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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 4/2/2020 Senators 1173214 Henrique scoring 30 goals, Zegras pro debut and other 1173236 turned over half of Oilers' roster in Ducks storylines we missed his first year on the job, largely for the better 1173237 closing in on a deal Russian Coyotes Artyom Zub 1173215 head coach using time off 1173238 It's starting to sound like hockey in July may be the NHL's for reflection only option 1173216 Coyotes players get nods for best nickname, funniest in 1173239 Is it time for the NHL to officially cancel the ? NHLPA poll 1173240 Four more members of the Ottawa Senators test positive 1173217 Coyotes’ Chayka, Cohen to donate part of salaries for for COVID-19 coronavirus relief 1173242 Three new Ottawa Senators players test positive for COVID-19 1173218 Boston’s top 10 athletes, No. 3: No. 4 Flyers 1173243 Flyers’ discusses season’s uncertainty and teammate who is ‘the straw that stirs the 1173219 Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner giving back to those affected by drink’ Covid-19 in Buffalo 1173244 NHL open to playing in summer because of coronavirus | 1173220 The Athletic’s Sabres fan survey is ready for you On the Fly 1173245 Flyers GM says players are working out at Flames home; hopeful NHL season will resume 1173221 Introducing The Athletic’s fan survey Penguins 1173246 Penguins can count on Brian Dumoulin, John Marino for 1173222 A letter from the future, where the Hurricanes won the Cup spark when hockey returns in 2020-something 1173247 Penguins’ Mike Sullivan: doctors, nurses, law enforcement ‘are our true heroes’ Blackhawks 1173248 Mark Madden: ’s trophy case earns respect 1173223 Toews skates around question about leadership group from peers returning 1173249 Five games, five nights: Pick one Penguins game to watch per playoff run 1173250 Inside the NHL's Sidney Crosby sweepstakes, 15 years 1173224 Analysis: How defensive ‘concentration’ became the key later to Blue Jackets’ success 1173251 Jason Mackey: Broadcaster Doc Emrick on the Pirates, staying safe and much more Stars 1173252 Penguins on pause: Evgeni Malkin bought in and bounced 1173225 Tyler Seguin on his training routine during the break, back with a big season which Stars teammate he misses most and more 1173253 Bethel Park Geno Pichora makes the best out 1173226 Stars roster review: Stephen Johns’ abbreviated season of second opportunity with Pens Elite an unquestionable success 1173254 Ron Cook: Sidney Crosby still at the top of his game. Just ask other players Red Wings 1173255 Marshall: The 1988-89 Penguins, a team that made me 1173227 There were some good surprises for Red Wings in a very fall in love with hockey disappointing season 1173256 Sharks' Stefan Noesen dealing with extra uncertainty in 1173228 Edmonton Oilers just as worried about COVID-19 as you coronavirus pandemic are 1173257 The best athlete for every uniform number: Bay Area 1173229 Edmonton Oilers have four selections for the upcoming edition NHL Entry Draft St Louis Blues 1173258 'It's a little wild over here': Pietrangelo doing triple duty 1173230 Tyler Toffoli’s return to Los Angeles and other Kings during NHL shutdown storylines we missed 1173259 Tipsheet: NHL players get creative while passing time during shutdown Devils 1173260 How does the NHL’s indefinite break affect Alex 1173231 Scouting Devils’ 2019 draft class: Cole Brady isn’t ‘sure- Pietrangelo’s contract status? fire NHL player, but he’s got potential’ 1173232 If the NJ Devils' season ended today, what would happen next? 1173261 What is social distancing like for Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh? 1173262 Need financial help? Jeff Vinik wants to make sure you 1173233 Scott Mayfield on his competitive pastimes, wedding plans know where to find it and family 1173263 In players’ poll, Lightning’s named top defenseman 1173234 The silver lining to Brendan Lemieux’s disappointing Maple Leafs Rangers season 1173264 Defensive moves: Leafs add pair of blueliners to ranks 1173235 NY Rangers questions: How do Ryan Strome and Filip 1173265 NHL notches an assist with free Future Goals online Chytil fit into the plans at ? learning program for kids 1173266 Maple Leafs sign two big blueliners to entry-level deals 1173267 Top 25 of the past 25 years: Counting down Nos. 10-1 Canucks World Leagues News 1173277 Ben Kuzma: COVID-19 places premium on family health 1173297 British Open 2020 to be canceled due to coronavirus for Canucks’ J.T. Miller pandemic 1173278 Ed Willes: An unscripted goodbye, Mad Stork landed long 1173298 How the coronavirus has hit global sport enough to win some hearts 1173299 Football still rules: Not even coronavirus will change the 1173279 COVID-19: Hope for a return leaves Canucks tickets NFL’s place in the sports hierarchy hanging in the air 1173300 NFL owner speculates on what 2020 preseason could look 1173280 Vasili Podkolzin: 'It's in our power to help people' like, how coronavirus could change training camp 1173281 Canucks at 50: First game … … ! launched Elias 1173301 Coronavirus + Sports: How Are CFB Coaches Recruiting? Pettersson’s epic Calder Trophy-winning ride How Are Prospects Maintaining Momentum? 1173282 Canucks at 50: We’ll forever talk about Pettersson’s ‘laser 1173302 Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy gets creative during beam’ first goal coronavirus pandemic with frozen pizza reviews 1173283 Introducing the Sedin Cup: Drafting all-time Canucks 1173303 Opinion: Efficient, widespread testing for coronavirus teams of the era could be key to holding 2020 NFL season on time 1173304 Media networks have paid billions for sports they won't receive this year — but the fighting for refunds hasn' 1173268 Nate Schmidt to take over NHL’s account 1173305 Coronavirus: Wimbledon canceled for first time since Thursday World War II 1173269 The gold jerseys are ready! Vegas owner Bill Foley details 1173306 Fox Sports adds Wednesday night iRacing while seasons the team’s third look are suspended for coronavirus 1173307 Oakland Athletics manager on ventilator, Capitals battling coronavirus 1173270 With a hat trick of kids, Nicklas Backstrom adjusting to life SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 as a stay-at-home dad 1173271 Backstrom open to NHL returning in summer in order to complete season 1173272 How to watch Capitals at Panthers NHL 20 simulation and Capitals at Lightning Eastern Con 1173273 With NHL season paused, a ranking of Capitals' best wins of 2019-20: No. 8 1173274 Nicklas Backstrom shares heartfelt thanks to doctors after birth of baby girl 1173275 As Ovechkin's legacy grows, even some of his fiercest rivals can't stop praising him 1173276 Nicklas Backstrom on life with a newborn: Caps group chat is all baby photos Websites 1173284 The Athletic / The 2020 NHL broadcast rankings: The best and worst markets to watch the games 1173285 The Athletic / Inside the rapid move by hockey companies to manufacture frontline medical gear 1173286 The Athletic / Duhatschek: ‘Odd Man Rush’ is the little hockey movie with big star power 1173287 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Remembering the dramatic tying goals that went to waste 1173288 The Athletic / After scaling hockey ladder together, best friends hope NHL Draft is no different 1173289 .ca / In Conversation with Ron MacLean: Gretzky, Wickenheiser relive favourite hockey moments 1173290 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' Chiasson praises young core, explains why success 'takes time' 1173291 Sportsnet.ca / Q&A: Canadiens' on taking advantage of opportunity in 1173292 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks blown away by J.T. Miller's off-ice impact 1173293 Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Some good stories in tough times 1173294 Sportsnet.ca / Five most important goals in the modern Jets era 1173295 TSN.CA / Agent says Alexander Barabanov won’t rush NHL decision 1173296 USA TODAY / Ottawa Senators reveal four more positive coronavirus tests; all have recovered 1173214 Anaheim Ducks as Henrique led them with 43 points and Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf right behind him with 42.

Rakell might have overtaken Henrique as he had seven points over a Henrique scoring 30 goals, Zegras pro debut and other Ducks storylines four-game swing right before the games stopped after reconnecting with we missed Silfverberg offensively, but the Ducks will go without a 50- player for a second consecutive season. Their high man for 2019-20 is a long way from when Rakell led them with 69 points in 2017-18. By Eric Stephens Apr 1, 2020 3. Gibson finishing a rough year on a strong note … again

This was another year where John Gibson didn’t put up the kind of If things were what we’re used to expecting and counting on within the numbers he is capable of producing. Since he started living up to the sports world, the Ducks would have just finished their final extended road great fanfare at the end of the 2013-14 season, Gibson’s 3.00 goals- trip and started preparing for a home game against Dallas. against average and .904 save percentage are his worst over his seven years with the Ducks. His .904 tied for 35th with the Kings’ Jonathan Perhaps would have been on the Honda Center ice trying to Quick among goalies with at least 30 appearances, while the 3.00 GAA get under the skin of his former teammates instead of basking in the tied for 36th with San Jose’s Martin Jones. And his 20 wins are the adulation from them and an appreciative crowd as he stood in a suite on fewest since he became Anaheim’s undisputed No. 1 netminder. his return to Anaheim. But this game would have carried far greater meaning for the Stars than the hosts. A groin injury kept Gibson sidelined for Anaheim’s final three games, but it wasn’t expected to knock him out for much longer. He was pitching a To think about what might have been with the Ducks wouldn’t include against Toronto when he got hurt in the third period, and he wondering the possibilities of who their first-round playoff opponent might ended a difficult 2018-19 on a strong note by going 8-1-0/2.45/.929 over be. This would be the final week of the NHL regular season, but the his final nine starts. global concern over the coronavirus has put all of sports on hold. This week for Anaheim would be about playing out its final three games, with 4. Miller getting a shot at passing The Dominator players trying to leave a positive final impression on the organization and ending another disappointing season on a high note. If Gibson wasn’t able to return so quickly, that would have provided Ryan Miller several other opportunities to pull the one-time Buffalo star closer The only importance the final week could have had is where the Ducks to another Sabres legend for career wins, if not surpass him. Miller’s final finished in the overall league standings and the position they sat in for an start was a winning one as he made 40 saves in a 5-2 victory over NHL Draft lottery that’s also on indefinite postponement. Even if the Ottawa. It gave him 387 victories — 29 of them coming with Anaheim — league does resume the 2019-20 season at some point, it is probable and it put him just two behind Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek. that Anaheim has already played its final game if teams went straight into postseason play. Now, Hasek didn’t become a full-fledged NHL starter until age 29 and has six Vezina trophies to Miller’s one. But Miller has had a fine career of But there are things we missed seeing when it comes to what was his own that would have been quite a name to move past on the path to possible over the last few weeks besides the games themselves. Trust 400 wins. There is a slim chance that he gets there next season — me, we miss the games no matter the level of importance. However, provided he feels he has one more year in him. there are the developments and stories that could have happened along with who won and lost on the scoreboard. 5. Previewing next season’s blue line

What might have been for the Ducks? Here are 10 things that fall along Anaheim ended with a lot of bodies within its defense corps. Three of those lines. them — Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Erik Gudbranson — were still shelved because of injuries while the Ducks were putting six others Games missed out on the ice. Bob Murray said it was highly unlikely that Lindholm would have been back this season as he dealt with March 14 at Los Angeles multiple upper-body injuries, but the return of Fowler and Gudbranson March 15 vs. Montreal along with the re-insertion of Josh Manson after an injury would have given head coach Dallas Eakins a chance to start sorting out what his March 18 vs. Boston group for next season might look like.

March 20 vs. Vancouver Christian Djoos certainly made a nice impression in his nine contests since coming to the Ducks in a trade from Washington. Jacob Larsson March 23 at Edmonton improved from February on. was steady all season. March 25 at Calgary And Eakins was getting a good look at Matt Irwin and Jani Hakanpää. The fact that Brendan Guhle couldn’t stay up in Anaheim is a bit March 28 at Vancouver disconcerting, but the Ducks do have a lot to choose from for 2020-21. Don’t forget that they also traded for Joel Persson and Axel Andersson March 29 at Edmonton while also having farmhands Josh Mahura and Simon Benoit. The first 1. There’s a 30-goal scorer among them thing is deciding who they want to retain as Djoos, Del Zotto, Larsson, Irwin and Persson all need new contracts. Adam Henrique was headed in that direction. A stretch of six goals in six games from Feb. 16-25 pushed the veteran center up to 24 goals. He’d 6. Hakanpää further establishing himself score again in a win over Toronto and then get credit for his 26th goal Speaking of Hakanpää, the big Finn was one of the nicer stories for the when his score from the Feb. 11 postponed game against St. Louis Ducks as he finally played in his first NHL game at age 27 after being counted for the rescheduled contest right before the league shut down. unable to crack the St. Louis defense and returning home for a few Considering that he played in every game for Anaheim this season and seasons. His struggles adapting back to the league were readily was averaging 2.4 shots per game, Henrique could have put 26 shots on apparent in training camp, and that got him a ticket back to the AHL for net over his final 11 contests. Factor him scoring on 15.4 percent of his most of the year. shots and that comes out to four goals. That would have given the Ducks But when the Ducks called him up, it was also apparent that Hakanpää a 30-goal scorer after going without one in 2018-19. (Jakob Silfverberg really worked on his game down in and improved dramatically led them with 24 last season). from September. He was supposed to have challenged for a roster spot 2. Fifty-point player … which isn’t so nifty back then, but his five games in March might have shown that he can keep pace with the NHL game. He scored his first goal against St. Louis Having a 50-point scorer is no great achievement in an NHL where as the hiatus came at an inopportune time. “You never know how long it’s offense continues to creep upward. (Seventeen teams averaged three going to last, so just trying to soak it all in,” Hakanpää said. goals or more, but Anaheim was 29th with 2.56 per game). But the Ducks had three players within a nice finishing kick of getting to that milestone 7. Chemistry exams for Heinen, Milano to pass — or fail Murray made a series of moves at the Feb. 24 trade deadline to rework the look of his club. Part of that was to inject more and skill into the lineup, and the acquisitions of Danton Heinen and Sonny Milano were at the center of that. Two young forwards that had seemed to stall with their clubs were getting another chance to make a larger impact and become more consistent with their games.

Milano had a big debut game with Anaheim as he scored twice, including the winner to defeat Edmonton. He cooled off, but Heinen heated up with three goals in his nine games with the Ducks. Perhaps the bigger thing was Eakins appeared to settle on having the two operate as the wings for Getzlaf. It has often been a struggle to find the right complements for the playmaking center. Milano remains an unknown, but Heinen seemed to be settling in as a potential fit.

8. San Diego making the AHL playoffs

The Gulls not only got into the playoffs during the spring of 2019, but they also made it all the way to the Western Conference finals, where they lost to the . The run helped pave the way for players like Larsson, Sam Steel and to take further steps forward with the Ducks this season. Another AHL postseason could have benefitted some of Anaheim’s best prospects.

At the time of the AHL stoppage, San Diego — with taking over the coaching role from the promoted Eakins — sat in fourth pace in the Pacific Division with 11 games remaining. The top four teams qualify. The division race was tight as first-place Tucson had a three-point edge on and was only seven up on the Gulls. Meanwhile, was only four points back of San Diego. Three meetings remained in what’s become one of the AHL’s fiercest rivalries. A fascinating race might resume this summer, but it’s doubtful.

9. Zegras making his pro debut

Any opportunity for Trevor Zegras to play for the Ducks — or, more likely, the Gulls — before this season ended was essentially shuttered due to the sports world dealing with the current pandemic. Otherwise, Trevor Zegras, Anaheim’s 2019 first-round pick, might have signed right after his freshman season at Boston University ended, which could have been two weekends ago if the Terriers were eliminated from the quarterfinals.

The plan would have been for Zegras to join up with San Diego and start cutting his teeth at the pro level while also possibly aiding the Gulls in their playoff push. Murray recently used the example of Zach Werenski, who went from a terrific sophomore season at Michigan right to the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and used a strong Calder Cup playoff as a springboard to the Columbus lineup the next season.

10. Terry ending his season full of confidence

It seemed a bit surprising when the Ducks sent Troy Terry back to the Gulls at the NHL trade deadline and left the right wing with them, particularly when the 22-year-old had assists in five games out of an eight-game stretch and another game where he had a personal high of nine shots on goal and was generally showing himself to be a more assertive player in the offensive end.

The message in his reassignment was to take the lead on the Gulls and dominate the AHL on a would-be playoff march. Terry did end with a flourish as he factored in all four San Diego goals — scoring twice and assisting on two others — in a 4-2 victory over first-place Tucson. He also had two goals in a Feb. 29 overtime win at San Jose. This would be the second straight season where the chance for him to play some hockey in a pressurized climate that is postseason hockey would be lost.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173215 Arizona Coyotes "And, to be honest, (I'll miss) my routine. You're at the rink at 8 o'clock and having meetings. I think we won't be taking that for granted. I know I won't take it for granted anymore."

Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet using time off for reflection Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.02.2020

Richard Morin, Arizona Republic Published 1:39 p.m. MT April 1, 2020 | Updated 4:24 p.m. MT April 1, 2020

Exit day came early this year.

Chores generally reserved for the end of the season have occupied Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet while he waits out the NHL's season pause in self-isolation in his Scottsdale home.

Among other things, Tocchet has spent his time watching video, virtually communicating with coaches, and reflecting on what went wrong in the Coyotes 2019-20 season that still had about 15% of the schedule remaining before the season was suspended.

Speaking to reporters in a conference call on Wednesday, Tocchet said the suspension of the season has afforded him extra time to dissect issues within his team, such as why the Coyotes went 14-17 after occupying first place in the Pacific Division as recently as Jan. 15.

"I took my computer out four days ago and started watching video again," Tocchet said. "Us coaches are going to get together via Zoom and just ask some of those questions, like what happened (with our season). What could we have done better? How could we be better coaches? What can we do better in practice? How could we have been better in the last 6-7 weeks?

"These are the questions where I think that it's important to do it now rather than waiting until you go back playing. ... I think this is a good exercise for the members of our organization so we can keep our minds moving, keep the juices flowing."

Tocchet said he and his staff are planning to conduct individual meetings with players next week, measures not usually taken until after the season. Still, having some extra time to self-reflect could yield some positive results for the Coyotes, who are currently searching for answers on the outside of the playoff picture.

When asked which return-to-play format Tocchet would defer, the player- turned-coach was indifferent. He said he had talked to at least one coach of a team currently in playoff position who said he preferred moving directly to playoffs when the season resumes.

Tocchet said he would be fine with whichever solution the NHL reaches.

"I have no problem," Tocchet said, "if we start and they just say, 'Whoever is in the playoffs, is in the playoffs.' You know, 70 games is a good sample size. The only thing I'd be bummed out about, to be honest with you, is that we have eight or nine home games to finish the season.

"We kind of went through a terrible schedule and had to eat it a little bit and I kind of thought this part of the schedule would be in our favor. That's the only thing that would suck, is if we didn't have a chance to get back into it."

The isolation period has also come with a lot of down time for Tocchet, who has taken up rollerblading as well as working out in his makeshift garage gym. He's also spent some time watching popular Netflix shows such as Ozark and Tiger King.

"It took me a while to get through the first episode," Tocchet said of the latter show. "I think everybody is kind of like, 'What is this?' but then you're hooked. You want to see what happens at the end?

The third-year coach misses the routine of everyday life, such as daily walks to Starbucks, frequenting his favorite restaurants and, of course, interacting in person with players, coaches, family and friends.

If there is one thing Tocchet is sure about when it comes to an eventual return to normalcy, it will be not taking those simple pleasures for granted.

"It's just the day-to-day stuff," Tocchet said. "You just spend five minutes with certain people and talk about life. You're not seeing those type of people, and then obviously there's the players. You miss the players, the coaches, the organization. I think it's more the contact with people that I'm going to miss. 1173216 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes players get nods for best nickname, funniest in NHLPA poll

BY MATT LAYMAN APRIL 1, 2020 AT 11:49 AM

There may not be any better way to get the unfiltered opinions of NHL players about their sport than by polling them anonymously.

The NHL Players Association does that on an annual basis and the latest NHLPA player poll has been released.

Among many questions presented, the players voted on which one of their peers is the best forward in the NHL. Unsurprisingly, the answer was Connor McDavid. But some Arizona Coyotes appeared in the voting results of other questions, which spanned topics ranging from arenas to nicknames to mascots and more.

Who is the funniest player in the NHL? Current Coyotes forward finished fourth in the voting for that, getting 4.73% of the responses. Former Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle, now with the , won that vote by a wide margin with 17.98% of the vote.

Players were asked who has the best nickname in the league. Christian Fischer was fourth (2.69%) with the nickname “Stinky.” Thomas “Tuna” Tatar won the vote.

Former Coyotes forward Nick Cousins was among the leading vote- getters in a negative category: The league’s worst trash-talker. He got 5.61% of the vote, while Boston’s Brad Marchand led at 10%.

The Coyotes’ mascot, Howler was tied for second place with Nashville’s Gnash at 2.80%, but that was a very distance second; Philadelphia’s got 69.72% of the vote.

Another former Coyote, forward Max Domi, finished fourth place as the best follow on social media.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173217 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes’ Chayka, Cohen to donate part of salaries for coronavirus relief

BY MATT LAYMAN APRIL 1, 2020 AT 6:04 AM

The Arizona Coyotes announced on Tuesday that GM John Chayka and CEO Ahron Cohen would each donate 20% of their salaries to support the Arizona Coronavirus Relief Fund and other non-profits.

A start and end date wasn’t given, but the measure was described as happening “over the coming months.”

The Coyotes already announced they would pay a significant portion of what would otherwise be lost wages for employees adversely affected by the suspension of games. The NHL announced earlier in March that the season was put on pause indefinitely.

“We were just fortunate to … be able to make that commitment to Arizona,” Chayka told reporters in a video call on Tuesday. “Obviously we’re a hockey team, but we’re a community asset. It’s tough for everybody. We really respect the frontline workers that are dealing with this war as it comes through.

“We wanted to do whatever we could to help the state of Arizona.”

The Arizona Coronavirus Relief Fund intends exists to give financial support to organizations that work to mitigate the adverse effects of the deadly pandemic that has swept across the world. The fund focuses on protective equipment for medical personnel and providing resources to Arizona’s most vulnerable.

“Arizona has been our team’s home for nearly 25 years and this community has rallied around the Coyotes in good times and bad,” Cohen said in a statement. “In a moment of such critical need, my wife Dana and I feel compelled to do what we can as a family to help our Arizona family. As a business leader, a husband, a father and an Arizonan, I see this as our privilege and responsibility to help support the people of this great State. I know we will make it through this challenge as a result of all of us Arizonans rallying together.”

The Star newspaper in Toronto reported Tuesday that the 14 Wendy’s restaurant stores Chayka and his wife Kathryn co-own in Ontario would donate and deliver 1,000 or more meals to those who are on the front lines trying to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173218 Boston Bruins The Bruins’ playoff drought reached eight seasons in Orr’s rookie year (1966-67). The Big, Bad Bruins made the postseason in each of his nine remaining seasons in Boston and twice won the Stanley Cup (1970, Boston’s top 10 athletes, No. 3: No. 4 Bobby Orr 1972).

His 10th season was limited to 10 games by a knee injury. In the other nine with the Bruins he won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), the By TOM KEEGAN | April 1, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. Norris Trophy (NHL’s top defenseman) eight seasons in a row, the (MVP of Stanley Cup playoffs) twice. He remains the only

defenseman to win the Ross Trophy, given to the NHL’s leader in points, He would get to Bobby Orr’s flying Superman goal, his rare pain and he won it twice. tolerance, phenomenal stamina, speed and skill, but first former Bruins Orr single-handedly made it OK for defensemen to stray from home. center thought it important to shine the spotlight on the Rare is the athlete who can change the way the game is played to the person, not the hockey player. extent Orr did. “I had a friend of mine one time, he was sharing custody of his son, one Stamina? of those deals,” Sanderson said by phone from Needham, where he is shuttered in place, playing keep-away from COVID-19. “It was his turn to They didn’t track time on ice in Orr’s day. have his son and he was a hockey fan, 8 years old, maybe 9.” “That T.O.I., now you’re a superstar if you get 26 minutes,” Sanderson Sanderson introduced him to Orr. said. “Bobby would play on average 38, 40 minutes. He would put that stick across his knees for 10 seconds and he’d recover. That’s all he Orr: “Hey, you a hockey player?” needed, 10 seconds.” Boy: “No.” Tough? Orr: “You like watching?” “No one I know could handle pain like him,” Sanderson said. “Took Boy: “Yeah, yeah, I like watching.” nothing for it. He’d soldier up. His knees were constantly in pain. He’d be white he was in so much pain.” Orr: “Ever been to a game?” Ready to play? Boy: “No, I’ve never been to a game.” “He showed up at 10 o’clock and prepared all day for a night game,” Orr: “Well, we’ll have to get you to a game. How many tickets would you Sanderson said. “A gross of his Victoriaville sticks would come in and like?” he’d pick out four or five of them and they’d sell the rest in the pro shop. If it had Bobby Orr’s name on it, it was gone. The trainer would yell, Sanderson said there were no freebies then. The players had to pay for ‘Bobby, your sticks came in.’ And it was a ritual for Bobby. He’d put his every ticket. Orr and Sanderson watched as the boy paused, went skates on, wouldn’t tie them, and he’d find four or five sticks out of 144 through his roster of friends in his head, and said: that felt right. He’d stand up and test the reach, the lie, the feel.” “Fourteen.” Then the game started, and when Orr’s teammates weren’t on the ice “I said, ‘14?’ and I looked at his father,” Sanderson said. “I looked at with him, they were the same as everyone else at the Garden in that they Bobby, and Bobby never batted an eye. He said, ‘OK, you got ’em.’ The couldn’t take their eyes off of No. 4. father came up to me after and said, ‘I know Bobby’s just being nice. I “Every , Johnny McKenzie would say, ‘OK, Bob, show us something.’ know he can’t leave him 14 tickets.’ I said, ‘Don’t be surprised if he does.’ And then he’d show us something we’d never seen,” Sanderson said. “I Bobby got him 14 tickets for an afternoon game. He didn’t want him call them bench moments. We’d look at each other on the bench and being out on a school night. That’s Bobby. That’s how Bobby is.” say, ‘Can you believe he just did that?’ ” Sanderson, 73, has known Orr, 72, for just shy of 60 years. In the Sanderson had no trouble believing that Orr scored the winning goal that summer, they live on the same Cape Cod golf course and compete he assisted in overtime as the Bruins completed their sweep of the Blues against each other. in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. Sanderson grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Orr grew up in the small “I knew he was going to give it to me on a give and go,” Sanderson said. Ontario town of Parry Sound, 213 miles north of Niagara Falls. “He did it all the time.” “The first time I saw Bobby he was 14 years old and we were at some Credit one of the Blues with an assist for the famous photo that kind of tryout camp,” Sanderson said. “Oh my God, Bobby was lightning blossomed into an 800-pound bronze statue outside of the Garden. in a bottle. I learned quicker than anyone, don’t try to take the puck off him. I never saw anyone take the puck off of him. He’s just uncanny. You “Noel Picard tripped him,” Sanderson said. “Bobby had his hands up to cannot try to take the puck off of him. No, not unless you want him to cheer and was still gliding past Picard, and he moved his feet and pulled make a fool of you.” them out from under him. Noel, thank you very much for that snapshot.”

That skill came in handy killing penalties. Orr looked like the fastest kid Boston Herald LOADED: 04.02.2020 on the block playing keep-away with the entire neighborhood chasing him. YouTube it. But first, prepare to be blown away.

Ed Westfall and Sanderson, who had a knack for scoring short-handed goals and could rag the puck with the best, were noted as two of the NHL’s best -killers.

“Eddie Westfall would go to the chalkboard and say here’s what we do and here’s how we do it,” Sanderson said. “Then he asked me what I would do. I’d say: ‘Give the puck to Bobby.’ ”

Viewing highlights of Orr sends the mind pinballing through a kaleidoscope of all-time great athletes. Everyone else hits play and Orr’s a human fast-forward button on skates.

He’s Barry Sanders darting and dashing through traffic. He’s as fast as Ali, as willing as Frazier to put himself in harm’s way, weaving with such speed and grace up the middle of the ice, hockey’s militarized zone.

He had Hondo’s wind, Russell’s eagerness to block shots, Bird’s eyes-in- the-back-of-the-head passing skills. 1173219 Buffalo Sabres though she is currently on paid leave while caring for his father, Bob, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.

“I am so thankful to all those medical professionals that are on the front Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner giving back to those affected by Covid-19 in lines taking care of our community in the battle against this virus,” Eichel Buffalo said. “The dedication to that they continue to show is incredible. I am happy to work with my friends at Bauer to purchase these masks. Hopefully, they will help play a part in keeping our hospital By Lance Lysowski Published Wed, Apr 1, 2020|Updated Wed, Apr 1, workers safer and healthier.” 2020 Buffalo News LOADED: 04.02.2020

Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres are using their platform to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Western New York.

Eichel, the Sabres' 23-year-old , partnered with the hockey manufacturing company Bauer to donate 5,000 protective shields to Buffalo area hospitals. Skinner, meanwhile, announced Wednesday on his Instagram account that he is donating $53,000 to a fund created by Pegula Sports and Entertainment to help frontline health care workers and others affected by the coronavirus in Western New York.

The contributions come one week after PSE announced its initial $1.2 million donation to Covid-19 related causes in the area. Sabres players also partnered with PSE and the Buffalo Sabres Foundation to pay for any lost wages encountered by part-time arena employees if the NHL cancels the remainder of its regular season.

"I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe at home," Skinner said on an Instagram post Wednesday. "I know unfortunately not everyone is able to stay home during these difficult times. I want to say thank you to all of our hospital workers that are on the frontlines helping to care for all of those that have been affected by the virus. I'm proud to join my teammates in support of Kim and 's efforts towards helping out our Western New York community. I'm donating $53,000 to the fund they created that will go towards helping health care workers and organizations that will provide food to those in need."

Eichel, a Bauer-sponsored athlete, told reporters during a conference call Monday that hockey is currently on the "back burner" for him as the public health crisis has overwhelmed health care systems around the globe.

In response to hospital supply shortages in North America, Bauer announced last week it was dedicating its resources to produce medical shields. Its facility reportedly received orders for more than one million units in approximately 48 hours.

The shields provide total facial protection by covering the eyes and are designed to be worn with a regular medical mask over the nose and mouth. Bauer does not expect to profit from temporarily dedicating its facilities to producing the personal protective devices.

The face shields for Canadian orders are being produced at Bauer’s facility in Blainville, Quebec, and at the Cascade facility in Liverpool, N.Y., for orders in the .

“We're all on the same team in helping our medical professionals get the necessary protective equipment they need to help in the fight against Covid-19,” said, Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer Hockey's VP of Global Marketing, in a news release. “Nurses, doctors and so many others are risking their own health to save the lives of others. These are the true heroes of coronavirus.

"Our team was eager to step up and do what we can, just like Jack is stepping up to help his community in Buffalo. We're grateful for this partnership with Jack and the Buffalo Sabres, and we hope others continue to help because we all need to support our families, friends and neighbors right now.”

However, overwhelming demand for the shields caused the company to temporarily suspend the intake of new orders. Bauer has made its manufacturing and design instructions available to the public in hopes that another company is able to make the shields.

Brian's Custom Goalie Equipment and Vaughn Custom Sports, both prominent hockey equipment manufacturers, have dedicated their resources to making medical gowns.

Eichel has scored a career-high 36 goals during his fifth NHL season. His mother, Anne, works in ambulatory surgery at Boston Medical Center, 1173220 Buffalo Sabres

The Athletic’s Sabres fan survey is ready for you

By John Vogl Apr 1, 2020

The one constant through the Sabres’ 50 years has been the passion of the fans.

You stood and chanted, “Thank you, Sabres,” in the opening years at the Aud. You jumped with Mike Foligno and fought alongside . You shook hands with Gilbert Perreault and Pat LaFontaine, bought jerseys of Ryan Miller and Jack Eichel. You camped overnight for playoff tickets and fiercely debated The Tank. This season, you showed love on opening night and unleashed anger when everything went wrong.

Through good times and bad, you’ve let Buffalo and the world know how you feel.

Here’s another chance. With a pause in the action, we’d love to know your opinion on everything from the Stanley Cup to ownership to uniforms to broadcasters to all-time favorite players. I’ll tabulate the answers, break down the results and let everyone know what’s on the minds of Sabres fans.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173221 Calgary Flames

Introducing The Athletic’s Calgary Flames fan survey

By Scott Cruickshank Apr 1, 2020

Having mainlined “Tiger King,” churned through the new season of “Ozark,” digested the final and 1,079th page of “Infinite Jest,” alphabetized your Blu-Ray collection of musicals and crammed down an expired packet of Craisins from the back of the cupboard, you are ready.

It’s time.

Let us know what you really think about the state of the Flames. As the NHL pauses, the Calgary bureau of The Athletic is itching to hear.

The following survey is wide-ranging, seeking your input about past, present and future editions of the team.

There is even a catch-all option at the very bottom for random gusts of opinion.

Surely, new episodes or not, the adventures of Carrie Mathison on “Homeland” can wait.

So here you go … it’s The Athletic’s Calgary Flames fan survey. Submit your answers before April 8.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173222 Carolina Hurricanes New Jersey bar in the middle of the week in the middle of a day that should’ve been a game day. I looked up at a TV telling me that the NHL season was canceled, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The A letter from the future, where the Hurricanes won the Cup in 2020- remainder of what should’ve been that season was tough for players, something media and fans every day.

For many of us, the game we love is our most reliable escape from reality. Then all of a sudden, something terrible was happening in reality By Sara Civian Apr 1, 2020 on a worldwide scale and we didn’t even have hockey.

But remember that day we finally got it back? No one took a shift for granted. No call or Tripp Tracy joke was left My social distancing masochism has manifested in the Teamworks app. unappreciated. I even started tweeting the lines. Popular with various sports teams and invented in our backyard by former Duke offensive linesman Zach Maurides, Teamworks used to be Those first few months returning to normalcy were the weirdest the place I’d go to plan my day-to-day life. Today, it’s where I go to combination of awkwardness and elation, but they happened — wonder what would’ve been. It’s one of the only things that hasn’t sometimes in the days without hockey, it felt like they wouldn’t. Hamilton changed since the coronavirus crisis emerged, and I check it out of returned from his injury good as new, a Norris contender since. muscle memory every morning. Remember that Petr Mrazek shutout the first game back? We all know Monday would’ve been a noon practice at Raleigh Center Ice. Will we how he thrives on emotion, and he kept that up to sign an extension. He ever go there again? led the Canes to the Cup his way, and it looked like this…

Tuesday: 10:30 a.m.: Morning skate at PNC Arena The coronavirus crisis didn’t change the fact that this Hurricanes team was just heating up. Now, Martin Necas is coming into his own as a 7 p.m.: Canes vs. Boston second-line center. Competent power plays are the norm. It’s the same That would’ve been the third-to-last game of the regular season. It’s likely spirit, though — Rod Brind’Amour one-liners and Brock McGinn penalty we’d have known by then where the Hurricanes stood, and based on kills haven’t gone away. their recent trajectory, it’s likely they’d have been in a playoff position. At Assistant coach Justin Williams is constantly chasing his kids around the very least, they’d be in the fight. PNC Arena. The season being canceled stinks all around, but it’s especially bad for a I can’t claim to know exactly when the Hurricanes will win their next Cup, small-market team known to make a deep playoff run and disappear for a but there are two things I’m absolutely sure of: few years. It might seem like hockey will never return. But it will, and there are good days ahead for the Carolina Hurricanes. 1. The best is yet to come.

June, 2020-something: I know you’re used to a world in which the 2. You don’t want to miss that tailgate. Cardiac Canes make you wait until the last week of the regular season to see if they qualify for the playoffs. The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020

This is a different world now, in ways much more important than our little CanesWorld. But our little CanesWorld is also quite different.

Captain Sebastian Aho still remembers how it felt when the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the coronavirus crisis. It stung at first — it stung hard. He was two goals from hitting the 40-goal mark for the first time in his career, to become the third player in franchise history to do so. More importantly to him, the Hurricanes were in a playoff spot in the most competitive division after some tough breaks and bad bounces. They’d seemed to figure it out.

That was the sting.

Still, sometimes Aho thinks about that situation now, in 2020-something, and laughs because the third player in Hurricanes history to put up a 40- goal season exists now.

It isn’t him.

Andrei Svechnikov — whose ceiling still hasn’t appeared — beat him to it in 2020-2021.

Yeah, goal No. 40 was a Michigan. Aho still gives Svechnikov grief for that, and he became the fourth in 2021-22.

Both Hurricanes stars have always thrived off competition, and the way they have served the Canes since 2019-20 — Aho’s complete game, Svechnikov’s “it factor” — has been a complementary one-two punch potent enough to win this 2020-something Stanley Cup.

There’s also the consistency of Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin — those are three players who haven’t changed a bit, and that proved for the better. On the Cup-clinching play, Teravainen had a wide-open shooting lane.

Naturally, he passed it.

Dougie Hamilton, fresh off a well-deserved monster contract, buried it.

All of that is why this group of Hurricanes is both exactly the same and totally different. They kept the same spirit as that 2019-20 team, but this year they stopped making you guess so much.

It’s strange to look back on that shortened 2020 season, and how fast everything went down. I know I’ll never forget sitting in some random 1173223 But I mean that's what the game's all about. So at this point, the fans are missing it, we're missing it and obviously we want life to go back to what we're used to.

Toews skates around question about leadership group returning Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.02.2020

Jonathan Toews

Stan Bowman's coming back next season. So is .

As is the rest of the Blackhawks' leadership group.

Team owner said as much in two separate March interviews, and Hawks captain was asked for his thoughts on the subject during a 30-minute video conference produced by the NHL Tuesday afternoon.

(Earlier requests to speak with Wirtz, Bowman, Colliton or team president John McDonough were denied.)

Toews deftly deked the question, saying it's up to the leadership group to get the most out of themselves and the most out of the group. He continued by talking about how injuries to veterans like Calvin de Haan, and Brent Seabrook "definitely hurt us."

Toews then struck an optimistic tone by adding: "We've got some young players that are learning and getting better really quickly. We showed a lot of signs this year -- even if we weren't sitting in a playoff spot right now -- that we're right on the edge.

"I mean we had (a lead) over St. Louis in their own building, but we found ways to blow it. It's just that experience in playing against the top teams and getting back to that level ... to be a playoff contender."

The second part of the NHL's video conference Q&A with Toews, St. Louis' and Nashville's Roman Josi concludes today with three hockey-related questions.

Q: With no team facilities available, how are you working out?

Pietrangelo: The hardest part for me is the unknown of when we're actually going to start. You're trying to train as if you're going to play, but nobody really knows what's going to happen. So you're not trying to overdo it and you're trying to take a break.

It's more just a timeline we need just so we can figure out what's going to happen -- whether it's play or not.

Toews: The season just turned on a dime just like that (after the Hawks beat San Jose on March 11). ... (I) didn't have that motivation the first four or five days. Since then (I've) kind of gotten back (to) riding the bike and thinking, 'Hey, at some point this has to wrap up. We've got to go back to our normal lives.' Just not sure when that is. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later.

Q: How are you keeping your teams together?

Toews, smiling: I can't really mention too much with what's going on with the group chat(s). But there's some pretty popular memes that you guys have probably seen and those are definitely going around. A couple laughs with guys trying to entertain themselves.

Q: What is the thing you miss the least about playing against the other two guys on this call:

Pietrangelo: Well, (Josi) seems like he's always scoring against us. ... And Johnny's just a pain in the (butt) to play against. I battled a lot with these two guys, more so Johnny because he's a forward. We've had a lot of battles. He's a pain.

But you know what? You've got to welcome those battles. I think right now we miss those battles. We could probably use a few of those battles against each other.

Toews: I remember being on the same team as (Pietrangelo) in Toronto for the World Cup. (I had) to stand in front of the net one time and he's letting one rip and I thought it was aimed right at my chin. But somehow it whistled right by my chin, top shelf. ...

Like Alex said, there's some great battles in the corners and all over the ice. We've had some great playoff series against each other over the years too and there's been some hatred. 1173224 Columbus Blue Jackets Canuck player flings the puck across the ice, the Columbus defenseman is easily able to gap up and regain possession.”

Neutral zone play Analysis: How defensive ‘concentration’ became the key to Blue Jackets’ success And the focus on owning the middle of the ice continues in the neutral zone.

“We’re focused on clearing out the middle the whole time, honestly,” By Alison Lukan Apr 1, 2020 Zach Werenski said. “Even on our reloads, we’re reloading through the middle, keeping teams to the outside. We don’t want plays to go east- west, we want to keep teams on the boards, make them put pucks in and Going into this season, not many had the Blue Jackets as a playoff for us to go get them. I think it’s a full 200-foot mentality. Keep teams on contender. But when the NHL season hit pause due to the COVID-19 the outside and clog up the middle on them.” pandemic, Columbus was sitting in a wild card spot, and it was in large part due to a harkening back to a key element of the team’s success in Again in the neutral zone, forwards are asked to be aggressive backed sweeping Tampa Bay in last year’s playoffs: defensive focus. by defensemen who are staying up closer to play. That provides a safety net for forwards to know that there’s another layer of prevention behind “We have certainly had a different conscious and a different them as they challenge for possession. ‘concentration’ is the word I think I’ve used,” said. “We are playing differently than we played last year, we knew we’re going to Watch in this clip as the Foligno assertively challenges the play and the be playing differently when camp started than last year.” forwards push the Canucks’ transition to the right. Ryan MacInnis uses his stick to prevent a pass to the middle, and when the puck launches And Tortorella’s team was up to the task. According to Evolving Hockey, into the neutral zone, Ryan Murray is there to gain possession and in five-on-five play through March 11, Columbus allowed the third-lowest transition to offense. rate of shot quality (2.08 expected goals against per 60) and the fifth-best goals against (2.09 per 60) in the league. Defensive zone play

How did the Blue Jackets do it? Of course, the most commonly thought of area of the ice when it comes to defense is a team’s own zone, and the Blue Jackets have played Columbus adhered to two key tenants of Tortorella’s scheme — staying remarkably there, as well. above the puck (as it had done so successfully against Tampa) and clearing out the middle of the ice — that needed to be effective in all This heat map from Hockey Viz shows all unblocked shot attempts three zones of the ice against Columbus this season. Blue marks areas where shots happen at a rate below league average, red indicates areas above. The darker the Let’s examine how those ideas became reality. color, the greater the difference.

Forechecking and offensive zone play So little is coming from the middle of the ice and opponents basically just can’t get to the front of the net. Staying above the puck means that when your opponent has the puck and looks to attempt to move up the ice he sees a Blue Jackets barrier “We want to push teams wide and make them shoot from the outside, not as opposed to seeing free ice. It’s a responsibility that falls primarily to give them the middle of the ice,” Werenski said. “Obviously, it’s the most the forward group and enables what captain describes as a dangerous part of the ice so as defensemen, and as a team, we want to “three quarter ice game:” pressuring opponents from the moment they keep teams on the outside and at the perimeter. Our goal is to keep gain possession in their own zone. It demands aggressiveness and teams to the outside and limit their scoring chances from the middle. discipline, but it works. “We want to keep teams on one side of the ice and make them play “It’s amazing how many times you end up keeping pucks in,” Foligno there. There’s a lot of traffic when that happens, a lot of congestion and I said. “When you get to that (three quarter ice game) it just frustrates think things … it makes things tough on the opponent to start making teams and we know what it feels like for us if your D feel like they’re plays when that happens.” constantly going back and getting hit or never getting past the red line. So when you can play that game, it just wears teams down and then the It’s not about direct X’s and O’s — it’s about a mindset of reading plays energy starts to come in.” and adhering to the core theories that Tortorella and his staff have put in place, or “strategy before structure” as Ferris has described. Watch here how Riley Nash executes a one-man forecheck against Florida disrupting the Panthers’ possession multiple times. The play below isn’t something you can prepare for, but Columbus executes well defensively against it. “The biggest thing for us is to realize how important we are as forwards to not only continue the forecheck but also to put ourselves in position The puck goes up in the air and lands with the point player. We see that if there is a breakdown (opponents) still looking at a four-man front or Jenner take the high forward that the Canucks have and take away the three-man front,” Foligno said. “They’re not getting an odd-man rush. passing lane to him before he pressures the point. Then there is That’s what really drains you. We’re forechecking with a purpose to be essentially a wedge down low, so when the puck moves there, the third above the puck a little bit more, and the middle of the ice is so crucial, so man can activate and keep the play to the outside. it’s how you’re getting there how you’re putting people in place in case “A lot of this just comes down to execution,” Ferris said. “Every team there’s a breakdown.” wants to keep the opponent to the outside, but that is easier said than About that … done. You need your centers to be committed to supporting the puck, your wingers fully aware of what is going on down low, protecting the slot Clear out the middle and pressuring the points when need be, and not losing puck battles cleanly. You won’t win every puck battle, but if you can stall plays, you Tortorella didn’t hesitate when asked if there are areas of the ice he may be able to prevent 2-on-1s that lead to chances.” wants his team to shut down defensively. And once the Blue Jackets stop their opponent, they are successful at “I don’t know how many times I’ve drawn lines like a 10-year-old down getting the puck, maintaining possession and getting out of their zone through that rink from post to post,” Tortorella said. “It’s been a very and on the offensive attack. important part of us having an opportunity to stay in the game at certain times when we struggle and also generate offense off of it.” According to Money Puck, Columbus has the third-lowest rate of defensive zone giveaways in the league this season. That focus on the middle is visible in all elements of play, starting with the forecheck. And according to data tracked by Corey Sznajder, Columbus has been at or above league average in key measures of transitioning the puck out of Look at this image from the March 8 game in Vancouver. Three Blue its own zone. Jackets have aligned to force the puck carrier to the edge of the ice. Goaltending “The F1 angled the play to the left, and now we are in this condensed position,” Hockey Graphs’ systems analyst Shawn Ferris said. “When the And then there’s the last line of defense, the . Part of the Blue Jackets’ reasoning for their style of play was to allow two young netminders in and Elvis Merzlikins to find their footing.

The two have not only done their job stopping pucks, they’ve also controlled the pucks they’ve seen. In the chart below, the x-axis measures how many rebounds per 60 minutes of play each of this year’s goaltenders has allowed — the farther to the left, the more rebounds given up. The y-axis shows expected rebounds approximating how dangerous shots against a goaltender were. The higher on the chart a goaler places, the greater degree of difficulty.

We see that while Merzlikins faced a heavier workload, both he and Korpisalo excelled at not producing too many rebounds — limiting chances against that much more. From the top of the roster to the bottom, every player has been doing their part to keep opponents from scoring.

The secret sauce

When it’s all said and done, there were no specific formations or set plays that were driving the Blue Jackets success. They knew what they had to do, and more often than not, they executed it well. Players were making the right reads, sticking to the tenants of keeping play out of the middle, and staying above the puck.

“Stick positioning, angling, et cetera is not some breathtaking skill,” Ferris said. “Anyone can do it. (For it to succeed,) it takes a commitment to one another.”

That’s Tortorella view as well. He chuckled a bit when reflecting on how things came together. He knows it’s “coach’s speak,” but the message he kept trying to instill in his players was one of “playing as a team.” There was no “Safe is Death” mantra, but the one word players and coaches kept coming back to was “belief.”

“Our group has believed in ourselves,” Foligno said. “Contradictory to what everyone thought of our group as the season started. I think we just we believe in ourselves and what we have in that room and we’re excited to show it. It’s been fun to be in the thick of it. … I think it’s given us a belief of how we have played, how we need to play and the group we have. It just goes to show you that when you play as a team and you have that culture, that understanding, that you just want to pitch in and help everybody along, you can get a lot done.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173225

Tyler Seguin on his training routine during the break, which Stars teammate he misses most and more

By Matthew DeFranks 12:00 PM on Apr 1, 2020

With the NHL season currently suspended because of the coronavirus, Stars’ Tyler Seguin took over the league’s Instagram account recently to answer some fan questions about what he’s been up to during the break and more. Here are some of the highlights.

On his training routine...

Seguin: “My gym routine right now is actually pretty good. I’m fortunate to have a setup where I am. So I talked to my trainer back in Toronto and kind of did a hybrid training routine. So it’s early in the morning and I’m kind of pretending like hockey’s going to start in a couple months. I’m looking at it like summer. There’s phase one that I’m doing like I would do in the offseason, phase two would be more heavy weights and phase three would be cardio.”

If he could relive any NHL game he’s ever played in, it would be...

Seguin: “It would definitely be in Vancouver, my first year when we [the Boston Bruins] won a Stanley Cup. It was all happening so fast and it was obviously my rookie year. I wish I could go back and maybe soak it in a little bit more or understand the complete worth of the Stanley Cup. Because back then you kind of think it’s going to happen every year.”

On the shows he’s currently binge-watching...

Seguin: “The show I’m currently binge-watching is ’StartUp’ and because of all the hype, I’m going to start “Tiger King” tonight.”

On if pineapples belong on pizza...

Seguin: “I’m going to say no just because I am actually allergic to pineapple.”

This video of Tyler Seguin singing Taylor Swift is what the world needs right now. #GoStars

(via @NHL's Instagram) pic.twitter.com/PjJdsXwylZ

— SportsDay Stars (@DMN_stars) April 1, 2020

On the teammate he misses most...

Seguin: “The teammate I miss the most right now is probably Alex Radulov, hey Rads. Just because he’s a funny guy and he’s always got something going on."

On what hobbies he’s picked up while in quarantine...

Seguin: “I don’t know if I’d say I picked up new hobbies or skills, but I’ve definitely elaborated on my cooking skills. I really started cooking this past summer and it’s been a really long process, but I’ve become in love with it.”

On where his next tattoo will be...

Seguin: “My next tattoo is going to be on the left side of my chest.”

If he could have any superpower, it would be...

Seguin: “It’d probably be invisibility because I saw “The Invisible Man” movie two nights ago and couldn’t sleep well, so probably that.”

On if he speaks Russian...

Seguin: “No I do not really speak Russian, but I know many words thanks to the Russians on our team. But I’m pretty sure they’re all negative.”

On why he chose to have labs...

Seguin: “Because of my childhood. We had a lab when I was really young and I always just loved them. I always envisioned getting one dog when I got a little older. I got my first dog when I was, I want to say 20. Maybe a little young. I’m 28 now and got three, so who knows how many more.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173226 Dallas Stars Feb. 8th: The Stars have a lot of diverse talent among their defensemen, including physical hitters like Roman Polak. But nobody in the group brings the physicality and swag that Johns does.

Stars roster review: Stephen Johns’ abbreviated season an In St. Louis, Zach Sanford had the puck in the Stars zone. Johns came in unquestionable success from the side, hardly in any kind of launch position, and flattened Sanford on the spot.

By Saad Yousuf Apr 1, 2020 Of his 50 hits this season, this one might take the cake. The Stars eventually went on to win the game 3-2 in overtime. Against a team as physical as the Blues, those plays go a long way in setting the tone and sending a message that the game won’t be dictated on their terms. Johns As we go through this series, analyzing how each Stars player measured missed the Feb. 29th game in St. Louis, which the Stars lost 4-3. up to expectations coming into the season, Stephen Johns is the lone Watching those games just three weeks apart, Johns’ absence was player who finds himself in a unique position: There are no preseason glaring in the latter. expectations to refer to. Sure, there was always a possibility that he could return to the ice for the Stars, but when, how and what it would look Feb. 16th: Johns’ other goal didn’t have the same emotional element as like was hardly a thought. the former, but looked pretty similar. Against the Ottawa Senators, Tyler Seguin won the faceoff in the offensive zone, and the puck trickled back It blossomed into a reality on Jan. 11th down in Cedar Park, when he to Heiskanen. He simply shuffled the puck back to Johns on the blue line, played pro hockey for the first time in over 22 months during a who unleashed a fierce one-timer to the left corner of the net. conditioning stint with the . Things got very real a week later when he made his season debut in on Jan. 18th. It was a big goal at the time, helping Dallas tie things up 2-2 in the first period. However, the Stars went on to lose the game 4-3 in overtime. Johns’ season is an unqualified success. While that may have held true just by his mere presence on the ice, Johns quickly developed into a Feb. 11th: One of Johns’ three assists this season spurred a difference-maker for the Stars. He fortified the second defensive pairing, hat trick. On Feb. 11th Stars played a rare February home game against actualizing the top four that the Stars organization was excited about in Carolina. About eight minutes into the game, the Stars found themselves 2018 along with Esa Lindell, John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen. His with a 4-on-2 rush. Heiskanen brought the puck into the offensive zone, return to hockey was the Stars’ big trade deadline acquisition. and the play developed slowly enough that it became a 4-on-3 by the time Heiskanen left the puck back for Johns. His entire season spanned seven weeks and featured some bumps and bruises. Johns’ debut came in the final game heading into the All-Star From the far right, Johns found a way to get the puck through three break. He was in and out of the lineup early as the Stars managed his Canes defenders and Denis Gurianov to find Benn on the left side, who workload to build him up gradually into NHL shape. While he came out of tapped it in for the opening goal of the game. the gate with physicality and confidence, there were parts of his game that were rusty. Then, there was a brief three-game absence in late To fully appreciate Johns on this one, you have to look at the complete February as he dealt with an upper-body injury, unrelated to his past play from the start. By the time Heiskanen made the play in the Stars’ post-traumatic headaches. zone to flip the puck toward the blue line, Johns was the Stars player furthest back on the ice. The slow development helped, but seven All in all, if this is it for the NHL regular season, Johns scored a couple of seconds later, Johns was up the ice and recognized exactly the play that goals, had three assists, 50 hits and 20 blocks in 17 games. His average was forming. He looped behind Heiskanen to receive the puck and dish time on ice was 17:40, right around where it’s been his entire NHL to Benn. career. The Stars went on to win the game 4-1. Most important play After returning from his upper-body injury, Johns was part of a team that There’s no question that Johns’ most important play of the season came was reeling and had lost four straight with him and six consecutive in New York on Feb. 3rd. After an explosive first period, the Stars and games overall. However, the Stars defense was mostly doing its job in Rangers were tied 2-2. Nearly half of the second period had gone by those losses with Johns, giving up just one regulation goal in two of those when carried the puck out and passed to Johns at the games, two goals in the other and had one game with four goals allowed. blue line. Without hesitation, Johns unleashed a rocket one-timer and found the net for his first goal in almost two years. Most importantly, though, Johns was on a path of steady improvement. While his season is a feel-good story overall, Johns was just playing Here’s a look at the freeze-frame of what Johns had in front of him before hockey once again. Merely a few months ago, he was considered a blasting the puck off his stick: bonus piece. Since then, he became an essential part of the Stars puzzle. He was somebody Dallas would depend on to make plays during The goal broke a 2-2 tie in a game the Stars ended up winning 5-3, so it a playoff run, and that will still be the case if the NHL season resumes. If was big for the team. But this moment was huge for Johns. Returning to not, Johns should finish this season with the Masterton Trophy and high the ice was an emotional accomplishment, but scoring a goal was the hopes heading into next season. culmination of everything he had worked for. It was a moment that not too long ago, Johns didn’t know would ever happen for him again. The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 “I waited a long time, thought about never possibly doing that again,” Johns said after the game. “And helping this team at a crucial moment in the game, I just couldn’t be happier.”

To make things even sweeter, Johns’ parents, Ray and Noreen, were in attendance that day. Johns’ full comments on-camera in the aftermath of that game are still worth watching in its entirety.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TWEETS THAT DOESN'T NEED AN IN- DEPTH CAPTION. JUST LISTEN.

WHAT A GOAL, MOMENT, GAME, AND NIGHT FOR STEPHEN JOHNS #GOSTARS | @DALLASSTARS PIC.TWITTER.COM/OLT0IKWYVS

— FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST (@FOXSPORTSSW) FEBRUARY 4, 2020

Other important plays 1173227 unrestricted free agent, Howard, 36, could be fighting to extend his career.

Frans Nielsen: You can’t underestimate Nielsen’s value in the locker There were some good surprises for Red Wings in a very disappointing room, and the professionalism he exhibits off the ice. But his on-ice season production simply wasn’t good enough (four goals, nine points) for a player with a $5.25 million cap hit through the 2021-22 season.

Brendan Perlini: This Yzerman acquisition might come back to haunt him. Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 3:24 p.m. ET April 1, 2020 Perlini had one goal in 39 games, and was invisible most nights, while prospect Alec Regula, who the Wings traded to Chicago for Perlini, led

Ontario League defensemen with 27 goals. A restricted free agent, it's Detroit – You look at the 17-49-5 record, and there couldn’t have been not a sure thing the Wings will bring Perlini back. many positives derived from this Red Wings’ season. Detroit News LOADED: 04.02.2020 It was one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

Jonathan Bernier

And, as could be expected, the list of players having bad seasons was long. Too many players performed below expectations, and the Wings’ record reflected that.

But here’s something to think about: There were some players who pulled off better-than-expected seasons.

To be sure, that list is short. But there were some surprises that gave the Wings some hope going forward.

With the NHL regular season paused because of the coronavirus pandemic, let’s review some of the surprises and disappointments of the Wings’ season.

Surprises

Jonathan Bernier: The first six weeks or so were a little uneven, but from about December on, Bernier was arguably the Wings’ most valuable player. With Jimmy Howard never getting into any rhythm, Bernier took over the No. 1 role and thrived with increased playing time. Depending on what’s done in the offseason, Bernier appears to be the No. 1 goalie going forward.

Tyler Bertuzzi

Tyler Bertuzzi: If Bernier wasn’t the Wings’ MVP, then it would have to be Bertuzzi. He was the Wings’ representative at the All-Star Game, and deservedly so. Bertuzzi led the team with 21 goals, and his 48 points only trailed (53). Bertuzzi can play in a variety of roles and his consistency has been admirable.

Alex Biega: He was a shrewd acquisition by general manager early in the season. Biega outperformed expectations, getting into 49 games, and becoming a dependable third-pairing defenseman. He got a one-year contract extension and he earned it.

Robby Fabbri: Another good Yzerman trade, as Fabbri scored 14 goals, with 31 points, and provided the Wings with a quality top-six forward. When Fabbri plays with an edge, he boosts his effectiveness to another level.

Darren Helm: Many detractors on social media aren’t going to buy it, but Helm was one of the Wings’ best players this season. For the bulk of the season he was a plus player (plus-minus rating) before dropping to his current minus-6, and on this team that is astonishing, as the Wings were a minus-122 in goal differential. He also remains an effective penalty killer.

Justin Abdelkader

Disappointments

Justin Abdelkader: Another subpar season for a veteran forward whose future in the organization is uncertain. Abdelkader had no goals while playing 49 games and was losing his spot in the lineup. At age 33, there’s been severe regression in performance the last two seasons.

Adam Erne: Acquired from Tampa last summer, the Wings hoped Erne would flourish with a bigger opportunity in Detroit. But it never happened. Erne only had two goals in 56 games – both in same game – and struggled to earn ice time.

Jimmy Howard: Simply put, the bottom fell out. It was just a miserable season all the way around, with Howard possessing a 2-23-2 record and a ghastly 4.20 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. An 1173228 Edmonton Oilers Now, the playoffs seem to be drifting away from everyone and no amount of money or fame can do anything to stop it.

“From my point of view, I hope our team gets a chance to go and play,” Edmonton Oilers just as worried about COVID-19 as you are said Chiasson. “I think we’ve earned that as a team. We’ve played some good hockey.”

Playing hockey again will mean that life is getting back to normal, which Robert Tychkowski is all anyone wants right now.

“Hopefully, when this is all over, sports in general will be good for the community and fans in North America and around the world.” With the COVID-19 crisis bringing the NHL to a halt, there is still a tendency to view hockey players as athletes more than people, focusing Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.02.2020 on how they’re staying in shape, when their season might start and what this means to their playoff chances.

In realty, they are still human beings like the rest of us, with the same fears and concerns that we have.

Granted, they don’t have to stress about making the rent or being laid off, or having to commute into the office because they can’t work from home, but they have parents and children to worry about and, like everyone else on the planet, have no idea what the world is going to look like on the other side of this.

“It’s a tough period for everyone in the community and really around the world,” said Edmonton Oilers forward , speaking on a media conference call Wednesday.

“I like to think I’m in good health, but for me the biggest thing is my close family, my grandma, my mom and dad.

“My parents are healthy, they’re doing well, but the biggest message I tried to get across was this COVID-19 could really impact them. I was protective of my mom and dad, making sure they stay at home. I know it’s not easy, but limit their trips to grocery stores or other things they used to be doing.

“We’re hockey players, but we’re also human beings. You want everyone around you to stay healthy. That’s what’s important for me.”

Chaisson and his family decided to ride out the storm here in Edmonton where they feel safest. He’s glad he’s in right now, where the situation is still unnerving, but nowhere near as dire yet as some of the other places in the world.

The eastern United States is spiralling out of control and it doesn’t seem long before a seemingly untenable situation infects the rest of that country.

“With everything that is going on we decided this was the best place to stay,” he said. “If anything happened to us, we felt we’d be well taken care of by the team. That was really important for us.”

Chiasson and his family are doing their best to observe the social distancing requirements put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 and urges everyone else to do their, part, too.

“Obviously life is a lot different, we’re staying home as much as we can,” he said. “I’m not a medical expert, I get the news as everyone else does. We do what we’re being told. We’re trying to limit our exposure outside or in grocery stores.

“I think that’s the biggest thing — everyone can chip in. It’s not just because we’re an athlete or (celebrity), it’s everybody. The community has to buy in to what’s going on. The sooner we do that, the better it’s going to get. This is much bigger than hockey.”

Chiasson is also just like everyone else in Edmonton when he thinks about the hockey aspect of this story, how the timing of the NHL shutdown couldn’t have been worse. The Oilers seemed right on the verge of shaking off their troubled recent history and creating a new identity. And now they’ve done this season might be washed away like it never happened.

“It took a little bit of time to mesh together and figure out where and how everybody fit,” he said. “We had some ups and downs, but it felt like the team was really coming along in the last month.

“The biggest thing we learned as team is we were able to play in tight games, whether we were up one or down a goal or two, we found a way that we were capable of playing. That’s a good indication of a team that’s going the right direction. We made some great steps this year, we battled hard. I thought we were prepared to be a good playoff team.” 1173229 Edmonton Oilers “He’s talented, but talent alone doesn’t mean you’ll be an NHL player. He’s got ability, you can see that, but Robbie Shremp had ability, too. I think there’ll be better players there when Oilers are picking.”

Edmonton Oilers have four selections for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft – Russian Rodion Amirov (Salavat Ufa), who was on the Russian Hlinka- Gretzky team that played here in 2018:

“Big left-winger. He didn’t get a lot of traction (ice time) when he was in Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal the KHL. He’s weighty, he gets in around the net and knows how to score, knows how to play with good players. I like him better than

Gunler.” Whenever they hold the NHL, draft possibly on a video conference call, – Slovak winger Martin Chromiak (Kingston): the Edmonton Oilers will be picking deep into the first-round — 21st if you go off win percentage at stoppage of NHL play March 11. “Really powerful, great skater, fast, aggressive the way he attacks the net. He did really well playing with Shane Wright this year, and vice- And you can expect them to take a winger in almost in every round, versa. although at present they might only have four selections (first, fifth, sixth and seventh), which means general manager Ken Holland needs to do – Czech Jan Mysak (Hamilton): some dealing to maybe move back in round one in a trade to get two seconds. Or trade Jesse Puljujarvi’s rights for more picks. “Another really, good player who can play wing or centre. Both Mysak and Chromiak weren’t getting any traction back home in their leagues “The reality is we’ll take lots of forwards, probably heavy on wingers. and coming to the CHL was an opportunity to show their games to the Maybe we could draft a centre because we’re going to need some down scouts.” the road in the three-and four-hole,” said Holland, whose club took defenceman Philip Broberg first in 2019 and Evan Bouchard first in 2018. – left-winger Jake Neighbours, 70 points as a 17- year-old: The Oilers also have former third- and fourth-rounders Dmitri Samorukov and William Lagesson knocking on the defence door. “I like his effort and enthusiasm and he’s smart and for me he’s not a No. 1 line winger. He’s a slider who can move up or down from second or They have no second-rounder this summer because they gave it to third line. Neighbours offers more edge than Tyler Benson and Benson is Detroit in the Andreas Athanasiou trade Feb. 24 and no fourth because more of a complete player.” that went to the Red Wings for defenceman Mike Green. – German J.J Peterka (Munich): They might not have to give up their third to Calgary, which seemed a slam-dunk in the -for- deal, but if the NHL doesn’t “I like another German Lukas Reichel (Berlin), too, but Peterka’s better. get up and running with league games and just goes to playoffs, Neal is He’s smart.” at 19 goals. He needs 21, also having 10 more goals than Lucic, who has – Swedish left-winger Daniel Torgersson (Frolunda): eight. “Long, rangy, he scores.” “This one’s a good draft (deep through the first two rounds). You need a couple of players out of every draft to make your team … no matter the Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.02.2020 position. We got Bear and Jones on defence in 2015 and Kailer Yamamoto in 2017, three important players for us,” said Holland. “If you’re going to be good for a long time you have to draft good.

“The focus is always on the first-round, but the reality is you have to find players deeper,” the GM added. “That 2015 draft was outstanding for the Oilers. Connor, of course, but Jones and Bear and (John) Marino in the sixth round, who we ended up trading to Pittsburgh. Unbelievable, great work by the scouts to get Jones, Bear and Marino in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Every now and then you need one of those drafts if you’re going to be a good team.”

Holland knows he needs a second-rounder this year.

“We were focused on making the playoffs and make some noise so gave it up for Athanasiou. My experience is this: When you’re trying to win it’s harder to acquire draft picks, when you’re building for the future it’s easy to add them. In Detroit, I traded away Tomas Tatar and (Gustav) Nyquist and you’re getting second and thirds back, but with this Oiler roster, the time is now, we’re trying to win,” said Holland.

“In Detroit when we were winning, I would trade back in the first round to get two seconds. One year we traded from 18 to 20 in round one with San Jose and by going back two picks we got an extra second and we chose Tyler Bertuzzi.”

“In the last year here, I’ve traded a third-rounder (2020) to get Neal, a second this year and next to get Athanasiou, a fourth for Green this year, a fifth next year for Tyler Ennis. I can’t keep doing that. But on the short- term, our team had played hard and at the trade deadline I wanted to send a message that we’re trying to win,” Holland added.

“My job is to acquire extra picks for the scouts. If you want to draft good, you need extra picks and I have to find a way to do it for 2020, 2021, 2022.”

Here’s some possibles for the Oilers in round one with analysis by draft expert :

– Swede Noel Gunler, a right-winger who played in Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League at 18: 1173230 Los Angeles Kings losses to St. Louis this season, but they last played the Blues two days before Christmas, an eon ago, before their roster was reshaped.

Debut, delayed: Alex Turcotte, the Kings’ first-round draft pick (No. 5 Tyler Toffoli’s return to Los Angeles and other Kings storylines we overall) last June, played his freshman year at the University of missed and signed an amateur tryout contract with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign on March 11. He was due to take part in his first practice with the Reign on March 12, which, obviously, never took place. By the weekend, he was back at home in suburban Chicago. “It By Lisa Dillman Apr 1, 2020 was weird — my first day as a pro — being told that everything is postponed for now,” Turcotte told The Athletic last week.

There were the teams fighting for their playoff lives (Minnesota and The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 Toronto), the minnows (New Jersey and Ottawa), the once mighty (Pittsburgh) and the two teams with divisional aspirations (Colorado and Vegas).

The Kings beat them all.

When the Kings defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on March 11 at Staples Center for their seventh straight win, they moved within two victories of tying the franchise’s longest winning streak, which was achieved in the 2009-10 season.

(That winning streak went from Jan. 21, 2010 to Feb. 6. Five of the nine were on the road, and impressively, the Kings’ Jonathan Quick was in net for all nine victories.)

A day after the Kings beat the Senators, the sports world came to a stop. The Kings hold the distinction of winning the final game played in major- league sports in North America before the coronavirus pandemic put it all on pause. It’s a pure guessing game as to when the NHL might return.

