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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 6/20/2020 Flyers 1186568 Should the Ducks try to add Jack Eichel (if he wanted out 1186591 Ticket to a return: The status of each sport’s road back to of Buffalo)? playing 1186592 Lightning players, Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews test Coyotes positive for coronavirus 1186569 New Coyotes CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez looks to reach 1186593 As Lightning experience positive coronavirus tests, Latino community questions become bigger for NHL 1186594 How the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers are celebrating Juneteenth 1186570 Could Sabres dumpster fire turn into a Jack Eichel 1186595 2019-20 Flyers season grades: Brian Elliott opportunity for Bruins? 1186596 One silver lining to fans not attending sports over last 100 days 1186597 10 Philly play-by-play announcers share their favorite 1186571 Sabres' shakeup means Ralph Krueger is moving up in calls, do-overs and more power structure 1186572 on state of Sabres: 'Do I feel bad for this fan base' 1186598 NHL: 11 players have tested positive for coronavirus since June 8 1186599 hire former forward Derek Army as 1186573 Trick- challenge shines spotlight on Flames exec assistant coach Chris Snow in fight with ALS 1186600 Mark Madden: Top 5 victories in Pittsburgh sports history 1186601 Do-overs: Conor Sheary and the best and worst returns in Carolina Hurricanes Penguins history 1186574 Another year, another chance for to 1186602 ‘The ultimate leader’: ’s drive has his coach finally call Rod Brind’Amour excited about return 1186575 Keeping up with the Canes: 10 questions with Stormy the 1186603 The 10 worst free-agent signings in Pittsburgh sports Ice Hog history Blackhawks 1186576 Daniel Carcillo alleges physical, sexual abuse in lawsuit 1186604 Almost 4 years after retirement, Dan Boyle’s competitive against junior hockey fire still burns 1186577 What 100 days without hockey has been like for a Blackhawks reporter 1186578 100 days without hockey: Blackhawks' Patrick Kane 1186605 Return-to-play plan approved; NHL focus shifts to reflects on NHL pause Canadian cities as host sites 1186606 Three Lightning players test positive for the coronavirus 1186607 Tampa Bay, national sports figures recognize Juneteenth 1186579 Stars right wing Alexander Radulov jumps to No. 8 overall 1186608 Lightning close facility after COVID-19 positives; sources pick in NHL.com’s 2004 redraft say more positive tests around NHL Detroit Red Wings Maple Leafs 1186580 The inside story of the Red Wings’ star-studded 2001 1186609 COVID-19 cases on the rise among athletes as leagues offseason prepare to restart 1186610 Virus shuts down Leafs’ Auston Matthews in Arizona, Blue Minnesota Wild Jays in Florida 1186581 NHL has a plan, but it's short on details 1186611 Chris Snow’s best trick might not be kicking a field for 1186582 Wild star Matt Dumba commits to helping rebuild Lake ALS, he’s getting others to put the boot to the Street in Minneapolis 1186612 Feds approve NHL cohort quarantine plan, removing an 1186583 The 10 best free-agent signings in Minnesota sports obstacle for hub cities history 1186613 A Canadian hub could be Covid oasis 1186584 Meet the Boyds: The black hockey family you’ve never 1186614 Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews tests positive for heard of in the NHL COVID-19 1186615 'NATIONAL INTEREST': Feds to open door for Canadian Canadiens NHL hub 1186585 Stu on Sports: Don't bet on the NHL playoffs ever getting 1186616 The 10 worst free-agent signings in Maple Leafs history started 1186619 Ben Kuzma: Boucher departs Canucks, starts packing for 1186586 Devils’ Jack Hughes plans to work - and eat - his way to Russia and KHL adventures big success: ‘I will get stronger’ 1186620 Ed Willes: Caring about kids isn't an act for Jim Crescenzo 1186587 The Devils and free agency: Best and worst signings, and 1186621 Behind the scenes with ‘John and John,’ ’s iconic the ones who got away Canucks broadcast duo Rangers 1186588 Kaapo Kakko gets the OK to join Rangers camp 1186589 Daniel Carcillo heads disturbing junior hockey sexual assault lawsuit 1186590 Most of Rangers' European players to return to New York next week 1186617 Key questions for the 2020 postseason: How will Braden Holtby perform? Websites 1186622 The Athletic / Meet the Boyds: The black hockey family you’ve never heard of in the NHL 1186623 The Athletic / What’s it like to do play-by-play of an NHL game from a monitor? 1186624 The Athletic / Q&A: For former ‘SportsCenter’ host Craig Kilborn, ‘Instagram is enough for now’ 1186625 The Athletic / ‘Uncomfortable and scared’: Abuse allegations inside the USA Hockey sled program 1186626 The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Awards thoughts, MLB lessons and the 1994 Rangers on ‘Letterman’ 1186627 Sportsnet.ca / Bernie Saunders, NHL’s fifth Black player, opens up on racial discrimination 1186628 Sportsnet.ca / Pavel Barber teaches you how to master Malkin's backhand spinorama 1186629 Sportsnet.ca / NHL says 11 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since June 8 1186630 TSN.CA / Draft prospect Braden Schneider on big hits, his big World Junior dream 1186631 TSN.CA / Hockey Hall of Fame set for first virtual vote 1186632 USA TODAY / Three players, two staff of Tampa Bay Lightning test positive for COVID-19, per report 1186618 TED'S TALK: Discouraging week for the world of sports with virus cases and tensions rising World Leagues News 1186633 's coronavirus comeback will be the most complicated in sports, and we are already seeing why 1186634 Nationals Dominican minor leaguer reportedly tests positive for COVID-19 1186635 Reports: 23 Clemson football players have COVID-19 1186636 Players in multiple sports leagues test positive for COVID-19 1186637 Coronavirus Today: Restarting sports 1186638 SWAC commissioner: Fall sports will be canceled if coronavirus delays seasons past mid-October 1186639 Nick Watney first PGA player to test positive for coronavirus 1186640 Patriots to allow season-ticket holders at higher risk for coronavirus to skip season, return in 2021 1186641 Fake crowd noise and imagery amplify sports’ desperation during coronavirus 1186642 UCLA football players demand protection from ‘injustices’ amid pandemic return 1186643 Texas Motor Speedway to host first major sports event with fans since COVID-19 shutdown 1186644 How Boxing's COVID-19 Problems Foreshadow Trouble for the NBA 1186645 Tracking coronavirus in sports: NHL announces 11 cases 1186646 MLB Closing Florida And Arizona Training Facilities For Coronavirus Cleaning 1186647 Opinion: It's hard to see NFL, college football being played as usual this fall SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1186568 Anaheim Ducks No. 1 center. At his best, Getzlaf has been a top-five center and peaked with a Hart Trophy runner-up nod in 2014. He has delivered in the postseason and international play. But he’s now 35.

Should the Ducks try to add Jack Eichel (if he wanted out of Buffalo)? Someone has to take the baton from him. The Ducks don’t have that kind of player coming. They could hope Trevor Zegras becomes better than anyone could imagine. Maybe they will get that player with their first Eric Stephens and Lisa Dillman selection in this year’s draft. But there are no hopes or maybes with Eichel. He would be that franchise beacon. (He just wouldn’t be able to Jun 19, 2020 18 wear No. 9 because of Paul Kariya.)

Now next week’s NHL Draft Lottery could drop the Ducks in the No. 1 “Listen, I’m fed up with the losing.” spot and, in theory, give them Alexis Lafreniere as a franchise piece. There would be no need to trade assets for a player who many suggest Jack Eichel wants to lead the Buffalo Sabres to glory. Five years in, he’ll has that elite quality. But has the lottery been kind to you, Ducks Nation? settle for being on a winning team and suiting up for his first Can you count on that? playoff game. All of this is, of course, the easy part. There is the mighty challenge of But those few words that were part of a release of frustration over pulling off something gargantuan. another fruitless Sabres season might as well been spelled out in capital letters and flashing with a red light to a loyal, agitated fan base and, “It would be a massive offer to even start a conversation,” said Mike perhaps more important, an organization that continues to spin its Johnson, a former NHL forward who’s now a prominent analyst on NHL wheels. Network in the U.S. and TSN in Canada.

Eichel sounded his clarion call late last month. Three weeks later, Sabres Added another league executive: “It would certainly take a monster owners Terry and fired general manager Jason Botterill after package for Eichel. I’d have to think about that.” Meanwhile, a former a three-year run and purged numerous other executives and scouts. Now NHL exec offered his own suggestion on how to get the center. “Buy the the 23-year-old star — one who legitimately deserves that label who took Sabres,” he cracked. a real step toward entering superstardom this past season — will be Let’s assume this. The only way the Sabres would ever deal Eichel is if playing for his third GM as he enters his sixth NHL season. Ralph they were forced to. Right? And the ask would be enormous, especially Krueger is his third coach. None of his five teams have won more games given the five-piece package that’s become a pittance they got in return than they lost. for sending O’Reilly to St. Louis. The picture of stability, the Sabres are not. Let’s also consider the Ducks not considering this. They don’t go big- At this , you may be wondering why I’m writing this. Part of this gig is game hunting very often. The last trade that makes an argument for about paying attention to the league as a whole and its developments but blockbuster status is when they got Ryan Kesler at the 2014 draft. Before I’m not going to deny that my focus generally sits on a team 2,500 miles that, it was Chris Pronger in summer 2006. The biggest trades they’ve to the west. made between those times were dealing away Pronger and Bobby Ryan six years apart. But when you see where a young franchise player expresses how it’s not only been “a tough couple months” but “a tough five years,” you do begin But what was the common thread between the Pronger and Kesler to wonder just how much patience the centerpiece of a full-on rebuilding acquisitions? Players who wanted out — Pronger in Edmonton and effort has when the end of it still doesn’t appear in sight. Kesler in Vancouver.

There is no sign that Eichel wants out of Buffalo. Let me make this clear. The big difference is that Pronger and Kesler were brought in to put He did not ask for a trade. He may never need to ask for one. Sabres Ducks teams over the top. One did, the other came sort of close a couple fans sure as hell hope that day never comes. of times. Eichel would be in a situation more similar to his Sabres existence. And also different. But what if it did? On the Ducks’ end, you would have to likely thank Hampus Lindholm for Thirty other teams will be at attention. You would imagine that most, if not his contributions and wish the best for him. You got to give up quality to all, would at least investigate what it would take to land a player who’s get quality. And you would probably not see Zegras ascend in Anaheim. just hitting his prime, a player who you can argue is worth building the The first-round pick in 2021? Adios. This is probably just to keep new franchise around. The Ducks had better be one of them. Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams from hanging up the phone.

Yeah, this thought is preposterous. Absurd. Ludicrous. Pure folly. I posed the question to Johnson of the type of package Anaheim would have to present. His belief is all of the above, plus another top Ducks For starters, why would the Sabres even do this? You do not trade a prospect. “It would take so much, it would be a hard deal to sort out,” he potential superstar. You do not trade The Face and you especially don’t said. do it when he’s 23. The sting of the Ryan O’Reilly trade — whether done by the departing GM or ordered by the Pegulas — has yet to fade. Now This is all complete speculation. But, hey, we’re already driving down you remove one of the few shining lights. We know the fine folks of Hypothetical Road. Might as well enjoy the sights. Buffalo will probably tune in to hockey anyway, but for the team’s fans, that’s just cruel and unusual punishment. What will happen? Well, what could happen is the Sabres get their stuff together around Eichel and the young becomes an eternal hero “The only person that needs to be traded in Buffalo is the owners,” one in Buffalo for leading the team out of the wilderness and back into former NHL executive said. postseason hockey. And the Ducks go about retooling themselves into a well-balanced club in painstaking fashion. But what if Eichel has the Here is what another current one told me. Yeah, Eichel is fed up with same frustration a year from now? What other way can you get a losing. But … franchise center that’s a bona fide NHL star other than drafting and “With all the unrest in Buffalo, it would not be the time for that trade,” he watching him play his way into that? There aren’t a multitude of options said. “Fans would revolt. If it ever happened, it would be a blockbuster.” with this.

Now that is completely true. A blockbuster in every sense of the word. (Perhaps a one-for-one like Seth Jones-for-Ryan Johansen is an And the part about the revolt. example, except the Ducks’ one — John Gibson — is their star goalie. You kind of need him. And I’d say Jones-for-Johansen falls a little short Yet it isn’t unheard of for a star to come to a point where he has had of what an Eichel blockbuster would be.) enough of a stumbling situation around him. This is not to say Eichel would do that. This is to say the Ducks ought to find out what it would General managers often say trades often take months to make from the take to make a blockbuster like that even happen if it ever came to that. concept’s origin to the moment it is commenced. Here is an argument for the Ducks to consider doing some legwork in advance. Now let’s bat this Stay with me here. From the moment Andy McDonald was traded away around with my colleague Lisa Dillman, who covers the Kings for The near the end of 2007, Ryan Getzlaf has been Anaheim’s no-argument Athletic and has written plenty about both teams during her run of one zillion percent off limits.”) Furthermore, if the Ducks are going to distinction in this sport. stray from their organizational blueprint, I’m not sure whether Eichel is the guy who should make you rip up the plan. If he already has proved Any package for Jack Eichel from the Ducks would likely include Hampus that he can create a winning culture, that’s one thing. Eric talks about the Lindholm. (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today) massive acquisition cost and that’s something we can all agree on. It Why it would make sense would simply be through the roof for a player who went No. 2 overall in the 2015 draft and was considered a generational player. Even if the Stephens: It isn’t as if the Ducks haven’t had big-name players. Kariya. Ducks were to decide to change the direction of the rebuild and, gulp, Teemu Selanne. Scott Niedermayer. Pronger. Getzlaf. You can win decide they could take on Eichel’s salary, there are other massive without a singular superstar, and Boston or St. Louis has shown that hurdles. One of Anaheim’s best potential trading chips is defenseman assembling a cast of good to excellent players can get it done. But in Hampus Lindholm and the Sabres have more pressing needs ahead of Eichel, you would get him at a time when he gives you prime production defense. for five to seven years and someone who can work with a longtime captain like Getzlaf on all that goes into leading a team. His 36 goals The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 ranked eighth in the league and his 1.15 points per game (another career best) was 12th among players who had dressed in 50 or more games. Meanwhile, the Ducks haven’t had a top-100 scorer for two seasons running.

If you are the Ducks, you offer stability. An ownership that stays out of the way and lets their GM — who currently is heading into Year 12 — run the operation. A youthful roster with some potential burgeoning talent and enough proven veterans sprinkled in who can still perform to a high standard. A legitimate No. 1 goalie. The financial gymnastics might be the toughest element. Eichel’s $10 million salary-cap hit is big. Losing Lindholm would cost them a good player at an important position but they would shed a $5.2 million cap hit and get out from under a potential bigger number in 2022 for his next contract. A deal like this would be better made next summer when Getzlaf’s big-money deal culminates and they’re free of the cap hits to David Backes and Erik Gudbranson and a cap number in the Corey Perry buyout that drops back down to $2 million from $6.625 million for 2020-21. They also wouldn’t need to worry about Zegras or Lindholm hurting them in the near future from the Eastern Conference on a rebuilding team.

Dillman: Let’s explore some of the intangibles. In Buffalo, Eichel was asked to do a lot of leading at a very young age without a proper structure and support around him. Even now, Eichel could really use a bit of mentorship, and in Anaheim, the one thing the Ducks could provide is just that, in Getzlaf. In Eichel, they would get someone who gives them the skill level they don’t quite possess. Getzlaf is still a large presence on the team and Eichel could really learn a lot of leadership and professionalism from the way Getzlaf carries himself. The upside is undeniable for the Ducks — the chance to acquire a blue-chip talent who has already been in three All-Star Games whose best years are still ahead of him. This past season, he had a career high in goals (36), power-play points (27) and finished a plus player (plus-5) for the first time in his five-season career. That represents a meaningful turnaround from his minus-11 in 2018-19. He shouldered more ice time, averaging 22:06, another career high. My thought is that Eichel would flourish in a far less intense place where he would not be the captain and not in the spotlight on a daily basis. Buffalo is the American city most like a Canadian hockey market in terms of pressure, scrutiny and expectations. If you are in the playoff mix, things are rosy. But the Sabres haven’t been in the playoffs since 2011, four years before Eichel was drafted.

Why it wouldn’t make sense

Stephens: Tying up $10 million per season in one player after extricating themselves from the Perry and Kesler contracts (Kesler is essentially on LTIR until it runs out) and taking on additional salary doesn’t seem to make sense for a rebuilding team with more than one area to fix. And you would not only part with your best defenseman but also at least two, if not three potential building blocks. As important as Lindholm is, the futures might be the bigger loss and tougher to replace in full. You are emptying a pipeline that you’re only starting to refill. While Eichel is a true elite talent, there is still the sliver of doubt as to whether he is the kind of guy who can take your team to the next level. There also wouldn’t be a wealth of existing pure forward talent around him. You’re asking him to make others better, which is fair given that kind of massive investment. Is he the one who can do such? The safer — and maybe better — play is to stockpile more talent and see whether the youngsters you’ve promoted to the big club start to become essential players.

Dillman: A lot of wild, previously unimaginable things have happened in Sabresland this week. The fast-moving landscape in Buffalo is a lot like watching a drama like “Billions” on Showtime. What will happen next? But the Sabres just can’t trade Eichel — at least not now. Not after the O’Reilly debacle. (I checked in with a Buffalo-born Sabres fan and asked about Eichel. The reply text came back within seconds: “Jack Eichel is 1186569 “For me, it’s not just about me,” Gutierrez said. “It’s about a lot of people who have opened doors. But it’s also about those who will come after us. There is a young child, whether he be Latino or not, who may have it in New Coyotes CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez looks to reach Latino community his mind: ‘I could run a sports franchise.’”

“I’m looking forward to it and I embrace it. I don’t see it as pressure because all we can do is do our best.” JORDAN ROGERS Arizona Sports LOADED: 06.20.2020 JUNE 19, 2020 AT 8:11 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Alex Meruelo made history in July when he became the first Latino controlling owner in NHL history after he purchased the Arizona Coyotes.

He made more history on June 8 when he announced the hiring of Xavier A. Gutierrez to become the new CEO and president of the Coyotes, the first time a Latino would assume those positions for a franchise in the league.

Together they are determined to tap into Arizona’s Latino population and mobilize the community to become avid fans of the Coyotes.

“The Latino market is large here. … It is clearly a market we want to tap into,” said Gutierrez, who came aboard after the team parted ways with Ahron Cohen in May. “It wouldn’t make business sense not to approach them. We want to welcome all fans.”

The U.S. Census reports that 36.1% of the population in Arizona is Hispanic or Latino.

In September, the Coyotes launched three Spanish-language social media accounts in an effort to reach out to the Phoenix market.

In 2016, 15% of Hispanic men ages 18 to 49 in Phoenix had attended more than one game in the preceding 12 months. Only one in 10 expressed interest in the sport, according to a study by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Monica Villalobos, the president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has been monitoring these stats and is excited for Gutierrez’s arrival.

“Right now, we know Arizona is tracking to be a minority majority state,” Villalobos said. “This is the growth market. Being able to attract the fan and consumer has to be the No. 1 mission for all sports franchises. When the NHL and the Coyotes are reaching out to Hispanics, it’s really understanding what a family sport this is. Being able to convey that to Hispanics will be critical.”

Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 DATOS report said Hispanic buying power in Arizona will reach $57 billion in 2022.

“I have the utmost trust and confidence in Xavier to lead us forward and help the Coyotes become a world class organization,” Meruelo said in his statement. “I am confident we have one of the best leadership teams in all professional sports.”

Youth hockey has also grown exponentially. Arizona is the No. 3 state in growth with an 88% increase for boys and No. 1 for girls at a 152% increase, according to a 2019 report by USA Hockey.

“I have nephews who had hockey as their first sport in California because the (Los Angeles) Kings and the (Anaheim) Ducks reached out to them,” Gutierrez said. “They are rabid hockey fans. We see that and we want to replicate it here.”

The lack of success for the Coyotes on the ice is no secret. Though they were included in the 24 teams to be invited to the playoff to wrap up the 2019-20 season, the franchise had not reached the playoffs since the 2011-12 season and is still searching for its first Stanley Cup.

When Meruelo purchased the team a year ago, he made it clear he wanted to change that. Gutierrez echoed that excitement in his statement.

“I share Mr. Meruelo’s ultimate goal: to bring a Stanley Cup to the Valley of the Sun,” Gutierrez said. “I am incredibly passionate about this team and this fan base.”

Gutierrez recognized Meruelo as a pioneer for making him the first Latino president and CEO in NHL history. Though he does recognize he has many hopeful eyeballs on him for the future, he also recognizes his hire isn’t just about him. 1186570 Boston Bruins where we need to be mentally. But yeah, I'm definitely not in the greatest place with where the last little bit went and it's definitely worn on me."

It sure sounds like an exasperated player in Eichel that’s tacitly pining for Could Sabres dumpster fire turn into a Jack Eichel opportunity for a change of scenery rather than spending more fruitless seasons waiting Bruins? around for another organizational rebuild in Buffalo.

If you’re Don Sweeney, why not pick up the phone and see if the latest Joe Haggerty Sabres GM is looking to clean house with the roster as well?

June 19, 2020 3:30 PM Certainly, the Bruins would need to pull off some seismic moves to accommodate a move for Eichel. It would start with trading high-grade, young assets like promising young Michigan center and former first round pick John Beecher and restricted free agent Jake DeBrusk, along Here’s a hockey news flash for you. with a robust high draft pick package. Perhaps you don’t get out of an The Buffalo Sabres are a flaming dumpster fire of an NHL organization earth-shattering Eichel deal without including a young D-man like Charlie that hasn’t qualified for the in a decade and hasn’t McAvoy or Brandon Carlo, and that’s where the decision could get won a playoff series since Daniel Briere was a 95-point scorer in the awfully difficult were it to ever get to that point. NHL. The Bruins would also need to find a taker for David Krejci and the final That was a long, long, long time ago. year of his $7.25 million contract, which could offset much of the $10 million per season that Eichel will be making for the next six seasons. They even screwed up tanking for the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Given his youth, his upward trajectory and the salary cap space the Draft when they missed out on Connor McDavid, but they didn’t exactly Bruins will have when Krejci is gone, an opportunity like Eichel would be do badly for themselves by selecting current captain Jack Eichel with the the best way to spend admittedly big money in a post-COVID-19 world second overall pick. where economics are uncertain.

The Sabres were in the news this week when owners Terry and Kim But a trade for Eichel would give the Bruins the dominant, young center Pegula completely cleaned house by firing GM Jason Botterill and they absolutely need in their organization with Patrice Bergeron and assistant GMs Steve Greeley and Randy Sexton among more than 20 Krejci both well into NHL middle age, and Charlie Coyle best suited for a people given their pink slips in management and scouting. During the third line center slot after signing a long contract extension with the Black Pegula run as Sabres owners, Buffalo has now gone through a head- and Gold this season. It would also give the Bruins the exact kind of deep shaking six head coaches, four team presidents, three GMs and they scoring talent among their top-6 forward group that they have been haven’t made the playoffs even a single time during that fallow hockey actively seeking out while loading up the top Perfection Line for the last period in Buff. few seasons of success.

With the hiring of a new GM and plenty of current vacancies in the Certainly, this isn’t something that would happen anytime soon as the management and scouting departments, it feels once again like the Bruins are focused on this summer’s return to play for the NHL, and it’s Sabres are massively rebuilding after they were one of only seven to not something that isn’t likely to happen at all given the sheer magnitude of qualify for the 24-team tournament scheduled this summer when the NHL the move. returns to play. But wouldn’t it be great if this week’s Buffalo Sabres massacre someday So if you’re the Boston Bruins, now might be the best opportunity you’d turned into a door opening for Eichel to come home to Boston? ever have to bring the Chelmsford-born Eichel to Boston. SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 The Bruins already have on their roster one of Eichel’s teammates from his Boston University days in Charlestown native Matt Grzelcyk and one from his US National Development Team days in Anders Bjork. And the Bruins have made a concerted effort in recent years to load up on local NHL talent with Grzelcyk, Charlie Coyle and Chris Wagner among others, so there would be some familiar Boston accents in the B’s dressing room to make Eichel feel at home.

Ray Bourque hopes 'special player' Krug re-signs with B's

The one thing the B’s don’t have with their contingent of Massachusetts players, though, is a local kid with superstar potential. That would be Eichel, who finished eighth in the NHL with 38 goals and 10th in the league with 78 points in 68 games. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Eichel is already a game-breaking force with long, powerful hockey strides, a frame that’s become Superman-strong on the puck at 23 years old and the goal-scoring instincts that make him an elite player in his early 20s.

It’s clear, though, that Eichel hasn’t reached his full potential in Buffalo, where he’s expected to lead and change the Sabres losing culture while knowing nothing but losing and frustration in his young NHL career. Certainly, Eichel sounded exasperated and ready for something to change when he spoke to reporters after the 24-team playoff format made it clear last month that Buffalo’s season was over.

"Listen, I'm fed up with losing and I'm fed up and I'm frustrated," said Eichel, who has missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his five NHL seasons since jumping into the NHL as an 18-year-old kid. "It's definitely not an easy pill to swallow right now. It's been a tough couple of months, it's been a tough five years with where things have [gone].

"I'm a competitor. I want to win every time I go out on the ice. I want to win the Stanley Cup every time I start a season. I'd be lying if I said that I'm not getting frustrated with where things are going. it's been a pleasure working with (Sabres coach) Ralph (Krueger) and he does so much for our group every day. There are tough times and he does an amazing job of bringing us back in and narrowing our focus and getting us back to 1186571 Buffalo Sabres The Smith situation was silliness, really. The much more important issues centered around and Evan Rodrigues. Krueger was healthy-scratching them on merit; both players carped about that, and Sabres' shakeup means Ralph Krueger is moving up in power structure then leaked word they wanted trades.

Krueger was clearly furious with the situation. One day after practice, he said, "I have no fear or no sleepless nights because of minor conflicts Mike Harrington within the group. I'm a leader that's not here to be popular at all."

Sat, Jun 20, 2020 A couple of weeks later, Rodrigues' request further rankled the coach.

"We will work with the players that really want to be here," Krueger said. "And quite clearly, play the players that want to be here." There are losers everywhere in this current Sabres mess. Tough talk. Once their trade demands came out, Bogosian and There is one clear winner: Ralph Krueger. Rodrigues should not have seen the ice again, but they did. Not a single The head coach is now a major power player in the entire hockey person watching the games this season believed that was Krueger's operations department. He is going to have far more say about how this decision. That had to come from Botterill. team is constructed and who is going to be on the ice. Under Adams, it's hard to imagine that happens again. And now we New General Manager Kevyn Adams fostered a relationship with watch to see what kind of players Krueger really wants. Botterill's firing is Krueger much of the season while in his business role, drawing on a good sign for Rasmus Ristolainen, whom Krueger loves. Montour Krueger's days as a team president in the English Premier League. And better keep a real estate agent's number handy. A lot of other guys could Adams apparently had a huge grip on Krueger's ears during that Western be in the same boat. road trip in late February and early March. The events of the last few There's a new GM in town. But the feeling is the coach is the new sheriff. days show that what was discussed in Vegas isn't staying there. Buffalo News LOADED: 06.20.2020 The players are complete Krueger enthusiasts and that's important. So are Terry and Kim Pegula, who seem to like this coach more than any other they've had since Lindy Ruff. Krueger is easily one of the best public speakers in a coaching or management role in recent Buffalo sports history and you get the sense that the Pegula lovefest with him is akin to what they felt when Rex Ryan was coaching the Bills.

Ryan, of course, was mostly a fraud. He liked the spotlight and not the actual work of an NFL head coach. Krueger is full-speed ahead on backing his words to become a viable NHL head man after both of his seasons so far were cut short (by a lockout in Edmonton and the pandemic this year).

"You could see it. The players love playing for Ralph," Adams said Wednesday in a chat with The Buffalo News. "They're buying into his system and the coaching staff works great together ... There's a lot of great pieces in place and we can have success."

