 3-1 win for the Penguins was essentially the “forgotten” game of that series.

It didn’t have the electricity of Game 1. Or the overtime drama of Games 2 or 3.

Game 5 was the huge disappointment of losing the potential Cup clincher in Pittsburgh with a massive party ready to be staged. And Game 6 was the Cup raising.

But Game 4 sorta gets lost in the shuffle.

Well, unless you are Eric Fehr.

That was his first goal in 13 games and third of the playoffs. And it clinched the contest at 3-1 with 2:02 left on the clock.

Metzer and I relive that moment and some disappointments from Penguins playoffs past, too.

Hey, if this shutdown continues, at some point we are going to run out of Stanley Cup wins.

At this rate, even the Montreal Canadiens might!

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173882 Pittsburgh Penguins Mike DeFabo

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2020 Penguins defenseman John Marino reflects on a memorable rookie season

Had the Penguins not discovered under-the-radar defenseman John Marino and swung a heist of a trade, the 22-year-old rookie might be studying for psychology and economics finals at Harvard right now and preparing for graduation.

Had the COVID-19 pandemic not turned our world upside down and caused the NHL to “pause” the season, Marino should be playing in his first NHL postseason with a Penguins team that always has Stanley Cup aspirations.

But no.

The reality is Marino is hunkered down in Hilton Head, S.C., with family. He’s playing video games, taking bike rides and playing some tennis — basically anything to stay active while he waits for word on if or when the season might resume.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” Marino said. “Hopefully we can use this time to spend a little bit more time with our families and kind of make the most of it.”

This is the second time, really, that Marino’s rookie year has been put on pause unexpectedly. His season was cruising along when the blue-liner took a Steven Stamkos slap shot to the face on Feb. 6 in Tampa. The subsequent surgery sidelined Marino for about a month.

Just before the season was suspended, the rookie returned with a shield like the one he wore at Harvard. During a conference call with local reporters on Tuesday, Marino said that if the season resumes, his face has healed enough that he doesn’t expect he’ll have to wear a full shield.

“It’s tough sitting out, whether you’re injured or you’re not playing or whatever it might be,” Marino said. “You just take it one step at a time and do what you can and kind of take all the positives you can out of it.”

The rough turns that Marino’s season have taken feel out of place, given how smoothly it all began.

After Jim Rutherford pulled off what is already one of the most lopsided trades of his Penguins tenure – acquiring Marino from Edmonton in exchange for only a sixth-round pick – the rookie emerged almost instantly. Eventually, he earned regular minutes in the top four and even some time in the top pairing.

“The first couple games of the season, every one was kind of a pinch yourself moment,” Marino said. “I kind of took every game as a learning process, talking with the coaches and the coaching staff and going over the little things to round out my game.”

Marino’s big frame, strong base and slick skating helped him make almost a seamless transition from the college game to the NHL. As his season progressed, he began to flash some offensive upside as well.

But his best attribute, probably, was his poise. Asked once about Marino’s ability to keep a steady pulse in tough situations, coach Mike Sullivan joked, “What pulse?”

While the transition looked smooth from the outside, Marino said there was some adjustment, especially when it came to the workload. In college, Marino never played more than 35 games in a season. In his first NHL season, Marino played in 56, accumulating some “bumps and bruises” along the way.

“I wouldn’t say injuries, but some nagging stuff that you don’t experience until you play the full NHL season or you play that many games,” Marino said. “You don’t really think about it in college. You’re playing on the weekends and then you have the whole week to rest up your body. Whereas there’s not as much rest time in the NHL.”

Now, Marino’s had plenty of time to rest. The NHL has extended the self- quarantine guidelines through the end of April. Should the season return, Marino said it would probably take about three weeks to a month to get timing and rhythm back.

When might that happen? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess how Marino’s rookie season might end. 1173883 Pittsburgh Penguins experience for everybody. But the qualifiers against other athletes? Yeah, I felt some pressure.”

Which doesn’t happen when pitching, Taillon said. He drew the analogy A Pirate, a Penguin and a Fortnite-fueled pursuit of $1 million of pitching at Busch Stadium for a sold-out Cardinals game, with red everywhere. Taillon isn’t nervous there because “I know I’m good. That’s where I belong.”

Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon won’t pitch in 2020 after a second It’s different with Fortnite, Taillon said. He’s still trying to figure out where Tommy John surgery. Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese had missed he fits on the pecking order of professional athletes. about a month when the NHL shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, the result of a lower-body injury. “There are a ton of good players,” Taillon said. “My heart was just pounding.” While Taillon and Aston-Reese have had some difficulty contributing to their actual teams, they’ve formed an interesting and successful virtual Literally, too. Taillon said he wore a recovery band while playing, the kind one during the COVID-19 crisis, joining forces to pursue a $1 million that reads your heart rate, and it was 20 beats per minute higher than donation to charity. normal.

The two are competing together in TwitchRivals SuperGames featuring Fortunately, Aston-Reese wasn’t as freaked out. To him, video games Fortnite, where they started as one of 110 athlete duos and have have long been part of life — occasionally too much if you’re talking advanced to Wednesday night’s championship round featuring a total of about his college days at Northeastern. 20 teams — 12 that navigated the qualifying round and semifinals, plus As a kid, Aston-Reese was big on Nintendo 64. He and his brother, eight late, high-profile adds. William Jr., would play Zelda for hours. Everybody would sit around and One of those receiving a free pass to the finals is Steelers wideout JuJu watch. Zach and his mom, Carolyn Buckheit, would square off in Tetris. Smith-Schuster, while Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Bryce Mario parties were definitely a thing. Harper were also exempt from competing in the earlier rounds. For Aston-Reese, video games have become an essential part of “I already enjoy playing video games,” Aston-Reese said by phone on socialization — especially now. He befriended Tyler Bertuzzi of the Tuesday afternoon. “So to do this and be able to give back a little bit, it’s Detroit Red Wings through video games and felt like he knew Taillon a bonus.” some because they ran in some of the same Fortnite circles.

After some practice rounds on Tuesday, Wednesday's championship "I know it’s a little crazy meeting people in a virtual world, but it builds a round will consist of five games, Taillon said, which will be streamed via pretty good bond before you get to meet someone," Aston-Reese said. Twitch and start at 8 p.m. "You can tell 'Jamo' is a really good teammate. You can tell he wants to win." The two have preselected the charities to where their money will go. Taillon is splitting his between the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Another part where the athlete comes out. Bank and Lending Hearts, which helps pediatric cancer patients. The other day, Bryan and Kelsey Rust were FaceTiming with friends Aston-Reese is playing for the Colby Cave Memorial Fund, started for the when they introduced Aston-Reese, who proceeded to give everyone a Edmonton Oilers forward who passed away suddenly on April 11 due to detailed description of the tournament. complications from a brain cyst. Taillon knows the professional games who drafted teams and worried As for how Taillon and Aston-Reese got together, it's a little complicated. that JuJu and Co. "might be the team to beat."

Taillon said he mentioned to his agent wanting to do some sort of video Already Taillon and Aston-Reese have secured between $5,000-$8,000 game tournament while rehabbing his elbow. The Fortnite competition for charity, but they’re eager to raise a lot more come Wednesday night. was a no-brainer, as Taillon has been obsessed with the shooter-survival "I can't wait," Taillon said. "We'll be ready to go." game since it debuted in July 2017.

Aston-Reese’s involvement was a little more accidental. He has been living with fellow Penguins winger Bryan Rust and his wife, Kelsey, Jason Mackey during this quarantine period. One night at dinner, Rust’s phone rang with an offer from someone in the NHLPA. They wanted Rust to play, but Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2020 Rust thought he would get clobbered. Aston-Reese told his housemate/landlord to give them his number, and he threw his hat in the ring.

When Taillon was trying to find a partner, he figured it was an easy and smart move to pick someone else from Pittsburgh.

“We ran a couple games together, and he’s incredibly good at Fortnite,” Taillon said. “We had some good chemistry, advanced a couple times, and here we are.”

They might become closer friends, too, once their respective seasons resume.

"He seems really nice," Taillon said. "We’ll have link up when I’m in Pittsburgh. Some of my friends that I’ve met over the years in Pittsburgh who aren’t sports-related reached out to me. Everybody said he’s a great dude."

Aston-Reese is definitely better at Fortnite, both admitted, although Taillon did recover from a rough qualifying round and bounced back in the semifinals.

As part of the championship round, the two were actually drafted by professional gamers — same for all 20 athlete-athlete entrants — and Taillon said that enabled him to breathe a little easier.

“Going into [Wednesday], I’m a little less nervous, I think, just because [the pros] can kind of carry the load,” Taillon said. “I think it will be a fun 1173884 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins on pause: Brian Dumoulin's absence underscores his value

The NHL has “paused” its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear if it will resume. So, with one eye still on the future, the Post- Gazette’s Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo are looking back at what each Penguins player did in 2019-20. We started with the captain, No. 87, and will count down by jersey number.

Sometimes, Brian Dumoulin’s contributions to the Penguins might be easy to overlook.

By the nature of his position and his stay-at-home style, the 28-year-old defenseman isn’t going to rack up a ton points or produce many highlight-reel plays. He’s never scored more than five goals in a season, never tallied more than 23 points.

But this year, when he recorded just eight points in 28 games, Dumoulin provided a clear reminder of his value. And he did it from an unexpected place: the press box.

On Nov. 30 in St. Louis, Dumoulin lacerated tendons in his left ankle when Blues forward Zach Sanford fell onto the back of his legs. The surgery and subsequent rehab left the Penguins without their best left- handed defenseman for three months.

His absence was obvious. The Penguins were forced into less-than- optimal defensive pairings. Initially, the club briefly played on his left side with rookie John Marino. When that didn’t work, the two right- handed defensemen flipped sides. Eventually, Letang played for a big chunk of the stretch with Jack Johnson, who started the year in a three- man rotation on the third pairing.

As a result, Letang’s performance suffered. When he and Dumoulin are on the ice together, their chemistry and complementary skillsets make up an ideal top pairing. Letang can take some more chances and use his offensive instincts, knowing Dumoulin is there to cover. Without Dumoulin, Letang’s gambles were often magnified.

The stats back it up. With Dumoulin, Letang’s shot share was an impressive 58.13% during five-on-five play. Without? Just 49.69%.

In the offensive zone, Letang was on the ice for 12.14 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with Dumoulin, compared to 10.54 without his regular partner. Defensively, Letang was on the ice for 10.82 of the opponents’ high-danger chances per 60 without Dumoulin, compared to 9.95 with Dumoulin.

So while Dumoulin’s play might go overlooked when he’s on the ice, it’s pretty clear what the Penguins are missing when he’s not there.

DEFINING MOMENT: Dumoulin returned to the Penguins lineup on March 3, the same day Marino returned from his own injury. They immediately made their presence felt during a 7-3 rout of the Ottawa Senators. With the pairings back to normal, the Penguins looked like a more complete defensive team.

STAT THAT STANDS OUT: In the 24 games with Dumoulin, Letang averaged .333 goals per game, .79 points and a plus-5 rating. Without Dumoulin, Letang averaged .19 goals per game, .68 points per game and complied a minus-5 rating.

IF THE SEASON RESUMES: Dumoulin was healthy enough to return for the final five games before the season was officially “paused.” But the extra time off can only help him continue to put a serious injury in the past.

LONG-TERM OUTLOOK: Dumoulin is signed with the Penguins through the 2022-23 season with a contract that carries an average annual value of $4.1 million. Clearly, he’s the top left-handed defenseman on the team and should be in the top pairing for years to come.

Mike DeFabo

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173885 Pittsburgh Penguins Kessel has played in 844 consecutive games — he hasn’t missed one since early in the 2009 season with Toronto after shoulder surgery — and ranks sixth on the NHL’s all-time list behind Doug Jarvis (964), , Steve Larmer, Keith Yandle and, coincidentally, Patrick Marleau, Ron Cook: Phil Kessel is a fascination that never ends who plays for the Penguins.

It’s admirable that Kessel wants to play every night — Cal Ripken Jr. always said the thing he cherished most about his Iron Man streak in The topic today was not picked at random. Brian Burke planted the idea was that his teammates knew he would be there every game — by telling a fascinating story about the subject. Rick Tocchet also had but it also can be dangerous. There’s no doubt in my mind and probably some strong comments about him. Rutherford’s and Sullivan’s, as well, that Kessel would have played better Phil Kessel. in the 2018 playoffs had he taken a few games off during the season to get healthy. “He’s actually dealt with injuries all year,” Rutherford said Penguins fans always will remember Kessel as a two-time Stanley Cup after the Penguins were eliminated in the second round by Washington. winner, a driving force on the team’s famed “HBK” line with Carl Hagelin “I know some of the things that he dealt with caught up to him.” and Nick Bonino. He scored 10 goals and 22 points in 24 games in the 2016 playoffs and could have been the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He Kessel had just one goal in 12 games during the 2018 postseason. added eight goals and 23 points in 25 games in the 2017 postseason. “You’re trying to play for the team, but you have to be careful you’re not The Penguins wouldn’t have won the Cup either season without him. playing for yourself and the streak,” Tocchet said. But Burke has a different memory of Kessel. He was the general “There’s going to come a time when Phil has to take a step back and say, manager in Toronto when Kessel played for the Maple Leafs. He talked ‘I’ve had a good run, but what is most important is my career and my of Kessel taking a savage beating from the Toronto media and offered to team.’ ” strike back on Kessel’s behalf. “I appreciate it but save your breath,” Kessel told him. “I’m good. I only care about the guys in the room.” Tocchet said he is counting on Kessel being 100% if and when the NHL season resumes. But he didn’t answer a question about what Kessel Burke elaborated earlier this month on an ESPN On Ice podcast. might weigh or what shape he’ll be in after the long layoff. “He doesn’t care. That’s an asset for an athlete to not care what the No surprise there. media thinks or what fans think,” he said. “It allows you to play through the white noise. But it’s really annoying to fans who think you should care It’s frightening to think about knowing Kessel. what they think about you. It’s like, ‘If you don’t, you’re a bad person.’ ...

“But what I liked about having him, he played well for us and was a very popular teammate. And one thing people won’t know, because he never Ron Cook does it on cameras, is if we brought in any kid who was suffering from Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2020 cancer, Phil would go right over to that young boy or girl and talk to them for an hour. He’d talk to him or her about his treatment for [testicular] cancer. He was wonderful like that. But if there was a reporter in the room? Not a chance.”

Kessel received similar reviews as a teammate with the Penguins. He was beloved for his quirkiness nearly as much as for his fabulous wrist shot and underrated playmaking ability. He could be counted on to deliver a little comedic relief when the team needed it most.

But Kessel wore out his welcome with the Penguins, just as he did with Toronto and Boston. His practice habits and work ethic — or lack of one — drove Mike Sullivan crazy. More than one staffer joked about how Kessel would come back five pounds heavier after the team’s scheduled week off.

Jim Rutherford tried to trade Kessel to Minnesota for in May 2019 after the Penguins were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Islanders, but Kessel vetoed the deal per his contract. The Penguins ended up sending Kessel to Arizona and old friend Tocchet for Alex Galchenyuk in June 2019. Galchenyuk was a bust here, but Rutherford was able to move him to Minnesota in February for — coincidentally — Zucker, who seemed to find a comfortable home on Sidney Crosby’s line before the NHL season went on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kessel, meanwhile, struggled mightily in Arizona. He had just 14 goals — five even-strength — in 70 games and was a minus-21, by far the worst on a team that was four points out of a playoff spot when the league shut down.

“He knows he’s got to be better,” Tocchet said last week. “When you’re on the bubble looking in, you’re looking for those extra points. You’re looking for that guy who can score late in the game when it’s 2-2. Phil feels responsible. For us to be successful, we’re going to need him at a different level.”

Tocchet knows everything that makes Kessel tick. He was a Penguins assistant coach under Sullivan during the two Cup runs when he was known as the Kessel Whisperer. Kessel’s consecutive-games-played streak was an issue for Tocchet this season, just as it eventually was for Sullivan.

“He had some little nagging injuries that he was trying to play through and couldn’t find his game,” Tocchet said. 1173886 Pittsburgh Penguins role in the Stanley Cup runs, particularly with Letang out of the lineup in 2017. The Penguins don’t win the Stanley Cup that year without Schultz. No way.

Yohe: These 10 Penguins might be finished playing in Pittsburgh Restricted free agents

Matt Murray

By Josh Yohe The situation: Murray’s accomplishments can’t be ignored. He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons, a Apr 21, 2020 remarkable feat that rightfully will aid his bargaining power. Since then, however, he’s been average. Along the way, Tristan Jarry has emerged

as a possible long-term answer in net, having reached the NHL All-Star One year ago today, the Penguins were already five days into what Game this season while splitting time with Murray. Jarry, also a restricted would become an initially tumultuous but ultimately successful offseason. free agent, isn’t going anywhere because his financial demands will be manageable. But what about Murray’s? We don’t know when the offseason will arrive for the 2019-20 Penguins. Maybe July. Maybe September. Maybe October. What to expect: This will probably be the story of the offseason. Sure, the Penguins are a better team with Murray and Jarry as opposed to Jarry Maybe now. and Casey DeSmith. But how much money would you pay Murray? Will Murray want a long-term deal? Is he the guy long term, as his The cold reality is that no one really knows when the NHL will resume. unrestricted free agency period gets closer? How good is he, really? A The 2019-20 season might be over. Then, there is the undeniable Murray trade would not shock me. However, I also could see Jim potential that the salary cap could drop next season, given the enormous Rutherford wanting to have Murray and Jarry next season. Remember, amount of money the NHL is about to lose because of the current work the postseason was going to represent Murray’s opportunity to lock down stoppage. the Penguins’ starting goaltender job in the short term if not the long All possibilities are in play but the Penguins, as we know them, could term. He was going to be the guy when the postseason began, I believe. look significantly different when sports return. And if he led the Penguins to a third Stanley Cup in five seasons as their starter, that would have changed things dramatically. If he isn’t given that Here is a look at some candidates who possibly have played their final chance, the situation becomes even murkier. game with the Penguins. Juuso Riikola Unrestricted free agents The situation: He’s a restricted free agent and we really don’t know much Conor Sheary about him. He’s a competent NHL defenseman but isn’t cracking the The situation: He’s played in only eight games with the Penguins since lineup when the Penguins are healthy. The coaching staff never seems being reacquired by the team at the deadline. Sheary is scheduled to particularly enamored with him, either. become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing out his What to expect: I don’t know that he’ll be back. Riikola badly wants to three-year, $9 million deal with the Penguins, the Sabres and the become an NHL regular and appears eminently capable. However, he’s Penguins again. been on a short leash in Pittsburgh and might be eager to find another What to expect: I think there’s a good chance Sheary signs with the organization. I’m not sure that the Penguins are all that eager to keep Penguins. They don’t want to give away a nice player in Dominik Kahun him around, but they have precious little organizational depth on the blue for nothing, and Sheary seems to be valued more in Pittsburgh than line, so losing him wouldn’t be ideal. elsewhere. For good reason, perhaps. Of course there’s a chance he Dominik Simon could sign with another team, but the Penguins like him a great deal and I could envision him receiving a one-year deal to remain in Pittsburgh. The situation: He’s a restricted free agent, he’s an analytics darling and the coaching staff loves him. Sidney Crosby does, too. Patrick Marleau What to expect: My hunch is Simon will return to the Penguins. They’re The situation: Well, that was all very anti-climatic. Marleau scored a goal going to need effective players who work for cheap, and while Simon will in eight games and potentially could have already played in his final command a raise, it won’t be a huge one. Here’s what I always say about game with the Penguins. Marleau, 40, doesn’t want to retire and he can him: He’s a good hockey player, but he doesn’t score enough. You’re still play. thinking to yourselves, “Well yes, we know.” But seriously, he’s a good What to expect: Your guess is as good as mine on this one. Would the hockey player. He does everything well. He just doesn’t finish. Maybe Penguins like to sign Marleau for the 2020-21 season? I sense they that will come, maybe it won’t. But Simon on an inexpensive deal is still would. They really like him, obviously. I also sense that Marleau is still worth having and I think he’ll stay. playing simply to win a Cup, that he likes Pittsburgh and would certainly Evan Rodrigues feel a sense of unfinished business in black and gold, I’d think. He’d have to be willing to play cheap. This one is a mystery. The situation: He played a handful of games with the Penguins, drew a lot of penalties and looked somewhat promising. It’s difficult to determine Justin Schultz precisely where he would fit into the lineup when the Penguins are The situation: Schultz is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. healthy. He bet on himself in 2017, signing only a three-year deal, knowing he What to expect: He certainly flashed some potential and that was always could make a huge amount of money on the open market in 2020. Two the word on him in Buffalo. He’s got some skill, clear NHL ability. But things happened: a broken ankle in Montreal in 2018 and the current where does he fit? I think the Penguins would like to bring him back for a work stoppage. What’s his value now? Probably not what it was, though full year to see what they have in him. He’s not your classic bottom-six he’s only 29 and is a right-handed defenseman who runs the power play player, but then, those barely exist anymore, and there’s nothing wrong well. Two Stanley Cup rings don’t hurt, either. Someone will pay him, but with having skill on a third or fourth line. how much? Salary cap casualties What to expect: I’d be surprised if Schultz is back with the Penguins, though there is a scenario in which it could happen. If Schultz doesn’t Nick Bjugstad find any deals to his liking on the open market — and many teams might The situation: To say that Bjugstad has been a disappointment in be looking to shed salary as opposed to adding high-priced players — Pittsburgh isn’t really fair to him. Injuries happen. He’s scored 10 goals in maybe he comes back to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal to play on the 47 games with the Penguins, which isn’t great, but it’s not criminally bad right side behind Kris Letang and John Marino. It’s conceivable. But I still or anything. However, his plodding style really doesn’t fit with how the think he plays elsewhere next season. The Penguins just don’t have Penguins play, and he’s got one more season left on a contract that pays much money to spend under the cap, whatever that number proves to him $4.1 million annually. be, and I’d suggest Schultz has never been the same player since sustaining that ankle injury. Too bad. Good guy, and he played a vital What to expect: I’d be surprised if Bjugstad plays for the Penguins next season. Very surprised. They could trade him to someone, I’m sure, and I suspect that they will. The contract doesn’t work, and the Penguins are deep at forward in general and down the middle specifically. I just don’t see how he fits into their plans moving forward even though Rutherford admitted a couple of months back that he was intrigued to see how the Penguins looked with Bjugstad in their lineup.

Jack Johnson

The situation: The veteran defenseman still has three years remaining on a contract that pays him $3.25 million annually. His coaching staff was generally pleased with Johnson’s performance in his second season with the Penguins, believing he played at a higher level than he did in the previous campaign.

What to expect: You might not like Johnson in the lineup, but the Penguins do. This comes down to the salary cap. If the Penguins are feeling a numbers crunch, I could envision them attempting to trade Johnson. They talked about doing just that in September, but opted to deal instead, as he was easier to trade and removing him from the lineup opened playing time for a young defenseman named John Marino. This one could go either way depending on where the cap lands.

Patric Hornqvist

The situation: Hornqvist has three years remaining on a deal that pays him $5.75 million per season and owns a modified no-trade agreement.

What to expect: I don’t think he’s going anywhere. At 33, he proved that he can still play at a high level this season, and he didn’t even get a chance to play in the postseason — not yet, at least — and that’s always when he’s at his best. He does, however, make a lot of money and it’s fair to wonder if he’s going to play out those three years in Pittsburgh.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173887 San Jose Sharks

How Sharks' Tomas Hertl is progressing, finds motivation in knee rehab

By Brodie Brazil

April 21, 2020 3:11 PM

Tomas Hertl is in unfortunately familiar territory, recovering from another major knee injury.

“I know so much about it after my career,” the Sharks center told NBC Sports California via FaceTime from the Czech Republic on Friday.

This time it was a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee which required season-ending surgery on Jan. 30. Not a whole lot different from his rookie season in 2013-14, and damage suffered to his MCL and PCL in his right knee that also necessitated surgery.

“My range of motion is already back,” Hertl said. “Swelling is just a little bit. The ACL is a long process, but it will heal.”

All is going well as expected in the recovery process, and there’s zero indication Hertl would miss any start of the next season.

Hertl said he is walking normally and trying to build more muscle around the knee to protect it.

“It was tough when I got hurt,” Hertl said. “But now I know it’s fixed, now I know it’s strong I just have to make the muscles around it.”

Hertl also had surgery on his right knee during the 2016-17 season, and he has played in 453 of 574 possible regular-season games with the Sharks. Always full of cheer and smiles, the 26-year old actually is using doubt as one of his motivations.

“I’m doing it like a challenge,” Hertl explained. “Everyone who’s saying after another injury I will not be the same, I want to change that. I want to show them and all the kids who get hurt, they can come back. And even be better.”

Hertl returned home to the Czech Republic two weekends ago, meaning he can now see his friends and family after spending the last 14 days in strict government-mandated quarantine due to the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic.

“It’s just the rules,” Hertl said from his home in Europe. “We have to hold it. I think the Czech Republic are doing a pretty good job. We don’t have very many cases, and already next week they’re getting started re- opening some stores, and get back to normal.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173888 San Jose Sharks DeBoer and the Golden Knights should have as good a chance as any team in the Western Conference to win it all.

The view of Boughner was a bit more positive than negative, with just Survey says: Sharks fans have mild optimism about future, want change 20.1 percent of you giving him a 1 or a 2 rating. That would suggest that at goalie most of you figured Boughner walked into a no-win situation considering the team’s lack of depth, goaltending issues and some of the injuries that the Sharks endured to guys like Karlsson, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. By Kevin Kurz Still, slightly more of you (53.2 percent) would rather the Sharks replace Apr 21, 2020 Boughner — still the interim coach — with someone else in the offseason. There are several experienced, proven head coaches available, including Peter Laviolette, Gerard Gallant, Mike Babcock and Thanks to the more than 1,000 of you who filled out The Athletic Bay Bruce Boudreau. (In case you missed it, all signs point to Boughner Area’s first-ever Sharks fan survey. Let’s get right to the results and returning for next season.) analysis. Franchise icons Thornton and Marleau will both be unrestricted free The first one was a question I was genuinely interested in, and I was a bit agents in the offseason. At the time of the trade deadline on Feb. 24, surprised that so many of our readers have been fans since the start, when Marleau was dealt to Pittsburgh but Thornton was retained, the almost 30 years ago. A full 67 percent of those who answered the survey expectation was that the Sharks would bring Marleau back for 2020-21 to have been following the team since before Joe Thornton’s arrival in 2005. break the NHL’s all-time games played mark held by Gordie Howe. Still, a large majority of those surveyed do not have full or partial season Thornton, though, seems less certain to return after he voiced his tickets. tremendous disappointment about not getting traded the day after the deadline. Attendance at home games was visibly down this season and that seems to be reflected in the survey as only 27.6 percent of you attended more Most of you would like the pair to be wearing teal next season, although than five home games. After selling out nearly every game for most of the the feelings for Thornton are a bit stronger. decade of the 2010s (the capacity is 17,562), this season the Sharks saw crowds of less than 17,000 fans 26 times out of 36 games. There were No surprise here with Hertl garnering 38 percent of the vote. Hertl has seven crowds of less than 16,000 fans and two crowds less than 15,000 been beloved by Sharks fans since he arrived as a rookie in 2013 and (to be fair, both of those came after Santa Clara County’s scored four goals in just his third career NHL game. This season, he recommendation in March to avoid large gatherings). made his first All-Star Game after Couture’s injury, donning a Justin Bieber mask for his attempt in the shootout challenge and showing According to ESPN.com, the Sharks ranked 24th in the league in overall hockey fans everywhere his big smile. Couture (18.9 percent) and attendance at 16,427 per game, and 21st with a 93.5 percent capacity. Thornton (18.8 percent) also earned a good chunk of the vote, while Burns (6.1 percent) earned a lesser share than I expected. Considering the Sharks currently sit in last place in the Western Conference, these results probably could have been much more Who's your least favorite Sharks player? negative. Nearly half of everyone who replied to the question about the team’s general future (47.5 percent) gave it an average rating of 3, Martin Jones although more of you gave the Sharks a 4 or a 5 (32.3 percent) than a 1 166 or a 2 (20.3 percent). 23.90% When it comes to qualifying for the playoffs next season, though, 42.7 percent of you gave this a 4 or a 5, so that should make the organization happy. General manager has been stressing for months that the goal is to quickly rebound in 2020-21. 92

The last time the Sharks missed the playoffs was in 2014-15, and they 13.20% responded the next season by making their only appearance in a Stanley Kevin Labanc Cup final. So it makes sense that there should be some optimism here even though the front office seemingly has its work cut out this offseason. 73

We’ve got our first of a few nearly 50-50 splits. Erik Karlsson’s two 10.50% seasons in San Jose have been inconsistent. The defenseman has, at times, shown he can still dominate, particularly during a six-week stretch Melker Karlsson in the middle of the 2018-19 season. He’s also suffered through poor 56 starts and significant injuries both seasons, though, when multiple groin problems kept him out for most of the second half in 2018-19 and a 8.00% broken thumb on Feb. 14 in Winnipeg ended his 2019-20 campaign. Furthermore, there has been speculation and some evidence that Marc-Edouard Vlasic Karlsson’s arrival paired with Joe Pavelski’s departure has upended the 55 team’s previously strong culture. It’s likely that Karlsson will continue to be a polarizing player among the fan base for the foreseeable future until 7.90% he either reverts to his Norris Trophy-winning form or the team finds more sustained success. About one-third of you skipped this question altogether. Of the 696 who did vote, though, nearly a quarter suggested they are ready to see It’s pretty remarkable how close this vote is. The Sharks were 15-16-2 someone else between the pipes as the No. 1 goalie as soon as when Wilson made the first in-season coaching change of his career as a possible. general manager, replacing DeBoer and most of his staff with Bob Boughner and a new troupe of assistants on Dec. 11. It didn’t work out, Both Karlssons got votes here, including Melker, who has been a strange as the Sharks — also beset by injuries to key players in the following lightning rod for criticism in recent seasons, even though he has never weeks — never got much traction under Boughner, either. been expected to be one of the team’s top contributors. Many of you have grown tired of Kevin Labanc, who possesses a world of offensive DeBoer should be considered the most successful head coach in Sharks talent but still displays a lack of hockey sense at times in all three zones. franchise history, taking the team to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons. The Sharks won six total playoff series under him, the most This was perhaps the most surprising response to me, because hardly a they’ve won in any four-year span in the history of the organization. He game goes by when I don’t see someone on Twitter suggesting that was quickly and shockingly gobbled up by the rival Golden Knights on Burns should be playing forward, where he skated for a season and a Feb. 3 and had them in first place in the Pacific Division at the time of the half earlier in his Sharks career. shutdown, as they had won 11 of their previous 13 games (11-2-0). If the league is able to stage the Stanley Cup playoffs later this summer, On the other hand, you could argue that it’s a bit strange that nearly one- quarter of you think a guy who won the Norris Trophy in 2017 and was a finalist in 2016 and 2019 is playing out of position.

If the Sharks are going to reshape their roster this offseason, that likely means they’ll have to move out a big salary. Hertl and Couture aren’t going anywhere. Karlsson and Jones’ contracts aren’t moveable. It probably doesn’t make sense to trade Evander Kane or Timo Meier, considering that creating offense was a problem in 2019-20.

That puts the spotlight on Burns and Vlasic. While Burns took a step back this season, Vlasic has been inconsistent for each of the last two seasons. It’s difficult to envision how Wilson would get this done, as Burns has a limited no-trade clause and Vlasic a full no-movement clause, but the GM has pulled off some eye-opening deals in the past. Moving Burns ($8 million annually through 2024-25) or Vlasic ($7 million annually through 2025-26) would presumably free up salary-cap space for another forward and/or goaltender.

Naturally, we had to include a couple of questions about the Sharks’ goaltending, as they’ve now been dead last in the league in even- strength save percentage for each of the past two seasons.