“Right now, if we don’t get up and running, we could have the longest win streak in the modern history of the game because we’re at seven games now and it’s been another three weeks,” mused Kings coach Todd McLellan in a conference call with reporters on Monday.

Indeed, the Kings have not lost since Feb. 23, and it took a three-point performance from Oilers star Connor McDavid on that night to lead Edmonton to a 4-2 win.

Games missed (10)

March 14 vs. Anaheim

March 17 vs. Montreal

March 19 vs. Boston

March 21 vs. Vancouver

March 22 vs. Arizona

March 24 at Dallas

March 26 at Nashville

March 27 at St. Louis

March 29 at Chicago

March 31 vs. Sharks

Storylines missed

The return of Tyler Toffoli: Toffoli, a popular figure in L.A. and member of the Kings’ championship team in 2014, was traded to the Canucks on Feb. 17 for two draft picks — minor leaguer Tim Schaller and prospect Tyler Madden, who signed a three-year entry deal with the Kings on Monday. Toffoli had a hat trick in his final game with the Kings in the outdoor game against the Avalanche at the Air Force Academy on Feb. 15. Wonder if that will be in the tribute video when he does come back to play against the Kings eventually?

Hello again, Rob Scuderi: Scuderi, one of the blue-line fixtures in the Kings’ 2012 Stanley Cup championship run, was behind the bench with the Predators as an assistant after joining the staff of John Hynes in January. While Colin Fraser and are scouting with Chicago and the Kings, respectively, Scuderi is the first member of the 2012 team to join the NHL coaching ranks.

Litmus test: If you wanted to assess how much the Kings’ youngsters have progressed, there is no bigger exam than facing the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blues. The Kings were outscored 9-3 in their two 1173231 New

Scouting Devils’ 2019 draft class: Cole Brady isn’t ‘sure-fire NHL player, but he’s got potential’

By Randy Miller

When it comes to evaluating NHL prospects, nobody does it better than Craig Button, who doubles as director of scouting and television analyst for TSN, Canada’s version of ESPN.

The Calgary Flames general manager from 2000-03, Button knows the strengths and weaknesses of every NHL player and just about all of the drafted and undrafted prospects from all over the world.

NJ Advance Media recently phoned Button to provide fresh scouting reports on the Devils’ 2019 draft class, and he didn’t disappoint sharing his insight for 25 minutes from his home in Calgary.

Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

We’re sharing Button’s take in a series.

Here’s Part 8:

COLE BRADY, G

Drafted: 5th round, 127th overall.

Hometown: Pickering, Ontario.

Age: 18 (19 on May 14, 2020)

Size: 6-5, 174.

Shoots: Left.

Contract status: Unsigned.

Instagram: colebrady_

2019-20 club: Fargo Force (USHL).

2019-20 stats: 21-12-5, 2.79 GAA, .903 save pct., 43 games.

Fast fact: Brady has committed to play college hockey at Arizona State in 2020-21.

Quoting ASU coach Greg Powers: “Cole is a special talent. He’s a big and very cerebral goaltender. He’s developed a very high compete level over three years of junior hockey and is ready to come to ASU and really add to our goaltending group. He’s a great teammate and loves to win. He’s been committed to us for a long time and we’re thrilled he’s finally coming to Tempe.”

Quoting Brady: “I just want to continue to develop and grow and get stronger,” Brady told GazetteXtra in Janesville, Wisc. “I did what I needed to do to get drafted, and now each year I have to work to hopefully someday get to the NHL.”

Buy Jack Hughes Devils gear: Fanatics.com, Dick's Sporting Goods, MLBShop.com, Lids

Craig Button scouting report: “You have to keep in mind that goaltenders are going to develop at a little bit different rate than other players. You have a goaltender here who has gone through different levels of play, and he was pretty decent this season with Fargo and you can see elements of his game that need to be developed. It’s a longer process for goalies. I can’t tell you that he’s a sure-fire NHL player, but I can tell you he’s got potential.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173232 Ending the season prematurely would result in some much-needed playing time for prospects like Joey Anderson, Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen and others, as well as veteran goalie Cory Schneider. The fact that New Jersey’s affiliate in Binghamton If the NJ Devils' season ended today, what would happen next? saw their remarkable run cut short of a Calder Cup Playoff trip may hurt the most.

Without the Calder Cup Playoffs or the IIHF World Championships, the Abbey Mastracco, NHL Writer Published 4:00 a.m. ET April 2, 2020 team may be faced to make some tough decisions based on what they’ve already seen.

The NHL has every intention of resuming the 2019-20 season and Forwards Joey Anderson, John Hayden and Jesper Bratt, defenseman staging the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maybe that’s a full 16-team postseason Mirco Mueller and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood will all be restricted free or an abbreviated tournament of some sort. Multiple scenarios that have agents. Bratt and Blackwood should be due for significant pay raises, been tossed out there as to how to finish the season that was put on though the Devils are not exactly hurting for salary cap space. Forward hiatus on March 12 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Rooney is the only pending unrestricted free agent.

Just last week, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league sees a Draft picks bigger window than initially expected. The Tokyo Olympics have been Feb 11, 2020; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack pushed back which opens up a window for the broadcast partners and Hughes (86) celebrates his goal during the first period of their game teams have been asked for building availability through August. against the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center. However, the reality is that hiatus may continue through the summer. It The 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, Draft Combine and Entry Draft have all might be tough to play hockey through August with the quality of the ice been postponed. The marquee scouting events have been canceled, so compromised and it’s not just about the ice. the entire predraft calendar is in a state of limbo. However, the messiest It’s not safe for anyone to play any sports right now unless it’s a game of part of the equation is the conditional draft picks and the Devils have horse in your own backyard. plenty of those.

The NHL extended the player isolation mandate through April 15 and Three conditions are attached to the first-round draft pick that came from experts say the numbers of coronavirus cases have not peaked yet. It’s the Arizona Coyotes in the Hall deal and one is attached to the Canucks’ impossible to stage games without fans because of the number of first-round pick that came from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Coleman players and personnel needed for each game, be it , , trade. The Devils could have as many as three first-round picks or as few soccer or hockey. Plus, there are numerous safety concerns when it as one. comes to rushing everyone back on to the ice. If Vatanen were to get healthy enough to play in the postseason during The reality is the league may have to cancel the rest of the season. this layoff, the Devils would get the Carolina Hurricanes’ fourth-round pick this season. So, what does that mean to the New Jersey Devils? For a team well outside of the playoff race, there sure are a lot of Although they were playing some inspired hockey through February and incentives to resume the season for the Devils. March, the season was really over a long time ago. The 2019-20 campaign was an unmitigated disaster that resulted in the firings of Free agency general manager and head coach John Hynes and the Dec 27, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle departure of 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, captain Andy Greene, Palmieri (21) celebrates his goal with center Brian Boyle (11) and defenseman Sami Vatanen and emerging forward Blake Coleman. The defenseman Will Butcher (8) during the first period against the Boston focus was already on next season and the front office was in a state of Bruins at TD Garden. limbo with interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald and interim coach Alain Nasreddine. New Jersey’s fall from grace following the 2013 season was due in large part to some giant free agent contracts that didn’t age well in the salary Here’s a list of housekeeping items the Devils will need to complete cap era. Under Shero, the Devils were hesitant to throw big-time money during the offseason and how a shortened season may affect them. and big-time term at free agents, choosing instead to sign bridge players Personnel moves to shorter deals, like veterans and Brian Boyle.

Alain Nasreddine has long been a coach on the rise. Here he heads out If Fitzgerald remains at the helm, he will continue to build in a similar to handle bench duties in his first game as interim head coach against fashion, relying on draft picks and talent development to build around 18- the Vegas Golden Knights at Prudential Center on Dec. 3, 2019 in year-old Jack Hughes, 21-year-old Nico Hischier and 23-year-old Newark, New Jersey. Blackwood while supplementing with veterans to bridge the gap.

Once the season ends and teams cut ties with their respective head Free agency is still slated to open up July 1, as it does every year. If this coaches and GMs the Devils will likely interview more candidates. The season continued at a later date, then the free agent signing period club has already interviewed former general would likely open up at a later date as well, since it doesn’t make sense manager Mike Gillis twice and owner Josh Harris said he would give to have players playing for the Stanley Cup on expired contracts. strong consideration to Fitzgerald, who cleaned up at the trade deadline. If the season ended today then the league could start making He brought back an impressive haul and showed that he’s ready to lead contingency plans. It doesn’t make sense to start free agency before the a hockey operations department, but he’s long been considered a GM-in- draft takes place. The draft is where most of the summer’s key offseason waiting. transactions take place, and whether it’s done remotely or not, it doesn’t The Devils went 19‑16‑8 (46 points) under Nasreddine. They skated well make sense to completely change the order of offseason events. and played an uptempo game, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Maybe this is the year the Devils throw a ton of money at a defenseman. Ultimately, Nasreddine did what he could with a roster that was lacking in Maybe a new GM will see it necessary to bring in some more established high-end talent and the Devils were competitive under his direction. NHL players instead of waiting on talent to develop. The club will have to decide whether or not they think he’s ready for the Ticket refunds job permanently or decide to go with one of the more experienced veterans on the market, Babcock or . Feb 20, 2020; Newark, New Jersey, USA; NJ Devil leads the fans in a cheer during the first period of the game between the New Jersey Devils Talent evaluation and the San Jose Sharks at Prudential Center. Mar 10, 2020; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender This unenviable item has nothing to do with the hockey operations side of Mackenzie Blackwood (29) walks to the ice before the first period of their things but it is something that will have to be reconciled if the season game against the at Prudential Center. ends early. Fans are going to want refunds for their tickets to games that were canceled, especially with the economic impact of this pandemic. The Devils are doing what they can to support their employees at every level of the organization. They’re doing more than several other teams and a loss of game revenue will undoubtedly hurt all 31 teams.

Bergen Record LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173233 New York Islanders

Scott Mayfield on his competitive pastimes, wedding plans and family

By Arthur Staple Apr 1, 2020

Scott Mayfield misses the competition the most.

Stuck at home on Long Island for the time being, Mayfield is like everyone else: He wants to get back to what he’d been doing, which for him and the Islanders was trying to dig out of a seven-game winless funk and secure a playoff spot when the NHL, and life itself, went on pause three weeks ago.

Like most of his teammates, Mayfield has found creative ways to fill the workout void. But the competition, from trying to perform practice drills to the games, is harder to replace.

“I’ve played some Mario Kart against my brother online, played a few board games with my fiancee,” he said. “But I’m a hyper-competitive person, it’s one of my strongest personality traits. You go from practices to games to nothing. And obviously it’s secondary right now to staying in, keeping safe and doing the distancing that we all need to be doing. But it’s definitely hard — you’ve got to find some way to get that adrenaline out.”

For now, it’s Nintendo Switch games with his brother Patrick, a member of the Air Force currently home in New Mexico, and “Settlers of Catan” with Emily Bayless, his fiancee. There’s one more thing to try to keep from worrying about: Mayfield and Bayless are getting married on July 25 in Colorado. At least, that’s the plan.

“The resort where we’re getting married is closed until June, so it’s hard to even think about what will be happening,” Mayfield said. “I mean, we could be playing again by then, or we could be having a wedding. Our invitations were about to go out, but we put a hold on those for now.

“We’re both stressed about it, but there’s really nothing either of us can do. We’re waiting to see if I’m going to be playing again this year, our wedding planners are in touch with vendors — everything is just so up in the air, it’s not worth worrying about all of it. We just wait and see what happens next.”

Mayfield has some family concerns, as well. Patrick Mayfield is back at his base with his pregnant wife, Karene, who’s in the Navy Reserves. “If she weren’t pregnant, she might have been deployed to the ship (USNS Comfort) that just docked in New York,” Scott said. Jane Mayfield, Scott’s mother, is a lactation consultant at a hospital in . She hasn’t been called on to treat COVID-19 patients, but her merely going to work at the hospital every day is always on Scott’s mind.

And of course, there’s keeping in shape without access to ice. Mayfield received a Peloton for Christmas and is putting it to use well before he thought he’d need to. “We get some home workouts from (Islanders strength coaches) Sean (Donnellan) and Derrek (Douglas), so I’m trying to incorporate those,” he said. “Take the dog for a walk or a run, just to get outside a bit. I’ve been doing some work on our house too, reading some. You have to get yourself into a routine. We haven’t been bored or anything so far.”

There’s also the camaraderie from spending just about every waking moment with teammates, coaches and staff that’s gone now. The players have an active group chat and they’ve organized some FaceTime sessions. But many Islanders headed to their offseason homes when permitted to do so two weeks ago, so it’s harder to maintain the close ties as they wait to see what will happen with the rest of this NHL season.

“It does happen at the end of every year, where we’re all together for months and then scatter,” Mayfield said. “So it’s not completely new. This situation obviously is. It’s definitely strange to not see any of the guys. We were all together on a road trip before this happened, so it’s a little jarring. But we’re in touch with the guys, with Lou (Lamoriello), with the coaches. We just have to be ready to return and hope that we can.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173234 New York Rangers Last March, when Chris Kreider went down for three games with a hamstring problem, Quinn elevated Lemieux into the vacant spot on the unit with Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. The winger did fine. But this year, when Kreider sustained a broken foot in Philadelphia in Game 64, The silver lining to Brendan Lemieux’s disappointing Rangers season Lemieux never got a sniff of that rarefied air.

Instead, he remained locked onto the fourth line while Philip DiGiuseppe, who’d spent the season’s first four months at Hartford before an early By Larry Brooks April 1, 2020 | 1:21pm | Updated February recall, was awarded the assignment. Lemieux in fact played the final 17 games on the fourth unit, primarily with Greg McKegg and Julien Gauthier, after spending most of the year on the third line. Part 11 in a series analyzing the New York Rangers. There is value to Lemieux, who has personality and is popular in the The traditional numbers are not going to be of any help to Brendan room, and who never misses an opportunity to come to the defense of an Lemieux in negotiating a new contract and neither are the more esoteric opponent. The Rangers need him and they need the abrasive element he ones. Six goals, 12 assists, 42.2 percent Corsi, on for 19 goals for and 30 brings. But they also need him to be better. They need some numbers against at full strength. Yikes. beyond penalties drawn and taken.

But there is one stat that the winger’s team — the off-ice one captained Lemieux could use them, too. by his agent and father, Claude — should be pleased to present general manager Jeff Gorton, and, should it get to that, an arbitrator, to highlight New York Post LOADED: 04.02.2020 his contributions.

That highlight is the penalties drawn versus penalties taken stat that reveals Lemieux’s effectiveness as an agitator. Because even accounting for those times that referees whistled The Son of Pepe off the ice for imaginary infractions and those times that the fine officials gave opponents two or three whacks at No. 48, Lemieux drew 19 minors while taking just seven himself at even-strength for a plus-12 that led the Blueshirts.

This is no small thing for a player who lives life on the edge with a target on his back. There were times that Lemieux’s antics did not particularly help himself, but they obviously did not hurt the team on any sort of cumulative basis.

Of course, maybe he should have kept his elbow to himself in the final minutes of regulation of the final game played by the Rangers in Colorado on March 11 before this coronavirus-induced break in the action instead of senselessly finding ’s head with it on a drive-by that honestly had nothing to do with the play.

Lemieux is going to be suspended. That has been determined by the league. The sentence will be set when the NHL establishes its guidelines for resuming the season. Lemieux, fined $2,000 for his elbow on on Dec. 9, is considered a repeat offender after having been suspended two games with Winnipeg for — guess what? — elbowing in the head in a game in Helsinki on Nov. 2, 2018.

So what does this mean? If the league returns for some version of a regular-season completion, maybe a three- or four-game suspension. If the league resumes with an expanded playoff format that includes the Rangers, probably one or two. If play does not resume until next season, probably four to six games.

You can argue with the propriety of tying the penalty to the calendar and the significance of the games, but the NHL has done that for years. The presumption is that measure will apply to this sentence.

So, if Lemieux led with a plus-13 in the penalties drawn/taken category, which Ranger was next? Why, Mika Zibanejad with a plus-10 (15/5) at five-on-five. The club’s laggard? Yes, Ryan Strome, a minus-14 somehow drawing only three minors while taking 17 at full strength. And no, the center will not be highlighting this number in his arbitration brief, should it come to that with No. 16.

Lemieux was not able to produce as he did the previous year both in Winnipeg and in New York following his deadline acquisition in the trade. That may have something to do with the fact that his 2018- 19 shooting percentage was a rather wild 17.9 (12 goals on 63 shots) as opposed to this season’s measly 7.0 percent (six goals on 86 shots).

The season was actually fractured for Lemieux, pre- and post-broken thumb he suffered on Dec. 27 that caused him to miss about three weeks. Before the injury, Lemieux had posted 13 points (5-8) in 38 games. After he returned on Jan. 19, he recorded just five points (1-4) in 24 games the rest of the way.

He just didn’t seem to be getting there on time, as often. His hands betrayed him when he did get to the front. His work off the puck suffered. David Quinn used him on the second power play as a net-front presence and disturber about as long as he could and also had him on the penalty kill unit. 1173235 New York Rangers concerning. But it's worth noting that the initial hot streak came while he was playing on the second line due to Zibanejad's upper-body injury. (Strome, meanwhile, took Zibanejad's spot on the top line.)

NY Rangers questions: How do Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil fit into the He seemed most comfortable in the top six, surrounded by top-six talent. plans at center? "He’s got obviously the great skill set, and he can really skate," Rangers coach David Quinn said of Chytil in December. "And when he comes through the neutral zone, he can keep people on their heels. But the Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL Writer Published 6:01 p.m. ET April 1, 2020 thing we really like is he’s done a much better job of battling around | Updated 6:07 p.m. ET April 1, 2020 pucks."

Chytil is still only 20 years old and scratching the surface of his potential. He very well could be the Rangers' long-term answer to the second-line With the NHL season on pause due to the coronavirus, we'll be center question, but Strome has given them plenty to think about. producing a series of stories about the 2019-20 New York Rangers. First we looked at what we learned, and now we'll examine questions that The truth is, the Rangers probably need them both next season. Losing remain unanswered. one would leave a gaping hole on the third line — especially with Brett Howden failing to gain traction in the middle, Lias Andersson requesting The New York Rangers began the 2019-20 season wondering who would a trade and very few, if any, NHL-ready prospects. step up to fill one of their biggest needs — second-line center. In many respects, the second-line center questions have been answered. As it turned out, two pretty good options emerged. But questions surrounding the overall depth at center have evolved, Ryan Strome spent most of the season in that role, reviving his career by growing more complex over the course of six months. teaming with and giving the Rangers' lineup much- Bergen Record LOADED: 04.02.2020 needed balance. He produced a career-high 59 points in 70 games, which ranks third on the team behind its star duo of Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.

And then there was the maturation of Filip Chytil — a first-round draft pick from 2017 who was demoted to AHL Hartford after a disappointing training camp, but re-emerged within a month and re-established his potential.

Their development was critical for the Rangers in the currently halted season, which opens up options for 2020-21 and beyond. But how the organization should proceed isn't as clear.

Do they bank on Strome's breakout and pay him second-line center money? Or do they have enough faith in Chytil to hand over the keys to the top six?

The Strome decision is the most pressing — and the most interesting.

His chemistry with Panarin was obvious, and the Rangers valued it enough to keep them together all season. It resulted in Strome's best season — by far — after averaging just 32.5 points per season in his first five NHL years.

He was drafted fifth overall by the Islanders in 2011, but toiled in uncertain roles and was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He didn't find his niche there, either, which led to the Rangers acquiring him early in the 2018-19 season.

Strome was on the path of a journeyman, but he has flourished in New York.

"The Rangers are the first team that ever put me at center in the top six," he told the USA TODAY Network in December. "I've taken the opportunity and run with it. Maybe it’s taken a little longer than I thought, but certainly I learned from the ups and downs."

He's still only 26 (he'll be 27 when the 2020-21 season begins) and the Rangers believe they've unlocked the potential of a late-bloomer.

Now they have to ask themselves how much they're willing to pay for it.

Strome will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer. And after making $3.1 million this season, he'll be due for a significant raise. The ideal scenario would be a short-term "prove it" deal, rather than a long-term commitment. But if Strome is looking for more security with a high price tag, a trade could be explored.

That may depend on how much responsibility the Rangers feel Chytil is ready to handle.

There aren't many viable center options available in free agency, so if they lose Strome, they would have to be certain that Chytil can fill the void. He has the tools, with speed, size and a knack for scoring. But the reason he was demoted to begin the season was because of concerns in the defensive zone.

Chytil showed better commitment in that area while posting 23 points in 60 games, including 14 goals. Six of those goals came in his first seven games, so the droughts he experienced later in the season were 1173236 Ottawa Senators The departures “Most teams have salary cap issues. That’s the reality of being a general

manager in the in 2019. If you don’t have Ken Holland turned over half of Edmonton Oilers' roster in his first year issues, you’re probably a team that is on the rebuild. Most teams have on the job, largely for the better speed bumps you have to work around.”

Make it a baker’s dozen as we add the name of Jesse Puljujarvi (then on LTIR) to the twelve players listed on the 2019 Apr 06 roster report who Author of the article:Bruce McCurdy • Edmonton Journal are no longer with the team. We have dispensed with current contract information as irrelevant, thankfully so in a handful of cases.

The top three names listed here were by far the most impactful 2019-20 Edmonton Oilers in review departures. All had been with the Oilers for at least three seasons, and GM Ken Holland — Part Two represented major investments in UFA contracts (Sekera, Lucic) or a high draft pick (Puljujarvi). All three were discussed in some detail in Part “My hope is I can come in and provide stability, select a coach that’s One of our Holland review about key decisions of last summer so we going to have a real impact on this team and I’d like to think with the won’t dwell on them here. Holland had the least control over the stability we’re talking playoffs in ’19-’20. But it’s more than being about Puljujarvi situation but did retain the player’s North American rights while making the playoffs, it’s about trying to make the playoffs year after year he returned for a (splendid) season in Finland. He did take decisive after year and go on some playoff runs.The core is here. Now I have to action on the two expensive veterans, solving a couple of problems in the go out and surround that core.” process but leaving lingering cleanup expenses.

So spake Ken Holland back on May 07 when he was introduced as the Of the rest, five were simply not renewed; two (Gagner, Brodziak) were incoming Edmonton Oilers General Manager. In and around mentioning traded at this year’s deadline to offset the short-term costs of their the word “stability” several hundred times, he spelled out a game plan replacements; three (Gambardella, Malone, Cave) remain with the (broken out into several bullet points throughout this post, all quotes from organization but at the AHL level. that presser) to return the team to playoff contention in the immediately upcoming season and beyond. The replacements

“The plan is to compete, I like to play with speed, obviously you want to “When I look at the forward group, you need secondary scoring. Whether get as much skill as you can.” that’s by some of the people already here, if they’re used differently with a different coach or do we need to make some changes? There’s some Early returns are favourable. The frustratingly incomplete 2019-20 kids in the minors. Do we have to explore the market place? And it’s not season had the Oilers not only competing for a playoff spot but firmly like you’re going to go out and sign two or three forwards at $5-6-7 ensconced in one when the pause button was pressed for the COVID-19 million each, there is a salary cap. There’s always some players that are crisis. on the market July 6, 7, 8, 9, I think [Alex] Chiasson was one of those guys last year; that’s part of what you’ve gotta do to be good in the salary By the time Game 71 took place on March 11, the Oilers official roster cap world. It can’t be all big names, big contracts, big long-term deals. report was significantly changed from that for the season finale in There’s gotta be some young players pushing, there’s gotta be some Calgary last Apr 06. cheap players that have an impact on your team.” Including the scratches, exactly 24 players listed each time. Exactly half The top four names on this list were inherited by Holland even as all four of them (highlighted) were common to both versions of the Oil. The other were in the AHL this time last year. Significant among them are half of the roster has been turned over. defenders Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones along with winger Kailer The holdovers Yamamoto, a.k.a. “kids in the minors” becoming “young players pushing”. Give Chiarelli & his group credit for drafting those guys, but let’s toss a “There’s huge pillars, foundation in that locker room. There’s a great start bouquet Holland’s way for gradually promoting them in early October, and I’ve got to continue to build, to grow.” mid-November and late December respectively. We’ll have more to say Needless to say, one of these halves is not like the other. Holland has left about the GM’s treatment of young players in the upcoming Part Three of his core group — shown here in the order they came to Edmonton — our Holland review. almost entirely intact. Many of the central players were already locked in Four of the players here came via the trade route, notably James Neal in for term meaning he merely had to let the status quo prevail. Among the Lucic trade last summer. The bottom three names shown all arrived them can be found Peter Chiarelli’s greatest gifts, the post-ELC contracts at the trade deadline as the GM tried to shore up his club for the stretch he signed with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom for 8, drive and playoffs. Early results were mixed, as Tyler Ennis made a 8, and 7 years respectively. Add some lingering term on the similar 7- strong impression, Andreas Athanasiou a tentative one, while Mike year deal Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed back in the Craig MacTavish era. Green got hurt right away. None of the three has played as many as ten A combined $31 million cut of the annual salary cap for the quartet, but games so it’s premature to cast judgment. these are franchise-defining players between the ages of 23 and 26. Of the signed free agents, Mike Smith is in a class of his own as a) an Another core player drafted in that same 2011-15 time frame is Darnell elder statesman and b) a goalie. The rest are forwards of the type Nurse, who unlike McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH and Klefbom was signed to a Holland calls “pros”, rank-and-file players right in their peak performance bridge deal after his ELC expired, at least in part due to a paucity of cap years (26-27), all signed to one-year, one-way “show me” contracts in space for a longer term deal. With that condition still prevailing as the general range of $1 million. Holland searched high and low, finding a Nurse’s two-year pact wound down, Holland went against conventional couple in Europe, a couple in the AHL, a couple on the NHL reject pile wisdom to re-up the all-purpose rearguard for a further two years that will (not issued qualifying offers by their former teams), a couple well into the take him to free agency. summer discount season. They didn’t all work out, but there were a few The only others of this group that have needed input from the new man hits along the way of “cheap players that have an impact on your team.” are forwards Jujhar Khaira and Alex Chiasson, both signed to two-year I was impressed by how Holland found a way to give every single one of extensions last Jul 01, along with winger Zach Kassian, re-upped in those guys a fair trial. The two experienced Europeans he convinced to January to a pricey four-year deal. Both Khaira and Chiasson were so-so cross the pond both made the team out of camp. Joakim Nygard had bad at even strength in 2019-20 but added value to the penalty kill and luck with injury and wound up on LTIR with a busted hand, but showed powerplay respectively. Kassian has done most of his damage at evens, enough in his 33 GP to earn a one-year extension. Gaetan Haas had one but struggled to recover his fine 2019 form after incurring a pair of brief demotion to the AHL but wound up playing 58 games for the Oilers suspensions early in 2020. That is one deal that has the potential to bite and is at least under consideration for a return engagement. Both Josh back. Archibald and Riley Sheahan had their own issues with injury early in the As a group the holdovers delivered largely at the same level as 2018-19, season, but both came on as the season progressed while serving as the with only Chiasson suffering a largely predictable drop-off from a career top penalty-killing tandem among the forwards, each playing north of 60 season. games. The tenacious Archibald earned a two-year extension. Patrick Russell was a shrewd re-signing as an internal UFA last summer, and impressed coach enough to hang around on the bottom of the roster all season long and appear in 45 games in the “worker bee” role.

Even the guys who didn’t cut the mustard certainly had their chance to do so. Tomas Jurco started the season with the big club, played 12 games before being sent out, and may well have gotten a second look later had not a major injury suffered in Bakersfield ended his season. Markus Granlund, the most expensive of the one-year wonders at $1.3 million, was given until Christmas before finally losing his job to Yamamoto, who by then had an extra half-season of AHL training not to mention time to recover from the wrist injury that had hampered his off-season and training camp. By the time he finally got the call he was ready; in the meantime, that double and triple redundancy above him on the Oilers roster gave the org the luxury of waiting for the right moment.

Bottom line is that Holland can look all of these “pros” in the eye — and perhaps just as significantly, their agents — and say each was given a fair shot at winning an NHL job. Whether they did or not was between them and Dave Tippett, but every last one of them got double digit games with the Oilers to show their stuff. Indeed, all but the unfortunate Jurco got 30+ GP. That history won’t hurt Holland when he ventures into “cheap players that might have an impact” market next summer. No doubt it’s a reputation earned long before he came to Edmonton, but it’s been interesting to study his attention to detail from closer range.

The results

There’s no point in comparing Mike Smith to the stopgap tender that Holland inherited, . The real comparison is to Cam Talbot, the man who shared the crease with Mikko Koskinen for the meaningful part of last season before being dealt by interim GM Keith Gretzky for Stolarz in a late salary dump. While Talbot himself enjoyed a solid bounceback season in Calgary in 2019-20, the comparison here is to how he played in Edmonton a year ago. Smith represented a significant improvement in all categories, most especially game results where he earned at least a point in 25 of 37 decisions. The Oilers posted a points percentage of .595 on his watch, a massive improvement on the .411 rate team garnered in Talbot’s games a season ago. Smith’s save percentage wasn’t pretty and neither was his form on many nights, but a solid case can be made that he covered the bet as a cheap-ish #1A.

Did someone say “secondary scoring”? Why yes, Ken Holland did, in his very first analysis of his forward group before sending many of them on their way. He also emphasized speed and skill. The new guys in the right column significantly outscored the departed depth players in roughly the same number of games played, especially in the goals column at 70 to 27. That’s an uptick of 43 goals, 34 of them from the forwards along with improved production from the back end as well. A chunk of those goals came from Neal who more than tripled Lucic’s measly 6 from 2018-19, but there were two others in double digits and a third within striking distance with 11 games still on the slate. Individually and collectively, they also provided major upgrades to team speed and penalty killing.

With the big guys up top continuing to score at ever-more-impressive rates, the extra help from the supporting cast provided a welcome boost that was MIA in 2018-19. On more than a few nights — Haas’ late tying goal to earn a point vs. the Coyotes, Granlund’s late tying tally in what became a shootout win in Arizona, Sheahan’s third-period game-winner against the Habs, Archibald chipping in here, there and everywhere — goals from these sources were directly worth points in the standings.

Which is as it should be. Depth scoring in 2018-19 was historically bad and set a low bar for Holland to clear. But credit where due, it did improve, and with it so did the Edmonton Oilers.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173237 Ottawa Senators America. Zub had 13 goals and nine assists in 57 games with St. Petersburg this season.

“I feel like he’s going to slide in as a good partner for somebody to fill that Ottawa Senators closing in on a deal Russian defenceman Artyom Zub hole left by DeMelo. If he signs with Ottawa, he’s going to get the opportunity to play a lot,” a league executive said last week. “He’s an NHL-ready player. He can come in and play NHL games. You’re not signing a college kid that needs to come in and get stronger or get Bruce Garrioch experience.

“This guy has played at world championships, he’s played for the national The Ottawa Senators aren’t sure if they’ll get a chance to suit up for the team (in Russia). He’s never going to wow anybody, but he’s a right-shot final 11 games of this National Hockey League season. defenceman and he’s an upgrade for a team like Ottawa. He’d bump ahead of some guys on the depth chart. I would think (Ottawa) would But they’re taking some time during the current break in the action to cast stand a good chance because I know that they’ve been on him for a a glance towards next season. while.”

With the schedule paused because of the spread of the novel Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.02.2020 coronavirus, pretty much of every aspect of the business has been put on hold, with the NHL informing teams on Tuesday to stay in self-isolation until at least April 15. Behind the scenes, though, general manager and Senators hockey operations staff are busy preparing for the day they do return to the Canadian Tire Centre.

While head coach D.J. Smith and his assistants have likely spent part of their time away from the rink putting in place plans for a mini-training camp, if the season does resume, Dorion has been working from his home office, and it’s expectation that soon the Senators will announce the signing of Russian defenceman Artyom Zub.

A 24-year-old free agent, Zub has spent the past four seasons with St. Petersburg SKA in the Kontinental Hockey League. While his KHL contract doesn’t expire until April 30, it’s believed Zub has already decided to sign with the Senators and both sides are waiting from clearance from the NHL’s Central Registry to make the signing official.

TSN’s reported last week that Zub was down to two teams on his list and then confirmed he expected him to sign here later in the week. There were as many as 20 teams that kicked tires with Zub’s Detroit-based agent, Daniel Milstein, and it’s thought Zub has chosen to sign with the Senators because he feels he’ll get a good opportunity to play a big role.

Yes, Zub still must adjust to playing the North American style, but the Senators can offer an opportunity to play in the top four on defence after dealing Dylan DeMelo to the before the February trade deadline. Dorion and assistant GM Peter MacTavish went overseas in January to get a first-hand look at Zub and liked what they saw.

Zub was part of the Russian team that won the men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in Pyeonchang in 2018 and he was impressive.

“He’s got good size and range,” NBC’s Pierre McGuire, who saw Zub play in South Korea, said in a text message Tuesday. “He plays a simple, smart defensive game, a stabilizing player in his own zone. He’s very solid, useful and mature player. He should be able to crack the top four and it shouldn’t be much of an adjustment for him to play on the small ice surfaces.”

That’s good news for the Senators.

They already have a lot of prospects on defence, including Belleville’s Christian Wolanin, Erik Brannstrom, Andreas Englund and Max Lajoie. Elsewhere, they have the rights to Finnish blueliner Lassi Thomson, both Jacob Bernard-Docker and Johnny Tychonick at the University of North Dakota and Olie Alsing in Sweden.

It’s expected they’ll re-sign veteran defenceman Mark Borowiecki, a pending unrestricted free agent, and Ron Hainsey may also return. Wolanin had shoulder surgery that forced him to miss most of the season, but will finish the year in Belleville if the American Hockey League resumes play, and both he and Brannstrom should push for NHL roster spots next season.

The Senators don’t need anybody fancy on the back end. They already get that kind of play from Thomas Chabot, and they expect Brannstrom to play that role eventually. Zub has been described by NHL scouts as somebody who can be a steadying influence because he doesn’t try to do anything he can’t do, and the Senators need to improve in their own end.

Mike Reilly and Nikita Zaitsev are also under contract. Zaitsev and Zub share the same agent, so that should help with the latter’s move to North 1173238 Ottawa Senators That date is bound to be extended and that could make returning to play even more difficult, but McLennan said he would like to see hockey return even if it’s in the middle of summer as long as it’s safe.

It's starting to sound like hockey in July may be the NHL's only option “I’d like to see it because to me it signifies normalcy and I think that’s what people will be looking for. Hopefully the world gets back to normal, but I think you’re going to need a month for guys to ramp it up, have a training camp and then have (a season). Bruce Garrioch “I don’t want to paint a bleak picture, but in the management people I’ve

talked to, there’s 35 different contingency plans with what it may look like. On a daily basis, somewhere in the 11 o’clock hour, Canadian Prime That’s why teams have been asked to put in dates for July, August and Minister Justin Trudeau emerges from self-isolation from his Rideau September because they’re trying to adjust and plan. There are so many Cottage home on the grounds of the Governor General’s residence to question marks.” give the country an update on the devastating COVID-19 crisis. All anybody can do is self-isolate and wait. A memo obtained by Postmedia on Tuesday night indicated the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.02.2020 Canadian government doesn’t expect business in the country to return to normal before July, and if the decision by the City of Toronto to cancel all public events until June 30 is any indication then that sentiment is growing and reality is starting to set in that a lot of us are going to be working from home for a while.

“We have been open and transparent with Canadians on the facts, and I’ve said since the beginning that there a wide range of scenarios that we’ve been looking for, planning for and trying to work towards, as a government (and) as a country,” Trudeau said Wednesday in his daily briefing. “We know that we’re going to be in place for a number of more weeks, perhaps months.

“But everything depends on how Canadians behave. The choices you make to stay at home, to self-isolate, to not go to six different stores when you go grocery shopping, to try to go grocery shopping once a week, and to be very careful to keep those two metres apart when you go for a walk. These sorts of things will arrest the spread of this virus and we need all of us to do the best we can to make it through this unprecedented situation.”

Asked a similar question in French about when life may return to normal, Trudeau admitted July was a “realistic” possibility.

So what does all this have to do with sports?

That means if the NHL is serious about returning to complete this season and award the Stanley Cup, then the reality is that may not happen before the summer and that’s certainly one of the scenarios the league is studying at the moment.

Listening to Trudeau on Wednesday made it sound like the possibility of a training camp in July is a best-case scenario and, let’s be realistic, at this point this is all just anybody’s guess because nobody can be certain what direction this virus is going to take.

When the league paused its schedule on March 12, commissioner and deputy commissioner Bill Daly were both hopeful that the NHL would be able to return to finish its regular season schedule and then have playoffs before awarding the Cup to the champion. If the pause does last as long as predicted, then resuming the regular season may be nearly impossible.

It certainly sounds like summer hockey may be the only option the league has.

“Let’s just assume that we get through this, we can come out of our houses again and life can get somewhat back to normal,” said TSN colour analyst Jamie McLennan, a former NHL goaltender, from his Toronto home Wednesday where he’s in self-isolation with his family. “You’re looking at July or August hockey, and I don’t know whether that’s a formula of a 24-team playoff or what it will look like.

“I thought Connor McDavid used a really good analogy when he said they can’t come back and a week from now you’re playing the Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs. If we think we’re coming out of it in June and in a month from now on July 15 we’re going to have a training camp, guys are going to need some form of a heads-up.”

McLennan, 48, who played for five NHL teams in his lengthy career, said the only comparison he can use is the 1994-95 NHL lockout when play resumed in February. He was with the New York Islanders at the time and was skating with his teammates three to five times a week during the lockout. This is a different situation because the players are in self- isolation until at least April 15 and can’t go to the rink. 1173239 Ottawa Senators At this point in Ottawa, we might be best served to listen to the advice of Bluesfest organizers, who are crossing their fingers that the festival, scheduled for July 9-19, will not be cancelled.

Is it time for the NHL to officially cancel the season? “Right now, you are the best chance we have at making this summer festival happen,” Bluesfest officials said in a statement. “Please do your part to follow physical distancing measures and the advice of our government and health officials. If everyone can buckle down and stay Ken Warren inside now, we have a better shot at stopping the spread of this virus.”

Yes, I’m missing live music, too. I’m missing hockey. I’m missing family and friends. I’m missing the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.02.2020 freedom to choose where and when I go places outside.

It’s depressing, not being able to go through the routines we used to take for granted. It’s heartbreaking watching more people lose their jobs every day. It’s painful seeing parks locked up to kids.

For all that, I recognize the need to trust the medical minds who have the necessary background to explain the long-term — and most likely longer- term — significance of self-isolation. We’ve all heard about the implications of returning to normalcy too soon. Justin Trudeau is telling us that every day.

At what point here does the NHL (and the CFL, NBA, MLB, the PGA Tour and every other major sports organization, for that matter) take a deep step back and simply pull the plug on everything for the next three months? If that means we don’t crown a Stanley Cup champion, well, are we more comfortable with the alternative option of putting 15,000 or 20,000 people in close quarters at any point in the foreseeable future?

Wednesday’s news that four more members of the Senators organization have tested positive for the novel coronavirus should hit home. We may never know exactly how the team contracted the virus in the first place, but it’s a lesson in what can happen to a group that spends so much time together. A total of five unnamed players, one additional staff member and colour analyst Gord Wilson, who all flew to and from together on the final road trip before the shutdown, have tested positive. Fortunately, all appear to be on the way to full recovery.

That trip began in San Jose, where public health officials had signalled an alarm against mass gatherings before the Senators played the Sharks on March 7. Sharks officials dismissed the warnings and went ahead with the game against the Senators, along with a contest versus the on March 5 and the on March 8.

The trip continued to Anaheim’s Honda Centre and the Staples Center in Los Angeles. To date, at least six other professional athletes, including four members of the and two players from the Los Angeles Lakers, also tested positive after playing at the Staples Center.

What would be intriguing is to find out how many fans who attended the NHL and NBA games in California during this time period have also tested positive or have had severe symptoms. According to the L.A. Times on Wednesday, there had been 8,700 documented cases of COVID-19 in California and 185 deaths.

Back here in Ontario, Toronto Mayor John Tory has made it clear that all city-led public gatherings will be banned until at least Canada Day.

“Many of these events, of course, involve thousands of people, sometimes hundreds of thousands of people, and it’s doubtful that the health environment will be where it needs to be on the originally scheduled spring dates if these events are to happen in a healthy, safe and stress-free way,” Tory said in a statement on Tuesday.

The City of Toronto made it clear that the ban doesn’t apply to professional sports teams, but doesn’t that put the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argos and Toronto FC in effectively the same place that the San Jose Sharks were in with government officials a month ago?

If it’s not deemed safe to gather in the streets of Toronto, is it safe to gather inside to watch Auston Matthews or Pascal Siakam?

South of the border, the reactions to coronavirus control and self-isolation have differed dramatically by region, but many states have ordered stay- at-home edicts for at least the next month.

Given the tragedy in the New York area, where more than 1,900 have already died from novel coronavirus — roughly one-quarter of all virus- related deaths in the U.S. — it’s hard to believe that any sense of normalcy could return within the next two months. The notion of holding pro sports events in such an environment seems highly unlikely. 1173240 Ottawa Senators commissioner Bill Daly on March 13. Three days later, the league told players they were free to return to their homes across the world but should remain in self-isolation. That period was extended to April 15 in an email to league GM’s Tuesday. Four more members of the Ottawa Senators test positive for COVID-19 The Senators confirmed they had second case of the coronavirus on March 21 and the Colorado Avalanche, who have had two cases of COVID-19, are the only other team that has been affected by the Bruce Garrioch outbreak.

The Avalanche and Senators were both making their way through The Ottawa Senators have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus after California in early-March when it was considered a hotpsot for the the club confirmed Wednesday afternoon four more people who made coronavirus and a state of emergency had been declared in the area at the trip to California have been diagnosed with COVID-19. the time. The Senators faced the Sharks on Saturday night and the Avalanche were in town Sunday before San Jose left on a lengthy road The Senators received the positive test results for the three players and trip. one staff member after eight people were tested by local health authorities because they were having symptoms of the virus when they The Sharks had been warned by the Santa Clara health commission not arrived back home in Ottawa. That brings the total to seven people to allow fans in the stands but went ahead with games against the aboard the club’s Air Canada Jetz charter that returned from California Senators and Avs anyway because it was a warning and not an order. on March 12 that have tested positive for the virus. Neither the Sharks, Ducks or Kings have had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 among their players or staff. Two unnamed players had already been confirmed with having the virus while broadcaster Gord Wilson said publicly Friday night he also had Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.02.2020 received conformation of a positive test. The club indicated the five players and staff member have all recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic that has spread worldwide.

The charter jet was on the runway for a couple of hours at LAX while the Senators were waiting for the final decision from the NHL’s board of governors that the schedule would be postponed while the players also had two days off in Anaheim before taking on the Ducks.

The club haven’t named the players or staff member diagnosed because of privacy laws in Canada and it’s up to the players or staff member to decide if they want to go public.

“Members of the team and staff self-isolated on Friday, March 13, and are all doing well. All test results have now been received, and all those who tested positive have recovered,” the club said in a statement released Wednesday.

“The Ottawa Senators’ medical team continues to monitor players and staff and are following all appropriate and professional guidelines to help ensure the health and safety of our employees and the greater community.”

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told this newspaper in an email Wednesday there aren’t plans to test the whole Senators’ team because of the latest confirmation of positive tests.

“Everyone who had symptoms was tested,” Daly said.”There really is no reason to test anyone else. No one is symptomatic and no one is sick and they all have been in self-quarantine for three weeks.”

Testing was done with local public health officials and nobody was sent for a test unless they were displaying symptoms. Wilson told this newspaper Friday night he wasn’t feeling well and when he checked the symptoms online he felt that he should be tested.

“I went and got tested because I was feeling so run down from California and it was much a fear for (his wife Patricia Boal) going into work as anything,” Wilson said Friday after Boal made the diagnosis public on CTV Ottawa during the supper hour news broadcast. “I was starting to feel pretty low mid-week and that’s when they told Trish that they would do the news from our back yard.

“We’re all internet doctors. You read the symptoms and I’m checking them off as I’m reading along. OK, yeah, I’ve got a runny nose. Okay, yeah, I’ve got pressure on the chest. OK, yes, I’m out of breath. Have I had the chills? Yes, occasionally. Muscle aches? Yes, for sure.”

Wilson said Wednesday afternoon he’s doing much better and is self- isolating at home.

The Senators were the first team to confirm a positive test by an NHL player on March 17 and that came just after the club returned from a trip through California from March 6-to-12 that made stops in San Jose on March 7, Anaheim March 10 and Los Angeles March 11. The Senators were scheduled to play in Chicago on March 13 but returned to Ottawa on March 12 because the league went on pause.

Players were instructed by the league to self-quarantine for 14 days _ preferably in the city where they played _ in an email from deputy 1173241 Ottawa Senators do anything he can’t do, and the Senators need to improve in their own end.

Mike Reilly and Nikita Zaitsev are also under contract. Zaitsev and Zub Ottawa Senators closing in on a deal Russian defenceman Artyom Zub share the same agent, so that should help with the latter’s move to North America. Zub had 13 goals and nine assists in 57 games with St. Petersburg this season.

Bruce Garrioch “I feel like he’s going to slide in as a good partner for somebody to fill that hole left by DeMelo. If he signs with Ottawa, he’s going to get the

opportunity to play a lot,” a league executive said last week. “He’s an His KHL contract doesn't expire until April 30, but it's believed he and the NHL-ready player. He can come in and play NHL games. You’re not Senators are waiting from NHL clearance to finalize the deal. signing a college kid that needs to come in and get stronger or get experience. The Ottawa Senators aren’t sure if they’ll get a chance to suit up for the final 11 games of this National Hockey League season. “This guy has played at world championships, he’s played for the national team (in Russia). He’s never going to wow anybody, but he’s a right-shot But they’re taking some time during the current break in the action to cast defenceman and he’s an upgrade for a team like Ottawa. He’d bump a glance towards next season. ahead of some guys on the depth chart. I would think (Ottawa) would stand a good chance because I know that they’ve been on him for a With the schedule paused because of the spread of the novel while.” coronavirus, pretty much of every aspect of the business has been put on hold, with the NHL informing teams on Tuesday to stay in self-isolation Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.02.2020 until at least April 15. Behind the scenes, though, general manager Pierre Dorion and Senators hockey operations staff are busy preparing for the day they do return to the Canadian Tire Centre.

GARRIOCH: The NHL shouldn't be in a hurry to cancel its regular season

While head coach D.J. Smith and his assistants have likely spent part of their time away from the rink putting in place plans for a mini-training camp, if the season does resume, Dorion has been working from his home office, and it’s expectation that soon the Senators will announce the signing of Russian defenceman Artyom Zub.

A 24-year-old free agent, Zub has spent the past four seasons with St. Petersburg SKA in the Kontinental Hockey League. While his KHL contract doesn’t expire until April 30, it’s believed Zub has already decided to sign with the Senators and both sides are waiting from clearance from the NHL’s Central Registry to make the signing official.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported last week that Zub was down to two teams on his list and then confirmed he expected him to sign here later in the week. There were as many as 20 teams that kicked tires with Zub’s Detroit-based agent, Daniel Milstein, and it’s thought Zub has chosen to sign with the Senators because he feels he’ll get a good opportunity to play a big role.

Yes, Zub still must adjust to playing the North American style, but the Senators can offer an opportunity to play in the top four on defence after dealing Dylan DeMelo to the Winnipeg Jets before the February trade deadline. Dorion and assistant GM Peter MacTavish went overseas in January to get a first-hand look at Zub and liked what they saw.

Zub was part of the Russian team that won the men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in Pyeonchang in 2018 and he was impressive.

“He’s got good size and range,” NBC’s Pierre McGuire, who saw Zub play in South Korea, said in a text message Tuesday. “He plays a simple, smart defensive game, a stabilizing player in his own zone. He’s very solid, useful and mature player. He should be able to crack the top four and it shouldn’t be much of an adjustment for him to play on the small ice surfaces.”

That’s good news for the Senators.

They already have a lot of prospects on defence, including Belleville’s Christian Wolanin, Erik Brannstrom, Andreas Englund and Max Lajoie. Elsewhere, they have the rights to Finnish blueliner Lassi Thomson, both Jacob Bernard-Docker and Johnny Tychonick at the University of North Dakota and Olie Alsing in Sweden.

It’s expected they’ll re-sign veteran defenceman Mark Borowiecki, a pending unrestricted free agent, and Ron Hainsey may also return. Wolanin had shoulder surgery that forced him to miss most of the season, but will finish the year in Belleville if the American Hockey League resumes play, and both he and Brannstrom should push for NHL roster spots next season.

The Senators don’t need anybody fancy on the back end. They already get that kind of play from Thomas Chabot, and they expect Brannstrom to play that role eventually. Zub has been described by NHL scouts as somebody who can be a steadying influence because he doesn’t try to 1173242 Ottawa Senators

Three new Ottawa Senators players test positive for COVID-19

By Hailey Salvian Apr 1, 2020

Three players and one staff member have been added to the list of Ottawa Senators who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Senators announced Wednesday that four members of the organization who travelled to California before the season was put on hold tested positive for the virus. A team source confirmed it was three players.

The team previously announced eight members of the organization were tested after showing possible symptoms of COVID-19. It is unconfirmed how many total Senators were tested. However, the team said “all test results have now been received.”

“All those who tested positive have recovered,” the team said in a statement.

In addition to those positive results, last week Senators radio analyst Gord Wilson disclosed he had also tested positive for COVID-19. Wilson was not included in the team’s announced numbers, which means seven people — including two unnamed players announced earlier in March — from the team’s travelling party contracted the virus.

The Senators said all members of the team have been in isolation since March 13. The NHL has since extended the player self-isolation period to April 15.

This brings the NHL’s total number of COVID-19 cases to eight — six members of the Senators and two from the Colorado Avalanche. It’s nine if you include Wilson, who was on the team charter, but is not employed by the Senators.

The NHL’s first confirmed case came on March 17 when the Senators announced one of their players tested positive for COVID-19. A few days later, a second Ottawa player also tested positive.

Last week, the Avalanche became the first NHL team outside of the Senators to have players contract the illness.

Before the NHL paused its season on March 12, the Senators went on a six-day road trip in California — at the time a growing hot zone for the virus.

The Senators played the Los Angeles Kings on March 11, a day after the Brooklyn Nets — the NBA team with four players who have tested positive for COVID-19 — faced the Lakers at Staples Center. The contest was the last NHL game completed before the shutdown went into effect.

The Senators also played games in San Jose and Anaheim earlier in the week. The Senators’ game against the Sharks went ahead March 7 even after public health officials in Santa Clara County advised the public to avoid large gatherings in the area.

The team also had a day off before facing the Ducks, and players posted photos on social media of team members enjoying various activities, including a trip to Disneyland, golfing and attending a Lakers-Clippers game at Staples Center.

After the second Senators player tested positive in mid-March, the Ducks and Kings said in separate statements that no players within their organizations indicated the presence of COVID-19 symptoms.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173243

Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk discusses season’s uncertainty and teammate who is ‘the straw that stirs the drink’

by Sam Carchidi,

Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk said the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the NHL season is the most difficult part for the players.

“It’s like running in place,” he said of waiting for the league to give the go- ahead to restart the season, which was suspended March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

He said the situation was “bigger than sports. ...We’re all trying to do our part.”

Van Riemsdyk, 30, spoke to reporters in a conference call Tuesday night from his in-laws’ home in Minnesota. He and his wife are having a home built that isn’t quite finished.

The native said he was optimistic the season would resume at some point, “but we want to guarantee the safety of everyone involved — players, staff, fans, family. We don’t want to do anything at the expense of that.”

For the Flyers, there is a silver lining to the suspended season.

If the season is ever resumed, three of their injured players will be able to return, including van Riemsdyk, who broke his right index finger blocking a shot against Washington on March 4. Defenseman Phil Myers and center Nate Thompson would also be able to return from injuries.

Van Riemsdyk, who has 19 goals this season, said that his finger is healing well and that he will have an X-ray next week and find out what he is cleared to do.

For now, he is not permitted to lift more than a pound and is doing “passive-motion stuff.”

As the Flyers’ player representative, he is keeping his team updated on NHL developments. The league is hopeful of returning in the spring, but it wants its players quarantined until at least April 15.

He called it a “unique situation” and, in terms of corresponding with his teammates , said it “seems a lot like CBA negotiations.”

Van Riemsdyk said the suspended season gives the NHL a chance to “think outside the box” with its playoff format, provided the games return.

“But obviously at this point, everyone’s main concern is the health and safety of families and society in general,” said van Riemsdyk, whose wife, Lauren, is expecting the couple’s first child, a girl.

The Flyers were on a 19-6-1 run when the season was stopped.

“We were doing a lot of good things,” van Riemsdyk said. “... It’s definitely disappointing in that we felt good at what we were building, We want to get a chance to try to continue that at some point.”

Van Riemsdyk has known first-year Flyer Kevin Hayes for a long time and said he has been a big part of the team’s resurgence with his play and his fun-loving personality.

“He comes into the room and can be exactly himself, and I think that was something we needed — that kind of character that brings life to things,” van Riemsdyk said. “There’s never a dull or quiet moment when you’re hanging around with him. I think that’s something our locker room needed on a day-to-day basis. He’s kind of the straw that stirs the drink.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173244 Philadelphia Flyers Fletcher has been in contact with front-office personnel, including Dave Scott, Bob Clarke and ; assistant general managers; coaches; and scouts since the season was paused.

NHL open to playing in summer because of coronavirus | On the Fly “We’re all trying to stay in touch and do what we can,” he said. “Again, for obvious reasons, a lot of our business has been shut down right now. Most of the things we can focus on are matters going forward, whether that’s the draft or signing some of our players. Maybe planning some by Sam Carchidi, things for the future."

Goalie Carter Hart getting congratulated by Phil Myers after the Flyers' 4- By the end of this week, the Flyers’ final 13 regular-season games will 1 victory over Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center on March 5. have been postponed by the coronavirus outbreak. Goalie Carter Hart getting congratulated by Phil Myers after the Flyers' 4- Will they ever be played? 1 victory over Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center on March 5.

From here, the regular-season games should be scrapped and the Things to know league should start forming plans for the playoffs — if the season is GM Chuck Fletcher gives an update on the state of the Flyers and the resumed. NHL during a pause in the season. The lost regular-season games will hurt teams financially, and that is one The Flyers and assistant GM Brent Flahr are preparing for the draft, of the reasons the league is hoping they can be played. which will be a bigger crapshoot than usual. You’re signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox twice a week during Vegas oddsmaker gives theoretical odds for the Flyers and Sixers first- the Flyers season, but once a week while the season is suspended. If round playoff games. you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to Flyers broadcasters have a different way of filling the hockey void; just read, so send me feedback by email ([email protected]) or on don’t ask to do THAT. Twitter (@broadstbull). Thank you for reading. Rugged winger Wade Allison is signed by the Flyers. — Sam Carchidi ([email protected]) If the regular season is over, the Flyers’ award winners should be ... Short training camp Fletcher on Hayes The NHL has asked teams for their arena availability through August, so this season might not end for a while if it restarts. (Yes, there would be Besides center Kevin Hayes’ strong play in all situations, Fletcher talked lots of bad ice surfaces if games were played while outside temperatures Monday about his impact off the ice: “He’s a beauty. I think we all knew were in the 90s.) he had a strong personality, but he’s had a very positive impact on our franchise.” Referring to games in late August, Bill Daly, the league’s deputy commissioner, told NHL.com it “remains our hope, if not our goal, to be And another thing... playing hockey sooner than then.” I’m working on a series that features the Flyers’ 10 best playoff wins in Daly hopes the season can resume sometime this spring. franchise history. The two Stanley Cup wins are obvious, and I have eight others I’ve tentatively picked — and will have to leave a couple of Chuck Fletcher, the Flyers’ general manager, believes if the season great games off the list. Would love your feedback on some games that resumes, an abbreviated training camp would first have to be held. would be on your list. If you’d like, kindly email me During a conference call with reporters Monday, he was asked if a two- ([email protected]) with your suggestions. week camp would be enough to get players in playing shape. Important date Fletcher called hockey players “tremendous athletes” who “take care of themselves. We have had other instances where we have had work May 10: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended stoppages and we’ve had shorter training camps to get ready for the the cancellation or postponement of all events with 50 or more people season. Players have been able to manage it. until this date. We shall see if this date is extended.

“Certainly two weeks, in my opinion, would be sufficient to get guys up to From the mailbag speed," Fletcher added. "Obviously you have normal conditioning and Whose the odd man out when the season resumes, assuming JVR and you have game conditioning that may take a little time for guys to get to Myers are good to go? — @Girardistan on Twitter where they were when the pause happened. Again, these guys are great athletes and I think that could be sufficient.” Answer: Thanks for the question, Dyl. Thompson, the fourth-line center, is also expected to be ready if the season resumes, so that makes the During the work stoppage, Fletcher has been in contact with James van lineup decisions even more difficult. Riemsdyk, the Flyers’ player representative; captain ; and others. Since the Flyers were dominating with out of the lineup — they won nine straight at one point — I’d assume he would “Just making sure everyone is safe and their families are safe, and if become a healthy scratch when Myers returns. Van Riemsdyk figures to there is anything they need from us to get through this time and stage go back to his spot as the third-line left winger. That would put Scott where we are all at,” Fletcher said. “We want to help out any way we can. Laughton back as the No. 2 left winger, and send Joel Farabee to the Obviously we have some injured players that we have been trying to get bench. Farabee has played well, but I believe the Flyers would stay with healthy and make sure they are in a good spot.” an experienced lineup. Trainer Jim McCrossin has been “working very hard at keeping in touch Another option: Making Laughton the fourth-line center, keeping Farabee with the players that were banged up,” Fletcher said, referring to van as the second-line left winger, and having Thompson sit out. This team is Riemsdyk (broken right hand), Phil Myers (broken right kneecap) and very deep, so it would be a good problem to have. Nate Thompson (sprained left knee). “Right now, it’s about doing what we can to make sure players are in good spot. Again, as things are Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.02.2020 resolved and things get to a different stage and we can start talking about playing hockey again in a more realistic manner, communication will ramp up.”

All three injured players should be ready to play if the season resumes in May. 1173245 Philadelphia Flyers Fletcher said it was important to crown a Stanley Cup champion this year. “If we’re able to come back and play, that means the world’s in a much better spot than it is right now,” he said. “I think that would be a tremendous sign. Obviously a lot of work was put in and we got a Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher says players are working out at home; hopeful majority of the regular season [played], and I think we’re all competitors NHL season will resume and we all want to play. Again, if we’re playing, that means the situation has changed dramatically and we’re all in much better spots.”

Fletcher said injured players James van Riemsdyk, Phil Myers, and Nate by Sam Carchidi Thompson are all recovering well. If the season resumed in May, all would be back.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, in a wide-ranging conference Asked if the lost revenue from this season would affect next season’s call with reporters Monday, gave an update on his injured players, salary cap, Fletcher said: “I think our industry is no different from any sounded hopeful the NHL season would resume, and said two recently other industry. There’s going to be challenges for everybody as we move signed collegiate wingers would battle for roster spots during the 2020-21 forward here. There will be a host of issues that the league and the union training camp. will have to sit down and come to conclusions on. Until we have more concrete answers, it’s just hard to speculate on the types of things we This season was suspended March 12 because of the coronavirus need to be worried about.” outbreak. After a mediocre start, the Flyers (41-21-7) were the league’s hottest No one associated with the organization has been infected by the virus, team when the season was suspended, winning nine of their last 10. Fletcher said, adding that “everyone is doing the best they can to self- They are 19-6-1 since Jan. 8, tied with Boston for the most points in the isolate and be home with their families." NHL in that span. “I think it took us time to get everybody on the same page and playing our best hockey,” said Fletcher, mindful the Flyers had Before he answered questions, Fletcher, on behalf of the organization, to get accustomed to a new head coach, two new assistants, and thanked “all the people working on the front lines in this pandemic — the newcomers like Kevin Hayes, Matt Niskanen, and Justin Braun, among doctors, nurses, hospital workers, our first responders, and everyone others. “I believe that was predictable when you’ve made the number of working hard to keep all our essential services operating for the benefit of changes we made the last offseason. I think as the season progressed all of us.” and we all got on the same page from a systems standpoint, and our Fletcher said he wanted to mention that before talking about “a small culture grew and the expectations increased, we’ve become a pretty piece of the world which I work in, which is .” good hockey team. I like the buy-in. Everyone is accepting of their role. ... whether it’s Claude Giroux or Joel Farabee.” Among the hockey-related developments, Fletcher said: Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.02.2020 Most players have returned to their offseason homes and are working out there, “and they’re all hopeful that at some point and time we’ll be able to get to a better place in this world and we’ll be able to play hockey.”

Fletcher said left winger Oskar Lindblom, who is battling a rare bone cancer, has remained in the area for treatments and was “doing well.”

Center Nolan Patrick, who has missed the season because of a migraine disorder, has been “trending in the right direction,” but he wasn’t sure if he could return if the season resumed.

Brent Flahr, the assistant general manager who heads the Flyers’ scouting department, and his staff are watching lots of video and getting their draft list together. The June 26-27 draft has been postponed, and a new date has not been determined.

Assistant GM Barry Hanrahan has been working on cap-related issues and contracts. The Flyers have not had any contract discussions with players who will become restricted or unrestricted free agents in the summer. Fletcher said that the Flyers were “building files” for summer negotiations, and that the league has not yet decided if the July 1 free- agency period will be moved.

Wingers Wade Allison and Tanner Laczynski, each of whom signed entry-level contracts last week, will compete for jobs with the Flyers at training camp. “These are players who will be 23 years old next season and have both put in a lot of time on the collegiate level,” Fletcher said. “They both have size and strength ... I expect they’ll challenge for spots right away. Whether they can make it, time will tell. They’re players who are very close to being able to step in and play.”

Echoing what Flahr said last week, Fletcher said defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk was undecided about whether to return to the University of Wisconsin. He said highly regarded prospects Bobby Brink (Denver), Cam York (Michigan), and Noah Cates (Minnesota-Duluth) will return to their respective colleges and that was “the best route for all three of those kids.”

Fletcher said he checks in once a week with coach , who apparently has returned to his home in Florida. “He had been working on his golf swing for a while,” Fletcher said. “Right now, he’s going through notes and trying to stay safe.”

If the season resumes, Fletcher said there’s no playoff format that he prefers. He said he was fine with whatever format the league decides to use. “There’s a lot of different ideas out there, a lot of creative solutions,” he said. 1173246 Pittsburgh Penguins “Jake’s a difference-maker, and I think I’m stating the obvious when I say that,” Sullivan said. “When you think about the timeframe that was laid out after Jake’s surgery, it’s reasonable to think that we would get him back. So we’re excited about that potential opportunity. Penguins can count on Brian Dumoulin, John Marino for spark when hockey returns “Knowing Jake the way we know him, he’s a real competitive kid. We know what this means to him. He loves to compete, and he’s a tough kid.”

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 4:48 p.m. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.02.2020

The Penguins don’t know when their next game will be played.

They are pretty sure defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino will be in their lineup when it happens.

That is very good news for the Penguins. They were an outstanding team with Dumoulin and Marino in the lineup this season and hovered somewhere between mediocre and bad when they were out with injuries.

“Those two guys are an important part of our blue line,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re certainly looking forward to the opportunity to return to play so that we can get some of these players playing consistently in a healthy form.”

Dumoulin had surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his left ankle Dec. 1 and missed the next three months. He also missed four games in October with a lower-body injury.

Marino missed five games in March after a deflected puck broke bones in his face. He also was scratched for the first two games of the season before the Penguins realized exactly what they had in the rookie from Harvard.

It might seem counterintuitive because both are defensemen, but their impact is felt most dramatically on offense.

In 26 games with both in the lineup, the Penguins went 15-7-4 and averaged 3.77 goals.

In the 32 games one or the other was out, the Penguins went 21-10-1 and averaged 3.13 goals.

In the 11 games neither played, the Penguins went 4-6-1 and scored 2.36 goals per game.

There are plenty of mitigating factors influencing those numbers, of course, especially the win-loss record. For instance, in the 10 starts that immediately followed Dumoulin’s ankle injury, Tristan Jarry went 8-1-1 with a .943 save percentage and three . Goaltending and shooting percentage can skew any set of small sample size stats.

Still, the difference is too stark to dismiss. It is clear the Penguins move the puck better when Dumoulin and Marino are playing.

“They’re good 200-foot players, mobile players, good size,” Sullivan said. “They defend well. With their outlet passes, they help our transition game. They help us on both sides of the puck in so many ways. We’re a much better hockey team when they’re in our lineup.”

Both players returned from injury March 3 and played five games before the NHL put its season on pause March 12.

The nature of their injuries are such that an extended break could be just what the doctor ordered, especially for Marino, who, theoretically, could shed the full face shield he was wearing by the time the puck drops again.

“If there’s any positive that can be taken out of suspension of play, it’s guys that are injured or coming off injury have more time to recover, and we’re no different than any other team in the league in that regard,” Sullivan said. “The suspension of play will provide an opportunity for injured players to recover.”

Another player the Penguins, obviously, will be glad to have back in the lineup, perhaps as soon as the next game they play, is Jake Guentzel.

Like Dumoulin and Marino, his play greatly impacts the team’s fortunes on offense.

With Guentzel in the lineup, the Penguins averaged 3.49 goals this season. After he hurt his shoulder Dec. 30, the Penguins scored 2.93 goals per game. 1173247 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins’ Mike Sullivan: doctors, nurses, law enforcement ‘are our true heroes’

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 1:47 p.m.

Mike Sullivan cracked a joke to open up his video conference call with media Tuesday.

“I never thought I’d say this,” the Pittsburgh Penguins coach said, his sly smirk visible even through the choppy nature of the call, “but I’m happy to be doing this today.”

A Boston-area native and coach of the Bruins from 2003-06, Sullivan has a personal relationship with and carries a respect for Bill Belichick, the highly successful coach who isn’t exactly overly eager to divulge information while interacting with the media.

But when it comes to delivering a message to writers, broadcasters and fans as the U.S. deals with the coronavirus pandemic, Sullivan spoke expansively.

“The message is that this is a difficult time for everyone,” he said. “We all acknowledge that. I think what’s jumped out at me is how impressive the human spirit and the human initiative is. When I look around the country and see how people have banded together to overcome the challenges and worked together to try to help one another through this crisis, for me, it’s inspiring. It’s impressive.

“It’s our responsibility as people within our own respective communities to make sure we do our part to help our country overcome this challenge. I don’t think any of us should take it lightly. Those are the things I’ve thought about over the past couple of weeks. If there is any silver lining in this, it’s real impressive from my standpoint — and, quite honesty, it’s inspiring — to watch our country come together and overcome a crisis situation.”

To coach Mike Sullivan, the pause of the #NHL season came at a particularly bad time for his #Penguins. https://t.co/TOHCELIUBT

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) April 1, 2020

According to a profile written about Sullivan by the official publication of his alma mater, Boston University, Sullivan’s late mother, Myna, was a nurse.

Perhaps that, in part, was why during some of his first public comments since covid-19 temporarily shut down the NHL season, Sullivan multiple times made sure he recognized those he calls “the real heroes.”

“I think the first responders, the doctors, the nurses, the people on the front lines of this, these guys are our true heroes,” Sullivan said. “And we’re watching them every day on television. We’re watching them every day in our own respective communities, and we should all be grateful for what they do on a daily basis. And sometimes we take that stuff for granted.”

Sullivan, who has stayed in his Pittsburgh-area home with his wife and three children, emphasized he felt it was “important that we all do our part” in combating the pandemic.

“We will get through this, and we will get through this together, and we will all get out on the other side of this,” Sullivan said. “I hope we all have appreciation for one another and have a little more of a tolerance for one another when we do get on the other side of this.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173248 Pittsburgh Penguins Crosby’s figure is amazing given his era. Lemieux’s figure is just plain amazing.