While we're a long way away from finding out if that's true, it's clear that Adams is going to defer to Krueger on a lot of issues. It's likely the coach will have far more of a direct line to ownership than he did in his first year.

You think back to the season now and it seems there were some signs of disconnect between Krueger and deposed GM Jason Botterill.

Brandon Montour and Colin Miller, acquired by Botterill in a five-month span last year, didn't seem to be the the kind of defensemen who fit Krueger's system. It would not be a shock to see Adams move them this summer to get some help up front. In addition, Krueger simply wouldn't play Jeff Skinner with Jack Eichel, and there's no way Botterill could have been fine with that, especially as Skinner's eight-year, $72 million contract with a full no-trade clause looked worse and worse by the day.

The coach had some sticky situations to navigate with the GM in December and January.

Remember Dalton Smith?

When Tampa Bay came to town for its New Year's Eve game, the Sabres were 0-3 against the Lightning and there was lots of bristling among fans and media about big injuries to Vladimir Sobotka and Rasmus Dahlin suffered in previous meetings.

Botterill suddenly shuffled his playbook back to the 1970s and upgraded Smith's AHL contract to an NHL deal so he could bring up Smith, who had 366 minutes over the previous three seasons, to add some toughness to the Buffalo lineup.

Smith is not an NHL player. And he wasn't up to a game against a team like Tampa Bay. Krueger sent Botterill a message, too: He played Smith four shifts totaling 68 seconds.

Two days and roughly $23,000 in cap money later – remember, the owners are counting pennies now – Smith was placed on waivers and cleared to return to Rochester. There's a very good chance that will be the extent of his NHL career. 1186572 Buffalo Sabres "Jason Botterill’s firing? I’m OK with. He didn’t do anything in Buffalo. He traded a star in Ryan O’Reilly. Now it's perfect storm for St. Louis. He wins the Conn Smythe and they win the Cup, but he spoke his mind. He Matthew Barnaby on state of Sabres: 'Do I feel bad for this fan base' knew it was a (mess) in Buffalo and he was right.

"Kevyn Adams is going to take over. And Kevyn Adams does not have the resume, as much as I like to guy, to run a team in the National Josh Barnett Hockey League. You need to take steps to be an assistant general manager and be at the games and look at the amateurs and the pros. … Fri, Jun 19, 2020 That gives you a head start. Kevyn Adams just doesn’t have it and it’s going to take him a while to learn. In three years, do I think he’ll be a good general manager? No, I don’t. Do I think in three years he’ll have Former Sabres player Matthew Barnaby had plenty to say on his turned this around? No, I don’t. Does he know hockey? Yes. Stanley Cup podcast, "Unfiltered," about what he called the "tire fire" with the champion and great guy, but just because you’re doing my bushes organization in the wake of 22 firings this week, including General outside and you’re a great person doesn’t mean I want you building my Manager Jason Botterill. house and doing the foundation. … Because you're a great guy and a great gardener, don’t think I’m going to trust you to build the foundation of In the opening to the episode, Barnaby spent nearly 17 minutes with my house and pouring the cement and building it from the ground up. strong words for Terry and Kim Pegula and new GM Kevyn Adams and He’s got a great start. He’s got a great player in Jack Eichel. … expressed empathy for Sabres fans. "I understand the times we’re in … Going lean? They’re going anorexic. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and language. (He then read the list of dismissals). ... They’re going to have to be doing "I don’t think that anyone could be in the running for the most awfully run video scouting and we know how that turned out for a former regime. … organization in the . I thought this was fairly You can do it a little bit, but it doesn’t give you the full picture. This has simple, the , right? Eugene Melnyk is the worst owner in been a long time coming. the league. But he’s being given a run for his money in Buffalo, a place "This didn’t happen overnight. And it’s not going to change. Not in the that is very near and dear to my heart. near future and that makes me sad for Buffalo Sabres fans out there. "Having played in Buffalo for seven years and been part of the Krueger is a good coach and I think the players like him a lot. Eichel is a organization for nine years, I know the fan base. And (expletive), do I feel superstar and deserves more. The thing I hear most is Jack Eichel, what bad for this fan base. It’s a blue-collar town that loves their Bills and happens in three years when this isn’t turned around? It doesn’t look like Sabres. Let’s face it, there’s not much going on in Buffalo beyond the there’s a plan in place. There hasn’t been a plan in place since the and Buffalo Sabres. The one thing that have in common is Pegulas have taken over. What will the Sabres look like in three years? the same owners. I remember nine years ago when the Pegulas I’m guessing a lot like it looks like now. Not good. Not good. You can purchased the team, the excitement from around Western New York was throw all the money you want at all the guys, but it doesn’t matter when unparalleled. Championships were coming. They’ve got the money. A at the top, it’s not being run the right way. man who’s worth between four and five billion is going to come in and "If you’re micromanaging every piece of the puzzle, you’re doomed for save the day. Having met Terry, having met Kim over the years, very failure. And the Buffalo Sabres are doomed for failure because in no nice people and very dedicated to bringing that championship or, so I which way should Kim Pegula or have any say in the thought, to Western New York. They unloaded money on free agents players they are bringing in. Stick to the business model you have. Stick over the years. ... to building stuff around the arena. That’s what you do best, not telling "I was told roughly six years ago that the storm had just started. That’s who’s the best 204th player in free agency or what defenseman you when it really started to unfold. I was told then, 'You just wait, you just should sign. You just don’t know that. You don’t know that. Just like I wait because we haven’t even tipped the iceberg. We haven’t even don’t know how to build the Harborcenter or 716. You don’t know hockey. gotten to the (expletive) show that we will see in the coming years.' There You’ve done a great job of fracking oil. But hockey, nope, not happening. were multiple people that told me that there were too many cooks in the ... kitchen, too many people making hockey decisions that should not even "To Buffalo Sabres fans, I say this in all sincerity, I love you and I hope be talking about hockey and they were talking about Kim Pegula, and I’m wrong. … I loved being a Buffalo Sabre and I’m proud of alumni of Terry, but mostly Kim. She has as much of a resume to be a president the Buffalo Sabres. I just don’t see it turning around. I just don’t. Good and oversee hockey operations as I would running the United States or luck. It’s been a bad nine years. They might be the only organization, being prime minister of Canada and flying a 747. It would be like, ‘People even if fans were allowed to come back, they might not. Corona might be jump on, I’ve read lots of books on how to do this.’ Like, c'mon. I know for a good thing because we’d see a lot of empty seats. The people I’m a fact and I have been told that Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino were no- talking to in Buffalo, not happy." gos from the previous regime from the coaching staff, and most importantly the general manager. But Kim and Terry were adamant that Buffalo News LOADED: 06.20.2020 they were going to get these star players and fix things in Western New York. They were going to throw around the money, give them the most and we will have the best team. I played for the Rangers from '01 and '04 ... and we paid everyone more than everyone else. You know what happened? We didn’t make the playoffs for three years. Just because you spend the most money doesn’t mean you’re going to have the best team. ...

On another dark day for Sabres, Terry and Kim Pegula don't offer a lot of real answers

"If you go through six head coaches and four general managers, is it all their fault? The problem usually lies somewhere else. And where does it usually lie, right at the top. Kim Pegula has done a lot of great things for Buffalo, reviving downtown. It’s a different place to go. When you travel downtown, it’s fun and vibrant and great. I think her heart is in the right spot. But weighing in on signing free agents, you don’t have the resume. I’m sorry. Jason Botterill, I’m not going to say he deserved to be fired or didn’t deserve to be fired, but three years isn’t enough to turn around an organization. You usually get four or five. ...

"I love Buffalo’s fan base so I feel bad that I was right but man was I right when I said Toronto was ahead in the rebuild when Mike Babcock chose Toronto. ... 1186573 Calgary Flames “With the development that I’ve seen, in terms of a change in a facial muscle or two and how that’s affected my smile, it’s introduced some worry about whether this is progressing in some way, so that’s maybe Trick-shot challenge shines spotlight on Flames exec Chris Snow in fight diminished a little bit the feeling I might have had that, ‘Wow, we’ve left with ALS this thing almost in our path. We’ve stopped this entirely.’

“So it’s a balance of that last concern but also just real appreciation. The reality is nobody in my family has had a story like mine with this disease, Wes Gilbertson and I have the opportunity to have so much more time. My hope is that time is measured in decades, not years, but I will remind myself June 19, 2020 4:15 PM MDT (Wednesday) and every day after that this time was in no way guaranteed to me. It’s quite the opposite — I shouldn’t have had it.”

It was on June 17, 2019, that Snow’s greatest fear was confirmed — he, Snow was busy Wednesday on Zoom interviews with 2020 NHL Draft like several family members before him, had been diagnosed with a prospects. In the late afternoon, the team — including a few players, plus deadly disease. coaches, management and other staff — surprised him with a drive-by party to mark the occasion. Wednesday came and went. He also booted a 43-yard field goal, his second addition to That seems like such a non-story, but for Calgary Flames assistant #TrickShot4Snowy, a (very cool) awareness and fundraising campaign general manager Chris Snow, it was a massive milestone. launched last week by Calgary Sports & Entertainment and the Flames Foundation. It was on June 17, 2019, that Snow’s greatest fear was confirmed — he, like several family members before him, had been diagnosed with a Last June 17 I was given one year to live. I should have lost the ability to deadly disease. walk, talk, eat and breathe. Instead, I took three steps back, two to the left and did this #TrickShot4Snowy. What a day this would be if everyone “The doctor looked at me and said, ‘This is the early stage of ALS,’ ” watching this donates $1 at https://t.co/rgWfPCOrpt. Snow recalled. “I asked him, ‘How long do I have?’ And he said, ‘I would pic.twitter.com/mxbpJ3m6bp say a year.’ ” — Chris Snow (@ChrisSnowCGY) June 17, 2020 One year. The start of a potentially crippling countdown. ALS attacks the communications between the brain and muscles, robbing a person of The steps are simple — film a trick shot, post online, get the hashtag their ability to walk, talk, eat and even breathe. correct and challenge two others to come up with their own. Donations are also encouraged at calgaryflames.com or snowystrong.ca. June 17, 2020, didn’t need to be marked on any sort of calendar. Snow wouldn’t forget it. It’s already created quite a buzz on social media. The hope is that it could be a next coming of the Ice Bucket Challenge. But Wednesday came and went. That’s why Snow, on an overcast afternoon, was trying to fling pucks Snow is as busy as ever with the Flames, key to contract negotiations through the windows of that Pathfinder — volunteered by his neighbours and statistical analysis and a valued perspective in hockey ops and pre- Jason and Amanda Thompson — in the parking lot at West Hillhurst draft meetings. arena. The proud husband and father is still chasing his two kids — son Cohen “I had a crowd there,” he said with a laugh. “I was telling Kelsie, ‘There’s and daughter Willa — around. In fact, he helped coach Cohen’s novice way too big of an audience — let’s get some of these kids and this team this past winter. smattering of adults out of here and send them to the park or something.’ He recently fired a hockey puck through two open windows — driver and “It’s windy, the puck is just sailing … You’re thinking, ‘I’m never going to passenger side — of a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder and nailed a 43-yard field do this.’ ” goal. More on both in a minute. He did. June is #ALSAwarenessMonth in  & the start of #TrickShot4Snowy. Have fun, challenge two people & please donate at “I thought it was a good range, until Tre came back and put one from a https://t.co/JwKp9hn6Fn. We will #EndALS one donation at a time. couple hundred feet in,” he quipped. You’re up ⁦⁦@Cubs⁩ Theo Epstein & ⁦@NHLFlames⁩ Brad Ah yes, Flames general manager Brad Treliving carried two buckets of Treliving & Brian McGrattan! pic.twitter.com/jVFFdGLI8P pucks and three sticks up to the top of the 200 level at the Saddledome — Chris Snow (@ChrisSnowCGY) June 12, 2020 and fired from the corner to the net at the opposite end of the rink.

As his wife, Kelsie, has put it, he is living with ALS. After sinking that shot, he turned to the camera and deadpanned, ‘It’s an easy game, guys.’ His co-workers, however, noticed a few strays on the Chris has now become an ambassador of sorts, the inspiration for the ice in the far corner. #TrickShot4Snowy initiative and a beacon of hope for many. The 38- year-old is enrolled in a clinical trial and for several months, there had .@ChrisSnowCGY, Tre has answered your challenge! What a shot been no change beyond the initial symptoms in his right arm. (He has @VancityReynolds, @Burkie2020, @bradpascall … you're up! since learned to complete everyday tasks without the use of his dominant hand, and the Flames’ equipment staff has sewn a special glove so he June is #ALSAwarenessMonth in  Help our #SnowyStrong efforts by can stickhandle and shoot when on the ice.) completing your #TrickShot4Snowy, sharing it on social & visiting https://t.co/Sl7zeIIaAT pic.twitter.com/sAfV0V6XJk In mid-May, Kelsie revealed on her must-read blog that they had noticed a slight droop on the right side of his smile, a sign this aggressive form of — Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 13, 2020 ALS — the disease that claimed his father, two paternal uncles and a “Everybody is giving me a hard time, saying ‘Oh, you probably had a cousin — might not have been stopped in its tracks by the new whole bunch of takes,’ ” Treliving said. “Honestly, it was certainly under treatment. 10. I’m going to say six to eight. And when I say takes, the first handful, “It’s a day that I’ve thought about for a long time, a day that when I was those are warm-up shots, right? I mean, everybody goes to the range diagnosed, I didn’t know if I would see,” Snow said of Wednesday’s before you step up to the first tee, right? So I don’t even count the first significance. “As the months have gone by, especially into the mid-winter couple.” months, January, February, March, it was a day that I looked forward to The first couple didn’t clear an unexpected obstacle anyway. with the thought I could be exactly the same as I was the day that I was diagnosed, and how much of a miracle that would be and how much that “Looking at that shot, a lot of people would think the distance to the ice is would sort of alleviate the emotional worry that I always have, to some the difficult thing,” Treliving said. “It’s really two parts. The distance to the degree, about how I’m going to be and how this will progress. ice, yeah, that’s difficult. But it’s also not hitting the lights. Because you’re up so high, and you have to put some juice on it and raise it, and there are lights right there. So my first couple, it’s not that I didn’t get to the ice. participated, too. It’s awesome that Elliotte Friedman has a video up. It’s They just didn’t get underneath the lights. great that George Canyon participated while he was camping … Gio’s was so cool. It’s been so neat just to see what’s next.” “So then I had to switch up the weapon. I will tell you, in terms of transparency, I brought a Dube, a Gio and a Monahan. The Dube just This isn’t a competition, but perhaps the most heartwarming entries yet didn’t cut it. So why not grab the 30-goal-scorer’s stick, right? So I moved came from Snow’s own kids. over to the Monahan, and that got it done.” Cohen, 8, drained a shot from a second-floor bedroom window Treliving’s trick, while impressive, was one-upped — or 10-upped — by — a trick that he dubbed ‘The Upper-Deck Swish’ — and promptly club captain Mark Giordano and four teammates, a socially-distance challenged Monahan and fellow first-liner Elias Lindholm. stunner that was filmed during a Phase 2 small-group skate. Challenge accepted @KdotAnderson! Giordano passed a puck to Michael Stone, who used his right skate blade to pop it up and batted it to Mark Jankowski. Stone missed his Here’s Cohen’s #TrickShot4Snowy! He’s challenging his two favorite target, but Jankowski managed to keep the sequence going with a @NHLFlames — you’re up @lindholmelias and @Monahan20! soccer-style header. With that puck still airborne, Matthew Phillips tapped Don’t wait for a challenge! Show us your trick shot, make a donation and it twice and swatted it to Dillon Dube, who batted it to Giordano for the challenge your friends!https://t.co/su8fO15aXd finish. pic.twitter.com/ZjEhRVM5oj

Giordano connects on a wild swing, sizzling the puck — about eight — Kelsie Snow (@kelsieswrites) June 13, 2020 seconds after it had last touched ice — off the post for a goal. Five-year-old Willa bounced a ping-pong ball across the dining room and Thank you for the challenge ⁦@MattStajan18⁩ and Willa Snow! I’m into a bucket, then put Giordano and Kelsie on the clock. challenging ⁦@jamiemclennan29⁩ and ⁦@ryanleslie⁩. Thanks for the challenge @KdotAnderson! Willa hopes you like her “Ping Show us your #TrickShot4Snowy and donate at https://t.co/VROtP5741f! Pong Bucket Battle!”

Thanks for the help @janko61, Stoney, Dube, and Phillips! She’s challenging her favorite @NHLFlames player @MarkGio05 & her pic.twitter.com/6OJ0P2bOeL momma so I guess I’m up, too!

— Mark Giordano (@MarkGio05) June 15, 2020 Show us your #TrickShot4Snowy, donate at https://t.co/qfTsorJVBC & challenge your friends! pic.twitter.com/KxY9LPEsJI (Word is, their initial idea was to rip a shot from ice level into a net on the concourse, sort of a reverse-Treliving, but they eventually audibled.) — Kelsie Snow (@kelsieswrites) June 14, 2020

“They did tell me that was not Take 1,” Treliving said. “But that’s pretty In both cases, the gleeful reactions of the entire family are goosebumps- creative coming up with that and then doing it, and I think it was double- worthy. post and in.” “I really enjoyed theirs, even a lot more than my own,” Snow said. “My Added Snow: “It’s been fun to ask people, ‘How many takes? Like our son was looking for an idea and we came up with that one. Of course, players … You have some people saying, ‘Too many, don’t ask.’ ” who doesn’t want to throw something out the window? This has spawned all of his friends from our hockey community throwing various balls and The results have been impressive, even if some are churning up a lot of items out their window and into cars or buckets or nets. He probably took iPhone camera roll with outtakes and bloopers. about 15 takes. He had two that went off the rim and one that was in and Flames goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet lobbed a waffle into a toaster then somehow popped back out. But the way he introduced himself and slot from across his kitchen. then the fact that it was nothing but net and his excitement, I just loved that. Assistant general manager Craig Conroy managed to sink four pool balls — into four pockets — on one shot. “And then Willa, she did hers and she had a similar number — about 10 takes. And then she had her intro for the one that went in, and it was Assistant coach Ryan Huska flipped pancakes over his shoulder, his really adorable. My wife looked at me and I at her, and we were thinking three kids catching their breakfast on plates, while franchise legend the same thing — ‘This ball had better go in!’ And it did. Lanny McDonald cranked a hat-trick of beer cans with a wrister. “And she’s always loved Gio. We have a company Christmas party every The #TrickShot4Snowy campaign is also crossing borders and spanning year, and she will always take a picture with him and talk about how nice other sports. he is. So when she challenged him and he put that together within a day, Both Chris and Kelsie Snow are former baseball writers, which prompted she was giddy.” ESPN’s Jeff Passan to get involved. Back in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised upwards of $100 million.

Passan chucked a football through a basketball hoop from across the Perhaps, #TrickShot4Snowy could be another game-changer for ALS street at his home, then walked it off with a tape measure, revealing it research. was a 100-foot heave. He posted the video for his 457,000 followers on Twitter, but the exposure was really cranked up when SportsCenter host “Ultimately, we’re having fun with the shot part of it, but it’s about trying to Scott Van Pelt spotlighted Passan’s long-distance dedication in his ‘Best find a cure for this disease that has affected our close friend and Thing I Saw Today’ segment on Tuesday’s show. colleague,” Treliving said. “Quite frankly, he is a member of our family. I know people always say that, but we operate that way. This is a very The star power continues to stack up. On Thursday evening, Chicago close group, so it hits very close to home. This disease now has arrived Cubs top exec Theo Epstein responded to Snow’s challenge, splitting the in our family and in our home, so now you deal with it. You deal with it by uprights with a 50-yard kick. He called on retired slugger David Ortiz and banding together, and it’s easy to support because of what we think of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to show their stuff. Chris and Kelsie and how close we are to them.

Theo Epstein connects from 50 yards, donates to #SnowyStrong to fight “And then seeing how they’ve dealt with it, how open and how public they ALS, and nominates @RedSox’s @davidortiz and @PearlJam’s Eddie have been every step of the way, you can’t help but be inspired by them.” Vedder in the #TrickShot4Snowy challenge. That was echoed by Goudie, who reported the Flames Foundation has Keep up the fight @ChrisSnowCGY and @NHLFlames! raised more than $150,000 earmarked for ALS since the Snows shared https://t.co/Gh0fqhzh9I #ALSAwarenessMonth news of the diagnosis in December in a letter written by Kelsie. (Her blog pic.twitter.com/s19LLza8Mk updates at kelsiesnowwrites.com, which also detail her own recovery — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 19, 2020 from a stroke in March 2018, will put a smile on your face and tears in your eyes, sometimes in the same sentence.) “People are being sooooo creative. It’s just such a light-hearted, fresh and fun thing,” said Candice Goudie, executive director of the Flames “Chris is just the nicest guy,” Goudie said. “He is so genuine and he Foundation, earlier this week. “And it’s been so cool to see who has treats everybody like they’re someone, and he’s always smiling and always happy and to go through this with the positivity that he has, it’s just remarkable. And Kelsie is the same. Their family is so genuine and kind and thoughtful, so that connects people to them automatically.

“And then the way that they’ve been open and have been sharing their journey, it’s been raw and emotional and uplifting and informative. They’ve been very vocal about the need for funding for research, and they’re telling their story firsthand as far as what those dollars do.”

Indeed, Snow can vouch for the value of these sorts of fundraising efforts.

Wednesday came and went, in part, because of them.

“I think it really aligns with the spirit of how I’ve tried to go about this fundraising, which is we just really need a little bit of contribution from a lot of people and we can really make a difference,” he said of the #TrickShot4Snowy campaign. “I hope that people can see me in that video and know that I was given one year to live, and realize that due to the research dollars generated by the Ice Bucket Challenge and private donations such as the ones we are soliciting now, the drug that I am on was created, and other solutions to this disease — hopefully true cures — will be a result of fundraising like this.

“I think sometimes research can feel a bit abstract, like something that is very far from a solution to anything … And yet the medication that I am on was produced by a research group at a university in the Midwest in the U.S. That’s where these things originate, and then some larger company attempts to take that drug to market and then if successful, some large pharmaceutical company purchases it and then sells it. So my hope is that people see that there is a real, tangible connection between what we’re doing and the solution we’re seeing.

“I think it’s going to go and go and go, and I’ll make it a personal mission to see this thing stretch far and wide.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186574 Carolina Hurricanes So we’ll probably be back here at this time next year, making the same arguments, raising the same objections, pushing the same case. Maybe someone will listen then.

Another year, another chance for Hockey Hall of Fame to finally call Rod Maybe someone will listen now. Brind’Amour News Observer LOADED: 06.20.2020

LUKE DECOCK

JUNE 19, 2020 03:02 PM

The Hockey Hall of Fame’s selection committee will meet Wednesday, virtually for the first time. What has not changed: This is the year Rod Brind’Amour should get in. That was true last year. That was true in 2015. That was true when he became eligible in 2013.

For whatever reason, the current Carolina Hurricanes coach and former Hurricanes captain’s status as the best defensive forward of his generation hasn’t resonated with voters, even with a pair of Selke Trophies to verify that. Nor his leadership. Nor his raw numbers, which certainly clear wherever bar has been set for the Hall of Fame, and not the lowest one set by the induction of both Bernie Federko and Clark Gillies in 2002.

Just for funsies, the Carolina Hurricanes’ analytics department dug through some of the raw numbers. They do not reflect well on the committee’s work over the past seven years.

There are 36 players in NHL history who had 15 seasons with 49 or more points. Thirty-five of them are in the Hall of Fame. Want to guess who’s not?

Thirty-seven players had more than 1,100 points and won a Stanley Cup. Thirty-five are enshrined in Toronto. Vincent Damphousse is one of the two. The other lives here.

Brind’Amour is the all-time leader in faceoff percentage since those stats have been kept. He’s the oldest player to win the Selke Trophy. Seventeen players have played more than his 1,484 games. All 17 are in the Hall of Fame.

Every eligible player with more than 700 points and a Selke Trophy is in the Hall of Fame. Except one. Pavel Datsyuk, Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron and are all still playing, and three of them are locks. Guy Carbonneau had 663 points.

If Carbonneau’s third Selke Trophy makes up for him having half as many points as Brind’Amour, then Brind’Amour’s two Selke Trophies compared to nearly every other player in the Hall of Fame ought to get him in on their own. Carbonneau is beloved in Montreal and Dallas? Brind’Amour is beloved in Philadelphia and Raleigh, and two more different and disparate hockey markets you will not find.

This happens to be a wide-open class, with Jarome Iginla really the only consensus choice. There are some nice players out there who will be lauded for their two-way game (Marian Hossa) and leadership (Daniel Alfredsson). Brind’Amour was better than either in both categories. You think Alexander Mogilny’s 473 goals should get him in? Brind’Amour scored 452 goals and spent a bit more time in his own end while doing it. And captained a team to the Stanley Cup. And played for Canada in the Olympics.

However you want to measure Hall of Fame players, Brind’Amour measures up.

Unfortunately, odds are none of this matters. This isn’t baseball, where public opinion can sway the vote for Larry Walker. The decisions are made by only 18 people, and only those 18 people can place a name in nomination for a vote. From the outside, it feels more like fraternity rush than a selection committee. Who you know appears as important as what you actually did.

The selection committee has some very smart people on it, and a difficult job to do, but in search of consensus it tends to arrive at unfortunate, mediocre, cronyist choices over unexpected ones — which is how Peter Karmanos got in the Hall of Fame before the player who did more to get him a Stanley Cup ring than anyone.

The owner and the general manager from 2006 are both in the Hall of Fame. Not the captain. 1186575 Carolina Hurricanes

Keeping up with the Canes: 10 questions with Stormy the Ice Hog

Sara Civian

Jun 19, 2020 6

After a brief hiatus, the weekly Keeping up with the Canes series is back. Each week until hockey returns, The Athletic will ask 10 rapid-fire questions to and receive 10 rapid-fire answers from folks all around the Hurricanes organization. We’ve checked in on color commentator Tripp Tracy, in-game host Abby Labar and Hurricanes.com Senior Editor Michael Smith.

Next up is the one-and-only Stormy.

1. How are you, Stormy?

I’m Swine ;). Hope you are doing well!

2. Are you the first Ice Hog TikTok star yet?

To my knowledge, yes! I encourage all ice hogs to sign up.

3. What kind of shenanigans did Stormy get up to in quarantine?

I have been TikToking it up! I’ve also been dropping into Zoom/Google Meet calls and spreading love throughout the area. Lots of neighborhood parades and ding dong SURPRISE visits! And since I miss messing with opposing fans, I may or may not prank call Slapshot every few days.

4. What do you miss the most about hockey?

I miss the fans, I miss the game day energy in PNC Arena, honestly I miss everything!

5. If you had to pick one Hurricanes player to quarantine with, who would it be?

I’m pretty sure anyone who knows me knows I would pick Dougie. All the guys are great but Dougie and I would have the most fun. I’m sure we would get a daily best friend picture and learn new TikTok dances.

6. What’s your favorite memory from the 2019-20 regular season?

This is a tough one! There are so many great memories from this year, but anytime I get to dance with the Storm Squad during an intermission is my favorite.

7. Who is your favorite mascot of all time?

I probably shouldn’t say myself, right? So I’m going to go with my boys Sir Purr () and Hugo the Hornet (Charlotte Hornets). You can’t make me pick just one!

8. First thing you want to do when hockey is back?

Be in a Storm Surge!

9. Are you friends with ?

Next question.

Just kidding! I’m friends with all of the guys … just not when our teams are playing each other.

10. If Stormy had a goal song what would it be?

I know you’re expecting a fun answer, here. Truthfully, I’d go with “Raise Up.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186576

Daniel Carcillo alleges physical, sexual abuse in lawsuit against junior hockey

NBC Sports Staff

June 19, 2020 10:24 AM

Former Blackhawk Daniel Carcillo and ex-Western Hockey League player Garrett Taylor have filed a class-action lawsuit against the with some disturbing allegations.

The lawsuit alleges that young players were “routinely victims to hazing, bullying, physical and verbal harassment, physical assault, sexual harassment, and sexual assault,” per .

