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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/23/2020 Red Wings 1185054 Concept of NHL’s proposal to resume play is approved by 1185082 ' appears over as 24-team players’ association playoff plan gets tentative OK 1185055 Column: Mental health no longer dirty words in macho 1185083 How Michigan's stay home order could impact football: world of NHL Five burning questions 1185056 Ducks goalie Ryan Miller makes charity a priority during 1185084 NHL players approve 24-team playoff; other details to be NHL’s coronavirus break negotiated 1185057 Looking at the Ducks’ backup goalie options if Ryan Miller 1185085 NHL plans to play on, without the Red Wings doesn’t return 1185086 Which former Red Wings have Hall-of-Fame credentials? 1185087 Mock draft: Building three teams from the Red Wings’ 25-year playoff streak 1185058 NHLPA agree on 24-team playoff framework to resume season Oilers 1185088 New playoff concept taking shape Bruins 1185089 Lowetide: Exploring hidden-gem draft options for the 1185059 NHL players’ union wants to negotiate further on playoff format 1185090 ‘He set his place in history’: On ’s Conn 1185060 Hingham elementary school produces NHL’s Most Smythe run, 30 years later Valuable Teacher of 2020 1185091 Oilers’ offseason decisions will be influenced by 2021 1185061 This Date in Bruins History: Oilers trounce B's in Stanley Seattle expansion draft Cup Final 1185062 Don't you dare put an asterisk on Stanley Cup winner this Kings season 1185092 Concept of NHL’s proposal to resume play is approved by 1185063 Letter from the future: Looking ahead to the Bruins — and players’ association NHL draft — in 2040 1185093 Column: Mental health no longer dirty words in macho 1185064 How Jake DeBrusk became the Bruins player everybody world of NHL loves to joke about 1185094 NHL players approve 24-team playoff proposal, but many 1185065 NHL player reps approve 24-team playoff, leaving Sabres other hurdles remain out 1185095 Lessons and hope after 10 weeks of upheaval in the 1185066 Maiorana's Memories: For the first time in their history, the hockey world Sabres win a Game 7 1185096 Publish the Star Tribune sports section from home? 'We 1185067 As the Sabres look ahead, a glance at what they saw in never imagined we'd try this.' Rochester this season Canadiens Flames 1185097 NHL’s pandemic plan could flatten the curve on regular- 1185068 Flames’ Treliving not picky about playoff plan: ‘Whatever season demand for good the format is, we’re excited to be part of it’ 1185098 Healthy at last, Juulsen hopes to regain spot on Canadiens' blue line 1185099 Hockey 24 showcases playing their favourite 1185069 NHL players approve 24-team return to play format to sport resume 2019-20 season Blackhawks 1185100 The best- and worst-case scenarios for the Devils when 1185070 NHLPA approves 24-team return to play format the NHL returns 1185071 NHLPA authorizes further negotiations with NHL on 24-team return-to-play format 1185072 Report: NHL playoff proposal including Blackhawks 1185101 NHL agrees on 24-team playoff for coronavirus return, expected to be approved by NHLPA issues remain 1185073 was a reason players voted against best-of-3 1185102 NHLPA accepts league's 24-team return-to-play proposal, series for playoff format with some issues still to be negotiated 1185074 How Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup champ barely made on-ice celebration 1185075 Blackhawks 2019-20 season in review: 1185103 Andre Veilleux is answer to this Rangers trivia question 1185076 Which injured Blackhawks players could return if the 1185104 NHLPA accepts league's 24-team return-to-play proposal, season resumes? with some issues still to be negotiated 1185077 2010, 2013 or 2015? Players and pundits debate which 1185105 The odds of a storybook Henrik Lundqvist ending are slim, Blackhawks team was best despite the stats NHL 1185078 What the Avalanche could look like when the NHL 1185106 ’s Account of Racism Pushes Hockey to Search resumes play Its Soul 1185079 ‘We knew’: The top 5 most dominant Denver teams of the past 50 years 1185080 NHLPA expected to approve 24-team return to play format, TSN’s Bob McKenzie says 1185081 NHL players vote to proceed with discussions on 24-team playoff format for league’s return Senators 1185107 D.J. Smith studying the top 10 to find ways to improve 1185133 NHL players approve 24-team playoff proposal, but many 1185108 GARRIOCH: ' coach D.J. Smith keeping other hurdles remain himself busy during NHL pause 1185134 Capitals in good spot to extend affiliation with ECHL team 1185135 What the Caps' 2018 Eastern Conference Finals win was like for one young fan 1185109 Players’ association board approves NHL’s return-to-play 1185136 Caps' Lars Eller has safety concerns about NHL's format; more talks still to come potential playoff proposal 1185110 Reggie Leach, a one-time Flyers star and a recovering 1185137 'Goon: Last of the Enforcers' is a fun hockey movie, but alcoholic, is making a difference in kids’ lives doesn't want to answer the tough questions it raises 1185111 In the age of coronavirus, we’re finding out just how much sports matters | Mike Sielski Websites 1185112 NHLPA agrees on principle of 24-team return to play 1185147 The Athletic / NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL: Which major sports format for 2019-20 NHL season league will return successfully first? 1185113 Nate Thompson on Flyers: 'For years to come, they're 1185148 The Athletic / The Athletic’s multisport analytics roundtable going to be very, very good' — Part I 1185114 It sure sounds like Penguins were wary of in a 1185149 .ca / Picking a winner, loser and dark horse in 3-game series, but can you blame them? NHL's proposed 24-team playoff 1185150 Sportsnet.ca / NHLPA authorizes further negotiations on Penguins 24-team return to play format 1185115 NHL, NHLPA take small step toward return to games 1185151 Sportsnet.ca / NHLPA vote first of many big steps before 1185116 New three-on-three hockey league with Penguins flavor NHL can return to play designed to be ‘snackable’ 1185152 Sportsnet.ca / Why Edmonton should have an edge in bid 1185117 Penguins A to Z: Evgeni Malkin can still dominate to host NHL games 1185118 Debate rages over Gov. Wolf’s comments about return of 1185153 Sportsnet.ca / The value of players buying in, and when sports in Pa. skating becomes a challenge 1185119 Mark Madden: Talent, playoff experience will benefit 1185154 Sportsnet.ca / Top 5 songs from 2016 World Cup of Penguins in unique postseason Hockey 1185120 Penguins vote 'yes' to NHL's 24-team playoff format 1185155 Sportsnet.ca / World Cup marked international swan song 1185121 Paul Zeise: Penguins' path is extremely favorable under for Sweden's Sedin twins proposed 24-team format 1185156 Sportsnet.ca / Adam Gaudette: Canucks can 'do some damage' if NHL returns 1185157 Sportsnet.ca / Inside the Highlight Reel: How to master 1185122 NHLPA OKs further talks with NHL on 24-team return; 'The Forsberg' like Pettersson Sharks' season could end 1185158 TSN.CA / NHLPA agrees to more talks on league's 24-team Return to Play proposal St Louis Blues 1185159 TSN.CA / Yost: Examining the play-in round matchups of 1185123 NHL proposal might not guarantee Blues a top seed, but the NHL’s proposed return that might not be so bad 1185160 TSN.CA / Andrew Raycroft on , Mitch Marner 1185124 NHLPA votes to move forward with 24-team postseason and state of Maple Leafs- rivalry plan 1185161 TSN.CA / Doctor encourages NHLers to consider long- 1185125 NHLPA voting on what season will look like if NHL returns term health risks of COVID-19 to action Jets 1185138 Now for something completely different... 1185126 NHL players union agrees on returning to play with 1185139 Laine keen to hit the ice, despite potential challenges of 24-team format new playoff format 1185140 If CFL decides to go with hub cities, Winnipeg and Regina would be likely choices 1185127 The Leafs are built for the Stanley Cup playoff blueprint 1185141 Jets' superstar Laine golfing, chilling and taking Lambo that’s taking shape selfies 1185128 Expanded NHL playoff format expected to be approved 1185142 on Lambos, life on the links and trying to 1185129 Billy Harris a Maple Leaf lifer skate off the rust 1185130 Jeff Finger’s dream was to play for the Maple Leafs. Then it almost broke him World Leagues News 1185162 Anthony Fauci weighs in on need for coronavirus testing Canucks for college athletes as on-campus activities resume in 1185143 Ben Kuzma: Canucks proposed playoff series would head 1185163 Patrick Ewing tests positive for coronavirus, isolated in a down Wild memory-lane road local hospital 1185144 Ben Kuzma: NHLPA playoff format approval would ignite 1185164 UAH cancels , tennis programs citing Canucks-Wild series coronavirus 1185145 Ed Willes: Pandemic will pose problems for pro sports as 1185165 All football, players will be tested for sponsors, fans take a hit coronavirus 1185146 Canucks reduce business staff pay: Inside the cuts and 1185166 Wolves, NBA join Mayo Clinic on coronavirus study the club’s hub city bid 1185167 Mexico cancels soccer season because of coronavirus pandemic SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1185131 NHLPA agrees to 24-team format to award Stanley Cup 1185132 Golden Knights lose advantage as Pacific champs in proposed playoff format 1185054 Anaheim Ducks

Concept of NHL’s proposal to resume play is approved by players’ association

By HELENE ELLIOTT

MAY 22, 20208:31 PM

The NHL Players’ Assn. approved the general concept of the NHL’s proposal to resume play and complete the 2019-20 season, saying Friday it will continue talks with the league regarding key points of the return-to-play plan.

“The Executive Board of the Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the union said in a statement issued Friday night. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Kelly Hrudey makes a save during Game 4

Elliott: Mental health no longer dirty words in macho world of NHL

The NHLPA began voting on the plan Thursday. The NHL’s proposal called for scrapping the rest of the regular season and starting postseason play with 24 teams grouped in two “hub” cities. The top four teams in each conference, as determined by points percentage, would play a round-robin series against one another that could affect their seeding; the other eight teams would play a best-of-five series to determine who would advance and face the top four teams. Every series after the first round would be best-of-seven. No spectators would be allowed, at least initially.

However, the proposal left many vital details blank. Among them were dates when players would begin to train in their respective NHL cities, when training camp and games would begin, and protocol for COVID-19 testing.

If voluntary workouts can begin next week and a three-week training camp period can begin in late June, the playoffs could start in mid-July and the Cup would be awarded in September.

NHL closing in on plan to resume season in July; Kings and Ducks would be left out

Also to be determined is which cities will be chosen as hubs. Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, , St. Paul, Minn., and Columbus, Ohio, are considered top contenders.

Prominent player agent Allan Walsh, co-managing director of Octagon Hockey, called Friday’s announcement, “A significant but incremental step forward with a long road still to go before we actually drop the puck on a Return to Play.”

About 15% of the regular-season schedule remained when Commissioner paused the season March 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a considerable amount of TV revenue at stake, Bettman has said he’s determined to finish the season and award the Cup even if that means delaying the launch of the 2020-21 season.

LA Times: LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185055 Anaheim Ducks “Still to this day, she has issues about dying and diseases, and so through this pandemic she’s been super-worried. Is this going to trigger something new again? Luckily for us she’s been OK. She’s been able to handle it. But in this time it’s been incredible to see what’s going on with Column: Mental health no longer dirty words in macho world of NHL people.”

“That was just not the way I was brought up, to ask for help. ... Suck it up and don’t talk about it.” By HELENE ELLIOTT DARRYL SYDOR MAY 22, 20207 AM Hrudey, whose daughter now is 27, urged those who need support now

to search online or have someone assist them. Hockey players are celebrated for their toughness. It’s common for a “I’m not trying to pressure somebody that isn’t comfortable in sharing player to absorb a booming hit without flinching, or to lose a row of teeth their story because it’s personal, and maybe sharing is not for you,” he to an errant puck and say he’s sorry he had to miss a shift to get sewn said. “That’s fine, as long as you’re trying to get the help that you need. up. Tape an aspirin to it and get back out there was the game’s unofficial Because there’s no reason to suffer in silence.” slogan. Hirsch, a commentator on ’ radio broadcasts, The idea of suffering in silence also applied to mental health issues. No believes the pandemic has chipped away at that repressive silence. one spoke publicly about depression or anxiety. You toughed it out. That’s how it always had been done. “I’m hoping that, and I wish it didn’t happen this way, that we come to realize after this is over how important mental health is. How real it is and That archaic code is fading, its departure hastened by former NHL how much bigger it is than we’ve treated it in the past, geopolitically and and Corey Hirsch. In talking about their socially,” he said. “I’m hoping that it really expands our vision, because struggles and advocating for mental health awareness and treatment everybody’s feeling anxiety right now. Everybody’s feeling the pinch. I’m they’ve elevated a discussion that became especially relevant when the seeing there’s a lot of people out there that are struggling with this. COVID-19 pandemic isolated people and clouded the future. “There’s still masculinity, ego and pride in the reasons why people won’t Hrudey, a former King, and Hirsch are emphasizing that it’s a sign of reach out but we’re all struggling a little bit here, so you can set your strength to seek help, not weakness, as they tell their stories and strip pride aside and your ego and get help.” away the stigma that lingers around mental health issues. His Facebook conversation with Sydor couldn’t have happened even as May was designated Mental Health Awareness month before hockey was recently as 10 years ago, so strong was players’ reluctance to speak up. shut down, but the pause in the schedule allowed both men to continue raising their voices. Hrudey, who wrote a book about his youngest “That’s why someone like myself even went into hiding,” said Hirsch, who daughter’s battles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and wrote a story in the Players’ Tribune in 2017 detailing his suicidal his own anxiety, is effectively using social media to advocate for the thoughts and how he’d barely stopped himself from driving his car off a availability of mental health resources. cliff in 1994. That incident occurred only months after he won an Olympic silver medal with Canada and was the third goalie on the New York Hirsch, who has spoken to kids and adults about recognizing and treating Rangers’ Cup-winning team. mental health issues, started a Facebook broadcast he calls “The Mind Game,” which features former athletes. His recent conversation with Sydor said he didn’t get treated for addiction or compulsive behavior for former King Darryl Sydor, who has undergone treatment for alcoholism years because, “That was just not the way I was brought up, to ask for several times, was striking and blunt. help. ... Suck it up and don’t talk about it.”

“I’m so proud to talk about this,” Hrudey, a member of the Kings’ 1993 That mind-set is changing in hockey, as Hrudey, Hirsch, former NHL Stanley Cup Final team, said from his home in Calgary, Canada. “I’m goalie and Canadian TV sportscaster Michael Landsberg proud of my playing career, I’m proud of my broadcasting career but lead the way in showing it’s OK to discuss being vulnerable to mental most proud of the work I’ve done in the field of mental health.” health struggles.

Hrudey was an established NHL goalie when the Kings acquired him “I’m just so excited about what it might look like in 10 years, 15 years,” from the New York Islanders in February 1989. Yet, he was overcome by Hrudey said. “Maybe it’s not as quick as I’d like it to be but I’ve seen the fear before the 1992-93 season. change in the attitude amongst people sharing their stories and listening in the last bunch of years. I’m so hopeful that in 10 years it’s going to be “I was going through these things where my brain was telling me, ‘I don’t such a normal conversation.” know if you can do this any longer. I don’t know if you can stay at this level.’ It was just putting all this doubt in my head,” he said. “I was to LA Times: LOADED: 05.23.2020 learn later from our daughter Kaitlin about the loop in a person’s brain and I didn’t have the skills at that to break the loop. I had no tools to do it, so that loop kept getting louder and louder.”

The noise crested before a neutral-site game that season in Milwaukee, when he took refuge in a bathtub.

“I became unglued,” he said. “I somehow was able to play really well in the next game and for a couple games after that but then it all came crashing down and I was lost.”

He credits then-coach for referring him to Tony Robbins, author and self-help motivational speaker.

“They were able to get me out of that situation,” Hrudey said.

He still has occasional anxiety but it hasn’t stopped him from offering calm and keen insight as a TV analyst. He blames himself for not realizing something was amiss with his daughter when she was 11 and refused to go to school or dance class.

“I looked at everything she was going through as a quirky little habit. Had I put it all together I think I would have been able to come to the conclusion earlier that no, these aren’t quirky little habits. She’s having some real issues,” he said. “When we realized it, because her life became completely debilitating, then we needed to get her help. 1185056 Anaheim Ducks In addition, Miller is two wins away from tying Dominik Hasek, the man who preceded him in Buffalo and set the standard for Sabres goalies while playing 491 games. Miller played 540 games with Buffalo and forged a strong bond with the hard-scrabble city and its fans. Ducks goalie Ryan Miller makes charity a priority during NHL’s coronavirus break Miller also played with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks before signing with the Ducks as a free agent July 1, 2017. As in his other stops he’s endeared himself to Ducks fans with acts such as swapping pucks for Girl Scout cookies during a pregame warmup this By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: May 22, 2020 at 3:36 p.m. | season. UPDATED: May 22, 2020 at 4:35 p.m. “I don’t want to close anything off,” Miller said of the possibility of re-

signing with the Ducks and continuing his Hall of Fame-caliber career for Ryan Miller’s world came to a screeching halt one day in March, just as it an 18th season in the NHL. “But I also don’t want to make a decision did for almost everyone else. It wasn’t just hockey that was put on pause when no one knows what’s going on.” because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe. It was life in Like everything else, it’s a decision that has been put on hold because of general that was placed in suspended animation. the coronavirus. It didn’t take long for Miller and his Ducks teammates to wonder what Orange County Register: LOADED: 05.23.2020 they could do to help. They started by donating meals to doctors, nurses and other essential health care workers at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, following the charitable lead of Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli.

Among other things, the Samuelis promised to pay part-time employees through June 30.

As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Miller realized there was more he could do. He had old goalie equipment that he could auction off for charities in Orange County, including the Second Harvest Food Bank, and in Buffalo, New York, where he got his NHL start.

The Ducks had already teamed with Second Harvest, setting up a food distribution location in the parking lot and turning over their shuttered practice rink at the Great Park in Irvine to the organization to use as a food storage facility.

“We have a good group in Anaheim,” Miller said. “The Samuelis really stepped up and the boys pivoted and did a nice thing. Then it was, like, ‘OK, we’ve done something as a group. What else can I do? Well, I’ve got a bunch of gear in old bags in an attic and in storage.’”

Miller, 39, began the Steadfast Foundation in 2006, while playing with the Buffalo Sabres. It was through his charity that he set up his latest fundraising effort, an online auction that features some of his pads, catching gloves, skates and sticks, plus a few donated items from teammates and rivals.

“I’ve been reaching out to guys I’ve played with,” he said. “There’s some good stuff there.”

The auction runs through June 1, or perhaps later if the bids continue to roll in.

Setting up the auction was one way to give back to two of the communities he’s called home since entering the NHL in 2002-03 with the Sabres, after a stellar career at Michigan State. It also gave him a project to keep him busy during these days of uncertainty.

Like almost everyone who’s been under safer-at-home orders in , Miller has binged-watched TV and embraced an abundance of free time with his family. He’s also tried his hand at yoga as a way of staying active while awaiting whatever comes next.

The Ducks’ last game was March 11, a loss to the St. Louis Blues at Honda Center. The NHL suspended play the following morning and, although there is a proposal to resume play with only 24 of the league’s 31 teams, it’s possible Miller could have played his final game.

After all, the Ducks were not among the top 24 teams in the standings when play was halted, so their 2019-20 season would be done. Miller doesn’t have a contract for the 2020-21, and although he said he would like to play, he couldn’t claim to know what’s next for him.

“If that ends up being my final season, it would be pretty disappointing,” he said of the possibility of such a jarring end to his career. “These are uncertain times and I don’t know what that means for me. It would be tough to accept if it is the final opportunity for me.”

Miller served as a capable backup and an excellent mentor for starting goalie John Gibson for 71 games over three seasons with the Ducks, his fourth team in the NHL. Overall, he has won 387 games, the most by an American-born goalie in league history. 1185057 Anaheim Ducks Why it makes sense: Not only is Khudobin one of the best backups in the league, but he played more like a 1A than a No. 2 for Dallas last season. The 34-year-old posted career bests in goals-against average (2.22) and save percentage (.930). He has also done well with similar roles in Looking at the Ducks’ backup goalie options if Ryan Miller doesn’t return Boston and Carolina.

Why it doesn’t make sense: Khudobin figures to cost at least $2.5 million, which he made with the Stars the last two seasons — more than double By Eric Stephens May 22, 2020 what Miller cost in 2019-20. He was in the Ducks’ organization in 2015- 16 and played for in San Diego, but he spent much of that season as the No. 3 despite previously being in the NHL for three years. It is pretty simple when it comes to the Ducks and their goaltending. John It wasn’t a great situation for him. You’d also think Dallas would like him Gibson is their guy. Ryan Miller is their other guy. for another year, to let prospect Jake Oettinger get more seasoning in the minors. There is just one potential glitch. Does Miller want to keep playing? Cam Talbot — That’s a question the winningest American in NHL history is wrestling with these days. There is no question that the 39-year-old Miller Why it makes sense: Talbot, 32, has plenty of experience and knows the can still play at a high level, and he’s been happy performing in his Pacific Division, having played nearly four seasons with Edmonton and adopted home of Southern California, where he lives with his wife, this year with Calgary. He previously flourished in a support role behind actress Noureen DeWulf, and their young son, Bodhi. Lundqvist in New York. The Flames seem set on going with David Rittich as their lead guy, so it seems likely that Talbot would become more of a But the longer there is no hockey due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 25-game backup than a 1A. more doubt exists as to whether Miller will want to return for a fourth season in Anaheim and an 18th in the league. While he expressed how Why it doesn’t make sense: Talbot wants to return to the Flames and the much he still enjoys the action and covets milestones, such as recording feeling could be mutual, as the veteran finished strong after a slow start. three more wins to pass Dominik Hasek for 14th place on the NHL all- It is likely that the UFA wouldn’t play any more in Anaheim than he did in time list, and taking a at 400 victories — Miller has 387 — Miller Calgary during the regular season. And the Ducks could probably do just also expressed his doubts in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Gene as well with someone cheaper. Principe. Mike Smith — Edmonton Oilers Family considerations will play into his decision. The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on households. Miller might be considering whether he Why it makes sense: Few netminders have more experience than Smith, needs to be around for Bodhi in case schools in California are not open who has 262 wins in 570 career starts. His aggressive puckhandling can or not in full session this fall. be risky but his prowess could aid the Ducks’ defensemen. And it might be good to have him on their side. Smith is 16-11-4/2.44/.919 with four Miller has not faced any live action in practice or games since right lifetime against Anaheim. before the NHL paused on March 12. It sounds as though the Ducks won’t return this season — as part of the reported 24-team plan — as the Why it doesn’t make sense: At 38, Smith is far removed from the .930 league tries to finish off 2019-20. And what if the 2020-21 season does save-percentage goalie who led the Coyotes on their 2012 run to the not start until December? Miller’s offseason training also could be Western Conference finals. He has posted a .900 save percentage over impacted. Maybe he is able to jump on the ice when rinks re-open and his last two seasons. And his quality-start percentage has been lower the league allows players to start working out in groups. But who knows than Miller’s over his three years in Anaheim. when that will be? There remains a lot of uncertainty, especially for those Keith Kinkaid — nearing the end of the line like Miller. Why it makes sense: Kinkaid knows what it is like to go lengthy stretches And if the conditions are right for Miller to continue playing, there is still without playing and then deliver when called upon, as he’s been a the matter of hammering out another contract. He signed a one-year deal backup for virtually his entire NHL career. He carried the mail for New last summer for $1.125 million (though he had the opportunity to earn Jersey down the stretch in its 2018 playoff push and it’s possible he’d another $1.2 million in individual and team bonuses according to Cap cost no more than $1 million. Friendly). Is there common ground on a similar deal? Why it doesn’t make sense: Is he even a No. 2 at this point? The 30- The best plan for the Ducks would be to have Miller, their highly year-old is coming off a horror show of a 2019-20 season with Montreal. respected and accomplished veteran, back for one more run. If Miller He allowed four goals or more in five of his six starts, and the Canadiens wants to return, there likely won’t be much problem in making that lost all confidence in him. Kinkaid was waived, sent to the AHL and then happen. But if he doesn’t return, general manager Bob Murray will be moved to Carolina’s affiliate after struggling with the . looking for a new backup for 2020-21. Thomas Greiss — New York Islanders The good thing is, there is no shortage of options through free agency or even a in a market that usually has more netminders than jobs. Why it makes sense: Greiss has been a tandem goalie for virtually his There could be more goalies on the move this offseason than usual, but entire career. He might not be the one you lean on in the postseason, but we’re not seeing any kind of link between Anaheim and Braden Holtby, he can be very effective over the 82-game haul, when he can back up or Robin Lehner or . Nor are we projecting Murray trading carry the load for two or three starts at a time and push the incumbent any asset(s) for Henrik Lundqvist, or Antti Raanta. No. 1. With hot prospect Ilya Sorokin coming to the Islanders and Semyon Varlamov signed long-term, the German netminder should be Still, there are possibilities for the Ducks in case their situation behind available. Gibson suddenly becomes unsettled. Who could be considered? We took a look at some names while realizing some may not be done with their Why it doesn’t make sense: He likely is too pricey and in too much seasons yet, meaning their numbers and prices could change. demand for the Ducks. The 34-year-old made $3.75 million last season, in the last of a three-year deal with the Islanders. He’ll be coveted by — Anaheim Ducks teams that want true tandems in net or aren’t as secure with their current Why it makes sense: Stolarz, 26, is young. He is already signed for next No. 1. season with the Ducks and has a cheap cap hit ($750,000). He also is Thomas Greiss would be a solid backup to John Gibson, but probably coming off his best year in the AHL, winning 21 games and posting a would cost the Ducks too much money. (Brad Penner / USA Today) 2.66 goals-against average and career-best .922 save percentage in 39 games for the . Craig Anderson — Ottawa Senators

Why it doesn’t make sense: Stolarz is a seven-year pro, but his NHL Why it makes sense: A backup role might be the tonic for the 38-year- experience is limited to 26 games. His track record isn’t great, with six old, who has had thrilling highs and deep lows over his nine-plus wins in 17 starts. Can you trust that he’ll make the leap to No. 2 status seasons with Ottawa. He knows what he’s doing in net and has played in and be reliable enough to win games and lessen the load on Gibson? all types of situations over his career. — Why it doesn’t make sense: He’s 38 and he’s not Miller. Anderson might be in a similar place as far as contemplating whether to return, and might look for another gig or call it a day. Though the Senators have been bad lately, Anderson’s 3.37 goals-against average and .901 save percentage won’t cut it for backup duty. Plus, would he want to be one at this stage?

Brian Elliott — Philadelphia Flyers

Why it makes sense: Elliott has long been a 1A and does best when he isn’t the lead guy. The 35-year-old knows the Western Conference quite well, through a lengthy stint in St. Louis and a season in Calgary. His price point ($2 million in 2019-20) is fine and you don’t need to be tied to him for a long time.

Why it doesn’t make sense: The Flyers may not feel all that comfortable with their goaltending depth and could bring him back to spell talented starter Carter Hart. Elliott’s .899 save percentage and minus-8.02 Goals Save Above Average figure — an indicator that he’s performing worse than the league-average goaltender — in 2019-20 also aren’t very comforting.

Aaron Dell — San Jose Sharks

Why it makes sense: As much as Dell has pushed Martin Jones and sometimes taken the net from him, Jones is still signed for four more seasons with San Jose and no team is going to take on his contract. The Sharks have had legitimate issues in net, but they may be ready to move on from Dell. He doesn’t have great size, but the Ducks did well with a smaller backup in 2016-17 in .

Why it doesn’t make sense: The 31-year-old tends to get more exposed the longer he has the net. If he wants more than $2 million AAV for his next contract, that may take him out of Anaheim’s preferred price range for a backup. It may take a two-year deal to land him. Is he good enough to commit two years to while the Ducks wait for Lukas Dostal to come to North America?

Laurent Brossoit —

Why it makes sense: With potential Vezina-winning horse Connor Hellebuyck starting 56 of Winnipeg’s 71 games and averaging 61 starts over his last three seasons, Brossoit may want to seek a place where he’d have the chance at getting a bit more work. He’d be cost-effective, as he made just over $1.2 million in 2019-20.

Why it doesn’t make sense: Brossoit was very good in 2018-19, but not so much in 2019-20. He has established himself as an NHL backup but has not shown he can rise to the level of a 1A, though he wouldn’t need to in Anaheim. Unless the Jets feel young prospect Mikhail Berdin is ready, it’s possible that they bring back Brossoit for another year.

Louis Domingue — Vancouver Canucks

Why it makes sense: With Domingue, the Ducks can get a 28-year-old who has some NHL starting experience. He’d probably accept a one-way deal under $1 million to get back into the league. He also won 21 of 26 starts during Tampa Bay’s record-breaking regular season two years ago.

Why it doesn’t make sense: Domingue finished 2019-20 in the minors after New Jersey traded him to Vancouver. It capped a year in which the Devils acquired him from Tampa Bay, then watched him put up a 3.79 goals-against average and .882 save percentage in 16 games. It could be too much of a wild ride with him, and he’s more of an emergency option at this point if a rash of injuries arise.

Others to consider: , Adin Hill.

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NHLPA agree on 24-team playoff framework to resume season

BY ARIZONA SPORTS | MAY 22, 2020 AT 8:18 PM

UPDATED: MAY 22, 2020 AT 8:24 PM

The National Hockey League Players’ Association has collectively agreed on a return-to-play format that calls for a 24-team playoff.

The NHL presented the framework to the NHLPA, which voted on the measures starting on Thursday.

The NHLPA released a statement on Friday saying they have agreed to extend talks.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play,” the union said in a statement.

This approval doesn’t yet seal the deal for the NHL season resuming. The league and players union still need to negotiate other details, including health and safety protocols, to bring teams back on the ice after the season paused on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the expectation is for an announcement to come from the league within a few days.

Under the plan, the top 12 teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. Of those 12, the top four play each other for seeding while the remaining eight play each other in a standard seeding format, as Sportsnet’s reported.

Therefore, the 11th-ranked Coyotes would play sixth-ranked Nashville in the first playoff series, which would be a best-of-five.

Commissioner Gary Bettman this week said the league was looking at eight or nine locations to serve as hub cities for the resumption of the season.

It’s unclear when the league and players will agree to begin the second phase of preparations for return, which would be the reopening of team practice facilities and voluntary workouts. The following step would then likely be a three-week training camp before games resume.

Coyotes defenseman Jordan Oesterle recently said a good amount of time to be on the ice to prepare for a season resuming is four to six weeks. GM John Chayka said in March that the ice at Gila River Arena had been removed, since the NHL’s “phase one” didn’t allow for players to use team facilities for training.

The contributed to this story.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185059 Boston Bruins for a restart. Across the league, full training camps would begin in mid- June.

On Tuesday, Canada and the agreed to keep their borders NHL players’ union wants to negotiate further on playoff format closed for nonessential crossings until June 21, which could impede the flow of players returning to their NHL cities to train. However, governmental leaders in both countries have expressed great interest in pro sports restarting, so it’s likely the ban could be relaxed. By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated May 22, 2020, 9:23 p.m. Boston Globe LOADED: 05.23.2020

The NHL and the players’ association did not come to an agreement Friday night on a proposed playoff format and a restart to the season.

The players’ union released a statement Friday night saying it has authorized further negotiations, however.

There appears to be significant work to be done.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN in Canada reported that the format was agreed upon, but other issues remain unresolved.

To recap: the NHLPA has agreed to the format itself even though there are other important issues and elements to negotiate. The NHL now will go through its own process and I would expect some form of announcement within the next few days.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

The NHLPA executive committee conference call Thursday night got “a little heated at times,” TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted earlier Friday. McKenzie added that the vote was expected to have 18 of the 31 needed for approval.

The setup was proposed by the NHL’s return-to-play committee, which includes top league and union executives and several prominent players. The top four teams in each conference would receive byes and warm up with a round-robin tournament, and the lower eight teams per conference have a play-in round for the final four spots. The play-in could be a round-robin, best-of-three, best-of-five or best-of-seven format.

The 16 remaining teams would conduct the playoffs, which would be traditional, four-round, best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup. By the start of the Round of 16, it is hoped the players, who had been off 72 days as of Friday, would have their pistons firing properly.

This plan would mean the scuttling of the final 189 games on the regular- season schedule.

Possibilities for host cities include Las Vegas, Columbus and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the United States, and Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto in Canada. Commissioner Gary Bettman said this week the league was looking at eight or nine cities to serve as hubs.

Bruins team president told the Globe this week that TD Garden was submitted for consideration. But Boston, given its status as a COVID-19 hot spot, would be an unlikely choice.

The first pucks could be dropped in early July. The 2020 Stanley Cup could be awarded in early September.

The expanded playoff format would give byes to Boston, which earned a league-high 100 points (44-14-12) when the NHL paused the season March 12, and Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the East. The top four in the West are St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas.

The play-in teams in the East would be Pittsburgh, Carolina, the Islanders and Rangers, Toronto, Columbus, and Montreal. The West: Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Arizona and Chicago.

The seven teams to miss the cut, based on points percentage, would be Buffalo, New Jersey, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Ottawa and Detroit.

If the Bruins are permitted to practice at their Brighton facility — which remains closed under city restrictions — they would skate daily in multiple small groups, likely limited to six players and on-ice coaching staff, the Globe reported on Thursday. Players, most of whom have been off skates 72 days as of Friday, would need several weeks of preparation 1185060 Boston Bruins

Hingham elementary school produces NHL’s Most Valuable Teacher of 2020

By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated May 21, 2020, 6:22 p.m.

While the NHL surprised Joan Kilban, she surprised her students.

“They said they’d never seen a teacher cry before,” she said.

Kilban, a fifth-grade teacher from Weymouth, shed happy tears during a video call this week in which the NHL named her its Most Valuable Teacher of the Year, for teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Sponsor SAP gave her school, Plymouth River Elementary in Hingham, an unexpected $30,000 donation for classroom tech supplies.

Kilban’s favorite player, Charlie Coyle, popped up to announce the news.

“It was an honor,” Coyle said in a statement. “It has always been important to me to give back to this community. Joan is a true role model and I admire and appreciate everything she has done for the town of Hingham.”

Kilban, reached by phone, said Coyle grew up a “couple streets over from me” in Weymouth.

“We have been following his career since he was a little boy," she said. "He was going places. You can’t help but want the very best for him.”

The “water works," she said, came on the call when her current students, who were ostensibly gathered for a virtual pep rally hosted by NHL Network’s Jamison Coyle (of Nashua, N.H.), took turns praising her.

Kilban, who uses Bruins examples to explain STEM concepts, has taught at Plymouth River for 24 years and went to school there.

During the five-month contest, Kilban said she heard from hundreds of her past students, some of whom she hadn’t spoken with in 20 years. To know she was a factor in their growth, she said, is worth more than any laptop or gadget she can bring to her classroom.

“Every teacher goes into the profession to make a difference in a child’s life,” she said. “To have that confirmed later on is the prize.”

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This Date in Bruins History: Oilers trounce B's in Stanley Cup Final

By Nick Goss May 22, 2020 2:12 PM

May 22 is not a good day in the history of the Boston Bruins.

In fairness to the Bruins, the only two games played in their history on this date were Stanley Cup Final matchups in 1988 and 1990. Reaching the championship round is an excellent accomplishment. The bad news is both games saw the Edmonton Oilers trounce the B's.

Let's start with Game 3 of the 1988 Cup Final at the old . The Bruins actually opened the scoring with a goal from Randy Burridge 2:46 into the first period. Unfortunately for Boston, Edmonton scored the next four goals and cruised to a 6-3 victory.

Game 4 was held two days later but wasn't able to be finished because of a power failure at Boston Garden. The series shifted back to Edmonton, where the Oilers capped off a sweep of the Bruins to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

Bourque hopes 'special player' re-signs with Bruins

The other Cup Final loss for the Bruins on this date came in Game 4 of the 1990 Cup Final at the old in Edmonton. The Bruins earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory in Game 3 and were aiming to tie the series before it went back to Boston. The Oilers had other plans, though, and pummeled the B's with a 5-1 victory to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Oilers forwards Glenn Anderson and both scored twice.

Edmonton finished off the series in Game 5 in Boston to claim their fifth title in seven seasons.

The Bruins had two really good teams in 1988 and 1990, they just got caught in the middle of one of the NHL's greatest dynasties.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185062 Boston Bruins bestowing the mantle of hero to the frontline workers across the globe who are keep things moving forward for the rest of us every day.

None of us might ever again face the kind of daunting challenge we’ve Don't you dare put an asterisk on Stanley Cup winner this season seen over the last few months and what we’ll face ahead of us as we get on with the business of our “new normal” day-to-day lives.

“We’re all in the same boat together,” said Recchi. “So hopefully you go By Joe Haggerty May 22, 2020 3:29 PM in, do well and you keep moving forward.”

So, go ahead and get that weak “asterisk” junk out of here when discussing the . It might feel completely different There are amazingly some hockey fans grousing about the 24-team NHL and it’s certainly something we never could have imagined even four or playoff tournament that’s expected to be approved by the league and the five months ago prior to the world changing on us thanks to COVID-19. NHLPA this week. But everybody will need to dole out full credit to the team that’s able to Some are unhappy at the overwhelming of teams that will qualify show the discipline, maturity, toughness and sheer desire to win a Cup and others are poo-pooing the sheer notion of playoff hockey in the this summer when so many factors will be working against them. summertime. This season’s Stanley Cup champ will be a hockey club that deserves a It’s all becoming a requirement due to the COVID-19 outbreak across stick tap and full credit rather than some weak, old asterisk in the record North America as the NHL needs to thread the needle in order to make books. playoff hockey happen at all. SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 There has been far-too-idle chatter that the 2020 Stanley Cup champion will end up having a bothersome asterisk attached to its title because of all the mitigating circumstances. Well, a Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup champ thinks that’s a bunch of hockey hogwash. And so does this humble hockey writer.

2011 B’s Stanley Cup champ Mark Recchi is currently a member of the coaching staff, so he’ll be part of the proposed play- in round against the Montreal Canadiens once things get going again NHL-wise. And Rex looks at this entire situation as something that will make this summer’s Stanley Cup even more of a challenge than perhaps any that’s been won before in the history of the league.

Haggerty: What were the best teams in Bruins history? Ranking the Top 20

It will instead be something to tell your grandkids about.

“We’ll view it as unique. You can take it one of two ways. You can put an asterisk beside it and say that it shouldn’t have been done. Or you can just say, ‘You know what? We’re Stanley Cup champs and you were playing for it.’ It’s going to be interesting at first,” said Recchi in a Zoom call with NBC Sports Boston this week. “But at the end of the day when it comes down to it and you’re playing for the Stanley Cup, it’s going to be that same intensity.

We’re making the best of a situation that nobody had any idea was coming. So you make the best of it. I think it’s a unique situation and I think it would be pretty fun to have that asterisk. You can say to your grandkids, ‘This is what happened. It was a pandemic, and this is what we had to do. And we went out and we found a way to be the best team in the world.'

Honestly, there might never be a more challenging thing facing Stanley Cup hopefuls in the history of the NHL.

And we’re talking about a league that skipped an entire season due to a labor dispute and crammed 48 games into the 2013 season due to a lockout. This time around, it’s a deadly serious global pandemic that’s put a pause on the NHL regular season since the second week of March and has kept most players from even skating at all for the last 75 days or so.

It’s been handled with the appropriate care and concern for public safety as the players prepare to start skating next month.

The NHL will eliminate seven teams right off the bat that had no business being near the playoffs, and all 24 of the teams involved could have their best players forced into a two-week quarantine at the drop of a hat.

NHL players will be traveling to hub cities to play the games and be potentially separated from their families for weeks or months at a time while they go through the postseason format. And they'll be expected to live in some form of isolation while all of this is going on.

That doesn’t even take into account playing in empty arenas, rules changes due to ongoing social distancing requirements and anything else unforeseen that might come into play.

All NHL players, coaches and officials will be putting their own health at risk to provide sport and entertainment for a world full of people craving anything resembling normalcy. And they will be doing it while readily 1185063 Boston Bruins The future NHL commissioner will be … current deputy commissioner Bill Daly, at least for a while, as he is certainly in line to eventually replace Gary Bettman. But after that? the future commissioner is someone already working in the game. It’ll be someone with a legal background Letter from the future: Looking ahead to the Bruins — and NHL draft — in who understands the game and can handle its many different 2040 personalities and egos. Current Bruins assistant general manager Evan Gold already has that foundation. He served as the director of legal

affairs for hockey operations the previous four seasons and was By Joe McDonald May 22, 2020 responsible for player contracts, research and analysis, salary-cap management, collective bargaining agreement administration and compliance, along with player salary arbitration. He previously spent eight seasons with the Washington Capitals in a similar role. Gold While the entire sporting world is trying to figure out its current status and obviously has the trust of Bruins owner , who is also the work its way through the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been plenty of chairman of the board of governors and a sounding board for Bettman. time to reflect on the past, focus on the present, while attempting to forecast the future. The 2040 NHL Draft

So, what will the NHL look like in 2040? After all this time in quarantine, imagine how strong the hockey lineage will be in the 2040 NHL Draft. It may seem like a lifetime, but it’ll be here before you know it. Today’s game is the fastest it has ever been, and it’ll be even faster in 20 years. By that time there will already be plenty of legacies playing in the NHL, Today’s players will become coaches, general managers, or maybe even but that draft has the potential to be one of the strongest in history. Let’s owners. just say our draft and prospect guru Corey Pronman will be busy tracking these players for the next 18 years, beginning next January. If teams are An entirely new executive staff will be running the operation. Some still conducting annual dads’ trips 19 years from now, they could serve current markets will lose their teams, while new cities around the world more as traveling alumni games. will gain NHL teams. The Stanley Cup might even be won by the victor of a matchup between the best North American team and the European I understand the talent gene is not always passed down from generation champion. to generation, but the hockey gods owe us, especially if the Stanley Cup is not awarded in 2020, to flood the channel with elite DNA to create The way the game is consumed will be completely different, and that bionic hockey players. So without further ado, the top 10 picks in the process began when the NHL officially hit the pause button on March 12. 2020 NHL draft. You might recognize a name or two: Methods of delivering the game and connecting with the fans will change, and we’re already seeing those building blocks put into place with virtual 1.Vladimir Ovechkin, center interviews and town-hall type meetings with media and fans. Born: Oct. 8, 2020 But we’ll leave all that serious stuff to the scientists and futurists. What we’re really concerned with here is how the Bruins are going to look in 20 Measurements: 6-foot-3, 218 pounds years. And the way we see it, the future looks bright. That holds doubly Scouting report: Scouts haven’t seen this type of power forward this high true for the NHL draft; if there’s a silver lining to this pandemic, it’s that in in the draft for a long time. Ovechkin possesses size, strength and 20 years, the hockey world could see a dramatic influx of fresh talent. So skating ability. He’s relentless at both ends of the ice and has the ability without further ado, our predictions for what’s coming two decades down to score goals in many different ways. Could start as a top-six forward the line: immediately. His older brother, Sergei, 21, who wears No. 88 for the Zdeno Chara will … seamlessly step into the position of team president Pittsburgh Penguins, has already made an impact in the NHL. The once Cam Neely retires, and Chara will hold it for a long time. He already Ovechkins could become the first set of brothers in NHL history to both has a strong voice within the league and that will only increase in the be drafted No. 1 overall. Their father, Alex, was drafted No. 1 overall by next 20 years. the Capitals in 2004.

Patrice Bergeron will … step away from the game. He has the ability to 2. Jake Chara, defense become a GM, but once his playing career is complete, he’ll become a Born: Jan. 1, 2021 full-time family man. Measurements: 6-foot-6, 195 pounds Charlie Coyle will … be 10 years into his new career, as Boston’s most celebrated pitchman since Tommy Heinsohn. Word is he’s a shoo-in for Scouting report: As one of the best defensive prospects of his mayor of Weymouth, if he wants the job. generation, Chara is the younger brother of twins Zach and Ben, who are already established NHL players. Zach, 23, is a power forward for the Torey Krug will … retire from the game as a decorated and respected Montreal Canadiens, while Ben is a goaltender for the Bruins. Jake elder statesman of the league. Then, he’ll make the transition to the Chara is an elite skater with a high hockey IQ. Like his father, Zdeno, coaching ranks, and will be behind an NHL bench. If he finishes his Jake possesses a physical game and can handle the puck well. He playing career in Boston (and come on, we can’t see the future that well) should make an immediate impact in the NHL. maybe he’ll coach the Bruins. No doubt he has the ability and communication skills to succeed in that position. 3. Cole Crosby, goalie

Brad Marchand will … become the head of the NHL’s department of Born: Jan. 18, 2021 player safety. Measurements: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds The future Bruins head coach will be … Shannon Cassidy, ’s 11-year-old daughter. Julie Cassidy, Shannon’s mom and Scouting report: It’s not surprising that the son of one of the best players Bruce’s wife, said something interesting during a recent interview with in NHL history is a goalie. Crosby is athletic and plays his own style, The Athletic. Julie explained that her husband took a break one day from which is a throwback to the netminders of the 1980s and 90s. He’s helping Shannon with schoolwork in order to watch the 1978 Stanley Cup acrobatic in the crease and possesses incredible reflexes. After leading final between the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. This pause has meant his junior team to a , Crosby should compete for a No. 1 that all children of NHL coaches have been enjoying unprecedented job in the NHL next season. He’s already made it known that he wants to family time and learning more about how the game’s best minds think wear No. 21. and watch the game. The knowledge they’re passing on right now is 4. Skye McDavid, forward invaluable. Let’s hope there’s a female coach in the NHL sooner than later, but based on this NHL pause due to COVID-19, I’m willing to bet Born: Jan. 13, 2021 that a female coach will hoist a Stanley Cup in the foreseeable future and it will be the daughter of a current or former NHL head coach. I’m putting Measurements: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds my money on Shannon. (Her younger brother, Cole, will likely be a left- Scouting report: The smoothest and fastest skater in the draft, McDavid handed reliever in the majors based on the number of backyard bullpen possesses the skills to excel at every aspect of the game. The sky’s the sessions he’s been throwing with his dad.) limit for this kid, who said he’s going to donate his signing bonus to the COVID-19 Memorial Fund.

5. Brad Bergeron, defense

Born: Jan. 24, 2021,

Measurements: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds

Scouting report: Known as “Double Trouble” to his teammates, Bergeron is a hulking, stay-at-home defenseman. He’s not going to jump off the score sheet, but he possesses a booming shot and he’s a terror in front of his own net.

6. Patrick Marchand, forward

Born: Jan. 1, 2021

Measurements: 5-foot-6, 180 pounds

Scouting report: The smallest player in the draft, Marchand possesses incredible skills. He needs to improve his strength. At the junior level, he was easily knocked off the puck and found himself in constant trouble. His ability to win faceoffs is off the charts.

7. Jack Jagr, forward

Born: Feb. 15, 2021

Measurements: 6-foot-3, 220-pounds

Scouting report: Better known as “Black Jack” to his teammates, Jagr has the size and strength but isn’t the best skater in the draft. He spends countless hours at the rink and enjoys skating alone in the dark. He’s your prototypical bottom-six forward, but there’s potential for more there. His father, Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr is still playing in the Czech Republic at age 67.

8. Milan Pastrnak, forward

Born: Feb. 1, 2021

Measurements: 5-foot-11, 179 pounds

Scouting report: Just like his Stanley Cup-winning father, David, Milan is a dynamic player and exciting to watch. He needs to improve his strength but once he fills out he should be able to dominate offensively. A two- sport athlete, the Red Sox drafted Pastrnak earlier this month.

9. Nathan MacKinnon, Jr., forward

Born: Jan. 20, 2021

Measurements: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds

Scouting report: A near-replica of his father, Nathan Sr., who led the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023, “Junior” has the ability to make an impact in the NHL with his goal-scoring ability. He spends his summers working out with Cole Crosby, Brad Bergeron and Patrick Marchand.

10. Patrick McDonald, forward

Born: Jan. 19, 2021

Measurements: 5-foot-9, 175 pounds

Scouting report: As the son of a former hockey writer, Patrick is a classic rink rat. He’s a relentless two-way center and also brings a high level of physicality for his size. His style of play is similar to former NHL player Noel Acciari. In fact, McDonald will be attending Providence College in the fall, where Acciari is currently coaching, a homecoming for the of the Friars national championship team in 2015.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185064 Boston Bruins The distribution of insults, familiar in any high school locker room, is amplified in the NHL. The dressing room is a soundstage for nonstop, season-long, no-holds-barred chirping. Outside of family, everything is considered fair game. It is no wonder, then, that retired players regularly How Jake DeBrusk became the Bruins player everybody loves to joke cite the room’s chatter as one of the things they dearly miss. about “I don’t know if he thinks before he speaks. And I wouldn’t say he’s the brightest bulb,” Wagner said. “He means well. So that’s why we give it to him.” By Fluto Shinzawa May 22, 2020 DeBrusk likes to talk. He takes pride in his jokes and tall tales.

Teammates don’t agree. Editor’s note: A previous version of this story included a headline and passage that were insensitive. They have been changed and we “Usually if he tries to tell a story out of the blue, I tell him I didn’t ask,” apologize for the original wording. Wagner said. “He usually keeps telling it anyways.”

Jake DeBrusk is in Edmonton, safely distanced, you would think, from his Some of what DeBrusk says is difficult to decipher without a Jake-to- teammates’ ridicule. English dictionary. Even in the formal setting of an interview, DeBrusk’s jargon slips through. Technology begs to differ. Inbound bogeys regularly arrive via Zoom, texts, FaceTime, Twitch and the virtual grapevine. Earlier this season, DeBrusk described his puck-pursuit role on the power play. It took some concentration to comprehend his explanation. “Obviously everybody would take a shot at J.D.,” Chris Wagner said on The Athletic’s Perfection Pod when asked what he’d like to do once “The main thing for me is understanding where my outs are when the reunited with his teammates. “I can’t imagine what his hair looks like right puck does come there,” DeBrusk said. “Because usually they’ll flood. So now.” I’m kind of in the soup.”

Just about every group of male buddies contains one beloved member (Translation: Penalty killers swarm DeBrusk when he’s chasing the puck, who organically becomes target practice for blade-sharp grief. This rule placing him in harm’s way.) usually holds for every segment of XY-chromosomed cohorts, be they schoolmates, office workers or beer leaguers. Anything resembling a filter vanishes when his inquisitors are teammates rather than reporters. Not only do they hammer DeBrusk for his utterings, The Bruins are no different. DeBrusk is their quarry. they share his gaffes with those who did not hear them firsthand. This provokes a second round of abuse. “Every group of friends has that,” Sean Kuraly said. “You just hope it’s a healthy way about it. In his case, it is. He can handle it. He likes it.” “Some of the stuff he mispronounces,” Anders Bjork recalled with a shake of his head. “On All-Star break, he got sunburned. He’s asking Over the past three seasons, verbal assaults on DeBrusk have been the where he can get some Aveeoli. Stuff like that where you’re like, ‘What?!’ bass line to the soundtrack of the Bruins’ dressing room. Busting the 23- Sometimes they stick on and we keep saying them. Tons of stuff, words year-old’s chops face-to-face has become so commonplace that its and phrases like that, where he ends up saying them.” absence is one of the deeply felt casualties of the pandemic-caused scattering. One of Wagner’s theories regarding DeBrusk’s twisted diction is his Edmonton upbringing. DeBrusk is the only Bruin who calls the Alberta “I just miss the simple conversations,” Torey Krug said on a video call. city home. It may be that Edmonton natives have developed their own “Seeing what (David Pastrnak’s) wearing when he walks through the dialect, doubly affected by seasonal tongue-numbing deep freezes. door. Wondering what kind of mood Chris Wagner’s going to be in. Seeing (Charlie McAvoy) and his big smile walk through the door every “Yeah, Edmonton. I don’t know what goes on up there,” Wagner said. day. Trying to make sense of what comes out of Jake DeBrusk’s mouth. There’s just so many things that you miss from a day-to-day basis.” DeBrusk also spent three seasons in the WHL. Throughout hockey, the common crack is that when it comes to mental acuity, graduates of the DeBrusk does not mind being the Bruins’ pincushion. Interaction is Dub, as it’s called, have a ways to go to catch up to those of the OHL oxygen for the outgoing and boisterous DeBrusk. and QMJHL, to say nothing of NCAA alums.

“It seems like people are always chirping me,” DeBrusk said on a video DeBrusk dismisses these possibilities. Even his friends at home have call. “I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. It seems like they miss scratched their heads at the things he says. me. I’ll take credit for that. I’ll say it’s a good thing.” “I’ve always been like that,” DeBrusk said. “I’ve always been in my own Becoming the target little world with my words sometimes.”

During his first NHL training camp, DeBrusk blew his per diem on a Taking abuse is nothing new for DeBrusk. Even in junior, where he PlayStation. Last September, even though DeBrusk reported to Boston played mostly in , Saskatchewan, teammates identified the with a stringy, free-flowing mullet, it still looked like he was losing his hair. Edmonton teenager as their class clown. On Jan. 25, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake rattled Puerto Rico. DeBrusk, on the island at the time for his bye-week vacation, only learned of the “I feel I’m just an easy target,” DeBrusk said. “I’m a nice guy. Make some quake after reading about it on social media. rivalries here and there. But I definitely do get a lot of abuse, yes. I always have. I always have, ever since junior, even. Especially as a 16- All of these events give his teammates the green light to carve away. year-old rookie. Even when I was a veteran.”

“He brings it on himself,” said Sean Kuraly. “He doesn’t feel compelled to Many of the shots do not go unanswered. It’s part of the appeal of ripping go with the crowd. He beats to his own drum. But at the same time, still on DeBrusk. The exchanges that follow extend and enhance the initial one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.” putdown.

DeBrusk is the lone occupant of Jakeland. It is a territory famous for, “I think it’s just his quirkiness and his personality,” Brandon Carlo said. among other things, an opinionated populace, curious wardrobes, “He’s not a shy kid, by any means. His outgoingness enables that. The general cluelessness and clockwork bending of the English language. way he’ll react to certain stuff. If he didn’t give you a reaction, maybe it wouldn’t be as prominent. But you know there’s going to be a funny His teammates delight in pointing out all these blemishes. Even the reaction when you chirp him.” simple act of DeBrusk’s entrance — he walks with the slightly hunched- over gait of an older man — prompts his teammates to clear their throats Returning fire for a round of trash talk. does not regularly participate in pounding DeBrusk. On “Guys rib him for the way he dresses. Honesty, we rib him for anything,” those infrequent occasions that the veteran does join in, DeBrusk usually Matt Grzelcyk said. “He senses that. He does a good job of making fun of holds his tongue. himself before you can make fun of him. He probably deflects a lot that way.” “There’s certain guys you can’t really chirp back,” DeBrusk said. “Like if Bergy gives you a good chirp, it’s almost like you’ve got to accept it. Because Bergy’s God.”

Others are not so lucky. DeBrusk cites Kuraly, Wagner, Bjork, Pastrnak and Joakim Nordstrom as regular targets for comebacks, even in outnumbered situations.

“There’s groups of them,” DeBrusk said. “You can see it after practice. Guys come and jump me. They’re starting to team up on me because of my one-liners. They’re trying to get through. But they just can’t. That’s what pisses them off the most and makes me the most happy. They’ve tried my hair. They’ve tried my shoes, my style. They’re trying different areas.”

Sometimes DeBrusk’s volleys cut too deeply. He has learned to pull his punches with some of his teammates.

“Charlie McAvoy takes it a little too personally sometimes,” DeBrusk said. “He doesn’t know if I’m kidding or not, even though he’s giving it to me. Sometimes I bring up certain things with him, he gets a little fishy.”

What gives DeBrusk most pleasure is when teammates who shred him for something he’s said repeat those very words later on. “Soup,” “bounce” and “buzzing” are some of the terms he’s initiated that he’s heard at other times. DeBrusk declined to share some of his other X- rated language and inside jokes that teammates have adopted.

“It’s funny. Guys will give me a hard time about it,” DeBrusk said. “They’ll be like, ‘We don’t know what you’re saying. We don’t understand.’ Then, you know, the months go by. They start saying it. Now it’s kind of a thing. That’s when you know. Slang words that I’ve brought up, because I know that it’s me because no one else says stuff like that, they come up around the room. That’s really rewarding.”

The thing about chop-busting is how it pulls friends closer together. They bond over common prey. They pounce on new material. They howl at his goofs. Even the recipient enjoys the brotherhood that ribbing represents.

“It is fun,” DeBrusk said. “It kind of spices it up too. Guys will have good chirps. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185065 Buffalo Sabres Nashville vs. No. 11 Arizona; No. 7 Vancouver vs. No. 10 Minnesota and No. 8 Calgary vs. No. 9 Winnipeg.

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.23.2020 NHL player reps approve 24-team playoff, leaving Sabres out

By Mike Harrington

Published Fri, May 22, 2020|Updated Fri, May 22, 2020

The NHL got one step closer to returning to the ice Friday night as the executive board of the players association approved an expanded, 24- team version of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, potentially ending the Sabres' season.

In a statement, the NHLPA said negotiations will continue on an overall return to play plan. That would include timetables for training camp and games, protocols for safety and coronavirus testing for players and staff, and a decision on game sites as the league is expected to use two or four "hub" cities to stage all games.

"Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play," the PA said.

If the league and PA move forward with this plan, the playoffs would shift to a conference format with the top 12 teams in each conference qualifying. The Sabres would be one of seven teams not participating and would be the first team shy of the cutoff in the East, nosed out of the final spot by Montreal on the basis of points percentage (.500 to .493). It would be their ninth consecutive year out of the playoffs, one shy of tying the NHL record of 10 consecutive seasons.

The regular season would be declared over with the Sabres three points behind the Canadiens and holding two games in hand. In addition, Buffalo did not get the chance to play either of its scheduled games in the Bell against the Canadiens this season. The Sabres were in Montreal to play a game on March 12 when the coronavirus pandemic put the season on pause.

There were no announcements from the NHL on Friday. The plan was first reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, with TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeting a majority of the 31 team player representatives approved the plan. The Sabres' rep on the board is defenseman Jake McCabe.

The Sabres would join New Jersey, Ottawa, Detroit, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim as teams that would not qualify. It would mark the first time since 1996 that all three California teams missed the playoffs in the same season.

The league will be staging the games in arenas with no fans but has not yet determined what hubs it will use to limit travel. Columbus, Toronto, Edmonton and Las Vegas are the most rumored possibilities, although the continued closure of the Canadian border is problematic. In addition, reportedly more than 15% of the league's players would have to return to North America after going home to overseas locales.

Games would likely be preceded by a three-week training camp, and the assumption is that it would likely take into September before the Stanley Cup could be awarded.

The top four teams in each conference would initially get byes in the tournament, which will use best-of-five series for the first round for seeds 5-12 in each conference. The top four are believed to be headed for a round-robin tournament among themselves, where it's expected that seeds 1-4 could be up for grabs and not completely be set by the regular- season standings.

The top four teams in the East on points percentage would be Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia. The top four in the West would be defending Cup champion St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas.

The top four in each conference and the four first-round survivors would then advance to a standard 16-team playoff with all series expected to be best-of-seven affairs.

The first-round matchups in the East would be No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Montreal, No. 6 Carolina vs. No. 11 New York Rangers; No. 7 New York Islanders vs. No. 10 Florida and No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus. In the West, it would be No. 5 Edmonton vs. No. 12 Chicago, No. 6 1185066 Buffalo Sabres Derek Plante blistered a slap shot that bore a hole through Ottawa goalie ’s glove 5:24 into the extra period to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory, sending 18,595 fans at Marine Midland Arena into a frenzy, and advancing the Sabres into the second round for just the second time in Maiorana's Memories: For the first time in their history, the Sabres win a the last 14 years. Game 7 There they will come face to face with the bruising Philadelphia Flyers starting Friday night at the Arena.

Sal Maiorana, Published 9:34 a.m. ET May 22, 2020 | Updated 9:50 a.m. “This is something you dream of as a kid growing up,” said Buffalo tough ET May 22, 2020 guy Rob Ray, the man who has endured more playoff heartbreak in Buffalo than anyone else in the dressing room.

“In the eight years I’ve been here this is just the second time we’ve been Steve Shields stood tall in place of injured Dominik Hasek as the Sabres able to do this. I just hope we can continue this. All the controversies that defeated the Senators in the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs. we’ve had to put behind us, we wanted to do it for ourselves, for the guys During his 34 years as a sports writer for the Democrat and Chronicle, in this locker room. It was a personal vendetta to go out there and do our Sal Maiorana has had the great fortune to have covered countless best.” memorable games, events and athletes. In a new column titled This was the Sabres first Game 7 appearance at home in their history Maiorana’s Memories, he will relive some of his favorite stories. Today, a and their first victory in a Game 7 after three previous losses. Also, it was look back to the Buffalo Sabres’ Game 7 playoff victory over the Ottawa just their second series victory in their last 12 dating to the 1982-83 Senators in 1997. season. Following a terrible 4-1 loss in Game 5 of Buffalo’s first-round NHL “You can’t look at the past; the guys that are here now are the guys that playoff series against the Senators, I was walking out of the Sabres have to look to the future,” said Brian Holzinger, who assisted on locker room at Marine Midland Arena when, about 20 feet in front of me, Buffalo’s first goal of the game by Donald Audette. all hell broke loose. Said Ray: “If we didn’t win the first round, everybody would have In a fit of rage, superstar goaltender Dominik Hasek – who had been remembered all the negative stuff. Now we can go through and someone injured midway through Game 3 and hadn’t played since – attacked will have something to remember us by.” Buffalo News sports columnist Jim Kelley. The Sabres got off to what could only be described as a brutal start. The Kelley, one of the most respected hockey journalists in the business who Senators turned the Buffalo zone into a shooting gallery during the first was later enshrined in the , had written a column period, pouring 11 shots on Steve Shields, with at least six of them that Hasek had taken great umbrage with. quality scoring chances. Kelley offered an opinion that perhaps Hasek had missed the Game 4 Meanwhile, the Sabres managed only two shots on Tugnutt, the lowest loss not due to the knee injury, but because he was simply too worn one-period shot total in their playoff history. down by the non-stop burden of pressure he’d faced all year carrying the overachieving Sabres to the playoffs. Shields, who finished with 25 saves and won for the first time in seven career starts at the Sabres new arena, allowed Shawn McEachern to Backup goalie Steve Shields had played poorly in Game 5, the Sabres nudge a rebound underneath his sprawled body on a power play for the were now in a three games to two hole in the series, and emotions were only goal of the first period. running high, and then it really got hot. Buffalo remained in an offensive coma for most of the second period and Hasek happened to cross paths with Kelley in the hallway outside the had only eight shots through 36 minutes, but shot No. 9 finally found its locker room, he yelled repeated obscenities, and then he grabbed Kelley way past Tugnutt. by the shirt and got him into a headlock before Sabres Jason Dawe and others intervened. With the Sabres on a power play, sent the puck out to the blue line to Holzinger who fired a slap shot that Tugnutt stopped, but Amidst that turmoil, not to mention an offense that had managed only Audette was parked on the edge of the crease and stuffed the rebound eight goals in the first five games, the Sabres somehow went to Ottawa through the goalie’s legs. and won Game 6 as Shields – who had led the Rochester Amerks to the 1996 Calder Cup championship – produced a magnificent 31-save Ottawa recaptured a 2-1 lead 45 seconds into the third period when . ’s seemingly harmless wrist shot from 45 feet ticked off Holzinger and sailed over Shields’ left shoulder. Now it was back to Buffalo and with Hasek still in civilian clothes, the unheralded Shields made 25 saves and the Sabres earned the first However, the Sabres dominated the rest of the period with their best Game 7 victory in their history, an thriller that ended on a goal offensive pressure of the series and they managed to tie the game with a by Derek Plante. fluke goal of their own.

Here’s my story that ran in the Wednesday, April 30, 1997 edition of the Plante won a faceoff from Alexei Yashin to the left of Tugnutt, the puck D&C. popped into the air and it floated right over Tugnutt’s shoulder at 6:27.

Sabres Survive Senators “I was actually trying to go to the net and was going to try to chip it by him and try to pass to (Michal) Grosek going to the net,” Plante said. “Yashin Goaltender Steve Shields of the Buffalo Sabres speaks to reporters after realized it and he flung it harder than I did right into the net.” the Sabres eliminated the Senators. That's D&C reporter Sal Maiorana in the lower left corner. The Sabres carried play the rest of the period and brought the momentum into the overtime, but Ottawa regained control and Shields BUFFALO – It wasn’t enough that the Buffalo Sabres had to battle the had to make two difficult saves to keep the Sabres alive. pesky and underrated Ottawa Senators through seven grueling, tension- wracked games. Then Plante turned a rather innocent looking play into a seismic occurrence when he knocked down a clearing attempt by Ottawa It wasn’t enough that they had to play with a two-ton gorilla draped defenseman Steve Duchesne and unleased a wicked drive that Tugnutt around their collective neck in the form of their ignominious playoff couldn’t handle. history. “Duchesne hit me in the chest coming through the neutral zone and I No, this team had to fight and scratch into overtime in the seventh and came down and I knew we had an odd man rush,” Plante said. “I just deciding game of their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series took a stride and blasted it. It hit him (Tugnutt) and it went in. I saw him Tuesday night before their fate was determined. kind of dive back for it and the crowd erupted so that’s when I knew it Hey, they don’t call this the hardest working team in hockey for nothing. was in.” Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185067 Buffalo Sabres junior… When he was healthy and played we’re really happy with this play. I’m really happy with his play and he’s got tremendous potential, but he’s got to continue to get stronger and dial back his play a little bit.