Crosby’s all-around play closes the gap. Mark Madden: Sidney Crosby’s trophy case earns respect from peers Lemieux’s defensive acumen (especially in crucial situations) is underrated. Lemieux scored 13 shorthanded goals in 1988-89, still the NHL record. That’s defense, too. MARK MADDEN | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 1:28 p.m. Crosby’s absolute mastery on that side of the puck can’t possibly be overrated, however. Crosby would have won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward several times if his scoring didn’t keep The NHL Players’ Association asked its membership to select hockey’s getting in the way. creme de la creme. The 588 who responded to the poll chose Edmonton’s Connor McDavid as the NHL’s best forward. Crosby has three Cups, Lemieux two. Crosby has five international championships, Lemieux three. But Crosby has had far more They also picked the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby as the league’s most international opportunity. He may have beaten Russia but never CCCP. complete player and the player you’d most want on your team if you Lemieux helped Canada beat the Soviet machine in the 1987 Canada needed to win one game. Cup, netting both of Canada’s winning goals in the best-of-three final. The NHLPA could put together a decent high school yearbook. Who got (But Crosby’s “Golden Goal” to win the 2010 Olympics carries much biggest flirt, class clown and life of the party? cachet.)

During McDavid’s five NHL seasons, he has 469 points in 351 games. In It’s tough to compare Lemieux and Crosby because they’re so the current season, he has 97 points in 64 games. contrasting: different body type, different skill set, different style.

During those same five campaigns, Crosby has 410 points in 357 games. Lemieux nonetheless gets the edge, though the gap is closer than I might Before disease interrupted this year, he had 47 points in 41 games. have thought when Crosby joined the Penguins.

It’s hard to argue against McDavid as best forward. It’s just great that both played in Pittsburgh. Both are top five all-time.

But, if you had to win one game, why wouldn’t you want the player with My top five all-time: Lemieux, Bobby Orr, , Crosby the most points? Most goals wins, right? and…boy, one feels almost obligated to say . But I’m not sure it isn’t Rocket Richard. Crosby being named most complete player was obvious. He’s the only choice. It’s almost like the categories were designed so Crosby and Tribune Review LOADED: 04.02.2020 McDavid were both guaranteed to get something. (Maybe more than “almost.”)

Much of the 200-foot excellence and effort that got Crosby voted most complete player also figures into him being recognized as most likely to win.

But mostly, it’s because Crosby has won: three Stanley Cups, two playoff MVPs earned in the pursuit. Five international championships, too. Crosby’s last two Cups, two playoff MVPs, World Cup of Hockey gold medal and that competition’s MVP occurred within the timeline of McDavid’s pro career.

During that span, McDavid has made the playoffs once and won one series. That’s not necessarily an indictment: McDavid has been betrayed by a bumbling organization and a poorly-assembled team. ’s Penguins didn’t make the playoffs until his fifth season.

Crosby’s championships are particularly valued by players, even more so by ham-and-eggers who have no shot at individual honors like scoring titles. That makes how the vote went even less surprising.

Crosby’s work ethic, leadership and personality make him all the easier to praise. Coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby’s teammates “gain a whole other appreciation” for Crosby during the pandemic.

Why? Does he wash his hands more than anybody else? But respect breeds respect.

The vote — which would be much less significant if there were games to talk and write about — reignites the debate over the significance of winning in judging individual greatness.

Tom Brady is widely regarded as the G.O.A.T. when it comes to quarterbacking. He has great career numbers compiled via excellence and longevity.

But there are a half-dozen I consider better, including Dan Marino, who never won a . But those who support Brady wield his six rings like a bludgeon, and it’s a compelling argument.

Another interesting debate cropping up amid the stultifying boredom is Crosby vs. Lemieux.

I had never considered such a discussion, and certainly the numbers don’t allow one.

Using the easiest direct comparison, Lemieux averaged 1.883 points per game, the second-best mark in NHL history. Crosby is at 1.284, ranking him sixth. 1173249 Pittsburgh Penguins Honorable mention: Conor Sheary scores in overtime to win Game 1 of the Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks… Kris Letang dazzles as the Penguins eliminate the Sharks in Game 6 to win the Cup… Bryan Rust scores three times over two games as the Penguins win Games 6 and 7 Five games, five nights: Pick one Penguins game to watch per Stanley against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final. Cup playoff run 2009

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Detroit Red Wings TIM BENZ | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 6:53 a.m. No need to overcomplicate things here.

Max Talbot scored twice, and Marc-Andre Fleury did this at the end of During the coronavirus-induced sports , everybody and their the decisive game. brother is re-airing classic old games. Sixty minutes of pure, unadulterated angst and tension. The NFL, MLB and NHL networks are doing it. Local radio stations are, too. As is AT&T SportsNet. That preserved a 2-1 win, ending Pittsburgh’s 17-year Stanley Cup drought. So for this week’s hockey podcast, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I put a on the idea. Honorable mention: Jordan Staal scores shorthanded and the Penguins rally from 2-1 down in Game 4 against the Wings to win 4-2… Evgeni Monday through Friday, one game every night. We decided to pick our Malkin dominates the Carolina Hurricanes with a hat trick in Game 2 of favorite game from each of the Pens’ five playoff runs to a Stanley Cup if the Eastern Conference Final on the way to a 7-4 win… Max Talbot’s we were going to program a week of viewing. “SHHHH” in Game 6 to eliminate the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 in the opening round… Fleury stops Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway in Game 7 One game. Per Cup run. Per postseason. of the Eastern Conference Semifinal and the Pens go on to win 6-2. Although, as I’ve mentioned in this space before, let’s give a little love to 1992 the triple-overtime Game 5 victory in the 2008 Final over Detroit before the Penguins eventually lost to the Red Wings in Game 6. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Chicago Blackhawks

Here’s what Brian and I decided. The Penguins erase a 4-1 deficit as Jaromir Jagr scores one of the most jaw-dropping goals of his career to tie the contest 4-4 late in the third 2017 period. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final vs. the Ottawa Senators Then Mario Lemieux wins it with 12.6 seconds left. Many in attendance This one at PPG Paints Arena was pretty obvious. say it is the loudest they ever heard the old .

Chris Kunitz eliminates the Ottawa Senators in double overtime of Game The Penguins would go on to win 5-4 and sweep Chicago to claim the 7. Cup for a second year in a row.

CHRIS KUNITZ WITH THE OT WINNER! @Penguins beat the Honorable mention: Tom Barrasso backstops a 27-save shutout to blank @Senators 3-2 in double OT and advance to the #StanleyCup Final! the Blackhawks 1-0 in Game 3… The Penguins win a 6-5 seesaw affair pic.twitter.com/VddTkjj3R1 in Chicago to claim the Cup in Game 4… Mario Lemieux scores three times and assists on three others as the Penguins avoid falling behind 3- — Hockey Night Punjabi (@HkyNightPunjabi) May 26, 2017 0 to Washington with a 6-4 win in the first round… nets a hat trick in a 5-4 overtime win against the New York Rangers with Lemieux That victory allowed the Pens to clinch their second straight Eastern injured to even the Patrick Division Final series 2-2. Conference title, and they moved on to eventually beat the in the Cup Final, winning their fifth Cup. 1991

There were 84 shots in that game. Matt Murray and Craig Anderson were We split the vote on this one both great in goal. Metz went with Frank Pietrangelo’s “The Save.” But Kunitz scored twice. His only two goals of the playoffs. And the Pens needed them both en route to the 3-2 win. That was Game 6 of the first round. The Pens trailed New Jersey in the series, 3-2, and were facing elimination. That’s when the Pens’ backup Honorable mention: Marc-Andre Fleury pitches a 2-0 shutout to eliminate goalie made the stop of his life to preserve a 4-3 lead. the in D.C. during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal… The Pens blow a three-goal lead but beat The Pens went on to win 4-0 in Game 7 and advance to the second Nashville 5-3 in Game 1 of the Final… Patric Hornqvist scores the round. game’s first goal with 1:35 left as Murray and the Pens shut out the Preds I went with the organization’s 5-3 win in Game 6 of the Wales 2-0 to win the Cup in Game 6. Conference Final to eliminate the Boston Bruins. After climbing out of an 2016 early 2-0 hole, the Pens found themselves tied 3-3 in the third. scored a memorable game-winner with 4:20 left in the third Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal vs. the Washington period. Capitals That was the first time in my life I ever truly allowed myself to believe the Nick Bonino scores in overtime to beat the Caps 4-3. Penguins could actually become Stanley Cup Champions.

"IT'S OVERRRRR!" Which they did six games later.

With an OVERTIME winner from Nick Bonino the @penguins were able Then four more times after that. to advance in 6 games. #HockeyWeekNBC | @penguins pic.twitter.com/jcRQbzqMPN Honorable mention: scores the overtime game-winner during a 7-6 slugfest against the Capitals in the second round… The — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) March 29, 2020 Penguins even the Cup Final at 2-2 in Game 4 versus the thanks to five different goal scorers in a 5-3 victory… The 8-0 That was after the Pens saw a 3-1 lead disappear in the third period coronation blowout of Minnesota to claim the franchise’s first Stanley Cup thanks in part to three consecutive delay of game penalties. in Game 6. But Bonino — who committed one of the infractions — won it in overtime. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.02.2020 It was the fourth goal by the famed “HBK” line on the day as Phil Kessel scored twice, and Carl Hagelin had the other. 1173250 Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins had not made the playoffs since 2000-01. The “X Generation” team of 2003-04 finished last in the league, but the Washington Capitals jumped ahead of them in that lottery. The Capitals took Alex Ovechkin first overall in the 2004 draft. The Penguins got Inside the NHL's Sidney Crosby sweepstakes, 15 years later Evgeni Malkin and slightly better odds at Crosby.

That morning, the Penguins had the maximum of three balls. But with every team in the lottery and 48 balls in the bin, they had only a 6.3% Staff chance of seeing one of their balls, each of them labeled with the number 12, get yanked out first. team and alter the futures of the other 29 represented in an “I was just hoping for any kind of miracle,” said then-GM Patrick. uncomfortable ballroom. Behind closed doors It was Friday afternoon and the clock was ticking toward 4:30 at the The Penguins needed a new arena and a prospect who could give their Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in Manhattan. Jim Rutherford was fans more hope when Patrick left his hotel that morning to walk to the unusually sweaty. Brian Burke was irrationally confident. Ken Sawyer lottery. He grabbed the lucky four-leaf clover that a Penguins staffer had kept an even keel. given him a while back and stopped by St. Patrick’s Cathedral on All three winced while watching NHL commissioner Gary Bettman slowly Madison Avenue on his way there. open the first 27 envelopes. Any minute now, they would find out if their “We were already so excited to have the CBA settled and a salary cap team was the lucky one that landed the No. 1 pick and the right to draft and financial parity and an opportunity to compete,” recalled Penguins Sidney Crosby, the most hyped hockey prospect since Eric Lindros, vice president of communications Tom McMillan. “We didn’t think coming maybe even Mario Lemieux. into that day that we were going to have Sidney Crosby. We just wanted The third pick in 2005 went to Rutherford’s Carolina Hurricanes. And then to get a top-10 pick.” there were two. Burke and Sawyer, representing the Mighty Ducks of Looking back 15 years later, the 2005 draft class is maybe the best of the Anaheim and the Penguins, respectively, were called up onto the stage past two . Beyond Crosby, there were a dozen All-Stars along for the big reveal. with winners of the Conn Smythe, Vezina and Selke trophies. The final TSN’s James Duthie, emceeing the made-for-TV event with Crosby selection, at No. 230 overall, scored a Cup-clinching goal in the 2017 beaming in via satellite from the family sofa in , said, “Ladies final. You know Patric Hornqvist. and gentlemen, we’re about to learn who has the Number 1 pick in the But Crosby had long been considered a generational prospect. He did his draft — right after this break.” first TV interview at age 7, was called “The Next One” by “The Hockey A landmark moment in hockey history had to wait for a few commercials. News” at 14 and had already inked seven-figure endorsement deals with Gatorade and Reebok. Burke leaned over to Duthie and muttered, “I could kill you right now.” “Sid was the perfect prospect,” Rutherford said. “There wasn’t any Meanwhile, elsewhere in the hotel, Craig Patrick was laughing his butt doubt.” off. Added Burke, now an analyst for Sportsnet: “He was the whole package. ‘Unique circumstance’ Elite hockey sense. Elite physical ability. Elite leadership. There was no question about whether or not he would be great. It was just a question of In the same Sheraton that morning, July 22, 2005, Bettman announced how great.” that the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association had ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The terms of the deal were agreed upon All 30 teams sent one representative to the Sheraton for the draft lottery. nine days earlier. Once everyone arrived that morning, the group was sequestered in a room. They were there so long they got served breakfast and lingered After the league lost the entire 2004-05 season to a bitter labor dispute, long past lunch. leaving the Stanley Cup to collect dust, the CBA included a hard salary cap and revenue sharing, giving struggling teams such as the Penguins a “They took care of us, but we were there for several hours,” Patrick said. chance to compete. “They took our cell phones. If we had to go to the bathroom, they walked with us.” With the start of its comeback season less than three months away, the league had little time to waste. As Bettman addressed the media, the real Bill Daly, who in 2005 was named the NHL’s deputy commissioner, was Crosby lottery was already underway behind closed doors in another running the show. The first ball out of the lottery machine was for the first room inside the hotel, with the accounting firm Ernst and Young pick and from there they would sort out the rest of the first round in reportedly overseeing the process. ascending order.

Near the end of his press conference, Bettman explained why the NHL The Hurricanes chose Jason Karmanos, who has since followed pushed for the Board of Governors to approve a lottery that gave every Rutherford to the Penguins, to represent them at the lottery. Their ball team, not just the cellar-dwellers but also perennial powerhouses, a number was 13. That meant Karmanos was sitting next to Patrick when chance at Crosby. the first ball was spit out.

“This is a unique circumstance,” Bettman said. “The draft and order of the “Jason could see the number as it came out and he thought that it might draft traditionally reflects how teams finished a particular season. Well, have been Carolina’s number,” Rutherford said. “But, as it turned out, it we already had that draft in 2003-04. ... Actually, nobody was particularly was 12, Craig was a happy man and the rest of that’s history as far as thrilled, but everyone understood that on balance it was probably the the Penguins go.” fairest way to approach it.” Patrick would have to wait to celebrate the miracle with the rest of He later admitted, “We wanted to come back with some attention focused Pittsburgh. on us and some interest building and we thought this would be a good way to do it.” “I couldn’t tell anybody,” he said. “The lottery took place and then we were in there for another four hours until it went on TV and became In that weighted one-time system, each team started with three Ping- public. I had to sit there for hours knowing we had the first pick and Pong balls. A ball was taken away for every playoff appearance in the couldn’t tell anybody.” previous three seasons and for each time a team won one of the last four draft lotteries. But each team got at least one ball, including the ‘We’re still in it!’ defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Most of the hockey world turned on the television at 4 that afternoon. “That was met with some resistance,” Burke said, “because it didn’t seem Well, except for Lemieux. He had to take his daughter to the doctor that fair that the really good teams would have the same shot at Sidney day. He didn’t expect the Penguins to score the top pick, so he turned off Crosby as some of the really bad teams. ... Teams with weaker records his phone. didn’t understand that.” “It’s one of those ‘Where were you?’ moments,” said Burke, another Cup- Within a few days, fans from as far away as Australia had purchased winning GM. “There aren’t many moments etched in time like that. But tickets. When single-game tickets went on sale, the Penguins sold more that one is.” than 10,000 in four hours.

Marc-Andre Fleury, the gymnastic young Penguins goalie who that winter On July 30, at a scaled-down draft inside an Ottawa hotel, Pittsburgh had played with Crosby at the World Junior Championship, tuned in from made it official. Anaheim picked second. Jack Johnson went his house in Quebec. After a workout, Brooks Orpik and his buddies had third to Carolina. Minnesota’s Benoit Pouliot and Montreal’s Carey Price just ordered a round of beers at Cityside Tavern, a pub not far from the rounded out the top five. Boston College campus. The Penguins tried to take as much pressure off Crosby as they could. Crosby was at home in Cole Harbour. He had a boyish face and some Lemieux came back for one more season, putting up 22 points in his final product in his dark, curly locks. He wore a blue Reebok athletic T-shirt, 26 games, and Patrick signed Sergei Gonchar, Ziggy Palffy and John khaki shorts and a gold chain around his neck. The 17-year-old later LeClair in free agency. walked out onto his front lawn for a press conference, family members peeking through the curtains. “Sidney won’t have to carry the load early,” Patrick said at the time. “But you can see that three or four years down the road, Sidney is going to be During TSN’s live lottery show, the cameras cut to the star center as the leader on this team and the one we’ll rely on to make us a successful Bettman opened envelopes and potential destinations were crossed off franchise.” Crosby’s list. Crosby made his NHL debut Oct. 5, which is Lemieux’s birthday, and At one point, Duthie, the host, asked him if he was excited, nervous, finished his sensational rookie season with a team-high 39 goals and 102 numb. points.

“I think all of those. It’s been a lot of anticipation the last little while. It’s “You always hear people say [that draft lottery] was rigged, especially definitely exciting,” he said. “I’m going to sit here and watch like everyone with where the organization was at,” Orpik said. “But there’s no chance else.” that would ever happen. But yeah, there is so much hype with some of these guys and sometimes they bust. Obviously, that wasn’t the case After Montreal then Minnesota were eliminated, only three teams with him. It worked out.” remained. In 2009, Crosby, along with Malkin and Fleury, led the Penguins to a “I’m not a guy that sweats a lot, unless I’m out in the humidity. But the Stanley Cup. They got their new arena in 2010 and two more titles in palms of my hands started getting wet,” said Rutherford, who at the time 2016 and 2017. was Carolina’s GM. “I was like, ‘Wow, we may be getting Sidney Crosby.’ It just got more and more intense. And then we got the third pick and my Based on how those 48 lottery balls could have ping-ponged, Crosby hands dried up.” could have potentially lifted the Cup anywhere on the NHL map, from Minnesota, where he attended prep school, to Montreal, the home of his Burke and Sawyer stepped on stage, Duthie was given a reprieve and childhood team. about three minutes of commercials rolled. Patrick was cracking up in the other room. Picture Crosby in San Jose teal or — dry heave — in Philadelphia orange. “Everyone else in our organization was saying, ‘We’re still in it! We’re still in it!’” Patrick said. “And when it got down to Anaheim and us, I was really What if he wound up with the dynasty-seeking Detroit Red Wings? chuckling because Ken Sawyer was out there sweating. And I had known for hours.” All these years later, he swears he doesn’t ponder all those possibilities.

When Bettman picked up the envelope marked with the No. 1, Burke was “I remember having a lot of meetings with all the different teams because for some reason confident that Crosby was headed to Southern nobody had any idea where you’re going to end up,” the captain said with California. a shrug. “It was kind of unique circumstances with the way it was done that year.” “I just had a hunch,” he said. “Then I saw a little splash of color when they opened the envelope. I thought it was orange. I thought the Ducks Well, the rest of the league wonders what might have been. Even had won it.” Rutherford, who won his first Stanley Cup with Carolina that season. And especially Burke. It was Pittsburgh’s “Vegas gold.” The Penguins had won the Crosby lottery. “I still joke with Sid about it. They were here in Toronto [in February],” Burke said. “Every time I see him, I hold up my index finger and my Sawyer, who retired as CEO in 2009, smiled and politely shook Burke’s thumb about a quarter inch apart, and I say, ‘This close, Sid. You were hand. this close to being a Duck.’ ”

“Ken is a very reserved guy,” Burke said with a laugh. “I would have been Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2020 doing the ‘Rocky’ routine up there, jumping up and down with my arms in the air.”

A second savior

That’s what McMillan was doing back at Mellon Arena after excusing himself from a room filled with local media who had assembled to watch the lottery.

“All the TV cameras pointed to me and I realized that I was the highest- ranking official in the room,” he said. “I remember saying to myself, ‘Don’t do anything stupid that will get you on a highlight video for the rest of your life.’ ”

As he stood outside screaming, McMillan knew everything had changed.

“It was euphoria, almost hysteria,” he said of the events that soon followed.

Shortly after the news broke, the team’s ticket office was overwhelmed with calls. There was a 45-minute wait to get through. McMillan added that employees were still in the office until close to midnight taking ticket orders. 1173251 Pittsburgh Penguins sends them off and somebody else does the work. One has Emrick in a barn, wondering how oats and hay get so heavy when they come out the other end.

Jason Mackey: Broadcaster Doc Emrick on the Pirates, staying safe and Another is much more serious, with the same account on Sunday posting much more a video of Emrick praising and thanking first responders and grocery store employees and others, as a church bell tolled in the background.

“Anything that crosses our minds, we send to them and if they decide it’s Staff worthy of posting, they post it,” Emrick said. “They don’t assign us anything, but they encourage us to share whatever comes across our

mind with them.” “Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?” the familiar voice Plenty has gone through Emrick’s mind of late. The 73-year-old has been beamed from the iPhone speaker. “All I’ve been doing is rambling for 20 going for daily walks with his wife, Joyce. Together, they’re delivering daggone minutes here.” food to families in their neighborhood who can’t get out. Doc has also This was Tuesday morning, after legendary hockey broadcaster Doc watched “Miracle,” “Major League” (a couple times) and “A League of Emrick had shared stories about attending opening day at Crosley Field Their Own” while also taking in some veterinary shows with Joyce. He in the late 1960s, about witnessing Neil Walker’s walkoff homer on started to clean out boxes in his own office, a process he’s found to be Opening Day six years ago while eating a salad at TGI Friday’s inside “like discovering Christmas gifts.” One of the them included test papers Pittsburgh International Airport and about Walker surreptitiously playing from 1969-70, when Emrick taught at Geneva College. pickup hockey at PPG Paints Arena, where the former Pirate would often But the biggest gift has been getting some additional time at home with skate in the afternoon with Penguins staffers. Joyce, when he would normally be on the road constantly for the end of “He was not an ordinary player,” Emrick said of Walker. “You kind of felt the NHL regular season and the start of playoffs. like Phil Bourque could very easily have been ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson “We’re enjoying the time together,” Emrick said. “We also realize we’re all yelling out at ‘Moonlight’ Graham, ‘Hey rookie, you were good.’ ” just trying to take care of each other and make sure that we stay safe. Emrick, who you may have heard loves the Pirates, typically spends That’s what we keep being encouraged to do every day by the TV news, opening day in Pittsburgh, taking the first flight out — he lives in St. Clair, to take care of each other and stay safe by being in as much as we can.” Mich., about an hour northeast of Detroit’s airport — and the last one Emrick also just finishing a book he’s been working on with Hall of Fame back and spending the afternoon at PNC Park seated next to Pittsburgh hockey writer Kevin Allen titled “The Puck Doctor,” where Emrick and Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook in the press box. Allen write about the amiable broadcaster’s life. Emrick said there’s an That trip won’t happen this year, obviously, thanks to the coronavirus entire chapter devoted to the Pirates, where he talks about pandemic, so I figured the least I could do was bring Doc to Pittsburgh inviting him to broadcast baseball in July 2016. over the phone. It also never hurts, in these tenuous times, to talk to “I’ve never done a book other than a checkbook,” Emrick said. “But when someone who could make changing wiper blades or scooping horse you’re working with someone like Kevin, he makes it really easy.” manure sound uplifting. But more on that shortly. The time down has also allowed Emrick to reflect — on what sports My conversation with Emrick went to several places, which is typical mean to all of us, the state of our country and the realization that the real when you talk to the Hall of Famer and six-time national Emmy Award heroes right now are taking care of others or keeping society safe or winner. (One example: The first time we chatted, I wound up answering making it possible for us to buy food. questions about how I met my wife, which I’ve always thought was a microcosm of what makes Doc great. He has the gift of storytelling mixed “I think we realize, during this stretch of time, the role that sports has is with unbridled enthusiasm and the curious brain of a kid. It’s incredible.) not nearly as important as the roles of health care workers, first responders, the Postal Service and grocery store workers have in our “Then he brought over Josh Bell, who I had seen in the clubhouse before lives,” Emrick said. “But there’s another role that it sports has that is in uniform. He was wearing an [Evgeni] Malkin jersey,” Emrick said, really important and will be welcomed when it comes back. And that is starting into a story from the night of Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s the role of taking us from things that do make us downcast and lifting us introductory press conference, when he popped up at a Penguins game up.” with his first baseman in tow. Emrick doesn’t know when he’ll go back to work. He trusts the NHL has a “My goodness, he is enormous, that guy,” Emrick continued on Bell. “I plan … and several subsequent ones, too. He also can’t wait to see the didn’t realize until he’s in a black Malkin jersey how big he was. You see Pirates take the field and start playing baseball again. a guy in a baseball uniform, and you realize, yeah, this is a big person. But when you see him in the offseason in a Malkin jersey, and at 5-foot-7 But for the time being, he’s not about to overthink his responsibilities. you’re standing next to this guy and you realize, my goodness, if he ever got a hold of one, it’s understandable that the Allegheny [River] would be “The only thing that we can do to contribute — as broadcasters, athletes wearing it soon.” or every-day people — is to stay safe at home,” Emrick said. “Our role right now is nothing. We hope that our role as fans or broadcasters or as Is there a more Doc Emrick way of saying Josh Bell is big and strong and players will get back to where it was at one time. But right now, the most hits mammoth home runs? Heck no. important thing we can do is stay inside and stay safe. It seems like nothing, but it is something.” Our conversation also involved Shelton, who should be managing his first game at PNC Park on Thursday but instead will have to wait because of Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2020 COVID-19. Although Emrick did not make it down to Bradenton, Fla. this year for his typical spring training trip, he’s been encouraged by what he’s heard about the Pirates’ new manager.

“We’re all looking for something,” Emrick said. “I love my team. It’s similar, in my case, to religious faith. You don’t abandon it in difficult times. It helps you get through difficult times. ... [Shelton] seemed like a great guy. I got the idea that this was going to be a change, fresh air, and all of that might have been necessary.”

I first texted Doc after watching him narrate his longtime mechanic changing his wiper blades, a video NHL on NBC posted on Twitter about a week ago. (The clip now has more than 5,400 likes.)

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) March 23, 2020

Turns out that NBC is encouraging its people to post short vignettes, updating fans on what they’re doing. Emrick doesn’t have Twitter, so he 1173252 Pittsburgh Penguins LONG-TERM OUTLOOK: Malkin, the team’s highest-paid player at $9,500,000 per season, has three years left on his contract. He also has a no-movement clause, not that the Penguins will ask him to waive it after the season he’s had. Penguins on pause: Evgeni Malkin bought in and bounced back with a big season Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2020

Staff

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

It’s been almost a year now since the start of the most important offseason of Evgeni Malkin’s NHL career, other than the one when he escaped Russia.

In 2018-19, Malkin hurt more than he helped. And after the Penguins were swept out of the playoffs, the Post-Gazette reported that they discussed the possibility of trading their other future Hall-of-Fame center. At least twice, Jim Rutherford passed up on opportunities to publicly state that Geno was untouchable.

Whether that was just a motivational ploy by the Hall-of-Fame GM or if the team was actually open to offers, Malkin heard the message loud and clear.

After working his tail off in Russia, Malkin returned to Pittsburgh late last summer in better shape physically and with something to prove this season. He punished pucks during training camp, sending a message of his own. Then he carried it over into the regular season, when he was the team’s best player.

Malkin had 25 goals and a team-high 74 points when the NHL suspended play March 12. While he still isn’t going to show up on any Selke Trophy ballots, he was much more committed outside his offensive end. And he had a plus-7 rating in 55 games and won more faceoffs than he lost for the first time.

When Sidney Crosby went on injured reserve in November, Malkin, as he usually does in Crosby’s absence, became more assertive and picked up his production. Only four qualifying NHL players, all of them now being hyped as Hart Trophy candidates, averaged more than Malkin’s 1.35 points per game.

Perhaps more meaningful in the three months Crosby was out was Malkin’s commitment to defense and making smart decisions with and without the puck in the neutral and offensive zones. That set the tone for a banged-up Penguins team that was one of the hottest in hockey during December and January.

This season could be lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, the most encouraging development this season for the Penguins, as it pertains to their desire to win at least one more Cup before Crosby retires, was that Geno bought in and bounced back to again be one of the top 10 centers in the league.

As long as Crosby and Malkin can perform at an elite level, they will have a chance to win a fourth Cup, whether it be this summer or in the next few years.

DEFINING MOMENT: On Nov. 14, the day the Penguins announced Crosby had sports hernia surgery, Malkin vowed, “I will be fire,” a playful nod to the fire alarm that blared after a practice in New Jersey. He proceeded to torch opponents with 11 goals and 38 points in the 26 games he played with Crosby out.

STAT THAT STANDS OUT: Last season, Malkin did most of his damage on the power play. Meanwhile, Malkin and his since-departed wingman, Phil Kessel, were a mess at 5-on-5. This season, he already has 46 points at 5-on-5. That is more than he had in all of 2018-19 and his highest total since 2011-12.

IF THE SEASON RESUMES: The challenge for Malkin will be picking up where he left off before the season was paused — not from a production standpoint, but maintaining that determination to be a 200-foot difference-maker. The worry is that will disappear after he’s been chilling in Miami for months. 1173253 Pittsburgh Penguins predictably packed. Pichora stopped 33 of 35 shots in a character- building 5-2 victory.

“I literally found out [about the call-up] a day before. I came in and just Bethel Park goaltender Geno Pichora makes the best out of second did my thing,” he said. “I’m used to playing with like 100 people there, opportunity with Pens Elite and it’s usually your family and friends. Playing in these nice arenas with a lot of people you’ve never met, they’re cheering you on or trying to get in your head.”

Staff He added: “You just have to be really mature about it and have a lot of confidence or it will get to you, and you can pretty much end your career

on your own.” In 2017, the Pens Elite program no longer had a spot for Geno Pichora. Pichora ended up making six starts and held his own against older Cut after playing peewee for Pens Elite, the goalie from Bethel Park players, going 2-4-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .897 save spent a year in Chicago, living with a billet family while playing for a top percentage. The other win came against the National Team Development bantam team there. When the coach that recruited him to play for the Program’s USHL squad. Chicago Young Americans left for another organization, Pichora again “Nothing really rattles him,” Mueller said. “He was having a tremendous had to assess his options. season with us and then he got called up to the USHL and was playing The best one was returning home to give it another go with Pens Elite. against kids who were three or four years older than him, and he was unflappable.” “I’m not really one to hold grudges or anything,” Pichora said. “They cut me because I wasn’t good enough. So I just got better.” Muller said the 6-footer is an athletic, “extremely aggressive” goalie who rarely quits on plays. His competitiveness is what separates him from his Pichora got a lot better. And nearly three years later, the impressive 17- peers. year-old is the latest Pens Elite product to make a name for himself at the next level. “He makes the first save but also makes the second and third saves. It usually takes a redirection or a [ attempt] to beat him,” he said. Over the past six months, Pichora shined for Pens Elite on their 16U “He constantly competes. In practice. In shootouts. In games. It’s in all team, made his debut in the United States Hockey League and aspects of his life. When he gets on that ice, he’s extremely competitive. committed to play at the . He is the first Pens Elite ... He’s a beast out there.” player to ever sign with the Gophers. Sound like any goalies you know? Maybe one with a big grin and yellow “When Geno popped in the last three or four months,” Pens Elite coach pads? Brian Mueller said, “they really took notice and said, ‘Hey, this is going to be an elite goaltender down the road. We’re going to take a swing at Yeah, it’s no surprise to hear that he models himself after Marc-Andre him.’” Fleury.

Like so many Pittsburgh kids over the past 12 years, Pichora first “I would say I’m pretty similar to him, obviously not exactly like him. But stepped onto the ice through Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins Learn to his desire to save the puck at all costs, whether he looks out of position Play Hockey program. or not, he’s always just going to make the save,” he said. “And I feel like I’m like that, too.” Once he learned what a goalie was, that was that. His dad, Andy, bought him pads and took him to stick-time sessions, peppering him with pucks. Pichora on March 3 announced on Twitter that he had accepted an offer A year later, at 6, Pichora began organized hockey in the South Hills to play for the University of Minnesota. Penn State, Boston University Amateur Hockey Association. He made the jump to Pens Elite for and Merrimack College were among the NCAA programs that showed peewee, which is ages 11 and 12. interest, he said.

After that year in Chicago, Pichora in 2018-19 shared the net with Aidan He said Gophers coach Bob Motzko told him the door isn’t closed on him Campbell in his first season back. Last April, he was on the bench when playing as a freshman. But the plan is for Pichora to return to the Campbell made 26 saves in a 2-1 win in the finals of the USA Hockey RoughRiders for his senior year of high school then play another USHL national championships. season after that.

“Just watching him play games and seeing how he carried himself in tight “It takes a goalie more time to develop,” he said. “The way I look at, after games or in games where the other team was just outplaying us, he talking to people, is you want to play two full years in junior. Play good always believed in himself no matter what happened,” he said. “It was your first year and then by the second year you want to dominate. Then great having him to mentor me. … This year, after seeing what he did, I you move on.” wanted to do the same.” Wherever his career takes him from here, Pichora will remain full of In the fall, Campbell moved on to man the crease for the of Pittsburgh pride and grateful for what the Pens Elite program did for him the , leaving Pichora to carry the load for Pens under Mueller. Elite during his junior year of high school. First, he had to overcome a “I love being from Pittsburgh … and Pens Elite is a great organization to nasty high-ankle sprain that had him out of commission for more than play for,” he said. “Even when we played great teams that were more four months, until September. skilled than us, we just stuck together. That’s really like the Pens way — “He came back for the USHL Fall Classic and just took off from where he playing as a team, not giving up, just really having that compete level and was last year,” Mueller said, referring to the annual showcase the that desire to win.” Penguins host at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “He was kind of the No wonder Pichora and Pens Elite were a perfect fit the second time backbone of our team.” around. Meanwhile, Pichora was moonlighting as a backup goalie for the Cedar Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2020 Rapids RoughRiders. They selected him in the fourth round of the USHL draft in May, making him one of five Pens Elite players to be picked. USHL rules permit players to appear in up to 10 games and still be returned to their youth teams.

During his first call-ups, due to injuries to RoughRiders regulars, Pichora did not see action. He finally made his debut on Valentine’s Day, after a 5 a.m. wakeup call, two flights to get to and an hour-long bus ride to Waterloo.

The RoughRiders and Black Hawks are Cowbell Cup rivals within the USHL. So Young Arena, the 3,000-seat home rink for Waterloo, was 1173254 Pittsburgh Penguins We started with that magnificent quote from Babcock. Let’s finish with an old one, but a good one from Jim Rutherford.

“Sid’s the guy who leads it. When you come to the rink, you had better be Ron Cook: Sidney Crosby still at the top of his game. Just ask other ready to go to work. You’ve got to get on the train with him or you’re players going to get run over.”

That was true when Rutherford said it on the ice in Nashville on the night the Penguins clinched the 2017 Cup. Staff It’s just as true today.

All of those NHL players can’t be wrong. One sentence. That’s all former NHL and Canada Olympics coach needed to describe Sidney Crosby. One sentence. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2020

“Sidney Crosby is addicted to winning.”

Babcock made his spot-on observation after Crosby scored the winning goal against the United States in the 2010 Olympics gold-medal game. It just as easily could have been said about Crosby after he led Canada, as team captain, to another gold medal in the 2014 Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey championship in 2016 or after he captained his Penguins teams to any of their three Stanley Cups.

It was said again Tuesday by the NHL Players Association. Nearly 600 players were polled on 20 hockey-related subjects. In virtual landslides, Crosby was voted the league’s most complete player and the one player you’d want on your side to win one game.

The results were a testament to Crosby’s extraordinary staying power on top of his sport. He is 32 in his 15th NHL season. The league is blessed with terrific young players, including Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. It has as good of a goal-scorer as there has ever been, the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin. Yet Crosby remains the player his peers want on their side when everything is on the line.

“He’s got an insatiable appetite to be the best,” Mike Sullivan said, matching Babcock quote for quote.

Go back to a couple of key games for Crosby this season.

The first was against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 14. Crosby returned to the lineup after missing 28 games because of a core-muscle injury that required surgery. He had a goal and three assists in the Penguins’ 7-3 win.

Rust?

What rust?

“It’s hard to get surprised by what Sid accomplishes on the ice when you watch what he’s been able to do,” Sullivan said. “He’s just so capable.”

The second game was on March 3. Crosby’s three-point night in a 7-3 win against the Ottawa Senators was noteworthy because his assist on a Jason Zucker goal was the 800th assist of his career. But it was even more significant because of his actions after the previous game, a 5-0 loss at San Jose, the Penguins’ sixth consecutive loss. He had just one goal and was a minus-8 during the losing streak.

“I put it on myself,” Crosby said in San Jose. “I’ve got to step up. Key situations, you’re down like this, you’re losing games, you need big plays and big performances. I haven’t done that. That’s on me.”

“Anytime a captain and a player of Sid’s caliber takes ownership like that, I think it inspires the rest of the group to want to play for him,” Sullivan said.

“We knew it was only a matter of time,” Marcus Petterson said. “Sid wants the team on his shoulders. He thrives under that.”

Now, sadly, there are no games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped Crosby from doing captain-like things. It’s one more reason why he’s such a strong leader, the of his generation.

“Sid sets the standard off the ice. He sets the standard on the ice,” Sullivan said Tuesday on a video conference call. “We gain a whole ’nother appreciation for that in a circumstance like this. Once again, he’s leading through his own example. He’s talking to his teammates all the time. He sets the standard with his work ethic and his example and just staying ready. I know how hard he’s working to keep himself ready as best he can. He’s certainly talking to his teammates on a consistent basis to make sure they’re ready. He’s the standard-bearer for our group.” 1173255 Pittsburgh Penguins December 15, 1988: Pittsburgh 9 – New York Islanders 2 January 12, 1989: Pittsburgh 9 – Minnesota 2

January 28, 1989: Pittsburgh 10 – Detroit 5 Marshall: The 1988-89 Penguins, a team that made me fall in love with hockey February 4, 1989: Pittsburgh 6 – Buffalo 2

That is a collection of offensive explosions. The Penguins scored 347 goals this year, the 3rd highest total in the league. Their approach was By Jesse Marshall Apr 1, 2020 straightforward: outscore the opposition by any means necessary. At times, it appeared the Penguins came at the opponent with five skaters operating as one offensive unit. Defensemen and Zarley The 1988-89 Penguins aren’t often considered one of the truly great Zalapski were so offensive-minded, they might as well have been teams in franchise history. forwards.

Their foray into the playoffs, Mario Lemieux’s first of his career, ended in But the approach left them vulnerable on the other side of the ice. the second round. They led the league in power plays against. Their Although the Penguins had made moves to sure-up their goaltending depth scoring was sparse. Their season culminated in breakout winger situation, their system put a strain on Young and Barrasso. Robbie Brown getting chased around the ice by Flyers’ goaltender , wielding his stick as if it were an ax. Trademark defensive meltdowns

That final note, among other reasons, is why the 1988-89 Penguins get October 30, 1988: New York Rangers 8 – Pittsburgh 2 my vote for the most fun team in franchise history. November 12, 1988: Los Angeles 7 – Pittsburgh 2 This was the first season the Penguins had started to assemble the January 2, 1989: Washington 8 – Pittsburgh 0 building blocks of a winning franchise around Lemieux. Five years into his career, Lemieux had yet to make a playoff appearance. This time, the February 11, 1989: Quebec 8 – Pittsburgh 1 Penguins were working hard to give him the pieces he needed to supplement his offensive firepower in a bid for the postseason. The March 9, 1989: Calgary 10 – Pittsburgh 3 Penguins had nearly qualified the year prior but were knocked out in the March 14, 1989: Boston 8 – Pittsburgh 2 final days of the regular season. As they waited for the rest of the division to catch up in games played, their hopes for the playoffs slipped away. Although the Penguins finished with 347 goals, they allowed 349, the second-highest total in the league. In most of the video clips we’ll The 88-89 season would be Paul Coffey’s first full year with the team, examine, we’ll see these vulnerabilities as a common theme. When the having been acquired November of the prior season. Also, the Penguins Penguins approach worked, it worked big, netting them a massive started to get serious about goaltending, something that wasn’t exactly a amount of goals at one time. When it failed, they got walked-off of the ice boastful part of their on-ice performance in years prior. General Manager in a major way. It was a feast or famine approach to the game that was Tony Esposito brought in Wendell Young from the Flyers in September heart-attack-inducing as much as it was fun. and followed that up with a trade for Tom Barrasso in November, filling the net with two goaltenders who were more than capable given the lack The league average team in 1988-89 scored and allowed 299 goals, of defense in front of them. proving that the Penguins, for better or worse, were anything but average that season. This was a hockey team that was confident in its ability to score goals. So much so, it abandoned all other plans outside of that identity. I don’t This was one of the reasons the acquisitions of Barrasso proved to be so mean to undermine the coaching performance of Gene Ubriaco behind important. Although his end of season numbers were anything but gaudy, the bench, but what makes this case study so fun is the lack of any his performance was nonetheless stellar given the volatility of his semblance of a coherent system at work within this team. This was environment. Barrasso ended the year with an 88.8 save percentage and freewheeling Penguins hockey at its most pure. The directive was to a goals-against-average of 4.04. However, Barrasso also had a Goals score as much as possible. It seemed that was the only true system at Saved Above Average of +12.26, meaning he prevented 12.26 more work besides “give the puck to Lemieux.” goals than a league-average netminder would’ve saved given the same workload, a testament to his difficult job. Had the Penguins not made that Beyond that, this is the first year I can tangibly remember watching trade, their defensive results with regards to goals-against could’ve been hockey in my life. From a nostalgia perspective, it holds a special place in significantly worse, as they were in seasons prior. my heart as a result. I can remember waking up in the morning to read hand-written box scores my dad wrote me when games extended beyond 2. Robbie Brown – The everyman my bedtime. It is, in many ways, the team that made me fall in love with the sport. One of the biggest misnomers about Robbie Brown was that he was just some guy who walked off of the street and scored a bunch of points So, with that in mind, I thought I’d take us on a trip down memory lane, playing with Mario Lemieux. Only half of that statement is accurate. looking back at a forgotten era of Penguins hockey that laid the groundwork for all the glory to come. We’ll break this down in segments Brown burst onto the national scene in the 88-89 season, just two years to highlight the most pertinent portions of the season, the characters, and after he was drafted 67th overall by the Penguins in 1986. Brown’s draft many of the video highlights that come along with them. year for the Blazers was nothing short of spectacular; he amassed 212 points in 63 games and set a precedent for an ability to find 1. A complete hockey rollercoaster the back of the net.

I mentioned earlier that the Penguins played with a sort of reckless Brown came to the Penguins with a scoring pedigree, so this explosion abandon during this campaign. The evidence of that approach lies in the wasn’t entirely out of left field. If you’re wondering why a player who results themselves. The games in this season usually went one of two could score that much fell to the fourth round of the draft, look no further ways: either the Penguins blew out their opponent in an offensive than his skating. As Phil Bourque, ex-teammate of Brown and member of explosion, or the Penguins got blown out while trying to generate an the 88-89 Penguins once recalled, “He (Brown) couldn’t skate for shit. I offensive explosion. mean, he was so slow, a little out of shape, and not very big.” That scouting report about sums up Brown’s wait on draft day. Defense was cursory and the fire-wagon approach to offense either worked or it didn’t. There wasn’t a whole lot of gray area. Consider the What Brown lacked in the skating department, he made up for with swing of some of these performances throughout the year. smarts and on-ice awareness. Specifically, Brown knew how to get to scoring areas. That’s all that was required to play with Lemieux and Trademark offensive wins make the most of the opportunity. If you could get to the appropriate October 15, 1988: Pittsburgh 9 – St. Louis 2 areas and finish the chances that will undoubtedly come your way, the goals are sure to follow. October 25, 1988: Pittsburgh 6 – Calgary 1 Follow they did, as Brown amassed 115 points and 49 goals on November 23, 1988: Pittsburgh 8 – New York Rangers 2 Lemieux’s wing, good for fifth in the NHL that year. Brown possessed the right kind of on-ice awareness to have the level of The Flyers-Penguins rivalry was as hot as ever for this series. The success he had with Lemieux. There’s an element of Jake Guentzel- upstart Penguins swept the New York Rangers in the first round of the Sidney Crosby at work in all of this in the way Brown targeted the open playoffs and their confidence, coupled with their recent success at the areas of the ice and exploited the defense’s preoccupation with stopping , had them feeling pretty good about themselves. The Flyers, Lemieux. Those areas only get filled when a scorer is smart enough to who entered the playoffs as the lowest seed in the Patrick Division, had get to them. Guentzel might have a better set of offensive skills, but he just pulled off an impressive upset of the top-seeded Washington and Brown shared that ability. Capitals and were feeling the same way. After all, one win in the Spectrum for the Penguins didn’t magically erase the 42 games of misery Brown was an adept set-up man as a result, regularly featuring on the that preceded it. Penguins’ top power-play unit. When it was all said and done, Brown ended the year shooting an obscene 29 percent on his 169 shots. That The team’s split the first two games of the series and faced a pivotal number bested Lemieux’s 27 percent shooting rate, albeit on 200 fewer Game 5 in Civic Arena. The Penguins had a chance to re-take the series shots. Brown never replicated the success he had this season, but he lead, having conceded it twice in the first four games. Mario Lemieux, was a critical cog in an offensive juggernaut, one who’s legend still who was dealing with an upper-body issue that prevented him from permeates around the Pittsburgh area. In discussing this piece with my bending over to tie his skates during the morning skate, played against friend Patrick, a Penguins fan of similar age, he commented that he still the expectation of everyone, medical staff included. What happened next possessed his Rob Brown autographed puck and Elby’s Big Boy Rob was the stuff legends are made of, not just because of Lemieux’s Brown glass mug. If that doesn’t sum up Brown’s legendary season, I performance, but because of the 10-7 circus that ensued, ending with a don’t know what will. Flyer’s goaltender getting angry at a windmill celebration.

3. Mario Lemieux at his most dominant Let’s start with Lemieux because the chaos of this game often takes center stage over what he accomplished. Despite the physical pain, Imagine going into a game as an NHL head coach knowing there was a Lemieux registered a hat trick in the first seven minutes of the game. player on the opposing team that immediately put you at a 2-0 deficit Ability to bend down or turn your neck be damned, Lemieux ended the before the first whistle even blew at center ice. night with five goals and points on eight of the 10 Penguin goals in the That’s how dominant Lemieux’s 88-89 scoring run was. Lemieux game. This performance tied the NHL record for most goals and points in registered 199 points in 76 games for an otherworldly 2.62 points per a playoff game. game average. Even if you adjust Lemieux’s performance to modern era All these goals didn’t sit well with Flyers netminder Ron Hextall, an ornery scoring, taking his pace to the point totals from 2018-19 around the character who had been pulled from the game early, only to be re- league, Lemieux still comes in at a 156-point pace for the year at today’s inserted later when his backup, , also got shelled. level. There are few words to describe that kind of performance. Take the best you’ve seen from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, then double it. Brown’s emphatic fist-pump after the Penguins seemingly put the game away with their eighth goal of the night didn’t sit well with Hextall, who Lemieux registered a point on 81 percent of the goals scored when he immediately took to chasing Brown down behind the net in what we can was on the ice for the duration of the season and playoffs. He was the only assume was an attempt to fight him. maestro behind the Penguins’ offensive juggernaut. This is the season where Lemieux shattered every franchise record imaginable for a forward Brown once recalled to former-Penguins reporter that his and became the first player to score five goals five different ways (even- teammates couldn’t understand why he was running away. strength, short-handed, power-play, penalty shot, empty net) in a single game, achieving the feat in a New Year’s Eve performance against the “I’ll never forget the look on (forward) Danny Quinn’s face as I skated New Jersey Devils. away from him when he was about to hug me,” Brown recalled. “It was like, ‘Where are you going?’ It was probably the quickest I’ve ever skated Lemieux’s physical prowess seemed to peak at this early portion of his in my life.” career. All the things that made Lemieux terrifying — size, speed, reach — were all on display in a major way. Also, Lemieux was just operating Considering the Flyers stormed back to score four unanswered goals, on a different playing field from everyone around him, teammates Brown’s tallies to put eight and then nine goals on the board ultimately included. Lemieux wasn’t just one step ahead of the competition, he was made a huge difference. Hextall got chased a second time, and although miles down the road, playing 3-D chess with the rest of the hockey world. the Penguins went on to win this game 10-7, they ultimately lost the series, dropping Game 7 at home to put an end to their season. In the video clips below, you get a sense of how Lemieux just toyed with the competition. If you enjoyed this look back, make sure you check out the phenomenal 80’s documentary from broadcaster KBL about this team, entitled Lemieux also was the mastermind behind the Penguins’ lethal power- “There’s a team in the building.” If nothing else, it’s an 80’s production play. They led the league in opportunities at 491 and converted a league- masterpiece and a great look back at what was one of the most explosive high 24 percent of those chances. Lemieux operated off of the half-wall, teams in franchise history. his usual office, and was integral to the success of the unit. The Penguins scored 119 power-play goals that year, Lemieux was on the ice The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 for 106 of them. Lemieux personally tallied 31 of them.

Lemieux also was a force from a short-handed perspective, scoring 13 times on the penalty kill that year. That set an NHL record at the time. He finished the season with 11 hat-tricks to put a bow on things.

Many point to Lemieux catching Sabres great Pat Lafontaine for the scoring title in 1992-93 as the most dominant performance of Lemieux’s career, but this run in 1988-89 cannot be ignored. Lemieux was robbed of the Hart Trophy in a farcical voting process that denied him what should have been a shoo-in win. Because of that, and the overall lack of success the team experienced in their second-round exit, this scoring pace by Lemieux often is forgotten.

4. The chase

The 1988-89 season was important because it exorcised a year’s long curse against the arch-rival Philadelphia Flyers.

On February 3rd, 1989, the Penguins snapped a 42-game losing streak in Philadelphia that had extended back to 1974. The timing of this broken curse was perfect because the Penguins and Flyers met in the Patrick Division Finals of the playoffs that season, and it’s pretty difficult to win a playoff series if you cannot win in the other team’s arena. 1173256 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Stefan Noesen dealing with extra uncertainty in coronavirus pandemic

By Brodie Brazil April 01, 2020 7:32 PM

Sharks forward Stefan Noesen is isolating with immediate family in his home state of Texas during the coronavirus pandemic.

And he’s slightly bored.

“You can only do so many lunges at your house, so many laps around the neighborhood,” Noesen said with a laugh in a 1-on-1 interview with NBC Sports California on Tuesday.

The NHL’s suspended season is par for the uphill course of Noesen's current campaign.

It began with a professional tryout in the Dallas Stars organization, which didn’t pan out. He then played 22 AHL games with the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins, which led to signing a two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 2nd. They waived him shortly before Christmas.

“This year has been a s---t-show, legit,” Noesen said. “Up until being with the Sharks.”

That turning point definitely happened in San Jose. Even during the Sharks' down season, Noesen came in and earned a role, plus the respect to go along with it.

“First thing I did when I got (to San Jose), was meet with [general manager ],” Noesen said. “He told me what he expected of me, which was honestly nothing but to go out and play my game.”

That game resonated, with Noesen scoring six goals in 34 games. And now, there's a lot of fans who would like to see him re-signed for next season.

“I’ve always believed it’s not that hard to be a good guy,” Noesen said. “All you have to got is be yourself, treat others with respect, and find a way to get along with everybody.”

There's a lot of uncertainty for Noesen’s career at this point, like when and where he will play hockey next. But these life-changing times have also even made him ponder what comes after the game.

“The world has kind of taken things for granted up until now,” Noesen said. “And I think everyone is kind of taking a step back and realizing the little things are actually important.

“The minute that we’re able to go back to whatever life is after this, I think it will be interesting.“

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173257 San Jose Sharks perhaps even surpassing two different seasons hitting .336? He stole 116 bases in his 30s.

Honorable Mentions The best athlete for every uniform number: Bay Area edition Jahvid Best, Derek Carr, Coco Crisp, Andy Lee, Miguel Tejada, Russell White

Steve Berman Apr 1, 2020 5. Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey is on his way to an outstanding professional career, but none of us around here will forget his time at Stanford … even if too many We recently ranked the best uniforms in the Bay Area, a nearly Heisman voters didn’t stay up late enough to actually watch him break impossible task if the goal is to get everyone on the same page. But this Barry Sanders’ all-time record for all-purpose yards in a season in 2015. time, as we attack a much more robust project, we hope things get a little less subjective. When deciding which athlete best represents a uniform Honorable Mentions number, the easiest way to do that is to go by, well, the numbers. Baron Davis, Jeff Garcia, Tom Haller, Jason Kidd Generally, an athlete who puts up the best statistics over his or her career ends up shining above the rest, regardless of what colors they 6. wore/wear. One of many outstanding third basemen to wear the green and gold, But like any sports discussion, it’s never quite that easy. Sometimes the Bando was a four-time All-Star and key member of those A’s teams that teams help us out by retiring a number after an athlete’s transcendent pulled off a three-peat in 1972-74. playing career. The Raiders have a strict policy of not retiring jersey numbers, perhaps because they’ve always liked to keep their options Honorable Mentions open. But, usually, when a team retires the number of a fan favorite, that , J.T. Snow, Robby Thompson player becomes the obvious choice for this exercise — except in cases where more than one team has retired a particular number. Hector Amezcua / Sacramento Bee via

But choosing the best legendary player wasn’t even the most difficult part 7. Colin Kaepernick of this endeavor. The biggest challenges came as the numbers began to climb, in which case we were left to search those invaluable Sports- Did he fade quickly? Sure. Was he polarizing? Absolutely, and becoming Reference pages to determine which player was the best of the lot. an activist was only part of that. But Kaepernick was the most electrifying player in the NFL for a brief period, pulled off playoff feats on the road This list is dominated by the major professional teams, but some that only a select few quarterbacks have matched, and there was collegiate stars are sprinkled in where applicable. This list is obviously something about his unique name and that No. 7 that will always stick in Bay Area-focused, so that’s why Raiders like and Howie your mind. Long, who starred during the team’s Los Angeles run, didn’t make the cut here. Honorable Mentions

00. Jim Otto John Elway, Toby Gerhart, Kevin Mitchell, Brad Stuart

A 10-time first-team All-AFC and two-time All-Pro (following the AFL-NFL Lenny Ignelzi / Associated Press merger), Otto never missed a game in his 15-year career, all of which 8. was spent with the Raiders. Otto was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and had the perfect nickname: Double-O. There are several reasons why he’s the all-time favorite athlete of several folks I know, including our David Lombardi. He’s also the only player to 1. Ernie Nevers ever wear this number for the 49ers, and that will remain the case We have to go all the way back to the 1920s to find a true star who wore forever. As this site’s media columnist, I also have to mention that he’s this number, and good luck finding the statistics from his time in the undisputed best KNBR guest/bro, too. Stanford’s backfield playing for Pop Warner. But by all accounts he was Honorable Mentions dominant and versatile — he also punted, played baseball and basketball for the Cardinal. From 1926-1928, he pitched for the St. Louis Browns, Monta Ellis, , , Hunter Pence, Aaron Rodgers, Chris which was a busy time because in 1927 he also served as a player and Wondolowski head coach for the NFL’s Duluth Eskimos. His NFL career was short, but he was an All-Pro in each of his five seasons and was inducted in two 9. Reggie Jackson hall of fames: College (1951) and Pro Football (1963). His No. 44 was also retired by the Yankees, but that can’t erase the fact 2. that Jackson did most of his damage in Oakland, where he hit 269 of his 563 home runs, notched 145 of his 228 stolen bases and won three of Asomugha’s best years probably came when he wore No. 21 for the his five championship rings. Raiders. But due to a lack of competition among local pros who wore the number (Darren Lewis? Khris Davis? Randy Winn?), we’re going to give Honorable Mentions him a nod for his time at Cal when he wore No. 2. Brandon Belt, Mike Gallego, Andre Iguodala, Shane Lechler, Matt 3. Daryle Lamonica Williams

Forget the completion percentage (49.5), and remember that “The Mad Bob Jordan / Associated Press Bomber” truly lived up to his name with 89 in his first three 10. Jennifer Azzi seasons in Oakland and retired with a record of 66-16-6. There are some interesting nominees here, but Landon Donovan was Honorable Mention better known for his time in Los Angeles, and Tim Hardaway’s Warriors Eric Chávez run was cut short — painfully so — by a knee injury and an ill-advised trade to the Heat. So it’s Azzi who claims the top spot for No. 10 wearers 4. Carney Lansford for leading Stanford to its first national championship in 1990.

One of the most underrated players in A’s history, probably because he Honorable Mentions played on those stacked teams in the late-1980s/early-1990s, Lansford would have earned a nine-figure deal if he hit the open market during his Landon Donovan, Tim Hardaway, David Lee, Marshawn Lynch, Marcus prime in this era. Lansford was solid with the glove at third, could get on Semien base (.343 career OBP) and produced in the postseason (.305 average 11. Klay Thompson in 33 games). One of Lansford’s most interesting accomplishments, We can call this now. Thanks to his otherworldly shooting performances, boos bounced off the concrete walls, leading to pure chaos and Rick surprisingly strong defense (no one expected that when the Warriors Barry coming to the rescue. Or trying to, anyway. drafted him) and a personality that seems to open up a little more with each season, Thompson is already in the pantheon. He’s not the biggest Eric Risberg / Associated Press star on the Warriors, but he may be the only NBA star who is liked by 18. everyone — even those who claim to despise the Warriors. It’s tough to beat out a three-time All-Pro like Gene Washington, but Honorable Mentions Cain’s perfect game and postseason brilliance will forever stand the test Owen Nolan, , Candice Wiggins of time. The Giants are pretty strict on which numbers get retired, but it’s still odd that Connor Joe somehow donned a No. 18 jersey for eight 12. Ken Stabler games last season.

Stabler barely edges here. Both were named league MVP Honorable Mentions and their numbers are comparable, but Stabler was able to win a Super Bowl and was inducted into the Hall of Fame a year after his passing. Duane Kuiper, Gene Washington That’s not exactly fair to Brodie, who’s on the shortlist of best 19. quarterbacks not in the Hall. Brodie was never surrounded by the kind of talent the Raiders had at that time, but at least his number is retired The Sharks haven’t been around long enough or been blessed with a (Brodie was also nice enough to allow Trent Dilfer to wear No. 12 for a player who possessed the greatness required, to retire a number just yet. season that 49ers fans would rather forget). But Thornton — 15th in career NHL points and seventh in assists — will almost certainly get that honor after his career, perhaps before he’s Honorable Mentions inducted into the .

John Brodie, Jim Davenport, Rich Gannon, Andrew Luck, Patrick Honorable Mention Marleau Bert Campaneris 13. 20. Chamberlain only played two and a half seasons in San Francisco, but he scored 8,014 points (40.5 ppg) during that time. If he hadn’t torn his Achilles in 1979, who knows? Perhaps Smith would’ve enjoyed a career much like Klay Thompson’s as one of the best Honorable Mentions two-way shooting guards of his generation. Smith was a champion, two- Patty Mills, Blue Moon Odom, time All-Star, and all-defensive team player who averaged nearly 20 points per game when he suffered the injury in his fifth season with the 14. Vida Blue Warriors. He was never quite the same after that and was traded with a first-round pick after the 1979-80 season to the San Diego Clippers for Owner of perhaps the best name in Bay Area sports history, Blue wore World B. Free. six different numbers in his career and five with the A’s (21, 28, 17, 35, 14). But he wore No. 14 for five seasons in Oakland (1973-77) and all six Honorable Mentions of his years with the Giants (1978-81, 1985-86), and that’s the number he wore during five of his six All-Star Games. Garrison Hearst, Mark Mulder,

Honorable Mentions 21. Frank Gore

Jonathan Cheechoo, Tom Meschery, Mark Ellis, , Mike One could point to ’s three All-Pro selections and three Super Bordick Bowls (two with Oakland) as reasons to give him the nod instead. But Gore’s longevity, and status as the most beloved 49er to never win a title 15. (through no fault of his own, mind you), make him the top No. 21 in a crowded group. His playing career was surpassed by his time as a head coach, but he did make a as the Raiders in 1966. Just put him in Honorable Mentions the Hall, already. Cliff Branch, Sleepy Floyd, Jeff Kent, , Eric Wright Honorable Mentions 22. Bob Brenly, , Tim Hudson, Latrell Sprewell It’s hard to recall those times now, but National League pennants were all 16. Giants fans could celebrate for decades. Clark was the star of the 1989 NLCS as he and Mark Grace engaged in one of the best hitting battles Montana was so inextricably linked to his number as a 49er that it was ever seen between two first basemen in the same series. Clark hit .650 simultaneously jarring and somehow correct at the same time that he with two homers, and Grace was right there with one home run and a wore No. 19 with the Chiefs. Watching him in another uniform was painful .647 average. But it was Clark who hit that series-clinching single up the for 49ers fans — even ones who were ready for Steve Young to assume middle against that caused Candlestick to shake (in a the starting role permanently. But the fact that he wore a different number good way, that time). The Giants never should’ve let Clark go, strictly in Kansas City somehow made a tough transition a little easier, almost from a business standpoint — he was still a gate attraction even when like he was a different person during the last chapter of his career. his body started to fail him — but “The Thrill” remains so popular that the Montana’s greatness has been covered extensively, but the way he Giants decided this year to break with tradition and retire his number brought a sense of calmness to everyone — from his teammates to those despite career statistics that left him short of Cooperstown. rooting with all their energy through their TV screens — during the most anxiety-filled scenarios NFL teams could face, will never be matched. Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions Dan Boyle, , , Eric Wynalda

Al Attles, George Blanda, Jason Giambi, Jim Ray Hart, 23. Draymond Green

17. Chris Mullin The Warriors were always the team that got kicked around, and Green helped change all of that with a tough, fearless style and a mouth that Not only is he the only star in this region to ever wear the number, but the never quits. Other teams can’t stand him? Fine, that’s exactly what the ceremony in which it was retired brought us the most surreal, hilarious Warriors always needed, someone who could unapologetically kick ass and uncomfortable scene ever seen in the Bay Area (besides Al Davis and get under everyone’s skin, opposing players and fans alike. The fact and his overhead projector, anyway). I’ll always remember Mullin’s pure that all of this came from an undersized power forward who came into the shooting touch and quick hands on defense, but that night in 2012 was league with a doughy body and a jumpshot that comes and goes (mostly absurd, amazing and the closest Oracle Arena has ever gotten to hosting the latter) just adds to his legend. We’ll see what he can bring at this a full-fledged riot. I’ve never felt the temperature rise 20 degrees in a stage of his career with a full, healthy squad. But even if he’s never the building faster than it did when a fan yelled “We want Monta!” and the same, he already left his mark as one of the best and smartest defensive players ever. Green was someone who could guard every position and Nen came to San Francisco thanks to one of Brian Sabean’s biggest direct his teammates like an orchestra conductor, while adding some coups when he pounced on the Marlins’ fire sale and got one of the playmaking to the offense and never, ever fading in the clutch. If courage game’s best closers for a package that included Mick Pageler, Mike comes from the heart, Green unquestionably was the heartbeat of those Villano and Joe Fontenot. He never pitched again after 2002, but what a championship teams. five-year run with the Giants: 206 saves, 2.43 ERA, 10.9 K/9, all with a mystifying toe-tap that never tripped him up once. Honorable Mentions 32. Felipe Alou, Jeff Mullins, Jason Richardson One of the most fearsome safeties ever to roam the middle of the field. 24. Willie Mays How on earth did Sammy White hold onto the ball in Super Bowl XI wore the number because he grew up idolizing Mays. Enough through a Tatum hit that sent White’s helmet flying? That was just one of said. OK, we should also give a shoutout to Rickey Henderson and many acts of brutality that Tatum committed on the field, during an era in , two of the greatest at their respective positions as which hits like those were considered a normal part of the game. well. If a Bay Area athlete ever wants to be known as the preeminent Honorable Mention player to wear a number, just stay away from 24. Far, far too many legends here. , Ryan Vogelsong

Honorable Mentions 33. Roger Craig

Rick Barry, Willie Brown, Rickey Henderson, Charles Woodson It doesn’t seem nearly as crazy now, even though the achievement is still rare, but 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving was 25. Barry Bonds inconceivable in 1985. But since Bill Walsh received a lot of the credit for Bonds smartly switched from 24 — which he wore with the Pirates — to using running backs in new ways, and he had so many other weapons his father’s old number when he played for the Giants. As a result, no alongside him, Craig isn’t in the Hall of Fame. other Bay Area athlete will ever come close to achieving what Bobby’s Honorable Mentions son did in San Francisco wearing No. 25. José Canseco, Antawn Jamison Honorable Mentions 34. Rollie Fingers Fred Biletnikoff, Bobby Bonds, Vincent Damphousse, Mark McGwire, Richard Sherman Fingers (along with Vida Blue) averaged 127 innings per season in his eight full years with the A’s, despite only 37 starts in 500 games over that 26. Joe Rudi time. He also had a 1.35 ERA in 16 World Series appearances, and the Rudi was a three-timer in the following categories: All-Star, Gold Glove A’s retired his number in 1993. The A’s will re-retire 34 in honor of Dave outfielder, World Series champion. Check back in a decade, though — if Stewart this season. the A’s keep Matt Chapman around, he may end up being the top guy to Honorable Mentions wear this number. Shaun Livingston, Dave Stewart 27. Juan Marichal 35. Marichal and Catfish Hunter had this number retired by the Giants and A’s, respectively. But while Hunter ended up with five titles (three in We’ll look back with fondness on Durant’s time with the Warriors, thinking Oakland) and the Cy Young, Marichal’s career numbers (62.9 WAR more about how he helped make the Warriors into one of the NBA’s all- compared to 40.9 for Hunter) are clearly superior. time great teams than his torn Achilles and subsequent departure. Joe Lacob has stated on more than one occasion that he wants to retire Honorable Mention Durant’s number, and when that eventually happens, not many will Catfish Hunter complain.

28. Honorable Mentions

Posey seemed like a can’t-miss future Hall of Famer a few years ago, Rich Aurilia, Brandon Crawford, Chris Speier, Bob Welch until the injuries and all that wear and tear (partly from catching nearly 36. Gaylord Perry every inning of three full postseasons) turned him from one of the game’s greats to simply a better than average defensive catcher without the Despite being involved in a truly awful trade for Sam McDowell that Grant power he once possessed. But he was an extension of Bruce Bochy, Brisbee referenced in Part 2 of his “Giants that fans loved to complain which made him instrumental in so many ways that led to those three about” series, Perry still made his mark well enough to get his number titles in five years. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see him wear No. 28 as retired after he was inducted into Cooperstown. the Giants’ manager several years down the road. Honorable Mentions 29. Jason Schmidt Clem Daniels, , Jackie Jensen, Terry Steinbach Schmidt went from an OK pitcher with great stuff to one of the National League’s best starters during his time with the Giants, finishing in the top 37. Jimmy Johnson four in Cy Young voting in consecutive seasons with the Giants. The main drawback of the 49ers becoming a dynasty in the 1980s and Honorable Mentions ’90s is that a guy who preceded that era who was as great as Johnson (number retired in 1977) has gone almost forgotten. A on the Ryan Clowe, NFL’s All-1970s team, Johnson was named first-team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons, all after turning 31. 30. Stephen Curry Honorable Mention It’s pretty tough to knock out someone who had his number retired by the Giants, but Curry is the Bay Area’s biggest celebrity (and perhaps the biggest ratings draw in the NBA, a league built on stars) and is still doing big things even while sports are on hold. 38. Brian Wilson

Honorable Mention “Swing and a miss! And that’s it!”