Aaron Dell is a pending unrestricted free agent and most of you are fine with seeing him walk in the offseason, if you assume that the Sharks will not trade or buy out Jones. That means the Sharks will have to find another reliable goaltender, as more than half of you (52.9 percent) have little to no confidence that Jones can still be a No. 1.

One of the Sharks’ primary issues this season was that none of the organization’s young players had a consistent impact other than defenseman Mario Ferraro, who struggled himself in February and March. So it’s not surprising that most of you are skeptical of the prospect pool as a whole, as 59.7 percent of you gave it either a 1 or a 2.

Still, the majority of you are hopeful that the Sharks can still find talent via the NHL Draft, as the positive votes outweighed the negative votes here. One of the keys to the Sharks’ sustained success, prior to 2019-20, was their ability to find effective players in later rounds, in particular.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173889 St Louis Blues “Defends hard. Very smart player out there. Team-oriented guy. He talks on the ice, too. You know what to expect, where he’s gonna be, how to play with him. It was pretty easy to read off him, and I feel like it’s the same for him. It just works.” Blues were the right team at the right time for Scandella Scandella said he hasn’t felt such chemistry with a D-partner since his days with Jared Spurgeon in Minnesota. With Parakyo, this happened over 11 games. Jim Thomas Scandella stayed in St. Louis at the team apartment for about a week 5 hrs ago and half after the NHL halted play March 12. But cabin fever sent him back to his home province of Quebec. He’s renting a lake house near the town of Bromont about an hour south of Montreal. It was pretty much love at first sight for Marco Scandella and the Blues. “A real nice area with a lot of lakes,” Scandella said. “It’s been nice to be From the day the veteran defenseman arrived in St. Louis following his away from the city, where you can actually feel like you’re not in March 18 trade from Montreal, Scandella never had to worry about quarantine. getting an Uber or catching a cab to work. “The quarantine thing, it hasn’t been easy. That’s all I gotta say. We’ve “Guys were fighting over who’s gonna take me to the rink,” Scandella told put in a month and a bit now. Hopefully, it’s getting better and we can get the Post-Dispatch. out of this.”

Blues management set him up in a team apartment so he didn’t have to At the moment, Scandella’s activities have been limited to hiking — and stay in a hotel. as you may have seen on Twitter — chopping down trees with an axe.

When he walked into the locker room for the first time, he saw five “I only cut dead trees, by the way, because it’s kind of a natural park players that he knew, including former Buffalo Sabres teammate Ryan where I’m going,” he said. O’Reilly. This takes Scandella back to his younger days when he’d head north of He would be paired on defense with , an emerging talent Montreal to a family cabin with his father (now deceased). who appears to be on the verge of stardom. “My dad was a huge advocate of hard labor,” Scandella said. “So he’d In conversations with general manager and coach Craig bring me up there, where we would cut the grass, take care of the Berube, Scandella had a clearly defined role. property, cut down trees. … Just made me work and we would bond over that. Growing up it was my escape going up there.” Last but certainly not least, after spending time with a pair of likely non- playoff qualifiers in Montreal and Buffalo, he was headed to the The location is different this April, but getting away from it all in the penthouse. At age 30, Scandella is very much in his prime; nonetheless, outdoors of Quebec has been his escape once again. he’s closer to the end than the beginning of his NHL career. “During this whole quarantine thing, I was like, ‘You know what, let me Almost invariably, and this cuts across all sports, the farther a just take it back to my roots,’” Scandella said. “It’s kinda fun, something I professional athlete gets in his career the more he covets winning — enjoy. And it’s been helping me on the mental side for sure.” winning it all — over individual accomplishments or money. As does $13.1 million over four years. “I’m 10 years in, I feel like I’ve learned a lot,” Scandella said. “I have the experience now, the knowledge. And a team like St. Louis, it’s just a perfect opportunity for me to win. This is the only goal that I have for the St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2020 rest of my career, winning a Stanley Cup.”

Less than a week into his time with the Blues, Scandella — a native of Montreal — was telling his family that St. Louis felt like home.

“Just the community, the Midwest feel, just how the fans are,” Scandella said. “The team had just won, and I knew that the team was still there to do it again. What better situation to be in? My style of play. A good system. Big, strong team that defends well. I just felt like it was perfect for me.”

The feeling was mutual. Because after just 11 games’ worth of Scandella, the team had seen enough, signing him to a four-year, $13.1 million contract extension ostensibly as ’s replacement.

Maybe this doesn’t happen without the NHL’s coronavirus “pause,” now in its sixth week. Maybe the uncertainty of the NHL salary cap next season was motivation for Scandella to get something done.

But it happened.

“I always told myself that I was never gonna sign for the money,” Scandella said. “I play hockey for the passion and love of the game. I felt like we came to a fair agreement.

“When the coronavirus thing happened, I felt like I was playing my best hockey. I was a little bit bummed out to (potentially) lose the opportunity to play in the playoffs and show a little more of what I had. I was just not sure if I had done enough.”

But again, Armstrong and Blues ownership had seen enough to commit to Scandella for four more years.

Of course, playing with a talent such as Parayko can make a lot of defensemen look good.

“I mean, how many guys are 6-foot-6 and skate like the wind?” Scandella said. “When he decides to step it up and just skate it up the ice by himself, he can do it. 1173890 Toronto Maple Leafs early on in the season. As much as it sucks to go through this as a team and have to struggle and answer questions and build and get yourself out of losing streaks, I think in the long run it’s something that we needed.

Jason Spezza believes rocky season will benefit young Maple Leafs “Now to have a chance to have a break and look back on things, it will only help us pinpoint what we can do differently and move forward.”

Spezza – who has 341 goals and 940 points in 1,123 regular-season JOSHUA CLIPPERTON games with the Ottawa Senators, Stars and Leafs – didn’t know either Marner or Matthews prior to signing with Toronto, but came away THE CANADIAN PRESS impressed on a number of levels. PUBLISHED APRIL 21, 2020 He described Marner as an “Energizer Bunny” around the rink, while UPDATED APRIL 21, 2020 Matthews’ attention to detail and drive reminded him of himself as a young star trying to navigate the league.

“Those are exciting guys to have in the locker room,” Spezza said. Jason Spezza believes the Maple Leafs’ turbulent first 70 games of “There’s really no limit to what we can be as a team when you have high- 2019-20 will pay dividends down the road. end guys like that.”

And the veteran Toronto centre wants to be part of whatever’s to come. Set to turn 37 in June and a father of four daughters, Spezza had made nearly US$90-million in his career before this season after getting drafted “We certainly didn’t cruise through the regular season,” Spezza said on a by Ottawa in 2001. conference call Tuesday. “We had plenty of ups and downs and sideways and different things happen. He got close to winning the Stanley Cup with the Senators in 2007, and his passion for hockey still hasn’t flickered 13 years later. “I really think it’s to the benefit of our group. We have a much more mature locker room at this point in time than we did at the start of the “My love for the game has probably allowed me to play as long as I season.” have,” he said. “Hockey’s not work to me. As you go through different stages in your career, there’s different challenges. That start saw the Leafs – who once again opened training camp with Stanley Cup aspirations – sputter out of the gate, and Spezza found “I’m in it for as long as I can be so I can win a Stanley Cup. It’s something himself consistently out of the lineup as a healthy scratch under head that I dreamt of as a kid. I would love nothing more than to do here in coach Mike Babcock. Toronto … it would be pretty special.”

But the 36-year-old former No. 2 pick refused let that disappointment get him down after signing for the league minimum with the team he cheered for as a kid. Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.22.2020

“Hockey’s a game where there’s injuries, there’s changes, things happen and your role can shift in a day,” Spezza said. “It was just coming to the rink and figuring out what I had to work on that day. If it was a gameday that I was playing, then get ready for the game. And if it was the day that I wasn’t, then figure out what I can do to stay sharp or to improve how I felt on the ice.

“I didn’t really want to feel sorry for myself or think about that. I was trying to stay in the fight and give myself an opportunity to play well when I did get in.”

Spezza truly got that chance after Babcock, who clearly didn’t have confidence in the former No. 1 centre’s defensive acumen in the bottom- 6 forward group, was fired in November with the Leafs floundering.

In walked with new ideas and new tactics, ones more suited to Spezza’s game.

“My role became a little more defined,” he said. “I was able to focus on just playing and being a positive influence every night, and less so about being in the lineup. That helped me understand what my role was and what was expected of me. I got more and more comfortable with the systems and just my place in the team and knowing that different nights I was going to move around the lineup.

“It was fun, it was a great challenge, just getting myself prepared every night and being a part of an exciting team.”

Spezza, who wants to continue playing and hopes to do so with the Leafs whenever hockey resumes, has nine goals and 16 assists in 58 games this season, just two points shy of his output in 76 contests with the Dallas Stars in 2018-19.

With time to reflect during the COVID-19 pandemic that forced a pause to the 2019-20 schedule – it’s anyone’s guess when or if this season can be salvaged – the Toronto native said he saw growth in the Leafs’ youth- infused, talent-rich core featuring , Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

There were statement wins and embarrassing losses, but Spezza believes the team that was in a playoff spot when the NHL suspended operations will be better off as a result.

“There’s a lot more ownership of what’s going on in the room,” he said. “Our young stars were able to have conversations with each other [and] with other guys on the team that maybe they weren’t comfortable having 1173891 Toronto Maple Leafs “As much as it sucks to go through this as a team and have to struggle and answer questions and build and get yourself out of a losing streak, I think, in the long run, it’s something that we needed.

Optimistic Jason Spezza sees the benefits for the Maple Leafs in their “To have a chance to have a break and look back on things, it’ll only help time off, and in a return us pinpoint what we need to do differently and move forward. It’s not a straight line to the top for anyone.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2020 By Kevin McGran Staff Reporter

Tue., April 21, 2020

It is perhaps no surprise to anyone that has played with him or has talked to him or is friends with him, but Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza calls himself an eternal optimist.

“So I’m hoping there’s going to be a chance to play,” the 36-year-old veteran said. “I’m not sure when it’s going to be but I’m optimistic that we’re going to get a chance to finish the season.

“I think that’s the approach that I want to have because, if we’re able to play, then I’ve prepared myself and stayed in shape, and if we don’t play, we’ll just move forward. I’m optimistic, I think things are turning in the right direction.”

This week’s COVID-19 news has been relatively positive, at least around Toronto and Ontario, with experts believing this wave of the virus is nearing its peak. There is still no word on when businesses will reopen, let alone when hockey players can skate again. But Spezza is staying abreast of what his sport is up to, participating in conference calls with the NHL Players’ Association, for example.

In some ways, it is a bit like 2012, when the players were locked out and had to keep themselves in shape in case an agreement was reached to resume play.

“The challenge with this is there’s nobody on the ice, while during the lockout there were opportunities for guys to skate at local rinks and stuff,” Spezza said. “So the biggest challenge will be getting your game up to speed. I think that will take a few weeks of skating … The reality is it’s our job to keep ourselves fit.”

And who will have the advantage when the games come back?

“It definitely helps to have a team with younger guys who can bounce back — that sets us up well for success,” he said. “But the older guys, we know how to work too ...

“It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I do think guys will need time to kind of get their bearings back on the ice but I think skill guys and skill players tend to get things back quicker.”

That could benefit the Leafs. So too could the work coach Sheldon Keefe has put in during the recess, interacting with players and getting them to think about what changes will be made when the season resumes.

“Sheldon has used this time really well to get in touch with guys, identify some areas (the team wants) guys to work on when we do get back and just giving everybody a chance to look back on the season and look back at where you’re at as a player without the disappointment of a playoff loss.

“Usually when we’re doing this it’s marred by the fact that you lost, and you need to figure out what to do different. Nobody has really had a chance to prove what type of team they are in a playoff format, so I think now it’s about self-evaluation and figuring out what the next steps are.”

Spezza sees the bright side of a strange Leafs season. They’re fighting for a playoff spot, their GM has called them a Jekyll and Hyde team, and their coach has fretted about immaturity after some losses.

“You don’t want to cruise through the regular season because you need that experience to get you into the playoffs,” Spezza said. “Well, we certainly didn’t cruise through the regular season. We had plenty of ups and downs, and sideways, and different things happen to us. And I really think it’s to the benefit of our group.

“I think we have a much more mature locker room at this point in time than we did at the start of the season. I think there’s a lot more ownership of what’s going on in the room. I think our young stars are able to have conversations with each other and with other guys on the team that maybe they weren’t comfortable having early on in the season. 1173892 Toronto Maple Leafs the hooks and holds and how you’re allowed to do it and allowed to get away with it.”

And if watching hockey from the ’80s is an eye-opener, it’s probably best It’s great to have the chance to revisit history, but why are all the games you not go back and watch any from the ’70s. My goodness. It’s surely in slow motion? sacrilege to say so but, by today’s standards, the hockey in the fabled Canada-Russia Summit Series was — what’s the nice way to say this? — imperfect.

By Scott Radley Spectator Columnist If that’s a little startling, you’d really better avoid checking out any black- and-white games from the ’60s or ’50s. It’s a completely different game Tue., April 21, 2020 from today.

Doesn’t mean we didn’t love it. Doesn’t mean those players weren’t the One of the sacred responsibilities you take on when you have a kid — or best of their time. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t incredibly exciting. Doesn’t a grandkid — is making sure he or she knows how much better your mean those memories are somehow less valuable or cherished. generation was. Particularly when it comes to sports. In so many ways the game seemed less about business and more about When your son or daughter innocently compliments a player from this fun. It seemed less about systems and more about creativity. It seemed era, your job is to reply with a swift correction to make sure they know the less about technology and nutrition and training and more about just guys you watched as a child were superior to today’s players in all ways. playing. It was innocent and wonderful. No exceptions. No allowances. No concessions. What it does mean, though, is that we’re going to have a harder time For example, if they show you a YouTube highlight of Washington sticking with our stories about how much better the game was back when forward Tom Wilson delivering a thunderous check, you answer with … we were kids. Sure, Wilson throws some good hits but would beat him to a Because, sadly, the video doesn’t lie. pulp. And he was only four-foot-seven or something.

When they mention Erik Karlsson’s world-class ’do, you go with … Hair? You think that’s good hockey hair. He’s not even in Guy Lafleur’s league. LOADED: 04.22.2020 Now that guy had hair.

At least until he didn’t. But his toupee is another issue for another day.

Anyway, that’s just how it works. It doesn’t matter how benign the statement or how ludicrous the subsequent argument may be … You think Frederik Andersen’s CN Tower pads are cool? I’ll tell you who had cool pads. Turk Broda had cool pads.

Simply put, your obligation as the older person is to defend the greatest generation — whichever generation it was in which you grew up — over anything that’s happening today. Because it clearly was. We all know that.

Of course, this hill was a whole lot easier to die on prior to this whole self- quarantining thing. Because desperate-for-content sports networks have started replaying old games. Moments we fondly remember that defined our youth are now right there in front of us again. So we grab a beverage, throw back the recliner and get ready to show those youngsters how much better the game was once upon a time. And …

Gulp.

How quickly delight becomes concern. Some of these contests from as recently as the ’70s and even into the ’80s look closer to today’s beer leagues than today’s NHL. Some of these guys can’t skate. The passing is sketchy. Some of the gear doesn’t match the team colours.

And the goalies? Watch these games from a few decades ago and more than a few guys look like equipment managers who were thrown out there because the real puck stoppers had the flu. David Ayres might have been in contention for the Vezina Trophy.

Yes, we’re peering into the past through modern glasses, which is admittedly unfair. And, no, not all look rough. Gretzky was Gretzky. He was amazing. Same with Mario Lemieux. Bobby Orr would have been great in any era. Others, too. But often, what’s on the screen is not the same as what’s locked in the memory bank.

I watched The Good Friday Massacre the other day. That’s the name fondly given to Game 6 of the 1984 Adams Division final between the Montreal Canadiens and the , which became famous for its bloody bench-clearing brawls. My 22-year-old son was with me. His response?

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“These guys suck.”

OK, suck is harsh. But they sure do look slow. And all the stuff that wasn’t called a penalty?

“It’s hilarious how much the game’s changed equipment-wise, penalty wise,” Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner told The Canadian Press the other day after watching some of these games. “It’s kind of funny seeing 1173893 Toronto Maple Leafs “It’s something I dreamed of as a kid and I would love nothing more than to do it here in Toronto.”

Considering that Jason Spezza is regarded by his National Hockey Passion, optimism drive Leafs' Spezza during pause brought on by League peers as one of the most dedicated students of the game, it COVID-19 shouldn’t be a surprise that the Maple Leafs forward is consuming as much as he can in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have kept a pretty close tab on things,” Spezza said. “It’s the nature of Terry Koshan how I operate. I like to have a full understanding of what’s going on and I have spent a few hours a day doing some reading and listening to what April 21, 2020 5:48 PM EDT other leagues are thinking of doing.”

At best, the thinking is sports leagues will return eventually with no fans We once tracked down Spezza, who would have been 16, in the in the stands, at least to start. Mississauga IceDogs’ workout room after practice, riding a stationary “It also keeps you sharp and hungry,” Spezza said of his interest. “We all bike when the majority of his teammates had left the rink for the day. know there are bigger things at play right now and the health of That kind of desire never waned in the 20 years since, and it’s part of everybody is first and foremost, but at some point we will get a chance to what’s keeping Spezza encouraged for the return of his beloved sport as play and when we do, it will be exciting. It is important to be aware of the global COVID-19 pandemic continues. some of the things that are being talked about.”

“I’m not sure when it’s going to be, but I’m optimistic that we’re going to get a chance to finish the season,” the Maple Leafs forward said during a Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2020 conference call with media on Tuesday. “I’m an eternal optimist, so I’m hoping there is going to be a chance to play.”

Yes, Spezza would like to play with the Leafs beyond the National Hockey League’s 2019-20 season, but knows there is no guarantee considering he will be heading for unrestricted free agency.

“It’s not the focus right now by any means, but definitely I feel like I have game left and there is nowhere else I would rather be than to play another year here in Toronto,” Spezza said. “I feel like we are building things with this club and I want to be a part of it.”

Spezza, who will be 37 in June, found a niche under coach Sheldon Keefe long before the NHL paused on March 12. Scratched 10 times with Mike Babcock in charge — including the unnecessary move on the part of Babcock to put Spezza in the press box for the season opener — Spezza was scratched twice in 47 games on Keefe’s watch following the firing of Babcock in November. Spezza became a resourceful bottom-six forward, working his way on to the power play every so often and becoming a veteran that others in the room sought out for advice.

“I just tried to have the mentality that I was going to stay in the fight,” Spezza said. “I didn’t give myself much of an option. I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself.”

From a team standpoint, there were inconsistencies, but the Leafs under Keefe had improved and were sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division with a playoff spot in hand when play halted.

“You don’t want to cruise through the regular season because you need that experience to get you into the playoffs, and we certainly didn’t cruise,” Spezza said. “I think it’s to the benefit of our group. We have a much more mature locker room than we did at the start of the season. There was a lot more ownership. Our young stars are able to have conversations with each other, with other guys on the team that maybe they weren’t comfortable with having early on in the season.

“Now, to have a chance to have a break and look back on things, it will only help us pinpoint what we can do differently and move forward.”

With four young daughters, Spezza and his wife Jennifer have been busy during self-isolation, concentrating on home-schooling during the morning before giving way to family activities later in the day. A lifelong fan of Michael Jordan — Spezza said there are “hundreds” of photos from his youth of him in a Chicago Bulls Jordan jersey, bought during a family trip to Florida — Spezza has been enthralled with The Last Dance, the documentary focusing on the 1997-98 Bulls.

Staying fit also is part of the daily regimen. When hockey resumes, and if it includes Spezza on the ice for the Leafs, you can bet the passion will be a driving force.

“My love for the game has probably allowed me to play as long as I have,” Spezza said. “Hockey is not work to me. As you go through different phases of your career, there are different challenges.

“I love the day-to-day grind and I love the coming to the rink and figuring out what to do that day. The chance to win a Stanley Cup … I’m in it for as long as I can be. 1173894 Toronto Maple Leafs Years after writing the song, Bidini would finally introduce himself to Clark.

“Hey, I’m the guy that wrote ‘The Ballad of ,'” he said. Music and the Maple Leafs: The stories behind the songs about “I know,” said Clark. “I’ve got that record on my wall.” Toronto’s NHL team “Fourteen and Me” by Stephen Stanley

Like many young children in Toronto during the 1960s and 1970s, By Joshua Kloke Stephen Stanley wanted to be . Apr 21, 2020 Stanley mimicked Keon while playing hockey. While curved sticks had become popular throughout the NHL, Keon continued to use a flat blade. This helped him develop his hard, backhand shot. To Stanley, it made If you’re anything like Mike Belitsky, drummer in Canadian country-rock Keon a man of the people. act The Sadies, you’ve been spending a lot of time of late going back into your music collection and listening to songs you haven’t heard in a while. “He had a real presence. He had a certain sort of visual presence. And And for Belitsky, that includes The Tragically Hip’s “Fifty-Mission Cap,” a he was the captain, so that made him a big deal,” said the Toronto-based song that speaks to Belitsky as a hockey fan. Stanley, a singer-songwriter and former member of seminal Canadian rock act The Lowest of the Low. “Being fortunate enough to see one of (The Tragically Hip’s) farewell shows at the () in Toronto was especially moving. That In “Fourteen and Me,” Stanley charted the arc of Keon’s career. night, when they played ‘Fifty-Mission Cap’ and (Bill) Barilko’s jersey was “The birth of a star in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, in 1940 / From the illuminated in the rafters, there was undeniably a collective surge of Majors to the Wolves to the Leafs to the Hall of Fame / Yea, he’s lifted emotion from the audience and the band,” he said. the Cup the same number of times as Gordie / Yea, he’s lifted the Cup That song, about the disappearance of Leafs defenceman Bill Barilko, the same number of times as Wayne.” intrinsically links music and the Toronto Maple Leafs. As the Leafs have The song fuses the idea of Keon as an underdog with a personal become one of the more recognizable teams in North American sports, perspective of Stanley as a young child staying up “past (his) bedtime” to so too has their influence grown within the world of pop culture. watch his hero play. That includes a number of songs beyond “Fifty-Mission Cap” that cross “He’s got all the speed I lack / Oh, won’t you come back, Dave Keon.” genres and speak to fans of all ages. Stanley also felt compelled to write about Keon because, as highly To help broaden your music collection, The Athletic spoke to several regarded as he was within the Leafs franchise, he believed Keon was artists who have written songs about the Leafs, to understand the done wrong in not being selected for Team Canada at the 1972 Summit inspiration behind the lyrics and the songs themselves. Series after scoring just 48 points in 72 games in 1971-72. It was around “The Ballad of Wendel Clark, Parts I and II” by Rheostatics this time that began to publicly criticize Keon for his poor play and poor leadership. Ballard also did not give Keon the salary As a young Etobicoke-based band, the Rheostatics never pretended to increase he was hoping for after the 1971-72 season. be something they weren’t. They blended folk, jazz and hard rock with offbeat lyrics. “He deserved the things he wanted and he was asking for,” Stanley said. “He deserved the respect.” “We just sort of wrote about what we knew anyways, and we wrote about the things that were around us,” explained Rheostatics guitarist Dave When Keon left the Leafs after 15 seasons to join the World Hockey Bidini. Association, a young Stanley was stunned.

And that meant writing about Wendel Clark when the Kelvington, Sask., “‘What do you mean? He’s leaving and he’s still playing hockey native was selected first overall by the Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL somewhere else?'” Stanley remembers saying to himself. “That didn’t Draft, long before he became the local legend he is today. make any sense.”

Bidini remains an unabashed Leafs fan, and it was Clark who helped him Keon would maintain a distant relationship with the Leafs organization form a relationship with the sport he now holds dear. until his No. 14 was officially retired ahead of the 2016-17 season.

“Before Wendel, I despised sports,” Bidini wrote in his book “Tropic of After performing the song at the book launch for Dave Bidini’s book Hockey.” “Keon and Me,” Stanley met Keon’s son, Dave Keon Jr. Keon Jr. said his father liked the song but took issue with the lyric that referred to his “We kind of fell back hard in love with hockey,” Bidini said of the band feelings as a “grudge.” when it wrote the song, “and he was somebody that we loved, right?” Ironically, if there was anything that Stanley ended up learning from According to Bidini, Clark arrived in the NHL “with myth attached.” Bidini Keon, it was, in his words, his ability to hold “championship grudges.” had heard stories about Clark not having a visor for his first practice and Clark’s father building a visor out of wire they used on their farm. “I learned to hold a grudge, on that day / I kinda understand why you’ve always stayed away.” “He came to save the franchise,” Bidini recalled. For Stanley, what’s most special about the song are the connections he’s As a band, the Rheostatics wanted to write about him because he was a formed because of it. “throwback.” Clark’s 227 penalty minutes in his 1985-86 rookie season remains the second-most of a Leafs rookie in franchise history. “Sometimes we’ll be playing a show and there’ll be somebody of a certain vintage sitting at the back bar, and you figure they could care less “You could look at the way he played and be put in the mind of , that there’s a band playing. And then, inevitably, they come up to me , Dave Keon, : players who played real, honest afterward and talk about Dave Keon. And that’s been nice,” he said. hockey,” Bidini said. “The Borje Salming Massacre” by Buck 65 “You’ll wish that you had died when Wendel has your hide / ‘Cause he does it the Canadian way.” When Toronto hip-hop artist Rich Terfry was asked by the CBC to write and perform a song about hockey for the 2012 Hockey Day in Canada The song, which ended up on the band’s self-financed 1987 debut concert, he couldn’t escape one memory from a Leafs-Red Wings game album, “Greatest Hits,” is equal parts country stomp and folk-influenced on Nov. 26, 1986. It would be one of the last hockey games Terfry, sway. known to many as Buck 65, ever watched.

“Well, I heard Wendel talking to last night / And he said that “There was a curse in the air / An anathema.” he was confident and keen / And he said that Jacques Plante didn’t die so all of us could glide / He said that hard work is the ethic of the free.” Sitting beside his brother, his uncle and his grandfather at his grandfather’s home in Cape Breton, N.S., Terfry watched in horror as Red Wings forward Gerard Gallant was knocked down in a scramble in “Auston Matthews” by SVDVM front of the Leafs’ goalpost. Gallant’s skate came up to cut famed Leafs defenceman Borje Salming on his right cheek, just under his eye. The current Leafs’ young core also influenced Ottawa-based rapper Samuel Siboko, who goes by his stage name, SVDVM. “It was the most horrifying thing I’d ever seen,” Terfry said. “They look like a bunch of young guys in a crew,” Siboko said. “I liked the Salming required more than 200 stitches to close the wound. way they carry themselves.”

“He’s cut to pieces,” then-Leafs coach said after the game, Siboko, a Leafs fan who grew up in Toronto, tuned in to the first game of according to the Toronto Star. the 2016-17 season to see that “crew” in action.

“He came over from Sweden and wore No. 21/ An unlucky number for From the moment Auston Matthews scored his fourth goal in his NHL some gamblers, or anyone / Sometimes you try to forget but you can’t / debut, a line came to Siboko: “Hit ’em with the four like Auston That number haunts the dreams of Gerard Gallant.” Matthews.”

Terfry can still close his eyes and remember the scene. That line would end up serving as the backbone for Siboko’s February 2017 single, “Auston Matthews,” which has since passed 452,000 views “And it scared me to death,” he said, adding that his relatives who on YouTube and is by far his most popular song. surrounded him at the time “weren’t talkers.” So, scared and confused, he was left to deal with the memory on his own. “It was just stuck in my head,” Siboko said. “And I just started freestyling on the mic.” “Dark was the night, hard was the ice / The King and I were both scarred for life.” It didn’t take long for Siboko to finish the song. It features a punchy beat. “It’s what they call mumble rap,” he said. Siboko compares Matthews For years, Terfry refused to watch another hockey game. taking the NHL by storm as a 19-year-old rookie to trying to forge a path “That was it. That was the end of the road for hockey for me, right then for himself as a young rapper. and there,” he said. “He was the youngest at what he was doing. And at that moment, I felt That was until an invitation from Ron MacLean and the CBC arrived. He like I was the youngest at what I was doing,” said Siboko. “He’s doing it in felt nervous to “confront the nightmare” again, but once he began hockey, and I’m doing it by selling out shows.” composing a haunting beat to match the theme of the song, the When SVDVM posted the song on his Instagram account, Matthews memories came flooding back. “liked” the post. The song opened doors for Siboko that were not open It was that scene that led him to write a simple but impactful chorus that previously, whether it be opportunities for collaboration with other rappers features Terfry repeating “Look away.” or more booking requests. Though the two have never met, SVDVM continues to see parallels in their careers. “That’s the strongest and most important memory, in a way,” he said. “I wonder if things (would have) been different if I hadn’t seen that.” “The power of him hitting those shots so hard,” Siboko said. “And I’m going hard, too.” “Go Leafs Go” by Azeem Haq In 1965, Brian McFarlane, the longtime hockey broadcaster and author, Leafs fans got some very promising signs that the team’s rebuild was on was early into his career as a producer with “Hockey Night in Canada” the right track in the spring of 2017 when the team qualified for the when he had an idea: Why not try to pay homage to one of his favourite playoffs for the first time since 2013. players, the physical and entertaining Leafs forward Eddie Shack, in song form? Toronto-based hip-hop artist Azeem Haq set out not to capitalize on the team’s success that spring but to give back to the team. McFarlane told Shack about his intentions. According to an interview McFarlane gave to NPR in 2019, Shack was fine with the plan. The Leafs have always held a place in Haq’s heart. Born with a physical McFarlane found a relatively unknown Toronto-based group, The disability, Haq had numerous operations at SickKids hospital in Toronto Secrets, and offered them $500 to record the jangly rock song that he as a child. During an annual Leafs visit to SickKids, Haq was scheduled and his brother had composed. to have an MRI but asked his sister to find then-Leafs goalie and ask him to wait to meet with him. “Clear the track, here comes Shack / He’ll knock you down and he’ll give you a whack / He can score goals, he’s found the knack / Eddie, Eddie Joseph did. And when Haq returned from his MRI, the goalie introduced Shack.” himself and spoke to him at length about his time in the hospital. His Leafs fandom only intensified. “We didn’t know it was going to be released as a single and played across the entire country. Once it was released, we thought (or hoped) it “He’s a superstar. Everybody knows who he is. But he’s taking the time would just disappear into the night and nobody would care about it. As out to acknowledge me. That resonated, and that’ll stay with me forever,” fate would have it, it didn’t disappear. For some reason, people loved it,” Haq said. Secrets lead singer Doug Rankine told Garage Hangover in 2007. And it inspired him to share his fandom in song. To compose the beat, he “He started the year in the minors / And almost gave up the game / But borrowed the tempo from Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and had his friend boom, he’s back with the big club / And the Leafs haven’t quite been the add a simple but uplifting guitar riff to blend in with the “Go Leafs Go” same.” chant. The song was played on a “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast. Then, to “The chant is so hypnotic itself,” said Haq. the surprise of everyone involved, the song shot to the top of Toronto’s Within two days, he’d written the lyrics. CHUM radio charts for two weeks in February 1966.

“One hundred years strong / Time to build us back to Year 1,” he raps Shack was incensed. early in the song, before eventually hyping up a number of the Leafs on “And he harassed me for the next 30 years, saying, ‘You never paid me that 2016-17 roster. any royalties,'” McFarlane told NPR in 2019. “And I said, ‘Eddie, you “When you hear the glass shatter / Auston 3:16, Matthews coming at don’t get any. You gave me permission to write the song. And you’re not ’em, baby.” featured on the song.’ Mr. Shack even went to my boss one day and tried to get me dismissed from my job because I wouldn’t pay him. But he was As the song continues, the repetitive “Best believe you better respect the quite willing to ask me for free records to give away to his friends.” Leafs” continues to pick up steam. Shack would go on to have one of his best seasons in 1965-66, scoring The song brought Haq a wave of positive media attention during the 26 goals and 43 points in 63 games. He ended up playing parts of nine 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. In 2019, Haq donated $10,000 to SickKids, seasons with the Leafs. which included the profits made from “Go Leafs Go.” Not only is no song more commonly associated with the Leafs than “Fifty- “This was a passion (project),” he said. Mission Cap,” but you could also argue that no song in modern pop culture is more associated with a single team. When writing songs for their third and arguably most popular record, “Fully Completely,” The Tragically Hip’s lead singer, Gord Downie, came across card No. 340 from the 1991 NHL Pro Set series. The description on the back of the hockey card neatly summarized Barilko’s story: After scoring a goal in overtime of Game 5 to win the Maple Leafs the 1951 Stanley Cup, Barilko and his friend Henry Hudson went on a fishing trip. Their plane disappeared and wasn’t discovered until 1962, months after the Leafs had won their first Stanley Cup since 1951.