None of the allegations have been proven in court as of yet and the CHL told The Candian Press, "We have not been served with any court documents and therefore have no comment at this time."

Carcillo, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015, released this statement on Twitter.

I commenced a class proceeding today against the Canadian Hockey League and its leagues and teams.

It is on behalf of underage minors who suffered violent hazing, physical and sexual assault and psychological trauma while playing major junior hockey. I was one of those kids when I played in the OHL. I know there are many more just like me.

I believe this case will give those who were abused a chance to be heard. In my experience, sharing stories of abuse is part of the healing process. It allows a person to take the power back.

I also believe that this lawsuit will create real positive change in Canadian junior hockey. This type of abuse has nothing to do with the sport and it needs to stop.

The lawsuit "seeks damages for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, and a declaration that the teams and the leagues are vicariously liable for abuse perpetrated by their employees and players."

This lawsuit comes on the heels of troubling allegations across junior hockey from racism to hazing and sexual abuse.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186577 Chicago Blackhawks — 3 things we noticed in all 16 postseason wins during the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run

— Regular season reviews for 25 players What 100 days without hockey has been like for a Blackhawks reporter — Two Blackhawks Talk Podcasts per week, which has included special guests such as Bryan Bickell, Brandon Bollig, Steve Larmer, Joel Charlie Roumeliotis Quenneville, John Scott and

June 19, 2020 9:00 AM The list goes on and on, and it’s been cool to be part of a team that's had an all hands on deck approach as we navigate through these unprecedented times. But I think we can all agree, we're ready for some normalcy again. March 11 will go down as one of the strangest days in sports history. The COVID-19 pandemic was quickly becoming a global crisis — two days Chicago, as a city, has started to reopen and the Blackhawks are gearing prior, the four major sports leagues jointly announced it was limiting up to participate in the NHL's 24-team Return to Play plan. While we're locker room access for social distancing reasons — but nobody could not out of the woods yet, there's light at the end of the tunnel and we've have predicted how the next 24 hours would play out. never been more excited to say: Let's do that hockey.

The Blackhawks were slated to host the San Jose Sharks that night. The Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 game went on, as scheduled, but the morning skate felt different. Word started to leak that the Sharks were preparing to play the rest of their home games without fans, which was confirmed roughly three hours before puck drop in an press release by the team. That’s when the future of sports started to be questioned.

Will tonight be the final game of the season at with fans in attendance? #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OlGvnR8utV

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 11, 2020

During the game, the Blackhawks erupted for three goals in the second period. What they didn’t realize was what was happening in the NBA.

Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert did not participate in warmups because he was feeling ill and later tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first known player to do so. Four minutes later, the NBA canceled the rest of the night’s games and announced it is suspending the season indefinitely.

The NHL didn’t make it official until the next day, but eventually followed suit by putting its season on pause. Later that night, I tweeted out a GIF with the caption: "First night without hockey." It summed up what I was feeling at the time and I'm sure it did for all hockey fans.

First night without hockey: pic.twitter.com/B3PG63FJwT

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 13, 2020

I decided to continue the thread the next day because I figured it would be a lighthearted way to document the emotional roller coaster fans might be going through during a time where playoff hockey was supposed to be around the corner. What I did not expect was the number to reach the triple digits.

Friday marks Day 100 without hockey, and only one GIF felt right for this moment:

Day 100 without hockey: pic.twitter.com/WPPFSguIRl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) June 19, 2020

Needless to say, it’s been a wild journey, particularly as a reporter who covers the Blackhawks and the NHL for a living, although I can't imagine it's been any easier for the fans. The Blackhawks were one of the few teams that, respectfully, did not grant media access to reporters during the quarantine, which forced our team at NBC Sports Chicago to get creative.

Here are some of the top ideas we came up:

— 8 records in Blackhawks history that may never be broken

— 20 Blackhawks that left and returned to Chicago

— Top 15 Blackhawks playoff games during nine-year postseason streak

— Top 10 most underappreciated Blackhawks since 2000

— Top 5 undrafted free agents in Blackhawks history

— How the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks were built

— How Chelsea Dagger became Blackhawks' goal song

— All-time best Blackhawks players by jersey numbers 1186578 Chicago Blackhawks

100 days without hockey: Blackhawks' Patrick Kane reflects on NHL pause

Scott King

June 19, 2020 7:12 AM

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter despite the absence of NHL games on our TVs and in front of our eyes for 100 days.

Teams have been allowed to hold small group workouts at their practice facilities for almost two weeks, training camps are being targeted for July 10 and hub cities to host the NHL's 24-team playoff format are being finalized with Chicago and its mayor lobbying to be one.

Sure there's probably still some wrinkles to iron out in the NHL's Return To Play plan, as Patrick Kane mentioned during a Zoom video conference call for Blackhawks media held last Thursday, but everyone is working towards the same goal and the NHL is seemingly a lot further ahead than other pro sports leagues in returning to game action.

Regardless, things are much better off now for hockey than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.

"It's been crazy. I don't think any of us expected that either," Kane said on the call regarding the duration of the NHL pause, which began on March 12. "We thought it might be a one or two-week thing and we could come back and play. But obviously as the situation grew and things started to become more clear of what was going on in the world, especially coming to the United States, it became a situation that you just kind of sat back and kind of watch what was going on.

"You knew that maybe you wouldn't be playing hockey for a long time. Nice to see it dying down a little bit, I know that the numbers have kind of spiked here the last couple days (at the time of the call), but nice to see the numbers going down (overall).

"I think everyone in the world just wants to get back to some type of normalcy here and obviously it might be tough with what's going on in the world right now and the position we're at. As hockey players, we want to give the fans what they want to see, playing the game and being able to entertain and give some type of joy and excitement for people that are watching all over the world.

"Hopefully we're able to do that soon, but it's been a wild ride, it's been three months. Part of it has gone so slow and part of it, it seems like it was yesterday we were at the United Center playing hockey. It's been a weird three months."

On March 11 the Hawks were at the United Center beating the Sharks 6- 2 off two goals from Kane. Duncan Keith, Brandon Saad, Alex Nylander and Dominik Kubalik also lit the lamp that night.

Kubalik's goal was the Hawks' last before the pause and gave the rookie 30 markers, 10 more than any other rookie in the league.

Kane's 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) were good for eighth in the league at the time of the pause and the Hawks were a long shot to make the playoffs, being six points out of a wild card spot with four teams to jump and 12 games remaining in the regular season.

Today, under the NHL's 24-team playoff format the Blackhawks are set to take on Connor McDavid and the Oilers in a best-of-5 play-in round when play resumes.

Perhaps now more than ever, with the unique circumstances and playoff format, you just have to get in when it comes to the NHL playoffs. Not to mention the Hawks' veteran experience.

Regardless, with everything that's happened in the world since the final horn of the Hawks' final game before hockey stopped, seeing them take the ice would no doubt provide both the joy and normalcy to Blackhawks fans Patrick Kane was talking about.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186579 Dallas Stars

Stars right wing Alexander Radulov jumps to No. 8 overall pick in NHL.com’s 2004 redraft

Radulov was originally selected No. 15 overall by the .

SportsDay Staff

3:00 PM on Jun 19, 2020

Another member of the Dallas Stars roster improved his draft position in NHL.com’s redraft series, where national hockey writers have been reordering past drafts based on career results.

And while Alexander Radulov didn’t jump 100-plus spots like Stars captain Jamie Benn, he did improve on an already impressive draft slot.

In the 2004 redraft, the right wing was selected No. 8 overall by the , moving into the top 10 of the first round.

In reality, Radulov wasn’t selected that much later. He was taken No. 15 overall by the Nashville Predators. Radulov was the top-ranked European skater of the draft class, based on scout reports.

View this post on Instagram

Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin still find themselves atop NHL.com's 2004 #NHLDraft do-over! What do you think of the top 10? ♂

A post shared by NHL (@nhl) on Jun 18, 2020 at 11:01am PDT

NHL writer Tom Gulitti had this to say:

“The Blue Jackets selected one of the most skilled forwards available. Radulov ranks fourth in the 2004 draft class with an average of 0.76 points per game (334 in 442 games over seven NHL seasons; 136 goals, 198 assists). After playing for Nashville from 2006-08, Radulov spent most of the next eight seasons in Russia, limiting his NHL statistics. Since returning to the League in 2016-17, he has 232 points (89 goals, 143 assists) in 288 games for the and Dallas Stars, an average of 0.81 per game. His 178 points (71 goals, 107 assists) over the past three seasons are second most on Dallas behind Tyler Seguin’s 208.”

Dallas’ first pick of the 2004 NHL draft came No. 28th overall, where the Stars selected defenseman Mark Fistric. He played five seasons in Dallas and also made appearances with Edmonton and Anaheim.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186580 Detroit Red Wings The Sabres, the organization for whom Hasek had won all that hardware, also gave him permission to talk to other clubs personally. Holland remembers being on a long call with Hasek, Nill and Hasek’s agent, Ritch The inside story of the Red Wings’ star-studded 2001 offseason Winter, trying to sell him on the team. And in the end, the pitch worked: Hasek told Winter he would feel comfortable with the Red Wings, and the mechanics of a trade began.

Max Bultman There was a hurdle to clear, though. The team’s stars, Yzerman and Lidstrom, were only making $8 million per year. If Hasek had to make Jun 19, 2020 more than them, Holland remembers telling Winter, “it was probably a deal-breaker for us.”

For Darren McCarty, the moment came when they were stretching. Winter called back the next day, Holland said. Hasek was in for $8 million. Already, for years by this point, the Red Wings had been full of stars. Their two championship seasons in 1997 and 1998 were driven by In the end, the trade came through late at night on Saturday, June 30, legends, and the core of those teams was still largely intact. just before the opening of free agency. In return, Buffalo would get Slava Kozlov, one of the key pieces of the Red Wings’ two Cup runs in ’97 and But this was different. McCarty started looking around, counting. ’98, and a first-round draft pick.

Well, he’s going to be a Hall of Famer. The Red Wings had acquired one of the league’s top goalies. But in doing so, they had lost Kozlov, who had been an effective playoff scorer He’s going to be. during the team’s title runs. “There’s like a dozen guys,” McCarty recalled this week. “You’re like, With free agency just beginning, there was still time to find scoring, but ‘Wow … this is pretty cool.'” some top options were already off the market. Holland remembers So far, 19 years later, the official tally sits at 10 Hall of Famers, if you having had free agent center in town for a visit that count Scotty Bowman, the man behind the bench. Some day, Pavel offseason, but Roenick had decided to sign with Philadelphia. Datsyuk could make it 11. And the presence of franchise heroes Tomas One name he did not know would be on the market, however, was one of Holmstrom, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and McCarty himself only added to the league’s premier left wingers at the time: Luc Robitaille, of the same the aura. A roll call of the 2001-02 Red Wings is a who’s who of the L.A. Kings that had bounced the Red Wings from that year’s playoffs. NHL’s record book. Robitaille was one of the great goal scorers in NHL history, coming off an Steve Yzerman. Sergei Fedorov. Nicklas Lidstrom. . 88-point season with 37 goals. He had been a King for the vast majority . Igor Larionov. Those were the old standbys. of his career. But for some reason, talks had slowed. The Kings’ offer, And then there were the new guys, the three Hall of Famers brought in according to the AP, had been one year and a pay cut. via one of the most star-studded offseasons in NHL history. Dominik “I remember sitting with my wife and my kids and thinking, if I’m going to Hasek. . Luc Robitaille. go somewhere, I want to have a shot at winning a Cup,” Robitaille said. The process of putting such a roster together would be impossible today, Still: His kids were already enrolled in school. The idea was that in the salary cap era. Even then, it took significant creativity from the front wherever Robitaille went, his wife and kids probably would be staying in office, and sacrifices from the players involved. And when all the pieces L.A., so he wanted to be close by on the West Coast. San Jose, maybe. were finally in place, it still meant a roster that could very easily be overbudgeted if the team didn’t make a deep run the next summer. The Sharks, though, traded for Adam Graves in June. The Stars, another consideration, had picked up Pierre Turgeon. “I think training camp, we kind of knew this was special,” Robitaille recalled over the phone. “I remember Scotty started talking about, ‘Hey, “Then we were just kind of looking,” Robitaille said. “Not sure.” we’ve gotta make sure we do everything right here. Because we’re probably gonna play till June.'” It was his wife, Stacia, Robitaille recalls, who put the wheels in motion for him to become a Red Wing. That was the tone the Red Wings set in the summer of 2001. And it turned into one of the most legendary teams in NHL history. “Well, which team has the best chance to win the Cup next year?” she asked. Ken Holland remembers the questions. “Well, Detroit,” he said. The Red Wings had been eliminated in six games in the first round of the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs, and Yzerman was now 36. Shanahan was “Why?” she asked. 32, Chelios 39, and the core was mostly hovering around — or already “Well, they got Dominik Hasek,” he said, “and they’ve still got one of the past — 30. Were their best days behind them? That was the question best teams in the league.” Holland, the team’s general manager, would have to contend with that offseason. “Well, why don’t you try to go there?” she said.

“(Assistant general manager) Jim Nill and I didn’t think we were too old,” “Really?” he replied. “It’s far.” Holland recalled. “We just thought we needed to make some changes.” “It doesn’t matter, Luc,” she said. “You get on a plane, whether it’s two The chance at a massive one presented itself before free agency began. hours, one hour or five hours. It’s the same.” The reigning Vezina Trophy winner that year was Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek, a two-time MVP and six-time Vezina winner who had just seen Like Hasek, Robitaille hadn’t won a Cup yet, either. His agent called his team eliminated in seven games in the Eastern Conference Holland. For a team looking to replace the offense it had traded away to semifinals. add Hasek, a two-year, $9 million deal with a future Hall of Famer had basically fallen out of the sky to them. Hasek was 36 years old, one of the greatest of all time, but still had no championship to his name. “We now felt that we had, in Luc Robitaille, a guy that was going to give us some offense up front,” Holland said. “And we had changed obviously “I felt like my time (in Buffalo) is over,” Hasek recalled this week, “and if I in goal and brought in Dominik Hasek, and kind of thought we might be want to win the Cup, I have to go to play for a different team.” done.”

Holland remembers getting a call from Buffalo GM Darcy Regier, who And to be fair, a two Hall-of-Famer offseason would, usually, be had briefly been Holland’s teammate with the AHL’s Binghamton Dusters complete. in 1977-78, telling him Hasek was seeking a trade to a contender. The had a one-year club option left for a hefty price tag (news But there was still a big fish out there. reports at the time cited it as a $9 million salary). Brett Hull had already long since established himself as one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history. At the turn of the 1990s, he had three straight seasons of 70 or more goals, including an 86-goal season Robitaille remembered one time when Kris Draper, part of the team’s in 1990-91. In 1999, he had scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal on famed “Grind Line,” had two goals late in a game the Red Wings were in Hasek, in Game 6, for Dallas. control of when the opponent took a late penalty.

“Without him,” Hasek said, “maybe I could already have a Stanley Cup in “We wanted Kris to go get a hat trick, and Scotty told him to get off the Buffalo.” ice,” Robitaille said. “And his message was, ‘your specialty is not the power play. I have guys for that.’ And no matter what, he never veered The Stars, though, weren’t going to re-sign him. from that. It was a little subtle message … everybody had a role. We all The sequence of events isn’t totally clear 19 years later, but Holland understood that’s what it took for us to win.” remembers getting a call from Hull’s agent expressing interest. Holland Even Robitaille, still a 30-goal scorer, saw his ice time drop by nearly four told him they should stay in touch. The Red Wings were already over minutes a night after deciding to come to Detroit. But that was what it budget, but they didn’t want to be out on a talent like Hull. meant to have a role.

Hull, meanwhile, was making progress with the Canadiens. He It fit with the reason the Red Wings’ best players had been willing to remembers being out to dinner with his wife and having basically decided defer pay to add one more star that summer. it would be a good experience to go play for what Hull considered “the New York Yankees of the National Hockey League,” in a great city. “These guys, they were addicted to winning,” Hull said. “Chris Chelios, Shanahan, Draper, Yzerman, the silent assassin Nicky Lidstrom. They Then, he said, the Red Wings called. don’t screw around. There’s no, ‘oh, we tried.’ There’s no ‘we tried’ there. “I was flabbergasted, because I knew Chris Chelios very well, and It is, ‘no, we win. We win. That’s what we do. So don’t screw around.’ Brendan Shanahan — played with him for a number of years in St. Louis And you learned that really fast.” and obviously knew how great the franchise was,” Hull said. “So I was The rest of the league learned that fast, too. Detroit got off to an absurd excited, talked to my wife, and it was a no-brainer for me.” 22-3-1-1 start and clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with eight games It had been during the Montreal courtship that Holland reached out to late remaining. Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch. From there, the Red Wings actually limped into the playoffs after taking “Brett Hull’s on the open market,” Holland said. “We’re going to have to their foot off the gas, finishing the regular season 51-17-10-4. In their get creative, we’re way over our budget.” first-round series against Vancouver, they dropped their first two games, both at home. “You know what,” Ilitch replied. “If we can add him, let’s get it done.” It was at that point Hull got a glimpse of why the Red Wings were what Technically, there was no salary cap, but in order to make it work they were — just like he had seen in 1996, when the Red Wings had financially, Holland was going to have to get creative. He approached outlasted a Blues team that included him, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger and four of his stars, Shanahan, Lidstrom, Yzerman and Chelios, and asked in a double-, 1-0 win in Game 7 of the Western them if they would be willing to defer $500,000 of salary to the following Conference semis. season to help make the numbers work. “I’m as fiery as any guy, and I usually just rip my equipment off and throw “They all immediately agreed,” Holland said. it down and get pissed off and go to the shower and get the heck out of the room and wait till tomorrow,” Hull said. “But … I put my helmet and “That just goes back to why they were such a great team and a great gloves up and sat in my stall with my uniform on because I knew that organization,” Hull said, “because the players were willing to do whatever someone, which was obviously going to be Stevie, was going to say it took, and everybody trusted Kenny Holland so much that they would do something profound. that to make their team better and to win.” “… I think deep in his mind he already had that feeling that, yeah, we’re It took until August for the deal to become final, the last piece in a three- going to go there and win, and everything’s going to be fine. But he superstar haul that surprised even the other players coming on board. needed everyone else to hear it, and he just stood up and said it. He “I couldn’t believe it,” Robitaille said. “I was like, wow. We already had a goes, ‘Hey, relax.’ He goes, ‘We’re a better team.’ He goes, ‘We’re going great team, and now we just added another player of Brett’s level?” to go to Vancouver, we’re going to win two games, we’re going to come back here and win again, and we’re going to win this in six games and “I was so excited about getting him on the team,” Hasek said, “because I then go from there. But just relax.’” know he’s the best goal scorer.” Holland, the architect of the team, remembers riding the plane to For as remarkable as Detroit’s offseason shakeup was, it would not have Vancouver, and thinking: “Wow, if we don’t turn this thing around, I’ve been remembered nearly so fondly if the Red Wings had not managed to gotta go meet with Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch here in a week, and we’re way put it all together when the games began. overbudgeted.”

Detroit, after all, had somehow managed to make its core older during an But they did. The Red Wings won four straight against Vancouver, then offseason when age was a primary question. And as much as the beat the Blues in five games in the next round. In the conference finals, overwhelming star power was evident, the Red Wings still had to actually against Colorado, the team went down three games to two, at which go out and win. They were bringing in a lot of what Holland called “strong point it was time for the domino that started everything to take control. personalities,” and even stronger résumés, to an already loaded team. “It’s the greatest display of goaltending I’ve ever seen back to back,” Would that many Hall of Famers be able to jell? McCarty said.

“It’s one thing to have all the ingredients,” McCarty said. “Then you’ve Hasek posted back-to-back shutouts to steal the series in seven games, gotta cook it. There’s only a few guys that can cook it.” including a 7-0 rout in Game 7 at home.

By that, he was referring to Scotty Bowman, the Red Wings’ legendary Two weeks later, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, defeating coach, who by that point had eight Stanley Cups to his name. Carolina in five games.

To a man, those interviewed for this story cited Bowman as a core It was not until that point, Hull said, that Hasek brought up the goal that reason the team was able to manage so many experienced superstars. had cost him a Stanley Cup three years prior. Hasek called him “special” and said he “knew how to handle the big stars.” Robitaille said Bowman “made sure we got what we were “We hugged each other,” Hull said, “and it was like, ‘Yes, now we’re on supposed to get, and he never veered from it.” Hull also pointed out that the right side, together.'” even without enough ice time to go around for everyone, it was tough to The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 argue with Bowman’s results: He was the one with eight rings going into that season.

“There’s no one (who’s) going to question what he does,” Hull said. 1186581 Minnesota Wild ability to play, it hasn’t felt a positive test or isolated cases would pull the plug on the season once it’s back up and running and players are being tested daily.

NHL has a plan, but it's short on details Still, it’s unclear what affect these more recent cases could have on the Much must be resolved to open camps on July 10. NHL’s plans and if they could delay the next steps — especially with cases surging in Florida and Arizona.

The Wild has not yet opened its practice rink for players to work out, but Sarah McLellan the ice has been installed at Tria Rink. Some players have started to skate on their own locally, including Luke Kunin, who said he has been JUNE 19, 2020 — 11:27PM getting on the ice with Zach Parise, Eric Staal and Jordan Greenway. The Wild is set to face Vancouver in a best-of-five during the qualifying round. Matchups are set, rinks have opened, and players are skating again. “First couple times getting out there it was a little difficult obviously to get But as much as it looks like the NHL is barreling toward a return later this back into it,” Kunin said this week. “But now feeling a lot better and just summer, there’s still plenty that needs to be addressed before the puck feeling more and more like myself, kind of like you would in a summer can drop. training looking forward to getting to training camp. It’s been fun to really get back out and get grinding again.” Next week could be vital to getting those answers. Kunin was traveling to St. Louis on Friday to visit family and planned to The NHL has circled July 10 for the start of training camps, a target that continue to skate there. gives the league and the NHL Players’ Association less than three weeks to finalize and approve the protocols for camp and the subsequent “I’m preparing and doing all the things as if we’re coming back and season. playing in the playoffs,” he said. “… I want to play some more hockey. I really liked what our team was doing. I guess we’ll see what happens.” While the two sides already signed off on the format for finishing 2019-20 — a 24-team pursuit of the Stanley Cup that will start with a play-in round Star Tribune LOADED: 06.20.2020 involving the Wild — figuring out how to execute this plan always figured to be more complicated.

Not only does the league need to hash out cleaning and testing policies to ensure safe competition, but it also has to determine accommodations, such as hotels and food, for players away from the rink. Who comes in contact with players is also likely to be a hot-button issue since some, such as the Wild’s Devan Dubnyk, have spoken out against being isolated from their families during this time. Naming two hub cities to host the action is also on the league’s to-do list.

A return-to-play committee that includes some of the NHL’s most prominent players has been collaborating with the league, and team player reps for the NHLPA have also been involved in the process.

What could make the upcoming days more urgent for all parties is preserving July 10 as a viable start date for teams to officially reconvene.

For that to happen, an agreement needs to be in place and it would need to be OK’d well in advance of July 10 to allow players enough time to travel back to their NHL cities. Last month, Commissioner said 17% of NHLers were outside of North America.

Others haven’t left the continent but are out of state. Wild defenseman Matt Dumba has been in Calgary with family and said his return to Minnesota would depend on when training camp begins.

“I’m working out and skating here, as well,” Dumba said recently. “… We’ll see what happens with the NHL schedule.”

A sooner-than-later resolution would also give clarity to the NHL’s calendar, which normally resets July 1 after contracts expire and free agency begins. Clearly, contracts would have to be adjusted; getting that squared away before they technically expire could avoid future confusion.

Logistical issues, however, aren’t the only obstacles standing in the way of an NHL relaunch.

So is what shut it down in the first place: the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced it had to close its facility to players who were participating in voluntary workouts after three players and additional staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The Toronto Sun also reported Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who has been staying in Arizona, tested positive in addition to a number of unidentified Coyotes players.

Earlier, a Boston player and an Arizona staff member tested positive after the NHL permitted teams to allow players back in their facilities to train in small groups. Ottawa and Colorado have reported multiple cases among players since the NHL paused the season March 12 while Pittsburgh has had one.

The NHL issued a statement Friday noting that of the more than 200 players to have been tested since June 8, 11 have tested positive. Although the league has acknowledged that an outbreak would affect its 1186582 Minnesota Wild

Wild star Matt Dumba commits to helping rebuild Lake Street in Minneapolis

DANE MIZUTANI

June 19, 2020 at 12:46 p.m.

Wild star Matt Dumba said he felt helpless a few weeks ago, watching from afar as parts of the Minneapolis and St. Paul went up in flames.

He understood the anger after George Floyd’s killing at the hands of a former Minneapolis police officer. He also wanted to make sure he did his part to help in the aftermath.

After a couple of weeks of discussion with family and friends, the 25- year-old Canadian launched an initiative on Thursday designed to help rebuild Lake Street in Minneapolis. He has partnered with the Lake Street Council and will match donations up to $100,000.

“Being a professional athlete has given me a platform and I have chosen to use it to amplify your voices and help the community,” Dumba said. “I will be silent no more.”

Over the last couple weeks I’ve talked to family and friends about what we can do to make a difference. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped out! It took all of us to make this happen and this is just the start! Full video in Link! https://t.co/jyR0ouR6na pic.twitter.com/15TFgSF4mN

— Matt Dumba (@matt_dumba) June 18, 2020

The first 1,000 donors will receive a custom George Floyd tribute T-shirt, and every donor will be entered for a chance to win a custom pair of Air Jordans designed by Dumba’s little brother Kyle. Additionally, Dumba will choose a donor at random from the United States and a donor at random from Canada to spend an afternoon with him. More information is available at www.rebuildminnesota.com.

“I love you Minnesota,” Dumba said. “Let’s come back from this stronger than ever.”

This announcement from Dumba comes a little more than a week after he joined a group of fellow minority hockey players in forming the Hockey Diversity Alliance with a mission of “eradicating racism” across the sport.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186583 Minnesota Wild Staal was 32 and coming off the worst season of his career when the longtime Carolina Hurricanes star agreed to a modest three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Wild. He found the fountain of youth in St. Paul. The 10 best free-agent signings in Minnesota sports history Staal led the Wild with 28 goals in his first season, his most in five years, more than doubling his shooting percentage from 6.5 to 13.3. And he was even better in Year 2.