Orlando Cepeda He’ll be remembered for being a three-time All-Star closer, for the beard, for all the stress he seemed to relish in those ninth innings, even for 31. screaming at Larry Baer. But mostly Wilson will be remembered as the guy who struck out Nelson Cruz, allowing Duane Kuiper to say, “The Giants! For the first time in 52 years, the Giants are world champions. As 47. Rod Beck they come pouring out of the dugout!” The swinging arm. The mullet. The nickname: Shooter. Dusty Baker 39. Hugh McElhenny probably overused him, and Beck definitely didn’t take very good care of himself, but he put up some great numbers (199 saves, 2.97 ERA) in One of the first true all-around backs (4,288 yards and 20 touchdowns as seven seasons with the Giants. a runner, 2,666 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver), McElhenny was also the 49ers’ main punt and kick returner. He was inducted in the Hall Honorable Mention of Fame in 1970, and the 49ers retired his number a year later. Kent McCloughan Honorable Mentions 48. Pablo Sandoval , , Jeff Friesen, Mike Krukow The way he burst onto the scene — no one, and I mean no one, 40. expected this portly catcher from Double A to come up and hit .345 in 2008 — was amazing. His postseason prowess (his second and third The best World Series performer in Giants franchise history. Also, for a tries at it, anyway) was undeniable. But his second act with the Giants multi-year stretch, Bumgarner was the best (only?) player worth watching has been equally impressive, given the way he burned almost every take batting practice for the Giants. You may know him as Mason bridge after signing with the Red Sox, then got dumped by the Red Sox, Saunders. then came back to the Giants and once again became one of the team’s Honorable Mentions most beloved players. Except this time, Sandoval possesses the kind of maturity that most people never develop after turning 30. It seemed crazy Mike McCormick, to think he’d return again after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but maybe we should’ve learned by now to stop expecting the unexpected 41. Phil Villapiano from Sandoval. This Raiders linebacker made the Pro Bowl every season from 1973-76, Honorable Mention a fairly successful stretch in the team’s history. Tomas Hertl Honorable Mentions 49. Jeremy Affeldt, Remember him? As a kid I thought it was perfect that this hard-hitting 42. safety (sometimes it appeared that he had even less regard for his own Lott was the answer to fans and analysts who dared to call the 49ers a body than Lott) wore No. 49 for the 49ers. Then he collided with Patriots “finesse” team. After the 49ers parted ways with him, he went down fullback John Stephens in a game at Stanford (five days after south and grabbed eight in his first year with the Raiders. the Loma Prieta earthquake, so Candlestick Park wasn’t an option). The Merely calling him a Hall of Famer or six-time All-Pro doesn’t do him hit compressed three of Fuller’s vertebrae and left him without the use of justice. You had to watch how he played — and how opposing receivers his right arm, ending a career that started in 1984. He won three Super cowered when they heard his footsteps. Bowl rings but his potential seemed to promise so much more.

Honorable Mentions Honorable Mention

Nate Thurmond, Dave Henderson Javier López

43. Dennis Eckersley 50.

Eck was the best reliever in the game throughout his time in Oakland, Dalby never missed a game during a 15-year career spent entirely with earning 320 saves over nine seasons, which led to a Hall of Fame the Raiders. He replaced the great Otto as the team’s starting center in induction and a number retirement ceremony. The craziest part of his 1975 and was a member of all three of the Raiders’ Super Bowl story is that he joined the A’s when he was 32, after 12 years and two All- championship teams. Star nods as a starter. 51. Honorable Mentions Cross started with the 49ers three years before Walsh got there and George Atkinson, Johnny Antonelli remained with the team as a starting guard/center for every season through 1988, which ended with a Super Bowl win in Miami and 44. Willie McCovey retirements for both men.

One of those players you could never imagine wearing another number. Honorable Mentions While I never saw him play, I’ll dearly miss seeing him at the ballpark. Ken Norton Jr. Honorable Mentions 52. Tony Gonzalez, Marv Hubbard, , Clifford Ray, Marc- Edouard Vlasic Willis only played seven full seasons, making his Hall candidacy a tough sell. It’s a shame because in his prime (which began during his first NFL 45. Dave Grayson game) he was one of the best inside linebackers in history. The problem is, no one was watching the awful 49ers in his best seasons, from 2007- An All-Pro four times (three with the Raiders), Grayson had great ball 09, when he seemed like a player with a built-in turbo switch that made skills — 18 interceptions over a two-year stretch (1968-69) and four pick- every other NFL player around him look like they were running on the sixes while in Oakland. beach by comparison. Honorable Mention Honorable Mentions Purvis Short Yoenis Céspedes, 46. Tim McDonald 53. NaVorro Bowman While never quite a star, McDonald was better than solid after coming to You could tell when watching Bowman in 2010 that he wouldn’t be Takeo the 49ers from the Cardinals, making three straight Pro Bowls. He and Spikes’ backup for long. Actually, he should’ve started as a rookie. Once Merton Hanks were a great fit together in one of the NFL’s best unleashed under Vic Fangio, Bowman and Willis formed one of the best secondaries throughout the mid-1990s. linebacker tandems of any era. Bowman had so many great games, but Honorable Mentions his pick-six in the last game at The ‘Stick might be the 49ers’ best moment during a prime-time regular-season game other than Jerry Santiago Casilla, Gary Lavelle, Kirk Reuter Rice’s third catch against the Raiders to break Jim Brown’s record. 54. Sergio Romo thinners. He got the surgery after the 1996 season (forcing him to decline an appearance in his third Pro Bowl, as an alternate), then played one A tiny dude who succeeded on the biggest stage, striking out one of the last season before retiring. best hitters of his generation with an ordinary fastball when Miguel Cabrera was expecting one of those no-dot, frisbee sliders. His moods Honorable Mentions could either light up a clubhouse or suck all of the energy out of it, but that was all part of the package for a guy who, against all odds (as Justin Braun, Rodney Hudson usual), is still thriving. I’m still not sure why the A’s didn’t sign him over 62. Guy McIntyre the offseason; he would’ve been perfect in that bullpen. Much like Sapolu, McIntyre was an undersized (for the time) lineman who 55. really excelled in his 30s, making the Pro Bowl every season from 1989- There’s not much I can add to Andrew Baggarly’s piece on why 93. He spent 10 seasons with the 49ers as a player, and just finished his Lincecum is his favorite, except I loved being able to take advantage of a 17th season in the 49ers front office and 10th as the team’s director of Giants promotion where they’d drop the prices on select bleacher seats alumni relations. I’ll also remember him as the guy who played with a for Lincecum starts by the same number of dollars as Lincecum’s neck brace that looked almost like a pillow one might use on an airplane. total from his previous start. That was back in the days before 63. the Giants talked about dynasties and dynamic pricing, of course. What a football career. Upshaw played left guard for the Raiders from Honorable Mention 1967-81 and was a part of all three Super Bowl championship teams. He Dan Conners made the Hall of Fame in 1987, was named a member of the 1970s All- Decade team and served as executive director of the NFL Players 56. Association from 1983 until his death in 2008.

One of the fun things about this project is reminiscing over 49ers and 64. Dave Wilcox Raiders offensive linemen who stayed with the same team for their entire careers. Quillan made a couple of Pro Bowls and won a couple of rings We’ve seemed to reach a set of uniform numbers featuring a lot of as the 49ers’ starting center from 1978-87. players who spent their entire careers with one team. Wilcox played 153 games at linebacker for the 49ers from 1964-74, made the Pro Bowl six 57. times and was named All-Pro twice and became a Hall of Famer in 2000. He was the subject of a great NFL Films segment (other than the part Known to younger fans as “the guy who all the writers remembered when when they played a cuckoo clock sound effect during a highlight where Dre Greenlaw made his goal-line hit in ,” Bunz joined the 49ers at Wilcox punched Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp in the head after he ran the same time as Quillan and stayed until 1984 before finishing his for a touchdown), that began with his wife ringing a dinner bell at their log career with the Lions in 1985. cabin in Junction City, . “Defensively, I had an area,” Wilcox told 58. NFL Films. “And I did not like people in that area.” His sons, Justin and Josh, played for Oregon, their dad’s alma mater. Justin is currently the Talk about a great life, Turner joined the 49ers in 1980 and spent his head coach at Cal. entire 11-year career there. While never a star with the 49ers, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1984 and was a solid player and a fan 65. Wayne Hawkins favorite during the glory days. He’s been a member of the team for over The Raiders right guard throughout the 1960s, Hawkins made five Pro three decades now after completing his 23rd season as a member of the Bowls during his 10-year career. “You could count on him and Jim Otto front office, the last two of which as the vice president and senior advisor side by side. They were my protectors in my years with the Raiders,” to the general manager. Flores told The Desert Sun in 2017, in a sad story about Hawkins’ current 59. struggles with brain trauma as a result of his football career.

Harper spent his entire 11-year NFL career as a linebacker with the 66. Gabe Jackson 49ers (1973-83), then jumped to the USFL where he played for the New Not too many stalwarts have worn No. 66 around here, so we’ll go with Jersey Generals in 1984 and the Houston Gamblers in 1985. Keena Jackson, who’s been solid over his six-year run with the Raiders. Turner and Eric Wright called him “Pops” due to his veteran status during Apologies to all the Eric Heitmann fans out there. the 49ers’ first championship season. Harper would end up saving Wright in Super Bowl XVI. With five minutes remaining, Wright intercepted a 67. Kenny Anderson pass intended for Cris Collinsworth. Wright lost the ball at the end of his 25-yard return, but Harper’s fumble recovery set up a Would you prefer Russell ? Can I interest you in a Daniel Ray Wersching field goal to give the 49ers a 26-14 lead. Kilgore? Let’s keep it moving.

60. Otis Sistrunk 68.

Sistrunk never attended college. Instead, he joined the Marines out of Ayers spent 10 seasons and won two titles with the 49ers and this high school, then worked and played some semi-pro ball and spent three dependable left guard was the subject of an interesting aside in “The seasons in the Continental Football League before finally getting his big Blind Side,” Michael Lewis’ book about Michael Oher. Before facing the break when the Raiders found him and signed him in 1972. Alex Karras Giants in the divisional round on Jan. 3, 1982, Bill Walsh was desperate once said on “” that Sistrunk attended the to find a way to block Lawrence Taylor. The 49ers’ starting left tackle, “University of Mars” after the camera caught steam emanating from his Dan Audick, was only 250 pounds. So Walsh assigned Ayers to block bald head, in part because the Raiders’ program listed his education as Taylor that game, thinking his extra brawn — the native Texan trained “U.S. Mars,” short for U.S. Marines. Sistrunk spent all seven years of his during offseasons by pulling a tire through freshly plowed fields — might NFL career with the Raiders, starting at defensive end during the 1976 be enough to slow the future Hall of Famer. The strategy mostly worked Super Bowl season and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 1974. (Taylor did sack Montana once), and the 49ers won, 38-24, to advance to the NFC Championship Game. 61. 69. Woody Peoples Six players have won four Super Bowls with the 49ers. Five of them were part of the first four title teams (1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989). Sapolu is A right guard who played nine seasons with the 49ers before finishing his the only one whose rings come from the last four. Sapolu spent his entire career with three seasons in Philadelphia, Peoples made the Pro Bowl in career with the 49ers and currently works for the team as an alumni 1972 and 1973. Peoples’ long career might have actually been shortened coordinator. After dealing with foot problems that sidelined him for almost by a couple of factors. Not only did he miss the 1976 season with a knee every game from 1984-87, Sapolu seemed to get better with age, making injury, but he also spent two years in the Army before joining the 49ers in the first of his two Pro Bowls in his age-32 season. Pretty amazing for a 1968. guy whose leaky aortic valve as a youngster in Western Samoa led to an 70. enlarged heart, something he put off having surgery to repair until a new procedure became available that wouldn’t force him to take blood- He spent 15 years with the 49ers, and based on his Pro-Football- 79. Bob St. Clair Reference photo he came straight out of central casting to play on the defensive line in the early-’60s. The blond hair, the chin … just perfect. Famous in his later years for a diet that consisted of raw meat, St. Clair was a Hall of Fame tackle who spent 11 years with the 49ers. St. Clair, 71. listed at 6-foot-9, was a big man. His personality was big, too.

There was a seven-year period where Keith and his brother Jim played at Honorable Mention the same time for the 49ers. Jim was a linebacker. Keith, the better of the two, played tackle for 14 seasons (all with the 49ers) and was named first-team All-Pro in 1984 … in his age-32 season. Bobb McKittrick, the Tony Tomsic / Associated Press 49ers offensive line coach from 1979-99, might’ve known what he was doing. 80.

72. Lincoln Kennedy People are clearly bored, as last week the Twitter discussion included folks arguing that Randy Moss was better than Rice. I’m not sure what Considered a bit of a disappointment after the Falcons drafted him ninth exactly has happened here since Rice was clearly the best overall in 1993, Kennedy’s career really blossomed after he joined the to ever play and it’s not like he was catching balls before the days of Raiders in his fourth season. Kennedy made the Pro Bowl from 2000-02 color TV. There wasn’t a single part of the position Rice didn’t master, he and collected first-team All-Pro honors in 2002. These days he’s calling excelled in the biggest games and his statistical dominance remains Raiders games on the radio with Brent Musburger. absurd, especially considering the rule changes since he retired have 73. benefitted receivers and quarterbacks more than anyone else.

Nomellini was the first draft pick ever made by the 49ers, and he didn’t 81. Tim Brown disappoint. He played 14 seasons for the 49ers, was named All-Pro in Brown vs. T.O. seemed like it could be interesting fodder for a Bay Area six, twice at offensive tackle and four times at defensive tackle. He also debate, on the surface. Then you see that Brown had more yards for the wrestled professionally as “The Lion” and is a member of the Pro Football Raiders than Owens had for the 49ers (10,000 to 8,572) and returned and National Wrestling halls of fame. punts well into his mid-30s.

Jeff Chiu / Associated Press Honorable Mention

74. Terrell Owens

Take a look at his career and he fits right in with a lot of the guys we’ve 82. John Taylor just mentioned, with all of his 13 seasons spent with the 49ers. He even looks like a guy who could’ve played in the 1950s and ’60s, except he’s Taylor made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist in 1988 after taking two probably a lot quicker on his feet and larger than most of the players from punts back for touchdowns that season (including one for 95 yards) and those eras. If the 49ers can get him a ring, he’s got a decent shot at leading the league with an average of 12.6 yards per punt return. Then Canton. he became a Super Bowl hero. From there he became a fine NFL receiver — perhaps not elite, and certainly given a boost by all the Honorable Mentions attention given to Rice (who had a Curry-like gravity effect on , Steve Wallace secondaries throughout most of his career). But Taylor’s career was really good, and the chance that he could break off a long touchdown at Tom Hauck / ALLSPORT any time made him one of the 49ers’ most exciting players during an era that was already pretty fun. 75. Barry Zito 83. He was a matinee idol with the A’s, then booed off the stage/mound as a Giant … until he became a postseason hero in 2012. Now he’s There aren’t too many players who can say they were named first-team (probably?) a rhino on “The Masked Singer,” which for anyone who’s All-Pro four times over a 12-year span, which is why Hendricks is in the followed Zito’s career somehow makes perfect sense. Hall of Fame. Four Super Bowl wins (one with the Colts in 1970, three with the Raiders) didn’t hurt either. Honorable Mention 84. As sure-handed over the middle as any tight end the 49ers have ever 76. Steve Wisniewski had, Jones was a bench player in his first two seasons (1987-88) before Six years at left guard in Los Angeles, seven in Oakland, all with the his career took off in 1989. Along with Rice, Jones excelled with Montana Raiders and pretty darned good (two first-team All-Pro selections, eight and played just as well (if not better) with Young delivering the ball. Pro Bowls). Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

77. Bruce Bosley 85.

He played defensive end in his rookie season (1956) and went on to play Check back in a few years (maybe even before then) and it will almost his next 12 years with the 49ers as an interior lineman. He made four Pro certainly be George Kittle in this spot. That said, Davis did an admirable Bowls along the way and finished his career with a season in in job getting past a rocky start to his career. He led the NFL in receiving 1969. touchdowns in 2009, served as the 49ers’ most explosive passing threat Honorable Mentions during Jim Harbaugh’s coaching tenure, and had one of the most memorable touchdown catches in franchise history against the Saints. , Like Owens against the Packers in a similar playoff situation, Davis’ face was drenched in tears afterward. 78. Honorable Mention My goodness, those great Raiders teams were loaded with stellar, durable, Hall of Fame offensive linemen. Shell played tackle for the George Kittle Raiders from 1968-82, then had a fairly strong run as the team’s head coach (54-38 from 1989-94). Then Al Davis brought him back for one 86. disastrous season in 2006, when the Raiders finished 2-14. To blame Hardman made two Pro Bowls while spending the entirety of the 1970s Shell for that season would be unfair, as the roster was absolutely putrid as a defensive end for the 49ers. He would go on to win a Super Bowl in and Davis’ next coaching hire (Lane Kiffin) didn’t fare any better. Let’s 1980 with the Raiders, where he spent the last two seasons of his career. just ignore Shell’s second head coaching stint and celebrate his Hall of Fame career. Associated Press

Paul Sakuma / Associated Press 87. This might have been the most difficult choice since Dave Casper won 96. Dennis Brown just as many Super Bowls (two), was named All-Pro more times than Clark (four to one) and is in the Hall of Fame. But Clark made perhaps would get the nod, except for a few things. If he had worn the greatest and most important catch in league history, his number is No. 96 at Cal, this would be a wrap … but he wore No. 97 as a Golden retired and if you ask 100 football fans in the Bay Area to name a No. 87, Bear. And while Carter did have a 12.5-sack season with the 49ers, he something close to that same number would probably say Clark’s name. did more damage with other teams. Finally, Brown played seven solid seasons for the 49ers, was a member of the 1994 championship team Honorable Mention and is a contributor to our “Here’s ” podcast.

Dave Casper 97.

88. Young is the most underrated great player the 49ers ever had. Playing next to him helped get a massive contract from Burns has the fifth-most points in franchise history, leading all Washington, but Young’s play stayed at an elite level after Stubblefield defensemen who’ve worn teal. He’s also got that amazing grill, which is left. Young ended up with 89.5 sacks, a tremendous total for a guy who missing a chiclet or three. often played on the interior. And despite the 49ers being just awful during Honorable Mention the last five years of his career, he never asked for a trade, never complained. He kept giving his full effort on every down and was effective until the end.

89. 98.

If Jon Gruden didn’t send Cooper to Dallas, this wouldn’t look so silly. Peterson was a promising linebacker for the 49ers from the start, making However, take a look at who’s worn No. 89 over the years (the best 49er the Pro Bowl in 2002 and earning an All-Pro selection in 2003. But he was Tai Streets and the second-best Raider was Ronald Curry) and wasn’t a fit in Mike Nolan’s system (eye roll), so he signed with the you’ll see why Cooper lands in this spot despite getting dealt in his fourth Seahawks in 2006. He had 24.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in all season. three of his seasons with the Seahawks.

90. Isaac Sopoaga 99. DeForest Buckner

Once before a game at Candlestick, at least three hours before kickoff, I should’ve been the obvious selection, but problems off the saw Sopoaga effortlessly throw a pass 65 yards on the fly. He wasn’t a field with substance abuse derailed his career on multiple occasions. dominant player, but he was a hell of an athlete for his size. Buckner looked like he might be a 49er for life, and perhaps match or even surpass Young as the greatest interior lineman in franchise history, 91. Chester McGlockton but he was just traded to the Colts. Smith and Buckner are more talented McGlockton was a monster during his three years with the Raiders, players than Mike Walter, a dependable inside linebacker who spent 10 making first-team All-Pro one of those seasons, and he played wearing a of his 11 seasons with the 49ers and was a member of three number that gave him very little competition on either side of the Bay. championship teams. Walter could’ve gotten the nod here, but Buckner’s Why’s that, you ask? Ray McDonald doesn’t make the cut due to talent is just too great to ignore — despite the fact that an extension with character concerns, and is coming off his first great the 49ers, which just about everyone thought was a certainty, ultimately season. If Armstead can keep it up, he’ll be this region’s best No. 91 wasn’t meant to be. fairly soon. Honorable Mention Honorable Mention Mike Walter, Aldon Smith Arik Armstead The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 92. Vic Bottari

Cal last won the Rose Bowl in 1938, and Bottari scored both touchdowns and intercepted a pass in the Golden Bears’ 13-0 victory over Alabama. Bottari rushed for 137 yards on 38 carries and was named the game’s most valuable player. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Brooklyn Dodgers — not those Dodgers, the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers — but never played professionally.

93. Tommy Kelly

Yes, Greg Townsend was a fantastic player … for the Los Angeles Raiders.

94. Justin Smith

This was one of the tougher ones, but if we’re specifically talking about 49ers tenures, Smith beats out . Haley was a ferocious pass rusher for the 49ers, but his unpredictable behavior led them to make an all-time bad trade, sending him to the Cowboys for a 1993 second-round pick and a 1994 third-round pick. But this is more about what Smith did for the 49ers than Haley’s departure. Smith was arguably the best free-agent signing the 49ers ever made. He was as disruptive as an interior defensive lineman can be during the 2011 season and in 2012 before he got hurt, which might have hindered the 49ers just enough to prevent them from winning the Super Bowl.

Honorable Mention

Charles Haley, Dana Stubblefield

95. Michael Carter

It seemed like people always expected more out of Carter, an awesome athlete (in the 1984 Olympics he won silver in the shot put) who started at nose tackle for the 49ers for nine seasons. But he was outstanding throughout the first half of his career until a foot injury in 1989 kept him out of eight games and he was never the same. 1173258 St Louis Blues Pietrangelo says he gets a 2 ½-hour block of time during the afternoon to work out during the triplets’ nap time. He’s got a home gym.

“I think the hardest part for me is the unknown of when we’re actually 'It's a little wild over here': Pietrangelo doing triple duty during NHL going to start (playing again),” he said. “So you’re trying to train as if shutdown you’re gonna play, but nobody really knows what’s gonna happen. So you’re not trying to overdo it but you’re trying to take a break.”

The NHL suspended play on March 12 due to the coronavirus — the Jim Thomas Blues were on the team charter heading back from Anaheim when the announcement was made. The league subsequently announced a two-

week self-isolation or shelter-in-place policy for players, although it gave As the NHL approaches three weeks in its self-isolation mode during the them the option of returning home — even if it mean overseas. coronavirus pandemic, the vast majority of players undoubtedly are Pietrangelo said all but five or six Blues have stayed in St. Louis fighting off boredom. including Jay Bouwmeester, whose collapse on the bench due to cardiac Not Alex Pietrangelo, Blues defenseman, team captain. And father of arrest Feb. 11 led to the March 11 makeup game in Anaheim. triplets. “His plan was to be here no matter what, I think, once he got some He can’t wait till hockey resumes, so he can get some rest. clearance from the doctors,” Pietrangelo said. “His kids are in school here, too. So I think once he wraps that all up maybe he’ll try and get “It’s a little wild over here,” Pietrangelo said. “Three kids, two dogs, wife. home if the doctors feel comfortable. Trying to stay (inside) as much as we can, trying to be careful — we’ve got the kids. I’ll tell you what, the kids can do some damage in the house “We all kind of live in the same area here, so guys are stopping by seeing in a two-week span when you keep them inside. how he’s doing. And he’s out and about walking. We see him.”

“I was laughing last night because I was saying, there’s not enough time Like most teams around the NHL, the Blues also have been having group in the day. I’m not even working right now and I can’t even find enough chats, although those gatherings in these social-distancing times can time to do something for myself.” degenerate into, uh, off-color memes.

Pietrangelo took part in a video conference Tuesday put on by the NHL, “My kids love playing with my phone ... and I’m like ‘No, no, no, no! Not a with Central Division rivals Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks good time to scroll,’” Pietrangelo said. “I gotta put the child lock or delete and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators. on this one.”

Pietrangelo’s wife, Jayne, gave birth to Evelyn, Oliver and Theodore in Another two weeks of shelter-in-place recently was tacked onto the July 2018. So the triplets are 20 months old — fast approaching the original two by the NHL, so the league remains in a holding pattern. Terrible 2’s. “We obviously miss being down there (at Enterprise Center),” Pietrangelo “We do the exact same thing,” Pietrangelo said, referring to the family’s said. “I think all of us miss playing in front of the fans, competing. But daily routine. “We wake up, eat breakfast, have my morning coffee. So being home with kids and being around my wife’s family, grandma and does my wife. grandpa — I think it’s just important that we all do our part.”

“Today we watched ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ went upstairs, played a bit. I (Pietrangelo’s wife and in-laws are from St. Louis.) can hear them running upstairs right now. They’re screaming ‘cause they “Even if you’re healthy, you don’t really know if you’re carrying (the want to go outside. So they’re gonna go outside and then take a nap. Do virus),” Pietrangelo said. “You gotta protect the people around you, and the same thing in the afternoon. Wake up and do it all over again other people in the community. So the more we can do our part now, the tomorrow.” quicker this all goes away and hopefully we all get back to getting games Pietrangelo, Toews and Josi were on split screens and could interact with and life going back to normal.” each other, with an NHL moderator leading the discussion and asking If he had to be quarantined with just one Blue, Pietrangelo said Colton questions, many of which were submitted by media members but read by Parayko probably would be the choice. the moderator. “Because he’s probably that guy on your team that’s too nice and he At one point, Pietrangelo was asked how he and Jayne spend that hour wants to do everything for everybody,” Pietrangelo said. “He’d probably or so of alone time after the triplets are down for the night. bring me breakfast in bed and do all the chores, and I wouldn’t have to “I spend my hour cleaning,” Pietrangelo said. “Last night I cleaned and do a single thing.” my wife was watching ‘Harry Potter.’ So that pretty much sums things up As for the teammate he’d least like to be in quarantine with ... around here. And just cartoons. That’s literally all we watch around here. I only need like three channels.” “I hope ’s watching, ‘cause he’s the loudest guy I’ve ever met in my entire (life),” Pietrangelo said, laughing. “So sometimes you Which prompted Toews to chime in: “I’m really starting to feel bad for just need a break from him.” Petro.” He and all the Blues, continue to get just that — a break. That brought some chuckles, and then Petro responded: “It’s just part of life. It’s all good.” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.02.2020 Toews, by way of comparison, said he has been binge-watching the third season of “Ozark” (the Netflix series.)

Josi said he’s been watching the “Tiger King” docu-series, but mainly doing the X-box video gaming thing — Call of Duty, etc.

For Pietrangelo, there are other ways to keep the kiddos occupied, like replaying Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, postgame celebration included.

“When I say ‘Stanley Cup,’ they grab like a cup and they put it over their head,” Pietrangelo said. “So that one, we’ve played in our house before because the kids, it keeps ‘em quiet for maybe 45 minutes to an hour, lets you get something done.”

As team captain, their dad became the first player in Blues history to hoist the Cup over his head after the Blues’ 4-1 Game 7 victory in Boston on June 12. 1173259 St Louis Blues Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux bought an Xbox, but he became frustrated after teammate Scott Laughton routed him in the FIFA 20 game.

Tipsheet: NHL players get creative while passing time during shutdown Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has been watching “” and reruns of the “Friends” series. He generally avoids watching the reruns of classic NHL games.

Jeff Gordon “It’s a little bit of a tease, I have to say,” Draisaitl said. “You start to miss it even more.”

Like the other players, he is having to improvise his workouts without Red carpet at NHL All-Star Friday Night access to a training facility. Like many North Americans, NHL players are holed up in their homes “I try to dangle around my dog once in a while. I have a stick in the these days. They are relishing time with their family while struggling to basement,” Draisaitl said. “But other than that there is not much stay in shape and not get stir crazy. opportunity for me to work on my skills.” So how do they stay sane? Several players shared their stories during Here is what folks have been writing about the NHL’s shutdown: Zoom conferences hosted by the NHL for media types. Greg Wyshynski, ESPN.com: “The National Hockey League needs to Rambunctious forwards Brady and , from the Ottawa cancel its remaining regular-season games. It brings me no pleasure to Senators and Calgary Flames respectively, are back home in St. Louis put this out there. We all want to see this season to its equitable reliving their youth. completion; if there is a postseason, to have the previous five-and-a-half "Been keeping busy with (Matthew) and my younger sister," Brady months boiled down to the points percentage variance between teams, reported. "We've got the Peloton downstairs that we've been going on. with differing numbers of games played, would be a shame. Playing those postponed regular-season games would mean money in the “We've been just keeping active with basketball and stuff like that. It gets depleted coffers of NHL teams. Regular-season games would also mean fired up.” a much-needed cash insurgence for local business around arenas, presuming they're in operation as the coronavirus pandemic hopefully Oh, boy. Hopefully they will keep the property damage to a minimum wanes. But this is a fantasy. Let's start with the obvious, which is that the before they get the "all clear" to rejoin their teams. NHL is at the mercy of local municipalities when it comes to restrictions Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf volunteered one of the more on travel, mass gatherings and business operations. It's entirely possible interesting updates. that one team's state will be closer to an 'all clear' than another's. It's entirely possible that the medical experts from one city will be more “I’ve spent the last three days building a chicken coop in the backyard,” stringent than another's. But let's say enough of those hurdles are Getzlaf said. “The wife wanted eggs the other day and we had no eggs, cleared to the point that a North American pro sports league can restart so we borrowed from the neighbor who had chickens. And all of a its season: Rescheduling games is going to be a logistical nightmare, as sudden, we were having them. She just ordered six of them.” the NBA and every other postponed arena event scramble to make up Toronto Maple Leafs center has been trying to maintain dates. The difference between rescheduling for 16 (or 20) buildings and conditioning in his modest home gym. “I've got a few dumbbells, doing so for all 31 arenas is considerable, as is the difference between kettlebells, a few (resistance) bands, and a (stationary) bike, just trying to rescheduling regular-season games -- involving a lot of travel -- and do the best I can,” he said. rescheduling a playoff series -- which requires far less of it or none at all, depending on what playoff model the NHL chooses.” He’s enjoyed time to spend with his infant son Jace. “On Netflix, that Babies show, and it’s just interesting to compare it to what's going on Brett Cyrgalis, New York Post: “It’s now become even more clear just with our little guy,” Tavares said. how important the NHL playoffs are to the league’s bottom line: The projection was for about $1 billion in revenue to be made before the “But I haven't watched a ton of TV. I personally enjoy trying to cook a little Stanley Cup was raised in June. That hockey-related revenue (HRR) is bit and (this has) given me some time to do that. It's a good time to the overall number split 50-50 between the teams and the players, a disconnect, relax and slowly build yourself back up as hopefully some tensely negotiated agreement that necessitates escrow in the first place. positivity comes around the corner.” In theory, the money in escrow is given back to the players once all the math is done to make sure the split is even, but it’s estimated that they’ve Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara got his family down to Florida lost between eight and 15 percent every year since 2012. No wonder before players were told to self-quarantine. why they hate it, and why it is the most important issue rumbling among “I think like everybody else, the first few days you're taking it easy and their ranks — along with Olympic participation — that could lead to more just using your imagination, your body, and then as you go further, I've labor unrest following the current collective bargaining agreement been lucky I had a few things here — dumbbells, stationary bike, access expiring following the 2021-22 season. But it’s not like the NHL can just to a pool,” Chara said. “That was one of the reasons we decided to drive say it’s going to have a 24-team playoff and it’s going to be a $1 billion down here, to spend a little more time outside but also to have workout payday. Or even a $100 million payday. The players are dying to get places, not being in public gyms, but in my own environment. Trying to back on the ice, if not solely because this is what they love to do then do what I can.” because they want to make their money. But who could fathom a situation in the next couple months where it would seem reasonable for Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby doesn’t have a setup like 20,000 fans to jam into an arena? Would you go?” Chara, so he is riding a stationary bike and doing lots of pushups. "It's kind of old-school," Crosby said. "At this point, whatever you can get MEGAPHONE done, you get done. So that's what I've been doing." "The way he farts ... the smell is awful. He likes his chicken wings."

When he isn’t playing dad to his three restless children, Montreal • Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, noting that goalie Tuukka Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber is watching “Vikings” and “Tiger Rask is the teammate he would least like to be in isolation with. King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” on Netflix. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.02.2020 Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is hanging out in Florida with his wife and their three dogs. He has been watching Stephen King’s “The Outsiders” and Showtime’s “Homeland.”

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel has been playing Madden NFL 20 and watching reruns of “The OC.” His musical playlist includes the Stone Temple Pilots and old-school acts like the Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye and Fleetwood Mac. 1173260 St Louis Blues All kidding aside, no one should be feeling sorry for Pietrangelo, who stands to get paid handsomely one way or the other this year.

In October, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun surveyed a front-office executive How does the NHL’s indefinite break affect Alex Pietrangelo’s contract and a player agent to find out what the financial bar would be for status? Pietrangelo and Josi, No. 1 defensemen and captains on their respective teams.

“Personally, I think Josi is going to get over $9 million a year,” the By Jeremy Rutherford Apr 1, 2020 executive told LeBrun. “Pietrangelo will be at least $8 million a year. But so much of this is situational. If either one of these players wants to

conduct an auction (July 1), it could be in places where maybe they can’t Even if the NHL season weren’t on pause because of COVID-19, it’s win. Or with people they don’t know and may not want to be associated highly unlikely the Blues and pending unrestricted free agent Alex with as much. Both these players are in exceptional organizations now. Pietrangelo would have reached a contract resolution by now. One just won the Stanley Cup and the other is a model franchise. Is the trade-off for a few extra dollars worth it if you’re happy where you are and That’s based on comments made by Blues general manager Doug you can win where you are?” Armstrong in late February. Just four days after that piece was published, Nashville and Josi agreed “Alex is a 30-year-old pro, he’s the captain of our franchise and he’s to an eight-year contract worth $72,472,000, or an average annual value someone that I have the utmost respect for,” Armstrong said. “Our goal is (AAV) of $9.1 million. still to try to get him signed. I’ll address, if he doesn’t sign here, what happened at that point. But our focus is to see if we can get him signed. That, however, did not spark any movement between the Blues and It’s certainly not going to happen between now and our last playoff Pietrangelo’s agent, , from Newport Sports Management game.” Inc. They met in Toronto in early October, prior to Josi’s deal, but didn’t gain any traction and aren’t believed to have held any substantial On Thursday night, the Blues would be hosting Boston at Enterprise conversations in the last five months. Center, the Bruins’ first visit since last season’s Stanley Cup final, and wrapping up the regular season Saturday in Colorado. Then, assuming Some speculation has suggested Newport is seeking an AAV of $9 they hadn’t completely collapsed in the last three weeks, the playoffs million-plus, compared to the Blues’ rumored figure of $8.25 million per would be getting underway next week. year. Like Armstrong did with forward Brayden Schenn, it can almost be assumed the GM is offering an eight-year extension to Pietrangelo, which But that’s not the case, and needless to say, there are greater global would keep the AAV down. But compared to Josi’s number, that’s a concerns that should be occupying our thoughts than the NHL season difference of nearly $6.5 million over the life of the contract. and Pietrangelo’s contract status. However, now that the schedule has been postponed, many are wondering how the league’s indefinite return That all happened before COVID-19 shut down the NHL, though, will affect the potential re-signing of the Blues’ captain. potentially erasing the remainder of the season, including the playoffs. If that’s the case, the league could fall about $1.2 billion below its projected There’s plenty to consider: $5 billion annual revenue. With a collective bargaining agreement that splits its HRR 50-50, that could mean less for owners and for players, The salary cap is connected to hockey-related revenue (HRR), which will which would mean a lower-than-expected salary cap for the 2020-21 certainly be impacted by the games missed due to the pause. Will that season. affect what the Blues are willing and able to offer Pietrangelo? The current cap is $81.5 million, but on March 4, just a week before the If the cap is indeed lower than projected, will that limit the number of pause, deputy commissioner Bill Daly projected next season’s cap would teams planning to show some interest in Pietrangelo in free agency? rise to anywhere within a range of $84-88.2 million. There was no Will the NHL finish the season, and when will the free-agency window, guarantee the cap would climb that high before COVID-19, and now which starts on July 1 every year, take place? there are no assurances. In fact, though industry sources don’t expect the cap to fall from $81.5 million, they wouldn’t be surprised if it remains It certainly seems premature to be asking whether Pietrangelo has flat. played his last game with the Blues, but it’s not completely out of line with all the uncertainty. As it turns out, the ability of Josi and other pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) to get a deal done beforehand will pay off for those If the Blues’ 4-2 victory over Anaheim on March 11 was his last in the players. But Pietrangelo, a two-time All-Star, can’t be blamed for waiting, uniform of the organization that drafted him No. 4 in 2008, he wasn’t as no one could have predicted this situation. However, it is reality now, showing it Tuesday. and the Blues and his camp will have to react accordingly.

Pietrangelo represented the Blues on a Central Division conference call Many have asked if the two sides are taking advantage of the pause to with Nashville’s Roman Josi and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews. All shared a get down to business, so The Athletic posed that question to Armstrong few laughs about how they’ve kept themselves busy during the last week. But per his reputation, the Blues GM was relatively mum. downtime. “On all these unrestricted guys, we’ll just keep that in-house and deal “It’s a little wild over here — three kids, two dogs, wife,” said Pietrangelo, with them as they come up,” he said. “We’ll let you know when we have whose wife, Jayne, gave birth to Evelyn, Oliver and Theodore in 2018. announcements.” “I’ll tell you what, the kids can do some damage in the house in a two- week span when you keep them inside. I was laughing last night because The NHL is operating “business as usual,” though the league has been I said there’s not enough time in the day. I’m not even working now and I refraining from announcing any deals out of respect to the pandemic. But can’t even find enough time to do something for myself. it’s believed Armstrong and Newport are holding off any dialogue until after the pause to find out how much HRR, and thus the cap, will be “Today we watched ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ went upstairs, played a bit. I impacted. can hear them running upstairs right now. They’re screaming because they want to go outside, so they’re going to go outside and then take a “What’s the point (in negotiating) at this point?” one NHL agent not nap. Do the same thing in the afternoon, wake up and do it all over again associated with the Blues or Pietrangelo said. “You don’t know what tomorrow.” you’ve got to play with. Right now, I would tell you that with players like Petro, everything is going to be on hold, from the team side and the Asked the same question after Pietrangelo, Josi replied, “A lot different. player’s side, in my assumption.” It’s pretty relaxing here.” In the end, the difference in where the cap ends up may not make or Later, Toews joked, “I’m really starting to feel bad for Petro.” break the Pietrangelo situation; star players get paid and, as usual, it will Alex Pietrangelo, Roman Josi and Jonathan Toews took part in a likely come down to how willing the sides are to compromise. conference call this week. However, if the cap is lower than projected, how will that affect the Blues’ ability to re-sign Pietrangelo and persuade him not to be enticed by free agency?

According to CapFriendly.com, the Blues have 17 players under contract for 2020-21 for approximately $73.8 million, leaving around $8 million in cap space if the ceiling doesn’t go up. In addition to Pietrangelo, defenseman Marco Scandella is also a pending UFA, and the Blues have four pending restricted free agents, including defenseman Vince Dunn.

That could a situation in which the cap-strapped Blues might have competition if Pietrangelo starts gearing up for the open market. Florida, which has 13 players under contract at a projected $60.1 million next season, and Vegas, which has 14 players at $72.6 million, have been speculated as potential free-agent suitors for the defenseman.

But with every team in the league under the same restriction, the lower cap might also rule out some of the competitive clubs that may have had interest but will be unwilling to part with the necessary assets to make room.

There’s the possibility the NHL could include compliance buyouts as part of the “restart” rules, an element the league allowed after the 2012-13 lockout. That could help the Blues and other teams in their efforts to sign Pietrangelo, but it’s too soon to know whether those buyouts will be an option after the pause.

Of course, there could be some teams that have enough space, but typically, those organizations are either in rebuilding mode or don’t have a history of spending to the upper limit, so would they be intriguing to him?

Those were all questions before the NHL halted play, but with uncertainty over when the games will resume, Pietrangelo’s situation is now even more of a curiosity and concern. But at this point, most of it is still unclear, including when free agency will begin. Whatever happens, however, the Blues should have ample time to talk to their top priority this “offseason,” and as far as anyone can tell, the first player in franchise history to raise the Stanley Cup will be ready to listen.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173261 Tampa Bay Lightning And that, of course, would indicate that the world had come out the other side of the pandemic.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.02.2020 What is social distancing like for Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh?

Staying in contact with family and friends, plus walks with his 3-year-old daughter, are helping the defenseman cope.

Diana C. Nearhos

TAMPA — Ryan McDonagh hasn’t glanced at a calendar in weeks. The Lightning defenseman and his wife, Kaylee, have looked to local news to know what’s open and what’s allowed. They stay away from national news since it’s too early to have a timeline on the world returning to normal.

“We don’t want to read things, hear things and get all of these what-if scenarios in our heads,” McDonagh said on a video conference call Wednesday morning.

Keeping in contact with friends and family has helped McDonagh manage mentally. He’s been FaceTiming and texting with people back home in Minnesota and friends across the league.

His son, Murphy, turns 1 on April 22, and a big birthday party is out of the question. A video call with family while Murphy digs into cake with his hands is more likely.

McDonagh typically wouldn’t have seen his family much during this stretch, anyway — without this pandemic, he would have played 10 games over the past three weeks — but being away during a global crisis has made him look forward to seeing them much more.

NHL players don’t have to worry about their employment status, but many of their concerns are the same as everyone else’s.

As are the methods of entertaining themselves. Like seemingly most everyone else in the country, Ryan and Kaylee watched Netflix’s Tiger King. They wrapped up the seven-episode docuseries in two days, and it has been fodder for the Lightning team chat.

They’re also catching up on some Academy Award nominees. The hockey season doesn’t typically provide much time to watch movies.

McDonagh joked that keeping up with his 3-year-old daughter, Falan, and Murphy will keep him in shape for whenever the NHL returns.

But, no, that isn’t his only workout.

He has been starting his days with a walk around the block, accompanied by Falan on her scooter.

The walk offers routine (good for small children, professional athletes and everyone else) and gets his body moving a little bit. It’s also a reminder to take pleasure in the little things.

“They can find joy in the simplest things,” McDonagh said of his children. “Something as simple as a scooter ride or a walk around the block, she gets so excited to do that with me.”

There is another side, too. His kids throw tantrums, like all kids, and McDonagh has a greater appreciation for what his wife does as primary caretaker during the season.

He has also borrowed a stationary bike, dumbbells and exercise bands from the team. He has no idea when or if this season will be finished. But he’d like the chance to.

“There has to be a scenario where the season could be canceled,” McDonagh said. “It would be a huge disappointment. After what our team has done this year and how we set ourselves up, the additions we made, where we were with a handful of games left. You hope there’s a scenario, whether it’s regular season or playoffs, that we can play.”

McDonagh isn’t picky on whether play should pick up with the end of the regular season or go straight into the playoffs. He figures with seven to 10 days of training (possibly more, depending on how long this goes), players can get ready.

“I’d rather just be able to play hockey again as soon as possible,” McDonagh said. 1173262 Tampa Bay Lightning

Need financial help? Jeff Vinik wants to make sure you know where to find it

Diana C. Nearhos - Lightning Reporter

The Lightning is advertising existing services for those with economic hardships who don’t know where to turn.

The Lightning are taking out a series of advertisements that have nothing to do with hockey. Instead, their owner, the Vinik family, is trying to help people in need find assistance.

As the family discussed what it could do to help people, Jeff and Penny Vinik’s oldest son, Danny, came up with a suggestion.

“We decided we could have a real impact by informing people where to go for help,” said Jeff Vinik, who is part of FBN Partners, a group of local investors who have loaned $15 million to the Times Publishing Co., which owns the Tampa Bay Times.

The family was concerned some might try to take advantage of those looking for help and decided to use the Lightning brand to indicate a trusted source. The ads have appeared in print mediums including the Times and will also be broadcast on the radio, posted to social media, put on billboards and placed on websites. They target three areas: unemployment, small business assistance and food shortages.

“We thought about where the most need would be,” Jeff Vinik said. “It would the thousands or tens of thousands who have been laid off or furloughed, the thousands of businesses that have shut down, and those who are less fortunate and having trouble putting food on the table.”

In addition, Jeff and Penny, through the Vinik Family Foundation, have donated $300,000 to Metropolitan Ministries, which has seen an astronomical uptick in requests for help. Metropolitan Ministries’ CEO, Tim Marks, said that where the organization was giving out 200 family food boxes a week, it is now providing 300 a day. Staff members are also sorting through 700 to 800 requests for assistance through the Metropolitan Ministries website, metromin.org.

The Viniks’ donation will account for 6,600 boxes of food in April, which works out to between 60,000 and 80,000 meals. It will also go toward Metropolitan Ministries’ rent and utility assistance program.

Marks has seen large donations spark many smaller donations in the past.

“This is not a sprint,” he said. “No single gift is going to solve it. It’s going to take all of us.”

Anyone able to donate can do so at metromin.org, where there is currently a triple match courtesy of Triad Foundation, Analgesic Healthcare and an anonymous donor. So a donation of $1 becomes $4.

“For others that can afford to give and help those in difficult situations," Vinik said, “I would encourage you to do so.”

UP NEXT:What is social distancing like for Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh?

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173263 Tampa Bay Lightning

In players’ poll, Lightning’s Victor Hedman named top defenseman

Staff

Andrei Vasilevskiy finishes second in the goalie category behind Carey Price.

The Lightning’s Victor Hedman was selected the top defenseman for a second straight year and Andrei Vasilevskiy was second in the goalie category in the NHL Players’ Association’s annual poll of players released Tuesday.

Hedman got 196 votes, 85 more than Washington’s John Carlson. Montreal’s Carey Price repeated as the league’s top goalie with 214 votes, 127 ahead of Vasilevskiy.

The Lightning’s Pat Maroon finished fourth as best trash talker. For the second straight year, Boston’s Brad Marchand was named both the best and worst trash talker.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid is still regarded as the NHL’s top forward, and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby was named the most complete player.

The NHLPA said 588 players participated in the 21-question poll, which covered topics involving skills, arenas, teams and off-ice fun. That category ranged from who they considered the league’s best golfer (Dallas’ Joe Pavelski) to the top player to follow on social media (New Jersey’s P.K. Subban).

This is the third consecutive year the NHLPA has conducted the poll.

McDavid was the overwhelming favorite as the league’s top forward. He received 379 of 555 votes, followed by Crosby (83) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (37).

Crosby finished first in two other categories, including the league’s most complete player. He received 230 of 506 votes, beating out Boston’s Patrice Bergeron (129), Florida’s Aleksander Barkov (38) and St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly (27).

With 224 votes (68 more than McDavid), Crosby also topped the list of who players would want on their team when needing to win one game.

Other categories:

Game-day dress code: Players overwhelmingly favor relaxing the rule requiring a suit and tie. Players voted 411 to 152 in favoring the NBA’s dress-code policy, which requires players wearing “business or conservative attire” when arriving at and leaving a game.

World’s best female player: Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin got 198 votes to edge out America’s Hilary Knight (180). America’s Kendal Coyne Schofield (77) finished third.

Past or present player that others would pay to see play: Wayne Gretzky was the top vote-getter with 155, followed by Bobby Orr (73), Mario Lemieux (45) and McDavid (38).

Best ice: Montreal’s Bell Centre won for a third consecutive year, followed by Edmonton’s Rogers Place and Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place.

Best mascot: Philadelphia’s Gritty was the runaway winner for a second straight year, followed by Nashville’s Gnash and Arizona’s Howler.

Funniest: Florida defenseman Keith Yandle was the repeat winner.

Bouwmeester improving

Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said teammate Jay Bouwmeester is in good health seven weeks after having a cardioverter defibrillator implanted in his chest. Pietrangelo said he and his teammates have been visiting Bouwmeester, who is taking walks through their St. Louis-area neighborhood. Bouwmeester, 36, collapsed on the bench during a game on Feb. 11.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173264 Toronto Maple Leafs

Defensive moves: Leafs add pair of blueliners to ranks

By The Canadian Press

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Filip Král to a three- year, entry-level contract and defenceman Kristians Rubins to a two- year, entry-level contract.

Král, 20, appeared in 54 games with the ’s during the 2019-20 season and registered 49 points (12 goals, 37 assists), which ranked second among Spokane defenceman and tied for 10th among WHL defenders.

In 154 career WHL regular-season games, Král recorded 120 points (31 goals, 89 assists), while adding a pair of assists in 17 playoff games. He represented the at the 2018 and 2019 world junior hockey championships.

Král was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2018 NHL draft.

Rubins, 22, appeared in 47 games with the American Hockey League’s during the 2019-20 season and registered 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). In 2018-19, he split his season between the Marlies and the Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL).

The Riga, Latvia, native recorded three assists in 15 games with the Marlies in 2018-19, while recording two goals and 16 assists in 56 games with the Growlers. Rubins played in 17 playoff games with Newfoundland and recorded a goal and two assists, capturing the Kelly Cup in the franchise’s inaugural season.

Rubins originally joined the Maple Leafs organization on Aug. 3, 2018, after signing with the Growlers.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173265 Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL notches an assist with free Future Goals online learning program for kids

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter

The NHL and its players association have opened their online Future Goals Hockey Scholar program to parents and teachers for free, hoping to help kids learn during the pandemic.

With school-aged children essentially house-bound, parents face unprecedented challenges when it comes to providing enough physical and educational stimulation while observing social distancing rules.

Future Goals — register at futuregoals..com — aims to teach kids how important “science, technology, engineering and mathematics are to the game of hockey,” says NHL vice-president Rob Knesaurek, responsible for youth hockey and industry growth.

The same core skills used by players and coaches, statisticians and equipment managers, even Zamboni drivers, apply to everyday life.

“Hopefully (the program makes) this period of time a bit easier for families,” Knesaurek said.

While there are many online tools and tips for kids who can’t go to school during the pandemic, the consensus is that keeping things as normal as possible — including healthy distractions, such as backyard sports — is vital to their well being.

Some NHL players have offered their own suggestions, including former Maple Leafs defenceman . On Instagram, he recently posted 26 tips for daily life in isolation (some more offbeat than others) including:

Breathing techniques by Wim Hof, famous for braving extreme temperatures.

Extended cardio and myofascial stretching.

Sleep nine hours a night.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar was among the NHLers who joined in on the “See 10, Do 10” pushup and 10-touch challenges. Kopitar enlisted five-year-old daughter Neza and three-year-old son Jakob, who perched on his back while he did his 10 pushups.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173266 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs sign two big blueliners to entry-level deals

Lance Hornby

The Maple Leafs have high hopes for two big defencemen few had heard of at the start of this season.

On Wednesday, they signed 2018 draft pick Filip Kral and current Marlie Kristians Rubins to entry-level contracts of three and two years, respectively.

Kral, 20, was tied for 10th in scoring among Western Hockey League defencemen this year with 49 points in 54 games for the Spokane Chiefs. The Czech was 6-foot-1 and 171 pounds at the start of 2019-20 and has 120 points in 154 WHL games, with time spent at the past two world junior championships. He was fifth-round draft pick.

Rubins was with the Marlies when American Hockey League play was postponed last month. In 47 games, the 22-year-old Latvian had 14 points.

Almost two years ago, the now 6-foot-4, 221-pound Rubins came from the WHL as a free agent with the Newfoundland Growlers. He scored the first goal in Toronto’s ECHL affiliate’s history and was part of their 2019 Kelly Cup club.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173267 Toronto Maple Leafs But the numbers are so close that you would be justified slotting Thomas ahead of Roberts:

Regular Season Top 25 Toronto Maple Leafs of the past 25 years: Counting down Nos. GP 10-1 216

237 By Jonas Siegel Apr 1, 2020 G/GP

0.29 We’ve munched on some appetizers in Part I but now it’s time for the main course: the top-10 Leafs of the past 25 years. 0.35

To recap the rules: PTS/GP

We’re weighing something between peak performance and longevity. 0.79

Playoff performance matters. 0.66

We’re looking only at the past 25 years. In other words, from the start of Playoffs the 1995-96 season until now. No carryover. GP There are no right and wrong answers here — only what you (and I) believe! 40

Let’s get to it. 50

10. Steve Thomas G

9. Gary Roberts 18

These two were slightly different versions of the same player for the 14 Leafs right around the same time. PTS/GP

Both were free agents signings at late stages of (probably) underrated 0.68 careers. Thomas was 35 when he joined the team in 1998. Roberts was 34 when he came aboard in 2000. Both were feisty wingers who could 0.8 score, and do so often enough as a complement to Mats Sundin on the Leafs’ top line. Both seemed built for the big stage and were almost But not here though. symbols, in their toughness and determination, of what seemed to push 8. John Tavares the Leafs past the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs year after year. This may be too high for some. Looking back, it’s “Stumpy” Thomas who enjoyed the greater regular- season success during his second stint with the franchise. (He started his Tavares hasn't even been a Leaf for two seasons yet, and has only one NHL career with the Leafs in 1984). playoff series in Toronto under his belt. (He had five points in the seven- game loss to Boston.) Even at his advanced NHL age, Thomas finished with 28 goals and 73 points in his first year back with the Leafs, a top-20 mark league-wide. He But his peak as a Leaf — last season — was about as good as it gets for was gutsy and reliable. He added another 26 goals, and 63 points, a year a Toronto player in the past two-plus decades. Nevermind 25 years: only later at age 36. five times in more than 100 years of Leafs history has a player scored 47 goals with at least 88 points. He was also clutch, memorably tying Game 5 of a first-round series against Ottawa with less than five minutes to go in regulation before No one had done it since Dave Andreychuk in 1994. winning it in OT: Tavares was having somewhat of a down year prior to the pause, but he Two nights later, Thomas cut a 2-0 Senators lead in half with his sixth still managed to put up 26 goals and 60 points in 63 games— a 34-goal, goal of the series. Then he set up Sundin for the goal that tied it three 78-point pace. Give it a few more years, and a few playoff triumphs, and minutes later. The Leafs went on to win that game, and the series, that the Leafs captain may just sneak into the top-5. night. Stay tuned. During the era we’re considering here, Thomas potted a goal almost every other game in the post-season for the Leafs — 18 in 40 games. 7.

Impressive, no doubt. Belfour was believed by many to be old and done when he signed with the Leafs as a free agent at age 37 in the summer of 2002 to replace the And given his regular-season bonafides, you could argue that he should immensely popular (until he joined the Red Wings anyway) Curtis have the edge on Roberts. But it’s not as if Roberts wasn’t a mighty Joseph. Belfour had posted an ugly .895 save percentage in 2001-02 productive regular-season player too, even in the same twilight of his with Dallas, the worst mark among the 20 goalies that played in at least career as Thomas. 60 games. But then, it was if Pat Quinn, the late Leafs coach and GM, sprinkled magical dust on Belfour as he rediscovered the form that had In fact, in Roberts’ three full seasons as a Leaf — he missed most of won him two Vezina Trophies. 2002-03 following offseason surgery on both shoulders — he scored 29, 21, and 28 goals. He mustered at least 48 points in each of those The league average save percentage during Belfour's first season as a seasons. The future fitness master was also a playoff Mr. Miyagi and it’s Leaf was .909. His was .922, which put him fourth in the league (min. 50 here where he gains a slight advantage over Thomas and the likes of games). He finished second in the league in goals saved above average, Tucker and Mogilny. had seven shutouts and set what was then a franchise record with 37 wins. He finished third in Vezina voting. Even as a graybeard, Roberts managed 40 points in 50 playoff games for the Leafs, including a team-leading 19 in 19 games during the team’s run A year later, as a 38-year-old, he pitched 10 shutouts — the most by a to the Eastern Conference final in 2002. He turned 36 on the day of Leaf goalie in the modern era. In fact, the only other NHL goalie, period, Game 4 of that series. He was the embodiment of a playoff-tough, fan in modern times to post that many shutouts (or more) at age 35 or older favourite. He also had his own moment against the Sens: was the great Dominik Hasek. Following the lost 2004-05 lockout season, a 40-year-old Belfour Unlike Rielly and McCabe, Kaberle never finished in the top-5 for the returned to the Leafs in '05-'06, but his game had left him. Norris Trophy, or even the top-10 (he topped out at 11th in 2003). But given his importance to Leaf teams that went deepest in the post-season But during those first two years, he was as good as any Leaf in net — over the past 25 years, and longevity that no defenceman comes close to even better than : matching, Kaberle gets the nod over both for now — with Rielly on track Belfour vs. Joseph to pass both eventually.

Regular Season 5. Phil Kessel

GP Were it not for all the noise surrounding him — the mediocre teams, the trade that brought him to Toronto, his own discomfort in the spotlight, and 270 questionable work ethic — Kessel would be remembered more fondly. But when you boil things down to pure production, Kessel was pretty 170 damn good. In fact, during his six years as a Leaf, only four players in the W league scored more than his 181 goals: Alex Ovechkin (256), (253), Corey Perry (205), and Rick Nash (184). 138 At that point anyway, he was the best player the franchise had had since 93 Sundin.

SV% Flying down the wing with that quick-strike release, Kessel hit 30 goals in four of five full seasons in blue and white and was on pace for 30 more 0.910 during the lockout-shortened 2013 season. 0.912 Here are the only Leafs in the past 25 years to score more goals per SO game than Kessel's 0.41: Auston Matthews (0.56), Tavares (0.50), and Sundin (0.43). Kessel reached 80 points in two seasons, including the 17 2011-12 season when he buried 37 goals.

17 Even if he didn't look like he was in tip-top shape, Kessel rarely missed games. In fact, the only games he missed due to injury were the first 10 Playoffs of his Leafs career when he was still recovering from offseason shoulder GP surgery. He played every game after that.

60 His two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, as a supporting cast member, demonstrate the kind of impact he could have on a good team. He just 20 didn't get any of those in Toronto.

W All that said, it's hard to completely ignore some of the less appealing 32 stuff about Kessel. There was the way he darted off the ice the moment practice ended, which opened the door for teammates, all of them less 9 talented than he, to do the same. There was the spotty efforts defensively, another contagious quality. He could be abrasive, and a SV% poor front man for the team — Salute Gate being a lasting symbol of that.

0.919 His act eventually wore thin with the Penguins, too.

0.923 Kessel spurned attention in good times and bad, though. And much of SO the heat that went his way in Toronto should have been directed at management instead, for their failure to properly construct a team around 8 him. Just acquiring him in the first place hurt those efforts — with the picks the Leafs gave up becoming Tyler Seguin and . 3 But that wasn't Kessel's fault, either.

Belfour's Leaf teams just didn't have the same post-season success as So, a complicated tenure, certainly, but also one of the better Leafs we've Joseph's did. Belfour's Leafs only went as far as the second round in seen in the past quarter-century. 2004, during which Belfour spun together three shutouts and a .929 save percentage. 4. Mitch Marner

6. Tomas Kaberle The franchise hasn't really had anyone quite like him — a passing wizard on the wing who weaves in and out of traffic, wreaks havoc as a penalty Often, during his long stint with the Leafs, the focus on Kaberle strayed killer, and quarterbacks a power play. more toward what he couldn't do rather than what he could. Is there some Doug Gilmour in there? The play-making in particular? It's possible he would have been more appreciated today, given how he Probably. And Marner wore No. 93 for the , with Gilmour moved the rock, chewed up big minutes and stacked up points. (Or even offered it up for him to don with the Leafs a few years back. So conversely, perhaps his defensive shortcomings would have been there's obviously been an influence. exposed by underlying numbers). In fact, the only Leaf with more points over the past 25 years than Kaberle (520) is Sundin (940). Kaberle had Regardless, Marner has already scaled heights that no young player in 216 primary assists in that span, second to Sundin, upwards of 100 more the history of the franchise has before. He set a Leafs rookie record for than the next closest Toronto defenceman, Morgan Rielly. assists (42) which had stood for more than seven decades. Last season he became only the eighth Leaf ever to reach 94 points, and the first Kaberle primed the Leafs offence with how he whipped the puck into the since Sundin more than 20 years earlier. His 68 assists a year ago are hands of the forwards, or set up fellow top-25 Leaf Bryan McCabe (No. tops by any Leaf during this 25-year period, and the fourth-most ever in 11 on this list) for one-timers. He did so while eating up huge amounts of the team's 100-plus year history, trailing two Gilmour seasons and one ice for Cup-threatening teams. He averaged almost 29 minutes per game from Darryl Sittler. during the Leafs' ECF run in 2002, including 48 minutes during one triple- OT marathon against Ottawa (the one Roberts won for the Leafs). It helped fuel the Tavares career year which landed him inside the top- 10. And don't forget: Marner did it all that third season as a 21-year-old. Did he shoot enough? Maybe not. Did he put his 6-foot-1, 200-plus He'll celebrate his 23rd birthday in May. pound frame to work enough to defend the net and pry the puck free in his own zone? No, maybe not. But in his final four seasons as a Leaf — Even during a bumpy, trying year for himself and the team this season, all for largely mediocre teams that missed the playoffs — Kaberle had Marner was producing at better than a point per game. expected goals marks of 49, 50, 56, and 49 percent. Not bad. Check out how his first 300 career games stack up among the top shots in Game 6 before Martin Gelinas beat him and ended the Leafs players around the league since the start of the 2005-06 season: season — yet again in OT.

Sidney Crosby Belfour was the better goalie and a Hall of Famer. But he was wasn't around long enough, or at the right point, to generate a story like 407 Joseph's.

Connor McDavid In all honesty, I'm still not sure if Joseph should be this high. But it's just 394 hard to argue that Belfour, Kessel, Marner or Kaberle had a greater impact on the franchise. Alex Ovechkin 2. Auston Matthews 384 1. Mats Sundin Evgeni Malkin You could build a legitimate argument around Matthews as the best 371 player the Leafs have had in the last 25 years, and maybe ever.

Nicklas Backstrom The heights he's reached already in just four NHL seasons may top anything Sundin accomplished over the 12-year run of this particular 308 window. Artemi Panarin There have been five 40-goal seasons by Leafs in the last 25 years: 300 Sundin and Matthews each have two of them. Tavares has the other. But Matthews got there in only four seasons. Sundin topped out at 41 goals, Steven Stamkos mind you (he scored 47 once with the ), while Matthews has already blown past that with 47 goals in only 70 games 298 this season. He was well on his way to shattering 's franchise Mitch Marner record of 54 goals in a season. The 40 goals Matthews scored as a rookie set a Leafs record while his 32 even-strength goals that season 291 are tied with Eric Lindros and Mario Lemieux for the fourth-most by a rookie in NHL history. Paul Stastny It's what earned him the franchise's first Calder Trophy in 51 years. 287 Since Matthews (158) entered the league, only Ovechkin (181) has Patrick Kane scored more goals. Matthews is tops in even-strength goals (121) and 286 second to Ovechkin (0.58) in goals per game (0.56).

Some success in the playoffs is all that's keeping Marner from being Matthews was becoming one of the better all-around players in the higher on this list. It's a higher peak that gains him the edge over Kessel. league this season, and a serious threat for the Leafs first-ever Rocket Richard trophy winner. A more stable season for his team and he might 3. Curtis Joseph have earned some Hart Trophy love. He was on a 55-goal, 94-point I don't feel great having Joseph this high, particularly since, when circling pace. back on Joseph's career as a Leaf, the numbers don't really match the Sundin never reached that kind of terrain, nor was he really ever a threat legend. for the MVP. In fact, the 2001-02 season, when he had 41 goals and 80 Consider Cujo's storied first season (1998-99) in Toronto: Runner-up to points for a 43-win team, was the only time he even ranked in the top-10 Hasek for the Vezina. Fourth in voting for the Hart. The latter is the in scoring (he finished eighth). The former Leafs captain was never the highest finish by a Leaf for the league's MVP award in the past 25 years. frenetic offensive force that Matthews has already become, what with that turbocharged slingshot and the booming skill that goes along with it. Joseph somehow garnered more first-place votes for the top goalie award that year than Hasek (10-8), even though the Dominator had a And yet, Sundin still deserves the top spot for now. His persistent wild .937 save percentage compared to Joseph's .910, which actually excellence is just too much to ignore. wasn't that much better than the league average (.908), and only good Sundin reached at least 72 points in all 12 of the seasons we're looking enough for eighth-best among goalies who played at least 60 games. at here with 940 points in 934 games. That's equal to Jaromir Jagr for the Joseph was also ninth with a .919 even-strength save percentage. Not most 70-point seasons by any NHLer during that stretch. Sundin scored exactly elite. He did play a lot, starting 67 times, but that wasn't all that 30 or more goals 10 times in those 12 seasons, a plateau that only Jagr unusual back then, with 16 goalies reaching the 60-start plateau. (11) eclipsed.

Cujo was however tied with Belfour for second in the league in wins, and And even though he didn't quite deliver Matthews' nightly electricity — he he did lead the Leafs back to the playoffs — and all the way to the was more understated in his approach — his 1996-97 season of 41 goals Eastern Conference final at that. But this looks like a case of serious and 94 points is arguably the best by a Leaf during the last quarter- Toronto bias in the award voting. century.

Year 2 in the T-Dot, on the other hand, when Joseph was again a finalist Sundin did most of his damage without the kind of talent that's for the Vezina, was elite. Joseph finished fourth in both wins (36) and surrounded Matthews from Day 1. He was constantly propping up dudes save percentage (.915) and first in even-strength save percentage (.924) like Igor Korolev, Gary Valk, Jonas Hoglund, and Derek King. Mogilny among those with at least 50 appearances. He was third in goals saved was the most talented winger he played with in Toronto, but that above average. partnership lasted for only two seasons. Roberts and Thomas were What nets him the No. 3 spot was all that playoff fuel. Even if he wobbled certainly rugged, dependable partners. But both were Leafs on the back from time to time, as any goalie might, Joseph was the backbone of half of their respective careers. legitimate Stanley Cup contenders in Toronto, with solid playoff numbers Sundin also has an extensive playoff portfolio, with 27 goals and 61 including a .919 save percentage and eight shutouts. He stole games for points in 70 games. The Leafs reached the Eastern Conference final the Leafs, and did so — which helped build his legend — with flair. twice in that time. No Leafs team has played beyond the first round since It's what made him so easily embraced by fans and media in a way that's he departed. largely escaped a more robotic type such as Frederik Andersen. He had seriously big moments in there:

In the 2002 ECF, after going down 3-1 to Carolina in the series (a pair of In 2016, the Maple Leafs named Sundin the fifth-best player in franchise those losses coming in OT), Joseph pitched a 27-save shutout on the history. He arguably should have been No. 1. Nobody in franchise history road in Raleigh to stave off elimination. He then turned aside 33-of-34 has more goals or points. Run this exercise back in another five years and Matthews will almost certainly have claimed the top spot. Maybe even sooner. It's possible that one day Marner even shoves his way past the former Leaf captain. But for now, the best player of the past 25 years to wear a Leafs uniform is Mats Sundin.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173268 Vegas Golden Knights

Nate Schmidt to take over NHL’s Twitter account Thursday

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal April 1, 2020 - 1:28 PM

Get your lawn care questions ready for Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights defenseman will take over the NHL’s official Twitter account for a question-and-answer session starting at noon Pacific time Thursday. Schmidt has been active on social media since the NHL season was paused March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, including a video of him hitting a tennis ball with a baseball bat as he missed opening day. Lately, Schmidt has been doing yard work on the front of his house and posted pictures on his Instagram account after he failed to remove a stump from the ground.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173269 Vegas Golden Knights “We finally got the colors right,” he said. “The problem was trying to get a gold color that wasn’t yellow but was bright. So it wasn’t a recessive gold, and I think we finally did it. It just took forever.” The gold jerseys are ready! Vegas owner Bill Foley details the team’s Gold is a tough color to produce on a cloth jersey. Foley and his team of third look designers didn’t want the jerseys to look too yellow (like the Nashville Predators) or too brown, which defeats the purpose of the gold jersey altogether. By Jesse Granger Not only was it difficult to nail the color, but doing so while maintaining the right materials. The NHL has strict rules about uniforms, and any new Apr 1, 2020 prototypes must pass a gauntlet of tests before the league signs off on it. “The first couple cuts, the material wasn’t right,” Foley said. “That’s really During Golden Knights home games, Vegas owner Bill Foley will what we’ve been doing this whole year. I really thought we’d have one in occasionally stand up and survey T-Mobile Arena from his suite. the stores by December. If we missed the beginning of the season I was sure we’d have it by Christmas. But it’s just now done.” In its first three years, the franchise has exceeded all expectations. The Golden Knights made the playoffs their first two seasons and sold out all The gold jerseys are finally ready. There isn’t a scheduled date for them 143 home games – including regular season, preseason and to be revealed or to be available for sale, but Foley is hoping for postseason. The arena entertainment is a unique mixture of a medieval September. show and a Las Vegas nightclub, creating one of the better game The COVID-19 pandemic makes projecting a date difficult right now, so experiences in the NHL. this is far from a hard deadline. It’s almost exactly as he pictured it. Perhaps the most interesting comment from Foley on Tuesday was about Almost. how often the Golden Knights may wear their new gold jerseys. Most teams wear a third jersey only a handful of times during the season. There’s still something that bothers Foley when he looks across the Some fanbases wish their team would wear them more often (cough, arena, especially when a good number of opposing fans are in the cough, Coyotes Kachina jerseys). building. Foley sounds like he much prefers the new jerseys to the gray ones the “When you get visitors in there, and they have red jerseys, like when the Golden Knights have worn for the first three seasons. Could they Blackhawks are here, man it really stands out,” Foley told The Athletic on eventually become the primary home jersey? a phone call from the Chalk Hill Estate Vineyard in Healdsburg, California. “(The colorful jerseys) make it look like there are more there “It will look great in the arena,” Foley said. “As we go forward that gold than there actually are.” jersey may be the one that’s worn a fair amount of the time by the players when they play at home.” It doesn’t only apply to Chicago Blackhawks fans, who usually travel well to Vegas. Edmonton Oilers fans create a sea of orange when they invade enemy territory. faithful can nearly color an arena The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 red, as can Detroit Red Wings fans. During the Golden Knights’ inaugural season visiting fans would sometimes fill half of T-Mobile Arena on their own. That doesn’t happen anymore, as locals buy the lion’s share of tickets before out-of-town crowds get a chance. But even when a decent amount of opposing fans make their way into the building, it shows. Golden Knights home game tickets have quickly risen to some of the most expensive in the league. That has led to many Vegas fans making the short trip to Arizona, Los Angeles or Anaheim to see the Golden Knights play. Audibly, the Vegas fans’ presence is noticeable. Visually, not so much, and Foley wants to change that. He loves the design and color scheme of the Golden Knights’ current home jerseys, but Vegas’ steel gray doesn’t pop from a distance the way other jerseys do. “The only thing I don’t like about our gray jersey is it’s a little reserved,” Foley said. “The logo is good, the colors are good. But the gray is a steel gray, and having an arena full of gold would be awesome.” An arena full of gold does sound awesome. From their creation, the Golden Knights have remained unabashedly “Vegas.” They already own the loudest sound system in the NHL, cranking up the bass loud enough to rattle a cup of beer over the edge of a table. They have the most obnoxious, cheesy and awesome pregame show in the league, complete with on-ice sword fights and a video of Foley barking orders from a military helicopter. Why not add the brightest, most dazzling crowd in all of sports? “I’m looking forward to our new jersey because it’s gold and it’s much brighter,” Foley said. The full design for Vegas’ third jersey hasn’t been revealed, but one thing is clear: It’s going to be bright gold. That’s why they’ve taken so long to unveil, actually. Foley initially hoped to have the third jerseys ready for the start of the 2019-20 season this past October, but complications in the design and creation of the materials set that timeline back substantially. 1173270 Washington Capitals “You miss, obviously, playing games in front of the fans,” Backstrom said. “You miss hanging around the boys in the locker room. I think that’s such a big part of why you’re in sports or in team sports. Competing, play for each other. But at the same time I think we’re sitting in the same boat With a hat trick of kids, Nicklas Backstrom adjusting to life as a stay-at- here and you get some quality time with your family, too, and lot of home dad activities. You know it’s going to get better and we’re all going to get back to normal life soon.”