Downie simply took those lines from the back of the card and integrated them with the image of a 50-mission cap, a hat given to bomber pilots in the Allied Forces who completed 50 bombing missions during World War II.

“Bill Barilko disappeared that summer / He was on a fishing trip / The last goal he ever scored / Won the Leafs the Cup / They didn’t win another till 1962 / The year he was discovered / I stole this from a hockey card / I keep tucked up under my 50-mission cap.”

In the book “Have Not Been the Same,” Downie said: “(Barilko’s story) is almost the greatest example of being struck down in your prime after you do something great and unique. Then you have this idea of a kid having a 50-mission cap and wanting to get to 50 missions faster than it actually takes, but working it in to look like it; to look like you’ve had that experience and to appear to be beyond your years. But then, if you like to hear someone say, ‘Won the Leafs the Cup,’ then that might be all it takes.”

Despite Downie being an ardent Boston Bruins supporter, “Fifty-Mission Cap” became a rallying cry for Leafs fans. “Fully Completely” was released the day before the Leafs’ successful 1992-93 season began.

One of the more memorable performances of “Fifty-Mission Cap” came during the band’s first-ever headlining show at on Feb. 10, 1995, when a spotlight shone up to the rafters to a banner of Barilko’s No. 5 jersey.

The 2011 book “Have Not Been the Same” remembers the moment as a pivotal one in the band’s career.

“The band struggled to compete with the crowd’s roar throughout the song, yet for many, this was the moment that would finally codify The Tragically Hip’s place in Canadian culture: the biggest band in the country, playing its most prestigious rock venue and doing a song about a Canadian legend.”

Michael Barclay, author of “The Never-Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip,” told The Athletic the song came during a generational shift in music when alternative rock dominated the airwaves.

“Canada was hungry for something of its own to also enter that arena, both literally and metaphorically,” he said. “And that is their most identifiably Canadian record, lyric-wise. They were the right band at the right moment with the right-sounding album and the right song that really registered with Canadians.”

The Tragically Hip would open their final concert on Aug. 20, 2016, with “Fifty-Mission Cap.” A framed set of handwritten lyrics to “Fifty-Mission Cap” still hangs in the Leafs’ equipment room.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173895 Vegas Golden Knights

Gerard Gallant reportedly interviews with New Jersey Devils

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

April 21, 2020 - 3:54 PM

Former Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant could have a new home.

Gallant interviewed with the New Jersey Devils last week, according to a report Tuesday from TSN insider Pierre LeBrun.

The Devils fired coach John Hynes on Dec. 3 hours before taking on the Knights, and Alain Nasreddine guided New Jersey to a 19-16-8 record as interim coach before the NHL paused its season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gallant was 118-75-20 in two-plus seasons before being fired Jan. 15 by the Knights.

He led the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, taking home the Award for NHL coach of the year. Gallant has a 270-216-51- 4 career record in nine seasons with the Knights, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Gallant, who had one year remaining on his contract, is expected to be considered for several coaching openings.

NHL Seattle, scheduled to start play in 2021, is searching for a coach. Calgary, Dallas, Minnesota and San Jose have interim coaches.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173896 Vegas Golden Knights

Henderson OKs $60 million in bonds for hockey arena

By Justin Emerson (contact)

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 | 1:27 p.m.

The Henderson City Council voted 4-1 today to approve $60 million in bonds to finance an arena for the Golden Knights’ new affiliate.

The project will transform the Henderson Pavilion into a 6,000-seat arena for the minor league team.

“Now is the right time to be investing in the future of our economy,” Mayor Debra March said.

“We need to be investing in projects now that will help with the economic recovery and create jobs in Henderson. That is just what these bonds will do: help put people to work,” she said.

Today’s vote only approved funding. Approval for construction is expected next month.

The funding vote, however, didn’t come without pushback.

Councilman Dan Stewart suggested waiting six months to see how the economy shapes up before considering adding debt.

“If there is no immediate need for these bonds, why even consider the sale of them at this time?” Stewart said.

Most of the public comment was on his side, with about double the number of commenters opposed to the bonds compared to those in favor.

A Change.org petition opposing the funding got 1,846 signatures.

Those in favor cited the need for jobs and the prestige that comes with hosting a professional sports team.

Councilman John Marz said it would be “fiscally irresponsible if we don’t move forward with authorizing the ability of our city management to issue those bonds when and if the time comes.”

The Golden Knights announced Feb. 6 their intention to buy the AHL’s and relocate the team to Henderson. A week later, the Golden Knights announced the plans for the Henderson Pavilion arena.

The new team does not have a name yet, but Golden Knights owner Bill Foley said it will include “Henderson.”

The team will play at the Orleans Arena starting next season and move into the arena when it’s finished. The team will practice at be headquartered at Lifeguard Arena in downtown Henderson. The facility should be completed later this year.

The Golden Knights have been affiliated with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves since Vegas’ inception three years ago.

Tickets for the AHL team will be significantly cheaper than for the Golden Knights, whose tickets on the secondary market often rank near the top of the league in prices. Season tickets for the AHL team will start at $10 a game.

The new AHL team is not the first minor league hockey team in the valley, following in the steps of the Las Vegas Thunder (1993-99) and Las Vegas Wranglers (2003-14).

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173897 Vegas Golden Knights The Calgary victory was equally important, as a regulation loss there would have given Vegas just a one-point lead over Edmonton, and only a three-point edge over the third-place Flames.

Golden Knights’ Defining Moments: Two straight first-place showdowns Every game’s importance gets magnified as the season goes on and the in Alberta margin for error shrinks. These division clashes were critical, yet perhaps not as critical as the ones on March 31 and April 2 against Edmonton and Calgary, respectively, would have been.

By Justin Emerson (contact) It was important for Vegas to not only win the two earlier games, but also win them in regulation. The first tiebreaker in the standings is regulation Tuesday, April 21, 2020 | 2 a.m. wins, at which point Vegas held over Edmonton.

Theodore scoring with 70 seconds left gave his team two points, but also Turns out they might have been the last two Golden Knights games of another tick in the regulation-wins column of the standings. Even though the season, even though no one knew it at the time. the Golden Knights couldn’t get the regulation win in Edmonton — and allowed the Oilers to earn one one point by reaching overtime — getting The Golden Knights headed north in the second week of March for a it in Calgary was huge at the time. three-game swing through western Canada, which included a first-place showdown with the Edmonton Oilers. But first was a matchup with the Looking back, these games served another purpose too. Calgary Flames, a team quietly sneaking up the Pacific Division Theodore was enjoying the best season of his career by any major standings. measure before the season paused. In eight fewer games than last Vegas won both, thanks in part to two dramatic goals from Shea season, he had already set new career-highs with 13 goals, 33 assists Theodore. and, of course, 46 points. He was 10th among NHL defensemen in points. Over the next couple weeks, the Las Vegas Sun will look back at pivotal moments throughout the season. The series will cover everything from He was also 6.4 goals above replacement, according to Evolving the obvious turning points to more obscure ones that went by without Hockey, to rank the best among Vegas defensemen. much fanfare at the time but turned out to be important. Theodore took the step many hoped he would this year, going from a Today we look at the last two games before the NHL’s pause, against the serviceable blue-liner to an elite one. These games were perfect Oilers and the Flames. encapsulation of that.

Where the Golden Knights were “Clutch” is impossible to define and shouldn’t be counted on in a quantitative analysis, but two game-winning goals in pivotal division The two crucial games were on back-to-back nights — the Flames on matchups catch eyes more than empty-netters in blowouts. March 8 followed by the Oilers on March 9. Vegas had just gotten shut out at Winnipeg to start the trip two nights earlier, and suddenly These games were the jewels in the crown that is Theodore’s 2019-20 Edmonton and Calgary were closing in. season. It helps that they came in the biggest wins of the season.

Entering the Flames game, the Golden Knights were tied atop the Pacific Division with the Oilers. Calgary was three points behind. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 04.22.2020 A regulation loss would have been crushing, as it would have resulted in putting Vegas at risk of falling to third place with a loss the next night in Edmonton.

What happened

The Golden Knights won both games, the first in regulation and the second in overtime, solidifying themselves as the class of the Pacific. Shea Theodore had the game-winning goal both nights.

He scored with 1:10 left to break a tie in Calgary after the Flames had erased a 3-0 deficit. The Golden Knights ultimately won 5-3 after Jonathan Marchessault added an empty-netter.

Then Theodore scored in overtime to beat the Oilers.

They were two big wins in a regular season that will probably end up being cut short, making them all the more important. If the NHL resumes right to the playoffs, the Golden Knights will be Pacific champions.

The two goals established a new career-high in goals for Theodore, too.

How it was received

Everyone seemed to understand how big these games were. The social media crowing was as loud as it’s been all season as fans felt the crescendo toward another division title. The tiebreaking implications of the Flames’ win were particularly crucial, and the effect of beating the Oilers was obvious.

How much it mattered looking back

There hasn’t been any action since those games, so the opinions formed immediately afterwards remain valid. Still, there were a few reasons why those games mattered as much as they did.

Those wins were huge for the Golden Knights, giving them a solid hold on the division. The March 9 game in Edmonton was Vegas’ last before the season paused, and it did so with the Golden Knights holding a three- point lead with 11 games to play. 1173898 Vegas Golden Knights

Jon Taffer: ‘Sports Teams Need To Play, We Have To Get Back To Work’

April 21, 2020

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

It was a doubleheader of Facebook Live interviews today as we spoke with Jon Taffer of Bar Rescue on the Paramount TV network on how fans will re-enter the sports world during these difficult coronavirus pandemic times and Chris Hartweg, Chicago-based publisher of Team Marketing Report.

Taffer knows the Vegas Golden Knights well. He’s a big fan. But Taffer has another interesting angle on the sportsbusiness landscape because he created the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Taffer agreed that sports will likely resume without fans, but he stressed during our 20-minute LVSportsBiz.com interview that teams and venues need to re-ignite the emotional bonds between fan and team.

“The focus has to be on re-opening,” Taffer said.

Taffer floated an interesting concept. He mentioned to re-fuel fans’ interests, the NFL might want to consider giving the NFL Sunday Ticket for free initially to re-connect fans to the games.

Take a listen to Taffer’s comments with LVSportsBiz.com.

Taffer’s comments on how to re-start sports with more than 40,000 Americans dying from COVID-19 were a transition from the LVSportsBiz.com discussion with Hartweg, who relaunched the Team Marketing Report a little more than a year ago.

The TMR’s bread-and-butter is its Fan Cost Index, which looks at what it costs a family of four to attend major sports games in the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA and MLS. It’s a labor-intense exercise to compile cost data on everything from the average tickets to the prices to buy beers, hot dogs, parking, caps and a pennant.

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173899 Washington Capitals and I would’ve been skating around flat property around the neighborhood as much as I can. Because your hands and your shot and stickhandling, that’s never going to go away, but one of the things you lose quickly, if you’re not skating every day, is that skating stride. So if I Wayne Gretzky’s advice to Alex Ovechkin with the NHL season on hold: was a player of today’s generation and we were locked out, I would try to Go inline skating find places to rollerblade as much as possible.”

Ovechkin is eighth on the all-time goals list with 706, and despite the uncertainty about this season, Gretzky maintains that his career mark is By Scott Allen within reach. April 21, 2020 at 9:28 AM EDT “I hope I’m the first guy that’s able to shake his hand when he does break my record,” Gretzky said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind that he has a great chance to do that. He plays on a good team, he plays with In March 2016, on a day off during a West Coast road trip, Washington good players and, most importantly, Alex plays hard every single night.” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and his then-fiancée dined with Wayne Gretzky and his wife at a sushi restaurant in Malibu, Calif. It was the first If Ovechkin does break his record, Gretzky has one request: “I hope that time Ovechkin had spent much time with Gretzky, one of his hockey I get one of his sticks,” he said, “because I gave him one of my sticks. heroes, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity go to waste. Maybe we could do a nice trade.”

“The whole night was questions about, ‘What can I do, or what do I need Ovechkin and Gretzky will square off Wednesday in EA Sports’ “NHL 20” to do as captain to help get our team over the hump, what can I do to video game. Their best-of-three series will be streamed on the Capitals’ contribute to winning a Stanley Cup for the Washington Capitals and the Twitch channel, with all proceeds benefiting Monumental Sports and city of Washington?’ ” Gretzky said during an interview with Ovechkin Entertainment’s “Feeding the Frontlines” fund and Edmonton’s Food and NBC Sports Network host that aired Monday. “And I Bank. remember leaving there thinking, ‘Wow, this is so unique.’ We could’ve talked about anything. Goals, assists, games, memories, and really Alex, the only thing he had on his mind was, ‘I have to bring a Stanley Cup to Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2020 the city of Washington.’ … I knew then and there leaving the restaurant that, one day, he was going to lift the Stanley Cup.”

Wayne Gretzky believes Alex Ovechkin has 'real legitimate chance' to break all-time goals record

Gretzky won the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers four times during his legendary career. At the time of their dinner in Malibu, Ovechkin and the Capitals were still looking for their first championship.

“I think that advice that he give me helped,” said Ovechkin, who helped deliver a title to D.C. two years later. “ … He wins everything, and he knows how to win. Back then, I win only individual awards, but I never won Stanley Cup. My dream was win Stanley Cup, and I asked him what I can do better and what I have to do better to bring a Stanley Cup home.”

Gretzky said he and Ovechkin were standing in the parking lot after dinner when the Capitals’ captain asked him for a game-used stick for his personal collection. Gretzky promised Ovechkin he would send him one after he won his first Stanley Cup.

“He never bothered me one time until he won the Cup, and I heard from him once a month, ‘Where’s my stick?’ ” Gretzky said with a laugh.

“Obviously, everybody knows I am a huge stick collector and have almost a hundred sticks,” Ovechkin said. “ … We won the Cup and I told [Capitals Vice President of Communications] Sergey [Kocharov], ‘Sergey, I need Wayne’s stick because he promised to me.’ Finally, I get the stick and I was happy like a little kid to have a Christmas gift. It’s in my collection.”

Gretzky, who passed Gordie Howe for the NHL’s all-time goal record with his 802nd on March 23, 1994, sent Ovechkin the stick with which he scored his 807th goal. He autographed it and inscribed it, “To Alex, love watching you play.”

The Alex Ovechkin museum already spans two continents and keeps getting bigger

“Peter Miller, our trainer [with the Los Angeles Kings] at the time, used to number every one of my sticks, jerseys and gloves,” said Gretzky, who finished with 894 goals. “I was looking for the 808-number stick and I couldn’t find it. I think it’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I found 807 … and I sent it to him and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t give away these things, but I’m so happy I got to send one to him,' and I was very proud of the fact that he’d want it.”

Toward the end of the interview, which was arranged as part of the NHL’s “Hockey at Home” series, Tappen gave Gretzky and Ovechkin the chance to ask each other a question. Ovechkin asked the Great One for advice on what he would be doing to stay prepared with the season suspended indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“For me, I always tried to do the closest thing to playing hockey,” Gretzky said. “I probably would have found a pair of rollerblades, or inline skates, 1173900 Washington Capitals

The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase: How to watch Alex Ovechkin play Wayne Gretzky in NHL 20

By Eric Myers

April 21, 2020 2:24 PM

Alex Ovechkin is still chasing Wayne Gretzky in a number of categories in the NHL record book — including being 188 goals off "The Great One's" all-time scoring mark. But on Wednesday night, Ovechkin will square off against Gretzky head-to-head in an NHL 20 video game challenge on Xbox.

The best-of-three challenge is being dubbed "The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase," and also has a charitable component while fans watch and listen to the two NHL legends. During the stream, viewers will have a chance to donate money that will benefit the Edmonton Food Bank and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation's "Feeding the Frontlines" fund, which provides meals to those in the medical community.

Edmonton's Food Bank provides food to over 22,000 people every month, according to a release. Of that number, approximately 40% are under the age of 18.

Monumental Sports and Entertainment's "Feeding the Frontlines" fund gives chefs from the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals the resources to make meals for frontline first responders and health care workers. Those meals are being delivered to COVID-19 testing sites and area hospitals, according to a release.

With the NHL season on pause, Ovechkin's pursuit of Gretzky's all-time marks is temporarily suspended. But the two have come together for this worthy cause during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's everything you need to know to watch the stream and donate.

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Wayne Gretzky is rooting 'as hard as anybody' for Alex Ovechkin to break his goal record

By J.J. Regan

April 21, 2020 12:00 PM

When Wayne Gretzky set the record for the most goals in league history, he took the record from all-time great Gordie Howe. Gretzky is now using Howe as a model for how to act with Alex Ovechkin trying to make a run at his goals record.

"I remember when I was breaking Gordie Howe's record, my dad said to me at one point in time your record is going to be broken one day and I hope you have as much class and dignity as Gordie Howe has had, breaking his record," Gretzky said on NBCSN's Hockey at Home in a special joint interview with Ovechkin. "And I hope I do."

Gretzky's goal record of 894 has long been thought to be untouchable. Ovechkin, however, now has 706 goals at the age of 34 and remarkably still is showing no signs of aging. With the NHL season on pause, Ovechkin is tied for the league lead in goals with 48.

Because of his goal-scoring prowess and remarkable durability, Ovechkin has a legitimate shot at challenging for Gretzky's goal record.

Not every elite athlete would be thrilled at the prospect of one day losing one of their most iconic records, but not Gretzky. Gretzky is openly cheering for Ovechkin to do it.

"I can't help but cheer and root for him each and every day," Gretzky said. "I watch a lot of his games. I probably watch almost every game he plays. I hope for him to score goals, I pull for him to score goals. I think it's great for the game. I think that what he's doing is tremendous."

Apart from the excitement of Ovechkin's chase of one of the biggest records in hockey, Gretzky's experience with Howe looms large, as does his admiration for Ovechkin.

"I hope that I'm the first guy to be able to shake [Ovechkin's] hand when he does break my record," Gretzky said. "I don't think there's any doubt in my mind that he has a great chance to do that. He plays on a good team, he plays with good players and most importantly Alex plays hard every single night and to me, if you don't play hard every night, those are kind of records you can't break. So I think it's great for hockey, I think it's wonderful for Washington and the Capitals, I think it's outstanding for Alex and his family, and I'm rooting for him as hard as anybody so I think it'll be great, wonderful day for the game of hockey when he gets to the record."

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What is the Caps' best all-time Russian lineup?

By J.J. Regan

April 21, 2020 10:00 AM

Hockey fans from the capital of the United States tune in every game to cheer on a Capitals team led by a Russian superstar, an elite Swedish center and a Canadian goalie. Hockey truly is an international game with many players coming from all around the world to don those red sweaters.

We know who some of the best Capitals were, but what if you separated the players by their native countries? Where has the best Capitals players really come from? Let's look at some of the best players in franchise history to determine what the best lineup is (two wings, one center, two defensemen and one goalie).

First up, let's look at the Russians.

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Alex Semin

Ovechkin is a given, no explanation needed. I had to think a moment about Kuznetsov and for centers, but really it was no choice. If Fedorov had been with the Caps in his prime, there would be no question, but he ultimately played 70 games for Washington. That's it. Sure, he scored the series-winning Game 7 goal against the New York Rangers in 2009. That was great. Kuznetsov had the overtime winner over the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, a goal of far more significance. He could have easily won the Conn Smythe in the Cup run. Kuznetsov is the guy and really it's not close.

I know some people aren't going to like the Semin pick either. People like to refer to him as a "bust," but he played 469 games for the Caps with 197 goals and 408 points. He was not a bust. Did he underachieve? No question. He had the talent to be one of the best players in the history of the franchise, but to pretend like he didn't producer or do anything during his tenure in Washington is just inaccurate, he just could have done so much more. His 408 points give him the third-most points among Russian Caps' players. That's more than Kuznetsov (389) and in fewer games (469 to 479). There's really no other winger worth considering over Semin.

Defensemen

Dmitry Orlov -

Before he played for Pittsburgh, Gonchar played 10 seasons for Washington after being selected by the Caps in the first round of the 1992 draft. Ovechkin is the only Russian player with more points in franchise history. Gonchar was one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the NHL at a time when those type of players were not valued as highly as they should have been. He scored 144 goals and 416 total points during his 10 years in Washington and is easily the best Russian defenseman in franchise history.

Orlov is a distant second, but he does still make the list. Though he does at times have a penchant for giving up awful turnovers, he is still a highly skilled puck-mover who is capable of dangling through a team for a goal or knocking opponents on their butts.

Goalie

Semyon Varlamov

Very soon, perhaps even by next year, this answer will be Ilya Samsonov. As good as Samsonov has been, he has played only 26 games for Washington and that's not enough to supplant Varlamov. Looking back on it, I was surprised that Varlamov only played 59 games for Washington, but he posted a .917 save percentage and 2.39 GAA in his time with the Caps, played 19 playoff games and provided one of the most iconic saves in the history of the franchise. It's not "The Save," but it was still pretty good and it was against Sidney Crosby so bonus points there. 1173903 Washington Capitals

Wayne Gretzky knew Alex Ovechkin would win a Cup after first time meeting

By J.J. Regan

April 21, 2020 6:20 AM

First impressions can be everything and Alex Ovechkin left one hell of an impression on Wayne Gretzky. Though Gretzky had seen Ovechkin play, most notably as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes, he formally met Ovechkin at a dinner in California. By the end of the night, Gretzky knew all he needed to.

"I knew then and there leaving the restaurant that one day, he was going to lift the Stanley Cup," Gretzky said in a special edition of Hockey at Home on NBCSN in a joint interview with Ovechkin.

With the Capitals in California for a game, the opportunity arose for Ovechkin and Gretzky to meet, an opportunity Ovechkin jumped at.

"It was crazy," Ovechkin said. "Of course you want to meet the Great One and talk to him, shake his hand, but when [Capitals vice president of communications Sergey Kocharov] told me we have opportunity to go have dinner with Wayne and his family, it was a special moment. Yeah, for sure, we're going to do it."

If you were going to have dinner with Gretzky, what would you talk about? What would you ask him?

There was seemingly one thing Ovechkin wanted to talk about and Gretzky found the topic striking.

"The thing that I found so fascinating about Alex wasn't so much about individualism, scoring goals, how to become a better player," Gretzky said, "The whole night was questions about what can I do, what do I need to do as captain to get our team over the hump? What can I do to contribute to winning a Stanley Cup for the Washington Capitals and the city of Washington? And I remember leaving there thinking wow, this is so unique."

Gretzky may have the most goals, the most assists and the most points of all-time, he may have won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP nine times, but he is also a four-time Cup winner. Sitting down to dinner with the greatest player to lace up the skates and Ovechkin did not want to talk about his achievements or his accolades, he didn't want any secrets on how to score more goals or how to be an elite player, all he wanted to talk about was how to win.

"That question was because we have bad playoffs time," Ovechkin said. "We maybe [advanced] past the first round, but never get through the second round. I ask him advice how I have to react, what I have to tell the team. I think that advice what he give me helped."

"Back then, I win only individual awards, but I never win Stanley Cup," Ovechkin added. "My dream was win Stanley Cup and I asked him what I can do better and what I have to do better to bring a Stanley Cup home."

Clearly the wisdom Gretzky was able to impart on him worked as Ovechkin hoisted the Cup in 2018.

That clear drive to win and to lift the franchise to its first championship has stuck with Gretzky.

"We could've talked about anything," he said. "Goals, assists, games, memories and really Alex, the only thing he had on his mind was I have to bring a Stanley Cup to the city of Washington. For me, that was one of the great parts of the whole evening and I knew then and there leaving the restaurant that one day, he was going to lift the Stanley Cup."

And he was right.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173904 Washington Capitals Honorable mentions go to the 6-5 shootout win in Vancouver on Oct. 25 (the Caps rallied from a 5-1 deficit) and the 5-4 overtime win vs. San Jose on Jan. 5 (Oshie erased a two-goal deficit for the second time when he scored with 15 seconds left). A salute to the best and most memorable moments of the Capitals’ season Best individual performance: Ovechkin’s natural hat trick

Of Ovechkin’s four hat tricks this season, a solid argument could be made that his natural hat trick vs. Los Angeles on Feb. 4 was his most By Tarik El-Bashir dominant. If you recall, the Caps were down 2-1 at home to the hapless Kings. Then Ovechkin scored three times in a span of 4:24 late in the Apr 21, 2020 third period, including an empty-netter, to lift Washington to an improbable 4-2 win. The hat trick was Ovechkin’s third in six games.

The Capitals could have claimed some hardware at this year’s NHL Best newcomer: Garnet Hathaway Awards. Alas, the annual gala has been postponed, so The Athletic The rugged winger definitely brought the all-up-in-your-grill attitude the decided to hand out our own awards as a salute to Washington’s top Caps wanted their retooled fourth line to exhibit. With nine goals and players and memorable performances from the season. seven assists in 66 games, the 28-year-old is on pace to match the There’s no glitzy theater in Las Vegas or celebrity host. We wore career highs he established last season in Calgary. Hathaway ranks sweatpants instead of tuxedos. And there are no actual trophies. But we second on the Caps in hits (189) behind Tom Wilson (253). still managed to have some fun picking winners in 12 different categories, Best goal: T.J. Oshie vs. the Bruins ranging from most valuable player and to most memorable comeback. There were a few candidates for this honor, but none dropped our jaws to Let us know what we got right and where we missed in the comments. the floor the way Oshie’s dipsy-doo snipe vs. Bruins on Dec. 11 did. MVP: Alex Ovechkin Oshie turned Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton completely around and then cut to the middle before beating Jaroslav Halak with a nasty This was a no-brainer. The 34-year-old was tied for the league lead in backhander for Oshie’s second goal of the period. Adding insult to injury, goals with 48 when the season was suspended March 12. Reaching the Clifton’s partner, Charlie McAvoy, was going to be called for slashing 50-goal plateau for the ninth time was a lock. The big question was Oshie on the play. whether Ovechkin, with 706 career goals, was going to find his way past seventh-place (708) and sixth place Phil Esposito (717) This is normally Wilson territory, but the winner’s got to be Brenden with 13 games left to play. Dillon’s scrap with Evgeni Malkin, right?

“It’s got to be O,” T.J. Oshie said Monday. “He’s on pace again for 50, Somehow the combatants were assessed only a pair of minors for just continuing that surge of great play and leadership he displayed in the roughing. 2018 playoffs. It seems like from that moment on he really took off and Typically, this award would go to a player who showed significant hasn’t looked back.” improvement from last season. In Richard Panik’s case, he gets it Breakout performer: Ilya Samsonov because of the improvement he showed from October to March.

The 23-year-old Russian posted a 16-6-2 record to go along with a .913 From the start of the season until Dec. 11, Panik recorded two points save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average. Though he tailed off (both goals) in 23 games while also missing 10 contests due to a a bit late, Samsonov ranks third among rookie goalies with 20 shoulder injury. However, from Dec. 14 until the season suspension, he appearances in save percentage (behind Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins and recorded 20 points (seven goals and 13 assists) in 36 games. If you drill New Jersey’s Mackenzie Blackwood) and second in goals against down a little deeper and just look at the seven games prior to the pause, (behind Merzlikins). the big winger had seven points (two goals, five assists) while skating on the fourth line. Top forward: Ovechkin

Duh. The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 He led all Caps forwards in goals (22 more than Oshie), points (67) and time on ice (20:40).

Top defenseman: John Carlson

Another easy one. With 15 goals and 60 assists, Carlson led the Caps in points with a career-high 75. Nashville’s was the next blueliner with 65. Carlson was also on pace to break the Caps’ single- season record for points by a defenseman (Larry Murphy had 81 points in 1986-87).

Most memorable game: Nov. 3 vs. the Flames

It’s got to be the Caps’ wild 4-2 win over Calgary on Nov. 3, right? Not only did Jakub Vrana notch his first career hat trick, the world champion Nationals commandeered a Zamboni, shotgunned beers in their suite and the danced like fools in the home dressing room. The Nats did not wear shirts for most of the night, we should note. It was, in a word, unforgettable.

Best comeback: Jan. 18 vs. the Islanders

If there’s been one constant about the Caps this season, it’s the fact that they can never truly be counted out of a game. Just ask the Islanders. Or the Canucks. Or the Sharks.

If we’re forced to choose just one rally, it’s the third period outburst at Nassau Coliseum on Jan. 18. Down 4-1 entering the final frame, the Caps had every reason to close up shop and cruise into the bye week. But Ovechkin wouldn’t let them. He scored two of this three goals in the third, and the visitors escaped with an exhilarating 6-4 victory. 1173905 socially distant golf games, he's been reviewing film from the past season, breaking down every shift he's had.

Copp was in the first year of a two-year deal received through Copp hoping to stay sharp by staying active, watching film contentious salary arbitration with the Jets last summer, which he admits left him with a big chip on his shoulder. He's previously described it as going to "war" with the organization, another example of him being a straight shooter when it comes to dealing with the media. By: Mike McIntyre He was awarded US$2.28 million over two years. The arbitrator basically Posted: 04/21/2020 11:51 AM | Last Modified: 04/21/2020 4:56 PM | split the difference between his US$2.9-million ask and Winnipeg's Updates insulting US$1.5-million offer that was necessitated by a salary cap crunch that actually wasn't nearly as dire as predicted given Dustin Byfuglien's money coming off the books due to a mutual contract Andrew Copp is no stereotypical dumb jock. Far from it, in fact. The termination. Winnipeg Jets forward is still hitting the books despite being a multimillionaire hockey player, intent on eventually finishing his college Copp is underpaid by today's NHL standards and due for a raise when degree. he's once again a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the summer of 2021. Of course, the financial landscape of the league may That is commendable, making him something of a role model, a label I'm have drastically changed by then, especially if this paused season usually reluctant to pin on any athlete. It is one of the many reasons he doesn't resume at some point. should be wearing a letter on his sweater, something he proudly did as captain of the University of Michigan Wolverines before leaving school Copp is aware of all this, but said he's not the type of person to dwell on after his third year to turn pro. things he can't control. That goes for his next contract, and when his next hockey game may be. Copp gets it, something he demonstrated once again on Tuesday during a Zoom media call. Like almost all athletes these days, he was asked for "This is a lot bigger than hockey and this is going to be something that his take on the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the sporting we have to handle this year. Hopefully move forward and hopefully the world. But unlike most athletes, his answer was anything but cliché- health authorities and the entire population gets back to a place where — ridden and formulaic. not saying it never happened — but having an avenue towards getting life back to fully normal," said Copp. Naturally, Copp would love to get back on the ice as quickly as possible, but he admits that's easier said than done and cautioned about rushing Spoken like a true leader, something Copp admits he's been doing a lot into a return to regular life, something that many politicians and citizens more of, at least in an unofficial capacity, after five seasons with the south of the border might want to take note of these days. franchise.