As the Sabres look ahead, a glance at what they saw in Rochester this “With Jacob Bryson, he’s probably right there with Jonas (Johansson) as season most pleasant surprise of the year… His growth was just a nice upward trajectory, not so steep that you worry about it falling off but not so flat you worried that he’s never going to get there. It was really tremendous progress on his part this year.” By Joe Yerdon May 22, 2020 As for what the Americans may add for next season, we already know

part of that answer. Rochester signed Jesper Olofsson, Victor’s older Without the playoffs to look forward to, even in a proposed 24-team brother, to a one-year deal on Wednesday. The Sabres have a host of return to play format, the Buffalo Sabres are focusing on the future. So players in the as well as Liiga in Finland to are we. eventually draw from. At least one could be on track to arrive in the AHL soon. We’ve already interviewed assistant GM Randy Sexton on how the team is preparing for the eventual 2020 NHL Draft and taken a look at the top- “(Marcus) Davidsson had some injuries so I’m not sure that he’ll be 10 Sabres prospects. With the remainder of the AHL season officially coming over this coming season,” Sexton said. “He missed a healthy part canceled last week, it makes sense to assess how players in Rochester of the season this year with some injuries. So, first and foremost, he fared and what’s ahead for the Americans. needs to get healthy and get things back on track in Europe. (Oskari) Laaksonen is a possibility for sure. We’ve just got to have some clarity on It was a good showing for Rochester, who was in second place in the a number of things here in the not too distant future so that we can plan North Division (33-20-4-5) through 62 games when the season was appropriately and get into action.” paused, but they’ll need more offense next year. One forward who saw growth was Andrew Oglevie. After his first season was marred by Regarding Matej Pekar, who finished his latest junior season at Sudbury, concussions, he rebounded to put up 15 goals (tied with Jean-Sebastien he could be poised to join Rochester as well, although Sexton said Dea for best on the team) and 29 points (fourth-best on the Americans). there’s a possibility he could return to the OHL as an overage player.

Sexton compared Oglevie to Penguins forward Bryan Rust as a key “We’re happy with Matej’s progress and this kid has as strong a drive as example of a college player who was able to become a productive NHL anybody,” Sexton said. “He’s a fourth-round pick that we thought player by working his way through the AHL. originally was going to go to school, so we had it mapped out as a little longer trajectory. That he chose to go to junior was his decision. We fully “He’s got to pick up half a step, but he’s so reliable on the wall,” Sexton supported him once he made it, but he’s going to need a little more said. “He’s not a big body — and he knows that – but he’s really smart… runway, if you will. And we’ll see, he’ll get every opportunity to come to He had a terrific first half of the season, slowed down a little bit the camp, have a great camp hopefully, and then see what makes sense for second half — had a few nagging injuries, played through it — but next him. We are committed not to rush players. If at the end of the day the year, if he can stay healthy, should be kind of a pop year for Andrew.” best thing for Matej is to go to Rochester he’ll go. If it’s to go back to junior, he’ll go. It’s whatever makes most sense in the long term best An area that was not a problem for Rochester was goaltending. The interest of his development.” Americans had the fewest goals allowed in the North Division because of the play from Jonas Johansson and Andrew Hammond. Johansson in The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 particular took a big step forward and earned time with the Sabres when Linus Ullmark was out with a lower-body injury from late-January through February. His growth gives the organization more depth in a position that seemed in flux before the season.

“I’ve learned with Jonas that you never underestimate him because this young man does everything that you ask him to do,” Sexton said. “All of the resources that we put into our performance staff, he takes advantage of. Mental skills, nutrition, sleep, pregame activation, pre-preparation, goalie development — he takes advantage of all of it. And it all started to come together for him this year and no one deserves it more than him because he’s worked very, very hard and I’m really happy for him and it’s really wonderful to see.”

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s first professional season, which came fresh off double-hip surgery, saw him earn an ECHL All-Star selection in Cincinnati but struggle in Rochester. Sexton made it clear in January they had a plan for Luukkonen. As far as they’re concerned, they like where he’s at.

“We tell our young players all the time, you better respect the American League because it’s really good,” Sexton said. “And he respected it, obviously, but he would be the first guy to tell you there’s probably a handful of goals (he) would like to have back. But that’s part of the development process. We did not expect him to go to Cincinnati and have a strong start and then come to Rochester and be the man. It’s just it’s too big a leap and it’s too difficult to position and he’s still very young.”

The Americans had a very crowded group on the blue line as they carried up to 10 defensemen during the season. That made it a bit tricky at times to maneuver first-year defensemen Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald into various situations. Although Bryson had a lot of success in his first season, tying C.J. Smith for fifth on the team in scoring with 27 points, Fitzgerald was occasionally used as a forward to compensate for a lack of bodies up front.

“Casey Fitz is going to be terrific; he understands how to be a good pro,” Sexton said. “Casey’s not a real big body, and like most kind of smaller players or sub-six foot players who play with the zest that he does, they have to learn how to pick their spots. Because the guys now are bigger, stronger and faster and smarter and tougher than they are in college or 1185068 Calgary Flames wins this is going to be just as happy, just as proud, for whatever format they’re going to have to go through, and they should be very proud of themselves for doing it. It’s going to be unique, sure, but everybody is going to have an opportunity that participates in the format to be Flames’ Treliving not picky about playoff plan: ‘Whatever the format is, successful in it. we’re excited to be part of it’ “We’ve had 48-game winners (in the lockout-shortened season), and they get rings just like everybody else got. So whatever the format is, we’re excited to be part of it, hopefully, and we’ll go after it.” Wes Gilbertson He added moments later: “To win it, it’s gotta be hard. And certainly, with Published:May 22, 2020 what I read, it’s going to be a hard tournament to get through.” Updated:May 22, 2020 8:12 PM MDT It’s still hard to imagine playoff hockey without the roar of the crowd, although that’s the current reality across the sports landscape.

In a Stanley Cup playoff series in an empty arena, it would certainly be Perhaps, instead, you’ll be able to hear the players chirping, or the easy for a general manager — usually seated high above in the press- general manager cursing the referees after a questionable call. box — to make his opinions known. “Professional sports, at its root, it’s entertainment. We’re in the To his skating stars. entertainment business,” Treliving said. “I’m obviously biased but I think there is nothing better than a playoff hockey arena. The energy … To the men in stripes. There’s just nothing like it. Whether you’ve been around the sport for a year or 30 years, you know the difference of walking into a building in To millions of fans watching on their flat-screens at home. November and walking into a building in May. “They won’t have a mic up there, and that’s probably good. Nobody “But once a puck is dropped … No question, it’ll be different. But I know needs to hear that,” chuckled Flames GM Brad Treliving on his weekly the competitiveness of the players. They are competitive people by conference call with local media. “But that’s been an interesting nature, and I think you’ll see very competitive play.” discussion as this is all going on. I did take in my first Bundesliga game last week and it was interesting — I don’t know if anybody watched it, but Calgary Sun: LOADED: 05.23.2020 you could hear some stuff …

“There’s been lots of talk about how you deal with that.”

It won’t be easy for these competitive gents to bite their tongues once the action resumes, but what you won’t hear is Treliving griping about any potential return-to-play scenario.

He’s received no official word from the league headquarters but has been reading the same reports as everyone else.

The latest, of course, is word the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to a framework for a 24-team playoff format in a pair of hub cities. The Flames would battle the Winnipeg Jets in a best-of-five play-in series, with the winner advancing to meet the top seed in the Western Conference.

The NHLPA announced Friday evening that its executive board has voted to approve the proposal, but that “several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Treliving has repeated time and time again that a summer re-start would be welcome news because, above all else, it will mean there’s been significant progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19. He reiterated on Friday’s afternoon call that he would “embrace” any post-season plan, but isn’t going to dig too deep into preparations until it’s made official.

“It’s going to be something that isn’t ‘traditional’ or what we had in place, and that’s fine. That’s OK. We’re in a brave new world,” Treliving said. “As much as there is always debate on things … If the worst thing in our day right now is determining if there are 24 or 20 or 18 or 16 teams in a playoff, then we’re having a pretty good day if that’s the biggest issue on our check-list.”

The Flames played 70 regular-season games before the pandemic pause, posting a 36-27-7 record.

Under the 24-team scenario that is now one step closer to being finalized, they would be seeded eighth out of a dozen squads in the Western Conference bracket.

Including the play-in round, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Matthew Tkachuk & Co. would need to rack up 19 spring wins to have their names engraved on the NHL’s big prize.

“If you’re awarding a Stanley Cup … The struggle and the degree of difficulty, I think, has to be there,” Treliving said. “People have talked and asked, ‘Is there going to be an asterisk beside whoever wins this?’

“If we’re getting back and playing hockey, that means No. 1, that we’re progressing as a society, which is good, and hopefully we’re getting on the other side of this. And at the end of the day, we’ve awarded the Stanley Cup under different circumstances at different times. Whoever 1185069 Carolina Hurricanes

NHL players approve 24-team return to play format to resume 2019-20 season

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

MAY 22, 2020 11:44 PM

The National Hockey League is moving closer to returning to the ice and resuming a season that was put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Executive Board of the NHL Players’ Association on Friday authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup.

The NHLPA, in making the announcement, stressed that several details still must be negotiated. It said an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties agreeing on all issues relevant to resuming play.

The NHL said it was “pausing” the season on March 12 because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The pause turned into weeks and now months and many players returned to their homes and home countries to be with their families during the global health crisis.

The Carolina Hurricanes, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last season, will be among the 24 teams in the restart. The Canes, before the season suspension, were 38-25-5 after 68 games -- ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference with 81 points -- and held the first wild-card playoff spot.

One format that has been mentioned has the top four seeds in each conference receiving first-round byes while the other 16 first face off in best-of-five play-in rounds -- the seedings perhaps determined by points percentage. It has not been determined if “return to play” will include some regular-season games or warm-up exhibition games, or if the league would immediately begin the playoffs.

The games will be played without fans and the games could be played at as many as four “hub” sites.

One seeding format has the Hurricanes, as the No. 6 seed, facing the New York Rangers (No. 11) in the play-in round. The Canes last played March 10 in Detroit, beating the Red Wings 5-2.

Canes president and general manager Don Waddell, in a recent interview, said he believed the season would resume -- “I’m assuming we’re not going to have fans but I think we’ll play at some point,” he said - - while also noting there could be a few regular-season games before moving into the playoffs.

But more important issues need to be resolved before any game is played. How safe will it be? How much testing for the coronavirus can be done? What if players, coaches or staff members fall ill? What if players balk at playing, saying they don’t feel safe? What about players and coaches who have underlying medical conditions or are at an age that they might be more likely to contract the novel coronavirus?

And there are other logistical questions. What cities are best suited to serve as a “hub” for the games? Is there adequate hotel space and practice facilities? How long will teams hold their training camps after a few months off the ice? When will the season start up again? How long might players be away from their families?

The Canes could be close to full strength. Defenseman , who suffered a broken left fibula in January, has been medically cleared and has been skating the past few weeks. Defenseman Sami Vatanen, who was on the injured list when obtained in a Feb. 24 trade with New Jersey, should be ready. Vatanen did not play a game before the season suspension.

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NHLPA approves 24-team return to play format

John Dietz

Updated5/22/2020 10:35 PM

It's far from a sure thing, but it's beginning to look like the Blackhawks just may make the playoffs this season.

That's because the NHLPA Executive Board announced Friday night that it has "authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format." The statement by the players association went on to say: "Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play."

If this actually takes place -- most likely in July -- here's how things would look:

• The top four teams in each conference would receive byes.

• The rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs would begin with a best-of-5 play-in tournament. This means the Hawks -- the 24th and final team in, by the way -- would open against the Edmonton Oilers.

• While the play-in series are going on, the top four teams would play warm-up games. A report by Sportsnet said that those games would count and standings points will be awarded that will affect the first-round seedings.

• Games will likely be played without fans and in hub cities around the continent. According to the Associated Press, Las Vegas has become the city most mentioned. Other cities include Nashville, Columbus, Raleigh, North Carolina, St. Paul, Minnesota and Edmonton, Alberta.

There are still myriad hurdles to be cleared, of course, but the NHL seems intent on crowning a 2020 champion.

The Hawks were dealing with a host of injuries during the season, but if play resumes they will definitely get defenseman Adam Boqvist (concussion) back, according to a source. Calvin de Haan (shoulder) and forward Zack Smith (back) may also be able to return.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185071 Chicago Blackhawks

NHLPA authorizes further negotiations with NHL on 24-team return-to- play format

By Charlie Roumeliotis May 22, 2020 9:02 PM

The NHL Players' Association Executive Board announced Friday night that it has agreed to the NHL's proposed 24-team return-to-play format. The voting process involving all 31 player representatives began Thursday night but the results were not made official until Friday.

"The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup," the NHLPA said in a statement. "Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play."

If and when the final details are agreed upon, the format would feature 12 teams from both the Eastern and Western Conference with the top four teams based on current points percentage each earning a first-round bye. In the East, the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers would secure the 1-4 seeds while the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars would do the same in the West.

Seeds 5-12 would feature a best-of-5 play-in series to determine the bottom four seeds in the Stanley Cup playoffs while the top four seeds would compete against each other in a round-robin format to determine the official seeding.

The Blackhawks, in this format, are slated to take on the Edmonton Oilers. They went 2-1-0 and had a plus-1 goal differential against the Oilers this season.

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Report: NHL playoff proposal including Blackhawks expected to be approved by NHLPA

By Scott King May 22, 2020 4:26 PM

On Friday, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported the NHL's playoff proposal is expected to get approved by the NHLPA.

"While last night’s NHLPA executive committee conference call got a little heated at times, and various individual players still have a wide variety of views on the NHL’s (Return to Play) format, the exec committee vote by team is expected to result in NHLPA approval of the NHL plan," McKenzie tweeted.

The 12th place in the Western Conference Blackhawks make the cut in the 24-team playoff proposal that gives the top four teams in each conference a bye with the remaining teams competing in a best-of-5 play-in round. The remainder of this year's potential playoff rounds would be best-of-7.

"If that is indeed the case, and I believe team by team balloting has concluded or will conclude shortly, it should pave the way for the NHL and NHLPA to perhaps formally announce the (Return to Play) format in the coming days. We are not, however, expecting that format announcement to come with any timetable or critical date roll-out, not yet anyway," McKenzie added.

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Patrick Kane was a reason players voted against best-of-3 series for playoff format

By Scott King May 22, 2020 10:30 AM

The NHLPA board is currently voting on the NHL's proposed 24-team playoff format, which would include the the Western Conference's 12th place Chicago Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference's Montreal Canadiens.

In an interview with Sportsnet 590's "Lead Off" on Friday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said the league initially pitched that the play-in round be a best-of-3 series and some players weren't having it, partially due to a three-time Stanley Cup champion superstar forward with the Hawks.

"I did hear that the Western teams - and now it's going to be Edmonton - they were like, 'two out of three with Patrick Kane? I mean come on,'" Friedman said on the show.

The play-in round is reportedly best-of-5 in the current proposal.

In the East, players were concerned about a certain Canadiens goalie stealing a series. "Pittsburgh looked at its matchup and it said 'two out of three against Carey Price is not fair for a team that had zero percentage points to play in the playoffs," Friedman said.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185074 Chicago Blackhawks "We're getting dressed as fast as we can. That is no question the fastest I've ever gotten my gear on in my life. I'll never forget Jammer was sitting right next to me and he's like, 'I'm gonna cry, I'm gonna cry, we're about to win the Cup.' I'm like, 'Dude don't say that, I'm literally about to.' How Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup champ Brandon Bollig barely made on-ice celebration "We keep looking up because there's a little clock in the room that tells you how much time is left in the game. So we're looking up there, it's dwindling, dwindling, going so quick. Finally, I think with less than 12 seconds, probably seven seconds left, get the last of my gear on. I don't By Scott King May 22, 2020 10:00 AM even have my jersey on, I'm running down the hallway and there's probably a good 10-15 yard hallway to get from the locker rom to the ice.

NBC Sports Chicago Blackhawks Insider Charlie Roumeliotis caught up "It is jam-packed with all our staff, and media that traveled with us, our with 2013 Stanley Cup champ Brandon Bollig on the latest Blackhawks doctors, all that stuff. Literally everyone that comes with the team was Talk podcast. Among the topics discussed were what it's like for a crammed into this hallway because the boys were about to win the Cup healthy scratch to get dressed and meet their team on the ice when and they were all ready to jump on, but they obviously didn't realize the they're about to win the Cup. scratches were behind [them]. So I'm honestly swimming through all these people like palming them out of the way, like, 'Get out of my way. I Bollig and co. didn't have much more than 17 seconds to get out and join got to get onto this ice,' as I'm slipping each of my arms into my jersey, their teammates on the ice in Boston after 2013's Game 6 of the Final putting my head through the hole. that saw the Hawks hoist Lord Stanley's trophy. The forward was a healthy scratch in Game 6, but had played earlier during the series "My jersey is on literally as the buzzer hits zero, all of us hit the ice and against the Bruins. jumped on the ice with the rest of the guys. It was just of course the coolest feeling, the most surreal feeling you could ever imagine. It's NBC Sports Chicago Blackhawks Insider Charlie Roumeliotis caught up something you imagined doing it every day pretty much from the first time with 2013 Stanley Cup champ Brandon Bollig on the latest Blackhawks you started played hockey. ... Talk podcast. Among the topics discussed were what it's like for a healthy scratch to get dressed and meet their team on the ice when "You don't even know what to do with yourself, you don't even know what they're about to win the Cup. to do with your feelings or emotions. 'What's going on? We just won the Stanley Cup.' So we are going absolutely insane and then once it kind of Bollig and co. didn't have much more than 17 seconds to get out and join calms down for a second, then they start to wheel the Cup out and then their teammates on the ice in Boston after 2013's Game 6 of the Final it's just all these emotions rolled into one and you just realize your entire that saw the Hawks hoist Lord Stanley's trophy. The forward was a journey that got you there. All the youth hockey, all the tournaments, all healthy scratch in Game 6, but had played earlier during the series the traveling, all the family stuff that you missed, it all kind of flashes against the Bruins. before your eyes.

"We go in, we're leading the series 3-2, we're in Boston, luckily the "And then for me, when it came time to hoist the Cup, I was insanely Hawks are gracious enough to fly all of our families there, so that makes nervous, I was like, 'I cannot drop this thing.' I'm wiping my hands on my it even more special," Bollig said. "Us guys that didn't play that game: it jersey, on my pants and just making sure I'm not going to drop this thing was me, Dan Carcillo, , Ben Smith, I think even Ryan and now I have the tightest grip I've ever had on anything when I hoisted Stanton was one of our guys in there, there were a couple other guys in that. ... the room with us, probably five or six of us. "I was just so lucky to be able to do that." "We had worked out with the strength coach, probably during the first period. Rode the bike, the standard stuff when you're scratched, and then Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 we're sitting there watching, of course eyes glued to the TV in the training room and everyone is kind of sitting on the training table, some of us on a swiss ball, just chilling, hoping that our boys pull through.

"We were sitting there the whole time [during] the third period, I think they were up by a goal and we're all sitting there waiting. Of course [we're] super nervous, of course in there cheering on the fellas like, 'Come on guys, pull this off, let's do this.' We were not even thinking about, 'Where's our equipment? When are we going to have to get this stuff on?' That was not a thought that crossed our mind.

"So we're sitting there watching and lo and behold, Bicks scores a goal and Bicks ties it up, he's going berserk. Tazer passed it to him, Toews is going berserk. All the guys are going crazy, the bench is going absolutely insane, we probably cheered louder and harder than any of the fellas on the ice, we were just going berserk in the training room.

"So we're going nuts, I think it's minutes that we were standing up there hugging like we were the ones that scored, we're in there so so pumped that we tied it, 'OT! OT! Win the Stanley Cup in overtime, how much cooler does it get?' So we're still celebrating, I don't think we had even sat back down yet and then Bolland scores and we're like, 'What is going on!'

"Our heads are about to explode, we are just overcome with excitement. We huddle up again, we're super pumped, we're cheering with each other, high-fiving, all that and then quickly realize, 'Oh my god, we got to go get our gear on.' There's like 1:20 left or whatever it was and that was when the chaos ensues.

"In Boston the setup is the locker room is just across this tiny little hall from the training room ... So we're in the training room, we're waiting, we're celebrating. Once we realize we got to go get our gear, we look across the hall, the equipment guys are digging [out] our bags and our jerseys and chucking it across the room at any open stall like, 'Get dressed! Get dressed!' Of course they're super excited, of course they want to go enjoy whatever is going on instead of worrying about us getting dressed. 1185075 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks 2019-20 season in review: Duncan Keith

By Charlie Roumeliotis May 22, 2020 6:00 AM

The NHL put its 2019-20 season on pause March 12 due to the COVID- 19 pandemic but remains hopeful to award the Stanley Cup at some point. Although it's unclear if or when it could return, NBC Sports Chicago will recap the season of each Blackhawks player to date in our "season in review" series. Next up is Duncan Keith.

Duncan Keith is a physical specimen and the Blackhawks have been spoiled by his ability to play at an elite level while staying healthy for the last decade and a half. No Blackhawk has logged more minutes in the regular season and postseason than Keith since he entered the league in 2005-06. And they’re hard minutes, too.

But for the first time in what feels like forever, the Blackhawks felt what life was like without their two-time Norris Trophy winner after he missed nearly three weeks with a groin injury that nagged at him for a month before it worsened on Nov. 29 against Colorado and forced him to take some time off to recover. And it didn't go very well.

The Blackhawks went 3-5-1 in the nine games Keith missed and had the fourth-worst points percentage (.389) in the NHL over that span. They also had a minus-13 goal differential and penalty kill percentage of 76.7, which ranked 21st. When he was in the lineup, the Blackhawks were 29- 25-7 with a plus-7 goal differential and 83.1 penalty kill percentage, which would rank No. 5.

No one player can replace what Keith brings to the table on a nightly basis. It’s a committee approach, and that’s what the Blackhawks were forced to do.

"It's one of those things you're so used to having him on the back end doing what he does, it's almost like you take it for granted," said of Keith in November. "A lot of minutes he plays, what he does offensively and defensively, just how he makes the game easier on his own partner and everyone around him too. Hopefully he'll be back soon; not used to being out there without a guy like him and definitely hurts a lot."

Keith plays more even-strength and penalty-kill minutes than anybody else on the team and logs the most power-play minutes among team defenseman. His ice time average of 24:23 is his highest since the 2016- 17 season when he averaged 25:37 per game.

Even as he approaches age 37, Keith remains a valuable part of the Blackhawks.

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Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185076 Chicago Blackhawks Injury: Seabrook hasn’t played since Dec. 15. He underwent surgery on his right shoulder in December, left hip in January and right hip in February. He was given a timeline of five to six months after his last surgery. Which injured Blackhawks players could return if the season resumes? Update: Seabrook said in late April he was feeling great, but he is not expected to be ready when the season resumes.

By Scott Powers May 22, 2020 What it means: Seabrook is expected to play again for the Blackhawks, but it won’t be until next season.

Zack Smith, forward As the NHL inches closer to plans for a return to play, the Blackhawks are staying busy preparing for every scenario. Injury: Smith was out of the Blackhawks’ last 13 games due to a back injury. He last played on Feb. 12. Part of that preparation is constructing a potential roster. With so much time between the Blackhawks’ last game on March 11 and when the Update: His status is questionable, a source said. season might resume, the Blackhawks are expected to have some different roster options when they get back on the ice. What it means: Back injuries are often difficult to predict. The Blackhawks might get a better idea of Smith’s status when he returns to the team. Here’s a breakdown of the Blackhawks players who were injured when the season was paused and their expected status if the season resumes: The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020

Adam Boqvist, defenseman

Injury: Boqvist was in concussion protocol for the Blackhawks’ last game due to a hit he took against the St. Louis Blues on March 8.

Update: He is expected to be ready to play when the season resumes, according to a source.

What it means: Boqvist was starting to come into his own offensively before his injury. He had produced five points in the three games prior to his injury. With Erik Gustafsson being traded at the deadline, the Blackhawks need Boqvist to carry a larger offensive role. They should have some more defensive depth when the season returns, and that could allow Boqvist to play a reasonable amount of ice time.

Drake Caggiula, forward

Injury: Caggiula missed the last game due to a right-hand injury he suffered during a fight against the Blues on March 8.

Update: He is considered probable when the season resumes, a source said. We do know he has been at least keeping his hand active playing video games.

What it means: Caggiula was producing more consistently since he returned from a long absence due to a concussion. He had six goals and five assists over his last 22 games. His addition would help the Blackhawks’ lineup flexibility. He’s proved he can play up and down the lineup. He can also help on the penalty kill.

Calvin de Haan, defenseman

Injury: De Haan suffered a right shoulder injury during a game on Dec. 10. He underwent surgery on Dec. 27. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season and given a timeline of four to five months to return.

Update: With the pause, his status has changed. He is considered probable to play when the season returns. A source said he is expected to be fully healed by June and has been feeling good.

What it means: De Haan’s return could be huge for the Blackhawks. After coming off a shoulder injury last season, it took de Haan some time to get back to form, but he was beginning to make a difference and playing a lot of minutes before his injury. He had an expected-goals-for percentage greater than 50 percent in seven of his last 11 games before getting injured. If de Haan does play again in the 2019-20 season, it would certainly upgrade the Blackhawks defense and give coach more options.

Andrew Shaw, forward

Injury: Shaw last played on Nov. 30 and was officially placed in concussion protocol on Dec. 3. He was shut down for the season in an announcement on Feb. 29.

Update: Since the pause, Shaw has been active on social media and mentioned he is working out at home. His concussion status is unknown, but he is not expected to play when the season returns, a source said.

What it means: Shaw’s playing future is still unknown.

Brent Seabrook, defenseman 1185077 Chicago Blackhawks scored the Cup-winning goal in Boston, and then had them stay on the ice to defend that one-goal lead in the final minute. The 2010 team had nothing to compare with that. And while Brent Sopel was a hero in the Nashville series for repeatedly stepping in front of Shea 2010, 2013 or 2015? Players and pundits debate which Blackhawks Weber slapshots, Leddy-Rozsival is a significant upgrade over Sopel- team was best Hendry. And I think Dom’s model is on crack because it rates 2010 Antti Niemi higher than the 2013 version of Corey Crawford, who should have

won the that year. By Mark Lazerus, Scott Powers and more May 22, 2020 Kane: They were all so different, you know? I mean, the first one, we were all so young and I don’t think we felt the pressure at all. We were just so confident and just went out there and played loose. You can look back at the Blackhawks’ three Stanley Cups in the 2010s in a number of ways. Powers: I feel like an authority on the 2013 and 2015 teams because I covered them; less so about the 2010 team. I’ve since gone back and Most fun? It’s got to be 2010, when the team was young and hockey felt watched that team, but it’s just not the same. What you probably have new again in Chicago. Most dominant? Hard to argue with the 2013 with the 2010 team more so than the others is Keith and Hossa near their squad, which raced out to a 21-0-3 start and never looked back. Most peaks. Keith is still a freak athlete, but he was 26 then, averaging nearly impressive? Probably the 2015 team, which was running on fumes and 27 minutes a game and recording a career-best 69 points. Hossa was dealt with off-ice tragedy and drama, then won it all with essentially four older at 31, but he was still dominant and obviously so motivated after defensemen. falling in the Cup final the two seasons before. With those two playing at such a high level, that team would be tough to beat. But how about a seemingly simpler question: Which team was the best? Break the laws of time and space and put all three teams into a mini Hossa: Definitely, I think the first one had great size. I think that was round-robin tournament against each other, and who would win? Would pretty hard to beat even when we had the great run in 2013. It’s tough to the star power of the 2010 team win out? Or the depth of the 2013 team? compare, but the edge for the size and the third and fourth lines were big, Or the battle-tested unflappability of that indomitable 2015 team? Can big guys and played very physical hockey. I think that was one of the 2013’s killer fourth line of Michael Frolik, and Marcus toughest teams I played with. Kruger shut down 2010’s top unit of , Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane? How does 2015’s third line of , Antoine Bolland: We were just a big, strong team and everyone knew their role. Vermette and Teuvo Teravainen measure up to 2010’s third line of Eager knew his role. Frazz knew his role. Burish knew his role. I knew , Bolland and Kris Versteeg? Brian Campbell or Johnny my role. I knew I was going to have some big goals, but I wasn’t going to Oduya? Brad Richards or Michal Handzus? Are we talking Playoff Bryan put up Kane or Toews points. I knew my role was shutting down Joe Bickell or Regular-Season ? And did you even remember Thornton, or shutting down the Sedin twins. that David Rundblad and Kyle Cumiskey got their names on the Cup? Bickell: OK, I think if we played a playoff series now, in 2020, I think ’13 Ask three fans — or pundits, or players — and you might get three would win because the depth and the skill and the speed we had. But if different answers. To try to get as fair an answer as possible, we’ve got we had to go back and play in 2010 with our 2013 team, it’d be totally unbiased reporters (Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers), even more different. Ten years ago, with different rules and all that clutching and unbiased analytics (Dom Luszczyszyn) and potentially wildly biased grabbing and physicality, ’10 would be the big winner. former players (Bickell, Bolland, Kruger, Marian Hossa, Versteeg and Lazerus: Do you agree with that, Dave? That the 2010 team would Kane from an interview last year) providing insight. For the purposes of struggle in the current speed-and-skill style? this exercise, we’re looking at the final iteration of the team — the one that actually won the Stanley Cup. So Handzus counts in 2013 and Bolland: No, I think we’d just beat them up. You can still scare guys, Vermette counts in 2015, and Michal Rozsival’s broken ankle at the end right? We had Eager and Bur and Frazz — we had some tough guys on of the second round in 2015 is factored in, as well. that team. And I think once you scare a few guys, they won’t want to play, right? Let’s start by looking at each roster. (For an explanation of GSVA, check out the end of the story.) Luszczyszyn: The Blackhawks’ dominance throughout the first part of the decade played a big role in the analytics movement gaining prominence. Tale of the tape Here was one of the league’s best teams year-in and year-out, and they Bickell (an extra on the 2010 team): I think 2010 was the strongest team were doing so because they controlled the puck and out-chanced by far. opponents consistently. No Blackhawks team did that better during the regular season than the 2009-10 team. In fact, only one other team has Lazerus: By far? earned a higher expected goals rate from 2007-2020 than the 57.8 percent they managed that year. That’s puck control to an insane degree Bickell: I think so, yeah. You name all the guys now and it’s like, “Wow, and it showed up throughout the roster. Only three regulars were below that was one team?” It’s like an All-Star team. I think that was obviously 55 percent for the year and John Madden’s 54.1 percent was the lowest. the best team. As a unit, just the skill level we had. Look how many ‘A’ Of all the Blackhawks teams over the last decade, this one entered the players we had. playoffs with the best odds of winning. Versteeg: 2010. Nobody close. End of story. Lazerus: Sometimes I wonder if I look back on the 2013 team as extra Lazerus: Ha, I like the authoritativeness. But it kind of undercuts our magical or something because it was my first year on the beat, but then I exercise here. look at the roster and the numbers and the games and realize, no, I’m 100 percent correct. This is the best Blackhawks team of all time, and the Versteeg: It’s just the truth. Buff. Ladd. Bolland. Me. Brouwer. Campbell. team that would win our mini-round robin, half season be damned. Start All playing in (our) primes at the top of our games. The other teams’ at the top: Jonathan Toews was an absolute monster in 2013. People depth couldn’t handle that. I personally would be absolutely shocked if laugh at the idea now, but back then, there was actual discussion among any core member wouldn’t think 2010. NHL pundits (particularly Canadian ones) about whether Bolland: 2010 would be the best team. Not saying anything bad about or Toews was the best overall player in hockey. And if you look at Dom’s 2013 or the guys they had in 2015, but I don’t know. That 2010 team model, you can see it wasn’t so crazy. Toews had 48 points in 47 would win. We’d beat anyone. regular-season games and pretty much had the puck at all times. Here are the expected-goals-for percentages of that top line during the regular Lazerus: It was certainly everyone’s favorite team, no doubt. But I’m not season: Toews 61.23, Hossa 60.63, Saad 60.35. Now in the playoffs: so sure it was the best. That 2010 team had more big names, or at least, Toews 65.47, Hossa 64.15, Saad 63.71. That’s insane. names that went on to become big names. But it didn’t have the depth of the 2013 team (or even the 2015 team, for that matter). The fourth line Luszczyszyn: By projected GSVA, Toews wasn’t even close to Sidney had some success as agitators, but was mostly a non-factor. Crosby, but he was the closest with my model projecting him to be the and Adam Burish averaged six minutes per game or less during the second most valuable player in the world at that time. His dominant two- playoffs. Compare that with the 2013 team’s fourth line of Frolik-Bolland- way play was tough to ignore and though he won the Selke that year, I Kruger, all of whom averaged at least 13 minutes per game. Hell, they think he deserved a lot more Hart buzz than he got. By single-season GSVA, his 3.5 wins that year over 47 games was second to only Crosby Lazerus: Toews actually said as much at the end of the Anaheim series, and 0.8 wins more than Alex Ovechkin, the eventual winner. He may not that they knew how to conserve themselves for the playoffs and then turn have had as many goals or points, but his complete game brought more it on when they needed it. to the table. That season was Toews at his best. Powers: I was thinking about the ’15 team at times watching “The Last Powers: It’s too bad it was a shortened season because that fact will Dance” documentary. That Blackhawks team just had a unique probably always be a slight asterisk. It was still a grind, but it was a competitiveness about it. Those players weren’t going to be beaten. They different sort of a grind than the usual season. Emery was so key to how could have and probably should have lost a number of those games in the Blackhawks played that season. He started 19 games and had a .922 the playoff run, and they just didn’t. From Game 1 in Nashville to that save percentage. The Blackhawks were 17-1-0 with him in net. Oddly, he whole Anaheim series, they just found a way to come out on top. actually finished ahead of Crawford in the voting. Emery won the Blackhawks games, but he also kept Crawford fresh for the Kane: Fifteen, that was probably the toughest one, it was such a grind. regular season and most importantly the playoffs. But adding Vermy, and Teuvo stepping up, I don’t know, we just weren’t going to be denied. Kane: In ’13, everything just kind of went right for us all year. Stumbled a bit in that Detroit series, but pulled it out. Hossa: We had the experience in 2015. It was amazing probably nobody believed we could survive with four Ds. It was amazing how they’d done Bickell: Toews was dominant. Kane, too. They still are. The game is that. The extra two guys were playing a big part, but those four guys changing but they keep finding ways to be elite players in the best league were like nonstop on the ice. It was amazing they survived the two in the world. Everything clicked that year. Quenneville was mixing the months of tough hockey. lines up and hitting Bingo every time. Kruger: I think we had experience and we were just really confident. We Kruger: In ’13, we just started out great and just kept it going in some just had the confidence that it was going to be really hard for a team to way. beat us over seven games. We had a few guys there that had won two times already in ’13 and ’15. I don’t know, it just made all of us feel really Lazerus: Look at this fourth line compared with the 2010 fourth line. Look confident and believing in what we’re doing. We were sticking to the at this third pairing compared with the 2010 third pairing. Look at the process. It was going to be hard for teams to beat us. We had that goaltending compared with the 2010 goaltending. This was a deeper swagger, confidence during that whole playoff run. team, a faster team, a better team. Bickell: We had a couple key guys jumping in with Richards at the start Bolland: For sure, we had that depth. You’re right about that. I was and Timonen at the trade deadline. That helped get us through. Richards playing on the second line and then we got (Handzus) and I was was looking to get back to a Cup after a long time, and Timonen was demoted to the fourth line. But I was fine with it. Wherever the team looking for his first. So that kept the fire going and pushed us. would put me, I’d buy in. Fourth line, first line, second line, I was never mad or anything. I wanted to win another Cup and you can’t be sulking Bolland: I watched them that year. When you have Toews, Kaner, Duncs and trying to win a Cup. and Seabs, that kind of leadership, it goes a long way. They already had won two Cups. When you win one Cup, you want to win another. It’s just Bickell: Thirteen was a weird year. With the lockout, some guys played of winning it and how much you put into it. It makes you want to overseas, and I was one of them. I was going into a contract year, so I win one every year. You can’t do that, but you wish you could. But they needed to be in the best shape when the season started. We just had the fight and the battle to get to the Cup finals and hoist it. basically threw out some lines on the first day and that was it. We had a couple injuries here and there. Lazerus: It’s worth pointing out that Duncan Keith’s playoff run was the best sustained individual performance I’ve ever seen. He was Lazerus: Yeah, Patrick Sharp missed the last month of the regular superhuman. season with a shoulder injury. In fact, the Blackhawks were 25-0-3 when he was in the lineup, as he enjoyed pointing out regularly. Luszczyszyn: Fun fact: The model loved it, too! It was the third-best defenseman value since ’07-’08. By GSVA, Keith was worth 1.26 wins in Bickell: I started with Shawzie and Stalberg the majority of the year, but 23 games during those playoffs, which would prorate to about 4.5 wins of in the playoffs we switched up there for me to move up with Toews and value over a full season. That’s MVP level. Kane to give them some space. Just an unbelievable year, if you look back. We didn’t win games by blowouts, though, we won games in OT or Lazerus: Good to know I’m not a total idiot, then. by one goal or came back late in the game. To find ways to keep that streak going gave us so much confidence going into the playoffs. We hit Powers: Let me be the judge of that. a little speed bump there against Detroit, but took it one game at a time. Simulation

Luszczyszyn: I remember being excited that the Blackhawks went down Dom ran the numbers, and this is what he came up with: 3-1 to the Red Wings in the second round that year. It meant their betting odds would be that much better and in my mind there was no way this 2010 vs. 2013: 2010 has a 55.5 percent win probability team was losing that year. That’s how confident I was. While the 2009-10 2010 vs. 2015: 2010 has a 57.6 percent win probability team had better underlying numbers during the regular season, the 2012- 13 team had the edge in the playoffs, posting a 56 percent expected 2013 vs. 2015: 2013 has a 52.2 percent win probability. goals rate, one of the highest marks from a team to make it past the first round. So the math says the winner is 2010, followed by 2013, then 2015.

Lazerus: I still have no idea how this team won the Stanley Cup, between Luszczyszyn: Personally, I think my model underrates the 2013 team. the deaths of Clint Reif and Steve Montador, the off-ice rumors about Would guess it’s the result of the shortened season not giving enough players’ personal lives being spread by local talk radio and social media, weight to each player’s value that year. Either way, it’s pretty close to a having only four defensemen for the final two rounds, and just the sheer coin flip and there’s definitely an argument for either team. It’s also worth exhaustion of playing 11 playoff rounds in a 25-month span. They weren’t remembering that the projected values making up the simulations really having much fun, and they were totally gassed. But they just account for each player’s regular-season play only. In terms of judging refused to lose. Certainly the most impressive championship of the three, the best team, it ignores how territorially dominant the 2013 team was in in my mind. the playoffs, and what a force Keith was in ’15 that probably closes the gap. Luszczyszyn: I’m with Laz on this one, as this was definitely the most surprising of the team’s three Cups. This Blackhawks team didn’t look as Lazerus: I love when you refer to your model as a separate, sentient strong as the past two winners, but they made me believe that entity. experienced teams really can flip the switch come playoff time, and that Kruger: The best team? In what way? It’s so hard. I think that team in ’13. experience can prevail. The way they played in the postseason felt That team in ’10, I wasn’t there, they were unbelievable. That was their dramatically different to what we saw during the regular season, like they first win. They were pretty good, they were pretty deep, as we were in had figured out the formula to winning and saved it for the playoffs when ’13. Of the teams I was on, I don’t want to pick one over the other, but it truly mattered. talent-wise, maybe ’13. I don’t know. That ’15 team would be really hard to beat. Powers: I know what the odds and numbers state, but I also wouldn’t bet against that ’15 team.

Lazerus: I think the model lines up with the conventional wisdom. I think most Blackhawks fans would tell you that 2010 would come out on top, too. I disagree — 2013 was far deeper, was faster, and had vastly superior goaltending. But I get it, that 2010 team was awfully good, too. And had more star power, too. It’s a fun debate, and one Blackhawks fans are extremely fortunate to have. Imagine how sad it would be to be debating which (insert mean-spirited joke here) squad was the best of the 2010s.

(Here’s Dom on what GSVA represents: Basically, it’s a combination of a bunch of box-score stats, plus some more advanced measures, weighted more appropriately to their relative importance. Goals, assists, expected goals, penalty differential, blocked shots — they all make up some part of the pie. That’s then translated into a win value above replacement level. When looking at true talent, the model looks back at the prior three seasons, weighing the most recent roughly twice as important as the last.)

The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185078 Colorado Avalanche points for an average of 0.98 points. That figure falls in line with is 0.89 career average, which was largely powered by averaging 1.10 points between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

What the Avalanche could look like when the NHL resumes play Bednar can choose to keep Landeskog, MacKinnon and Rantanen together or separate them. He has experimented with other amalgamations this season because of injuries and has seen various results. The decisions made by Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic By Ryan S. Clark May 22, 2020 and his front office staff to get supplemental scoring has worked. It has provided Bednar with a number of options. But it could also make for a selection issue some would consider a first-world coach’s problem. Try presumably possessing a fully healthy roster for the first time in several months. SECOND LINE: Finding a consistent second-line presence was a long- standing problem the Avalanche addressed in the offseason. But it Go back to March 11 when the Colorado Avalanche came away with a 3- appears some questions remain. 2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers at Pepsi Center. It was one of the last NHL contests before the league went on an indefinite Enough is in place to suggest Burakovsky and Kadri are the constants. pause because of COVID-19. At the time, the Avs were once again faced Burakovsky emerged into being a reliable top-six forward who could have with questions regarding when certain injured players would come back flirted with his first 30-goal campaign if not for injuries. Still, he broke the into the lineup. 20-goal barrier for the first time in his career and appears to have worked his way into the club’s long-term vision. The same could also be said for It began with star rookie defenseman Cale Makar returning after a two- Kadri. Injuries kept him to 19 goals and 36 points over 51 games for an week absence. The next step was learning Andre Burakovsky, Matt average of 0.71 points. That average is one of Kadri’s best and a full 82- Calvert, Philipp Grubauer, Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen were all in game schedule would have put him on pace to finish with 58 points. If the latter stages of their recovery. Those developments came around the that had happened, it would have been the second-highest point total of same time the club learned it would be without superstar center Nathan his career while possibly giving him his third 30-goal season. MacKinnon for two weeks after he sustained a lower-body injury. The potential issue at hand is determining who would be the best fit How Jared Bednar and his coaching staff would once again manage among Joonas Donskoi, Vladislav Namestnikov and Valeri Nichushkin. multiple injuries while chasing the St. Louis Blues for the Central Division Donskoi forged a partnership in that role with Burakovsky and Kadri to and the Western Conference was a narrative surrounding the team give the Avs a consistent two-way second line. He still has scored a before the league went on hiatus. career-high 16 goals but only had five points in the team’s final 25 games before the break. It raised more questions about second-half production Now? It is a question of how Bednar and his assistants will operate with a considering he went more than 30 games without scoring a goal in the full complement of players knowing there could be difficult decisions final portion of last season with the San Jose Sharks. Bednar could keep when the NHL resumes. Donskoi with Burakovsky and Kadri. Or he could turn to either Forwards Namestnikov or Nichushkin.

Gabriel Landeskog Namestnikov arrived at the trade deadline and made an immediate impact. His six points in nine games came while playing at least one Nathan MacKinnon contest on the top three lines with most of that production coming with Mikko Rantanen the first line. Also, Namestnikov is a two-way skater who scored 93 percent of his goals from either the low slot or net-front. Meanwhile, Andre Burakovsky Nichushkin showed he could use his 6-foot-4 frame to be a two-way forward who could fight for possession while having the acumen to score Nazem Kadri 13 goals and fall one shy of tying his career high.

Joonas Donskoi THIRD LINE: Again, it appears Bednar could have another decision Vladislav Namestnikov when it comes to how he would build the third line.

J.T. Compher One option is having J.T. Compher occupy the middle with some mix of Donskoi, Namestnikov or Nichushkin as his wingers. It would Valeri Nichushkin hypothetically create a line that works for possession as a main way to create scoring opportunities. Placing Compher with Donskoi and Matt Nieto Nichushkin would be something of a prolonged experiment. They were Pierre Edouard-Bellemare on the ice together for 46:10 in five-on-five situations and managed to create 11 high-danger scoring chances while allowing three, according to Matt Calvert Natural Stat Trick. Compher and Nichushkin have played a little more than 100 minutes together while Compher and Donskoi have played 196 Colin Wilson minutes together. Namestnikov’s time with either Compher, Donskoi Tyson Jost and/or Nichushkin is also limited. He has played 13:10 in five-on-five ice time with Nichushkin and that is the most he has with any of those Vladislav Kamenev potential options, per Natural Stat Trick.

FIRST LINE: Perhaps the benefit and challenge of potentially having a Bednar could choose from among those four in constructing a third line. fully healthy roster are the different line combinations Bednar could use He could also determine how Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Calvert, Tyson upon their return. Jost and Colin Wilson would factor as plausible choices. Bellemare and Calvert worked in tandem either with Nichushkin or Matt Nieto on the Keeping Gabriel Landeskog with MacKinnon and Rantanen appears to third line when injuries prompted them to move up earlier in the season. be the triumvirate with the fewest questions. They have worked to Jost had 12 games on the third line. All nine of Wilson’s games came on become a proven unit that is considered to be one of the best lines — if the third line before a lower-body injury ruled him out for what would have not, the premier line — throughout the NHL. Landeskog provides the net- been a potential April return. Wilson had four points — all assists — in front presence who can also fight in the corners to gain possession. Plus, those games with Bednar saying in March the former Boston University the Avalanche captain was averaging 1.09 points over the final two star could potentially be an option based on his recovery efforts. months and averaged 0.81 for the season in a year when he missed 16 games early in the season because he was injured. MacKinnon is a FOURTH LINE: Thirteen games. It is the number of times Bellemare, franchise center capable of driving play in a number of ways that makes Calvert and Nieto played together during the 2019-20 season. him among the game’s most dangerous players. He was on pace for a consecutive 40-goal season but he also clinched his third straight Signing Bellemare in free agency created the possibility of placing him campaign of more than 50 assists en route to what would have been his with Calvert and Nieto to form a consistent fourth-line presence that first 100-point effort. Injuries have limited Rantanen to 42 games yet his eluded the Avalanche during the 2018-19 campaign. It happened. But overall production has not appeared to have suffered. Rantanen has 41 there are times when it didn’t too. Injuries forced Bellemare and Calvert into a third-line partnership with Nichushkin. That, in turn, led to Nieto average ice time slightly dip but still averaged more than 21 minutes working in a fourth-line capacity. Yet there were also moments when while being trusted in penalty-killing situations. Yet the 32-year-old’s Bellemare played with Nieto because Calvert was on another line or was defensive efforts are where he appeared to have found his greatest injured. Keep in mind that Calvert and Nieto have a history together consistency. Johnson was on the ice for just 16 high-danger goals having flanked Carl Soderberg a year earlier. And if that is not enough? against and 173 high-danger scoring chances. A year earlier? He was on Bellemare played 229:40 in ice time whenever he played with Calvert in the ice for 36 high-danger goals against and 266 high-danger scoring five-on-five sequences without Nieto, according to Natural Stat Trick. He chances. also received 228:00 in time with Nieto in five-on-five sequences without Calvert in five-on-five situations. THIRD PAIRING: What Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov achieved in their last game together could have been the turning point the Avalanche sought. Another item worth considering is the offensive contribution made by Bellemare, Calvert and Nieto. Bellemare scored a career-high nine goals Cole and Zadorov had their respective struggles in some of the final and 22 points in his maiden season with the Avs. It was also the first time contests before the break. It began when Zadorov was on the ice for he hit the 20-point mark. Calvert was on pace for his first 20-goal season three goals versus the Anaheim Ducks. Only for Cole to also be on the until injuries set the new projection for a 15-goal campaign. Nieto ice for three goals in the next game against the Vancouver Canucks. reached the 20-point mark for a third straight season. The Long Beach Bednar chose to bench Zadorov for two games while Cole stayed in the native was on a trajectory to score 25 points, which would have been the lineup. They were reunited in the overtime win over the Rangers where third-most of his career. they did not allow a goal and combined to allow three shots over 11:42 in five-on-five ice time they shared together, per Natural Stat Trick. Placing BUT WHAT ABOUT?: Let’s say these are the combinations Bednar uses Cole with Zadorov provides the Avs with a shutdown pairing that is with his lines. What does that all mean for Jost, Vladislav Kamenev and capable of potentially playing a physical style that incorporates the needs Wilson? to heavily check while blocking shots when at their best.

Jost spent 46 percent of the season playing on the fourth line and was BUT WHAT ABOUT?: Mark Barberio remains in the seventh defenseman developing into a two-way player before play was suspended. He had role that he has continued to fulfill for the last few seasons. He has eight goals and a career-high 23 points, but not what was expected of a managed to fill in whenever there have been injuries or in the event former lottery pick heading into the final season of his entry-level Bednar wants a different look with the back end. And, if needed, the team contract. It then raises a debate regarding how he fits within the lineup. could call upon veteran Kevin Connauton should they seek to add to their Would he work better at center or wing? Is he a middle-six possibility? defensive depth. Does Jost operate better in a bottom-six role? Also, who would be out if Bednar opts to go with Jost? Goaltenders

Kamenev was healthy enough to log minutes but he did not progress Philipp Grubauer beyond the fourth line. It is possible that in this particular scenario he Pavel Francouz would be an extra forward who would be used to fill in should an injury occur. Wilson is arguably in a different situation given he has not played STARTER: It is entirely possible the situation between Pavel Francouz for several months. If Wilson is not ready, then it becomes a moot point and Grubauer could be one of the defining moments of the season in about where he is most effective. But what if he is healthy? What is the retrospect. Grubauer endured months when he firmly controlled the net. plan? Is it to slowly ease him into the lineup? Or does he immediately But he also had months when there were challenges. He was 4-1 with a play? And where would he be used? 1.21 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage until he sustained an injury in the Stadium Series defeat to the Los Angeles Defensemen Kings at the Air Force Academy. Francouz immediately became the Ryan Graves team’s starting goaltender and at one point won six straight games. How Francouz performed in Grubauer’s absence coupled with his early- Cale Makar season efforts naturally created questions regarding what Bednar would do when he has both goaltenders. Samuel Girard Exactly what is the plan? Does Grubauer assume the role of starter? Erik Johnson Maybe it’s the other way around with Francouz being the No. 1 choice? Ian Cole Or is it possible Bednar uses them in tandem before having to make a decision once the playoffs arrive? For this is arguably the most notable Nikita Zadorov challenge potentially facing Bednar when the season restarts. Especially when acknowledging Grubauer has one more year left on his contract Mark Barberio while Francouz signed a two-year extension in February. FIRST PAIRING: Bednar appears to be in a more straightforward THE END RESULT IS … ?: The Avalanche are considered to be a situation when it comes to his defensive pairings versus his forward serious favorite to challenge for a Stanley Cup. It is possible they could combinations. overtake the Blues for control of the Central Division and Western Ryan Graves became the long-standing partner the Avalanche sought Conference given they are just two points back with a game in hand. A with Makar. It allowed Bednar to maintain the dynamic of having proposed 24-team format would hypothetically result with the Avs someone in either a stay-at-home or a two-way capacity operate potentially playing against the Blues, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden alongside a puck-moving defenseman. Graves scoring nine goals and 26 Knights to determine seeds. The Athletic ran simulated models based on points shows there is an offensive component to his game. But the fact what the regular season and postseason could look like if the season had he was sixth in the NHL with 150 blocked shots and that he led the team continued without interruption. Colorado advanced to the Western in short-handed ice time further reinforced how Graves was committed Conference final where it was swept by Vegas. Reaching the conference toward those details. It then allowed Makar to freely attack and final — in real life, let alone a simulation — would be progress after last orchestrate knowing there was a failsafe in the event of a turnover. season ended with the Avs forcing a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinal where they lost to the Sharks. SECOND PAIRING: Samuel Girard and Erik Johnson are in a similar situation in that there is not much mystery when it comes to a second Or in this case? Maybe it’s possible all of these probables could defensive pairing. eventually turn into something more concrete when the season resumes.

They are the most proven duo in terms of time together. In 2018-19, they The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 played all but six games together as the team’s top partnership. Watching Graves and Makar surge in their roles is what led to Girard and Johnson being pushed down the lineup. But they have still remained productive. Girard had a career-high 34 points in 70 games and was on pace for 40 before the season was suspended. He went from being on the ice for 31 high-danger goals against and 284 high-danger scoring chances in 2018-19 to 25 high-danger goals against and 204 high- danger chances in five-on-five sequences this season. Johnson saw is 1185079 Colorado Avalanche won 21 of their next 22 games, a nearly unheard-of season-ending run to reach the .

The Rockies blew through the NL playoffs, sweeping the Phillies, then ‘We knew’: The top 5 most dominant Denver teams of the past 50 years the Diamondbacks. Only time dragged them down. A nine-day layoff waiting for the American League schedule to catch up gave them too much time off, and the Rockies crashed back to earth before the Red Sox swept them in the World Series. By Nick Groke May 22, 2020 Maybe it’s cheating to put a late-blooming team on this list. By winning

percentage, the ’07 Rockies aren’t even the best team in club history. When the best teams finally stop to take stock of how they reached the The ’09 and ’18 teams finished with better records. But only one team in top, there is often a moment in hindsight, maybe as quick as a flash or club history has won an NL pennant. longer like a wave, when they suddenly just knew everything would work. For one month, they were basically unbeatable, by far the best in And the dominoes fell into place. . After the Broncos finally won their first Super Bowl, in a stunning 31-24 “The best way I can describe it,” Sullivan said, “everybody knows about upset of the Packers in San Diego in Super Bowl 32 on Jan. 25, 1998, the zone, being in the zone — that was an entire team and an entire city the football world wondered how it all happened. But the Broncos who in the zone. I always wanted to be a part of the zone, like Michael Jordan won that game, they never flinched. putting up 40. It was like that. It was incredible.” “We shocked the world,” tight end Shannon Sharpe said that night. “But 4. 1990 Buffaloes football we didn’t shock the Denver Broncos. We knew.” Record: 11-1-1 Looking back at the most dominant teams of the past 50 years of Denver sports, there is usually a point when the players on those teams knew Finish: National champions just how good they could be. If only everything would come together. And for five Denver teams, especially, everything certainly did fall into place. Hall of Fame: Alfred Williams, coach Bill McCartney

Other teams set the stage for these five. Outside our time frame, the Peak moment: Eric Bieniemy running for four touchdowns in the fourth 1960-61 Denver Pioneers hockey team won a second consecutive quarter to stun No. 3 Nebraska in Lincoln on national TV. national championship — and lost only one game all season. They won No team in more than 100 years had run over the Cornhuskers in their conference tournament series by outscoring Michigan Tech 17-3 in Nebraska like the Buffaloes did on Nov. 3, 1990. Eric Bieniemy, their two games. They took down Minnesota in the national semifinals 6-1. senior tailback, had fumbled five times in the first three quarters. Then he And they crushed St. Lawrence in the title game 12-2. That Pios team came to life in the fourth quarter for four touchdowns to stun 76,464 red- had five All-Americans. They are still one of the best college hockey clad fans. The 27-12 victory all but sealed a Big 8 championship for teams of all time. Colorado, its second in a row. It was the first time since 1941 that a team There are other teams not on a list like this that could be. The 1980 other than Nebraska or Oklahoma won two straight Big 8 titles. Denver Bears finished 92-44 and won the Triple-A American Association More importantly, and all of a sudden, the Buffs launched into another title with future Hall of Famer Tim Raines. And way back in the weird old stratosphere. They had already taken down No. 22 Texas, No. 12 days, the 1911 Denver Grizzlies were even better. They wrecked the Washington and No. 22 Oklahoma, and they tied No. 8 Tennessee in an Western League behind spitball artist Buck O’Brien. He went 26-7, and unusually early opening game in August. After shocking Nebraska, CU the next year he pitched the first game at brand-new Fenway Park. then trounced Oklahoma State and Kansas State by a combined 105-25. The 1975-76 Nuggets were by far the best team in Denver sports to that And it eked past No. 5 Notre Dame, 10-9, in the Orange Bowl. point. They had the best record in the ABA, five games better than the There are moments to nitpick: the “Fifth Down Game” victory at Missouri, New York Nets, with three Hall of Famers: David Thompson, Dan Issel the clipping call that killed Raghib “Rocket” Ismail’s 91-yard punt return in and coach Larry Brown. “I really could have played for any team I the Orange Bowl, a one-point loss at No. 21 Illinois early in the season, a wanted,” said Thompson, a star at North Carolina State who became dumb UPI poll that ranked them No. 2. rookie of the year that season. “The league would just ask you, ‘Where do you want to play?’ Denver had a great franchise,” Thompson said in But with a throwback I-bone offense, a roster filled with future NFL picks Terry Pluto’s “Loose Balls.” “It didn’t matter that they were in the ABA and a rousing coach in Bill McCartney, Colorado climbed right through a because the Nuggets were very big-league.” stacked schedule to win it all.

And the 1995-96 Avalanche finally gave Denver a championship, in their The Butkus Award winner that year, Colorado linebacker Alfred Williams, first season in Colorado after moving from . They went 16-6 in who went on to win two Super Bowls with the Broncos, said: “That team the playoffs, upset the best team in the NHL that year — the Red Wings was the grittiest team I’ve ever been part of.” — in the conference finals, then swept through the Panthers for the Stanley Cup. That was the team, even more than the 1977 Broncos, that 3. 2008-09 Nuggets set a standard in Denver. Four more pro sports titles would follow in Record: 54-28 Colorado. Finish: Western Conference finals With all of that as a base, we present to you the five most dominating teams in Denver sports history: Peak moment: Carmelo Anthony’s game-winning 3-pointer with 1 second remaining in Game 3 of the Western semifinals at Dallas. 5. 2007 Rockies In an alternate universe, some butterfly in Bhutan fluttered left instead of Record: 90-73 right, setting in motion a series of events that led to Anthony Carter Finish: National League pennant landing a pass to Chauncey Billups on an inbounds play in Game 1 of the 2009 Western Conference finals. A minor moment, it seemed, and the Peak moment: Matt Holliday sliding toward home plate in the 13th inning alternate world never noticed as the Nuggets went on to upset the of a Game 163 victory over the Padres at Coors Field. Lakers, then cruise past the Magic in the NBA Finals.

A lesson in the fleeting phenomenon of winning. The Rockies in 2007 If only. But it’s not too difficult to imagine. In the end, it really does seem were three games below .500 at the halfway point and just three games like the Nuggets that season were two inbounds passes from a above .500 at the July trade deadline. Hardly dominating. But they knew championship. Carter’s turnover led to a Game 1 loss to the Lakers, and better. “We always had that feeling that we were going to get it done,” Kenyon Martin’s in Game 3 led to another loss. Denver had already outfielder Cory Sullivan said. “We just finally got a chance to catch up.” sneaked a Game 2 win in Los Angeles. The alternate path was certainly possible. Starting with a 13-0 blowout of the Marlins on Sept. 16, then accelerated by Todd Helton’s dramatic walk-off homer the next night, the Rockies Set up by the Billups trade from Detroit for Allen Iverson, that Nuggets team flashed a kind of dominance never before seen in Denver basketball. They nearly doubled up the Hornets, 121-63, on the road at Elway threw for 2,806 yards in just 12 starts. Their defense, the so-called New Orleans — in the playoffs. It was the biggest blowout in NBA playoff “weak spot” of the team, was the third-best rush defense in the league. history. Anthony averaged nearly 23 points and seven rebounds a night that year, hitting late-game diggers left and right, including one off- And their stats are almost irrelevant. The Broncos played two quarters balance 3-pointer inches from the Mavericks bench in Game 3 of the nearly every week, flying so far ahead of opponents that they conference semifinals, when he fought off a would-be foul by Antoine downshifted in the second half in cruise control. Hell, they went 4-0 Wright. Even Martin’s mom was rolling over the Mavericks. behind quarterback Bubby Brister when Elway injured his hamstring.

That was the best team in Nuggets history and a harsh example of what Even the playoffs were silly. In three games, they outscored the could have been. Dolphins, Jets and Falcons collectively 95-32. And that revisionist hot take about how the Broncos would have lost to the Vikings in the Super 2. 2000-01 Avalanche Bowl if the Falcons hadn’t won an upset in the NFC Championship Game? C’mon now. Record: 52-16-10-4 A year after the Broncos upset the NFL in a shocking Super Bowl win Finish: Stanley Cup champions over the Packers, they won a second Super Bowl on another elite level.

Hall of Famers: , Ray Bourque, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, “I could look around at the guys’ eyes in that room, and it was like, we’re Joe Sakic special,” Sharpe said. “Guys were so focused. Because we knew there Peak moment: Patrick Roy stopping 24 shots in Game 6 of the Stanley are a lot of teams that win one in a row. But in order to be special, you Cup in New Jersey for his second shutout in the finals. have to win two. We thought we were special. We knew we were special.” The symmetry in this season made everything seem like a Renaissance painting for the Avalanche. The Avs won their second Presidents’ Trophy The ’98 Broncos are the best team in Denver history. with the best record in the NHL. They dominated from jump to finish. The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 They didn’t lose a game for nearly a month to start the season. The Devils, in turn, dominated the East. The NHL playoffs are so wild that it’s almost rare that the two best teams meet in the finals. But these two did. And their histories added intrigue. The Devils, née the Colorado Rockies, in a way were facing their former home city. The Avs were staking another claim to their home in Colorado.

It wrapped in a wild , as the Avs fell to the brink after Game 5, then rallied to win Game 6 on the road behind Patrick Roy’s stone-cold shutout, his second of the series.

In context, that Avs team was at least top-50 all-time in the NHL’s 103- year history. More likely, it is a top-10 team all-time. Recency bias, perhaps, but it had one of the most stacked rosters in the sport with perhaps the greatest goaltender of all time in Roy and a Hall of Famer in Joe Sakic, both playing at their peaks.

That season, which ended after the Avs’ 3-1 takedown of the Devils in Game 7, is remembered for Sakic, the captain, handing the Cup to former Bruins legend Ray Bourque in a classy gesture toward history. A cool moment, for sure. But in Colorado, that Cup means something else.

The Avs won this city’s only title at home. They won a Cup in Florida in 1996. The Broncos then won two Super Bowls at faraway neutral sites. But those Avs finally gave Denver an up-close taste of a title. And they dominated their way there.

1. 1998 Broncos

Record: 14-2

Finish: Super Bowl champions

Hall of Famers: John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater, owner Pat Bowlen

Peak moment: A 40-14 destruction of the rival Raiders at Mile High Stadium

Here are some overlooked truths about football: The undefeated 1972 Dolphins are not the best team in NFL history. The 1985 Bears were better. And while the hype around that Miami team outgrew its shoes, the opposite happened with the 1998 Broncos. Denver’s second Super Bowl team has somehow grown to be wildly underrated.

The ’98 Broncos were easily a top-10 team all-time, maybe as high as No. 7 (appropriately). In John Elway’s final season as quarterback, the Broncos strung together a run through the NFL that was so thoroughly dominating, they remain one of the best teams in the 100-year history of the league.

Dating back to 1996, those Broncos had the best three-year record in NFL history at 46-10, including the playoffs. They won 18 games in a row between 1997 and 1998. They won their first 13 games in 1998, the first team to do so since the ’72 Dolphins, and Denver did it in a more competitive league. The Broncos came one Tito Paul misstep against the Giants’ Amani Toomer away from going undefeated.

Terrell Davis ran for 2,008 yards behind an all-time great offensive line. Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey collected more than 1,000 yards receiving. 1185080 Colorado Avalanche

NHLPA expected to approve 24-team return to play format, TSN’s Bob McKenzie says

By Aarif Deen - May 22, 2020

Word came out late Thursday that the NHL had proposed a 24-team return to play format to the NHL Players’ Association. The proposal is being voted on Friday and is expected to be approved by the NHLPA’s executive board, TSN’s Bob McKenzie said in a series of tweets.

The format includes the top-12 teams from each conference and a mixture of play-in and round-robin games, depending on team seeding, leading up to a traditional 16-team playoff. The completion of this season, which will take place in front of empty arenas in two or four hub cities is expected to push back the start of the 2020-21 season until at least late November.

“While last night’s NHLPA executive committee conference call got a little heated at times, the executive committee vote by team is expected to result in NHLPA approval of the NHL plan,” McKenzie said. “If that is indeed the case, and I believe team-by-team balloting has concluded or will conclude shortly, it should pave the way for the NHL and NHLPA to perhaps formally announce the RTP (return to play) format in the coming days.”

McKenzie added that details on when the games will return are undecided.

Further reports say training camps will begin in early July if the rest of the planning goes well, which means games will begin in late July. The Stanley Cup could be awarded within 60 days of the first game with the playoff portion likely completed in 6-7 weeks.

The NHL’s 24-team proposal has the top four teams in each conference participating in a round-robin amongst each other with seeding implications. The remaining seeds will play a best-out-of-five play-in to determine the remaining eight qualifiers.

In the Western Conference, St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas will partake in the round-robin. The Avalanche entered the March 12th pause ranked second, trailing the Blues by two points with one game in hand. The weighted round-robin is expected to give the Avs a chance to catch St. Louis for the top seed.