By Samantha Pell Washington Post LOADED: 04.02.2020 April 1, 2020 at 1:54 PM EDT

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom, like everyone else in the world, has slowly been adjusting to his new normal amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. For Backstrom, that means getting used to being a full-time stay-at-home dad, and after the recent birth of his third child, Alizee, he has a full house. Alizee joins sister Haley, 6, and brother Vince, 3. Backstrom said he and his fiancee, Liza, remain healthy and safe and applauded the health-care workers for helping them through Alizee’s birth during such a tumultuous time. “All the nurses, doctors that’s involved in the hospital — I was just at the hospital so I know how good they’re doing and how helpful they were,” the 32-year-old Swede said on a video conference call with reporters Wednesday. “Without them, this is going to take a lot longer. They’re sacrificing themselves for others, which is probably one of the nicest things that a human being can do. God bless them and thanks for the help.” Backstrom, who has remained in the area during the NHL’s hiatus, is the third Capitals player to welcome a new member of the family since the season was postponed March 12. Nick Jensen and his wife, Jenner, welcomed their first child, Lorenzo Luck Jensen, on St. Patrick’s Day. T.J. Oshie and his wife, Lauren, celebrated the birth of their third child and first son, Campbell Richard Oshie, a day later. Alex Ovechkin and his wife, Nastya, are expecting their second child, another boy, in May, Backstrom said while the Capitals’ group chat has remained pretty quiet, it has blown up with one particular thing: baby pictures. “Everything is about that now while you are a stay-at-home dad,” he said. “It’s different, that’s for sure, but at the same time you get some quality time that you probably never have had before. But at the end of the day, you’ve just got to be positive about it.” And while Backstrom and Liza have their hands full with a new baby, Backstrom said he’s also making sure he continues to stay in shape and keep his mind straight during the hiatus. With a large backyard and nice weather, he has been able to play outside with his kids, take walks, ride bikes, go on runs, use their pool, play baseball — whatever they can do as a family to get exercise and keep moving. “Me personally, I can’t sit around for too long, and my kids can’t either,” Backstrom quipped. As Backstrom pointed out, this type of pause differs from a typical bye week or even the offseason. With those, there always are goals in mind, and players know exactly when they need to start up again. With this suspension, even speculating when they could come back is premature. That’s why trying to keep to a normal routine as much as possible has been key. Like many other players have stated, Backstrom said if the season can resume, he would favor starting with the playoffs after some sort of initial training camp and a few exhibition games. He is prepared to play into late summer if that is what the league decides but said there should be “a champion this year if possible, that’s for sure.” As far as when the NHL could start up again, Backstrom said it would be “really tough” to play without fans and the atmosphere they bring. However, if that is the only way to get hockey back up and running, he would be in favor of it. “I’ve been looking around at the TV channels these days and there is absolutely nothing on, just old games, which the first couple days is fun, but it gets boring after a while, so you want to play and want to get back to work like everyone else, but it would be really tough to play without fans.” Backstrom said. “But if that is the restrictions on all the people higher up than us, yeah, we have to accept it.” As this stretch continues, Backstrom admitted the simplest thing: Yes, he does miss hockey. 1173271 Washington Capitals Washington Times LOADED: 04.02.2020

Backstrom open to NHL returning in summer in order to complete season

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times Wednesday, April 1, 2020

After a Washington Capitals practice three weeks ago, reporters filed into a private room at MedStar Capitals Iceplex to interview Nicklas Backstrom and other players while practicing safe social distancing. It was March 11, after the NHL temporarily banned reporters from entering locker rooms due to the new coronavirus — but before the league and other sports around the U.S. and the world were suspended as it grew into a pandemic. On Wednesday, Backstrom instead spoke to reporters from his home via conference call, where he said the best-case scenario for the Capitals and the NHL would be to finish the season, even if that means playing into the summer. “You obviously want to finish the season with a champion,” Backstrom said. “That doesn’t change anything. Whether we play midsummer, you want to do it. You want to have a champion this year if possible, that’s for sure.” A recent report from Canadian outlet TSN said some NHL players were pitching a revised schedule that would let them resume hockey activities with a training camp in July, followed by the playoffs in August and the Stanley Cup being awarded in September. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said the league will complete the season up to and including a Stanley Cup Final, and the league asked its teams for arena availability dates through August. “We think if we were required to, we might have the ability to play in August,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. “If we have to fit games in, we’ll find ways to fit games in.” Further, with the 2020 Summer Olympics postponed a year, NBC — which owns NHL broadcast rights in the U.S. — would have some open time in July and August to air NHL games. However it goes, Backstrom favored a training camp period to be held before the season resumed so players could get back into game shape. “You’ve just got to make it as easy as possible, but you’ve got to have some exhibition games before because otherwise, jumping straight in the playoffs, it’s going to be a little tough I think,” he said. Backstrom recalled the strange day he and his teammates had on March 12. They were supposed to host the Detroit Red Wings for a game that night, but by that afternoon, many sports had followed the NBA in calling games off, including March Madness and . Finally, word came down from the NHL. “It was weird,” he said. “You’re coming in on a game day and trying to get prepared, but at the same time we were like, ‘Is there going to be a game? What’s going on? Are we going to play with no fans?’ It was just a weird day. And then after that, it was ‘All right, go home. See you later.’” The break hasn’t been all wasted time for Backstrom. A few days ago, Backstrom’s fiancee Liza Berg delivered the couple’s third child, a daughter named Alizee. They had hoped Berg’s family could fly in from Europe for the birth, but by that time the U.S. had closed its borders to travelers from more than 20 European countries due to the pandemic. “So that was a tough hit for us, but at the same time, it is all about being safe and so far they are doing good,” Backstrom said. “I think all over Europe and U.S. together, keeping the rules pretty much the same and trying to avoid being out too much and meeting other people. So, so far so good. It is all about health.” Beside that, the 32-year-old has enjoyed his time as a stay-at-home dad, and he thanked the medical workers for all they’ve done to combat the virus. “(There’s) been a lot of talk about the hospital people, how important they are. I think they did a great job with us,” he said. “I know it’s not the ideal situation to be in the hospital at this time, but everyone has sacrificed for them and many people delivered or in case they’re sick. God bless them.”

1173272 Washington Capitals

How to watch Capitals at Panthers NHL 20 simulation and Capitals at Lightning Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Game 7

Staff Report By NBC Sports Washington April 01, 2020 10:24 PM

The Capitals’ simulated season continues on Saturday night when they visit the Florida Panthers in NHL 20, aired on NBC Sports Washington. Real-life and will be on the call. In a partnership with Monumental Sports Network, NBCSW is airing all Wizards and Capitals games in simulated NBA 2K20 and NHL 20 games, taking place on the dates and times according to each team's regular- season schedule with commentary from NBCSW's experts surrounding the coverage. After the game wraps up, NBCSW will reair the Caps’ spectacular 2018 Stanley Cup Game 7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and André Burakovsky helped secure the win.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173273 Washington Capitals

With NHL season paused, a ranking of Capitals' best wins of 2019-20: No. 8

By Mark Zaner April 01, 2020 1:32 PM

While we wait for the NHL to hopefully resume its season, NBC Sports Washington is looking back at the 20 best wins of the Capitals' season so far. Mark Zaner, producer for Caps Faceoff Live and Caps Overtime Live, has watched every game. His rankings continue with No. 8, a 2-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 13 that featured another milestone for the Great 8, a shutout for the rookie goalie and the 500th game of Tom Wilson’s career. WHAT HAPPENED Two players carried the Capitals on the evening. It was clear early on that Alex Ovechkin brought his “A” game. About 12 minutes into the first, Ovechkin started the Caps’ attack by carrying the puck into the zone and flipping it to the corner. Tom Wilson recovered and found Ovi back in front of the net. Ovechkin beat Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek five-hole to get Washington on the board. The Caps managed to draw four penalties on Carolina in the first period, and took advantage of the last one. John Carlson won a battle along the boards and sent the puck to Jakub Vrana at the blue line. Vrana passed to Alex Ovechkin in his office and Ovi did the rest. And that was all the scoring on the night. Ilya Samsonov made sure the lead stuck, stopping all 23 shots from Carolina. Tip of the cap to Mrazek who deserved a better fate in this game. Mrazek made the save of the night, using a “scorpion” move to deny Carl Hagelin a goal. MEMORABLE MOMENTS Samsonov had another stellar night, even if he didn’t have to do a whole lot. This was his first career shutout, and so far, the only shutout the Capitals have had all season. It was Samsonov’s 13th win in 15 games. He ran his win streak to eight straight. Over those eight games, Samsonov had a GAA of 1.62 and a save percentage of .942. His best save of the night came in the first on Jordan Martinook. The goalie controversy that had been simmering for a month boiled over after this game. Even though Todd Reirden never officially announced it, Samsonov became the effective #1 goalie when the team returned from the All-Star break. Braden Holtby would reclaim his spot later in February. WHY IT WAS SIGNIFICANT We didn’t know it at the time, but this was the beginning of an amazing run for Ovechkin. His two goals against the Hurricanes were the start of a stretch of 14 goals in seven games. His first goal of the night was the 685th of his career, which passed Teemu Selanne for 11th on the all-time list. In the span of three weeks, Ovechkin would end up alone in eighth place with 698 career goals. WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT This game was also an important win for the Capitals because they were coming off their worst game of the season, a 5-1 loss to New Jersey. During that loss, Reirden called a timeout to rip into his team. The Capitals responded as expected to get back on the winning path. For Tom Wilson, this was career game No. 500. On Caps Overtime Live it led to a debate over favorite Tom Wilson moments. Instead of going with his goal in Game 4 of the 2018 , or perhaps another postseason goal, our Grant Paulsen went off the board a bit. Grant chose his fight with Brayden Coburn in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. It was a fight that inspired twitter gifs and novelty t- shirts.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173274 Washington Capitals

Nicklas Backstrom shares heartfelt thanks to doctors after birth of baby girl

By J.J. Regan April 01, 2020 11:45 AM

If someone has a baby and it's not posted on social media, did it actually happen? In this age of social media, most people seem to want to post all their major life events online as soon as they happen so it was a bit of a surprise on Wednesday when Nicklas Backstrom revealed on a conference call that his new baby, Alizee, was born a few days ago. "Father of three now," he said. "We came home actually two days ago. Everything is great." Alizee, who was due in April, is the third child of Backstrom and his fiancee, Liza Berg. The couple previously had one daughter and one son. As joyous an occasion having a baby is, it is also nerve-racking given fears over the coronavirus. Having a baby means going to the hospital, but Backstrom had nothing but praise for the medical staff. "You see how many new cases of this virus are going up, too," he said. "All the nurses, doctors that's involved in the hospital - I was just at the hospital so I know how good they're doing and how helpful they were. Without them, this is going to take a lot longer. They're sacrificing themselves for others, which is probably one of the nicest things that a human being can do. God bless them and thanks for the help." That makes three new little Caps babies in the month of March with Nick Jensen and T.J. Oshie also welcoming new additions to their families. That has made the team text chain pretty baby-heavy. “Honestly I think our chat has been pretty quiet," Backstrom said. "Only post that I really notice is that we got three new babies so it has been baby pictures so everything is about that now while you are a stay at home dad.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173275 Washington Capitals doing in basketball. We’ve seen what Tom Brady’s done. I think that in hockey, we’ve seen it as the years go by and by, a lot of these legends and Hall of Famers that are there getting older and we need to have people that currently you can touch and you can watch and you can talk As Ovechkin's legacy grows, even some of his fiercest rivals can't stop to and see and watch on TV that are setting milestones as well. So, I praising him think it’s great for the game." That's a subject Ovechkin hates talking about and he even stepped in after a few answers to say, "Let's finish this one." By J.J. Regan But it is a subject that will be inescapable the closer he gets to reaching April 01, 2020 6:00 AM it. With every goal, Ovechkin's legacy grows larger and even his fiercest rivals can't help but their tip their caps to him as he makes a run at history. Four players from the joined a video conference with reporters on Thursday to discuss a wide range of topics including the coronavirus, the season format when the league returns from its Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 pause and, of course, Alex Ovechkin. To the utter chagrin of the Great 8 himself who was among the four players on the conference, there was plenty of praise heaped upon him by the other three. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno said in reference to a recent video of Sergei Ovechkin shooting the puck that he would send his kids over for tips. "I'm sending my kids over as soon as this quarantine up to work out with Ovi and get that shot going," he said. "They're all right-handers so I don't know how to teach them." New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban said multiple times over the course of the call that he was glad the Devils were not among the teams the Capitals have to play in their remaining 13 games of the regular season. "I’m confident if we played another 13 games this season and Ovi plays, Ovi can get another 20 goals in that time," he said. Such is life for an all-time great. Sometimes it can be hard to grasp history in the present or to know exactly how a player will be viewed years from now when they have hung up the skates. And then there are players like Ovechkin who we already know will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game. At 34 years old, Ovechkin's Hall of Fame legacy is not in question. What is in question is just how many milestones he may ultimately achieve. When a player reaches that status, his opponents can't help but praise him. “Ovi, I just can’t stand how you just stand in that one damn spot and score all those goals," Foligno said. "That drives me crazy.” "It’s been fun to watch and fun to see you continue year after year," New York Islanders forward said. Some players will give canned quotes when the cameras or the recorders turn on -- quotes that sound stale and rehearsed and which leaves you feeling like they don't actually mean anything. The format of the video conference, done out of necessity due to the coronavirus, provided a unique look as the players were essentially speaking to one another. Each player was on the conference with a moderator asking them questions. Many of the questions turned into a back-and-forth between the players which gave a unique look into how the players actually feel and interact with one another. It was striking the level of respect they all had for Ovechkin. “You’ve done a great job for that team, obviously, and just the way you play the game," Foligno said. "I love the passion that you play with. I think that’s something everybody appreciates about you." And that's from the captain of the team the Caps eliminated in the first round in 2018, having to rally back from a 2-0 series deficit. All the talk surrounding Ovechkin this season stems from two important things. First, he became just the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 goals. Second, with 13 games remaining in the regular season, he was going to score 50 goals again for the ninth time of his career which would have tied him with Wayne Gretzky and for the most 50-goal seasons ever. In a larger sense, another 50-goal season (or 48 - goal season as it stands now) has made the idea of catching Gretzky's record of 894 goals seem at least possible. Gretzky's record has long thought to be untouchable, but as Ovechkin appears poised to make a run at one of hockey's most important records held by one of Canada's favorite sons, Ovechkin is getting nothing but support from his peers. "I think if he did catch Wayne, it would be great for the game," Subban said. "I think we see it in other sports. We see what [LeBron James is] 1173276 Washington Capitals “In case we’re not going to resume, it’s tough,” Backstrom said. “No one knows what’s gonna happen. You know the salary cap situation gonna be different every year. I feel like we got a great core group here. It’s been here a long time and hopefully we can keep it the same because Nicklas Backstrom on life with a newborn: Caps group chat is all baby we’ve been through it, we won before and you want to do it again. photos “That’s how our mindset is all the time. I like our chances this year.”

But as he waits and hopes, the 32-year-old has more than enough to By Tarik El-Bashir keep him busy at home. He did, however, lament the fact that he’s running out of things to watch on television and that the Capitals’ group Apr 1, 2020 chat has been more of a dad chat lately. “Honestly, our chat has been pretty quiet. Only posts that I really notice is With hockey on hold, Nicklas Backstrom had just gotten comfortable that we got three new babies, so it has been baby pictures,” Backstrom being a stay-at-home father with two young children in the house. said. Aaannnddd now he’s got an entire forward line. Since the stoppage, Nick Jensen and T.J. Oshie have also welcomed newborns. Earlier this week, Backstrom’s fiancée, Liza Berg, gave birth to a baby girl, Alizee. She joins older sister Haley, 6, and big brother Vince, 3. “So everything is about that now while you are a stay-at-home dad,” he added. “Father of three now,” Backstrom said with a smile. “Everything is great.”

Everything is also quite a bit more hectic for the star center whose Capitals have been idle since March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 that’s put the NHL on pause. The plan had been for Berg’s family to come from Sweden and help after Alizee’s birth, but travel restrictions nixed that. “That was a tough hit for us,” Backstrom said. Wednesday would have been a practice day at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, a brief skate sandwiched between home games against the Maple Leafs and Wild, games No. 80 and 81. But instead of getting in a sweat at the facility and then taking questions at his locker stall, Backstrom sat at a desk in his home office, looking at the camera on his laptop’s screen. “It’s better on the computer,” he joked of his media scrum. “I know Zoom, as a business, is probably doing good.” Turning serious, Backstrom acknowledged that he’s struggled to wrap his head around the scope of the COVID-19 crisis and how quickly the world changed. One minute he was reporting to the rink for a pregame skate, the next he was wondering when he’d suit up again. “I could not have imagined this, and I cannot imagine how big this has turned out – a worldwide problem with everyone staying inside,” he said. “It’s real hard.” The toughest part of the situation, he said, is not knowing. Not knowing if there will be a season. Or when it might resume. Or what form it could take. A veteran of 13 seasons, he’s experienced lengthy layoffs before, forced either by injury or lockout. This one, though, is infinitely harder to process. “The biggest difference is that when you’re hurt or when you have a bye week, you have a goal in mind,” he said. “You know when you’re going to start again. But these days, no one knows when we’re going to start again and no one knows if we’re going to finish the season. No one knows anything.” Although Backstrom doesn’t know when or even if hockey will resume, he has some pretty strong opinions on how the league should proceed, if a return is deemed feasible. “First of all,” he said, “it’s important we’ve got to have some sort of camp if this is going to be able to start again.” Backstrom added that he has no interest in a playoff tournament that’s expanded beyond the usual 16 participants. He doesn’t want to play in an empty arena, either, though he’d adapt if it’s the only way forward. “It would be really tough to play without the fans because they are everything to us,” said. “If that is the restriction from all the people higher up than us, then, yeah, we have to accept it.” Backstrom also feels that every effort must be made to award the Stanley Cup this season. “You want to finish the season with a champion,” he said. “If we play mid- summer, you want to do it. You want to have a champion this year, if possible. That’s for sure.” There’s another reason Backstrom is desperate to see the season resume: the veteran-laden group isn’t getting any younger and a tight cap situation could mean that big changes are ahead. Braden Holtby, Ilya Kovalchuk, Brenden Dillon and are all due to become unrestricted free agents at season’s end. 1173277 Vancouver Canucks And amid so much of a season of uncertainty, integrity of finishing the regular season could be sacrificed for an expanded 24-team post- season. Additional wild-card entries and a knockout round would get the field down to a traditional 16 teams. But when? July? August? Ben Kuzma: COVID-19 places premium on family health for Canucks’ J.T. Miller “I don’t think anyone wants to play in the summer,” said Miller. “But at the same time, you have to adjust. It’s out of our hands, but you have to have the right mindset going in. We have to embrace and understand the situation and stay on top of this because of the unknown of when and if BEN KUZMA we’re going to play.” April 1, 2020 10:29 PM PDT The prospect of injuries also looms large, and so does setting a fair playoff field. ‘I’m definitely conscious of all the people who have been affected and “I’m sure there are other teams that would answer it differently, but from everything health-care workers are doing. It’s something that doesn’t go our standpoint we want it to be fair,” stressed Miller. “We’re a bubble unnoticed in my household’ team and every point is going to matter with a lot of (division) opponents down the stretch. With a competitive fire burning in the belly, a possible playoff position on the distant horizon and a career season already under his belt, the last “I don’t have a playoff format, but I want everybody to be safe and thing J.T. Miller was concerned about on March 8 was the coronavirus. healthy.” “It’s not something I think about at all,” the Vancouver Canucks’ winger From a professional perspective, Miller could be frustrated. He came to responded in the last media morning-skate locker-room availability as Vancouver on a mission to reward franchise trade faith and not only add COVID-19 cases rapidly escalated. “I have no idea what’s going on to the top-six mix, but be invested in how a transitioning roster would outside of here and I wish I had a more interesting answer for you.” evolve and execute. At the time, his response was somewhat understandable. “The timing was right,” Miller said of the leadership urge. “It’s a new part of my game. I’m a talkative guy and I like to know what my teammates Miller had the fifth best NHL production since the All-Star Game — 25 are thinking during the game — or watching on the iPad during the game. points (10-15) in an 18-game span — and was concentrating on what he could control: Lead by example, be a voice of reason on and off the ice “There’s time to be hard on somebody or myself and that’s important. and will his new club to its first post-season berth in five years. Playing the right way sends the right message. I want to win badly and make that a priority. When you’re younger, it’s hard to put aside success Even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was cautioning everyone to “take or personal business for the betterment of the team.” a deep breath.” As long as players kept their gloves on, didn’t shake hands or do fist-pumps, constantly washed their hands, used sanitizers Miller had those struggles in New York with former Rangers coach Alain and common sense, being wary should supplant worry. Vigneault, and learned to put “we” before “me.” Fast forward, and the message has dramatically changed. For Miller, a season placed on pause March 12 and an initial 14-day self- Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 isolation period seemed prudent. Players would return to club facilities in small groups and training camp could commence April 27. However, the March 27 isolation exit target was extended to April 6, then April 15 and could soon be April 30. B.C. had 1,066 confirmed cases as of Wednesday and 25 deaths due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Health officials have warned social-distancing measures could extend for months to flatten the positive-case curve and avoid a second spike in the fall. It has put the NHL season in peril. It’s a lot for anyone to process. Miller’s first concern was his family’s health. He has remained in Vancouver with wife Natalie and young daughters Scotlyn and Scarlett, who were born in 2018 and 2019, respectively. It was smarter than returning home to Pittsburgh with the season on hold. Quality family time is the bonus in what would have been the stretch drive of the regular season. And the onus is on the Canucks’ leading scorer with 72 points (27-45) to stay in shape and not lose sight of the bigger picture. “It’s definitely a strange time,” Miller admitted Wednesday during a conference call. “At this point, we’re just worried about the health of our children and the safest place right now is here. “I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t seen on Disney-Plus the last three-and-a-half weeks. We’ve had a good run on food and supplies and colouring books, chalk in the driveway and a lot of puzzles. Anything you can imagine to pass the time away. “I’ve been lucky. My family back home hasn’t been impacted too much. I’m definitely conscious of all the people who have been affected and everything health-care workers are doing. It’s very special because where would we be without them in North America and around the world? “It’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed in my household. It’s inspiring that people can do what they do to save lives. It’s life-changing stuff. It’s pretty surreal that it could be a long time.” It makes resumption of the NHL season seem somewhat moot, but US $1 billion in lost revenue, an uncertain salary cap for next season and 30 per cent escrow for players grabs the attention. If the regular season was scuttled and playoff berths awarded on a points basis, the Canucks would be out. If the league went by winning percentage, the Canucks would be third in the Pacific Division. 1173278 Vancouver Canucks Lack then tells a story about a practice with Brynas when Markstrom calls him over and suggests he should be ready to play that night. Seems the younger goalie had been out on a ski hill inner-tubing with some friends when he wiped out spectacularly, losing about three layers of skin down Ed Willes: An unscripted goodbye, Mad Stork landed long enough to win one leg in the process. some hearts Lack played 14 games that season with Brynas but caught the eye of Canucks’ scout Lars Lindgren. That summer he signed a two-way deal with the Canucks, went to and won the starting job with the ED WILLES Moose where he recorded a .926 save percentage in 53 games and was April 1, 2020 10:24 PM PDT named to the AHL’s all-rookie team. “They told me (when he signed with the Canucks) you’ll probably spend two or years in the minors and you’ll be ready, but they told that to OPINION: Looking back, it’s difficult to conceive Eddie Lack played nine everyone,” Lack said. “I don’t think they believed it.” professional seasons in North American because, at the outset, it didn’t look like he’d last nine seasons in the Swedish second division The next year, Lack put together another solid season in Chicago where he met his wife Joanna before missing most of the next season to his first The original plan was to announce his retirement when the Vancouver hip surgery. Canucks played in Phoenix a lifetime ago on March 12. That summer, the Canucks traded Cory Schneider and Lack started the As is usually the case with Eddie Lack, things quickly went off script. next season as ’s backup. It ended with Lack as the No. 1 ahead of Markstrom after Luongo was traded to Florida at the trade “I wasn’t even sure if this was the right time,” the former Canucks deadline. goalie/folk hero says from his Phoenix area home. “But I’ve got a lot of response. It’s been very nice.” Did we mention Lack’s career didn’t exactly follow a predictable path? It’s suggested to Lack that approval might have something to do with the “I had a good relationship with Lou and Torts (John Tortorella) was my current news vacuum in sports. favourite coach,” Lack said. “I know there was a lot of stuff going on that year but I was in my bubble.” “I know,” he says. “And you’re welcome!” He was also becoming a fan favourite, largely because he was one of the Lack, as you may recollect, always did things his own way. If you just first players to exploit social media to his advantage. That won over the checked the back of his hockey card, he played just three full NHL faithful but the belief was Lack’s act didn’t play as well with some of the seasons and never established himself as his team’s No. 1 goalie. Canucks’ veterans, most notably Daniel and . His final NHL numbers read 143 games played, with a 56-55-18 career “At times you feel the older guys were a little bit annoyed with the social record and a .909 save percentage which is a vivid representation of an media and everything,” he said. “I didn’t feel we weren’t friends. I was average NHL goalie. very careful about what I posted. It was my personal experience and my But that stat line was the only average thing about Lack. Few players in life.” Canucks’ history enjoyed the bond The Mad Stork formed with the faithful Whatever it was it didn’t effect his performance. The next season Lack during his short, eventful time in Vancouver. was supposed to back up Ryan Miller but played in 41 games with a .921 Lack was an original on and off the ice: a gregarious, outgoing sort who save percentage and his performance down the stretch helped the might have seemed a bubble off plumb but took the game and his Canucks secure a playoff spot. position seriously even if it seemed he didn’t take much of anything else If memory serves it’s also the last time they were in the post-season. seriously. That also marked the end of Lack’s career in Vancouver. Miller was in It’s the same story in retirement. His farewell video features a clip of him the second year of a three-year, US$18-million deal and Lack’s old whiffing on noted sniper Brian McGrattan’s slapper from outside the blue- buddy Markstrom had a huge year in Utica. Lack was traded to the line, an earnest discussion of the hip injury that forced him out of the Carolina Hurricanes where he split time with Cam Ward but he’d never game and a heartfelt thanks to Canucks’ fans, all delivered in that have the same success he experienced with the Canucks, largely singular high-pitched voice and punctuated with giggles. because his health was an issue. It’s also filmed at the Arizona State hockey facility where Lack is a Lack, in fact, was a victim of an injury that has ended a number of volunteer goalie coach. Hockey at Arizona State and a job that doesn’t goalies’ careers. The butterfly technique might have advanced the pay. Somehow it all fits. position in some ways but it takes a fearsome toll on the hips. Shortly “I only spent two years in Vancouver and it was a little weird how close I after Lack had his first surgery early in his career, he started felt to the people there,” he said. “I just think I was very open and people experiencing pain in the other hip but thought it was too soon to have a thought I was an average Joe, one of them who made it. second procedure. “I was trying to be myself. Playing in the NHL is like a dream. Everything He played five years before he had the second operation last summer is so much fun, especially at the beginning. I wanted to reflect that.” when he was with the New Jersey Devils. This was after he’d played just 35 games over the previous three seasons. The good news was he Which wasn’t hard because his NHL career really was like a dream. rehabbed to the point where he was relatively pain free. Looking back, it’s difficult to conceive Lack played nine professional The bad news? His days as an NHL goalie were over. seasons in North American because, at the outset, it didn’t look like he’d last nine seasons in the Swedish second division. “I wake up in the morning without pain,” he said. “I can play golf. I can go out for runs and I can work out like a normal person. Hockey put too A native of the Stockholm bedroom community of Norrtalje, he spent much stress on my body.” three seasons with Leksand in the Allsvenskan before graduating to Brynas for one season in the elite league where he served as, wait for it, He now sells real estate in the Phoenix area and volunteers with the ASU Jacob Markstrom’s backup. program. The game took him to places he never thought he’d go, gave him experiences he’d only dreamed about, but it’s time for a new story At the time, Markstrom, who had been taken by Florida in the second now. round of the 2008 NHL draft, was on the shortlist of the game’s top goaltending prospects and Lack was an undrafted, unheralded second- Thankfully, it will have the same lead character. stringer. “I’m super happy,” he said. But the unlikely pair formed a fast friendship. Always was. “I think if you guys saw Marky in the locker-room you’d see someone who’s extremely like me,” Lack said of his ultra-intense pal. “I’d say the only difference is I chose to show that side publicly. He’s a little more Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 guarded. I’m not 100 per cent why that is, but that’s his choice.” Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom trade places against the San Jose Sharks. 1173279 Vancouver Canucks

COVID-19: Hope for a return leaves Canucks tickets hanging in the air

PATRICK JOHNSTON April 1, 2020 2:09 PM PDT

Other leagues have made firm calls on their schedule, but for the NHL it's still wait and see. No one wants to call the rest of their season off, but it does provide a finality in dealing with things like tickets. When the decided to call off the remainder of their season last week because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the consequences were clear: teams such as the Vancouver Giants were left with a stack of unused regular season tickets. The owners of those tickets have been getting either cash refunds or credits toward next season. But the position of NHL clubs with a return to play at an undetermined date, how to deal with your remaining sold-ticket inventory is up in the air. The plan is to play as many remaining games as possible. Reality suggests that whatever schedule the NHL is able to return to will be, at best, an approximation of the season that remained to be played when the league pushed the pause button. “We are encouraging ticketholders to hold on to their tickets while we await further information,” the Canucks said in an email. “We’ll follow up on next steps once we have received further direction about the season from the NHL and health authorities. We thank our fans for their patience as we work through this unprecedented scenario.” There were six home games remaining to be played before the season went on hiatus on March 12.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173280 Vancouver Canucks

Vasili Podkolzin: 'It's in our power to help people'

PATRICK JOHNSTON April 1, 2020 12:57 PM PDT

The Canucks draft pick and his SKA St. Petersburg teammates are helping Russian seniors with their groceries. Vasili Podkolzin’s Instagram account is pretty wholesome. He doesn’t post photos often, but when he does, they’re run of the mill Images of him playing hockey. He occasionally posts Insta Stories, but again, those are in a similiar vein. From time to time there are Images of loved ones. It maybe shouldn’t be a surprise to find out that the video posted on Wednesday features him talking about being kind to each other, especially people who are older. “It’s not easy for anyone now. I’m getting groceries for Ludmila Nikolaevna today so she won’t have to go to the shops and can stay home. It’s in our power to help people. So if you have the ability, do your bit,” he says. (I asked my old friend Josh Stenberg, senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Sydney, professional translator and speaker of more than a dozen languages, including Russian, to translate.) Now, who is Ludmila Nikolaevna? Based on further research by Stenberg, it appears she is a retiree who lives in St. Petersburg. Podkolzin, who the Canucks drafted last summer but who played this past season in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg, is also encouraging fans to contact the volunteer co-ordination centres in their city.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173281 Vancouver Canucks and repetitive queries. “But you learn and I feel more comfortable every day. I play with instinct and if I feel I can drive the net or shoot the puck earlier, I just do it.” Canucks at 50: First game … shot … Goal! launched Elias Pettersson’s It often looked easy and effortless, but it wasn’t. epic Calder Trophy-winning ride Pettersson would become targeted and time and ice would vanish in the second half of his rookie season. There was an October concussion and a January knee sprain followed by just one goal in a 10-game February BEN KUZMA span and 11 games in March without a goal before scoring in the season finale. April 1, 2020 7:35 AM PDT They were rites of passage in the transition, but wouldn’t call it that. He reasoned that everything Pettersson accomplished in eye- Elias Pettersson watches the puck exit the net past Calgary Flames popping fashion with Vaxjo Lakers HC of the Swedish Hockey League as goalie Mike Smith after the Canucks centre scored the first regular a winger — he only played nine games at centre — prepared him for the season goal of his NHL career on a laser wrist shot — his first shot in his NHL. first game — on Oct. 3, 2018 at Rogers Arena. Pettersson was regular-season and playoff MVP with 56 points (24-32) in ‘I don’t see myself as a superstar, I see myself as a kid playing hockey 44 games and 19 (10-9) in 13 post-season outings to lead the Lakers to and living my dream here in North America. I’m just excited for the future the 2017-18 SHL title. and I just want to continue to grow as a player’ “He didn’t have to change because the game is changing,” said the First game. First shot. First goal. First smirk. Canucks’ associate chief amateur scout. “He’s playing the same way he did in Sweden and he signifies the generation that is coming and has a Elias Pettersson’s electric regular-season debut not only energized the sense that he’s exceptional. Vancouver Canucks in a season-opening 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 3, 2018 at Rogers Arena, the slight and slick Swedish “And sometimes, where you’re excellent at certain things in the game, rookie even shocked himself. you might also be excellent with your brain on and off the ice. He played with men for three years before he came here. His lightning wrist shot off a 2-on-1 break to open scoring found a small glove-side opening and was in and out of the net in a flash. Goalie Mike “In Sweden, he heard comments like: ‘Hey, kid. Back of the (team) bus.’ Smith said he got a piece of the puck, but velocity and accuracy of the He has been taught that (respect) and it’s a disadvantage for Canadian effort to go just inside the post and under the crossbar at 13:48 of the guys who grow up because they play with the same age group. With opening period put the NHL on notice. (young) Europeans, a majority are playing against men age-wise.” The kid could play. Oh, could he play. Expectation has always been there on a personal level and it was never more evident than in a post-Christmas game in Calgary on Dec. 29. Upon returning to the bench amid thunderous goal applause, the 20- year-old Pettersson nodded in reflection of the accomplishment and The Canucks were sluggish and trailing 2-1 in the second period before allowed himself a small smirk of self-satisfaction. Pettersson willed his club to a 3-2 overtime victory with all of his envious traits on full display. After all, what made the effort more memorable was the centre’s trademark playmaking poise of looking off Derrick Pouliot on the odd- He gave the Canucks life by surprising goalie David Rittich with a seeing- man rush to freeze Smith and buy an eye blink of release time. eye laser to the far side. And in overtime with Alex Edler caught up ice, he bolted back to break up a 2-on-1 with a well-timed dive. Edler then “I got the puck from Loui (Eriksson) and he made a great play on the half- scored the winner and that dominated the highlight footage. wall,” recalled Pettersson. “I heard a scream from the bench, ‘a 2-on-1.’ My first thought was to pass, but their D had good gap control. I was just What the cameras didn’t catch was Pettersson selling out. He not only trying to go high on Smith and it went in.” had three hits to go with three shots, he kept a power play functioning by sliding to block a Flames’ clearing attempt. How many young players — Pettersson also set up a wide-open Nikolay Goldobin with a sweet feed or veterans — have that ingrained instinct? Most would have retreated to but would log just 9:04 of ice time. The Canucks had to go 7-for-7 on the reorganize the attack. penalty kill and get 33 saves from Jacob Markstrom to secure the win. But the night belonged to Pettersson because he came and played as Not Pettersson. advertised. In his post-game address, it became a prickly point when this reporter The goal was great, but so was that assist. asked about a diligence to play without the puck. Pettersson put himself in position for a screen or deflection when “That was Vancouver media’s biggest issue with me that I wasn’t good in Eriksson let a shot go from the point. Goldobin had cut through the slot the defensive zone,” he responded. “We got away with a game where we just as the shot struck a Flame and Pettersson pounced on the puck. He didn’t play our best, but we trust each other and we have the confidence dished a no-look feed to the Russian winger at side of the net for an easy to be patient. That’s how we won in overtime, but it was hard.” goal to make it 2-0. It was only a matter of time before Pettersson would net his first hat-trick. Pettersson would pot five goals in his first five games and then bump it to He already had a of two-goal efforts and on Jan. 2 in Ottawa, he 10 goals in first 10 outings. Word spread like wildfire that something delivered. special was happening in Vancouver. In a 4-3 victory, he scored in the second and third periods and then in The fifth pick in the 2017 entry draft had a personal playground because overtime. He had six shots, nine attempts, three takeaways and won 53 nobody initially knew how to defend him. There was a strong stride to go per cent of his draws with instinctive playmaking, laser-like wrister and heavy one-time After being named rookie of the month for December and selected to his slappers. And there was a remarkable diligence to understand the first All-Star Game, the goal outburst signalled his arrival to the eastern defensive side of the game. media. It would lead to shock and awe. “It feels good — I can’t lie about it,” said Pettersson, who would suffer a Pettersson had a pair of stunning five-point performances, a hat-trick and knee sprain the next game in Montreal. ‘I’m very happy about it.” whopping team-leading 19.4 per cent shooting accuracy. He would Travis Green was almost at a loss for words. eclipse the franchise first-year rookie mark of 60 points held by and Ivan Hlinka. Pettersson’s 66 points (28-38) included seven “He was OK,” laughed the Canucks coach. “He was great, man. He was game-winners and 10 power-play goals. on tonight. What are you going to say? Big day for him — he was dialled in.” He led the Canucks and all NHL rookies in scoring and was the clear choice (151 first-place votes of 171 ballots cast) as the Calder Trophy The domination left Senators assistant coach searching winner. It was an amazing transition to a new game, new culture and for superlatives. even a new language. “His speed and shot are X-factors,” said the former Canucks’ bench “My first interviews were terrible — I was shaking,” recalled Pettersson, boss. “He can also steal pucks. A lot of elite players almost lull you to who would often pause and form thoughtful responses to often mundane sleep and then take it from you. And they’re so quick in transition. It’s amazing how fast he gets up and down the ice. “The first time I saw his shot, I couldn’t imagine where he’s getting the strength from. But his mechanics are as good as you’re going to see.” And when everyone saw that, the Calder Trophy was a no-brainer. But the magnitude of the moment at the NHL awards in Las Vegas was not lost on Pettersson. “My legs are still shaking from my speech,” he said. “I’m extremely happy. So many people to thank for being here, but my family needs to be thanked the most and they know. “I don’t see myself as a superstar, I see myself as a kid playing hockey and living my dream here in North America. I’m just excited for the future and I just want to continue to grow as a player.” And he has.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173282 Vancouver Canucks Some observers may have wondered if it even went in. Pouliot had the best view of the goal.

“I saw it go in and back out. It looked to me like it went in,” he said. “A Canucks at 50: We’ll forever talk about Pettersson’s ‘laser beam’ first great shot. He’s a special player. He’s got that real talent for deception.” goal Eriksson made a great pass under pressure to Pettersson to launch the rush. STAFF REPORTER “The puck came up the wall and (Nikolay Goldobin) kicked it out to me. I was just trying to get it into the middle and then I saw him coming there,” April 1, 2020 7:30 AM PDT Eriksson said. “I knew we were going to have a good chance. He looked so confident coming down there. To rip it like he did there, it was pretty cool to see. … The whole debut season of Elias Pettersson injected pure hope into He has that shot. And he pulls it and holds it.” Canucks fans. The tenor of his season was encapsulated in his very first National Hockey League regular season game, where he showed the As for Smith, he had to concede the perfection of the shot. NHL learning curve was not something that would be an ongoing challenge for him. Here is Patrick Johnston’s story from Pettersson’s “He had a good shot, put it right in the top corner,” he said. “I got a piece debut game on Oct. 3, 2018: of it with my glove but, yeah, I’ve heard quite a bit about this young kid. He let ‘er go and hit the perfect spot there.” A wander through the Canucks memory book brings forth a plethora of memorable goals. ICE CHIPS: Pettersson is the third teenager — he turns 20 next month — in Canucks history to score in his NHL debut. Rick Lanz (Oct. 10, There’s ’s career-ending game winner last season, or the 1980, against Detroit) and Dan Woodley (Oct. 8, 1987, vs. St. Louis) are between-the-legs wonder goal that helped his brother secure the Art the others. He’s also the fourth rookie to record multiple points in his Ross Trophy. debut. Thomas Gradin’s debut (Oct. 11, 1978, vs. Colorado) saw him score twice and add an assist. In the same game, fellow rookie Curt Or there’s slaying the dragon against the Chicago Fraser had a goal and an assist. Jason Jaffray had a goal and an assist Blackhawks. Or Henrik winning a quadruple-overtime playoff game Dec. 12, 2007, vs. Anaheim … Pettersson is the sixth Canuck to score in against the Dallas Stars. the first period of his NHL debut … And he’s the 18th Canuck to score in There’s Markus Naslund’s wrister to beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game his NHL debut; Brock Boeser was the last one, on March 25, 2017. 2 of the playoffs in 2002. There’s Greg Adams! Greg Adams! in 1994, of course, sending the Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2020 Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final. Or Pavel Bure’s breakaway goal to knock off the Calgary Flames in the first round that same season. Rookie and veteran Paul Reinhart bagged big goals against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Flames in 1989. ’s goal in the conference final against Chicago in 1982 excites fans of that era, just like Tiger Williams’s goal in 1980 against the Maple Leafs — not for the goal but for riding his stick after scoring against his old Toronto team. The first Canucks goal by Barry Wilkins on opening night 1970 against the Los Angeles Kings is forever notable, as was Rosaire Paiement’s winner against the defending champion Boston Bruins in February 1971. And so are Rick Blight’s two goals against Spartak Moscow in 1977. Now the list includes Elias Pettersson’s laser beam on Wednesday at Rogers Arena. He could retire today and we’d forever talk about it. With his goal, fired over the glove hand of Flames netminder Mike Smith, Pettersson announced himself to the Vancouver fan base like few others have. He’s an electric player with all-world talents. Everyone in the building was thrilled by the goal, including his coach. He laughed when asked about it. “What did you think?” he retorted and then smiled. “I was thinking he was passing the whole time, praying that he’d shoot.” Modestly, Pettersson said he was just trying to get the puck up. “I got the puck from Loui (Eriksson). He made a great play on the half- wall. I heard a scream from the bench, ‘a two-on-one.’ My first thought was to pass but their D (had) good gap control,” he said. “I was just trying to go high on Smith and it went in.” Defenceman Derrick Pouliot was quick to get up on the rush. He was the player who made it a two-on-one. He grinned when asked about whether he’d be giving Pettersson a hard time about not passing. “I don’t know, I’ll give him that one. He can maybe give me a back-door tap-in some other time,” he said. “He looked for it, I think. He sold it really well and was able to beat Smith upstairs. A great play by him. If he can put it in there, I’m not complaining at all.” The hole Pettersson wired the puck through looked so small, it was astounding he got it past Smith. And the soaring puck found a tiny portion of the net itself, just squeezing past the post and under the crossbar. 1173283 Vancouver Canucks Dayal: I could have gone with a ridiculously cheap 1D stud in Quinn Hughes, but there was no way I was going to pass on another Art Ross winner. Nor was I about to gift Drance both Sedins! Introducing the Sedin Cup: Drafting all-time Canucks teams of the salary With the fourth overall pick, Thomas Drance selects… cap era 2019-20 Quinn Hughes ($1.7 million) Drance: I strongly considered picking Ryan Kesler in this spot, just to By Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance recreate the ludicrous 1-2 punch down the middle that powered the golden era Canucks to back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies. Ultimately Apr 1, 2020 37 though, I figured the dropoff from Kesler — who I assumed would be Harman’s next pick; they don’t call him the Boy Genius for nothing — to Bo Horvat was going to be less significant than the dropoff from Hughes The absence of Vancouver Canucks hockey to enjoy and cover and to the next best season from a Canucks defender in the cap era. discuss has left a void in our lives. That’s just how good Hughes was in his rookie season. He wasn’t just That void has been filled with yoga and book reading and “Tiger King” the best Canucks rookie defender we’ve ever seen, he arguably put memes and video games, and existential dread, for sure, but it’s also together the best season we’ve ever seen from any Canucks defender in been filled by digging up some historic Vancouver hockey arguments. the history of the franchise. I decide to snap him up here, with the hope that the affordability of his entry-level contract gives me some flexibility to It’s fun to revisit the great stories and players and bar arguments of spend big later on in the draft. Canucks teams past, and so The Athletic Vancouver’s team of Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance figured they’d turn those arguments into a With the fifth overall pick, Harman Dayal selects… competition. We’ve invented a fictional trophy, which we’re calling the 2010-11 Ryan Kesler ($5 million) Sedin Cup. It will be awarded to the better of two teams, constructed of the greatest Canucks players of the past 15 years. Dayal: A 40-goal Selke winner who can kill penalties, play in all situations and dominate two-way play? As a 2C behind Pettersson? Sign me up. Here’s how this is going to work. Harman and Drance are going to draft players and construct two rosters filled out with Canucks greats from the With the sixth overall pick, Thomas Drance selects… salary cap era (or since the 2005-06 season). We’ll pick each player based on a specific season of their career, and that player will be 2018-19 Bo Horvat ($5.5 million) considered to have the cap hit and all-around value they provided during Drance: Here’s where I start to pay a bit for losing the draft lottery. that season. Once that player is off of the board, however, they can’t be There’s a pretty big dropoff, as I figured it, between the five players that selected again, so if Drance drafts 2009-10 Henrik Sedin, Harman can’t have gone off the board to this point and the rest of the class. Above us then draft 2008-09 Henrik Sedin. we have the bona fide elite players, and below us, we get into the about In order to be eligible to compete for the Sedin Cup, the teams have to 10 really good performances. be cap compliant. Two 23-man rosters that are over the 2019-20 salary Because of my philosophy of building through the middle of my forward cap floor ($60.2 million) and below the salary cap’s upper limit ($81.5 ranks, and with Kesler, Pettersson and Henrik all off the board, I take Bo million). Additionally, all entry-level contracts are considered for their full Horvat’s 2018-19 campaign. It’s a bit of a defensive pick, just to make annual average value with bonuses included (so 2019-20 Quinn Hughes sure I don’t just get crushed down the middle. costs $1.7 million, not $900k). Finally, all deals with value below the 2019-20 minimum salary of $700k will be adjusted to reflect the 2019-20 Horvat took a pretty big step as a two-way player in 2018-19, which is veteran minimum salary. why I decided to take him on his extended $5.5 million cap hit, rather than just take the last season in which Horvat was an entry-level player, Today, in our first instalment, Drance and Dayal will build their teams for even though his actual scoring output was similar in both seasons. your consideration and input. And then, tomorrow, we’ll loop in Dom Luszczyszyn. Dom will use his model and project a point pace for our all- With the seventh overall pick, Harman selects… time Canucks teams if they’d competed in the 2019-20 regular season against 30 other actual NHL level teams. Whichever team fares better 2019-20 J.T. Miller ($5.5 million) and accrues more expected points according to Luszczyszyn’s Dayal: I prioritize best player available over positional need in most cases projections model will be given home-ice advantage for a best of seven and so with no elite defencemen left with Hughes already off the board, I series to be played between the two teams. The winner will be awarded thought J.T. Miller would provide the most value as a point-per-game the Sedin Cup. forward who dominates as a play driver and can play all three forward A random number generator has given Dayal the first pick in the draft, so positions. let’s get to it. With the eighth overall pick, Drance selects…. With the first overall pick in the 2020 all-time Canucks team entry draft, 2010-11 Christian Ehrhoff ($3.1 million) Harman Dayal selects… Drance: I told you off the hop that I wanted to build my team with two 2019-20 Elias Pettersson ($1.7 million) high-end centremen and a dominant first pair, and in snagging Christian Dayal: I wanted a franchise centre with my first pick. It came down to Ehrhoff’s quietly elite 2010-11 season, I’ve done that. Good luck ever either Pettersson or Henrik. Henrik had the better year as an Art Ross having the puck in my end of the rink when Hughes and Ehrhoff are winner, but I just couldn’t pass up on Petey given how cheap his ELC is. playing catch 160 feet away from my net in the offensive zone. With the second overall pick in the 2020 all-time Canucks team entry Seriously though, is there an elite season in Canucks history more under- draft, Thomas Drance selects… appreciated than Ehrhoff’s 2010-11? Ehrhoff missed three games, still had 50 points, had a Corsi For percentage above 55 percent and logged 2009-10 Henrik Sedin ($6.1 million) over 400 more minutes than any other defender on the greatest team in franchise history. He also scored the goal against the Los Angeles Kings Drance: I’m a firm believer that the most premium positions to pay that clinched the Presidents’ Trophy that season, which would be an attention to when constructing an NHL roster are the first-line centre, the iconic moment in franchise history if the NHL were British soccer (and second-line centre, and the two first pair defencemen. You always let’s be real, we should celebrate the tremendous accomplishment of overpay or over draft for those slots. being the best regular season team a lot more than we do). Even without that philosophy, Henrik Sedin’s 2009-10 campaign is the With the ninth overall pick, Dayal selects… greatest season in Canucks franchise history and it’s a steal to be able to draft him at second overall (sorry, Harman!). Not only is Henrik’s 2009-10 2011-12 Alex Edler ($3.25 million) season the only season in Canucks franchise history to warrant the Hart Trophy awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player, but he put up 85 non Dayal: After drafting four consecutive forwards, I finally felt the need to power-play points that year. 85! grab a defenceman. Alex Edler seemed like a great option as at his peak he was a 49-point blueliner who could play in all situations. With the third overall pick, Harman Dayal selects… With the 10th overall pick, Drance selects… 2010-11 Daniel Sedin ($6.1 million) 2008-09 Alex Burrows ($700k) Drance: I obviously needed a winger who has some chemistry with my Dayal: I debated taking Jacob Markstrom here, but Cory Schneider first-line centre, and that makes Alex Burrows a slam dunk choice. I delivered a ridiculous .927 save percentage as the team’s starter in the decide to pick his 28-goal, 51-point season in 2008-09, because it’s the lockout shortened season so he felt like a nice consolation prize with best bang-for-your-buck season in Canucks history. Before he was the Luongo off the board. league’s most underpaid first-line winger, Burrows was a 50 point player with a— and this is mind-boggling but true — $483,000 cap hit. Even With the 18th overall pick, Drance selects… once that adjusts to the veteran minimum, this is too much value to turn 2006-07 Matthias Ohlund ($3.5 million) down at this point in the draft. Drance: Having lost out on Hamhuis, I figure I’ll keep my run on quality With the 11th overall pick, Dayal selects… defensive pieces going, so I select Matthias Ohlund’s 2006-07 season. 2017-18 Brock Boeser ($1.5 million) He played over 24 minutes a night that year, scored 11 goals and the Canucks were the fifth best defensive team in hockey. My blue line is Dayal: At this stage of the draft, I was worried about Drance creating a getting ridiculously good and I’m feeling pretty confident in their ability to monopoly on all the good defencemen! But with him taking a forward, I perhaps shut down Dayal’s ludicrous arsenal of offensive talent. Also, I felt free to grab BPA once more. After scouring through my options, figured I’d best press my advantage, because after Dayal reached for rookie Brock Boeser on his ELC felt like fantastic value and would give Tanev, I figured he was feeling the pressure and I might be able to force me the chance to reunite the Lotto Line. him into an error. With the 12th overall pick, Drance selects… With the 19th overall pick, Dayal selects… 2011-12 Kevin Bieksa ($4.6 million) 2012-13 Jason Garrison ($4.6 million) Drance: By this point, I realize that Dayal has the Lotto line and a second Dayal: I needed a second RD and with Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Salo and Tanev line with Kesler and Daniel, so I know I’m going to need to be the better gone, it felt like slim pickings. In hindsight, I completely forgot that Ed goal prevention team. I strongly consider at this point, but I Jovanovski was available (kicked myself for not realizing that) and would already have two left-handed defencemen and even if I intend on playing have taken him even if it meant not taking a much-needed RD. I took Ehrhoff on his off side, I have a sneaking suspicion that Bieksa’s 2011-12 Jason Garrison because he was really good in his first season as a season might be one of the best values remaining on the board. Canuck and could play his off side. Bieksa’s value wasn’t really properly appreciated at any point in his With the 20th overall pick, Drance selects… Canucks tenure, but in his prime, he was a bona fide top-pair defender with excellent value over 200-feet. In 2011-12, he had 44 points, with 29 2005-06 ($2.83 million) of those points coming at even-strength. He led all Canucks defenders in Drance: Harman is kicking himself for the Garrison pick, but Garrison 5-on-5 ice time that season too. So he’s my pick. was pretty good that season. I don’t think he’s done too badly, but my With the 13th overall pick, Dayal selects… plan to accrue a surplus of blue liners and put pressure on my draft opponent has paid off. Veteran experience, baby! 2014-15 Chris Tanev ($4.45 million) I recall how good Jovanovski was before he got injured in his last year in Dayal: Right defence is a big weakness of Canucks teams in the cap era Vancouver. Eight goals and 33 points in 44 games in over 24 minutes per and with Ehrhoff and Bieksa gone, I needed to grab a first pair option. game? On my third pair? That’s what I’m talking about. Chris Tanev was the perfect fit to address that need as he was one of the NHL’s best shutdown defencemen during his prime. With the 21st overall pick, Dayal selects… With the 14th overall pick, Drance selects… 2005-06 ($5.27 million) 2006-07 ($1.5 million) Dayal: Back on the BPA train, there was a slew of attractive wingers available and Todd Bertuzzi stood out to me because he was a 70-point Drance: I once again consider Hamhuis here, but I figure with some West player who added a different dimension with his size, physicality and Coast Express–era lefties still on the board, that I might as well toughness. I loved the idea of adding a rare breed power forward to my monopolize the really good seasons from right-handed shooting Canucks group. defenders in the cap era. So I pick Sami Salo, who gave the Canucks 14 goals and played big minutes for just $1.5 million during the 2006-07 With the 22nd overall pick, Drance selects… campaign. 2014-15 Radim Vrbata ($5 million) With the 15th overall pick, Dayal selects… Drance: I considered drafting one of the West Coast Express–era 2011-12 Dan Hamhuis ($4.5 million) forwards from the 2005-06 season in this slot, but honestly, I don’t really weigh that final season from the West Coast Express era players. Dayal: I’m really happy to see Dan Hamhuis still on the board. He didn’t Seventy points or better sounds good, but obstruction calls were so put up huge point totals, but he was a shutdown ace that would help me plentiful and power-play offence so inflated during the 2005-06 season, roll two pairs with at least one defensive ace. that all counting stats from that first post-lockout season need to be looked at in context. Seventy one points from Bertuzzi sounds good, but With the 16th overall pick, Drance selects… Vancouver had four 70-point players that season. And they missed the 2010-11 Roberto Luongo ($5.33 million) playoffs! Drance: Obviously I wanted Hamhuis, but I made the call to prioritize In the 2014-15 season when Vrbata was an All-Star and had 63 points, righties and now I have to live with that! there were only 17 players in the entire NHL who managed 70 points or more. So I turn my attention to goaltending, and decide I best take the greatest goaltender in Canucks franchise history. It took me some time to decide So I’m taking Vrbata’s electric first season with the Canucks, when he between Luongo’s two Vezina nominee seasons with the Canucks, but I found excellent chemistry on a line with the Sedin twins and on the first ultimately decide to take his Jennings winning 2010-11 season over his power-play unit. And I’m planning to play him on a sheltered third scoring absurd Hart Trophy nominated, 76-game form during the 2006-07 line, once I draft my centre. season. The main reasons for this: Luongo’s save percentage is .928 in With the 23rd overall pick, Dayal selects… 2010-11 and .921 in 2006-07. Also, and this is a good reminder to those that continue to bemoan that Luongo contract, the drama it caused and 2005-06 Markus Naslund ($6 million) the salary cap recapture penalty that Vancouver’s books still carry, Luongo’s 2010-11 $5.33 million cap hit is actually considerably cheaper Dayal: This is the stage in the draft where I felt my cap efficiency in than his 2006-07 $6.75 million cap hit. taking ELC versions of Pettersson and Boeser would let me splurge on players without thinking too much about their cap hit. With his $6-million If you want to understand why, to a man, the old hands in Vancouver’s cap hit an afterthought, adding another 30-goal, near a point-per-game previous front office — Mike Gillis, Laurence Gilman and company — player in Markus Naslund made me feel like I had just found one of the don’t regret doing the Luongo deal, that right there is basically it. That final pieces for a filthy forward core. $1.42 million difference is essentially the ability to add Chris Higgins at the 2011 trade deadline… With the 24th overall pick, Drance selects… With the 17th overall pick, Dayal selects… 2014-15 Nick Bonino ($1.9 million) 2012-13 Cory Schneider ($4 million) Drance: Nick Bonino’s one Canucks season was super underrated, 2009-10 Mason Raymond ($883k) including by the organization itself, which traded him and additional draft picks after a quiet postseason performance against the Calgary Flames Dayal: Continuing the trend of building a fast bottom-six that could for a player in , who Bonino has handily outperformed in forecheck hard, be responsible both ways and offer special teams utility, the years since. Mason Raymond seemed like an obvious candidate, particularly with the added offensive pop he had. Bonino managed 39 points in his only Canucks season, and only five of those points were on the power play. He drove play pretty well too, and With the 32nd overall pick, Drance selects… began to flash his abilities as a strong depth centre with enough two-way 2019-20 Tanner Pearson ($3.75 million) ability to hold his own and enough intelligence and skill to punish mistakes — abilities that helped him win two Stanley Cups with the Drance: Admittedly it took me a minute to grapple with the reality that in a Pittsburgh Penguins. draft of all-time great Canucks of the salary cap era, I somehow managed to construct a team without either Raymond or Hansen on it! With the 25th overall pick, Dayal selects… In addition to building from the centre and the blue line out, I’m taking an 2005-06 ($3.2 million) approach that borrows a bit from Steve Yzerman’s Canadian Olympic Dayal: I actually really hoped Bonino was still available because there teams. I’m trying to identify pairs or players with some familiarity with one weren’t a lot of 3C options. With Bonino gone, however, adding Brendan another, so that we can hit the ground running in the leadup to our Sedin Morrison so I could put together the West Coast Express as a sheltered Cup series. third-line felt like something I just had to do. So I’m taking Tanner Pearson from this past season. Pearson was on With the 26th overall pick, Drance selects… pace for a 25-goal, 53-point campaign on Bo Horvat’s left wing. He’s got championship experience and there’s no one I’d rather have out late in 2009-10 Mikael Samuelsson ($2.5 million) the game, when my defence has frustrated Harman’s attackers, and I need someone to get me an empty-net goal. Pearson and Horvat will Drance: The quietest 30-goal season in Canucks history has to be Mikael play together on a line with Demitra, and that line is going to punch well Samuelsson’s 2009-10 season. above their weight in terms of their two-way value. Samuelsson was quietly a perfect complement for Henrik and Daniel, a With the 33rd overall pick, Dayal selects… willing right-handed shooter with good hands at the net front and absolutely no conscience about flinging the puck at the net from weird 2019-20 Tyler Toffoli ($5 million) angles, something that worked perfectly for the twins. I’m going to put him on my top line along with Burrows and Henrik, to form the line that Dayal: Adding Hansen and Raymond on the cheap gave me a chance to dominated for stretches of the 2009-10 season in Daniel’s absence due spend on a luxury piece and that’s exactly what Tyler Toffoli felt like. I to injury. already had tons of high-end forwards who could score, but picking up a calibre of Toffoli’s, particularly with his two-way profile, felt like an I think I got great value here. opportunity I couldn’t pass up. With the 27th overall pick, Dayal selects… With the 34th overall pick, Drance selects… 2008-09 Willie Mitchell ($3.5 million) 2010-11 ($2.5 million) Dayal: With my top nine relatively set, I wanted to add another quality Drance: Just when I thought I was running away with this, the Boy blueliner to my club. I added Willie Mitchell as a hard-nosed player who Genius pulls a rabbit out of his hat and selects Tyler Toffoli — who I could step up in the lineup and be defensively sound in addition to hadn’t even considered for this exercise. Only a Canucks skater for 10 ensuring I had enough pushback with my squad. games in his career to this point (and maybe ever), Toffoli is a brilliant pick this late in the draft. I’m genuinely furious, but my tantrum is muted With the 28th overall pick, Drance selects… by my all-around respect for Dayal’s sharp selection. 2008-09 Pavol Demitra ($4.5 million) After all, being technically correct is the best type of correct to be. And People forget just how dynamic Pavol Demitra was in his first season exercising loopholes is sort of what the cap era Canucks are all about. with the Canucks. Kudos, Boy Genius. The late Slovakian forward managed 20 goals and 53 points in 69 games As I’m looking at the board, I realize that my hopes of contending with that season, with 33 of those points coming in 5-on-5 situations. He Harman’s offensive attack are now good and hosed. There’s just no way drove play effectively, helping to paper over Mats Sundin’s two-way I’m going to outscore his forwards. If I’m going to win, I’m going to win issues as he worked his way back into game shape. His line with Sundin like Jacque Lemaire’s Minnesota Wild, by mucking it up, out-muscling and Kesler, Kesler playing the right wing for the final prolonged stretch of Harman’s Globetrotters and winning with tactical nous and two-way skill. his career, controlled play really effectively and managed an expected So of course, I’m selecting the great enabler himself, the 2010-11 edition goals percentage close to 54 percent. To get a player that valuable this of Manny Malhotra. late in the draft is an absolute steal. I suspect that Malhotra isn’t going to show that well when Dom does his With the 29th overall pick, Dayal selects… weighting, but man, Malhotra’s 2010-11 season is one of the great 2011-12 ($1.35 million) defensive seasons by a Canucks centre in franchise history. He started four defensive zone shifts for every shift he took in the offensive end, he Dayal: I had a ton of offensive firepower, but now I felt like I needed role took on tough matchups at home, Alain Vigneault would hunt matchups players who could add energy, move up and down the lineup, be strong for him on the road and despite all of that, Vancouver actually outscored defensively and help kill penalties. I debated taking Chris Higgins over the opposition when he was on the ice 5-on-5. He was also the lynchpin Hansen here, but the latter’s cheaper cap hit gave him a slight edge for a of one of the best penalty killing groups in Vancouver history. bottom-six role in my eyes. With the 35th overall pick, Dayal selects… With the 30th overall pick, Drance selects… 2014-15 ($1.15 million) 2011-12 Chris Higgins ($1.9 million) Dayal: I was eyeing Malhotra as the perfect 4C and with him off the table, Drance: Despite my well publicized admiration for Hansen’s game, I’m I really liked Brad Richardson as a consolation prize. Cheap, can kill pumped that Chris Higgins is available in this slot. His addition lets me penalties, has a little bit of offensive upside and someone I can straight roll out a sheltered third scoring line with his 2014-15 linemates Bonino up deploy without really worrying about. and Vrbata, on a line that is going to demolish Harman’s over-the-hill version of the West Coast Express. With the 36th overall pick, Drance selects… Higgins had 43 points this season, despite playing only 71 games. That’s 2010-11 Raffi Torres ($1 million) a 50-point-per-82-game pace. Thirty of those points were at 5-on-5, Drance: Again with the pairs thing, I was originally hoping to just ice the where he managed a scoring chance percentage north of 53 percent and 2010-11 Canucks third line as my fourth, but with Hansen off of the board a shot attempt differential near 55 percent. 2011-12 Higgins is a bona I’ll have to get a little creative. Nonetheless, Torres is a reliable defensive fide top-six forward with plus defensive value for my third line. forward who I can count on to score goals at a top-six rate in a With the 31st overall pick, Dayal selects… prescribed role at the bottom of the lineup. He’s also going to cause every defender on Harman’s team to keep their head up. With the 37th overall pick, Dayal selects… Drance: My team might not win the Sedin Cup, but they’ll be an absolute pain in the neck to play against. Cooke helps assure that, and provides 2019-20 ($6 million) some offensive pop in a bottom-six role. Dayal: Cap flexibility gave me the opportunity to splurge on one luxury The Results: piece in Toffoli and I got another in Tyler Myers. I only had two defencemen who could play on their right side and one in Garrison Harman Dayal’s Canucks come in $4.52 million under the cap. This is his wasn’t even right-handed. I considered both Myers and Stecher, but with opening night lineup: cap hit not a huge concern, I took Myers as someone who has more experience playing in the top four. Dayal: Both teams stack up fairly evenly against each other, but I think my team has a good chance. With the 38th overall pick, Drance selects… My top six has five players that were on pace for 70 points, including two 2019-20 Jacob Markstrom ($3.6 million) 40-goal scorers on my second line. I’ve got a considerable edge on elite talent — Art Ross–winning Daniel and Henrik are roughly comparable Drance: At this point in the draft, I’ve been so economical everywhere and cancel each other out, but after that, I believe I have five forwards that I actually need to make sure to take on some salary to hit the cap (Pettersson, Kesler, Naslund, Miller, Boeser) who are all better than floor. I also want to make sure I have home ice advantage, and figure Drance’s second-best forward (whether that’s Horvat, Burrows or that pairing 2019-20 Markstrom with 2010-11 Luongo behind the defence Samuelsson). I’ve built makes me basically impossible to score against. Drance’s outstanding defensive core will do a great job taking space With the 39th overall pick, Dayal selects… away and making life hard for me offensively, but with a power forward 2011-12 Cody Hodgson ($1.66 million) on each line in my top nine (Miller, Kesler, Bertuzzi), I’m confident in my team’s ability to grind it out in tight spaces and still create offence. The Dayal: I initially considered matching Drance’s pick and taking a second backend is where Drance has a clear leg up, but prime versions of Edler, goalie, but I figured he wasn’t going to take a third goalie so I felt I could Tanev and Hamhuis still give me three top-pairing calibre defencemen in wait that out. If any of my top three centres went down, I wanted another my top four and my Hamhuis-Tanev duo would probably be a candidate offensive pivot who could slot in and Cody Hodgson seemed like the right for best shutdown pair in the NHL. option for that. It’s going to be close in the end, but I’m betting that the competitive With the 40th overall pick, Drance selects… advantage I have with my top six is greater than the advantage Drance has with his defence. 2018-19 Antoine Roussel ($3 million) Thomas Drance’s Canucks come in at $15.64 million under the cap. This Drance: I need a winger to play with Torres and Malhotra, and I’m taking is his opening night lineup: Antoine Roussel from his first Canucks season. He’ll annoy opponents, help that fourth line generate zone time, outscore his bottom-six spot in Drance: Harman’s got the offensive skill, but I’ll always take the better the lineup (Roussel had 31 points in 18-19 without getting one on the defensive team to win, particularly in a seven-game series. power play) and be an all-around pain in the ass. My team is absolutely going to need to muck it up and frustrate Dayal’s skill, and Roussel will At the end of the day, I’ve got the better bottom six, the better blue line, help me do that. the better goaltending and the two best players (2010-11 version of Henrik and Luongo). It’s going to be close, but my Canucks are tougher, With the 41st overall pick, Dayal selects… meaner and they’ve got this. 2014-15 Eddie Lack ($1.15 million) Check back tomorrow when we’ll analyze which team is better, and have them compete against one another for the The Athletic Dayal: Eddie Lack rocked a .921 the last time the Canucks made the Vancouver prize: The Sedin Cup! playoffs, so he felt like a good option behind Schneider.