"It could be a little more complicated than that. You just hope that things "When you look around the room, there’s not too many guys that were subside nicely over the next little bit and the curve gets flattened. The here before I was here. It feels like my voice has gotten a little bit louder thing with the flattening of the curve, though, just means it’s getting in the room. My leadership role, for sure, has grown and I hope that it extended. It’s not really about how many people are getting it overall, it’s continues to grow," he said. just about how many people are getting it at one time. That’s the worry," All of which is why formally bringing Copp into the leadership group that Copp said in response to my question. currently includes captain Blake Wheeler and alternates Mark Scheifele Copp has been monitoring the situation and absorbing as much and Josh Morrissey would be the smartest move the Jets could make. information as he can about it. In that sense, he's in a better position to speak on the issue than the majority of his peers. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.22.2020 "We have the news on here every day and we’re trying to stay as informed and knowledgeable as possible. I think we’re going to try and figure out a way to play this summer. Hopefully, we do. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, but it’s going to be such a slow process. It’s going to be easing in, almost by trial and error because you just don’t want that second wave to get really, really bad. It will be interesting to see if it’s playing in front of fans, no fans, neutral site or in our home buildings," said Copp.

When we talk about the current Jets season, discussion usually begins with fellow Michigan product Connor Hellebuyck, the goaltender who was in the midst of a stellar campaign that made him the Vezina Trophy front- runner. Chat then often turns to another member of the Great Lakes State in Kyle Connor, who led the Jets in goal scoring with a career-high 38 tallies at the time of the pause.

While Copp may not have similar stellar statistics or three-star selections under his belt, his importance to the success of the squad has never been greater.

The 25-year-old was in the midst of his best season with the Jets, with 10 goals and 16 assists in 63 games. All of those offensive numbers were approaching career bests. They're even more impressive when you consider Copp has moved all over the lineup, skating with a whopping 11 different players while playing both centre and wing. He boosts the penalty kill and is usually assigned to try to shut down the other team's stars, a challenge he welcomes.

That speaks to how versatile he is and how much head coach depends on him. He's the ultimate Swiss Army knife, who instantly improves whatever line he's placed on.

As he rides out the pandemic in Florida with his snowbird parents and brother (who attends college in nearby Georgia), Copp is keeping his body and mind in shape. In between outdoor runs, swims, tennis and 1173906 Winnipeg Jets “I’m Tampa Bay’s biggest fan right now. Jumping ship,” Copp said. “There’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes with every player and the organization. It just seems like it was time for them to go their separate ways. Obviously, he’s found a spot that has some weapons, the Jets Copp fit, tanned and ready to roll if the NHL returns defence is up and coming, they’re young. (Bruce) Arians is well-known as such a great offensive-minded coach. I think it could be a really good fit.”

It should make for an exciting NFC South division, Copp said, noting that Scott Billeck division rivals will include and the New Orleans Saints, and a April 21, 2020 7:09 PM CDT re-tooled Atlanta Falcons team that snapped up Todd Gurley this summer to play with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Matt Ryan.

“It could be a really good division to watch football,” Copp said. From a rough-around-the-edges rookie with a penchant for devouring video like a fine steak, to a well-rounded NHLer — one still spending a lot On Kyle Connor’s 40-plus-goal pace, Copp had this to say: “He’s really of time in the video room — who continues to add armaments to his found a great way to not only be a part of a line with him and Scheif and arsenal, Copp was well on pace for a career year before the league Wheels but can definitely drive it at times. He’s become such a huge halted the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. player for us and scores timely goals.”

“I try to be someone who doesn’t dwell on a situation that I really can’t And on the Vezina front, Copp is certain no one else is more deserving control and this is one of those situations,” Copp said during a video than Connor Hellebuyck. conference call on Tuesday. “You’ve just got to play with the cards that “I haven’t watched every game and every goalie this year but I can’t have been dealt to you.” imagine it’s any better than what he’s done for us this year,” he said. Like a seasoned poker vet, Copp has seen many hands this season. Two seasons, plus his own, and the team’s as a whole, that Copp hopes From a fourth-line fixer-upper to riding shotgun with Mark Scheifele continues at some point. against the best in the world, Copp was playing with a chip on his “Just hope that things subside nicely over the next little bit and the curve shoulder, whether at centre or out on the wing, and was on a clear-cut gets flattened,” Copp said. “The thing with the flattening of the curve mission to inform the club to never take him to arbitration again. though just means it’s getting extended. It’s not really about how many Slathered around the lineup for much of the year thanks, begrudgingly, to people are getting it overall, it’s just about how many people are getting it injuries, Copp once again showed his versatility. at one time. That’s the worry. Just hoping we can find a way to play whether it’s with fans, without fans. Just trying to find a way to finish the “It probably gives (head coach) Paul (Maurice) the most amount of season and play out the playoffs.” freedom, in terms of what he wants to do and what he wants his lines to look like on any given night,” Copp said. “Whether that was me on the For now, he’ll continue to catch more of those Florida rays. wing with Mark or me on the wing with (Adam) Lowry and either “This is easily the tannest I’ve ever been so pretty happy with my (Mathieu) Perreault or (Jack) Roslovic or me in the middle with (Jansen) dedication to that thus far.” Harkins and Roslovic or Perreault and Roslovic, it just gives him a lot of options.”

Maurice certainly needed it. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.22.2020 “To place me wherever I’m needed and whatever is going to help our team have the best chance to win that night,” Copp said. “Whether he wants to free up (Laine) to go up against the third line or the third D pair, so he can exploit his offensive prowess and for me to match up against another team’s top line. Or if we’re on the road, how things can change with that as well. It’s more comfortability for Paul, having certain things that he knows he’s going to get out of a player. My consistency and how that’s grown over the years is a very important part of that.”

Speaking from a Florida residence that he’s sharing with his parents and brother, a college kid who had been attending school in neighbouring Georgia six or seven hours up the road, Copp has found the time to do what many NHLers are doing.

Waiting, for instance, for the season to resume. Working out, to be in shape for when that day comes, if it does at all. And trying to keep pace with the pandemic going on around the world.

“We have the news on here every day and we’re trying to stay as informed and knowledgeable as possible,” Copp said.

Like every other NHLer that’s spoken to this point, he hopes to play — sooner rather than later.

“But it’s going to be such a slow process,” he said. “It’s going to be easing in, almost by trial and error because you just don’t want that second wave to get really, really bad.

“I’ve been looking at some studies that have been going on, especially in southern California. I’ve been looking at the politics behind everything. I’ve just been more keeping up in that aspect, trying to stay as up to date as possible with all that stuff.”

Copp is the guy in the dressing room that won’t shy away from a political conversation. He’s well-versed.

He’s also the guy you go to if you want to chat football.

A massive fan, Copp has a new team to root for whenever the NFL season begins. 1173907 Winnipeg Jets Thursday morning arrived and there were nerves as the company car pulled into the parking lot at the rink.

Would Byfuglien actually be inside? The day I got a glimpse of the real Dustin Byfuglien After taking a deep breath, I looked out at the players on the ice and there was Byfuglien.

By Ken Wiebe I can neither confirm or deny there was a reporter fist-pumping like someone who had scored their first NHL goal. Apr 21, 2020 But his attendance was merely the first step.

The skate wrapped up and it wouldn’t be long before the moment of truth The lockout was into its third week, with no end in sight. arrived.

Dustin Byfuglien was already a fan favourite after his first season with the Virtually all the players had emerged and headed off for their next stop, Winnipeg Jets, and while he kept his interviews to a minimum, including Wheeler. teammates made it clear he had a big personality – even if he didn’t make a habit of showing it publicly. “Buff just wanted to make you work for it,” Wheeler told me with a sly grin as he left the rink. Byfuglien could make tanking an interview an art, whether he was going on tangents or ignoring questions outright. Byfuglien made me wait, but once he sat down on a bench inside the arena, he was outstanding, answering questions for half an hour. In scrums, Byfuglien made sure to keep the cliches flowing. He seemed to figure that if he did so, reporters would eventually stop asking to speak Letting his guard down, Byfuglien spoke about a variety of topics, to him. including how the hockey rink was his playground and relayed a story about how his uncle, a long-haul truck driver, often drove him to It was a flawed theory, given that he was an alternate captain and one of tournaments around North America at a very young age. the most impactful players on the Jets. Byfuglien was a player-for-hire before he was even a teenager, which With this in mind, I wondered if Byfuglien might open up a bit more if he also might provide a bit of insight into why someone would be willing to was on his own turf, in a comfortable place away from the TV cameras walk away from the $14 million he could have earned by playing out the that surrounded him during those rare times he was made available. final two years of the contract he signed with the Jets in February 2016.

The pitch was made to agent Ben Hankinson, who got back to me with The interview provided several days worth of stories and gave me a word that Byfuglien had agreed to do a sitdown interview early the glimpse of the person that so few people have seen in the press, and the following week. drive back home left me plenty of time to reflect on what had transpired.

I had secured an exclusive interview with Byfuglien and another with While Byfuglien had made the interview worth the wait, it was abundantly Blake Wheeler, who led the Jets in scoring in 2011-12. clear this was going to be a one-time thing.

The drive to Minnesota was smooth, but when I rolled into the arena in When order was restored and the lockout came to an end, half-hour St. Louis Park, Minn., something was amiss. sitdowns simply were not part of the regular routine.

Byfuglien was nowhere to be found among the group of Minnesotans A one-on-one with Byfuglien was incredibly rare, though I did have a playing in the NHL, along with a few members of the Wild. short one with him in Newark a few years later.

When Hankinson started walking toward me, it was easy to see the news When it came to his rare media appearances, Byfuglien went back to wasn’t going to be good. being Byfuglien, which meant the guard was back up.

Hankinson wasn’t sure where Byfuglien was and hadn’t been able to get Some levity was occasionally provided, but he usually couldn’t wait until in touch with him. the interview was over.

Byfuglien being Byfuglien. One of his more famous exchanges came during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, when Byfuglilen channelled Marshawn Lynch and uttered a It wasn’t that he intentionally skipped an appointment he’d reluctantly phrase that should have ended up on a T-shirt. agreed to — he just had something better to do. “As long as we stick together as a team, we’ll be all right,” Byfuglien said Oh — but here’s the kicker — it was Tuesday, and the group didn’t skate at the time. on Wednesdays, so the next opportunity to possibly get him was Thursday. He was responding to a question about a retaliatory penalty he took in the playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks, who had taken a 3-0 How could I be confident he was going to show up then? series lead in a game when he was on the ice for three even strength The more pressing concern: what in the world was I going to tell my goals against. editor? Byfuglien uttered a similar stock response to each of the nine questions I regrouped and had a great chat with Wheeler after the skate. He was asked of him during the brief exchange with the media that morning. his engaging and insightful self, providing more than enough copy for the Reactions among the reporters were mixed. Some found it funny, others story. thought it was infuriating. Wheeler also thought Byfuglien probably just took an extra day for a No matter where you stand, this was another example of Byfuglien being fishing or hunting trip, giving me some hope about Thursday. Byfuglien. I wasn’t ready to give up on the Byfuglien story, so it was time to He had no interest in doing the interview — he only made himself improvise. available so he wouldn’t be fined. My boss understood my predicament and approved a day off on the With Byfuglien and the Jets parting ways on Friday with the mutual road, allowing me to take in a baseball game at Target Field between the termination of his contract, chances are pretty good that Byfuglien has Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. done his last hockey-related interview. Because I was staying with a friend and not at a hotel, it didn’t add to the As someone who got a glimpse at the other side of Byfuglien, I wish he budget for the trip, though it’s tough to put a price tag on the extra stress would have shown his lighter side a bit more often. caused from not knowing whether or not I could deliver on the Byfuglien story. Had he been willing to embrace or even endure the media glare a bit more, Byfuglien could have been a superstar in every sense of the word. But that simply would have been out of character for the larger-than-life figure.

Instead, Byfuglien stayed true to himself.

Buff being Buff, right until the mutual termination of his contract.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173908 Vancouver Canucks “Do you want to play for a contender or do you want to play for a team that’s rebuilding? And what’s your role going to be with that team? There are a lot of variables — it’s not just a money thing.”

Ben Kuzma: For Canucks’ UFAs, fit over finances may ease COVID-19 Markstrom was having a stellar season as the club’s most valuable reality player. And in Professional Hockey Writers’ Association voting last month, he ranked fourth in Vezina Trophy consideration behind Connor Hellebuyck, and . That’s enough to make any player agent salivate. BEN KUZMA Jacob Markstrom stole games for the Canucks this season, the true mark April 21, 2020 5:30 PM PDT of a bona fide starter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck / PNG

As for the Canucks, the season was confirmation that long-term loyalty to Pending UFA Jacob Markstrom can point to a successful season in Markstrom was justified. contract talks. He tailored his body and mind to handle physical and mental demands of ‘Do you want to play for a contender, or do you want to play for a team being the guy amid prying media eyes. The only debate was salary that’s rebuilding? And what’s your role going to be with that team? There versus term to reward the 30-year-old for living up to expectations as a are a lot of variables — it’s not just a money thing’ front-line stopper.

The novel coronavirus pandemic curve is flattening. So is the NHL salary In theory, his expiring $3.6-million cap hit would get a bigger boost in free cap curve. agency, but the list of suitors should shrink with a falling cap and other UFA goalies like Robin Lehner, ($5-million cap hit), ($6 Amid a myriad of problems for players with a season on pause — and million) having the market as an option. only possibly salvaged by a 24-team summer tournament if COVID-19 concerns ease — are a rising escrow clawback on salaries and big As for Markstrom, his injury won’t overshadow the season. He will be paydays for unrestricted free agents looking like a lost cause, whether ready if play resumes and his book of work is worth a look. He simply they re-sign with their teams or hit the open market. stole games, which is the true mark of a bona fide starter.

This is of particular interest to Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli and Chris Markstrom went on a 7-0-1 run when facing 40 or more shots and in the Tanev, a trio of UFAs that the Vancouver Canucks covet. However, that analytical assessment of denying difficult shots from the home plate area mutual admiration will be put to the test. in front of the crease, no one was better. That’s how poorly the Canucks were at defending. On Feb. 18, the Canucks and Markstrom’s camp agreed to table extension talks until the end of the season. At the time, it made sense for At the time of his injury, Markstrom was only 27th in goals-against both parties to take stock of projected salary escalation and long-term average (2.75), but among starters with at least 40 games — a better production value. barometer of consistency — he was eighth. And his 14th-ranked save percentage of .918 was actually fourth when applying the same-starts Now, you could argue that Markstrom should have signed before the criteria. season stoppage and a February injury, but who knows how far apart the two sides were at the time and if free agency was the target? The biggest mystery is the injury.

On March 10, the league said the cap was projected to rise from US Markstrom joined the Canucks on a four-game trip, but didn’t practise $81.5 million to $84-$88 million next season, based on hockey-related Feb. 24 in Montreal. At first, the club called it a maintenance day and revenue. Two days later, the season was put on hold and projected finally a lower-body ailment. damage to the bottom line was being tallied. The NHL was expected to Was Markstrom playing through a possible knee injury or groin strain lose $1 billion if the remainder of the season was scuttled, and playoffs before it got worse? When he was run over against Minnesota on Feb. would only recoup about one-third of that deficit. 19 and then outstretched on a David Pastrnak three nights later, did that And while there’s reason for contract concern for free agents and cap cause the damage or just make what was a lingering ailment even harder management challenges for most teams, doom-and-gloom scenarios can to play through? be tempered by the right fit. One day we’ll know. The Canucks have their starter in Markstrom and can manoeuvre around OVERTIME — In a general managers’ conference call Tuesday, league the Seattle expansion draft crease conundrum — don’t pick a goalie and officials reviewed the possibility of a virtual June draft, before possible we’ll do you a favour — as an option. They have a true top-six, first resumption of the season in July. power-play unit winger in Toffoli and they know what they have in Tanev.

The Canucks also have seven restricted free agents — among them Troy Stecher, Jake Virtanen, Adam Gaudette and Zack MacEwen — and are Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.22.2020 a year away from massive pay increases for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. How do you budget for the future and address immediate concerns with less than previously projected cap space?

Canucks general manager should have leverage to offer less money in exchange for more term. But who wants to commit to fewer dollars over a longer period of time? Maybe Markstrom bets on himself and goes short term for a bigger payday down the the road.

Amid all this, player agent Kurt Overhardt suggests being prudent and not panicking. His Denver-based agency has a handful of UFAs in its NHL stable.

“We don’t know the concern, or how big a thing is going to be, until we have more information,” he said Tuesday. “You take a long view and we have to be patient. Things will improve over time. Step 1 is to have playoffs and Step 2 is to let it all play out.

“I don’t see it as looking at less. Every player has a different set of values and they’re going to have choices. The money might be greater or the term might be greater, but at the end of the day there are a lot of variables besides AAV (annual average value) and term. 1173909 Vancouver Canucks mentioned, has presented players with some choices and Sundsvall is a four-hour drive from up the country’s east coast.

You just wonder if those players are at risk in a country where the Ed Willes: Some Swedish NHLers skating in Sweden, as Nordic country numbers are rising. questions virus measures “We told our players they’re supposed to self-quarantine,” said Canucks general manager Jim Benning. “I guess it depends on where you are in the world.” ED WILLES Two more Canucks players, Jacob Markstrom and Oscar Fantenberg, April 21, 2020 5:16 PM PDT have returned to Sweden. It’s not known if they’re working out on their own, and their agents couldn’t be reached for comment.

The other concern revolves around the competitive edge those workouts As the rest of the world struggled with the devastating impact of the are creating and there have been complaints. Players in North America COVID-19 outbreak, Sweden seemed to be the country that didn’t shut are in lockdown. At least they’re supposed to be. down in the face of the pandemic. The NHL, meanwhile, is discussing a return to play in a couple of months Schools, gyms and recreational facilities were kept open. People went to where the regular season will be completed and playoffs are held in a work. Bars and restaurants served the public. neutral site under strictly monitored conditions. The GMs held a It wasn’t a free-for-all in the Nordic country. The public health authority conference call Tuesday that discussed that possibility. stressed the need for social distancing and proper hand sanitation while As ever, there was little news to emerge from that meeting. recommending non-essential travel be avoided. “We’re talking about it,” Benning said. “We’re just waiting. We’re in a But, for the most part, the framework created was voluntary and holding pattern.” individuals shaped their own behaviour. That policy — based on mutual respect and trust in the public authority — is consistent with the country’s Aren’t we all. norms and traditions. It was also a policy that the rest of the world desperately wanted to succeed. Which brings us back to Sweden. The country, and stop us if this sounds familiar, is currently engaged in a loud and confusing debate over the Now? Like just about everything, those policies are under review. policies in place. Last week, 22 medical researchers called for politicians to take control of the country’s coronavirus strategy and implement “Yes, we’ve had a somewhat normal life so far during this pandemic,” stricter measures. Markus Naslund writes from Ornskoldsvik. “Unfortunately the virus has spread to some nursing homes. “They have to admit that it’s a huge failure, since they have said the whole time that their main aim has been to protect the elderly,” said Dr. “Only time will tell if Sweden has made the right decisions or has been Lena Einhorn, a virologist and one of the leading critics of the existing too loose in its stance.” guidelines. Markus Naslund is introduced before Henrik and have their Then there’s Dr. Anders Tegnell, who designed that policy. He jerseys retired on February 12, 2020. Arlen Redekop / PNG acknowledges the rise in infections is troubling but says it isn’t For the past couple of weeks the Swedes have been dealing with a “traumatic.” dramatic spike in COVID-related cases that has shaken the country. “Looking at pandemics, there are much worse scenarios than this one,” Compared with the rest of the globe, the Swedish numbers aren’t that Tegnell said in a recent interview. alarming. Compared with other Scandinavian countries, which implemented stricter restrictions almost immediately, they are. Let’s just hope he can say the same thing in a couple more weeks.

As of Monday, Norway reported 182 deaths, a per capita rate of 3.37 fatalities per 100,00 people. ’s rate is 2.56 deaths per 100,000. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.22.2020 Sweden’s is 17.3 per 100,000 and that’s just the beginning.

Stockholm, Sweden’s largest city, has emerged as the epicentre of the pandemic and a report released this week by the Swedish Public Health Agency estimates one-third of all Stockholm residents will be infected with the virus by May 1. That’s 600,000 cases if you’re scoring at home.

As a result, Sweden’s parliament, the Riksdag, granted government the power to approve health-related measures without going through the legislative assembly. The concern in Sweden is largely over the data emerging from extended-care homes. One-third of Sweden’s COVID- related deaths originated in those homes, the majority in the Stockholm area.

Against this backdrop, then, the Swedes have more urgent concerns than the training schedules of a handful of hockey players. But, because these are the sports pages, that topic is relevant, especially when it involves Elias Pettersson.

According to TSN’s , Pettersson has been skating near his hometown of Sundsvall with his brother Emil, who plays with Vaxjo in the Swedish elite league.

There’s nothing sinister in that. As mentioned, the country kept a lot of things open during the pandemic and Pettersson is hardly the only Swede to take advantage of the relaxed attitude. One agent estimated half the Swedish NHLers are skating while the league is shuttered.

Still, it raises a few concerns.

NHL players, for starters, were instructed to maintain social distancing when the league suspended operations March 12. Sweden, as 1173910 Websites Most unique trait: Elite, one-dimensional, offensive production. Based on the data used here, the NHL’s most unique statistical profile

belongs to defenceman John Carlson, who is basically a younger Brent The Athletic / By the numbers: Finding the NHL’s most unique players Burns with worse defence and obviously without the beard. The “younger” part is an important caveat here because we’re only looking for matches with one year in either direction, meaning Burns’ age 33 season isn’t considered. That leaves Carlson’s best comparable as Erik Karlsson By Dom Luszczyszyn this year, a rather poor one at that with a similarity score of 4. That’s Apr 21, 2020 basically as similar as dissimilar, especially with Karlsson’s production dropping off this year. You can see why the two would be in the same ballpark as offensive defencemen as they are similar in some categories, but also not similar enough to be a great match. Every hockey player is unique in his own way. There has never been another exactly like him and there never will be – it’s the nature of the What makes Carlson unique is his play-making ability where his true- human race, full of special snowflakes. talent 36 primary assists (you can read that as “sets up Ovechkin in his office a lot” if you wish) are six better than the next best player at any While that much is obvious, there will always be similarities between age, Burns at 33 and Karlsson at 25 – both with 30 primary assists. He’s players. They may get there in different ways, but some players have the relatively high for secondary assists too. In his age grouping, his true same penchant for goal-scoring, similar passing ability, or equal play- talent 61 assists are about 10 more than the next best player. driving aptitude. They can be used in similar roles or simply be the same height or weight. In each case, there’s a degree of similarity that can be No other defender can touch Carlson’s production and he has a strong measured called a similarity score, with the goal being to find players ability to drive goals for as a result. He’s top five over the last decade who fit similar profiles. with the best being Carlson last season and the three in between (one of which is teammate Michal Kempny) not being quite as individually Armed with projected Game Score Value Added (GSVA) data over the involved in the goals. last decade, I’ve built my own similarity score generator (using a similar methodology as FiveThirtyEight’s CARMELO) that’s able to match What makes Carlson stand out on top of that though is how much he players based on the estimated true talent statistical components that gives back in his own end. What separates Carlson from other past point- comprise GSVA using Euclidean distance. Essentially, if a forward is a producing defencemen is that he’s gone all-in on the “fourth forward role” true-talent 40-goal, 80-point player that drives play at an average rate at a detriment to scoring chances against. It’s a worthy gamble with his (based on a weighted average of his prior three seasons), it will find skill set and he comes out ahead more often than not, but the riskiness players with similar attributes while also keeping in mind age, height and does lessen his total impact which is why the Capitals only earned 52 weight. percent of the goals with him on the ice this season, despite the elite production. For example, the highest match I found for a player with a decent sample size from this season is Pittsburgh’s Dominik Simon, who’s best match is Dougie Hamilton 2018-19 Matt Nieto, with a similarity score of 78. Here’s how each player was projected to perform going forward at the end of their respective Best Match: , 2017-18 seasons. Similarity Score: 15 Not identical, but really close. Most unique trait: Being a true-talent 20-goal scorer as a defenceman. Using FiveThirtyEight’s method, 100 is a perfect score while 0 means a This was Dougie Hamilton’s break-out season, finally showcasing he can player is “as dissimilar as he is similar.” Below zero would then mean the be one of the game’s best defencemen and doing it his own way. He was player is a below-average match, while above zero would mean the on pace to score 24 a year removed from scoring 18, which had my player is a decent match to varying degrees. model viewing him as a true-talent 20-goal defenceman (well, if you 100: Perfect match round up). That’s an extremely rare feat, only managed five other times – three of which were by Burns from age 29-to-31. 75 – 100: Nearly identical match Burns is Hamilton’s best comparable with the two being strong goal- 60 – 75: Very high match scorers from the point, not afraid to use their shot or jump into the play while being exceptional offensive players (while not being very 45 – 60: Strong match disciplined either). Even their vitals are near identical, with Hamilton 30 – 45: Decent match being only an inch taller and a pound lighter. The major difference that makes Hamilton more imposing: he can play defence with very strong 15 – 30: Partial match play-driving impacts in his own end. That’s what makes him unique and 0 – 15: Slight match separates him from being The Next Burns.

Below 0: Below average match That, and age, as Burns himself was a unique specimen himself for doing the things he did going into his 30’s. That leaves 2018-19 Victor Hedman Generally, the goal would be to find highly similar matches because that as Hamilton’s best statistical comparable, a flattering match that further type of data can be very handy for future projections, adding context drives home Hamilton’s ascent to the league’s upper echelon of outside of typical age curves. It’s something we’ll use a lot more when defencemen. The two have the same vitals, are worth three wins, and talking about future contracts as players tend to follow similar trajectories. have a strong ability to drive goal differential. The major difference is Hamilton is more a goal-scorer while Hedman is more a play-maker. Today, our goal is a little different. Rather than look at similar matches for certain players, I looked at the highest match for every player in the Connor McDavid league to explore the answer to what I believe to be an interesting question: Who is the league’s most quantitatively unique player? What Best Match: Evgeni Malkin, 2009-10 that means is finding a player who achieves his results in the most Similarity Score: 17 distinctive way for his age group (± one year) and physical stature. Most unique trait: Elite production and offensive play-driving ability, Unique doesn’t necessarily mean best, but it’s hard to separate yourself coupled with less than desirable defensive numbers. from the pack being average. Based on each player’s projected ability compared to players from the last decade, here are the NHL’s most Aesthetically speaking, there’s probably no player more unique than unique players. McDavid in the league right now, a player who is faster with the puck than almost any player without the puck – with quick, shifty hands to John Carlson match. He’s a human cheat code. By his GSVA-based similarity score, Best Match: Erik Karlsson, 2019-20 he grades out as the league’s most unique forward too … if you exclude his teammate and frequent linemate Leon Draisaitl at 28 that is. With the Similarity Score: 4 two so often together over the past few years (and thus having similar Similarity Score: 25 on-ice impacts), that felt like the best move for this exercise. Most unique trait: Incredible on-ice scoring chance creation and a lack of McDavid’s next best match is the 2009-10 version of Evgeni Malkin, only discipline. McDavid is the rich man’s version which feels utterly ridiculous to say given how dominant Malkin was in his prime. McDavid scores more, Teenagers have the fewest comparables to draw from to begin with, but assists more, has a better shot, draws more penalties, produces more even with that in mind, it’s tough to find a great match for Andrei on-ice goals and is just as bad at faceoffs. The big thing though is that Svechnikov mostly because his best attribute is his insane offensive play- while both had elite offensive numbers, they also gave some back the driving ability. In my entire database, only two players have seen better other way, though McDavid does so to a larger degree. on-ice expected goals for values: in 2011-12 and Connor McDavid in 2016-17 and 2017-18. That’s part of the reason it’s tough to find a statistical comparable for McDavid. Not only do they have to produce as much as he does (no one The big difference is that when players generate that many chances, they comes close to his true talent assist rate and he’s one of a handful of find a way of producing more than Svechnikov has to date (and they also players with true-talent 40-plus goal upside too), but they also have to get more minutes as a result). On average, the rest of the players in the bleed scoring chances against which most young stars do, just not to his top 10 for offensive play-driving (among all age groups) are point-per- degree. On the flip side, few play minutes as difficult as him too. game players, while the best guess for Svechnikov right now is around 60-to-65. McDavid’s young, so rounding out a more complete game will come with time, but it’s also worth wondering if it’s by design due to his unique skill Right now the results aren’t there yet and that’s what makes set. Most players are told not to cheat, but when you have a player that Svechnikov’s profile unique, but the fact the Hurricanes create as many gifted at making plays at breakneck speeds, the calculus probably chances with him on the ice is a really good sign for his future. He’s in changes. It’s worth being riskier if it means a greater chance of a rush very good company, though he needs to get his penalty differential up. chance the other way, McDavid’s bread and butter. That’s tough to It’s rare for a gifted offensive talent to be as low as he is at a projected model. Over the last three seasons, McDavid’s relative goal differential minus-nine. In fact, Svechnikov’s projected total there is the worst of any has been a half a goal better than his expected total in each season. player between the ages of 18-to-20.

Victor Hedman Leon Draisaitl

Best Match: , 2019-20 Best Match: John Tavares, 2013-14

Similarity Score: 21 Similarity Score: 26

Most unique trait: Elite all-around ability. Most unique trait: Elite production and offensive play-driving ability, coupled with less than desirable defensive numbers. Victor Hedman does it all. He puts up points, he eats minutes, and he drives play at both ends of the ice. Aside from his size (which is unique Like McDavid, Draisaitl’s best comparable is also his frequent linemate, despite being the same as Hamilton and Burns), there isn’t much that but his next best comparable is closer compared to McDavid’s. That separates Hedman from the pack except for the fact that he does would be John Tavares in his age 22 season with Evgeni Malkin at 23 everything well. Some players are defined by a single trait, but Hedman’s not being far behind. The hope over the past few years would be that elite stature across the board is what makes him special. Draisaitl could be the Malkin to McDavid’s Crosby and so far that comparison has looked apt. Draisaitl has very much blossomed into that He’s not the best goal scorer, but he’s in the conversation. He’s not the stratosphere of player, taking it to a new level this season with incredible best playmaker, but he’s in the conversation. He’s not the best play- production. His projected production is even better than Malkin’s at the driver at both ends of the ice, but he’s in the conversation. It’s extremely same age (though Malkin was stronger in the previous two seasons rare for a player to be that well-rounded to legitimately belong in all those which I don’t have projected data for). conversations. Where Draisaitl is a little more Tavares than Malkin comes from Tavares Auston Matthews being less defensively-inclined in his earlier seasons. The complaints about Draisaitl’s poor defensive numbers are not unprecedented as they Best Match: Alex Ovechkin, 2009-10 plagued Tavares too. In both cases, it didn’t stop either player from being Similarity Score: 24 a top 10 player or better league-wide.