Aaron Gleeman Staal tied Marian Gaborik’s single-season franchise record with 42 goals, fourth-most in the league and his first 40-goal season since he was 24. Jun 19, 2020 39 He shot a career-high 17.4 percent and made his fifth All-Star Game, selected for the first time in seven years. His numbers sagged a bit in Year 3, but Staal still topped 50 points and received a two-year Minnesota isn’t exactly known as a hotbed for big-money free-agent extension, bouncing back to make his sixth All-Star Game this season. moves, but there have been more impact signings than the teams’ During his four seasons in Minnesota, Staal leads the Wild in goals (111) collective reputation may suggest (although two teams have more than and points (240) by a wide margin. earned that rep). Below you’ll find my picks for Minnesota’s top 10 free- agent signings of all-time, with a blend of value received compared to the The Athletic national hockey writer Dom Luszczyszyn chose the Wild price paid, excitement level and overall impact. adding Staal as the NHL’s best free-agent signing of the past decade, calculating that he was worth about three times the value of the contract You will notice a lack of basketball signings on this list. I tried to find and writing: “To this day, it’s hard to fathom how the best deal Staal worthy candidates, but both Timberwolves and Lynx history are received was just $3.5 million per for three years.” shockingly devoid of great — or even good — free-agent signings. All of the best Lynx players were drafted or acquired via trade, and the Wolves 4. Antoine Winfield — Vikings, 2004 have rarely done anything of note in free agency except make missteps, Winfield was on the verge of joining the as a free agent but both earned a nod in the honorable mention section. Also, we did not after five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, but the Vikings swooped in at the include players signed as undrafted free agents (like John Randle, Adam last minute to sign the diminutive, hard-tackling cornerback to a six-year, Thielen and Dino Ciccarelli) or waiver claim pick-ups (like Cris Carter) for $34.8 million deal. Asked what changed his mind, Winfield explained: this. These are only players who had already established themselves in “Once we got off the plane, I saw the snow and I was like, ‘This is home.'” some way at the top level of their sport and were on the open market. Winfield played nine seasons in Minnesota, making three Pro Bowls and Let’s get to the list, our local contribution to The Athletic’s weeklong look being named one of the 50 greatest Vikings of all time. He ranks among at great moments in free agency. their top 10 career leaders in solo tackles (620), tackles for loss (45), 1. Jack Morris — Twins, 1991 interceptions (21) and forced fumbles (11). As a little bonus, his son, Antoine Winfield Jr., picked the University of Minnesota and is one of the Morris spent the first 14 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the best Gophers defensive backs ever. Detroit Tigers, but the St. Paul native returned home in 1991 to lead the Twins on a magical, unexpected championship run culminating with one 5. Pat Williams — Vikings, 2005 of the greatest postseason pitching performances of all time. And it all One year after signing Winfield, the Vikings lured another defensive free happened because, as Morris explained then: “I’ve wanted to play in agent away from the Bills, adding Williams on a three-year, $13 million Minnesota since I was a kid.” deal. He was 32 and had played eight years in Buffalo as one of the Morris was 36 and coming off three straight mediocre seasons when he NFL’s elite run-stoppers. With the Vikings, he formed the “Williams Wall” turned down a three-year offer to stay in Detroit and signed a one-year alongside Kevin Williams, wreaking havoc on interior offensive lines with deal with the Twins. He started 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA, but then went 18-9 their strength and athleticism. with a 3.19 ERA in his final 32 starts, including a 1.74 ERA in September. Vikings coach Mike Tice excitedly deemed it “a great signing” and called He was just getting warmed up, going 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in October. him “a beast against the run.” Williams was never a Pro Bowler in He reached Minnesota Sports Legend™ status — and punched his ticket Buffalo, but he was a three-time selection in Minnesota and the Vikings to Cooperstown — on Oct. 27, 1991, refusing to give up a run or to leave allowed the league’s fewest rushing yards in all three of those seasons, Game 7 until the Twins beat the Atlanta Braves. Ten shutout innings, all plus a fourth season in which they were 61 yards from leading the NFL when one bad pitch could have lost the World Series. And when Dan again. Gladden crossed home plate with the winning run, Morris had his jacket 6. Nelson Cruz — Twins, 2019 on to stay warm for the 11th. Multi-year free-agent signings are few and far between in Twins history, One year, one homecoming, one title and one game no one will ever as they rarely went big-name shopping until landing Josh Donaldson this forget. winter. That shockingly uncharacteristic signing was made possible by a 2. Steve Hutchinson — Vikings, 2006 record-setting 101-win season, the fuse for which was lit when the Twins inked Cruz to a one-year deal the previous winter. The only thing better than a great free-agent signing is one that requires some trickery to pull off. They out-bid other AL contenders for the six-time All-Star slugger with a $14 million, one-year deal, and also brilliantly negotiated a second-year Hutchinson was a 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowl left guard for the team option with a $12 million salary. Becoming just the fifth player in when he became a restricted free agent in 2006. It MLB history to top a 1.000 OPS in an age-38 season, Cruz hit was a foregone conclusion that they planned to match any offer he .311/.392/.639 with 41 homers and 108 RBIs in 120 games as the leader received, but the Vikings had other ideas, signing Hutchinson to a seven- of the Bomba Squad and our Twins MVP. year, $49 million offer sheet that was the richest in NFL history for a guard and contained a “poison pill.” 7. — Vikings, 1997

According to the offer terms, it would become fully guaranteed the Cunningham retired following 11 years with the , moment Hutchinson wasn’t his team’s highest-paid lineman. Since the sitting out the 1996 season. He was running a granite business when Seahawks had just signed future Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones to Dennis Green talked him out of retirement to back up Brad Johnson on a a bigger deal, they couldn’t match without wrecking the cap. Seattle cheap one-year deal. Cunningham stepped in for the injured Johnson didn’t even get compensation for Hutchinson, because they’d used the late in 1997, winning a playoff game against the , and transition tag, not the franchise tag. remained the starter in 1998.

And it worked out for the Vikings. Hutchinson made the Pro Bowl in each Throwing to Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Jake Reed, with Robert Smith of his first four seasons in Minnesota, including three first-team All-Pro in the backfield, Cunningham had the greatest season of his great nods. He was named to the 2000s all-decade team and was inducted career, leading the Vikings to a 15-1 record and the highest-scoring into the Hall of Fame earlier this year. offense in NFL history at the time. He totaled 3,704 yards and 34 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions, topping the NFL in quarterback 3. Eric Staal — Wild, 2016 rating (106.0) and being named first-team All-Pro. 8. Brian Rolston — Wild, 2004

Rolston won the Stanley Cup as a rookie coached by Jacques Lemaire in New Jersey, and a decade later they reunited in Minnesota. His three- year deal was delayed by the 2004-05 lockout, but their $9.6 million investment paid off with 30-plus goals in all three years. During that span, Rolston led the Wild in ice time and power-play goals (39) while ranking second in total goals (96) and points (202).

Rolston also learned to unleash the full power of his legendary slapshot while in Minnesota. Jean-Sebastian Giguere once ducked for cover to avoid the same fate as Roberto Luongo, who was knocked to the ice by a Rolston blast to the mask and then later got beat by the same shot on a penalty. Sports Illustrated once rated Rolston’s slapshot as the eighth- best in NHL history.

9. Chili Davis — Twins, 1991

Six days before welcoming Morris home, the Twins signed another free agent for 1991, adding the switch-hitting Davis on a one-year, $1.7 million deal that included a $2.5 million second-year option. His acquisition gets lost in Morris’ shadow, but Davis was every bit as valuable during the 1991 regular season by hitting .277/.385/.507 and leading the Twins in homers (29) and RBIs (93).

Davis was no slouch in the playoffs either, batting .257/.381/.486 with homers in Game 2 (Tom Glavine) and Game 3 (Alejandro Peña) of the World Series. Picking up his option for 1992 was a no-brainer. Davis’ power numbers dipped in the encore, but he hit .288/.386/.439 to rate 30 percent better than a league-average hitter and rank third on the 90-win team in OPS.

10. and Zach Parise — Wild, 2012

Any team handing out a giant long-term deal is hoping the early part goes well enough to make up for the inevitable decline phase, and Wild fans are divided on if that’s been the case with the matching 13-year, $98 million pacts signed by Suter and Parise eight years ago. Father Time has been kinder to Suter, who’s played 600 of a possible 609 games — 87 more than Parise — and averaged 28 minutes per.

Lack of playoff success looms over the deals, but both Suter and Parise remain valuable players in their mid-30s. Suter, in particular, is still a top defenseman, receiving Norris Trophy votes every season and totaling 40 assists in 69 games this year at 35. Parise’s been no slouch either, leading the team in goal-scoring five times — including each of the past two seasons. With five seasons left, things have the potential to get ugly, but Suter especially deserves credit for aging as well as the Wild could have hoped.

Honorable mention: Brett Favre (Vikings), Andrew Brunette (Wild), Jim Thome (Twins), Christian Ramirez (Minnesota United), Brian Harper (Twins), Linval Joseph (Vikings), Paul Molitor (Twins), Ervin Santana (Twins), Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Lynx), Taj Gibson (Wolves), Gump Worsley (North Stars)

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186584 Minnesota Wild Vairo told Joel Boyd that “hockey needs you” and that “you should stick with hockey.”

By that point, Boyd was fully immersed in hockey. He was the team Meet the Boyds: The black hockey family you’ve never heard of in the for youth teams in USA Hockey’s setup. He was the team NHL physician for the United States men’s national team at the 1998 world championships. He had the same post with the U.S. men’s national team for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, while serving in the Ryan S. Clark same role with the U.S. women’s national squad.

Jun 19, 2020 That was also around the time when there were rumblings the NHL was going to grant an expansion team to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

“I really wanted to be involved with that,” Boyd said. “I sort of set out a Grace, humility and respect is the earnest, honest approach the Boyds strategic plan to make that happen. … I knew already enough about have taken when discussing how their family is like so many others. sports. Everyone knew I was qualified. A number of people who knew me But that’s the thing. Their family is not like other families. Especially those knew I was qualified to do the job. Since the North Stars had left, I had in the NHL. done as much hockey or more hockey than anyone else in the area who had done sports medicine. I worked with the Minnesota Moose and I NHL agent Eustace King has joked with Joel Boyd before about the fact worked with a roller hockey team called the Arctic Blast.” they are the “First Black Family of Hockey” because of what they have achieved. Dr. Joel Boyd is an orthopedic surgeon and the first black team It led to Boyd making several connections, even receiving a letter of physician in league history, a position he has held with the Minnesota recommendation from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Boyd Wild since their inception. His daughter, Kendall Boyd-Tyson, is the vice interviewed with the Wild and has remained their team physician ever president for strategy and analytics for NHL Seattle. His son Kyle also since. works for NHL Seattle as the team’s youth and community He had professional success. But a commitment to family was a priority development/training director. for Boyd and his wife, Cheryl. They raised their three children in their “There has always been a lot of encouragement for us to do well. That Eden Prairie home. Kasey, Kendall and Kyle were all academically has always been there,” Kyle said. “We have always had a lot of support strong students, in addition to being active in sports. Both Kasey and around academics and sports and the arts, as well. It’s always been that, Kyle were members of the boys’ hockey team at The Blake School, while and I don’t know if it is an adage, but it’s knowing sometimes you have to Kendall played for the girls’ basketball team. work hard and sometimes work twice as hard. That is part of the black Kendall did play hockey but basketball, which is also a winter sport in experience in America. We grew up in a family where there was Minnesota, remains her first love. Her first job in sports was being a obviously the expectation of hard work but there was a lot of support. ballgirl for the Minnesota Lynx for three years. But her path into sports “I think my sister would agree: We would not have gotten there without was different than most. She earned a sociology degree from Emory the support of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the University, while also earning an industrial and system engineering community around us.” degree from Georgia Tech. During her time at Georgia Tech, she interned at Coca-Cola, where she was part of a recycling program held at Boyd grew up in Washington, D.C. He loved sports and considered Turner Field, which was then the home of the Atlanta Braves. himself to be a good enough high school football player who once considered trying to play at the University of Oklahoma or the University “We started off and I had to design the study and picked a certain of Maryland. He was a high school senior when the Washington Capitals number of games, and we sorted what was in the recycling bins after first came into the NHL as an expansion team. Going to those games is each game and what was in the trash cans after each game,” she said. where he saw skate for the first time. “We’d come and see how many things came into the recycling bin and how many of those things went into the trash when they should have Understand something. Willie O’Ree made his debut in 1958 and last been in the recycling bin. Afterward, it was about coming with played in the NHL in 1961. Then there was Marson in 1974 – 13 years recommendations on improving recycling collections and it was about bin since O’Ree last played – taking the ice as the second black player in placement. (The Braves) said, ‘That’s fantastic. Can you stay and we will league history. In D.C., which at that point was still a predominantly black do it next season?’ city. Flying around the ice with a full-blown afro. “I stayed on to do the study after we made the changes and implemented “We’re like, ‘Wow. That’s huge. I had no idea. They have a black guy those recommendations.” playing hockey,'” Boyd said. “It was like, “OK. I gotta see this.” Kendall graduated from Georgia Tech with the goal of being a consultant. Boyd took a visit to Bucknell University. He decided to play football there She was hired by Accenture in a role she held for four years. But in 2015 while also taking the necessary courses to cover pre-med requirements. she decided that she wanted to go to business school to hone her He did a graduate season of football. In that time, he took even more financial analyst skills. The plan was to use that experience to work with courses while taking the MCAT. From there, he went to Temple for local and state governments. medical school. Being at Bucknell meant he was not around hockey that much anymore but that soon changed. She went to the Yale School of Business, where she began exploring her options. One of her friends and mentors suggested she try sports He did a fellowship in London, , which put him around hockey in a because she talked about it “all the time.” From there, a seed was medical capacity. He then moved to Minneapolis and joined the planted and it led to an internship with the LPGA. Kendall graduated from Minnesota State High School League in 1992, serving as the medical Yale in 2017 and went to work for TopGolf in a corporate development director for more than a decade. That allowed him to be a central figure and strategy role. in the Minnesota boys state hockey tournament, one of the premier high school events in the nation. But it was not all about studies at Yale. She was part of the school’s club hockey team and later became a captain. They practiced once a week, Then came the major push that started Boyd on his trajectory. A friend with everyone separated by their skill level. recommended he should go to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. so he could be “It’s a global business school. The majority of the students have not only certified to work as a team doctor at an Olympic Games. He took a six- not played hockey but can’t skate,” she said. “After my first year, the fact week course and was then used for events. Both of USA Basketball I could skate put me in the intermediate group, borderline advanced. I men’s and women’s teams got an opportunity to have Boyd, an volunteered to be a captain. Not because I was qualified from a skill orthopedic surgeon, work with them. So did USA Hockey. Joel Boyd was perspective but because I was interested in teaching people the game becoming more visible and more popular. and exposing people to the game. It was my mission to go get all the different minorities, women, people from Asian countries, people who are Lou Vairo, the director of special projects for USA Hockey, was one of not from the States, people who are from the South and have never the people Boyd befriended. They established a relationship and level of really been on the ice before, to say, ‘Hey, you should give hockey club a respect that was already in place when Vairo told Joel Boyd something shot.'” that resonates even to this day. Kendall said the club team plays one game a year where the first-year students face the second-year students for the Garstka Cup. She said practically the entire school watches the game but the exciting part was seeing someone who was not able to skate the beginning of the year score a goal.

“That is when the whole school goes nuts and everyone on the bench is excited because that is a moment they know they are never going to have again, most likely,” Kendall said. “That’s why I wanted to be a captain. It was to be a part of those special moments for people.”

Even with the work she did at Yale, Kendall has no problem admitting that Kyle was the one with a great passion for hockey. Kyle is the better hockey player and Kendall would come to him for advice on what she could do to teach others on the team.

Kyle went to Dartmouth, where he graduated with a history degree while also playing club hockey at the famed Ivy League institution. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. He worked for Teach For America and spent four years working at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass., until he moved to Seattle to teach at Lakeside School.

There was a day when Kyle went to an open skate at a rink in Renton, a Seattle suburb, and struck up a conversation with a person there. That person was NHL Seattle CEO and team president Tod Leiweke. They discussed a number of things, including Kendall, and it ultimately led to NHL Seattle hiring the two siblings.

A chance meeting with an NHL executive is one thing. But it is another when that same executive has history with your family.

“I was on my way to a Minnesota Wild game. Kyle sent me a text saying, ‘Tod says hello,'” Joel Boyd recalled. “I was like, ‘Tod who?’ I have no idea who Tod is. He said that I must not have gotten the picture. I was trying to get to the game. I get to the game and he sent me a picture of himself and Tod Leiweke. Then, I call him and Tod is still there. Tod gets on and starts talking.

“Tod was the first president of the Minnesota Wild and I was already there when he was. Tod and I knew each other from Day 1.”

Both Kendall and Kyle shared what it was like having a father who was a successful surgeon who also worked in sports and how they found it inspiring.

Kyle said both his parents are people who lead by example. He said his father uses a sense of humor to bring people into a conversation. Seeing how people gravitated and reacted toward his dad was something he admired.

“When I was a younger person, I was a little more frustrated because I wanted to go where I wanted to go and he would not stop talking to every person,” Kyle joked. “But to see how people viewed him and how they are in awe of what he has done for them, whether it was a friend of a friend of a friend or a colleague, it was a lesson that I took to heart. For me, growing up, I just wanted to be a person who made a difference in people’s lives and make the world better.

“It was the same thing with my mom. She worked in education and worked in schools and did admission and financial aid work to help people get education for their children and help them get opportunities. They were people-first people.”

Kendall said her parents raised her and her brothers to believe in trying new things with the idea that they should never be afraid to fail. That they stressed the importance of education while also having a sense of community. She shuffled through those early memories of her childhood when her dad was a team doctor and they went to events like Augsburg University football games or Minnesota Moose hockey games.

She just viewed those experiences as fun times her and her siblings got to spend with their dad.

“This is why I see all this as God’s plan,” she said. “It’s not like my dad worked in hockey and said, ‘You have to play and here, go intern with the Wild.’ He did not do any of that. I was at Accenture in Atlanta and Kyle was teaching and in St. Louis. I think we’re here at this moment truly by the grace of God. That is why it had to be God’s plan.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186585 Montreal Canadiens Even if players are kept in a “bubble” — as is the plan for the hub cities — COVID-19 will spread very quickly if only one player has it. It will also be very hard to keep players in a bubble during the Phase 3 training Stu on Sports: Don't bet on the NHL playoffs ever getting started camps.

Look how quickly the flu bug spreads through the Canadiens’ locker room every season, despite all the precautions the team’s training staff Stu Cowan takes, including disinfecting the locker room and equipment.

“It’s not just a Montreal thing, it’s a league thing,” Canadiens coach Claude Julien said in February when I asked him about the flu bug that I’ve been saying for quite a while now that I’ll believe it when I see it as was going through the locker room at the time and had sidelined Carey far as the NHL actually having any playoff games this season and Price, among others. “Every year — every team I know I’ve been on — Friday’s events made me doubt even more that they will ever happen. we go through that and it’s usually this time of year. A lot of different The Tampa Bay Lightning were forced to close down their training facility reasons. Obviously, the flu bug being around, there’s fatigue. These guys on Friday after three players and two staff members tested positive for put out a lot of energy. They’re always together. Everywhere you turn COVID-19. TSN’s Bob McKenzie (who else?) was the first to break the around you’re touching the same thing, so it just takes one or two news Friday afternoon. players. Door handles … it can be anything. We try and do our best. We disinfect the room, we encourage guys to use the disinfectants that are Later Friday afternoon, Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reported that everywhere in the dressing room and do the best they can.” Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews had also tested positive for COVID-19 in Arizona.

POSTMEDIA EXCLUSIVE: Auston Matthews has tested positive for At this point, there must be a lot of NHL players thinking twice about COVID-19. My breaking story: https://t.co/oEAABdUlTU wanting to take part in the COVID-19 playoffs.

— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) June 19, 2020 Like I said, I’ll believe it when I see it if the NHL actually plays any games. Also on Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies were forced to close their training facility in Clearwater, Fla., after five players and three staff No Canadiens players skated at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on members tested positive for COVID-19. The Toronto Blue Jays also Friday. closed their facility in Dunedin, Fla., after a player exhibited coronavirus Mercredi, les joueurs ont travaillé leurs feintes. symptoms. On Wednesday, players worked on their dekes and In Hilton Head, S.C., golfer Nick Watney withdrew from the PGA Tour’s dangles.pic.twitter.com/bW8TLYzOfO RBC Heritage tournament on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19 before the start of the second round. The PGA Tour said Watney had — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 19, 2020 tested negative for the virus when he arrived at the event earlier in the week before testing positive on Friday when he started having symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Another Hall of Fame for Carbonneau

Florida has become a hot spot for COVID-19 with a daily record of 3,822 Former Canadiens captain Guy Carbonneau is going to have to write new cases reported on Friday, pushing the state’s total to nearly 89,748. another Hall of Fame speech. According to the Florida Department of Health, it was the second straight day with a record number of new cases after 3,207 cases were reported On Thursday, Carbonneau was named as one of seven new members of on Thursday. the Panthéon des sports du Québec. Carbonneau will be joined by boxer Lucian Buté, cross-country skier Alex Harvey, hockey player Caroline Before June 11, Florida had never reported more than 1,500 cases in a Ouellette and mountain-biker Marie-Hélène Prémont in the athlete single day. category, and Sonia Denoncourt and Tom Quinn as builders.

Here’s the statement Lightning GM Julien BriseBois released on Friday Carbonneau remains the last Canadiens captain to hoist the Stanley Cup afternoon about his team’s situation. in 1993 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year. Bute pic.twitter.com/7Ief4qahT0 held the IBF super-middleweight title from 2007 to 2012 and had an overall record of 32-5, including 25 . Harvey won five medals, — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 19, 2020 including two gold, at the world cross-country skiing championships, had eight victories on the World Cup circuit and competed at three Olympic The NBA is planning to resume play in late July at Disney World in Games. Ouellette won four gold medals with Team Canada at the Orlando, Fla., while MLS is planning to return to action on July 8 at Olympics and won six gold medals at the women’s hockey world ESPN’s Wide World of Sport in Bay Lake, Fla., near Orlando. championship. Prémont was a six-time Canadian champion in mountain- Florida does not look like the best place right now to be playing games biking and competed at two Olympics, winning a silver medal in Athens in and it doesn’t help that U.S. president Donald Trump is acting like the 2004. She also won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in COVID-19 pandemic is already over. Melbourne and was the overall World Cup champion in 2008.

NHL players were allowed to start skating in small groups at team practice facilities on June 8 as Phase 2 of the Return to Play Plan. The Denoncourt was the first women to become an accredited soccer referee NHL is planning to open full training camps on July 10 as part of Phase by FIFA. Quinn, a former elite badminton player, was director of a 3, while Phase 4 would be the actual playing of games in two hub cities number of sport organizations. that have yet to be selected by the NHL. Because of COVID-19, this year’s class of inductees will be honoured at The NHL announced Friday evening that 11 players so far have tested a ceremony next year. positive for COVID-19 in Phase 2.

NHL statement on Phase 2 testing. pic.twitter.com/2FBhgdbFsP HI/O Show returns next week — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 19, 2020 The Hockey Inside/Out Show will return on Thursday, June 25, with a Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Friday that special video conference episode focusing on the Canadiens and the Canada’s top officer, Dr. , and health officials NHL playoffs. in , and Ontario had signed off on the NHL plan as far as Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto being possible hub cities. Be sure to check it out on our HI/O homepage on Thursday morning and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an you can view all of our previous episodes here. email that the possibility of having both hub cities in Canada hasn’t been ruled out. This Date in Expos History

It was on June 19, 1990, that the Expos’ Spike Owen — one of the great names in baseball history — set a record for shortstops by playing in his 61st consecutive game without making an error.

“Getting the record and all is nice,” Owen told reporters, including former Montreal Gazette baseball writer Jeff Blair, after the game, which the Expos lost 2-1 to the Chicago Cubs at Olympic Stadium. “But, to be honest, I was more excited Monday when I tied it because we won the game (beating the Cubs 5-1).

“I’m happy with this, though,” Owen added. “Don’t get me wrong. Mostly, I’m happy because to me the record means consistency. That’s what I’m most proudest of.”

Owen eclipsed the National League record of 60 set from July 22-Oct. 2, 1988, by the ’ Kevin Elster. The major-league record of 72 games was set in 1972 by the Detroit Tigers’ Eddie Brinkman.

THIS DATE IN #EXPOS HISTORY - June 19

1990 - Spike Owen broke the National League record of 60 consecutive errorless games by a shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

1979 - Bill Lee had an RBI hit as he and combined to beat the 3-2. pic.twitter.com/boTrslci1O

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) June 19, 2020

Video of the day

Kids, don’t try this at home:

My man was SOARING

(IG/bobreesecookiemonster) pic.twitter.com/7lXRN711Bz

— Whistle (@WhistleSports) June 19, 2020

Photo of the Day – Part 1

It certainly looks like Lewis Hamilton is physically fit and ready if the Formula One season resumes:

Still pushing. 2 weeks until the first race and whilst there is so much work going on in the background, I am still fully focused on this race season. pic.twitter.com/zcCqKm3P7C

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 18, 2020

Photo of the Day – Part 2

Cheers to the weekend!

Perfect night for a margarita and my wife - who was a bartender for many years - makes the best ones. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/f5JQxPfdSn

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) June 19, 2020

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186586 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ Jack Hughes plans to work - and eat - his way to big success: ‘I will get stronger’

Randy Miller

There was no single moment during Devils center Jack Hughes’ rookie season where a lightbulb went off in his head that his 18-year-old body wasn’t built for the NHL.

It didn’t take being rammed into the boards by a giant defenseman like the Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara, who checks in at 6-9, 250, or being pushed off the puck by a massive forward like Tampa Bay Lightning center Brian Boyle, who is 6-6, 245, or losing a puck battle in the corner to someone built like Dustin Byfuglien, the Winnipeg Jets’ 6-5, 250-pound blueliner.

“I knew I had to get stronger,” Hughes said Thursday in a media Zoom call from his home in suburban Detroit.

The next words that came out of Hughes’ mouth was a vow that was made with conviction:

“I will get stronger over the years.”

Hughes is listed at 5-10, 168 pounds. He probably won’t get taller, but he still some filling out to do. That, more than anything, is what he’ll be working on during the Devils’ very long offseason, which began in March and could last until January due to the coronavirus stoppage.

This already is a work in process for Hughes, who managed just seven goals and 17 points over 61 games as a super-hyped rookie who was picked first overall in the 2019 NHL draft.

His weight-gain plan is simple.

Big meals.

Lots of meals.

“Obviously, I’m trying to eat a lot, gain weight that way,” Hughes said.

It’ll take more than loading up on pasta and milkshakes to turn added pounds to muscle though, and Hughes will not be taking shortcuts pumping iron in the weight room.

“I’ve worked out hard my whole life, but I’ll never get a period like this where the offseason is six or seven months,” Hughes said. “So that’s something we’re big on right now.”

More muscle should be a trump card for Hughes, who has the skillset to put up big numbers with a stronger frame, perhaps even score at least six times what he did this season, which would be 42 goals and 126 points.

“Jack’s potential is high, high, high,” TSN director or scouting recently told NJ Advance Media. “I’ve watched him for too, too long to think anything less than he’s going to be a star in the NHL.”

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

Button isn’t surprised though that Hughes went through growing pains this year.

“Jack Hughes wasn’t ready for the National Hockey League from a physical standpoint,” he said. “It’s plain and simple.”

Hughes agrees.

“Obviously get bigger and stronger,” he said. “That’ll happen. I’ve been working out hard the last two months. It’s been good a good start.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186587 New Jersey Devils Dainius Zubrus, July, 3 2007, six years, $20.4 million

Zubrus played more games for the Devils after signing as a free agent (from another NHL team) than anyone. We said the Devils have not been The Devils and free agency: Best and worst signings, and the ones who a club that bagged the big trophies in the free-agent market. Zubrus’ best got away season was 2011-12, when he scored 17 goals and tallied 44 points, then added 10 more points during the club’s run to the Cup Final.

Corey Masisak Bobby Carpenter, Sept. 30, 1993

Jun 19, 2020 Carpenter had played for four other teams by the time he arrived in New Jersey as a late addition ahead of the 1993-94 season. He ended up playing his last six seasons with the Devils, winning the Cup in 1995 and then again in 2000 and 2003 as an assistant coach. His contributions There are years of data to show that doing business in the NHL during continued after leaving the franchise, albeit indirectly — he and another the month of July is not an efficient way to build a champion. former Devils coach, Robbie Ftorek, were important influences and family Specifically, the free agency market is fraught with bad deals for friends for a young Jack Hughes. overpriced veterans, players who can’t meet the expectations set by their Honorable mention: Doug Sulliman, Doug Brown, Greg Adams, Brian past performances. The Devils are a good example for why spending a Boyle lot money in the first week of free agency can be bad business. Worst signings When New Jersey was a perennial Stanley Cup contender and won three championships in nine years, it rarely dipped into the free-agent market. Vladimir Malakhov, Aug. 5, 2005, two years, $7.2 million The first championship team in 1995 included one player who was acquired as a free agent — Bobby Carpenter. Malakhov’s first brief run with the club was prosperous. He joined the team before the 2000 trade deadline and won the Stanley Cup. The One of the four most important players in franchise history, Scott second one was disastrous. Malakhov played 29 games before the Stevens, arrived because another team signed one of the Devils’ Devils were going to send him to the minors, so he left the team, then restricted free agents. New Jersey’s three best free-agent signings did came back and was suspended for the rest of the season. not happen in July, and the players did not come from another NHL team. The Devils were over the cap the following offseason, so they unloaded Malakhov to San Jose, but had to include a first-round pick to entice the And when the core of the Cup era teams was declining, the decision to Sharks. San Jose used that pick to land former Devils forward Bill Geurin get more active in free agency — in part because the team’s drafting before the 2007 trade deadline from St. Louis. The Blues used New prowess had disappeared — dug the franchise a figurative hole that it Jersey’s former pick to select David Perron, who has 550 points and 850 has spent half a decade trying to climb out of. games played in his career.