With the 42nd overall pick, Drance selects… The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 2014-15 Yannick Weber ($850k) Drance: Yannick Weber was very strangely effective in the 2014-15 season. Not only did he score 11 goals and play first unit power play for much of the season, but he played big minutes 5-on-5 and paired really nicely with Dan Hamhuis on a pair that controlled better than 53 percent of shot attempts over a sample of 375 minutes. With the 43rd overall pick, Dayal selects… 2011-12 Aaron Rome ($750k) Dayal: I had to pick a depth defencemen and Aaron Rome with his ability to play both sides seemed like a good pick. With the 44th overall pick, Drance selects… 2013-14 ($700k) Drance: I’m excited to get my No. 1 target for forward depth in Mike Santorelli. In the 13-14 season, Santorelli held down a ludicrous 55 percent scoring chance rate and, though he only played 49 games because of injury, was on a 47-points-over-82-games pace despite carrying an absurdly low on-ice shooting clip. 2013-14 Santorelli probably ends up in my lineup every day at some point. With the 45th overall pick, Dayal selects… 2013-14 Zack Kassian ($870k) Dayal: I wanted a depth forward that I could slot onto my fourth-line if I ever wanted a tougher look on my fourth-line and Zack Kassian addressed that need. Plus, it’s hilarious to have Hodgson and Kassian on the same team! With the 46th overall pick, Drance selects… 2006-07 ($1.5 million) 1173284 Websites For each broadcast, I’ve limited the listed voices to the ones most frequently heard by the most people: the in-game play-by-play and colour analyst. This has the effect of glossing over the many fine people working in studio and rink-side, and wherever strong sentiment existed (for good The Athletic / The 2020 NHL broadcast rankings: The best and worst or bad) it has been included in the write-up. markets to watch the games If you’ve long thought your local broadcast crew is criminally underrated, this is a chance to see if you’re right. If you’re wondering which out-of- market broadcasts are worth catching when they cover your team, this By Jonathan Willis should give you some ideas. I sincerely hope you enjoy. Apr 1, 2020 31. Boston Bruins The broadcast: New England Sports Network (NESN) carries Bruins The NHL may have a plethora of broadcasting options across its 31 games, with Jack Edwards on play-by-play and doing markets but on any given night for any given team there isn’t much of a colour. choice. The local broadcast in a local market has a virtual tyranny on The results: NESN does have its defenders around the league, but television rights. they’re outnumbered six-to-one by its detractors, making it by far the Sometimes it’s a benevolent dictatorship, offering measured, intelligent most loathed broadcast in hockey. Out-of-market viewers were three commentary and high technical quality; the broadcasting equivalent of times more likely to mention Boston as one of the worst broadcasts in Frederick of Prussia or Casimir III of Poland. In other jurisdictions it’s less hockey than they were any other team. Local fans tend to be more benign, with erratic play-by-play or outrageous commentary prompting lenient, but even they are underwhelmed by the product on offer. viewers to mute the television and accompany that silent picture with Brickley’s commentary generally gets positive reviews in and out of sound from the local radio announcers in an act of quiet rebellion. market, but otherwise respondents were merciless. This list is aimed at separating the best from the worst, identifying In market, the most consistent complaint was one of presentation. The standouts and disappointments alike. screen can be cluttered: for the first period of a January game against It started off with the survey. For nearly a month, hockey writers across Nashville I watched, in addition to the standard scoreboard in the upper The Athletic shared the link and asked their readers to share their left corner of the screen, there was a NESN logo in the upper right and a opinions on their local broadcast teams and the best and worst broad black ticker at the bottom for the first half of the first period. elsewhere. Thousands of you did, with all of you rating your local Despite this barrage of graphics, a shot clock for the game was not broadcast on a scale of very poor to very good, and many of you included. obligingly chiming in on teams from other markets. “Camera work, cuts, replays, graphics, etc. are atrocious,” wrote one Once the votes were in, the opinions of the fans and non-fans had to be respondent, summarizing the feelings of many. “They run a TICKER balanced. Local fans are the intended audience of any regional DURING A HOCKEY GAME.” broadcast and watch theirs far more regularly than out-of-towners. Out- Edwards’ passion wins him some fans locally, and even outside Boston of-market fans, on the other hand, tended to be far more objective and there are people who like his work, with one non-Bruins respondent equally willing to call out good and bad. calling him “the definition of chaotic good.” Collectively they’re a drop in The approach taken here has been to average the results. Local votes the ocean. No other figure in NHL broadcasting attracted the same level were converted into a 0-to-4 scale and each market was assigned an of vitriol that NESN’s play-by-play man garnered. average number. Out-of-town voters, asked only to optionally identify five “I would rather get a colonoscopy from Captain Hook than hear Jack very good and/or very poor broadcasts, were assigned either a “0” or “4” Edwards announce a hockey game,” wrote a voter in Columbus in the based on their preference and an average number generated from the most memorable of the many, many comments listing him as the worst totals. The local and out-of-market averages were then themselves play-by-play man in the NHL. averaged, creating a single weighted number which was used to rank each market. All three final numbers are shown on the accompanying The bottom line: The league’s most biased broadcast is despised outside graphics. its local market and doesn’t inspire fans in Boston either. By now you’ve probably spotted some of the little devils in the details, 30. Pittsburgh Penguins and may have questions — questions like: The broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh carries Penguins games, with What about markets with multiple local broadcasts? This came up quickly Steve Mears on play-by-play and doing colour. — some 500 votes in, I realized to my horror that I’d neglected to provide separate rankings for the handful of markets with split regional rights. It The results: Unique to Pittsburgh, neither the relatively new play-by-play was too late to change that, so the compromise I settled on was a single voice nor the longtime commentator earned the most praise in the market rating. Do read the accompanying write-up: to compensate comments we collected. Rather it was rink-side reporter Dan Potash, somewhat, I did read each of the thousands of comments attached to the who was cited repeatedly for his easy camaraderie with players. thousands of surveys and attempted to distill the consensus within the Mears, in his third year of doing Penguins play-by-play after replacing fine print. in 2017-18, largely earned praise in-market for his What about national broadcasts? We’ve mostly ignored them here, work. This distinguishes him as one of a relatively small number of newer except for those rare cases where the local broadcast rights are so voices to get a positive mention. scattered that the national broadcast effectively acts on the same footing The broadcast itself, even among those who otherwise enjoy it, is as the local broadcast. generally seen as behind the times in terms of analysis. Multiple local What about non-English broadcasts? We didn’t have quite enough data respondents who rated AT&T’s broadcast as “very good” complained to go into depth on those, despite the valiant efforts of some about the quality of analysis, wishing for more systems talk and some respondents. They are, regretfully, omitted. mention of modern analytics. What if I love the play-by-play but hate the colour (or audio or picture “Wish they would include shot totals and refer to shot attempts more,” quality, etc.)? Pick a number, and then tell us all about it. Most of you noted one before adding there was “not enough calling out skaters on the weren’t shy about doing so, and again, every comment submitted has home team for mistakes.” been read and the consensus views shared. Errey, the foremost in-game analyst, took the brunt of criticism in and out Reader comments quoted within are as submitted, save for minor of market for both the quality and the slanted nature of his commentary. alterations for spelling or grammar. I’ve tried to include those that did the One voter, who rated the overall broadcast quality as poor, said they best job of both capturing the prevailing sentiment and detailing the would have voted very good if not for the colour commentator, and most reasons for it (i.e., ‘this commentator is good/bad because …’ took of the harshest local markers included Errey by name in their submitted precedence over ‘X is the best/worst!’). If you wrote, say, a profanity- comments. laced 750-word screed on a particular broadcast, know that I read it, “Rampant homerism is too over-the-top,” frankly admitted a Penguins probably chuckled, included it in forming the consensus, and then quoted fan. it only in part or passed over it in favour of someone more in-line with the majority of voters. Outside the market, Pittsburgh’s broadcast was one of just three to garner three times more “very poor” than “very good” grades. The bottom line: Although passable in other respects, Pittsburgh’s 27. Anaheim Ducks broadcast suffers from analysis both dated and overly slanted. The broadcast: Prime Ticket/Fox Sports West (FSW) carries Ducks 29. Minnesota Wild games, with on play-by-play and doing colour. The broadcast: Fox Sports North (FSN) carries Wild games, with Anthony LaPanta on play-by-play. Colour duties are split between The results: Our approach here has been to blend local and out-of- multiple commentators: Mike Greenlay, , and Ryan market ratings, and the Ducks are the first example of a team where the Carter. two viewpoints diverge wildly. The consensus view of Anaheim respondents is that FSW’s product is good-to-very good. The consensus The results: FSN’s rotating analysts approach is new this season, and view of everyone else is that only Boston’s broadcast is worse. growing pains were probably inevitable. Many of the complaints centred on the lack of chemistry and/or lack of experience in the booth for Wild “Hazy and John are a good team. I’d say above average,” wrote an games, and that’s as much a function of structure as individual Anaheim viewer whose comments do a good job reflecting the performance. consensus of local voters. “Depending on the day Hazy can be a (homer) so I could see why opposing fans hate him. But his insights are unique, Comments on Greenlay, the incumbent, varied wildly. Some praised his even if there’s an over-emphasis on goaltending.” existing chemistry with LaPanta; others regarded the shift to other voices as long overdue. Former Duck Guy Hebert at intermission and Aly Lozoff as rink-side reporter also seem to be very well-regarded locally. The addition of Nanne, the 78-year-old former GM of the North Stars, earned almost universal praise even from the most critical voters, with Outside Anaheim, it was common to find respondents linking the Ducks the most common complaint being that he was underused. At the other and Bruins broadcasts, often enough specifically comparing Hayward end of the experience spectrum, 36-year-old Ryan Carter, just two years and Edwards. The sheer volume of animosity was nowhere near as removed from his playing career, was repeatedly singled out for his great, and the most vocal detractors tended to be chiming in from other insight, often even by voters who felt he lacked polish in his first season California markets, but the fact that there were four “very poor” votes for in the role. every “very good” grade outside Anaheim is fairly damning. One respondent, a fan of Walz, did a good job of highlighting both the As with other Fox Sports broadcasts, Anaheim’s coverage is unavailable complementary and critical views of his work as he too adapts to the role to some viewers due to their dispute with Dish. of in-game analyst. The bottom line: Objectively it’s not a good broadcast but fans aren’t “He commentates like someone who played in NHL and knows what he’s objective and the Ducks have won theirs over. talking about,” the respondent wrote. “So what if he talks a little bit too much.” 26. Edmonton Oilers LaPanta, who was hired in 2012 amid backlash, was polarizing in and out The broadcast: Rogers Sportsnet West carries Oilers games, with Kevin of market. Multiple commenters said that he had grown into the role and Quinn on play-by-play and colour duties split between Louie DeBrusk they had come to regard him more favourably. and . There’s another caveat to this grade, one which will recur throughout this The results: The Oilers broadcast is the first of five Canadian broadcasts piece. Due to a dispute between Fox and satellite TV provider Dish, more highly regarded outside the local market than within it. Nobody some fans have found themselves unable to watch regional games on better exemplifies that trend than Remenda, who gets markedly different television. Some report jumping through hoops to get the games in other reviews from Edmonton voters than from outside and especially ways, while others have given up altogether and have to rely on national from San Jose. broadcasts. “Remenda is one of a dying breed of color guys who offer deep, The bottom line: FSN’s Wild coverage is in transition and as with any educational analysis of the game while not being a complete shill for the rebuild effort some time near the bottom is inevitable. home team,” wrote one of the many Sharks viewers to praise his contributions to Edmonton’s broadcast. 28. Colorado Avalanche Those views were echoed by a minority within Edmonton, but the The broadcast: Altitude Sports carries Avalanche games, with Marc overwhelming sentiment among respondents was negative, with Moser on play-by-play and Peter McNab doing colour. Remenda identified by many as their primary issue with the broadcast. The results: Colorado’s broadcast is wildly polarizing with out-of-market “I think he feels like he comes across as non-biased, but he has swung viewers: only Boston showed up more frequently on non-local ballots, so far the other way that he won’t even criticize a call against the Oilers,” and unlike the Bruins, the Avs coverage earned a nearly even (3-to-4) said one respondent, echoing many other local comments. split between love and hate. In what will be a recurring pattern throughout this piece, many viewers The Avs come in so low here because viewers in the local market are contrasted Sportsnet’s presentation quality – picture, sound, camerawork unhappy, often for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the – unfavourably with that of TSN. Faceoffs taking place off-camera was a broadcast itself. persistent gripe, as was the lack of modern analytics. “Currently our local coverage is blacked out due to a contract dispute DeBrusk, in his second stint on colour for the Oilers while also working at between the station and two of three providers in (the) Denver/Colorado the national level, gets the opposite treatment. Although voters in Calgary area,” said one respondent who offered up a negative rating. The and Vancouver tended to criticize his work on “,” comment was unique not so much for its content as for its lack of respondents in Edmonton were very complimentary. profanity. “Louie DeBrusk is great …” said one local respondent fretfully. “We’ll The dispute has bled into the game coverage itself. Repeatedly during likely lose him in Edmonton to national coverage.” the games I watched the screen would shrink as a petition for viewers to call their cable providers and demand that Altitude be carried would steal Quinn was mostly well-regarded by our respondents, as was Gene attention from the broadcast. However justified the plea might be, its Principe, whose penchant for puns and prop comedy got a little bit of negative effect on the experience of watching the broadcast was hate and a lot of love from local voters. undeniable. The bottom line: The out-of-market fans probably come closer to the As for the actual coverage, finding a consensus middle ground is difficult objective truth, but even with their more favourable review Sportsnet’s given the love/hate dynamic among out-of-market viewers. After slogging broadcast doesn’t match the TSN standard among Canadian broadcasts. through hundreds of votes, the overriding impression I had was of a 25. Calgary Flames competent broadcast duo prone to cheerful homerism. I found myself laughing at one point in a November game against Edmonton in which The broadcast: Rogers Sportsnet West carries Flames games, with Rick Connor McDavid was particularly dominant. Ball on play-by-play and either or -Pascall doing colour. “You’d like to watch McDavid do this against Minnesota,” McNab said, half-grumblingly and half-admiringly. There’s a place for that kind of The results: It won’t be a surprise to readers that Calgary’s broadcast partiality in a local broadcast, and although most of the out-of-market gets consistently low marks from respondents in Edmonton, with the voters seem to dislike it there are enough who appreciate it, too. divisional rivals locked in a cycle of mutual disdain. What might be a surprise is that the Flames’ broadcast has one exception: play-by-play The bottom line: It’s pretty hard to like a broadcast that isn’t on television. man Ball. “Calgary’s local Sportsnet broadcasts are awful,” read one Edmonton expected to share. “My heart was actually hurting when I heard on The ballot, typical of the trend. This voter tore into various aspects of the Hockey PDOcast say they weren’t very good,” said a local respondent. broadcast, listing it as “very poor” before concluding, “Rick Ball is actually very good.” Out of market, the broadcast’s bias was a big talking point, but what criticism there was in-market focused on a lack of technical breakdowns With that sort of commentary from viewers least inclined to like the and modern statistics, with the feeling that amid the camaraderie and broadcast, it should be no surprise that he also does very well locally. storytelling more could be done to explain the game. Many of the complaints from Calgary about the Flames broadcast echo “Love Mickey and Ken!” said one voter, reflecting that sentiment. those from Edmonton regarding the Oilers production. At one point I had “Obviously more of an old school feel which is nice but it would be cool if to double-check that a response from Calgary was in fact from Calgary they included more of the advanced analytics. I can see how it would be when it almost completely mirrored an Oilers ballot disgusted with tough to find that happy medium though.” faceoffs happening off-camera. A lack of analytics, poor production quality (especially as compared to TSN), and intermission panels were The bottom line: Local viewers mostly love their longtime broadcast team also critiqued. but out-of-market watchers looking for a modern and impartial call will want to look elsewhere. One difference from Edmonton, where the intermission panels were criticized for being overly focused on national coverage, is that it was the 22. Toronto Maple Leafs local panel that attracted the most ire. Columnist Eric Francis drew the The broadcast: It’s complicated. TSN and Sportsnet split the regional strongest reaction. broadcast rights, and the Maple Leafs are also a fixture on the Canadian “Francis needs to decide whether he is going to go all in on ridiculous hot national broadcast schedule. Few hockey fans see as irregular a stream takes or start involving himself in rational discussion,” said one local who of commentators. gave the broadcast a positive grade overall. “Trying to have it both ways The results: The overall ratings are the opposite of what we saw in is an embarrassment to us both.” Detroit: relatively well-liked nationally, harshly graded locally. Yet with Both Hrudey and Campbell-Pascall have their partisans in Calgary, and three different broadcasts, the overall ratings don’t offer a lot of specific collectively represent a problem for anyone trying to summarize fan insight. Thankfully respondents recognized this and deluged us with feeling. Many voters wrote in to say that the broadcast was great but commentary, which paints a far more definite picture. suffered when Hrudey was away for his national role, while a virtually TSN is almost universally regarded as the best of the three, getting high equal number suggested that coverage was at its best with Campbell- praise both in and out of market. Across Canadian markets, the Pascall. Unlike most broadcasts with split commentary duties, it’s not at production standards on the network are often compared favourably to all clear that a majority of our respondents prefer one to the other. Sportsnet, and that’s certainly the case here. Ferraro appears to be the The bottom line: Calgary’s broadcast doesn’t do especially well with most-loved colour commentator in hockey and gets a corresponding either local or non-local fans. amount of praise, but essentially TSN’s regional Leafs production is a top-level national broadcast and outside of some quibbles about the 24. Florida Panthers intermission panel the comments we received reflect that. The broadcast: Fox Sports Florida (FSF) carries Panthers games, with The “Hockey Night in Canada” national broadcast with Hughson and Steve Goldstein on play-by-play and Randy Moller doing colour. Simpson appears to be more highly regarded out of market than it is inside Toronto. A recurring theme in local complaints was that the duo The results: Florida has a weird split between local and non-local ratings, doesn’t seem to like the team. and I can’t help wondering if an offseason change in commentary is partially responsible. , who caught a lot of flak from out-of- “A lot of this might be trying to make sure that they don’t come across as market viewers, retired in the summer and was replaced with Moller. Leafs/Toronto bias,” admitted one respondent, reflecting the comments of many others, “… but it happens so much during a game that it feels Moller got mixed reviews in out-of-market comments but was well-liked like the broadcasts are actively rooting for the teams playing against the locally. Goldstein typically received praise from both local and national Leafs.” respondents. Voters outside the market were a lot more forgiving. The national “Randy Moller has been sensational in his first year as colour guy,” said broadcasts on both sides of the border have fans and detractors, but one Florida viewer, summarizing the consensus view in-market. American respondents, in particular, seemed to like HNIC. “Goldstein continues to be passionate and clear.” “I like HNIC, especially with Hughson,” said one simply. That feeling Goldstein, affable and knowledgeable, received several votes from might come as a shock to some of the very vocal detractors of outside the Panthers’ market as one of the best play-by-play callers in Sportsnet’s national coverage, but it does reflect much of the sentiment the league. Even among respondents critical of Potvin (or, less within Canada and the overwhelming majority of comments we received frequently, Moller) the play-by-play man was sometimes cited by name from the United States. as a positive aspect of the telecast. Hughson did receive some criticism for comments made earlier this year The bottom line: Recent changes to the broadcast seem to have been about disorderly conduct charges levelled against Toronto forward favourably received locally but it might take a while for them to sink in Auston Matthews, remarks for which he later apologized. elsewhere. Sportsnet’s regional broadcast was panned across the board. On the 23. Detroit Red Wings play-by-play side, is clearly missed; the 68-year-old had been The broadcast: Fox Sports Detroit (FSD) carries Red Wings games, with calling Leafs games since 1982. The colour commentary was panned, on play-by-play and , and with Millen being frequently criticized both in and out of the market. Larry Murphy rotating duties on colour. “ is incapable of blaming a goalie for a goal and it takes away The results: We’ve seen a few markets (Anaheim, Florida) where the the credibility of the broadcast,” summarized one respondent, elucidating locals like the product a lot more than national viewers do, but Detroit on the general sense of negativity. takes the cake. FSD’s Red Wings telecast ranks 16 spots higher on the The bottom line: Toronto’s mediocre grade is split between one very local scale than the non-local scale. No other broadcast has a greater good and one very poor regional production as well as a polarizing discrepancy between local love and out-of-market disdain. national broadcast. That’s a good indication of a competent but biased broadcast and seems 21. Nashville Predators to be something of which even Red Wings fans who love it are aware. The broadcast: carries Predators games, with “Ken Daniels’s play-by-play is excellent, and Mickey Redmond/Chris Willy Daunic on play-by-play and Chris Mason doing colour. Osgood on colour is wonderful fan service,” said one Detroit fan who gave FSD the highest possible score. The results: The local consensus is that the Nashville production is good, while out-of-market viewers consider it merely average, but what the two “Ken Daniels is the best in the business,” said another local with a “very groups have in common is ranking it 21st of the 31 local broadcasts on good” vote. “Mickey has learned to tame some of his homerism, but he their respective scales. does still struggle with it, and if they don’t turn it around soon, he might retire because I don’t know how much of this rebuild he can take.” Daunic and Mason alike get decent reviews on the whole, but suffer from comparisons to radio commentator Pete Weber and intermission analyst After more than 20 years together, the duo of Daniels and Redmond are beloved locally, affection which viewers from other markets can’t be . Crisp and Weber were the original in-game voices of the some picking on his overly pro-Sabres slant and others singling out an expansion Predators and for many fans clearly still define the role. old-school approach to the game. “Pulling Pete Weber from the TV broadcast is one of the worst moves “He gets excited about fighting and literally nothing else,” said one. this franchise has made, ever, on or off the ice,” said one of the many respondents to draw a direct comparison between the current and past The studio duo of Brian Duff and received nearly universal commentators. praise. Still, there was a broad sense from viewer comments that the broadcast “Duffer and Marty are the perfect combo of analytics and first-hand is on the upswing. experience,” wrote one respondent in a comment which was echoed throughout in-market ballots. “Willy and Chris play off each other well and have grown in the last couple of years,” said one respondent. “I wish they would use more fancy The bottom line: A decent overall rating masks a poor grade from locals stats, but I can’t complain otherwise.” and the pending difficulty of what happens post-Jeanneret. Lyndsay Rowley, whose work on the broadcast alternates between 18. Columbus Blue Jackets hosting at intermission and reporting from rink side, was also repeatedly The broadcast: Fox Sports Ohio carries Blue Jackets games, with Jeff singled out for her positive contributions. Rimer on play-by-play and Jody Shelley doing colour. The bottom line: Nashville’s broadcast ranks in the middle-third The results: It’s rare to find a single respondent who succinctly and leaguewide and there’s still room for growth. almost completely summarizes the viewpoints of so many, but that is the 20. New Jersey Devils case in Columbus, where one voter matched the consensus local grade exactly while also expressing the broad sentiment concerning the The broadcast: MSG Plus carries Devils games, with Steve Cangialosi production’s two most significant voices. on play-by-play and doing colour. “ is a solid play-by-play announcer,” they write. “The star is The results: New Jersey’s broadcast comes in with nearly identical Jody Shelley. He is able to provide some great insights and picks up on ratings to Nashville’s, scoring slightly higher with home fans and slightly the little details you miss while watching the action.” lower with out-of-market viewers. Shelley is praised for his work even by those who don’t otherwise like the The Devils’ last play-by-play man was current national broadcaster Doc broadcast, generally being called out by name even by the harshest local Emrick, who not only spent two decades in the role but also called games critics. There’s a broad feeling within the market that he’s an elite when New Jersey was a dominant NHL team. Those are big shoes to fill, commentator. and as with most broadcasters he had both fans and detractors, but the majority of our respondents approved of his work. Where the critics would disagree with the consensus is on Rimer, who was polarizing in-market. Fifty-eight percent of responses locally rated “Cangialosi has an unreal talent for describing the game as it is the Columbus broadcast as “very good” and these viewers tended to be happening,” said one. supportive of the longtime play-by-play man. The other 42 percent, as well as out-of-market respondents, tended to start with “solid” and go Daneyko, a rarity among colour commentators, tended to spark down from there. The accuracy of the call was the main issue raised. constructive criticism rather than the kind of absolutes which formed most of the responses to this survey. A recurring theme of those comments “Too many mistakes in numbers and players when calling the game,” was that the tough-as-nails former NHLer tends to pull his punches on said one respondent, who gave the broadcast a “very good” rating the air. overall, commenting on Rimer. “Just think his eyes are failing him.” “I know he’s a former player, passionate and doesn’t want to be harsh, Host Brian Giesenschlag and studio analyst Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre but every mistake is ‘just a little bit _’ even when it’s a big obvious one anchor the intermission panel and pregame and postgame shows. like a giveaway or an obvious penalty,” said one respondent. “It’s OK to Giesenschlag was broadly regarded as professional and got positive call out failure for a bottom-five team.” reviews overall. Grand-Pierre took some criticism in his first year in the role, but in broadcasting “criticism” and “first year in the role” go hand-in- Recently retired Bryce Salvador also got a mix of good and bad reviews, hand. and here, I’m going to take the liberty of substituting my comments for those in the survey. He’s not as smooth as a lot of longer-serving The bottom line: Below-average play-by-play and above-average broadcasters, but in the Devils games and clips I watched for this commentary add up to a middle-of-the-pack production, one regarded as exercise he was both empathetic and genuinely insightful at intermission, good locally. offering good tactical breakdowns and pointing out mistakes while explaining what the highlighted player might have been thinking. 17. Arizona Coyotes He’s only in his third season as a home game studio analyst, and the The broadcast: Fox Sports Arizona carries Coyotes games, with Matt polish will come with time. Once it does, he seems far too good at McConnell on play-by-play and doing colour. breaking down plays to stay confined to a regional broadcast. The results: Seven different broadcasts finished at least 10 spots higher The bottom line: It does some things well and some things poorly but on by local rankings than they did on the leaguewide board. Arizona was the whole, the Devils’ broadcast is about average. one of them. If you want objective truth, look at the out-of-market board. If you want to have a long run in a city, look at what the locals think. 19. Buffalo Sabres Indeed, most of the local criticism was based on the idea that the The broadcast: MSG Western New York carries Sabres games, with Rick broadcast team was too reluctant to identify mistakes made by the Jeanneret and on play-by-play and Rob Ray doing colour. Coyotes, a criticism echoed in the out-of-market results. That was a minority view among Arizona hockey fans, though. The results: Some of the deference Buffalo gets from national viewers can be chalked up to Jeanneret, who throughout an incredible career has “I like that McConnell and Nash both seem to be genuinely interested in managed to pull off something remarkable: although widely regarded as the action and are excited to convey it with viewers,” said one. a Sabres partisan, he’s done such a good job historically that he’s forgiven for it. “McConnell and Nash make it feel like I’m watching with a couple of good friends,” added another. “Perfect regional broadcast, professional yet not “He’s a huge homer, but he does a great job being entertaining without stilted.” making it all about him,” wrote one respondent from Detroit, who listed Buffalo’s broadcast as one of the best in the league. The enthusiasm extended to radio colour man and rink- side reporter Todd Walsh. It did not extend to the availability of the Fox Among local voters, Jeanneret’s legacy is secure. There was however a broadcast, a concern echoed in every Fox market. sense that after 15 years of short-term extensions — and a half-decade with his planned successor waiting in the wings on part-time duty — it “The worst part right now is Fox Sports AZ feuding with every carrier on was time for a change. earth,” said one respondent, after praising the broadcast team. “I can’t get them through cable, so I started with Sling, switched to YouTube TV, “The entire in-game experience needs to be refreshed,” said one of many and now I’m on Live. If they leave that provider, I’m out of options.” such respondents. The bottom line: It’s the kind of broadcast that regularly uses the word Ray’s sense of humour earned him positive marks with some viewers, “we” to refer to the team it covers and Arizona fans are just fine with that. but the vast majority of respondents took issue with his commentary, with 16. Washington Capitals The broadcast: NBC Sports Washington carries Capitals games, with Joe That’s an explanation, not an excuse. The local audience is entirely Beninati on play-by-play and Craig Laughlin doing colour. within its rights to demand more clear-eyed commentary. Sawyer’s simply the most notable of many commentators who struggle to find the The results: I’ll admit I laughed reading the views of Washington appropriate balance. respondents because 80 percent of them gave the broadcast a positive review while sounding like this: The bottom line: ’s performance in the colour role diminishes a broadcast otherwise well-regarded by locals and out-of- “I really like them as a Caps fan. They are pretty homery, but I don’t mind market viewers alike. as a fan of the team.” 14. Philadelphia Flyers That’s a consensus view. It would be hard to square with the relatively high regard the broadcast is held in by out-of-market commentators, The broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia carries Flyers games, with Jim except for the fact that Beninati is widely viewed as one of the best play- Jackson on play-by-play and and doing colour. by-play men in the business. His name cropped up regularly on ballots from around the league. Even fans of division rivals tended to give him The results: Philadelphia’s broadcast is well-regarded locally and out of credit. market. Local respondents rate it good-to-very good, which is about average for a regional broadcast. Out-of-market respondents were twice “(National play-by-play man) Doc Emrick, (local play-by-play man) John as likely to rate it as a top-five than bottom-five production, which is a Forslund, and Joe Beninati are the best,” wrote a viewer in Carolina in a very good mark; it narrowly avoids landing inside the top-10. comment typical of the kind. “The Flyers broadcasters do a good job of balancing the line between Laughlin was more polarizing, taking the bulk of criticism for bias both in feeling like they’re cheering for your team but not being outright homers and out of market. His easy camaraderie with Beninati was frequently (though sometimes they do cross it),” said one respondent, capturing the cited as a point in his favour by fans in Washington. general mood. “Their voices are crisp and exciting to listen to.” Audio and video quality came up as issues with some local respondents, Jackson’s play-by-play gets good marks from Flyers fans, as does Jones’ who criticized a lack of replays (particularly on penalty calls) and commentary. Jones is well-known outside Philadelphia thanks to his role contrasted the sound unfavourably with the national broadcasts. on the national NBC broadcast, and like the majority of national figures gets a mix of love and hate. The overall ranking of the broadcast by non- “The local Capitals broadcast audio has been stuck in the late-90s,” said Flyers viewers suggests that on balance opinion is favourable. one. “How hard is it to learn from the national CBC and NBC guys when they are in town and mic the arena properly?” The old ESPN duo of Clement and was mentioned frequently by nostalgic voters in other American markets, often The bottom line: Beninati’s strong call elevates an otherwise accompanied by a request that somebody put them back in a regular unremarkable regional broadcast. play-by-play slot. Clement’s role on the Flyers broadcast isn’t that, but 15. Winnipeg Jets fans wanting to take a trip down memory lane can catch him on nights where Jones has been seconded to NBC’s national broadcast. The broadcast: TSN carries Jets games, with on play-by- play and Kevin Sawyer and doing colour. Although the on-air talent gets mostly positive reviews, the actual production was criticized. On-screen graphics and the audio mix were the The results: Something I expected long before starting on this exercise items most frequently mentioned. was that regional broadcasts would be far more popular in their local markets than they were elsewhere in the league, and that held true. The “There’s always a good variety of which players they talk about,” said one average regional broadcast gets a “good” rating locally and an “average” Flyers voter, summing the prevailing view neatly. “Some technical things rating out of market, while 28 of the 31 teams are more highly regarded I’d tighten up as someone who works in hockey television productions, locally in absolute terms than they are leaguewide. Two of the 30 but overall it’s enjoyable to watch.” exceptions (Toronto and Montreal) are only narrowly preferred by The bottom line: Although technical aspects could use some fine-tuning, national audiences, and in both cases, the television rights are distributed Philadelphia’s offering is a quality regional production which shouldn’t among multiple broadcasters. grate too badly on non-Flyers fans. And then there’s Winnipeg. 13. New York Rangers Outside Manitoba, just 0.4 percent of ballots mentioned the Jets The broadcast: MSG Plus carries Rangers games, with as broadcast as one of the five worst in the league. Inside the local market, the primary play-by-play man and John Giannone filling in as needed. that figure ballooned to 12 percent, a 30-fold increase. does colour. TSN technical work gets high praise. Rink-side reporter Sara Orlesky is The results: Islanders fans represent the single largest drag on this well-liked, with several respondents suggesting she should take on a grade. Thirty-eight percent of out-of-market fans to rate this broadcast as larger role. Beyak draws some criticism in-market, which would be a one of the five worst in the league listed the Islanders as their primary surprise to the out-of-market voters who singled him out by name as one team, and they want everyone to know that they feel Rosen is overly of the league’s best play-by-play voices. exuberant in his love of . Before we get into the weak point identified by nearly every local With that caveat out of the way we can get into the consensus view both respondent – Sawyer’s commentary – it’s probably worth noting that he’s locally and elsewhere, which is that Rosen and Micheletti are a strong in a tough spot. The two people he’s compared to head-to-head are tandem. predecessor (who will figure prominently in the highly regarded Vegas production) and Ferraro, who is widely seen as the best Rosen, repeatedly labelled some variant of “the best” “a legend” and “one in the business and who moonlights on TSN’s various regional of the best ever” by Rangers fans also figures prominently in lists of broadcasts in addition to his regular work on Maple Leafs games. quality broadcasters from outside the New York market. Micheletti also earned praise locally and nationally, with a Wild fan’s “I love Joe “Kevin Sawyer the analyst is just bad,” wrote one respondent. “His Micheletti” standing in nicely for the many respondents to list him as a analysis is far too rose-tinted and oftentimes frustrating to listen to. It’s top-five colour man. like the Jets never do anything wrong, even when they’re losing.” Studio analyst Steve Valiquette was also singled out for praise by Another respondent didn’t bother to detail their reasoning, instead Rangers fans. A former professional goaltender, he’s most famous submitting a single quote as a stand-alone explanation: outside New York for his work pushing the concept of the “royal road,” “‘I think it hurts (coach) as a person to scratch a guy like referring to pucks that cross the horizontally across the centre of the (depth defenceman) Anthony Bitetto’ — Kevin Sawyer.” offensive zone immediately before a shot. In addition to his studio work, he’s the founder of Clear Sight Analytics. Neither comment, nor the many like them not included here, applies uniquely to Sawyer, and the criticisms should be seen in context. A lot of The bottom line: You’d expect the Rangers to have a premium broadcast regional TV people – generally employed by and travelling with the team and Rosen, Micheletti and the rest don’t disappoint. – identify closely with the franchise and even form attachments to 12. Vancouver Canucks individual players. More often than not, the former NHLers who land in the role have a history as depth players in the majors, the kind of The broadcast: Rogers carries Canucks games, with background which encourages both a team-first mentality and a natural John Shorthouse on play-by-play and John Garrett doing colour. sympathy for their fellow journeymen. The results: No other Canadian city was more united in its love of its regional broadcast(s) than Vancouver, where 87 percent of respondents gave it the highest possible mark on our scale. Just three percent rated it “There’s no replacing Bob Miller, but I think has done a great average or below, and the most common complaint there was that the job stepping into the role and is the voice of Hockey in Southern intermission panels featured too much Toronto content. California,” added a voter from Anaheim. “Fantastic team. Love watching their broadcasts even if they are the Freeway Series rival team.” It was a love-in. One example will serve to illustrate the overall trend: Faust tends to be favoured outside the market, a remarkable “I appreciate the balance in styles and personalities between the play-by- achievement for a play-by-play man just three years into the gig and play person and the colour commentator; I appreciate the occasional especially so given that he came in on the heels of Miller’s 44-year run. silences; I appreciate the recognizable voices that draw me in if I hear He also earned some unique praise in the summer of 2018, when the TV from the other room; I appreciate the year-after-year consistency “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek floated Faust as his preferred successor. in broadcasters, which breeds nostalgia and loyalty; I appreciate that players from the opposing team are discussed and interviewed, not just If our respondents are anything to go by, Faust is respected locally but the home team; I appreciate that there aren’t really any catchphrases the long-serving Fox is adored. they use so much that they’ve become clichéd.” “Jim Fox does a great job of trying to educate people without being Shorthouse represents a point of agreement between Canucks fans and condescending or being repetitive,” said one. “While he draws on his own viewers in other markets. He’s almost universally recognized as a high- experience as a player, he is also very receptive to new ideas, such as end play-by-play man. Corsi and different ways of analyzing players’ performances.” Garrett doesn’t get the same level of respect. In-market, even many The bottom line: The combination of a bright young talent on play-by-play otherwise complimentary fans were willing to acknowledge a level of and an insightful veteran on colour gives the Kings a top-10 regional bias; out of market, the fans screamed it. I won’t dispute that point but will broadcast. add two peculiar qualities I noted in the Canucks broadcasts I watched this year: he’s willing to go quiet for long stretches and he has a knack for 9. Chicago Blackhawks explaining the body mechanics of specific plays. Both qualities are The broadcast: NBC Sports Chicago carries Blackhawks games, with Pat relatively rare in colour commentators. Foley on play-by-play and Ed Olczyk and Steve Konroyd doing colour. More than most productions, Vancouver’s was embraced as a three- The results: Looking solely at out-of-market responses, Chicago’s rather than two-person effort, with rink-side reporter Dan Murphy earning broadcast rates as one of the 10 best in the league, and it comes just shy repeated praise both on an individual level and for his part in the easy of that in terms of the local rankings. Having Olczyk on colour chemistry between the trio of primary voices on the broadcast. unquestionably helps in that regard; he was frequently mentioned by The bottom line: Find someone who loves you the way Canucks fans voters from across the United States as a favourite analyst, and in our love Shorthouse, Garrett and Murphy. poll Blackhawks respondents appreciated his quality. 11. New York Islanders “There’s a reason Eddie does the big national games on NBC,” said one. “Hawks games are lucky to have him. His and Pat’s chemistry is off the The broadcast: MSG Plus carries Islanders games, with Brendan Burke charts.” on play-by-play and doing colour. Foley too was well-regarded both in and out of Chicago, with The results: The results are not quite a mirror image of Vancouver, but respondents praising the quality of his call, his knowledge of the game it’s close. Out-of-market fans regard Islanders coverage as essentially and his obvious comfort with Olczyk. average, while locally a whopping 83 percent of fans gave it the highest possible grade on our scale. “I really appreciate and ’s broadcasts,” said a respondent in Arizona. “Both are very knowledgeable … and have the The commentary didn’t quite reach the enthusiastic heights of best chemistry I’ve seen across broadcasting.” Vancouver. The technical quality of the broadcast and its availability were sore points, as was the lack of a shot clock. Chicago fans broadly agreed. With virtually every broadcaster there’s some level of complaint and the Blackhawks’ duo was not an exception, Play-by-play man Brendan Burke got near-universal praise, both in and but two-thirds of local respondents gave the production the highest out of market. Two non-Islanders quotes do a good job of summarizing possible grade while just six percent saw it as below average. the general trend. What criticism there was largely focused on areas other than the two “Brendan Burke on the Islanders broadcast is great,” submitted one primary commentators. Konroyd’s analysis, for example, was frequently Rangers respondent. compared unfavourably to that of Olczyk even among those who gave the broadcast high marks overall. “Even though I’m a Rangers fan, I love Brendan Burke and he needs to be the voice of hockey in a few years,” added another. Technical aspects of the production were also critiqued. I’ll heartily second those who want to see a regular shot clock added. Others had Outside of Burke, Islanders respondents were remarkably even-handed concerns over poor lighting/contrast or wanted the kind of high-quality in their appreciation for the broadcast. Host Shannon Hogan was slow-motion replays which are a fixture on Fox. praised, as were alternating rink-side reporters and A.J. Mleczko. Even statistician Eric Hornick, in a job which gets precious little The bottom line: Chicago has a national-level crew calling its regional attention in most markets, was repeatedly praised by name. games. Four-time Cup winner and former coach Butch Goring, now 70, took 8. Tampa Bay Lightning significant criticism from out-of-market viewers for perceived bias. A decent portion of Islanders fans were willing to admit as much, but his The broadcast: Fox Sports Sun carries Lightning games, with Rick stature in the market has encouraged a charitable view of both a certain Peckham on play-by-play and doing colour. rosiness to his glasses and his unique language quirks. The results: Bolts broadcasts fall into broadly the same category as “Butchie’s malapropisms are very charming,” said one respondent. Canucks, Islanders and Kings productions: they’re reasonably popular with fans leaguewide, but adored in their local markets. Some of that is The bottom line: The combination of outstanding play-by-play and attributable to the on-air talent, but almost uniquely among regional supporting cast compensate for some weaknesses to create an above- broadcasts, the technical aspects got broad praise from Lightning average regional product. viewers. 10. Los Angeles Kings One comment, in particular, did a good job of encapsulating the consensus views. The broadcast: Fox Sports West carries Kings games, with Alex Faust on play-by-play and Jim Fox doing colour. “I really like the chemistry that and Brian Engblom have with each other. Both of them show genuine excitement in response to The results: The Kings’ broadcast is the third of three in a row which is events happening on the ice and they like to have fun on air … In seen as average outside the local market while being well-regarded general, the overall presentation on Lightning broadcasts is usually better within it. One interesting quirk: those outside the market who like the than with national broadcasts on NBCSN. The biggest difference I broadcast tend to like it a lot. noticed is that the picture quality and audio mixing is better (the ice “Sometimes I watch the Kings because I think I might learn something,” sounds aren’t drowning out the announcers).” said a respondent from the Dallas market. “Fox and Faust know the Again, I’m going to interject a personal opinion here, a note of agreement rulebook the best of any announcers I have watched.” on the quality of the technical presentation. I generally find Fox to be above average as the regional broadcasters go, but Tampa, in particular, stood out in my viewings. Video quality, camera angles, layouts and On the colour side, the Sharks have arguably the most confusing rotation especially all that combined with the quick-then-slow motion replays of any regional broadcast, sometimes running the standard two-person provided a level of technical excellence most outfits can’t match. booth, sometimes going with three and also rotating their TV and radio analysts. Throw in the significant minority still pining for Drew Remenda Indeed, the greatest concern locally was how the team was going to and responses were all over the map, with one constant theme: the replace Peckham, who has announced his intention to retire at the end of detractors of all three regular colour commentators were outnumbered 2019-20. roughly four-to-one by the supporters. The bottom line: Technical excellence and an able crew distinguish Hedican’s analysis and Baker’s energy were the standout qualities listed Tampa Bay’s broadcast from most of its regional peers. in our responses. Coyne Schofield, like most first-year broadcasters, was 7. Montreal Canadiens regarded as somewhat awkward at times but insightful. The broadcast: The concept behind this survey was simple: to try and “All-around top notch,” said one Sharks voter, reflecting the consensus identify which markets were best-served by their regional broadcasts. It view. “Bakes, Hedi, Kendall, all the real deal.” breaks down when a market has multiple productions, and Montreal’s Having three voices in-game got mixed reviews, but more positive than bilingual status makes it most complicated of all. negative. To my surprise I found myself agreeing that it’s a workable Here we’re going to confine our look to the English broadcasts, arrangement when I watched the Sharks feed this season. In particular, undoubtedly to the disappointment of both Francophones and the various one discussion of post-icing tactics between Hedican and Coyne “I watch it in French. I don’t understand French” Anglophones who Schofield illustrated the upside of such an arrangement. Having one chimed in. There simply weren’t enough comments on the French current and one recently retired player both working as analysts and broadcasts in this survey to offer a reasonable estimate. building off each other’s perspective is the kind of exchange NHL viewers just don’t get on most broadcasts. The results: It’s pretty much the same story wherever Sportsnet and TSN go head-to-head in Canada. The TSN production gets broadly favourable Among the broadcast’s detractors, there was a perception that they were reviews while Sportsnet is criticized. perhaps too willing to gloss over problem areas. Goaltender Martin Jones’ name came up particularly often, occasionally at great length. “TSN regional broadcasts are good but the Sportsnet national broadcasts are horrible,” explained one Montreal respondent who gave the market The bottom line: San Jose’s local broadcast has been a top-end offering an “average” grade while ranking TSN’s production as a top-five for years and the current experimentation is worth watching. broadcast and Sportsnet’s as a bottom-five. It was a trend which 5. Ottawa Senators repeated again and again within the local ballots and goes a long way to explaining the discrepancy between the local and out-of-market The broadcast: TSN carries Senators regional games, taking the same viewpoints. rotating analysts approach to Ottawa that they do elsewhere. Gord Miller and provide play-by-play, while at least four different “Mike Johnson and Bryan Mudryk set a crazy high bar for excellence in analysts have done colour: Ray Ferraro, Jamie McLennan, Mike Johnson commentary,” said one respondent. Johnson’s work, in particular, was and Dave Poulin. routinely praised. The results: It’s reasonable to see one of TSN’s entries land in the top- “Mike Johnson is a terrific analyst and should be calling every Habs five, and perhaps it’s even appropriate that the one running the biggest game,” added another. “That is my only critique: more Mike Johnson.” blender manages it. Poulin and the rarely used Button also had their supporters. The way the scoring for this survey worked, it was almost a default “Poulin/Johnson/Button are good-to-excellent when on the Habs option. As much as the broadcast was more likely to show up on the broadcasts as analysts,” said one, reflecting a general satisfaction with “very good” rather than “very poor” side of the out-of-market scale, it the talent in TSN’s stable of commentators. didn’t show up in either slot very often. Only two percent of the non- Ottawa ballots made any mention of the Senators production (the lowest Plenty of respondents would have been happy with one dedicated colour number of any team on this list), and a lot of the ones which did had a commentator, almost regardless of who took the slot. The rotating cast at ‘vote down the ballot’ feel to them: Canadian viewers listing all the TSN, the fractured broadcast rights and the perception that the Habs regional TSN broadcasts in order. We saw some of the same effects in always took second billing to the Maple Leafs left a rotten taste in the Toronto and Montreal, though it was muted by the complicated TV market overall. situations in those markets, and we certainly saw it in Winnipeg where only some very negative local reviews prevented it from a top-10 finish. “The English broadcasts for the Canadiens make almost no effort to include colour/play by play or analysis from a Canadiens perspective,” It’s a good broadcast, it’s just not particularly a Senators broadcast, and lamented one, echoing the common theme. “Mike Johnson does an that shows up in some ambivalence in the local reviews. excellent job but seems to be used so sparingly it leads me to believe that the network(s) wants it this way.” “The commentators change a lot,” admitted a fan, rating it as a “good” rather than “very good” production. “I liked the days where we had the Galley was the figure most identified with Sportsnet’s broadcast, and not same play by play commentator for 82 games.” in a positive way. The vast majority of respondents had a negative view of his commentary, with phrases like “not impartial”, “a clear bias against Nevertheless, there was a general sense of satisfaction with the the Canadiens” and “constant anti-Habs comments” standard. broadcast itself. The bottom line: Despite TSN’s strong reputation outside the market, a “While lacking a consistent voice game by game given the rotating roster, rotating cast of commentators and fractured broadcast rights have left TSN’s talent – especially in colour commentary – is top notch,” said a Montreal fans dissatisfied with local coverage overall. local voter. 6. San Jose Sharks It didn’t affect the numbers here since the comments weren’t directed at a specific broadcast, but both Miller and Cuthbert were frequently listed The broadcast: NBC Sports California carries Sharks games, with Randy as favourite play-by-play options for out-of-market voters, especially Hahn on play-by-play and , and Kendall Coyne within Canada. The same was true of Ferraro and Johnson on colour. Schofield doing colour. The bottom line: ‘What if a rotating series of national-level broadcasters The results: San Jose’s broadcast has long been recognized as one of called every game for your local team?’ seems to be the question TSN is the NHL’s better regional products, and that’s borne out by the numbers asking in every market. here. Eighty-one percent of locals gave it the best possible score on our scale, while out-of-market responses were nearly three times as likely to 4. St. Louis Blues rate it “very good” as they were “very poor.” The broadcast: Fox Sports Midwest carries Blues games, with John Kelly Hahn, who has been with the team seemingly forever, is a point of on play-by-play and doing colour. stability on a broadcast that has been busy reinventing itself over the last The results: Very few broadcasts manage to inspire fierce local devotion five years. He’s well respected, so much so that even the comments without sacrificing NHL-wide respect. The Blues are one of the few that expressing criticism of him tend to start with statements like, “I know this manages to do so. Of the top five productions based on local voting, St. is an unpopular opinion …” Louis is one of just two that also manages to finish in the top-10 based “ is an absolute legend at the craft,” was how one Sharks fan on out-of-market responses. put it, reflecting the consensus view both in and out of the market that he’s among the best play-by-play men in the NHL. The presence of Pang, an exuberant and undersized former goaltender The changes mentioned refer to the fluctuation at play-by-play since the with a long list of national gigs throughout his broadcasting career, does departure of in the summer of 2015. , his much to explain the wide appreciation for the broadcast. replacement, died following a battle with cancer in 2017. Reaugh filled in on play-by-play for most of two years, with former Dallas defenceman “Pang is what gets St. Louis in the top five,” wrote a Capitals fan, handling colour. Bogorad was promoted to play-by-play explaining their list. It was a common sentiment and especially so in work at the start of last season and has quickly established a reputation Arizona, where Coyotes fans still have fond memories of Pang’s work for quality work. covering their team. Brien Rea’s work in studio and the quality technical aspects of the Fox “Darren Pang is an absolute gem and must be protected at all costs,” broadcast also earned praise. wrote one of the many St. Louis fans who approved heartily of his commentary. “The Stars broadcast switching to the behind-the-net camera when teams are breaking out is something every single broadcast should Kelly too got strong marks, especially at the local level. adopt,” suggested a voter in Minnesota. “The heritage shows,” said one respondent. “He educates the fans It’s Reaugh’s insightful analysis and extensive vocabulary that anchor the without talking down. Fair to both teams and honest about the home Dallas production, though. team.” “I mean … Razor,” wrote a local respondent in explanation of their “very Outside of the usual complaints concerning Fox’s ongoing dispute with good” rating. “‘Nuff said.” carriers, the one thing multiple locals felt the Blues broadcast could do better was incorporating modern analytics. The bottom line: Headlined by its brilliant in-game analyst, one of the league’s best local broadcasts is once again in top form. “Stop talking about plus/minus,” grumbled one, who gave the broadcast the highest possible mark anyway. “Give me expected goals.” 1. Carolina Hurricanes The bottom line: The Blues are an aberration among regional broadcasts The broadcast: carries Hurricanes games, with in that they manage to inspire the locals without turning off the out-of- John Forslund on play-by-play and Tripp Tracy doing colour. towners. The results: There are two ways to look at the Hurricanes’ incredible 3. Vegas Golden Knights results. The first is that a lot of people love them, which is remarkable in itself. The second is that almost nobody hates them. Despite a flood of The broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain carries Golden Knights votes both in and out of market, Carolina’s broadcast managed to avoid games, with on play-by-play and Shane Hnidy doing local criticism and even ire from NHL viewers generally. colour. Forslund, in particular, earned praise from around the NHL for his call of The results: Vegas had a chance to build a broadcast team from scratch the play. Many argued he was the best active commentator in hockey and settled on poaching Hnidy from TSN’s Winnipeg coverage and and his name was used as a byword for quality. promoting Goucher from radio work for the Bruins. Both got a lot of love from their previous posts in this survey, with Bruins and Jets viewers “Willy Daunic’s play by play skills are criminally underrated outside the disproportionately choosing the Golden Knights broadcast as one of the home market,” said a Nashville respondent who gave the Predators’ five best in the league and often contrasting them by name with current broadcast top marks. They added, tellingly: “He’s no John Forslund but local commentators. he’s getting there.” Fans in Vegas tend to agree with those sentiments. “Forslund is an absolute top-notch talent,” said a Kings respondent who listed four out-of-market broadcasts as very poor and Carolina alone as “Dave and Shane started Year 1 by catering to new fans. They clarified very good. “He’s fantastic and his game calls are always very exciting.” rules and explained things like line changes,” said one respondent, explaining how well the duo has fit in covering the recent expansion “Forslund has the highest percentage of play-by-play as opposed to ‘chit team. “As time has gone on, they’ve done a masterful job of evolving chat’ minutes during live-action,” added a reviewer from Toronto. their commentary as the fan base has become more educated. Their role is fostering our fandom should not be understated.” Tracy was somewhat more polarizing, though that would be true of virtually anybody when compared to Forslund. Nevertheless, the Daren Millard, who spent 20 years at Rogers Sportsnet, and freshly consensus view of his work was still very flattering. retired goalie Mike McKenna also got high praise for their studio work. Given Millard’s long experience he’s perhaps an unsurprising inclusion, “The broadcast duo of John Forslund and Tripp Tracey is an absolute but McKenna’s transition from on-ice player to off-ice analyst has been delight,” said a voter in Tampa Bay. “Fun, engaging, and sometimes remarkably smooth. attempts to be balanced; it’s also very honest about being the (regional) ‘cast for the Hurricanes, some bias makes sense.” “His style is fantastic, excellent job speaking to the audience (facing camera for direct eye contact), knows what he’s talking about and often “Here’s what I love about Tripp Tracy,” said a Carolina fan. “He’s not includes hilarious anecdotes,” said one respondent, explaining why afraid to point out where mistakes are made by the home team. If it’s a McKenna’s name popped up so frequently on ballots. His perspective is bad penalty he says so. If it’s a goal against due to poor positioning or so refreshing because he knows the players, systems, and different poor goaltending he says so. It’s refreshing.” teams as they are currently, not 20-plus years ago when the broadcaster The bottom line: No NHL broadcast, national or regional, is universally was in the league. We need these newer retirees because they know the loved. Carolina comes closer than any of the others. current game and system.”

The bottom line: The success of the expansion Golden Knights stretches to the broadcast, which out of the box is one of the finest regional The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 productions in the NHL. 2. Dallas Stars The broadcast: Fox Sports Southwest carries Stars games, with Josh Bogorad on play-by-play and doing colour. The results: “The team is a gem,” said one Stars fan. “Don’t tell the rest of the world about them.” It’s an academic request, given that Reaugh is one of the best-known commentators in hockey, with a slew of Canadian, American and even video game broadcast credits to his name. Bogorad’s in only his second year in Dallas and doesn’t have the same name recognition but has made an immediate impression even outside Texas. “I think Josh Bogorad and Daryl Reaugh are a great tandem which is interesting given the changes in the past three or four years to the Dallas broadcast team,” said a Carolina respondent. 1173285 Websites Employees on both sides of the border have been working on creating reusable gowns made out of a nylon material, which the company had on hand to make samples and prototypes. The material is a little bit lighter than what is used on actual goalie pads. Vaughn already had thousands The Athletic / Inside the rapid move by hockey companies to of yards of the material in stock. The new gowns can be washed and manufacture frontline medical gear used several times, instead of being immediately disposed, Vaughn says. Several of the nylon gowns have been delivered to the Essex hospital to be tested already. By Dan Robson Vaughan and Brian’s aren’t the only sports equipment companies to shift Apr 1, 2020 to the production of protective medical equipment during the pandemic. Fanatics, the company that manufactures MLB uniforms, has also focused its production on making masks and gowns for frontline workers. On the day Mike Vaughn sent home all of his employees, he stood alone It plans to produce one million masks and gowns over the next couple of next to the production floor machinery and listened to the walls creak in months. MLB and Fanatics are taking on the costs for manufacturing the the wind. In the nearly four decades since he started his hockey protective products. equipment company, Vaughn never heard the factory so quiet. Bauer Hockey has used its resources to develop a face shield for The ice had melted in rinks across North America as the COVID-19 frontline workers. Bauer’s product engineers teamed up with the pandemic engulfed the globe. There were much bigger things to worry engineers at Cascade Lacrosse, a sister company, to develop a about than goalie equipment. protective mask that could be quickly manufactured using the materials they had in their manufacturing plants. So the Vaughn Custom Sports factory in Oxford, Mich., had to close. As did the company’s factory in London, Ont. — along with the facility for The production lines had to be quickly retooled to be able to manufacture Brian’s Custom Goalie Equipment, its sister brand, in Kingsville, Ont. the masks as quickly as possible. It took just four days from the first Almost 150 employees between the locations were furloughed. brainstorming session to having the first few masks coming off the line, says Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer’s vice-president of global marketing. “It was a shock,” Vaughn says. “You could see the fear in people. The unknown. The anxiety. It was just a bad moment.” The face shields are being produced at Bauer’s research and development facility in Blainville, Que., for Canadian orders and at the But the factories didn’t stay quiet for long. Cascade Lacrosse facility in Liverpool, N.Y., for orders in the United As news was spreading about a dangerous shortage of personal States. protective equipment for medical workers on the frontline fighting the Within 48 hours of announcing the face shield last week, Bauer had pandemic, an EMS worker in Essex County, in southwestern Ontario, received requests for more than one million units. reached out to a friend who worked at the Brian’s factory. Manufacturing has been ramped up, producing up to 8,000 face shields a During the pandemic, EMS workers have had to wear personal protective day. But orders keep flooding in, from nursing homes, first responders gear during every call they responded to and were down to their last five and hospitals. The province of Quebec has ordered 300,000 face shields. or six days of stock. They’d managed to accrue rolls of the paper-like material used for the disposable bedsheets on gurneys and wanted to “There’s just so much more to be done,” says Messier. “I’ve received, know if the Brian’s factory employees could use their talents for cutting from people across our company, emails and texts from doctors and and sewing to fashion medical gowns out of the material. nurses basically pleading for a shield because they don’t have what they need. I can’t even begin to tell you the kind of communication we’ve The company had already agreed to provide any raw material they had received.” on hand that could be useful in producing protective gear for medical workers. Now, a day after being laid off, the sewing staff at Brian’s was Bauer started directing requests to other companies that have also going back to work. With the order for medical gear, the company was shifted to making face shields. But because there is still such a shortage, able to reopen as an essential service. Bauer has also published the design its engineers created for the face shield on its website, along with a list of the suppliers it gets the material “The first day when they came back in, everybody was happy and ready from. to get to it,” says Joe Aitken, director of sales and marketing for Brian’s. “Just from an individual standpoint, you’re happy to be able to do “We’ve asked other companies to step up,” says Messier. “What we’ve something when so many people out there can’t.” found is companies are coming to us and telling us the things that they can do, what their limitations are and what they can provide.” It didn’t stop there. Some companies have offered to provide components while others have Mike Vaughn, owner of Vaughn Custom Sports, has received orders for offered to facilitate assembly, she says. thousands of medical gowns. (Courtesy Arlene Vaughn) “We really are way over capacity already,” says Messier. “What would be As the Brian’s employees got busy manufacturing gowns, Mike Vaughn great is if we could really find ways to bring these companies together received a message on Facebook from a company that produces through collaboration to be able to exponentially increase the number automotive parts one town over from Oxford, Mich. that we can manufacture.” The company was looking to use its materials to create protective shields Employees at Brian’s Custom Sports have returned to work, making for frontline medical workers, but they needed to find a way to safely gowns from material provided by EMS workers. (Courtesy Joe Aitken) fasten the shields around people’s heads. One of the company’s employees is a hockey player and mentioned that Vaughn made its gear At the Vaughan factories, staff are still learning the design and getting just down the road. The straps used to tighten goalie masks and chest used to the process of producing gowns. The aim is for everyone on the protectors would be perfect for the new shields. floor to sew together 40 gowns per day. “It’s all because somebody who worked at that place is a hockey player,” “I truly don’t even know what our capacity is yet,” Mike Vaughn says. Vaughn says. “It’s like ‘Who in the world would have this kind of the material … The Vaughn guys are just one town up. Call them.’” It’s a much different process than how they build goalie equipment, so it’s taken time to get right. As they’ve become more accustomed to the Word also spread quickly that Vaughn and Brian’s were producing process the workers have been able to create more efficiency through a gowns, and requests flooded in from hospitals and medical clinics looking production line. for similar supplies. “Obviously for this kind of product, speed becomes paramount because “Most of the hospitals we are hearing from have another week of you’re trying to get them in people’s hands as quickly as possible,” supplies, tops, and then they’re out,” Vaughn says. Vaughn says. Through the material provided by the EMS workers in Essex County, the Hopefully, he says, they’ll be able to increase their output to keep up with company will be able to make about 18,000 gowns. Each is designed for demand. one-time use. Those gowns will all remain in Canada. The first gowns were based on a sample they were given. But much like “There’s a point and time where the material we have to do the 18,000 the custom goalie equipment they produce for NHL clients, each hospital will be done and gone — and what do you after that?” says Vaughn. that has put in an order has asked for individual changes, so it’s closer to “Because there is absolutely no more material available like that.” what they are used to — like having a loop on the end of the sleeve to put your thumb through, so it doesn’t slip beneath a glove while working. Some hospitals want that feature, some don’t, Vaughn says. Another request has come in for gowns with hoods. All of the demand has kept the production floor busy, which has meant extra precautions are needed. Employees at the Vaughn and Brian’s factories are spaced out between work stations, maintaining at least a 12-foot distance between each person. There are gloves and masks available for those that want to wear them. And work stations are regularly wiped down and sanitized. The employees come in knowing that they are putting themselves at greater risk by not staying home during the pandemic. Many have chosen not to return yet, which Vaughn says he understands and supports. At the same time, people from community have volunteered to come and help out at the factories. “I think we’re going to see more,” Vaughn says. “A lot of people want to help.” On the weekend, Vaughn was at the factory in Oxford at 4 a.m., getting the elastic material ready for the face shields being produced one town over. As the week started the production floor was loud and alive again — and the first gowns delivered in Michigan were used. The desperate requests keep flooding in. The company just took an order for another 6,000. It may be a long time until the ice comes back, Vaughan says. But he’s never been prouder to make gear for last defenders.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173286 Websites The Baldwins have been producing movies for quite a while now. In 2005, they were nominated for an Academy Award for best picture for the Ray Charles biopic, “Ray,” which they produced with financing from Phil Anschutz, the owner of the Los Angeles Kings. The Athletic / Duhatschek: ‘Odd Man Rush’ is the little hockey movie with big star power “Odd Man Rush” is a fish-out-of-water story based on Keenan’s real-life adventures. After Harvard, Keenan rattled around leagues in Europe, eventually landing in Sweden in the hopes of eventually forging an NHL career. Like a lot of players who have that as a childhood dream, it didn’t By Eric Duhatschek work out for Keenan. But there was a lot of living and learning done on Apr 1, 2020 the journey. Hockey’s growth in California has led to a curious mixing and merging of sport and entertainment. Trevor Gretzky’s mom, Janet Jones, had a Whenever the subject of the greatest hockey movies of all-time arises, a successful acting career – star of “Flamingo Kid,” a supporting player in lot of people are going to agree on No. 1: “Slap Shot,” the Paul Newman “A League of Their Own” – and according to Karen Baldwin, Janet’s son vehicle which explores the ribald life of the lower minor leagues in the has genuine acting chops. 1970s. “Odd Man Rush” stars Jack Mulhern, who is currently featured in the It’s become almost a cliché or a code – if a game descends into a version Netflix original series “Society,” and Elektra Jansson Kilbey, who is in the of “Slap Shot,” it’s become violent and out of control, which is how cast of “Tales From The Loop,” an upcoming series scheduled to debut hockey was back in the 1970s, especially in the lower minor leagues. on Amazon in early April. Two side-by-side narratives made the movie great. One, the complications in the players’ lives as the Charlestown Chiefs deliberately Baldwin started his life in hockey as the manager of the Jersey Devils of go bankrupt because the owner values them primarily as a tax write-off. the old Eastern Hockey League, based in Cherry Hill, N.J. Two: the black dressing-room humour attached to eking out a living in a The Johnstown Jets were in the same division as the Devils – and minor hockey/frat-boy sort of existence. It’s been said that every bus that eventually, the three players featured as the Hanson Brothers in “Slap transported every minor hockey or junior team for decades included two Shot” (Steve and Jack Carlson and Dave Hanson) would play for pieces of mandatory equipment: A DVD or VHS player and a copy of Baldwin’s WHA team, the New England Whalers, after a previous stop “Slap Shot.” with the Minnesota Fighting Saints. KEMB Productions has a film project Beyond “Slap Shot,” the best-hockey movie discussion becomes a bit in active development called “The Minnesota Fighting Saints: Today’s more scattered, but it almost always includes “Mystery, ” – which Slap Shot,” which Baldwin says will pick up the “Slap Shot” story from the was filmed outside of Calgary in 1999 and starred Russell Crowe just as moment the Carlsons and Hanson moved on to play in the WHA. Crowe’s career started taking off. Visually, “Mystery, Alaska” is attractive How does “Odd Man Rush” look? – the mountains provide the backdrop for a few breathtaking skating scenes. And even though the storyline was highly implausible – that a How difficult is it to get a hockey movie made these days? group of Saturday-afternoon amateurs could take on the New York Rangers – it was still a fun premise; a riff on Miracle, or the idea that in a How did the various celebrity casting choices handle their roles? single game, even an overmatched team can compete, if they care The Baldwins sat down with me and answered those questions and enough. more. Hockey movies don’t come around very often for reasons we’ll explore How did you two get connected with Bill Keenan in the first place? below, but soon, there will be another entry into the larger canon. It’s called “Odd Man Rush” and it’s based on a memoir from a former Howard: He did a Google search to see who made hockey movies and player named Bill Keenan, who tried to keep his NHL our names came up. He sent us the book first and what struck me was dreams alive by playing in the second division leagues of Europe. the similarity to my life. He was a kid following his dream, which is what I did at the start too, and what we all try to do. He went to Harvard and my Much hilarity ensued. father still holds a couple of Harvard scoring records. By the time he’d The film has been completed and producers Howard and Karen Baldwin contacted us, he’d already written a movie script – and so he sent that are – with the help of CAA – in the process of finalizing a distribution along as well. It originally came in far too long. We said, “to make a deal. The movie was primarily shot last February in Clinton, N.Y., which – movie like this, the script has to come in at about 115 pages.” This was coincidentally – is also where a handful of scenes from “Slap Shot” were over 200. We also told him: “To get it financed, you’re probably going to filmed. have to raise a good portion of the money yourself” – which he did. He did it all himself. You may be vaguely familiar with “Odd Man Rush” already because the cast is dotted with familiar hockey names. Karen: He got the script in good enough shape to attract a director (Doug Dearth) and was able to raise the money from friends and family. Dylan Playfair, son of Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Jim Playfair, and Knowing what the budget was, we had to tell him, “you can’t film in 10 one of the featured stars of “Letterkenny,” plays Dean, one of the three different locations.” It might have been nice to film in Sweden, but that lead roles. wasn’t going to happen. So, we needed to find a place where you could get a tax benefit that could also double for Sweden and then make it for Trevor Gretzky, son of Wayne and Janet Gretzky, has a supporting part about $3 million. as Sully. Howard: We brought in Todd Slater as a partner. Todd’s dad was Terry Alexa Lemieux, daughter of Mario Lemieux, has a cameo as a Harvard Slater – who coached the L.A. Sharks of the WHA and the Cincinnati student who stumbles across a team hazing ritual. Stingers, before going on to coach Colgate, where he’s a legend. Todd is Jesse Rae Robitaille, son of , contributed two songs to the his youngest son. He came out (to Hollywood) in 2000, and knocked on soundtrack. our door and we’ve known him since then. Todd had the relationships in Hamilton, N.Y. (where Colgate is located). Between his financial Jim Playfair, previously known mostly for a viral video in which he angrily contacts; Billy raising the equity dollars and our experience of getting launches a lot of hockey sticks onto the ice, makes his official acting things done, we got the movie made. debut as a referee. Karen: Much like his hockey career, Bill Keenan wasn’t taking no for Meanwhile, Paul Stewart, an actual former NHL referee, briefly drops by answer. He’d say, “what do I have to do to make it happen?” We’d say: to play Stewy, a Harvard University dressing room attendant. “You have to raise the money.” You say that to a lot of people and they answer: “No problem.” The reality is, it’s usually a big problem. But he Behind the scenes, Baldwin – the former owner of the , actually did it. Pittsburgh Penguins and for a short time, the Minnesota North Stars – is part of the production team that helped pull the project together. So, let’s talk about some of the casting choices for the movie, beginning with Trevor Gretzky who – after trying to follow in his father’s footsteps as Howard and his wife Karen are currently doing business as KEMB a professional athlete – is now following in his mother’s footsteps as an Productions, and in the past, have been involved in a number of other actor. How did that happen? hockey movie projects – the aforementioned “Mystery, Alaska,” plus “Sudden Death” and “Mr. Hockey,” the Howe family biopic that aired on Karen: We met with Trevor and got him in with the casting people, who the CBC on the third Saturday of March, replacing the usual “Hockey had no clue who Wayne or Trevor Gretzky were. Nothing. So, Trevor Night In Canada” fare. came in to read for a very small part. The casting person said, “this kid’s really good. Let’s see if he wants to read for a bigger part.” So, he read “Slap Shot.” That movie was very real. To get that movie financed, they for the bigger part and they liked him and they said, “we want to cast him had to have Paul Newman. But if you ask people who they remember in the larger role.” So, I explained, “you know, that’s Wayne Gretzky’s most, it’s the Hanson Brothers. son.” And they had these blank stares. Honestly. They didn’t know. So, Trevor really earned that himself. And since doing the movie, we were Karen: I just read an interview with Al Pacino, where they asked him able to get him a manager and he’s getting a lot of work. He’s a good about roles that he wished he’d played – and he said, one of them was actor. the lead in “Slap Shot,” but he couldn’t do it because he didn’t know how to skate. How about Dylan Playfair? In Canada, we see Dylan a lot, thanks to “Letterkenny,” but he also played Marty Howe in the Howe family movie. Howard: Russell Crowe couldn’t skate either. But what he did was, he Is that the connection? studied those guys and everything they did, until they got on the ice. He knew once they got on the ice, he was screwed. So, we got a great Howard: Yes, we had him in the Gordie Howe movie, and so when Karen double for him, a kid that had a cup of coffee with the Islanders and then saw him on the list of potential candidates to be in “Odd Man Rush,” she went over and played in the U.K. (Brad Turner). For someone who’d contacted the casting director and said, “this kid is really good.” And they never been on skates before, Russell Crowe carried himself well as a got him in there and he got the part right away. We thought he was player. terrific – and he’s got a great future. People are endlessly fascinated by “Slap Shot.” There have been two How did your ownership connection to the WHA’s New England Whalers direct-to-video sequels that didn’t resonate nearly the same way the and later to the Pittsburgh Penguins contribute to “Mystery, Alaska,” original did. Tell me more about your plans to produce the definitive which was produced by someone even I’ve heard of – David E. Kelley. sequel. Howard: David Kelley’s dad was Jack Kelley, who was the general Howard: Karen has written a really good treatment on it – that shows the manager of the Whalers. We have a picture of David’s dad, drinking progression of what really happened. Many of those guys – Stevie and champagne after we won the Avco Cup and there’s David in the Jack Carlson, Dave Hanson, Billy Butters, Ron Busniuk – ended up background at the age of 16. One day, we were at a restaurant in Beverly playing for the Minnesota Fighting Saints after their time in Johnstown. Hills, having lunch with David, and said, “let’s do the ultimate hockey That’s where we pick up the story in the treatment. I mean, you can’t movie that brings it back to its roots” – and that became “Mystery, invent all the crazy things that happened to the Minnesota Fighting Saints Alaska,” where we brought it back to the pond. That’s how it happened. – and we will tell that story. Right now, we’re only in treatment form, but had a house in Banff that we rented for Russell Crowe. Glen Karen has added another dimension to the story – of a female reporter came and spoke to the team. was there. Pat Brisson was in that follows the team – which was new back then. So that’s what we’re it. So was Glen’s son. going to do. In your biography, “Slim and None,” you mention that after Russell Crowe For those of us not familiar with the progression of a film, what are the was cast in the lead role, he wanted to hang around the Penguins to gain next steps after a treatment is prepared? a greater understanding of hockey culture and eventually gravitated toward Ron Francis, one of the team’s leaders. Crowe had just come off Howard: The next step is to get a screenplay written. We have a couple making “L.A. Confidential,” a film that had propelled his career in an of good writers that we use here, and I would think we’ll have a script upward trajectory. What happened there? ready in the next 3-4 months. Howard: We said to Russell, “the team is coming out to L.A. we always If someone asks, what is a reasonable time frame for your “Slap Shot” take them to dinner at the Palm restaurant once a year, why don’t you sequel to appear on their movie screens, or streaming services, what come join us?” So, we set a time for the dinner and Russell showed up. would be the answer? I’m guessing, it must take 2-3 years to complete? Karen (adopting an Australian accent): Russell says to Ronnie, “I’ve been Howard: It doesn’t have to be. The way it works, it usually does that take doing some research and I think you’re the player, mate, that my long. But no, it could easily happen sooner – within two years, with the character would most be like.” right amount of momentum. Howard: That evening, after we left the restaurant, Russell stayed at the So, circling back to “Odd Man Rush,” where do you stand with that bar with a few of the guys and said he’d loved to travel with the team for property? the rest of the road trip. We said, fine. It was easy to arrange. But then Karen: We wanted to get it into the Toronto Film Festival (last fall), but after about a week, we got a call from Ronnie Francis, who said, “You we were too tight for time, so we weren’t able to do that. Then we did a better get him out of here – or we might not win another game on this few screenings and CAA saw the movie and said they’d like to represent trip.” They were having too good a time with Russell Crowe. That was the it and try to sell it, and that’s a big deal for us, because they’re good. year we had a really good team. Then, a few years later, after Ronnie got traded to Toronto, Russell was filming “A Beautiful Mind” and we put the Howard: That’s who we’re working with – CAA. To me, the movie is a two of them in touch again. Russell became a huge Toronto Maple Leaf love letter to hockey. The NHL has seen it – and they like it. fan because of Ronnie – and he loved (Jaromir) Jagr as well. Will “Odd Man Rush” appear anytime soon? I saw the movie “Faceoff,” with Trudy Young and Art Hindle, in Toronto, in the theatres back in 1971 – and it featured George Armstrong, Derek Howard: The answer is, yes, people will be seeing it relatively soon. We Sanderson and other NHLers of the era in cameos. But overall, it was were about to do something with it and then we sort of pulled back and like a lot of hockey movies over the years – pretty cheesy. What makes a said, “let’s rethink it.” Selling something for theatrical distribution right good hockey movie? What resonates with fans? now is very tough because obviously, we’re at a time when people can’t congregate (in movie theatres). So, you sort of shift gears and think, “is Howard: People sometimes recoil in this town when you bring up hockey, there a way we can do something that’s really clever?” Maybe it’s in the but then you tell them: “It doesn’t matter if the sport is hockey or way of prime-time television, which is what we’re working on now. basketball or boxing, if it’s a good story, then doing a movie about a sport that has a huge following only adds value.” But to make any movie good, Final question: What would constitute a success for “Odd Man Rush?” you have to have great talent and characters. Karen: For me, it’s already a success – because it’s impossible to get an Karen: If you talk about “Slap Shot,” that’s what made the movie so great independent movie made these days – especially a small movie, with no – the characters. People sort of remember the story, but what they really stars, about a specific subject matter, with sports as the backdrop. The remember are the characters. fact that it actually got made – Bill Keenan should feel really proud of that. Obviously, you’d like for him to get his investment back. Howard: One of the movies we’ll make – and we will make it – is the true sequel to “Slap Shot” – which is the story of the Minnesota Fighting Howard: That’s key – making sure the risk money gets their money back. Saints, because that’s where those guys went to play afterward. Steve If that happens, good – then everything else is a bonus. But it will happen Carlson, Jack Carlson and Dave Hanson all played for us eventually in with this one. Hartford. My first year in hockey was in the old Eastern League. I came from a prep school background. I’ll never forget our first exhibition game. Our front office consisted of me and a secretary. Vic Stasiuk was the The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 coach. We all shared an office. I remember doing the ticket count in the office just after the game started when – all of a sudden – I heard all this screaming and yelling coming from the ice. I thought “oh my god, there must be a riot.” So, I go out and I see everyone on the ice is fighting. Fans are throwing chairs. The whole year went on like that – and I have to tell you, that was my most fun year in hockey. That league really was 1173287 Websites hear Stephane Matteau’s name screamed at you ever again, I think it would be worth it.