Most unique trait: Being a strong play-driving, 50-goal scorer at age 22. With McDavid being his actual best comparison, the caveat mentioned there applies here too, where both players could be exceptions to the Auston Matthews is the league’s next most unique forward, offering an rule when it comes to poor on-ice defence. In any sense, the riskier style exceptionally rare blend of goal-scoring prowess with defensive makes Draisaitl, like McDavid, one of the league’s most unique players. competence. It’s hard enough finding a true-talent 50-goal scorer (he was three shy with 12 games to go this season) that scores way over his Shea Theodore expected rate, but it’s even harder when you add Matthews’ blossoming Best Match: , 2014-15 two-way game, which took a major step forward this season. Similarity Score: 27 Including Matthews, there have only been seven player seasons where 50 goals was a safe bet (Alex Ovechkin three times, Steven Stamkos, Most unique trait: Elite offensive play-driving with below-average actual twice and Sidney Crosby), and only Ovechkin’s 2009-10 campaign had results. the player with expected and actual goal scoring impacts that were positive at both ends of the ice as Matthews did this year. When goal- About five years ago, Jake Muzzin was the darling of the analytics scoring is the primary focus, defence can be put on the back-burner, but community. His on-ice numbers were sparkling despite modest point Matthews – like Ovechkin coming off the 2009-10 season – has found a totals and there were serious debates about whether he was the one way to not sacrifice defence in the name of goal-scoring. driving the bus on the Kings’ top pairing. His usage wasn’t the toughest, but he had strong underlying numbers and that held a lot of weight, even It’s extremely rare, especially at the age of 22 and it’s why my model has if his actual numbers weren’t as strong. Eventually, that changed, and so become very high on his value, controversially putting him ahead of too did Muzzin’s standing around the league. McDavid as you likely noticed. Before Oilers fans grab their pitchforks, I should note that’s not a take I agree with. But it is easy to see why a That’s sort of where Shea Theodore is these days as his underlying model that values goals over assists and puts stock in 5-on-5 play-driving numbers are sterling, looking like one of the major driving forces to numbers (at both ends of the ice) would like Matthews a little bit more at Vegas’ puck possession hockey. He’s a more offensive version of the moment, whereas McDavid’s game itself is likely a bit harder to fully Muzzin, driving play to the same degree with a focus on offence as capture with current data. opposed to defence. Like Muzzin, actual on-ice goal numbers haven’t translated just yet giving Theodore a strange statistical profile, not unlike Andrei Svechnikov Svechnikov’s where results haven’t followed the process. That’ll come. Theodore is entering his prime and he looks poised to take the league by Best Match: Pierre-Luc Dubois, 2018-19 storm when the results start to follow his ability to control games. Roman Josi As mentioned in the Matthews blurb, my model hasn’t considered many players to be true-talent 50-goal scorers. That this season’s version of Best Match: Alex Pietrangelo, 2019-20 Ovechkin – at age 33 – is one of them is astonishing and actually places Similarity Score: 29 him ahead of McDavid as the league’s most unique forward. Ovechkin is a unicorn. Most unique trait: Big minute eater with a large impact on goal differential. Patrick Marleau is his best comparable with a similarity score of 11, but only due to the more lenient age rules. Ovechkin still had 16 projected A lot of the same things said about Hedman apply here – they even have goals on him. Marleau is also still playing at age 40, so that’s a good sign the same best match in Pietrangelo. That may seem weird when this is a that Ovechkin’s reign won’t end any time soon. “most unique player” list, but there are significantly more average players where players would look even more similar than there are elite ones. Evgeni Malkin The major difference with Josi is he’s a bit more disciplined than Hedman Best Match: , 2013-14 but isn’t as strong defensively. Similarity Score: 13 Josi also plays nearly two more minutes per game than Hedman and that’s a pretty big difference. Josi’s average 25.8 minutes is top 10 Most unique trait: Being a true-talent 97-point scorer at age 33. among all defenders for his age group and he does a much better job of handling those minutes than his peers. Of the 22 defenders above 25 Most players don’t come close to a 100-point pace at any point in their minutes, his impact on goal-differential is by far the highest. That’s hard career. To be a safe bet to reach that level at age 33 is what makes to do. Malkin special as he continues showing he’s one of the league’s greatest players ever. This year he was on a 110-point pace, an absurd mark for Quinn Hughes / Cale Makar his age.

Best Match: Each other Shea Weber

Similarity Score: 31 Best Match: Sergei Gonchar, 2009-10

Most unique trait: Elite production at 20 or under despite diminutive Similarity Score: 15 stature with a positive penalty differential. Most unique trait: Having an elite shot – at any age. Of course two of the most transcendent young defencemen of the next generation end up on the list, and of course, their best comparable is Not many defenders can score like Weber. Even fewer can do it with the each other. Both have electrified the rookie race with both defenders chances he creates. He’s still got a bomb from the point and his ability to scoring higher than a 60-point pace. That’s rarified air for players in their find twine with it shows up in the data as he’s expected to put up 17 prime, let alone two rookies. Their play-driving numbers weren’t bad goals on just 11 expected goals. Very few players can be reasonably either. predicted to score like that and doing so at age 34 is even crazier. That he still drives and beats tough competition is a point in his favour for A defenceman can rarely be genuinely classified as elite in their first uniqueness too. seasons, but these two both have a case. By GSVA, only has been considered a better 19-year-old defenceman than Quinn Patrice Bergeron Hughes over the last decade – and just barely, by 0.1 wins. No 20-year- Best Match: Joe Pavelski, 2016-17 old defenceman has been as good as Cale Makar. Similarity Score: 24 What makes what these two even more insane is their stature. The NHL is big boy hockey, a place that’s tough enough on two under-20 players, Most unique trait: Elite two-way play and goal scoring at age 34. let alone two defenders under six feet and 190 pounds. That makes what Bergeron’s career arc has been a strange one. For most of his prime, he Hughes and Makar are doing even more special. was a defensive force, one of the best the league has ever seen, As for which player is more unique between the two, give the edge to coinciding with the analytics movement that was able to shine a light on Hughes. Makar was the only comparable he even had that was above his value. It brought legitimacy to the numbers to be able to connect what zero. many could see with the verifiable data behind the impact of his play on shots and goals against. He’s also an absolute wizard at faceoffs, the The Elder Statesmen best of the decade at the dot.

Some players last longer than others. Some players excel longer than There are already few players that impact the game like Bergeron and others. As players reach 30 and beyond there are fewer comparable to that he’s still doing it his age makes it even harder to find matches. Joe draw from, especially ones that continue to play at a high level – which is Pavelski in 2016-17 is the closest, but what makes Bergeron a little extra partially what makes their play so special. Three of the top five and five of special at this stage of his career is that he’s added elite goal-scoring to the top 10 players were all aged 33 or older, so they get their own section his toolkit. Over the last three seasons, Bergeron has been a point-per- at the end (I didn’t think it was fair to the others to include the elder game player driven mostly by a new knack for putting the puck in the net. players with fewer comparable to draw from). For these players, I was In each of the last three years, he’s scored at a near 40-goal pace, more lenient with the age groupings, especially the guy at the top of the putting his true talent at 39. For his age group (32-to-36), only Ovechkin list. has been more prolific with Jarome Iginla being the only other player Zdeno Chara above 35 goals.

Best Match: , 2013-14 A lot of people talk about Bergeron the elite two-way forward. Not enough talk about Bergeron the elite goal-scorer. Similarity Score: 8

Most unique trait: Being tall, 42, and still effective. The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 He’s freaking 6-foot-9 – that’s enough to be on this list. But then you add the fact he’s 42 (there were only four other non-Chara seasons for over- 40 defenders) and that he’s somehow still playing like a top-pairing defender too? This one is obvious.

Alex Ovechkin

Best Match: Patrick Marleau, 2010-11

Similarity Score: 11

Most unique trait: Being a true-talent 50-goal scorer – at any age. 1173911 Websites 24-Oct-19 07-Nov-19

15 The Athletic / NHL players didn’t get paid last week. Why it matters – and what comes next 15-Nov-19

14%

By James Mirtle 4

Apr 21, 2020 08-Nov-19

21-Nov-19

If you’ve stayed plugged into the NHL’s news cycle during this shutdown, 14 you’ve no doubt read the reports about the players’ final paycheck and the debate over what to do with it. 29-Nov-19

The response I’ve seen on this topic on social media has often been 14% something along the lines of “Who cares if the millionaires don’t get their 5 money?” which is understandable in the context of the unprecedented economic conditions we’re in right now. A lot of people are hurting 22-Nov-19 financially, others are dying and health-care workers are putting their lives on the line fighting this pandemic. Whether or not pro athletes are 05-Dec-19 getting paid is very low on the concern list. 14

There’s more to this story, however, than simply NHLers forfeiting — or 13-Dec-19 potentially forfeiting, as the decision has been punted to next month — some of their pay. This issue is tied directly to the financial health of the 14% league, hockey-related revenues, the salary cap and the collective bargaining agreement. 6

It’s also directly tied to what the NHL might look like when the games 06-Dec-19 come back, whenever that may be. 19-Dec-19

What I wanted to do here was take a more granular look at the difficult 14 business situation hockey is facing right now and try to map a path forward for the NHL’s various stakeholders. Let’s start with the 30-Dec-19 paychecks. 14% How NHL players are paid 7 First of all, when we talk about players not getting a paycheck, it’s worth 20-Dec-19 pointing out that they’re not complaining about this situation. In the conversations I’ve had, they understand there’s going to be serious 08-Jan-20 financial consequences due to COVID-19 and that, because of the way the NHL’s CBA works, that will significantly impact their contracts. 20

The debate right now is over how that impact will be felt. 15-Jan-20

NHL players are paid for every day they are in the league. This facilitates 14% things like call-ups and demotions from the AHL, as if you get sent down 8 and you have a two-way contract, you’re paid a different salary than in the NHL. 09-Jan-20

NHL players receive 13 paychecks in a season, and they begin to accrue 23-Jan-20 on the first day games are played and end on the last day of the regular season. Those checks vary based on how many season days are 15 included in them. This year they ranged from between six days and 20 30-Jan-20 days per check. 14% This table outlines players’ pay schedules for 2019-20. 9 1 24-Jan-20 02-Oct-19 06-Feb-20 07-Oct-19 14 6 14-Feb-20 15-Oct-19 14% 14% 10 2 07-Feb-20 08-Oct-19 20-Feb-20 23-Oct-19 14 16 28-Feb-20 30-Oct-19 14% 14% 11 3 21-Feb-20 $2,240,000

05-Mar-20 $3,200,000

14 $5,440,000

13-Mar-20 John Tavares

14% TOR

12 $15,900,000

06-Mar-20 $2,226,000

23-Mar-20 $3,180,000

18 $5,406,000

30-Mar-20 Auston Matthews

14% TOR

13 $15,900,000

24-Mar-20 $2,226,000

04-Apr-20 $3,180,000

12 $5,406,000

15-Apr-20 Carey Price

TBD MTL

So the pertinent paycheck is the final one, lucky No. 13. $15,000,000

The NHLPA and its players decided to defer a decision on what will $2,100,000 happen to it until May 15, exactly one month from when they were supposed to have received those funds. $3,000,000

This season, there were 186 days in the regular season and the pay $5,100,000 schedule. The 12 days in that final pay period represent a little more than Connor McDavid 6.45 percent of a player’s pay for the season. EDM For a player like the Leafs’ Mitch Marner, who was to receive $16 million this season — a league high — on his front-loaded contract, that one $15,000,000 check is the equivalent of more than $1 million* ($1,032,258, to be $2,100,000 exact). $3,000,000 That’s before 14 percent escrow and other deductions come off. (If you’re not familiar with escrow, here’s a primer on some of the issues the NHL $5,100,000 has had with it in recent years.) Erik Karlsson Why players didn’t take their pay SJ If the NHL doesn’t play the playoffs in 2019-20, it’s going to have a massive impact on league revenues. Talk in hockey circles is the $14,500,000 damage will likely fall somewhere between $1 billion and $1.2 billion. $2,030,000 Because players’ pay is tied directly to hockey-related revenues in a $2,900,000 given season through the escrow system, they will be significantly impacted by that drop — regardless of the dollar value on their contract. $4,930,000

A $1.1 billion shortfall, for example, would mean more than 20 percent of Artemi Panarin NHL revenues weren’t realized, which makes sense given TV contracts will have to be redefined and gate revenues for 15 percent of the regular NYR season and all of the postseason would be lost. (I’m actually surprised $14,000,000 the damage isn’t more substantial. The league is lucky in some ways that the season was nearly complete when the shutdown occurred.) $1,960,000

A 20 percent revenue shortfall would then be combined with the escrow $2,800,000 hit players were already deducting (14 percent), meaning they would theoretically lose roughly one-third of their scheduled pay for the 2019-20 $4,760,000 season. Tyler Seguin

For players with heavily front-loaded deals, that could mean huge DAL percentages of their total contracts are lost. Below is a list of the players who were scheduled to make the highest dollar figure this season in the $13,500,000 NHL, with a trio of Maple Leafs at the top of the list. $1,890,000 I’ve included some estimated losses here that are based on a world where there are no more games played until 2020-21. $2,700,000

The NHL's highest paid players (2019-20) $4,590,000

Mitchell Marner Jamie Benn

TOR DAL

$16,000,000 $13,000,000 $1,820,000 from something like the U.S. TV deal — NBC’s agreement expires at the end of next season — to fill the gaps will also be vital. $2,600,000 You wonder, however, if all 31 NHL teams will be able to remain solvent $4,420,000 long term in this environment. There is already talk of some owners Seven others feeling strain, after a little more than a month, given what’s happened to the markets and many of their businesses across North America. Various What happens if revenues crater further and owners want out? How $12,000,000 profitable will some of these teams be if there is no gate revenue, even if player salaries come down dramatically? The reality is that the NHL is far $1,680,000 more vulnerable in this situation than the NBA, NFL and MLB, who pull a $2,400,000 far higher percentage of their revenues from massive television deals.

$4,080,000 For now, the primary hope at the league level is that they can get back to playing games in neutral-site locations this summer, which would allow For someone like Auston Matthews, who only signed a five-year contract, them to fulfill their television and sponsorship deals and ease the this new reality could mean nearly 10 percent of his deal is lost in just this revenue shortfall as best they can for 2019-20. Then they’ll worry about year. 2020-21 and beyond after that point.

What’s complicated about the NHL’s player pay situation right now is the No matter what happens, some of this burden is going to fall on the vast majority of the league’s salary dollars — more than 93 percent — players. And the 14 percent escrow they’ve hated for years may start to have already been given to players, even though a huge chunk of those look pretty good. revenues haven’t come in. While the league has been withholding 14 percent escrow, that has nothing to do with the current shutdown; if *- Marner isn’t the ideal example here given much of his salary is paid in revenues are a further 20 percent short beyond that figure, NHL players signing bonuses in the summer, but this does outline the scale of the are going to have to pay owners back that money, too. NHLPA deciding to forego the final paycheck. For someone like Buffalo’s , who does not have bonuses as part of his $10 million It’s believed that excess shortfall could fall in the neighborhood of half a compensation this year, the final paycheck is the equivalent of nearly billion dollars. $650,000.

(As an aside here, the NBA’s pay schedule is structured differently. Money is being paid out to basketball players throughout the calendar year, so they’re in a less complex situation. That type of pay cycle is The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 something hockey likely needs to adopt in future CBAs to account for unexpected situations like this.)

If NHL players ultimately decide not to take their final paycheck, that lessens the giveback that is going to have to occur down the line. That 6.45 percent of their pay from Check No. 13 currently remains with the owners, bringing them roughly $140 million closer to where they need to be.

There would still be a shortfall of several hundred million dollars that would have to be paid back to owners if the rest of the 2019-20 season is cancelled, but it wouldn’t be as severe. And, if playoff games are played, the amount players would need to return could fall to an even more manageable level.

But there are two particularly tricky things here for the NHLPA to navigate if it turns out players have to pay back a significant share of their salaries.

1. What do you do with players who retire or otherwise aren’t coming back next season, given the natural solution will be to subtract this money from future paychecks?

2. How do you ensure the burden on players is equally distributed and doesn’t come more heavily from star players’ pay in 2019-20?

Because so many of the NHL’s top stars have big-dollar salaries due this season, it’s expected that the workaround to all this will be to defer the salary shortfall pain over the next three or four years. This will be made easier if the NHL and the players’ union can negotiate this amount into the next CBA, rather than have it all become additional escrow burden.

The trouble with that solution? What if the NHL comes back next season without fans in the building?

That would take an even greater toll on revenues than the potential $1 billion hit for 2019-20. Gate revenues — along with in-arena merchandise and concession sales — are a massive, massive part of the NHL’s business.

No fans attending games could mean hockey drops from a $5.1 billion league a year ago to somewhere around half of that, which would mean player salaries would have to take similar haircuts.

The NHL’s escrow system was never designed to account for revenue drops of billions of dollars like this. If HRR armageddon is coming next season, you have to imagine the league and players try to come up with a more creative solution — whether that’s a salary rollback combined with a salary-cap drop or some other outside-the-box measure to account for a vastly smaller revenue base than in the past. Using new monies 1173912 Websites “It’s just a way of life. The whole family has to sign off on it,” Backman said of the game. “Why is that? Why does it demand everything of you?”

Asked and answered. The Athletic / Author Fredrik Backman: ‘Beartown’ about the very best Because it’s so hard. Skating, managing the puck, checking, being and very worst in sports checked.

“It demands so much of you and you have to be able to do it all,” By Scott Burnside Backman said. “It takes so much. Hockey takes everything. It sweeps into your life and it takes everything from you. … I carried that emotion I Apr 21, 2020 think throughout me working on the two books. That’s just the thread all the way through it.

“I think I wanted it to be about a hockey team because I wanted to try and When Fredrik Backman was 25 he decided that he wanted to be a writer. tell a story about the very best and the very worst parts of sports.” Or rather he felt that he could be a writer. And in the end, there is something about hockey and its impact on a So to figure out if those feelings were indicative of something like actual community that just seemed right. And that’s likely because hockey has writing talent, he decided to give himself that chance. always had that kind of impact on Backman. He was going to try it for a year. He never played, but that small detail has never dulled his passion for “A lot of people have a dream like that,” he said. “I felt I have to give it a and interest in the game. timeline, to be all-in.” He recalls watching his first hockey game, a contest between two In order to make it work financially, he imposed on a close friend for a Stockholm teams, when he was 5 or 6 years old. weekend job driving a forklift in a big produce warehouse in Stockholm. His father, a lawyer at an insurance company was perhaps the least It wasn’t the first time he’d imposed on that friend for things like competitive person Backman has ever known. He didn’t understand the employment. And he did have to work all kinds of crazy weekend hours need for or value in competition. driving that forklift. But it did allow him to hone a particular quality that That day, as Backman’s father walked by the television set he noticed would make him attractive to local newspapers and magazines and that the game and one of the players. was his willingness to work for free. “I think he works at my company,” Backman’s father casually noted. And that is how, at least on one level, Backman became an international best-selling author with 5 million copies of his books in print in 40 Backman was agog. different countries. Five of those books have ended up on the New York Times Best Seller list. These players darting back and forth on the family’s television set weren’t normal people with normal jobs like one at an insurance company. They One of his books, “A Man Called Ove” was made into a popular movie were superheroes. It was as though Backman’s father had suggested and there’s currently a cable television mini-series being filmed of his Spiderman sat at the desk next to his. other works. Surely he was mistaken. He’s got a new novel coming out in the fall called “Anxious People” about a bank robber and a rabbit (or something like that). But Backman’s father was not mistaken. Players couldn’t survive on what they earned in the Swedish league at that time so many had to work at I bought Backman’s novel “Beartown” in May of 2017. other jobs.

I don’t know why, exactly. When Backman’s father returned home later that week with an autographed picture of his hockey playing co-worker, “I was just hooked,” Had someone mentioned it to me because it had a hockey theme? Backman said. Did I read about it on Goodreads.com? Every once in a while the now-famous author is reminded by his father Both are possible. that he was the one who got his son into hockey.

All I know is I had this new book that I began reading with a healthy dose As a child, Beckman said he found it difficult to share his thoughts or of skepticism. emotions.

Sometimes when you spend a lot of time doing one thing, like writing and Sometimes he spoke too much and sometimes too little. talking about hockey for instance, when others try and appropriate that Maybe he was too emotional. Or too unemotional. landscape in their own writing, especially in a fictional setting, there’s a tendency to be unduly critical. But if he had a chance to write down what he wanted to communicate, well, then he could make himself heard, especially if he was upset or got That doesn’t sound right. into an argument with his father, who was always good with words. That doesn’t make sense. “When I got upset, I would go to my room and write him a letter,” A player wouldn’t say or do that. Backman said. “I was a weird kid.”

A coach wouldn’t behave that way. So, now people ask him when he’s speaking in public or doing book signings – how do you do it? By the end of “Beartown,” I couldn’t wait to tell not just my friends in hockey about the book but also complete strangers because it was, well, Depends, he tells them, do you want to be a writer or do you want to true and right and pretty much perfect. write?

In the end, “Beartown” and the follow-up novel “Us Against You” aren’t Hockey players must ask themselves the same question at some point in really hockey books but rather books about what happens to people in a their careers. Do they want to be a hockey player or do they want to play community, the good and the bad, the heroic and the shameful. the game?

It just so happens that the community in question is a hockey community. The answer to either question may not be as simple as you might imagine. Backman acknowledged he could have written this story about a company or any collection of people where there are the kinds of “Being an author still feels like something that’s above what I’m doing,” relationships explored in “Beartown.” Backman said. “I feel like I’m a storyteller and that’s all I want to be. I want to tell you a story.” But it wouldn’t have been the same. Because hockey is different. He likens the process, the heart of the process, to a musician and their Maybe that’s why people like Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy named audience feeling the same about a piece of music. the book as his current favorite in a recent poll by The Athletic’s Craig Custance. “I want you to feel what I’m feeling,” he said. “That’s the only thing I’m looking for.” Or why longtime sports reporter Sara Orlesky named the book her favorite after it was referred to her by members of the Winnipeg Jets If he were a hockey player, Backman imagines he would simply love coaching staff. everything about the game. Occasionally someone from a real life hockey team or connected to a He brings up Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, who at the end of his career real life hockey team will tell Backman that he got this bit or that bit kept signing one-year deals to keep playing for the Detroit Red Wings. exactly right.

Lidstrom, a Swede like Backman, played until he was 42. He won seven A joke. Or the way a dressing room looks or feels. Or a practice. Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cups. What has stuck with Backman since “Beartown” was released, though, “He didn’t do it for the money,” Backman said. “He didn’t need anything. are three different yet equally meaningful encounters. But he couldn’t give it up. I can relate to that so much. The first was at a signing and a young man had been in line waiting for “I would still write if no one read my books. I would still write.” his moment with the author. Backman signed his book and the young It was something that Backman figured out a couple of years ago but man didn’t say anything. Backman thanked him for coming. The young maybe one of the reasons that “Beartown” rings true on so many levels is man started to walk away and stopped. that his affection for and understanding of the game allow him to paint a “And I realized he had been working up while he was in line to tell me picture of players and their place on a team and in a community that is something,” Backman said. unassailable. “And he said, I just want you to know that it was really important for me But like a hockey writer, he will always be a little bit on the outside. that you wrote about someone like (the character’s name, which we won’t Witness to the events and emotions, but separate and able to describe share here so as not to spoil anything for those who haven’t read the them with a certain detachment. books) being gay and not wanting to make a big deal out of it,” Backman recalled. “To be able to see the cracks in certain things,” he said. “That’s what made it possible to write that. And that was it. It was a short conversation, but also an important one not just for the young man and Backman but maybe for other young “I want it to be about the very best and the very worst about sports and people like him who don’t have anyone to have those conversations with. sports culture.” “I said to him, I tried to write him in the way that I think I would feel if I And how both can come from the very same place in people. were in his shoes at that age,” Backman said.

During our long conversation, I didn’t bother to tell Backman that a) I The second moment came during a question-and-answer session thought “Beartown” was terrific, or b) that he had pissed me off because somewhere outside Toronto when a woman told Backman she he had found a vein of pure gold when it came to describing the game. appreciated the care he took in describing the experiences of a victim of sexual assault. I knew this from reading the book but also from reading a letter Backman had written to the NHL as a way of introduction. Backman’s publicist “I’m paraphrasing here,” Backman said. “But she said ‘I can see now passed along a copy of that letter. there’s no way that you could have written anything like this without actually talking to a lot of survivors of sexual violence. You had to have Lots of us spend a long time or maybe all of our time trying to come up done your research.’ … That meant so much for me. That she saw that. with proper words to describe something critically important to us. That that came through.” Backman did it in one page. And third, at another signing, a burly man in his 50s waited until after all Damn him. the other patrons and fans had left before approaching Backman. “I grew up obsessed with this sport, not as a player (because I was a The man was a hockey coach for all three of his sons’ teams. His wife fragile and strange little kid and could never learn how to skate properly) gave him “Beartown” as a gift. but as a fan. … I had a hard time making friends, and there were two things that I fell in love with early enough to save me from complete He doesn’t read a lot of fiction, he told Backman, and his wife told him loneliness: books and sports. I’m not at all exaggerating when I tell you only that it was a hockey story. that the NHL was as magical a place to me as Narnia was. When I wrote Beartown I wanted to translate that magic into the young men and He loved the book and he used it as a tool when a serious incident on women the novel is about.” one of the hockey teams infected the whole community. No one could talk about it properly, the man told Backman, so he asked everyone In closing his letter Backman wrote: involved to read “Beartown.”

“I tried to write all this about sports, the very best and the very worst parts And then they talked about the issues raised in the book so they could of it, as honestly as I possibly could. Sports saved my life. But this time, feel safe talking about their emotions and what had happened. They writing these books, it also made me look myself in the mirror, as a fan, talked about the bravery of speaking up or why so and so’s silence made as a man, as a dad. It broke me, to be honest. But it also reminded me of things worse or what was right or wrong or where the gray areas were. all the things I love about the ice, the locker rooms, the community and why kids need a Narnia. An NHL. Something to escape to and aspire to. “And he said that was a way for us to have a discussion we needed to have without hurting each other,” Backman said. “That was just the “And what is a community? It’s the sum of our choices. Sports are too. By greatest thing I’ve ever heard. … That’s everything you can hope for as a everyone, for everyone.” writer.”

The hockey world created by Backman is populated by flawed characters, characters who suffer from a crisis of confidence and who grapple with their own moral code. There are issues of sexuality and The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 coming to terms with one’s own identity. There is a violent crime and there are the ripples of what that crime means to the victim, the victim’s family, the community at large and the perpetrator.

In short, the people in “Beartown” are like all of us.

The people of “Beartown” make difficult choices. There is regret and longing and disappointment and unexpected success and fulfillment. 1173913 Websites As for the matter of health insurance, the memo states that the NWHL “provides insurance to all players to cover any injuries playing in the league. Our aim is to extend insurance coverage to include full health insurance for all players.” The Athletic / Battle over pro women’s hockey escalates as NWHL eyes expansion, signs players One key consideration for players in the process of deciding their future is the potential path to making national teams. Because the most prominent names in international competition are currently aligned with the PWHPA, the NWHL could be seen as a more difficult path to the By Hailey Salvian Olympics and world championships. Apr 21, 2020 That isn’t the case, the NWHL said.

In an email to The Athletic, a USA Hockey spokesperson said, “in relation Tensions are mounting in the battle over the future of professional to all of our national teams — women’s, men’s and sled — we select women’s hockey as the NWHL plots its expansion into a new market and players regardless of where they play or have played.” Hockey Canada attempts to convince more players to switch sides. had not replied to a request for comment by Tuesday morning.

The National Women’s Hockey League is set to announce a new team in As the fight for the future of the women’s game has grown, the NHL has Toronto as soon as this week, a source confirmed to The Athletic on become increasingly linked to the solution, as some have suggested the Monday. The Associated Press first reported last week that an expansion best course of action is for the NHL to create a league already dubbed franchise would be added in the city. the WNHL.

The source added that the team has already signed five former members The PWHPA has rarely referenced the NHL explicitly, however, it is of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association, a group — believed its members are holding out playing in the hopes of the creation comprised of former members of the defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey of a so-called WNHL. League and featuring most of the sport’s biggest stars — that spent the The NHL has been adamant that it will not get involved with a pre- past year boycotting league play and arguing that the NWHL does not existing professional league in the market. NHL deputy commissioner Bill provide a “viable option” for the professional game. Daly told The Athletic in November that there was no plan for a women’s When asked about reports of the addition of a Toronto franchise, a league at that time. league spokesperson said, “the NWHL does not have an announcement Still, the NHL has supported the women’s game, providing funding for the to make at this time.” now-defunct CWHL, the NWHL and inviting women’s players to take part News of the planned expansion comes as the feud between the NWHL in the NHL All-Star game each of the last three years. and the PWHPA is set to enter its second year and as both sides ramp In January, 20 PWHPA players represented the women’s game in a 3- up efforts to win over players, both at the professional and collegiate on-3 exhibition game at the All-Star festivities in St. Louis. level. “While the NWHL has always welcomed more collaboration with the NHL The U.S.-based NWHL has been circulating a letter to colleges and and is in regular communication with NHL leadership at the highest level, prospective players in a bid to recruit new talent and to clarify what it it is our view that a women’s professional league should be built from the calls “myths” about the league. Meanwhile, the PWHPA has hosted ground up to stand on its own,” the NWHL letter states. online information sessions for college coaches and players. In its own efforts to reach out to prospective professional players, the “The league’s investors and leaders wanted to address some myths, PWHPA held a webinar last week for NCAA and participants in share data and provide transparency and truth while remaining respectful which PWHPA board members and Hefford gave a brief background of to everyone,” NWHL spokesman Chris Botta said of the league’s letter. how the PWHPA came to be and what the group stands for. The memo, titled ‘An open letter to elite women’s hockey players’ Following the news last May that the CWHL was shutting down after 12 provides the NWHL’s perspective on the state of the women’s game and years of operation, several prominent players announced that they would runs through a list of its accomplishments in the 2019-20 season. forego participation in any professional leagues in North America “until “Last year, the PWHPA was formed ‘to create a sustainable professional we get the resources professional hockey demands and deserves.” league for Women’s Hockey.’ It is our belief that the NWHL is providing About a month later the PWHPA was formed to provide a united voice for that today,” the letter reads. the boycotting players. The group has since started a travelling exhibition game showcase called the “Dream Gap Tour.” “On multiple occasions over the past year, we approached the PWHPA to discuss how we could work together to resolve our differences. The While the PWHPA members on the webinar did not explicitly mention the PWHPA has publicly stated their specific goals that include health NWHL, they did express to players that they do not believe there is a insurance and benefits, higher salaries, adequate training and support, professional option for players coming out of college. collaborating with existing leagues, and others. We agreed, in writing and They spoke about sellout crowds and the success of the Dream Gap with a specific timeline, to meet every one of the PWHPA’s demands. We Tour, which the group said it started to give young girls something to made it clear that we were open to any suggestions the PWHPA might aspire to. Or to “bridge the gap” between what male and female players make to benefit the game overall. The PWHPA declined our invitation to can dream of. collaborate.” Hefford said plans to host the webinars date back to January and said PWHPA lead consultant Jayna Hefford said that description does not they were not held in response to anything the NWHL has done. accurately represent the communication between the two parties. “We wanted to ensure that we continue to educate players and coaches “We never refused to communicate. Just the opposite,” she said. “But, on what we are trying to accomplish, and the opportunities that we after communicating fairly extensively with the NWHL, the leadership and provide for players to play at the highest level post college or university,” board members of the PWHPA determined that not much has changed in she said. “We discussed the future of our organization, providing the NWHL since many of our players competed in the league and that opportunities to play and our goal to drive awareness to our mission.” our respective visions for the future of the game do not align.” Hefford noted that the PWHPA only recently became aware of a Toronto This season (the league’s fifth), the NWHL memo says, was the “best expansion team (where the group has two training centres), and “that our one yet.” The league increased its salary cap, initiated a 50-50 revenue players were being offered contracts.” split for leaguewide sponsorship and media deals and secured a multi- year media rights deal with Twitch, among other things. The NWHL did not communicate the expansion to the PWHPA, she said, but that they found out from members who had been recruited. According to the letter, the NWHL plans to employ a minimum of 120 Additionally, the league has already signed over a dozen players for next players next season, and each team will play 20 games plus playoffs. season, which is a change from previous years when signings didn’t They also intend to continue to raise players’ salaries. begin until May or June. When asked about the NWHL’s recruitment, Hefford said, “We would expect that the NWHL would reach out to players to explain what they can offer – as any league would.”

Liz Knox, a former goalie for the CWHL , and a current PWHPA board member, was one of the speakers on the call. Her main point to prospective players was to not rush into whatever decision they ultimately make.

“Give yourself the summer, give yourself the opportunity to try out for a PA region, and see if it’s something that you might fit in,” she said. “And if you’re just not quite at the level, we’re not going to say, go play beer league instead of NWHL.

“No. Seize your opportunities, it’s a good amount of money for a lot of kids who are coming out of university, and that’s amazing.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173914 Websites language — but they cannot see each other when they are recording remotely.

It has required a certain discipline for one to wait until the other has The Athletic / ‘Wayne’s World experiment’: Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole finished speaking, and to make it clear in the script which voice will adapt to working at home appear first after which set of clips.