So here are the best and worst free-agent signings in Devils history, with Mike Cammalleri, July 1, 2014, five years, $25 million a bonus at the end. While the Devils haven’t added many prominent free agents, other clubs have signed plenty from New Jersey. Of the guys Cammalleri scored 27 goals in his first season with New Jersey and put who signed elsewhere, which ones did the Devils miss the most? up 38 points in 42 games his second year. But his production dropped off significantly in Year 3 (31 points in 61 games). The Devils bought out the Best signings final two years. Players and coach John Hynes talked about how much better the team’s chemistry and culture was in 2017-18 during the club’s Brian Rafalski, June 18, 1999 (signed from HIFK in Finland) lone march to a playoff berth since 2012, and Cammalleri was the most Rafalski was quite a find for the Devils, and he became the No. 3 prominent subtraction from the year before. defenseman on one of the best corps in the NHL for years. He played Anton Volchenkov, July 1, 2010, six years, $25.5 million 541 games with the Devils and was part of the 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup champions. Volchenkov played more than 20 minutes per game for four straight seasons with Ottawa before joining New Jersey. That dropped to 18:06 in He finished in the top 15 of the Norris Trophy voting three times, and his first season with the Devils and continued to drop each of the next collected 60 points in 102 playoff games. He had more points (18) during three years. The club bought out the final two seasons of his deal. the 2001 run to the Cup Final than Scott Niedermayer and combined. Ryane Clowe, July 5, 2013, five years, $24.25 million

John Madden, June 26, 1997 (undrafted free agent from Michigan) Clowe scored eight goals in 56 games for the Devils before a concussion in November 2014 ended his career. He had an injury history that made Madden played 712 games for the Devils, which is 13th most in franchise this a risky deal to begin with, and Clowe hadn’t played like a nearly $5 history. He won the Cup twice with New Jersey and a third time with million per year player in either of the two previous seasons before Chicago after signing a one-year deal with the Blackhawks in 2009. signing with the Devils. It was a deal that a lot of people were skeptical of Madden is the only player in franchise history to win the Selke Trophy as the day it was signed, and the critics were unfortunately proven correct. the best defensive forward in the league. He also finished second in two other seasons. No player who signed with the Devils as a free agent Brian Rolston, 2.0, July 1, 2008, four years, $20.25 million scored more than Madden’s 297 points with the franchise. Rolston’s second stint with the club did not meet expectations. He had Andy Greene, April 4, 2006 (undrafted free agent from Miami (Ohio)) scored 30-plus goals for three straight seasons prior to reaching free agency. He never topped 20 in three seasons back with the Devils and Greene is sixth in franchise history with 923 games played. He’s also fifth was traded to the Islanders for Trent Hunter, who was bought out before among New Jersey defensemen in points, behind Niedermayer, Stevens, ever playing a game with New Jersey. Rafalski and Bruce Driver. Stevens is the only player to be captain of the Devils for longer. Greene was on track to become the fourth player to Ones who got away play 1,000 games for the franchise sometime next season, but he was traded to the Islanders before the deadline in February. Scott Niedermayer, Ducks on Aug. 4, 2005, four years, $27 million

Jaromir Jagr, July 22, 2013, one year, $2 million This is a tough one. Niedermayer is one of the best free-agent signings in NHL history. It’s pretty simple — if a player signs as a free agent and Jagr’s late-career return to the NHL had gone OK before he joined New wins the Conn Smythe Trophy during that contract, it’s one of the Jersey. It morphed from return to renaissance with the Devils. In 2013- greatest deals ever. There are only 46 players who have won playoff 14, he authored one of the greatest seasons by a player in his 40s in MVP. He also finished in the top 10 of the Norris Trophy voting all four league history, scoring 67 points. He signed another one-year deal for seasons of the contract — that’s getting consistent value at any cost. the following year and was traded before the deadline to Florida. The return from the Panthers was two draft picks, and the Devils flipped those Bruce Driver, Rangers on Aug. 25, 1995, three years, $3.9 million two selections to Anaheim for Kyle Palmieri. Driver became the first of four important Devils to sign with their heated he was four years younger than Holik, and the Rangers were able to flip rivals across the Hudson River. He helped the Rangers beat the Devils in him to Montreal to thieve a young Ryan McDonagh in one of the worst the second round of the playoffs in 1997. Driver had 30-plus points in the trades in Canadiens history. But Gomez had three seasons with more first two years of the deal before dipping to 20 and retiring after the third than 40 points after the contract and was bought out in January 2013 season. He appeared in 26 playoff games for the Rangers, while the with two seasons left (thanks to the 2012-13 lockout). Devils played 16 in those three years. Brendan Shanahan, Blues on July 25, 1991, four years, approximately $5 Paul Martin, Penguins on July 1, 2010, five years, $25 million million

Martin averaged 23:28 of ice time per game in six seasons with the Shanahan went on to have a Hall of Fame career, but Devils fans know Devils, and then 23:31 over the five years of his contract with Pittsburgh. why he’s in this group and not the previous one. In a signature moment The player who had the most similar career to his, according to Hockey for the New Jersey franchise, an independent arbiter awarded Scott Reference’s Similarity Score, is Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Both guys were Stevens to the Devils as compensation for St. Louis signing Shanahan, a not flashy and did not rack up the points, but had strong puck possession restricted free agent. Shanahan was phenomenal, but he didn’t mean numbers. nearly as much to the Blues as Stevens did to the Devils.

Brian Gionta, Canadiens on July 1, 2009, five years, $25 million Dave Andreychuk, Bruins on July 29, 1999, one year, $1.2 million

Gionta scored 28 goals and then added 15 playoff points in his first The Devils traded for four future Hockey Hall of Fame members during season with Montreal, helping the Habs on their best postseason run in the Cup era (1995-03) who all left as free agents. Andreychuk was on the 17 years. He captained the club for his final four years, and Montreal team for the longest, while Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk and Phil reached the conference finals again in his last season. Gionta never Housley all stopped by for less than two full seasons. All of these guys topped 46 points with the Habs, but did score at a 51-point pace in 45 were near the end of their careers when they arrived, though Gilmour playoff games. and Nieuwendyk both had a couple of productive seasons after signing elsewhere. Claude Lemieux, Coyotes in Dec. 5 2000, three years, $9 million Nieuwendyk was the only one of the group who won the Cup with New Craig Morgan called this the third-worst signing in Coyotes history for Fox Jersey, and he was injured during the 2003 playoff run (his injury Sports, and we’ll get to the nonsense. But in hindsight, would the Devils eventually led to the Devils putting Mike Rupp into the lineup and that yield $9 million to have a fourth championship? Could Lemieux, even in a worked out well). This group could grow to five if Alexander Mogilny gets declining state, mustered one more bit of playoff magic to swing the 2001 elected to the HHOF. Cup Final? The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 Lemieux agreed to a deal with his friend, Wayne Gretzky, but No. 99 did not have control of the team yet. So he had to sign a veteran’s minimum deal to play on until the ownership sale went through. There’s no way something like that would be allowed 20 years later. And the Gretzky-led Coyotes still traded Lemieux to Dallas before the end of the deal because it was too expensive given his production.

Zach Parise, Wild on July 4, 2012, 13 years, $98 million

Parise is an interesting case that probably deserves to land in both categories. The Devils were definitely worse off without him in the final seasons before took over … but that contract is a really bad one. Parise and Ryan Suter never got Minnesota past the second round of the playoffs, and Parise’s form dipped significantly before rebounding the past two seasons to be a really good, but not great player. Fun fact: He has scored 192 goals for the Wild in eight seasons after scoring 194 in seven with New Jersey. Less fun fact: There are still five years left on the contract.

Ones that weren’t missed

Bobby Holik, Rangers on July 1, 2002, five years, $45 million

The book “Money Players: The Amazing Rise and Fall of Bob Goodenow and the NHL Players Association” by Bruce Dowbiggin begins with a behind-the-scenes look at how Holik earned a contract at $9 million per season, and how it was a sign of pending labor doom. Holik made $18.45 million in the first two seasons while the Rangers missed the playoffs both years. The third season was wiped out by the lockout, and New York bought out the remaining two.

David Clarkson, Maple Leafs on July 5, 2013, seven years, $36.75 million

Clarkson poured in 30 goals during the 2011-12 season, and it’s now remembered as one of the most surprising 30-goal seasons of the 21st century. He did actually score 15 in 48 games during the lockout- shortened season right after. If he gets a full season that year and scores 20-25, the previous campaign doesn’t look so out of place.

Toronto certainly believed the good times would continue for Clarkson. The contract became a flashpoint for the battle between old-school and analytics-friendly media and fans before the ink was dry. It was not a battle for long. Clarkson spent less than two seasons with Toronto and ended up stashed on long-term injury reserve for the final four years of the deal. He scored 17 goals over the life of the contract.

Scott Gomez, Rangers on July 1, 2007, seven years, $51.5 million

Fool me once … the Rangers reached across the Hudson again five years later and overpaid for another Devils center. At least with Gomez, 1186588

Kaapo Kakko gets the OK to join Rangers camp

Larry Brooks

June 19, 2020 | 8:12PM

Kaapo Kakko’s doctors and the Rangers’ medical experts are in agreement that it is safe at this time for the 19-year-old Finn to join the team’s projected summer training camp despite the fact he is a type-1 diabetic who might be susceptible to serious complications if he contracts COVID-19.

“He’s been tested [and] he’s good,” club president John Davidson said in an interview with MSG-TV that was posted on the Blueshirts’ website. “As of right now, we look to have him in the lineup.”

The Blueshirts are scheduled to face the Hurricanes in a best-of-five qualifying round after the completion of training camp that is tentatively set to commence on July 10. The NHL and NHLPA have yet to finalize an agreement to hold camp or stage the 24-team tournament, with folks on both sides negotiating health protocols and an extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

As became apparent again on Friday, though, when the Lightning were forced to temporarily close their training facility to small group workouts after three players and two staff members tested positive for the COVID- 19 per TSN, the virus will ultimately determine whether the league will be able to get back on the ice in the midst of a pandemic.

The league announced Friday that 11 of more than 200 players tested for coronavirus were positive. This comes after two days of credible reports sweeping through the industry that multiple players who had been skating together in a large group outside of a team facility in a western state have also tested positive for COVID-19.

All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols, the league said in a statement, adding it will provide a weekly update on the number of tests administered and the results of those tests.

“There is no new or different direction at this point,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Post via email exchange. “Contact tracing is typically imposed by local health agency with the club assisting in that process. There is no difference in that approach depending on where — or why — player was training.”

We are told, however, that teams are reaching out to their players and asking them to report to respective training centers by the end of next week. This would allow them to skate under protective measures absent in public rinks. Plus, if any test positive upon arrival, they’d have time to self-quarantine for 14 days as mandated by NHL guidelines without missing the start of camp. Players for the most part have been waiting for the league and union to reach an agreement before traveling to their respective cities. That may not be the wise move at this juncture.

It is against this backdrop that Kakko has been pronounced good to go. The second-overall selection in last year’s draft recorded 23 points in 66 games and ranked tied for seventh among rookies with 10 goals.

“We think it’s safe as long as he follows the protocol and we all do, too,” said Davidson. “We understand the whole thing from A to Z. It’s been studied by our doctors in many different forms. If there is a change that comes along and they say we don’t think he should play, he’s not playing.

“But if they give us the green light and he, himself — it’s his decision, remember — wants to play and he talks to his family, he’s playing.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186589 New York Rangers

Daniel Carcillo heads disturbing junior hockey sexual assault lawsuit

Dan Martin

June 19, 2020 | 9:24am

Daniel Carcillo is part of a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday against the Canadian Hockey League alleging players were abused and assaulted.

Another former junior player, Garrett Taylor, is the other plaintiff in the lawsuit that was filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

The suit, obtained by several media outlets, alleges teenage players were “routinely victims to hazing, bullying, physical and verbal harassment, physical assault, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.”

The abuse described by Carcillo included allegations that he and others were “repetitively hit on their bare buttocks with a sawed-off goalie stick, developing large welts and open sores.”

There are also disturbing allegations of players being forced to masturbate in front of teammates and coaches as well as other sexual acts, including objects being forced into their anuses.

Carcillo, 35, played for nine years in the NHL, including part of the 2013- 14 season with the Rangers. He won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and retired in 2015.

In the lawsuit, Carcillo claims he was subject to “almost constant and repetitive abuse” while playing with the in the from 2002 to 2003. He also pointed a finger at head coach Jeff Perry and GM Terry Doran, saying they were aware of the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

The lawsuit claims Carcillo was left “permanently traumatized. He suffered severe mental health issues which were not present before the abuse he endured (and) he continues to suffer from those mental health issues to this day.’’

In a statement, Carcillo said: “This case is on behalf of underage minors who suffered violent hazing, physical and sexual assault and psychological trauma while playing major junior hockey. I was one of those kids when I played in the OHL. I know there are many more just like me.”

On Twitter Thursday night, Carcillo pointed out that Perry “is still coaching children” and that he has contacted Hockey Canada, the governing body for grassroots hockey and “the home of Team Canada’’ and gotten no response.

Taylor played in the Western Hockey League from 2008 to 2010.

The law firm representing both players, Koskie Minsky LLP, said the suit “is on behalf of children aged 15-17 who were sexually and physically assaulted, hazed and otherwise abused while away from home and playing for CHL teams.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186590 New York Rangers

Most of Rangers' European players to return to New York next week

Colin Stephenson

June 19, 2020 7:00 PM

With Phase 3 of the NHL’s return to play plan — training camps — set to open July 10, the Rangers’ European players are making plans to return to New York next week.

After the NHL paused its season because of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, players were allowed to leave their team’s home cities to go home, or wherever they chose to spend the duration of the shutdown. Most of the Rangers’ European players returned to Europe, with Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin the only ones choosing to stay in the U.S. Panarin stayed in the area, and is now skating and working out at the Rangers’ practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., as part of the NHL’s voluntary small group training. Shesterkin reportedly is in Florida.

Forward Pavel Buchnevich, who has been spending the NHL pause in Russia, is planning to return to New York on Sunday, according to his agent. The other players who have been in Europe — Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast in Sweden, Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev in Finland, and Filip Chytil in the Czech Republic — will likely follow.

Players returning for training camp from outside the country, or from different parts of the country, are subject to whatever quarantine restrictions are currently in place, and would need to have their quarantine completed so that they are ready to participate fully when camp starts. Players will be tested for the coronavirus when they arrive in New York and then tested again a week later. If both tests are negative, then the player should be cleared to practice.

The NHL announced a plan that will bring 24 of its 31 teams back to play at one of two hub sites, which have yet to be chosen. The top four teams in each of the Eastern and Western conferences will play each other in a round-robin setup to determine seeding for the top four teams, while teams 5 through 12 in each conference will face off in a best-of-five play- in series to advance to the 16-team playoff field.

The NHL has not announced how many players will be on the rosters for the league’s restart, but it’s been widely reported that it is likely to be 28 skaters and an unlimited number of goaltenders. Teams will be capped at 50 personnel — including players, trainers, equipment managers and executives — at the hub sites. However, there has not been any limits announced on how many players can be brought to training camp on July 10.

One player who won’t be there July 10 is former first-round pick Lias Andersson, who declined an invitation to attend camp. Andersson, the No. 7 overall pick in 2017, will remain in Sweden, where he finished up playing on loan for HV71 of the after he bolted from his assignment at Hartford in December.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.20.2020

1186591 CURRENT TICKET The Union - MLS

The MLS will also be using Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex to Ticket to a return: The status of each sport’s road back to playing salvage its season with a league-wide tournament beginning July 8, but there is still cause for concern. by Nick Tricome, College Sports

A limited group of Temple fall sports athletes, mostly consisting of football players, will return to campus on Monday and be tested. Everything fell apart in March. The hope is to get college sports back underway in the fall on their As the spread of the coronavirus progressed from an outbreak into an original schedule, but that’s still uncertain. ongoing global pandemic, collegiate and professional sports across North America had little choice but to put a hold on play. “Somebody said to me, we’re building the plane while we’re flying the plane,” Jessica Reo, Temple’s senior associate athletic director, told The The NCAA had to cut its losses and cancel the spring and remainder of Inquirer’s Mike Jensen. the winter sports seasons outright, while the major professional leagues (the NBA, NFL, NHL, , and ) Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.20.2020 and their respective players unions have all been trying to find a safe and reasonable way to come back and try to salvage what’s either left of their seasons or the ones that are about to kickoff.

There’s been a ton of ideas thrown out there -- condensed playoffs, hub cities, bubbles, empty stadiums, and so on -- and plans at various points of progress. But all of them still have plenty of hurdles ahead of them.

The Inquirer has produced a ‘Ticket to a Return’ series that aims to keep you up to speed on how close each sport is to returning, and now they’ve been rounded up here into one place.

Status: The NHL and NHLPA agreed on a plan, and team facilites opened backed up to allow small group workouts and for players to start skating again. A 24-team return-to-play-format was put in place, the league just needs to find two hub cities to host it. But news broke Friday that three Tampa Bay Lightning players, two staff members, and Toronto Maple Leafs star center Auston Matthews tested positive for the virus. It’s unknown how much that will affect the current plans.

Expected Start: August, training camps on July 10

CURRENT TICKET

The Sixers - NBA

Status: The NBA and its players agreed to resume the season using the Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando’s Walt Disney World. 22 teams in or within grasp of a playoff position will have eight “seeding games” to determine the final playoff bracket, and the postseason will go from there.

But given the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests across the U.S. and the globe, some players, Nets guard Kyrie Irving the most prominent among them, are debating whether it’s even the right thing to go back and play right now.

Expected Start: July 31

CURRENT TICKET

The Phillies - MLB

Status: Where do we even begin? Negotiations with the owners on pay and safety have left the players enormously frustrated and commissioner Rob Manfred has done little to put out the flames, he’s fanned them in fact. And the news Friday that five Phillies players tested positive for the coronavirus could stand to complicate matters further.

Expected Start: via GIPHY

CURRENT TICKET

The Eagles - NFL

Status: The league held a virtual draft in April and had to scrap rookie camps and OTAs as team facilities had to remain closed. However, the NFL is, as of right now, still planning to go on with training camp in July and Week 1 of the regular season as planned. That said, the chances of that happening are looking more and more unlikely the deeper into summer we get, especially following Dr. Fauci’s comments on Thursday.

Expected Start: Sept. 10-13 for Week 1, training camps at the end of July. 1186592 Philadelphia Flyers

Lightning players, Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews test positive for coronavirus

by Sam Carchidi,

The Tampa Bay Lightning had to temporarily close their training facilities because some players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus this week.

On top of that, news broke via the Toronto Sun that Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has also tested positive for COVID-19.

The NHL said that since voluntary, small-group sessions were allowed at teams’ practice arenas on June 8, 11 of more than 200 players have tested positive. The players who tested positive have been self-isolated and are following medical protocols.

Reportedly, three unidentified Lightning players and two staff members tested positive. The remainder of the team is being tested, and contract tracing is being performed.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie was first to report via Twitter, and the club has since put out a statement confirming the positive cases.

Like all NHL teams, Tampa’s players have been tested for the virus twice each week during small-group workouts.

Tampa is one of three teams scheduled to face the Flyers in a round- robin tournament to determine the top four Eastern Conference seedings in the Stanley Cup playoffs – provided the league returns. (Boston and Washington are the other teams.)

Matthews, according to the Sun, has gone into quarantine at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., in an area where cases have spiked. Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was reported to have been staying with Matthews during the NHL’s break, has not tested positive and is no longer in Arizona.

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

The NHL is in Phase 2 (small-group sessions) of a four-part setup. Training camp, which is Phase 3, will start July 10 if the league and the players association can work out safety and health concerns related to resuming play.

The season would probably start at two still-to-be-named hub cities, without fans, in early August, but the outbreak involving the Lightning and at the Phillies’ training facility in Clearwater, Fla., could cloud the openings for both sports. Five Phillies and three of their staff members were infected.

Asked if Tampa’s three positive cases would affect the league’s plans to open camps July 10, Bill Daly, the NHL deputy commissioner, said: “Not at this point.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186593 Philadelphia Flyers The health and safety of everyone involved should trump everything else. Next week will be a big one for the NHL as July gets closer.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 As Lightning experience positive coronavirus tests, questions become bigger for NHL

By Jordan Hall June 19, 2020 6:10 PM

Updated: 8:12 p.m.

As the Flyers and other NHL clubs continued their Phase 2 work this week, the Lightning had to close their training facilities after three players and additional staff members tested positive Thursday for the coronavirus.

In a statement Friday afternoon, the Lightning said their facilities will remain temporarily shut down, while the "players have been self-isolated following CDC protocols and are asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever." pic.twitter.com/7Ief4qahT0

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 19, 2020

Tampa Bay, Florida, is a little over a 30-minute drive from Clearwater, Florida, where the Phillies had five players and three staff members recently test positive. According to Florida's department of health, the state has seen a spike in coronavirus cases.

The NHL released the following update Friday night:

Since NHL clubs were permitted to open their training facilities on June 8, all players entering these facilities for voluntary training have been subject to mandatory testing for COVID-19. Through today, in excess of 200 players have undergone multiple testing. A total of 11 of these players have tested positive. All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols.

The NHL will provide a weekly update on the number of tests administered to players and the results of those tests. The league will not be providing information on the identity of the players or their clubs.

Also, according to a report Friday by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan started last week and consists of voluntary small-group individualized training activities at team practice facilities. On Thursday, assistant general manager Brent Flahr confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia that the Flyers had about eight to nine players return to the Skate Zone facility in Voorhees, New Jersey, and the team expected those numbers to grow next week and beyond.

It's uncertain if the recent developments with the Lightning will impact the decisions of Flyers players or the team. Next week will certainly be a telling one if there are more positive cases across the NHL. The league has targeted July 10 for the start of formal training camps (Phase 3) in preparation for its 24-team return-to-play tournament. The date for resuming play (Phase 4) remains to be determined as the NHL still has big decisions to make, decisions that will become more difficult if its teams experience more positive cases.

If/when there's a resumption of play in two hub cities, the isolation of players and staff is expected to be much greater, as is the frequency of testing.

"In terms of what we’re hearing from our medical advisors on the possibility of a positive test, obviously everybody in this environment is going to be tested very, very frequently on a daily basis," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in late May during a video interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia's Michael Barkann. "The players will all be tested before they go back to their rooms at night, we’ll have those test results turned around before they leave their rooms in the morning. If we have a positive test, we’ll get the person involved the appropriate medical care, we’ll isolate them right away. We have been told by our advisors that depending on the circumstances, it doesn’t necessarily mean a whole team has to be quarantined, it won’t necessarily shut down the entire tournament, so we’re working on that assumption right now. Obviously if we start to get multiple positives or an outbreak type of situation, it’s an entirely different analysis." 1186594 Philadelphia Flyers

How the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers are celebrating Juneteenth

By Adam Hermann June 19, 2020 11:05 AM

Juneteenth, the too-often-overlooked June 19 holiday celebrating the day in 1865 when slaves were officially freed, is at last having a moment of recognition.

Amid ongoing nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd, which saw millions speak up about institutional racism and police brutality, some are starting to have more honest conversations about race and racial inequality, a large part of which includes listening and learning for the more privileged.

In the sports world, institutions of power like the NFL and NBA decided to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for employees, certainly a step in the right direction.

And here in Philadelphia, the city's pro sports teams all took steps Friday to commemorate and celebrate the holiday:

Phillies

The Phillies posted a list of partner organizations "making a positive impact within the Black community":

Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen posted a link to a petition aimed at making Juneteenth a national holiday:

Eagles

Earlier this week, the Eagles sent a team-wide email informing all employees that the NovaCare Complex offices would be closed Friday in observation of Juneteenth.

In future years, the Eagles said, the organization plans to participate in "social justice community service events" to commemorate the importance of the day.

The team also decided to use its Twitter account on Friday to use its platform for good, and highlight local organizations "leading the way":

Here's a list of the organizations the team highlighted:

Flyers

The Flyers announced they would be using their Twitter account Friday to "amplify impactful messages and inclusive community programs":

So far, they've retweeted posts from the @discoverPHL, NHL Network, and Penn Medicine accounts:

Sixers

The Sixers shared a message giving background on the holiday:

Union

The Union haven't yet tweeted about Juneteenth, but they spent the morning on Twitter recognizing and amplifying the newly-founded Black Players Coalition of Major League Soccer:

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186595 Philadelphia Flyers Hart’s team and Elliott has embraced the veteran role of mentor, even though, in reality, Elliott could likely start for a few teams in the NHL.

The one knock on Elliott I would say is that he sometimes is susceptible 2019-20 Flyers season grades: Brian Elliott to the soft goal, which definitely hurts in terms of relying on Elliott in bigger games. Elliott has also recently been injury prone, outside of this season, which is a dangerous proposition when discussing a backup goaltender. Overall though, his play on the ice as Hart’s backup and his By Brooke Destra, Katie Emmer, Joe Fordyce, Jordan Hall June 19, 2020 veteran leadership make Elliott very valuable to this Flyers team. 2:55 PM B+ for Moose.

Hall The 2019-20 NHL regular season has concluded and the next time the puck drops will officially kick off the race to the Stanley Cup. The Flyers Elliott has done everything the Flyers hoped for when they re-signed him are hungry and ready to battle it out, but that is thanks to the hard work to a one-year contract last June. from back in October. He stayed healthy and spelled Hart during two important junctures. In an End to End series, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Brooke Destra, Katie Emmer, Joe Fordyce and Jordan Hall will be grading players based on In October, the 21-year-old Hart hit a rough patch, going 0-3-0 with a individual performances. 5.92 goals-against average (12 goals on 43 shots). Hart was in the opening month of his first full NHL season and the Flyers were looking to Today we will be looking at veteran goaltender Brian Elliott. finally start well in October under a new head coach.

Destra Elliott came in and went 3-0-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .933 save percentage over a four-game stretch, surrendering only seven For years, the Flyers have struggled to find any form of consistency in goals on 104 shots. net, their tipping point falling in the 2018-19 season after cycling through eight different goaltenders. That is now a distant memory after a solid When Hart missed nine games because of a right lower abdominal strain year from the duo of Carter Hart and Elliott. from January into February, Elliott went 5-1-1 with a 2.06 goals-against average and two shutouts. When the Flyers brought the veteran goaltender back on a one-year deal, this became a season where he needed to prove himself when it The 35-year-old veteran deserves an A- for his timely work this regular was time to step up — and he did just that. Where Hart struggled in his season. first year, Elliott was able to make up for it, creating a balance that any team would be lucky to have. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020

During his time as a Flyer, Elliott had never been utilized in a way that would benefit himself and the team for long stretches of time. He was often worked into the ground and injuries would follow suit. This most recent season showcased that he still has the potential to be a great goaltender, given all of the pressure didn’t just fall on him.

Elliott posted a 16-7-4 record, with 12 of those wins coming on the road — and they weren’t easy matchups by any means. He dominated at the Capitals’ barn on two separate occasions, beat the defending Stanley Cup champions St. Louis Blues, but more importantly — he won the trap games. Games that are often labeled as easy wins, but then fall short. All of the small things were done right — and it made for a thrilling time.

Moose earned a solid B+ this season. Not bad at all.

Emmer

After dealing with injury last season, Elliott entered in to his 13th NHL season in 2019-20 and third with the Flyers at the age of 35. With that— came concerns about his ability to still have a solid game. It’s not that anyone thought he’d struggle, but he without a doubt exceeded any expectations this season.

One of the biggest strengths for the Flyers during the regular season was their strong goaltending tandem of Elliott and Hart. The goalie tandem made for one of the strongest in home/away splits.