April 26, 2011: Blackhawks vs. Canucks The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Remembering the dramatic tying goals The setup: By 2011, the Hawks and Canucks had managed to brew up a that went to waste surprisingly heated inter-division rivalry, one that had seen Chicago eliminate very good Vancouver teams in both 2009 and 2010. The Hawks had gone on to win the Cup after that second series, but the By Sean McIndoe Canucks were the favorites heading into their 2011 rematch after a franchise-record 117-point season. All they had to do was slay the Apr 1, 2020 dragon. And through three games, they did. The Canucks built a 3-0 series lead, With no new NHL action these days, the league’s broadcast partners one that the history books said should be all but insurmountable. But have been dipping into their archives to fill airtime with memorable then the Hawks fought back with a blowout win, and then another, and games from the past. And it’s been pretty cool. We all miss live hockey, then an overtime win in Game 6 to tie the series. That set up a Game 7 in but getting to rewatch some old classics isn’t a bad way to spend an Vancouver where the Canucks would either fight back with one of the evening. biggest wins in franchise history, or suffer a loss so devastating that they’d have no choice but to detonate the roster. No middle ground. For example, over the weekend Canadian viewers were treated to replays of a pair of classic Canucks Game 7s: their showdown against The situation: Alex Burrows opened the scoring early in the first, and it the Flames in 2004 and their grudge match against the Blackhawks in seemed like that might be enough as Roberto Luongo held off a 2011. A few days earlier, both Sportsnet and Fox Sports West showed surprisingly toothless Chicago attack. Late in the third, the Hawks’ the Kerry Fraser game between the Leafs and Kings from 1993. chances went from bad to worse when took a tripping penalty to leave them shorthanded. All the Canucks had to do was play All memorable games. But they had something else in common, and you keep away for two minutes, then take it home. may have noticed it. They all featured a very specific type of goal. They all had a Zelepukin. The Zelepukin: A neutral zone turnover led to a harmless looking 2-on-4 rush for the Hawks. But as it turns out, Jonathan Toews is pretty OK, I’m guessing you don’t call it that, since that’s a label I’ve been using dangerous, even from all fours. in my own head over the years. But you know the moment. A Zelepukin is when a team scores a dramatic goal to tie a crucial game at the end of And just like that, the Canucks were headed to sudden death on the regulation but then goes on to lose that game in overtime. verge of what would have been viewed as one of the most epic chokes in NHL history. A Zelepukin goal is always a weird moment in hindsight. When the tying goal happens, it’s euphoric for one fan base and crushing for the other. But then: Five minutes into overtime Chris Campoli’s failed clearing But then the script gets flipped in overtime, and you realize that the attempt wound up in Burrows’ glove, and he hammered one past Corey Zelepukin just prolonged the misery. Sometimes, the tying goal itself is all Crawford for the winner. but forgotten, replaced in the collective memory by the overtime goal it Do you wish it never happened? Watch that overtime winner again. Do spawned. you see how happy Burrows is? It’s the highlight of his entire career. If And that’s where the paradox of the Zelepukin kicks in – if your team you were a Hawks fans, would you want to take that away from him? Of scored it, you might end up wondering if you’d rather it had never course you would. It’s not even a hard question. This Zelepukin clearly happened at all. needs to go. That question has always kind of fascinated me. So today, let’s look at May 27, 1993: Maple Leafs vs. Kings those three Zelepukin goals we’ve been able to relive in recent days, as The setup: It’s Game 6 of the Campbell Conference final. The Leafs had well as a few more famous ones from hockey history. We’ll start with the won Game 5 in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead, and are looking to end one that might have been the most memorable in NHL history. If you’re the series and head to their first Stanley Cup final since 1967. Waiting for not sure which one that is, well, the name might give you a hint. them there are the Montreal Canadiens, for a series that will captivate May 27, 1994: Devils vs. Rangers (and divide) an entire country. The setup: It’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, with the Rangers The situation: The Leafs open the scoring, but the Kings pour it on in the hosting the Devils at . New York has won the second period to take a 4-2 lead. makes it 4-3 with his Presidents’ Trophy and is looking to punch a ticket to the final and a second goal of the game midway through the third, but the Kings hold on chance to end a 54-year Cup drought. But the underdog Devils are giving until there’s 90 seconds left and Felix Potvin heads to the Leafs bench. them all they can handle. The series is already legendary, having The Zelepukin: Who else? featured Mark Messier’s infamous Guarantee that kept the Rangers alive in Game 6. Now it all comes down to one winner-take-all showdown. A Doug Gilmour pass sets up a patented Clark wrist shot, and we’re tied. Clark was banged up and broken down, but he’d just had what might still The situation: Game 7 turns into a fierce defensive battle, with Mike stand as the greatest individual game by any Leafs player in the modern Richter and Martin Brodeur trading saves in a 0-0 tie until era, considering the circumstances. And with overtime looming, he just gets the Rangers on the board midway through the second. As the third needed one more chance to end the series and serve up a Cup final for period ticks away, it starts to look like that goal will hold up as the winner. the ages. The Zelepukin: With Brodeur on the bench and 18 seconds left, the But then: I am not ready to talk about it. teams line up for a faceoff in the Rangers’ end. Messier wins the draw but the Rangers can’t clear, and a goalmouth scramble leads to a golden Do you wish it never happened? Hell no. Here’s the other side of the scoring opportunity. Richter makes what seems like an impossible save, Zelepukin coin. Sure, it almost always sets up a loss that’s even more but a certain Devil is there to hack away at the rebound: Tom Chorske! heartbreaking than whatever had already been on the table. But sometimes, heartbreak is the right ending. Yes, Clark’s goal set the stage No, just kidding. It is, of course, Valeri Zelepukin. for Kerry Fraser’s missed call and Wayne Gretzky’s overtime winner, And just like that, 18,000 delirious Rangers fans go dead quiet. For at which still stand as the most infuriating moments in modern Leafs history. least a little while. But if that Toronto team wasn’t going to win the Cup, and Gretzky’s dominant Game 7 for the ages was already preordained, then they But then: In arguably the most famous overtime of the era, the two teams deserved an infuriating moment to point to as the reason. I’m a typical don’t score through one period before Stephane Matteau’s harmless- Leafs fan, which is to say I’ve spent 27 years refusing to shut up about looking wraparound attempt ends it. The goal isn’t especially pretty, but Fraser’s missed call. You think I’m going to give that up, along with the the call will live forever. exclamation point on Wendel’s greatest game? No way. Do you wish it never happened? If you’re a Devils fan, it’s quite possible April 19, 2004: Flames vs. Canucks that Zelepukin’s goal, at the moment it happened, was the highlight of your entire life as a sports fan. But in hindsight, if you could wave a The setup: The Flames and Canucks were meeting in the first round of magic wand and make it disappear, I think you’d have to. Sure, losing 1-0 the playoffs, and as per league bylaws that meant a seventh game was on a Brian Leetch goal would have been painful. But if you never had to mandatory. It had been a fun series, with close games and a triple-OT classic in Game 6. The Canucks had won that one to extend the series, and now they were on home ice for the winner-take-all finale. The situation: had given the Flames a 1-0 lead heading (We’re not sorry. IGGY!) into the third, when Vancouver’s Matt Cooke got the equalizer. Iginla struck again midway through the period, and Calgary held that 2-1 lead until the final minute. The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 The Zelepukin: Both teams took late penalties, opening up the ice for a frantic finish. Iginla had a look at the open net, but missed – maybe thanks to a jersey tossed in his direction from the stands. That set up one last Canucks rush, with Markus Naslund driving to the net. He was stopped, but the rebound popped out. If the Canucks had won this game, we’d still be hearing about that uncalled stick-chop on Iginla. But then: Those late penalties meant the Flames would have a brief power play early in overtime, and they made it count. Iginla was denied, but Martin Gelinas knocked the puck over the line. In what would turn out be a nice change of pace, the league even let the goal count. Do you wish it never happened? I think we can all agree that, in hindsight, anything that made Matt Cooke look good should never have happened. April 23, 2019: Golden Knights vs. Sharks The setup: Vegas was only in Year 2, but they’d already created a heated rivalry with the Sharks, the team they’d eliminated in the second round in 2018. The rematch was headed the same way, with the Knights taking a 3-1 series lead before the Sharks fought back to force a Game 7 in San Jose. The situation: Max Pacioretty’s goal early in the third made it 3-0 for Vegas and seemed to ice it. But then came a controversial five-minute major to Cody Eakin, and a Sharks power play for the ages. They scored four goals in four minutes in front of an increasingly delirious crowd, coming all the way back and taking the lead with a few minutes left. Anyone who understood how momentum works in sports knew this one was all over. The Zelepukin: Not so fast, said Jonathan Marchessault. By the way, I like how the NHL’s title for this video describes the third period as “hectic.” Yeah, we could have also gone with “historically controversial,” but I guess hectic works too. But then: After combining for six goals in the third, the two teams made it almost all the way through a first overtime without settling things. But with two minutes left, Barclay Goodrow got a step on the Vegas defense and it was over. Do you wish it never happened? This is a tough one. On the one hand, I could see Knights fans preferring this had never gone to overtime. If you’re going to get screwed by an iffy call, get screwed all the way, and let those four Sharks goals hold up in a 4-3 final. But on the other hand, Marchessault’s goal was a defiant little “up yours” to the hockey gods who’d clearly put a hand on the scales for the Sharks. And I feel like this whole game was just so insane that you have to embrace the madness. Let the goal stand. February 28, 2010: United States vs. Canada The setup: Team Canada vs. Team USA, on Canadian ice, for the Olympic gold medal with the entire world watching. Other than that, not a very big game. The situation: Canada built a 2-0 lead midway through the second and threatened to pull away. But Ryan Kesler cut the lead in half before the end of the period, setting up a nail-biting third. Team USA had their chances, but couldn’t beat Roberto Luongo, and Canada’s lead held up heading into the final minute. The Zelepukin: A Patrick Kane shot bounced off a skate and kicked out into the crease, and was there. (Thanks to the nice people at the IOC, you’ll have to click over and relive this one on YouTube.) For the first time since NHL players started going to the Olympics, the gold medal game would be settled in overtime. But then: IGGY! Do you wish it never happened? Americans probably wouldn’t mind wiping this one off the board, if only to deprive Canadians of a golden goal from their golden boy. But if so, tell them that Canadians can’t hear them because we have poutine, ketchup chip crumbs, several awkward apologies and the 2002 and 2010 Olympic gold medals stuck in our ears. (Was that too harsh? Sorry. We’re sorry.) 1173288 Websites “Everything arrives on time, you know what I mean? It’s an art. The puck follows him. There’s times where you’re like ‘is Savy playing?’ and then he scores a goal where it’s like ‘What is going on?’ There’s times, I’m not even kidding, where I’ve had to turn the other way in games and start The Athletic / After scaling hockey ladder together, best friends hope laughing. He scores a goal and I don’t want anyone seeing me giggling. NHL Draft is no different You don’t want to embarrass anybody.” Savoie laughs when he talks about moments like those as if they’re just second-nature to him. By Scott Wheeler “I’ve been shooting like that my whole life,” Savoie said. “I think I’m an Apr 1, 2020 offensive-minded player. I like to jump up into the rush, create lots of opportunities and shoot the puck a lot.” Carter Savoie and Michael Benning have known each other for as long Though Savoie and head coach Adam Manah both agree that he needs as they can remember. to round out his game and occasionally improve his body language, the latter marvels at the former’s talent. They were both born in St. Albert, Alberta, a suburb of Edmonton, and raised on the same street. They both played on the same minor hockey “I don’t see those two things as glaring big things. That’s going to come team, the AAA St. Albert Sabres. They later played with the Northern with him continuing to mature as a player. And then his skills, I mean, I Alberta Elite 15s in the CSSHL. In 2017, they were both drafted into the don’t know what else you can say about the kid. He shoots rockets,” WHL. In 2018, they were both drafted into the USHL by the Dubuque Manah said. Fighting Saints. In between, they both committed to going the college “Just his overall vision, his work ethic, he’s a good skater, he’s a fast route, together, at the University of Denver. And for the last two years, skater and what separates him is his first two or three steps to get away they’ve played their Jr. A hockey for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park from guys and that’s just what makes him so dangerous and lethal when Crusaders. he does get that puck. His overall skill set sets him apart. If he needs to Now, with their final season in the AJHL cut short by the outbreak of the play more heavy and physical, he can, but if he needs to play more skill novel coronavirus, they’re back home, back down the street, waiting for and finesse, he can.” their NHL draft and hopeful they’ll hear their name called by the same When Chase and Manah talk about Benning, they describe their team one more time. defenceman in different terms. When it’s all laid out, exactly like that, they can only laugh at it all. “Nobody has the courage to make a six-foot bump pass through the These days, it’s a two-minute drive from one house to the other. They middle than Mike Benning and 99 times out of 100 he puts it right where carpool together to Premier Strength, run by Barry Butt, their shared it’s supposed to be, on the tape as he skates into it. He doesn’t put it on trainer. their backhands or in their feet,” Chase said. “His attention to detail passing the puck is second to none and that’s why his assist numbers When one went to the World Jr. A Challenge, or the CJHL’s all-star are scary because everyone has a chance to make a play after Mike game, the other followed. On the morning of the latter, before one of the gives them the puck.” biggest showcases of their season in Hamilton, Ont., they were both late for their workouts because they had a test for their shared social studies Benning admits he doesn’t have the same kind of flair to his game as his course back home. When one talked to a scout after games, the other best friend. His impact is subtler. normally asked how it went before doing the same. “I’m a puck-moving defenceman who can run the power play, find guys, Their families have vacationed together. Savoie’s dad, Scott, is an shows high hockey IQ and can move my boots. And I can feel myself electrician for the city of Edmonton and his mom, Jody, is a teacher. His improving,” Benning said. “I’ve got a little farm boy in me too. (Savoie and younger brother Matthew was the first overall pick in the 2019 WHL draft I) get at each other. I’ll let him know. We’re competitive and we challenge and is a projected top pick for the 2022 NHL draft. Benning’s dad, Bryan, ourselves.” owns a local battery distributor called Interstate Batteries of Northern If Benning needs to improve on anything, Manah says it would be to Alberta. Scott and Bryan coached the two boys growing up. During the make sure he’s doing everything a little bit faster. summers, they play basketball together or take the boat out on the lake behind the Benning farm. “He can play chippy when the games get tough, he can clearly get out of trouble anywhere on the ice by escaping pressure, using his boots and “I’m over there quite a bit and he’s over at my house quite a bit,” Savoie that first pass. He’s a quarterback from the top, he’s a threat to shoot and said, laughing as if he was understating it. score and he’s got passing ability,” Manah said. “He’s an elite “We’re always together,” Benning said. “We’re best buddies. It has been defenceman.” good to have someone in the process with you.” Throughout their shared junior hockey journey, Savoie and Benning both With the Crusaders, the pair emerged as two of the best players in Jr. A emerged in the same echelon as draft-eligible prospects, too. Chase and hockey. Manah expect, based on conversations with scouts and NHL clubs, that they could both go as high as the end of the first round and as late as the Benning, a 5-foot-10, right-shot defenceman, led all AJHL defencemen in third round. Everyone agrees they’re most likely to land in Round 2, with points with 61 in 2018-2019 and was named to the league’s all-rookie Savoie likely the first of the two to be picked. team. That year, Savoie, a 5-foot-10 winger, racked up 73 points in 58 games to best Benning for the league’s rookie of the year honour. They’ve become synonymous with one another in hockey circles. This season, Benning repeated as the league’s leader in points by “They’re attached at the hip. The definition of best friends, that’s them. defencemen, increasing his total to 75 in just 54 games. Savoie, They do everything together,” Butt said, who has trained the two since meanwhile, led the league in goals with 53. they were 13. “I’ve talked to a bunch of scouts about both of them and it’s always both. Nobody calls to ask about one of them. Everybody calls to Savoie became so dominant at the Jr. A level that Crusaders general ask about Carter and Mike. It’s always ‘Carter and Mike, Carter and manager Kyle Chase believes it became hard to measure his true Mike.'” upside. Some scouts began to question his involvement in games because he would fade in and out while racking up points. Chase argues Shortly after hopping off a call with the Maple Leafs about the two that he just makes it look easier than most other kids. players, Manah is quick to point to teams like the Senators and Sharks, who boast multiple picks in the second and third rounds, for their ability He points to a game in Brooks this season where Savoie got tripped on a — and potential willingness — to select both players. breakaway, hauled down to his knees, got u, and put a move on the goalie that made Chase shout “as if!” from the crowd. He points to a “It would be unbelievable. It would be a dream come true for those guys,” recent game against Spruce Grove when Savoie, a left-handed shot with Manah hypothesized. “That same thing happened with a player draped all over him down the right wing, drew the puck into his (second overall in 1991) and Ray Whitney (23rd overall in 1991) with feet and kicked the blade of his stick with his skate to finish into the top Spokane and San Jose.” corner. Manah believes teams would be smart to consider taking them both as a “He kicked it! Like who thinks of that? Well, he does. And there are legitimate strategy, too. games where it’s like ‘what the hell’s happening?’ But when Savy “They just read off of each other so well. They know exactly what the decides it’s time to play, it’s a treat to watch,” Chase said of Savoie. other guy is thinking, and the more team building you do the more tight- knit your group is, so just think about what those two have done together “Savoie and Benning, they played a good last game, we’ll put it that way. their entire lives and how close they’ve been since they were little kids They’ve got a lot to be proud of and we’re extremely happy for both of and it all kind of translates,” Manah said. those kids that they had tremendous years both years and they’re ready for that next step,” Manah said. “(Denver will be) a bit of an adjustment … “They’re both special players. We all know that it’s hard to be accurate all but those guys put in a lot of time and work to get on the ice early and the time but one thing that teams would be getting at minimum, at work on things so I don’t see it being too much. They’ll continue to learn minimum, is two guys that would do anything for their teammates and will as they go.” only get better, because it’s who they are, it’s part of their moral fibre. I haven’t seen players this passionate about the game until we got them. When Savoie first heard the news, he admits he was pretty upset by it all. It’s mind-boggling. It’s contagious, for lack of a better term. The kind of It stung knowing that their pursuit of the national title, the , teammates they are, for being superstars in our league, it’s pretty was over before it had really begun. impressive.” In the days leading up to their playoff opener, the Crusaders had started That part of it, the off-ice part, came naturally to both players, according from scratch, reviewing everything from the way they forechecked to to Manah and Chase. Whenever Savoie and Benning did anything this faceoffs. And they’d spent their nights doing team-building exercises season – bowling, movies, wings night – they made sure to include away from the rink. everyone. “It’s really weird to look back at that game against Whitecourt. I was “I’ve seen everything from these guys. I’ve seen where they fight like really hoping to get a couple more playoff games in this year,” Savoie siblings. But it’s hilarious. You don’t have to walk very far to find the other said. guy. They love each other, they have a ton of respect for each other, they talk about hockey nonstop and in the past there was so much bravado in When Benning first heard the news, he didn’t believe it. hockey but these guys love it. And our older guys embrace them. “It’s hard to think about. No one wanted that to be the last game. If we Everyone respects Mike and Carter. The younger guys too,” Chase said. knew that was our last game, I don’t know, we might have treated it like a “It’s an overused word, but it’s culture. That’s exactly what it is. It’s not playoff game,” Benning said. “It’s difficult when you’re preparing and fake. They’re as real as the day is long. Young guys coming in this year practicing for two weeks and we find out that the season is cancelled as probably thought they’d be hard to talk to because they were going to be we’re pumped up and we’ve all got the jitters. It’s tough to not even play top picks and they’re the exact opposite. They’re unbelievable a playoff game.” teammates. They’re just awesome people.” In the aftermath of cancellation, they’ve spent much of their time back Manah also called the pair two of the funniest kids he’d ever met. home together. Of late, though, their parents have put an end to the joint snowmobile rides at the Benning farm. “They just have that personality where nothing seems to get to them, whether it’s pressure, whether it’s guys razzing them, they just come to “I don’t want to hang out in too big a group but I’ve seen Carter quite a the rink, do their job and love playing the game,” Manah said. “They have bit,” Benning said. “(But) I’m trying to social distance myself. Plus there’s so much passion for that and you can just see that they love every way more family time now. It’s pretty competitive on the table with cards.” minute of it. That’s what the game’s supposed to be all about.” Butt has given them each a set of workouts they can do at home and In the gym, though Savoie is the faster of the pair on the track, Butt said Benning has been using a rower in his basement to stay in the best that Benning is the better overall athlete. Even that is close though, and shape he can, hopeful there will still be a scouting combine at some in a group that includes Ducks defenceman Brendan Guhle, his younger point. brother Kaiden (a top prospect in 2020) and Chicago Blackhawks third- Besides working out and watching movies, Savoie says there’s not a overall pick Kirby Dach, they never look out of place. whole lot to do these days. “I wouldn’t say that either Carter or Mike are at the bottom of the class “The parents are kind of locking it down. I’m trying to keep my mind off of but they aren’t at the top. They’re above average in the gym,” Butt said. the draft and just focus on what’s happening right now. The draft will More importantly, they feed off one another. According to Butt, to call the happen eventually,” he said, thankful he has Matthew and Benning to two of them competitive with one another would be an understatement. push him. “Having them in the gym together, it’s awesome. They push each other, Both hope to get back on the ice on a relatively consistent basis they both work very hard,” Butt said. “Carter is a little quieter, a little more eventually. It will be a long summer without it. reserved. Mike is a bigger personality. Everyone knows when Mike’s in And then, one way or another, they’ll get drafted. It’s not a question of if the gym. He’s a little more outgoing than Carter.” they’ll be picked, it’s a question of who will pick them. Nobody knows their games better than each other, though. Asked what it would mean to get drafted by the same NHL team as they “He’s crafty, he’s strong, he’s a dynamic player that can rip the biscuit,” prepare to head off to Denver, Benning laughed. Benning said of Savoie. “He’s like his own breed.” “That would be the journey complete,” he said. Savoie called Benning’s talent “unbelievable” and said his best friend keeps everyone loose. The Athletic LOADED: 04.02.2020 “Just watching him grow as a person and a player has been incredible. He grows every single day. His vision. His patience. The way he moves the puck out of the D-zone. It’s elite,” Savoie said. When their season ended, the Crusaders were a day away from playing their first game of the AJHL playoffs. After finishing the season with a 49- 9 record, they’d received a first-round bye and hadn’t played in two weeks. “In playoffs, people will see how bad I want to win,” Benning had said a couple of months earlier. “I’m looking forward to that and people coming to see me then, when a lot of teams are out. We’re going to go far.” But they didn’t get that chance. And they didn’t know when they played their final game of the regular season, an inconsequential matchup against the Whitecourt Wolverines, that it would be their last. “It was just one of those blah games where it’s like ‘let’s get on with the playoffs.’ It’s not the way we wanted our season to end, it’s tough, but first world problems, right?” Chase said. “They knew they had the horses to get it done, so it’s hard to watch them and the older guys who are not coming back.” Manah feels for Savoie and Benning, in particular, even if he knows the decision to cancel was the right one. 1173289 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / In Conversation with Ron MacLean: Gretzky, Wickenheiser relive favourite hockey moments

Sportsnet Staff | @Sportsnet April 1, 2020, 6:54 PM

In the debut edition of In Conversation, Ron MacLean welcomes Canadian icons Wayne Gretzky and Hayley Wickenheiser to the show. They take a walk down memory lane, discuss their historic careers and the bond the two share through the Edmonton Oilers. In Conversation with Ron MacLean is a new digital roundtable show airing exclusively on Sportsnet’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and sportsnet.ca on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT. In the 20-30 minute show, MacLean will interview notable Canadians from all corners of the sports and entertainment worlds. Tune in again on Friday, when MacLean will be joined by celebrated news anchor Peter Mansbridge and three-time Olympic gold medallist Marnie McBean.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173290 Websites This kind of things puts into perspective where NHL hockey sits in the grand scheme of things. Still, while patiently waiting out the coronavirus pandemic, Chiasson is quietly still hoping for a 2020 playoff run. Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' Chiasson praises young core, explains why “From my point of view, I hope our team gets a chance to go and play,” success 'takes time' he said. “I think we’ve earned that as a team. We’ve played some good hockey and hopefully when this is all over, sports in general may be good for the community, for the fans in North American and really around the world.” Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec

April 1, 2020, 6:28 PM Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020

EDMONTON — Alex Chiasson is one of those players that all good teams have. He can move up and down the lineup and work the front of the net on a power play. But to be honest, on a good team he’s a depth winger, which is what he became in Edmonton this season. Chiasson has the experience and scoring ability to give you that clutch goal in a big game that every championship team seems to get from its third or fourth line. He’s been that guy ever since he won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018, and he hopes to be that guy again in Edmonton, where he is currently riding out COVID-19. “A lot of the championship teams are not just built overnight. It takes time,” said Chiasson, who signed a two-year, $4.3 million deal prior to the 2019-20 season. “It also takes experience, and sometimes you’ve got to face the lows or the highs and you’ve gotta grow as a team.” Chiasson watched new general manager Ken Holland add some depth to the Oilers’ lineup, and as players like Kailer Yamamoto emerged it pushed Chiasson down into a bottom-six role. But he was playing on an improved team, as superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl emerged to carry Edmonton to what would likely have been home ice advantage in Round 1. “I think our young core of players has really taken that to the next level. They’ve taken good charge of our team,” the 29-year-old Chiasson said. “We’ve added a few guys who are really good on the ice and they’ve also provided a different type of personality in the locker room. There’s a lot of that stuff that seems really unnoticed on the ice but really what goes on off the ice is a big factor on championship teams. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back here last year because there’s a lot things I saw in this group that I saw when I played in Washington. Again, I think we’ve earned that as a team. We’ve showed that. We’re hopeful the season comes back, that we can go play and have fun.” McDavid, we knew about. Chiasson scored a career-high 22 goals last season largely as McDavid’s right-winger, and on the power play. It was the emergence of Draisaitl as a Hart Trophy favorite that really tipped the Oilers’ scales this season. “He’s really self-driven. I think that’s one of the things I’ve noticed. He’s hard on himself,” Chiasson said of Draisaitl. “He pushes players to be better. He’s a guy at such a young age (24) that sees the game differently. There are so many guys in the league (where) it takes time to see that aspect of the game but he’s figured it out real quick. He’s decided to play the way he’s capable of playing. “Hats off to him. This is all on him. He’s a great athlete, is in great shape, is a guy who takes good care of himself and that translates on the ice.” and talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it. For now however, Chiasson, Draisaitl and every other NHL player is no different than the rest of us. Chiasson is hanging here in Edmonton, staying inside and worrying about his parents and family back home. “The biggest thing for me is family. My grandma, my mom and dad,” Chiasson said. “My parents are healthy and doing well (living near Quebec City), but the biggest message is trying to get my point across that this COVID-19 could really impact them. “For us, we’re hockey players but we’re also human beings. You want everyone else around you to stay healthy. I was really protective of my mom and dad, making sure they stay home, limit their trips to grocery stores and other things that they usually do. It seems like they’ve done well, finding things to do inside and outside the house. That’s what is important for me.” 1173291 Websites In Winnipeg, I was first, sometimes second for PK, and 4-on-4 was usually a stretch unless one of the D were in the box. So it’s more the special teams stuff that really gives you the extra ice time along with a few more 5-on-5 shifts. Sportsnet.ca / Q&A: Canadiens' Ben Chiarot on taking advantage of opportunity in Montreal SN: How crucial was it being a part of such a quality defence group in Winnipeg in terms of your gradual development?

BC: I think the competition created is what drives everyone to be better. Eric Engels | @EricEngels In my case, in Winnipeg, the five guys we had — and six when Toby Enstrom was there, and he was an all-star calibre defenceman in his April 1, 2020, 9:38 AM prime — if I wasn’t getting better or trying to get better, I wasn’t going to play. So I had to, every year, improve, come back stronger, come back faster, work on my game. The amount of good players we had created MONTREAL — When I caught up with Ben Chiarot on Friday, he had just that culture that you had to be improving or you’re going to fall behind. returned home from his daily walk with his wife Jacqueline, daughter That was the big thing for me, and that was probably the most beneficial Emmerson and dog Bailey. thing for me was playing with that many good players because it forced me to take the next steps or I was going to get left behind. “Highlight of my days,” the 28-year-old Montreal Canadiens defenceman said from his Waterloo, Ont., home. SN: So you’re brought in to Montreal after all that. What do you think about when you look back on the first few weeks with the Canadiens? Chiarot’s nights have been occupied by Sportsnet’s rewind broadcasts. BC: I know people were saying, ‘He’s having a hard time adjusting,’ or One, in particular, had him on the edge of his seat. ‘He’s not fitting in.’ Maybe the first four games of the season I was just “They were showing Game 7, Toronto-Detroit, from the first round of the getting adjusted, but I’m that way pretty much every year. The first three 1993 playoffs,” he said. “Nikolai Borschevsky scored the overtime winner. or four games, I’m just kind of finding my rhythm and finding my timing. I think it was (Nicklas) Lidstrom’s rookie season. That Toronto team had And then you throw in a whole new team, and whole new surroundings, Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour and all those guys I grew up idolizing.” and it kind of compounded that with the start of a new season. One of those guys was Mike Foligno. But I thought it was a bit premature when people were saying I was having a hard time fitting in when I had played only three or four games “He was my coach in junior (with the OHL’s ), so it was on the team. I thought once I got comfortable, and found my game and funny to watch him,” Chiarot said. “I actually lived with him a bit, too, and my rhythm, everything just kind of smoothed out from there. he had that old JOFA helmet in his office at the house. SN: You played in a hockey hotbed in Winnipeg, but I’m assuming it “I played with (Foligno’s son and Minnesota Wild forward) Marcus. Me didn’t take long for you to realize Montreal was a different animal. Or that and Marcus are pretty good buddies. And I got to know (older son and it was the same animal, but just on steroids in terms of the pressure from Columbus Blue Jackets captain) Nick well, too.” outside. And this is where the conversation went from small talk to real talk. BC: One of the good things I learned in Winnipeg — and there’s quite a bit of media in Winnipeg, but obviously not to the extent of Montreal — is I interjected: “Nick really carved out quite the career for himself. I think you can’t pay attention to it. Winnipeg was great for teaching me that. he’s been better than anyone thought he’d be, especially over the last few years.” When times are good, you want to read everything and read all the good stuff that’s being said. But in the bad times, no one wants to see things “After he was traded from Ottawa to Columbus (for defenceman Marc written about them that aren’t that great. I think when I was young I Methot in July of 2012) he really took off and found another level of his learned you can read it, but that you can’t read into it or pay attention to it game,” Chiarot said of the 32-year-old who put up 31 goals and 73 points too much. You try to keep an even keel, as everyone says, and just take and was named an all-star in his third season with the Blue Jackets. “You care of your business. A valuable lesson in Winnipeg applied to coming see a lot of cases like that — guys who get an opportunity to do more to Montreal was just trying to keep an even keel no matter what everyone and get more responsibility, and just take advantage of the opportunity.” says. Whether things are going great or not going well, you keep doing what you do and it’ll all take care of itself. Chiarot didn’t arrive in Montreal via trade, but it’s fair to say that when he signed a three-year, $10.5-million deal back in July, after five full seasons SN: What did you learn about yourself this year? What did you learn spent mostly as a depth defenceman with the Winnipeg Jets, virtually no about thriving under being pushed to such a threshold? At one point you one — not even Canadiens general manager — expected were playing close to half of every game. him to rise to the occasion as much as he did. BC: I definitely think I found new levels to my game — certainly The opportunity was there for the Hamilton native in a way it never had offensively, but defensively too. I’ve always taken pride on the defensive been in Winnipeg, and he ran with it — scoring a career-high nine goals side but, even this year, just being out there more and being defensively and 21 points in 69 games this season (or four more goals and one more relied on to play against top lines every night, I feel like I got better at it point than he had in 78 games with the Jets in 2018-19) and earning his as well. way onto Montreal’s top defensive pair with his unheralded skating ability and his all-around game. Offensively, with the style that we play in Montreal, it promotes … they want us to join the rush, want us to be involved. So, I think, offensively, I A fair portion of our conversation centred on that. Much of it also focused grew as a player. In Winnipeg, I would never be thought of as getting out on his Canadiens teammates and what he feels is the promise of this on the power play, and then I get to Montreal and am able to show that I group moving forward. can create some offence, and then I get a chance to play on the power play a little bit. And that was huge for my confidence and just knowing So, this is Part 1 of a two-part interview to run Wednesday and Thursday how far I’ve come as a player. here on Sportnset.ca, exploring Chiarot’s breakthrough season and what he learned about himself in the process: So the new levels that I reached as a player were pretty rewarding. The biggest thing I learned about myself is that I have more to offer than just Sportsnet: Do you realize you averaged close to seven minutes more per being solid defensively. game this season than your career average? SN: Every player hits the wall eventually. How did those elevated Ben Chiarot: I knew it was up there. For my first three years in Winnipeg, minutes impact that reality? How did you deal with it when it happened? I was pretty much solely on the third pairing and we’d play 12-15 minutes. And as I got a little older, I’d get 16, 17, 18. And the year before BC: I think that’s pretty common. You ask any player — to say that you’re I came to Montreal, I was up around 18, 19. So it’s kind of been a gradual going to feel that you’re at your best for 82 games is a stretch. Certainly, progression up. in the second half, there are times when you’re run down. And I had my bumps and my bruises and my energy-level dips at certain points of the But this year was definitely a big step up from what I was doing in season. There are definitely times you’re not going to feel your best, and Winnipeg. I think I did a good job still finding a way to be effective. A big portion of that is special teams. Me and Shea (Weber) would Maybe you’re not as aggressive joining the rush, or your legs aren’t quite always go out first for the penalty kill, and 4-on-4 I was always out there. there on some nights to join or close quickly defensively. Then overtime, even some power play — in the second half of the season I’d get out there here and there. I think that’s another thing I learned this year was that when you don’t feel at your best, you really have to focus on your positioning. Because you’re playing against dangerous players every night and if your legs aren’t there, you can get exposed pretty quickly. What I learned is to use positioning and being in the right spot on those nights, you can still be effective. SN: How do you manage the mental side of the game? Are there any particular techniques you practise? BC: I do a lot of visualization. Usually the night before the game I’ll start visualizing what I’m doing and kind of remember the things that are important for me being effective out there. It’s been a part of my game for a long time. SN: Who do you talk your games through with? BC: I wouldn’t say I talk to anyone on a game-to-game basis. I know when I’m at my best and when I’m doing the things I need to do to be successful, and that just comes with being around a while and knowing what my best looks like and what it feels like. That’s something I learned this year, too, is that I have another level to my game and now I expect that from myself every night. SN: So how do you return to the base when it gets away from you? Assuming that happens faster now with experience under your belt. BC: The biggest thing I rely on — and I found that this year more than ever I focus on — is having my gap defensively. So, whether I’m gapping up in the neutral zone or gapping up in the defensive zone, when I’m right on top of the guy that I’m supposed to be on top of, I find that everything else in my game falls into place — whether it’s offensively because I can turn the puck over off of that and make plays, or defensively because I can get a stick on the puck or make a hit. So that was the biggest thing that I found helped me be the most effective this year. When my gap was tight, everything in my game flowed off of that. SN: We spoke on a few occasions about your pride in being a Montreal Canadien as a factor in your success. Now that you’ve experienced it for a season, can you describe what it means to you? BC: I was thinking about that. I figured you would ask that. Even for our last game of the year, we played Nashville at home, and it was Game 70 of the season, and still putting on the red Habs jersey gave me chills. Like, I still got excited to put it on, you know what I mean? I had been doing it for five, six months and I’m still throwing it on and still excited to put it on and go out and play in the Bell Centre. So I think those are the two things that excite me most about playing for the Habs is that sweater, and playing in Montreal on a Saturday night is a pretty special feeling. Leafs TV is playing classic games right now, too, and they were showing the 1967 Toronto-Montreal Final the other day. And my wife’s sitting there and I turned to her and said, ‘Those jerseys that they’re wearing are the exact same jerseys we wear now, and they’re playing on a Saturday night, and it’s the same setup we have.’ I don’t even know how to explain it, but it’s like religion in hockey — the Toronto-Montreal rivalry on a Saturday night. Something about being a part of that is just different than anything else in hockey.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173292 Websites “When you’re young, it’s hard to put aside your personal success or personal business for the better half of the team. When you do put a team-first mentality into your game plan and everybody buys into it, the will to win always seems to go up. And when we play like that, we’ve Sportsnet.ca / Canucks blown away by J.T. Miller's off-ice impact been a very effective team.” The Canucks are ground zero for the debate about who qualifies for the playoffs if the NHL eventually finishes its season. Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet At 36-27-6, Vancouver is tied for the final playoff spot in the Western April 1, 2020, 6:14 PM Conference but loses on a tiebreaker with the Nashville Predators, who have one more regulation win. But on winning percentage, the Canucks are ahead of both the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets, who have VANCOUVER – As well as he played this season – and J.T. Miller has played more games than Vancouver. never been better in the National Hockey League – the Vancouver Canucks were even more impressed by what the winger did off the ice. “I want a fair season,” Miller said. “I think that’s all I kind of really need to say about it. I don’t have any hypothetical playoff formats for you. I want On Wednesday, he was still doing it. everyone to be safe and I want everyone to stay injury-free. I want it to be fair, however that shakes out.” More than three weeks into the NHL shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Canucks made Miller the first player available to Miller said no one in the NHL wants to play into August, “but if that’s what Vancouver media in a video conference. they decide to do. . . I think you have to have the mindset of just being ready to go. No matter what time of the year, you have to understand and “The whole situation, that it’s even happening, is the part to me that I still embrace the situation that’s at hand.” can’t believe,” Miller told reporters from his North Shore home, across the water from Vancouver. “It feels like the world has shut down for X- He claimed he hasn’t thought much about his scoring totals, which with amount of time. It’s just a very weird thing. Months or years down the 13 games left on the schedule were already well above his previous road when we all look back, you just hope it doesn’t affect as many highs of 23 goals, 35 assists and 58 points. people as it has the potential to.” “A lot of points, yes,” he said, “but I’m confident in my abilities to have Earlier, the 27-year-old from Pittsburgh said: “I’ve been lucky. I don’t another good season and potentially do it again.” think my family back home has been impacted too much. That being said, I’m definitely conscious of all the people that are being affected. . . He may have to. and everything the healthcare workers are doing. It’s really special. It’s something that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed in my household. Obviously, it’s life-changing stuff.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020 Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it. It has been a career-changing year for Miller, whom the Canucks acquired last June in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning for first- and third-round draft picks. That price divided the Vancouver fan base, but the winger has proved a bargain. After moving across the continent with his wife, Natalie, their two young daughters and two dogs, playing for the first time in Canada and the far- flung Western Conference, Miller was having easily the best season of his eight-year career when the NHL halted for COVID-19 on March 12. Skating on a line with last season’s rookie of the year, Elias Pettersson, Miller blasted through his previous offensive bests with 27 goals and 45 assists in 69 games, which put him 17th in NHL scoring. He led Pettersson by six points. Miller was also second in the league with a 59.2 per cent faceoff win rate, had a 53.6 shots-for percentage, and a dominant 61.5 per cent share of even-strength goals. “But it’s the stuff you don’t see where I think he had the biggest impact on our group,” general manager said Wednesday. “We always knew what he could do on the ice, his ability to hang on to the puck, to protect the puck and make plays with the puck. He’s got a great release on his shot; I wish he would use his shot more. But I don’t think his on-ice stuff surprised us. “His leadership in the room, his willingness to try to help teach the young players. . . I think if we went through all the players in our group, our young players, J.T. had a hand in all of them improving this year. “He played with Petey and Boes (Brock Boeser), and would be on the bench with those guys, working with them. But also a guy like Jake Virtanen. . . J.T. would work with Jake and I think he had a positive effect on Jake’s game improving.” Miller reiterated Wednesday that he learned by watching great players and leaders when he was with the Lightning and, for more than five seasons, the New York Rangers. “I just think the timing was right,” he said of his evolution as a leader. “I think if you play the right way, that sends the best message. I’ve really tried to focus on that. From when I was 19 until now, I’ve played on some teams with guys that were unbelievable leaders and have been through so much in their careers that I just kind of stayed out of the way and tried to be a sponge. There’s still plenty I need to learn in that regard. But at the same time, I want to win really badly and I want to make that the No. 1 priority with a lot of the younger guys. 1173293 Websites The second is “Healthier Me” — a program providing elementary-school students tools to make healthy decisions.