If Colorado finishes first, it will take on the winner of No. 8 Calgary and No. 9 Winnipeg in the first round. If the Avs remain in second they will take on either No. 7 Vancouver or No. 10 Minnesota. milehighsports.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185081 Columbus Blue Jackets during the "play-in" round for seeding purposes while the remaining teams faced off in best-of-five series to set the field of 16 for the Stanley Cup.

NHL players vote to proceed with discussions on 24-team playoff format That would mean byes for Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and for league’s return Philadelphia in the East and defending champion St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in the West.

The Blue Jackets, with a .570 points percentage, would be ninth in the Brian Hedger East and face eighth-seeded Toronto in the best-of-five "play-in" round. The winner would meet whichever team emerged as the No. 1 seed after May 22, 2020 at 9:46 AM round-robin play among the top four.

Other "play-in" matchups in the East would be Pittsburgh (5) vs. Montreal The wheels are turning faster in the NHL’s quest to continue its 2019-20 (12) , Carolina (6) vs. the New York Rangers (11) and the New York season. Islanders (7) vs. Florida (10).

According to a statement released Friday night, the NHL players In the West it would be Edmonton (5) vs. Chicago (12), Nashville (6) vs. association’s executive board has given a thumbs up to continuing talks Arizona (11), Vancouver (7) vs. Minnesota (10) and Calgary (8) vs. with the league about a proposed 24-team playoff format to restart the Winnipeg (9). season. Savard said he thinks players don’t want to exclude teams such as the "The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Blue Jackets and Florida that were still very much in the playoff chase. Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on "I just don’t see (the players) being like, ‘Sorry, better luck next time,’ " a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Savard said of the NHLPA’s vote on a return format. "They were battling Stanley Cup," the statement reads. "Several details remain to be to get in the playoffs and still had 12 or 13 games left, so I think you’ve negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the got to give those teams a chance to play." parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play." Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 05.23.2020 Approval of the 24-team format by the players and the NHL’s board of governors would be a big step toward finishing the season, even though it would only be one big piece of a unsolved puzzle.

"The format is one thing, but there’s still a lot that is out of our control right now," said , the Blue Jackets’ NHLPA player rep. "This is definitely one thing that we can choose right now, though, and I think that’s why we’re trying to get this out of the way. After that, we can focus on all the other things, all the safety and testing, how all that will work."

Within the 24-team scenario, the Blue Jackets’ season would continue. They would be one of 16 teams included in a "play-in" scenario, with eight teams matched up in each conference to determine the final four spots in the typical 16-team playoff field.

When the NHL paused the season March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jackets had 12 games remaining and held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 81 points, one ahead of the New York Islanders. The Islanders, however, had played two fewer games and would gain the second wild-card spot if the league jumped straight to a 16-team playoff as determined by point percentage.

That would eliminate the Blue Jackets and other bubble teams, which Savard said many players would like to avoid.

"There’s not a perfect way to do it," he said. "If we decide to bring everybody back, I’m sure some teams would be (ticked) off a little bit to come back just for 10 games. And if we go straight to the playoffs, there were four or five teams still in the hunt. To tell them they don’t even have a chance, it would be tough. There’s no perfect world, and a 24-team format would give a chance to the teams still battling."

A source told The Dispatch on Friday the joint NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee is also discussing protocols and timing of "Phase 2," when players will be allowed to return to team facilities in small groups to begin training, which may happen as soon as June 1.

The Dispatch has also learned that three-week training camps may then be targeted for the first week of July, with the "play-in" round starting the final week of that month. The league also needs to determine how to handle things such as player safety, testing and whether it will use "hub" cities to host the tournament.

Those topics were addressed in the NHLPA’s statement where it mentioned "several details" still needing resolution.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this week the league is looking at eight or nine possible locations to serve as hub cities for the resumption of the season. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported this week that Columbus remains in that mix, along with Las Vegas and several in Canada.

Under the proposed 24-team return plan, the top 12 teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences would be determined by point percentage. The top four in each conference would play one another 1185082 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' season appears over as 24-team playoff plan gets tentative OK

Ryan Ford, Detroit Free PressPublished 11:23 p.m. ET May 22, 2020

It’s still unknown when the NHL will resume the 2019-20 season, but it appears likely that it will be without the Detroit Red Wings.

The NHL Players Association announced in a statement Friday night that it was on board with the league’s reported proposal to skip straight to a 24-team playoffs.

"The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play."

The season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 12, with teams having played 69-71 games. The Wings had played 71 games, leaving 11 games – including four at – remaining.

The Red Wings have the worst record in the NHL and were eliminated from playoff contention on Feb. 21. The six other teams that would be left out under the proposed plan: Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, , Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.

According to earlier reports, the top four teams from each conference in terms of points percentage (points divided by possible points) would receive byes during what is considered the "play-in" round and play against each other for seeding purposes. The first-round playoff bracket would pit the fifth seed against the 12th, the No. 6 seed against the 11th, and so on.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185083 Detroit Red Wings

How Michigan's stay home order could impact football: Five burning questions

Chris Thomas, Rainer Sabin and Omari Sankofa II, Published 11:12 p.m. ET May 22, 2020 | Updated 11:18 p.m. ET May 22, 2020

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delayed the return of sports in Michigan on Friday by extending the state's stay-at-home order through June 12. Here's are five questions we're asking with the news:

What does this mean for college football in Michigan?

The NCAA began allowing football and men's and women's basketball teams to resume voluntary on-campus activities June 1, but only in compliance with local shutdown orders. Whitmer's order, which can be lifted early, will prevent players from returning to campus through June 12. Most college athletes have been training on their own or virtually during the offseason, but getting players back on campus, developing a rapport and working toward football shape is vital. Big Ten chancellors reportedly are scheduled to meet June 7 in what should help determine whether the league plays football in 2020. — Chris Thomas, sports editor

Are Michigan teams falling behind rest of country?

The question of whether COVID-19 could create a competitive imbalance that adversely affects Michigan teams is a valid one. Illinois announced plans for student-athletes to return to campus for voluntary training as soon as June 3 – two days after the Big Ten’s moratorium on organized team activities ends. Iowa and Ohio State plan to bring back football players June 8 – the same day that athletes in the SEC and Big 12 are allowed to resume on-campus workouts. In the NFL, several clubs – including the Cowboys and Steelers – have already reopened their facilities while the Lions’ Allen Park headquarters remains shuttered. The Pistons, meanwhile, have adhered to Whitmer’s guidelines thus far, keeping the Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center closed as some NBA teams have held socially-distanced individual workouts at their gyms. — Rainer Sabin, Michigan football writer

Will this impact Lions minicamp?

The Lions, who are scheduled to begin their three-day minicamp June 2, declined to comment Friday when contacted by the Free Press. The NFL began allowing teams to re-open their training facilities on Tuesday, but only in compliance with state orders. Lions coach Matt Patricia has said May 19 the franchise doesn't plan to return to Allen Park "for a couple weeks," which means more virtual workouts are on the horizon. "Some of the things we’ve been working on is the virtual meetings, and with the coaches not being able to go in from our standpoint and the phase that we’re in right now in the offseason program, we’re going to stand pat with what we’re doing for the next couple weeks and wait to kind of see what happens here," he said May 19. — Free Press staff reports

Will the Pistons finish 2019-20 season?

The NBA appears to be preparing to return soon, as reports indicate the league is aiming for a mid-July date. The Pistons are awaiting guidance from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on when they can reopen their practice facility, which would have to predate the start of the season by several weeks. The Pistons would need at least two weeks of practice time before resuming their regular-season schedule. And with the stay-at- home order extended until June 12, the franchise is in wait-and-see mode. — Omari Sankofa II, Pistons writer

Will the Red Wings finish 2019-20 season?

The regular-season is all but over after the NHL Players' Association executive board reportedly approved a 24-team playoff format Friday that would end the Red Wings' season. The Wings had 11 games remaining, including four games at Little Caesars Arena, when the season was halted because of the pandemic. — Dana Gauruder, special writer

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185084 Detroit Red Wings points in 69 games (.493) and would extend the league’s longest active playoff drought to a ninth consecutive season.

The difference in the West is much larger, with Chicago (.514) beating NHL players approve 24-team playoff; other details to be negotiated out Anaheim (.472). All three California teams would miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995-96.

A person with what would be one of the seven non-playoff teams told the John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno, AP Hockey WritersPublished 11:38 AP the performance staff is already preparing workout programs for p.m. ET May 22, 2020 | Updated 4:59 a.m. ET May 23, 2020 players during what will be a long layoff.

“Overall, I think players will be fine during the summer months,” the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the return The NHL Players’ Association’s executive committee authorized moving to play format has not been approved. “Finding creative ways to keep forward in talks with the league on returning to play from the coronavirus them motivated in the fall will be the challenge.” suspension, approving 24 teams making the playoffs with other aspects still to be negotiated The NHL is open to having the playoffs extend into September and pushing the start of the 2020-21 season as late as January – or when The NHLPA did not provide a breakdown of the vote of its 31 player fans can begin attending games in some capacity. representatives in making the announcement Friday night, a day after the proposal was presented to the union’s executive board. In giving the Whatever it takes, Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine said Friday. format the green light, the NHLPA stressed several details still need to be negotiated before games can begin. “I just want to play, and I can do whatever format they decide,” Laine said. “It’s just still hockey, but I don’t mind the format. It’s not an issue for The proposal will now go to the NHL board of governors, which is me.” expected to approve the plan in the next few days. Once approved, the proposal effectively ends the season of the league’s bottom seven Carolina Hurricanes player representative Jordan Martinook said teams. finishing the season and awarding the Stanley Cup would be a considerable feat. Under the plan proposed by the NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee, the top four teams in each conference would play each other in a mini- “In a year of such negativity and uncertainty, for you to have that kind of tournament for seeding while the remaining 16 teams face off in a best- celebration, I feel like it would be a big positive for you, your family, your of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley team, your city,” Martinook said. Cup. Detroit News LOADED: 05.23.2020 Though the approval is considered significant, the task of establishing a path to getting players back on the ice remains challenging.

The next step would have the Return To Play committee sort out a host of other issues, ranging from health and safety protocols to determining where games will be played, with the league preparing to group teams in a select number of hub cities.

Las Vegas has become the city most mentioned as a potential site, particularly because of its large concentration of hotels that could house numerous teams. Other cities mentioned include Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Edmonton, Alberta.

Numerous other questions remain unanswered, including when players can return to their respective teams and what non-playoff teams will be allowed to do during what could potentially become a 10-month break between games.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has a plan in place, but stopped short of providing details by saying it would be premature to do so at this time.

“All good questions and all questions with answers. But not in a position to answer any of them at this point in time,” Daly wrote in an email. “If and when we are in a position to make an announcement, we will try to make sure they are answered in that context.”

At the very least, the league has the framework of a plan on which to build off for the first time since the regular season was placed on pause on March 12.

Games would likely be played without fans present. It’s unclear how the league will address players’ concerns over spending potentially lengthy stretches of time in self-isolation away from their families.

Both sides agree there is no ideal plan, while acknowledging the limitations they face because of the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The NHL’s regular season was paused on March 12, with 189 games remaining and its 31 teams having played an uneven number of games.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal, but I think in a time like this, how can anything be super traditional?” Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tyson said this week. “I think we all have to adapt and be willing to adapt and kind of realize that it’s not going to be this perfect, classic NHL playoffs. I think for the situation we’re in, for a year, I think that’s fine.”

Under the proposed 24-team format, Montreal would be the final team to qualify in the East based on a slim points-percentage margin. With 71 points in 71 games (.500), the Canadiens edge out Buffalo, which had 68 1185085 Detroit Red Wings national broadcast partners, as the 24-team field would bring in marquee franchises and major-market teams from New York and Chicago.

NHL plans to play on, without the Red Wings Meanwhile, for the Red Wings, all this leads to more questions for general manager , who faces a critical offseason for the franchise’s rebuilding effort.

John Niyo, The Detroit NewsPublished 10:30 a.m. ET May 22, 2020 | The Red Wings currently hold 10 picks in this year’s draft, including four Updated 2:17 a.m. ET May 23, 2020 in the first two rounds. (A conditional fourth-rounder acquired from Edmonton in the Mike Green trade could become a 2021 third-round pick

if the Oilers reach the conference finals.) But will the lottery be limited to The Red Wings’ season is all but officially over now that the NHL Players only the seven teams left out of the postseason tournament? And when Association has voted to endorse the league’s plan to complete the will the annual entry draft take place? 2019-20 campaign with a 24-team tournament beginning later this A pitch from league officials to hold it in June prior to any season restart summer. received pushback from GMs around the league for a variety of Mired with the NHL’s worst record when the regular season was halted competitive and logistical reasons. Yzerman said in late April he wasn’t in due to COVID-19 concerns back in mid-March, the Red Wings won’t be favor of it. part of any made-for-TV fun the league manages to pull off in the coming “Ultimately if it needs to be done prior to (the end of the season), we’ll months. figure it out,” Yzerman told Fox Sports Detroit. “But at this time, my own Instead, Detroit’s season will come to a merciful end with 17 wins and 39 opinion is I haven’t really heard a good reason why we should do it prior points in 71 games, the third-worst finish in franchise history in terms of to the end of the season, if we do conclude the season over the course of percentage of points won. Six other teams — Buffalo, New Jersey, the summer.” Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose and Ottawa — also will join the Wings Yzerman also has decisions to make on more than a dozen pending free in beginning what could be a very long offseason. agents, including top-line forwards Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, There’s no date set yet for the NHL Draft, originally scheduled for late both of whom will be restricted free agents. The timing of those June. That now may be postponed until late August or early September. negotiations could be altered, too, if the league and the union agree to The draft lottery still could happen next month, but there’s no final extend the NHL fiscal year beyond June 30. The start of the 2020-21 decision yet on how many teams will be involved or how the odds will be season would undoubtedly be pushed back to November or December. weighted as the Red Wings eye the coveted No. 1 overall pick. And then there is the status of head coach , who is now 153- Detroit already was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention 194-52 in five seasons behind the Detroit bench, missing the playoffs the back on Feb. 22, following a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders two days last four years. Blashill signed a two-year contract extension last April — before the NHL trade deadline. shortly before Yzerman was hired as GM — but the 2020-21 season reportedly was a club option. But now, after weeks of discussions involving the NHL’s Return to Play Committee that included league officials, NHLPA executives and select Yzerman last addressed Blashill’s job security after the trade deadline on player representatives, there’s a tentative framework in place to crown a Feb. 24. champion. “I”m not going to make any decisions on anything until the season is That vote from the NHLPA’s executive board — a group of player over,” he said at the time. “We are going to sit down and go over it, but representatives for all 31 teams that includes Detroit’s Luke Glendening again, I think Jeff has done a really good job. I’ve enjoyed working with — began after a conference call Thursday night and concluded Friday him and as of right now, I don’t plan to make a change. You read into that with a green light. what you want.”

So now the league will move forward making plans for a unique playoff If Yzerman did decide to move on from Blashill, former teammates format, with the top four seeds in each conference — based on points Gerard Gallant and Lane Lambert are among the possible candidates to percentage in the regular season — receiving byes. Those teams would replace him. Gallant, who was fired at midseason by the Vegas Golden play a three-game round-robin series with the other top teams in their Knights two years after taking them to the Stanley Cup Finals, conference — both to decide their seeding and shake off the rust — interviewed for the New Jersey job last month. Lambert, Yzerman’s 1983 while the other 16 teams in the expanded field compete in a play-in round draft classmate in Detroit, is an associate coach for the New York featuring best-of-five series to fill out the remainder of a traditional 16- Islanders and has spent the last nine years as an assistant to Barry team Stanley Cup playoff bracket. Those play-in matchups will be based Trotz, winning a Stanley Cup title with Washington in 2018. on seedings: 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9. Seasons of misery From there, it will be a more traditional NHL postseason with four rounds (Red Wings season, record, points, percentage of points won) of best-of-seven series ultimately deciding the Stanley Cup champion. ► 1985-86: 17-57-6, 40, .250 All those games likely would be played in empty arenas in two hub cities, with Las Vegas and Edmonton atop a list of several hosts under ► 1976-77: 16-55-9, 41, .256 consideration. No dates have been set yet, either, though the league is believed to be targeting a late July or August start following an extended ► 2019-20: 17-49-5, 39, .275 training camp for teams. That gives NHL officials more time to work out ► 1926-27: 12-28-4, 28, .318 the logistics of comprehensive testing plans and safety protocols that will be required to make any of this feasible. ► 1981-82: 21-47-12, 54, .338

In a statement Friday night, the NHLPA announced it had "authorized Proposed matchups further negotiations with the NHL" on a postseason plan. But, the union added, "Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the EASTERN CONFERENCE format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all Top seeds: Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, issues relevant to resuming play." In essence, the hard part still remains Philadelphia Flyers unsettled. Play-in series: Pittsburgh Penguins (5) vs. Montreal Canadiens (12), From a competitive standpoint, the big winners in this scenario could be Carolina Hurricanes (6) vs. New York Rangers (11), New York Islanders Chicago and Montreal, two teams that were sellers back at the trade (7) vs. (10), Toronto Maple Leafs (8) vs. Columbus Blue deadline and sat well back in the wild-card playoff race when the season Jackets (9) was halted March 12. Now the Blackhawks are slated to face off with the fifth-seeded Edmonton Oilers, while the Canadiens, who were 10 points WESTERN CONFERENCE out with 11 games to play, would take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. But concerns about inequity are offset by the league's desire to placate its Top seeds: St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars

Play-in series: Edmonton Oilers (5) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (12), (6) vs. Arizona Coyotes (11), Vancouver Canucks (7) vs. Minnesota Wild (10), Calgary Flames (8) vs. Winnipeg Jets (9)

Detroit News LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185086 Detroit Red Wings voting five times. He won the in 2008. He will be eligible for the Hall in 2021.

Builders category Which former Red Wings have Hall-of-Fame credentials? : He coached the 2008 Stanley Cup champs, ranks first in wins in Red Wings history (458) and eighth overall (700), but his NHL resume alone probably would not get him in unless he builds on it when Updated May 22, 2020; Posted May 20, 2020 he returns to the league. Coaching Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014 could be the difference. By Ansar Khan Ken Holland: Detroit’s general manager from 1997 to 2019, he is a lock

to be enshrined, it is only a question of when. The Red Wings won three A franchise that has been around 94 years and has won 11 Stanley Cup Cups while Holland was GM and another when he was the assistant GM. championships naturally has many representatives in the Hockey Hall of Michigan Live LOADED: 05.23.2020 Fame, from players to coaches to front-office executives to owners.

The Detroit Red Wings have had their share of Hall of Famers during their recent 25-season playoff streak, including nine players and coach on the historic 2002 Cup team.

More Red Wings could be enshrined in the years to come. Some who have been eligible for many years might have an opportunity.

Here is a look at several former Red Wings who have a case for being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some will make it, some likely will not gain entry:

Players category

Daniel Alfredsson: The heart and soul of the Ottawa Senators for 17 seasons, he spent the final year of his career in Detroit and has been eligible for the Hall since 2017. His statistics are good enough (444 goals, 1,157 points) and his international resume is highlighted by four Olympic appearances with Sweden. But he has only one major individual trophy (Calder) and did not win the Stanley Cup.

Pavel Datsyuk: He will still be playing in next season at age 42, so it will be several years before he is Hall-eligible, but he is a lock to gain entry. That would give the 2002 Red Wings 10 Hall-of-Fame players. The premier defensive forward of his generation won three Selke Trophies during his 14-year career in Detroit and no one was as dazzling with the puck on his stick. He compiled 314 goals and 918 points, with a plus-249 rating, in 953 games during one of the NHL’s most defensive eras. A four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner for sportsmanship, Datsyuk won two Stanley Cups and tallied 113 points in 157 playoff games. He also won an Olympic gold medal in 2018.

Marian Hossa: The high-scoring winger has a chance for entry this year in his first year of eligibility. He spent one season in Detroit before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks and winning three Cups. He has no individual trophies but compiled 525 goals and 1,134 points in 19 seasons while playing well enough defensively to gain Selke Trophy votes in 15 seasons.

Curtis Joseph: He ranks sixth in games played (943) among goaltenders and seventh in wins (454-352-90-6, W-L-T-OTL) but his lack of a Stanley Cup ring is probably what has kept him out since 2012, his first year of eligibility. The three-time Vezina Trophy finalist spent two seasons in Detroit and had good playoff showings with Edmonton and Toronto but never reached the Cup finals.

Chris Osgood: He has the credentials, with 401 wins and three Stanley Cups, including two as the starting goalie 10 years apart (1998 and 2008). A two-time Jennings Trophy winner, he was 67-37 in the playoffs, with 14 shutouts, and a goals-against average no worse than 2.60 in each of his 13 postseasons. Hall-eligible since 2014, his main problem is that many believe he was just a good goalie on great teams.

Pat Verbeek: One of three players to collect more than 500 goals (522), 1,000 points (1.062) and 2,000 penalty minutes (2,905) – the others are Brendan Shanahan and Keith Tkachuk -- Verbeek has been bypassed many times since becoming eligible in 2005. He spent two seasons with the Red Wings and is currently their assistant general manager.

Mike Vernon: He complied a record of 385-274-92 and won Stanley Cups with Calgary in 1989 and Detroit in 1997, when he earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He has been Hall-eligible since 2005.

Henrik Zetterberg: His NHL stats (337 goals, 960 points in 1,082 games) are comparable to those of long-time teammate Pavel Datsyuk. Zetterberg never won the Selke Trophy but was among the league’s top defensive forwards during his career, finishing in the top 10 in Selke 1185087 Detroit Red Wings Bultman: That’s a really good pick. It is absolutely nuts to me that Shanahan had as great a career in Detroit as he did considering he didn’t get traded to the Red Wings until he was 27.

Mock draft: Building three teams from the Red Wings’ 25-year playoff Custance: Yeah, I think people forget there was this belief that the Red streak Wings were soft. Bringing in Shanahan seemed to end that pretty quickly.

Burke: Fedorov’s number should be in the rafters, but I think there’s a case here, too. By Max Bultman, Chris Burke, Craig Custance May 22, 2020 Custance: Can I get a clarification before I make my next two picks? Am I getting the player in their prime or when they were with the Red Wings?

There are no wrong answers when trying to build a team of players who Bultman: Their prime as a Red Wing. comprised the Red Wings’ 25-year playoff streak. From 1991-2016, those Detroit teams were full of Hall of Famers, part of the reason they Custance: This was tough. I feel like I need a center to neutralize your won four Stanley Cups and also fielded one of the greatest teams not to teams. So… win a Cup, in 1995-96. 6. Henrik Zetterberg, C (Custance) But there might be more and less successful approaches to building an 7. Dominik Hasek, G (Custance) All-Star team from that remarkable run. That was the point of this exercise, anyway. The Athletic‘s Craig Custance, Max Bultman and Chris Custance: OK, here’s the thought process. I’m getting the greatest goalie Burke conducted a fantasy mock draft of all the players who made up the of all-time. And even if his peak wasn’t in Detroit, he was pretty darn Red Wings during their two-and-a-half-decade run as an NHL good in 2002 while helping lead the Red Wings to a Cup. I’ll take that postseason staple. version of Hasek. And if I get peak Zetterberg, I’m happy with the guy who helped shut down Sidney Crosby in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final. Then, they took the rosters to former Red Wing Darren McCarty, a four- That Zetterberg was really, really good. time Stanley Cup champion who played in both eras of the playoff streak, to ask which team would be most capable of winning a playoff series Bultman: Yeah, Hasek was the guy I’ve been hoping would fall, so I like against the others. that pick a lot. And the 2007-08 Zetterberg can absolutely hang with the best of them Here’s how the draft went down: Burke: I would read 1,000 words expanding upon that “greatest goalie of 1. Nicklas Lidstrom, D (Custance) all-time” statement, for the record. That’s a big one to just drop in here Custance: I’m building my roster from the back end. I’ve got one of the during our mock! best defensemen of all time. He can play 30 minutes a game. He never Custance: I guess your opinion of that pick depends on how much you misses the playoffs. He probably could dress right now and give me a like Chris Osgood, who seems to be much more beloved in Detroit than solid 25 minutes. I feel really good about this. elsewhere. Burke: I was afraid that was going be your pick but also hoping it wasn’t. 8. Vladimir Konstantinov, D (Burke) Bultman: I knew that one was coming the minute Craig won the draft Burke: I guess I’m just going to lean into a) toughness and b) recreating lottery, and it’s the right pick. There’s no other defenseman on the board the 1997 Red Wings. It’s tricky to put a bow on Konstantinov’s career who can replicate what Lidstrom can do. because of the tragic way it ended, but that brief peak — 1995-96 and Custance: I know we hate plus-minus but when I sorted Red Wings stats ’96-’97 — was phenomenal. The former, he was plus-60 (as long as from 1991-2016, Lidstrom was a plus-450. Next highest was Yzerman at we’re doing the plus-minus thing); the latter, he finished second to Brian plus-205. Leetch in Norris voting. I’m not sure how the game is currently officiated would have impacted his game, but I don’t need to worry about that here, 2. Steve Yzerman, C (Burke) right?

Burke: This was harder than I thought it was going to be (and I’m hoping Bultman: No, but you do need to worry about what revenge measures I’m one of the other guys I considered is available in Round 2). But purely going to take for you ruining my reimagined . from an emotional, “face of the franchise” perspective, I don’t know that I can bail on Yzerman. He was playing at an all-world level at the start of Burke: Dmitri Mironov is still on the board. the playoff streak, won the Conn Smythe during the ’97 Cup run and Bultman: I’m going to just knock out my starting blue line right here and basically willed them to that 2002 title. take … Custance: I mean, hard to argue against this pick. 9. Niklas Kronwall, D (Bultman) Bultman: Yeah, I don’t think you’re going to go wrong picking the NHL’s 10. Brian Rafalski, D (Bultman) seventh all-time leading scorer. Bultman: Unlike a real GM I’ll be candid and say Konstantinov was the 3. , C (Bultman) target here, but Kronwall still gives me the physical edge, and he and 4. Pavel Datsyuk, C (Bultman) Rafalski will complement each other perfectly playing with skilled forwards. Rafalski’s another ageless wonder, too: Didn’t get to Detroit Bultman: Two picks in the top four means I can walk out of Round 2 with until he was 34, but had three top-12 Norris finishes in his first three two elite two-way forwards. They’re going to have the puck all night, and seasons. they’re going to live on the highlight reel. Maybe I’ll create a new Russian Five here, just for kicks. Custance: I like this. Rewatching the 2008 clincher was a reminder of just how good Brian Rafalski was for the Red Wings. There were a lot of Custance: I’d pay a lot of money to watch these two operate together in great additions to the core during the playoff streak but the Rafalski their prime. I was hoping Datsyuk might slip. Not sure why I thought he signing seems to be overlooked. He was great for the Red Wings. Might might. have been Team USA’s best defenseman in the 2010 Olympics. Great player. And Red Wings fans know how good Kronwall was. Burke: So, yeah, those were the two other guys I considered at No. 2. Both of those guys had skill sets on almost entirely different levels than Burke: Is his legacy any different if Maxime Talbot doesn’t force OT in almost everyone they played against … and with. Game 5 and Rafalski’s goal is the Cup clincher? Someone answer that while I figure out what to do with this pick. 5. Brendan Shanahan, F (Burke) Custance: I think his legacy is different if he doesn’t retire with time left Burke: Pretty tempted to grab a defenseman here, but I like the idea of on his contract. It wasn’t the ideal ending to his career in Detroit. I putting Yzerman and Shanahan back together — get an elite goal scorer, understand why he did it but I’m not sure the Red Wings ever replaced make sure I’m covered in the toughness department early. The trade for him. Shanahan is one of those game-changing moments for the franchise. Burke: I’m getting hung up a bit on the fact that we’re not getting these Burke: Am I forbidden to select any more 1997 Red Wings? guys in their prime. There are multiple defensemen who would be shoo- ins at this point but now are slightly more borderline. So, I guess this Bultman: Only if it’s the one I want to take. actually might be my first (non-starting lineup) pick instead based on the Custance: I just feel like you’re limiting your draft pool. position. I just know I want this guy … Burke: OK, well, I have two players in mind here. So, just to silence the 11. , C (Burke) critics, I’ll go with the more recent one.

Bultman: At this point Chris is actually only looking at the ’97 roster. 17. Johan Franzen, F (Burke)

Custance: I wanted him with my next pick. He put up nearly 400 points in Burke: The bouts of inconsistency were a little maddening, but the Mule his roughly 500 games with the Red Wings. Even if he’s past his prime, could snipe and usually showed up — sometimes, in a big way — for the he’s an all-timer. Good value there. playoffs.

Bultman: Yeah, I’m mostly mad. I considered him at 10 and didn’t pull the Bultman: With Konstantinov and Murphy on the back end, Burke’s team trigger. Now I pay the price. is also quietly huge.

Burke: If you want me off the ’97 team, you’re not going to like the rest of Burke: The Matt Patricia school of NHL roster-building. my board. Bultman: Mel Tucker, too, I hear! 12. , D (Custance) Custance: When building a team, I always say to steal the Lions’ 13. Marian Hossa, F (Custance) blueprint.

Custance: The Chelios trade was another landmark moment during this 18. , F (Custance) stretch of history for the Red Wings. I’m more than happy to plug late-30s Chris Chelios into my lineup. We needed a little more edge and even at 19. , F (Custance) 40 years old, he finished second for the Norris. Custance: We needed some goal-scoring, and even Hull at the end of his Hossa might be cheating a bit, but he fits the culture of our team that I’m career was a guy who could change a game with one shot. He scored 37 trying to build: strong two-way forwards. He was 30 when he played for goals at the age of 38 for the Red Wings. That’s crazy. Also, I just the Red Wings but was still a point-per-game producer and was about to wanted a guy on my team who can say he scored 86 goals in a season head to Chicago, where he won his three Stanley Cups. So, presumably, once. I’m getting that Hossa. He might not be beloved by the Detroit fan base, And Probert is a clear reaction pick to the Matt Patricia roster Burke is but he’s a guy who could score 40 goals, lead your penalty kill and building. But at this point of the draft, I’m looking for players with a should have won a Selke. standout skill. Probert was a game-changer in his own right. There aren’t Good luck scoring on my PK. many players in the history of the game who were the most feared player of their generation and could also score 20 goals. We also wanted to do Burke: I still have a hard time wrapping my head around Chelios’ career. something to quiet Max’s trash talking too. He played 25 minutes per game at age 40! I went for a jog yesterday, at age 38, and then laid on the couch for two hours. Burke: Hull playing with Datsyuk was one of my favorite line pairings ever. It felt like on half of Hull’s Detroit goals he just went, “Well, guess I’ll Bultman: I cannot believe the ages some of these guys were still NHL score now” after Datsyuk set him up with one of his trademark passes. stars at. Chelios was a Norris runner-up at 40?! Bultman: Ten minutes ago Craig was worried about who’s going to score, Custance: It was such a different game during this stretch. For the most and now he might trot out a Hull-Zetterberg-Hossa line. part, guys weren’t just coming in as teenagers and dominating. Slower game allowed players to contribute for longer stretches. Custance: And then beat up your best player.

Burke: Well, on that note (and I promise I’ll make at least one pick from a Bultman: Let’s put a pin in that one. non-’97 roster) … 20. Chris Osgood, G (Burke) 14. Larry Murphy, D (Burke) Burke: Frankly, I would’ve been fine with , which is why I Burke: The wheels kinda fell off at the end, but I’m more than happy to waited this long to draft a goalie. But I guess I’ll take the guy who won pair ’97-’98 Murphy with Konstantinov on the back end. The Murphy 317 regular-season games and three Cups in Detroit. Osgood probably trade is right up there with the Shanahan one in terms of its impact on the doesn’t get enough credit for what he did in 1997-98, just putting a franchise’s future success, and he was still extremely effective for at least stranglehold on the No. 1 job after the Wings traded Vernon. And he his first two seasons in Detroit. Plus, he gives me a little more of a power- definitely doesn’t get enough credit for how well he played (off the bench) play kick than Konstantinov. during the 2008 run.

Custance: Yeah, I would have loved to reunite Murphy with Lidstrom. Bultman: Craig and I talked about this when we rewatched the 2009 What a great pair they were. And in terms of assets given up, that trade Final, but Osgood might be one Marc-Andre Fleury save from four was ridiculous. The Red Wings basically had to pay his salary. I think it Stanley Cup rings. He might be in the Hall right now if that were the case. was officially future considerations. Custance: Osgood had a .926 save percentage in the 2009 playoffs. If Bultman: Love that pick, especially on behalf of your forwards. the Red Wings win Game 7, he’s the Conn Smythe winner. I think he’s probably in the Hall of Fame with those credentials. One game. 15. Slava Kozlov, F (Bultman) 21. Darren McCarty, F (Bultman) 16. , D (Bultman) 22. Tomas Holmstrom, F (Bultman) Bultman: If I’m ever going to score on Craig’s team, I’ve gotta go all in on some offense, right? So cue up Kozlov for my first line, and add Coffey to Bultman: All right, I think we can now put to rest any idea my team will be the defense corps. Let’s fill some nets! taking any crap from anyone. And also, it’s great that you’ve both picked goalies but now they won’t be able to see. So, enjoy that! Burke: High marks from me on the Kozlov pick. He gets buried a little in the Russian Five conversation, but he was an important piece to the Burke: I was down to Holmstrom and Franzen two rounds ago, so that’s puzzle. a value pick.

Custance: Kozlov was the guy I was sitting on to score for me. I thought I Custance: Holmstrom definitely slipped. Talk about a standout skill. Good could get him coming back. Also, one of my favorite athletes all-time to thing I have the best goalie ever to play the game! cover when I was a young beat writer covering the Thrashers. He Burke: He was seventh in regular-season points for the Wings during the had a sneaky good sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to say anything on playoff run, and the top six guys were our first six picks. his mind. A reporter’s dream. 23. , D (Burke) 43. Steve Duchesne, D (Custance)

Burke: Grabbing some more firepower for the offense and getting a Custance: I think the value right now is getting players that don’t have quality head start on my second D pairing. Schneider fell in between a any nostalgia attached to them. Tatar was and is a guy you can pencil in couple of the Cups, but really helped solidify the Wings’ blue line. for 25 goals.

24. , F (Custance) Duchesne’s best years were with the Kings when he was scoring 20 goals a season but he won a Cup with Detroit and was still playing close 25. Slava Fetisov, D (Custance) to 20 minutes per game when the Red Wings picked him up for the ’99- Custance: I always say, if you can get a Hall of Famer with the 24th pick ’00 season. of a draft, you should. We needed to counter Holmstrom on Team Max. Burke: That nostalgia comment felt like a shot at my roster, though. Fetisov won two Cups with the Red Wings. Gives me a piece of the Russian Five. Even at his advanced age, a hell of a player. 44. Steve Chiasson, D (Burke)

Burke: Nooooooooooooooooooo. 45. Jimmy Carson, F (Bultman)

26. Kris Draper, C (Burke) 46. Mathieu Dandenault, D (Bultman)

Burke: That Fetisov pick completely ruined my plans, but I guess I can’t 47: Doug Brown, F (Burke) complain too much here. Draper slots in perfectly as my third-line center (behind Yzerman and Larionov), and we know what he brings to the table Burke: I’m into my fourth line here, so I’ll take versatility plus 15-goal on the penalty kill and in the locker room. potential (maybe more — he had 19 one year).

27. Ray Sheppard, F (Bultman) Custance: The honorary Russian. Brownov!

28. Mike Vernon, G (Bultman) 48. Mike Green, D (Custance)

Bultman: How no one has taken this 50-goal scorer in his prime yet is 49. Shawn Burr, F (Custance) beyond me, but I am happy to do so. And I am not getting shut out on the Custance: We’re all allowed one pick for pure nostalgia reasons, right? big three goalies. Eric Duhatschek wrote a good case for Vernon as a Burr, for some reason, was my favorite player as a kid. Even if Scotty HOFer recently, too. Bowman didn’t love him. He gives me a 20-goal scorer on my fourth line. 29. Dan Cleary, F (Burke) And he also inspired my favorite menu item at Telly’s in Grosse Pointe, the Shawn Burr-ger. Bring it back, Telly’s! Burke: I’m going to have to find some legitimate secondary scoring here at some point, but this is sort of my answer to missing out on Holmstrom. (Full disclosure. It’s owned by my brother-in-law Ty. Bring it back, Ty!) I know Cleary will do the dirty work. 50. Jiri Hudler, F (Burke)

Bultman: Great pick. Damnit. 51. Robert Lang, C (Bultman)

30. Keith Primeau, F (Custance) 52. Jimmy Howard, G (Bultman)

Custance: I think I’m getting value here because he was gone before the 53. Bob Rouse, D (Burke) Red Wings started winning Cups in this era. But he was huge, could score goals and strengthens our team down the middle. 54. Ray Whitney, F (Custance)

31. Gustav Nyquist, F (Custance) 55. Mike Sillinger, F (Custance)

32. , F (Burke) 56. Todd Bertuzzi, F (Burke)

33. Valtteri Filppula, F (Bultman) 57. Mikael Samuelsson, F (Bultman)

34. Martin Lapointe, F (Bultman) 58. Darren Helm, F (Bultman)

35. Brad Stuart, D (Burke) 59. Petr Mrazek, G (Burke)

36. , C (Custance) Burke: I’m spending way too much time thinking about my backup goalie. I’ll take the most talented option and hope that he can get hot for a few Custance: I realize I might be doing this just so I like how my team looks weeks, if we need him. on paper. Dylan was a teenager during his only playoff appearance and pretty green. But at the very least, he can add needed speed to my 60. , G (Custance) lineup to counter a couple of my plodders. Custance: Joseph probably got a raw deal in Detroit with the Red Wings Bultman: I was absolutely taking him next turn. bringing back Hasek but my hope is that time has healed all wounds here. Even if, deep down, I wanted to pick in this spot. Burke: You weren’t, because I was. We all probably waited too long. Team Custance 37. Brad McCrimmon, D (Custance) Marian Hossa 38. Paul Ysebaert, F (Burke) Henrik Zetterberg 39. Jiri Fischer, D (Bultman) Brett Hull 40. Danny DeKeyser, D (Bultman) Nicklas Lidstrom 41. Kirk Maltby, F (Burke) Chris Chelios Burke: Feeling pretty good about the grit factor on this team. Maltby scored in some important playoff spots, too, so I’ll gladly toss him on my Dominik Hašek third line and PK. Bob Probert Bultman: Great pick. Keith Primeau Burke: This is all happening too fast, I’m going to panic pick someone Dino Ciccarelli here soon. Slava Fetisov Bultman: Stephen Weiss is still on the board. Mike Green 42. Tomas Tatar, F (Custance) Curtis Joseph Darren McCarty

Tomas Tatar Darren Helm

Dylan Larkin Martin Lapointe

Gustav Nyquist Darren McCarty’s take

Brad McCrimmon (Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.)

Steve Duchesne McCarty: Who had first overall pick?

Shawn Burr Bultman: Craig had first, then Chris had second, I had third, and then we went snake. So once I had third, then I got fourth, and then Chris had fifth Mike Sillinger and Craig had sixth and so on.

Ray Whitney McCarty: So Craig went: first overall, Nick Lidstrom, obviously.

Team Burke Bultman: Yep.

Luc Robitaille McCarty: I’m looking at this roster, bro, and I’m like — because I saw that Steve Yzerman Yzerman went second, Fedorov went third, right?

Brendan Shanahan Bultman: Yep.

Vladimir Konstantinov McCarty: OK, so that’s good. And then you snake back.

Larry Murphy Bultman: And then I took Datsyuk.

Chris Osgood McCarty: Very solid, very solid. OK, so I get the gist of it. Who went first: Draper, Maltby, McCarty? Paul Ysebaert Bultman: I think it was you. Igor Larionov McCarty: OK, see that’s why — Max, you and I, we’ll always be friends. Johan Franzen … I’ll tell you though, Burkie did shore up that line with Cleary. Because he was like a mini-Draper, with more touch. … I like this. I’m intrigued by Mathieu Schneider this. Wow. This is — these are interesting teams. Brad Stuart My first inkling, if I’m looking at them, I think it’s going to be 2 vs. 3, you Petr Mrazek vs. Burkie.

Dan Cleary Bultman: OK.

Kris Draper McCarty: See there’s all — I don’t know, dude. These are good. You guys did a good job. You’re all balanced. Kirk Maltby Bultman: Yeah, for sure. Steve Chiasson McCarty: I mean, you’re all balanced throughout. If you look at … like Bob Rouse that’s a good line: me, Helmer and Marty. That’s a good line. Especially me and Marty in our heyday. You guys did a great job. Like as far as Doug Brown filling in four lines, the sense of D. Jiri Hudler Who was the last kid on the playground? Who was it between? Who Todd Bertuzzi were all your guys’ last picks?

Team Max Bultman: Craig took Curtis Joseph at 60, Burke took Mrazek at 59 and I took Helm at 58. Slava Kozlov McCarty: Helmer’s a great choice. Because you’re going to use — this is Sergei Fedorov what makes that line so strong — you’re going to use the later-in-life Darren McCarty experience, ’08 comeback, with Darren Helm in the Ray Sheppard minors. We’re going to use that relationship. So I know Helmer. I know Niklas Kronwall Helmer real well. I know Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson and Abdelkader and all those guys from when I was down in Grand Rapids Brian Rafalski parts of those couple years.

Mike Vernon Bultman: I left off Ericsson (late in the draft). Considered him, but I think I Mikael Samuelsson was already full on D. I left off Jason Williams. I considered (him) as a down-lineup scoring forward. Pavel Datsyuk McCarty: Oooh. Tomas Holmstrom Bultman: So you eliminated Craig first, so let me ask you, why did you Paul Coffey eliminate him first?

Jiri Fischer McCarty: Just — TarQuist in the playoffs. I mean, they’re a good line. But, they’ve got the goalies too, though. Jimmy Howard Bultman: He does have Hasek. Valtteri Filppula McCarty: The more that I look at it — but we’re going to target Tatar and Robert Lang Nyquist, hopefully Probie will lose his mind and get suspended. Cheli, Jimmy Carson we’re playing 2020 rules, so Cheli can’t play because he’d be suspended for sticking guys. … Burkie’s got a really, really good team. I mean, your Danny DeKeyser team’s really good, too. Mathieu Dandenault These are… I might sub, and this is just positionally, because you have Jimmy Carson as a right winger. I might sub him (out) for Mike Knuble. Bring Big Buckles in on the right side. Big right wing shot. Unbelievable. You should see this kid hit a golf ball. Smitherates it. It’s the greatest sound you’ve ever heard off a golf club, and he shoots the puck that way. … I don’t know, though, I think with what you’ve done, you’ve all done a great job. What were your guys’ conversations as far as — let’s (break) it down, who do you give the nod to in the first line?

Bultman: I think Burke’s first line probably takes it, but I think I’ve got him with the other three forward lines. Konstantinov and Murphy is a tough first pair, but I really like Kronwall-Rafalski and Coffey-Fischer. All those guys can eat minutes.

McCarty: (The teams are) all built real good. The Yzerman-Robitaille- Shanahan line will not be the fastest line.

Bultman: That’s true.

McCarty: I don’t know, bro. This is a good draft. You know what would be great? Ask Scotty. I wonder who Scotty Bowman would choose to coach. Or Dave Lewis. Or Barry Smith. That’s an interesting question. Because there’s no sweeps here. I don’t see any sweeps. I see all six-, seven- game series. All depends on suspensions and injuries.

Bultman: I like that. Who do you think would have the best power-play unit?

McCarty: Yeah. You put Lidstrom and Fetisov with Hossa, Zetterberg and Ciccarelli, that’s a pretty good unit — or, Hully’s not even on that, wow. Hull, Ciccarelli and Zetterberg. That’s a good one.

Bultman: You could go four forwards.

McCarty: Oh, there you go. Oof: Homer, Pav, Sergei, Coff on the point, Kronner, Rafalski. All right.

I don’t know dude. Let’s see. Who’s the PK? Maltby and Drapes (for Burke). Yeah. Brownie.

Bultman: And I’m playing Datstyuk on the PK with Helm.

McCarty: Oh, absolutely. … I can’t add quick enough to see how many Cup winners, or who’s got the most Cups. Did you guys figure that out? Who’s got the most Cups?

Bultman: No, but I can do a quick tally before I publish it.

(Note: Team Burke’s players won the most Cups as Red Wings, with 32 compared to 29 from Team Max. Team Max held a narrow edge in overall career Cups, 36-35, over Team Burke. Team Custance combined for 13 Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and 19 overall.)

Bultman: Whose goaltending do you like the most?

McCarty: I mean, is it Dom Game 6 and 7 against Colorado, or…

Bultman: At their best as a Red Wing.

McCarty: I still go Ozzy. And you just let me know where my vote needs to go for the Hall of Fame, whoever’s taking it, for him.

Bultman: All right, so then last thing, you’ve just got to pick a winner.

McCarty: Oh, you win, Max. That’s a given. … You’ve got me on your team. And the one thing is, on Team Max, we may get beat, but we will never, ever lose.

However, there was a twist. At McCarty’s request, The Athletic e-mailed Bowman for his opinion.

“(Craig’s) Team,” he wrote back. “I always want to be on a team with Nick Lidstrom.”

Presented with Bowman’s vote, McCarty changed his own, too.

“Then sorry bro,” he texted. “Put my money on Craig’s team too. That should tell you all you need to know.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185088 Edmonton Oilers What fascinates me most right now is the hub-city concept, especially if Edmonton wins the bid.

You could make the case that without atmosphere and the intensity of New Stanley Cup playoff concept taking shape fans and some of the conditions likely involved, maybe the COVID Cup might be the opposite of how I project it. Maybe it’ll just be one big friendly TV show.

Terry Jones First of all, the players are going to have to promise not to spit, scrum after whistles, provide face-washes – not to mention face-licking by Published:May 22, 2020 Boston’s – or hug each other and the like when they Updated:May 22, 2020 10:29 AM MDT score goals.

Spitting Chicklets would almost certainly be prohibited.

There are those who contend there is not a more difficult trophy to win in Now all 12 teams might be living in the same five-star J.W. Marriott all of professional team sports than hockey’s Stanley Cup. across the pedway from Rogers Place.

But now there may be a tougher one than being the survivor of the With two NHL hub cities and not including the Stanley Cup Final itself, annual marathon involving four best-of-seven series, often featuring each hub would play host to a minimum of 46 games and maximum of games going two and three overtime periods with off-the-charts physical 68. The hope would be to do it in 60 days. So they’d be seeing a lot of combat. each other.

That would be the NHL’s 2020 COVID Cup. Maybe you’d need referees to ride the elevators.

O.K., there wouldn’t be the exhausting travel of 2-2-1-1-1 playoff series There’s talk the Oilers are getting creative in attempting to win the bid by this year with two hub cities featuring 12 teams each, playing host to all securing a golf course, like maybe the nearby Royal Mayfair to provide of the games. tee times for teams on their off-days. On the first tee, the McDavid foursome. On deck, the Kane foursome? But otherwise … There’s also talk of turning the newly created Ice District over to the Think about the concept Connor McDavid and the ‘Return To Play’ players so they can sit outside on a perfect Alberta evening and watch committee put in front of the 31 NHL team player reps for conference-call the other games on big screen video boards and engage in other voting that looks to be accepted. activities.

There would be no further regular-season play to determine the 16 teams Hey, with only 50 active cases remaining in Edmonton, there’s no reason advancing to the playoffs, as previously proposed. to lock the teams up and force them to sit in their rooms and play solitaire all day, especially if they sweep a series and have a week to wait before Instead, the playoffs would be expanded from 16 to 24 teams featuring starting the next one. eight proposed best-of-five play-in series to advance to the traditional bet-of-sevens. You have to wonder what the new normal level of legendary Stanley Cup hatred would be? For all six Canadian teams involved, that would require winning 19 playoff games instead of 16. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.23.2020 If this format is adopted for these playoffs to begin, there will be a huge focus on two play-in series, in particular.

Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers would be meeting one-percent-chance-to-make-the-playoff entities such as Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks, respectively.

Forget those actual series. Think of the build-up to get to them.

What we’re going to be dealing with here is the longest advance analysis to each of those series in Stanley Cup playoff history.

Normally, the match-ups aren’t set until the final weekend of regular- season play. But now, the fans and media will have maybe 45 days to analyze the living bleep out of it.

You have 14-day quarantine periods in many NHL cities for players arriving from other nations, a period of a week or so to begin four- or five- player groupings to begin skating again and three-week training camps.

The NHL is going to need to have these series going by July 23. That’s the day the opening ceremonies were scheduled for the Tokyo Olympics and this will be the primary replacement programming for TV rights holder NBC.

So, I guess the first thing you should know is these best-of-fives all look like toss ups.

The home team in the Edmonton-Chicago games won all three. The Blackhawks won 4-3 and 3-1 in Chicago and lost 5-3 in Edmonton. The Penguins won 4-1 and 3-2 and lost 4-1 to Montreal. The Maple Leafs split with the Blue Jackets, winning 4-1 and 8-6 and losing 6-3 and 4-3 in overtime, while the Canucks lost two of three against the Wild, winning 4- 1 and losing 4-2 and 4-3 in OT. The Jets and Flames only met once all season, a 2-1 OT win for Winnipeg. Two other scheduled games were lost to the shutdown.

But, as I suggest, there’s plenty of time for all of that. 1185089 Edmonton Oilers Emil Heineman scored 26 goals in 29 games for Leksands in the SuperElite league, and he got to spend 11 games in the SHL (two assists, averaged over 12 minutes a game). He’s an older first-time- eligible prospect (November 2001), but there’s a lot to like about him. He Lowetide: Exploring hidden-gem draft options for the Edmonton Oilers has size and is a good skater, and his goal-scoring total this season is eye-popping. Heineman scored those goals on just 80 shots, so

regression next season is likely no matter what league he plays in. Even By Allan Mitchell May 22, 2020 with that considered, he’s a bona fide NHL prospect.

Anton Johannesson is a fascinating Swedish who played for HV71 in the SuperElite league in 2019-20. He appears to be one of the The Edmonton Oilers amateur scouting staff had an enormous best offensive defencemen in Sweden based on the numbers but is flying opportunity as the doors opened and the lights went on at the June 2015 under the radar by some distance based on published rankings. In 20 draft. Armed with multiple draft picks that weekend — including Nos. 1, SuperElite games, he scored six goals and added eight assists while 16, 33, 57, 79, 86 — while choosing from the deepest pool of talent in showing good speed and creativity. He’s just 5-9 but is a real talent. memory, the organization seemed certain to change its fortunes for the better. Pavel Novák played for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL in 2019-20, his first season in North America. He is from the Czech Republic and has After the team chose Connor McDavid with the first pick, fans anticipated plus speed and skill. He was born in April 2002, meaning he’s on the another quality player at No. 16 overall, although trade rumours leaked young side of the draft pool and more development time remains. He out before the selection. As the Boston Bruins spent three picks in front played in all three disciplines in the WHL and filled the net back home in of the Edmonton selection, trade whispers intensified, and suddenly two the Czech Republic. Teams might shy away from him due to size (5-10, valuable picks in a deep draft were gone in a heartbeat. Unproven Griffin 170). Reinhart was the trade return. Tristen Robins is an undersized forward who plays for the That was followed by deals that sent away several Day 2 selections as Blades (WHL). He spiked in a big way in 2019-20. In fact, his splits are Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli acquired Cam Talbot, Eric Gryba crazy when you consider a lot of his offence arrived after Christmas. and the rights to coach Todd McLellan. Before Christmas: 33 games, 11-14-25 .758 points per game When all was said and done, Edmonton drafted at Nos. 1, 117, 124, 154, 208 and 209. After Christmas: 29 games, 22-26-48 1.66 points per game

Most of the Edmonton scouting intel, as well as the hours of work spent He’s a smart player with good speed. That second-half spike will be on 2015 draft-eligible players, was for naught. The scouts did make the worth a later pick for some NHL team. Born in November 2001, he’s one most of the picks that remained, grabbing three NHL defencemen after of the older players in this year’s draft among first-time-eligible players. selection No. 100. In Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear and John Marino, the Carter Savoie of the Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL) will be a bargain scouts were able to uncover real gems later in the draft. Two of those if he remains on the board after the second round. He’s a small winger selections, Jones and Bear, appear poised to play feature roles in with a great shot, impressive passing ability and miles of offensive Edmonton for years to come. That 2015 draft is a reflection of what good potential. Savoie’s final numbers (53-46-99 in 54 games) are so drafting can do for a franchise, even under difficult circumstances and impressive for an AJHL draft-eligible player it’s difficult to find a without several early picks. comparable talent from the same league. His scoring rates aren’t far from Finding value later in the draft requires patience, research and a large Tyson Jost’s tremendous BCHL season in 2015-16. portion of luck to walk away with a valuable piece. The 2020 draft is like Evan Vierling played for the Flint Firebirds and (OHL) in any other — there will be third- and fourth-rounders who emerge as 2019-20 and hammered opposing goalies after moving to Barrie. He’s a quality regulars and players in the final rounds who have NHL careers. solid two-way centre with enough skill to project as a possible middle-six Finding them is the real struggle. pivot should he continue to develop. In 28 games with the Colts, he Here are a few from this year’s talent pool who will go late and could scored 12 goals and added 22 assists. He’s one of the younger surprise. prospects in the draft (born in June 2002), and size (6-0, 168) might have something to do with his being overlooked. Possible gems What does it all mean? Brett Brochu caught my eye for two reasons: The goalie is one of the youngest players eligible for the draft, and he was splendid Edmonton enters the draft without a second- or a fourth-round pick, with as an OHL rookie in 2019-20. He is not a big prospect (5-foot-11, 161 the third-rounder also in doubt because of the language surrounding the pounds), and that means many NHL teams will pass over him. However, James Neal trade as it pertains to the shortened season. The late picks Ken Holland and the Oilers drafted Ilya Konovalov (5-11, 196) in 2019, — in rounds 5, 6, and 7 — have to count, just as they did in 2015. indicating a willingness to overlook a lack of size. Brochu doesn’t have a Oilers scouts have scoured the hockey world looking for real value after long track record; this would be a draft-and-follow selection and likely a the draft has been picked over several times. Can they do it again? very late selection. Still, he posted a .919 save percentage in a very good There’s a lot of talent in this draft, and late-round gems will be available. league and won’t turn 20 until September 2022. The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 Billy Constantinou passed through the draft a year ago despite obvious assets, and his strong offensive season (60, 9-44-53 for two OHL teams) in 2019-20 again makes him an attractive option. He’s a fine skater and a strong puck-moving defender, and an NHL team that can afford some chaos may take a chance. He is an unusual talent and might never reach his potential, but in later rounds Constantinou will be worth the risk.

Alex Cotton is a right-handed defenceman who blossomed offensively for the Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) in 2019-20. His numbers (63 games, 20-47-67) combined with excellent skating and passing ability make him a likely pick this year. He could go early, as the defence group in this draft is not deep.

Elliot Ekmark plays for Linkoping in Sweden and spent most of the 2019- 20 campaign in the SuperElite league. He is undersized with tremendous skill and great instincts offensively. There isn’t much available on him as a player beyond he’s a fine skater with good hands and great quickness. Emark is ranked below the first-time-eligible forwards who are likely to go in the first three rounds. 1185090 Edmonton Oilers in 1985. He played 41 games as a rookie in 1986-87 but was stuck in the minors the following season until he was traded to Edmonton with winger for goaltender Andy Moog. He spent his first full campaign with the Oilers as Fuhr’s understudy and had a front-row seat ‘He set his place in history’: On Bill Ranford’s Conn Smythe run, 30 years to another Stanley Cup. later So, when Fuhr missed all but 21 games in 1989-90 due to an appendectomy and two shoulder injuries, the unheralded and opportunistic Ranford was at the ready. By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 22, 2020 He went 24-16-9 with a .887 save percentage in 56 appearances in his

first chance as a clear-cut NHL starter. Their superstar centre had been sold off. Their stalwart goaltender was “I was comfortable with where my game was at during that point,” too injured to play. Their hopes at redemption seemed tenuous at best. Ranford said. Even though the Oilers finished with the NHL’s fifth-best record in 1989- The Oilers felt like they were improving steadily as the season 90, the perception was they were far from favourites to take hold of the progressed. They went from having a losing record on Nov. 24 to Stanley Cup they’d relinquished the previous spring. entering the playoffs with the second-best mark in the Campbell That they persevered, and claimed their fifth championship in seven Conference behind only their archrivals and the defending-champion years, can be largely attributable to an unlikely source. Flames.

“If we didn’t have Billy, the way he played, there would be no way we Many pieces of the once-juggernaut core remained, but they weren’t the would have won,” winger Kelly Buchberger said. preordained champions they’d been in the past. They were no longer the unstoppable force they once were with Gretzky – especially since their That’s Bill Ranford, then Edmonton’s 23-year-old netminder. former superstar centre had orchestrated a 3-1 series comeback over the Oilers in the previous playoffs. It was Ranford who replaced the reliable-but-sidelined and backstopped the Oilers to their most improbable – and most recent – They felt like they were being cast as underdogs. Being without their championship less than two years after ’s departure. longtime puck-stopper only seemed to further the cause. (Fuhr reaggravated his shoulder two days before the season’s end.) “He set his place in history,” defenceman and alternate captain Kevin Lowe added. Ranford felt prepared to fill the crease despite just four playoff starts, all with Boston, under his belt. It culminated with him joining Gretzky and as the only Oilers ever to win a Conn Smythe Trophy. “The only thing I was lacking the experience of was the on-ice aspect of it, which everybody knows is a big thing,” he said. “All the other aspects – From preseason benchwarmer to postseason backbone, Ranford being preparing, travel, emotion – I’d already lived it at the highest level. That named playoff MVP goes down as one of the more surprising recipients was a big help.” in NHL history. Initially, his apprenticeship didn’t appear helpful. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” Ranford said. “The names that are on it – and the fact that I’m on that trophy with those names as not an elite Ranford allowed six goals on 30 shots in a 7-5 loss to the Jets to open superstar in the league – is special.” the playoffs. He made one thing clear to his teammates afterward: He would be better. It’s been 30 years since the 1990 title and Ranford’s run that spring remains maybe the most magical and surprising the franchise has seen. “He stood up and took the blame – although it wasn’t all his blame,” It was a run that would catapult him to one of the best careers by an winger Craig Simpson said. You need that confidence of trusting your Oilers goalie. goaltender.”

Perhaps the way Ranford replaced Fuhr and assumed the No. 1 job that “I played crappy. It was on me the way I played during Game 1,” he said. season made sense given his past. Circumstances prevented him being “You do what you can to turn it around.” anything close to childhood goaltending prodigy. Ranford and the Oilers bounced back in the next contest at home Born in Brandon, Man., Ranford’s formative years were spent in courtesy of an overtime win. But they then lost both games in Winnipeg, . His father, Bill, was a firefighter in the Canadian Armed Forces the second of which finished with a Dave Ellett goal in the fifth period. and the younger Ranford played hockey with other children at the base The Oilers were on the brink of elimination. from ages seven to 13. He was a defenceman at first; it wasn’t until he was 11 that he strapped on the pads full-time. Desperate times almost called for a desperate measure, even though Ranford had allowed a respectable six goals since the first defeat. An all-star team was assembled to take part in tournaments in countries like France and Sweden, but most games took place close to their home “It didn’t look like it was going our way,” Lowe said. “I know there was away from home. He was hardly tested. serious discussion on whether he would play Game 5 – whether they were going to make a goalie change or not. Clearly, the coaches made It wasn’t until the Ranfords moved back to Canada that hockey became the right call.” more serious for the teenaged goalie. Turning to the seldom-used Pokey Reddick would have been a big Two years in Portage La Prairie, Man., was the most competitive action downgrade. Ranford said he felt the pressure early in the series, not so Ranford had seen to date. The transition was even more pronounced much because of replacing Fuhr but rather out of fear his team would be when the Ranford family made their next transfer, this time a year in upset and upended. Summerside, P.E.I. Down but not out, Ranford believed he and his teammates were on the Ranford was cut from his midget team and was only asked to rejoin when brink of breaking through after the tough Game 4 loss. the team’s starter left to play high school hockey instead. The replacement won the league’s rookie of the year. “We felt that if we could take it to that next level, Winnipeg wouldn’t be able to match it,” he said. “That’s basically what we were able to do.” “If you know anything about going into the Maritimes – especially P.E.I. – you’re an outsider,” Ranford said. “That was a huge hurdle for me going He was given what turned out to be a lucky coin by an Edmonton staffer there and winning over that group of guys.” before Game 5, which he kept in his stall and brought on the road. (He said he returned it after the postseason.) That year helped get him on the right path. He beat out roughly 30 goaltenders to secure the top job in his second year of midget, now in The Oilers won the next two games before Ranford shut the door in Red Deer, Alta. Game 7, making 26 stops in a 4-1 win at Northlands Coliseum.

Ranford would go on to play three seasons with the WHL’s New “You’re following up the best goalie in the game at that point. Excuses go Westminster Bruins and was drafted in the third round by the NHL Bruins pretty far,” centre Mark Lamb said. “We lose that series and it would have been easy for everyone to blame the goalie. Billy certainly didn’t want He was Edmonton’s No. 1 goalie again to start the following season with that to happen.” Fuhr suspended the first 59 games by NHL president John Ziegler for cocaine use. Fuhr regained the crease upon his return, however, and led “Billy was a terrific competitor. He kind of liked how things were thrown the Oilers to a conference final berth with Ranford playing a supporting on his back,” assistant coach Ron Low added. “We were kinda skeptical role. after those first couple games. But that’s when people shine.” It wasn’t until September 1991, when Fuhr was dealt to Toronto, that Helping the Oilers overcome a 3-1 deficit was just the beginning for Ranford became the undisputed starter for good. Ranford. “Anytime you win, it puts you in another category,” he said. “Gaining He surrendered just a single goal in the first two games against the Kings confidence from my teammates and gaining confidence from in Round 2 en route to a series sweep. management probably allowed them to make the Fuhr trade a couple “Against L.A., it was a joke how good he was,” Low said. “He was the years later.” reason we won.” The Oilers returned to the conference final again in 1992 with Ranford at Ranford was concerned about how he’d fare against the Blackhawks the helm. He was a workhorse after replacing Fuhr, appearing in 83 after a long layoff, but those worries ended up being mostly needless. percent of Edmonton’s games until he was shipped back to Boston in January 1996 to make room for the freshly signed Curtis Joseph. He turned aside 23 shots in a 5-2 win to kick off the series. The Oilers got behind after dropping the next two contests, but Ranford responded with There were some lean years – the Oilers didn’t make the postseason in a 25-stop performance in Game 4. His efforts, plus two goals from his last three full seasons with the team – but Ranford etched his name in eventual playoff co-leading scorer Mark Messier, evened the series. a couple prominent categories in the team record book.

“He made a lot of great saves,” Lowe said. “We had all the confidence in Ranford, who finished his career in Edmonton in 1990-2000 as Tommy the world he could do the job.” Salo’s backup, leads the franchise with 449 appearances and 25,004 minutes played. With Ranford rolling, the Oilers won the last three games against the Blackhawks and were off to their sixth Stanley Cup final in eight years. The Cup win in 1990 started it all.

“His game just grew,” said Simpson, who ended up tying Messier atop “When you get an opportunity and you take advantage of it, you can the scoring list with 31 points. “It was like a pebble going down the hill. make an unreal career out of it. That’s exactly what he did,” Buchberger His game just got bigger and bigger. It was really special to think we’ve said. “He had an unreal career. His best years were in Edmonton.” got the best goalie in here.” Now the Kings goaltending coach, Ranford thinks back on that title fondly It was the first time in the decisive series that neither Andy Moog nor and how it sparked a 15-year pro career. He remembers how that Oilers Fuhr would be between the pipes for the Oilers. team came together, without Gretzky, and got the job done.

But Ranford’s ability to stop Grade A odd-man chances drew “It was the most unexpected (win),” he said. comparisons from his teammates to the latter stalwart goalie. He was the last line of defence with Fuhr out; he was singled out with his “We had a feeling similar to what we had in all those years with Grant own award afterward. Ranford considers the Conn Smythe Trophy as a Fuhr,” blueliner Steve Smith said. “It was a fearless game, knowing that “secondary team trophy” that could have gone to a few other Oilers. we had someone behind us that we knew could do the job.” For it to be given to him, though, still resonates all these years later.

“He was excellent at defending off the rush,” Buchberger said. “They can never take your name off that trophy,” he said. “It’s ingrained Edmonton’s adversary in the final was Ranford’s former team, the Bruins. in there and that’s special.” They had Moog, the player for whom Ranford was traded, in the The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 opposing goal.

It was a rematch of the 1988 final, which the Oilers won in a sweep. Ranford was on the bench then. He was in starring role this time – and certainly showed it in Game 1.

The Oilers won 3-2 in what was the longest game in Stanley Cup final history, a night – and early morning – remembered for Petr Klima’s winner 15:13 into the third extra session after he’d barely played. It was Ranford who gave the Oilers a chance. They were outshot 52-31.

“Man, the shots that the Bruins had,” Simpson said.

Not only did Ranford survive the Boston barrage, he then had to overcome being severely ill following that game.

Although he managed to eat a bit of pizza ordered to the dressing room during one of the intermissions, Ranford still lost between seven and eight pounds due to lack of sustenance and dehydration. He thinks he might have had the flu, too, noting at least 10 of his teammates felt similarly awful.

Ranford wasn’t physically able to eat again until his pregame meal before Game 2, roughly 60 hours later.

“I felt like crap,” he said. “I looked like death warmed over but knew I had to suck it up.”