Elliott on the road: 12-5-2

Hart at home: 20-3-2

Elliott came up clutch when Hart was hurt in mid-January. Elliott went 5- 1-1 with a .916 SV% during Hart’s absence. He has been consistently impressive all season long.

Without a doubt, you’re happy to see the Flyers not play a record-setting 8 goaltenders in a single season again this year (which happened in 2019-20). Thankfully with the impressive performances from Hart and in this case, Brian Elliott, you didn’t have to see that happen.

Elliott earns an A.

Fordyce

For Elliott, I’m going to give him a B+. Elliott is about as good a backup goaltender as you will find in the NHL. A 16-7-4 record with a goals against average of under 3 is more than you can expect from most backup goaltenders, but that is not the whole story with Elliott. The man they call “Moose” knows he is not the man for the Flyers. This is Carter 1186596 Philadelphia Flyers

One silver lining to fans not attending sports over last 100 days

By Enrico Campitelli June 19, 2020 8:25 AM

Today, June 19, marks 100 days since a Philly team played a game.

There are many aspects of sports I miss, others not as much.

I’ve been watching a lot more HGTV than I otherwise would have. Hilary and David on Love It or List It are tight. It’s not exactly doing the trick though.

But there’s definitely nothing to fill the void of being outside at that ballpark on a sunny summer day with friends and family. Those are some of the days I plan and budget my summer around.

Which got me to thinking: I wonder how much money I would have spent attending Sixers, Phillies and Flyers games over the last 100 days had the coronavirus pandemic never happened?

So I put on my Sam Hinkie hat and did some math. By my pretty conservative estimates, I likely would have spent in the vicinity of $1,000 on tickets, food and drink at the Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park. Others like season ticket holders would have spent way more while some people aren’t afforded the luxury of going to lots of live events in person.

Here’s how I got to my number.

Prior to the coronavirus shutting the sports world down, I had tickets to take my nephew to the Sixers game against the Orlando Magic on April 5 at $100 per ticket. They were basically the most affordable tickets I could get to sit in the lower level. After that, I likely would have attended at minimum one of the Sixers playoff games at a similar price point. Throw in a couple sodas, hot dogs and a beer at each game and we’re just getting started.

Then there’s the Phillies. I love going down to the ballpark each spring and summer to hang with friends and family and watch some baseball. Conservatively, my wife and I would have gone to one game per month in April, May and June for three games total. And we would have taken my niece and nephew to one of those games. Have to get the kids some dogs and ice cream helmets. And let’s be real, they’d probably want some sort of swag, but we’ll hold off on that for now. That’s 8 tickets total at an average of $40 per ticket.

I’d probably hit one of the Flyers’ playoff games as well, but a buddy would hook me up with those, so no cost there. Toss in a couple more beers and maybe a Shake Shack burger though.

So if you add all that up, it’s safe to guess I would have gone to 6 total events in South Philly over the last three months and would have dropped $1,000 on me, my wife and my niece and nephew. Now, my sports spending over the last few months hasn't gone to zero, as I, like many of you, picked up some protective face masks with my favorite teams' logos on them. But that doesn't even crack triple digits.

The lack of options to attend a live sporting event has clearly changed my and many people’s spending habits, especially during such strenuous economic times. Hopefully, if you've been able to save a few bucks, you can give some to a worthy cause that could use it.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186597 Philadelphia Flyers time. With TV, you probably don’t have to have (the full description). But you do have to have the storytelling part of it to make sure that people understand the significance of it and how important it is, what the moment is like, what the emotion of the moment is. Radio, I know when 10 Philly play-by-play announcers share their favorite calls, do-overs and I’m doing college basketball and I have a last-second shot, I’m looking to more see the reaction of the bench, the reaction of the crowd, all of those things, even while the play is happening, because I feel like I have to

describe it. If it’s a game-ending shot, are they mobbing (the player) at Meghan Montemurro Jun 19, 2020 center court or at the free-throw line? — that type of stuff. I think that’s all got to be part of the story. For TV, I’m relying on the talents of 30 people besides myself to tell the story, and that’s the cool part of TV, that I’ve got an unbelievably talented director and producer, and the camera Every morning before a game, whether it’s the preseason or a Super operators are just fantastic. They’re telling the story as much as I am. Bowl, Eagles radio play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese experiences the same feeling. The one thing that really stands out for a lot of (memorable calls), is that they hit the emotion at the right time. They weren’t behind the play. You Nervousness. heard the crowd noise as they finish their call. The timing is so important. Reese, who’s entering his 44th season as the voice of the Eagles, Jackson: I think the newer announcers, it’s all about that signature studies the opponent as much as possible in the days leading up to a (phrase) or catching somebody’s attention, but my philosophy is always a game. From going over videos of the team’s offense and defense to his good play-by-play announcer just enhances the game, doesn’t get in the wife using flashcards to quiz him on its roster, Reese puts everything into way of it, so that would stand for a great call, too. preparing for the broadcast, which spawns those nerves. Zumoff: A lot of it revolves around preparation, and I know that might “Up until the point I get the cue to go on the air and hear, ‘standby, 30 sound like an oversimplification, but if you’re prepared, and you have a seconds,’ I can feel my heart pounding like a drum.” Reese said. “And sense of the moment, the history, and you are open to whatever happens then when I get cued and go on with the broadcast, there’s no place in in an individual game and are ready to be that flexible, I think that those the world I’d rather be and I’m completely in the zone for the next three are the main things. Overall preparation and the ability to adjust on the and a half hours.” fly, because a lot of times, you’ll prepare for a game to go a certain way Play-by-play announcing is an art form that requires knowing how to play based upon reasonable expectations and then suddenly, in the third the moment, when to let the broadcast breathe and when to show more quarter, you’re ripping up the script. emotion. Over the course of a game, season and career, sometimes Franzke: We all remember the moment as much as anything else. That play-by-play announcers will be wrong — it’s unavoidable; other times, belongs to the athlete, but it also belongs to the crowd. If you’re they deliver an unforgettable line. Often, they become the fans’ technically correct, that’s great. But I think there has to be just a certain connection to their favorite teams. natural feel to it. The word I would use is reactionary. You’re just reacting For The Athletic’s Media Week, we talked with 10 Philadelphia TV and to what has happened. If what has just happened elicits surprise or radio play-by-play announcers. Meet the panel: jubilation or excitement or whatever it is, then for you to have that in your own call, I think makes it good and makes it memorable. People Merrill Reese: Eagles radio, entering 44th season remember the moment and I think what they remember the announcers Tom McCarthy: Phillies TV, entering 18th season doing is sort of a postmortem. That’s the only way they can relive the moment is by watching us flap our gums again or listening to us. Jim Jackson: Flyers TV, 26th season (two on radio) (Laughs.)

Marc Zumoff: 76ers TV, 26th season Fannon: In radio, you have to paint that picture and you have to really tell the full story. That’s something that I think is so unique and so hard Scott Franzke: Phillies radio, entering 15th season sometimes to define the difference between a great call. … Longtime Ryan Fannon: Villanova football/men’s basketball radio, 22nd season play-by-play voice of the Connecticut Huskies Joe D’Ambrosio gave me some great advice back when I was first getting the job in the late ’90s. It Harry Donahue: Temple football/men’s basketball radio, 26th season was: Stay with the call when the game gets tight. It’s really important to just think of that person driving in their car and that they cannot see Angel Castillo: Phillies Spanish radio, entering 11th season anything. As excited as you may be, stay with the call. Tom McGinnis: 76ers radio, 25th season Donahue: Every play-by-play announcer can probably say right off the Tim Saunders: Flyers radio, 21st season top of their heads 25 to 30 times you think you’ve made a great call, but you don’t get too many opportunities to make a great call on a play that These play-by-play veterans provided insights on what goes into a probably everybody will remember for one reason or another. That’s memorable call, some of their all-time favorites, calls they would like to pretty much what sets it aside, not only in the play-by-play announcer’s “do over” and more. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. mind but then everybody else that hears it.

What makes a great or memorable play-by-play call? Castillo: When you are doing these every day, you never know when something big is going to happen. When you are doing play by play, you Reese: Spontaneity, the ability to express the feelings that your audience have to react fast. You have to describe the moment, but at the same is feeling at that moment. In other words, you are reacting to something time, you can use the stuff like the analytics and all the information you with the same feeling that they would have, except you’re doing it in a have to prepare every day for your broadcast. It’s a big responsibility. certain professional way. You’re not yelling and screaming. No. 1, you’re Besides my job, every day when I get to the ballpark we do stuff for the in control. No. 2, you’ve got the entire description right. You’re not community. We go to schools and hospitals and connect the Phillies to rooting. You’re not a fan. And yet, at the same time, your emotions mirror the Latino community. … I feel like this is a gift. theirs. McGinnis: I would say the moment, something that’s important, whether I always say that great calls are not what make a great broadcaster. But it’s a huge milestone in a person’s career or a big game, something of first and foremost, you’ve got to paint the picture of exactly what is consequence beyond the pale, in other words, the typical. … You have to happening. You want to be certain that if anybody gets into a car and rise to the occasion and have it be natural. Sometimes, just punctuating they were away from a broadcast, at all times they were completely stuff with the words and the right intonation is enough. aware of, in my case, the score, the time, the down and the distance. The most annoying thing is to turn on a game and have someone go on and Saunders: It can’t be scripted. So, being concise, capturing the moment on about what’s happening, and yet not give you the basics. with the emotion that a play calls for, I think can be artful by some people. I wish I had the ability to be as artful as some of my counterparts. McCarthy: I think it’s depends between TV and radio, but it’s capturing But you can overthink it and you can try to make a perfect call in any the energy of the moment, the significance of the moment and the given moment and that can be counterproductive. So you just kind of go emotion of the moment. I think those three things are very important. You with your gut, and if it comes out right, great. (Laughs.) Everybody’s got have to be descriptive, concise and tell the story in a very short period of their own approaches. The guys that I liked listening to growing up were employed by the team that I had passion for. For me, my goal is to be as saw the ball go through the hoop and the official say it was good, saying, genuine and as close to the passion that the average fan has at any “Yes, and the Sixers win it!” I think I had the presence of mind to “lay out” given moment as I would if I were a kid listening to the guys that I grew so that the director could do his thing and get players celebrating and up listening to. … I think a lot of TV guys tend to play it more down the fans and the owner. For that particular moment, I think it was a pretty middle and more objective, and I have no problem not being objective. good piece of television. I don’t know why that call always stood out to I’m paid and selected by the Philadelphia Flyers, and I want my call to me, but it did. reflect that. People can already see the television broadcast, so as the TV guy, you What play-by-play call of your own is your all-time favorite? are a lot more of what I’ll call the clearing house or a host, where you are ushering everything along, you are bringing in your color analyst, you’re Reese: The call of the Super Bowl, because it was a culmination of bringing in your sideline person, you are leading the replays. You’re everything. Before Super Bowl 52, (I was asked) if I had in my mind what giving promotional announcements, you’re taking stuff from your stat guy. I would say if the Eagles won … and would I write something, prepare You’re following shots that maybe the director picks up because there something, so it would be exactly what I wanted at the time. I said, “No, I are stories that he wants. So you’re basically kind of laying back and not don’t ever want to do that.” I really trust my emotions. When a moment being as descriptive. That’s why I think I’ve come up with a lot of the like that occurs, I want to just react with everything that has gone into different phrases I have. I’m trying to add an extra dimension or piece of that, let the years broadcasting Eagles games, the familiarity with the fabric, enhancing what they already can see. fans, the thrill, let it all come forth in a very natural way. That’s what I did. I know that there are broadcasters who write a certain phrase or word so Franzke: I don’t know that I have favorites. I know the one I get asked they won’t blow that moment when it becomes something really special. I about the most is the Jimmy Rollins walk-off double against the Dodgers had enough confidence to believe that when and if that moment in ’09. This without question is the one that people mentioned to me the occurred, my natural reaction would be far more meaningful than to write most and that probably has as much to do with the Ray Liotta internet something and pre-plan something just to be poetic. thing that somebody put together from “Goodfellas”: If I listen back to it, I’m proud of it. And honestly, there’s not a lot of them I listen back to and I was nervous going into that (final) play, not so much because of what go, “Man, I’m really proud of it.” Most of them, I’m OK with it, but I always would happen in the game. I was nervous because we were seated in feel like there could be something better. This was a super-cool moment the exact opposite end zone. We were 110 yards away from where that to be a part of, but as I say to most people, Jimmy did all the hard work, play was going to take place, and I didn’t want to be the broadcaster who Larry (Andersen) and I just went crazy. blew the Super Bowl call. But I saw it clearly as day and I was able to say the pass is incomplete, then I’m able to look up and see double zeros on Fannon: I was feeling an incredible surge of excitement, that this (2016) the clock and the game was over, the Philadelphia Eagles have won the Villanova-UNC game is coming down to the end. It’s tied, we can win the Super Bowl. … After I said that, I said, “Eagles fans everywhere, this is national championship here. For some reason, I think because I thought for you.” Then I stopped and said, “Let the celebration begin.” That’s just back to that, “stay with the call, stay with the call,” it calmed me just what came out of my mouth in that moment. enough, because my heart was racing. I’m a Villanova grad. I wanted that win. North Carolina had broken our hearts so many times in the McCarthy: Roy Halladay’s perfect game, because of its significance. It tournament. I was going on close to 20 years (on the job). I don’t think was the 20th perfect game in baseball history, and the game of baseball that I could have done that earlier in my career. I feel like my emotions has been around for so long. It was the second one in Philadelphia could have gotten the best of me. … I knew, when I heard the call back Phillies history, and he’s a Hall of Famer. There are different seasonal … because I remember we went to a commercial and I said, “play it calls that I’ve made: The Aaron Altherr home run against (Clayton) back, play it back,” and just how grateful I felt. Kershaw, the (Bryce) Harper grand slam against the Cubs, things like that. Calling playoff games for both the Mets and the Phillies. But the Donahue: It was a Temple football game back in 1998 down at Virginia (Halladay game), I felt like I was able to tell the story. It was more of a Tech when Virginia Tech was ranked No. 14 in the country and were radio call. Quite frankly, part of that was I wanted to get it right. I wanted undefeated on homecoming. Temple was 1-6. Temple was a 35-point to get it right for Roy. I wanted to get it right for the fans. I wanted to get it underdog and they won the game. They trailed 17-0 and scored right right for the organization, and I wanted it to be descriptive to tell the before the end of the first half and eventually take the lead with six whole story. I wanted to make sure that I said it was the second perfect minutes left. Virginia Tech got it back and they drove all the way down game in Phillies history and it was the 20th perfect game in baseball inside the 5-yard line and had first-and-goal. Temple stops them on four history. But I didn’t write it out. I just knew I wanted to include them in plays. Virginia Tech had running back Lamont Pegues and he had some way. To me, the play has to dictate how you’re going to use it. The rushed that day for 160-some yards and a touchdown. … It was fourth game doesn’t allow you to script things out, I don’t think anyway. down and goal at the 2-yard line on the near hash mark. And I’ll never forget, they gave the ball to Pegues and he ran to the near side of the I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about the call (living on) because I field. I never knew why Virginia Tech basically gave Temple a 12th know that most calls, if they’re significant, are going to get replayed even defender, which was the sideline, and Pegues ran out of bounds at the 5- if it’s the next day, so I didn’t really worry about that part of it. But I did yard line. The game was over. Temple won. think about it. You kind of let it roll. It was their first road win in Big East Conference play. They had lost 26 in Jackson: For many, many years, it was the Keith Primeau goal in 2000, a row against the Big East. I still get people who tell me about listening to (the) five-overtime game. That was the third-longest game in NHL that game. On the air, I said, if you’re listening to this game by yourself, history, the longest game really in the modern history since 1943, so it call your best friend and tell ’em that Temple may be on the verge of an was history, right? I wasn’t necessarily thinking my call of Primeau’s goal absurd comeback. I don’t know how many people took my advice. Our was anything special. I did not rehearse that; I learned my lesson. I said, producer had been taping the game. Back in those days, it was on a “They win this test of wills,” but that, for many years, was just my obvious cassette. He went up into the cockpit and asked the pilot if once we got answer to this (question), because it was such a huge moment. As much airborne on our flight home from Blacksburg, if he would play it over the as my call was great, I didn’t blow it and the moment was great. In 2010, intercom system. So he got on and announced that we’re going to listen there was a shootout in the last game of the year against the Rangers, to the final seconds of the fourth-down play, and he played it like three winner take all; winner goes the playoffs, loser goes home. Then it goes times, and each time the kids went more raucous hearing it. to a shootout. It was one of the times where I actually got the “less is more.” I think many times I get so excited, I probably say too much on Castillo: Last year, Bryce Harper’s walk-off grand slam against the Cubs. these calls. But this one, I just said, “Jokinen roars in, he dekes, he I went crazy. That was maybe the best call I’ve had so far. The moment shoots, Boucher the save, the Flyers go to the playoffs.” It was very made it. The Phillies were down in the bottom of the ninth. The good simple, nothing spectacular, but I liked it because it was less is more, so thing about that game, Citizens Bank Park had fireworks or a concert that’s personally one of my favorite calls. scheduled after the game. When it’s 6-1 in the ninth inning, most fans go home and try to avoid traffic. But everyone stayed at the ballpark Zumoff: January of 2017, the Sixers were playing the Knicks. This was because of the postgame show. So, the moment with the crowd and the the 28-win team, so they were just coming out of The Process. T.J. guy with the $330 million contract, that might be the best call I ever had. McConnell had a buzzer-beater game-winner at the Wells Fargo Center. Just recalling my buildup to the call, this just has to do with being aware McGinnis: The one that probably stands out to some people is revisiting of what’s going on in the game. I just remember saying, “The Sixers, (the 2001) NBA Finals when Allen Iverson scored on Tyronn Lue and I they’re not calling a timeout.” And then, as he was releasing the shot, I said, “He’s just too good.” Honestly, that might exist because he scored kind of asked rhetorically, “Can he get it off?” Which he did. As soon as I 48 points (in Game 1) and I probably ran out of other things to say. Saunders: If there was one single moment, it might have been the end Dipper dunk. One thing that stands out to me is how calm Campbell was against the Bruins, where (the Flyers) came back from 3-0 (in the series), for the final minute before Wilt scored his 100 points. I mean, 100 points, down 3-1 in Game 7, just because it came out right. We all fear we’ll get that’ll never be done again. I don’t care, 3-point shooters, I don’t care into moments, like that five-overtime game in Pittsburgh in the playoffs, who it is. That’ll never be done again. Teams won’t allow another guy to you get to the point where you know it’s going to end quick and you just score 100 points. don’t want to blow the call. That’s kind of what’s going through your mind, and the call came out well. If you remember back in 2010, the league Is there a play-by-play call you would like to have a do-over on? What do was running a series of promos after almost every game, and it was you take away from on-air mistakes? basically, history will be made. They back up the video, recreate the Reese: It was in Dallas and Ray Rhodes was the coach at that point. The moment and my call at the end of Game 7, when (the Flyers) completed Eagles hadn’t beaten the Cowboys in so long and they were ahead, the comeback and won that series was basically the last couple of virtually seconds left to play. Troy Aikman took the Cowboys inside the seconds. “They’re gonna do it. History will be made.” It just kind of came Eagles’ 10-yard line and he threw a pass into the corner of the end zone. out. At Texas Stadium, we were way, way, way up in the air. We were What is your favorite all-time call from any broadcaster or sport? What looking at little dots on the field. As he fires into the end zone, I was makes it stand out? screened from that play. I saw a green helmet go up and a pair of hands snatch the football and saw it was intercepted. But I had too many people Reese: Oh my gosh, there are too many. Every sport has its great, in front of the interceptor; I had no view of his face, no view of his uniform historic moments. … Russ Hodges’ call of the Giants winning the number. I just saw it was intercepted by an Eagle. I said, “It’s intercepted! pennant back in 1951 with Bobby Thompson’s home run. They always It’s intercepted! The Eagles have the ball.” Now I decide I’m going to bide play that. I remember Gene Hart, when he did, “The Flyers win the my time and call it as he comes out of the end zone. “He’s at the 5, he’s Stanley Cup!” Some of the great games Bill Campbell did in this city. At out to the 10.” And while this was going on, I know that my spotter, who the very end of the 1960 championship game, I was a kid and sitting in at that time was Derek Boyko, the Eagles’ PR director, is going to have the stands at . I always had a transistor radio with me. As his binoculars on the play and pick up who intercepted the ball and made was sitting on top of Jim Taylor as the seconds tick off the play of this game. So I look over at Derek for that assistance, but Joe the clock and you hear Bill Campbell describe that, that was certainly McPeak, who is very, very professional, he’s our producer, he was so great. overcome by the fact that the Eagles had saved the game that, believe it or not, he had tackled Derek, and the two of them are on the floor. Now, Zumoff: April of 1987, Harry Kalas calling Mike Schmidt’s 500th home run my view goes back to the field and I look up along the sideline and I have off Don Robinson. It was great in a number of ways. First of all, Harry — a great view of it this time because he’s out by himself and it’s No. 23. I just his voice and the way he was able to capture a moment — was say, “It’s intercepted by .” And I take it all the way down to excellent. He knew the ball was gone right off the bat. He captured the the (5-yard line). I say, “The Eagles win, the Eagles win, the Eagles win moment with absolute perfection: his energy, his emotion, his excitement. as Troy Vincent intercepts the final pass.” I feel pretty good that it worked I mean, you can just hear while the ball was still heading out of the out really well, that I picked it up. ballpark, that he was emotional to the point, I don’t want to say crying, just really proud of what was going on. Harry was the voice of the So now we go to a commercial break, and I looked at my monitor and at Phillies, and as that ball was heading out, you knew that he was the the TV replay. I can see that in the end zone, No. 50, James Willis, and voice of the Phillies, just by the way that he was describing it. I could play he went up and intercepted that pass and took it out of the end zone. And it 10 times and I would get chills 10 times from watching it over and over in the instances I looked over to my spotter and (looked back), James again. Willis had lateraled the football to Troy Vincent, who was the one who ended up scoring a touchdown. So, ah, I felt terrible. I had this great call Franzke: Harry Kalas calling the final out of the 2008 World Series. Harry and I blew it. … When we came back to the break, I did recapitulate the was as direct a play-by-play guy as you’ll find. What I love about the call play and say, by the way, we were blocked out of the view and it was is, it’s reaction, it’s jubilation and it doesn’t get in the way of what actually James Willis and it was a lateral to Vincent, so I didn’t just let it happened. There’s nothing overtly hokey, you know what I mean? It’s go. just him and his voice and his excitement over the moment. Sure, I’m probably a little more connected to it, having known Harry and knowing If I have 16 regular-season games, I would say that maybe three or four what that meant for him to be able to do that, but at the same time, one times a season I drive home or fly home feeling, boy, I’m really happy of the things that’s so great about it is there’s not a lot of extras. There with the way that broadcast went. There is always something that is doesn’t need to be a lot of extras in a moment like that. bothering me. There’s always something I’m annoyed with. There’s always something I wish I had done differently or something else I wish I Saunders: Growing up in Detroit, my uncle was a columnist for a had said. Unlike a print journalist, we don’t have editors. Once it’s out of suburban Detroit newspaper for years. He was a huge hockey fan and he our mouth, it’s out there, so you have to be able to put that aside and started taking me to games. He was such a Red Wings fan that he would then just move on. actually record on reel-to-reel tapes Red Wings broadcasts, and this was back in the ’50s and ’60s. I inherited those tapes and I listen to them McCarthy: It’s played all the time. My son was telling me, “I like that call.” regularly. … The one that’s most memorable for me is when Gordie Yeah, but it wasn’t grammatically correct in a lot of ways. It was Halladay Howe broke “Rocket” Richards’ goal-scoring record. Bud Lynch was the clinching the division crown in Washington (in 2010). Something name of Detroit’s play-by-play guy, and just that whole moment of happened in the booth where our stat guy knocked something down breaking the goal record. while I was calling it so everything was all over the place. It was the perfect storm. I’m trying to pick things up as I’m calling it, and I wish I had Fannon: In 1988, the Dodgers and A’s, with Kirk Gibson and his home that one over again. It’s not terrible, but it’s one of those that I know what run. The thing that I was amazed about, as I went back and listened to it, was going through my mind when I was calling it and I’m thinking, how was just how little Vin Scully said. I mean, literally, when Steve Sax was did I even get those words out? You definitely forget about it. But also, on deck, right before the 3-2 pitch, he had just a great little subtle line every time you do one of these calls, let’s say it’s going into the last half that said, “Sax on deck, but the game right now is at the plate.” And then of the inning, I sort of calm myself to try to clear my head to make sure I the next thing he said, after Gibson’s swing was, “High fly ball, into right have all my ducks in a row. I just try to take a step back and sort of field, she is gone.” And then to have the patience not to say anything until breathe in the moment a little bit. not only had he circled all the bases and come to home plate and mobbed by (Tommy) Lasorda and all of his teammates, but then, even a Jackson: It was my second year doing radio for the Flyers (1994-95). good 20 seconds later, he had the famous line, “In a year that has been They’re in the playoffs, playing the Rangers, who had won the Stanley so improbable, the impossible has happened.” And then he stops again. Cup the year before. Flyers were in the playoffs for the first time in five To me, that’s the biggest art of all of this. years, so we’re all feeling pretty giddy. We got up to a 3-0 series lead over the Rangers. We have a chance to knock our top rivals out, the Donahue: I’m going to go way back to the 1960s: Wilt Chamberlain’s defending champs, and sweeping them possibly, I’ve got to come up with 100-point game called by a guy who I consider to be Philadelphia’s all- a call. I came up with this call in my head if they won Game 4, it was time greatest announcer in Bill Campbell. It was never on television. ready. I don’t know what it was anymore, I just know as soon as I said it, There’s very little video of it but there is an audio recording. He sat on 98 I’m like, that sounded awful. I said something to effect of, “And the Flyers points with about a minute ago. They fed him the ball with about 45 sweep the crowns off the head of the defending champion Rangers to seconds to go. Three consecutive times on one possession he missed. win the series.” It didn’t even sound that bad, if I say it like that, but when He finally scored on his third attempt on a dunk. They used to call it a I said it in the moment, it sounded rehearsed. I didn’t like it when I listened back to it. From that point on, I never even think about planning McGinnis: This happened at the tail end of the 2018-19 season. It was what I’m going to say. when (Joel) Embiid and Eric Bledsoe got into a dust-up. The Sixers are playing Milwaukee, and I overplayed it a little bit. It’s the first thing I’ve Zumoff: November of 2004, the Sixers were playing the Washington ever done that went viral for me. Some people love it, and Philadelphia, Wizards. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and the game went into they loved it. Milwaukee, not so much. I overplayed it by saying Bledsoe overtime. It was tied and the Wizards had an in-bound play in their front threw the ball at Embiid and I thought it hit him in the face. We don’t sit court, and Allen Iverson made a steal. It was a race against time going to on the court. I saw Embiid had his hands up like a boxer would be, the other end, trying to get the game-winning shot, which he eventually covering the face, and it hit him in like, the chest. But from our vantage did. There are, quite frankly, a lot of people who are very complimentary point, at least on first blush, I call it like the most violent act, and people of the call, but two things I’d like to take back. First, I wasn’t feeling well, in Milwaukee are like, really? Is this real? Like, it was mayhem. So, I so my voice cracks at the end as he’s cruising in for the shot. There’s not would like to do that over. I thought maybe I went a little too far. You much you can do about that, but you certainly don’t want that to happen. should totally try to learn from it. And then I remember saying, as he hit the game-winning layup, “He won the game! He won the game!” But in fact, the clock automatically stops in Saunders: Probably the most important moment that I left feeling bad the last two minutes of an NBA game after every hoop, and there were about was how the Stanley Cup Final ended against Chicago and the still two-tenths of a second left in the game. So technically, I was goal that nobody was really certain it was in. I said it was in almost inaccurate, because the Wizards had an in-bounds play, where they can immediately, but I said it with some trepidation in my voice, some take it into their front court, lob it to the hoop and if you get a tip-in, uncertainty in my voice, like, I wasn’t too sure. I really didn’t commit. you’ve tied the game. Then I kind of went with the celebration and realized that I was actually right. So that night I leave the rink thinking, oh God, I kind of blew that, I absolutely learned from that. What I do now is I’m very careful, when a the biggest moment of the season and, granted, it was a unique player is going to take a shot at the end of the game, declaring in midair, circumstance. And then I heard everybody else’s call, meaning the is it going to count or is it for the win? I won’t say it’s for the win if I don’t Chicago guys, “Doc” Emrick’s call, and I was fine with my call because I think, while that balls is in midair, there’s enough time left. While it’s in did say it immediately. The lesson that sometimes I’ve got to constantly midair, if there’s like eight-tenths of a second (left), I can quickly remind myself is to let the play happen. I don’t have to call it as it’s calculate, you know what, time will expire as that ball is going through or happening to the second. You kind of sit at half a beat back and let the even before. It’s a split-second decision you have to make. Guy releases, play happen for you to make an accurate call, and if you get ahead of the check the clock, compute the distance, and you’re literally coming up with play, you can kind of ruin it. So that can lead to mistakes, and that’s all this in maybe a quarter of a second. That’s what I’ve learned, and I something to learn in time. haven’t made the same mistake since. What advice would you give to an aspiring play-by-play announcer? Franzke: That list would be really long. My first or second year with the Phillies. I got the chance to call a triple play. It was around the horn, 5-4- McCarthy: I always tell people don’t script anything out. Some people do 3, and we’re in Cincinnati. Abraham Núñez was at third base. And I and it’s fine. Whatever comes out, comes out, because it’s your natural remember coming away from that thinking, man, I just screwed that up so tone. It’s your natural ability. That to me is most important: being as bad. I messed up like trying to re-describe it. I thought to myself, I don’t natural as possible. You get better at it as you get older. ever want to be like that flat-footed. It didn’t enter my mind that a triple play could happen is essentially what happened. And I guess we never Jackson: I’ll give you three words: preparation, experience and really do. You don’t practice triple plays. You don’t get triple-play calls in perseverance. You really need to be prepared for anything you do, the minor leagues. It just happens, so I always wanted a do-over on a whether it’s a job interview or interview for on the air or a broadcast. You triple play. And then I got one, which turned out to be an unassisted triple can never be, in my mind, too prepared. I might use 10 percent of my play at the end of the game with Eric Bruntlett in ’09 in New York. I got preparation in a hockey broadcast, maybe close to the 50 percent for the three outs in the correct order, so that was very exciting. That felt like baseball because there’s more time obviously, but there’s going to be a getting the do-over I was looking for. … Sometimes, what you learn the lot of prep that you’d never use for either sport, any sport you do, but you most is a refresher course that keeping it simple really helps in a situation got to have it; you just don’t know what guy is going to do something that like that. Describe it simply and then go from there. night, what guy is going to get injured and you need to talk about him or whatever. You never know what’s going to happen. Fannon: It was January of 2000 and we were playing the Miami Hurricanes at The Pavilion. … Johnny Hemsley for the Miami Hurricanes Get any experience you can. It doesn’t necessarily have to be exactly hit a 3-pointer as the time expired. I thought the shot was late, and they what you want to do. In my mind, there’s no such thing as bad weren’t able to go back and review it. I remember talking to some people experience because, if you have a bad experience, which we all do, you after and they were like, yeah, your call was OK, but it wasn’t really clear. at least learn from it. My very first experience in commercial broadcasting I just remember thinking of that, and that was my second year of play by was spinning records for a Polish radio show. I couldn’t understand what play. We were a bubble team and had to have that game. … I remember the lady was saying. She pointed to me and I started the polka record, that I wasn’t quite ready in my second year to really be able to put all that and believe it or not, that radio station was why I ended up getting to do aside and get the call out as clear as I wanted to in the waning seconds hockey, which led to me getting my job here (at NBC Sports of a game that was that intense. Philadelphia), long story short.