“We like to go back-and-forth,” Onrait said, “and it’s tough to go back- and-forth a lot.” By Sean Fitz-Gerald What they have found, at least, is that even without live games being Apr 21, 2020 played, there has been plenty they can go back-and-forth about. There has been news in the NFL, and a steady supply of speculation about

when sports — the NHL, NBA and — might When they designed Dan O’Toole’s small-town Ontario home, in 1875, return, and in what form. the original builders left space for a kitchen that could feel both earthy O’Toole and Onrait said they have begun to wonder if they might need to and warm. They did not, however, give much consideration to how the go back to 60 minutes just to cover the necessary ground. O’Toole said structure might impact the carriage of wireless internet signals. their long-time producer has been slightly less than receptive: “That So the new house rule dictates that when O’Toole sits down to record his makes his blood boil, because of the process just to put 30 minutes nightly sports television show with Jay Onrait, everyone in his house has together from our homes.” to turn off their mobile devices. It might not be the most popular edict in Onrait has already developed a routine. He and his wife have two the rulebook — at least not with his 12-, and nine-year-old children — but children — a four-year-old and a one-year-old — and they have dinner it is the only reliable way he can transmit his contribution to “SC with Jay before he has to get ready for work. He takes the children up for their and Dan.” bath, then heads into the basement at 6:30 p.m. for work. “I say, ‘Kids! Devices off,’” O’Toole said. “There is some grumbling.” The children are still awake when he starts taping. He can hear them He has been sitting in his kitchen, with exposed brick over one shoulder upstairs, and he was not sure if the microphone picked up the shuffling and a box of “Raisin Dan” over the other. Onrait has been broadcasting sounds. from his basement in Toronto, swimming in a roiling sea of the toys his “Half sports show, half-community-cable-basement-Wayne’s World two young children have left behind. experiment,” he said. “And somehow, it all works.” Their hour-long show went dark for two weeks after COVID-19 forced the “We know what people are going through,” O’Toole said. “We know that business of sports to a halt, but they have been back for two weeks, a lot of people are wondering when their next dollar is going to show up improvising and learning how to broadcast remotely after they had spent in their bank account, and they’re wondering about food for the rest of the more than 15 years side-by-side. week. The technical demands of working from home have cut the running time “If we can take their mind off some of that for 30 minutes, that’s the least in half, to 30 minutes, but the two hosts have not ruled out returning to a we can do.” full hour. Their morning loop counterpart, SportsCentre, has also been running at a half-hour since returning to the air on April 6.

“I will say this, and I sincerely mean it: Oh man, I miss the studio,” Onrait The Athletic LOADED: 04.22.2020 said. “I miss professional camera operators. Professional make-up artists. I really miss the professional make-up artists.”

Their workday usually begins with a conference call at 2 p.m., when they connect with their producer to discuss the day’s events. It used to be a quicker call, O’Toole said, but it has stretched to allow for a bit more social interaction.

They start recording at 7 p.m.

O’Toole and Onrait both had technical equipment delivered to their door. There were microphones and lights and other bits of gear required to broadcast from home. A technical producer, Nick Caroli, had to walk them both through the set-up.

“Dan and I are — I don’t know how to say this politely — stupid,” Onrait said. “Nick has to talk us through everything. It’s like being back at broadcasting school.”

“He was very patient,” O’Toole said.

Their camera is an iPhone with a tripod. Like SportsCentre, the show has one technical worker based at the network’s Toronto headquarters. Everyone else is at home.

“It’s just been people saying, ‘finally, there’s light at the end of the tunnel,’” O’Toole said. “Not that our show is signifying the return of sports, but it’s telling people, ‘OK, this is part of my routine — I can get up, I can get going.’”

Onrait and O’Toole have been working together since 2003 when they were put together behind the desk at TSN. They moved to Los Angeles in 2013 to help launch FOX Sports 1, working on the network’s ever- evolving flagship show “FOX Sports Live.”

They returned to Canada, and to TSN, in 2017.

Beyond the technical setup, one of the main challenges has been a tiny signal delay that can throw off their timing if they try to cut in too quickly as someone finishes speaking. It is easy enough to do when they are working behind the same desk — they know each other’s cues and body 1173915 Websites Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020

Sportsnet.ca / Keeping NHL Draft in June raises lots of questions

Elliotte Friedman | @FriedgeHNIC

April 21, 2020, 8:11 PM

Just a couple of notes about some goings-on in the NHL:

The league proposed to teams the idea of going forward with the draft in June. On the surface I get it — the NFL Draft is an even bigger animal than normal because of the sports vacuum created by COVID-19. It would keep the NHL relevant, give everyone something to talk about and mean not squeezing it through a short off-season.

Another reason for doing it is contracts end on June 30, and there are many scouts/executives working the draft who currently would not be on- contract for a later-summer event. One team apparently has 18 expiring deals.

However, there are some questions that would need to be answered:

• What do you do with conditional picks based on where teams finish in the playoffs — or if they make the playoffs at all?

• How do you deal with players who would be able to start next season elsewhere if the 2020-21 NHL start is delayed until later in the year? That could include CHL/NCAA/European players — although their situations are unclear as of now. Would those players be removed from their teams and be given the opportunity to join NHL camps?

• Teams who know they are going to the playoffs will be unable to trade players they want to use for draft picks.

• Because of the possibility of expanded playoffs, someone asked if one team actually could win the lottery and then the Stanley Cup.

Obviously, all of these things would have to be fleshed out if a June draft was to happen.

The neutral-sites idea looks like a no-go.

Instead, we’re looking at one NHL city per division to resume the season. Teams from that division would be brought to this location. And, it sounds like the plan is to complete the regular season — if possible. One idea, a triple-header per day at each location to get it done in three weeks. The players have to agree.

Looking at the CDC and Canadian information, I could see places like Edmonton, Minnesota and Raleigh being options if the league and the respective governments were willing.

There is real concern about the 2020-21 American Hockey League season if fans are not permitted to attend games. I’d guess several leagues in many different sports would face a similarly painful decision.

Leagues with bigger television revenues are in a better position to face that problem, but the AHL does not have that benefit.

Slightly more than half of the 31 AHL teams are owned by their NHL parent. Will NHL teams who have affiliate agreements with their AHL partner be willing to re-work them to the minor-league club’s benefit? I can’t imagine too many big-league teams want their prospects going without playing next season.

And finally, Dustin Byfuglien is not officially retiring yet. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said it best on his conference call last week, that Byfuglien is the only one who knows if he’s going to play again. On an Instagram Live, former teammates Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg said they didn’t think he’d come back.

But, at this point, Byfuglien is not making it official. When Michael Jordan retired from the Bulls in 1999, he refused to say it was 100 per cent. “It’s close,” Jordan said. “I’m not going to say never. But I will say 99.9.”

Jordan came back with the Wizards in October of 2001. The odds are against Byfuglien doing it, but as The Last Dance captivates everybody — why not use the tie-in?

1173916 Websites remembered Anderson in the book, The Battle of Alberta. “There was one game we lost late in the season, we lost 9-3 in Calgary. Not only should we have learned from that game, we should have countered out attack and revamped our own system against that team.” Sportsnet.ca / Why the Oilers-Flyers '87 Cup Final ranks among the best in NHL history Wiser from defeat, the ’87 Oilers had endured more than enough heartbreak to hone their edge. By the time the Flyers arrived for the 1987 Final, Edmonton’s dressing room was full of players who could see what was wrong before the coaches even clipped the video. And they knew Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec how to fix it. April 21, 2020, 9:44 AM “We had learned what the formula was, especially after the Islanders loss in ’83 and then after we won our first Cup in ’84,” said defenceman . “We knew what the perfect formula was for success. An iron clad, EDMONTON — It’s not unanimous, but the people who spent the most systematic approach to our game play and our systems. Any time we time around the Edmonton Oilers — players, coaches, media — waivered — for a period or a game — we could see it. Then it would be decidedly concur that the 1986-87 roster was the best one ever iced by there (the next day on video) in living colour, and very clear to us: ‘OK, Edmonton. we can’t do THAT again.’ Or, ‘We have to do more of THAT. And if we do, we will win.’” Defection and the Gretzky sales had not yet occurred. Six Hall of Famers — Wayne Gretzky, Grant Fuhr, , Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Ironically, the 1986-87 campaign marked the first time in six seasons that Glenn Anderson — still skated here, with a seventh behind the bench in the Oilers failed to score 400 goals, dropping 51 goals from the previous . And now superstar forward had arrived from season to 372. But there was one problem in all of that for Philly. Minnesota, “The Magic Man” installed on a line with Messier and Anderson. “Edmonton was a lot better defensive club than people gave them credit for,” Sutter said. “Sure, you had Grant in net, but you look at their back Edmonton had famously lost to the Calgary Flames the previous spring, end. Outside of Coff and Kevin Lowe, they had some unheralded guys — so a core group that had won two Stanley Cups had been slapped to big, strong guys — who were hard to play against. , Charlie attention. They could not have been more prepared for the spring of Huddy, Steve Smith… These were tough, big strong guys.” 1987, and it showed as the Oilers lost only two playoff games in the first three rounds: Game 1 of Round 1 to Los Angeles on April 8, and Game 1 Edmonton had better forwards than the Flyers, plus a deeper, more of Round 3 vs. Detroit on May 5. mobile and bigger defence. In goal it was an NHL rookie vs a Team Canada goalie. They were 12-2 in the post-season when the Philadelphia Flyers arrived for Game 1 at , their captain playing You’d think the Oilers might have been complacent, wouldn’t you? with cracked ribs and leading scorer Tim Kerr lost for the remainder of “When you go that far in the playoffs, and we had experienced the fall out the playoffs. The Flyers had played two six-game series and a seven- in ’82 against the Kings, and been swept by the Islanders in ’83, we were gamer against Montreal, a series that featured the legendary pregame never overconfident in any series,” Lowe corrected. “We had a good brawl that stands as the NHL’s last, true bench-clearing melee. formula: if we played within our system, we felt we could win a series. But “Some guys had lost to the Oilers two years before in the ’85 Cup, but I it’s not like you looked at a team like the Flyers, who were pretty young was a rookie and just happy to be there,” said former Flyers forward and kind of beat up for that series, and say, ‘This one’s in the bag.’ Scott Mellanby. “Sometimes youth is bliss.” “It was never that way.” Edmonton was the regular season champion with 50 wins and 106 And so they began, with Game 1 slated for Northlands Coliseum. It was points, and Philadelphia was second with 46 wins and 100 points. Unlike Sunday, May 17, 1987. the 1985 final, this series would go the distance–the first time since 1971. What happened next? “We felt like they were the beast you were trying to slay,” said Mellanby. “They’d won in ’84, won in ’85… Calgary was trying to beat them for the Said Sutter: “It was probably the best playoff series I have ever played in, whole decade, and we viewed them as the King of the League. But we in all my years.” knew we had a chance – especially the way Ronny Hextall was playing.”

Hextall was a rookie netminder, but a tenacious one. He wielded a mean stick, and was by some accounts the toughest player on the Flyers Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020 roster, give or take a Dave Brown or a Rick Tocchet. He had turned 23 years old between Rounds 2 and 3, and would oppose Fuhr, a right in- his-prime goalie on his fourth Stanley Cup team, mere months away from starring for Canada in the .

“We knew they had a deep lineup, and a handful of stars players,” said Philadelphia’s Ron Sutter. “Starting with Wayne, down to Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Anderson, and a back end with Coff… We couldn’t match their star power — we knew that. We had to play a smart game.”

Alas, a smart game in 1987 wasn’t quite the same as it is in 2020.

The ’87 Final was where ’80s finesse and toughness met the speed and skill of the 2000s, at least where Edmonton was concerned. They were a team with six Hall of Fame players, all in their prime.

They’d been upset early on, in the Miracle on by Daryl Evans and the Los Angeles Kings in ’82. They’d lost the ’83 Stanley Cup Final, swept by the Islanders, a series that showed them that there had to be another level to the one they thought was the top. That there was more. There always had to be more.

And after winning two Cups, the Oilers had failed to adjust against the Calgary Flames in Round 2 of the 1986 playoffs, losing out at a time when many wondered if the Oilers could challenge the Montreal Canadiens record of five straight Cups.

“(Flames coach) Bob Johnson had revamped their whole system to play against us. How to beat Coffey, how to beat Gretzky, how to beat Kurri,” 1173917 Websites among Leafs players at 5-on-5. The team also produced more than 52 per cent of the expected goals when he was on the ice.

Spezza carved out a useful role under Sheldon Keefe, an in-season Sportsnet.ca / Leafs' Spezza fights to flatten aging curve as NHL's pause coaching replacement and contemporary who once edged him out to drags on claim the OHL’s rookie of the year award. Keefe valued the veteran’s ability to maintain possession of the puck, but also his composed presence on the bench and in the dressing room.

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris The graceful way he handled getting scratched by former coach Mike Babcock for the Leafs’ home opener didn’t go unnoticed by teammates. April 21, 2020, 4:33 PM Nor did the enthusiasm he brought to the rink and his willingness to dive deep on any topic pertaining to the game.

Back in the blissful days before the COVID-19 pandemic, Jason Spezza “I sat next to him in the locker room and picked his brain a bunch and he was already talking about flattening the curve. is a hockey mind,” said . “You can ask him any question about hockey, and he’ll give you an answer for it.” In this case, as the 14th-oldest player still drawing a paycheque in the world’s top hockey league, Spezza was focused on a personal nemesis To further illustrate that point, former Dallas Stars teammate Ben Bishop rather than a societal one: The aging curve, and delaying the inevitable said he often leaned on Spezza for scouting reports on opposing players. physical decline every top-level athlete comes face to face with The goaltender found those sessions invaluable and doesn’t think he’s eventually. ever had a teammate who watched more hockey in his downtime than Spezza. “Yeah, I have to work,” Spezza said in November. “When you’re young you work to get better, when you’re old you work to stay the same. That’s “That guy knows more about probably guys that aren’t even on the NHL what you’re doing; you’re trying to slow down the curve. scouting list right now,” Bishop said earlier this season. “He knows everybody’s (stick) curve, everybody’s tape job and all the whole nine “I put a lot of effort into my preparation.” yards. Spezz and I would always bounce stuff off each other, and I’d see some kid I’d never heard of. That’s even more important now than it was then — with the 2019-20 NHL season on pause for the foreseeable future, and the Toronto Maple “Spezz would know who he was and know what he did and where he’d Leafs forward intent on not letting these be the circumstances that bring like to shoot.” a premature end to his career. The secret, if we can call it that, is buried in those details. So it should come as no surprise that when Spezza checked in with reporters from self-isolation Tuesday, he’d long since come up with a Spezza flattened the curve by maintaining a quenchless thirst for plan to make gains during a period where the novel coronavirus has kept knowledge and consistently operating from a place of gratitude. him and at least 95 per cent of NHLers off skates for six weeks (and His commitment to staying the course is something we could all learn counting). from at a time like this, and it’s something the Leafs will need when “The way I’ve approached it is we should be in better physical shape in they’re playing games again. terms of off-ice strength,” said Spezza. “You try to almost approach it like summer training at this point, where you’re just worried about building up strength.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020 As an eternal optimist, he is clinging to the belief that the NHL will find a way to complete the paused season.

But as an engaged and well-informed member of the NHL Players’ Association, he almost certainly understands that there’s a chance it won’t be possible.

That scenario would require him to sign another contract and return for an 18th NHL season to continue playing, which is just fine with Spezza because he already had his heart set on that anyway.

Less than two months from his 37th birthday, he maintains a child-like affection for the game. Natural ability propelled him to exceptional player status in the and becoming a No. 2 draft pick in the NHL, but without dedication and determination he never would have surpassed 1,100 career games this season.

Whether because of injuries, or the harsh realities of the business, or the relentless grind of a life lived and judged in public, the flame often burns out for players. But it still burns brightly for Spezza, even after experiencing his fair share of all those things.

“Hockey’s not work to me. I enjoy the challenge,” he explained. “I’m in it for as long as I can be until I can win a Stanley Cup. That’s something that I dreamt of as a kid and I would love nothing more than to do it here in Toronto.

“I feel like we’re building things with this club and I want to be a part of it.”

There’s absolutely no reason to believe he won’t be back with the Leafs for at least another year.

Even in these uncertain times, when Spezza is among 126 pending unrestricted free agents heading into an NHL off-season unlike any we’ve seen before, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he wouldn’t bring value to his hometown team.

Playing on a league-minimum contract in 2019-20, he was fourth in assists per hour, fifth in points per hour and sixth in goals per hour 1173918 Websites “Well, I never got told I couldn’t fight Marty,” Clark said with a laugh. Wendel Clark on that classic Maple Leafs-Red Wings playoff series in

1993 Sportsnet.ca / By the numbers: Looking back at 1993 Leafs-Red Wings 29: Years since the Maple Leafs had defeated the Red Wings in the playoff series playoffs. That was 1964, when Toronto topped Detroit in the Stanley Cup Final.

Emily Sadler | @EmmySadler 34: Regular-season goals scored by 28-year-old Maple Leafs rookie (and Game 7 hero) Nikolai Borschevsky during the 1992-93 season, good for April 21, 2020, 9:26 AM the team lead.

After missing Games 2 through 6 of the series, Borschevsky returned to Toronto’s lineup just in time to help his club to victory. Sportsnet is turning back the clock to relive Canada’s most unforgettable best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoffs series with NHL Classics: Best of Borschevsky’s NHL career started off hot, but cooled off quickly — three Seven Series. Game 1 of 1993’s showdown between the Toronto Maple years later, he was out of the NHL with 49 goals and 122 points to his Leafs and Detroit Red Wings airs tonight, April 21, starting at 6 p.m. ET. name over 162 games played. But his name will forever be etched in The full broadcast schedule can be found here. Maple Leafs lore, thanks to his Game 7 overtime winner against the Red Wings. In April 1993, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings went head-to-head in the Semifinals. 54: Total number of goals scored, combined, in this series. Overall, Detroit outscored Toronto 30-24 but couldn’t come away with the win. Leafs fans didn’t know at the time of puck drop the drama that would unfold in this ’93 post-season — a spring that would see the legendary “It was funny, that whole series, the three games we lost, we lost badly Pat Burns lead the Maple Leafs on their finest playoff run since winning it and the four games we won were all one- [or two-] goal games and all in 1967. almost overtime in all of them,” Clark told Lead Off. “So, it was a weird series that way.” Round 1 saw an rivalry revived when the 44-29-11 Maple Leafs took on the high-scoring, 47-28-9 Red Wings — at the time, fresh 127: Points tallied by Doug Gilmour during the 1992-93 regular season, off their best regular season in franchise history. It took seven games and his first full season with Toronto. That was a career-high for Gilmour, who one unlikely overtime hero to settle the score in this one, the only first- led the Leafs in points that year and ranked seventh league-wide. round series that went the distance that year. 137: Points by Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman in 1992-93 — his most Here’s a by-the-numbers overview of the series to put it into context, productive regular season since tallying a career-best 155 in 1988-89, which is being re-aired on Sportsnet starting Tuesday night. and good for fourth league-wide. (Imagine, today, tallying 137 points in a season and only placing fourth…!) .863: Series save percentage posted by Maple Leafs starting goalie Felix Potvin. The 21-year-old rookie had recently taken over Toronto’s crease from Grant Fuhr, who was dealt to Buffalo in the trade that saw Dave Andreychuk join the Maple Leafs just a few months prior. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020

2: No. of games that went to overtime, both of which were won by the Maple Leafs.

5: Years since the last playoff matchup between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings — the 1988 Norris Division Semifinals, won by Detroit.

6: No. of goals scored by Maple Leafs forward Dave Andreychuk in the series, the most from a single player on either team throughout all seven games. All six goals came within a four-game goal streak that included back-to-back two-goal games that lifted the Maple Leafs out of a 2-0 series deficit. This was his first playoff series with the Maple Leafs, having been traded to Toronto from Buffalo in a five-player exchange in February of that year. (The trade saw the Maple Leafs pick up Andreychuk, goalie , and the Sabres’ 1993 first-round draft pick in exchange for goaltender Grant Fuhr and the Maple Leafs’ 1995 fifth-round pick.)

9: No. of (eventual) Hall of Famers on the ice throughout this series — six on Detroit (Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, , Sergei Federov, Paul Coffey, ) and three on Toronto (Glenn Anderson, Dave Andreychuk, Doug Gilmour). This number doesn’t include builders Pat Burns, the legendary head coach who was in his first season the Maple Leafs at the time, and , who had taken over as general manager just two years prior.

12: No. of points registered by Doug Gilmour, most among all skaters in the series. (Detroit’s Paul Coffey was right behind him with 11.) Four of Gilmour’s points came in a huge Game 7 performance for No. 93.

12: Penalty minutes issued to Wendel Clark — a conservative series total for the heart-and-soul of this Maple Leafs squad, and a tally that didn’t include any fighting infractions despite cries from the fans and media. As he explained during a recent interview on Lead Off, it was all part of Pat Burns’ plan.

“Burnsy said, ‘If there’s one thing that happens, you are not to have a fight in this series — and you are not fighting [Bob] Probert,” Clark said. “It was basically part of Burnsy’s game plan not to get involved.”

Clearly, it worked… though it didn’t apply two series later against the L.A. Kings… 1173919 Websites how all these talented NHLers think and play and just translating that into the games was huge. And I thought I did a great job of learning each day and getting better as the season went along.”

Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Nick Suzuki: 'I definitely have high The evidence was plain to see, and the reward was precious experience expectations for myself' earned killing penalties and being deployed in matchups most players his age would normally be sheltered from.

The expectation is that in leaning on that experience — and on his Eric Engels | @EricEngels maturity — Suzuki will be able to take another giant step forward as early as next season. Or this season if things resume in short order. April 21, 2020, 5:43 PM And it’s not just about what Thompson or others think about his ability to

quickly progress, but more so about what Suzuki himself thinks about his MONTREAL — So, here’s something you don’t hear every day about a potential. 20-year-old rookie — and especially not from a 35-year-old veteran of 16 “I definitely have high expectations for myself,” he said. “I’ve always professional hockey seasons. It’s the kind of thing that makes you sit up wanted to be an NHL player and be an impact one. I think there’s a lot of straight and listen closely. goals I’ve set for myself. And I’ve always been a quieter guy. I don’t say “He’s a stud,” Nate Thompson said of Nick Suzuki. “One of the reasons I too much, but I think I have a lot of potential to grow and keep getting had such a good start to the season was because of him. And yeah, I better, and I have a lot of goals and aspirations for myself and I want to played well, but he made it a lot easier for me.” make those come true. I think winning is the biggest part of that.”

Think about that. That the former OHL champion’s main goal is to be known as a winner says much about his priorities being in order. A big part of Thompson’s role with the Canadiens before he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 24 was to show a youngster like “I told every NHL team that in the combine interviews,” Suzuki said. Suzuki the ropes, to make him feel at home and comfortable with the We’d expect no less from a rookie who’s clearly well ahead of the curve. team, to give him the ins and outs of being a pro, to offer him insight on certain habits he should look to develop and insight on the competition he was facing. But here he was talking about how the kid was helping him. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020

Thompson made it clear on Sunday that what sets Suzuki apart from most 20-year-olds is how low-maintenance he is.

“His hockey IQ is off the charts,” Thompson said. “I didn’t have to tell him anything except to just play and have fun and not worry about anything anyone was saying to him.”

It’s the reason Suzuki’s the first player anyone points at to make the case the Canadiens have a bright future.

What was obvious from the start of a season that saw the London, Ont., native work his way from fourth-line winger up to second-line centre was that he processed the game at a level well beyond his years.

And then there’s this:

“He’s the best kid, too,” Thompson said. “He works his ass off and loves the game. He’s a leader and he doesn’t even know it yet.”

We’d amend that last part to say that even though Suzuki doesn’t boast it, he almost surely knows it.

He’s a mild-mannered, quiet kid. A polite, humble type who’s certainly more introverted than he is extraverted. But you can tell that underneath that steeled exterior burns a burgeoning confidence.

Suzuki showed it en route to being drafted 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017. He built on it in the immediate aftermath of being traded to the Canadiens in the deal that also brought Tomas Tatar and a 2019 second-round pick over for Max Pacioretty, and he took it to a whole other level in establishing himself as the sixth-leading scorer among NHL rookies this past season.

And It wasn’t just the 13 goals and 41 points Suzuki posted in 71 games before the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on the 2019-20 NHL season — it was the attention to detail he showed that enabled him to earn the kind of trust few rookies are given by a Stanley Cup-winning coach like Claude Julien.

It’s that attention to detail that allowed Suzuki to grow by leaps and bounds over the last six months.

“For me, I thought I developed a ton. Especially on the defensive side,” Suzuki said during a 26-minute conference call with Montreal reporters on Tuesday. “I knew that was going to be an area of something I’d have to work on and I tried to do that each day in practice getting to go up against a lot of talented players. Especially going up against Phil (Danault’s) line (with Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar) down low in the defensive zone.

“They’re so good at holding the puck and possession, and just going up against them in the defensive zone was huge for me and just learning 1173920 Websites teams, and gets dealt all the tough assignments. It took a point-per-game campaign to awaken everyone to Carlson’s excellence. He’s due.

CALDER TROPHY Sportsnet.ca / Sneak peek into a 2020 NHL Awards ballot in progress 1. Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)

2. Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox 3. Dominik Kubalik (Chicago Blackhawks) April 21, 2020, 11:23 AM 4. Mackenzie Blackwood (New Jersey Devils)

5. (New York Rangers) One aspect of the hockey-writing gig I initially battled but have learned to Flip a coin. accept is that nagging feeling of playing catchup. Makar was both my pre-season Calder prediction and my halfway There’s always a fresh game to dissect, another one to preview, and a winner, but what a joy to watch Hughes close the gap. The Canucks steady stream of news and nuggets trickling throughout the day. operate the fourth-best power play in large part because of their 20-year- At some point — be it May, August or some month in between — the old quarterback. paused 2019-20 regular season will end, and the annual call from the Hughes logs a remarkable 21:53 per night and tops the freshman class in accounting firm will come. Get your awards votes in already! assists (45), points (53) and power-play points (25). Does the fact he’s Sadly blessed with a little extra time to consider the various individual played 11 more games than the injury-tested Makar help his cause? feats of the campaign, I started a rough draft of my ballot before the days Absolutely. turn to shorts weather and we all forget how to spell “Dominik Kubalik.” Kubalik’s 30 goals are 10 more than the second-most-productive rookie Why not let you, dear reader, take a peek into a ballot in progress? sniper (Victor Olofsson). Blackwood’s work would have garnered way more praise were he stopping pucks for a team in the hunt. And the Hey, maybe you can sway a few minds in the comments. Or, even better, fantastic Mr. Fox played nearly 19 minutes a night, was a rookie-best we get a dozen more regular-season games, and the players themselves plus-22, and scored four game-winners from the back end to boot. can spoil this ballot. There are some air-tight races here…. LADY BYNG TROPHY Sign up for NHL newsletters 1. Teuvo Teravainen (Carolina Hurricanes) Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! 2. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)

HART TROPHY 3. Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres)

1. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) 4. Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)

2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) 5. Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)

3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) If there is a winner outside of the that should be crowned by his peers, it’s the Lady Byng. Watching from press boxes 4. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) often situated above the rink’s nose-bleed section, us writers can’t hear enough of the gentlemanly chatter that takes place in-game to truly 5. Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres) understand who is being the most gentlemanly of all. So, we lean on I never imagined casting a Number 1 MVP ballot for an Oiler not named what other players say about guys who are putting up a decent number Connor McDavid. I never imagined rating two players from the same of points, tally up penalty minutes, and weigh production and low PIMs team atop my Hart ballot. And yet, here we are. Although we maintain on an imperfect scale. that Draisaitl is the second-most-talented player on his own club, what Teravainen was on my ballot last season as well, and he returns to the the German accomplished over 71 games cannot be denied. top. With 63 points and just four minor penalties in 68 games, he’s one of Draisaitl’s 110 points place him 13 ahead of runner-up McDavid. His 10 the game’s unheralded nice (and talented) guys. game-winning goals co-lead the league (David Pastrnak). And when his Werenski’s 10 PIMs (and 41 points) is all the more impressive running mate missed six games in February, Draisaitl threw the boys on considering his job is to shut down the fastest scorers in the East. A rare his back and put up an astounding 12 points in McDavid’s absence. D-man vote for a trophy that’s been won by a forward 63 of the past 64 It’s scary to think where Colorado and Toronto might finish without seasons. MacKinnon and Matthews, respectively. (Outside the playoffs?) And SELKE TROPHY while I hesitate to place stars on non-playoff teams on my Hart ballot, Eichel’s excellence despite the thinnest of supporting casts deserves 1. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) recognition: 36 goals, 78 points, nine game-winners, plus-5 on a minus- 22 team. 2. Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)

NORRIS TROPHY 3. Anthony Cirelli ()

1. John Carlson (Washington Capitals) 4. Jean-Gabriel Pageau (New York Islanders)

2. Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) 5. Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers)

3. Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) I love me some Patrice Bergeron, a four-time Selke winner, but it’s time the two-way wingers get a little love in this category. Marchand rates 4. Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues) sixth among forwards in plus/minus (+22) while regularly killing penalties and shutting down the opposition’s top wingers. He’s a workhorse (19:27 5. Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes) time on ice per night, tops among all Bruins forwards) trusted in all big “The way Carlson was putting up numbers there in Washington was situations and has become smarter with age. something we hadn’t seen in a while — really since Erik Karlsson was Stone steals more pucks than any forward (78 takeaways in 65 games), doing it,” told at Noon earlier this month. “It’d and Cirelli is looking like a guy who could be on Selke ballots for the next be hard not to give it to him.” 10 years. Pageau somehow managed a plus-10 rating for a minus-52 Ultimately, we concur — even though Josi, the best Predator by 100 Ottawa team that dealt him all the tough assignments, and Couturier is miles, makes for a compelling 1B option. Carlson’s 60 assists rank fourth one of the most underrated hockey players, period. among all skaters, he scored six game-winners, plays both special NHL ALL-STAR TEAM

Centre

1. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)

2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)

Right wing

1. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)

2. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)

3. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

Left wing

1. Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)

2. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)

3. Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)

Draisaitl’s productivity, Pastrnak’s shot, and Panarin’s ability to jolt the Rangers back into relevance.

Defence

1. John Carlson (Washington Capitals)

2. Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)

3. Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)

4. Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)

5. Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes)

Copy-and-paste Norris ballot here. Hedman and Pietrangelo are as dependable as essential services. Slavin will probably retire before he gets enough love.

Goaltender

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

2. Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins)

3. Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)

Writers don’t vote on the Vezina. The GMs do. But the all-star goaltending category is where you can gauge who the keyboard jockeys would’ve picked.

Hellebuyck may be too low here for many folks’ liking, but I’m big on wins. Vasilevskiy started four fewer games than Hellebuyck and still managed four more W’s.

No Number 1 goalie posted a better save percentage than Rask (.929), whose Bruins should’ve been drained from losing the Cup in seven games but instead were on track to win the Presidents’ Trophy.

NHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Forward

1. Dominik Kubalik (Chicago Blackhawks)

2. Victor Olofsson (Buffalo Sabres)

3. Denis Gurianov (Dallas Stars)

Defence

1. Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)

2. Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)

Goaltender

1. Mackenzie Blackwood (New Jersey Devils)

Gurianov scoring 20 goals (including four game-winners) while seeing less than 13 minutes of ice per night has been one of the better under- the-radar stories of the season. Three years in the minors prepared him well.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173921 Websites eligible to get two compensatory picks at the end of the second round if the season does not resume?

Vegas also traded a second-round pick for goalie Robin Lehner, TSN.CA / NHL exploring moving Draft up to June – before season is Washington traded a second and conditional third for Brenden Dillon and completed the Islanders dealt a second-round pick and prospect for Andy Greene.

> After all of those – plus any unforeseen – complications are worked out, then the big question remaining for the NHL would be: What’s the Frank Seravalli benefit for the league and its teams to jump through these hoops?