Suck it up, he did. Ranford allowed just seven goals on 156 shots in that five-game series. He finished the playoffs with a 16-6 record, a .912 save percentage and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the Oilers clinched a championship on the road for the first time in their history.

“He got on a roll at the right time,” Lamb said. “He turned himself into one of the best goaltenders in the league.”

Winning the postseason MVP on a championship team changed everything for Ranford – even if the payoff was delayed. 1185091 Edmonton Oilers Some of these might feel debatable – Sheahan or Benning would certainly represent a greater loss than Griffin Reinhart did in 2017 – but compared to the players in the mushy middle they aren’t really considerations. This will be especially true if they aren’t re-signed this Oilers’ offseason decisions will be influenced by 2021 Seattle expansion summer, something which remains a real possibility. draft A keen observer will note that the only expansion-eligible goalie not on the list above is Mikko Koskinen, who at this moment gets protected by default. A poor performance next year (or a great performance by By Jonathan Willis May 22, 2020 someone else) could change that, but it’s not worth worrying about right now.

The hockey calendar is an ad-libbed mess at the moment, so it’s This approach leaves nine players for no more than five spots on impossible to say that the 2021 Seattle expansion draft is nearing; like Edmonton’s protected list: the playoffs, each passing day may just be pushing it one day further into Forwards: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Andreas Athanasiou, Zack Kassian, the future. Josh Archibald, Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyler Benson What is undeniable is the influence the looming expansion process will Defencemen: Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson, Caleb Jones have on NHL teams this offseason. The Oilers, along with the league’s other 30 clubs, all need to be keeping one eye on their expected The advantage of a 7-3-1 protected list is that it shields all of Edmonton’s protected lists as they carry out business. key forwards. In addition to the three named earlier, it’s a piece of cake to extend and protect Nugent-Hopkins and Athanasiou. That leaves two With the process of expansion exerting its gravity on personnel decisions spots for some combination of Kassian (whose contract might well scare already, we’re long overdue for a look at how Edmonton sits, having last off teams), Archibald (a good if replaceable bottom-six winger), Puljujarvi considered its position in November – back when Ethan Bear was still an (probably trade bait anyway) and Benson (if he has a good year). uncertain stopgap, Kailer Yamamoto a Bakersfield Condor and the impressive growth of the 2019-20 Oilers still very much in its early That forward conversation doesn’t really matter, though, because stages. Seattle’s probably going to take a defenceman.

Seattle’s expansion will follow the same rules as the Vegas draft. The There’s a little bit of wiggle room with Larsson. He’s a pending free agent key elements from that framework are as follow: next summer. Last time around the same was true of Kris Russell, and what the Oilers did was leave him unsigned and unprotected through the First- and second-year professionals (as of summer 2021) are exempt, expansion process. They then locked him down before the start of free which means anyone on the first year of his NHL contract this season – agency. such as Evan Bouchard or Ryan McLeod – will be shielded from selection. With Larsson out of the picture, it then comes down to protecting either Nurse or Jones. Jones is young, dirt cheap and improving. Nurse is in a Teams may either protect eight skaters (of any position) and a goaltender far more important role today, but costs a bundle and hits unrestricted or a mix of seven forwards, three defencemen and a goalie. free agency one summer after expansion. Players with no-move clauses must be protected, while players with no- Either player would be enticing to a Seattle . trade clauses can be exposed. This is mostly academic for Edmonton; the only player under contract for 2021-22 with such a clause is Mikko An 8-1 protected list removes that choice. The Oilers could play the same Koskinen, whose modified NTC doesn’t force the Oilers to protect him. unsigned-and-unprotected game with Larsson, shield both Nurse and Bear and still have room for four forwards. Each team must expose at least two forwards and one defenceman with recent NHL experience and contracts through 2021-22. That’s a relatively With three of those forward slots taken, who gets the fourth? minor point, but it’s probably going to result in some players who would have received one-year deals getting two-year pacts this summer. If Edmonton extends Nugent-Hopkins this summer, a year out from expansion, he gets it by default. An 8-1 approach makes it tempting to For Edmonton, the most important part of the process involves choosing play the Larsson game here, too, but the Oilers don’t have the same kind a protection scheme. Is it better to shield more players by going the 7-3-1 of forward depth that they do on defence. If Nugent-Hopkins decides to route, or to extend the shield over more defencemen by taking an eight wait and test free agency, it could prove very costly. skaters approach? If not Nugent-Hopkins, that spot probably goes to either Athanasiou (if he To answer that question we need to isolate the key players involved, and delivers in his first full year in Edmonton) or a summer hire. Kassian and we can do that by separating Edmonton’s current collection of talent into Archibald are secondary considerations, while Puljujarvi is looking at a three categories: must-protect, will-expose and then a mushy group of probable trade and Benson would need a big year to unseat one of the bubble players in the middle. more established options.

By my count, the must-protect group unambiguously includes five players In this scenario, much depends on Nugent-Hopkins. If he’s signed early, today. Athanasiou is exposed. If the Oilers wait, they’ll be taking a chance, but then their most desirable expansion bait is probably Benson. It’s not hard Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are obvious choices, and given how to imagine how a 23-year-old Benson might appeal to Seattle in a format well a 21-year-old Yamamoto played upon recall he’s joined them in that that encourages most teams to protect forwards. category. Oscar Klefbom’s long-term bargain contract pushes him into the mix and we can add 22-year-old Bear as another defenceman on the At this admittedly still early date, the choices seem to narrow down to list. three:

The will-expose group is a lot longer. These are guys on bad contracts, Expose one of Nurse or Jones. free agents who probably won’t be re-signed, extremely old players and replaceable depth pieces. Expose Athanasiou.

Forwards: James Neal, Tyler Ennis, Riley Sheahan, Alex Chiasson, Expose a slew of lesser forwards but risk losing Nugent-Hopkins in free Jujhar Khaira, Patrick Russell, Markus Granlund, Cooper Marody, Josh agency. Currie, Joe Gambardella, Brad Malone, Ryan Kuffner, Cam Hebig, Nolan The decision doesn’t need to be made now but it will influence offseason Vesey moves. If the Oilers want to sign a free agent, extend one of their own or Defencemen: Kris Russell, Mike Green, Matt Benning, William Lagesson, perhaps even trade a defenceman, those choices will be made with the Brandon Manning, Keegan Lowe, Ryan Mantha knowledge of how they’ll affect the club’s expansion draft protected list.

Goalies: Mike Smith, Stuart Skinner, Shane Starrett, Dylan Wells, Angus The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 Redmond 1185092 Los Angeles Kings

Concept of NHL’s proposal to resume play is approved by players’ association

By HELENE ELLIOTT

MAY 22, 20208:31 PM

The NHL Players’ Assn. approved the general concept of the NHL’s proposal to resume play and complete the 2019-20 season, saying Friday it will continue talks with the league regarding key points of the return-to-play plan.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the union said in a statement issued Friday night. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Kelly Hrudey makes a save during Game 4

The NHLPA began voting on the plan Thursday. The NHL’s proposal called for scrapping the rest of the regular season and starting postseason play with 24 teams grouped in two “hub” cities. The top four teams in each conference, as determined by points percentage, would play a round-robin series against one another that could affect their seeding; the other eight teams would play a best-of-five series to determine who would advance and face the top four teams. Every series after the first round would be best-of-seven. No spectators would be allowed, at least initially.

However, the proposal left many vital details blank. Among them were dates when players would begin to train in their respective NHL cities, when training camp and games would begin, and protocol for COVID-19 testing.

If voluntary workouts can begin next week and a three-week training camp period can begin in late June, the playoffs could start in mid-July and the Cup would be awarded in September.

Also to be determined is which cities will be chosen as hubs. Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Las Vegas, St. Paul, Minn., and Columbus, Ohio, are considered top contenders.

Prominent player agent Allan Walsh, co-managing director of Octagon Hockey, called Friday’s announcement, “A significant but incremental step forward with a long road still to go before we actually drop the puck on a Return to Play.”

About 15% of the regular-season schedule remained when Commissioner Gary Bettman paused the season March 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a considerable amount of TV revenue at stake, Bettman has said he’s determined to finish the season and award the Cup even if that means delaying the launch of the 2020-21 season.

LA Times: LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185093 Los Angeles Kings conclusion earlier that no, these aren’t quirky little habits. She’s having some real issues,” he said. “When we realized it, because her life became completely debilitating, then we needed to get her help.

Column: Mental health no longer dirty words in macho world of NHL “Still to this day, she has issues about dying and diseases, and so through this pandemic she’s been super-worried. Is this going to trigger something new again? Luckily for us she’s been OK. She’s been able to handle it. But in this time it’s been incredible to see what’s going on with By HELENE ELLIOTT people.” MAY 22, 20207 AM “That was just not the way I was brought up, to ask for help. ... Suck it up and don’t talk about it.”

Hockey players are celebrated for their toughness. It’s common for a DARRYL SYDOR player to absorb a booming hit without flinching, or to lose a row of teeth Hrudey, whose daughter now is 27, urged those who need support now to an errant puck and say he’s sorry he had to miss a shift to get sewn to search online or have someone assist them. up. Tape an aspirin to it and get back out there was the game’s unofficial slogan. “I’m not trying to pressure somebody that isn’t comfortable in sharing their story because it’s personal, and maybe sharing is not for you,” he The idea of suffering in silence also applied to mental health issues. No said. “That’s fine, as long as you’re trying to get the help that you need. one spoke publicly about depression or anxiety. You toughed it out. Because there’s no reason to suffer in silence.” That’s how it always had been done. Hirsch, a commentator on Vancouver Canucks’ radio broadcasts, That archaic code is fading, its departure hastened by former NHL believes the pandemic has chipped away at that repressive silence. goaltenders Kelly Hrudey and Corey Hirsch. In talking about their struggles and advocating for mental health awareness and treatment “I’m hoping that, and I wish it didn’t happen this way, that we come to they’ve elevated a discussion that became especially relevant when the realize after this is over how important mental health is. How real it is and COVID-19 pandemic isolated people and clouded the future. how much bigger it is than we’ve treated it in the past, geopolitically and socially,” he said. “I’m hoping that it really expands our vision, because Hrudey, a former King, and Hirsch are emphasizing that it’s a sign of everybody’s feeling anxiety right now. Everybody’s feeling the pinch. I’m strength to seek help, not weakness, as they tell their stories and strip seeing there’s a lot of people out there that are struggling with this. away the stigma that lingers around mental health issues. “There’s still masculinity, ego and pride in the reasons why people won’t May was designated Mental Health Awareness month before hockey was reach out but we’re all struggling a little bit here, so you can set your shut down, but the pause in the schedule allowed both men to continue pride aside and your ego and get help.” raising their voices. Hrudey, who wrote a book about his youngest daughter’s battles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and His Facebook conversation with Sydor couldn’t have happened even as his own anxiety, is effectively using social media to advocate for the recently as 10 years ago, so strong was players’ reluctance to speak up. availability of mental health resources. la-sp-garet Playoff Format Vote Hockey “That’s why someone like myself even went into hiding,” said Hirsch, who Hirsch, who has spoken to kids and adults about recognizing and treating wrote a story in the Players’ Tribune in 2017 detailing his suicidal mental health issues, started a Facebook broadcast he calls “The Mind thoughts and how he’d barely stopped himself from driving his car off a Game,” which features former athletes. His recent conversation with cliff in 1994. That incident occurred only months after he won an Olympic former King Darryl Sydor, who has undergone treatment for alcoholism silver medal with Canada and was the third goalie on the New York several times, was striking and blunt. Rangers’ Cup-winning team.

“I’m so proud to talk about this,” Hrudey, a member of the Kings’ 1993 Sydor said he didn’t get treated for addiction or compulsive behavior for Stanley Cup Final team, said from his home in Calgary, Canada. “I’m years because, “That was just not the way I was brought up, to ask for proud of my playing career, I’m proud of my broadcasting career but help. ... Suck it up and don’t talk about it.” most proud of the work I’ve done in the field of mental health.” That mind-set is changing in hockey, as Hrudey, Hirsch, former NHL Hrudey was an established NHL goalie when the Kings acquired him goalie Clint Malarchuk and Canadian TV sportscaster Michael Landsberg from the New York Islanders in February 1989. Yet, he was overcome by lead the way in showing it’s OK to discuss being vulnerable to mental fear before the 1992-93 season. health struggles.

“I was going through these things where my brain was telling me, ‘I don’t “I’m just so excited about what it might look like in 10 years, 15 years,” know if you can do this any longer. I don’t know if you can stay at this Hrudey said. “Maybe it’s not as quick as I’d like it to be but I’ve seen the level.’ It was just putting all this doubt in my head,” he said. “I was to change in the attitude amongst people sharing their stories and listening learn later from our daughter Kaitlin about the loop in a person’s brain in the last bunch of years. I’m so hopeful that in 10 years it’s going to be and I didn’t have the skills at that point to break the loop. I had no tools to such a normal conversation.” do it, so that loop kept getting louder and louder.” LA Times: LOADED: 05.23.2020 The noise crested before a neutral-site game that season in Milwaukee, when he took refuge in a bathtub.

“I became unglued,” he said. “I somehow was able to play really well in the next game and for a couple games after that but then it all came crashing down and I was lost.”

2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game One

He credits then-coach Barry Melrose for referring him to Tony Robbins, author and self-help motivational speaker.

“They were able to get me out of that situation,” Hrudey said.

He still has occasional anxiety but it hasn’t stopped him from offering calm and keen insight as a TV analyst. He blames himself for not realizing something was amiss with his daughter when she was 11 and refused to go to school or dance class.

“I looked at everything she was going through as a quirky little habit. Had I put it all together I think I would have been able to come to the 1185094 Minnesota Wild

NHL players approve 24-team playoff proposal, but many other hurdles remain

By Randy Johnson Star Tribune MAY 22, 2020 — 11:08PM

The NHL on Friday took its biggest step yet toward returning to play when the NHL Players’ Association signed off on a plan for a 24-team playoff format.

The next step is hammering out the remaining details — including health and safety protocols — for the league to resume play after being on hiatus for the past 10 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The NHLPA’s executive board, made up of 31 player representatives, “has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the union said in a statement.

“Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format still would be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Under the joint NHL/NHLPA Return to Play committee plan that the union OK’d during a vote that began Thursday night, the 24-team field would include games at hub locations and likely without fans in attendance. The top four teams in the Eastern and Western conferences would receive byes but play a round-robin series that could impact first-round seeding.

Meanwhile, the remaining eight teams per conference would square off in best-of-five play-in series to cut the field to 16. From there, traditional best-of-seven series would follow through the Stanley Cup Final.

The seven teams outside the playoffs would not return to play.

Under the plan, which seeds teams by points percentage in the standings when the season was suspended March 12, the Wild would be the No. 10 seed in the West and face No. 7 Vancouver in a best-of-five series.

The byes would go to St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in the Western Conference, and Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the Eastern.

The details remaining are many:

• Where would games be played? Earlier this week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was looking at eight or nine cities to be hubs for games, and choosing two or four.

St. Paul is interested in being one of those hubs. Las Vegas, with its abundance of hotels, is considered a strong candidate to be a hub city. Expect one of the hubs to be in Canada. A two-hub system would have 12 teams at each city, while a four-hub plan would have six squads at each site.

• What about the health of the players amid COVID-19? Major issues such as testing and safety measures would be addressed by the Return to Play committee.

• What’s next? The NHL Board of Governors will vote on the 24-team format and is expected to pass it, then the Return to Play committee would address health and safety issues.

• When would the NHL return? That’s to be determined, but early July seems to be the league’s goal.

• Besides the top four seeds in each conference, who’s in? The play-in series in the West would be: No. 8 Calgary vs. No. 9 Winnipeg, No. 5 Edmonton vs. No. 12 Chicago, No. 7 Vancouver vs. No. 10 Wild, and No. 6 Nashville vs. No. 11 Phoenix.

In the East, the play-in series would have: No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus, No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Montreal, No. 7 N.Y. Islanders vs. No. 10 Florida, and No. 6 Carolina vs. No. 11 N.Y. Rangers.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185095 Minnesota Wild

Lessons and hope after 10 weeks of upheaval in the hockey world

By Randy Johnson MAY 22, 2020 — 8:13AM

Ten weeks ago this morning, I made the 75-mile drive from Puck Drop headquarters in Eagan to the Mankato Civic Center. My assignment: Get the pulse of the Minnesota State men’s hockey team, and Mankato in general, after news came the night before that college sports was being shut down for the remainder of the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Checking the pulse of those who just had absorbed a devastating punch to the gut – as the Mavericks and much of the entire sports world had – would be a challenging task. Basically, you have to find a way to ask, “Hey, you just had your championship dreams dashed. How do you feel?’’ in a tactful and sympathetic way. What I found were players and coaches who were frustrated and hurting but still willing to share their stories with the media and public.

And that feeling has continued over the past 10 weeks in dealing with various athletes, coaches and administrators – in hockey and other sports. The pain of the initial blow has mainly passed, but the ongoing uncertainty is weighing on them. As terms like “social distancing’’ and “flattening the curve’’ have become the norm, they’re looking for answers and willing to share opinions and ideas. Mainly, they want to know when their sport will resume safely.

Looks as if we’re getting a sign of hope in hockey with the NHL inching closer to a return. The league and the players association have been negotiating a Return to Play plan, and the union’s executive committee on Thursday night began the voting process on the plan. The system reportedly would feature a 24-team playoff system with games at hub locations with fans not allowed to attend. The top four teams in each conference would receive byes but play a round-robin series that could impact first-round seeding. Meanwhile, the remaining eight teams would square off in best-of-five play-in series to pare the field to 16.

Under this scenario, which seeds teams by points percentage in the standings when the season was suspended, the Wild would be the No. 10 seed in the West and face No. 7 Vancouver in a best-of-five series.

Any system will be far from perfect, and there still are substantial hurdles to clear for the NHL to return. Player safety must come first, and they’ll be the ones potentially facing the most risk.

“To live in fear and be scared is not an approach that I’ve taken to life,’’ Wild veteran forward said during a videoconference Thursday. “But there’s definitely reservation there, and I’m sure there is for other guys.’’

Hockey shows us the ability to change on the fly, and that’s what Staal expects to continue, no matter what the decision on resuming play.

“It’s a total different landscape and you’ve just got to adjust and figure it out as you go. So, I will do the same, and I’m sure everybody else will, too.’’

Ten weeks into a world turned upside down, uncertainty still rules, but in hockey there are signs its reign will have an eventual end.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185096 Minnesota Wild Has an era ended? Will the next Oscar or Emmy winner with a newsroom setting have to be a period piece? That’s unknown.

This is clear: If showing the excitement of the newsroom on deadline is Publish the Star Tribune sports section from home? 'We never imagined the goal, my back bedroom isn’t going to cut it. we'd try this.' Star Tribune LOADED: 05.23.2020

By Kevin Bertels Star Tribune MAY 22, 2020 — 7:32AM

(Editor's note: We asked some of our sports department colleagues to share this week what their lives have been like without the usual routines of news, practice and games to guide them. This is a six-part series.)

When I slid my chair up to the dinner table March 15, Sid Hartman was supposed to be there, him and some Star Tribune and ’CCO muck-a- mucks wearing suits nicer than mine.

Oh, that was going to be a day. Sid wasn’t my only appointment. I lead the Star Tribune sports copy desk, the editors who design pages, write headlines, assemble roundups, check facts and send pages to the pressroom seven nights a week on deadline. Weeks before, the boss had wisely closed his door before he asked me to schedule something besides covering NCAA Selection Sunday on Selection Sunday: The celebration of Sid’s 100th birthday. I was invited to dinner.

Sid’s dinner never happened.

In the midst of the pandemic, I instead slid my chair up to a familiar dinner table that night and published the sports section from home for the first time. We haven’t published from the newsroom since.

We never imagined we’d try this. An occasional editor working remotely, we’d done that. But the slot (newsroomspeak for that evening’s leader), rim (newsroomspeak for copy editors) and page designers absent as a group? Never mind. For 22 years until March 15, I drove 37 miles to downtown Minneapolis for every shift.

Now editors log in from Apple Valley and Edina, St. Michael and south Minneapolis, far north Oak Grove and far south New Prague. Their equipment ranges from just a tablet — I don’t know how he does it — to my latest setup of laptop, 27-inch monitor and tablet, spread over two desks in a back bedroom. There’s also an office chair from the newsroom; nobody saw the long-haired, masked man wheeling away furniture as suspicious.

Game Off: Read the rest of the series.

Last week I greeted my youngest son on his return from the University of North Dakota not with a hug but a statement: We’re gonna have some Wi-Fi rules around here. He produced a LAN cable that made it all work. Kids these days. But I can’t tell my neighbors to stop streaming so my cursor doesn’t lag. Our eyes are not trained to wait to see what character we just typed. Typos are the result; we try not to print those.

No challenge is greater each night than communication. Anything changes, I need a note. Is Patrick Reusse’s column ready for the website? What’s holding up that caption? Who’s warming dinner? The closer the deadline, the more notes I need.

We had wondered whether we could do this at full speed, with breaking news. Then the Vikings made their No. 1 draft pick at 9:57 p.m., three minutes ahead of our deadline. Yes, we can.

It’s no surprise to me we adapted. Success won’t surprise me if we’re still working this way when we get back to 14-page sections, either. That’s not conceit, that’s admiration.

Our major league newspapering lineup features perennial All-Stars, teammates beyond co-workers. You’d admire them, too. And I won’t let the chance to say this pass: Their goal is to provide you, readers, exactly what you want. I used to sit with them and talk about that. Now we send Slack messages about it every night.

Not all of our messages are about the sports section. Before the virus we spent more time with each other than with our families. I need to know how Brian’s dog, Ernie, and Jeff’s dog, Eleanor Rigby, are doing and whether Pete saw Harmon go yard on that rebroadcast. Or to hear this from Roman on his day off: “KB, you see the U filled that softball job?” Me: “Yep, we got the news and quotes, too.” Roman: “Dang, I wish I was working.” 1185097 Montreal Canadiens bathtub gin Monday through Friday and champagne on Saturdays, that’s probably when you’d choose to roll by.

But the NHL needs its patrons to show up every day of the week. If they NHL’s pandemic plan could flatten the curve on regular-season demand don’t, the bar goes under. for good Spurred by the media’s talent for making something out of nothing – How is hockey in Toronto played without a 'C’ stitched onto someone’s chest? Leading hockey scientists say it should not be possible – the NHL has CATHAL KELLY maintained the illusion that the regular season is important.

PUBLISHED MAY 22, 2020 The pandemic is forcing the NHL to admit it isn’t.

UPDATED MAY 22, 2020 Under the proposed emergency format, the Pittsburgh Penguins (ranked fifth in the east) will play the Montreal Canadiens (12th).

In modern business terms, the Penguins are a Fortune 500 tech There has never been a better time for guessing and its unlikable cousin, company. An organization designed to shift with the changing times. The second-guessing. Canadians are a tire yard yet to discover the magic of the internet. If they Three months ago: Closing the borders won’t help. had, they wouldn’t have made all those trades.

Today: We waited too long to close the borders. But after 70 or so games of the regular season, we find the two teams on equal footing. No home-ice advantage. No one goes into this thing on a Two months ago: Face masks don’t do much good. roll. Everyone gets a dead start.

Today: Only sociopaths leave their house unmasked. As mediocre as Montreal is, the Habs have Carey Price. He’s not what he once was, but if you had to pick one NHL goalie to back your team in One month ago: The economy will bounce back fine. a three- or five-game series, you’re probably taking Price. Today: Yeah, about the economy … Is that fair? It is not. Does that matter? It does not. I would like to see Sports are out there guessing, too. It’s not their natural strength and it sports move closer to The Hunger Games, not further away. shows. At the beginning of all this, things were going to be back to But from the NHL’s perspective, it does tend to highlight how much of a normal soon. Then they weren’t going to be back at all. Now they’re waste of time the regular season has become. going to be back in some bowdlerized format. By next week, they may be playing basketball on the International Space Station: ‘Yes, getting them Before the regular season, there is a preseason. No one cares about up there is an issue, but at least we’ll know they can’t break quarantine.’ that. This past regular season just became the preseason for whatever we’re about to see next. The NHL’s current version of pandemic sports has more in common with a one-off tournament than a season. In case that isn’t clear enough, the NHL also plans to let the top eight bye teams play each other while the first postseason round is going on, just Under the current plan, the unfinished regular season is over. The top 24 for practice. These games will have no stakes at all, other than for teams by points will bubble together and start the playoffs immediately. seedings. The top four teams in each conference get byes. The other eight So we’ll now have a preseason in the midst of a playoffs. Which is weird. participate in some sort of play-in round. The final 16 start the postseason as normal. The Stanley Cup should wrap up by early People will like this format because a) they are bored out of their minds September. and would watch Connor McDavid play marbles with his dog if he chose to broadcast it from home and b) because it’s a free-for-all. Every team Will it work? has a chance here. Even your team and – presuming you are Canadian Well, define ‘work’. It will get done because there are too many financial – your team is terrible. incentives (or disincentives, depending how you look at it) for it not to. The NHL will like this format because it features 24 teams. Without much What’s not being considered in this rush to restart is how pandemic consideration or any debate, the league has just boosted its playoff hockey affects the NHL next season and beyond. Because once people content by 50 per cent. That’s real money. Good luck trying to get the get a look at this – and assuming it doesn’t collapse midway through – playoffs back down to the usual 16 teams once this is all over. they aren’t going to want to go back. Once the NHL does the same, it That will downgrade the regular season to functionally pointless. And yet, won’t want to either, but in a different way. in order for the league to survive, the ticket-buying rubes will still be The most pernicious structural problem facing professional team sports is expected to treat all six months of it as can’t-miss entertainment. the size. Success encouraged leagues to embrace a philosophy of In the end, the NHL will have solved its immediate problem by making constant expansion. More teams, more games, more playoffs, more the long-term one worse. money. Globe And Mail LOADED: 05.23.2020 We had already reached the point where supply was beginning to outstrip demand. Revenues were rising, but audiences were shrinking. We’d reached a crest.

People had started to notice that the NHL is a sports version of The Young and the Restless. You could tune it out for weeks or months and when you rounded back again, not much had changed. Victor was still getting ready to marry Nikki (again).

This is the paradox of the regular season – it takes up most of the scheduling real estate and, in the end, doesn’t matter all that much.

If you are a good team, you will make the playoffs. More than half the teams do. Where you end up in the standings needn’t have any impact on your chances.

In fact, putting too much emphasis on the regular season tends to undermine a team’s ability to give it a great push on the final lap. Ask Tampa Bay.

Since the NHL draws the majority of its revenue from the regular season, that is a conundrum. If your favourite drinking establishment sold only 1185098 Montreal Canadiens

Healthy at last, Juulsen hopes to regain spot on Canadiens' blue line

:Pat Hickey • Publishing date:9 hours ago •

It was only one hockey game, but Noah Juulsen hopes that his appearance in what would be the Laval Rocket’s final game of the season is the first step on the road back to the NHL.

“Even if it was only one game, there was a long stretch when I didn’t play,” Juulsen said Friday during a conference call from his off-season home in British Columbia. “Just getting that one game was a great feeling. The coaching staff in Laval put me in that game and they played me quite a bit. I think I played more than 18 minutes and it was great getting that opportunity.

“I was skating by myself for three weeks and then I had a few practices, which was good,” said Juulsen, a 6-foot-2, 198-pounder. “When you’re skating by yourself, you don’t have a partner to talk to and it’s different. When I started practising with the team, I was talking to guys and the coaches came up with drills to help me.”

Juulsen, who was the Canadiens’ first-round draft choice (26th overall) in 2015, started the March 11 home game against the arch-rival as part of the No. 1 defence pairing wth Otto Leskinen and helped the Rocket to a 3-0 victory.

The game marked Juulsen’s first appearance since November. His career was put on hold after he experienced a recurrence of headaches, which could be traced back to Nov. 19, 2018, when he was playing for the Canadiens. Taking advantage of ’s absence, he moved into a top-four role, but he was struck in the face by a puck twice in the game against the Washington Capitals and spent most of the next month on the injured-reserve list. He returned to play four games before Christmas, but was sent down to Laval.

Juulsen played only three games for the Rocket before he was shut down because of headaches and a vision problem which, at one point, was considered career-threatening.

He reported to the Canadiens’ training camp last September, but was unable to practise because he was still experiencing headaches. He played 12 games for Laval in October and November before he was shut down.

Juulsen, who said battling back from his injuries has made him tougher, noted he’s “feeling better than I ever have” and he’s looking forward to challenging for a spot with the Canadiens next season.

“I’ve got a Peloton bike in my basement and ice is starting to open up here, and I hope to be skating next week,” said Juulsen. “I have to get my confidence back up where it should be and I want to be ready for the start of the season.”

Juulsen, who is a restricted free agent, should be in the mix on the right side of the blue line. Weber and have the top two spots sewn up, but there will be a battle for the third spot. Christian Folin finished the season on the third pairing and the 23-year-old Juulsen will be battling Folin and two other youngsters, 21-year-old and 20-year-old Josh Brook.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185099 Montreal Canadiens Hockey 24 airs on Sportsnet at 7 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. It will also be available on the website of the Toronto documentary film festival Hot Docs (hotdocs.ca) from May 25 to June 30.

Hockey 24 showcases Canadians playing their favourite sport It will air with French sub-titles on TVA Sports on May 31 at 9 p.m.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.23.2020

Brendan Kelly

Publishing date:10 hours ago

Near the beginning of the documentary Hockey 24, we meet a Toronto minor-league hockey coach who will be familiar to longtime NHL hockey fans, particularly in Montreal and Toronto.

“My name’s Darcy Tucker,” he says in the film, which premieres on Sportsnet on Sunday night. “I played 16 years of professional hockey, 15 in the National Hockey League. And I’m now coaching the Toronto Titans bantam AAA team. There’s a lot of balls in the air when it comes to being a dad and a coach. But it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do as a father.”

Tucker is best known as a former Toronto Maple Leaf, having played with the team from 1999 to 2008, but he began his career with the Montreal Canadiens, drafted 151st overall by the Habs in the 1993 entry draft. He was traded by Montreal to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1998 and after three years in Tampa, was shipped to T.O. After his run with the Leafs, he ended his career with the Colorado Avalanche.

In the film, his son Cain, 14, talks about being coached by his dad.

“My dad being my coach strengthens the bond, us being together all the time … coach Darcy is hard on the bench and I know he’s probably right. But when we get home, he just forgets about it. It doesn’t matter what happened in the game. As soon as we get in the car, coach Darcy switches to dad Darcy.”

That’s just one of many touching moments in this 90-minute ode to the game of hockey and what it means to families all across Canada. The film is presented by Scotiabank, a major sponsor of hockey in Canada, and was produced by the Toronto-based creative agency The Mark. The executive producer is Hayes Steinberg, chief creative officer at The Mark.

Scotiabank and The Mark asked Canadians last fall to send in home videos and photos showing their love of hockey, and the film includes scenes of kids hockey across the country, with plenty of footage of the early-morning ritual of parents and kids getting up to make the trek to the rink.

On the phone from his home in Toronto on Friday afternoon, Tucker talked about what it’s like to coach as a dad.

“I think it’s good to have coach Darcy and dad Darcy,” said Tucker. “We have a really good relationship that way … it’s a pretty good dynamic that we have between the two of us. I don’t think you want to make any of the other players feel uncomfortable and as your child moves along in hockey, I’m not always going to be his coach so he’s going to have to take different coaches and deal with them and deal with different situations. I just want him to understand that I’m not dad on the bench. I’m a coach. He gets it.”

Hockey 24 arrives at a good time given that so many Canadians are starved for hockey following the shutdown of the National Hockey League and all minor-league hockey as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tucker feels it’s a great moment to broadcast a film about our ties to the game.

“People across Canada love the great game of hockey, but there are lots of great life lessons that come along with that,” said Tucker.

Tucker said he has fond memories of starting his NHL career as a Canadien.

“Montreal has an amazing tradition of hockey, well-known not just in Quebec but across Canada,” he said. “There are so many Montreal Canadiens fans. I remember my first trip out west with the Canadiens and how many Canadiens jerseys were in the stands. It’s a tradition that is generational. If your dad was a Montreal fan, you seem to be a Montreal fan as a child. There’s a tradition that follows through generations and it was a very fun time in my career to be part of the Montreal Canadiens.” 1185100 New Jersey Devils lottery rules, New Jersey would be guaranteed to get it in 2020. If the NHL used the current lottery format, the Devils would have to wait and see where the pick ends up — it could be No. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12 or 13 in that scenario. The best- and worst-case scenarios for the Devils when the NHL returns The condition on the Vancouver pick is it transfers to New Jersey in 2020 if the Canucks make the playoffs. It slides to 2021 unprotected if they do not. Vancouver was not in a playoff position when the league stopped By Corey Masisak May 22, 2020 play if the teams are sorted by points, but the Canucks are a Western Conference wild-card team if points percentage is used.

There is legitimate hope that hockey will return in the coming months, but Will the Canucks be considered a playoff team for the purposes of a draft how the Devils will be affected by the NHL’s plan remains unclear. before play resumes? They are tied for the second-worst points percentage among playoff teams, so that would slot the pick at No. 17, The reporting on the NHL’s return to play scenarios has included several unless Vancouver reaches the conference finals in a normal draft year. different plans, but recent news cycles have made it clear that all 31 teams returning is not the favored option. If the NHL returns with 20 or 24 The other potential 2020 pick the Devils could land is from the teams, the Devils’ 2019-20 season is over. Hurricanes, but one of the conditions is based on games played in the playoffs and can’t be met yet. That one could involve some negotiation Given the youth on New Jersey’s roster, returning to play the final 13 for an early draft. games of the regular season could provide valuable experience for players like Joey Anderson, Nick Merkley and Janne Kuokkanen. It could Best case: A draft before the season resumes that returns to pre-2013 allow goaltender Cory Schneider another handful of starts to extend the lottery rules would be a net positive for the Devils, based on where the run of quality play he started just before the hiatus. picks could be. As we’ll get into shortly, playing more games could alter where New Jersey’s picks end up, and not likely in a good way. Using the At the same time, the extended break before next season could allow old lottery rules ends any chance of the Devils landing the No. 1 pick and some of the younger players, namely Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Alexis Lafreniere, but it could guarantee New Jersey gets a top-11 pick Jesper Bratt, more time to further develop their bodies. The extra rest from Arizona. That alone is a solid return for an unrestricted free agent could help veterans like Travis Zajac, P.K. Subban and Schneider, and a like Hall, and adding in the three players and a conditional 2021 pick delayed start to next season could allow Will Butcher more time to fully could make Ray Shero’s last important trade a great one. recover from thumb surgery and still have something closer to a normal offseason. Worst case: The NHL uses the current lottery rules and Arizona wins a top-three pick. There are pros and cons to getting the Vancouver pick at But what happens next when the NHL does return could potentially have No. 17 or if it becomes an unprotected 2021 first rounder. Having the a huge impact on the future of the franchise, namely when and where the draft before play resumes doesn’t change that. Devils will pick in the 2020 and 2021 NHL drafts. Scenario two: Play with 24 teams, then draft New Jersey has made trades for five draft picks that have various conditions attached to them, including two that could be first-round This is where things could get dicey for the Devils. The big question is selections in 2020. How the NHL determines what affect the conclusion how the games that happen after the hiatus will affect the 2020 draft of the 2019-20 season will have on the 2020 draft will be of keen interest order. Will the draft order follow the same rules as a normal season? to the Devils. Let’s go through each of the picks that could be affected: Reports on what the end of the season could look like have varied, in Conditional first-round pick in 2020 from Arizona part because the NHL has had a lot of different scenarios to sift through and consider. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun had an update Thursday on The worst-case scenario for an early draft is the Coyotes win the lottery, what a 24-team plan could look like, with the caveat that more tweaks get a top-3 pick and the Devils have to wait until 2021, though the pick could happen before anything is announced. would be unprotected. That is not a doomsday situation, because an unprotected 2021 first-round pick is still valuable and the Coyotes are far Let’s work through some of the scenarios that could arise from the NHL from a lock to be a good team next season. returning to finish the 2019-20 season. There are a lot of details that will need to be worked out, and some of them might not be when/if the The scenarios for this pick if the NHL returns with 24 teams and follows league does announce a return to play in the coming days. the normal draft order rules are worse. It’s been reported that the NHL wouldn’t consider the best-of-five play-in series to be part of the playoffs, Scenario 1: Draft, then play but once there are 16 teams left the postseason would begin. Here are some of the questions that would need answers if the 2020 That means the Coyotes could win a best-of-five series and make the NHL draft were to happen remotely before the 2019-20 season finishes: playoffs. Given the current draft order rules, that means Arizona’s first- How will the order be determined (by points or points percentage)? round pick would be no higher than No. 16. If Chicago and/or Montreal win a play-in series, the pick could slip to No. 17 or 18. Having a draft What will the draft lottery look like? pick drop 6-8 spots because a team won two of three games after a long hiatus (Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper should be completely healthy) How will conditional picks be resolved? would be a significant gut-punch for the Devils. The Devils are tied with the Sabres in both points and points percentage, If the Coyotes really got hot and reached the conference finals, that pick but with fewer regulation/overtime wins, New Jersey would have the would drop to No. 28, 29, 30 or 31. That would be similar to the Ryan sixth-best lottery odds and Buffalo would be seventh. One potential O’Reilly trade, when the Sabres looked like they were getting a great pick change to the lottery that’s been reported is reverting back to the pre- back from St. Louis until the Blues got hot and won the Stanley Cup. 2013 rules, which would mean one lottery winner instead of three and the team could move up a maximum of four spots. When the news about a Oh, there’s one more wrinkle here: If the NHL returns with the format in potential June draft surfaced, the league reportedly wanted to give the LeBrun’s story, the Coyotes will be the No. 11 seed in the West. They will two teams involved with a conditional pick one week to come to an face sixth-seeded Nashville in the play-in series. agreement about how it should be settled or to accept the NHL’s suggestion. So whether or not the Devils get to pick at 10/11 or 16/17/18 could hinge on John Hynes versus Taylor Hall in a five-game series. New Jersey could end up with two additional first-round picks in 2020, one each from Arizona (the Taylor Hall trade) and Vancouver (from Best case: The Coyotes do not win their play-in series, giving the Devils Tampa Bay in the deal). a chance at the No. 10/11/12/13 pick pending a normal draft lottery after the season ends. The Coyotes would have the 10th-best lottery odds, so assuming the pre- 2013 rules are in effect, that pick could end up at No. 6, No. 10 or No. 11. Worst case: Arizona wins the play-in series and gets bounced in the first It is a top-three protected pick, so unless Arizona tried to dispute the round of the playoffs. New Jersey ends up with the No. 16, 17 or 18 pick. condition because the Coyotes negotiated it under a different set of This, plus other upsets, could also potentially push the Vancouver pick Carolina will play him. Vatanen was acquired in part because Dougie down the draft order as well. Hamilton was lost in January to a broken leg. The Hurricanes have a deep defense corps when everyone is healthy, and they might be by the Conditional pick in 2021 from Arizona time the NHL returns.

There is a second pick from the Coyotes that is also tied to their 2020 Will Carolina use a guy in playoff games who has never played for them? performance. It is currently a third-round choice, but it can be upgraded to a second if the Coyotes win a round or Hall signs a new contract with Best case: The Hurricanes win the play-in series and then Vatanen the club. If both happen, it becomes a first-round pick. becomes a regular for as long as Carolina plays. New Jersey ends up getting Janne Kuokkanen and a third-round pick for a small dose of This leads to some interesting questions. What is a better package for Vatanen. the Devils: Worst case: Carolina loses the play-in series or doesn’t play Vatanen in No. 10/11 in 2020 and a third-round pick in 2021 the playoffs. The Devils still end up with Kuokkanen, while the Hurricanes No. 16/17/18 in 2020 and a second-round in 2021 gave him up for almost nothing.

No. 28/29/30/31 and a first-round pick in 2021 Conditional fourth-round pick in 2021 from Buffalo

Let’s assume the only way Hall signs with the Coyotes is they go on a The Devils will receive a fifth-round pick from Buffalo from the Wayne deep playoff run and he feels compelled to return. Would losing Game 7 Simmonds trade, but it could upgrade to a fourth if Simmonds plays 10 of a second-round series get the job done? If so, the Devils could end up games and the Sabres make the playoffs. If the NHL returns with 24 No. 16 in 2020 and a first in 2021, which would be better than those three teams, the Sabres are also done playing this season. Simmonds didn’t options above but also unlikely. play 10 games for Buffalo and the Sabres would not make the playoffs, so this one is taken care of. The Devils will get a fifth-round pick from Using current Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky’s draft pick value Buffalo in 2021. chart from his writing days, it’s pretty clear that getting the No. 10 or 11 pick is more valuable than the potential of upgrading the 2021 choice. The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 The Nos. 10 and 72 picks are worth about 39 points on Tulsky’s chart, while No. 16 and a mid-second rounder in 2021 are worth less than 35.

Getting a late-first in 2020 and an unknown 2021 first has the potential to surpass 39 points in value but isn’t likely. Maybe the Devils find a team willing to overpay for a first-round pick and that makes it worth it, but the safest, best option of these three is the first one, where the Coyotes lose in the play-in round.

Best case: The Coyotes lose the play-in series but Hall still signs with Arizona in the offseason. New Jersey gets the No. 10 pick in 2020 and a second-round choice in 2021. Maybe the Devils even help the Coyotes clear some cap space to keep Hall with another trade.

Worst case: Arizona wins the play-in round, but loses in the first round of the 16-team playoff. Montreal and Chicago also win, and the Devils end up with the No. 18 pick in 2020 and a third-round choice in 2021 after Hall signs elsewhere.

Conditional first-round pick in 2020 from Vancouver

If the Canucks lose their play-in series, the pick would convert to an unprotected first in 2021, assuming normal draft order rules. That would lessen some of the excitement for the Devils with the 2020 draft, but it could end up being a more valuable commodity.

If the Canucks win the play-in series but don’t reach the conference finals, the pick would be determined by the points percentage of the 12 playoff teams that don’t reach the final four. Chaos would not be New Jersey’s friend in this scenario. A bunch of play-in series upsets could push the Canucks’ pick further down the draft. If the Canucks reach the conference finals, the pick would end up at No. 28, 29, 30 or 31.

Best case: Vancouver loses the play-in series, and the Devils have an unprotected 2021 first-round pick to either use in a trade at the 2020 draft or then spend next year, rooting for the Canucks to take a step backwards.

Worst case: All of the time off leads to chaos. The Canucks win their play-in series, but several upsets push the pick into the 20s, regardless of how they perform in the playoffs.

Conditional third-round pick in 2020 from Carolina

The Devils could still receive a draft choice from the Hurricanes from the Sami Vatanen trade, but it’s not guaranteed. New Jersey gets a fourth- round pick if Vatanen plays five regular-season games. It can upgrade to a third rounder if Vatanen plays 12 regular-season games or he plays in 70 percent of Carolina’s playoff games.

Two of those three stipulations are out if the NHL returns without regular- season games, because Vatanen has yet to play for the Hurricanes because he was injured at the trade deadline. Will the play-in games count? It seems like the NHL does not want to consider them playoff games, so probably not.

That means the Hurricanes need to win their play-in series, and then Vatanen needs to play in the actual playoffs. It’s not a slam-dunk that 1185101 New York Islanders

NHL agrees on 24-team playoff for coronavirus return, issues remain

By Larry BrooksMay 23, 2020 | 12:42am

Approving a format for the NHL’s contemplated return to the ice this summer should have been relatively easy and the least of the league’s and NHLPA’s problems.

It wasn’t easy at all, but it is done.

More difficult, complex issues lay ahead, and there may be details still to be hammered out, such as bracketing versus reseeding, but the players association’s executive board comprised of 31 team player reps did authorize the union to move forward and negotiate outstanding issues with the understanding that the league would reopen with an expanded 24-team tournament if the parties are able to surmount massive obstacles to stage a summer comeback following the March 12 pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It remains to be seen whether outstanding matters involving health and safety protocols; quasi-quarantine for perhaps up to 10 weeks within a hub city and separation from family; rules of engagement on the ice, and financial considerations including the players’ escrow obligations will be as difficult to navigate as this one that proved difficult. And these would seem to be the most pertinent issues.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” read a statement issued by the union on Friday night. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

The NHLPA held a conference call Thursday night ahead of a vote to accept or reject the NHL’s proposed return-to-play format featuring a 24- team tournament in which the clubs with the top four records in each conference would receive byes into the first round while the teams seeded fifth through 12th would meet in a best-of-five play-in series. The teams with the NHL’s seven worst records would not reconvene.

The Post has been told by several parties familiar with the call that a significant faction of players believe the format does not sufficiently reward clubs for their success before the NHL season was put on pause. These players — or proxies — spoke their piece.

The Penguins, for instance, were in third place in the Metro Division, three points behind the Flyers and four points behind the Capitals, all three with 13 games remaining. Pittsburgh was six points clear of a playoff spot. That has become all but irrelevant. Under this format, the Penguins would play a best-of-five against the Canadiens, 12th in the East and 23rd overall, for the right to advance to the first round. The Habs were 10 points out of a playoff berth when the season stopped and at a games-played disadvantage.

Still, the motion passed overwhelmingly.

Under this scenario, the 11th-seed Rangers would meet sixth-seed Carolina while the seventh-seed Islanders would face 10th-seeded Florida in the play-in round.

There is no timetable attached to a contemplated 2019-20 restart, though the consensus is that training camps likely wouldn’t open until late June or early July.

In addition to the outstanding issues that must be brokered between the league and the union, there are immigration, visa matters and travel restrictions that must be resolved by government agencies before the NHL can plot its return to the ice.

New York Post LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185102 New York Islanders

NHLPA accepts league's 24-team return-to-play proposal, with some issues still to be negotiated

By Andrew Gross

Updated May 22, 2020 11:13 PM

The NHL Players’ Association is accepting the league’s 24-team return- to-play proposal, though critical issues still need to be negotiated before the sides have a full agreement.

The NHLPA, in a statement Friday night, said its executive board had authorized further negotiations with the league. The executive board concluded two days of voting on the proposal earlier on Friday.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the NHLPA said in a statement. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

An announcement on a final form of the proposal is expected within the next few days.

Under this scenario, the NHL will resume play with 24 of its 31 teams — 12 from each conference — split into two hub cities. Both the Islanders and Rangers will be included.

The top four teams in each conference will receive a first-round bye but play a three-game round-robin to determine the final standings. The next eight teams in each conference will participate in a best-of-five series to play in for a 16-team playoff bracket. All subsequent series will be best- of-sevens.

The top 12 teams in each conference will be determined by point percentage. All 31 teams had played between 68 and 71 games when play was halted on March 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seventh-seeded Islanders will face the No. 10 Florida Panthers in the first round, with the winner facing the Eastern Conference’s second seed, currently the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 11th-seeded Rangers will face the No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes, with the winner meeting the third seed, currently the Washington Capitals.

With limited travel, it’s possible the Stanley Cup will be awarded approximately two months after play resumes.

Any formal announcement of this model is not likely to pinpoint an actual start date.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said play might resume in July or August, with the start of the 2020-21 season pushed back to December.

There are health and logistical issues that need to be resolved, even with a return-to-play model agreed upon.

The league’s players and personnel still are under a self-quarantine recommendation issued when play was halted. There still are international travel restrictions, and any player returning to North America, or even crossing the border between the United States and Canada, might be required to self-quarantine for an additional two weeks.

The players likely will need up to three weeks of a second training camp to safely be able to participate in an NHL game.

The NHL hopes to be able to reopen its practice facilities to small-group workouts by the end of this month, provided health and government officials say it’s safe.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185103 New York Rangers

Andre Veilleux is answer to this Rangers trivia question

By Mollie WalkerMay 23, 2020 | 1:09am

The Time: 1965

The Background: According to Liam Maguire of the Society for International Hockey Research, NHL players were secured by teams to one of three contracts, an A, B or C contract — or Form as they were usually called — for several decades. The most common were C contracts, which linked a player to that respective NHL team for as long as said team desired. Contracts at the time could be signed at any age — most notably, signed with the Bruins at age 14 in 1962. And with a surplus of young players still eligible, the NHL decided to move to a draft of teenagers who had yet to sign a Form contract. All Original Six teams in 1963 agreed they would select the first-overall pick on a rotating basis.

The Skinny: In 1965, it was the Rangers’ turn and they selected Veilleux. It was the third year of the teenage-version of the draft, but the minimum age was moved from 16 to 18. Therefore, the Rangers had slim pickings. The 1965 draft produced 11 picks, the lowest number of draftees ever, and only two made it to the NHL. Veilleux was not one of them.

The Others Who Came Closest: In 1966, the Rangers used the No. 2 pick to take defenseman Brad Park, who played in nine All-Star games and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. Last year, the Rangers selected Kaapo Kakko with the second-overall pick.

The Quote: “Veilleux played in what was then regarded as the strongest Jr. B program in the province of Quebec, as you would assume given the sheer population. He also had two teammates who would go on to significant renown, André “Moose” Dupont, who won two Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers and René Robert.” — Liam Maguire

The Aftermath: At the time, there wasn’t much acclaim for being selected first overall and there weren’t any signing bonuses or guarantees. Veilleux made attempts to play for a Junior A team in Kitchener, and the Trois-Rivières Reds in the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey, but he was unable to stick with either team.

The Legacy: Veilleux later turned up playing senior hockey in Verdun, a suburb in Montreal. It’s unknown how long he remained in that league, per Maguire.

New York Post LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185104 New York Rangers

NHLPA accepts league's 24-team return-to-play proposal, with some issues still to be negotiated

By Andrew Gross

Updated May 22, 2020 11:13 PM

The NHL Players’ Association is accepting the league’s 24-team return- to-play proposal, though critical issues still need to be negotiated before the sides have a full agreement.

The NHLPA, in a statement Friday night, said its executive board had authorized further negotiations with the league. The executive board concluded two days of voting on the proposal earlier on Friday.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the NHLPA said in a statement. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

An announcement on a final form of the proposal is expected within the next few days.

Under this scenario, the NHL will resume play with 24 of its 31 teams — 12 from each conference — split into two hub cities. Both the Islanders and Rangers will be included.

The top four teams in each conference will receive a first-round bye but play a three-game round-robin to determine the final standings. The next eight teams in each conference will participate in a best-of-five series to play in for a 16-team playoff bracket. All subsequent series will be best- of-sevens.

The top 12 teams in each conference will be determined by point percentage. All 31 teams had played between 68 and 71 games when play was halted on March 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seventh-seeded Islanders will face the No. 10 Florida Panthers in the first round, with the winner facing the Eastern Conference’s second seed, currently the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 11th-seeded Rangers will face the No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes, with the winner meeting the third seed, currently the Washington Capitals.

With limited travel, it’s possible the Stanley Cup will be awarded approximately two months after play resumes.

Any formal announcement of this model is not likely to pinpoint an actual start date.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said play might resume in July or August, with the start of the 2020-21 season pushed back to December.

There are health and logistical issues that need to be resolved, even with a return-to-play model agreed upon.

The league’s players and personnel still are under a self-quarantine recommendation issued when play was halted. There still are international travel restrictions, and any player returning to North America, or even crossing the border between the United States and Canada, might be required to self-quarantine for an additional two weeks.

The players likely will need up to three weeks of a second training camp to safely be able to participate in an NHL game.

The NHL hopes to be able to reopen its practice facilities to small-group workouts by the end of this month, provided health and government officials say it’s safe.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185105 New York Rangers We’ve said this before and said it often. Lundqvist handled the most difficult situation with class and dignity, even as you watched the hurt on his face, and heard it in his voice this season.

The odds of a storybook Henrik Lundqvist ending are slim, despite the The decision to, most likely, buy him out in the offseason won’t be easy stats for anybody, but will be necessary for everybody. The three-goalie situation can’t happen again and it makes no sense for the Rangers to trade Georgiev for the return he would bring at this point in his career.

By Rick Carpiniello May 22, 2020 If the Rangers were playing anybody but Carolina, this wouldn’t even be a consideration. You start the series with Shesterkin. Now, if Shesterkin

fails in his first ever postseason game, do you go to Lundqvist quickly? The circumstances have made this a thing … at the very least something Do you go Lundqvist over Georgiev? That’s another question and worth discussing. another argument that will have to be made on the fly.

And, boy, would it not be a storybook ending? Until then, you go into the tournament with your No. 1 goalie playing Game 1, with the plan to ride him. The Rangers’ No. 1 goalie, as has Picture this. Henrik Lundqvist in goal for the Rangers’ as-yet unofficial pretty much been stated by David Quinn and more quietly by the team’s best-of-five Stanley Cup play-in series against Carolina. front office, is Shesterkin.

The likeliness of this happening is slim. The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 But the numbers and the history suggest the possibility. If the Rangers were playing any other opponent if/when the NHL’s 24-team tournament becomes a reality, this would hardly be a conversation.

Given any other opponent, the Rangers would begin the playoffs (play- ins) with their No. 1 goalie in the net. When this season was paused, that was Igor Shesterkin, just as it promises to be Shesterkin for years to come.

Take it a step further, and if Shesterkin somehow doesn’t grab the reins, the Rangers’ No. 1 would be Alexandar Georgiev.

Lundqvist went into the “pause” clearly as the Rangers’ No. 3 – and a little-used No. 3 at that. He went into the pause not knowing if he would ever play another game as a Ranger, not because his game has slipped, but because there are a pair of 24-year-olds in front of him, and there’s very little chance that the Rangers will enter 2020-21 with three goalies.

Then this plan came along to restart 2019-20 with a playoff (including the play-in), which would start with the Rangers against the Hurricanes.

Well, here’s the thing about that matchup. The Rangers have won 31 of 37 meetings with Carolina since Feb. 22, 2011. During that time, Lundqvist is 24-4-0 with a 1.73 goals-against average, a .947 save percentage and one shutout.

This year, when the Rangers swept the Hurricanes, Lundqvist twice put up 40-plus save victories, including an absolute robbery when he stopped 45 of 47 in a November victory in Raleigh. He is the second NHL goalie since the 1967 expansion to have two 40-plus save wins against one opponent in the same season (and he had 39 saves in a third win against the Canes). For what it’s worth, Shesterkin beat Carolina 5-2 on Feb. 21 in Raleigh, one of the Rangers’ most important and impressive victories of the season.

Then you add the mega-caveat that Lundqvist has started a franchise- record 128 playoff games (including the last 127 in a row) and has put the team on his back for so many postseason series, especially in that run from 2012-17, while Shesterkin and Georgiev have played a combined zero playoff games, and, well, that could influence a decision. Right?

Not so fast.

The Rangers are still in the middle of their rebuild and Shesterkin and Georgiev have a lot more to gain than Lundqvist by seeing playoff (play- in?) action now. Once the tournament begins, you could argue, you go for it all and worry about the future later. That’s all fine and good.

That argument would then follow along thusly: If you’re in it to win it, you play your No. 1. For that to be Lundqvist, he would have to have a lights- out re-training camp. That means he’d have to be heads and shoulders above the two kids in camp scrimmages and practices. How likely is that?

Since Jan. 2 (or one game before Shesterkin arrived from Hartford), Lundqvist started four of the last 30 games – three lousy losses and a shutout win over Detroit. Lundqvist started one of the last 19 games, plus two relief appearances. Yes, his game slipped, partly due to inactivity, partly because he also celebrated his 38th birthday. 1185106 NHL Among the hundreds of people who replied was Liz Knox, a former member of the Canadian national women’s hockey team, who pledged to “question my own privilege, and look for areas of opportunity for inclusion as we build a better future for women’s hockey.” Akim Aliu’s Account of Racism Pushes Hockey to Search Its Soul The discussion comes as hockey is in the midst of a reckoning on its culture. The television commentator was fired in November for making xenophobic comments during “,” one By Salim Valji of the sport’s marquee showcases. Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Mike May 23, 2020, 12:30 a.m. ET Babcock was fired nine days later, ahead of accusations about hazing and abuse of his power. Five days after Babcock’s dismissal, Aliu’s accusations against Peters became public.

Akim Aliu, a former National Hockey League player, gave a harrowing In early May, the N.H.L. issued a statement denouncing “inexcusable account this week in The Players’ Tribune about his experiences with conduct” by Washington Capitals forward and the racism in the sport. Aliu’s unusually frank post — in which he challenged Florida Panthers prospect Jack Rodewald, who made misogynistic the culture of the sport and named his tormentor — intensified a debate comments in a group chat that was hacked. within the hockey community about efforts to diversify. Still, some caution against describing hockey culture as intrinsically In the article, Aliu discussed a high-profile hazing incident that took place problematic. when he was 16 and playing with the of the . Aliu, 31, said that after he refused to strip naked for a “For me, I have so many teammates and players that I’ve played with rookie hazing ritual, a teammate retaliated by attacking him with a hockey who have been so supportive of me in my career, and coaches and GMs stick in their next practice, knocking out seven of his teeth. that don’t look like me but paved the way for me to get to the National Hockey League,” P.K. Subban, the New Jersey Devils defenseman, said Aliu wrote that the player was Steve Downie, a top prospect who went on in a podcast interview on Friday. to play 434 games in the N.H.L. In the article, Aliu referred to Downie as a “racist sociopath.” Downie could not be reached for comment after “Our job is to make the game better,” added Subban, an 11-year N.H.L. multiple attempts by email and on social media to contact him through veteran who is black, “but it’s also our job to protect the people in the former teams and associates. game that have done a great job trying to help these issues go away, and I think we can’t forget to talk about those people, as well.” “He was two years older than me and a rising star, and he wielded his power over me like I was nothing — like I was subhuman,” Aliu wrote. Subban, who acknowledged that he had not yet read The Players’ Tribune article, commended Aliu’s outspokenness, but cautioned that the He added: “If you’ve heard of me, you’ve heard of the hazing incident responsibility for change should not fall on any one group’s shoulders. that took place that season. Thanks to this guy, that was the way I was introduced to the entire hockey world. I was the kid who wouldn’t go “It’s not just the responsibility of the black players or players from along with it. The kid who didn’t ‘get’ the culture.” different backgrounds in the league,” Subban said on the podcast. “It’s of everyone.” Aliu’s comments resurfaced an examination of the sport’s culture that became especially urgent in November when Aliu, who was born in In a telephone interview on Thursday, Aliu said that the coronavirus Nigeria and reared in Ukraine and Canada, accused Coach , pandemic had given him an opportunity to reflect on his journey through who is white, of referring to him with a racial slur when the two were with life and hockey. He said he had reached out to The Players’ Tribune the ’s Rockford IceHogs during the 2009-10 three weeks earlier about describing his experience. season. Peters, who by 2019 was coaching the Calgary Flames, “Because it’s told in my words, I wanted to get my full point across,” he resigned shortly after the accusations but has since been hired to coach said. “I wanted to make it as raw as possible. I wanted to make it as a team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. truthful and as meaningful as possible. The N.H.L. began an investigation into that accusation and said in a “We’re going to need those star players to come out and back up the statement that “the behavior that has been alleged is repugnant and conversation. I definitely think hockey has a long way to go. This whole unacceptable.” The result of the investigation has not been made public, situation is proof of that, that a lot of players still feel silenced. Meaningful and a league spokesman declined to comment on Aliu’s article, referring change is not going to start until players start coming out and voicing to the N.H.L.’s initial response. their support.” But Aliu’s latest comments have ignited strong responses from the rest of New York Times LOADED: 05.23.2020 the hockey community, as players, fans, and other stakeholders reckon with an issue they say cannot be resolved from the top down. Aliu also discussed more recent racial incidents, including an April videoconference chat with fans in which the Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller was subjected to repeated racist slurs from a hacker. Aliu’s article, titled “Hockey Is Not For Everyone,” a reference to the N.H.L.’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” diversity campaign, pointed to advancements the league has made but also noted that racism is a pervasive problem beyond the professional level.

“There was a lot of discussion, of course, around the league about how to move forward from such an incident. To be fair, I think the league has made positive steps regarding what happened,” he wrote. “The N.H.L., though, is not hockey. It’s a hockey league, but hockey is its own thing.”

Since his article was published, N.H.L. players have expressed support for Aliu on social media. “We must all do better and help bring change,” Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner wrote in a Twitter post.

“Thank you @Dreamer_Aliu78 for sharing these truly disturbing accounts of racism and ignorance,” Anaheim Ducks goalie Ryan Miller said in another post. “I hope that we can all listen and be active participants in the change that is needed.”

Black Girl Hockey Club, a group that advocates a safe environment for women of color and their allies at hockey games, used Twitter to ask nonblack players and members of the news media how they planned on making hockey a more welcoming environment. 1185107 Ottawa Senators

D.J. Smith studying the top 10 to find ways to improve

Bruce Garrioch

Published:May 22, 2020

Updated:May 22, 2020 5:10 PM EDT

"We're looking at the top 10 teams in the league and what they do with special teams and what systems they play."

D.J. Smith and his coaching staff are searching for answers.

If you want to be one of the best, you’ve got to learn from those at the top of the league, and with the NHL season paused because of the novel coronavirus the Ottawa Senators are studying ways they can improve when they do return to the ice.

Smith, assistants Jack Capuano, Davis Payne, Bob Jones, goalie coach Pierre Groulx and video coaches Mike King and Evan Matthias, have been meeting weekly to break down the way the top 10 teams in the league do things to help Ottawa get better.

“I’ve been breaking down the best teams in the league and then I present to our coaches, and they’ve been doing the same thing with special teams and other areas,” Smith said Thursday. “We’re looking at the top 10 teams in the league and what they do with special teams and what systems they play. We’re also doing the analytics to go with it to see what we can improve on and what we might change.

“You have to explain to the players why you’re doing it. For example, the St. Louis Blues put the puck in every time and they play above it, and the analytics show it worked because they won the Stanley Cup. If I’m going to get our players to buy into something I have to have proof that it works before they go wholeheartedly into it. Before I change anything, I want to make sure it works.

“Ultimately, systems are systems and I want to have the best one that suits our team. As long as we work hard and keep working as hard as we do, eventually we’ll start to win more games.”

Smith said the club has to clean up its act defensively and improve on special teams.

“We really gave up a lot of goals in the second half,” said Smith. “Is it with the injuries to the back end? We were No. 12 or No. 13 in goals against until all those defencemen got hurt at once. Ultimately, we’ve got to stay healthy and, secondly, our special teams have to be better.

“If you can get into the top 15 in the league, and I’m not saying we can do that right away, but your chances of making the playoffs are significantly higher. We’re in the bottom in both of them.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185108 Ottawa Senators Batherson, Alex Formenton, Vitaly Abramov and Erik Brannstrom are among those poised to make the team.

Smith spoke with Norris, Batherson and Formenton Wednesday to GARRIOCH: Ottawa Senators' coach D.J. Smith keeping himself busy congratulate them on their honours from the American Hockey League during NHL pause as all-stars with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.

“It’s going to be up to Pierre to see who he signs via free agency and that will obviously be a big deciding factor on who makes the team and how Bruce Garrioch many spots are available,” Smith said. “There’s some guys that have certainly pushed. All three of those guys in Belleville who were honoured Published:May 22, 2020 are knocking on the door. Updated:May 22, 2020 5:12 PM EDT “You’ve got to prove it in the NHL but that’s what the AHL is about, to go down there and get to the point where you’re too good for the league and you have to be in the NHL. We hope that we can get that many (four or Even if you spend just a few minutes with D.J. Smith you’ll quickly realize five) guys, but it’s a hard league.” he’s the kind of guy who has a difficult time sitting still. Like everybody else, he’s excited about the prospects in this draft with Having spent a day with the Ottawa Senators’ coach last summer at his the club holding three picks in the first round — including two that could home near Windsor and then at the nearby Beach Grove Golf Club a few be in the top five depending on the outcome of the lottery. Alexis months after he was named to the post on May 23, 2019, it’s obvious Lafreniere of Rimouski, Quinton Byfield of Sudbury and German forward Smith likes to move around, he likes to have fun, he has a tough time Tim Stuetzle are all highly regarded and have the possibility of being waiting for anything to happen and slow play on the course is the bane of franchise players. his existence. “They say this is the deepest draft in a long time and, in saying that, That’s why it’s fairly easy to understand how difficult this NHL pause that there’s some really good players there,” said Smith, who was with the started March 12 has been on the 43-year-old Smith. He is marking his Maple Leafs when they won the Auston Matthews’ sweepstakes. “No. 1 one-year anniversary of being named the club’s head coach by general through No. 10 there’s some really good players but certainly in that top manager Saturday. group everyone talks about, if you can get your hands on one or two of those guys, they’re organization changers.” “I can only do so much to keep myself busy,” Smith said with a smile in a video interview with this newspaper Thursday from his Windsor-area He also has a few things on his plate at home that need attention. home. Smith and his wife Christie Bezaire became partners in the All Level It’s almost certain now the Senators won’t play again this season. If the CrossFit gym at their home near Windsor in the last couple of months. league does return from its pause because of the novel coronavirus — The business was struggling because of COVID-19 so they lent financial and that still remains a big if —the NHL will come back with 24 teams in support because they wanted to do their part to help the business get a modified playoff format. The executive committee of the NHL Players’ through this difficult period and they’re both big believers in this form of Association was conducting a vote Friday on the Return to Play format training. and that was expected to pass. When we talked to him Thursday, Smith and Bezaire were delivering t- Though no dates are set in stone, there’s been speculation the league shirts to their members who have been doing classes online since the would like to move to Phase 2 by opening rinks to small groups around business was forced to close during this period. June 15. Training camps for the remaining 24 teams would get under way some time around July 1 and then the league would begin play “I’m a Windsor guy and we wanted to do our part in the community,” said sometime close to July 15 with 12 teams in two hubs. Smith, who was planning to spend part of Friday playing golf with San Jose Sharks’ coach Bob Boughner and longtime friend Warren Rychel. Dates are tentative because nobody knows where this will go. Until the Senators return to work full-time, Smith is trying to keep himself Once the decision on how to move ahead passes, Dorion and Smith can busy and that’s just the way he likes . officially start preparing for next season and will hold exit meetings for this group by video. When we spoke Thursday afternoon, nothing Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.23.2020 confirmed, but the 30th place Senators aren’t going to be in the mix when the final decision is made on how this summer will play out if the league does hold the playoffs in July, August and September.