Donahue: It wasn’t that long ago, a Temple football game. Unfortunately, Know that you’re going to be told, somewhere along the line by I wasn’t working with any spotter and we were pretty high up. I had the somebody, that you’re not good enough, that you’re crazy for trying to do wrong number on the kid who was returning the punt and he returned it what you’re trying to do. … When I was in college, a sports director at the about 75 yards for a touchdown. I had the wrong name. This has station told me I’d never make it, and for a day or two I was crushed, but happened to every broadcaster. I mean, if anybody does enough games, then I ended up using that as motivation. If you are going to change you’re going to mess up a name or two. What happened and what makes paths or give up on broadcasting, you’ll know. You tell yourself. Don’t let this kind of funny was that it happened early in the season, and when somebody else tell you. they were putting together a montage of my calls as an introduction to a Zumoff: There is a whole hierarchy of things that you need to succeed, future game, they kept playing that. Because it was a great call, except I whether it’s talent or knowing the right people or getting reps, doing your had the wrong kid. (Laughs.) homework, all that stuff is well and good, but the thing that should be on Castillo: I remember the last out of the Phillies’ combined no-hitter in top of your list — or if you’re building a foundation, right at the very base Atlanta (in 2014). The last out was a line drive to Darin Ruf at first base, before you add anything else — is belief in yourself. Because it’s a very and when I was about to describe the last out and emotion of the no- subjective, competitive industry, and you have to believe, truly, that this is hitter, my partner, he was so excited, he started to talk. I had to stop to something that you have the ability to do and the fortitude to go after describe the play in the moment. Every time I listen to the Spanish because it can be a very long, arduous process. There’ll be many dark highlights of that game, I’m like, man, if we can do it again, I know it’s days when you’re getting rejected or people don’t return phone calls or going to be better. When I started this job, every day when I got home, I emails or people on Twitter judging you harshly in spite of your best listened to the game in Spanish that I recorded. I was trying to find out efforts. A belief in oneself, I think, is paramount to all the other stuff I where I had to get better. When I feel like I’ve made a bad call, I don’t mentioned. think about it, because everybody in MLB has done it. This job, it’s not Franzke: No experience is a bad experience. There was a time in my life easy. Baseball is almost every day for six months. It’s impossible to have when I read for work daily updates of soap operas. But it taught me to a perfect season. read and announce and speak professionally. I would tell young announcers out there that, it’s hard, it’s a grind. You absolutely better love it, and I mean really love it, because if (not), I think what happens to a lot of people is you end up bitter that you didn’t climb the ladder as high as you wanted to. You have to go into it with the idea that, look, you may not reach the pinnacle because there’s only so many gigs. If you’re doing this as your livelihood, you may not be doing it in the major leagues, in the NBA, or the NFL. But if you do really love it and you feel like you have an aptitude for it, I say give it a try, because there’s no one way to get there.

Scott Franzke, back, and Larry Andersen have been radio partners for 13 seasons. (Miles Kennedy / The Phillies)

Fannon: If you’re a young women or young man inspiring to get into this business, the biggest advice I could give is just to be patient. Don’t give up on your dream. If that means that you have to come out of your comfort zone, go do something uncomfortable, like move to a small market and just get experience. There is nothing that will replace calling games.

Donahue: Preparation. Have stories to tell when there’s time to kill because it’s radio. Try to stay on top of the action. Don’t be distracted. When you’re doing a game, don’t look away because something’s going to happen. I’ve had that happen to myself. I’ve learned the hard way where sometimes, at the last minute, before the ball is snapped, you’re glancing at your stat sheet or something and you look up and the ball’s out of the quarterback’s hands — where’s the ball? And realize, too, some mistakes are gonna happen and don’t don’t beat yourself up. Because it’s like anything else in sports — whether you’re an athlete or a broadcaster, the next play is always the most important play. So once the play’s over, get ready for the next play, and it’s true in any sport.

Castillo: All you can do is try and try and try. If somebody down the road tells you that you can’t make it, don’t listen to those people. Just go for your dreams. If you feel that you want to be a baseball broadcaster or NBA, wherever, just try to do your best and be better every day. Review what you do every day. Read. Read a lot. Not just about sports. Read about the economy, politics, the world. You have to read if you want to be in this job.

McGinnis: You’ve got to get the facts right. Don’t put yourself in front of the story or the call. Bring a passion and an interest. It’s just part of entertainment, right? Not everybody’s dying on every word. They’re just going to Wawa for bread and milk. So, you’ve got to capture somebody’s imagination and attention to keep them hooked.

Saunders: For me, it’s to just be genuine in your call, to not manufacture stuff. Somebody once told me, early in my career, you have to have a signature goal call and you have to manufacture something unique. I dispute that thinking because that invites someone to manufacture something that’s going to come off as phony. If your signature comes off as authentic and real, even if it’s going to be disliked by some people, if that’s what comes natural, then I think you go with that. In my case, my calls are kind of a product of the guys that I grew up listening to.

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NHL: 11 players have tested positive for coronavirus since June 8

SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, June 19, 2020 10:58 p.m.

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On Friday, the NHL issued a statement announcing 11 players out of a pool exceeding 200 have tested positive for coronavirus since the league’s second phase for returning to play opened on June 8.

The statement was released the same day the Tampa Bay Lightning revealed five members of the organization (three players and two staffers) had tested positive.

The statement reads:

“Since NHL Clubs were permitted to open their training facilities on June 8, all Players entering these facilities for voluntary training have been subject to mandatory testing for COVID-19. Through today, in excess of 200 Players have undergone multiple testing. A total of 11 of these Players have tested positive. All Players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols.

“The NHL will provide a weekly update on the number of tests administered to Players and the results of those tests. The League will not be providing information on the identity of the Players or their Clubs.”

This second phase involves players working out in limited groups at team facilities and being tested regularly.

The Penguins announced an unidentified player tested positive for coronavirus June 4, before the second phase began.

The NHL has been on hold since March 12 and is aiming to resume the 2019-20 season with a postseason tournament beginning in August.

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Wheeling Nailers hire former forward Derek Army as assistant coach

SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, June 19, 2020 2:06 p.m.

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The Wheeling Nailers have hired former forward Derek Army as an assistant coach.

Army, 29, spent the majority of his professional career as a player with the Nailers, including his final two seasons as captain. In parts of five seasons with Wheeling, Army appeared in 159 games and scored 130 points (59 goals, 71 assists). He was a member of the 2015-16 Nailers team which played in the Kelly Cup Final.

Retiring following the 2017-18 season, Army served as an assistant coach with the Worcester Railers of the ECHL during the past two seasons. He was fired from that position this past November.

“Derek was our top target to be our assistant coach, and we are very fortunate that he accepted the job,” Nailers head coach Mark French said in a statement. “As a coach, Derek has similar qualities to what helped him succeed as a player — character, energy, work ethic and commitment.”

The Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Penguins, hired French earlier this month.

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186600 Pittsburgh Penguins greatness on Sidney Crosby (21) and Evgeni Malkin (22) at very young ages.

So I did wind up doing a Top 10 list. I was right. Too much work. Mark Madden: Top 5 victories in Pittsburgh sports history It was a fun exercise — until I took calls.

One caller suggested the Pirates wild-card game win in 2013 belonged MARK MADDEN | Friday, June 19, 2020 10:47 a.m. on the Top 5 list even though it led to nothing. Yeah, I know … CUETO DROPPED THE BALL! Yahoo. My list wasn’t about atmosphere, it was about significance. That win had zero.

Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, I hoped that guy was a lone idiot. I was wrong. Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. A subsequent caller allowed that dropping the ball wasn’t I did a tried-and-true (read: clichéd) sports talk bit on Thursday’s radio Top 5 material but was bigger than the Steelers winning Super Bowl XIV. program, namely the use of a list: Top 5, Top 10, Mt. Rushmore, 1,004 Wow. holds, etc. You get the idea. (We’ve now had 100 days without sports. You come up with better.) Pirates fans are determined to assign significance and relevance to their team, but none exists. When winning a wild-card game is your Kodak In this case, it was Top 5 Pittsburgh sports wins ever. Not moments, but moment dating to 1992, your franchise’s rep has slid (just like Sid wins. What victories by Pittsburgh sports teams impacted the town and Bream). team the most? Someday Cueto will come to PNC Park to throw out the first pitch … and Here’s what made the list: will drop it. In front of a substantially smaller crowd, one bets.

1. Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run wins Game 7 of the 1960 World Up soon: Top 5 worst losses in Pittsburgh sports history. The Pirates Series. Baseball was king in America and in Pittsburgh. The Pirates losing one million in attendance since 2015 isn’t eligible. When Sid beating the New York Yankees juggernaut was arguably the biggest Bream slid definitely is. upset ever in MLB. Roll over , and tell Joe Namath the news. Mickey Mantle never got over it. Tribune Review LOADED: 06.20.2020

2. The Steelers win Super Bowl IX following the 1974 season. That kicked off the dynasty. The Steelers were under .500 just three years before, 1-13 two years before that. It marked an incredible transformation under Chuck Noll from joke to powerhouse. It made football No. 1 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are one of football’s premium franchises. That’s where it started.

3. The Penguins’ first Stanley Cup in 1991. ’s arrival in 1984 started Pittsburgh on its way to being a hockey town, but it took a while. That notion and Lemieux each needed a championship for validation. As with the Steelers, such heights didn’t seem possible. The Penguins missed the playoffs just the year prior.

4. The Steelers win Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season. The “win it for Jerome Bettis in his hometown” angle played well. The Steelers won their last eight, including the Super Bowl in Detroit, and all eight games were must-win. It had been 26 years since the Steelers last won the championship. The franchise badly needed reborn.

5. The Pirates win the World Series in 1971. Few Pittsburgh athletes are more iconic than Roberto Clemente, and that was his signature moment. Clemente was series MVP, hit safely in every game, and clubbed a home run in Game 7. As in 1960, baseball was still king, both in America and in Pittsburgh.

AP Pirates’ Robert Clemente gets congratulations from third base coach Frank Oceak after he homered in fourth inning to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 17, 1971. Pittsburgh won the seventh game of the World Series, 2-1. Clemente was named the outstanding player of the 1971 World Series.

Several big-time victories didn’t make the list. (A Top 10 seemed too much work.)

Among them:

• Pitt football’s national championship in 1976. Pittsburgh just isn’t a college sports town, and Pitt faded to mediocrity inside of a decade (and remains there).

• The “Immaculate Reception” in 1972. Some see it as a launching pad for the Steelers’ dynasty, but it was a fluke bounce and the Steelers lost the AFC final the next week.

• The Pirates win the 1979 World Series. That year was to the beloved Willie Stargell what ’71 was to Clemente. The “We Are Family” gimmick got over big.

• The Steelers win Super Bowl XIV after the 1979 season. That was their fourth of the decade and cemented them as an all-time great team, maybe the greatest.

• The Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009. It reset the Penguins, not unlike Super Bowl XL did for the Steelers. It also stamped indelible 1186601 Pittsburgh Penguins returned as a free agent in 2004, then again in 2006 after a brief detour to Carolina. He had back-to-back 24-goals seasons in his late 30s in his second stint with the team.

Do-overs: Conor Sheary and the best and worst returns in Penguins 3. Ben Lovejoy (2008-13, 2014-16) history No player on this list had his second stint with the Penguins begin with such negativity. Lovejoy came up with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent out of Dartmouth, became a solid depth defenseman and was JONATHAN BOMBULIE AND SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, June 19, traded to Anaheim for a fifth-round pick in 2013. When general manager 2020 6:00 a.m. Jim Rutherford got him back from the Ducks in exchange for defenseman Simon Despres in March of 2015 – thought at the time to be a massive

overpayment – he was pilloried. Fifteen months later, Lovejoy was an Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, integral part of a Stanley Cup team and Rutherford laughed last. Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. 4. Rob Brown (1987-91, 1997-2000) Conor Sheary played the last game of his first stint with the Pittsburgh Brown’s first stint with the Penguins was the one that grabbed the Penguins on May 7, 2018. headlines. He scored 49 goals in his second pro season, grew out a Evgeny Kuznetsov scored about five minutes into overtime of Game 6 of legendary mullet, dated Alyssa Milano and got chased by stick-swinging a second-round series, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup maniacal goalie Ron Hextall. Good times. Badger Bob Johnson wasn’t a champions were defending no more. big fan, though, and he was traded to Hartford for Scott Young in 1990. Brown’s return to the team as a free agent in 1997, however, might have Sheary’s first game of his second stint with the Penguins was a 2-1 loss done more to help his reputation as a solid NHL player who was more to the on Feb. 26, a little less than 21 months later. than a Mario Lemieux sidecar. He recorded 38 goals over three seasons as a dependable secondary scorer. Not counting Sheary, 19 Penguins players suited up for that fateful playoff loss to the Capitals. Only eight were left when Sheary got back 5. (1967-68, 1970-71) less than two years later. AP Hockey Hall of Fame forward Andy Bathgate’s final NHL season That illustrates how quickly rosters are flipped in the modern NHL. It also came with the Penguins in 1970-71. perhaps gives a glimpse into why most players who return to the Penguins for a second stint with the team don’t recapture the magic of His time with the Penguins is an interesting sidebar to Bathgate’s Hall of the past. They’re not coming back to the same team. Fame career. Consensus was that his knees were shot at age 35 and he made too much money ($75,000!), but at the urging of State Sen. Jack Despite the turnover, Sheary said he didn’t feel like he was being thrust McGregor, the team’s founder, the Penguins picked Bathgate in the 1967 into an unfamiliar environment when he returned to the Penguins. expansion draft. It was a good call. He led the team in scoring and netted 20 goals, including the first in franchise history. He left the Penguins the Perhaps that’s because many of the holdovers were the team’s top following season and had two big years in the WHL in Vancouver. At age players and emotional leaders – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris 38, now with a bad back added to his knee troubles, Bathgate was talked Letang and Patric Hornqvist – or some of Sheary’s pals who came up into returning to the Penguins by Red Kelly in 1970-71. He finished third from Wilkes-Barre at roughly the same time he did – Matt Murray and on the team in scoring. Bryan Rust. The worst returns “The transition itself was fairly easy,” Sheary said. “There was a lot of turnover in terms of players, but I think the core group of guys was still 1.) Alex Kovalev (1998-03, 2011) there. Obviously, (Mike Sullivan) was still there. () was there when I left. Jacques (Martin) and (Sergei Gonchar). So most of the Alexei Kovalev might have been the coolest player in franchise history. coaching staff was all the same. First, he flew his own plane! Second, he had a hat trick-specific celebration of moonwalking anytime he scored three goals. And his “Obviously, they’ve interchanged a lot of players throughout the years. nickname was just lethal. AK27. So, when he came back in 2011 as Alex But it was nice to come back. A lot of the guys that I was with my last Kovalev and took on No. 72 (incumbent forward Craig Adams already year (in Pittsburgh) were still here and a lot of my friends. So I was able inhabited No. 27), it just was so … not cool. And the results were to come back to that. Different in terms of players but as far as the lukewarm. Brought in at the 2011 trade deadline to boost a hobbled club system and the culture and everything like that, not much has changed.” missing the talents of injured superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Alex Kovalev and his worn out knees just didn’t have the same The ending for Sheary’s second stay with the Penguins hasn’t been magic as Alexei Kovalev. In 20 games, he only produced seven points written, of course. It could still be a blockbuster or a flop. (two goals, five assists). With that in mind, former beat writer Jonathan Bombulie came up with a 2. Rob Scuderi (2004-09, 2013-15) list of the top five Penguins who thrived in their second stay with the team, and beat writer Seth Rorabaugh complied a top five list of players After losing Scuderi to free agency following the 2009 Stanley Cup title, who fizzled upon their return. general manager Ray Shero tried to replace the defensive acumen “The Piece” possessed by pursuing Jay McKee, Zbynek Michalek and Dan The best returns Hamhuis. Ultimately, Shero felt the only player who could replace 1. Martin Straka (1992-95, 1997-2003) Scuderi was Scuderi himself and signed him to a hefty four-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3.375 million. But at 34, Scuderi, who was never Straka has the unique distinction of scoring 30 goals in a season for the confused with Johann Olav Koss, was a step slower at a time when the Penguins, wandering the NHL wilderness for a few years, returning to game becoming a several parsecs faster. A broken ankle in October of Pittsburgh and having another 30-goal season. The first 30-goal 2013 did nothing to improve Scuderi’s velocity. Shero was fired less than campaign came as a 20-year-old in 1993-94. He stumbled in a lockout- a year after re-signing Scuderi and by December of 2015, new general shortened season the next year and was sent all over the place in manager Jim Rutherford dealt Scuderi to the Chicago Blackhawks. exchange for a cast of characters – Norm Maciver, Troy Murray, Wade Redden, Damien Rhodes – before returning to the Penguins as a free 3. Warren Young (1983-85, 1986-88) agent in 1997. He scored 35 goals in 1998-99 and ended up 11th on the Aside from perhaps a handful of bean counters, few people in the franchise’s all-time scoring list. Penguins’ organization realized the immediate impact of Lemieux’s 2. Mark Recchi (1988-92, 2005-06, 2006-07) arrival in 1984 more than Young. A journeyman who had all of 20 NHL games before Lemieux was drafted, Young was placed on the Recchi is a rare character who had multiple stints with each of superstar’s wing and erupted for 40 goals while also making the NHL’s ’s NHL teams. Pittsburgh, though, is where he got his start All-Rookie team at the ripe age of 29. That success prompted the Red and where he currently resides as one of the team’s assistant coaches. Wings to sign Young to a four-year contract for what was then an Recchi’s arrival as a full-time NHL player in 1989-90 – a 30-goal scorer at astounding $1 million in 1985. Failing to enamour Detroit coach Jacques that – helped boost the Penguins into the ranks of Cup contenders. He Demers, Young was traded back to the Penguins in 1986 but failed to recapture the rapport he had with Lemieux. By 1988, he was out of the NHL.

4. Joe Mullen (1990-95, 1996-97)

One of Craig Patrick’s first trades as Penguins general manager was to acquire veteran scoring winger Joe Mullen from the Calgary Flames in June of 1990. Mullen’s experience on a mostly younger roster was a vital component in helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. After spending the 1995-96 season with the Boston Bruins, Mullen returned to Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1996. By that point, 39-year-old “Slippery Rock” Joe’s body had betrayed him as he was limited to 54 games and 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 1996-97. Despite his struggles in his final NHL season, Mullen did become the first United States-born player to reach the 500-goal mark during that campaign.

5. Denis Herron (1972-75, 1976-79, 1982-86)

To be clear, Herron’s second stint with the Penguins was actually pretty good. His third tour was pretty lousy. A third-round pick in 1972, Herron made the team out of training camp that same year but never established himself on the NHL level. Traded to the Kansas City Scouts in 1974, he re-signed with the Penguins by 1976 and enjoyed two 20-win seasons, including in 1978-79 when he finished seventh in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy. The Penguins traded him again in August of 1979, to the Montreal Canadiens, before acquiring him yet again in September of 1982. Serving as little more than a human sacrifice for some intentionally woebegone Penguins teams, Herron had a 23-67-10 record in his final four NHL seasons.

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186602 Pittsburgh Penguins There is little doubt that Crosby possesses the ability to raise his level of play when games are most important. He also has often showcased a tendency to elevate his game when hockey is in the public eye, as it presumably will be in August. ‘The ultimate leader’: Sidney Crosby’s drive has his coach excited about return Those who prefer to make hockey a study of analytics and statistics typically suggest that such a thing isn’t possible, that great players are simply great, thus explaining their dominance in big moments. There is truth to this, yet Crosby’s history seems too exaggerated to simply look at By Josh Yohe Jun 19, 2020 the numbers and move on.

Consider: This December will mark five years for Mike Sullivan as Penguins head He scored arguably the most famous goal in hockey history, finishing off coach. During that time, he’s witnessed Sidney Crosby raise the Stanley Team USA with the “Golden Goal” at the 2010 Olympics. Cup twice while playing some of the greatest hockey of his career. The coach and the captain have a special relationship and Sullivan’s He played perhaps the greatest hockey of his career at the 2016 World understanding of Crosby — and of what makes him tick — has long Cup of Hockey, knowing it conceivably was his final appearance as appeared to be unparalleled. Team Canada captain on Canadian soil.

Sullivan hasn’t seen Crosby since March, though they speak frequently. He ended the first Winter Classic in 2008 with a shootout goal. The coach is staying away from the Penguins’ informal player workouts at the UMPC Lemieux Sports Complex for health reasons and because In 2009, he became the youngest captain to raise the Cup. he believes it’s appropriate for players to have time to themselves while In 2016 and 2017, in what clearly were career-defining Stanley Cup Final they acclimate themselves with the new normal and find their legs. runs, he won consecutive Conn Smythe trophies, the first player to Sullivan, however, has spoken with Crosby about many things, including accomplish this since Mario Lemieux in 1991 and 1992. the upcoming summer NHL postseason. The coach notices a spark in In 2011, with the hockey world’s eyes fixated on him when he returned to Crosby. the lineup after missing 11 months with a concussion, he scored a goal “Let’s put it this way,” Sullivan told The Athletic. “I know it has his on his second shift. attention. It has Sid’s attention. I know what it means to him to win Crosby is always precocious and has an undeniable penchant for shining championships. And this is an opportunity to win a championship. Those in the spotlight. Were he to carry an already talented, deep Penguins opportunities don’t come around all the time.” team on his back in the upcoming postseason, no one would be Crosby will turn 33 on August 7, which may give him an opportunity to surprised. There is no precedent for what’s about to transpire in the NHL, play an NHL game on his birthday for the first time in his career. A but there haven’t been many players like Crosby, either. Penguins’ surge this summer would give him an opportunity to even “We just have a lot of belief in him, as a hockey player and as a person,” Wayne Gretzky’s total with four championships. Sullivan said. Neither Crosby nor Sullivan are particularly big on making such historical Sullivan, in fact, has never been more grateful that Crosby is his captain. landmarks a focus. But Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have only so many The past few months have been a trying time for everyone and Sullivan opportunities to add to their postseason legend. Malkin turns 34 on July hasn’t been around his players. Coaches are, by their very nature, 31. control freaks. They want to make sure their young players are making With the emergence of young superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan good decisions off the ice. They want to make sure everyone is in proper MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and Leon Draisaitl, condition. They want to make sure everything is functioning properly. perhaps the days of Crosby and Malkin winning scoring titles are These days, coaches have no such power. And yet Sullivan is sleeping through. well. Winning the Stanley Cup, however, is a different kind of feat and one the “Having him as our captain is a big deal,” Sullivan said. “You know, first duo knows well. Since entering his 30s, Crosby speaks of winning more and foremost, he’s such an incredible teammate. He really is. He cares than ever. Individual accolades are great, but he’s already universally about the Pittsburgh Penguins so, so much — the organization as a considered one of the 1o greatest players in hockey history. Most whole, trying to help this entire organization have so much success. It probably have him in their top five. Scoring titles and Hart Trophies are just means a lot to him. So you consider that, and then you consider how great, and Crosby isn’t against adding more to his collection. The big much experience he has, and how smart he is. He sees the opportunity trophy, however, is the one that makes him tick. that’s in front of us. He sees it and he wants to take full advantage of it.” Just ask his coach. Sullivan said Crosby is taking charge during player-only, on-ice workouts “There’s no question about that,” Sullivan said. “The thing with Sid is, that are taking place in small groups. It’s remindful of the 2012-13 lockout he’s had the benefit of winning. A lot. So he knows what it takes. But at when coaches and team officials weren’t allowed at team facilities. the same time, you can be associated with a lot of good teams that, for Crosby and about a dozen teammates worked out almost every day whatever reasons, fall short of winning championships. So, he’s had a lot during that time, with Crosby serving as coach, captain, player and media of success in certain years and in certain situations, but he’s also tasted relations director on a daily basis. He even skated the nets and pucks off disappointment, too. So he’s at the stage of his career where he has a the ice every day, long after his teammates had hit the showers. certain perspective, and because of that, I think he views this summer as “How lucky we are to have him here,” Sullivan said. “He’s trying to do a really special opportunity. And I know Geno and Tanger (Kris Letang) everything in his power to control a unique circumstance right now, to feel the same way. Those guys have been on both sides of it. They love help our team get any competitive advantage that it can. I’ve seen it a lot playing together, love winning championships together. I know what it during my time in Pittsburgh. I think the participation you’re seeing at means to them, and I know they’ll be ready.” these optional skates is an indication of how much respect his Training camp is tentatively set to begin on July 10. The camp is teammates have for him, how much they want to win, and how much he expected to take place over two or three weeks and an exhibition game inspires them to want to win.” or two could be played. A look at the calendar indicates that the When training camp begins July 10, Sullivan expects his team to be at a Penguins likely will begin action in the preliminary round against the somewhat advanced stage largely because of his captain. Canadiens in early August. The games could take place in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Columbus or somewhere else. No one knows just “What a great influence he is on our team,” Sullivan said. “The ultimate yet. leader. He’s the standard. He sets the bar. I’m very excited about this team and about the opportunity we have this summer, and he’s a big “Sid will be ready no matter where the games are played,” Sullivan said. reason why. I know he’ll be ready. I know it.” “No matter when they’re played, he’ll be ready. That’s the kind of leader he is, the kind of captain he is, the kind of person he is.” The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186603 Pittsburgh Penguins Draft, did seem to settle in during his second season with the Penguins, which was needed as injuries decimated their depth. With three years left on his contract, Johnson still has time to prove the Penguins right — unlike, say, defenseman Matt Hunwick, who signed for three years and The 10 worst free-agent signings in Pittsburgh sports history $6.75 million in 2017 and was traded after 42 games. Johnson’s cap hit isn’t huge, honestly, but it’s too much for a bottom-pairing defenseman.