A quick temperature check of a number of GMs on Tuesday revealed that this is a proposal that might not be universally embraced. One of the items discussed on the NHL’s biweekly General Managers conference call on Tuesday was the idea of conducting the 2020 Draft "Seems to be a lot of work for little gain," one GM said. virtually in June, before the 2019-20 season is completed, as first reported by TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun. “This makes zero sense,” another GM said. “I think it just gives you guys [the media] something to talk about.” It's just one of the options being considered, but holding the Draft in June would be unprecedented in both timing and presentation. That may be it, exactly.

No Draft has ever been conducted before the Stanley Cup has been The answer might be in the fact that the NHL could generate significant awarded, just as no Draft has ever been held over video teleconference – buzz and attention prior to puck drop on the 2019-20 season resuming in as the NFL will do on Thursday night. July, this proposal coming the week the NFL Draft is making headlines in a quiet period without sports. But technology would be far from the NHL’s biggest hurdle. It's just that limiting big Draft trades – and commissioner Gary Bettman's Because there are a myriad of complications and questions that would ability to break into a Zoom-produced web chat with a "we have a trade first need to be answered for the league’s 31 teams and the NHL Players’ to announce..." – may take a lot of the entertainment value out of it. Association: So in a year in which the Draft is already operating differently – with likely > With the season pending, how would the Draft Lottery standings be no Draft Combine, and three critical prospect viewing opportunities formulated? Would the current standings be frozen, would it be based on cancelled in the Under-18 World Championship, the CHL playoffs and points percentage or some other format, such as the 68-game rollback? – Tuesday’s proposal was met by teams with apprehension and many questions. > What would happen to draft picks with conditions attached? This isn't as complicated as you might think. Once the standings are finalized for Draft purposes and the lottery balls are drawn, then many – if not all – of the conditions will be satisfied. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2020

For instance, if the Islanders make the playoffs, then the first-round pick from the Feb. 24 trade involving Jean-Gabriel Pageau will officially belong to the Ottawa Senators. Or if the Islanders win the Draft Lottery, then the pick will become a confirmed 2021 first-round pick. Either way, the conditions are resolved. Only one 2020 pick is contingent on a team winning the Stanley Cup – but that could easily be converted to 2021.

> Could teams make trades involving current roster players? Traditionally, that player would not be eligible to play in the playoffs. That may be the biggest sticking point with the proposal with the season not completed. The days leading up to the Draft mark traditionally one of the busiest weeks for transactions on the hockey calendar.

Would deals be restricted to picks for picks? Or restricted to non-playoff clubs? Or restricted to players moving from a playoff to non-playoff team?

> Will the 2020-21 salary cap be set before the Draft is conducted? Think back to last June’s Draft in Vancouver, when the Canucks acquired J.T. Miller from Tampa Bay for a first-round pick. That trade was a mechanism for the Lightning to clear salary-cap space, the type of deal Tampa Bay and many other teams might need to revisit given the changing revenue environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking that ability away from teams might be enough to quash the proposal.

The salary cap was another item discussed on the call. As previously reported, teams were told that one potential option is for the salary cap to remain flat at $81.5 million, but that was not locked in and that all scenarios are still being explored.

> What will happen to draft picks traded before the Feb. 24 deadline? No one could have foreseen COVID-19 shutting down the NHL season, but clearly teams did not envision forfeiting assets to only enjoy the services of their rental player for two weeks.

Trades are very unlikely to be voided. Every first-round pick traded in the deadline period was for a player with term on his contract, or in the case of Pageau, was signed to a long-term extension upon arrival. The exception is Taylor Hall, who was traded on Dec. 16, and the Coyotes have played exactly as many games with Hall as they did without him.

But the Canucks have one of the more prominent cases for compensatory picks. GM Jim Benning traded two second-round picks and two prospects for true rental Tyler Toffoli on Feb. 17. Should they be 1173922 Websites finish what the group started. He may be the Leafs’ elder statesman, but Spezza's enthusiasm for the sport is hard to match.

“Hockey's not work to me. I enjoy the challenge,” Spezza said. “You go TSN.CA / Jason Spezza hopes to play on with Toronto Maple Leafs through different phases of your career, there's different challenges, and I love the day-to-day grind. The passion, I think, is what's allowed me to play this long, and [I just want] the chance to win a Stanley Cup.”

Kristen Shilton

TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2020 Jason Spezza can't say whether the 17th season of his National Hockey League career will resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Maple Leafs forward is certain he’s not ready to hang up his skates.

“I'm in it for as long as I can be so I can win a Stanley Cup,” Spezza told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “It’s something that I dreamt of as a kid, and I would love nothing more to do it here in Toronto. I definitely feel like I have game left, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be than [playing here] another year. So I do hope that it works out. I feel like we're building things with this club, and I want to be a part of it.”

Spezza, 36, signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with his hometown Leafs as a free agent on July 1, making him an UFA again this coming summer.

Even with the added downtime, Spezza insists an impending negotiation is “not where my focus is right now,” and has kept his sights trained on a strong comeback to the season, should it continue.

“The way I've approached [the pause] is we should be in better physical shape, in terms of off-ice strength,” he said. “You try to approach it like summer training, where you're just worried about building a strength base. [But since] there's nobody on the ice, the biggest challenge will be getting your game up to speed. And I think that'll take a few weeks of skating. But the reality is, it's our job to keep ourselves fit. So if that [return] period isn't as long as maybe is ideal, [we still have to be] ready to play.”

This isn’t the first time since Spezza joined the Leafs that he’s had to adjust his expectations about how the season would play out. While he had pictured himself suiting up for Toronto's home opener in October, with friends and family in attendance, former head coach Mike Babcock made him a healthy scratch instead, claiming Spezza hadn’t sufficiently mastered the penalty kill.

It was a controversial decision, especially when Spezza was playing two nights later without having worked on the kill any further at practice. But the drama didn’t derail Spezza’s perennially positive attitude about playing for the Leafs or accepting what would be asked from him going forward.

“It was obviously not the start that I envisioned,” he said, “but I just tried to have the mentality that I was just going to stay in the fight. Hockey is a game where…things happen, and your role can shift in a day. I didn't really give myself much of an option. I didn't really want to feel sorry for myself, because that leads you to the end. I was just trying to really stay in the fight and give myself an opportunity to play well when I did get in.”

Spezza wound up being a healthy scratch in 12 games before the pause, but he still produced 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in those 58 appearances, just two points shy of his total through 76 games for the Dallas Stars in 2018-19.

But Spezza’s greatest impact for the Leafs may be in his role as mentor. Toronto is still a team defined by emerging talents like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and Spezza tried to offer his younger teammates guidance and support in navigating the season’s rough spots. So far, he’s liked the results.

“I think we have a much more mature locker room at this point in time than we did at the start of the season,” Spezza said. “I think there's a lot more ownership of what's going on in the room. I think our young stars are able to have conversations with each other, with other guys on the team, that maybe they weren't comfortable having early on in the season. So as much as it sucks to go through [difficulties] as a team, and have to struggle and answer questions and build and get yourself out of losing streaks, I think, in the long run, it's something that we needed. It's not a straight line to the top for anyone."

While he’s kept up regularly with teammates during the pause, Spezza is likely more anxious than any of them to get back playing games, and 1173923 Websites "Obviously, at the end of the day, we love to play the game and the game itself is fun, but the fans are what make the game. It would definitely not be ideal. It would kind of suck, but given the circumstances, that's probably the best possible situation. So, if people are at home having TSN.CA / James Reimer advocates for exhibition games if NHL season some entertainment and taking their minds off stuff that would be an resumes awesome thing. The buildings wouldn't be as hot, and you could communicate a lot better because there wouldn't be that noise in the

background. One thing that would be unfortunate is the fans really play Mark Masters into the momentum of the game, and playoffs are all about momentum, so I think there'd be an element that would be missing to some extent. We're all competitors and we all want to win, so the overall product would be pretty decent, but fans add so much to it, so it'd be tough to miss Can I ask you about your last game? them." James Reimer thinks for a second before a smile crosses his face. What will be the biggest challenge for goalies should the season resume "Oh yeah," he said. in the middle of the summer? Will it be tougher for goalies than position players? The Carolina Hurricanes goalie last suited up on Feb. 22 in Toronto. He sustained a lower-body injury and then watched as Petr Mrazek also got "I don't know. I can't speak for forwards. For goalies, though, usually hurt, paving the way for emergency goalie David Ayres to author one of everything takes a little longer, but if you have a good training camp that the unlikeliest wins in National Hockey League history. helps. One thing I would really fight for if it's possible, you never know with these circumstances, but a couple exhibition games would be good "Honestly, it was a crazy game," Reimer said with a chuckle. "It was a for all the guys. The amount of rust on the guys would be crazy, but crazy night with a lot of confusion and trying to figure out behind the especially for goalies. A minimum of two exhibition games so each goalie scenes what was going on and what would happen. But, happy for Ayres. could get one and get in a rhythm, see the puck, get used it, I think would It was pretty storybook, pretty special." be huge. Because without that you're opening Pandora's Box a little, I There was some discussion about Reimer returning to the game, but that think." was quickly shot down. If the season resumes, you guys will have defenceman Dougie Hamilton "It didn't look like that would be the best option given what my injury back from a broken leg. What impressed you the most about the season was," Reimer recalled. "I would've been pretty laboured out there and not he was putting together? able to do too much, but we talked about it a little bit." "Just in the right spot at the right time defensively and offensively. I know Ayres allowed two early goals before settling down to help the Hurricanes guys, media and coaches, whatever, all talk about his defensive game earn a big two points and improve their standing in the tight Eastern being greatly improved from last year. Obviously, I didn't play with him Conference playoff race. last year so I can't make that comparison, but his numbers speak for themselves. He has a great shot and his shots always seem to get "We talked a bit in the second intermission, and he mentioned a few through and that's made him so successful, because we always had a things the normal fan probably wouldn't comprehend," Reimer said. "Like pretty good net presence and so if your d-man can find a way to get the how with fans in the building you can't see the puck [as well], it's different puck through and the goalie can’t see it you can take advantage. He was than practice and just different things like that. It's the little nuances of it jumping in the play and getting looks and he was burying them. He was on top of the actual game itself, so it's incredible what he did. I couldn't always able to find that spot to get a good opportunity. Defensively, same imagine playing 10 years after I retire." thing. There were so many times when he may have been close to being beat or two-on-ones and he seemed to be in the right spot, so it was a lot Carolina played inspired defence, allowing just 10 shots on Ayres, but the of fun playing with him." 42-year-old's performance was still legendary. Andrei Svechnikov pulled off the lacrosse move a couple times this Reimer has recovered from the injury and figures he only needs a couple season. Did he try that on you during practice? on-ice sessions to test it out once the quarantine period is lifted. The 32- year-old is now with his family in Kelowna, B.C., his summer base, "He's obviously a really special player and he's only going to get better as waiting out the pandemic. he gets older. He does it a lot in practice. It's funny, because as a goalie, whenever guys are fooling around you always chirp them and say, 'Do it Reimer's last game wasn't the only remarkable part of his 10th NHL in a game! Do it in a game!' And you can't say that to him now, because season. During a lengthy Zoom call on Monday night, Reimer explained he's done it twice. So I'll keep my mouth shut." how he bounced back from a tough year in Florida, outlined what goes into a Storm Surge celebration, and shared some of his favourite How hard is it to stop? moments as a Maple Leaf. "Well, he's never scored on me with that in practice. A game is so The following is an edited transcript of the interview. different than practice, because there's no noise in the building or different distractions in practice and you see the play happening and It turned out well for the Hurricanes, but do you think the emergency you're not worried about a pass in front. It's a lot different in a game and goalie rule should be changed so it's someone with a bit more experience your read might be a bit later than normal. But what makes it difficult too who is thrust into that spot? is you don't really practice making that save. You look at the second one "That's a tricky question ... I mean, in the last 10 years there's maybe he scored on [Connor Hellebuyck] and Helley looked like he was there. been three instances where a guy could've been used: Chicago [with When I looked at that goal, I don't know how I would've played it any Scott Foster] and in Toronto and when I was with Toronto and we played different and somehow it still went in. So, how do you stop it? Hopefully in Florida [Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya both got hurt] and Lu came no other guys get any ideas, because I don't want to face that." back in that one. I mean, that's three times in 10 years, so what they During the season pause, the Hurricanes are running a Twitter vote on have in place works ... and, so far, when it’s happened, guys have the best Storm Surge. Do you have a favourite from this season? stepped up and played their hearts out so good for them." "We had a couple good ones. The Halloween one was fun. When we had Covering you during your time with the Leafs, you were constantly the women's soccer team at the game and they won the [National optimistic. How are you holding up now as we experience this global Women's Soccer League] championship, we had one of their players pandemic? [Jessica McDonald] involved with the little shootout we had. It's always "That's a good question. I don't know. I think just taking stock of special when you get people involved who aren’t part of the team." everything and hoping everyone's safe and trying to make the most of You played a prominent role in the sumo wrestling one in January. Do some forced family fun, as we like to call it." you game plan for that?

If the season resumes it will likely be with no fans in the crowd. How will "Not really. Sometimes you talk about it a bit on game day and we try to that change the dynamic? bounce around a few ideas. Usually you have a general idea before the game, but sometimes they just spring it on you as we're doing the tapping with the goalie and guys are going by saying, ‘What are we doing? What are we doing?' And one of the leaders will yell it out, but usually you have an idea."

Mrazek won the sumo match pushing you down. Had you guys discussed that?

"Ahh, no comment. We were just having some fun and he took home the W."

"He has pretty high expectations for guys and the way he wants them to play and carry themselves. A lot of coaches have that, but the way he communicates that resonates with the players. He's firm and he's hard when he needs to be, but you know it comes from his heart and he's authentic about it. He doesn't really call guys out specifically too much. He gives you a lot of respect and with that comes a high expectation, so I think he does a really good job of balancing that."

After a tough season in Florida (13-12-5, .900 save percentage), you bounced back nicely this year with Carolina (14-6-2, .914 save percentage). What are you most proud of about your season?

"You know, just stopping pucks, having fun, winning games. Obviously, the season before didn't go as well as a team, Florida, as we would've liked, and my stats didn't look as great as I would've liked them to look, so there's always doubts from different people and what not. I believed in myself and knew I could stop pucks and so I had a really good summer and really fine-tuned a few things – probably more mentally than really anything else. We made strides physically, too. And then just kind of took a structured, hard, but relaxed approach to playing games and it worked out."

Monday was actually the seven-year anniversary of you guys clinching a playoff spot in that lockout-shortened season in Toronto. When you think back to your time with the Leafs, what are your top memories?

"I hope you don't want to talk about the anniversary coming up in two weeks or whenever that [Game 7] was. Obviously, clinching the playoffs was a lot of fun that year. It was one of those years where no one thought we'd be in the playoffs or win many games, so we kind of gelled as a group and came together and proved everyone wrong every night and every game. So, that was a really fun year. I think back to my first game. And even my last year with [Mike] Babcock, it was a fun year for me. I got to play. I always said it's a lot of fun to play in Toronto, especially if you're playing well. Those are some of the special memories."

TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173924 Websites fans before all sports were ultimately canceled. With the Oilers, he won five Stanley Cups, in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. Following his retirement in 1992, Gregg completed his residency training program at the . USA TODAY / Six former pro athletes-turned-medical professionals who are on frontlines of COVID-19 fight

USA TODAY LOADED: 04.22.2020

Scott Gleeson

USA TODAY Sports takes a look at six former professional athletes who are using their medical careers to fight COVID-19:

Marshall Leonard, MLS: The former New England Revolution defender traded in his soccer jersey for physician attire in the emergency room. The 39-year-old is at a New York-area hospital after completing his ER residency in 2019 at Stony Brook University. He played defender for six seasons and 63 games in the MLS from 2002-07.

"I use the analogy to sports because that’s all my life was prior to medicine,” he said on "SportsCenter" two weeks ago. "I understand very quickly in medical school and my residency, you understand what sickness is, what death is, and you see that on a daily basis, really, in your residency. At the end of the day, you all have this common goal to get somebody healthy or at least calm their nerves in a stressful time."

Mark Hamilton, MLB: The former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman is graduating a month early from medical school in (Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell). He'll start his residency in June at the ICU at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. The 35-year-old played 47 games with the Cardinals in 2010-2011.

"I could get the call tomorrow, that it's time to go in," Hamilton told The Associated Press. "I have had an incredible journey to becoming a doctor over the last four years, and not once did I think that I would find myself entering the field in a time like this."

Myron Rolle, NFL: The former Florida State standout is a third-year neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. The 33-year- old was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft and spent three years trying to make a career in the NFL before retiring in 2013 to go to medical school.

He skipped his senior season at FSU to accept a Rhodes Scholarship and spend the year studying at Oxford in pursuit of his dream: to become a brain surgeon.

Nate Hughes, NFL: The former Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver is now a first-year resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The 35-year-old graduated from medical school last year. After an All-American college football career at Alcorn State, Hughes made it on to several NFL practice squads and active rosters but a full-time football career never materialized. He took a full-time job as a nurse in 2011.

At the end of June, Hughes will move to New Jersey, where he will spend the next three years continuing his anesthesia training while completing his residency at Rutgers.

"So many people think they know so much about what’s going on, but in the grand scheme of things we really don’t know as much as we would like to know about the virus itself," Hughes told USA TODAY Sports at the beginning of the month.

Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadian Olympic ice hockey player: The four- time Olympic gold medalist started attending medical school at the University of Calgary in 2018. She was pulled from her clinical rotation as a medical student in Toronto emergency rooms as coronavirus cases grew rapidly. In Canada, medical students are not allowed to directly treat patients who have contracted COVID-19. So Wickenheiser has been assisting her certified medical professionals by gathering protective equipment for doctors, according to The New York Times. Additionally, Wickenheiser, 41, was one of the key voices to call out the International Olympic Committee for not postponing the 2020 Olympics sooner, helping the Canadian Olympic Committee to pull out of the Games before Tokyo organizers pushed them back to 2021.

Randy Gregg, NHL: The former Edmonton Oilers defenseman, 64, is now a family physician at a sports medicine practice in Edmonton, and back on a March 10 podcast he urged pro leagues to play games without 1173925 World Leagues News "It had to be done to give an extra five, six weeks to the domestic competitions to finish," he said.

"If you assess what's happening with the Belgium national team, it's that Roberto Martinez: Catastrophic if coronavirus means season is not we had a perfect qualification campaign. We were the best in completed qualification with 30 points out of 10 games. "We felt we were physically and mentally in a very good moment to go By Gareth Vincent into a big tournament. "Now that's not the next stage. We need to use the Nations League and the March campaign to try to qualify for the World Cup as preparation for Roberto Martinez: Season must be completed to avoid financial the Euros. You need to look forward and be positive." 'catastrophe' BBC Sport LOADED: 04.22.2020 Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez believes there could be "catastrophic" consequences for clubs across Europe if domestic seasons are not completed. The majority of European football is suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus epidemic. Former Everton manager Martinez says 2019-20 must be concluded, however long it takes, if clubs are to avoid severe financial problems. "I think the only solution is to finish the campaign," Martinez said. "You need to make sure that everyone is aware there is a big risk of sending big institutions, institutions of football that have been alive for over 100 years, into a very difficult financial position. That's the reality. "I think Uefa and Fifa have taken the right approach in prioritising domestic football. "International football got cancelled in the March camp, rightly so, and got cancelled in the June camp, rightly so, [and] the Euros have been postponed, just to give an opportunity to every league to find a solution with their contracts with TV rights." Martinez was speaking before the Dutch announced it was unlikely to complete the current season because of an extension of government restrictions until 1 September. Coronavirus: What is the state of play in Europe's major leagues? Belgium's top division, the Jupiler League, is also set to be cancelled despite there being just one regular-season game and play-offs to be played. But Martinez feels the Belgian approach will not work elsewhere. "The decision was to finish the campaign was because everyone accepted that, after 29 games, if you are first you deserve to win and if you are bottom you deserve to be relegated," he told BBC Sport Wales. "Other competitions, if they don't finish they will have to give the money back from TV rights and that would be catastrophic." Martinez, 46, played for and managed both Swansea City and Wigan Athletic before a three-year spell in charge at Everton. The Spaniard's focus has been the international game since he took the Belgium job in 2016, but he says football must unite to cope with coronavirus. "This is a situation where you have got an invisible enemy and we all have to be together," he added. "We all have to be responsible and we all have to have a good will to try to find a solution. "There will be different cases, as we are seeing in different federations [where] they are preparing for an option of playing with no public. "Another option is to play away, somewhere that is safe, and do it as a World Cup format. "Another is to try to extend the season. That would be very complicated unless it comes from Uefa or Fifa and they [fit in] with the Qatar World Cup in 2022. "I don't think anyone can give you the decision now because we don't know what the situation will be. We need to be safe and we need to be sane and then we can speak about football." Belgium have not played since completing their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 6-1 win over Cyprus in November 2019. Two friendlies in March were postponed because of coronavirus while the European Championship has been put back to 2021. Martinez, who led Belgium to third at the 2018 World Cup, says there was no choice but to delay Euro 2020. 1173926 World Leagues News

Conferences Petition N.C.A.A., Seeking to Cut Sports

By Danielle Allentuck

The commissioners of five college athletic conferences have asked the N.C.A.A. to relax some of its requirements because of financial problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In a joint letter to the president of the N.C.A.A., Mark Emmert, the commissioners of the American Athletic, Mountain West, Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences and Conference USA asked for temporary relief for up to four years, calling this the “direst financial crisis for higher education since at least the Great Depression.” “We felt that there were some common-sense things we would take up with the N.C.A.A,” said Mike Aresco, the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, adding later, “We are looking at worst-case scenarios.” Among their requests was for the N.C.A.A. to ease the requirement that they sponsor a minimum of 16 sports to be in the Football Bowl Subdivision. They also asked to waive the football attendance requirement, which requires colleges to average at least 15,000 people at all home football games, and to change scheduling requirements. “This collaborative request from the Group of Five is intended as the sort of creative alternative these unprecedented times demand,” Craig Thompson, the commissioner of the Mountain West, said in a statement. “The waivers of N.C.A.A. legislation would create a permissive environment, allowing each institution and conference across the Division I landscape the necessary flexibility to determine how to best proceed in making financial adjustments which are intended to preserve sports and opportunities for student-athletes.” Some universities have started cutting programs to save money, and it is likely that more will follow. The University of Cincinnati, a member of the American Athletic Conference, cut its men’s soccer team on Tuesday, stating that it needed to consider long-term budget implications. Aresco said that the team had been struggling for a long time and that the conference members had no plans to cut other sports at this time. Earlier this month, Old Dominion University, a member of Conference USA, cut its wrestling program and announced that other cost saving measures would save about $1 million. The decision was related to the findings of a study by an outside consultant before the coronavirus crisis. “Our decision became even more clear during this coronavirus crisis, which we know will have significant impact on future athletics budgets,” Camden Wood Selig, Old Dominion’s athletic director, said in a statement. “This decision will better allow the remaining sports to compete at a national level.” Both the University of Cincinnati and Old Dominion said they would honor current scholarships for affected players for the duration of their time at the school. All N.C.A.A. championships were canceled last month for the rest of the academic year, including the men’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournament. Eighty percent of the N.C.A.A.’s $1.1 billion in revenue last year came from television and marketing rights for the tournament. A portion of the money made during the tournament is distributed to conferences, and the loss of that income may be especially jarring to midmajor conferences, who do not have big television contracts to rely on.Universities are also concerned about losing student fees and donations that help fund athletic departments, Aresco said. It is not yet known if or how the coronavirus will affect fall sports, including football. “We are in uncharted territory,” Aresco said. “We are trying to anticipate issues. The financial implications are real, and we have been having to deal with those.” New York Times LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173927 World Leagues News

Coronavirus: IOC ruffles feathers

TOKYO • The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday removed a comment from its website that referred to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when discussing the financial impact of postponing the Games. The move followed objections from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee. The IOC and the Japanese government agreed last month to postpone the Games because of the coronavirus pandemic. The cost of rearranging the Games and who will shoulder it - estimated to be around US$3 billion (S$4.3 billion), according to Kyodo news agency - has yet to be determined by either the IOC or the Japanese government. However, on Monday, the IOC published a Question and Answer segment on its website about the postponement that stoked controversy. Referring to the question, "What will be the financial impact of postponing the Games?", the governing body said: "Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Japan will continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs. "For the IOC, it is already clear that this amounts to several hundred millions of dollars of additional costs." Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya yesterday took umbrage with that stance, saying it was "not appropriate for the PM's name to be quoted in this manner". He added: "What we are requesting to the IOC team is the name of the Japanese Prime Minister should not be quoted, plus the IOC's website should not express beyond what was agreed between the IOC and Tokyo 2020." The organising committee also said that the breakdown of who will pay the additional costs was not discussed between Mr Abe and IOC president Thomas Bach, when the latter made the executive decision to postpone the Games for the first time after consulting the former. Yoshihide Suga, Japan's top government spokesman, also refuted Kyodo's report which said Mr Abe had agreed to pay the additional costs resulting from the delay. The IOC later updated the Q&A section of its website and removed any mention of Mr Abe. "The IOC and the Japanese side, including the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, will continue to assess and discuss jointly the respective impacts caused by the postponement," read the updated statement. Hosting the Games as planned was expected to cost 1.35 trillion yen (S$17.3 billion), mostly covered by the organising committee and the host city of Tokyo. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173928 World Leagues News

Boise State furloughing coaches due to coronavirus pandemic

BySAM MARSDALE 13 hours ago

Boise State has just made a notable move during the coronavirus pandemic. Boise State coaches will be required to take furloughs as the university deals with funding shortfalls, according to the Idaho Statesman. The newspaper says University President Marlene Tromp emailed faculty and staff about the furloughs on Monday, saying events that have been canceled stretching into summer have contributed to nearly $10 million in losses. Per the announcement, all employees who are paid more than $40,000 a year are required to take furloughs. The Statesman says the majority of Boise State’s football coaches make more than $150,000 annually and will fall into the highest tier of furlough days at 10. Employees who are furloughed are not permitted to complete work tasks. Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson said on Monday that he is doubtful that other sports can be played if college football is not held in Fall 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, per reports. Thompson cited the overwhelming amount of revenue annually generated by football -- roughly 85 percent, according to Thomspon -- in making his prediction. "The matter of the fact is that if there's no college football this fall, there's very little likelihood there will be any other sports because 85 percent of the revenue derived in college athletics comes from the sport of football," Thompson said, according to NevadaSportsnet.com. Thompson said the MWC is still currently planning for a scheduled late- August/early-September kickoff to the 2020 college football season, but acknowledged the potential for drastic changes to come as the COVID- 19 crisis continues to evolve. Sports in North America have been on hiatus at virtually every level since mid-March. Uncertainty over when the college football season can kickoff has increased in recent days too after it was revealed that NCAA athletic commissioners are reportedly in agreement that athletics should not be played until students can return to campuses. "We're going ahead and working on those schedules and planning and anticipating the start of college football in the normal Labor Day weekend," Thompson said. "The challenge is kind of at a pause right now because both Fox and CBS have tremendous relationships with the NFL and until they figure out when they're scheduling ... there are a lot of games that could be in a very condensed fall if we're playing games in the fall."r Several schools with blue-blood programs, including Ohio State and Oklahoma, have already extended online instruction through summer courses due to the health crisis, casting doubt over programs at the very least having enough time to properly condition and train together before Labor Day weekend. As far as the current financial situation for the MWC is concerned, Thompson also said each member institution will take a hit on its 2019-20 budget in NCAA distribution but the distribution from the MWC itself should not be impacted thanks to the league's men's basketball tournament being held a week earlier than usual due to a global construction expo being held in Las Vegas, Nevada during the traditional time of the tournament. "Each of our institutions probably lost seven figures, in excess of a million dollars, by getting 37.5 center on the dollars from the NCAA revenue, from sport sponsorship, from grants-in-aid sponsor scholarships, etc.," Thompson said. "That's a huge hit. That's $1 million an institution. We were very fortunate to get our championship in." Twenty Four Seven Sports LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173929 World Leagues News announced, CA’s books are closed and the ACA believes there is little transparency, both of which were communicated by fast bowler Josh Hazlewood during, strangely, one of CA’s own recent media Coronavirus crisis exposes black hole in Cricket Australia's finances conferences. It all paints a fairly bleak picture for head office, for whom it appears one of two things are happening: its finances are either regrettably bad, which Sam Perry should be cause for great concern, or possibly we’re seeing an extraordinary negotiating position, for whom the standing down of staff is merely a tactic. In the first weeks of the pandemic, lovers of cricket in Australia might And as the imbroglio plays out, many involved in cricket’s grassroots will have concealed a little guilt. While the winter codes flailed, it appeared be left to watch on, wondering what this means, and whether or not cricket would be spared the immediate hellfire of Covid-19. And whatever cricket this summer is viable for them and their communities, now that your level of financial literacy, or your view of Cricket Australia’s long tail the music has stopped. of hawkish administration, just about everybody believed that the organisation was rich. Guardian News LOADED: 04.22.2020 However, many weeks later, long after Eddie McGuire publicly begged the AFL membership base and floated NRL Island, Australia’s summer game now appears mired among the winter codes in its financial desperation. Whereas two weeks ago there were assurances of “enough equity and agility within the business to absorb” the immediate financial impact of the coronavirus, CA has now stood down 80 per cent of its staff until July, effectively saying that unless it does so, the lights will go off in August. Chief executive Kevin Roberts said the body had already lost $20m during Covid-19 and that “hundreds of millions” more would be in jeopardy if India failed to tour this summer. On the face of it, these are the signs of an organisation in dreadful financial shape. While those wanting to comprehend the subsequent figures might be wishing they’d pursued a finance degree, you don’t need to be a PwC graduate to justifiably wonder how both cricket, and its rival codes, are in such bad shape. How does Australia, which after is the second-wealthiest nation in the world per-capita, find three, possibly four, of its most popular codes in dire straits mere weeks into the shutdown? Of course, nobody saw the pandemic coming, especially in its speed and scale. But put crudely, Cricket Australia’s poor overarching cash position has been worryingly exposed, now that the music’s stopped. As Warren Buffett put it, “only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked”. Beyond the financial technicalities of Cricket Australia’s balance sheet, it is clear we are witnessing a scenario endemic of broader, longstanding issues of governance across all sports in Australia, and the cultures that pervade. It is often forgotten that Cricket Australia is a not-for-profit organisation, receiving taxpayer funds, that administers the game on behalf of the Australian people. By extension, its constituents are entitled to wonder why a not-for-profit has tied a percentage of its reserves up in risky equities, or, why a not-for-profit was engaging with risky equities in the first place. As Peter Lalor pointed out in The Australian recently, by contrast, the AFL – long regarded as the commercial standard-bearer in Australian sport – has declared zero stock market exposure. It will be curious to learn who governed these decisions at Jolimont, and whether or not Cricket Australia was relying upon these reserves to give it a return into investment markets like equities to pay future return payments to players. Indeed, this is the other lens through which many are viewing the issue. With national contracts slated to be announced by 30 April, there is a familiar sense of disquiet brewing among the players and their representative body, the Australian Cricketers’ Association. Despite CA’s public assurances otherwise, the ACA currently remains out of the loop, and after three years of cordial relations, the players body now finds itself second-guessing Jolimont’s next move. There’s a suggestion that Cricket Australia’s dramatically altered posture may be designed to clear the path for a renegotiated player-pay deal, so purportedly parlous are the game’s finances. While the current arrangement sees the players take a share of the revenue – riding its highs and lows – some believe CA may be preparing to propose a pay cut over-and-above the existing agreement. The extent to which such a move would be a function of the pandemic or poor administration appears entirely dependent upon who you ask, and it may be too early to judge. If this is CA’s play, it would amount to staggering brinkmanship on its part. While some were initially willing to entertain the possibility of a public bluff, it would be hard to believe an organisation would sit down most of its staff in order to achieve these negotiated ends. When Roberts was asked to describe his aims for the relationship with the ACA in 2018, the term he used was “deepening”. On that note, now might be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the depth of that relationship, when the going is tough. A deep relationship might be one where he says to ACA CEO Alistair Nicholson, “Alistair, we’ve got a problem”. However, with eight days until national contracts are due to be 1173930 World Leagues News