“We’ll see what happens. If they say we’re coming back then certainly we’re going to come back and if they say we’re not coming back then, yes, we’ll have exit meetings,” Smith said. “We’ll put into place what we expect from these guys next season. That’s the biggest thing, if you don’t work hard in the summer, you can usually come out of the chute in September but you usually you run out of gas in November.

“We’ve got to be one of the best-conditioned teams in hockey. To play the way that I want them to play —which is fast, hard, physical, rough, you’re going to have to be in exceptional shape. If you’re not, it’s going to be really hard to do that. That’s the biggest thing for these guys is to do that. Whether I’ve got to go around to check on the guys to make sure everything is going good.

“There’s no excuses, we have to be one of the fittest teams in the NHL.”

There are roster decisions to be made by Dorion this summer. He said during the season he’d like to bring back unrestricted free agent defenceman Mark Borowiecki and would hold talks with veteran blueliner Ron Hainsey. Restricted free agents Connor Brown and Chris Tierney also have to be dealt with, but it’s possible the latter could be moved to make room at centre because his play has slipped.

There’s no question there will be changes and Smith will have his input when those decisions are made. The expectation is that four or five players from Belleville are going to push for jobs whenever training camp is held later this year. You have to think guys like Josh Norris, 1185109 Philadelphia Flyers Winnipeg (9) vs. Calgary (8); Chicago (12) vs. Edmonton (5); Minnesota (10) vs. Vancouver (7); Arizona (11) vs. Nashville (6).

Sixteen teams (eight in each conference) would compete for the Cup, the Players’ association board approves NHL’s return-to-play format; more same amount as in a typical season. talks still to come Assuming the season restarts, all games are expected to be played at two sites, and fans likely will not be allowed to attend. Las Vegas is a frontrunner for one of the sites. by Sam Carchidi, During the season’s pause, which has lasted more than 10 weeks, Claude Giroux, Ivan Provorov, and Robert Hagg are believed to be the only Flyers who have skated. The NHL Players’ Association’s executive board, composed of a player representative from each of the 31 teams, approved a 24-team return-to- On Thursday, Giroux skated in Ottawa for the first time during the break. play format, but said “several details need to be negotiated” with the The rink, however, was closed Friday at the request of authorities NHL. because of the pandemic, TSN in Canada said.

The vote, reportedly, was 29-2. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.23.2020 More steps will be needed, but the league could soon have players return to small-group skates at their training sites. For the Flyers, that would take place at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.

The league and players’ union still must iron out details such as health and safety issues and whether teams will be reseeded after a proposed play-in round.

Earlier this week, Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, said if one or two players from a team tested positive for the coronavirus, it “wouldn’t necessarily require a team quarantine.”

Daly said he based that on advice the league and the players’ association had separately received from medical experts.

“First and foremost is the health and safety of everyone,” left winger James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers’ player representative, said on Wednesday.

The season was suspended March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk watches the puck stopped by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Feb. 1.

Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk watches the puck stopped by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Feb. 1.

The NHL has said a three-week training session would follow before the season could restart, probably in early July.

Under the 24-team plan, the top four teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences would play each other for seeding purposes – and for keeping the players sharp. The Flyers have the fourth-best points percentage in the Eastern Conference, and they would be guaranteed a playoff spot.

Here are the four top teams in the East: Boston (.714 points percentage), Tampa Bay (.657), Washington (.652), and the Flyers (.645).

The NHL has floated the idea of having the two top teams in each division face each other to decide seedings. If that happened, the Flyers would meet Washington.

But if it uses the more traditional 1-vs.-4 and 2-vs-3 setup, the Flyers would meet Boston for seeding purposes only. It is also possible that a round-robin format will be used with the top four teams in each conference.

In addition to the eight top teams (four in each conference), the other 16 teams would reportedly compete in best-of-five series to determine which eight teams advance into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The proposed play-in matchups based on points percentage:

EAST

Columbus (9) vs. Toronto (8); Montreal (12) vs. Pittsburgh (5); Florida (10) vs. Islanders (7); Rangers (11) vs. Carolina (6).

In that scenario, if the Flyers’ No. 4 seeding didn’t change after they played preliminary games, they would face the Montreal-Pittsburgh winner, while the Capitals (assuming they stayed at No. 3) would meet the Carolina-Rangers winner.

WEST 1185110 Philadelphia Flyers three Stanley Cups painted on it -- the combined total they won as NHL players -- and a slogan on its side: Play Hard or Go Home.

“A lot of times these northern communities can’t afford to send all their Reggie Leach, a one-time Flyers star and a recovering alcoholic, is kids, so we bring the schools to them,” Reggie Leach said. “It’s more making a difference in kids’ lives than hockey. We do a lot of teaching there, a lot of life choices. I have some kids who have been in the program for six, seven, eight years, and some of them call me Grandpa Reg.” by Sam Carchidi, Bob Clarke is centered between Reggie Leach (right) and his son, Jamie Leach. Clarke and Reggie Leach were teammates and stars with the Flin

Flon Bombers junior team and the Flyers. Former Flyers right winger Reggie Leach, known as The Rifle because of PROVIDED BY LEACH FAMILY. his blazing shot, was an All-Star, a 1975 Stanley Cup champion, and an alcoholic during his playing days. Bob Clarke is centered between Reggie Leach (right) and his son, Jamie Leach. Clarke and Reggie Leach were teammates and stars with the Flin Now 70, Leach has been sober for 35 years and is teaching hockey skills Flon Bombers junior team and the Flyers. – and life lessons -- to youngsters all over North America when the coronavirus pandemic permits. Leach and his son, Jamie, a former NHL Leach and the staff preach about slap shots, teamwork, and the player, and a 15-member staff instruct players mostly in Canada and a intricacies of hockey, along with the downfalls of drugs and alcohol. handful of states. “We tell them how important it is to work hard, pay attention, do the drills The elder Leach also is a motivational speaker, talking primarily to right and, most important, be a kind person,” Leach said. “We tell them, Indigenous youngster about his missteps. ‘Don’t take shortcuts.’ ”

Teaching and trying to keep kids away from the grasp of alcohol and Leach and his son stress that not everyone makes it to the NHL, and that drugs, Reggie Leach said recently, is more rewarding to him than “in today’s world, you need an education to advance,” the former Flyer anything he did in a superb NHL career, which was highlighted by a said. remarkable 80 goals -- a league-leading 61 in the regular season and an NHL-record 19 in the 1975-76 playoffs. Early habit

“I tell them about the mistakes I made and I think it’s important for me to Boozing, Leach said, was a habit he started when he was 12 years old. It get that message across to young kids so they understand that part of it,” carried into his playing career. Leach said last month from his home on Manitoulin Island in northern Leach, the only forward in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy Ontario. “Most of the kids I talk to don’t know who I am, but their as the best playoff performer on a losing team, finished with 381 goals in grandfathers do, and when the kids go on the Internet to find out about a 13-year career that, he feels, may have put him in the Hall of Fame if it me, they find out I was pretty decent.” wasn’t cut short because of his drinking. That helps the young players stay engaged to the messages he delivers. He wasn’t complaining. Fact is, Reginald Joseph Leach is at peace with “I’m proud when the kids check out what I did in hockey and what I do himself and his transformation since his playing days ended. with my life today,” Leach said in a low, matter-of-fact tone. The Flyers' Bobby Clarke, left, hugs teammate Reggie Leach seconds Back when he played with the Flyers, it wasn’t unusual for Leach and after Leach scored the winning overtime goal against the Boston Bruins some of his teammates to bar-hop in the cities they played. Vancouver in the 1976 playoffs. was one of their favorite stops, said Joe Watson, a steady defenseman AP on those teams. The Flyers' Bobby Clarke, left, hugs teammate Reggie Leach seconds “We’d go to the Ritz Hotel there,” Watson recalled on Thursday. “There’d after Leach scored the winning overtime goal against the Boston Bruins be six or seven of us and Reggie would arm-wrestle these loggers and in the 1976 playoffs. miners who would come in from work. He’d arm-wrestle for a whole table of beer, and each table would have 20 or 30 beers on it. We’d be there “I’ve been rewarded for a lot of the work I’ve done with kids. I’m actually for maybe five, six hours, and by the time we’d leave, we had five full more proud of what I do today than what I did in my hockey career,” he tables of beer. That’s how good he was at arm-wrestling, so it was nice to said. “That’s my joy in life, helping young kids along the way…. It’s why I go to a bar with Reggie because he’d put these guys down." still go into these arenas and skate with these kids.”

The beers went down, too. Last June, Leach , who left school after eighth grade, was awarded an honorary degree from Brock University. Later in the year, he was given Watson, who has sold advertising for the Flyers’ arenas for the last 35 the Order of Canada -- the nation’s highest civilian honor -- for his work years, paused. with children. “With what Reggie has accomplished and how he’s come a long, long “Seeing the kids’ smiling faces all the time,” Leach said, is what keeps way from where he was, it’s a credit to him, and he’s married to a new him feeling young. “We know a lot of kids are having a tough time, but at lady and she seems really good for him," he said. “He does a lot of work the rink it’s a different situation. We have to pay attention to our kids. for the underprivileged kids in Canada and when he speaks, they listen Don’t ignore the kids.” because he’s been there before. Theses kids have their eyes and ears wide open when they listen to his story.” Leach said he tried to quit drinking several times. It would last for a few months, but the habit would return. It wasn’t until he went to a rehab that Leach and his son, Jamie, who played five NHL seasons and won two he stopped permanently. Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, have run the Shoot to Score summer hockey camps together for the last 15 years, spreading their “We all go through some ups and downs and he was able to pull together lessons to over 100 communities. with some help,” said Bob Kelly, one of Leach’s former Flyers teammates. “He’s really done a great job, and his name is huge all “Jamie does it full time all year round,” Leach said. “We teach in First across Canada. He’s just a very humble, quiet person. A great Nation communities and mixed communities. I think it’s important with teammate.” these hockey schools that everybody is included and not just First Nation kids. We have to learn to work together in the world to be successful.” Watson, who said Leach’s shot was so hard he would break teammates’ shin pads with his blasts in practice, agreed. Enriched his life ‘Trials and tribulations’ Leach, the first Indigenous superstar in NHL history, calls it a “traveling hockey school” and says it has enriched his life and kept him close with “You go through trials and tribulations in life; we all go through them,” his 50-year-old son, who grew up in Cherry Hill when Reggie played for Watson said. the Flyers. They pull into their venue in a black pickup truck that has “I always considered Reggie a person of goodness and it was only a matter of time before he got past his demons and proved it to the world,” said , another former Flyers teammate.

While with the Flyers in 1976, Leach had too much to drink one night – earlier that day, he stormed out of practice after an argument with an assistant coach -- and then scored five goals in the next night’s playoff game against Boston.

That happened after captain Bobby Clarke, Leach’s best friend since their days as junior teammates with the , pleaded to coach Fred Shero that the team needed The Rifle in the lineup.

“They couldn’t find Reggie, and I guess Clarkie had an idea where he was and he went to Freddy," Watson said. "Thank God he did, and I think Freddy talked with the assistant coaches and they decided it would be better to play him.”

“Everybody knows Freddy was a weird duck,” Leach said of the eccentric man who was a coaching genius, an innovator who used some unusual teaching methods to lead the Flyers to Stanley Cup titles in 1974 and 1975. “He’d always say, ‘Not everybody is created equal, it doesn’t matter what.’ I was the second guy in NHL history to score 80 goals (in a season) and I had to practice every day. Never had a day off. I was his whipping boy all the time.”

Shero, it should be pointed out, got more out of Leach than those who coached him with Boston, Detroit, or the old California Golden Seals. Much more.

All these years later, Leach is still paying it forward to the youngsters he instructs.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185111 Philadelphia Flyers which is unlimited. The inconceivable is conceived, and then it is accomplished.”

It is no coincidence that the ancient Greeks created the Olympics to In the age of coronavirus, we’re finding out just how much sports matters honor the god Zeus and the Heraean Games to honor the goddess Hera, | Mike Sielski and it is no coincidence that sports has retained so prominent and significant a place in our society, even during a pandemic, while church attendance has declined over the last two decades. by Mike Sielski We have learned more about the world and how things work in it, how beings survive and thrive in it, and those answers appear to be right in

front of us at all times. The mystery of the past is gone. Did Babe Ruth More than 93,000 people in the United States, according to the Centers really call his shot? No one really knows, because no one was close for Disease Control, have died from the coronavirus, and still we want enough to know, so the story remains rooted in myth. Now, how did sports to return. LeBron James block that shot? Ah, well, here’s how fast he was running, how high he jumped, and how much ground he covered, down to the In April, 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs, a record for a single mile-per-hour and the millimeter. month, and the unemployment rate keeps rocketing higher and higher, and still we want sports to return. “These athletes, most people adore them,” said Karin Volkwein-Caplan, a professor of kinesiology at West Chester University. “There is the need We wear our masks. We take our walks. We socially distance. We home- for humans to look for something perfect, and here they’re seeing it with school our kids. We forget which day it is because they all feel the same. their real eyes and experiences and reality. They can even touch them. We worry when our loved ones cough. And still we want sports to return. They can even feel close to them, get signatures from them. So it’s a real experience rather than ‘God is on your side, and he’s helping and guiding This might sound surprising. This is not surprising. you through these difficult times.’ It’s something tangible.” Spit tests for players? Hell, yes. The NBA and The gods and their gifts aren’t invisible anymore. They’re there for all of MLS playing games at Walt Disney World? We’d sit through “It’s a Small us to see, on TV, on the court a few feet away. They talk. They tweet. World” a thousand times if it meant we could see Joel Embiid shimmy or And when they’re not there, we miss them. Kawhi Leonard load-manage or Stephen Curry flush another three. No one BIRGs like Philly Twenty four teams in the NHL playoffs? Just tell us one thing: Do the Flyers still have a shot at the Stanley Cup? That brings us to the other word: connection. Sports gives kids a chance to spend time with their friends and peers. It gives a little girl a chance to Give us golf. Give us NASCAR. Give us shuffleboard. Give us a 10-hour, see that there have been and are other little girls who are like her, who five-week documentary/hagiography about a man who hasn’t played an wanted to play point guard or be a midfielder or wrestle. NBA game in 17 years. Just give us something. It gives strangers something to talk about at happy hours and big This might sound inappropriate, as if our priorities are misplaced. This is barbecues. It gives a headstrong son something to talk about with his not inappropriate. This is not a sign that we have not taken the pandemic headstrong father when they can’t talk about anything else. It provides seriously enough. This is natural. This is expected. This is the importance people with a sense of identity, of community, of self-worth and that sports has, the role that sports plays, in our culture. happiness. This is why: There is a term, used by academics, called “BIRGing”: Basking in Perfection and connection Reflected Glory. Sports is the ideal setting for it. These days, that tribal pull is stronger than just about any other affiliation. If you want to get to the heart of why sports matter so much to us, why we’re in such a hurry to have them resume, you have to consider the The two major political parties are weaker than they’ve ever been. The implications and power of two seemingly unrelated words. number of people who describe themselves as Christian, according to Pew Research, has dropped by 12% over the last decade, and the The first of those words is perfection, and if, upon reading that word, your number of atheists, agnostics, and people who identify with “nothing in mind immediately went to Don Larsen in 1956, Roy Halladay in 2010, particular” rose by 9%. Julius Erving in flight, or Gritty tattooed on your derriere, you’re not far off. The allure of sports, at least in part, is born of the natural human Sports identity and allegiance last forever, though. Couldn’t Nick Foles desire for transcendence, to achieve or bear witness to or be associated still get elected mayor of Philadelphia if he threw his hat in the ring this with something bigger, deeper, and more meaningful than whatever fall? How many lapsed Catholics were devoted members of the Cult of happens to occupy the rest of our time. Sam Hinkie? What is being a sports fan if it’s not seizing the opportunity to view yourself through the prism of the teams or athletes or figures to We experience a runner’s high 30 minutes and 1 second into our early- which you’ve aligned yourself? To celebrate their victories? To mourn morning jog. We see Bryce Harper barrel-up a 99-mph fastball and blast their failures? it into the upper deck of Citizens Bank Park and try to imagine it: the sensation of ball giving against bat, the crowd’s jet-engine sound in our “When our teams are successful, we associate ourselves with those ears, the knowledge that one man, The Hitter, faced another man, The teams and impart some of that success on us,” said Jeremy Jordan, an Pitcher, in the arena and there was a clear and decisive victor. associate professor in Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management. “Do you win? Do you lose?” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “There’s a competitive side in all of us, and you might not get that in your normal “When they’re not, we try to distance ourselves. Very simply, after the source of employment.” Eagles won the Super Bowl, how much Eagles gear did you see when you were walking around the streets of Philadelphia?” We see Michael Jordan lift off from the foul line, shift the basketball from his right hand to his left hand in midair, spin it off the backboard and Philadelphians BIRG like no one else, but the phenomenon doesn’t through the hoop like he’s flipping a coin, and wonder why no one else happen only here. When Brown was a senior guard at South Portland can play with the same combination of anger and artistry. It is captivating High School in Maine, the team went 29-0 and won the state because it is physical. championship.

We see Ryan Newman walk away from a terrifying crash at Daytona and “And I come back in a bus at 17 years old through the city,” he said, “and get behind the wheel again less than three months later, or we see Kerri everybody’s out on the lawn with cowbells and streamers. They still talk Strug nail a vault at the 1996 Summer Olympics on one healthy leg, with about us in that little community in Maine like we were the Chicago a gold medal on the line, and we wonder how the hell they can do it. It is Bulls.” captivating because it is brave. Now it’s gone, all of it, and there’s a void, and we’re eager for it to be “That is why athletics are important,” the novelist and sportswriter Brian filled. The trick is weighing the risks and costs. Glanville once wrote. “They demonstrate the scope of human possibility, “It's a difficult conundrum with no totally satisfying answers,” said David Maraniss, the author of bestselling books on Vince Lombardi, Roberto Clemente, and the 1960 Rome Olympics.

“Sports, especially spectator sports, are the rare events that consistently bring vast numbers of people together who have little else in common. They might be of any race, any ideology, any economic strata, but they root for the same team – whether it’s the Eagles or Packers or Yankees or Dodgers or Alabama or Ohio State.

“It’s such a vital part of life for many millions of people around the world, bringing joy and communal bonding that seem more needed than ever. But one thing any good coach will tell you is that to create a successful and thriving team you have to build on a solid foundation, smartly analyze the situation, and sacrifice short-term thrills for long-term satisfaction and results.”

» ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

In weighing those factors, there’s a distinction worth making. Anecdotally, the public might be shifting its preference toward resuming as much of normal life is possible, now that the necessary period of quarantine, under the promise of flattening the virus’ curve, has lasted two months.

But there’s a difference between wanting to watch a sporting event from the safety and comfort of a living room or man cave and being willing to buy a ticket to one. A May 12 poll by the data-collection firm FiveThirtyEight showed that 58% of Americans were “not at all likely” to attend a sporting event in person, even if government restrictions were lifted.

And even if the games – Major League Baseball’s regular season, the NBA and NHL playoffs – do begin again later this summer, the experience of going to one won’t be the same. The interactions, the gestures, all the aspects that make attending a sporting event a communal experience – will we carry them out? Will we be allowed to?

“At a normal game, there are people high-fiving, hugging, people who haven’t even met before,” Jordan said. “Now we’re going to ask you to sit by yourself and air-five the person sitting six feet away from you.”

When the time is right, it will feel like a small request. People will welcome it. No one should be surprised when they do.

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NHLPA agrees on principle of 24-team return to play format for 2019-20 NHL season

By Jordan Hall May 22, 2020 10:40 PM

The more the merrier, right? It appears a return to hockey is getting closer.

The NHLPA announced Friday night that it has agreed on the principle of a 24-team format in hopes of resuming the NHL season and eventually awarding the Stanley Cup.

As for the exact specifics of how the 24-team format will be held, there has been no announcement from the league. Those details could be ironed out over the weekend and into next week.

Here is the statement Friday night from the NHLPA:

The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.

On March 12, the NHL was forced to suspend the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus outbreak. As the hiatus prolonged, it became inevitable that the league would have to forgo the remainder of the regular season. A 24-team tournament makes the decision easier, alleviating the controversy of clubs that were on the playoff bubble with double-digit games left on their regular-season slate when the pause occurred.

There are still many steps to go, though, in regards to finalizing the format, according to multiple reports.

Two interesting notes on NHLPA's approval of the 24-team format if 2019-20 season is restarted, via source:

- NHL wants bracketed tournament. Many in NHLPA favor reseeding teams. A point of further negotiation.

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Nate Thompson on Flyers: 'For years to come, they're going to be very, very good'

By Jordan Hall May 21, 2020 11:30 PM

Before arriving to the Flyers at the Feb. 24 trade deadline, Nate Thompson had played for seven teams over 13 years in the NHL.

Some pretty good teams, too. Thompson made the 2011 Eastern Conference Final with the Lightning, who had Martin St. Louis and . He went to the 2017 Western Conference Final with the Ducks and played 36 postseason games through three seasons for Anaheim. Overall, he has 62 playoff appearances on his résumé.

With the Flyers, Thompson played seven games before the NHL was forced to suspend the season because of the coronavirus outbreak. He joined the club when it was on a three-game winning streak and helped it stretch the run to nine straight victories before the Flyers lost to the Bruins in their final matchup ahead of the pause.

A 35-year-old veteran like Thompson made a seamless transition into the Flyers' locker room. It also took him only seven games to see that the Flyers were a contender starting to awake.

And not just built for this season.

"It's definitely an organization, not just this year, but I think for years to come, they're going to be very, very good," Thompson said as a guest on Sportsnet's latest 31 Thoughts: The Podcast with and Elliotte Friedman published Wednesday. "They're definitely going to have a chance. It was a lot of fun, especially at this point in my career, to be a part of something like that. Unfortunately with what happened, we got paused, but hopefully we can get back to that, get back to playing and have a chance to win this year."

There's a good chance 2019-20 will be Thompson's only season in Philadelphia as he's set to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, so this shot means a lot for him. He knows if Flyers fans are feeling frustrated with the current run being put in jeopardy, they should at least take solace in the fact that the team looks pretty well constructed for the immediate future.

The club's defense is young, deepening and will have at least one more year of Matt Niskanen. The group of forwards has vets still experiencing some of their best years, Travis Konecny blossoming into an All-Star and prospects like Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost getting their feet wet. That's not to mention Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom being out and still in the picture, of course, moving forward. And the Flyers have their 21-year-old franchise goalie just getting started.

"When you have a guy like Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier, these guys, they lead by example on and off the ice," Thompson said. "You can see their habits, you see the way Couturier plays, everyone kind of just follows his lead. And then you have some good young players and a goalie like Carter Hart, who I think the sky's the limit for him, kid's a stud."

Couple that with head coach Alain Vigneault, who has gone twice to the Stanley Cup Final, and Thompson believes there should be excitement in Philadelphia.

"Everyone always asked me when I got there, 'Oh, how's Philly?' I'm like, 'Well, it's great, we've won nine in a row, it's hard not to love it here,'" Thompson said. "It was a lot of fun to be a part of, they have a great group of guys in the locker room. I know you can say that for a lot of teams, but you can really tell how much the guys care and how much fun they have — and you can see it. When I got there, I think they won three, four in a row and almost didn't feel like they won that many in a row. It was kind of just come to the rink the next day, reset, have fun, work hard, go about your business and on to the next game and expect to win it."

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It sure sounds like Penguins were wary of Carey Price in a 3-game series, but can you blame them?

By Jordan Hall May 22, 2020 4:10 PM

Updated: 11 p.m.

Carey Price has become a big topic of discussion with this potential 24- team playoff setup as the NHL looks for the best way to finish the 2019- 20 season.

So much so that the fear of the Canadiens' goalie apparently curtailed the idea of the play-in round being held as best-of-three series.

Montreal is projected to be a lower seed and would not make the postseason if the league used its regular 16-team format. Price, a six- time All-Star and 2014-15 Vezina Trophy winner, makes the 31-31-9 Canadiens a scary opening matchup, particularly in a short series because he has the capability of stealing a few games simply by himself.

That would end a team's season in a best-of-three fashion.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Friday on 590 The FAN's Lead Off with Mike Zigomanis and Scott MacArthur that the NHLPA pushed back on the best-of-three play-in idea. Now, the play-in round for the 24-team tournament looks to have a best-of-five format.

The reasoning has a Penguins twist. In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh is the No. 5 seed, slotted to face the 12th-seeded Canadiens.

Let's make no mistake about it, one of the reasons, the league initially suggested this play-in round be two out of three and the players said no way," Friedman said. "They felt it was not acceptable enough for the teams that had a better regular season, and Pittsburgh looked at its matchup and it said, ‘You know, two out of three against Carey Price is not fair for a team that had zero percentage points to play in the playoffs.’

"I saw some debate online. That's what social media is for — to rage at each other. People are saying, 'Carey Price sucks, his numbers are terrible, people are stupid for thinking about that.' Man, if the players feel that way, the players feel that way. He's the guy they've got to shoot against and they clearly believe that he is a difference-maker.

Very interesting.

This season, the 32-year-old Price is 27-25-6 with a 2.79 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. However, he has been regarded as one of the league's best goalies over the last decade, a guy that has often carried the Canadiens. In three meetings with the Penguins this season, Price went 1-1-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Overall, it sounds like most were not too fond about the possibility of a contending team being ousted for only two bad games against what was originally a non-playoff club.

That's a valid point.

Were the Penguins — the three-time Stanley Cup champs since 2009 — leading that charge, though, just because Price was on the other side of their matchup?

It makes you think. It's also hard to blame them for whistling that scenario.

The Flyers can at least smile knowing if they see Mr. Price, they'll get seven tries to beat him four times.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185115 Pittsburgh Penguins Assuming all willing players are able to enter either the United States or Canada, it would become a matter of the local or state/provincial jurisdictions allowing gatherings large enough for a three-week training camp, which the NHLPA has requested. NHL, NHLPA take small step toward return to games Finding a way to do that in a fair, universal fashion will be a considerable undertaking. For example, rules might be relaxed earlier in Cranberry, where the Penguins’ workout facility is located, compared to Vorhees SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, May 22, 2020 10:58 p.m. Township, N.J., site of the Philadelphia Flyers’ facility.

Another matter which still needs to be settled is where games will be Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, staged. The NHL has been considering eight or nine “hub” cities to stage Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. a tournament. Regions with relatively low infection rates as well as ample lodging options would be highly considered. So a locale such as Las The NHL and NHLPA took a small step toward concluding the 2019-20 Vegas would clearly be considered while the New York metro area, even season, which has been on hold since March 12 due to the ongoing with four NHL-caliber rinks, won’t see live hockey anytime soon given coronavirus pandemic. how the coronavirus has ravaged that populace.

On Friday, the NHLPA agreed to further negotiations with the NHL on a Columbus, Ohio is seen as a potential location to stage games. Ohio has plan which will allow 24 teams into a playoff. a fairly low infection rate at 263 confirmed infections per 100,000 residents as of Thursday according to The New York Times. Additionally, The NHLPA issued a statement on Friday: downtown Columbus has several high-end hotels – a virtual requirement “The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ for professional sports teams – in the immediate vicinity of Nationwide Association has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24- Arena, which also has a practice rink on the premises. team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley All of that means a potential marquee series between Sidney Crosby’s Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the Penguins and Price’s Montreal Canadiens could be played out in front of format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all a mostly empty building — team staffers and arena employees will be issues relevant to resuming play.” allowed on site — three hours to the west of downtown Pittsburgh. Unless further negotiations lead to changes, the format is expected to If play resumes, a major issue will be regular testing for players. In the see the top four teams in each conference (based on points percentages event of a positive test, will that mean a quarantine for teammates or at the time of the NHL halted its regular season) to get a bye into the first opponents of that individual player, coach or staffer who is infected? round. Those four teams would play a mini-tournament to determine seedings. Beyond that, what kind of rules will be in place with regards to person-to- person contact? Major League Baseball, a sport league where contact is The following eight teams in each conference would stage a “play-in” somewhat minimal, has purposed several rules which would outlaw round and be seeded based on their point percentages within their seemingly mundane activities such as fist bumps or spitting. respective conferences at the time of the NHL’s hiatus. Hockey, with hugs to celebrate goals, scrums, fights, goalmouth Under this format, the fifth-seeded Penguins would face the No. 12 scrambles and disgusting facewashes, involves substantially more Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-five series. contact, to put it mildly. One of the formats under consideration called for the play-in round to be The NHL and NHLPA took the first step towards getting back on the ice a best-of-three series. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Friday. Now, they need to walk a few more miles to make that a reality. NHLPA members expressed concern that potentially facing All-Star goaltender Carey Price in only three games would be unfair to any team Tribune Review LOADED: 05.23.2020 that would have drawn the Canadiens.

Friedman reported Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who serves as the team’s represenative to the players’ association, voted in favor of the best-of-five format which has them potentially facing the Canadiens.

“At the end of the day, the playoffs are a different beast,” Letang said. “No matter (who) you play, it’s going to be hard. (If it wasn’t Montreal), it was going to be Washington, or Philadelphia, or a challenge like that.”

Before the hiatus, the Canadiens were well out of the playoff picture. In advance of February’s trade deadline, they operated as sellers and dealt away All-Star forward Ilya Kovalchuk for a draft pick.

Under this agreement, they will get a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, starting with the Penguins, who were 2-1-0 against the Canadiens this season.

Even with this vote, a potential return to action is still weeks, if not months, away from happening.

There are several factors well out of the NHL’s or NHLPA’s control, mostly tied to governments at the local, state, provincial and national levels within the United States and Canada.

Most prominent is the closure of the border between the United States and Canada to “nonessential” travel until at least June 21. That designation includes “tourism, recreation and entertainment.” On Tuesday, NHL commissioner Bill Daly told TSN’s Frank Seravalli he was “hopeful” that closure would not impact the league’s return to play.

A handful of the Penguins’ Canadian-native players who went to homes north of the border, including goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray.

European players who returned to their residences on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean would presumably need to deal with a 14-day self- quarantine upon reentry into either the United States or Canada. 1185116 Pittsburgh Penguins “You see people putting big bets on short-form content all over the place. It’s a really big internal mantra. Be ‘snackable’ and be fun and let the fans share it as much as possible.”

New three-on-three hockey league with Penguins flavor designed to be Composed of eight teams, the league is expected to tour through ‘snackable’ traditional hockey markets in the Northeast and Midwest, as well as portions of Ontario and Quebec.

“From a structural standpoint, we’re using a touring model,” Johnston SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, May 22, 2020 6:52 p.m. said. “So like the PGA Tour or Formula One, all of our teams will descend on a single city. We have eight teams and we’re going to play a

bracket-style tournament each week and determine a champion.” Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, Scheduled to take place following the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, 3ICE will Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. have an eight-week “regular season” followed by a bye week then a Like any kid in the Pittsburgh suburbs who followed hockey, E.J. championship. Johnston’s favorite Penguins were obvious. The regular season will be carried by CBS Sports Network while the “, Michel Dion and .” championship is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS proper. Canadian broadcasters TSN and RDS will also be involved. Huh? “Since our games are 16 minutes, with two eight-minute periods of “I’m going to date myself,” Johnston joked when naming three members running clock, they’ll all take place over the course of about three hours,” of the franchise from the early 1980s before the arrival of icon Mario Johnston said. “So our broadcast will be about three hours and that’s Lemieux. essentially the same as a baseball game or a regular hockey game.”

Carlyle won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 1981 All eight teams are owned by a single entity with former Penguins while Millen and Dion were goaltenders who each led the team to the general manager Craig Patrick serving as commissioner. On playoffs. Wednesday, the league announced it had hired several former NHL stars including ex- Penguins John LeClair, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy and But Johnston’s admiration of them went beyond their on-ice exploits. Bryan Trottier. His dad was their boss. And oh yeah, Eddie Johnston. Eddie Johnston was the Penguins’ coach in the early 1980s, years What type of on-ice talent will be in 3ICE? before he became the franchise’s general manager and later, something of an institution in the organization. “Almost exclusively ex-NHLers,” E.J. Johnston said. “Our prototypical guy is, I like to point to (Penguins forward) Conor Sheary. I loved him when Many of those Pittsburgh connections are being put into E.J. Johnston’s he was (with the Penguins) the first time. For me, it’s that (5-foot-8, 5- burgeoning endeavor, 3ICE, a three-on-three hockey league scheduled foot-9), that waterbug who’s super fast with quick, fast hands, tic-tac-toe to begin in the late spring of 2021. passing. It’s not that really that monster, that 250-pound defenseman. If “I’m an entrepreneur,” said the younger Johnston, 47. “I love sport and I the NHL was three-on-three all the time, then the Conor Shearys of the love media. To me, this is a kind of a perfect storm of my skillset.” world would be the prototypical players.

Johnston plays hockey in his spare time and obviously grew up with it “We want NHL pedigree, but we’re going to stay a little loose on some of given his father’s vocation, but beyond that, his professional skillset is this. If somebody really impresses us and never got a shot in the NHL for more geared toward entertainment. whatever reason, just always stayed in the (AHL) and was a little too small and can stickhandle like crazy, (he’ll get an opportunity).” Formerly an executive with IMG, the global sports, events and talent management company, Johnston oversaw the agency’s fashion division. Having seen the success of similar leagues for basketball (The Big Three) and rugby sevens, Johnston believes there is an appetite for He sees plenty of parallels between haute couture and hockey. hockey in this format.

“The ice is the runway,” said Johnston, who serves as CEO of 3ICE. “The “The Big Three and these sort of compact versions of sports have all coaches are the designers, the players are the models, the fans are served as great data points for us,” he said. “So it’s been helpful to have called fashionistas and media is media.” these successes of these other short-format leagues as something we The way Johnston describes it, 3ICE will be more of a media company can point for as success models.” than a hockey league. “I always thought hockey was a sport that could be more interesting, The league will take arguably the most entertaining portion of a regular shown to more people.” season hockey game, three-on-three overtime, and, ideally, present it to Tribune Review LOADED: 05.23.2020 an audience which, in 2020, increasingly digests video in quick, easy to access formats such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or other online platforms.

So instead of watching cat videos or TikTok dance clips on your phone while in bed at 2 a.m., you could be viewing a compilation of perfectly executed two-on-one rushes.

“One of the internal mantras that we have is to be ‘snackable,’” said Johnston, who has also worked for other media entities such as Fox Sports and Getty Images. “We like to be fun, innovative and ‘snackable.’ That’s what we think our brand is. What we mean by ‘snackable’ is short- form content that is easily shareable. You can digest and consume it quickly. It doesn’t have to be an hour long.

“For us, our game is going to be two eight-minute periods of running clock. So right then and there, you can condense a period down to down to a minute and a half or two minutes probably and get all the goals and the highlights. So that shareability, that ‘snackable’ form of content is really how the new media landscape has shaped out the last few years and we see it moving forward. 1185117 Pittsburgh Penguins thunderclap of a one-timer from the right circle, he leads the team with 24 power-play points (seven goals, 17 assists).

Malkin might not be a leading contender for individual awards such as Penguins A to Z: Evgeni Malkin can still dominate the Hart Memorial Trophy, which he won in 2012, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still dominate a game.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.23.2020 SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, May 22, 2020 6:05 p.m.

Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories.

While the NHL is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Evgeni Malkin

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 33

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 195 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 55 games, 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists)

Contract: Sixth year of an eight-year contract with a hit of $9.5 million. Unrestricted free agent in 2022.

Acquired: Draft, first round (No. 2 overall), July 26, 2004

This season: When Evgeni Malkin arrived to training camp in the late summer of 2018, he spoke of trying to keep up with younger stars such as Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon. He also said he was confident he still could dominate in the NHL for another five or six years.

Malkin then proceeded to stagger through an unimpressive 2018-19 season in which he only played 68 games and put up a mundane 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists), one of the lowest totals in his Hockey Hall- of-Fame career.

Last offseason, Malkin made adjustments to his workout regimen and, by most accounts, came back in optimal condition for a star approaching his mid-30s.

Malkin would miss 11 games throughout October and November after being injured in the second game of the season. But once he was able- bodied, Malkin showed he was still capable of being a driving force on the ice.

Beyond the base numbers, Malkin was a much more committed player at five-on-five play and didn’t necessarily rely on the power play to inflate his scoring totals. Additionally, he displayed a greater level of discipline by avoiding the stick-related penalties that have bedeviled him throughout his career. Averaging 1.05 penalty minutes per game, Malkin saw a considerable drop from the 1.31 he averaged in 2018-19.

The Penguins needed Malkin to provide stability throughout November, December and January while No. 1 center Sidney Crosby was sidelined by a core muscle injury. During that span, Malkin produced 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 26 games.

Entering the season, there was speculation over who Malkin would work with after long-time linemate Phil Kessel was traded during the 2019 offseason. He found a suitable replacement in right winger Bryan Rust, who has set career highs with 25 goals and 56 points in 55 games this season.

The future: Assuming the NHL’s season resumes, Malkin again will serve as the best No. 2 center in the NHL.

His left wing is a source of speculation. With the February acquisition of Jason Zucker and the presumed return of a healthy Jake Guentzel, the Penguins have a embarrassment of riches to consider for that role.

While the Penguins’ power play has been largely inconsistent, Malkin remains their most consistent entity in that realm. Blessed with a 1185118 Pittsburgh Penguins without government intervention — particularly given the stated objectives of the shutdown at the onset of this crisis.”

Another from “Phillies fan” Russell: Debate rages over Gov. Wolf’s comments about return of sports in Pa. “Thanks for your piece on how we should feel about attending games. You should receive 100% approvals from your readers! Wolf gives us no credit for common sense.” TIM BENZ | Friday, May 22, 2020 12:38 p.m. Now here are some people that disagreed with me, along with my responses to them.

Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, Richard: Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. “Please continue writing about sports and leave the political analysis to I feel like Dante in the movie “Clerks.” those with functioning brains.”

“I’m not even supposed to be here today!” The word “sports” is right in the headline, Richard. And there will be no sports to write about unless the governor allows them to take place. Yeah, this was supposed to be an off day. Extend the holiday weekend a That’s kinda the point. bit. But I got a call from one of our editors last night, asking if I’d be willing to do a reader response piece to the column I posted about Gov. Whose brain is failing to function, exactly? Tom Wolf’s statements regarding the potential return of sports. Christian: Sort of a special edition of our weekly “U mad, bro?” section. “I’m not surprised you don’t understand English. When the governor said On Wednesday, the governor said he is trying to correspond with “what it’s going to take for everyone to feel safe,” that means “not every professional sports leagues in an effort to “get back to sports seasons.” single person will feel safe.” He’s only claiming that at least one person won’t feel safe. That’s a very low level of omniscience, especially given Wolf claims he has spoken with the NFL, NHL, MLB and NASCAR. He the opinions about fan feelings that go in sports writing. He’s not claiming said his office will issue guidance for leagues soon. to know how everyone will feel — just that not everyone will feel the This string of quotes from the governor rubbed me the wrong way. same way.

“Ultimately, I think what it’s going to take for everybody to feel safe going I don’t need to know the color of each flower in a shop to be able to to a Penn State game or a basketball game is they have some predict that not every flower is red. confidence that they’re not going to get sick by being in close contact Duh.” with somebody else. Christian, you are parsing his language in an attempt to obfuscate “I think what it’s going to take to get people back to big events … is going because you have a predisposed opinion to the contrary. to be, ultimately, a vaccine…. Some assurance they’re not going to get sick. How’s that for understanding English?

“I think that’s what it’s going to take to really get our economy back to But I’ll play along. Let’s say you’re right, and that’s really what the normal, and I really think that can’t happen fully, 100%, until we have a governor meant. Does everyone else in society really need to wait for vaccine that is foolproof.” that last person to feel “100%” safe or “assured”?

I was put off by what Wolf said because: Sincerely,

1. It’s not his place to tell any of us how “safe” we “feel” now, let alone A yellow flower how safe we are going to feel in the future. Wolf is supposed to govern. Not be our emotional compass. Aw, Matt. You are making me blush.

2. He’s just flat out wrong. “Everybody” isn’t going to need to feel “100%” It’s really not all that “amazing.” With Wolf, it usually only takes one safe with a “foolproof” vaccine before they go to a sporting event. I know, sentence to get that kind of reaction from me. because, well, I’m part of everybody. And I don’t agree with that But thanks for the compliment. statement. April, the column specifically reads: “I’m not telling you what to think or Apparently, based on the poll which originally posted in Megan Guza’s how to feel. If you need a ‘100% foolproof vaccine’ before you go to a TribLive article with the governor’s quotes, 74% out of about 12,600 Steelers game again, by all means, stay home until that happens.” respondents disagree as well. Look, I really don’t care if the column made you upset. But at least read it Because that’s how many of you said you’d be willing to attend a sporting before you decide why you are upset. event right now, let alone in the future. I got this message from someone else named Richard. I’m highlighting 3. There is absolutely zero indication that we will ever have a “foolproof” this portion from a longer thread. vaccine that will give us an “assurance (we) are not going to get sick.” If Wolf is being that definitive and declarative in his policy-making before “The idea that Wolf was telling anyone when they should feel safe is we get “100% back to normal,” that’s not going to happen for potentially bogus sensationalism designed to gin up resistance to the Governor’s years to come. phased reopening.”

Some of you agreed with me. Some of you didn’t. It was my inclination to “Gin up resistance”?! A little overdramatic, maybe? just let the column stand on its own with that result. I advance an opinion. You get to agree or disagree in our comments section, via email or on I disagreed with a flawed and exaggerated statement from the governor. Twitter. You act like I’m encouraging people to dump a shipment of tea in the Allegheny River. But I was asked to illustrate some of the feedback I received from our readers on both sides of the fence. An email from John:

So, I will start with some of you who agreed with my stance. “While I disagree with Wolf on about 90% of policy positions, what I read was he said he “thinks” this is what it is going to take. An email from someone named Bob: Your rant against the strawman was that he was telling people when it is “A PSU fan here. I commend you on your article. I wish we had more actually ok to feel safe. journalists challenging government authority during this crisis. Given the Covid-19 numbers and the fact that we are citizens of the USA, we I have no problem with you challenging someone’s statements, but when should have the ability to weigh the potential risk of attending a game I see a pretty fundamental disconnect it starts to read like a Fox News or MSNBC piece.” You sure glossed over the “everybody” and the supposed need for a “foolproof” vaccine there, didn’t you?

As a side note, I received a few (and a few is too many) hate-fueled, personally insulting, inappropriate responses toward the governor and some in his administration.

Unfortunately, in politically charged times such as these, if you disagree with one side, it is then assumed that you are an extremist on the other side.

That’s not true.

To be clear, I’m being critical of Wolf’s policymaking and messaging. But I’m not sitting around my house over the long weekend mainlining hydroxychloroquine. I didn’t protest in Harrisburg with a clown mask and an AR-15. And I wear a face mask. I don’t shove it in my pocket when I walk into a CVS and think of myself as a modern-day Nathan Hale.

When I made that point on Twitter, I got this response from “Normal Al Yankovic” (tremendous Twitter handle by the way).

Playing both sides? No. I’m pushing both sides away. Maybe if some others did that, it’d create more space in the middle.

Hopefully, that space could fill up with a little more sanity and a lot less hyperbole.

I won’t hold my breath.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185119 Pittsburgh Penguins usual best-of-seven. Anyway, it would have been very difficult to get the NHL’s worst teams to return and play meaningless games.

They should. It’s their jobs. But the plan being pursued is easiest. No Mark Madden: Talent, playoff experience will benefit Penguins in unique team left out of the playoffs has a complaint. They were all adrift by some postseason distance. (So was Montreal.)

NHL players don’t get paid during the playoffs. But money generated by the playoffs counts toward the league’s overall revenue, which came up MARK MADDEN | Friday, May 22, 2020 9:51 a.m. over $1 billion short during the regular season because of the stoppage. Playoff revenue could be as high as $450 million through TV and

sponsorship. Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, That helps the players, who are still owed their final paychecks and Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. escrow payment. But they will likely get neither by way of making their The NHL’s proposed 24-team playoff reportedly has the Penguins payout more in line with the salary cap. Their 50% of revenue is a much playing Montreal in a best-of-five preliminary-round series. Montreal smaller figure now. Maybe something could be bargained with an eye features goaltender Carey Price, not quite in his prime but widely toward a new CBA. The current CBA expires in 2022. regarded as one of hockey’s best. In a capped league, the salaries are only as guaranteed as the league’s A best-of-five vs. Price is no easy task, even with Montreal 15 points estimated revenue. This year, that guarantee proved bad. back of the Penguins. The Canadiens were 10 points out of a wild-card But let’s drop the puck and iron that out as we go. spot when the season paused. Tribune Review LOADED: 05.23.2020 But that’s really the only gripe the Penguins have with the suggested format. In fact, the season stopping might perversely benefit them.

The Penguins had lost eight of 11 when covid-19 hit and looked just as bad as that record suggests.

True, they had 13 games left to straighten out. But, when play resumes, no team will have momentum in either direction. The situation will be unique. But talent and playoff experience will be two of the biggest factors. The Penguins have both.

The Penguins also figure to have Jake Guentzel, out since Dec. 30 after shoulder surgery. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will be well-rested. With these playoffs starting cold, star power figures to mean even more than usual.

But Letang seems a question mark to return. He suffered a stroke in 2014 and has had a small hole in the wall of his heart since birth. Anyone with pre-existing medical conditions is more vulnerable to covid-19. Letang qualifies.

But if Letang plays, the circumstances benefit the Penguins.

They don’t help Tristan Jarry, who had played well enough to challenge Matt Murray for the No. 1 goalie job. But coach Mike Sullivan seemed to be leaning toward Murray when play ceased, and will certainly go with Murray now. It would be a huge risk to make Jarry’s first game in months his first playoff start. Murray is safer.

The NHL’s plan still needs to be finalized. It appears only two hub cities will be used initially. One rumor has games in Columbus and Edmonton. The conference finals and Stanley Cup Final would get played in Las Vegas, which won’t quite be Las Vegas yet.

Hub cities will need good ice, and lots of it. Not too many NHL rinks have good ice in June, never mind July and August. Can any surface handle three to four games in a day? Columbus has a practice rink attached to Nationwide Arena, and plenty of hotels nearby. Pittsburgh has been mooted. UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry could host games.

One stupid idea connected to the plan has the top four seeds in each conference playing a round-robin while the other eight teams play their best-of-five.

If those round-robin games are exhibitions, that’s dumb. If they determine seeding, that’s dumber. The higher seeds wouldn’t benefit by waiting for the best-of-five to wrap, but would practice more and wouldn’t be hurt egregiously.

Best-of-three would be better for the prelim round. Best-of-five plus a round-robin for the higher seeds is too complicated.

But it’s reported the NHL players argued against best-of-three specifically because a short-series matchup with Price would be unfair to Pittsburgh. The same applied to Edmonton’s matchup with Chicago because of the explosiveness of Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. Both those series pit a 5 seed vs. a 12 seed.

Seven teams miss the playoffs. The NHL considered completing some semblance of a regular season. But it’s best to utilize the smallest window possible. The first series is best-of-five, but after that it’s the 1185120 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins vote 'yes' to NHL's 24-team playoff format

Mike DeFabo

While there are still a number of details to work out before the NHL can resume its season, the NHL Players’ Association took its first significant step toward a possible return Friday night.

The executive board comprising the 31 player reps voted to authorize further negotiations on a 24-team return-to-play format that would jump directly into the postseason. The Penguins, who would be the No. 5 seed in the tournament and start the postseason against No. 12 Montreal, are reportedly among the teams onboard, voting yes, according to a report from Sportsnet.

“At the end of the day, nobody gets exactly what they want,” Penguins player rep Kris Letang told Sportsnet. “But we all want what is best for hockey and to continue to grow the game.”

Under this plan, the top four teams in each conference will earn first- round byes in the postseason. The next eight teams based on points percentage will compete in play-in series. After the play-in round, the bracket turns into a more traditional 16-team, seven-game format.

Several details still need to be ironed out. One of them is reportedly whether the tournament will be bracket-style or if the field will be reseeded.

No format will be perfect. But there are a number of advantages to the 24-team plan. It will give teams who were separated by only a point or two in the standings a fair opportunity to get into a 16-team field. It adds big-market teams such as the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks. And the extra round and higher stakes might attract more TV eyeballs, thus creating more revenue for the league.

Interestingly, the Penguins are one of the teams that might be at greatest risk from the expanded format. While Montreal (31-31-9) is a sub-.500 team and the lowest seed in the bracket, goaltender Carey Price is among the most well-respected netminders in the league. For the second straight season, he was voted by the NHL Players’ Association as the top goalie.

What if Price steals a series? From a competitive standpoint, the Penguins (40-23-6) have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. From a revenue standpoint, it would eliminate one of the league’s largest fanbases and most marketable stars.

“At the end of the day, the playoffs are a different beast,” Letang told Sportsnet. “No matter [who] you play, it’s going to be hard. [If it wasn’t Montreal], it was going to be Washington, or Philadelphia, or a challenge like that. We have a lot of experience, I’ve never heard of an easy series. Look at Tampa from last year.

“It’s a great challenge for our team right off the bat.”

While Friday’s news is a key step, plenty of questions will need to be answered and hurdles will need to be cleared before the season resumes.

How often will players need to be tested for COVID-19, and how much testing is available? How many “hub” cities will be used, and where are they? When will players be permitted to begin a training camp period, which many players said would need to be about three weeks long? When will everything begin? And what kind of impact will this have on next season?

“We miss hockey and it would be fun to get the passion back, but the most important thing is everybody’s health,” Letang said. “Only if we can make it safe for everyone — including trainers, coaches, people who work at the rink (will we return to play).”

Post Gazette LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185121 Pittsburgh Penguins

Paul Zeise: Penguins' path is extremely favorable under proposed 24- team format

Paul Zeise

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan argues a call against right wing Patric Hornqvist during a playoff series last year against the Islanders.

The NHL Players’ Association is supposed to vote on a proposed 24- team playoff format to get the NHL season underway soon. The most important details are that there will be 12 teams from each conference that will make the playoffs and the two sides will compete in separate hub cities until the Stanley Cup final.

That would mean the Penguins would be the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and play against No. 12 Montreal in a best-of-five “play-in” round. The winner of that series would then move on to face the Philadelphia Flyers, at least under the latest proposal we have seen.

Call me crazy — and I have been called worse — but I think that is a great draw for the Penguins, and I would expect them to get at least to the Eastern Conference semifinals if that format holds.

Some so-called experts complain about how tough this would be on the Penguins, having to survive a first-round series against Montreal and excellent goaltender Carey Price then getting a rested Flyers team that was playing at a high level when the season shut down.

First, Lou Holtz couldn’t do a better job of hyping up the Canadiens than most of the nonsense I’ve read and heard. I’ll try to be as gentle as possible when I say this: The Canadiens stink. They are a terrible team and they shouldn’t be in the playoffs. Price is fantastic, but he isn’t a miracle worker. Yes, great goalies on playoff-caliber teams are scary, but great goalies on horrible teams are not. If this series comes to fruition, I would be surprised if the Penguins didn’t sweep the series and do so without breaking much of a sweat.

You might be asking -— what about 2010? That was the year the eighth- seeded Canadiens, behind the heroic efforts of goalie Jaroslav Halak, upset the Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The difference then was that Halak was playing with a playoff-caliber team, one that had earned that spot in the regular season.

The next potential stage would be the Flyers, and that would be a classic, extremely entertaining series, one in which I think the Penguins would have an edge and win in seven games.

Having already played a series would give Mike Sullivan the opportunity to figure out line combinations, help the team work off some of the rust and find its edge. Those extra games should certainly play in the Penguins’ favor.

After that round it is anyone’s guess as to who will win and lose, but at that point the Penguins will have as good a chance to win the Stanley Cup as anyone else left standing.

Boston and Tampa are tremendous, and Washington is always a tough out for the Penguins. But those series will all come down to who plays the best hockey over seven games as it always does.

The Penguins, though, will have a really favorable road on paper to get to that point, and that is more important this year than just about every other year.

Post Gazette LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185122 San Jose Sharks

NHLPA OKs further talks with NHL on 24-team return; Sharks' season could end

By Ali Thanawalla May 22, 2020 6:58 PM

The NHL and the players' association took a big step toward returning to the ice, but it could mean the Sharks' 2019-20 season is over.

The NHLPA announced Friday night that it has "authorized further negotiations with the NHL" on a 24-team return to play format.

As the players' association noted, the sides still have more details to work out before the league officially can resume the season that was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

While no specifics were provided on the teams that would be allowed to resume playing, the Sharks are not one of the 24 best teams in the NHL standings.

The Sharks possessed the worst record in the Western Conference (29- 36-5; 63 points) and the third-worst record in the NHL when the season was suspended.

If this is how the Sharks' season concludes, it will put an end to a campaign in which the team entered with high expectations.

Last season, the Sharks made it to the Western Conference finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

The Sharks again were expected to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, but the departure of several veterans, combined with poor play early in the campaign, led to the firing of coach Peter DeBoer after 33 games. Bob Boughner took over as interim coach, but San Jose skated to just a 14-20-3 record under him.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185123 St Louis Blues Dallas. They have thumped Dallas (4-0-1) this season, split with Colorado (2-2) and have matched Las Vegas in goals scored and allowed (13) in three games that included one regulation win and two overtime losses. NHL proposal might not guarantee Blues a top seed, but that might not be so bad Personally, I like the idea of goalie Jordan Binnington getting a feel for each opponent he could meet later. Specifically Colorado. The Avalanche rocked Binnington in his last two starts at Colorado, both Blues losses. This format would guarantee Binnington one series against 4 hrs ago the Avalanche with playoff-like pressure on the line. That’s good, even if Ben Frederickson it affects the Blues’ seed.

One look at last season’s bracket reminds us how fast top seeds – Tampa and Nashville, anyone? – can disappear. No playoff road is easy, Dear Blues fans, don’t be those fans. and sometimes the harder one becomes easier. Here’s an example.

You know the ones. If the Blues hold their top seed, they would face either Calgary or Winnipeg in their first seven-game elimination series. They’ve beaten They are out there, grumbling about the chance their team could be Calgary three times in three games, but they’ve split their four meetings shorted by the plan the NHL finalizes to salvage the 2020 season. with Winnipeg, losing each of the most recent two. If Blues fans are doing this, they’re wrong. Compare that to the seven-game series the Blues would get if they And not just because any hockey is good hockey on the other side of this dropped — gasp — all the way to the No. 4 seed. The Blues would face coronavirus shutdown. either Edmonton or Chicago if that happened. They’re 2-1 against the Oilers and 4-0 against the rival Blackhawks. Not so bad. They are wrong because the potential format that irks them could help the Blues as much as it might hurt them. Chaos will occur. It always does. Even more reason to hope the Blues get a jolt of competition from the jump. Berube’s Blues find another gear The NHL Players’ Association began discussing a rather important part when it matters most, and they get better the longer they keep the pedal of a return-to-action proposal Thursday night, and on Friday night down. announced those discussions will continue after the approval of a 24- team postseason structure. “Several details remain to be negotiated,” That characteristic led to a No. 3 seed losing back-to-back games just read an important line the press release. One of those is seeding. More twice — and not once in their final 15 games — during their 26-game on that in a moment. march to last season’s championship.

We still don’t know if the league will launch. That will require coronavirus So, don’t sweat the seed. Just hope we get a chance to enjoy the chaos. not spoiling things. Important specifics – like testing protocols – will still St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.23.2020 have to be approved by the players before training camps begin. And before games start, it has to be decided where these games will be played.

But for just a moment, we can focus on the games, and why the Blues and their fans should feel pretty good about this structure, even if it doesn’t secure the Blues’ No. 1 seed. Especially if it doesn’t, actually.

If the entire proposal is accepted eventually, the regular season would be over because only 24 teams would return to action. But the Stanley Cup playoffs would not start right away. Not really.

While the four teams with the highest points percentage in each conference would secure the top-four seeds and play one another in round-robin fashion, the other teams would play series that determined who would break through to meet the top four seeds in the traditional 16- team, seven-game playoff structure.

It’s the NCAA basketball tournament on ice, more or less.

Call it July Madness.

Just don’t get mad if that round-robin between the top teams is turned up a notch by having them compete for seeds.

The Blues would start a round-robin seeding showdown in sole possession of the No. 1 seed. It would be theirs to lose. And lose it, they could, potentially. There’s a chance they could fall as far as the No. 4 seed, if the proposal includes no insurance for the higher-ranked teams.

This notion upsets some. I get it. The Blues earned that No. 1 seed during the 71 games they played over the regular season. One round- robin could rob it? Critics can argue it would be better if the Blues entered the 16-team, best-of-seven series grind toward the Cup with the top seed guaranteed.

But consider what that would mean. This approach would leave the Blues sitting around waiting, or playing games that counted for nothing, while the teams beneath them used the play-in rounds to build up a full head of steam toward the postseason. No thanks. Rust is real. Especially after a layoff this long.

Fighting for their seed would give the Blues a chance to gear up in a competitive setting against the teams they have a good chance of meeting again when elimination, not seeding, is on the line.

The Blues are a combined 7-2-3 against the three teams they would be jostling with for the most desirable seeds: Colorado, Las Vegas and 1185124 St Louis Blues moneypuck.com, and Montreal, which was at 0.2 percent, got in, and now have substantially better probabilities of possibly winning the Stanley Cup.

NHLPA votes to move forward with 24-team postseason plan If the Blues were to remain the No. 1 seed when the 16-team portion of the playoffs began, they would get either the No. 8 or 9 team, either Winnipeg or Calgary.

Tom Timmermann 4 hrs ago Bettman has said eight or nine cities have put in bids to be the hosts, and the Blues have said they have expressed interest. The leading candidate

for the west is Las Vegas, but the league is going to hold off on naming a The first blip of movement toward restarting the NHL season which has location until they know when they’ll start, in case the conditions in that been on pause since March 12 came on Friday night, when the NHL city don’t accommodate the league at that time. Players Association announced that its executive board had authorized In the Western Conference, the play-in series, with seeds, would be: further negotiations with the league on a 24-team format that would lead, Edmonton (5) vs. Chicago (12), Nashville (6) vs. Arizona (11), Vancouver they hope, to the Stanley Cup. (7) vs. Minnesota (10) and Calgary (8) vs. Winnipeg (9). “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format In the East, Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia would be would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues the top seeds. The play-in series would be Pittsburgh (5) vs. Montreal relevant to resuming play,” the NHLPA said. (12), Carolina (6) vs. New York Rangers (11), New York Islanders (7) vs. Precisely what that format will look like is not known for sure – an Florida (10) and Toronto (8) vs. Columbus (9). announcement on that could come next week — but with 24 teams, the St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.23.2020 obvious, and most widely reported, system is that the top four teams in each conference, including the Blues, would get a first-round bye, while teams five through 12 in each conference would meet in a best-of-five play-in round to winnow the field down to the now-standard 16-team playoff, which would be a best-of-seven series from then on. It would also mean the regular season was over and the seven teams that didn’t make the expanded postseason would begin their offseasons.

The plan still needs to be approved by the league, but the Return to Play committee, which worked on the plan, was made up of league executives and players, so support from the league seems likely.

There are many issues not related to 24-team format that still need to be determined, such as whether or not the players will be held in quarantine for the entirety of the postseason and the prevalence of testing for the coronavirus. Some players have expressed reluctance to go potentially three months away from their families, as well as the possibility of contacting the illness. According to a report from TVA sports network in Canada, the vote of each team’s player representative was 29-2 in favor of the 24-team format.

But the format is also a calendar without numbers. There is still no clear idea of when games would resume and with the players wanting at least a three-week training camp, it is still at best more than a month away. Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week that the league would need ample testing for the coronavirus and didn’t want to jump in line and take it away from needs in the medical community.

Ultimately, of course, the Blues were going to be in good shape regardless of what format was settled on because they had the best record in the West. If the most-discussed format is adopted, the top four seeds in the West, Blues, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas, would take part in a round-robin tournament so they could get in games during their bye period, and those games would be used to determine the teams’ seeding for the next round. But how that will work, and whether the top teams will get some bonus for their play in the regular season, is not known.

One issue that could be of interest to the Blues is whether or not the league sticks to a fixed bracket. There could be a big difference in playoff opponents this season, and with the top teams such as the Blues losing home-ice advantage, it’s been argued that it would be fairer to avoid a situation where the No. 4 seed faces the 12th-seeded Blackhawks in the second round if they win their play-in series, while the No. 1 seed faces the No. 8 seed. The league, however, seems inclined to have a fixed bracket.

The first physical step in the road back to hockey will be opening up club training sites for individual, then small group, work. That will eventually lead to a three-week training camp and only then to games, which now appear likely to be held at two hubs, one east and one west. Though the Blues have put in a bid for games to be played in St. Louis, Las Vegas stands as the most likely candidate in the West. All of the games would be played without any fans.

The size of the field still caused some concern. While some teams were just points out of a playoff spot when the season stopped, others were further out and had little or no chance of advancing. But numerically, 24 teams works better for this kind of thing than 22 teams, so Chicago, which had a 3.4 percent chance of making the playoffs at 1185125 St Louis Blues

NHLPA voting on what season will look like if NHL returns to action

Tom Timmermann 14 hrs ago

The National Hockey League Players' Association executive board is in the process of voting on the format for the NHL season if play resumes. Results could come in on Friday night.

This wouldn't be the end-all decision (it would still have to be approved by the league) and many details would still have to be worked out, but it is expected it would establish the framework for how the rest of the season would run, if it resumes.

And that's a big if. While a framework would be set, when that starts is still very much up in the air. Players are still in a self-quarantine, the U.S.- Canada border remains closed to all but essential travelers (though the league doesn't see that as a problem) and 17 percent of the players are still overseas.

Though a return to action seems to be creeping closer, even the start of reopening team facilities is a ways off. Also, widespread availability of testing will be needed.

The proposal under consideration, according to multiple reports, would have 24 teams return to action, the top 12 in each conference based on points percentage since teams have not played an equal number of games.

The teams seeded five through 12 would play a best-of-five series to determine entrance into the regular 16-team playoff bracket. The No. 5 seed would play No. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9.

While those teams are playing, the top four seeds in each conference, including the Blues in the West, would be playing a round-robin among themselves, possibly to determine their seeding.

The Blues went into the pause as the No. 1 team in the West. If that spot held, they would face the winner of the 8 vs. 9 series, which would be Calgary vs. Winnipeg.

All the games would be held at a neutral site in an empty building. The most likely candidate for the West teams is to be playing in Las Vegas, though the league is expected to hold off on that determination until it knows when it will be playing in case of health concerns.

The seven teams that are not among the 24 brought back would have their seasons end.

In the Western Conference, the Blues, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas would be the top four seeds and have byes. The play-in series, with seeds, would be: Edmonton (5) vs. Chicago (12), Nashville (6) vs. Arizona (11), Vancouver (7) vs. Minnesota (10) and Calgary (8) vs. Winnipeg (9).

In the East, Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia would be the top seeds. The play-in series would be Pittsburgh (5) vs. Montreal (12), Carolina (6) vs. New York Rangers (11), New York Islanders (7) vs. Florida (10), Toronto (8) vs. Columbus (9).

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185126 Tampa Bay Lightning Commissioner Gary Bettman this week said the league was looking at eight or nine locations to serve as hub cities for the resumption of the season.

NHL players union agrees on returning to play with 24-team format It’s unclear when the league and players would agree to begin the second phase of preparations for return, which would be the reopening of team practice facilities and voluntary workouts. The following step would then likely be a three-week training camp before games resume. Diana C. Nearhos "Obviously it's an important thing to navigate through all the different

issues that there are so that ultimately we can try to find a safe way to Th executive board’s vote is a first step but doesn’t seal the deal for the get things going here," van Riemsdyk said. "There's been some different season resuming. More pieces must be negotiated. talks and things like that and talking about a bunch of different things and trying to sort through some different issues." The NHL Players Association’s executive committee has authorized moving forward in talks with the league on returning to play from the Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.23.2020 coronavirus suspension, approving 24 teams making the playoffs, with other aspects of a return still to be negotiated

The union did not provide a breakdown of the vote of its 31 player representatives in making the announcement Friday night, a day after the proposal was presented to the union’s executive board. In giving the 24- team format the green light, the union stressed that several details still need to be negotiated before games can begin.

“At the end of the day, nobody gets exactly what they want,” Pittsburgh player representative Kris Letang told Canada’s Sportsnet. “But we all want what is best for hockey and to continue to grow the game.”

The defenseman said he voted in favor of the proposal. Some players shared strong opinions on a Thursday conference call, he said, “but we have a union for everyone to express our views. Whatever the format is, some agree, some don’t. As a union, we want to make the best decisions over time, the greater good for everyone."

"The most important thing is everybody’s health.”

The proposal now goes to the board of governors, which is expected to approve the plan in the next few days. Once approved, the proposal effectively ends the season of the league’s bottom seven teams.

Under the plan proposed by the joint NHL/union Return To Play Committee, the top four teams in each of the Eastern and Western conferences based on points percentage would play each other for seeding while the remaining 16 teams would face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley Cup.