3. Some work continues, as normally as possible. OHL Saginaw’s Cole Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Some good stories in tough times Perfetti, who will be a high first-round selection in the upcoming draft, said he’s had four phone interviews this week with NHL clubs. What was the weirdest question asked? Elliotte Friedman | @FriedgeHNIC “I wouldn’t say there was anything weird,” he said Tuesday night. “But the hardest question was, ‘Would you rather lose in a blowout or in a April 1, 2020, 4:00 PM heartbreaking game?’ I didn’t know how to answer it.” So what did you say? Hope everyone is safe and healthy. “I said, ‘Losing sucks. Either way, they are both terrible ways to lose.’” The latest edition of 31 Thoughts: The Podcast dropped this morning. We I’d fail these tests, because I’d mock those kinds of questions. But that’s appreciate our listeners — without you, there’d be nothing — and a good answer. understand this is an anxious time for all. The opening section is an interview with Michael Gervais, who hosts the excellent Finding Mastery 4. Perfetti had an intelligent comment about the draft’s uncertain timeline. podcast. “It’s a little scary and a little nerve-wracking, but it’s also a blessing in Dr. Gervais worked with Pete Carroll on the NFL’s . His disguise. I will take the time to get a lot stronger and more physically emphasis: cultivating mental skills critical to elite performance. We asked mature. You know the day will still happen.” him for some strategies to help people manage their way through the pandemic. Even if you refuse to listen to anything Jeff and I say (and Right attitude. really, who can blame you?), listen to what Gervais has to say. It’s worth 5. If Perfetti was worried about finding things to do when he returned to your time. the family home in Whitby, Ont. — mother Sandra made sure he wouldn’t I really enjoyed it, and hope you will too. be bored. Right now, I’m reading The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger. Iger, who “She’s loving having us clean the house,” he laughed. “The backyard, started at the bottom, is Disney’s Chairman. One passage from the book garage, furnace room — I’ve cleaned and rearranged my room, made really stood out to me. Iger talks about Michael Eisner, his predecessor, multiple runs to the dump…. The house is looking pretty good right now, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks: better than ever.” In many ways, (Michael) handled the trouble to come admirably and Another form of motivation came from an old family friend, Kris Draper. stoically, but it was impossible not to fall prey to pessimism and paranoia Perfetti played with Draper’s son, Kienan, in minor hockey and billeted in as the stress became more intense. I would occasionally answer my Saginaw with a family that is close to the 1,157-game NHL veteran. phone and Michael would be on the line saying that he’d just been in the “It seems like no one’s doing anything, but (Kris) said there’s someone shower, or on a plane, or in a conversation over lunch, and had become across the world working harder than me right now — someone who convinced that something we were doing was going to fail, someone was wants to be the best.” going to overtake us, some deal was going to go south. He would literally say to me, ‘The sky is falling,’ and over time a sense of doom and gloom “He’s told me I have the skills and assets to be an elite-level player, but I began to permeate the company. have to want to be the hardest worker out there.” Michael had plenty of valid reasons to be pessimistic, but as a leader Last year, he hired Peter Renzetti as his strength and conditioning coach. you can’t communicate that pessimism to the people around you. It’s Renzetti, who used to work for Detroit and Toronto, changed Perfetti’s ruinous to morale. It saps energy and inspiration. Decisions get made mindset. from a protective, defensive posture…. No one could have handled the stress that Michael was under perfectly, but optimism in a leader, “He pushed me to a new level. I remember the first day I was there he especially in challenging times, is so vital. Pessimism leads to paranoia, put 40-pound vests on the guys, had them run and jump over hurdles on which leads to defensiveness, which leads to risk aversion. a hill. I thought it was a joke — ‘Is this for real?’” says Perfetti, clearly smiling at the memory. “He doesn’t sugarcoat things, but he does care. Optimism sets a different machine in motion. Especially in difficult He’s pushing us in the gym, up our asses a little bit to make sure we are moments, the people you lead need to feel confident in your ability to working. He tests your limits, wants to see if you’ll work outside your focus on what matters, and not to operate from a place of defensiveness comfort zone. I learned a lot about myself last summer.” and self-preservation. This isn’t about saying things are good when they’re not, and it’s not about conveying some innate faith that “things will Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey work out.” It’s about believing you and the people around you can steer world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what toward the best outcome, and not communicating the feeling that all is they think about it. lost if things don’t break your way. The tone you set as a leader has an 6. Perfetti will have to be resourceful to find somewhere to shoot. enormous effect on the people around you. No one wants to follow a pessimist. “I used to have a net in my backyard, a perfect shooting pad. When I was younger, I didn’t have a great shot. Soft. But as I got to Minor Midget it If you don’t believe in your leaders, you can lead yourself. That’s what I was better. I’d shoot it off the crossbar, and into the next door remind myself — especially now. neighbour’s backyard. He had this big eight-by-10 window, and there 31 THOUGHTS were pucks landing below it. He came over to the house livid, fuming: ‘Please don’t shoot pucks anymore — you’ll break my window.’” 1. Thank you to WEEI Boston’s The Greg Hill Show for doing the investigative reporting we all needed. Tuukka Rask guested on Tuesday, 7. I’m getting old, exhibit No. 5,621: Heard an old summer and was asked about Zdeno Chara’s assertion that the goalie is rotten to camp/university friend’s son is a WHL Draft prospect. Good luck to the core. Andrew Cristall, son of Alex and Jodi. “He’s been sitting behind me on the bus for whatever, 10 to 12 years 8. A little business: For some time, the NHL’s been working on new now,” Rask said. “Occasionally, I might eat a bad meal or something, transfer agreements with the various international federations. The passing gas on the bus, so I think that left a mark.” project gained traction, and there is tentative agreement to an eight-year template with all countries interested in participating. The new formula 2. My son’s school has done an excellent job of making available switches off from a “per-player fee” in favour of moving to three between two and four online classes per day. It’s huge for us. Like most components of compensation: an amount based exclusively on where kids, he’ll listen to anyone else before he listens to his parents. players are drafted from; an amount based on where those signed to NHL contracts played the four years before signing; and an amount As of Wednesday morning, the NHL and NHLPA made their Future based on how many players from particular areas play 30 or more NHL Goals program available to teachers and parents. There are two games each year. (It still needs Board of Governor approval.) There was components. One is “Hockey Scholar” — an interactive hockey-themed also conversation about the possibility of players who go back overseas STEM curriculum for middle-school and elementary-school students. at the start of the season being available later in the year. Examples: Exploring the engineering behind hockey equipment, and geometric constructions/how angles are a key component of the game. 9. There’s so much uncertainty about where we’re going from a financial perspective that many ideas are being thrown around. Estimated losses of $220 million are projected if this year’s paused games are made up, school and could immediately go to university, fine. But this can be fixed including the playoffs. (That would likely add four percentage points of so she can have a legit possible shot at the next level.” escrow to players’ paycheques.) Is there a good reason an exception can’t be made? Projected losses if there’s no season are closer to $1.1 billion, and 35 per cent escrow whenever we resume. One idea: allowing players and teams 17. The true highlight of our conversation with Craig was when he to defer money. For example, a player with a five-year contract at a $5- informed me that Ken Reid’s high school nickname was “houseplant,” million AAV would still have that term and cap hit, but could agree to hold because he didn’t go out much — aside from playing sports. some of the payments. Teams would get a break on cash flow, and Ron MacLean poses for a picture with Welland, Ontario’s Minor Midget players could save until escrow was lowered. Don’t know if it will happen, ‘A’ Tigers. but spitballing never hurts. Both the NHL and NHLPA would have to agree. Also, the players will decide what to do about their final 18. Rogers Hometown Hockey visited Welland, Ont., last Nov. 10. The paycheque by next week. No. 12 jersey Ron MacLean is holding in the photo above is in honour of Liam Boverhof, a Major Midget player who took his own life just days 10. Similar to that, will upcoming free agents try to back-load their next before the broadcast. Mike Bray, the person in glasses hiding at the back contracts? of the above photo, is the coach of this team. 11. One exec wants me to push Saskatchewan as a playoff “hub” site if “I had coached Liam,” he said. “That shook up the whole organization. that method is necessary. No one knew of any issues. He was always smiling, never once would he “Not too populous and back to our roots,” he said. walk by and not stop and shake your hand. There was never any indicator at all.” 12. Arizona presented to Alexander Barabanov on Tuesday. They possess more cap space for bonuses than Toronto. The Maple Leafs Bray pauses. have worked him hard, however. “It’s weird to say, but success comes from how you deal with such 13. Nashville and the Rangers gave Calgary a run for Connor Mackey. things.” 14. A couple of weeks ago, Mark Letestu chatted about Edmonton’s 2017 One of the Minor Midget players, Jacob Passmore, switched from No. 12 playoff victory over San Jose. When he mentioned he’s still friendly with to No. 27, so Boverhof’s number could be “retired.” One month later, Cam Talbot, I asked what he texted the Flames goalie after the fight with Welland’s Minor Midgets added another tribute, for the No. 77 worn by Mike Smith. Alex Luey. “I texted him the same thing his wife probably said to him: There’s two Alex, as many of you are aware, formed a friendship with Alex Ovechkin guys in the league wearing pads that you don’t fight: Smith and (Robin) during a lengthy fight with cancer. He died on Dec. 22. Lehner. Those two you leave alone.” “Although he was from Niagara Falls, our players knew him,” Bray said. 15. The NHLPA released its annual Players’ Poll on Tuesday. It wasn’t “They’d played against him. The morning he passed, we were scheduled until Andrew Walker informed me on Sportsnet 650 Vancouver that I to play Niagara Falls that night. We thought they’d likely cancel the heard there was a Twitter controversy about 41.55 per cent of the voters game. Instead, they insisted nothing stops — we’d continue to play — picking Carey Price as the league’s best goalie. because Alex would have wanted it. It was an emotional night. We took a jersey with his number and hung it behind our bench.” This reminds me of an old conversation I had with Kelly Hrudey. He had one season where he was third in the league with an .897 save Welland is a single-A team, and while they lost only once at that level, percentage. We joked about how if you had that percentage now, you “we got our butts kicked” at some AA events, Bray said. Over the wouldn’t be anywhere near the NHL. Then Kelly added, “Winners only Christmas holidays, the Tigers won the Richard Bell Memorial care about one stat — can you get the ‘W?’” Tournament in Oakville, “which was a turning point for us.” Welland would win the Niagara District playoffs and moved through the Ontario I’ve never forgotten that. No matter what’s happened in Montreal, players Minor Hockey Association’s post-season. These were six-point series. think Price gets them that win. As the NHL moves further into the analytic They won the first two games over St. Thomas before running into world — and it will — successful people will be the ones who balance trouble at Joe Thornton Community Centre. both mentalities. “They were one of those teams you can’t get rid of. They won two in a 16. Not long after life ground to a halt, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt row, and scored late in Game 5 to cut our lead to 4-3. We spent the last crowdsourced a great idea. He called it “Senior Night” — acknowledging 15 seconds trying to get the puck out and won it.” high school and college athletes whose seasons ended abruptly, without a chance to compete in one final playoffs. It’s excellent, and I wanted to Next was a 6–0 sweep of Hespeler, putting them in the final against emulate that here. Thank you for your suggestions. Because this is a Orillia. But they never got to play. written format, I couldn’t highlight as many as Van Pelt did. But here are “It was so hard to tell them,” Bray said, the emotion clear in his voice. 11 stories I hope you will enjoy. “They’re 15 years old — they’re asking, ‘What does this mean? When do We start with a situation where, with a bit of mercy, there could be we get to play?’ And you have to explain it is not going to happen.” change. Tori MacPherson was born Oct. 1, 2002. That’s what’s called a I hope that with time, these young men understand what they “bad birthdate” for hockey in Nova Scotia, because those born before accomplished in honour of two players. Sometimes it’s more about the Jan. 1, 2003, started playing before they began primary school. Now, journey than the results. after an excellent season with the Northern Subway Selects in the province’s Female Midget AAA Hockey League, MacPherson’s eligibility Anthony Popovich stops a shot while playing for the Storm at the is up, even though she’s entering Grade 12. That “bad birthdate” rule was 2019 . (Andrew Vaughan/CP) later changed, but her year was not grandfathered in. 19. Five years ago, the OHL’s moved to Flint. The “It particularly effects the female side of the game, more than male,” said Firebirds had one winning season in its first four, a .369 points Craig Clarke, her coach. “I’ve had (Canadian university) coaches reach percentage and made the playoffs once (a five-game defeat). It was not a out, asking if she’s willing to play for them next year because they think model franchise. In September, they acquired goalie Anthony Popovich she’s graduating. When I tell them Tori still has Grade 12, the reaction is, from defending-champion Guelph. Popovich had backstopped the Storm ‘Ahhhhhhhh, you’re kidding me!’ If she doesn’t get to play next year, the to the Memorial Cup semifinal, but with talented Nico Daws ready to play, odds will be tougher on her, because coaches will want those who are they had a surplus. Never drafted in the NHL, Popovich was trying out for actually playing. She is good enough for the next level. Parts of her game the Red Wings at their rookie tournament in Traverse City when it have to improve, but she’s an elite skater.” happened. MacPherson had 31 points in 23 games, third in team scoring. (She was “I had a feeling I was going to get traded,” Popovich said. “Some people first in assists, with 22.) The website myhockeyrankings.com had her thought it was a waste to go to Flint. Looking back, it was the best spot team 16th in Canada among Under-17 Tier I girls’ teams. for me.” “I believe we were headed to the Atlantic Finals. Won our last game 5–0, His new goalie coach was a fiery, determined competitor who played 299 outshot (our opponent) something like 45–15, I liked the way we were NHL games for Detroit. going. We had a shot at reaching the Esso Cup — you never know what can happen. But for Tori, this is not someone who was a minor hockey “It’s been real tough here,” said Greg Stefan, who coached 2006 Conn prodigy by any means. She kept working to get better. If she was finished Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward on that Carolina Stanley Cup champion. “The second skate on the ice with him, you could hear the comments in practice from the veteran guys. ‘I like this guy,’ they were saying. I knew right away. His professionalism, character, work ethic, “They had 10 17-year-olds, and asked me to help develop the young how he was a teammate, unselfish. He wins a championship, then is guys, show them the ropes. After each trade, I’d get on the phone with willing to come to an organization that struggled. He didn’t care about the my dad. He’d say what he had to say, but then we always focussed on negativity. He wanted that challenge.” the positive. Never put yourself in a negative mindset. I wanted to be the guy to go in and make the difference. I was not going to be bitter.” The Firebirds opened at Sault Ste. Marie, in a down year for the Greyhounds. They lost 6–3. Moose Jaw was honest with Joseph, promising they would eventually move him back to a playoff team. That happened in November, when he “I remember some of the guys thought that was going to be an easy was dealt to Kelowna. The Rockets were to be the Memorial Cup host. night,” Popovich said. “It turned out the opposite.” But when an injury situation healed, they also found themselves with an The next game was 24 hours later in Saginaw, a better opponent. Flint extra 20-year-old. Joseph was off to Tri-City, where he finished his junior won 4–1. career on a team that wouldn’t have been in the playoffs. “He stood on his head,” Stefan said. “He proved it to me. He can have a Honestly, when I go back and read this “thought,” it comes across as bad game, but not the next one. When you have a team that believes in grossly unfair. Joseph, however, found a silver lining. Two seasons ago, their goalie, it goes a long way. We needed something like that for he was limited to 53 games because of a leg problem. It took a long time (captain Ty Dellandrea), who went through everything here.” to pin down the exact issue, but after a visit to a physiologist at Winsport in Calgary, Joseph has a better understanding. The Firebirds won 15 in a row from Jan. 19 through Feb. 21, and hit the end of the season fifth in the league with 82 points. “The lactic acid was building up in my legs — it couldn’t clear out. We think it has to do with overtraining… the wrong kind of training. We can “I’ve never been part of something like that,” Popovich said. “We packed take the extra time this summer to buckle down and get a handle on it. I our rink. The fans here deserved that after those tough years. My three want to see where I can go from here. I know there’s a lot of work ahead, years in Guelph, we saw Flint as an easy night. Those times are over. but that doesn’t matter to me.” Flint has changed — now it is a winning culture. The year was so quick but I loved it.” He says the doctors there call him “a thoroughbred,” so he’s excited to be fully healthy. If Popovich goes the university route, he’s looking at Queen’s. 22. Joseph is an excellent face-off man. “(Stefan) would always say to me, ‘You know when you’re in pro next year’ — that was a confidence booster. I’d never hesitate to say yes to “I take huge pride in that. I watch a ton of video of Sidney Crosby. It that — hopefully that opportunity comes my way.” blows my mind how strong he is. He has his hands so high on the stick. Patrice Bergeron, too.” “His mentality will take him farther than he expects,” Stefan adds. “I’m disappointed this had to end. What a special group of young men.” His first WHL season, he was put in a shutdown role against Brandon’s Nolan Patrick, who would be the second-overall pick in the 2017 NHL 20. If you’re too young to remember Stefan as an NHLer, well, he never draft. backed down from a fight. Do any of his players look up the videos? “I would always be matched up against him.” “You mean the Willi Plett?” he laughs. “The game has changed for the better, but they are fond memories. Sometimes, the players will come How’d you do? into the room, pull up my YouTube stuff. They get a kick out of it.” “I had my way in the faceoff circle.” Jadon Joseph. (Brett Cullen) That’s about as boastful as he gets. He’s earned it; that was a hard road. 21. Jadon Joseph’s WHL career comes to an end after being included in Will and Beck Warm. (WHL) five trades that involved six other players and 13 draft picks. But if you want to put a number by his name, it should be 58. That’s what he’s most 23. Twins Will and Beck Warm were born on April 22, 1999. proud of: 58 playoff games in three seasons. “I am older by one minute,” Will says. “I don’t know how many players would get to say that,” he says. “It was a pretty crazy experience, but I wouldn’t take any of it back. So many Do you remind Beck of that? connections, meeting so many different people, growing as a person and “Not as much these days, but definitely growing up.” a player. Things happen for a reason.” They grew up in Whistler, deciding to focus on hockey as they became Drafted by Lethbridge in 2014, he would join the Hurricanes two years teenagers. later. Joseph played 20 playoff games in 2017, including a Game 7 overtime defeat of Medicine Hat in the second round. Then the league’s “We always had each other to push each other,” Will adds, “but we were No. 1 team, Regina, beat them in six games in the Eastern Final. both terrible losers.” In 2018, they beat Red Deer and Brandon before another Eastern Final It was perfect because he was a defenceman and Beck played goal. One loss — to Swift Current. That June, three teammates were burned during could shoot, one happily played net. They played together through their a campfire. BC Major Midget days with the Vancouver NW Giants. Will was selected 108th in the 2014 WHL Draft by Edmonton. Beck wasn’t taken. “That’s why the trade from Lethbridge to Regina was the hardest one. Lethbridge was a second home for me. We were like a family. After that “I was really disappointed,” Beck said. “But quitting was not even in the fire, it solidified how close we were. I never guessed I would have been cards — not even a question. The only thing that changed was my moved.” mindset to work even harder.” Joseph would play just 13 games for the Pats. Tri-City listed Beck, and he’d actually make his WHL debut first. That was Feb. 28, 2015, in Spokane. He was 15. The Americans, outshot 39-23, “Not all trades work out the way everyone plans. It just wasn’t a good fit.” lost 8–1. He was dealt to Vancouver, where he re-united him with a childhood “It wasn’t great,” he says now. “I was not ready enough for it. In Spokane teammate, Dylan Plouffe. The Giants were the Western Conference’s — 10,000 people. After the game I was upset at the final score, although No. 1 seed and went 12-3 in dispatching Seattle, Victoria and Spokane. I could find some happiness with the way I played. I made a lot of saves.” That took them to the WHL championship against the only team to finish higher in the regular season, Prince Albert. The Raiders won Game 7 in In 2016-17, they were apart for the first time. overtime to go to the Memorial Cup. Joseph doesn’t like to talk about that one. “We were a bit shellshocked,” Will said. “At the start, we’d FaceTime very night — talked and texted. As time went on, we’d speak a little less, “It was extremely hard — I’m not going to lie.” probably FaceTime a couple of times per week. I’m grateful for how close we are.” The 2019-20 season would be just as tumultuous. The Giants had too many overagers. Will was happy with that season, 24 points in 67 games as a rookie for the Oil Kings. Beck played 10 games as the Americans acquired a 20- “There were seven 20-year-olds, all good players. It was a tough position year-old goalie (Rylan Parenteau) to go with a 19-year-old (Evan for us and the GM.” Sarthou). Vancouver sent him to Moose Jaw. The Warriors were 40 games under .500 when the season ended. “Rylan was unbelievable. He showed me the ropes. The team asked Victoria was second in its division. what I wanted to do, because I was going to be third on the depth chart and wouldn’t play a game after Christmas. I wanted to stick it out. The “We should be up 2-0 in our first series of the playoffs right now. My mom way we were raised was nothing is ever given to you…. Work for told me to write down a selection of all the good memories of junior everything you get. We never had a quit mentality. I appreciated Will hockey. Just to remember.” being there for me, his support. When we were FaceTiming, it was not Edmonton was excellent. First in the Eastern conference by 11 points. even too much talking about our situations. More small talk. I just wanted to talk about anything else.” “The depth we had in Edmonton, it was crazy,” Beck says. “It was going to be hard for any team in WHL to keep up with that.” Beck was really proud that after being told he wouldn’t get another game, he did get one. The brothers are eying pro situations, although everything’s up in the air at this time. 24. Beck played 35 games in 2017–18. Will suffered a shoulder injury that limited him to 53. On June 12, 2018, his billet father, Garett Grant, “If we want to go to school to play together, we’re leaning towards died in a motorcycle accident. He was 43, leaving behind wife Michelle McGill,” Will says. and daughter Kennedy. Wherever they go, they will leave an impact. “He really helped that family get through it,” Oil Kings GM Kirt Hill said. “Our parents taught us that being a good person is important,” Beck “It was shocking,” Will adds. “I wanted to stay and help them. It helped says. “Hockey ends, but your reputation lives forever. This taught me so me to be there for them.” many lessons about myself. If something is not handed to you, you can get it if you work for it.” Five games in to the 2018–19 year, he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out months. 26. The brothers say they’re pretty good golfers. If I had to bet the mortgage on a five-foot putt, who am I taking? “I trained really hard to get back. It was a tough stretch for me, but that’s part of the process. You have to handle adversity as part of your journey. “I’d say me,” Beck answered. I was out four months, and the team told me I could go home if I wanted. But I wanted to stay and be around the team. I could still be productive…. Jeremy McKenna. (Daniel St. Louis) If not making a difference on the ice, I could use my position as a WHL 27. There’s a new ping-pong table at the McKennas’ home in player to make a difference in the community.” Summerside, P.E.I. — a good time-filler when needed. What meant the most to you? “It’s pretty competitive here,” Jeremy McKenna says with a laugh. “I enjoyed spending time at Ronald McDonald house in Edmonton. On Father Mark played hockey at UPEI, competed in both hockey and tennis Thursdays I’d go for a couple hours, do crafts with the kids. The best part at the Canada Games. was how excited how they got.” “Now I can take him one-on-one, but he was a hard-nosed defenceman. How are you at crafts? We still talk every day.” “I’m terrible,” he laughs. Mother Sara captained the Panthers’ soccer team. All three of Jeremy’s Will returned for the WHL playoffs, appearing in all 16 of Edmonton’s sisters are athletes, too, and Jeremy says the eldest, Georgie, is the games as the Oil Kings lost to Prince Albert in the Eastern Conference most competitive in the family. But he’s not afraid of the unknown. Final. Meanwhile, Beck established himself as Tri-City’s No. 1, playing 61 While he eventually joined the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats in the 2016– games. The Americans lost in the first round of the playoffs, to Everett. 17 season, Jeremy first spent two years at the famed Notre Dame Both celebrated in May when Will received the Doug Wickenheiser Academy in Wilcox, Sask., before trying something much different — a Award as WHL Humanitarian of the Year. It was a huge lift as they year at the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg, Austria, as a 16-year-old. quietly faced another challenge. Their mother, Wendi, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The Oil Kings did right by Will, trading him Brian Savage, who played 674 NHL games was his coach. Noah Dobson to Victoria so he, like his brother, could be closer to home. Happily, Will of the Islanders, Calgary prospect Martin Pospisil, and Savage’s son says, Wendi is doing well. Ryan became good friends. “The past year was tough on our family,” he said. “She’s such a strong “It wasn’t so much the games that helped,” McKenna said. “It was woman — it is inspiring to watch her go through it. She showed us what spending the time in the gym and practice. It’s tough to pick the best an incredible woman she is.” experience, but I do remember the last tournament of the season in Prague. That year we had, how lucky we were to be there.” 25. As the 2019–20 season progressed, Edmonton needed an older goalie to mentor 17-year-old Sebastian Cossa. Hill’s target was obvious. No 1999-born player scored more CHL goals than McKenna’s 137. But it didn’t start easily. After graduating league-leading scorer Conor Garland, “I knew who would help him go to the next level. Beck is just like his among others, the Wildcats team that McKenna joined back in 2016 brother. If he wasn’t a goalie, he could have worn a letter.” knew they would be challenged. Edmonton traded for Beck on New Year’s Day. “We didn’t have a great team. We lost 25 in a row. We were the worst “It is remarkable how well they dealt with everything. They bring so much team in franchise history.” to the organization, so far beyond their years. They helped our group so But, to a young man who still has a weekend 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. much. So many emotions, life-altering events, and they were always so summer job at his parents’ Granville Street Diner, there was only one mature.” solution: roll up your sleeves and do your part to make things better. Of course, Beck moved in with the Grants. McKenna went from 26 points, to 77, to 92. The Wildcats went from 31 points, to 62, to 85 and won a pair of seven-game first-round series. “Michelle, at first, said we were really different,” Will said. “Then they’d be in different rooms, hear Beck talk, and think it was me…. (Going to The right people noticed. Last summer, McKenna attended development Edmonton) was a good fit for him, and great for (the Grants), too.” camps with Dallas and Calgary. The Flames offered him an AHL deal. Born in Alberta, with his earliest hockey memories being the Flames’ How did Beck’s new Oil Kings teammates compare him to Will? 2004 trip to the Stanley Cup Final, it was an easy choice. “They said I was a bit more of a comedian in the room than he was.” “I went into training camp ready to go. [But when] they brought in Zac Rinaldo and Tobias Rieder on tryouts, and when they made the team, it After everything the Warms went through, their WHL careers ended pushed Alan Quine and Dillon Dube back to the AHL. I thought it would positively. On Feb. 22, Wendi dropped the puck at the game-opening be better to go back to junior for my final year, chase the Memorial Cup ceremonial face-off before Victoria beat Kelowna in a shootout. Will took and finish what we started. That excited me. I had no hard feelings that draw. towards Calgary at all.” Did she give you a good drop? Moncton was ranked third in the CHL when play ended. “Yes,” Will answered. “But I told her to make sure she did. That night is “We had a 16-game winning streak. I played some of my best hockey one I will remember a long, long time. The Royals are a great personally. I met great people in Moncton. I can’t thank them enough. organization. This year was awesome — we proved a lot of people Roger Shannon drafted me, Ritchie Thibeau (the assistant director of wrong.” hockey operations). I want to be positive, everybody is sacrificing right “I couldn’t move my legs anymore in the third,” laughed UBC goalie now.” Rylan Toth. “They got a power play, and on a six-on-four were just zinging the puck around.” That includes his parents, with their restaurant. I asked him to rate the goal on the Braden Holtby scale of “should’ve had “It’s a rough patch, and that motivates me. I know things are uncertain it/could’ve had it/no freaking way.” now, but whatever happens I’m prepared. I’ll be ready when my opportunity comes.” “I’d love to say (I had) no chance,” Toth answered, “but for me, something more could’ve been done. It was a backdoor one-timer with a 28. Jincy Dunne didn’t need the power to read minds. lot of traffic. I like to think I could’ve had it, but it was close to “No one said it out loud,” she said this week, “but they were definitely unstoppable. It was a great play.” thinking it.” UBC’s head coach is Sven Butenschoen, who played 140 NHL games On Jan. 12, 2015, Dunne had scored the golden goal in overtime to give with Pittsburgh, Edmonton, the Islanders and Vancouver. the U.S. a 3–2 victory over Canada in the Under-18 World “Sven was the first one in our room, during the intermission. He told us, Championships. Months later, it was time to pick an NCAA school. ‘We’re gonna have some bad bounces along the way. Why can’t we win “When I have a lot of options, I don’t do well with decisions,” she laughs. this?’ His approach is about positivity, one of the most caring and “My older sister went to Ohio State and I fell in love with the school. genuine people you’ll ever meet. He wants the best for you, wants to do There was no reason it shouldn’t be on the map, with that Buckeye anything he can to help. That goes a long way.” pride.” Auston Vetterl scored at 12:52 of overtime to win it for UBC. But it wasn’t yet on the map, and it would’ve been fair for people to Toth previously played in the WHL for Red Deer and Seattle. wonder why she chose the way she did. In 16 seasons, the Buckeyes had never finished higher than fourth in conference play. Recovering “When you win there, you’re still kids and you’re not always allowed to go from a concussion, Dunne sat out her first year as a redshirt freshman, out. Here, it was a bunch of older guys who’d never won. We went out while the team went 10-25-1. She had a letter on her jersey the moment together and had a fun night in Calgary. Great memory.” she could play and is the fourth defenceman in the past decade to be first- or second-team all-American three times. More importantly, the Then came Alberta, again all on the road. team went to the Frozen Four for the first time ever in 2018. “It was the least pressure I’ve ever felt to play. We’d finally won a series. “We built a great culture, a team full of girls who didn’t want drama. We We were playing with house money.” enjoyed the time we had together. A group like that, you do it for the Toth made 51 saves in a Game 1 overtime win. He was pulled after 40 person next to you. When you have something like that, it’s too special to minutes in a 6–1 Game 2 loss. throw away. The most wins in program history, the most wins in a season, the most consecutive wins. That group was so fun, the bench so “In their building, you know it’s coming. It’s exciting as a goalie. Our guys lively. Everyone had value.” played hard, were clearing rebounds and keeping them outside as much as they could. It’s kind of a blur, but was so good to sit and watch the end They were at the airport in Minnesota two years ago waiting to see if of the second game. I was thinking, ‘This one’s done and gone — let’s they’d get a shot at the Frozen Four. move on.” “We were so nervous. I still get chills every time I watch the video. The Game 3 started hilariously. relief was incredible — we had no doubt we’d win if we got in.” “Would you believe they got a two-on-none off the opening face-off on a Their quarterfinal was against Boston College. missed assignment? I make a nice backdoor save and thought, ‘We can “That was one of the best games we played,” Dunne said of the 2-0 win. build off this.’ Alberta outshot UBC 41-19, but lost 2–1. They lost the semifinal to top-seeded Clarkson, 1–0 in overtime. “It was an onslaught. It was like Miracle — and we’re hanging on for deal life. Guys are laying out to block shots. The coolest game I’ve been a “We had a goal called off early. I thought we dominated. But you know on part of. Such disbelief — that team is expecting to be in the National some goals you can tell there’s a breakdown in play? As it was Championship final game every year.” happening, I was thinking, ‘Oh no, this is not good.’” Even though Saskatchewan beat UBC in the Canada West Final, the This year was to be their second chance. On back-to-back nights (March Thunderbirds had clinched a berth in the National Championships. The 7 and 8), the Buckeyes won overtime games against Minnesota and team traveled to Halifax, but the tournament was officially cancelled Wisconsin to win their first conference championship in school history. March 12 due to the outbreak. “It was not good enough to be there. We were going to win — we have to “A lot of our parents came out and we had a dinner together. We didn’t win. We were fired up, but exhausted from the night before. Minnesota want to believe it was over. One of the fifth-year players said he didn’t gave us everything. But to be on the ice with so many family members — care if we [would’ve gotten] spanked by New Brunswick — he just great families, parents and siblings can make your experience so much wanted one more game with the boys. But everybody understood this is better. I will never forget celebrating that.” bigger than hockey for sure.” The players were preparing to head to the national championships when Toth will be back for his fourth year, but he sure gave those departing the season was cancelled. seniors a gift. “Me and my fellow seniors, we weren’t prepared for that being the last 30. When at WHL Seattle, Toth played with Ethan Bear and Mathew game we were going to play. It was heartbreaking. But, those of us who Barzal. came to Ohio State lasted, and (we) came out leaving the program better than when we found it. I can confidently say players would know if they “I have nothing bad to say about Ethan — he’s one of the best people called and asked, I would do anything to help them. Together we were you’ll ever meet. He holds a hockey camp for First Nations kids every able to do that. We got to say that we did win the best conference in the summer and there’s about eight of us who still go to work it, including country. We were so lucky and blessed to be at Ohio State. I was unsure Barzal and (Vegas prospect) Keegan Kolesar.” about a lot of things, but this turned out better than I dreamed of.” And Barzal? 29. In the Canada West portion of USports hockey, it is all about Alberta “He likes to give it to you,” Toth laughs. “He loves to rip you apart, but he and Saskatchewan. The last school other than the Golden Bears or also loves it when you give it back.” Huskies to win that conference was Calgary in 1996–97. UBC, with 23 points in their 29 regular-season games, was not expected to break that The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees men’s hockey team. (Greg Mason) trend. First, they had to get through fourth-place Mount Royal, 15 points better than the Thunderbirds in the regular season. And, due to the 31. Every school has a protocol, and the University of Ottawa is no league’s travel challenges, Mount Royal got to host all three games. different. UBC won Game 1 and lost Game 2. The decider was the third game in “We have a couple of banners in our rink for players or teams, and there three days. UBC led 3–0 before giving up a goal with 0:07 to go in the are some terms you need to follow,” Gee-Gees coach Patrick first. The Thunderbirds went up three, but then gave up another goal 58 Grandmaitre says. “But we owe a lot to this bunch of guys, and for sure seconds later. They led by two with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. we will do something.” The Cougars tied it with one second left. In February 2014, after two players were charged with sexual assault “They had reason to quit. They didn’t.” while on a road trip to Thunder Bay, the school shut down its hockey program for two years. When Grandmaitre was hired to revive it, he 32. The Rideau Canal photo above is an annual Gee-Gees tradition. admitted, “Getting the job was a bit of a surprise. I thought, ‘I can’t mess They couldn’t use the Parliament Building as a backdrop this year so the it up.’” chose the school’s new engineering building. Part of the tradition is buying a BeaverTail for each player post-photo — and one extra loaded Recruiting wasn’t easy. with maple sugar and Nutella. The idea is that the captain gets smothered in it. “There were a lot of players not willing to come. You have to get guys who are being overlooked or are being told by other schools that they’re This year’s letter-wearer, Quinn O’Brien, was a worthy adversary. He told going to have to fight to play some minutes.” his teammates that he wouldn’t let anyone get behind him. One of his teammates’ partners recently gave birth to a girl, and they used her as a He found 17 players who were willing to start the program, and that distraction to make sure O’Brien did not escape. Smart plan. group reached the end of the road this month. There were, as with any team, ups and downs. Stouffville Clippers Minor Midget AA. “In our first year, we went on a winning streak against some of the best 33. This last story is from Connor Cadaret, who coaches the Stouffville teams in the conference and in Canada, (and) I remember the players Clippers Minor Midget AA. He submitted something, and I didn’t want to looking at me like, ‘Coach, what is going on that we are beating these touch it. Here you go: teams?’” This past season was a dream I wish I never woke up from. There was Last year was their best regular season in school history — 48 points in never a moment when I was away from the rink that I was not looking 28 games — the league’s best team in the regular season. But they lost forward to the next time I got to be with the team. Never a moment where to Queen’s in the second round of the playoffs. I wasn’t thinking how I could make this team the best it could be and do my job to prepare them to the best of my ability. “This was a real challenge for our coaching staff this year. The team was up and down, looked like they were saving themselves for the playoffs. I had poured my heart and soul into this team and it was the best The coaching staff was a bit frustrated, telling them you can’t just flip the feeling in the world to be able to take a step back and see the results of switch. But we were also trying not be so crazy on every single detail and this effort. The messages were continuously apparent. The culture had harping on them. It’s easy in our league to grind out guys, because you been formed. Each player went into each game focusing on what they play so few games. It’s similar to football in that we play on the weekend, could control. Being hyper-focused on the specific things that they do giving a whole week to prepare — all this time to ramp up the intensity. well and help contribute to the team’s success. “Our leadership group was telling us, ‘We got this — we’re OK.’” Without getting into specifics, players played responsible hockey. Covering for teammates who were out of position. Holding each other Grandmaitre was worried they weren’t okay after a 5-3 loss to Ontario accountable when selfish plays were made. When we hit adversity, they Tech that forced a deciding Game 3 in the first round. put even more effort into the team and trusted that, along with the “They are a really disciplined, smart team, and we did not play well in coaches, we would be able to work our way out of it if we continued to Game 2. I needed to find a solution. The biggest part of coaching is your play the game the right way. players are looking at you for solutions, so you have to find them. Our More times than I can count, players put the team above themselves. strength is our cycle game in the o-zone, and they weren’t letting us get They knew their roles. They suggested different strategies that would not there. We couldn’t use the best of our game.” directly benefit them, but would put the team in a better position to win. The deciding game was the next day. Grandmaitre called two of his They did not complain when things weren’t going their way and when mentors: longtime junior hockey genius Danny Flynn and former QMJHL they may be seeing less playing time than others. They knew there was a Shawinigan head coach Dan Renaud. reason, and if they were confused they asked why. They accepted what they needed to do better and worked as hard as they possibly could to “No more D-to-D off the draw; push it; go, go, go,” Grandmaitre said. execute their role to the best of their abilities. “From the first period, our guys were confident, and everything snowballed.” This team that I had been so nervous to join back on that September evening in 2016 had become my second family. They had accepted me The Gee-Gees won 5–0. There were special moments the rest of the with open arms and had allowed me to provide them with life lessons way. The morning of the deciding second-round game at UQTR, the staff along the way. They trusted me and my messages towards the game. prepared special brown paper bag meals for the players with positive They were brothers in arms. We were all in this together and we would memories written on them. do anything for each other. “The players soaked it in, and I thought we had a good vibe, even though To say I was proud of what we accomplished this post-season would it didn’t start that way.” be an understatement. This family came together more than ever. Never quitting. Playing for each other. Watching them battle night in and night Les Patriotes led 2-0 after one. Goalie Domenic Graham was battling the out, and completely and unequivocally buying into the way I wanted them flu, walked in after 20 and told his teammates, “I’m not giving up one to play, was surreal to see. Watching them go on this magical post- more, guys. They’re done.” season run, which led us to the OMHA Finals, gave me so much satisfaction as a coach. He was right. Ottawa won 4–2. Up next, for a berth in the University Cup, was Concordia. The Stingers have a huge home-ice advantage; the We finished first in the regular season by 11 points. We won our first- opposing team must walk by the stands. It’s close contact. There was a round series against TNT. We won our second-round series against previous skirmish between Concordia and Carleton. Newmarket. We won an incredibly tough third-round series against a hard-working Markham team that took us to the brink. We won our “We told our players this is the most intense playoff atmosphere. Relish it OMHA semi-final round against Kingston. We were heading into the — we don’t get this often at university level. Want it.” OMHA Finals on a roll and ready to take on the No. 1 team in the Grandmaitre says the fans taunted his team about the 2014 scandal. As province, the Oakville Rangers, when the season was suddenly over due the clock counted down a 7-2 win, “I really took the time to look at guys, to COVID-19. who they’ve become, from a bit out of shape to relentless, hard-to-play No more practices to prepare for the Finals. No more meetings. No against. Our assistant coach, Brent Sullivan, all the way from a volunteer more motivational speeches. No more time together with our family. to paid. The alumni who took it as a slap in the face when the program Being away from my team and family since the season has been was shut down, all of those things.” cancelled has been very tough. Their last game was a 2–1 triple-overtime loss to Guelph in the Queens I realize that this is such a small, small part of this global pandemic, Cup Final. Like UBC, they travelled to the National Championships. but it has made me realize some important things. I realized that the “The fact that we got to go, practice three times — it’s a great event. It ultimate goal, and something that many people strive for, is being part of was worth it. It’s just hard telling 17-18 guys in a hotel conference room something bigger than yourself. Knowing that you have an entire team of that it’s over. But this is unprecedented.” people, an entire second family, that will do anything for you and will always be there for you no matter what. It was hard for Grandmaitre to pick individual players to spotlight. But we chose five fourth-year players who stayed, competed and set the tone for This is what I was missing when I stepped away from the game for a devastated program even though they lost ice time as others arrived: the first time. I was missing that camaraderie and that family. Putting goalies Anthony Brodeur and Graham Hunt; defenceman Adam effort into a common goal with people who want success just as bad as Beveridge; forwards John Deacon and Antoine Pouliot. you do. You can only get to the top if you do it together. There are no shortcuts to success and this team, this family, was so close to the peak. Winning a championship bonds you forever. It changes you as a person. It fills you with confidence that you can take into the rest of your life. The lesson that if you put all that you possibly can into something, and work with people together, through thick and thin, you will be rewarded. It’s the best feeling in the world. I was lucky enough to win 2 OMHA Titles when I played hockey in Stouffville growing up, and as I told my team many times throughout the years, I am still very close with and keep in touch with everyone on those teams. I was so genuinely happy that my team that I had grown with over the past four years was ready to feel these championship feelings. They were going to know what I had been talking about over and over. The feeling of achieving the highest success with your brothers by your side. We had a very tough battle ahead, but this team had “it.” They were going to pull through no matter what it took. I just knew it. There were definitely tears when I heard the news that the OMHA Finals were cancelled and that my players, my family, would not be able to experience that championship feeling and see their dreams turn into reality. My dream turned into a nightmare. But immediately after the season was cancelled, my tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. As I saw the culture that I had wanted to build when I stepped into this role as coach come to fruition right before my eyes. That night, I saw players reaching out to one another over social media. I heard our players were coming together, and being there for each other to talk their way through this tough news. I had players reach out to me to see how I was handling this news. Players were saying that this was out of our control. All we can do is focus on what we can do to help and trust that things will get better if we do. It made me feel as though I had done my job. I had done my small part to help develop these young men into seeing what is really important. They didn’t need to win a championship to become connected for the rest of their lives. They already were. As disappointed as I was to not be able to finish the season and finish my coaching career with this team in the way I always dreamed of by going out on top, I was lucky to have met all these kids and watch them grow into young men. To every player that I have coached over my past four years in Stouffville, I thank you for listening to what I had to say (or at least pretending to). I thank you for reminding me what it means to be dedicated and passionate about something bigger than yourself. And most importantly, I thank you for helping me develop my passion for the game of hockey again and providing me with a second family that I loved deeply and will never forget. Championship or not, we will remain bonded forever and I look forward to seeing everyone sometime soon. 34. The “31 Thoughts” blog will continue, but I’m skipping next week so I can finish another project I hope you enjoy. All the best, everyone. Thank you for reading.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173294 Websites Down 1-0 and with the clock winding down at the 2019 Tim Horton’s Winter Classic, Josh Morrissey was finally able to get the Winnipeg Jets on the board. Sportsnet.ca / Five most important goals in the modern Winnipeg Jets Morrissey took a pass from Laine and stepped into a slap shot that blew era past David Rittich top corner to the glove side. Not only did the goal send the game into overtime where the Jets won, but it ended a scoreless stretch that lasted 115:49 of outdoor hockey for Sean Reynolds the Jets, who were shut out in their previous 2016 Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers. April 1, 2020, 4:28 PM Considering the gorgeous retro jerseys the team wore in both those games, not scoring a goal while looking that good was an absolute crime. Though their time in the NHL has been limited compared to most NHL Blake Wheeler: December 21, 2019 teams the modern Winnipeg Jets have given their fans much to cheer about since returning in 2011. Look up the Winnipeg Jets franchise leader list and you will find a lot of names that have little to no connection to Manitoba. The official all-time Here’s a list of the most important goals in franchise history since the goal leader is Ilya Kovalchuk, who also holds the franchise record for became the Jets. most goals in a season. Marian Hossa remains the official franchise : October 9, 2011 record holder for most points in a season. All three of those records were set by Atlanta Thrashers who never donned the Jets double blue and It’s about as simple as a goal gets. A Mark Stuart point shot leads to a white. rebound. Nik Antropov jumps on that rebound and shovels a puck in from about three feet out. That’s why a goal Wheeler scored earlier this season against the Minnesota Wild is so important. On any other night it would have been a meaningless goal, but since it was the first scored in Jets 2.0 history it led to a celebration not seen in In his typical lunchbox style Wheeler stole the puck in his own zone, Winnipeg for over 15 years. started a rush, and out-hustled his defender up ice before taking the pass and beating Alex Stalock above the blocker. Antropov’s time with the Jets may have been short, but because of this moment his name will live on in Winnipeg’s history forever. With the goal, Wheeler joined Kovalchuk as the franchise leader in points and finally added some Winnipeg flair to the franchise record book. : October 19, 2016 The fact he would take sole possession of the record with an assist later When you are a scoring phenom starting at the age of 18, you are going that game, and do so in his home state in front of friends and family, to find your way on to a list like this pretty fast. Laine took just four NHL made the moment that much sweeter. games.

Let me set the scene: Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.02.2020 The Jets were welcoming the Toronto Maple Leafs following an off- season where the two teams picked first and second in the NHL draft. Of course the Leafs took Auston Matthews, the Jets Laine. The Leafs jumped out to a 4-0 lead with Matthews earning his first ever NHL assist. Then the Jets woke up with Laine as the central figure. He scored two goals, including a late third period marker that sent the game into overtime. That’s where Matthews found himself on a breakaway with a chance to steal the spotlight. Instead Matthews was denied, the puck was scooped up by Dustin Byfulien who found Laine streaking down the wing. Laine elected to keep the puck on a 2-on-1 and ripped a shot from the top of the circle that beat Frederik Andersen over the shoulder. The goal is important because it ushered in the era of the high flying Winnipeg Jets. Before that the Jets had just four hat tricks in the five years since arriving from Atlanta. In the less than four years since, the Jets have piled up 19 of them, and Laine has eight. Some may think Laine’s five-goal performance on November 24, 2018 against the St. Louis Blues should be on this list instead, but the first Laine hat trick definitely feels like it lit a fire under this franchise that has been burning ever since. Tyler Myers: May 10, 2018 For much of his time in Winnipeg Tyler Myers was given the green light (along with Byfuglien) to activate from the back end if the team needed offence. Head coach Paul Maurice had a lot of respect in Myers’ ability to jump into the play at the right time. So it’s no surprise Myers did exactly that in the franchise’s most crucial moment. In the first period of Game 7 against the Nashville Predators, Myers noticed his man wasn’t watching so he jumped up from the point, took a pass from Nik Ehlers, cut off the boards along the goal line and fired a low angle shot that redirected off Pekka Rinne’s stick and somehow squeezed between his skate and the post. Yes, it’s only the first period, but the goal shattered Rinne’s confidence and he never recovered; the Jets scored another weak goal two minutes later before Rinne was pulled from the game. The Jets went on to win 5-1 and advanced to their first ever conference final. It’s the deepest this team has ever made it into the playoffs. Josh Morrissey: October 26, 2019

1173295 Websites Should Barabanov want any insight on the challenges of jumping into North American hockey, he’s got plenty of sounding boards available to help. TSN.CA / Agent says Alexander Barabanov won’t rush NHL decision Two of Barabanov’s former teammates with SKA – Igor Ozhiganov and Miro Aaltonen – previously spent one season each in the Leafs’ organization, although Aaltonen only suited up for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. Kristen Shilton Barabanov has also represented the Russian national team alongside multiple NHLers, including , winning Olympic gold The NHL season may be paused indefinitely, but the Toronto Maple with the Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018 and earning a series of Leafs’ pursuit of KHL free agent Alexander Barabanov has continued to bronze medals (at the 2014 World Juniors, and 2017 and 2019 World pick up steam. Championships). Leafs’ general manager confirmed his club’s interest in Those connections could play a key role in pushing Barabanov towards signing the Russian winger during a media conference call on his next destination; one piece of a methodical, long-term process he’s Tuesday. undertaken to make the best choice possible. And he won’t be rushed. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported that the Leafs and Arizona "He’s talking to teams, and him and his wife are considering the interest," Coyotes were front-runners for Barabanov’s services, and that both Milstein said. "I’m going to continue working with him and looking at teams had been after him for more than two years. different aspects of his options. He could decide at any time. But this isn’t something that all of a sudden came about. He’s been watching a lot of "He’s going through a process of interviewing teams, and there’s no the NHL games and has a lot of friends in the NHL, he played on a line timeline [on that]," Barabanov’s agent, Dan Milstein, told TSN on with Ovechkin [with the national team], played with a lot of NHLers in the Wednesday. "But in another week or less depending [on how things past. It’s a variety of different things influencing him." progress], he is going to decide whether to stay in the KHL or come over to North America. There are more than a couple clubs with significant interest." TSN.CA LOADED: 04.02.2020 Until now though, the 25-year-old had been content growing his game in the KHL. Never drafted by an NHL team, Barabanov has spent the entirety of his seven-year professional career with St. Petersburg SKA. The 2018-19 campaign was Barabanov’s best, when he produced 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 58 games. His numbers took a dip in 2019-20 (11 goals, nine assists in 43 games), but that hasn’t affected the Leafs’ level of interest or changed what attracted them to Barabanov in the first place. "He's strong. He's not tall (at 5-foot-10), but he's a very strong winger," Dubas said on Tuesday. "Tremendous playmaking ability, great skill level in tight. But one of the other things we like most about him is his ability to make plays under pressure and his ability to win pucks, protect pucks when people come after him and use his strength to be able to do that. So, he's a playmaking winger who also has the ability to finish at the net and we'll continue to pursue him as best we can." TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button said that in Barabanov, the Leafs would have a player who "works, has desire, and competes pretty well." Button sees him in the same vein as former Maple Leafs' forward Dmytro Timashov, who was a rotating healthy scratch on the team’s fourth line for 39 games this season before being placed on and subsequently claimed by Detroit. "I don’t think there’s downside to signing free agents like this," Button said. "Barabanov's a bottom-of-the-forward-group type player, so nothing ventured, nothing gained." Although the global COVID-19 pandemic is preventing Leafs’ personnel from travelling overseas, Dubas said the work put in by senior director of player evaluation Jim Paliafito has already built a solid foundation between the team and players they’re interested in. That makes it easier to keep expanding those relationships electronically, and the Leafs track record of luring other KHL and European free agents, like Nikita Zaitsev, Calle Rosen and Ilya Mikheyev, boosts their stock as well. "There are players that we’re interested in and we’re competing with many other teams to try to gain recruitment," Dubas said. "And our hope is that the ability of the players that have come over from Europe since Jim been with us to quickly transition to pro hockey in North America will be a big help for us." It’s especially imperative now that Toronto be creative in making acquisitions. The Leafs are already pressed right up against the salary cap, and with uncertainty surrounding whether the cap will increase at all next season following the league’s pause, filling out the bottom of the roster with players on manageable entry-level deals is all the more important. "[Paliafito]’s got a great read early on, on who the players are that we’re probably going to look after," Dubas said. "He does a great job communicating back to the organization and to our player personnel department to take a look at players, whether it’s live or breaking down their video. And then he’s able to begin having conversations with them and their agents during the year to kind of get a handle on it." 1173296 Websites

USA TODAY / Ottawa Senators reveal four more positive coronavirus tests; all have recovered

Steve Gardner USA TODAY

Four additional members of the Ottawa Senators organization tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Wednesday. However, all those who contracted COVID-19 have since recovered. An unidentified Senators player was the first in the NHL to test positive, the team revealed on March 17. Another player was confirmed positive on March 21. In addition, color analyst Gord Wilson tweeted that he had tested positive. Members of the team and staff were tested shortly after a road trip to California just before the NHL season was suspended on March 12. The team had all members go into self-quarantine the following day. One of the games the Senators played was at San Jose on March 7, two days after Santa Clara County issued a recommendation that mass gatherings should be postponed or canceled to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. San Jose Sharks president Jonathan Becher has defended the team's decision to play, saying officials made the best decision with the information they had at the time. The Senators later played in Los Angeles and Anaheim before the league stopped play. The only other publicly known NHL cases are two unidentified Colorado Avalanche players and St. Louis Blues play-by-play announcer John Kelly.

USA TODAY LOADED: 04.02.2020 World Leagues News

First MLS player tests positive for coronavirus

A player for the has tested positive for coronavirus. It is Major League Soccer’s first player case of the virus that has caused the suspension of the season. The Union did not identify the player. He reported mild symptoms. MLS suspended all league and team activities March 12. The Union said no other club players or staff would be tested because the case fell beyond the 14-day window of possible interaction with the player. A member of the Seattle Sounders’ support staff and a sporting department employee at FC previously tested positive for the virus. FOX Sports Kansas City LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173297 World Leagues News

British Open 2020 to be canceled due to coronavirus pandemic

By Mark CannizzaroApril 1, 2020 | 10:18PM

Hours after Wimbledon announced on Wednesday that it was canceling this year’s tournament because of the severity of the coronavirus crisis, the British Open has reportedly followed suit. As coronavirus strengthened its grip on the globe, the Masters and PGA Championship became the first two golf major championships to postpone their scheduled dates, slated for April and May, respectively, with plans to reschedule in late summer or fall. Then last week, The Post reported that USGA officials have informed Winged Foot that it planned to suspend the U.S. Open, which was scheduled for June, to a possible September date to be named later. That left the final move to the British Open, which was scheduled to be begin July 16 at Royal St. Georges in England. According to a report by Golf Digest on Wednesday night, the Royal & Ancient, the governing body for the Open Championship, has decided to cancel the sport’s oldest major championship. The decision could be announced as early as Thursday. Sources told Golf Digest that the R&A was awaiting the decision on Wimbledon before proceeding. While no one has any answers as to when any sporting events will take place again as this crisis has essentially paralyzed the world, it has been speculated the PGA Championship would be played the last week of July in the slot that was occupied by the Olympic golf competition (which has been postponed until 2021), the U.S. Open played in September and the Masters in either October or November. This will be the first time the British Open has not been played since 1945 because of World War II. According to the Golf Digest report, part of the reason the Open Championship is being canceled instead of postponed like the other three majors has to do with insurance. As Wimbledon does, the R&A has a policy that shields against a global pandemic, and the source said the Open would have to cancel by a certain date in order to collect on its insurance premium. “The R&A is the most [insured] of all the tournaments,” the source told the magazine. “They have complete cancellation insurance. I just don’t see any golf [being played] before August.” Irishman Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, will have to wait another year to defend his title. This was to be the 149th Open Championship, setting the stage for the 150th to be played next summer at St. Andrews, known as “the home of golf.’’ So, it’s highly unlikely that Royal St. Georges, which last hosted the tournament in 2011, would host next year. After St. Andrews, the Open is scheduled to be played at Royal Liverpool in 2022 and Royal Troon in 2023. Earlier on Wednesday, the USGA and R&A announced that the 41st Curtis Cup, which was to be held at Conwy Golf Club in Wales, will be pushed back to summer of 2021. The R&A also pushed back the British Amateur and British Women’s Amateur from June to August. NY POST LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173298 World Leagues News -- France's Top 14, the English Premiership and the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby are all suspended while the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals and finals have been How the coronavirus has hit global sport postponed. The finals of the two competitions were due to have been played on the weekend of May 22/23 in the French city of Marseille.

-- The first eight races of the Formula One season have been either AFP, APR 02 2020, 08:25 IST UPDATED: APR 02 2020, 08:25 IST scrapped or postponed with the season opener now put back until at least June 14 with the Canada Grand Prix in Montreal.

-- US autoracing's famed Indianapolis 500 was moved from May 24 to Wimbledon on Wednesday joined the list of sports events cancelled or August 23. postponed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic signalling that the standstill in global sports could extend deep into the summer. -- In motorcycling, the first five rounds of the world championships have been postponed. The season is due to open with the French Grand Prix Here, AFP Sport looks at the events impacted by the virus which has at Le Mans on May 17. killed more than 43,000 people around the world, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Wednesday. -- The Masters (April 9-12) and the PGA Championship (May 14-17) have been put back to unspecified dates while the USPGA Tour is -- Wimbledon organisers on Wednesday scrapped the grasscourt Grand effectively suspended until May 21. The US LPGA Tour is on hold until Slam for the first time since World War II. May 14. The two-week event was due to start on June 29. The cancellation of the -- The European Tour has put events on hold until June 4. only grasscourt major leaves the season in disarray, with no tennis due to be played until mid-July. -- All major international cricket series cancelled. -- US Tennis Association responded to the announcement by saying that -- The start of India's IPL, originally scheduled for March 29, was delayed they still plan to host the US Open starting August 31 in New York. until at least April 15. -- The French Open has been postponed from its May 24-June 7 slot to -- A swathe of qualifiers due to take place before July for the Twenty20 September 20-October 4. World Cup and the 2023 50-over World Cup postponed. -- The finals of the Fed Cup, scheduled for Budapest from April 14-19, -- The International Cycling Union announced on Wednesday that it was postponed indefinitely. extending the suspension of all events until at least June 1. -- The Tokyo Games, originally scheduled to start on July 24, have been -- The French Sports Minister has raised the possibility that fans could be put back almost exactly one year and will instead open on July 23, 2021. banned from the roadside in the Tour de France, which is due to start on June 27. The Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5. -- The three week Giro d'Italia in May and the spring classics have been -- The postponement of the Olympics had a knock-on effect with World called off, but the postponement of the opens a summer Athletics putting back their world championships, scheduled for Eugene, and Autumn window in the schedule and which could allow the Tour de Oregon, from August 6-15 2021, to 2022 to accommodate the re- France to run in August, the Vuelta in September and the Giro in arranged Tokyo Games. October. -- The World Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March -- cancelled Opening Day on March 12 and has 13-15, were postponed for a year. not set a date for a start of the season. The June series in London between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinal has been cancelled. -- Boston Marathon moved from April 20 to September 14. -- The NBA has been on hold indefinitely since March 11 for an initial -- London Marathon switched from April 26 to October 4. period of one month. Internationals -- The National Hockey League halted on March 12, three weeks before -- UEFA, which had already postponed Euro 2020 until 2021, on the end of the regular season. Wednesday axed all other international games scheduled for June to -- International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships scheduled give suspended club competitions a chance to finish. UEFA said it was for Switzerland in May cancelled. determined they should finish by June 30. -- The season-closing World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo were -- To make way for the Euros next summer, the women's Euro scheduled scrapped. for July 7 to August 1, 2021, will be postponed along with the Nations League final stages. LOADED: 04.02.2020 -- The Copa America has been moved from June 12-July 12 2020 in Argentina and Colombia to summer 2021. Clubs -- UEFA has postponed the Champions League, Europa League and women's Champions League finals, originally scheduled for May but has given no new dates. -- In Italy, where more than 12,000 people have died, all matches -- as well as all major sports events -- have been suspended. Administrators say they are not expecting a resumption before May 2 at the earliest. -- The English Premier League has been suspended until April 30. -- In Germany, the Bundesliga suspension has been extended to April 30. -- In Spain, all professional football has been suspended indefinitely. -- In France, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and women's football have been suspended indefinitely. -- Outside Europe, most top leagues have been affected, with the start of the J-League delayed, Major League Soccer in the United States and China's top-flight Super League put on hold. -- The Six Nations tournament was disrupted with four matches, including all of the final-round games scheduled to be played in March, put back until October. 1173299 World Leagues News number of football players nationwide declined 30,829 over that two-year period to 1,006,013, the lowest mark in a decade. For the record, numbers were also down in basketball, particularly among girls in Texas. Football still rules: Not even coronavirus will change the NFL’s place in Meanwhile, soccer, tennis and wrestling numbers are up. the sports hierarchy Here’s the takeaway, though: Even if on a slight downward trend, football participation still wildly outnumbers track and field, second-highest among boys at 605,354. By Kevin Sherrington Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the NFL only requires about 1,700 players a year. And the owners kick and scream about that number in negotiations with the union. Straight up: Pay no heed to anyone trying to peddle a return date on games as we once knew them, because no one really knows. Not even The NFL will never have to worry about where its players will come from. Mark Cuban. Only last week, he’d talked to “experts” who gave him hope How can we know for sure? Because in negotiations, players never place the NBA would be back in business by mid-May. This week, the Mavs’ a premium on long-term health care or safer working conditions, issues owner says he has no idea, which sounds more like it. Venturing a guess that should concern them. Players mainly just ask for more money than is above pretty much anyone’s pay grade these days. Even a most of them have ever seen before. billionaire’s. What all this means is that, once our fun and games start up again, the Just the same, in the throes of a pandemic that has shut down the NBA, NFL will resume its place up top in perpetuity. Just don’t ask me when NHL and MLB, if not the world its ownself, NFL owners doubled down that will be. Mark Cuban and I have learned our lessons. this week by voting unanimously to expand playoffs this season and the schedule next year. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.02.2020 Restaurants are closed, theaters silent and Times Square practically a ghost town, but the NFL’s cash registers still ring. Even if Kirk Herbstreit’s fears prove correct, and, God forbid, there’s no football this fall, it doesn’t change the natural order of things. Football still rules. NFL owners go about their big business as usual because nothing else has stopped it and, short of a global crisis, nothing will. Football’s advantage isn’t simply a matter of timing, but it’s a good place to start. League insiders can mourn the loss of OTAs, but football once got along just fine without an organized offseason and can do so again, at least in the short term. Can’t interview potential draftees in person? FaceTime works just fine, thank you. Won’t mistakes be made as a result? Probably. Mistakes are made in the draft every year. Jerry Jones made a decade’s worth in the late ’90s alone. The beauty of the draft is that someone else’s mistake is your gain. Besides, everyone’s in the same boat now. You don’t have to beat last season’s , just this year’s knock-off. Of course, that’s only if there’s such a thing as “this year.” Outside of basketball or boxing, no sport risks greater transmission of disease than football. Even if you could test the players, how do you justify it in light of the lack of tests for the general public? And what do you do about fans? Even if the games are on TV, could Jerry really stomach an empty stadium? The answers to those questions aren’t yet available, but at least the NFL has a few months to consider the possibilities before its season is upended like the rest. As previously noted, timing isn’t NFL owners’ only advantage. The $6 billion they take annually from TV is more than what the other big three sports make combined. Unlike baseball, hockey and, to a lesser extent, the NBA, the NFL doesn’t pay a dime for its farm system. The salary scale for its workforce isn’t as daunting, either. Only recently have partially-guaranteed contracts been a thing in the NFL. For comparisons, ask the Angels how much longer they’re on the hook for Albert Pujols. Never mind, I’ll tell you: Albert will make $30 million in 2021 at the age of 41, which will officially include a run of about five years when he’s been, from an analytics standpoint, one of baseball’s worst players. Think of the $240 million guaranteed Albert got next time you want to bark about the greediness of Dak Prescott. Few pro athletes are short- changed as much as NFL players. Read just about any of their obituaries. Take Willie Wood, who died in February at 83. The Packers’ great Hall of Fame safety walked with a cane at 65 after hip and knee replacements, vertebrae fusion and lower back surgery. He was diagnosed with dementia at 68. “Like a lot of players,” Wood once told a reporter, “I was dealt a bad hand.” Wood’s story is fairly common. For decades, the NFL ignored such tales of woe and disavowed responsibility in general until a class action lawsuit forced the league’s hand. Revelations about the long-term effects of concussions rattled parents. As a result, many no longer allow their boys to play football, prompting a few misguided souls to predict the sport’s demise. Let’s take a look at those numbers. September’s 2018-19 report from the National Federation of State High School Associations indicates the 1173300 World Leagues News

NFL owner speculates on what 2020 preseason could look like, how coronavirus could change training camp

John Breech

If the NFL made one thing clear this week, it's that the league is currently planning to play a full 16-game regular season schedule this year. However, even the best laid plans often go awry. Even if the league does end up playing all 16 games, there are likely going to have to be some dramatic changes made to the schedule if the coronavirus pandemic hasn't blown over by the time the 2020 season kicks off in September. Basically, this means that the NFL is going to have to start planning for any and all obstacles that could be tossed its way between now and the start of the season. Although the league hasn't revealed any coronavirus- related contingency plans for 2020, Falcons owner Arthur Blank did offer some informed speculation on what the NFL might do this year if the pandemic hasn't subsided by this fall. "I could easily see [training] camps being shorter, players being tested [for coronavirus] on a daily basis, things of that nature," Blank told NBC Sports. "No fan attendance [at training camp]. Things like that. We may have fewer preseason games, which probably wouldn't be the end of the world. But I think by September, my hope is by the time the regular season starts, that we'll be able to bring people together in some form or fashion in a safe manner and play." Blank definitely brings up several interesting scenarios. For one, the NFL -- and possibly all sports leagues -- are likely going to have to test players. If one player gets diagnosed with COVID-19, that could be a disaster for his entire team if no one knew he had it. The player could potentially spread it to his teammates, his coaches and his opponents. Blank's idea of players being tested might happen even if the pandemic has subsided some by August. The NFL will also have to decide what will happen to a player who is diagnosed with COVID-19. The player would have to spend at least two weeks in quarantine and that would raise a lot of questions, from whether or not they would count against the roster to whether. The league would also have to figure out what its going to do if several players from the same team were diagnosed. One other thing Blank brought up was the fact that training camp might have to go on without any fans in attendance. If the CDC still has rules in effect in the fall that prohibit large gatherings, the NFL would almost certainly put rules in place that would prohibit fans from attending training camp practices. Despite the grim scenario, Blank does believe that the NFL teams will eventually play 16 games in 2020. "I think the NFL's going to be fine," Blank said. "I don't mean it won't be changed. It is being changed now." CBSSports.com's Jonathan Jones came up with two contingency plans for what the NFL can do if it has to shorten the regular season and you can check out those plans by clicking here. As for the NFL, the league's executive vice president/general counsel, Jeff Pash, told reporters on Tuesday that the league is planning for a 16-game season, but that it's impossible to know right now if that will happen. "That's our expectation," Pash said. "Am I certain of that? I'm not certain I'll be here tomorrow. But I'm planning on it, and in the same way, we're planning on having a full season... We're still in March, so it's quite a few months between now and when our season would begin. The belief and the information that we have is leading us to continue on focusing on a season that starts on time and played in a normal way." The fact of the matter is that sports are an afterthought right now and there's no guarantee that things will be even remotely back to normal by September when the 2020 NFL season is scheduled to kick off. CBS Sports LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173301 World Leagues News

Coronavirus + Sports: How Are CFB Coaches Recruiting? How Are Prospects Maintaining Momentum?

Ashley Barnett

High school football players across the country face daunting new obstacles in figuring out their prospects for the college game, and whether their first choice of college feels the same way about them. For staff's and recruits alike, the need to be creative is more important than ever amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Georgia Tech football general manager, Patrick Suddes, the Jackets' tactics to contact prospects hasn't changed much, but they've always been on top of being creative. "I've seen teams post that they play PlayStation/Xbox online with recruits now. Multiple coaches FaceTime, personalized graphics sent, etc," Suddes said. "We have always done those." With more appeal to reach out and communicate with prospects, Suddes cautions the need to respect space and school work. "Now without football, the coaching staff has more time to communicate with recruits now," added Suddes. "We are also trying to respect the prospects' parents by not blowing them up so much so they can get their school work done. I think people forget now that these kids still have to get work done, so we try to be mindful of that." With COVID-19, many states have placed stay-in-shelter orders or imposed mandatory quarantines. This has resulted in schools closing for the remainder of the academic year as well the shut down of many gyms. For various Georgia Tech recruits nationwide, the need to stay in shape and maintain progress is vital. Many players are being resourceful with what's at reach and putting extra time into watching tape. "I've been working hard in the house and going outside in the my backyard. Just putting work in," 2021 CB Jordan Oladokun told All Yellow Jackets. "I've been trying to work on my technique the most. I'm watching more of past NFL games breaking those down." "I've been working on my strength and explosiveness a lot," 2021 WR Skyler Bell said. "Running stairs, hills, things like that. Strength wise, I do a lot of dumbbell exercises for my whole body so that come fall, I won't be a step behind. "I watch about 1-2 hours of film a day. I try and see where I can improve my route running and getting open through double teams. I will also be playing a little different position next year so I'm seeing the different spacing and timing of certain routes and concepts." With gyms nationwide closed with the self-quarantine, recruits are turning to their homes and the outdoors to help reach personal goals. "Just staying in shape and throwing in lots of fields," added 2021 QB Walter Simmons III. "For the first few days after schools shut down, we found a gym in the city with a trainer who worked me pretty good," said 2021 LB Baron Hopson. "After a couple of days, they closed all the gyms. So I've been doing a lot of weighted pushups, squats, dips, crushes, pulls up and shrugs." si.com LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173302 World Leagues News

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy gets creative during coronavirus pandemic with frozen pizza reviews

Brian FloodBy Brian Flood |

Barstool's Dave Portnoy joins Tucker Carlson on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' to discuss surviving the great indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has found a creative way to stay busy while stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic and the result has been a new batch of viral content. Portnoy is arguably more known for his wildly popular pizza reviews than he is for sports, which comes in handy since he runs a website that creates content as sports are on hold to limit the spread of coronavirus. Portnoy’s pizza reviews are typically uploaded onto Barstool’s “One Bite” app on a daily basis, and he grades slices on a scale of 1-10. Pre- coronavirus, he tried a new restaurant every weekday and positive reviews from the Barstool founder often resulted in soaring popularity for a pizzeria or restaurant. MEDIA BAD BOY BARSTOOL SPORTS THRIVING IN POLITICALLY CORRECT CLIMATE: ‘WE'RE PRETTY RARE’ But the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for Portnoy to visit establishments in person so he was forced to improvise. “Pizza places getting harder to get to, can’t leave the house, got to follow the rules, don’t want to kill nana,” Portnoy said on March 19 when he reviewed a DiGiorno frozen pizza – the first video in the new series. “We’re gonna move to frozen pizzas,” he said. “We’ll just keep banging out these frozen pizzas until this corona hits the road.” Portnoy has since posted a dozen of the reviews to his Instagram page, where they racked up over eight million views through Wednesday afternoon. The frozen pizzas reviews have averaged over 670,000 views apiece on Portnoy’s Instagram account alone and are also published on Barstool’s website and other social media platform. The frozen pizzas reviews have evolved, as fans teased Portnoy when he didn’t have proper utensils or a pizza cutter for the viral videos. Portnoy was interrupted by his doorbell during one of the early reviews and it turned out to be a surprise package that he opened during the video, revealing a batch of frozen pizzas sent to him by Red Baron. Fans apparently enjoyed watching the Barstool founder reveal the content of random packages, so he started doing “live package openings” at the end of each review and was recently gifted a professional pizza cutter that he now uses when judging frozen pizza. Fox News LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173303 World Leagues News

Opinion: Efficient, widespread testing for coronavirus could be key to holding 2020 NFL season on time

Jarrett Bell

Maybe the MVP – Most Valuable Product – for the still-hoped-to-be-full NFL season was just approved for emergency use by the FDA on Tuesday. On the same day that NFL owners voted to expand the playoffs and several high-ranking league officials touted the company line of aiming for a complete season that begins on time after Labor Day, the Federal Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for a rapid COVID-19 test that can deliver results in two minutes. The test, developed by Los Angeles-based Bodysphere, uses antibodies in blood to test for current or past infections with, according to the company, a 91% clinical specificity rate. Of course, in a bigger picture, this is viewed as a game-changer for a nation grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. Bodysphere contends that it can deliver millions of tests, to be administered by healthcare professionals, to the front lines in a matter of weeks. Such a test, too, would seemingly be critical to the NFL’s efforts to reopen in preparation for the coming season. Efficient mass testing of players, staff and others is an obvious prerequisite that must be secured along with other logistics needed to be addressed, especially when considering that medical experts have stated that a vaccine for COVID-19 might not be available for public use for 12 to 18 months. With a timeline for receiving test results to this point often taking two to seven days, a reliable test providing a rapid diagnosis would go a long way toward addressing the league's need for global testing – and for dealing with the potential of another outbreak later in the year. “We need to take our guidance from the medical people, from Dr. (Allen) Sills, Dr. (Thom) Mayer, the outside consultants on infectious diseases and from the CDC,” NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash said when asked about the logistical potential for global testing during a media conference call. Sills is the NFL’s chief medical officer; Mayer is the NFL Players Association’s medical director. “What’s the availability of testing? We don’t want to use a disproportionate share of testing resources, if it’s limited. We want to make sure we’re testing people in an appropriate way if we do it and have consistent standards. So, I think we would very much take our guidance on that from the medical health experts.” Several tests are in various stages of development, including a portable box from Abbott Laboratories that also received emergency use authorization from the FDA this week and is said to produce results in five to 13 minutes. Again, the bigger impact of such promising tests go far beyond the universe of a contact sport with constant exchanges of body fluids, but are undoubtedly intertwined with any timelines that the league and other sporting entities are considering. Pash and other league officials echoed what Mayer told ESPN’s Adam Schefter during a podcast, in which he noted he is “optimistic” that the NFL’s 2020 season can begin as scheduled. Of course, no one knows for sure. Science, data and the medical community will help shape the timelines – as it did in recently closing down all NFL team facilities – while direction from federal, state and local authorities will also play a role. “I think what the doctors are looking at are models that address the effectiveness of different kinds of interventions, in how the curve has trended down and tailed off in other countries and what they believe the result will be based on the modeling that’s being done in this country,” Pash said. “Keep in mind that we’re still in March and there are still a few months between now and when our season would begin. “The belief and the information that we have is leading us to continue to focus on having the season start on time and in a normal way.” As normal, of course, as a COVID-19 test would allow. USA TODAY Sports LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173304 World Leagues News networks, such as the SEC network or the Big 10 network, which aired fewer games than contracts specified.

While networks were able to avoid paying full fare for March Madness, Media networks have paid billions for sports they won't receive this year the cancellation of major professional sports seasons might be another — but the fighting for refunds hasn't started yet story. Most contracts signed with the National Basketball Association and Major Alex Sherman League Baseball don't have clear provisions for media networks to demand refunds on already paid broadcast rights fees, according to familiar with the language of the contracts. While deals do have so-called "force majeure" provisions, or "act of God" clauses that allow for refunds Media networks are paying billions for live sports that may or may not in some cases, pandemics may not be specifically covered. happen in 2020. Even if they are, networks might not enforce them given the long-term It's still unclear if networks will push to get money because with importance of their relationships with sports leagues. In the past, when professional sports leagues, who maintain important long-term strikes have shortened seasons, media payments for broadcast rights relationships with media partners. haven't been refunded. Networks can't afford to be too aggressive with the NFL and MLB, who can make or break media companies by divvying For now, the cable industry is more interested in banding together to out their rights to competitors. weather subscriber losses rather than fighting for clawbacks, but that could change after quarantines end and the economy recovers. "Let's say it's a one-time only event, obviously you're not going to pay," Pilson said. "But what you're talking when you have a 10- or 15-year Like many Americans, the television industry is putting survival over all agreement, year after year, you work it out in an accommodation of some else during the coronavirus quarantines. kind." The pay-TV world ebbs and flows in a constant frenemy status. When a The NFL is on the verge of renewing its TV rights with partners and will consumer cuts the cord on cable, everyone in the pay-TV ecosystem soon be followed by the NBA and MLB, whose broadcast rights are up in loses: the distributors (Comcast, AT&T, Charter, Dish), the network 2022. While the NFL is likely to stick with its current network partners owners (Disney, Comcast's NBCUniversal, AT&T's WarnerMedia, (ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, Disney and Fox), the threat of moving ViacomCBS) and the owners of broadcast channels (Sinclair, Gray certain exclusive rights to large technology companies like Apple, Google Television, TEGNA, Nexstar). Still, the various parties in the world of TV or Amazon may keep media networks at bay. constantly jockey for leverage, leading to occasional blackouts of networks and public arguments about dastardly cable companies and None of the big media networks that carry most professional sports, greedy programmers. including CBS, ESPN and NBC, have demanded refunds or threatened to withhold payment for games yet, according to people familiar with the On the surface, coronavirus quarantines may seem like a positive event matter. for the television world, with millions of Americans stuck at home. But if unemployment soars, consumers will look for ways to shed excess Media companies without long-term relationships could be more spending -- and with dozens of free and low-cost streaming applications aggressive about not paying. Sports streaming service DAZN has available as cable replacements, the traditional pay-TV world knows it's informed leagues that it will not pay rights fees for any games that have vulnerable to an acceleration in cancellations. Moreover, the Federal been suspended due to the pandemic, Sports Business Journal reported Communications Commission has already issued a warning for Tuesday. distributors and owners of local news affiliates with contract renewals coming up: don't even think about blacking out networks for the next two The Olympics months. The Olympics, which have been postponed from this summer to the As the crisis wears on, cable operators and the largest programmers summer of 2021, pose another problem: How will distributors and have called temporary truce and set aside a polarizing question for the affiliates that have renewal contracts with NBCUniversal avoid effectively time being: Refunds on undelivered programming, such as the National double-paying? Basketball Association and the Olympics. A pedestrian wearing mask walking past the Olympic rings in Tokyo, Distributors agree to pay programmers a certain amount of money based Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Tuesday that on the shows they promise to deliver. Live sports and the networks Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have agreed to dedicated to them -- like Disney's ESPN and Warner's TNT -- are a big postpone the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games by one year. reason why many Americans keep paying $80 or $100 per month for TV service. NBCUniversal has already signed its 2020 deals with local stations and pay-TV distributors which assumed the Olympics would air on the But this year, distributors -- and consumers -- paid for something they company's broadcast and cable networks. For deals that are up between didn't receive. What happens next is unclear and likely will hinge on now and the summer of 2021, NBCUniversal could conceivably force whether or not professional sports seasons are postponed or canceled partners to pay again for the Games -- extremely valuable programming completely. which will now begin on July 23, 2021. "How do they deal with an economy that is maybe 30% shrunk from what But given the long-term relationships of media companies -- and possibly they were dealing with last year?" said Neal Pilson founder of consulting the altered value of a once-postponed Olympics which isn't certain to firm Pilson Communications, who spent 13 years as the president of CBS look the same as past games -- NBCUniversal will probably reach Sports. "They might want to get out of having to pay the fees in the accommodations with its various partners to avoid potential lawsuits, contract -- at least some of it." according to people familiar with the matter. NBCUniversal will also not want to lose out on advertising revenue associated with the Games after NCAA vs. NBA, Olympics postponing a year. A source close to NBCUniversal said "all options are being discussed" and no decisions have been made. One bellwether for the impending industry stand-off is March Madness, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's annual basketball Fear of political action tournament, which was completely canceled. The NCAA's contract with network providers ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia differs from those of Some media executives also worry that politicians may publicly push professional sports leagues, according to people familiar with the matter, cable companies and networks to offer a nationwide refund on pay-TV allowing the programmers to save some of the money they'd initially bills, where a large part of the cost comes from sports that will no longer agreed to pay for the right to broadcast tournament games. be delivered. "CBS is not going to pay for this season and have no financial recourse Former Minnesota Senator Al Franken often championed anti-cable at all," Pilson said. "The networks are not paying for games that aren't causes. A successful campaign to demand partial refunds for sports delivered. They may have a formula where certain monies change hands networks could cost media companies hundreds of millions of dollars, and eventually they'll get credit for that." given there are more than 80 million U.S. households and all-sports networks easily make up more than $20 per month of a standard cable That has ramifications up and down the supply chain. The NCAA bill and closer to $30 for major cities like New York. Add in the diversified received less money than normal from its broadcast and cable partners, broadcast networks and cable networks such as TNT and TBS that also which means individual colleges will also get less TV money than typical carry sports, and those numbers jump another $10 or $12 per month, for 2020. Distributors will also pay diminished fees for regional sports said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at LightShed Partners. That's another reason why the cable world is content to focus on consumer happiness instead of fighting for clawbacks. Twenty-first Century Fox is giving away Fox News for free during the pandemic, the company announced last month. ESPN has pushed its Michael Jordan documentary from June release to April to fill the absence of live games. But short-term appeasements may only go so far. "The real glue of the cable bundle is live sports, and without live sports, the value proposition begins to fall apart," said Craig Moffett, an analyst at MoffettNathanson. CNBC's Jabari Young also contributed to this report. Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of CNBC. CNBC LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173305 World Leagues News

Coronavirus: Wimbledon canceled for first time since World War II

Chris Bengel

The coronavirus outbreak has halted sporting events all around the world. On Wednesday, Wimbledon was officially canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It marks the first time since 1945 -- in the midst of World War II -- that the Grand Slam tournament has been canceled. Wimbledon was scheduled to begin on June 29 and last until July 12. The All England Club, which organizes the tournament, held an emergency meeting on Wednesday where it made the decision to cancel the event official. "It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic," Wimbledon wrote in a statement on their website. "Following a series of detailed deliberations on all of the above, it is the Committee of Management's view that cancellation of The Championships is the best decision in the interests of public health, and that being able to provide certainty by taking this decision now, rather than in several weeks, is important for everyone involved in tennis and The Championships." The All England Club gave thought to possibly postponing the tournament to later this summer, but ultimately followed in the footsteps of what England's government is saying: public gatherings are not worth the risk of spreading COVID-19. "With the likelihood that the Government's measures will continue for many months, it is our view that we must act responsibly to protect the large numbers of people required to prepare The Championships from being at risk – from the training of ball boys and girls to thousands of officials, line judges, stewards, players, suppliers, media and contractors who convene on the AELTC Grounds – and equally to consider that the people, supplies and services legally required to stage The Championships would not be available at any point this summer, thus ruling out postponement," Wimbledon said. Wimbledon added in the statement that they have donated medical equipment to first responders in London and offered the use of their facilities to those in charge of the battle against COVID-19. Earlier this week, the US Open tennis complex in New York was turned into a temporary hospital. This is far from the first major sporting event to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak this year. Even in tennis, the French Open was slated to be held in late May, but was postponed until September. As of right now, the US Open, which takes place in August, is still scheduled to take place, but that could change in the coming months. Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep won at Wimbledon in 2019. CBS Sports LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173306 World Leagues News

Fox Sports adds Wednesday night iRacing while seasons are suspended for coronavirus

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News

Danica Patrick retired from racing in 2018 by completing what was dubbed a ‘Danica Double,’ a two-race finale that capped her NASCAR and IndyCar career, competing in the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. After two weeks of record ratings for its eNASCAR series broadcasts, Fox Sports is adding more virtual racing to its lineup while real racing series are sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic. (IRACING) Wednesday Night iRacing will feature a rotation of digital motorsports disciplines, kicking of on April 1 with a World of Outlaws event set on The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway using the iRacing platform. A 35-lap sprint car race will be followed by a 50-lap late model race with an all-star lineup including World of Outlaws drivers Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Bobby, Scott Blomquist, plus Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell from NASCAR and Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps from the NHRA. BEST WAY TO KILL CORONAVIRUS IN CARS “While the racing may be virtual, the competition and fun are absolutely real, and we’ll use Wednesday nights to explore a variety of virtual racing,” FOX Sports executive producer, EVP/head of production & operations Brad Zager said in a press release. Johnny Gibson will call the race during the live broadcast on FS1 at 8 pm ET, along with Jeff Gordon, Adam Alexander and Clint Bowyer. DANICA PATRICK SAYS SHE DOESN'T MISS RACING, ISN'T INTO VIDEOGAMES This past Sunday's eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational series Texas Motor Speedway race drew over 1.3 million viewers to Fox and FS1, making it the most-watched televised event ever, and the series is scheduled to run until the suspended NASCAR season restarts sometime after May 3. FOX News Network LOADED: 04.02.2020 1173307 World Leagues News

Oakland Athletics minor league manager on ventilator, battling coronavirus

Ryan GaydosBy Ryan Gaydos | Fox News Facebook

An Oakland Athletics minor league manager was hospitalized in Louisiana and placed on a ventilator as he battles the coronavirus, his fiance said Tuesday night. Webster Garrison, 54, managed the Class-A Stockton Ports last season and was expected to manage in the Arizona Fall League this year. His fiance, Nikki Trudeaux, tweeted that Garrison was “turning the corner” in his fight against the deadly virus. “Web was 100% dependent on the ventilator yesterday morning, 80% this morning and now 60% tonight,” she tweeted. “His respiratory blood work came back really good, too!! He's coming back to us y'all. ... Keep praying.” The Athletics said Tuesday there were no immediate updates on a minor league staffer who was battling COVID-19. Oakland didn’t name the staffer. The franchise said no other team member has tested positive for the virus. “We want to extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to our colleague for a speedy recovery,” the team said over the weekend. “We are committed to providing him and his family with support and care. Every person on our team plays a critical role to our success and we look forward to his return to the field when he is healthy.” MASKS ON THE FIELD? AHMED READY IF GAMES CAN BE PLAYED Garrison, a Marrero, La., native, played in five games for the Athletics during the 1996 season but never resurfaced in the majors. He was 0-for- 9 with one walk in 10 plate appearances. Trudeaux said she had also tested positive for COVID-19. “This man, my fiancé, Webster Garrison, the love of my life, is on a ventilator in the hospital, fighting for his life, and I can’t even be at his side!” She added Monday: “He is not getting worse! He is fighting hard and making small milestones.” It’s unclear how Garrison contracted the illness. At least 5,200 coronavirus cases and 239 deaths have been reported in Louisiana. FOX News Network LOADED: 04.02.2020

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