Berlin Marathon the first major fall marathon to be altered due to coronavirus

By OlympicTalkApr 21, 2020, 2:52 PM EDT

The Berlin Marathon “will not be able to go ahead as planned” on Sept. 27 after the local government ruled events with more than 5,000 people are banned until Oct. 24. It’s not known if the World Marathon Major event, which last year had 62,444 participants across all events, will be canceled, postponed or held on the same date but with fewer than 5,000 people. “We will now deal with the consequences of the official prohibition of our events, coordinate the further steps and inform you as soon as we can,” organizers said in a Tuesday statement. The Berlin Marathon is known as the world’s fastest thanks to a pancake- flat course and, usually, optimal weather. The last seven times the men’s world record fell, it came in Berlin. Most recently, when Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge lowered it to 2:01:39 in 2018. Berlin is the first of the major fall marathons — the only one scheduled in September — and the first to be altered due to the coronavirus. The other major fall marathons are in Chicago on Oct. 11 and on Nov. 1. Major spring marathons in Boston and London, both annually held in April, were already moved to Sept. 14 and Oct. 4, respectively. On March 1, the Tokyo Marathon (also a World Marathon Major) was restricted to elite runners without the usual mass-participation race. NBC SportsLOADED: 04.22.2020 1173931 World Leagues News

Esports close to coronavirus proof

Charlie Hildebrand [email protected] 13 hrs ago

REGIONAL—While most sports and all the news surrounding them have completely stopped due to the coronavirus, one activity can be played almost as simply as before. Esports, or video games, are as close to coronavirus proof as sports can be. “All you need is proper hardware and an internet connection and you’re good to go,” said Northwestern College esports coach Cole Prescott. The 23-year-old graduated from Northwestern in May of 2019 and took the job as coach in August. Northwestern competes playing three games: “Overwatch,” “League of Legends” and “Rocket League.” The Red Raiders competed in “League of Legends” until Tuesday, April 14. “It’s changed things a bit for us,” Prescott said. “We can’t meet in our space on campus. All the students were sent home. We’ve done everything online, but we’ve still been able to compete. It’s only changed things to a degree as opposed to completely shutting them down.” Prescott added that Northwestern’s “Rocket League” and “Overwatch” teams do not have any official practices at this point. “Some of our players have continued to practice together from their own homes,” he said. Daniel Stillson, a sophomore at Central Lyon High School, competes in esports. He said that he has played games more since the coronavirus started shutting schools and businesses down. “You don’t have too much to do,” he said. “Your schoolwork is not that much, so I’m definitely playing more. You still get to talk to your friends and stuff like that while playing these games so that’s really cool also.” Stillson said he last competed in a tournament earlier this year playing “Fortnite” and is looking forward to a “Call of Duty: Warzone” tournament that starts April 25. “Playing regular games can get boring after a while, especially if you keep doing the same thing over and over in that game,” he said. “Switching it up and going to a competitive side of gaming will really be awesome. You get to feel something different instead of just playing normally.” Stillson added that playing video games online is a great way to stay connected with friends during the pandemic. “Some people were worried about students and their mental health going into this long quarantine and having to stay at home,” he said. “Most of my friends and I, we’re set. We have video games and we can talk to each other, play with each other and play with other random people.” Nationally there are even athletes who have switched to playing the video game version of their respective sport. FS1, an affiliate of FOX, aired a virtual NASCAR race in March with a field made of NASCAR drivers. The ratings were strong enough that they moved to FOX and featured commentary from FOX’s NASCAR broadcast team. ESPN broadcast a tournament of NBA players playing “NBA 2K20,” with Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns winning the tournament. “Esports is really growing during this time, which is really cool to watch because we kind of needed something to boost the esports scene,” Stillson said. Prescott said the coronavirus has shown the flexibility that esports provides. “While everything else gets shut down we still have the capability, if we so chose, to practice and compete for the most part relatively unhindered,” he said. “That’s some benefit to the flexibility that we have that our traditional counterparts don’t share as much. But whether you say that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it just is what it is with the flexibility that we have.” LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173932 World Leagues News The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed due to concerns over the danger of the coronavirus and its ability to spread Lukaku: '23 out of 25 Inter players' had Covid-19 symptoms in January North Korea cancelled the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April after imposing a border lockdown due to the level of outbreak in South Korea, where the Seoul Marathon is cancelled in a bid to protect runners. Luke Augustus The Paris half-marathon is cancelled and the French government also decided to ban all public gatherings of more than 100 people, before ordering people to stay at home from March 15 for at least 15 days. The The 2020 Olympic Games has been postponed until 2021 on March 24 - race involving some 44,000 competitors was scheduled for Sunday becoming one of the last major sporting events this summer to fall victim March 1. Organisers said the race will be postponed to a date yet to be to the coronavirus. determined. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe held a crucial conference call with The London Marathon, which had been scheduled to take place on April Olympics chief Thomas Bach on Tuesday to formally decide a plan and 26, has been postponed until October 4. Over 40,000 runners were due they have chosen to postpone for 12 months. to take part. The decision also means the Tokyo Paralympic Games will be subject to The Barcelona marathon scheduled for March 15 has been postponed a one-year delay. until October. Despite the delay, the name of the delayed Games will still be Tokyo BOXING 2020, the city's governor Yuriko Koike revealed. Olympic boxing qualifiers to be staged in Wuhan were cancelled by the A joint statement from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organising committee International Olympic Committee, but went ahead in Amman from March read: 'In the present circumstances and based on the information 3-11. provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo The IBF title fight between Daniele Scardina and Andrew Francillette in must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer Milan on February 28 was postponed by Matchroom due to restrictions in 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Italy following the outbreak. Olympic Games and the international community. The Japanese boxing commission cancelled all fight cards scheduled for 'The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a March on government advice to suspend all pending sporting fixtures. beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the They will not be rescheduled. Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce's Battle of Britain has been pushed back from April to July 'Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic The British Boxing Board of Control announced on Tuesday March 17 Games Tokyo 2020.' that all boxing events under their jurisdiction for March will be postponed due to the coronavirus. There was plenty of scepticism whether the Olympics would pull through and continue as scheduled while events linked to the games were called That decision has lead to the heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois off. The Olympic torch relay in Greece was cancelled on Friday March 13 and Joe Joyce being postponed. That fight, which had been penciled in - just a day after the flame was lit in Olympia. for April 11, has been rescheduled for July 11 at the O2 Arena. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been postponed by one year due to , who was due to fight Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of the coronavirus the all-British clash, announced on March 29 that his father had died as a result of contracting the coronavirus. Large crowds mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler as he lit the cauldron in the Greek city of Sparta despite repeated warnings for He revealed in an Instagram post that he had no underlying health issues spectators not to attend because of coronavirus. and urged everyone to stay at home. That forced the decision by the Greek Olympic Committee to halt the Matchroom Boxing has also postponed all events scheduled for March torch relay on Greek soil on just the second day of its scheduled eight- and April, including Josh Kelly's European title fight against Russia's day journey. It is the only the third time that a relay to Athens for the David Avanesyan (scheduled for March 28). summer Games has not been completed. The European Olympic boxing qualification tournament in London has The Olympic flame will still be handed over to the Tokyo 2020 organising been suspended. It was due to secure qualification for Tokyo 2020 for 77 committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Thursday March 19, male and female boxers, with 322 taking part. but without fans present. Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn has said Anthony Joshua's Athletes were told to keep training but many struggled considering the heavyweight title defence against Kubrat Pulev, which is scheduled for government lock-down measures put in place. June 20, could be rearranged for July. All Matchroom promoted fights in March and April have been postponed. On Friday March 13 US president Donald Trump's suggestion to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a year because of the coronavirus was Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders, earmarked for May in Las Vegas, immediately shot down by Japan's Olympic minister. was postponed before even being announced, however the Mexican is reportedly still planning to make the bout happen in June. 'The IOC and the organising committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement - absolutely not at all,' Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic CRICKET bronze medalist, told a news conference in Tokyo. England's tour of Sri Lanka was postponed on March 13, with the On Tuesday March 17, Kozo Tashima, one of the Japanese Olympic England and Wales Cricket Board citing 'completely unprecedented Committee's vice presidents and president of the Japanese Football times'. Association, tested positive for coronavirus. The decision was confirmed while Joe Root's side were in the field at The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organisers have stayed Colombo's P Sara Oval, contesting a warm-up game for a two-Test on message since the viral outbreak in China three months ago spread series. across Asia and then the globe: The games will open as scheduled on On March 18, the West Indies offered to host England's upcoming home July 24. Tests against them in the Caribbean instead of in the UK - should the Tokyo 2020 organisers received the Olympic flame in a scaled-down coronavirus outbreak not have improved by then. England are due to handover ceremony in the Greek capital on March 19. face the Windies in a a three-Test series, which is due to start at the Oval on June 4 but could be delayed until September. If playing the series in ATHLETICS England proves unworkable, CWI have offered to step in for this series, and also for England's three Tests against Pakistan, due to start on July The World Athletics Indoor Championships, which was due to be held 30. Although there are Covid-19 cases in the Caribbean, its impact there from March 13-15 in Nanjing, is postponed until March 2021. has been limited so far. The start of the Indian Premier League season has also been delayed sport, including Serie A games, were suspended until at least April 3 to until April 15. The 2020 campaign had been set to start on March 29. The contain the virus. IPL franchises are also ready to quarantine their foreign players for a period of 14 days, if travel restrictions are lifted to allow them to arrive. In France, it was announced on Friday 13 March that there will be no top- flight football in France for the immediate future after their governing On March 13, India's ongoing one-day international series against South body postponed all matches. Africa was postponed, while Australia's one-day internationals against New Zealand will be played behind closed doors. In Spain, April 18's Copa del Rey final between between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad has been postponed. LaLiga is also postponed until Scotland's one-day series against the United States and UAE have been the end of March at least. postponed. The games were scheduled to be played in Florida in April. Germany's Bundesliga, the other major European league, is also England’s cricketers would not play any rescheduled Test series against suspended until April 3 at least. West Indies in the Caribbean until December at the earliest, it emerged on March 19. The Dutch Eredivisie and Portugal's Primeira Liga are also suspended. CYCLING The Football Association of Ireland announced that all football under its jurisdiction will cease until March 29. Cycling's Giro d'Italia has been called off, with the race scheduled to start in Hungary in May. has been suspended for 30 days until mid-April with David Beckham's first Inter Miami home game delayed. The final two stages of the UAE Tour were cancelled after two members of staff on the race were suspected of having the disease. The South Confederation postponed this year's Copa America, due to take place from 12 June to 12 July, until 2021. Danish cyclist Michael Morkov was tested for coronavirus after being put in isolation FIFA said that the newly-expanded Club World Cup, originally scheduled to take place in China in June 2021, will be postponed and a new date The Tour de France is under threat of cancellation, with the scheduled announced when 'there is more clarity on the situation'. start in Nice taking place in just over three months, on June 27. With British and French governments anticipating that the pandemic will last On March 13, the FA announced that all of England's games scheduled until the summer, race organizers are studying alternative scheduling. for the month would be postponed, including those of development teams. It means that England's friendlies with Italy and Denmark have The Paris-Roubaix cycling race, another major event on the French been called off. sports calendar, was postponed due to the pandemic, while the April 5 Tour of Flanders, only previously cancelled during World War I, was also Euro 2020 play-off matches due to be held on March 26, including postponed in a further sign that Le Tour is under grave threat. Scotland v Israel have been put off until June. FOOTBALL Olympiakos' owner Evangelos Marinakis has tested positive for the coronavirus This summer's Euro 2020 tournament has been moved to next summer (2021) following a UEFA conference held on March 17. The Manchester United clash at Austrian side Lask was behind closed doors, postponement provides a chance for European club competitions to be with United handing out £350 to each fan to help with travel and completed. accommodation after they sold 900 tickets for the Europa League game. All football in England is suspended until at least April 30 - but the 2019- Newcastle United banned their players from shaking hands with each 20 season should eventually be completed after the FA bend their own other amid coronavirus fears. rules to extend the campaign INDEFINITELY after holding crisis talks on Cristiano Ronaldo went into isolation in Madeira after it emerged that his March 19. Juventus team-mate, Daniele Rugani, has coronavirus. Squad members The decisions to suspend follows players and staff becoming affected by Blaise Matuidi and Paolo Dybala also tested positive. the virus, or individuals self-isolating as a precaution after reporting Elsewhere in Italy, Fiorentina striker Patrick Cutrone, who is on loan from symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Wolverhampton Wanderers, tested positive for coronavirus. The Premier League has moved to cancel games following the global In Spain, 35% of Valencia's squad staff tested positive for coronavirus, outbreak of coronavius with all cases being asymptomatic. The Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, Real Madrid's first-team squad were in quarantine after a member of the scheduled for March 11, had already been postponed as a 'precautionary basketball team tested positive for Covid-19. The two teams share the measure' after Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos same training facility. Marinakis tested positive for coronavirus weeks after watching his Greek team play at the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool have announced a charity match between a Reds Legends side and Barcelona Legends, due to be played at Anfield on March 28, On March 13, UEFA announced all Champions League and Europa has been postponed. League fixtures scheduled are postponed, as well as the quarter-final draws for both competitions. UEFA hope to conclude the competitions in FIFA says it will postpone South American World Cup qualifying matches the summer but no dates are yet set. due to take place in March. Birmingham City become the first Championship side to see players take Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on March temporary 50 per cent wage cuts to ease financial pressure. 12 with the entire first-team squad being put into isolation. The Gunners' United soon followed in a bid to keep paying all of their non-football staff. game against Brighton, scheduled for Saturday March 14, has been postponed. All Chinese domestic fixtures at all levels were postponed and the season pushed back, the first football to be affected by the outbreak in In the early hours of Friday, March 13, Chelsea announced that winger the country of its origin. However, reports suggest that the league could Callum Hudson-Odoi had been diagnosed with the illness. resume on April 18 as China gets to grip with the virus. The club's first team went into self-isolation, while two buildings at their Asian Champions League matches involving Guangzhou Evergrande, training ground in Cobham were closed. Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed until April. Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester The start of the Korean K-League season is postponed. The four teams City, have sent players home to train alone following the British in the AFC Champions League are playing their matches behind closed government's increasing crackdown on mass gatherings and doors. unnecessary social contact. Japan's J-League postponed all domestic games until the middle of West Ham chief Karren Brady called for the season to be null and void March, but further delays are inevitable. while Aston Villa believe no team should be relegated. In this situation Liverpool, the runaway league leaders, could face the horror of being Ludogorets players were taking no chances after the coronavirus denied the title despite being on the brink of securing their first league outbreak in Italy trophy in nearly 30 years. Italy, the country worst hit by the virus outside China, suffered a spate of cancellations before the government put the population on lockdown. All Reports suggest football bodies across England and the rest of Europe The Japan Racing Association revealed that 'government-sanctioned are bracing themselves for a reported total shutdown of every league races' will go ahead behind closed doors. until September. Racing in Ireland attempted to take place behind closed doors starting on Top-level English and Scottish football was initially suspended until April March 29 - but that decision was changed after government cancelled all 3 at the earliest. The Football Association, the Premier League, the sporting events. English Football League, FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship all agreed to call a halt to competitive action with The Dubai World Cup meeting will go ahead on March 28 'without paid immediate effect. hospitality spectators'. All levels of English football below the National League North and South Racing Post forced to temporarily suspend publication of the flagship have been called off and voided with no promotion and relegation due to daily racing newspaper for the first time since their inception in 1986 due the calendar being decimated by the coronavirus outbreak. to all action in UK and Ireland being suspended. FORMULA ONE The Cheltenham Festival went ahead despite travel disruption caused by the virus The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was called off after a McLaren team member came down with Covid-19, leading to the British RUGBY team pulling out prior to a decision being made on whether the race This year's Six Nations will have to wait for its conclusion with all would still go ahead. remaining games postponed. The announcement came hours after Lewis Hamilton said it was England's game with Italy and Ireland's trip to France had already been 'shocking' that the race was going ahead. called off with Wales and Scotland leaving it until the day before before The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 19 was the first race to be calling off their game. postponed, with no decision over whether it will be reinserted into the Saturday, 31 October is a possible date for the final weekend of matches. 2020 calendar for later in the season. The Women's Six Nations has also been hit by postponements. The Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for March 20-22, is also called off, as is the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place Ireland's Six Nations encounter with Italy on March 7 has been in Hanoi on April 5. postponed It was hoped that the Dutch Grand Prix on May 3 would be the first race The RFU has suspended all levels of rugby in England until April 14, with of the new season but that has also been postponed due to Covid-19. the announcement coming shortly after the Premiership was halted for five weeks. The iconic Monaco Grand Prix on May 24 was cancelled for the first time in 66 years before Formula One announced their race in Azerbaijan had The quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup been postponed. have also been postponed. Those games were scheduled for April 3, 4 and 5. The Chinese GP was first to be cancelled and other races could yet follow that lead The RFL and rugby league's Super League have now followed suit and postponed all fixtures for at least three weeks. Eight Leeds Rhinos GOLF players had been confirmed to be self-isolating. On March 13, the Masters was postponed. In a statement released TENNIS online, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, emphasised that the decision makers hope to hold the championship 'at Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first time since World War II as All some later date'. The first men's major of the year was due to begin on England Club chiefs called the tournament off at an emergency meeting. April 9. It was considered impossible for the tournament to be moved back to The US PGA Championship, the second major of the year, has now later in the year, or to be played without fans, and so chiefs have pulled joined the Masters in being postponed. It had been due to take place at the plug entirely. TPC Harding Park in San Francisco from May 11-17, but has been rescheduled for later this summer. This is the first time that Wimbledon will not be staged since 1945. Only one Grand Slam has missed a year since the war, the 1986 Australian After deciding to play with no spectators from the second round of the Open, and that was for the technical reason of the date shifting forward Players Championship onwards, the PGA Tour cancelled the event from December into January. entirely after the first round on March 12. The French Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, is They also scrapped the following three events leading up to the Masters, postponed until September amid a wide lockdown in France. but after that was cancelled four further events in April and May – the RBC Heritage, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Wells Fargo The clay-court major was scheduled for May 24 to June 7, but that has Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson - also bit the dust. It is hoped shifted to September 20 to October 4, after the US Open, which was due that the season can be resumed in late May. to be the final major of the year. The European Tour have cancelled all tournaments until the popular Players have been quick to criticise the move, which has created a Made in Denmark event on May 21. Many of them were due to be held in conflict with the Laver Cup men’s team event spearheaded by Roger China or east Asia in countries badly hit by the outbreak. Federer, and a women’s tournament in China. The women's game has also been hit by postponements and All events on the ATP Tour have been suspended for six weeks. cancellations, with the year's first major, the ANA Inspiration, the highest The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California, set to start on profile casualty. March 9, was postponed at the eleventh hour. It came after a confirmed The Masters has been postponed for the first time since the Second case of the coronavirus in the nearby Coachella Valley. World War The final of an ATP Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy, between Enzo Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari were withdrawn from the Oman Couacaud and Illya Marchenko of was cancelled. Both players Open on medical grounds after Gagli showed symptoms of the virus. He received ranking points and prize money for getting to the final. They shared a hotel room with Molinari and he was told to self-isolate. They were denied the opportunity to play behind closed doors. were later reinstated to the tournament after testing negative for the China forfeited a Davis Cup tie because the men's team were unable to virus. travel to Romania for the March 6-7 play-off. HORSE RACING WTA events have also been cancelled. The WTA announced they are The Grand National was called off following new British government assessing their schedule with a number of events set for China in the restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus made it impossible to stage second half of the season. the Aintree showpiece on April 4. The Cheltenham Festival went ahead The International Tennis Federation has announced that the Fed Cup amid some criticism before the social distancing measures were finals have been postponed. The event was due to be held in Budapest tightened. in April and the competition's play-offs, which were set to take place in eight different locations, have also been placed on hold. The WTA also announced no tournaments will be staged for at least five weeks. Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first time since World War II OTHER SPORTS The NBA has been suspended indefinitely after two Utah Jazz players contracted the virus. On March 17 Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant confirmed he had tested positive for the virus alongside three unnamed team-mates. In an aid to decrease risks of exposure to the virus, the NBA had told players to avoid taking items such as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph seekers. The NHL has announced it has paused the 2019-20 season with no date confirmed for when it will resume. The UFC has cancelled its next three events, although president Dana White is still pushing ahead for the highly-anticipated lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. MotoGP have cancelled their first two races of the season in Qatar and Thailand. South Korea's baseball league cancelled all 50 pre-season game which were slated to take place from March 14-24. It is the first time since the leagues inception in 1982 that an entire set of exhibition matches are off. The first-stage draw for the Table Tennis World Championships, scheduled for South Korea from March 22-29, is postponed. A beach volleyball tournament, due to be held in Yangzhou from April 22- 26, is postponed until after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. World Short track speed skating championship in Seoul is cancelled. The World Triathlon Series event in Abu Dhabi was postponed as a precautionary measure. The Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Canada have been cancelled. All 72 pre-season baseball games in Japan are to take place behind closed doors In badminton, the German Open (March 3-8), Vietnam Open (March 24- 29) and Polish Open (March 26-29), all Olympic qualifying events, are cancelled due to 'strict health protection'. The Japanese professional baseball league made the decision to play their 72 pre-season games behind closed doors until March 15. Baseball is among the most popular sports in Japan. Doubts remain as the Asian weightlifting championships, scheduled for March, are relocated from Kazakhstan to neighbouring Uzbekistan. They could still be postponed. MAILONLINE LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173933 World Leagues News Just be wary of what you read and hear, when it comes to our major sports leagues and reported “plans” to resume play by July or August. It’s disturbing enough to consider sporting events without spectators; in this California Gov. Newsom’s coronavirus plan has grim implications for column’s opinion, they would be barely worth watching after a week’s sports in 2020 worth of novelty wears off. But neither Major League Baseball nor the NBA has come up with a believable no-fans strategy.

Last week, USA Today reported that baseball is considering a radical Bruce Jenkins April 14, 2020 Updated: April 14, 2020 8:05 p.m. solution that would divide teams into leagues in Arizona and Florida, primarily at spring training sites. Shuttling back and forth between hotels and ballparks, everyone would be constantly tested to create a climate of protection and safety. Television, a most vital element, would provide a As executives scramble for answers in the sporting world, trying to figure window to the public and much-needed revenue to the game. out when leagues and events can be staged under the cloud of COVID- 19, they’re telling us what we want to hear. The notion is flimsy to the point of recklessness. Considering that rosters would be expanded to as many 50 players, plus the influx of coaches, It’s not what we need to know. umpires, media members, team physicians and trainers, strength-and- Listen to the scientists. Trust those who make it their profession to conditioning personnel, TV crews, front-office types, doctors, understand pandemics. Gov. Gavin Newsom made it clear Tuesday, photographers, travel arrangements and hotel staff, estimates have during a news conference about his guidelines for easing statewide placed the total number as high as 5,000 people. Are we to assume that restrictions, that he understands the gravity of this crisis. they’re all healthy and stress-free? And that the general public, dealing with a shortage of tests and proper treatment, happily goes along? “The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best,” he said, “until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine. So large-scale events that “I don’t think a televised game without an audience and without fan bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers all together reaction is a great idea,” former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent told across every conceivable difference — health and otherwise — is not in ESPN. “I think it’s born in desperation. I think we ought to wait until we the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations.” can present the game in its best light.” Considering that such breakthroughs are forecast to be many months in That’s where we are: in darkness, awaiting the light. When it comes to the distance, the governor’s implication was clear: Don’t expect to be packing stadiums with energetic, carefree people, it appears the wait will attending any sporting events or concerts until next year. be interminable. Jenkins at the Masters: A collapse for the ages, memories to... Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.22.2020 For the Bay Area, that means empty stadiums if the Giants and A’s are able to stage a baseball season: no fans, only parties deemed essential to make it work. Same goes for the 49ers, despite the NFL’s prevailing business-as-usual attitude. For the Warriors, it means the likely cancellation of summertime concerts and other events at Chase Center, depriving management of revenue it was counting upon to offset the unsettling residue of a suspended season. For the PGA Championship, rescheduled for Aug. 6-9 at San Francisco’s Harding Park, it means a tournament without the roar of the crowd. “If the safest way and/or the only way is to do it without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said on SiriusXM Radio on Tuesday morning. “Obviously, that’ll change the experience, but we think the world is starved for some entertainment, and particularly in sports.” That’s the key issue: starvation. It leads to desperation and detachment from reality. Newsom’s stance seems far more plausible than what we’ve heard from the federal government, all about “getting back to normal” to restore the economy — and people’s peace of mind — as soon as possible. Nobody knows exactly what’s coming, but medical experts have made it clear that a COVID-19 vaccine is many months away, perhaps stretching into next year. Another crucial aspect is serological testing, identifying people who have had the infection but developed an immunity. Right now, that process is in the experimental stages, complete with warnings that such immunity — as is the case with other viruses — could have only a short-term existence. The New York Times recently staged a panel discussion including Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who advised the Obama administration on health policy and the Affordable Care Act. His words were stark and foreboding. “Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility. I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically, we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest.” Central to Emanuel’s claim is that viruses have a tendency to flare back up in a second wave — in this case, potentially, during the fall or early winter. A recent Chronicle piece noted that in the wake of the Spanish Flu, a devastating global pandemic that apparently had been vanquished in November 1918, a second wave arrived in January, nearly doubling the death toll. (Worldwide, that virus claimed some 50 million lives.) It’s all quite frightening, and there’s nothing wrong with an optimistic outlook. There are times throughout history when medical research bordered on the miraculous; perhaps the vaccine becomes available earlier than the experts thought. The Bay Area has been particularly impressive in following the shelter-in-place instructions and making formidable personal sacrifices for the greater cause. 1173934 World Leagues News

NBA fans can proudly wear their team’s face coverings during the coronavirus

By Joe D'Amodio | [email protected]

NBA games may be on pause because of the coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean fans aren’t thinking about pro basketball. In fact, these new NBA Gaiter Big Logo Scarfs from FOCO are on sale now and have been selling fast on FOCO.com ever since face coverings have been mandated by local governments to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They retail for $13. The scarves will keep your neck covered with lightweight, breathable material and help you represent your favorite team whenever you put it on, claims the website. They come in two sizes -- adult and youth. Scarves for all 30 NBA teams are currently in stock and on sale at the online retailer. For the two local teams -- the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets -- both scarves are neat looking and easy to wash. You can pre-order your scarf now and get them in a few weeks. These scarves are also available for NFL, NHL and MLB teams so fans can buy their favorite team’s scarf in any sport. All retail for $13. silive.com LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173935 World Leagues News

Barcelona: Sponsor to name Nou Camp for coronavirus funds

Barcelona have played at the Nou Camp since 1957 Barcelona are to give a sponsor naming rights to the Nou Camp for the first time and donate all the revenue to fighting coronavirus. Barca's stadium - which is known as Camp Nou in Catalan - has never had another name since opening in 1957. The La Liga champions have given the title rights to the Barca Foundation, who will find a sponsor for 2020-21. "Revenue will be used to fund research projects and the worldwide fight against the pandemic," the club said. "FC Barcelona and the Barca Foundation consider it a necessity that at this time of humanitarian crisis, the institution should use all its resources to fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences." Spain is one of only four countries in the world to have more than 20,000 coronavirus-related deaths to date. Barcelona did not have a shirt sponsor until 2010 when they signed a deal with the Qatar Foundation, although charity Unicef had appeared on their shirts from 2006. LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173936 World Leagues News

Cricket Australia could lose 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in coronavirus crisis

Australian Associated Press

Cricket Australia is exploring all options to ensure India tour next summer, predicting losses of hundreds of millions of dollars if Virat Kohli’s drawcards can’t do so because of the coronavirus pandemic. CA chief executive Kevin Roberts said hosting an additional Test against India, in a series possibly played in one city at a stadium without spectators, is an option. CA is also desperately examining how to host the Twenty20 World Cup slated for October and November. Playing the T20 showcase tournament in empty stadiums is being considered. “We might not generate financial returns from that event that are as significant as the international cricket season (in Australia),” Roberts told reporters in a teleconference on Tuesday. “But what we do know is that the bigger returns from the broadcast rights around the event that are generated by the ICC are very important to all of our counterparts around the cricket world. So it’s incumbent on us to do everything possible to stage and host the T20 World Cup.” CA, which has stood down most staff and warned players to brace for looming pay cuts, has already suffered a $20m hit due to Covid-19. Roberts said that figure would skyrocket should India not tour. “If you contemplate the prospect of the international season in particular being affected, we have an issue of hundreds of millions of dollars on our hands,” Roberts said. “So it’s very important that we do everything possible to stage the season. Whether or not there’s people at the venue ... we will explore all viable options. Fortunately we have a little bit of time to work through the different scenarios with the India series. But we’re not ruling out any possibility for that at this point in time.” Roberts also defended CA’s finances after standing down the majority of staff on about 20 per cent of their usual pay for the rest of the financial year, despite signing a landmark broadcast deal worth $1.2bn in 2018. Players could also soon be asked to take pay cuts. “On one level, cricket is fortunate in terms of the time of year when the coronavirus situation hit,” Roberts said. “On another level, cricket is unfortunate in that it has hit us at the lowest point of our four-year cash cycle.” In 2016, at the start of the cycle, CA had cash and investments worth about $270m - that figure had dropped to about $97m in March this year. “We were completely on track with our plan for the year until coronavirus hit,” Roberts said. “The unfortunate reality of that is we’re estimating that we have taken a $20m impact thus far. And we have to anticipate, given the unknown and fast-moving nature of this situation, that there will be more risks than that $20m.” CA would reduce operating expenses by 25 per cent in the next financial year, with state associations likely to be asked to do likewise, with Roberts saying there would be “a further plan to go deeper if need be”. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said playing all games against India at one venue should be a last resort, but if it had to happen then Adelaide Oval would be the best option. “The bowlers and batters would probably be happy with that, it’s probably been the best cricket wicket the last four or five years,” Hazlewood said. “It gives a bit to both batting and bowling, I wouldn’t mind it. It’s not ideal though. We want to get around to all parts of Australia and challenge ourselves on all those different wickets.” Guardian News LOADED: 04.22.2020 1173937 World Leagues News

Coronavirus shutdown has exposed 'inequities' of tennis: King

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Tennis great says the financial fallout from the coronavirus shutdown has exposed the unfairness of the sport and that it is important for the top players to lead the cause for change. The tennis season was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown will continue at least until mid-July, depriving lower-level players, who depend solely on tournament winnings, of the chance to earn a living. The sport’s governing bodies have joined forces to devise plans to provide relief and 12-times Grand Slam singles champion King said the sport had the chance to emerge stronger from the health crisis. “This is a good time to reset and to have one voice in the sport, which we really never had. We need that desperately,” King told the Tennis Channel. “I hope they will all work together more after the COVID-19 situation calms down. “Maybe some day, and I didn’t think it is possible, we might have a Commissioner. I don’t know. We are not the biggest sport in the world, we don’t have as much money as say soccer. So we need to stick together and everyone needs to help each other. “The thing that’s also good is it shows the inequities that go on. So this is a good time to reset and think about how we want our sport to look in the future. What can we do to make it better, stronger and more secure? “This is a really good chance to have a new normal for tennis.” While tennis is a lucrative sport for those at the top, those in the lower echelons often struggle to make ends meet. The men’s ATP, the WTA, which runs the women’s circuit, the world governing body International Tennis Federation and the organisers of the four Grand Slams have come together to work on creating an emergency relief fund. World number one Novak Djokovic has said he had been in touch with fellow men’s Player Council members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal and the players were looking to contribute collectively to assist those in the lower rankings. King said the WTA was also working on ways to provide financial relief for its players. “Some money has gone out to the players but we need to think about more,” said the 76-year-old American. “The people who have to drive that are the top players. Because they have the big box, they have the money, it’s really important for them to step up.” Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Peter Rutherford LOADED: 04.22.2020