That would mean byes for Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the East and defending champion St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in the West. Pittsburgh, Carolina, the New York Islanders and Rangers, Toronto, Columbus, Florida and Montreal would also make it in the East. Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Arizona and Chicago would make the field in the West.

“I feel like if you’re doing the 24-team thing, it basically gives a team a chance that had no chance of making it, which if you play 82 (games), there’s maybe 6, 8 percent chance that the team in 12th place (in the conference) makes it,” Carolina player representative Jordan Martinook said Wednesday, more than 24 hours before the executive board meeting. “Nobody’s ever seen this before, but at the end of the day, the Stanley Cup playoffs are 16 teams, seven games a series.”

Under the 24-team format, the traditional four rounds of seven-game series would be played after the play-in round.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a perfect scenario where everyone’s super excited about (it)‚” Nashville’s Ryan Johansen said earlier Thursday. “As long as everybody can agree and be happy with the decision that will be made, that’s really all that matters.”

If the board of governors approves the 24-team plan, the who of returning would be set. The where, when and how still would have to be determined, including how many cities would host games, quarantine regulations and testing.

“Nothing’s really certain until it’s certain, so things can change so quickly, and they have on different things,” Return to Play committee member James van Riemsdyk of the Flyers said Wednesday. “We’re trying to keep as many options open and navigate through different things and hopefully come up with a vision that obviously first and foremost is the health and safety of everyone.” 1185127 Toronto Maple Leafs Not that Columbus, which is a year removed from sweeping Tampa in the opening round, can be taken lightly. It’d be an intriguing matchup of opposites. Toronto is the third-best offensive team in the league based on goals per game. Columbus is the third-best defensive team based on The Leafs are built for the Stanley Cup playoff blueprint that’s taking goals against. Toronto is flush with marquee talent. Columbus, which lost shape the likes of , Matt Duchene and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency last summer, has little of the sort. The Jackets’ top scorer, Pierre-

Luc Dubois, had 49 points when the season was halted. At the same By Dave Feschuk point, Toronto had four players with 59 points or more — that’d be Auston Matthews (80), Mitch Marner (67), John Tavares (60) and William Fri., May 22, 2020 Nylander (59).

And speaking of contrasts: While Toronto’s No. 1 goaltender, Frederik Andersen, is a veteran of 48 career playoff games — ninth most in the You can understand why there was vigorous debate among players league since he arrived in 2013-14 — the Jackets figure to be faced with around the National Hockey League’s proposed return-to-play format this the prospect of starting Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo, neither of week. whom has ever competed in the NHL post-season. So long as Andersen Sequestering teams in hub cities for indeterminate stretches this summer doesn’t confuse July for October, when he’s often been awful in the wake won’t be easy on anyone. The details around health and safety are as of a summertime rest, advantage Toronto. complex and daunting as anything any sport has ever tackled. ’s Jackets are a team that wins thanks more to systemic And when it comes to the competitive aspect of the proceeding, as with discipline than skill. If pandemic-era playoff hockey figures to be nearly every playoff bracket that’s ever been devised, not everyone is reminiscent of the early-season NHL — a higher scoring game wherein going to be happy about their lot in life. the offence is ahead of the defence, because systems can’t possibly be in sync — Toronto’s skill ought to be able to thrive. The Boston Bruins, for instance, spent 70 games building an eight-point lead in the league standings over their nearest Eastern rival. Under the “If anyone can come out of this thing ready for hockey, I think we’d (be in proposal, which is closer to reality after the 31-member executive board a good position),” Tyson Barrie, the Leafs defenceman, was saying this of the NHL Players’ Association gave the green light to further talks late week. “We’ve got skill, we’ve got speed and we’ve got youth on our side. Friday, the Bruins were being told they could possibly lose that No. 1 So I think we should have no problems coming out of this thing.” spot in the span of a quick mini-tournament for seeding among the top It’s all speculation, of course. Even if there’s a plan in place, the league is four teams in each conference, this while the other 16 teams included in still many weeks away from implementing it. the sport’s reintroduction to the world engage in a collection of best-of- five play-in series. When will training camps begin? July gets tossed around. How deep into the calendar can this thing be pushed? Word is the league would be fine In other words, if your memory of the NHL’s 2019-20 regular season is with the Stanley Cup being awarded into September, delaying the start of already foggy, this more than two months since it was halted on account the 2020-21 season until December or even January. Where will the of the coronavirus, don’t feel bad. Hockey’s return-to-play format renders games be played? There’s a push to confine the activity to a pair of hub the regular season mostly meaningless anyhow, allowing a whopping 24 cities, but that’s yet to be finalized. of 31 teams a shot at the Stanley Cup. That’s 77 per cent of the league. Even in the glory days of the 1980s, when a preposterous 16 of 21 And therein lies another reason for a Leafs fan to like the plan. franchises were invited to the post-season, only 76 per cent of teams got the privilege. Lately, Toronto’s been unable to win in the post-season as a road team. So what’s better than a scenario where there will be no home teams? Still, if you’re a fan of the Maple Leafs, none of that stuff much matters. If you’re assuming it’ll even be possible to mount a healthy, safe hockey There are those who’ll tell you the Leafs have repeatedly been unnerved tournament come late July — and there are tapped-in hockey people still by the media circus that inevitably follows them. So what’s better than a unconvinced this thing will be a go — there’s a lot to like about the plan scenario wherein, odds are, the players won’t even be permitted to set from a Toronto perspective. foot in the same room as reporters who’ll likely cover the proceedings via Zoom? For one, it means the Leafs’ goal of winning the franchise’s first post- season series since 2004 has never been more realistic. Now, as the We won’t know the answers to a lot of questions for weeks to come. plan exists this week, you can quibble with this point. The proposed What’s beyond certain is that the coming NHL post-season, should it opening-round matchup between the No. 8-seeded Leafs and No. 9 ever arrive, will be anything but typical. If you’re the Maple Leafs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets is being described as a “play-in” series, not a typical format hasn’t been particularly productive for most of two “playoff” one. Under the proposal, it’s a best-of-five set, not a traditional decades, you can only hope the change will do you good. best-of-seven. The best-of-seven treatment won’t begin until each Toronto Star LOADED: 05.23.2020 conference is whittled down from 12 teams to eight. So take that for what you will.

Still, for the Leafs, winning would be winning. The story of Toronto’s post- season struggles has been, in large part, the story of a team repeatedly losing to superior opponents in a powerhouse division. Three Game 7 defeats in seven years to the Boston Bruins tells you that.

When the regular season was halted, Toronto appeared on a first-round collision course with their other Atlantic nemesis, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sure, Toronto’s final game of the regular season was a 2-1 win over Tampa. But odds were the Leafs would play the underdog in another difficult first-round matchup.

So the beauty of the return-to-play proposal, from a Leafs perspective, is that it opens the door to escaping the likes of the Bruins and Lightning without the inconvenience of having to beat either one. Now, there’s also a chance, depending on how the top four shake out in the mini- tournament for seeding, that the Leafs, should they beat the Blue Jackets, would face one of the Bruins or Lightning immediately thereafter. But there’s also a chance — should, say, the No. 4 Flyers pull an upset and win the top-four mini-tournament — that the winner of Columbus-Toronto would play Philadelphia. In other words, there’s a road that takes Toronto deeper into the playoffs that doesn’t necessarily go through either Tampa or Boston. 1185128 Toronto Maple Leafs Then again, if they were to pull off such a feat, you can’t really argue that they didn’t deserve it more than any team in the past. After all, winning a championship might now require winning 19 — rather than 16 — games. That doesn’t diminish the trophy. If anything, it enhances it. Expanded NHL playoff format expected to be approved “It’s difficult to win the Stanley Cup and you want to win it the right way,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told TSN’s earlier this month. “That’s four best four-out-of-seven series’. That’s how we know Michael Traikos it.” Published:May 22, 2020 Of course, life as we know it is different because of the coronavirus. Updated:May 22, 2020 9:55 PM EDT Hockey is different too.

It’s not just the post-season format. It’s everything.

It was two months ago when the NHLPA released a player poll ranking We still don’t know the logistics for hosting the playoffs, but we do know everything from the best forward and best defenceman to the league’s that there won’t be any fans in the building. The talk right now is of best trash-talker. having two hub cities — Las Vegas is reportedly in the front-running, along with Edmonton, Columbus, Nashville, Raleigh and St. Paul, Carey Price was voted the best goalie. It wasn’t even close. Minnesota — host the games, with players being quarantined in their hotels for up to three months. So when a Pittsburgh blog reported on Friday that the Penguins had voted “a hard no” for an expanded playoff format because it would mean A three-week training camp will be held before then. But before we get having to face the Montreal Canadiens goalie in a best-of-five “play-in” too far ahead of ourselves, borders will have be re-opened, players will series, it was believable. have to be flown back to North America and health authorities will have to deem it safe for 23-man teams to be on the ice against each other. It was even justified. In other words, we’re a long way from having a Stanley Cup awarded this After all, it wasn’t just Price’s ability to steal a series that should have year. So many more obstacles are lying in the path between now and Penguins’ players worried. It was that the Canadiens, a team that had a then. But at least the NHL and the NHLPA has a plan for when they get less-than 1% chance of making the playoffs when the season was the green light. paused, were suddenly being gifted a free pass into the post-season. “I just want to play, and I can do whatever format they decide,” Winnipeg Fair or not, it was believed that the NHLPA still received the required 18 Jets forward Patrik Laine said during a Zoom call on Friday. “It’s still votes for a 24-team post-season on Friday. And while Sportnet’s Elliotte hockey. But I don’t mind the format. It’s not an issue for me.” Friedman reported that Penguins player rep Kris Letang had voted “yes” (“It’s a great challenge for our team right off the bat,” he said) the Hockey fans, who have spent the past two months watching re-runs of decision to return with a 24-team playoff was not without its detractors. past Stanley Cup finals, probably feel the same way. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that discussions on Thursday were “spirited, if not raucous.” LOADED: 05.23.2020

Expect more of the same when — or if — the Stanley Cup is awarded sometime in August or September.

This format is not perfect. It’s not even close to being perfect. But you’re not going to get perfection after sitting out for more than two months — and with possibly another month two months before meaningful hockey might be played. For the most part, the players accept that. And so, the NHL is one step closer to returning this summer.

“I think whatever route we go on, whichever format we agree on, is not going to be perfect,” St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo told the FAN590 on Friday. “A perfect scenario, which will never happen, is we continue to play like we normally do. So there’s going to be some concessions from everybody.”

Indeed, in an ideal world the NHL would have completed the remaining games in the regular season and held a traditional 16-team playoff. But these are not normal times.

And so, a league that has been on hold since March 12 was forced to get creative.

Rather than exclude, the NHL expanded. The playoffs are not going to be like any post-season you’ve seen before.

Twenty-four teams will now have a chance at winning the Cup, with the top-four seeds in each conference receiving a bye to what is essentially the first round. The new wrinkle is that those teams will face the winners of a best-of-five play-in series that will include the teams that finished fifth through 12th in the respective conferences.

There had been talk of having 20 teams or even 22. Instead, the league went to 24, which coincidentally means Montreal and Chicago — two Original Six teams and two of the bigger markets in the league — are now included, regardless of whether they deserve it or not.

Maybe this will be exciting. Maybe it’s a first of many 24-team post- seasons. But you can probably guess what the reaction will be from traditionalists if a Canadiens team that trailed the Penguins by 15 points the last time hockey was played manages to sneak into the dance.

Imagine what they’ll say if the Habs go all the way and win the Cup? 1185129 Toronto Maple Leafs and were turning out 200 to 300 a day. We have a lot of customers all over the country.”

Harris recently turned much of the business operation over to a partner. Billy Harris a Maple Leaf lifer He still hangs with some Leaf alumni such as Doug Favell, and is active with the Islanders oldtimers as well. Stepping back from the candle company has given him more opportunity for travel and free time in the Muskokas. Lance Hornby “They’ve invited me down to be in the Leaf alumni box, but I’m spoiled,” Published:May 22, 2020 he laughed. “If it’s bad weather, I stay in and watch TV.” Updated:May 22, 2020 6:40 PM EDT BEST LEAF MEMORY: “I wish my time there was a better one for the team, but at least I could say I came back to see all the people I’d known as a kid, such as Sam the Zamboni driver and Banana Joe Lamantia, the Since 1917, more than 1,000 men have worn the Blue and White in penalty time keeper. They were as well known to me as anyone at the Toronto’s NHL history. They’re part of a team that millions of Canadians Gardens.” grew up listening to, watching on TV or even seeing live, perhaps dreaming they could play for them one day. Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.23.2020

Each has his own story, whether it was just one game or 20-plus seasons. Some won multiple Stanley Cups, others are part of the current 52-year drought. The Sun is profiling select Leafs and their experience in Toronto, today looking at Billy Harris, the 1980s-era winger.

BILLY HARRIS

Born: Jan. 29, 1952 in Toronto

Position: Right wing

Leafs Years: 1981-84

Leafs Stats: 146 GP, 20-29-49, 44 PIM

THEN

A Toronto hockey ‘lifer’ whose minor days go back to playing in the Shopsy’s-sponsored system, Harris spent his last three junior seasons lighting it up with the Toronto Marlboroughs.

“I was part of the Willowdale boys, a group of future NHLers from that area, such as Mike Murphy, who all dreamed about playing for the Leafs,” Harris said. “The Shopsy’s team got to practise and play at the Gardens so it was very familiar to me.”

After a 57-goal year in 1971-72, part of a potent line will Steve Shutt and Dave Gardner that came close to 400 combined points, Harris was the first overall pick of the expansion New York Islanders, spending seven seasons there and another four with the Los Angeles Kings. He returned to Toronto in the 1981 trade for disgruntled defenceman Ian Turnbull. Harris played three seasons for Toronto, but the homecoming was bittersweet.

“Harold Ballard, Guy Kinnear the trainer, all the people I’d known from the Gardens, they all came to welcome me. Then I saw how poorly the organization was run. The first time I saw a scouting report on an opposing team it looked like a Grade 5 student had drawn it up. I’d come from years of playing under Al Arbour on the Island, one of the most organized coaches in the game. And (the Leafs) were asking me ‘how did Al run his practices?’

“It’s like the old saying, the trouble starts at the top (with Ballard)”.

NOW

Initially, Harris was in the bar business, running Harry O’s in Manhattan Beach, Cal., a favourite haunt of the Kings, Dodgers and other L.A. sports personalities. He had a less successful venture next to Nationwide Arena when the Columbus Blue Jackets were born in 2000.

Then Harris saw the light, so to speak, with the Rosseau, Ont.-based Muskoka Candle Company,

‘From hockey sticks to candle wicks’ was Harris’s company motto, which he has been associated with about 15 years. His investment was quite by accident.

“A young man came to my door selling them one day. I noticed regular candles were turning my ceiling black, but he showed me these were made with natural soybean wax (without petroleum additives). I thought it could be something.

“We used a bunch of coffee makers at first (in the extraction process), sold more candles to farmer’s markets and places like that. I built a shed, then a bigger house and the next thing you know we had two giant vats 1185130 Toronto Maple Leafs interest. But when the numbers started coming in, I was… I mean I think everybody was fairly surprised to say the least. But there were a few other teams that were up there in terms of interest and the money. There were three or four teams that were up around that. Jeff Finger’s dream was to play for the Maple Leafs. Then it almost broke him “It was exciting. And it was a whirlwind for sure. But I was definitely surprised.”

The contract was immediately killed in the press, with Fletcher forced to By James Mirtle May 22, 2020 defend it at his July 1 press conference. There was even a conspiracy theory going around online that Fletcher had signed the wrong player,

which simply wasn’t the case given the considerable interest in Finger When I first track down Jeff Finger, he is somewhat reluctant to relive the both in the Leafs organization and around the league. past. Looking back, 2008 was a crazy year in free agency – especially for Finger knows he has become a punchline in Toronto, one of the faces of blueliners. Other similar defencemen, such as Mike Commodore, signed a difficult era for the Maple Leafs, when they made many mistakes in free even wealthier deals than Finger after playing fewer minutes on weaker agency, trades, and elsewhere and sunk to the bottom of the NHL clubs. An aging Wade Redden landed a behemoth six-year, $6.5 million standings. a season deal with the Rangers that became problematic almost immediately. He hasn’t played for the Leafs in more than a decade – his last game was April 4, 2010 – and slipped away from the hockey world altogether Commodore’s contract was bought out by Columbus after three years. after two injury-plagued seasons with the Marlies, where the organization Redden was in the AHL after two. buried his $3.5 million per season contract two years after signing it. Finger, meanwhile, admits now he didn’t know what he was getting It was in the AHL that Finger suffered a series of devastating injuries, himself into. He was from a tiny, sleepy town and had never lived or including a concussion that ended his career. He had just turned 32, with played in the spotlight, really. He was nearly 20 years old when Colorado a lot of hockey ahead, but it didn’t work out that way. made him a long shot, eighth-round pick out of the USHL, where he was a hard-nosed defenceman for the Green Bay Gamblers, the junior team The next eight years were difficult, with postconcussion syndrome closest to his home. leading to depression and isolation. From there he played three years of college hockey at nearby St. Cloud All he seemed to be remembered for in the game was a contract he State in Minnesota before four long years in the minors with four different signed with a team he had dreamed of playing for most of his life. clubs in Reading, Hershey, Lowell, and Albany. Finger’s only real claim to fame before signing with the Leafs was a strong first NHL season with “I’m just kinda over gettin’ butchered up there,” Finger said, over text the Avs, a good Western Conference team where he logged 20 physical message last week. “But I’d speak on the realities of my situation and minutes a night, blocking shots and making hits for coach Joel time up there. Quenneville. That put him on the radar of teams around the league, “Not looking to get duped,” he added. “I’m sorry for my defensive nature. especially in a year when top-four defencemen were about to cash in via Little gun shy of what happens there. free agency.

“You’re right. I’ve never had the opportunity to speak on my experience.” Ron Wilson, who had just been hired as the Leafs new head coach, was very familiar with Finger from his time with the Sharks and gave the With that, Jeff Finger decided to talk. And he had a story to tell. signing a big thumbs up. Soon-to-be-Leafs-GM was also a Finger grew up in Houghton, Mich., a city of just 7,000 way up on the fan, as he had tried to bring him to the Ducks. Keweenaw Peninsula, in the middle of Lake Superior. The closest major “He was the most improved defenceman in the Western Conference last city, Milwaukee, is more than five hours away. His late father, John, had year,” Wilson told the press right after the signing. a painting business in the area with a clever name: Finger Painting. Despite all the criticism of the contract, Finger felt he had support It’s an isolated but beautiful place, Finger says, and that’s why he internally and would prove people wrong. He couldn’t wait to be a Maple returned there after everything went wrong. But one of his connections to Leaf. the outside world while growing up in Houghton had always been a crackly CBC feed from , just across the water, of hockey “I know Cliff took a lot of heat for signing me,” Finger said. “But that’s kind games. of what the market was at at the time. There weren’t a whole lot of free agents out there and that’s how it goes.” That was how he watched the Maple Leafs play every Saturday night in front of packed arenas, something that stoked his passion for the game Finger’s time in Toronto was difficult almost from the beginning. going back to his childhood. A heavy shot from teammate Nikolai Kulemin broke Finger’s foot in the That was what kept replaying in his mind when the contract offers started preseason, which took him out of almost the entire exhibition schedule coming in on July 1, 2008. The Colorado Avalanche, who had drafted and the first month of the season. When he returned, he was put on a Finger nine years earlier, wanted to keep him, but were quickly outbid as pairing with rookie and thrust into more than 20 minutes a the Anaheim Ducks, , New York Rangers, San Jose game on his weak side. Sharks, and others threw huge offers out when free agency opened. The Leafs were in disarray in large part due to their goaltending, as Finger and his agent, Neil Sheehy, had made a long list of his top starter Vesa Toskala was quickly playing his way out of the league. His destinations before the big day. The Maple Leafs – the team he grew up .891 save percentage combined with then-aging backup Curtis Joseph’s watching on CBC after adjusting the bunny ears on his TV set – were at .869, were enough to sink their season single-handedly despite the fact the top of it. And then-rebuilding Toronto had expressed some interest. Toronto was 10th in league scoring that year with nearly three goals per game. The agent and then-GM Cliff Fletcher went back and forth and were able to hammer out a deal, essentially matching what other clubs had been Burke was hired in November as GM and quickly began an on-the-fly offering: Four years and $14 million. rebuild. It became very clear to Finger he wasn’t in the organization’s plans when they signed Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin to big For a player who wasn’t an NHL regular until he was 28 years old and deals in free agency the following summer, setting up a disastrous was earning AHL money – less than $90,000 a season – for most of his second season that saw him in and out of the lineup, splitting time with career, it was an unfathomable windfall. And it meant he would be Garnet Exelby as Toronto’s sixth defenceman. playing for the Leafs, in Toronto, the hockey Mecca. Meanwhile, things were not going well with the coach. Finger was blown away that day. “Me and Wilson definitely didn’t have the best relationship,” Finger said. “Yes, to be honest with you,” he said. “Yes. I mean I knew there was “He was …” going to be demand. Neil got some scoop that there was obvious He sighed. “It took damn near a year before I started getting back to normal (after taking that hit with the Marlies). Even to this day and in years past (there “I don’t know how to put it lightly, but there is no putting it lightly,” Finger are issues). I haven’t played in the NHL in over 10 years now and I still said. “Me and him didn’t get along. There were a lot of factors that went struggle with stuff. into it, but by the second year already they signed a bunch of D-men that were making top-four money – as I was – and it was kind of their guys “The transition from playing every day to not be playing at all is a tough that they brought in that they wanted to go with. thing. It was hard on me. It really was. I still struggle with some anxiety and depression even now, which I never really experienced before. “So, I kind of feel like I was the easy out for them. I mean, my first year in That’s what really scared me, once it got to that point. What if this gets Toronto, I had a career year in terms of numbers. Our team wasn’t that worse? Or if I get dinged again? Who knows what you’ll be dealing with. good. But I thought I played fairly well and had a lot of minutes. Then That was kind of when I made the decision to move on.” they brought their guys in and I kind of got lost in the shuffle. Finger has found a measure of peace in recent years. He and his “I mean, from a business standpoint, I completely understand. I kind of longtime girlfriend, Erin Nichols, a physiotherapist, have two young handcuffed myself by signing the deal that I did, that’s really hard to trade children, Miila, 2, and Jack, six months. They’re raising them in or to do anything with. And then if you’re not playing top-four minutes, Houghton, where he grew up. making that kind of money, you know, they’re gonna push you out. Something’s gotta give type of thing. That’s basically how it worked out. The windfall he received from his free agency payday in Toronto 12 The team was still struggling at that point, too.” years ago means he doesn’t have to work, so Finger is a full-time dad to “his babies” while their mother goes to work at a nursing home each day. To put it mildly. In 2009-10, with Finger playing sparingly, the Leafs finished second-last in the league – and Burke had already traded away He has also begun to chip in as an assistant coach at Finlandia the team’s first-round pick. University, a small Division 3 college program near his hometown. His postconcussion symptoms are manageable, most days. By 2010-11, the Leafs salary-cap situation was tight, especially after acquiring and J-S Giguere that January. The only way Jeff Finger with his daughter, Miila, and son, Jack. Burke could get everyone under the cap would be to punt a significant salary, and at that point, you could still bury full contracts in the AHL. “Since I’ve been done, I’ve really looked forward to being able to have the time to be with the kids and raise them,” Finger said. “This is Finger had made peace with the fact that he was likely going back to the something I’ve always wanted to do. I look at it as almost my second life. AHL. His only hope was that a trade could be worked out, although at his The first one was hectic and fast-paced and now I get to hang out and lay salary, he knew that was going to be difficult to pull off. Under the rules of low and raise my kids. the CBA at the time, it was cheaper for the Leafs to bury Finger than buy him out or move him while retaining salary. They also couldn’t afford to “It’s your only opportunity to get this chance. I’m super thankful that I’m call him up if there were injuries, because of their cap situation. able to do that with them right now. I’m happy where I’m at right now, that’s for sure.” He was stuck. After thinking it over, Finger insists he doesn’t regret signing in Toronto. “In hindsight, I don’t know if I could have done anything differently,” One of his proudest hockey memories remains standing on the Air Finger said, admitting that the harsh criticism in the media really bothered Canada Centre blue line, listening to the anthem, before a big game him. “I was kind of always the guy that kept to myself and kept my mouth against the Montreal Canadiens. shut. And the attention you get up there it’s, like, I don’t know. I was used to going to work and working my butt off and keeping your mouth shut He still gets that feeling – those “chills” – when he turns on a game on TV and do your thing. Maybe I should have had a little bit of a thicker skin. I these days. “That’s the kind of stuff I really miss,” Finger said. wasn’t used to people carving into you with all the media coverage they He knows he got lucky with the contract, with the timing of his one big get. I would have maybe spoke up a little bit for myself. season in Colorado and what happened in free agency that summer. But “In the end, that’s not my personality, to be loud and outspoken. But I he also wants fans to know he gave his all, even in those years with the believe I could have stuck up for myself a little bit more when it came to Marlies, when it felt like there was no way out. Wilson, anyway. There was some antics there that he pulled that maybe He wishes his time in Toronto went differently but understands why it he should have been called out on. didn’t. He just wishes he wasn’t forever a punchline, given what it all “It got to the point where I felt like people were, like, ‘OK, you got your meant to him. money, you know, just kind of shut up and do your thing. You’re lucky “I had heard the stories (about what it was like to play in Toronto),” Finger you got that.’ Hey, I’m very fortunate to sign that contract. But I also had said. “But basically once I heard the Leafs were interested, it was just the quite a bit of hockey left in me when I got buried.” name of the organization and the mystique and the respect (factor). I The hockey gods had other ideas. Finger needed major hip surgery his wanted to say that I was a Toronto Maple Leaf, is what it came down to. first season in the AHL, which cost him most of that season. The There were a few other teams that were up there in the same area following year, back with the Marlies, he was felled by a seemingly (contract wise). It just came down to that’s where I wanted to go. innocuous hit to the head during a game in St. John’s, NL. “I can’t really tell you, being a small-town kid, that I wasn’t a little naïve. It would be the last hockey game he would ever play. Not knowing what I was getting into.”

To this day, more than eight years later, Finger suffers from The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 postconcussion-related issues, including anxiety and depression. He remembers the months he spent alone and struggling in his apartment that final season in Toronto as some of the lowest points of his life.

While the Marlies made a run to the Calder Cup final that spring, he was back in Houghton, miserable and unwell.

He had the money, but after 199 NHL games, the dream was over. Not only was he no longer a Leaf, but he was also no longer himself.

“I did have some opportunities to play over in Europe and whatnot,” Finger said. “But after what I experienced with that last one, the last concussion, it was just … and things were starting to come out on the education of concussions and guys that were really struggling and having real issues, and at that point in my career I just, it’s almost like you get the piss and vinegar knocked right out of you. I didn’t really have what it took to keep going. I mean I probably could have, but I don’t think it would have been smart at the time. 1185131 Vegas Golden Knights Vast majority of the NHLPA executive board members (29-2) agreed on the return to play format. Now you have to expect the league will make an announcement on the format sometime next week.

NHLPA agrees to 24-team format to award Stanley Cup — Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 23, 2020

The NHL remains in Phase One of its return with players and staff in self- isolation and has not announced when team facilities will open for small, By David Schoen group skates and voluntary workouts.

May 22, 2020 - 7:24 PM That issue was further complicated this week when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the border between the U.S. and Updated May 22, 2020 - 7:28 PM Canada will remain closed to nonessential travel through June 21.

Bettman indicated during his virtual chat Monday with Leaders Week The NHL took its first step toward returning. sports conference that nearly 20 percent of players are currently outside North America. A 24-team return-to-play format was approved Friday following a vote by the NHL Players’ Association executive committee. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.23.2020

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the NHLPA said in a statement. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Settling on a format was an important first step for the NHL’s return, but the league still must decide when and where play will resume and also what testing procedures and health protocols will be in place. An announcement from the league is expected next week.

The NHL season was paused March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday the league was looking at eight or nine locations to serve as hub cities for “a dozen or so teams” if the season resumes. The games are expected to take place without fans in attendance.

Las Vegas remains one of the frontrunners or potentially could host the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final, according to a report by Le Journal de Montreal.

Fletch Brunelle, the vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said proximity to ice is one of the factors being considered by the NHL for Las Vegas’ bid.

The Las Vegas Valley has ice sheets at City National Arena (two), Las Vegas Ice Center (two) and Pepsi Ice Arena at Fiesta Rancho, which remains closed. Orleans Arena also has ice-making capabilities.

In addition to T-Mobile Arena, made-for-TV rinks can potentially be installed at Mandalay Bay Events Center and MGM Grand Garden.

“I think (the NHL) would want the competition ice to be the exact same location most likely, but within one mile you could potentially have three sheets of ice and television broadcasts going from one to the other,” said Daren Libonati, former director of the Thomas & Mack Center. “You could have Mandalay Bay as a television program, you could have T-Mobile as a program and MGM has a program. Just as one program is finishing another goes live at another venue and you never miss a step.”

The 24-team tournament bracket to award the Stanley Cup will feature the top 12 teams from each conference based on points percentage.

Under the plan, the Golden Knights will receive a bye in the opening round as one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference.

The Knights will join St. Louis, Colorado and Dallas in a round-robin to determine the top four seeds while the remaining eight teams meet in a best-of-five, play-in round.

Should the Knights not improve on their standing as the No. 3 seed during round-robin play, they would face the winner of the Arizona- Nashville series in a best-of-seven conference quarterfinal.

In the Eastern Conference, Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia received a bye and also will play a round-robin to settle seeding.

The proposal needed 18 of the 31 NHLPA executive committee votes to pass and TVA Sports reported the final tally was 29-2 in favor. 1185132 Vegas Golden Knights It’s impossible to win the Stanley Cup without encountering good teams, of course, and the Oilers are not a slouch. The prospect of squaring off against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in a best-of-seven series is terrifying, but given the choice, the Golden Knights would almost certainly Golden Knights lose advantage as Pacific champs in proposed playoff rather play the Oilers than the Avalanche. format The Avalanche were arguably the best team in the conference during the season, leading the west in both goals and goal differential. And then, if the Golden Knights survive, there’s still the possibility of the defending By Justin Emerson Stanley Cup champion Blues waiting in the conference final. Friday, May 22, 2020 | 2 a.m. Vegas could jump to as high as the top seed, or fall to fourth, if the initial three-game schedule among bye teams determines seeding. But either way, the Golden Knights’ built-in advantage of winning their division It’s starting to feel inevitable the NHL will return to finish the 2019-20 would dissipate under the structure that seems to be leading the way for season, and now there’s been some clarity on how it might happen, and the NHL’s restart. therefore, how it would impact the Golden Knights. It’s never easy to win a championship, and it won’t be this year either. SportsNet reported that the league and the players’ association are The NHL might be making it a little harder on some teams though, and working toward a scenario that would involve a 24-team playoff this that includes the Golden Knights. summer. It’s not official, and any proposal would need to be approved by both parties, but it appears to be the leading possibility at the moment. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 05.23.2020

The site of the games is still to be determined, but fans would not be permitted regardless of the location. One possibility involves using “hubs,” where NHL cities and arenas would host multiple teams, if not an entire conference. Las Vegas is under consideration to be one of those hubs along with Columbus, Ohio, and Edmonton, Alberta, which make for a sampling of the “eight or nine” cities NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has referenced.

The proposal would give a bye to the top four teams in each conference based on points percentage at the time of the NHL season pause. The Golden Knights are third in the Western Conference, so they wouldn’t have to play an opening series.

The other eight teams in each conference would compete in a best-of- five, play-in series to determine who moves on to the regular 16-team, best-of-seven tournament.

While that elimination round was taking place, SportsNet reports the top four seeds in each conference would face off with each other in a three- game, round-robin format to help get back into playing shape. That would mean the Golden Knights would take on the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues while awaiting their round-of-16 opponent.

It’s possible that the three-game set would impact seedings, but not entirely clear.

While this setup isn’t an “obvious disadvantage” for the Golden Knights, it’s not exactly advantageous either.

That’s because the league is reportedly considering aligning the reformatted playoffs by conference instead of division. The league has gone by the latter since 2014, rewarding the four champions with home ice in the first round in a pod with a minimum of two other divisional opponents.

Throw in the fact that Golden Knights’ Pacific Division was likely the weakest in hockey this year and it set up to be a big advantage. Two home series against, say, Arizona and Edmonton, sounded a lot less daunting than what Dallas would have needed to face as the No. 3 seed in the Central — road matchups at Colorado and St. Louis.

Home-ice won’t be much of a factor with the hub idea stationing teams in the same city to reduce travel. Even if Las Vegas is the host, with no fans in the crowd, it’s not as much of a factor as it would have been in a normal year.

The conference alignment, however, would be a major factor. As the current No. 3 seed in the west, Vegas would need to navigate a tougher path than it would have in the divisional-based postseason.

They’d meet the winner of the Predators vs. Coyotes series, and then potentially the second-seeded Avalanche, which wiped out the Golden Knights twice this year. Colorado outscored Vegas by a stunning nine goals.

That’s a much tougher matchup than Edmonton, which Vegas would have been favored to face in its second series originally. The Golden Knights had beaten the Oilers in two out of three games, including a massive showdown on a back-to-back right before the season paused. 1185133 Washington Capitals fare okay against it. I have a family; I have kids. What is the repercussions of that?"

Eller and his wife are expecting a baby boy in August and already have a NHL players approve 24-team playoff proposal, but many other hurdles 7-year-old daughter. Eller has considered the risk he would be weighing remain if he wanted to interact with his newborn. At the same time, he doesn’t want to be cut off from his family for an extended period.

Safety “would have to be substantial, and I also don’t want to be in a Samantha Pell situation where I don’t see my family for weeks at a time and be locked in a hotel room,” Eller said. “… At some point, it is not worth doing it.” May 22, 2020 at 10:14 PM EDT There are many hurdles to be overcome and discussions to be had, but

Eller said players generally want to play. The issue, he asked, is at what The NHL Players’ Association’s executive board, made up of 31 player cost? representatives, approved the NHL’s return-to-play, 24-team playoff “At some point, there is going to be a barrier of ... is it worth it?” Eller format Friday, pending further negotiation on issues related to resuming said. “I don’t know where the barrier is, but I think we are going to be competition. flirting with it.” “The executive board of the NHLPA has authorized further negotiations Washington Post LOADED: 05.23.2020 with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” the NHLPA said in a statement Friday night. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

The NHLPA executive board voted only on the conference-based “play- in” postseason format. Other return-to-play details, including safety protocols, still need to be negotiated with the league.

The proposal includes the top four teams in each conference (based on points percentage) playing one another for seeding, while the remaining 16 teams would play best-of-five series in a play-in round. The setup for the play-in round would be No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 (with the winner advancing to play the fourth seed), No. 6 vs. No. 11 (winner plays the third), No. 7 vs. No. 10 (winner plays the second) and No. 8 vs. No. 9 (winner plays the first). That would leave 16 teams to compete for the Stanley Cup, as in a typical postseason.

The Washington Capitals would be playing for seeding in the proposed round-robin scenario. The other teams receiving byes in the Eastern Conference would be Boston, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. In the West, St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas would get byes. The teams that would qualify for the “bracketed” play-in rounds are Pittsburgh, Carolina, the New York Islanders, Toronto, Columbus, Florida, the New York Rangers and Montreal in the East, and Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Arizona and Chicago in the West.

Capitals defenseman John Carlson, speaking to NBC Sports Network on Thursday, said he wasn’t a huge fan of the expanded playoff format. He thought the number of teams was too high but acknowledged that “due to logistics” the plan might make the most sense.

Center Lars Eller hadn’t seen a full return-to-play proposal Thursday but said there had been a “positive vibe” around return-to-play discussions over the past few weeks.

“I will say that, when it comes to the format, I think it is almost impossible to make everyone happy. … The situation is what it is,” he said. “It is far from perfect. We are going to manage the best we can, and I do think we will come together and find a solution regarding that. It is not going to be easy.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, appearing Monday in a digital keynote interview for Leaders Week, a sports business conference, said the league is exploring eight to nine potential venues that would be able to accommodate “a dozen or so teams in one location.” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said this week that Washington isn’t one of those venues. Bettman noted that multiple games would have to be played each day at the same sites, without fans.

Other challenges include gathering players who have left the country. Bettman said 17 percent of the league’s players are currently outside North America. More than half of the Capitals left the D.C. area since the season was suspended in mid-March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Players are hesitant about leaving their families for an extended period. They also would be worried about the safety of their families if they are to play, then are allowed to interact with loved ones.

“I’m not worried about myself; I’m worried about the next step and those I’m potentially giving it to,” Carlson said. “I’m a healthy guy. I think I would 1185134 Washington Capitals

Capitals in good spot to extend affiliation with ECHL team

By J.J. Regan May 22, 2020 11:53 AM

The Capitals and South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL are in the final year of their affiliation agreement, but South Carolina owner Todd Halloran anticipates the agreement will be extended.

“I feel good about it. I don’t think there’ll be any issues,” Halloran said on the Capitals Talk podcast episode released Friday.

The Stingrays have been the Caps’ ECHL affiliate since 2014. Before that, the two teams were affiliates from 2004 to 2012.

Washington’s AHL affiliation agreement with the Hershey Bears also expired this season, but the Caps and Bears recently announced that the agreement had been renewed.

“I know that the Capitals recently renewed their affiliation with Hershey, obviously that’s priority,” Halloran said. “I’m sure in the coming weeks here, we’ll be doing the same. I don’t have any great concerns about it. It’s been a great relationship.”

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What the Caps' 2018 Eastern Conference Finals win was like for one young fan

By Rob Carlin May 22, 2020 10:55 AM

So, I’m getting off the plane in Tampa for Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m excited about continuing our coverage of this amazing Caps playoff run. I’m still on a high from the Kuzy goal to knock the Penguins out. Or, as John Walton so perfectly said, “The demons have been exorcised!” Anyway, I’m kind of lost in my own world.

As I’m getting off the ramp, I see a young kid looking my way. I have my headphones in. I’m probably listening to some old Grateful Dead show on my phone. I’m not really paying attention.

Then he waves. I figured his mom or dad were coming off the plane behind me. Then we lock eyes. He waves again. Now I realize he’s waving at me. I’m a little confused.

But I wave back. I take my headphones off and he says, “Hi, I’m Martin. I recognized you on the plane. You’re the guy from the intermissions!” (Editor's note: Carlin also hosts Caps' pre and postgame shows on NBC Sports Washington.)

We stood and talked for a minute. He told me his dad bought him & his mom tickets to Game One. He’s 10 years old and a huge Caps fan. I took a picture of him with a thumbs up. His mom asks if she can take a picture of the both of us. We do. We shake hands and they start to walk away.

I’m a few steps behind them as I see Martin’s mom give him a little hug. The kind of hug a parent gives their kid when something really cool has happened. I know that hug. As a sports fan and now a parent, I’ve been on both sides of that hug.

I tap them on the shoulder and say, “If you think that was cooler for him than it was for me, you’re crazy!" I was Martin once. I know what it’s like to love your team so much that you even know the TV broadcasters. For true fans, the broadcasters are all part of the nightly experience. I don’t take that responsibility for granted. I’m now a part of a Caps fan experience. That’s the most important part of what I do.

Martin is now doing sports updates on YouTube. He wants to be a broadcaster one day. I hope he makes it. Although, as I told him, I just don’t want him to take my job any time soon.

When we wanted to get a fan’s perspective of that Tampa series, Martin was the obvious choice. We hope you enjoy that Cup run through his eyes.

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Caps' Lars Eller has safety concerns about NHL's potential playoff proposal

By J.J. Regan May 22, 2020 10:00 AM

The NHL looks poised to sign off on a 24-team playoff format to finish the 2019-20 season, but that is not the issue on the forefront of every players' mind. Lars Eller, for example, who will be welcoming a new addition to his family in August, finds himself thinking of the health risks of a return to play.

"How do you make it safe?" Eller told Rob Carlin on the Capitals Talk Podcast. "You don’t want to be locked in a hotel for a certain amount of time and being cut off from your family. We’re having a new addition to the family in August, right? So everybody’s in a different situation, may have different needs and some may have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk so there’s just a lot of things that have to come together for this to happen.

"But I think generally everyone is working towards the same goal, but at some point -- and I don’t think we’re at that point yet because there’s nothing to decide on now at this moment -- but at some point you’re going to have to ask at what cost are you going to play? And there’s a barrier there and I don’t know where it is, but I think we’re going to be flirting with it."

Eller absolutely wants to play hockey and wants the season to resume, but at what cost? That's the question he continues to grapple with as he contemplates hockey's eventual return to the season.

"We’re the ones putting ourselves at risk and potentially all our families," Eller said. "Personally, I’m going to have a newborn at home during this time so there’s a lot of factors that goes into such decision and that may vary from individual to individual on every team."

When it comes to the actual play, Eller's main concern is if the team would be able to play games prior to going into the playoffs. To him, that would be a sticking point.

But all of that seems very much secondary to the health and safety of the players and their families.

Said Eller, "Of course we want to make [playoffs] happen, but not at any cost."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185137 Washington Capitals Glatt fights Anders Cain in the first game we see in the movie and Glatt gets worked over. It is treated like this monumental event, but if you fight all the time you are going to lose some of those fights regardless of who you are. He did get injured and that injury turned out to be a career- 'Goon: Last of the Enforcers' is a fun hockey movie, but doesn't want to ending injury (until it wasn't), but they really make a big deal out of him answer the tough questions it raises losing a fight. It's really not.

The two Russians continuing to mess with the goalie may have been my favorite part of both movies. "You will never eat a meal in peace. Animals By J.J. Regan May 22, 2020 6:00 AM don't eat in peace." That line made me laugh out loud.

What life is like after hockey is a compelling story. Guys trying to find With live sports on pause and most people stuck at home due to the their identity after walking away from the sport they love is a struggle and coronavirus, hockey fans have to find other ways to pass the time. something I thought could have been hashed out better. Obviously, Watching a good hockey movie can certainly help, but the fact is some of people watching this want to see Glatt play hockey. No one is watching us haven't seen the "classic" hockey movies since we were kids. to see him sell insurance, despite how funny his boss is. Having said that the movie really just skips over that. The threat of long-term health issues So how good are they really? Do they actually hold up? With nothing but is also hinted at, but ignored whenever the movie found it convenient. time on our hands, let's find out. Oh, Doug has to walk away from the game? How will he adjust? He won't and will just end up playing again anyway. Ross Rhea, Schreiber's Every Friday during the pause, I'll have a hockey movie review in which I character, was washed up at the end of the first movie. He comes back, will watch a movie the night before, take notes and provide those notes says the doctors warned him another bad hit to the head could cause and a grade for each movie just to see how good they really are. serious damage so...of course he gets signed by Halifax. He then gets a You can check out the past reviews here: serious hit to the head, but, hey, don't worry about that. LaFlamme is worried he's losing a step, but gets named captain later in the movie so Happy Gilmore problem solved. If you are going to bring up complex topics, don't just pretend like everything sorts itself out. Dive into it.

D2: The Mighty Ducks Another interesting storyline the movie brings up and then solves as lazily as possible, what do wives of the players think about them being D3: The Mighty Ducks enforcers? Eva doesn't want Glatt to fight anymore which is both understandable for the family, but totally unreasonable as it is why he is Goon able to play the game he loves. The movie makes this a theme, but This week's movie: "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" resolves it just by Eva deciding he can fight again right after their baby was born. Why? Because what made him want to be there for the birth of "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" is the sequel to "Goon." It is the story of their kid...is why he should be playing hockey? What? Doug Glatt, played by Seann William Scott, who became an enforcer for a minor league hockey team, the Halifax Highlanders. The first movie Highlanders owner Hyrum Cain wanting to trade for his son, Anders indicates at the start that it is based on a true story. This one does not Cain, and name him captain was incredibly transparent, but not really and that really is the central issue between these two movies. While the ever addressed. The team would have basically revolted. Also, if the first manages to be funny and entertaining while also providing a realistic, movie is operating under the premise that the league will get more media though exaggerated, depiction of minor league hockey, "Last of the attention because of an NHL lockout, then they should have included the Enforcers"...does not. It is still funny and entertaining, but it goes a bit too team getting blasted for an owner bringing in his son to be captain of the far to the crazy side to pull off the same feeling of realism you got from team when he clearly should not have been. the first. That's too bad because there are important themes here. The Anders Cain is the villain in this movie and, I'll be honest, I just don't get movie is really about Glatt trying to find his identity without hockey, which this guy. He fights Glatt at the start of the movie. Got it. They are both is a real struggle for players. The solution? Play anyway and everything enforcers, he goes after the big-name enforcer. Standard. But it goes will work itself out. deeper than that as Cain just flat out hates Glatt. Why? Does he see him Like the first movie, you have to be able to take the humor. I love it, I was as a threat to take the C back? Your dad is the owner of the team, traded laughing throughout but...it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's for you and named you captain before you ever played a game. He is definitely not one for the kids. The cast again is fantastic with Scott, also way more talented than Glatt. Why would he care about a fourth-line Allison Pill, Liev Schreiber and Jay Baruchel all reprising their roles. It enforcer? Cain seems level-headed when talking with his father at points, also adds T.J. Miller, Wyatt Russell and Elisha Cuthbert. That's a solid but other times is crazy. He is also depicted as being about as simple as cast for an off-color movie about a niche sport. Glatt, but more unemotional and unempathetic. This character is seriously all over the map from trying to be a captain for his team, to not "Goon" set a high bar for this sequel to follow and it made the classic caring about anyone on his team. He also simultaneously hates his dad, sequel mistake. They took everything you liked about the first movie and wants to impress his dad and earn his approval, etc. He is just all over tried to multiply it. Big fights and blood? Plenty of that. Off-color humor? the place. And before you say he's just a bad dude, he tells Glatt, "I just You got it. Dysfunctional team interactions? Loads. But in an effort to do whatever my team needs me to do" which he does try to do give you more of that, this movie felt less authentic than the first and sometimes, but other times just doesn't care. He picks fights with ultimately that was what really made the first one so enjoyable. everyone, including Glatt. Cain's character is so scattered that after a while I just dismissed him as a crazy and moved on. Here are my notes from watching: Having a hockey fighting league is a cheap gimmick just to get Rhea into Miller as Chad Bailey on Sports Desk with James Duthie was a recurring the movie. While there actually was a hockey fighting tournament in 2005 bit throughout the movie and it made me laugh every time. called the "Battle of the Hockey Enforcers," this seemed pretty I'm not quite sure how much time has passed between movies. It was six transparent in the movie and was totally unnecessary. Halifax is years in real-time from when the movies came out, but the team is still supposed to be one notch below the NHL, so it is basically the AHL. The largely intact except Park Kim who is now the team trainer and Gord movie could have just as easily had Rhea playing in a lower minor league Ogilvey who is an assistant coach. At the same time, Xavier LaFlamme like the ECHL or even just a beer league. Remember Glatt was who was the hotshot young prospect Glatt was supposed to protect in the discovered in one of those lower leagues in the first movie before going first movie talks a lot about how he is slowing down. I wasn't really sure if to Halifax. The movie didn't have to use this blatant, silly gimmick. it was meant to be the season immediately following the first or to take it Michael Del Zotto, , Colton Orr, Brandon Prust, Georges in real-time. Laraque and all have cameos. Doug "The Hammer" Glatt is made captain immediately in the movie and LaFlamme looks Smith, who was the inspiration for these movies, also has a cameo in the genuinely disappointed that it's not him. The show-boating puck hog battle royale. Glatt headbutts him. would literally have been my last choice as captain. The fact that he is still in Halifax also would suggest he never stuck in the NHL and was a total bust. The scene in the plane was a good reminder that this is not an NHL team so they have to make do with flying commercial. The coach trying to talk up the team is one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

Even when LaFlamme starts to take control of the locker room, it feels forced. This guy is not a leader and I would never have given him the C.

I have done the quiet yell while watching sports and holding a baby. I could absolutely relate to that.

Ever notice how the dirtiest hits in sports movies always happen because the refs aren't doing their jobs? Take control of the game, for Heaven's sake!

Final Grade: B-

“Goon: Last of the Enforcers” has the same kind of humor as the first, it’s still hilarious and wildly entertaining with humor hockey fans in particular can enjoy. Having said that, the first movie did all of this while managing to keep one leg planted firmly in reality and that’s what made it so compelling. This one touches on real themes but either exaggerates them to the point where they feel over the top or just ignores ther real questions those themes pose. It loses something because of that.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185138 Winnipeg Jets playoff series since 2015, when both Montreal and Ottawa and Calgary and Vancouver faced off.

In other words, bring it on. And it says here that with a full complement of Now for something completely different... players at the ready, including trade-deadline additions in Dylan DeMelo and Cody Eakin, the Jets could be poised to make some noise. They were coming on strong just before the season suspension, winners of four straight with several other injured players back in the fold. Whether By: Mike McIntyre they could pick up where they left off is one of the key questions we may Posted: 05/22/2020 9:00 PM | Last Modified: 05/22/2020 9:49 PM | soon get answered. Updates | In a season where seemingly everything that could go wrong did go wrong — from Laine and Kyle Connor contract disputes in training camp, Sami Niku and Kristian Vesalainen’s car crash, Dustin Byfuglien’s In a perfect world, we’d all be catching our breath right now after three shocking season-long saga, ’s heart ailment, Little’s freak scintillating rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, reflecting on all the usual friendly-fire injury, Nathan Beaulieu’s dog killed in a hit-and-run, Mason twists and turns associated with the two-month hockey joyride that began Appleton getting injured playing football on the field in Regina — a deep in early April. The field would be narrowed down to just two remaining run in an unprecedented playoff format would be fitting. contenders. Beards would be long, fuses would be short and emotions would be high. "Everybody kind of stepped up this year. All the young guys, they were getting more ice time and a bigger role this year. Everybody handled it Of course, we’re living in a world that’s anything but perfect. And the NHL really well and that’s what we need to do and keep doing," said Laine. season, which came to a halt on March 12, remains on indefinite pause owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out Vegas isn’t quite as high on their hopes, as the latest odds sent to me earlier this week peg Winnipeg with the second-worst odds to But all that may be about to change. A framework has emerged for a be the lone Central Division club left standing, ahead of only Chicago. return-to-play scenario, one that will involve a whopping 24 of the Colorado, St. Louis, Dallas, Nashville and Minnesota are all ahead. league’s 31 teams getting a chance to sip from the silver chalice later this summer. Regardless, it’s just nice to be able to start thinking, and talking, hockey again. Sure, it may look, sound and feel a lot different than usual, but I’d To all those suggesting this wouldn’t be the same, you’re right. It’s going suggest for those reasons alone it could end up being the most to be even better. memorable playoffs of our lifetime.

Forget this nonsense about the winning team requiring an asterisk next Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.23.2020 to their name, which I’ve heard in many circles from people who only seem to be happy when they’re unhappy. Fact is, the hardest trophy to win in pro sports is going to be more than elusive than ever. And, I’d suggest, mean more than ever to both the champion and their fan base given these uncertain times.

A bigger field means that two-thirds of the teams will actually have to win five rounds instead of the usual four if they want to be the last one standing. Only the top four clubs in each conference will get a pass to the traditional round of 16, while everyone else will have to first win a "play- in" best-of-five series.

There will be no true home-ice advantage, given that all games are going to be played in empty venues in hub cities. And the playing field will be the most level in history. All this time off has given the majority of players an opportunity to heal from the various ailments acquired during the grind of a regular season, including some who may have otherwise been done for the year under normal scheduling.

For example, veteran Jets centre Bryan Little could be ready to go after suffering what was thought to be a season-ending ear and head injury last November after being struck by an errant Nikolaj Ehlers slapshot.

"I think it would be a great playoff run since everybody’s rested and hopefully healthy," Jets winger Patrik Laine said Friday in a Zoom call, repeating a sentiment I’ve heard from numerous players and coaches over the past couple months.

Yes, this greatly discounts the importance of the regular season, aside from the seven sad-sack squads who won’t make the cut. Nobody is suggesting this becomes the new normal, but rather a unique one-off given the current climate. It’s the product of weeks of back-and-forth discussion between league executives and player reps, and I dare say it’s an ideal solution to a less-than-ideal situation.

Provided it can be done in a safe manner for all involved — details of that still have to be worked out to get the all-clear from health and government officials — hungry hockey fans should be jumping for joy at the prospect of watching such an event from the comfort of their couches.

Just look at the tasty morsel we may soon get to sink our teeth into in the form of a Jets and Flames first-round meeting. Turns out the Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium in Regina last October, in which Winnipeg beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime, may have just been the appetizer.

The former Smythe Division rivals haven’t met in the playoffs since the spring of 1987, when Dale Hawerchuk and Paul MacLean led the Jets to a 4-2 series victory over Joe Mullen and Lanny McDonald in a first-round Smythe Division matchup. This would also be the first all-Canadian 1185139 Winnipeg Jets Finally, he put to rest any thought of bringing back his gnarly facial hair, which he sported during Winnipeg's run to the Western Conference final in 2018.

Laine keen to hit the ice, despite potential challenges of new playoff "No. No that was once, just once for me. Once was enough. And it didn’t format look good either, so I’m done with the beard," said Laine.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.23.2020

Mike McIntyre

Posted: 05/22/2020 10:35 AM

His hockey skills may admittedly be a bit rusty these days, but Patrik Laine hasn't lost his dry wit or brutal honesty that makes him one of the unique characters and great interviews in the sport.

The 22-year-old Winnipeg Jets sniper was in fine form Friday morning during a Zoom call with media from his off-season home in Tampere, Finland. He's currently waiting for word on a possible resumption of the NHL season, which shut down in mid-March owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If I look at myself and think about myself, my game's probably going to look terrible since I haven't skated for two months, and it's always a struggle to come back after a long period when you haven't skated," Laine said.

The likely scenario is a 24-team playoff tournament in which the Jets would meet the Calgary Flames in an opening round best-of-five series, likely in early to mid-July. News on that front could come in the next few days.

"I think if there's a training camp or something like that, I think it'll be a good playoff run since everybody's rested and hopefully healthy. I think it would be a great playoff run," said Laine. "I don't really care, personally (about the format). I just want to play, and I can do whatever format they decide. It's just still hockey, but I don't mind the format. It's not an issue for me."

Laine said the prospect of playing in a hub city for an extended period of time, isolated family and friends, will have some challenges for players.

"I think I have to bring my computer so that I can play some video games. I think it will be boring, but if that’s what it requires to play hockey still this summer, that’s fine with me. I don’t mind and I don’t need to go anywhere but my hotel room. So that would be just normal for me on the road. If that’s necessary, I don’t mind it," he said.

He's been staying busy by working on his golf game and adding to his tattoo collection, revealing he just got his full arm sleeve finished. And while he hasn't kept in touch with the majority of his Jets teammates, the one exception is close buddy Nikolaj Ehlers.

"I've been sending pics to Nikky from my Lambo (he has a Lamborghini Urus) and he's been sending pics of his," he said.

Laine was on pace for a career-high in points, with 28 goals and a career-high 35 assists in 68 regular-season games.

"I took some big steps this year, especially in my all-around game. It was the first time in my career I had more assists than goals, so hopefully, that's not going to happen again. But yeah, the all-around game was good this year. Kind of get some more consistency out of my game. It was a good year. Too bad we had to stop the season," he said.

"Everybody kind of stepped up this year. All the young guys, they were getting more ice time and a bigger role this year. Everybody handled it really well and that’s what we need to do and keep doing. As a young guy, I try to step up my game every year and every game. To get more responsibilities and play better. That’s how we, as a team, are going to get success because all of the veteran guys are going to retire at some point. So the young guys are going to have to step up."

Laine suggested there's plenty of room to still improve, including perhaps getting some penalty-killing assignments. We think he was joking.

Laine also took a shot at Ehlers as he recalled his first career hat trick, in his rookie season against Toronto, which came on a two-on-one rush in overtime. He was asked if he ever considered passing to Ehlers.

"Absolutely not. I’m always thinking about shooting it, especially with Nikky on the other side. I had to shoot it if we wanted to score." 1185140 Winnipeg Jets The Bombers, of course, beat the Riders 20-13 in the West Final at Mosaic Stadium in November, with quarterback Cody Fajardo’s final pass to the end zone clanging off the crossbar and falling dead, before going on to beat Hamilton 33-12 in the . If CFL decides to go with hub cities, Winnipeg and Regina would be likely choices Which team needs practice?

Alberta premier Jason Kenney got into the insult game as well, although his comment was not as tongue-in-cheek as Moe’s and screamed of Ted Wyman ignorance.

Published:May 22, 2020 On the subject of NHL hub cities for a possible return to play, Kenney tweeted on Thursday: “I think it’s pretty obvious the NHL should come to Updated:May 22, 2020 7:48 PM CDT Edmonton. Oil country has the ice, the facility and the lowest level of #Covid-19 infections of any major NHL city in North America.”

A CFL committee looking at return-to-play scenarios identified Winnipeg I guess he doesn’t think Winnipeg is a major NHL city, because the as one of two hub cities in which to play games — the other being infection rate in the Manitoba capital is considerably lower than in the Regina — if the league manages to pull off some semblance of a 2020 Alberta capital. season. As of Friday, Edmonton had 524 total cases of Covid-19 and 61 active Sportsnet’s Arash Madani reported the committee was looking at the two cases. In all of Manitoba there are 290 cases, and only 18 active cases. prairie cities because they are in the areas of the country with the fewest It may be true that Winnipeg isn’t really suited to be a hub city for the reported cases of Covid-19. NHL, but very few places in the world have done as good a job of Manitoba currently has only 18 active cases, while Saskatchewan has flattening the curve and people here should be very proud of that. 106. Both provinces have announced plans for limited re-opening in the MOTIVATION MAN coming weeks. If you are looking for a pick-me-up, check out the Twitter feed of Under the hub city plan discussed by the CFL — which many skeptics Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Rasheed Bailey. suggest is not an economically viable option — all nine teams would be based in Winnipeg and Regina, five in one, four in the other, and all Bailey, who established himself as a pro player last season and became games would be played at IG Field and Mosaic Stadium. a Grey Cup champion, spent six years toiling on NFL practice rosters before joining the Bombers. Teams would travel back and forth between the cities by bus. All the while he was fine-tuning his craft as a motivational speaker. He We’re not close to knowing if the CFL will be able to start up in uses stories from his upbringing in the Philadelphia projects and his September — there are just too many variables related to the Covid-19 efforts to make it as a pro in speaking to at-risk kids, young football pandemic — but plans are being drawn up for a possible eight-game players and even inmates. schedule and a “win and host” Grey Cup game. With the CFL on hold until at least September and gatherings prohibited League officials have said all options are on the table, including in most places, Bailey has been making motivational speeches on cancelling the season, playing games in all nine cities, or gathering all Twitter. The latest was on Monday after he went for a run and was sitting the teams in two hub cities and playing — at least at first — without fans. on his car. Madani reported this week that a committee was formed to come up with “As I was running today, it was just really in my heart, on my mind to get the most feasible plan, taking economics, logistics and health concerns this message across,” he started. “It’s so easy right now to be into account. discouraged, but what’s hard is to get up every single day and chase The committee included CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, team what you believe in. What you believe in is yourself. Every single day that health professionals, infectious disease doctors, immunologists, some you wake up it’s the opportunity to get better, to say I truly, truly believe league governors and general managers as well as past and present in myself, I believe in what I can do, I believe in my character, I believe in CFL trainers. my skill set, I believe in me. Because if you don’t have that belief in yourself, nobody will.” While the idea of the money-losing CFL playing without fans and still somehow surviving until 2021 — with or without the requested $150 A Winnipegger’s plan for a nationwide CFL virtual tailgate party next million government bailout — seems questionable, it would certainly be month has taken off, with as many as 1,000 hosts expected to be on advantageous, economically, to have the league as tenants in two of the board by Monday. publicly owned stadiums. Blue Bombers season ticket holder Daryl Budnick came up with the idea With the Bombers heading for a $10 million loss if there is no season, to stage the tailgate party on the afternoon of June 13, the day the this could really help. Bombers would have opened the season in a Grey Cup rematch against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And yet, you can’t help wonder what people in this province think of the idea of bringing in hundreds of athletes from across North America to use It started small, with 30 or so groups of Bombers fans on board, but Winnipeg as a base. Budnick now has a website (Budnickblitzpromotions.com), interest from across the country and a fundraising plan to bring in money for Canadian Manitoba has a low number of Covid-19 cases for a reason. Nobody food banks. wants to do anything that could change that. “We’re lined up,” Budnick said Friday. “Everyone’s just excited to get this WHO WON THE CUP? off the ground. We’re going across the country with this. This thing is growing in leaps and bounds. My goal for fundraising for food banks, I Quite a few people on Twitter have been suggesting Saskatchewan think we could raise a million dollars, or pick a number.” Premier Scott Moe go back and watch the CFL West Final and the 2019 Grey Cup, because clearly he doesn’t remember them. The CFL season has been postponed until at least September because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Budnick wanted to commemorate the start Moe was asked this week for a comment on the Manitoba government of the season anyway with a tailgating tradition that normally takes place allowing pro sports teams to open up their facilities for training and before football games across North America. practice purposes, a move the Saskatchewan government has not yet made. The individual tailgate parties in Winnipeg and across the country will be limited in size — based on local health regulations and social distancing His answer was like a shanked punt at his own 10-yard line. protocols — and they will be connected through social media portals. “I’d first and foremost say that the Blue Bombers need the practice.”

Yeah, and Saskatchewan needs less crossbars. There is a registration fee of $25 per tailgate party and Budnick is challenging each group to raise as much money as possible for the food bank of their choice.

“We want each individual group to find fun, creative ways to fundraise,” Budnick said. “Do whatever they want. I’m at $4,000 for our little tailgate here already. The biggest individual tailgater fundraiser, who raises the most money for their food bank, there’s gonna be a major prize.”

Anyone interested in signing up for the virtual tailgate party can do so at Budnickblitzpromotions.com or call Daryl at (204) 612-3101.

— Wyman

Curling Canada looking at hub city concept

The idea of playing games in hub cities has been thrown around in hockey, football, basketball and baseball and now even curling is getting in on the act.

CBC’s Devin Heroux reported Friday that Curling Canada officials have discussed the hub city concept to establish places where elite teams could come together in a training camp setting to prepare for big events next season.

Some events on the curling calendar, like the Shorty Jenkins Classic in September and the Canad Inns Classic in Portage in October and November, have already been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic and others could follow.

Big, sponsored, televised, events like the Grand Slam and Curling Canada’s major properties — the Canada Cup, Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier — could all still be a go, but curlers would need to get some games in before they happen.

That’s’ where the hub city idea comes in.

“That sounds like a decent option,” Winnipeg curler Reid Carruthers said. “I would just hope there’s enough ability for all the teams across the country to be able to have access to ice.

“Having had brief conversations with Curling Canada, I know they’re doing everything behind the scenes to try to prepare for the next curling season. It seems like they’re doing all their due diligence to prepare not only the elite teams but the sport of curling in general across Canada.”

Winnipeg, which is host to many elite teams, would be one logical location, but Carruthers still believes it’s too early to try to formulate any definitive plans for next season.

“The outlook is changing week by week,” he said. “We’re doing well in Manitoba as far as infection rates go and with businesses opening back up it’s hard not to be positive, but big picture-wise there are just so many variables. There’s inter-province travel and international travel and things that are out of a lot of people’s control.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.23.2020 1185141 Winnipeg Jets “If I look at myself and think about myself, my game’s probably going to look terrible since I haven’t skated for two months, and it’s always a struggle to come back after a long period when you haven’t skated,” he said. “But I think if there’s a training camp or something like that, I think Jets' superstar Laine golfing, chilling and taking Lambo selfies it’ll be a good playoff run since everybody’s rested and hopefully healthy. I think it would be a great playoff run.”

So no rollerblading to try to mimic the skating portion? Scott Billeck “No,” he said. “Absolutely not.” Published:May 22, 2020 But he has been trying to stay in shape, he admits. Updated:May 22, 2020 4:31 PM CDT Laine doesn’t have much of an opinion on the proposed 24-team playoff

format. Golf, TV shows and Lambo selfies. “I don’t really care, personally,” he said. “I just want to play, and I can do This has been Patrik Laine’s past two months while quarantining back in whatever format they decide. It’s just still hockey, but I don’t mind the his hometown of Tampere in the heart of Finland. format. It’s not an issue for me.”

It’s probably not unlike most NHLers at this point. Well, except for the last And he’s cool with being locked down in a hub city, too, if need be. bit. If anything, it would feel normal. Laine purchased himself a Lamborghini Urus earlier this year, Lambo’s “I think I have to bring my computer so that I can play some video first foray into the world of sport-utility vehicles since the Lamborghini games,” he said. “I think it will be boring, but if that’s what it requires to LM002 was first produced back in the late ’80s. play hockey still this summer, that’s fine with me. I don’t mind and I don’t The car has a base price of $250,000 Canadian, and a base horsepower need to go anywhere but my hotel room. So that would be just normal for figure of 650. me on the road. If that’s necessary, I don’t mind it.”

And Laine loves showing it off to teammate and fellow Scandanavian, Whether or not that’s an opinion others share on his team or otherwise, Denmark’s Nikolaj Ehlers. Laine has no idea.

Ehlers, of course, has been returning the favour with his own pics of his “I haven’t actually spoken to anybody about the season continuing so I Lambo. don’t know,” he said.

“That’s kind of been our communication with teammates,” Laine said on a He has found time to complete the tattoo sleeve on his right arm. 15-minute Zoom chat with the media on Friday morning. His famous ‘goat’ beard won’t be coming back any time soon, however. Given that it’s late May, however, Laine would prefer to be playing “No. No that was once, just once for me,” he said. “Once was enough. hockey rather than snapping the latest shots of himself in his shiny new And it didn’t look good either, so I’m done with the beard.” toy. Meanwhile, when hockey returns at some point, the next step for Laine is “I just miss playing hockey,” he said. continuing with more of the same from the currently paused season. Laine, and the Winnipeg Jets last played on March 11 in Edmonton, a “I think it’s just as a producer and hopefully a first-line player,” he said. crucial win in the standings at the time. The next day, the NHL hit the “Obviously getting more points is one, and just be even better in my all- pause button on the season as the COVID-19 outbreak began to take around game, which improved a lot this year. But there’s always lots of shape in North America. room to improve. Maybe some PK in the future, who knows. But yeah, If the NHL goes straight to a 24-team playoff format as part of their just more ice time, more responsibilities and just better all-around.” return-to-play plans, Laine’s regular season will end with 28 goals and 35 Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.23.2020 assists for 63 points in 68 games played this season.

It’s his self-admitted most complete season as a pro, and the first where his goal total has been overshadowed by the apples he contributed to 30- plus teammate’s markers.

“I took some big steps this year, especially in my all-around game,” he said. “Kind of got some more consistency out of my game. It was a good year. Too bad we had to stop the season.”

Indeed, Laine was well on his way to his most productive season, having already shattered his career-high in assists and was just seven points shy of matching his 70 from the 2017-18 season when he scored 44 times.

If he can help it, the goals-to-assists ratio won’t be like that ever again.

“It was the first time in my career I had more assists than goals, so hopefully that’s not going to happen again,” he said.

Aside from points, Laine’s game evolved in such a way that he was reliable at both ends of the ice.

And there weren’t as many low points, mentally, if any at all.

“I’ve always been honest,” he said. “But I don’t think I was struggling that bad this year. I don’t think so. I don’t think I had that many cold streaks like I’ve had the past couple years, so I think that’s just the reason.”

There were no extended gaps in his goal-scoring. No nine goals over the final several months of the season after 21 in the first two, like the year previous.

He’s not so confident that his game will look like it did when he first steps on the ice post-quarantine. 1185142 Winnipeg Jets “My game is probably going to look terrible since I haven’t skated for two months, and it’s always a struggle to come back after a long period when you haven’t skated,” he said. “But I think if there’s a training camp or something like that, I think it’ll be a good playoff run since everybody’s Patrik Laine on Lambos, life on the links and trying to skate off the rust rested and hopefully healthy. I think it would be a great playoff run.”

One thing Laine isn’t planning to bring back when the season resumes is the traditional playoff beard. There will be no repeat of 2018, when the By Ken Wiebe May 22, 2020 Jets reached the Western Conference final and Laine’s facial hair was out of control.

Patrik Laine came onto the screen and was a man on the move. “No, that was once, just once for me. Once was enough,” said Laine. “And it didn’t look good either, so I’m done with the beard.” His hat was on backward and he was rocking a scraggly blonde moustache. This is where the beauty of Laine’s personality was shining through.

The Winnipeg Jets winger was at home in Tampere, Finland and heading He isn’t afraid to share his thoughts on subjects that are often met with a to the patio for a comfortable place to sit down for his Zoom visit with a cliche response. He prefers honesty and sometimes that rubs some group of media members on Friday. people the wrong way.

If we’re being completely honest, Laine’s engagement level wasn’t at its A frequent occurrence over his time with the Jets has included Laine peak, though that didn’t deter him from showcasing his quick wit and self- offering regular criticism of his own game. deprecating humour on several occasions during the 16-minute When a drought is ongoing, he not only points it out but makes light of it. exchange. That’s not to say he loses faith in his ability — he’s a confident guy by After sharing some thoughts on what he’s been up to during the nature, and for good reason — but he isn’t afraid to self-assess either. pandemic, Laine answered my question about what he’s been doing to stay connected with friends, family members and teammates. So it was noted this season when those infamous rants (“hockey is hard right now”) directed squarely at himself were missing. “I’ve been sending pics to (Nikolaj Ehlers) from my Lambo (he has a Lamborghini Urus) and he’s been sending pics of his,” Laine said in an It wasn’t a conscious decision by Laine to try and be more positive. He answer that was somewhat unexpected. “That’s kind of been our simply didn’t feel it was necessary. communication with teammates. Just trying to spend some time and have board game nights and that kind of stuff to hang out with friends “I’ve always been honest. But I don’t think I was struggling that bad this and family. Playing lots of golf as well. That’s kind of it.” year,” said Laine. “I don’t think I had that many cold streaks like I’ve had the past couple years, so I think that’s just the reason.” Being a golf enthusiast, I was curious about what part of Laine’s game on the links has impressed most during the pause. When it comes to the assessment of his overall performance this season, the praise has been flowing on a number of levels. His answer sounded a lot like the way he talks about his game on the ice. Jets head coach Paul Maurice has been championing the cause and “I’ve been pretty solid all around. My driving has been pretty dialled,” said ultimately backed up his words with actions. Laine. “Still got some work to do, but it looks pretty good right now.” All you need to know about Laine’s growth is evident in his rise in ice Carolina Hurricanes centre Sebstian Aho made a surprise appearance time (up more than two minutes per game from the previous season), as on the call, submitting a question to the Jets media relations department he spent a good chunk of time on the top unit with Mark Scheifele and while taking a subtle shot at Laine at the same time. Kyle Connor.

Aho, who made a wise crack earlier this season during a trip to Winnipeg The deployment of Jets captain Blake Wheeler as the second-line centre about how Laine was finally back-checking this season, was wondering after the injury to Bryan Little was a major factor in that decision. how many gimmes Laine takes per round to get his handicap down to five. But Laine has been asking for more ice time and responsibility and this was an opportunity to provide both of those things. The second overall “Zero,” said Laine, not missing a beat or changing his facial expression. pick in the 2016 NHL Draft passed the test with flying colours. “I’m just pretty good with those short putts, so I don’t need any gimmes.” Laine’s strides in his overall game are well documented and he’s This isn’t a story about teammates trading photos of Lamborghinis or golf evolving into more of a power forward. tips, though it’s interesting to see what subjects come to the forefront on these Zoom calls as the pause in the NHL season stretches into its third As proud as he is of producing a career high in assists (35), Laine isn’t month. about to forget about his bread and butter.

When the subject of return to play scenarios was broached, Laine didn’t He’s a goal scorer and has his sights set on winning a Rocket Richard sound the least bit concerned about the proposed quarantine bubble he Trophy one day. could soon be living in. “It was the first time in my career when I had more assists than goals,” Nor did he have a complaint about the prospect of 24 teams returning to said Laine, who had 28 goals and 63 points in 68 games. “So hopefully action or a best-of-five play-in series being required for the Jets, who that’s not going to happen again.” would face the Calgary Flames under the proposed terms that have been Most players would be happy with witnessing growth during their fourth discussed by the Return To Play committee. NHL season, but Laine isn’t most players. “I don’t think I have an opinion. I don’t really care, personally. I just want It disappoints him that he didn’t hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in to play, and I can do whatever format they decide. It’s just still hockey, his young career, even if the season was shortened. but I don’t mind the format. It’s not an issue for me,” said Laine. “I think I have to bring my computer so that I can play some video games. I think it When it comes to how he’d like to take the next step in his progression, will be boring, but if that’s what it requires to play hockey still this Laine was straightforward about his intentions. summer, that’s fine with me. I don’t mind and I don’t need to go anywhere but my hotel room. So that would be just normal for me on the road.” “It’s just as a producer and hopefully, a first-line player,” said Laine. “Obviously getting more points is one, and just be even better in my all- While some players have turned back the clock and found roller blades around game, which improved a lot this year. But there’s always lots of as a way to try and simulate skating, Laine isn’t one of them. room to improve. Maybe some PK in the future, who knows. But yeah, just more ice time, more responsibilities and just better all-around.” Laine didn’t hold back on the subject of what hockey might look like initially after an extended break. Laine as a penalty killer? That’s an interesting proposition, though it isn’t a role many folks have envisioned him in.

But that goes back to the original premise.

Laine is a guy who isn’t complacent with the status quo. He wants more and he’s willing to put in the work to try and make it happen.

Having said that, don’t expect him on the penalty kill any time soon.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185143 Vancouver Canucks concerns and financial implications regarding escrow and expiring contracts also need to be in place.

Only then can 12-team conference playoffs be held in two hub sites — Ben Kuzma: Canucks proposed playoff series would head down Wild likely in Las Vegas and Edmonton — if there’s not a severe spike in memory-lane road COVID-19 cases that would lead to government intervention.

Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba tries to stop Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL game at Rogers Arena in February. BEN KUZMA And being separated from family during playoff isolation in a hub hotel is Published:May 22, 2020 a big concern for players. Canucks forward Brandon Sutter has a three- year-old daughter and a son who turns two in August. Updated:May 22, 2020 7:12 PM PDT “When my dad (Brent) played and would be gone for road trips, it didn’t

really affect me and I was eight when he retired,” recalled Sutter. “For J.T. Miller has plenty of playoff incentive after a pair of Game 7 setbacks me, that (isolation) is No. 1 and something I’ve thought about the last two on home ice. weeks. Let’s say we play well and get into the second or third round.

In 2003, the Vancouver Canucks led the Western Conference semifinal “And if you go all the way to the final, that’s going to be three months series 3-1, but hit the ditch in a calamitous Game 7 loss on home ice to away from your family. That’s a long stretch and there is concern among the Wild. Again, the Canucks are favoured if they meet in the NHL players. When we go on those long road trips, by the 10th day all you playoffs want to do is see your kids.

“I remember Wes Walz. I wanted to kill the guy.” “There’s going to have to be a decision with the hub-city idea. Maybe there’s a chance we could see our families between series and there are That was one of Ed Jovanovski’s candid summations of an epic and so many theories out there and nothing is set in stone yet. It’s all unforgettable Stanley Cup playoff collapse by the Vancouver Canucks in speculation.” 2003. In the interim, the Canucks have reason to be as optimistic as they were Leading the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series with the in 2003. Minnesota Wild 3-1, and knowing the seventh-seeded Anaheim Ducks had the same advantage and were about to upset top-seeded Dallas They went 1-1-1 in this season’s series against the Wild, but on paper Stars, the road to the franchise’s first championship appeared paved with they’re the better team. optimism. They’re healthy. They own the league’s fourth-ranked power play. Their However, the Canucks would wildly veer off that road and hit the ditch most valuable player is goaltender Jacob Markstrom and their most with a calamitous Game 7 loss on home ice. When Todd Bertuzzi scored effective producer and voice of reason is leading scorer J.T. Miller, who in the second period to make it 2-0, and did a breeze-by of the Wild set career highs this season for goals (27), assists (45) and points (72) bench and suggested the opposition should start booking tee times, it and finished 17th in league scoring. was both laughable and laudable. Minnesota Wild forward Alex Galchenyuk and Vancouver Canucks Minnesota responded with four consecutive goals and the legend of what forward battle for the puck at Rogers Arena on Feb. 19. could have been lives on. After all, Walz scored four goals in that series. He’s extremely motivated by twice being on the wrong end of Eastern That’s difficult to forget. Conference Final Game 7 outcomes on home ice with the New York Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala collides with Vancouver Canucks Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. goalie Jacob Markstrom during an NHL game on Feb. 19 at Rogers “It (playoffs) teaches you a lot about yourself and what the game is like Arena in Vancouver. The Wild won 4-3 in a shootout. and it’s important to be a sponge — and that’s hard to be,” said Miller. “What got us up 3-1 was our speed and play through the neutral zone “You have to care a lot about each play and every play matters. And you and we would kind of pick them apart,” said Jovanovski, who had six have to have a little bit of amnesia and move on win or lose, good play or playoff goals. “We played into their game plan and we just got frustrated bad play. and started doing things uncharacteristically and getting away from it. “And that’s something I’ve grown with over the years in the playoffs. I’m a “They got the momentum and we didn’t have an answer. The only time fiery guy and sometimes you can’t let a period get away from you in the they tried to score was when they were shorthanded. But I feel the team playoffs. We’ve proved when we stick to our plan and our identity, we’re we had, the path was there. We didn’t look past Minnesota, but how can a really tough team. We’re breaking the seal on some things and coming you not up 3-1?” together as a group.”

Fast forward and the current level of disdain for the Wild is more muted. Miller was also second in NHL faceoff percentage this season (59.2), while Jay Beagle was third (59.1) and Bo Horvat seventh (57.3). The It’s trumped by a points-percentage calculation that would have the Canucks ranked second overall at 52 per cent efficiency. Canucks advancing to the post-season for the first time in five years — they would have been out if standings were the measure — in a They also have a Calder Trophy winner in Elias Pettersson, a Calder proposed 24-team, play-in tournament that reportedly was expected to favourite in Quinn Hughes and former Calder finalist in Brock Boeser. receive approval from the NHL Players’ Association executive committee And defensively they have two of the league’s best shot-blockers in Alex on Friday. Edler and Chris Tanev, who ranked third and fourth respectively this season. However, the NHLPA then released the following statement: But it’s health that could mean playoff wealth. Markstrom, Tanev and “The executive board of the NHLPA has authorized further negotiations Beagle will be back and so will Micheal Ferland. with the NHL. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on “Well, all the other teams should be healthy, too,” said Canucks general all issues relevant to resuming play.” manager . “We haven’t played in 10 weeks, so it’s going to be exciting to be healthy. You’re going to get the best players playing In conference bracketing, the No. 7 Canucks would face the No. 10 Wild their best.” in a best-of-five, opening-round series that could commence in July, once other pressing issues surrounding COVID-19 restrictions are resolved. Well, probably not right away. The winner would play the No. 2-seeded Colorado Avalanche in a best- Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks gets ready to unload a shot of-seven series, unless a round-robin of division winners in a best-of- against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in January. three format changes the bracketing. “I feel a lot better than I did a month ago, that’s for sure,” added Sutter. There still has to be an agreement for accurate and frequent player “But you can’t really replicate skating. There’s nothing like it. Everyone is testing for the novel coronavirus. Safety measures, easing isolation going to be really rusty and two weeks (training camp) might be fine, but you’re going to need longer to get your muscles going.”

The Canucks also have balance with four 20-goal scorers — Jake Virtanen finished with 18 in a career season — and the rookie Hughes finished fourth in defencemen scoring. He’s also the get-out-of-jail-free card with his sublime skating and precise passing.

Still, the Wild won’t simply roll over.

The Canucks won 4-1 in Minnesota on Jan. 12, but lost 4-2 on the road Feb. 6 and dropped a 4-3 shootout decision at Rogers Arena on Feb. 19. Miller led the Canucks in the series with three goals while Horvat had two.

The Wild, who didn’t have a player in top 50 scoring this season, would ice a pair of 20-goal snipers in and Kevin Fiala. Eric Staal finished the season with 19 goals.

In the last meeting, it was theatre of the bizarre and some textbook Wild.

The first shot got by Markstrom, who often looked like a Vezina Trophy candidate this season, and so did the 10th shot. The Wild opened scoring when Jordie Benn was caught in the neutral zone and Fiala moved into the high slot on a 2-on-1 and ripped a wrister that went off Markstrom’s glove.

The second goal came after the Canucks were pinned in their zone and gassed. A slow line change allowed the Wild to quickly enter the O-zone. Luke Kunin went wide and his centring effort struck Markstrom and somehow trickled between his pads. The Canucks had 34 shots — Hughes had five and 10 attempts — but the looks weren’t great.

“Not much room out there and the Grade As were few and far between,” said Miller, who scored twice.

Save that quote.

Coach Travis Green’s biggest concern during the season pause was to make sure his players were dialled into fitness routines.

“We want guys who are all in,” stressed the Canucks’ bench boss. “It’s the mental part of getting into that routine. Some guys find it hard to be confined to an area and go stir crazy.

“And a lot of people are accustomed to running on the schedule we have where it seems like there’s never enough hours in the day when you’re in the season.”

Green was playing for the New York Islanders in the 1994-95 campaign when a lockout reduced the season to 48 games.

And whether he was still naive at age 23, thinking he could just hit stride when play resumed, he didn’t handle the down time properly. He only had 12 points (5-7) in the 42 games.

“I learned the hard way,” Green said. “I didn’t work hard enough and I didn’t play well. Probably a little bit lazy and not being around long enough to do what I had to do.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185144 Vancouver Canucks Still, the Wild won’t simply roll over. The Canucks won 4-1 in Minnesota on Jan. 12, but lost 4-2 on the road

Feb. 6 and dropped a 4-3 shootout decision at Rogers Arena on Feb. 19. Ben Kuzma: NHLPA playoff format approval would ignite Canucks-Wild Miller led the Canucks in the series with three goals while Horvat had series two.

The Wild, who didn’t have a player in top 50 scoring this season, would ice a pair of 20-goal snipers in Zach Parise and Kevin Fiala. Eric Staal BEN KUZMA finished with 19 goals.

Published:May 22, 2020 Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.23.2020 Updated:May 22, 2020 7:00 PM PDT

Bring it on.

A favourable points-percentage entry formula, and report of an expected approval Friday by the NHL Players’ Association executive board to green light the league’s proposed 24-team Stanley Cup playoff tournament format, would have the Vancouver Canucks advancing to the postseason for the first time in five years.

However, the NHLPA released the following statement Friday night:

“The executive board of the NHLPA has authorized further negotiations with the NHL. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

In conference bracketing, the No. 7 Canucks would face the No. 10 Minnesota Wild in a best-of-five Western Conference opening-round series that could commence in July, if other pressing issues are resolved. The winner would play No. 2 seed Colorado Avalanche in a best-of- seven series, unless a round-robin of division winners in a best-of-three format changes the bracketing.

Further details of that format and other issues are expected in the coming days.

There still has to be an agreement for accurate and frequent player testing for the novel coronavirus pandemic before the puck is dropped. Safety measures, easing isolation concerns and financial implications regarding escrow and expiring contracts also need to be in place.

Only then, can 12-team conference playoffs be held in two hub sites, likely favoured Las Vegas and Edmonton, if there’s not a severe spike in COVID-19 cases and government intervention.

The Canucks went 1-1-1 in their season series with the Wild, but on paper they’re the better team.

They’re healthy. They own the league’s fourth-ranked power play. Their most valuable player is Jacob Markstrom and their most effective producer and voice of reason is leading scorer J.T. Miller, who set career highs this season for goals (27), assists (45) and points (72) and was 17th in league scoring.

He’s extremely motivated by twice being on the wrong end of Eastern Conference final Game 7 outcomes on home ice with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It (playoffs) teaches you a lot about yourself and what the game is like and it’s important to be a sponge — and that’s hard to be,” said Miller. “You have to care a lot about each play and every play matters. And you have to have a little bit of amnesia and move on win or lose, good play or bad play.

“And that’s something I’ve grown with over the years in the playoffs. I’m a fiery guy and sometimes you can’t let a period get away from you in the playoffs. We’ve proved when we stick our plan and our identity, we’re a really tough team. We’re breaking the seal on some things and coming together as a group.”

Miller was also second in NHL face-off percentage this season (59.2), while Jay Beagle was third (59.1) and Bo Horvat seventh (57.3). The Canucks ranked second overall at 52 per cent efficiency.

They also have a Calder Trophy winner in Elias Pettersson, a Calder favourite in Quinn Hughes and former Calder finalist in Brock Boeser. And defensively, they have two of the league’s best shot-blockers in Alex Edler and Chris Tanev, who ranked third and fourth respectively this season. 1185145 Vancouver Canucks But, “You can make that commitment today, but what happens in six or seven months if you don’t have a job? That’s the biggest concern. What will the economy look like? And that’s universal. It’s not just sports.”

Ed Willes: Pandemic will pose problems for pro sports as sponsors, fans Chris Hebb, the commissioner of the BCHL, paints a sunnier picture. His take a hit league is smaller and its business model isn’t as dependent on big sponsorship dollars and corporate support. It’s spread out over 17 communities in the province and enjoys a healthy brand loyalty in each locale. ED WILLES “I don’t see a tremendous amount of adjustment other than this year,” Published:May 22, 2020 Hebb says. Updated:May 22, 2020 5:48 PM PDT The Canucks, on the other hand, are dependent on big sponsorship dollars and corporate support, and who knows if that will be available in the new world order. Fans and sponsors became accustomed to forking out big bucks for big thrills — like watching or sponsoring the NFL's Seattle Seahawks at Then again, who knows if fans will continue to pay top dollar to attend CenturyLink Field for example. Will COVID-19 spell the end of this Canucks games in a depressed economy? And who knows how hard the relationship? Some experts believe it will take 10 years to recover from Aquilinis’ businesses have been hit already and how hard they’ll be hit in the economic hit levelled by the novel coronavirus outbreak. the future?

OPINION: As scary as things are right now, it feels like we’ll be able to We realize we’re asking a lot of questions without providing any answers, get through the next couple of months. The real fear is in what lies ahead but that’s the nature of the pandemic. Nothing is certain. Everything is a with an economy that has been scarred beyond all recognition. Will our guessing game. True, some of those guesses are more educated than society be able to support the massive (pro sports) industry? Will it want others, but just follow the news cycle for a week and see if you can to? Should it want to? Can it afford not to? extract any eternal truths.

You try to make sense of the numbers but, after a while, they lose their All we seem to know is, for the moment, the arenas and stadiums are meaning. dark in North America and that produces its own level of anxiety. You see it in the projected losses of the major sports leagues. You hear it in the Sports in the United States is a $100-billion per year industry that is voice of Gary Bettman when he says: “Let’s be clear about one thing: We facing $12 billion in losses this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. have no revenues coming in right now and that poses an issue.” That’s also the conservative end of the estimate according to a study commissioned by ESPN. Or NBA commissioner Adam Silver when he says: “Our revenue, in essence, has dropped to zero.” Within those numbers you find gems like this: The NFL is facing losses in the tens of billions if their season is cancelled. The NHL? Pffft, a meagre But it’s not what will happen in two months that should scare those $1 billion in losses if they lose the rest of the 2019-20 campaign, $500 leagues. It’s what will happen in two years. Will the economy be able to million if they pull off their modified version of the Stanley Cup support an industry in the style to which it has become accustomed? Will tournament. it support the leagues that don’t occupy the spotlight but have been a significant part of our province and country for as long as anyone can They’re also in an enviable position compared to Major League Baseball, remember? which will still lose $2 billion if they can cram in half a season, or the NCAA which is facing $4 billion in losses, two-thirds of that owing to the “It’s going to take 10 years to get back to normal,” says Aziz Rajwani of cancellation of March Madness. the Langara School of Management and UBC’s Sauder School of Business. “Sports might bounce back faster because of the connection it The numbers in Canada aren’t quite as jarring, but in 2018 Statistics has to fans, but society as a whole, it will definitely take that long.” Canada reported spectator sports accounted for more than $3 billion in revenue in our country. At least that’s a number everyone can understand.

Great. Whatever. I mean, two billion, three billion, a jillion billion. Spend Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.23.2020 enough time on this and it all sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher, but here’s the thing: As scary as things are right now, it feels like we’ll be able to get through the next couple of months. The real fear is in what lies ahead with an economy that has been scarred beyond all recognition.

Will our society be able to support this massive industry? Will it want to? Should it want to? Can it afford not to?

There is so much riding on those questions. People’s livelihoods are at stake. A certain way of life is threatened and if that sounds overly dramatic, think of the impact sports and recreation makes on our young people. Hell, think of the impact it makes on old people. Ask yourself, do we want a world where sports and everything they represent are marginalized?

That’s inconceivable. But just look around and try to predict where this will take us.

In the end, the NHL and the other major professional leagues might be too big to fail, and we’ll get back to them in a minute. But what about secondary leagues? How do the Vancouver Giants survive this? What about the BCHL? And the Western Association?

In Canada, we’ve already lost the Memorial Cup, the and lacrosse’s Mann Cup this year. Each of those trophies has been around for more than 100 years and occupies an honoured place in our country’s collective memory. Will they come back?

Giants owner Ron Toigo doesn’t think the WHL will resume play until January and, to date, season-ticket holders have been understanding. 1185146 Vancouver Canucks the actual percentage of revenue loss is surely steeper than the 30 percent requirement.

The CEWS permits qualified companies to subsidize employees’ wages Canucks reduce business staff pay: Inside the cuts and the club’s hub up to a maximum of $847 per week — or a hair over $44,000 per year. city bid So while the Canucks have technically reduced wages for full-time employees on the business side by 25 percent across the board, because of the roughly $44,000 cap, some higher earners are hit harder. Much harder in the case of some senior employees. By Thomas Drance May 22, 2020 If this all seems technical and complicated, it is. The communication was

a major challenge internally, something the staffers we spoke with all The roar of a crowd seems like a distant memory. highlighted.

If the NHL season resumes this summer, the product will be played in In an effort to offer clarity — particularly because the specific way empty buildings. The seats, the luxury suites, the food and beverage business-side staffers are impacted is so individualized — CSE staffers retailers — they will be empty, closed for businesses. were offered one-on-one meetings with CSE’s people department and their department heads to determine how exactly they’ll be impacted on In an uncertain world, the Vancouver Canucks organization has been an individual basis. Those meetings occurred prior to the salary or hourly aggressive in positioning itself, Vancouver and Rogers Arena as a reduction going into effect, though those conversations appear to be potential host for these prospective playoff games. ongoing, based on what The Athletic has been told.

There’s no escaping, however, the simple fact that empty seats are As Carroll’s statement suggests, this is being framed publicly by the always bad news in the sports and entertainment industry. Canucks as a reduction in hours, not wages. CSE staffers have confirmed that they’ve been told in writing that a corresponding reduction The pandemic and the physical distancing measures enacted to in the hours they work is expected to match the reduction of their wages. safeguard public health pose an existential threat to companies like Canucks Sports & Entertainment (CSE), even if they do have the “Employees on the business side are now working approximately 3-4 advantage of stable cash flows, traditionally at least, and deep roots in days per week based on their role, department and CSE’s business the community. objectives during the pandemic,” Carroll’s statement to The Athletic reads. “Overall our people have been incredibly understanding through Over the course of 10 dizzying days in mid-March, the Canucks this process and we are grateful for their ongoing commitment at such a organization went from planning to host potential playoff home dates — challenging time.” not to mention sold-out concerts for big name acts like Billie Eilish and Celine Dion — at Rogers Arena in April and May, to planning for life The shortened workweek has been coupled with a fair bit of internal without fans in the building for the foreseeable future. contingency planning and reassignment. If a staffer is working in a department that’s particularly hard hit — sales or game presentation, for As the new reality of COVID-19 has settled in, the business has had to example — there’s been an effort to reassign those employees to areas adjust. The brunt of that adjustment is being felt by individual employees of the business that are more regularly functional, including retail and the at all levels of the organization. club’s community meals program. The adjustment began in mid-March when part-time, game-night staff For the most part, CSE staffers contacted by The Athletic appreciated the working for CSE were offered some assistance through a program that efforts at transparency from Carroll and other Canucks executives. combined with employment insurance to top up those impacted. In April, There’s an understanding that the cuts are steep and the timing — in all Canucks staffers, including those in hockey operations, were asked to early May, prior to the CEWS extension — caught many off-guard and take a 20 percent decrease in wages. caused additional anxiety. Those initial cuts have now become even more widespread for business Still, in addressing the decisions with staff, Carroll is described as being staffers. The Athletic has learned that this past week, in addition to the “credible,” “people-focused,” and “straightforward.” Staffers who spoke on original 20 percent rollback in hours and wages, further wage reductions background to The Athletic seem to believe he’s done his best to retain — though formally the Canucks are framing them as reduced hours — as many employees as possible in an impossible situation. affecting business-side staff company-wide went into effect. There’s also an understanding of the score, in terms of a tough outlook Based on conversations with multiple CSE employees, staff were for a business built around live entertainment programming for massive informed of the reduction in an all-staff conference call with Canucks audiences. COO Trent Carroll in early May. The sense of internal relief last week when the Canadian government Carroll is said to have explained at length to staffers that not only was announced that the CEWS program would be extended for 12 weeks CSE’s business particularly impacted by the pandemic and physical through late August was widespread. That announcement occurred distancing measures but that the concerts, live sporting events and other nearly a week after Canucks business-side staff were initially informed of mass gatherings that primarily drive CSE’s revenue are likely to be the secondary wage reduction. among the last things that return to “normal” on the other side of the pandemic. If not for the extension, the CEWS-based plan would’ve only covered Canucks staffers for an additional three weeks through early June. For the majority of Canucks business staff, the additional wage reduction is 25 percent across the board, although, like the club’s plan to top up Not only was that extension big for individual business-side employees part-time and game-night staffers, it’s a bit more complicated than that with the Canucks, but it gave the entire organization extra runway. And it because of how it functions in conjunction with government programs. would be a major help if the NHL selected Vancouver to be one of its hub cities in return-to-play scenarios. “Like so many companies, Canucks Sports & Entertainment has been impacted greatly by COVID-19,” Carroll said in an e-mailed statement Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported on Thursday that Vancouver — provided to The Athletic. “Provided it’s safe, we all hope to see hockey along with Toronto, Las Vegas and Edmonton, among a few others — is return soon. But in the meantime, we face the growing reality of one of the markets under serious consideration by the NHL as a potential significant impacts to revenues in our business. return-to-play hub city.

“Unfortunately, we recently made the difficult decision to further reduce It’s a competitive process. British Columbia premier John Horgan and our employees’ workweeks in an effort to sustain business until it’s Alberta premier Jason Kenney joined the fray, making explicit pitches operational again.” and political hay on behalf of their respective cities. Horgan even went so far as to suggest that British Columbia could host the entire league in CSE qualifies for the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) various junior hockey markets across the province. program — meaning that they’ve lost at least 30 percent of their revenue, either year-over-year or in comparison with company revenues The latter boast, made in public at a press conference, was political red generated in January and February of 2020 — as a direct result of the meat. It struck most in the industry as being well out ahead of its skis, pandemic. Realistically, considering the nature of the Canucks’ business, including B.C.-based Tom Gagliardi, who owns the Dallas Stars. Last Friday, Gagliardi told TSN 1040 in an interview that the notion of hosting The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 NHL games in WHL buildings seemed farfetched.

As the process has unfolded, the Canucks convened a working group to guide their hub city bid plan. There are various contributors, but the committee is led by Carroll and includes a variety of top executives, including several VANOC alumni, like CFO Todd Kobus, VP of communications and community partnerships Chris Brumwell, assistant general manager and chief legal officer Chris Gear and VP arena operations Don Hardman — who consulted on the bid process for the 2026 World Cup.

The bid itself is still largely conceptual. The NHL has informed teams that they’ll wait on a final decision regarding the format before requesting additional specifics from bidding clubs.

So much can change quickly, where the virus is concerned. Preserving flexibility and maintaining options is a sensible approach for the NHL.

For what it’s worth, the Vancouver bid has a lot going for it, as The Athletic has covered previously.

Five-star hotel accommodations that match the NHL/NHLPA requirements are plentiful. Rogers Arena hosted the 2010 Winter Olympic men’s and women’s ice hockey tournaments and the 2019 world juniors. Arguably there’s no facility in North America with a lengthier track record hosting high-profile multi-team hockey tournaments.

In addition to Rogers Arena, there are a variety of local facilities — including the renovated rink at UBC, the Pacific Coliseum, the Langley Events Centre and the Abbotsford Centre, which hosted an NHL preseason game this past fall — that would work for team practices.

The multiplicity of potential venues could be attractive to the league and its broadcast partners, as NHL CCO Steve Mayer explained to LeBrun and Scott Burnside this week.

Our criteria have been fairly simple. … It will be an NHL city that will host whether we’re in two cities or in four cities. We needed also an arena that can handle four to six teams, locker-rooms, not every arena can do that. So along the way, we had to eliminate certain cities based on that. You had to look at practice facilities, at one point we were talking about eight teams, 12 teams, we’re talking potential training camps, so each of these cities has to have a respectable amount of sheets of ice that could handle a training camp or certainly a practice for a team. …. Obviously, some cities have more sheets of ice than others. The hotel requirement is super important: eight teams is different than 12 teams. If we decide to do 12 teams, that would eliminate certain cities just based on creating this hub. … And kept safe. So a hotel that could handle multiple teams or two hotels that were in a distinct area, is another obvious requirement. And then, the COVID numbers are important, testing accessibility is important, local government support is important, all those factors. … We have presented to Gary Bettman and Bill Daly a very detailed list city by city, again there are many cities that are still in the running for this.

That latter factor, of course, is the most important.

Local government bodies are clearly enthusiastic about supporting the bid.

The infections curve in British Columbia is arguably flatter than just about anywhere else in North America. British Columbia has had the fewest COVID-19 deaths per million people in the Western world among jurisdictions with a population of at least five million. As of Thursday afternoon, there were just eight COVID-19 patients in critical care in the entire province and only 94 active COVID-19 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, according to data mined daily by CBC’s Justin McElroy.

It’s not entirely clear how the hub city process would impact rank-and-file Canucks business-side staffers if it’s successful. There would still be no tickets or suites or season ticket memberships to sell. Some departments will continue to be more impacted than others by the physical distancing rules.

For some, though, such as facilities staffers, the NHL returning to play in Vancouver would create avenues to get them back to work. In addition to wanting to be a contributing corporate citizen for the NHL, and doing their part to provide a glimmer of hope, normalcy and entertainment in a dark time, sources indicate that helping to get as many staff as possible back to work has been a key motivating factor for the Canucks’ aggressiveness in pursuing their hub city bid. 1185147 Websites I’m going against Dolich here, just a bit. Yes, Tampa Bay pitcher Blake Snell made headlines by saying, “If I’m gonna play, I should be getting the money I signed to be getting paid. I should not be getting half of what I’m getting paid because the season’s cut in half, on top of a 33 percent The Athletic / NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL: Which major sports league will cut of the half that’s already there — so I’m really getting, like, 25 return successfully first? percent.” And yes, the state of labor relations in baseball is far from copacetic (see our writers’ commentary below).

On the other hand, Snell’s comments were so widely panned by former By Ethan Strauss May 22, 2020 players, current pundits and annoyed fans, that the quote might inspire more circumspection in the future. Consider it a player’s trial balloon that popped. There’s optimism within the NBA about completing this season, which makes sense given its possible conditions for a concluding tournament. If As mentioned, MLB at least has a favorable terrain of transmission and the players are isolated on a Disney World campus, far away from fans, the Chinese Professional Baseball League and the Korean Baseball this all seems feasible, albeit difficult. Organization have already offered proof of concept by having games during this pandemic. If the owners and players can make peace, a It’s tempting to buy into the fantasy that, if the NBA pulls it off, sports shortened season seems feasible. normalcy will return. Sadly, we’re probably a long way from returning to normal, for the league especially. Having a 2020-21 season would be a Labor relations notes far heavier lift than ending the 2019-20 season. This is mostly because MLB senior writer Ken Rosenthal: “The best way to describe the state of the NBA is an indoor sport and the novel coronavirus, based on recent labor relations between baseball players and owners is tense — and it studies, appears to be an especially pernicious indoor threat. has been that way for some time now.” Sports consultant Andy Dolich, who has worked as an executive in the MLB staff writer Evan Drellich: “The last week in baseball labor relations NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and professional soccer, had a different was chaos, and the next may be, too, at least when it comes to perspective on the matter when I spoke to him over the phone. Dolich discussing player pay, but at the same time, there is movement on has a theory about why the NBA is better suited than other sports to working toward new health protocols for the sport.” resume. 3. NBA “At this time, whether it’s little league sports, from high school to college to the pros, the fans want to have as much trust as they can, to the I’ve probably been more critical of NBA commissioner Adam Silver than locality where they live, to the team they support,” Dolich said. “The most, but you have to give him credit for this: The players seem to like leagues also have to have incredible trust to its engine, which are the him and that matters a lot right now. The NBA’s most prominent union players. You don’t have anything without them. Trust is numero uno.” members, president Chris Paul and LeBron James, have demonstrated an intense willingness to finish this season. While the Disney World Dolich’s argument is that labor peace is key right now, as the United playoff bubble idea won’t solve next season’s issues, it will at least help States’ four most profitable sports leagues attempt to chart a course the league develop some best practices when the time comes. through a perfect storm. Major League Baseball, though theoretically relatively well insulated from risk due to its expansive outdoor spaces, OK, now for the downsides. Even if fans won’t be present for games next might be in the worst position among the leagues on account of its labor season, and by the way, gate revenue accounts for nearly half of the squabbles. Currently, with so much on the line, internal politics might NBA’s take-home pay, there are other significant obstacles to worry threaten a league’s immediate future more so than its terrain of about. The sport happens indoors and players are in close contact. It’s transmission. With both aspects in mind, terrain of transmission and labor likely not a coincidence that the NBA already suffered high-profile cases relations, I’m attempting a ranking of which of the four biggest of players contracting and passing the virus to one another. It’s also hard professional sports leagues (note: this means no discussion or evaluation to foresee a 2020-21 season that doesn’t run smack dab into the colder of college football or basketball), based on revenue, is in the best months, where it appears that viral spread is more likely. Navigating this position to complete a season. This comes with the obvious caveat that unprecedented disaster, and doing it safely, will really test the power of I’m not an epidemiologist or a psychic. Not only am I not an relative labor peace. epidemiologist or a psychic, but I’m also not fluent in sports other than basketball, so I’ve delegated some responsibility in providing insight on 4. NHL labor relations in other leagues to our in-house experts on those sports. This is probably the first time I’ve ever mentioned the NHL in an article All of this speculation comes with the presumption that these leagues will and I apologize for doing it with a last-place ranking. The NHL has all the return absent fans, at least initially. That seems to be the safe play and terrain of transmission issues the NBA has, more of a binational one that’s doable, considering how valuable TV rights are for these bureaucracy issue to worry about, plus a little more acrimony between leagues. Anyway, without further ado, here are the rankings: players and management. Still, there are some positive signs, as noted by our NHL writers below. 1. NFL Labor relations notes This one seems obvious. Football has a favorable terrain of transmission, given that most games are outdoors and the large stadiums will help the NHL editor-in-chief Craig Custance: “For two sides that have an NFL use social distancing for limited crowds, if the league is determined acrimonious history, the NHLPA and NHL have so far worked together in to play before some fans. The league has already successfully pulled off relative cooperation to try and bring hockey back. It’s inevitable that a highly watched quarantine draft. Given the NFL’s king status in Return to Play talks and negotiations on the next CBA, talks that were America, it’s also the league most likely to get leeway from politicians happening anyway, have intertwined but so far it hasn’t gotten heated when attempting to open up. Oh, and speaking of America, the NFL publicly.” doesn’t have to worry about any bureaucracy involving another nation’s NHL senior columnist Pierre LeBrun: “The NHL’s CBA expires Sept. 15, teams, like the other major sports leagues, who all have teams based in 2022. But the league and NHL Players’ Association have had CBA Canada. extension talks over the past year, including most recently just before the Labor relations notes pandemic hit. Those CBA talks were shelved when the pandemic hit to focus on the day-to-day managing of the crisis. But sources on both the NFL staff writer Lindsay Jones: “The NFL and NFL Players Association ownership and players’ side agree that it’s a must for both sides to find a agreed on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement in March, way to negotiate a long-term CBA which could provide much-needed shortly before the sports world shut down. This ensured some measure stability through the short-term turbulence their business will face for the of labor peace (though NFLPA membership was far from unified in their next few years as a result of the pandemic’s damaging impact. There are support for the new CBA). So far, the league and union have negotiated many who think the two sides will come out of this pandemic with a CBA the terms of a virtual offseason program and leadership from both sides extension but easier said than done, especially in a sport where lockouts have said they are working together on plans and safety protocols for have been the norm each time a CBA is up (1994-95, 2004-05 and 2012- training camp and the regular season.” 13). This time, however, labour peace is a must for owners and players to get through this.” 2. MLB The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185148 Websites could speed up the process) and by then the gap between the NHL and the other leagues may only widen.

Eno Sarris (MLB): Baseball’s always been flush with data, and that data The Athletic / The Athletic’s multisport analytics roundtable — Part I keeps improving — to the point where many teams are actually coming to an important inflection point this year. When MLBAM’s player-tracking data (Statcast) first came out, the literal volume of the data was so large that many cheaper teams were content to take the cleaned-up, sliced-up By The Athletic Staff May 22, 2020 data from the Statcast group without hooking their teams up to the firehose of raw data.

Editor’s Note: The methodologies which fall under the broad umbrella of Now, baseball is transitioning from a radar-based tracking technology “analytics” are becoming increasingly prevalent across every major sport. (Trackman) to an optical one used in tennis and cricket (Hawkeye), and Despite the similarity in those methodologies and the tools used to carry with 12 cameras tracking every move, the volume of data is immense. them out, there is not always a lot of interdisciplinary learning between Before the virus hit, teams were considering a considerable investment sports. need in order to increase their computing power to deal with the raw data — but the potential rewards were also impressive. Because the optical To help bridge the gaps between sports, The Athletic’s experts on tech allows teams to track limbs, the teams that could process the raw analytics in football (Sheil Kapadia), hockey (Dom Luszczyszyn), data could more quickly decide about optimal body movements, and baseball (Eno Sarris), basketball (Seth Partnow) and soccer/football perhaps make some real headway in the way of player injury. (Tom Worville) have convened a regular discussion group to examine topics of shared interest in the world of sports analytics. This is the first So, yeah, from my impression baseball is the standard among sports, installment of what will be a recurring series. and is far out in front in terms of providing data, analyzing it, and turning it into actionable on and off field strategy. But that doesn’t mean there Seth Partnow (NBA): Thanks for joining me for this, folks. Let’s start off isn’t a difference between baseball teams. The application of data to with an easy one. How would you describe the state of analytics in your player development is uneven, and their readiness for this new jump in particular sport or league and what is your perception of how that relates data quality and size is also uneven. to the other sports under discussion here? Let’s keep it high level for now and we’ll dig in deeper down the line. Sheil Kapadia (NFL): The NFL has to rank at the bottom or near the bottom compared to other leagues, and there are a lot of different From the standpoint of basketball, I think we’re in a phase where the reasons for that. One is just the nature of the sport with 11 players who ability to properly use and communicate findings from statistical data is are so dependent on each other on every play. It’s harder to isolate still struggling to catch up to the availability of that data. Player tracking individual performance and evaluation. There’s nothing that can be done was perhaps a hundredfold increase in the depth and range of about that. Another factor is the old-school nature of the league from information available to us, and while some of the more familiar areas ownership to front offices to coaching staffs. The data-driven approach (shot quality models in particular. xG if you will) were ripe for easy has to be embraced at the top so that it’s part of the organization’s adoption, most other aspects tend to be two steps forward, one step process even as coaches and general managers change. That is not backward and one to the side as we learn more about how happening right now. interconnected all these aspects of the game seem to be. Having said that, there are signs of organizations moving in the right Relative to other sports, obviously baseball is the gold standard here, for direction. Teams are hiring more analytics staffers. Certain coaches and several reasons: historical, structural and cultural. Basketball, at least at general managers are open to a more data-driven approach. The NFL the NBA level, is ahead of NFL, NHL and soccer, but I’m not sure for how hired Michael Lopez as its director of data and analytics. You see new long with respect to the NFL especially, because I think widespread events like the “Big Data Bowl” at the combine, which is an analytics adoption in the NFL seems inevitable in relatively short order due to the contest focused solely on football. And teams are trying to figure out what stop-start nature of football, as well as roster sizes and recognition of the to do with player tracking data. If there’s going to be some kind of big importance of digging out small competitive edges. I think economics is a leap, chances are the tracking data will be a huge part of it. big obstacle for soccer to overcome. MLS doesn’t have the resources to heavily invest, while the comparatively vast inequality between teams at Bottom line: I don’t think there’s been a revolution, and football will likely the top levels in Europe might tend to obscure the value which can be never come close to baseball or basketball. But there are signs of gleaned (the rampant success of Liverpool aside). The NHL is a place progress. where I expect we’ll see some pretty immediate bifurcation of results Tom Worville (Soccer/Football): I’ll split up the answers here between the between teams that “get it” and teams that don’t, with the expansion NHL Premier League and MLS, for obvious reasons. Seattle franchise being a fascinating experiment in particular. The Premier League is pretty polarised in its adoption and use of Dom Luszczyszyn (NHL): In a vacuum, the NHL is in the best position it analytics. At one end of the spectrum you have Liverpool, who are at the has ever been in. While adoption is obviously not universal, belief in bleeding edge and trying to gain as much of an advantage as possible analytics has definitely become more widespread over the past few from the data they have at their disposal. You then have Arsenal, who years. There are still petty squabbles, but for the most part there’s been a even have their own data collection company in house, but for one bit more mainstream acceptance as the hockey community slowly warms reason or another haven’t used that to gain an edge against the up to the numbers revolution. Though a lot of talent has gone private, competition. There are still some that don’t really use data at all. there’s still plenty of research being done in the public sphere that’s bringing more understanding to how the game works. Plenty of teams are using some form of data in their scouting and recruitment processes, the smartest amongst them are taking the raw Relative to other sports? It’s not even close. In the public sector, hockey data and building from the ground up. Second Spectrum recently won the has to be dead last by virtue of the difficulty of measuring such a tracking deal for the Premier League, and from being privy to how teams dynamic, flowing game and the severe lack of tools to do so. Of all the are using this data it feels like a handful are starting to get value from it, major North American sports, the NHL is the only league without player but not all. tracking meaning research is built upon an outdated real-time stats system tracked by humans who are prone to error. The data is still useful MLS also has a league deal with Second Spectrum now, but due to at highlighting important pieces of the puzzle, but the details are still smaller budgets in the league, it’s unlikely all teams are going to be fuzzy. It’s forced dedicated fans to answer questions by way of manually touching the raw data. The teams ahead of the curve here are those who tracking data points and while the hockey analytics community is struck up partnerships with third parties to access tracking data before a (probably?) the best for that, the fact it’s even necessary speaks to how league-wide deal was made. The recruitment landscape in MLS sees a behind the NHL is. high amount of clubs taking some form of data into account in their processes, mainly due to the geographical barriers meaning data and The NHL was supposed to introduce player-tracking during the 2020 video has to replace live scouting in some markets (e.g. Europe) — but playoffs, but that’s looking very unlikely now due to the global pandemic most have tiny analytics staffs compared to other sports. that will either cancel the season or force the league to play in neutral sites. Just getting the data is the first step – it’ll be years before we can gleam reliable insights from it (though the work from manual tracking Overall? A mixed bag. The good news is that slowly the internal battles at significant impact. That changes the strategy from “get pucks on net” or clubs has gone from if data should be used to how it should be used, and “get pucks to the good areas” to “get the goalie moving from side-to- that’s good progress. side.”

Partnow: How much long hanging fruit do you think has already been At the basis of that however is the fundamental truth that having the puck picked in your sport? Are there fundamental things that are well- is better than not, that puck possession is key and I think that’s cemented established in the public/academic space that haven’t really made their itself for now (until maybe future data challenges that with a sustainable way to the field, ice or court yet? Baseball and basketball have learned counter-attack approach that is). and pretty much wholly internalized lessons like “outs are bad” and “3 > 2” respectively, so I guess I’m mostly interested in the other three sports, As for things that have been established in the public sphere, using four though I also wonder what Eno thinks are areas where baseball knows forwards on power plays instead of three and pulling the goaltender early enough to be better. both come to mind as key advances that have been mostly accepted league-wide. That, and roster construction. There’s still a ways to go, but Kapadia: I think there’s still a lot of low-hanging fruit available to be teams have evolved from a top six (skill) vs. bottom six (grit) at forward to plucked in football. One area is with in-game management where head top nine or even four skilled lines in rare cases. It shouldn’t take analytics coaches often make suboptimal decisions that don’t maximize their to say “play your best players,” but it’s certainly helped in recent years teams’ chances of winning. That might mean deciding when to punt, go weed out the players that can’t keep up. for it or kick a field goal. Or when to use timeouts, challenge a call or go for two. Obviously there are multiple factors with all of these decisions, Sarris: Yeah, sacrifice bunts and intentional passes are down, so most and while a number of teams have the data available, there’s little teams have gotten the memo on the value of outs and baserunners. And evidence to suggest that the majority of coaches embrace using it those are probably not the most compelling aspects of baseball, so no (although again, it’s moving in the right direction). More often, you’ll hear regrets. them say they just followed their gut. It’s fairly canon to attribute the current state of the game to analytics — There are other areas too like roster-building, game strategy and sports because the home run is the best outcome for a hitter, hitters have upped science. We still see teams failing to embrace the idea of positional value their launch angles to hit more homers, and because the strikeout is the while committing valuable resources to the running back position (this best outcome for the pitcher and velocity is the best way to get there, has shifted for a number of teams). Coaches still talk about “establishing pitchers have begun pitching closer to their maximum velocity and the run” so that play-action will work, even though there’s no analytical strikeout rates are at their highest in history. People like dingers, and a correlation between the two. Sports science may be the area where well-pitched strikeout can be compelling, but there have been coaches are most willing to listen. Data can help them make smarter consequences to the aesthetics of the game. decisions about how hard to practice a player or when a guy is ready to I do think it’s worth asking: have these advancements in efficiencies return from injury. actually served each game well? How would we measure that? I am hesitant to use the term “low-hanging fruit” because the analytics Attendance is down in baseball, and some attribute it to the record low in community should always be questioning its own conclusions and balls in play, a consequence of optimizing for homers and strikeouts. But, operating with humility. But we’ve seen with the 2017 Eagles and last because of the way tickets are sold now, and rising TV income, year’s Ravens that a data-driven approach can really give teams an baseball’s taking in more money than ever. edge. So: have analytics improved the style of play in your sports? Have they Worville: I really like this question. It feels that in recent years Premier been ‘good’ for the game? How would we answer that? League teams have started to better come to terms with the fact that Kapadia: It’s a great question. I think in the NFL, an increased use of shots from far out are worse attempts than those closer to goal, and as analytics actually leads to a more entertaining product. When I was such we’ve seen fewer and fewer shots from outside of the area, and growing up, I always wanted the teams I rooted for to go for it on fourth average shot distance creeps closer and closer as the seasons pass by. down. When I was playing Madden, I always went for it. That wasn’t The rise of expected goals as the poster boy of soccer’s advanced because of analytics. It was because that was fun and exciting. I’ve never metrics has to take most of the credit for this. understood fans who actually want their teams to punt or kick a field goal. Some teams are also getting wise to the fact that set pieces are an I just want to shake them and scream, “Who hurt you?!?!” untapped way of scoring goals, the ROI of which is higher than your The use of analytics in roster-building probably hasn’t impacted the average open play possession. Teams like Liverpool are also trying to game’s entertainment value. Advances in sports science theoretically find edges in the unexpected — hiring a throw-in coach to improve ball would keep players healthier and fresher, so that’s a plus. In terms of retention and chance-creation in these situations. Admittedly it’s not the strategy, the uptick in passing has also helped to make the game more most sexy change, but if you can gain a couple more possessions a entertaining. Sure, you might have a neighbor or uncle who wants their game to build from instead of cheaply turning the ball over, that’s only team to run the ball 45 times per game, but the rule changes that have going to lead to more goals in the long run. made it difficult to play pass defense suggest that most fans like passing Crossing has also died a bit of a death in football. At least in the Premier and high-scoring games. I suspect fantasy football probably has a lot to League, teams are crossing less year-on-year, and the crosses they do do with that as well. look to employ are those along the ground instead of those in the air. It’s Overall, I don’t think there’s been much of an argument that an increased tough to untangle if this is due to the data or just a tactical trend that may use of analytics in the NFL has hurt the entertainment value or negatively soon pass, but analytically (and logically) it’s a better choice in impacted the style of play. I know in the NBA with all the threes, that’s possession. been a big topic of discussion. For the record, I think the modern NBA is The biggest impact of analytics has to be in the transfer market, though. great to watch, but then again, I was a gunner who rarely stepped foot The teams recruiting best have a clear style they’re building with, and the inside the three-point line during my pickup days. appropriate tools to identify suitable talent. Worville: I think your mileage varies depending on how much you enjoy Luszczyszyn: This is a tough question to answer for hockey, again due to seeing players step up from long range and attempt a very speculative the data. I think Sheil said it really well in his last paragraph that we shot. For me, it’s a love-hate relationship. should always be questioning our own conclusions and I think better data There have been times watching a game where I’ll yell (sometimes even will help with that for hockey. For now it feels like whatever can be unironically) “Think of the xG!” and the next slow attack that’s staged exhausted from publicly available data has been. “won’t someone just have a go?!”. These are the pains of being an For a while in hockey analytics, all shot attempts were treated pretty Arsenal fan in 2020. equally when using Corsi or Fenwick due to the belief that shot quality I don’t feel we’ll ever see shots from far out go extinct. They help keep was essentially distributed at random and/or that it didn’t improve defences honest and can create space for others, similar to what the rise predictive power. The community has sort of shifted away from that, of the three has done for basketball, but maybe our goal of the season embracing expected goals and thinking about how to measure reels will be filled with fewer incredulous efforts. shooting/goaltending talent as best as they can. Tracking data has also shed some light on the fact that the best shots aren’t necessarily the Aside from shooting, the technical floor in football has raised so much ones taken closest to the net, but that pre-shot movement can have a that goalkeepers and defenders are contributing to, and sometimes wholly dictating, how the ball moves around the field, so team styles have In the same way, the NBA teams which best integrate analytics into their become a bit more homogenous. Not much of this has to do with overall operations aren’t the smart teams because of their modeling advances in analytics though, but in coaching and sport science. capabilities, rather they have built that capacity because they are smart.

Partnow: You stole my next line of inquiry! For me, I question the premise In terms of actual “cheating” being driven from an analytical perspective, I just a little. To paraphrase the old saying about how money in politics is have a hard time seeing what that would look like in basketball. The state like water on pavement, the search for a competitive edge tends to find of both in-person and video-based advance scouting means everyone every crevice and crack. What analytics has done, I think, is to identify already knows each others’ play calls and sets. So short of some kind of those seams in each game’s ruleset. spy apparatus which actually monitored the opposing coach drawing up ATOs in the huddle in near real time, it would be difficult to cheat That Whether the rush to fill those cracks results in a game that is more or way. Even if it was doable, it would still be reasonably hard to turn into less appealing to the public is a separate question, and certainly one something actionably advantageous given that a play is being drawn up worth asking. But in the instance where the analytically-indicated play literally seconds before it is run on the floor. style is perceived as less appealing, the solution isn’t “ban analytics.” For one, fans have a hard time properly identifying what it is they don’t like. There are tales floating around of certain equipment-based skullduggery. Complaints about play style have been a huge portion of the discourse For example, teams about to play the Showtime Lakers were rumored to around the NBA this season with many of them centering around things have installed longer than usual nets to keep the ball from being put back like homogeneity of offense or too many missed jumpers. The problem into play speedily after a made basket. But that’s much closer to good old with taking these at face value is that they are largely inaccurate fashioned “throw a spitball” gamesmanship than the kind of hack-the- descriptions of what has happened. world cheating of which the Astros and Patriots stand accused.

Secondly, I’m not sure it’s realistic to ask coaches and players “hey don’t If there’s one area where teams might gain an edge by do that thing that will help you win because it hurts the game.” Don’t hate circumventing/outright breaking rules, it’s in-game use of wearables. One the player, hate the game. Change the competitive environment in ways of the challenges facing sports scientists in the NBA is they are forced to which incentivize the game you want to see. measure athletic load and output differently in games (via tracking data) than in practice where a wide variety of wearables allow for direct I think a data-forward approach has great utility in addressing both of measurements of accelerations, jumps, changes of direction and so on. those problems, first in getting better information in terms of what has or These devices are not allowed in gameplay, though there have been has not changed from a past, supposed golden age, but also to help persistent rumors of some teams using them in that fashion anyway. That project how well a proposed rule alteration will affect the overall informational advantage is surely helpful, but strikes me as orders of landscape to ensure the measures taken have a high likelihood of magnitude less so than, I dunno, knowing what pitch is coming next or if success. the offense is going to run or pass on the upcoming snap.

But back to my own original question, I think basketball somewhat like Luszczyszyn: I’m trying to think of any explicit cheating scandals in baseball is past the big “Eureka!” moments where we can expect big hockey and coming up blank. In the hunt for the biggest edge I wouldn’t returns on any single new insight. It’s more about small gains at the be surprised if any sport got there and I agree that it is the double-edged margins. sword of analytics in looking for any possible advantage. But I don’t think Luszczyszyn: It’s hard to say because there hasn’t been a singular the sport is far enough along to even do so. fundamental shift brought about by analytics in hockey that you can point There is one off-ice case that came about recently that comes to mind to like less bunting or going for it on fourth down. Roster construction – regarding the Arizona Coyotes, one of the few NHL teams with a GM that from four forward power plays and more skilled players in the lineup – fits an analytical profile, John Chayka. The team is being investigated for has allowed for hockey to be at its most skilled state perhaps ever which violating the NHL’s combine testing policy, testing prospects outside the makes games more exciting. That comes with one big drawback though official scouting combine. With the team’s draft process using a more for a certain subset of fans and that’s hockey becoming less… brutish. data-fuelled approach under Chayka that may fit the bill. Fighting is down with those players getting weeded out and the game in general is more skill-focused than ever. Quicker goalie pulls have also Worville: Similar to Dom, I’m struggling to think of any proper analytics- made the game a bit more exciting in the dying minutes of games… if the powered scandals. There was a case involving Liverpool “hacking” (read: attacking team gets set up well. It’s allowed for more comebacks, but it had the login details to) Manchester City’s scouting database back in can be a double-edged sword when they allow an empty net goal earlier, 2013, but nothing on the scale of what’s happened in baseball. killing any of that potential excitement earlier than usual. I think at some point the debate around tactical fouls — where teams Other than that… it’s another area where hockey lags behind the other deny a good goalscoring opportunity with a foul — will come to a head. sports: we can’t even have a real definitive “analytics ruined the sport Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City do this most often, with Arsenal under because ______” debate. Not yet anyways. Mikel Arteta (formerly an assistant to Guardiola at City) not far behind. Sometimes players get yellow cards for these fouls, which really is a sort Sarris: Man it must be nice. In baseball, analytics culture is so pervasive of footballing arbitrage if a good attack is prevented — so maybe a rule that it’s been blamed for anti-labor practices (keeping free agent salaries change is floated to balance the books in these situations. down), ruining the sport on the field, and even cheating. We’ve had three high profile cheating scandals in the last five years, with the Astros, Red Kapadia: I am enjoying this roundtable, but Eno, I have not reached the Sox, and Cardinals all in trouble due to analysts pushing far past the gray necessary state of self-loathing where I’m willing to adequately research area. Chris Correa got jailed for hacking into another team’s systems! and relay the origin story of Deflategate. I apologize. Even the Astros’ scandal may have been born in a spreadsheet named “Codebreaker.” I think this part of the discussion is a good illustration of how old-school the NFL is. The scandals have involved deflating footballs, videotaping I know of Deflategate, but I don’t know the origin story. Are there other signals, paying players to injure opponents and pumping in crowd noise. places in other sports where analytics teams are pushing the boundaries Not exactly the most sophisticated stuff. so far that it could be considered cheating? Are there basketball teams manipulating official’s tendencies in terms of foul calling? Is mucking with There are all sorts of things that would probably fall under the the equipment common? Or is it just baseball where the analytics squads gamesmanship category. And yes, coaches will look at an officiating seem to have taken the ‘if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying’ mantra to crew’s tendencies to figure out what they can get away with, but that’s heart? been happening for a long time. Remember, this is a sport where organizations acted like they pulled off a minor miracle figuring out how Partnow: I think that for good or for ill, teams which become “analytics” to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams during their pre-draft preparations. I orgs do so for reasons broader than simply being into stats. Seeking think the days of hacking into each others’ computers are far away, every available edge, rules be damned, is just the bad side of the same although it’s possible that teams are just so good at it that they’ve been coin which has thorough, robust decision-making processes on the other able to keep it covered up (not likely). face. The same amoral ruthlessness which turns staffers into trashcan percussionists leads to a heavy investment in statistical exploration Partnow: This seems like a good place to stop for now guys, thanks for rather than “the numbers” causing it. Plus, let’s be honest; pure analytics doing this. I’m sure we’ll have much more to say to each other in the types would have spent how long trying to build an app for that rather coming weeks and months. than going fully analog on the aluminum? The Athletic LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185149 Websites injuries, and every time he’s been given the chance to rest a little, he’s come back strong. That is not a fun proposition for the Penguins to look at, especially since and Tomas Tatar would likely be recovered from their injuries by now. Sportsnet.ca / Picking a winner, loser and dark horse in NHL's proposed 24-team playoff Your browser does not support the audio element.

I would still expect the Penguins to win this matchup based on the gap in top-end talent between the two teams, and the Penguins might even get Andrew Berkshire | May 22, 2020, 9:31 AM Jake Guentzel back to top it off, but this is a matchup that could easily burn the Penguins.

It’s not the worst draw possible, but considering that the Penguins It’s starting to look like the NHL is inching closer to settling on its plan for actually produced the seventh-best record in the NHL this season coming a return to play format, and the leading idea on how to resume the into the break, and the sixth-most regulation or overtime wins, that they season and settle the disparity between points percentage and standings have to play their way into the playoffs in this scenario likely causes a lot position is to involve a whopping 24 teams, with a play-in round to make of consternation within the organization. the usual 16 teams competing in the playoffs. Dark horse pick The top-four teams in each conference would get a bye through that play-in, with the teams ranked fifth through 12th battling in a series of Maybe the most interesting possibility of all with this play-in is how much best-of-five matchups to decide who makes the actual playoffs. noise the Columbus Blue Jackets could make. Matched up against the Toronto Maple Leafs, on paper it looks like a crazy mismatch, with the Elliotte Friedman broke down what the matchups would look like in both high volume Leafs producing vastly more offence in the new year than the East and West, but if this happens there are some big question the Blue Jackets in all game types, but the Blue Jackets mastered a very marks for a couple of teams that might put some asterisks on whatever tight, low event style that held the fort while they dealt with a myriad of happens this season. seemingly crippling injuries, and they’ve also had some stellar Looking at how teams were playing recently, before the league goaltending. shutdown, we can look at the proposed matchups this play-in would A rested Freddie Andersen might give Elvis Merzlikins a run for his produce, and see which teams are in a good position and which ones money, but the Blue Jackets would also likely be seeing the returns of aren’t. Seth Jones, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson, and Dean Who are the biggest winners? Kukan.

The biggest winners of this play-in format by far are the top-four teams in The hard-nosed style the Blue Jackets play is a little similar to the Boston each conference. Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Bruins, something that has given the Leafs fits for years, so you have to Louis, Colorado, Vegas, and Dallas all earned their positions during the wonder if the newly healthy Blue Jackets might be secret contenders season so it makes sense they benefit the most, but not only are they should this template move forward. getting the best seeding, no matter what all their potential opponents will Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 face an extra round of attrition.

That’s obvious, though, so excluding the top-eight teams, let’s figure out which teams benefit the most from this format.

Of all the teams that have an opportunity because of the play-in, the most dangerous might be the Minnesota Wild. Sneakily a very good team that was undone by a disastrously awful season from Devan Dubnyk, the Wild have been making up ground since going to Alex Stalock a little bit more often. Stalock still hasn’t been great, giving the Wild a league average save percentage despite playing behind one of the league’s best defences, but average is really all the Wild need to find success.

In their opponents, the Wild would find a Canucks team that was brilliant to start the season but has had weaknesses exposed over the course of the year, including a league-worst rush chance differential that would give the Wild a specific area to focus on and exploit.

The Canucks would have a gigantic advantage in goal if Jacob Markstrom is fully recovered from the injury that took him out in late February, but without the ability to work out with team trainers it’s very possible that Markstrom is either behind schedule or would come back pretty rusty to start.

The Canucks are very reliant on their goaltender and power play to get things working for them, and against this Wild team that’s so strong at even strength, they would be really up against it to advance past the play-in.

Which team gets hurt the most?

The Canucks were dealt a rough card for sure, but they put themselves on the edge anyway so I can’t say they’ve been given the roughest ride here. Overall, the team that would be getting dealt the worst hand from this proposed format would be the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins would draw the Montreal Canadiens in the play-in round and, like the Wild, Montreal has put up pretty excellent numbers this season despite not having a great record.

There were some rumblings from Larry Brooks that teams wouldn’t be happy about the possibility of facing a rested Carey Price in this playoff, which was met with sneers online considering Price has been underwhelming this season to put it mildly. However, I think a lot of Price’s struggles have come down to lack of rest and playing through 1185150 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHLPA authorizes further negotiations on 24-team return to play format

Sportsnet Staff May 22, 2020, 9:54 PM

The NHLPA Executive Board authorized further negotiations with the NHL over how a 24-team return to play scenario would play out.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” a statement from the NHLPA said. “Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

Elliotte Friedman reported a proposed framework Wednesday, however, not all details of this framework were approved Friday night.

Sportsnet Tonight

There's still a lot more to do if the NHLPA approves a return to play format

May 22 2020

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Under the NHL’s initial proposal, the top four seeds — based on points percentage — in the East and the West qualify for the post-season. Those teams in the East are Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia and in the West St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas and Vegas.

The next eight teams in each conference will compete in a best-of-five play-in series, with the winners going on to face each conference’s top seeds.

Both the top four in the West and the top four in the East would be given a bye from competing in this play-in tournament but would play games against each other before the playoffs begin.

In the Eastern Conference, the opening round will play out like this:

• 5. Pittsburgh vs. 12. Montreal (winner plays four seed)

• 6. Carolina vs. 11. Rangers (winner plays three seed)

• 7. Islanders vs. 10. Florida (winner plays two seed)

• 8. Toronto vs. 9. Columbus (winner plays one seed)

And the Western Conference opening round shakes out as follows:

• 5. Edmonton vs. 12. Chicago (winner plays four seed)

• 6. Nashville vs. 11. Arizona (winner plays three seed)

• 7. Vancouver vs. 10. Minnesota (winner plays two seed)

• 8. Calgary vs. 9. Winnipeg (winner plays one seed)

According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, the format of the playoffs is still up for negotiation. Friedman’s report originally indicated that playoffs would be “bracketed” similar to the NCAA tournament but that was not approved in Friday’s vote and the potential still exists for the playoffs to be seeded based on standings position.

Even with this affirmative vote, there are still some details with the 24-team playoff format still to be worked out between the NHL and NHLPA. One of them is whether they'll go ahead with a playoff bracket or use reseeding.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 23, 2020

While Friday’s vote is a meaningful step forward, there are other critical elements that would still have to be ironed out such as testing protocols, visas and whether or not the league intends to use hub cities.

The NHL is still without a firm timeline for when it will be able to resume activities after having its season paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185151 Websites And, while the discussions continue on all of those items, the NHL is still looking to put the wheels in motion on the next phase of its return-to-play plan by opening team facilities for small-group workouts.

Sportsnet.ca / NHLPA vote first of many big steps before NHL can return The biggest question of all remains unanswered: When might all of this to play start?

There are those who believe — or hope — we might be seeing NHL games played by the end of July, but that’s not something the league or Chris Johnston | May 23, 2020, 12:24 AM anyone else can say right now with certainty.

You’re probably sensing a trend here.

Those who were in the room call it a big step. Perhaps that’s why Friday night’s vote was hailed by some as a significant step: Cast alongside this mountainous to-do list, it should lead Sure, the list of items still to be worked out are much more significant in to getting one big matter struck off. scope than the framework the NHLPA’s Executive Board voted favourably for on Friday night. But it’s a move in the right direction. The We also have a clearer idea of what everything might look like if it’s ever first tangible progress towards finishing off the 2019-20 NHL season after safe enough or feasible enough to resume the pursuit of the Stanley Cup. more than 10 weeks of uncertainty brought on by the novel coronavirus. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 Here’s what the player reps for 31 teams agreed to: A 24-team return-to- play format that will see the top four seeds in each conference given "byes" directly to the playoffs while the other 16 enter a best-of-five play- in round to determine their opponents.

At this point, that’s all.

Some of the other details Elliotte Friedman and I have reported on in recent days are still subject to further discussion — namely if a bracketed playoff format will be used, as is the NHL’s preference, or if seeding might apply instead.

That will help determine what the initial round-robin games played between the top four seeds mean. There had been thought they would be used to allow for some jockeying between positions, but the precise mechanics behind that still need to be hashed out.

Even with this affirmative vote, there are still some details with the 24-team playoff format still to be worked out between the NHL and NHLPA. One of them is whether they'll go ahead with a playoff bracket or use reseeding.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 23, 2020

And if a seeding system is used, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than the Boston Bruins ending up with the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference given that they had an eight-point lead over Tampa when the season was paused.

File that under a matter for another day.

It was a journey for the players to agree to a 24-team framework and included a Thursday night call with the Executive Board where emotions ran high. Not everyone was in favour of Montreal and Chicago being included — two teams who had infinitesimally small odds of reaching the playoffs under the traditional system.

Now they’ve each got a chance to get in by taking three-of-five games from an opponent that had a much better regular season. The Habs were 15 points behind Pittsburgh while the Blackhawks were 11 back of Edmonton, and they’re all essentially on equal footing.

Still, the Penguins voted in favour of this framework because they supported the greater good. And they weren’t the only ones.

"At the end of the day, nobody gets exactly what they want," said Kris Letang, Pittsburgh’s NHLPA rep, in a Friday night conversation with Friedman. "But we all want what is best for hockey and to continue to grow the game."

The vote essentially closes the book this season on the bottom seven teams: Buffalo, New Jersey, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Ottawa and Detroit.

Everyone else still has a chance to lift the Stanley Cup.

But for all the hope that comes with handicapping play-in matchups, there is considerable ground to cover before this concept becomes reality. Issues like securing enough testing capacity and agreeing to the safety protocols. Addressing player concerns about separation from families for a long period of time and determining which two cities will be used as return-to-play hubs. Getting somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 players back from Europe and seeing if every team will be able to hold a training camp in its own city. 1185152 Websites athletes and personalities, offering a window into the lives of people we normally root for in entirely different ways.

Meanwhile, the issue of players having to spend two weeks in quarantine Sportsnet.ca / Why Edmonton should have an edge in bid to host NHL when crossing the Canadian border is thought to be less of a hurdle than games previously reported, we are told. Basically, by the time players are asked to cross the border it is believed the federal government will no longer have such restrictions in place, and if COVID-19 flares to the point that they are in place or restrictions are heightened, then the entire prospect Mark Spector | May 22, 2020, 5:41 PM of resuming the season would be in jeopardy.

The feds, like Alberta premier Jason Kenney, see value in the NHL EDMONTON — ‘Tis to laugh, the comparisons between the National tournament to Canadians, whether it be held in Alberta or B.C. They will Hockey League gathering one of its playoff pools in Edmonton or Las remove impediments within reason, remaining careful not to create Vegas. special circumstances for athletes ahead of regular citizens.

Like, seriously? We’re really talking about this? Which brings us to testing, another area where NHL personnel can not be seen to be jumping any queues. The Oilers bid includes a contract Well, actually, they are. And there’s a few reasons why. with a lab that will conduct all necessary testing, so they can maintain their own capacity without depleting the capacity of the province to test First of all, have you been to Vegas in August? The average high during Albertans. that month is 38-40 degrees Celsius, with the average low somewhere around 26 degrees. It’s like walking into a pizza oven when you leave Finally, while the Oilers are still quietly fighting to host the Western your Vegas hotel, and even a little fresh air is necessary now and again Conference tournament here, many teams have complained that no team in Sin City. should get the advantage of playing in their home arena — regardless of whether fans are in attendance or not. For many, the reason why you would choose Las Vegas weather over Edmonton weather for nine months out of the year is the same reason The Edmonton bid has gone too far to turn back now, we are told. They’d you would choose Edmonton weather over Las Vegas weather for July, rather have the Oilers playing at Rogers Place, but if they can convince August and September. the hockey world that there are indeed compelling reasons to choose Northern Alberta over the Nevada desert, they’ll accept the Eastern Las Vegas has every city in North America — maybe the world? — beat Conference pool if necessary. if the competition is solely about hotels, pools and access to banquet facilities, restaurants etc. But it doesn’t beat Edmonton or Vancouver Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 when it comes to the availability of NHL-sized hockey rinks to accommodate 12 teams.

In Vancouver they have one-stop shopping with the Burnaby 8 rinks, while the Edmonton bid originally offered to provide each of the 12 teams with its own practice rink. That was deemed unnecessary, but if it is assumed that six practice rinks are needed, that’s two city-owned facilities in Edmonton — plus the one under the same roof as the main rink at Rogers Place for pregame skates. No problem.

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.

Speaking of rinks, what about making ice during August in the desert? Now, with no fans opening and closing the doors to the arena, that will help keep the heat out. But anyone who has traveled the NHL circuit can tell you this: If humidity if the No. 1 enemy of the ice maker, intense heat is No. 2.

There is a reason why Edmonton’s ice has been at or near the top of the NHL since forever. It’s dry, and a nice, hot summer day comes in at about 27 degrees Celsius. The average August high is only 22.

It’s the playoffs. Making good ice should be a priority, no?

The Oilers bid includes three hotels within a five-minute walk to Rogers Place, and a fourth — the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald — that’s about 15 minutes by foot.

Players want to golf? There are plenty of courses who would love to have an NHL team fill its tee sheet on an off day — no problem. You might get a mosquito bite, but you can tee off at 1 p.m. and not get heat stroke. Or at 6 p.m and still get 18 in.

Another place where Edmonton’s new arena matches or beats anyone — especially Vancouver — is broadcast space in the press box. There is room for 12 radio teams and as many TV crews to call games at Rogers Place, a key component in the Edmonton bid with the NHL still deciding how much media they are willing to allow inside the building.

And of course, there is the COVID-19 situation, where a metro population of 1.3 million has handled the pandemic well. As of this writing the Edmonton zone has 61 active cases and has suffered 12 deaths. Those numbers in Vegas (5,815 and 322) and Vancouver (887 and 86) simply can not compete, due to the size and international status of both cities compared to Edmonton.

Richard Deitsch and Donnovan Bennett host a podcast about how COVID-19 is impacting sports around the world. They talk to experts, 1185153 Websites To a professional hockey player, skating is automatic. It’s mechanized, it’s subconscious, it’s forgotten. It’s barely any more of an addition to the task of playing hockey than running is to playing football. (I’d actually be interested to see a pro’s brain studied while playing hockey to know if Sportsnet.ca / The value of players buying in, and when skating becomes scientifically there’s even an increased workload from skating to running a challenge for a pro hockey player. It might actually be easier.)

Growing up in a hockey family, I wasn’t exactly on skates from birth, but it wasn’t too far off. Maybe I skated at three or four, I started organized Justin Bourne | May 22, 2020, 10:55 AM hockey around six or seven.

By the time I was in college, I was on the ice six days a week for at least Each week, Justin Bourne’s column will cover three different topics in a couple hours a day, often well more. The only time I ever thought about varying depths. Think of it as a three-course meal with an appetizer, main my feet on the ice was if they hurt, same as it would be for a runner. If course, and dessert… the direction of the play changed on a dime, there’s no additional processing for a skater than there would be for a runner on a field or Appetizer: The value of buy-in court. You just change direction.

Last week when Mark Recchi joined us on to discuss his I bring this up today, because were I to go on the ice right now to mirror life and career I asked him a question about the different ways teams can another player who was changing directions quickly, there’d be some toe win. I was getting at the idea that you can be offensive, or defensive, or picks. I might have a Bambi moment. I’d feel my skates under feet – tough, or rely on goaltending or coaching, and that there isn’t just one they’re a little crusty and will need to be re-worked in – I’d be cognizant of way to get it done. His answer, though, was about the thing that tied the sharpness of the edges (if there was any at all), and overall, I’d have together each of the three teams with which he won Stanley Cups: buy- to think about skating. in. Lead Off with Ziggy and Scotty Mac He talked about how, regardless of who is on the team or how the team plays, it’s crucial to have the commitment of every player pulling the Fear of Carey Price helped block a best-of-three playoff format same direction, all-in. May 22 2020 Hockey Central Your browser does not support the audio element. Mark Recchi on a long, varied illustrious career in the NHL That unusual discomfort is not just something that’s built up after years of May 14 2020 being off the ice, unfortunately. It happens pretty quick for players (to a smaller degree of course), which means it pertains to professionals Your browser does not support the audio element. across the board, professionals who’ve been off the ice now for months and are likely to return to the ice soon to try to get their skating back to It’s in light of that that this recent quote from Tyson Barrie caught my eye. automatic. Barrie is a UFA this summer, was not dealt by the Leafs at the deadline, and it’s clear he won’t be coming back. I’m highlighting this not to blame Skating is not like riding a bike. To get to autopilot, it takes consistent Barrie, who’s simply aware of his situation. It’s not to blame the Leafs, reps. who deemed themselves better off with him for a run this year than without him. It’s just to note that buy-in is a valued commodity, and not I spent my summers in Kelowna, BC, which is home to one of the best everyone and every team is able to get it. pro summer skates anywhere in North America. Each summer I got on the ice early, I’m talking June, in hopes of gaining an advantage over This was Barrie, answering a question from Chris Johnston about his other players. The best players didn’t usually come back until August. priorities in free agency: From August 1 to August 15 I could convince myself that I could play in the NHL. By August 16 the evidence against that notion usually started to “It’s got to be the right fit. I think it has to be a spot where they are in pile up. need of someone like myself. A good team headed in the right direction and a good organization. I think there’s a lot of right organizations that The things that make the elite special, the puck skills, the baby sauce tick those boxes.” passes that land flat, the back-hand five hole dekes executed with a shrug … those things look pretty janky until the kinks get worked out. Teams can have success with rental players, and teams can have success with their own players on expiring deals. There are precedents. I’ve made the argument that players could do with a two-week training But the contrast between Recchi’s words and those from Barrie strike me camp and play suitable NHL games through all this, and I stand by that. as stark. Tough to be all-in when you’re already half-out. The reason being though, is that my standards of suitable are truly just good enough, because it’s a weird year, and standards have changed. Main Course: Hockey players losing what’s usually automatic will be evident As I think about players getting back into the rinks in the coming month, I think about how awkward they’re going to feel. How what’s usually It’s only natural that when you love something, you want to defend it. automatic won’t be, and how what’s usually smooth is going to have That goes for friends and family, certainly, but it extends beyond that too. wrinkles. If we do in fact get NHL hockey this year, it’s going to be ugly When hockey fans come up against fans from other sports who question for a while. For the first time, the challenges of “Doing it all with knives our semi-niche game played in colder climates on sheets of ice, there are under their feet on slippery ice” will be a truly relevant note. a few age-old points of pride we lean on. One is that our players have historically been as tough as you find in any sport, and two is that have Dessert: When should the NHL season run? you tried playing hockey? It’s hard! The implied contention, I think, is that of the major four sports hockey is the most difficult athletically. Something I’ve done for years now is go through Elliotte Friedman’s “31 Thoughts” column, grab a few notes that stand out to me, and weigh in I’ve heard greats of the game explain it in simplistic terms, that players on them. “Thoughts on Thoughts” was a staple of my time at TheScore, are flying around at high speeds, there’s risk at all times, you’re and I’ve always been grateful for Elliotte’s permission in cribbing, oh, a manipulating a frozen piece of rubber with a stick … and on and on with thousand of his well-researched words on which to hang my own the challenges of the game, followed by some version of the inevitable harebrained thoughts. capper “And they’re doing it all while balancing on knives on ice.” This week there was just one thing that made me talk out loud at my The knives on ice thing, that’s always the kicker, isn’t it? computer upon reading (please check out the whole article here, it’s excellent as always): This is going to take the wind out of the sails of a lot of arguments from people I really like, but: it’s not really like that. It’s a fallacious argument. 24. This is a long way down the line, but if the 2020-21 season does go That makes it sound like players are doing what they do while on stilts from December/January to July — I wonder how many teams are going and juggling plates. to ask their fans if they want that schedule to be permanent. My understanding is that there are some in the US who believe going up against football (NFL, NCAA, and high school) hurts the game.

I’ve long been a proponent of shifting the NHL schedule … to start in September, and wrap-up in May. That’s the true hockey season, that takes us from the start of “normal” years (September, with school and sports and the return of routines) through the cold months, wrapping up before everyone would rather be on the golf course than in the rink.

I’m a firm believer in “do what you do and do it well,” and that the NHL would be wise to focus on what works best for the fans rather than contorting themselves into something unnatural for the game.

So, while Brian Burke campaigns to keep the Stanley Cup Playoffs from permanently expanding after this weird year, count this as my push to keep the NHL’s (potentially) adjusted 2020-21 schedule from sticking.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185154 Websites “It’s a hockey song for the national team. I like it,” defenceman said. “Without the fans, we don’t have a league, so anything we can do to make them enjoy the game even more.”

Sportsnet.ca / Top 5 goal songs from 2016 Sample lyrics (translated) for “One for All, All for One”: “Red or white / Green or grey / Eventually they’ll be black and blue / Yes, nothing can stop us / One for all, all for one.”

Luke Fox | May 22, 2020, 9:37 AM Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting could not be reached for comment.

TEAM EUROPE – “Seven Nation Army”

Rewind, selector! Plays: 12

While the undoubtedly drew together a OK, so this one’s pretty slick. Europe coach and World Cup poet laureate collection of talent that makes us shake our heads, the sublime goal song Ralph Krueger called his experimental crew “a team with no future and choices of all the semi-finalists also had us nodding them. no past.” What better rallying cry than The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” for a club composed of eight nations (maybe France is implied?) For every Sidney Crosby there was a , for every Anze Kopitar that served the Czechs and that Team USA couldn’t hold back. a Jack White. “I don’t want to talk about songs and anthems anymore. We put that topic We take a look at the funky four (plus one more) celebratory tunes that in the rest already,” GM Miroslav Satan said. “The guys found something thundered through Air Canada Centre, providing a diverse and they like. It’s fine, whatever they play.” memorable playlist. It’s more than fine. It’s awesome. TEAM CANADA – “We Dem Boyz” BONUS BEAT Plays: 24 TEAM NORTH AMERICA – “Opposite of Adults” As author of the Steelers Nation rallying cry “,” Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa is no stranger to pumping up sports venues. Plays: 11

The boyz of Team Canada decided to roll up with the same 2014 frat-boy Regrettably, we may never witness a comet that burned as bright yet was rap anthem , Brad Marchand and Ryan O’Reilly rocked all extinguished so soon as Team North America. Gone with them is one of the way to gold at the 2016 World Championship. the best goal song choices of all time.

“I don’t know who it came from,” O’Reilly said, “but it’s nice hearing it — Philly rap crew Chiddy Bang’s “Opposite of Adults,” which pulls its that’s for sure.” addictive sample from MGMT’s excellent “Kids,” was spot-on for a group of 23-and-unders. Much like Team North America, the duo Chiddy Bang Logan Couture believes the tune was Perry’s idea. — Anamege and Xaphoon Jones — broke up, likely to never be heard “It wasn’t me,” says Perry, channeling his inner Shaggy. “Don’t look at from again. #RIPTNA me. I had nothing to do with it, but I don’t mind it. Might be Doughty — Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 let’s go there.”

Yep, consensus says it was Drew Doughty’s choice.

But musically, you build from the net out. So, starting goalie Carey Price doubled as Canada’s dressing room DJ. How does Price set the mood?

“Country in the mornings and some hip-hop at night before the game,” Couture says.

TEAM RUSSIA – “Dorogoi Dlinnoyu”

Plays: 11

The Russians dug deep in the crates for their jaunty goal jam, which was originally composed by Boris Fomin and written by poet Konstantin Podrevsky way back in the 1920s. Head coach Oleg Znarok’s translator told us it translates literally to “By the Long Road” and was a soulful tune popular during the country’s romantic period.

“You know the time of gypsies and dancing bears?” she explained.

Yes. Yes, we do.

“Dorogoi Dlinnoyu” reminisces upon youth and idealism and is better known on this side of the pond by its English-spun cousin “Those Were the Days.” Produced by Paul McCartney, Mary Hopkin’s version of the song became a No. 1 U.K. hit in 1968.

Reporter Aivis Kalniņš tells us KHL teams seldom choose specific goal songs, but “Dorogoi Dlinnoyu” is in heavy rotation at SKA’s rink in St. Petersburg.

TEAM SWEDEN – “En För Alla För En”

Plays: 9

If you enjoy this hockey-catered joint, specially recorded for Team Sweden by a group called Tre Kronor (featuring The Poodles!) when hosted the 2013 IIHF World Championship, watch the video. Your appreciation will triple like crowns.

Hair! Outfits! Flames! More hair! 1185155 Websites Down 2-1 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the Sedins had a dominant shift cycling the puck and both earned assists on an Erik Karlsson goal that sent the game into overtime.

Sportsnet.ca / World Cup marked international swan song for Sweden's A few minutes into the extra frame, Tomas Tatar ended the game, and Sedin twins subsequently the international playing career of the Sedins, when he scored to advance the European all-star team to the final.

“We played a patient game thinking it was going to pay off in the end and Mike Johnston | May 22, 2020, 9:58 AM it didn’t,” Daniel said.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 Perhaps the most uniquely talented pair of players the game of hockey has seen, at least symbiotically speaking, Daniel and Henrik Sedin represented the Vancouver Canucks with class for nearly two decades.

The identical twins from Örnsköldsvik also donned the Tre Kronor regularly from the time they were teenagers — and their impressive international careers representing Sweden concluded at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which Sportsnet has been re-airing this week.

“They’ve meant a lot to the Swedish program the way they’ve been playing both for the national team and with the Canucks,” former Olympic teammate and Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom said before that tournament. “The way they’ve handled themselves and gotten better and better since they came into the league…I know they’ve been very important to Swedish hockey for many years.”

The Sedins were fixtures on Sweden’s U-16 and U-17 teams. They also helped lead Sweden to a gold medal at the 1998 European U-18 Junior Championships and continued to suit up for their country with pride after being taken second- and third-overall in the 1999 NHL Draft.

Three world juniors appearances in 1998, 1999 and 2000 saw them improve each year and produce at better than a point-per-game pace overall, and they each ended up playing more than 30 games at the annual IIHF World Championships.

They won Olympic gold in 2006, combined for 15 points in just four games en route to a world championship in 2013 and added an Olympic silver to their collection in 2014.

Though they wouldn’t confirm it prior to the World Cup, many figured the 2016 tournament in Toronto would be the final time the Sedins would put on a Team Sweden uniform since it appeared unlikely NHL players would be competing at the 2018 Olympics – which turned out to be the case.

Re-live the World Cup of Hockey on SN

Catch the best games from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, including the semifinals and both finals games between Team Canada and Team Europe, on Sportsnet from May 18-23.

Despite being Sweden’s two oldest players, they were an integral part of Sweden’s 2016 offence and their elite vision and hockey IQ was on display throughout the tournament.

“Their chemistry, they know each other inside and out, but it’s their hockey sense and their awareness on the ice that really stands out to me — not just between themselves but between the other forward on their line or the defence pairing,” former Ottawa Senators captain said. “It looks so easy at times. Sometimes they throw it behind their back but there’s always a plan. They’re extremely smart. It’s fun to watch and frustrating to play against.”

They helped set up the winning goal against Finland in the round robin with some vintage board work from behind the net.

“Obviously Hank is amazing behind the net,” Daniel said of his brother. “I know if I can find him and give him some time he’s going to make a great play.”

“It’s hard to defend because they always have the knack of knowing where the other guy is all the time,” Lidstrom said. “They’re throwing the puck behind their backs, they’re laying the puck where guys will skate into it. When you’re sitting upstairs and watching from above you can see the plays developing and see how they’ll wait for an out to make the pass. And sometimes you wonder how he knew he was going to be there, but they have that chemistry amongst the two of them that makes it very hard to defend.”

Sweden was expected to make it out of Group B and earn a spot in the final against the favourites from Canada, but they ran into an overlooked- yet-determined Europe all-star team in the semifinals. 1185156 Websites made the Canucks out of training camp when roster numbers and contracts were working against him.

Despite playing 56 NHL games as a rookie due to injuries on the Sportsnet.ca / Adam Gaudette: Canucks can 'do some damage' if NHL Canucks in 2018-19, Gaudette was listed in the team media guide’s "In returns the System" section for this season. It wasn’t meant as an insult, simply a reflection that hockey-ops staff projected Gaudette to start in the American Hockey League.

Iain MacIntyre May 22, 2020, 8:31 PM The Program

Tyler Toffoli on playing in Vancouver: 'The best hockey I've played in a few years' VANCOUVER – Don’t take our word that Adam Gaudette is becoming a big deal, just ask Wikipedia. May 21 2020

In the entry for Braintree, Mass., the Boston suburb Gaudette moved to Your browser does not support the audio element. when he was 12, the Vancouver Canucks centre is listed among the town’s "notable people." He was a healthy scratch in nine of the Canucks’ first 12 games, but did not leave coach Travis Green’s lineup after Nov. 10. Gaudette bounced Braintree is nearly 400 years old, but there are only 25 people on the list. veteran Brandon Sutter to the wing and despite averaging 12:23 of ice time — 11th among Vancouver forwards who played at least 20 games It includes a couple of early United States presidents named John — had 12 goals and 33 points in 59 games. Adams, a couple of brothers named Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, a few baseball players, Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, and U.S. Gaudette was sheltered by Green in matchups, but his 2.71 points-per- Declaration of Independence signatory John Hancock. 60-minutes in all situations was fourth among the forwards, behind only first-liners Tyler Toffoli (3.29), Elias Pettersson (3.14) and J.T. Miller There in the middle of all of them is Gaudette, the 23-year-old who forced (3.11). his way into the Canucks lineup this season and didn’t leave until the National Hockey League shut down in March. "I don’t think it surprised me," Gaudette said. "If anything, I wanted more. And I think I can do more. That’s just kind of always (has) been my "My brothers must have went in and put that on Wikipedia," Gaudette mindset. said. "Once the first couple of points came in, I kind of realized: ‘Hey, I can do He can ask them. Gaudette and younger brothers Brady, 21, and Cam, this, I can be an important piece on this team and help them win.’ I just 19, skated together Thursday in Franklin Lakes, N.J., where Adam has kind of rolled with it." been training for a few weeks in hopes of an NHL comeback from the coronavirus. It’s unlikely that Gaudette will dislodge the two centres ahead of him, Pettersson and Bo Horvat, but he is part of an important second tier of He is staying at his fiancee’s house in nearby Goshen, N.Y., a little over young, improving players the Canucks have. an hour north of . "The only thing I can do is kind of force the coaches to play me the way I Sadly, Gaudette and Micaela Robinson have had to postpone the forced myself on to the team this year," he said. "We’ve got an exciting wedding reception they had planned for 200 guests in July, although the team with young guys who in a couple of years are going to be solid couple still intends to get married this summer even if the big party is veterans in this league. All these young guys just keep getting better and delayed a year. On the bright side, there is the ice. better. I think it’s going to be very exciting in Vancouver. Most of Gaudette’s teammates must be jealous. "We know we’re a good team now, but we want to keep getting better. "I don’t know if anyone knows yet, honestly, because I kept it kind of We want to be in the playoffs, we want to be a contender for the Cup. hush-hush in case we were getting in trouble," he said in a telephone With the team we have this year… we’re right there. We can maybe do interview. "It seems like most guys don’t really have a place to skate and some damage if the season comes back." they’re kind of just stuck at home. I was lucky to find a place to skate that Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 was appropriate with this quarantine going on. And it’s got a gym there, too, so it’s a pretty good setup."

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.

Gaudette is acutely aware of the seriousness of COVID-19. His father is a firefighter "on the front line" in Taunton, Mass., and the elderly mother of a distant cousin was a victim of the pandemic, which struck New York City and Boston especially hard.

Gaudette said his training sessions under a private skills coach are in smaller groups. Brady Gaudette just finished his freshman year at the University of Maine, and Cam is getting ready for the United States Hockey League next season. A few other college players and minor-league pros have made appearances, Adam said.

"I think my conditioning has always been pretty good," he said. "It’s more about tightening up the little things like getting the hands and skating going. It took a couple of weeks after being off for over a month to get back to feeling how I wanted to feel."

That means Gaudette is at least a couple of weeks ahead of most NHL players, whose team representatives voted Thursday and Friday on the format for a 24-team Stanley Cup tournament that the league hopes to stage this summer.

Gaudette’s remarkable rise from his fifth-round draft position in 2015 continued this season when the former Hobey Baker Award winner from 1185157 Websites Essentially, Blackwood’s trying to protect against suffering this equally undesirable fate (which opposing netminders have endured plenty of times from No. 40):

Sportsnet.ca / Inside the Highlight Reel: How to master 'The Forsberg' Comparing the two clips above should illustrate why this move is so like Pettersson effective — it’s more the mind game than anything else. Pettersson can take the exact same path to the net, pull a backhand-forehand combination, and force netminders to gamble in that moment on whether he’ll stick with the forehand option or pull it all the way back the other Sonny Sachdeva | May 22, 2020, 12:11 PM way, both of which he’s shown an ability to do with ease.

A crucially important aspect of successfully doing the latter comes in the Each week, stickhandling specialist Pavel Barber and Sonny Sachdeva moment that lies in between those two options, in fact. But it has more to will go Inside the Highlight Reel to break down one of the silkiest moves do with your skates than your hands, explains Barber. from the NHL’s best, dissecting it to explain why it’s so dangerous and “Now, as Pettersson pulls it across and extends to one hand, he sprays demonstrating how to master it yourself. snow to slow down on his left foot. This is a subtle that makes or It started with three crowns, royal blue adorning yellow. First, worn by breaks the move,” Barber says. “The reason these players will do this is Kent Nilsson when he pulled off the move against Team USA in ’89. to ensure their body doesn’t continue to move too far to the forehand, Then, half a decade later, by Peter Forsberg when he made his name which would limit how far they can reach on the one-handed backhand synonymous with that dazzling display, clinching the ’94 Olympic gold finish.” medal over Canada with the one-handed shootout sequence that’s since That bit of last-second footwork is the key to creating enough time and been known only as ‘The Forsberg.’ space to pull the puck back to the far side of the cage — and to remain On this week’s edition of Inside the Highlight Reel, stickhandling centred enough to reach over there at all. A look at that final moment in a specialist Pavel Barber and I break down the mechanics of The Forsberg few different iterations of The Forsberg makes clear its importance: for aspiring danglers looking to master the move during these For those honing their skills at home and looking to add The Forsberg to quarantimes. their arsenal, we asked Barber to demonstrate the mechanics of the With the hockey world coming to a halt in the wake of the COVID-19 move, how to ensure you can pull it off with maximum effectiveness, and pandemic, we’ve called on Barber to share his on-ice expertise for young one drill that’ll help build the skills to do it. players using this downtime to fine-tune their skill-sets. The YouTube Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.23.2020 phenom-turned-skills coach has made his name dissecting the finer points of offensive wizardry. While amassing half a million followers online, the Toronto native has trained NHLers like Jonathan Toews and Jake Virtanen, and recently linked up with Bo Horvat and the Vancouver Canucks to coach some local Vancouverites.

In Week 1, we broke down the backhand toe drag, courtesy of Mitch Marner. Next up was a look at another bit of one-handed, backhand magic, that one from Sidney Crosby. Last week, it was Connor McDavid in the spotlight, granting us a look at the art of deception.

For the fourth instalment, we look to Elias Pettersson‘s iteration of The Forsberg:

(Watch Barber’s tutorial on how to master the move via the video embedded at the bottom of this story).

Pettersson is the latest in a long line of NHLers to bust out The Forsberg in the big leagues, with Anze Kopitar coming up with his own during that very same season, and everyone from Henrik Zetterberg to Vladimir Tarasenko to John Tavares breaking it out at some point in their careers.

Let’s take a look at why this particular move is effective enough to have worked its way into tool kits of half of the league’s elite.

First, the basics:

“The Forsberg one-handed deke is a fake move to the forehand that gets the goalie moving laterally to stop the forehand shot,” Barber explains. “Then the player pulls it across their body while releasing to one hand, for extended reach, to finish backhand.”

The vantage point below grants us a look at just how simple yet deadly the move is. The key is the fact that the first stage of the sequence is a dangerous combination in its own right — faking backhand and shooting forehand.

Here, we see Pettersson go through the motions to pull that combination. Mackenzie Blackwood bites and slides right, and Pettersson, anticipating that response, is already shifting the puck back to the newly-open side of the cage by the time he and the netminder meet.

The Canucks pivot has an added advantage working in his favour, too, given his track record with that backhand-forehand combination, and how similar the early approaches look for both moves, masking his intent.

“Pettersson approaches on an angle on his off wing before coming to the middle, then he prepares it on the forehand and acts like he’s going to do a fake-backhand and forehand-side finish — he’s been successful with this move before, which helps him,” Barber explains. 1185158 Websites

TSN.CA / NHLPA agrees to more talks on league's 24-team Return to Play proposal

Frank Seravalli

The NHL checked another box in its return to play process on Friday.

That’s because the NHL Players' Association’s executive board voted on Friday to authorize further negotiations with the NHL on the proposed 24- team format to award the Stanley Cup in 2020.

In other words, the NHLPA’s executive board approved the 24-team format, according to sources.

But several details “remain to be negotiated” and an agreement on the format would “still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play,” according to a statement released by the NHLPA.

At least 18 affirmative votes were required from representatives of the 31 teams.

The details of the 24-team proposal were circulated on Thursday, including a round-robin format for the top four teams in each conference to go along with eight play-in series to determine the 16 playoff participants.

There were varying views expressed on the NHLPA’s membership-wide conference call on Thursday night.

According to sources, designated player representatives from at least six or seven teams asked to discuss the matters internally with their teammates on Friday before casting a vote.

After sleeping on it, the resulting ballots gave NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr more than enough votes to continue on in the negotiation process with the current 24-team format on Friday.

Many critical details still need to be ironed out.

The NHL and NHLPA have not yet negotiated a timeline to return to play; health and safety protocols for players and teams when play resumes; how family members will be included in the hub city sites; and perhaps most importantly, the economic implications stemming from the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The NHL and the NHLPA are jointly on the hook for up to $1.15 billion in lost revenue if the season does not resume. Some players have expressed frustration in the fact that a 24-team format was brought to a vote before financials were broached.

Other players advocated for a defined timeline before the format was agreed upon, some hoping for a firm date - perhaps in late August - to return to the ice, which would then allow for the playoffs to be completed in September and October before the 2020-21 campaign would begin in December.

All of that is still up for debate.

At least now, there is a format in place on which teams will return and how the playoffs will proceed.

The NHL is expected to make a formal announcement on the format and details in the coming days, after being notified of the NHLPA’s decision on Friday evening.

TSN.CA LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185159 Websites Lundqvist, Alexandar Georgiev, or even Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are going to be rather busy against a Hurricanes team that took nearly 300 more shots this season.

TSN.CA / Yost: Examining the play-in round matchups of the NHL’s In the Western Conference: proposed return (8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg is a very flawed team with serious, albeit shorter-term concerns Travis Yost over how to deploy their young blueline. But you do have to love this matchup for the Jets. Despite being the lower seed, the Jets were 18 goals better than the Flames this season, and a lot of that has to do with having a soon-to-be Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender in Connor A week ago, we talked about the prospect of a 24-team return to play for Hellebuyck. Even conceding this Jets lineup has structural problems in the NHL and which teams potentially introduced to the postseason the skater ranks, the star talent on the Jets roster is obvious, and landscape could be threats to advance. Hellebuyck carries a significant advantage over David Rittich or Cam But it’s hard to know what upset potential really looks like until you see Talbot. the framework of the postseason because matchups matter. (5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago Blackhawks The NHL and NHLPA are pushing aggressively this week to finalize their I hope this matchup comes to fruition, because the offence will be electric 24-team plan, giving us some insight into the exact structure. The format and the defence will be non-existent. The three head-to-head matchups – which gives the top four teams in each conference a bye and then this regular season saw 19 goals scored, and both Edmonton (23rd) and brackets the next 16 teams by conference seed – has a March Madness Chicago (29th) finished near the bottom of the league in expected goals feel to it, and most of the matchups are quite compelling. against. Between the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and As a quick refresher, I pulled out the key underlying numbers for those 16 Patrick Kane, we are going to see some absolute offensive wizardry. potential play-in teams and calculated net advantage off a few key (7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota Wild performance measures. Seventy games of regular-season data – whether you are looking at goal measures or shot measures – is more Vancouver is the better team – that much is obvious. They have an elite than enough to understand the competency of a team, but we are in first line anchored by Elias Pettersson, a very capable pairing behind unprecedented times, and no one is quite sure if these teams will be as them anchored by Quinn Hughes, and a goaltender in Jacob Markstrom effective as they were two months ago. who will get serious Vezina consideration behind the aforementioned Hellebuyck. Minnesota’s roster is, in one word, transitioning. But I noted Outside of the Pittsburgh versus Montreal matchup, most of these teams last week that the Wild are really the most curious outlier of sorts – a are separated by relatively small goal differentials, which is encouraging team where we think their defensive capabilities are much better than if you are looking for a competitive series. In three of the eight matchups, what they have shown this season, with some of their work submarined the lower-seeded team actually carried a better goal differential than their by a woeful Devan Dubnyk (.890 save percentage) campaign. But I respective opponent – that would include the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona always come back to this chart, one that shows just how fantastic Coyotes, and Florida Panthers. Minnesota is at keeping shooters away from dangerous areas. Might this So what are the questions surrounding each matchup? I’ve gone through be enough to give Vancouver’s young talent some problems in the all eight – let’s start in the Eastern Conference: opening round?

8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets (6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes

This is a grim match-up for a Columbus team that was right on the playoff This is another instance in which the lower-seeded team actually cutline. Toronto is probably one of the best teams playing in the play-in outperformed the higher-seeded team this season, with the Coyotes 10 round, and has the type of offensive potency to pick apart Columbus’ goals clear of a Predators club that really was stuck in mud for most of respectable defence. The question I’m most curious about: what do the the regular season. The proposed 24-team format would give Arizona a Blue Jackets do in goal? The Joonas Korpisalo – Elvis Merzlikins tandem second opportunity to see what they have in the recently acquired Taylor was fantastic to have in the regular season when starts can be rotated in Hall, who gives the Coyotes some ample star power to compete with the and out, but John Tortorella just needs one of the two right now. Who likes of Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene. Quiet as it was would be the guy in Game 1 against Toronto? kept, Hall was quite productive (10 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games with Arizona, playing alongside Christian Dvorak and Conor Garland. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens Remember, Hall’s contract expires at season’s end, and Arizona paid a hefty price for the winger. This is probably the most lopsided of the eight potential first-round matchups. Pittsburgh has a distinct advantage just about everywhere on TSN.CA LOADED: 05.23.2020 the ice, with one exception – they’d be facing one of the most puck- dominant teams in the league in Montreal, who actually carried shot differentials equivalent to the Vegas Golden Knights. That’s not insignificant, because Montreal was actually a goal-positive team (+7) at even strength. But in all other game states they were -16, and that’s bad news against a now-healthy Penguins team that tends to burn opponents on special teams.

(7) New York Islanders vs. (10) Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky had a disastrous first season in Florida, but if you think that he can be competitive enough in a short series, you have to like the Panthers as a possible upset pick. This Panthers team – with capable offensive weaponry in Jonathan Huberdeau, Alex Barkov, Mike Hoffman, and Evgenii Dadonov – are a much more puck-dominant squad that converts on a higher percentage of their scoring opportunities. You sort of envision a series in which the Islanders will need to lean rather heavily on the likes of Semyon Varlamov (or Thomas Greiss for that matter).

(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (11) New York Rangers

The Hurricanes love playing the offensive zone cycle game, generating multi-shot shifts and applying regular pressure to opposing goaltenders. The Rangers live off the counterattack, and have a capable top-six anchored by Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Much like Columbus, I’m fascinated to see what New York does in net – whether it’s Henrik 1185160 Websites "I got to believe they feel like they have. They've improved their team over last season. The Bruins had a much better start than anyone expected this season. I thought there would be a bit of a hangover after losing Game 7 to the Blues on home ice. I thought they were going to TSN.CA / Andrew Raycroft on Tuukka Rask, Mitch Marner and state of struggle to bounce back, but it was the exact opposite. Again, they Toronto Maple Leafs-Boston Bruins rivalry showed that team toughness and character to have that chip on their shoulder. But, I got to believe the experiences the Leafs have gone

through the last few years [will help]. Those young guys are learning Mark Masters what it takes to win in the playoffs. The Bruins have shown that, if you show up every year, sooner or later you figure it out and find the little nuance that gets you over the hump. Once you do that the momentum carries really quickly." The Toronto Maple Leafs missed out on the playoffs in the 2006-07 season by one point. It's a painful memory for goalie Andrew Raycroft, David Pastrnak scored in the game we are replaying and has emerged who could only watch as Wade Dubielewicz and the New York Islanders as a real Leafs killer. From a goalie's perspective, what stands out about beat the New Jersey Devils in a shootout on the final day of the regular the way he puts the puck in the net? season to steal the last Eastern Conference spot. "His ability to beat guys down the wing. There's basically him and [Alex] "I say this lightly, but it was almost like I had PTSD for a little while," said Ovechkin in the league who are consistently, on a weekly basis, scoring Raycroft, who played 72 games that season. "It hurt a lot. It really hurt a a goal coming down the wing and just shooting the puck. You see that lot all summer to miss the playoffs after putting so much into the season." play all the time, but no one scores, and, for whatever reason, those guys find a way with their release. They have a little bit of that knuckle puck in Toronto acquired another goalie that summer, Vesa Toskala from San their releases and it's hard for the goalies to pick up. So, his ability to Jose, which also weighed on Raycroft. create that goal out of nothing has been what has separated him the last "I just wasn't mentally strong enough to get through it and be ready for couple of years and, I assume, will continue to separate him." that next season," he admitted. "I was still young and didn't know what to During the game we're replaying Patrice Bergeron also scored and TSN do. It's frustrating. I look back on it and wish it would've gone much analyst said there may not be anyone in the NHL who plays differently." with a quieter class. How would you describe him? What stands out? Raycroft struggled to deal with the attention that comes with playing in "It's his work ethic, his character and that class. It's something you just the centre of the hockey universe, where every development is have. You can't be taught that, you can't learn it, you just have it and scrutinized, and the media requests never really let up. Patrice has always had it. I was his roommate his first year in the NHL "You just feel that naturally," he admitted. "You can say as much as you and him coming in as a second-round draft pick in 2003 was unheard of. want about how, 'It doesn't matter,' or, 'I can compartmentalize it,' but An undersized centre in the NHL in 2003 was almost unheard of, let that's the biggest difference for players playing in Toronto is that [media] alone an 18-year-old kid, but he always brought that character and that workload day in and day out. In Dallas, you have to answer those poise and that understanding of the game. He sees the game five plays questions, but it's once a week rather than seven times a week." ahead of everybody else. It can be understated at times, but his 200-foot game, his character, his ability to find ways to win every night, is what Raycroft played in just 19 games in the 2007-08 season, his final one in sets him apart. He's going to be a Hall of Famer." Toronto, posting an ugly .876 save percentage. What was it like rooming with him? "I was just bad," he stated plainly. "He's perfect. He really is the guy you want your sister or daughter to Raycroft started his career in Boston, winning a Calder Trophy with the marry. He is that guy. He's perfect. And he slept a lot. We slept a lot. He Bruins before a controversial trade sent him to Toronto in exchange for was an 18-year-old kid and I remember him just wanting to sleep all the the rights to Tuukka Rask. As a result, he's forever linked to the Leafs- time. He'd eat as fast as he could to get back. He'd sleep 20 hours a day Bruins rivalry. if he could."

Raycroft now works in Boston as a studio analyst with NESN. He lives Bergeron is a perennial Selke Trophy nominee and winner. During an just a couple miles away from Rask. appearance on the Connor Carrick podcast this week, Marner said that's "Tuuk and I have joked about [the trade] and laughed about it and it’s a goal for him. Do you see that potential? something that connects us and will for a long time – or at least as long "I do. I think he has that similar ability to see the play four, five steps as he keeps playing," said Raycroft with a grin. "With him still playing my ahead. He obviously has the talent, there's no question about that. As kids can think I was as good as him, so it works out for me that way." you get older and as you get through the league a few times you The Leafs-Bruins rivalry will be in the spotlight on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET understand how important that defensive part of the game is going to be. when TSN4 replays a game between the teams from Nov. 10, 2017. The You're playing on a line with Auston Matthews, a shooter and scorer ... Leafs won that night, 3-2, with Patrick Marleau netting the overtime there has to be someone back and Mitch certainly has that ability to winner. But the Bruins have won when it matters most, eliminating the understand when to go forward, but also understand when he can make Leafs in three playoff series since the infamous 2013 meltdown. that defensive play and change the game that way. So, if that's a goal of his and he's going to set his mind to that then there's no question he has Raycroft spoke to TSN via Skype this week, offering his take on why the ability to do it." Boston has been able to maintain an edge on Toronto. The 40-year-old also shared memories of rooming with Patrice Bergeron during the — Connor Carrick (@connorcarrick) May 20, 2020 Boston centre's rookie season and explained why he feels Mitch Marner Rask has a pretty distinctive personality. What has allowed him to fit in has the talent to one day win the Selke Trophy. well in Boston?

The following is an edited transcript of the interview. "The reality is he gets criticized for that here in Boston. He is a bit of a Why do you think Toronto has struggled to get by Boston in the playoffs? polarizing figure, because he's honest almost all the time ... I've already mentioned Zdeno, Patrice and Krejci, but to have Tuukka there the whole "It's come down to team toughness and the experience, which the Bruins time shows what kind of teammate he is and what kind of character he have, coming from Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and has. There have been a lot of guys who haven't fit in with this room. David Krejci. I think those guys have given that extra inch that it's taken. There's a lot of guys who just weren't up to the standard of winning here Last season, the Leafs had them on the ropes at 3-2 going home. I was in Boston and that culture that they talk about. But Tuukka has been here there at Game 5 and was shocked at how well the Leafs played to hold through it all with these guys and it shows what kind of teammate he is them in that 1-0 game and scoring the late goal. But the Bruins were and what kind of character he has despite sometimes not giving the resilient, and those core guys have been the difference the last two years perfect answer or being 'ho hum' after a loss. The reality is it’s an 82- when it comes down to it." game season and he's just got to move on to the next one at times. So, I think that’s what the teammates like and respect about Tuukka, he's Have the Leafs closed the gap at all? ready for the next one." TSN.CA LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185161 Websites obese, but said there are still cases of young, fit people being affected by the virus.

"In one way, hockey players have won the genetic lottery,” he said. “But TSN.CA / Doctor encourages NHLers to consider long-term health risks with COVID-19, anybody can die from it if you lose the genetic lottery. of COVID-19 We can say that the risk to young, healthy athletes like NHL players is low. But no one can say with certainty that they are going to be safe. No one knows what the long-term implications are of this virus and no one knows, biologically, who is at risk or who is not. There's a belief that if Rick Westhead someone has been exposed to COVID-19 and has antibodies that those people would be protected, but we don't even really know that for sure."

National Hockey League players should ensure they have a guarantee Several NHL player agents said they have concerns about ensuring the the league will cover the costs of any long-term medical issues that might long-term health coverage of players. arise if they contract COVID-19 before agreeing to return to play, a “If something is not in writing then it isn’t real,” said Ian Pulver, an agent Toronto infectious disease specialist says. whose clients include Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin and Ottawa Since its discovery in humans about five months ago, the COVID-19 Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot. “My expectation is that the NHL virus has wreaked havoc in the bodies of some of the infected. Besides and NHLPA will put in place a comprehensive medical plan to ensure leaving some patients with permanently scarred lungs, others have been players are protected from anything and everything that could occur, left with damaged kidneys, livers and hearts. There are reports COVID- short or long term, from playing in this environment.” 19 can, in rare instances, infect the eyes, the gastrointestinal tract, and An NHL spokesman did not respond to an email requesting comment. even the brain. NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon wrote in an email to TSN that Even in young, fit pro athletes, it is hard to estimate the risks COVID-19 issues related to long-term healthcare coverage are "subject to a return poses, said Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious disease specialist at Mount to play agreement. The league and the NHLPA are currently engaged in Sinai Hospital in Toronto who has consulted Maple Leaf Sports and discussions regarding this agreement." Entertainment on the virus. Leagues and players in every sport are balancing the risks of returning to Dr. Morris has this message for pro athletes weighing a return to the ice, play against the massive loss of revenue that already has occurred as court or field: make sure your leagues and teams commit in writing to play has been postponed. covering the costs of medical care, including rehabilitation, hospitalization, prescriptions and counselling (patients on ventilators can Abandoning the remainder of seasons outright would compound losses suffer later from post-traumatic stress disorder, he says) for any players because television networks and ticket holders would need to be repaid. who contract COVID-19 during the course of their employment. If that happened in the NHL, for instance, the league’s revenue next “Young athletes do not think about this stuff because think they are season would also plummet, dramatically lowering the amount of money invincible, but every so often we see young, healthy people get very bad available to be shared with players. diseases, and this is no different,” Dr. Morris said in an interview with TSN. “It would be unusual for a healthy young athlete to get really sick New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider’s first thoughts about the with COVID and wind up in the ICU, but, hey, somebody wins the lottery, dangers of COVID-19 go to his family. right? Although his team is one of seven that won’t return if the NHL adopts a “…They should want their health care and income insured, seeing that 24-team model to return to play, he’s thought about the potential long- they are taking an additional risk, especially if residing in the U.S." term health risks while the season is on pause.

For pro athletes, the devil will be in the details of their collective labour "It’s like trying to thread a needle,” Schneider said in a recent interview agreements. In its most recent contract with its players, the National with TSN's Mark Masters. “There's so many logistical things and security Basketball Association agreed to provide lifetime healthcare coverage. things and health things, it's just there's lots of balls in the air. The But the NHL doesn’t offer similar blanket protections. unfortunate part is nobody can guarantee anything.

Retired NHL players who have played at least 160 games have 120 days “I'm not as worried about getting it, but if I was to give it to someone in after their final game to buy into the league’s extended health care my family or my children or my wife or my parents, then that would be coverage. The price of that insurance can range between $12,000 and pretty devastating. So, you'd have to see what they're proposing in terms $33,000 (U.S.). of testing and quarantining and, you know, can we see our families? Should we not see our families? That all plays into it too, because you Players who do not have extended health care may not qualify to have don't necessarily want to be gone for three or four months during a certain prescriptions or rehabilitation covered, even under Canada’s pandemic when you need to take care of other people. So there's that provincial health care programs, Dr. Morris said. responsibility as well.”

To this point, a handful of pro athletes have contracted COVID-19, If the NHL follows through with a plan to reconvene and isolate players, including five players from the Ottawa Senators and three with the coaches and staff in multiple “hub” cities, it will demand the commitment Colorado Avalanche. All are believed to have recovered. from players that they buy into the concept of isolating and immediately tell their teams if they are feeling ill. During a recent online gaming session, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner discussed concerns about returning to play with fellow Dr. Morris doubts either will happen. gamers and addressed the issue of contracting COVID-19. “Will an athlete contact their agent first or look at his team’s schedule to "I'm all down for starting everything up, let’s rock, but what if someone see when they have a game next before disclosing to a team doctor that gets sick and dies? What happens? It’s awful to think about, but still,” they are feeling unwell? If the answer to either is yes, you have a Marner said. "[Montreal Canadiens forward Max] Domi has diabetes. If problem with your system,” Dr. Morris said. he gets it, he’s in one, bad.” Players advising teams about symptoms is critically important if the NHL Dr. Morris says it’s impossible to conclude whether those who have hopes to pull off a would-be plan to keep players together for more than contracted COVID-19 might develop health complications later in life. two months in a made-for-TV playoff tournament in empty arenas. That’s because teams and leagues cannot rely exclusively on COVID-19 test “There’s so much about COVID we haven’t figured out yet,” he said. “It results since test kits have been producing false negative and positive takes time to understand a virus when you don’t know what you’re tests roughly 25 per cent of the time, Dr. Morris said. looking for. We now know that loss of smell is a characteristic symptom in about 70 per cent of cases. But it took tens of thousands of cases over St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko said he has contemplated months where that was a consistent symptom for us to understand that.” the long-term implications of contracting COVID-19. Dr. Mark Loeb, an infectious disease specialist from Hamilton General Hospital, agreed that COVID-19 primarily is fatal in the elderly and “We’re all high-end athletes and we rely on our lungs a lot out there, that’s part of our job, so we want to make sure that we are always top notch in that category,” he told TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

While Parayko believes players understand the severity of the situation and will be up front, he acknowledges it’s possible some might try to hide their symptoms.

“Hopefully if someone is feeling a little under the weather and are keeping it to themselves, you’re able to catch it through temperature or swabbing or whatever,” he said. “The testing is something that’s going to have to be implemented pretty closely and we’re going to have to be monitored pretty closely so we can make sure that it doesn’t affect a large group of people, hopefully none at all.”

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Anthony Fauci weighs in on need for coronavirus testing for college athletes as on-campus activities resume in June

Steve Berkowitz

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s most prominent epidemiologist, on Friday added his voice to the body of experts describing the need for coronavirus testing of college athletes when moratoriums on the athletes’ on-campus activities begin to lift.

The NCAA Division I Council voted this week to allow such activities to resume June 1, and on Friday, the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences established return-to-activity dates.

The SEC is allowing all athletes to return for voluntary workouts June 1. The Big 12 is allowing football players to return June 15; volleyball, soccer and cross country athletes July 1 and other athletes July 15.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave an interview to The Chronicle of Higher Education in which he addressed a wide range of issues related to universities’ efforts to resume amid the pandemic.

He said one potential model is to “essentially test all the students before they come in, just so that you know what the baseline of infection is” and then do intermittent random surveillance testing of parts of the student population.

Asked about precautions that schools should take regarding athletes’ return, Fauci suggested a similar setup.

“The athletes that tend to come back the earliest are the football players,” he told The Chronicle. “That’s a very intensive contact sport. What I think would be important if they’re going to do that is to test all the players and make sure that when they do come in, they come in all negative at the same time and then do the same sort of surveillance of them and make sure the people who are associated with them — the people who serve their meals, the people who are involved in training with them — also are protected in the sense of wearing masks and doing social distancing to the extent possible.”

Separately, in an interview on an NCAA Twitter channel, the association’s chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, discussed a number of recent advances in testing the could dramatically increase the number of people who can be tested and/or the general availability of quick-result testing.

“I'm confident that a month from now, we're going to be in a much different place” regarding testing, Hainline said.

He later added: “We need to continue to ramp things up, but the way things are moving, we are all becoming more confident.”

In the interview with The Chronicle, Fauci said it is “very difficult to predict” whether schools would be able to have sports events with fans in attendance.

“It’s going to really depend on where the athletic event is taking place and what the dynamics of the particular outbreak or the particular level of infection are,” Fauci said. “Wyoming is obviously very different from New Orleans, which is very different from Utah and is very different from Chicago.

“If there’s very, very little infection in a community, you might have spectators. I don’t think you can have people sitting right next to each other with every seat occupied.”

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Patrick Ewing tests positive for coronavirus, isolated in a local hospital

By Tyler Byrum May 22, 2020 6:51 PM

Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing has tested positive for the coronavirus, the school announced on Friday.

The 57-year-old is currently isolated at a local hospital. No one else among the basketball program has tested positive according to the university. Players are not currently allowed on-campus to train per NCAA rules until June 1.

Ewing has elected to share his positive test to emphasize the severity of the virus.

“I want to share that I have tested positive for COVID-19. This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly,” Ewing said in a statement. “I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Now more than ever, I want to thank the healthcare workers and everyone on the front lines. I’ll be fine and we will all get through this.”

LOADED: 05.23.2020 1185164 World Leagues News “Darren’s reaction was, and I quote, 'The concept looks fantastic, especially the multi-use facility,” Altenkirch said.

al.com/LOADED: 05.23.2020 UAH cancels ice hockey, tennis programs citing coronavirus

Updated May 22, 2020; Posted May 22, 2020

By Lee Roop

The University of Alabama in Huntsville canceled its ice hockey program and men’s and women’s tennis programs today citing the “enormous challenges” of the COVID-19 pandemic. A notice went out to the university community Friday afternoon.

UAH also put other cost-saving measures in place, including a hiring freeze, “heightened review of spending, cancellations of faculty sabbaticals, and a temporary suspension of the 4033(b) voluntary employer match."

UAH said it will honor the scholarships awarded to student-athletes in each program “for the duration of the students’ academic careers.” They are also released without penalty to transfer to other schools.

“These actions are the necessary result of intensive review and discussion about where we can make adjustments that protect our current financial condition with the least possible disruption to our central mission – education, research and service to the community,” UAH President Darren Dawson and Athletic Director Cade Smith said in a statement to the university community.

Ice hockey at UAH dates back to a club team in 1979, and won national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1984. The sport has long been popular in the city where many residents are transplants from areas where hockey is played. The city strongly supports its professional hockey team the Havoc. But there were signs the program was in trouble. Last July, the seven other teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association informed UAH of their intent to leave the leave the league after the 2020- 21 season -- basically leaving UAH without a place to play.

Huntsville attorney Joe Ritch, a former member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, started the club team and coached for three years, during which time it won two NCAA Divison 2 championships. “I hate to see it go,“ Ritch said today. "UAH players were “good students and reflected well on the community.“

UAH hockey has been canceled and brought back before. In 2011, then- interim President Malcolm Portera killed the program citing fiscal concerns and the team’s inability to align with a conference. Since then, the Chargers have endured nine straight losing seasons in NCAA’s Division I – compiling a 54-230-22 record over that span. That includes a 2-26-2 mark in the 2019-20 season.

The hockey program got a second life two months after the first cancellation when newly hired UAH President Robert Altenkirch overturned the decision made by Portera. A grass roots effort by Save UAH Hockey, promising to raise money to help support the program, swayed Altenkirch to give the sport another chance.

When it became a varsity program, UAH started in the NAIA, then bounced between NCAA Division I and Division II between 1986 and 1999, winning national championships in Division II in 1996 and 1998. After the NCAA folded Division II hockey, UAH moved up to Division I for good in 1999-2000 despite the rest of the athletic department competing in Division II.

UAH ranked 47th nationally in attendance out of 60 Division I schools with 1,419 fans per game during the 2019-20 season. That was just 21.5 percent of capacity at the Von Braun Center, the second-lowest capacity percentage in the country.

Last year, UAH announced plans to build an on-campus multi-use arena that would provide a home for the hockey team. The arena was part of a larger vision to expand the campus to the west across Sparkman Drive that would also include parks, retail and student housing.

The school bought 58 acres for $7.1 million with the blessing of the UA System Board of Trustees. The retiring Altenkirch made the announcement and said his successor, Dawson, embraced the plan. 1185165 World Leagues News Courson has also helped Georgia develop an enhanced cleaning and disinfection regimen that will include spraying the practice fields after use and cleaning of workout equipment immediately after use.

All Georgia football, basketball players will be tested for coronavirus “There are many details still to be determined on every campus,” Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity said. “We’ll certainly be driven by the medical community and our sports medicine staff led by Ron Courson. Guidelines and enhanced health and safety measures will be followed to 10 hours ago the letter. Again, this is only the first step.” Chip Towers, Courson, Georgia's sports medicine director since 1995, is a past chairman of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and one of the most-respected trainers in college athletics. He was appointed to the Georgia football players and all athletes returning to campus on June 8 SEC's specially-formed Medical Guidance Task Force last month and will be tested for COVID-19. their suggestions to the SEC presidents were critical to them favoring bringing athletes back to campus. That’s going a step above what was required by the SEC in its decision Friday to allow those student-athletes back on school campuses for That “provided the presidents with thoughtful analysis, which helped training. The league mandated only a three-stage screening process and inform our decision,” UGA President Jere Morehead said. requires testing only for “symptomatic” athletes. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.LOADED: 05.23.2020 But UGA Sports Medicine Director Ron Courson, who detailed his plans in a release sent out by the school late Friday afternoon, said testing would be done up front for all of Georgia’s athletes, which includes 87 scholarship football players and another 30 men’s and women’s basketball players.

“We will conduct COVID testing and perform medical evaluations on all student-athletes and they must be medically cleared prior to any physical activity,” Courson said. “We will identify any student-athletes and staff who may be more vulnerable due to existing health conditions and ensure that we have an individualized plan of care for their safe return to sport or work based upon medical guidance.”

The SEC’s 14 presidents and chancellors voted Friday to allow athletes in football and men’s and women’s basketball to return to campuses for physical training. The SEC canceled all spring sports March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic and closed all athletic facilities through May 31.

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“First and foremost, our focus is on health and safety,” Courson wrote. “We are taking a collaborative approach that involves public health, community health-care system, sports medicine, sports performance, sports nutrition, and sport coaches working together to develop a plan and ensure each student-athlete has an individualized plan for return.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and members of his staff will be allowed to return to their offices next week.

“We’re excited to now know when players can begin returning to campus,” Smart said in a statement. “… The primary focus is on health and safety of our student-athletes and those working directly with them during this time. We’ll be working in the coming days on finalizing plans to implement the return of our players. I’m sure they are looking forward to returning and begin working toward what we hope is a regular season in the fall.”

All indications are that the college football season, which for the Bulldogs would begin Sept. 7 against Virginia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will begin as scheduled. That may or may not include fans in the stands and assumes there is not a spike in cases related to the coronavirus.

Georgia players have been having to train at their homes and local gyms on plans communicated to them by UGA strength-and-conditioning coordinator Scott Sinclair. They were able to train on campus for about six weeks before being sent home.

As a result, they'll be eased back into daily workouts and closely monitored upon returning in three weeks.

“Our student-athletes have had an unprecedented layoff from sports and we have to be smart about how we progress back to activity during this ‘transition period,’” Courson wrote. “Our strength-and-conditioning, return-to-sport plan will be based off national consensus guidelines developed by a joint task force with representatives from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. It involves starting with a reduced volume of work and modified work-rest ratios with a gradual increase, allowing the student-athletes to acclimate to both the environment with heat and humidity as well as building up exercise tolerance.” 1185166 World Leagues News that in epidemiologic evaluation, and in opening certain parts of the country and understanding really where we are relative to herd immunity, which is not close.”

Wolves, NBA join Mayo Clinic on coronavirus study But you have to start with the data, and that’s what Mayo is getting from the NBA.

“That will be one of the many pieces of information that could potentially By Chris Hine Star Tribune MAY 22, 2020 — 7:02PM be used to gauge safety of things moving forward,” Sampathkumar said.

Sampathkumar said this test is looking for the presence of IgG antibodies, which tell doctors a person has been infected. It doesn’t Soon, Mayo Clinic hopes to have a reliable antibody test that would detect what Sampathkumar called “neutralizing” antibodies, which can detect if the body has developed defenses to the coronavirus with just tell how much protection a person has from infection. the prick of a patient’s finger. “The hope is,” she said, “eventually we can tell if there are areas where To further enhance the accuracy of that test, Mayo has enlisted the help the number of people with antibodies is so high that there’s little risk of of the NBA, including the Timberwolves, who have all become part of the ongoing transmission vs. other parts of the country, other parts of the clinic’s comprehensive antibody test study. Researchers hope to glean state where antibody levels among the population, there’s so few people more information about the body’s response to a coronavirus infection with antibodies you need to continue to be very careful about social and determine how widespread it has been statewide and nationwide. distancing, masking and preventing infections.” It’s a significant partnership between sports and medicine with the Star Tribune LOADED: 05.23.2020 Wolves and their association with Mayo Clinic helping to spearhead the NBA’s involvement in the study.

“Testing for antibodies is one thing, and then the second part is interpreting it and saying what does that really mean?” said Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, a consultant in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic. “I think it’s going to be a few weeks before we know what the significance of the antibodies is. Does that mean people are truly protected or is there levels of antibodies that are protective?”

That’s another question Mayo Clinic is hoping to answer in its study of antibodies — what sort of immunity does the body have to re-infection?

Mayo Clinic, which has the capacity to perform around 20,000 antibody tests per day worldwide, according to a spokesperson, has collected samples from NBA players and staff using a blood draw and the finger- prick method. It is comparing the results of both tests to see if the finger prick is as reliable as the blood draw.

A finger-prick test is “a lot more convenient for everybody,” Sampathkumar said, and researchers are trying to see whether they could use that method moving forward.

Sampathkumar said the NBA has been “very generous” in allowing the league to save the samples it collects to reanalyze for further information, like gauging how much immunity the body might develop after fighting off the virus.

“We’ll be able to go back and rerun some tests on the samples, and continually get more information,” she said. “So what we have now is a snapshot in time, and they’re also willing to be retested at serial intervals.”

The NBA was the first major professional sports league in North America to announce it was suspending its season, after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus on March 11. The study can help the league garner more information about how it can safely resume its season.

What makes the NBA an ideal candidate for this study? Part of the answer has to do with the nature of the sport and its culture. NBA players spend a lot of time together. They share a lot of equipment and are in proximity to each other on the court, in locker rooms and on airplanes.

A study of NBA players might give researchers a better idea of how coronavirus spreads, especially among people who have the virus but are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms.

Major League Baseball employees also participated in an antibody study, conducted by researchers at Stanford, University of Southern California and the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory. That study found 0.7% of subjects had been infected with coronavirus.

For the Wolves, involvement in the study hits close to home. They have a longstanding partnership with Mayo Clinic, and center Karl-Anthony Towns donated $100,000 to Mayo for research purposes before his mother, Jacqueline, died of the virus in April. Robby Sikka, the Wolves’ vice President of basketball performance and technology, helped organize the team and the league’s involvement in the study.

“As we look forward, understanding what has happened in the past is what antibody testing will tell us,” Sikka said. “There’s certainly a role for 1185167 World Leagues News

Mexico cancels soccer season because of coronavirus pandemic

By CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press May 22, 2020 Updated 5 hrs ago 0

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Liga MX canceled the remainder of its spring season without crowning a champion for the first time, a decision caused by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Teams had played 10 of the Clausura's 17 dates before suspending play March 15. The league said in a statement Friday that restrictions caused by the health emergency made it impossible to continue without putting people at risk.

“It’s indisputable that we live in an unprecedented situation in this country that obliges the soccer industry in Mexico to act with absolute sensitivity and respond with unity to the demands that have presented themselves,” the statement said.

Some teams had begun testing players for COVID-19 as a step toward resuming the season, most likely in stadiums without fans. Twelve players from Santos Laguna in the northern city of Torreon tested positive this week.

Cruz Azul, seeking its first league title since 1997, finished with 22 points and a one-point lead over second-place León, which joined Cruz Azul in qualifying for the next CONCACAF Champions League. Santos Laguna and América were next with 17 points each.

Jonathan Rodríguez was the leading scored with nine goals.

The women's professional season was also canceled.

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