7. LeGarrette Blount (Steelers, 2014) By Stephen J. Nesbitt Jun 19, 2020 One day, there should be a “30 for 30” episode on Blount’s 2014 season.

That spring, the 28-year-old running back signed a two-year contract for Here’s where the fun begins. $3.85 million and a $950,000 signing bonus to form a one-two punch in the backfield with Le’Veon Bell. In August 2014, the two of them were The other day, we counted down the top-10 free-agent signings in arrested for marijuana possession. (Blount was suspended for one game Pittsburgh sports history, as part of The Athletic’s series on free agency. the following year. Bell, who also received a DUI charge, was suspended It was nice. But now it’s time to turn this conversation toward the flops for three games.) Blount lost carries as the season progressed, and he and face-palms. That’s right, this is a deep dive into the swings and walked off the field before the end of their Week 11 game after not misses, the risky bets that lost. You remember those moves well, and so getting a touch against the Titans. He was released the next day. Blount do the general managers who made them. rushed for 266 yards and two touchdowns in his brief Steelers career. Within two days of his release, Blount signed with the Patriots. He rushed These are the worst free-agent signings by the Steelers, Penguins and for 281 yards and three scores in five regular-season games, then Pirates. exploded for 148 yards and three touchdowns in the AFC Championship Francisco Liriano (Charles LeClaire / USA Today) game. Blount and the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX, his first of three rings. But wait. First, we need to have a talk about Francisco Liriano. I left him off my list of the best signings, and in fairness, I will leave him off of this 6. Jeromy Burnitz (Pirates, 2006) one as well. Truthfully, Liriano is both one of the Pirates’ best and worst Burnitz got a guaranteed $6.7 million, plus performance bonuses and a free-agent signings. He came to Pittsburgh in 2013 on a one-year deal $6 million club option. Those are figures the Pirates rarely offer free with an option, then posted a 3.20 ERA at a cost of only $9 million over agents, especially 37-year-olds. GM Dave Littlefield also went out and those two seasons. got Sean Casey and Joe Randa (another bad one-year deal — $4 When Liriano hit free agency again, the Pirates signed him for three million) in the same offseason. By the middle of May, Burnitz was batting years and $39 million — their largest free-agent deal ever. After turning .185 and being booed for not running out a ground ball. “This is the first in a 3.38 ERA in 2015, Liriano lost his touch. He was one of the worst team I’ve been on in a couple years where I’m Joe High-Paid Free starters in the league in 2016 before the Pirates sent him to Toronto at Agent,” Burnitz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That, in and of itself, the trade deadline, giving up two top-10 prospects in order to dump should tell you the big picture that the team’s in. If I’m just another guy on Liriano’s salary. That may say more about the Pirates than it does about one of those big-market, big-paying teams … that’s not the way it is here, Liriano, but overall the deal went poorly. Liriano was a below-average and I understand that. I’m cool with it. If I have to wear through this all pitcher over the life of that second contract. season and stink, you won’t see me quit.” He did not quit. He batted .230, lost playing time to José Bautista and was not asked back. With that, let’s move on to the list. 5. Žigmund “Ziggy” Pálffy (Penguins, 2005-06) 10. Raúl Mondesí (Pirates, 2004) The Palffy signing was by no means a mistake for the Penguins, but it A one-time All-Star, Mondesí didn’t cost the Pirates much, but he rankled played out about as poorly as possible. In Palffy, they were getting a fans and the front office with his surprisingly short stay in Pittsburgh. winger who had scored 30-plus goals six times in nine seasons and After signing a one-year, $1.15 million deal with an $8 million club option, averaged better than a point per game. Palffy was 32 when he signed a Mondesí left the club after 26 games to attend to a civil suit in the three-year deal worth $13.5 to join the Penguins, who were entering Dominican Republic. “I’ve played 20 straight years of baseball all year Crosby’s rookie season and Mario Lemieux’s last. Palffy proved to be round,” Mondesí told a reporter during his absence. “I deserve a rest every bit the scorer the Penguins craved, but he left abruptly after even if it’s only for a few months.” Then Mondesí said he would sit out collecting 42 points in 42 games, went home to Slovakia and retired from the rest of the season, effectively threatening the Pirates to release him. hockey. Palffy never returned to the NHL and never publicly explained They did, having paid Mondesí only $192,000, and the 33-year-old why he had departed. In the end, Palffy’s contract was not a burden for outfielder immediately signed with the Angels. He suffered a season- the Penguins, but they never had a chance to see the scoring threat ending injury eight games later. Mondesí is now in prison serving an Palffy would have added alongside Crosby and Evgeni Malkin once the eight-year sentence for embezzling more than $6 million while mayor of Penguins were a Stanley Cup-caliber team in the remaining years of San Cristobal. Palffy’s contract.

9. Kent Graham (Steelers, 2000) 4. Sean Mahan (Steelers, 2007)

It’s one thing to sign with a new team and never contribute. It’s another to The dud free-agent signings usually don’t last until the end of their have a chance to help and then actively do harm. The Steelers inked contract. (The jury is still out on Johnson.) Mahan was no exception. He Graham, then 32, to a three-year deal worth $5.1 million to replace signed for five years and $17 million and lasted only one season. Mahan backup quarterback Mike Tomczak in 2000. But Graham supplanted was brought in to replace two-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Hartings, who Kordell Stewart as the starter before the season began. In Week 1, had replaced Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson, who had replaced Hall of Graham went 17 for 38 and was shut out. He started the Steelers’ first Famer Mike Webster. The Steelers’ lineage of exceptional starting five games of the season and only once threw for 200 yards or centers ended with Mahan. Mahan, then 27, started every game in a 10- completed 50 percent of his passes. Stewart took back the job. When 6 season but was overmatched. During a fourth-quarter comeback in the Stewart was injured in Week 14 against the Raiders, Graham returned AFC wild-card game, completed a two-point and threw an interception on his first pass. Stewart played hurt in the conversion to , which would have brought the Steelers within second half and preserved a 21-20 win. Graham was cut at the end of three points, but the play was negated by Mahan’s holding penalty. The the season. second try failed. Steelers went ahead on their next drive, but Jack Johnson (Anne-Marie Sorvin / USA Today) Jacksonville’s Josh Scobee booted a field goal with 40 seconds left to win 31-29. The Steelers traded Mahan back to Tampa Bay for a seventh- 8. Jack Johnson (Penguins, 2018-present) round pick.

Hockey fans have howled about the Johnson signing since it was 3. Rob Scuderi (Penguins, 2003-09, 2013-16) announced. Johnson already was considered a defensive liability, and advanced stats have since done nothing to disprove that. So it’s difficult Scuderi was on the ice, clearing Red Wings winger Tomas Holmström to argue that giving a 31-year-old defenseman a five-year, $16.25 million from the crease when Marc Andre-Fleury saved Game 7 of the 2009 deal didn’t hurt the Penguins. Johnson, who went to prep school with Stanley Cup for the Penguins. It seemed like a magical finish to the last Sidney Crosby and was selected two picks after him in the 2005 NHL game of Scuderi’s Penguins career. But in 2013, after Scuderi had won a second Cup in Los Angeles, then-GM Ray Shero brought back Scuderi on a four-year, $13.5 million contract — almost identical to the one he had signed in Los Angeles. But now Scuderi was 34, a stay-at-home defenseman slowing as his career progressed. It was an incredible overpay. Shero was fired the following year, and new GM Jim Rutherford was left to find a solution for Scuderi, who was not a fit for the speed teams built by Rutherford. Scuderi played 160 games in his second stint with the Penguins, tallying one goal and 17 assists. Scuderi was traded for Trevor Daley in December 2015, and four months later he played his last NHL game — one year before his contract expired.

2. Ladarius Green (Steelers, 2016-17)

Although Green had operated in the shadow of tight end Antonio Gates in , Steelers GM Kevin Colbert saw enough to sign the 26- year-old Green to a four-year, $20 million contract in 2016. The idea was that Green would be the heir to Heath Miller, who had just retired. “When you play (the Steelers), all you hear is ‘Heeeeeaath’ in the background,” Green told the Post-Gazette at the time. “I don’t want to consider myself trying to follow in his footsteps because those are some pretty big shoes to fill.” But Green’s injury troubles resurfaced quickly. He started the season on the PUP list after hurting his ankle and didn’t debut until Week 10, catching three passes. The highlight of Green’s six-game Steelers career was a six-catch, 110-yard day against the Giants in Week 13. Two weeks later, he hit his head while being tackled. Diagnosed with a concussion, Green missed the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. He was released in May 2017 after failing a physical.

1. Derek Bell (Pirates, 2001-02)

Few free-agent signings flame out in such spectacular fashion as “Operation Shutdown.” The Pirates signed Bell, a former World Series winner, to a two-year, $9.75 million deal in 2001, when he was 32. It went sideways from the jump. Bell batted .173 in 46 games with the big-league club in 2001, and his demotion to Triple A was even worse — a .162 batting average in 22 games. Pirates GM Cam Bonifay was fired midseason, and Littlefield, the next GM, had no allegiance to Bell. When Bell was asked in spring training 2002 about his starting job in right field being up for grabs, he bristled, famously threatening to go into “Operation Shutdown” if forced to compete for the job. Bell left the team 11 days later and was released, taking $4.5 million with him as he retired to his yacht. The saga inspired New York Post writer Tom Keegan to call Bell “the perfect Pirate” because “he lives on a boat and steals money.”

Honorable mentions

Erik Bedard, Duce Staley, Dean Biasucci, Pete Schourek, Zbyněk Michálek, Todd Peterson, Hunwick, Scott Olsen, Jay Riemersma, Matt Diaz, Leonard Pope, Lyle Overbay, Quincy Morgan, Antti Niemi, Amos Otis, Donte Moncrief, Lonnie Chisenhall

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186604 San Jose Sharks Boyle, of course, is still friends with may of his former teammates, like , Patrick Marleau, Evgeni Nabokov and Logan Couture.

Any theories on what went wrong this season for the last-place Sharks? Almost 4 years after retirement, Dan Boyle’s competitive fire still burns “I have some thoughts I’ll keep to myself (laughs),” he said. “I don’t think I’ll make public what some of my thoughts were, but when you’re on the other side of it, it’s a lot easier from the stands; it’s a lot easier to coach By Kevin Kurz Jun 19, 2020 when you’re not in the locker room. I don’t really know what was going on behind closed doors.”

When Boyle retired, he was 39 years old. Thornton and Marleau, now 40, Dan Boyle retired from hockey nearly four years ago. On Oct. 5, 2016, he plan to keep playing next season, when they’ll both be 41. held a news conference at SAP Center to officially hang up his skates as a member of the Sharks. Boyle can understand why they want to keep going and he has an idea what’s driving his two good friends. For one thing, they’ve never won a It was quite a run. Despite being undrafted and perceived as undersized Stanley Cup, like he did in 2004. Further, Thornton and Marleau are both when he began his professional career, Boyle played for 17 seasons with willing to take a back seat to other players that are now driving the bus — four different NHL teams. A two-time All-Star, Boyle posted 605 points in something that Boyle wasn’t comfortable doing after arriving in New York. 1,093 games and was a key part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship, as well as Canada’s gold medal team at the “I think it depends on a few things,” Boyle said. “Health, for one — a lot of Olympics in 2012. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in each of his six guys are forced to (retire). I would not put myself in that category. I was seasons with the franchise healthy, I could have kept going. Desire is another one. I was fortunate enough to have won, which I think with Patty and Joe, that’s keeping their The running theme of the news conference that autumn day was that fire alive. I’m not speaking for them, that’s just my opinion. I don’t know Boyle’s career couldn’t be properly described without mentioning how that that’s the case. But for them, not having had the opportunity to win is much of his success was driven by his fiery nature. Boyle often said that keeping that fire burning. So I think they have that. not being drafted resulted in him carrying a chip on his shoulder that lasted well into his 30s and helped to make him the elite player that he “Then the last thing is just where you’re at in your career and how ultimately became. comfortable you are in the position you’re in. If you’re still playing the minutes you want to play, playing the position you want to play, then you That competitiveness was such a part of Boyle’s identity as a player that can play as long as you want. For me, it was tough to have to take a step he could never quite turn it off, even when he was off the ice going about back, playing in a reduced role. A lot of guys can do that, can handle his daily life. that. I was not capable of handing a reduced role and that became very “I believe in earning things,” Boyle said that day. “I don’t know what’s frustrating for me. As long as those guys can be healthy and keep that right and what’s wrong, but if I play (cards) with my kids, I make them fire burning and handle maybe a reduced role, they’ll be able to keep earn it. I don’t just give it to them because they’re 6 and 7.” playing for a little bit.”

Now that he’s been retired for a few years, though, has he mellowed a When Boyle broke into the league, it wasn’t common for a defenseman bit? under 6-foot to play a key role. Boyle was listed at 5-11, but on the day of his retirement, he said, “let’s face it, I’m more like (5-9).” “I have not. I have not mellowed out at all,” Boyle, now 43, said Thursday in a phone interview. “With adults, golf is the only thing left that I do Boyle seemingly helped to pave the way for the more mobile, offensive- competitively, really. But, no, with my kids (now 11 and 9), with whatever minded, roaming-type defensemen that have become not just prevalent we’re playing, I keep it close, but then I’ve gotta put the hammer to but vital in today’s game. Guys like Drew Doughty and Kris Letang told them.” Boyle that he was a player that they looked up to when they were breaking into the league. The Sharks, of course, have two similarly From my view, when I arrived in San Jose in 2011 it was immediately offensive-minded defensemen in Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. clear that Boyle truly hated to lose. He was never shy in expressing his honest opinions with the media, when things were going well or when Since he’s retired, the number of Boyle-like defensemen has only grown. they weren’t. That remained true until he and the organization parted While there are now a number of blueliners in the NHL that play that way, ways following the 2014-15 season, a breakup that Boyle later admitted it wasn’t common when Boyle was sitting in Lightning head coach John left him “devastated.” Tortorella’s office in the mid-2000s.

Part of the reason for that devastation, other than his relationship with the “I remember having conversations with Torts in Tampa about team and his teammates, was that Boyle and his wife decided quickly forechecking,” Boyle said. “He was like, ‘Why would a defenseman be upon arriving in San Jose in 2008 that they wanted to stay there for the the first guy on the forecheck?’ He didn’t understand that and a lot of long term. After playing his final two seasons with the New York Rangers, coaches probably didn’t understand that. But I tried to tell him like, ‘Hey, the Boyles made the South Bay their home post-retirement. if I can get there and beat the forwards up the ice and get control of the puck, why wouldn’t I? Why give the puck up when I can get there?’ “I would say we probably knew within a couple months — two or three months in, my wife and I looked at each other and said, ‘Is this it?’ And “The rule that he basically said was, ‘As long as you’re the first guy back.’ the answer was, yeah. I would say pretty early on, three months tops, we I’d find myself behind the net, I’d find myself behind the goal line, which knew,” Boyle said. at the time, there wasn’t too many defensemen that were doing that or were even allowed to do that. For me, it was just a matter of being the That led to the Boyles building a house in Los Gatos, which was only first guy back once I did. Hopefully, down the road some people will completed about a year ago. That kept him busy after he completed his maybe give me some — and I’m not looking for it — but it would be nice career with the Rangers, as the process to build the house had only just to say that I played a part in the evolution of being a defenseman.” started after his final game. Boyle didn’t watch much hockey in the years after his final game. The “When I came back from New York, the goal was to have the main house first season after he retired, he figured he watched only about five built, but due to … how should I put this nicely … construction rules and regular-season NHL games and then the next year it was maybe 10. But regulations around here, it took me two-and-a-half years to get a permit,” the playoffs still get his juices flowing and that’s when he tunes in. That’s he said. “So I came home from New York to a permit and not a home. when he misses the game the most. We lived in the guest house for three years and basically watched from the foundation a house go up in a few years. So I was involved from the He’s not ruling out a return to hockey in some off-ice role, even if he’s not very beginning. pursuing it currently. At some point, for a guy as competitive as Boyle, the urge to get back into the heat of battle might be too much to resist. “(The contractor) said he had never met a client more involved than me (laughs). Needless to say, it really became a full-time job. That’s kind of “The competitive fire is still there,” he said. “When playoffs roll around, why I haven’t been bored yet, because I was putting some blood, sweat and the Sharks are trailing by a goal or something, that’s where I want to and tears (into the house). It took three years of my life. I’ve been what I be out there and try to help out. would consider retired-retired the last year. So it’s still fairly new to me.” “I know a lot of guys get really bored in retirement, I’m not at that point yet. Maybe one day I’ll be at that point and I’ll ease into if I want to get involved again. But yeah, usually in the playoffs, I wish I were still out there.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186605 Tampa Bay Lightning

Return-to-play plan approved; NHL focus shifts to Canadian cities as host sites

STAFF

The country's top public health officer and health officials sign off on the proposal, with Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton in the mix as possible hubs.

Canada has approved the NHL’s return-to-play proposal that could lead to one or more cities north of the border serving as host sites for the league’s 24-team playoff format.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Friday that the nation’s top public health officer, and health officials in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario had signed off on the NHL plan.

The decision followed discussions with government health officials, and comes as the league enters the advanced stages of selecting its hub cities — most likely two — from a list of seven in the United States and three in Canada, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Daly didn’t rule out the possibility of two hubs being located in Canada from among Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.

The NHL, however, did encounter a setback in its bid to resume playing since the season was paused on March 12.

The Tampa Bay Lightning closed their facilities indefinitely Thursday after three players and “additional staff members” tested positive for COVID- 19. The team said the players were largely asymptomatic and were self- isolating.

The move came as baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies announced that some of their players and staff had tested positive in nearby Clearwater and the Toronto Blue Jays had one player show symptoms consistent with the coronavirus in nearby Dunedin.

Two weeks ago, NHL players were allowed to return to their respective facilities for voluntary on- and off-ice workouts. Players were allowed to skate in groups of up to six a time.

The NHL’s return-to-play plan approved by Canada required an exemption allowing players and team officials to cross the border. The border is currently closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, and those entering Canada must self-isolate for 14 days.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said robust protocols such as group quarantining and testing will be in place. The decision on selecting hub cities — each would host 12 teams — could come as early as next week.

“I want to emphasize that it will be very important for the NHL and the players to continue to work very closely with public health officers and to follow their instructions,” Freeland said. “This is essential not only for the players, which I know we all have affection for, but for the health and safety of Canadians.”

The NHL is targeting July 10 to open training camps, with games being played without fans present starting in late July or early August.

Though Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio, are considered strong candidates to serve as hub cities, the focus on Canada comes at a time the United States is experiencing a spike in positive tests. Playing games in Canada could also be cost-effective, with the Canadian dollar worth about 73 cents versus its U.S. counterpart.

Daly said it wasn’t of “significant consideration” as to whether the hubs are located in separate or the same time zones.

Toronto Mayor supported his city being selected, noting he considers it to be the “hockey capital of the world.”

“It will be a morale boost for us,” Tory said. “It will be great for the psychology of the city.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186606 Tampa Bay Lightning

Three Lightning players test positive for the coronavirus

DIANA C. NEARHOS

TAMPA — Three Lightning players and additional staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, the organization said Friday.

The positive tests came up as part of the twice-weekly testing, a league requirement under the Phase 2 protocol. The organization is waiting on results of more tests and is performing contact tracing.

Amalie Arena has officially been closed, but some employees have worked from the building, asked to follow social-distancing guidelines and wear masks. The building is now closed to all non-essential staff until at least July 6, according to an email sent internally.

“Those players have been self-isolated following CDC protocols and are asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement. “Those who have been in contact with these individuals have been notified.

The NHL said in a statement that 11 players have tested positive of the more than 200 to be tested since Phase 2 started. The Toronto Sun reported Friday that Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews had tested positive.

During the self-isolation phase, Ottawa had five players and a staff member test positive. Colorado had three, and Pittsburgh one. Boston announced one player tested positive during the initial Phase 2 testing, but it said that player then tested negative twice and began skating.

This could be a similar situation, where follow up testing could return negative for the Lightning players who originally tested positive. The organization needs to get further test results to determine how widespread this is, and thus how to proceed.

In its Phase 2 protocol, the NHL created two groups, “player access personnel” and “no player access personnel. Only certain members of the staff could come in contact with the players (one athletic trainer, equipment manager, strength and conditioning coach and dressing room attendant per group of six skaters, and the team physician).

The Lightning opened Phase 2, making ice available for groups of six players, on June 9. Participation is optional, but more than 12 players have joined the sessions over the last week. Players and staffers had temperature and symptom checks upon entering the arena each day. They are tested for the virus twice a week.

The league has announced a target date of July 10 for training camps to open, but the NHL and players association have yet to formally agree to resume the season. If they do come to an agreement, the league plans to host 12 teams from each conference in two hub cities for the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186607 Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay, national sports figures recognize Juneteenth

STAFF

While some players, teams or leagues posted statements on social media, others made calls to action.

Now more than ever before, people seem to be taking notice of Juneteenth.

Today marks the 155th anniversary since slavery officially ended in America.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. But it would take an additional two-and-a-half years for news to travel to every part of the country.

This is what some players, organizations or leagues had to say about the holiday today on social media:

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186608 Tampa Bay Lightning Those protocols could include a quarantine period for players who are not now participating in Phase 2 in their NHL city.

The rules for participating in Phase 2 stated that: “Prior to resumption of Lightning close facility after COVID-19 positives; sources say more small group activities, some individuals … traveling back to their Club’s positive tests around NHL home city may be required to serve a 14-day self-quarantine imposed by the local health authorities, regardless of their mode of travel (private or charter travel). Even if not imposed by the local health authorities, such individuals returning to the Club’s home city by public transportation, By Joe Smith and Michael Russo Jun 19, 2020 including commercial air or rail travel, must serve a 14-day self- quarantine period post-travel before engaging in training activities at their Club’s facility. On Thursday, the Lightning told players who were planning to come to Tampa to not come yet due to the fluid situation, according to multiple “In addition, Club Medical personnel may impose a 14-day quarantine on sources. The team confirmed the positive tests on Friday by releasing a Players and Permitted Personnel returning to the Club’s home city from a statement from GM Julien BriseBois. The players are self-isolating and high-risk environment, even if they are not travelling via public their only symptoms are a low-grade fever, according to the statement, transportation. Guidelines for the designation of highrisk environments and the team’s “facilities will remain temporarily shut down until we can will be provided to Clubs by the NHL in consultation with the NHLPA as ensure a safe environment.” soon as practicable.”

But there have been other new cases elsewhere in the league this week, The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 according to multiple sources league-wide and in Arizona, where players from multiple teams have been skating outside of the Coyotes’ practice facility.

The NHL released a statement Friday evening that said “in excess of 200 players have undergone multiple testing (for COVID-19 since training facilities opened on June 8). A total of 11 of these players have tested positive.”

The names of the players infected have not been released and The Athletic’s policy is to not identify athletes by name unless the team or player confirms the positive test for COVID-19. On Thursday, an NHL source said he was “not in a position to comment at this point.” On Friday, the league did not respond to requests for comment.

Sources also confirmed the NHL and NHLPA may for the remainder of Phase 2 simply announce “an NHL player or NHL players” tested positive for COVID-19 in perhaps a weekly report rather than continue to identify the player’s team or what market he was skating in, as first reported by TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The league announced Friday evening it would release a weekly update that did not identify the players or teams.

There have been 18 players working out at the Tampa facilities, with three groups of six split between Amalie Arena and TGH Sportsplex in Brandon. But the Lightning are not the only ones who have been impacted in the area. On Thursday, it was revealed that one assistant coach tested positive, with a couple other coaches quarantined. This comes in the first week that NFL coaches were allowed back in team facilities. The Philadelphia Phillies confirmed Friday that five players and three staffers working at the Clearwater, Fla., facility tested positive. All of the club’s facilities are closed indefinitely, “until medical authorities are confident the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected,” according to managing partner John Middleton.

The NHL began Phase 2, which opened team training facilities to players to voluntarily participate in workouts with a maximum of six players at one time, on June 8. Phase 2 protocol requires COVID-19 testing where available, temperature checks, masks when not working out and lockers spaced at least six-feet away.

The Phase 2 protocol states that: “Players who participate in Phase 2 are not permitted to work out or skate at any public facility or other location, and may not organize any Player skates or group skates outside of the training sessions organized by the Club.”

But Phase 2 is optional and players who choose to not go to a team facility can skate where they want and do not have to follow the guidelines agreed to by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.

The majority of NHLers have not officially entered Phase 2. For instance, in Minnesota, all Wild players and Minnesota-based NHLers are skating at facilities outside of the Wild’s practice facility, TRIA Rink. In Arizona, multiple NHL players have been skating on their own at Oceanside Ice Arena, the home of Arizona State’s hockey team.

Last week, the NHL and NHLPA announced training camps (Phase 3) would open on July 10, “provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play.”

The protocol for Phases 3 and 4 is being negotiated now, and a vote by the players is still needed to approve a return to play. 1186609 Toronto Maple Leafs Matthews scored a team-high 47 goals for the Maple Leafs during the regular season and finished third in the league in that department, only one behind David Pastrnak of Boston and Alex Ovechkin of Washington.

COVID-19 cases on the rise among athletes as leagues prepare to Matthews would become the highest-profile player in hockey to come restart down with the infectious respiratory illness, and the second highest- profile player in any sport after Ezekiel Elliott of the NFL’s . The All-Pro running back was diagnosed earlier in the week.

Marty Klinkenberg The Maple Leafs would not confirm if Matthews has been found to have COVID-19, although the NHL did confirm on Friday night in a statement

that 11 players have tested positive since clubs opened their facilities on As more professional sports get closer to restarting, a number of COVID- June 8. 19 cases in athletes were confirmed on Friday in everything from “Per the National Hockey League protocol, [we] will not be commenting baseball to hockey to golf. on reports surrounding testing for any of the club’s players or staff,” the Reports indicate that Auston Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs star, is organization said in a release Friday night. “A person’s medical among them. The 22-year-old had been training in Arizona with information in this regard is private. teammate Frederik Andersen and players from the NHL’s Coyotes. “The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of In a busy day of COVID-19-related developments, the Toronto Blue Jays positive test results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular closed down their training facility in Dunedin, Fla., after one player tested basis with aggregate totals of the number of tests conducted and number positive for the novel coronavirus. A few hours earlier, the Philadelphia of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of Phillies shut down their complex in Clearwater after five players and affected clubs or players.” three other staff members tested positive. Globe And Mail LOADED: 06.20.2020 Dunedin and Clearwater are fewer than 10 kilometres apart, and Florida reported a record number of 3,822 new cases on Friday. Arizona is also among the states with surging numbers, with a record-high of 3,246 new cases.

The Blue Jays said everyone at their camp has been tested. The club said it was following protocols established by its medical team and Major League Baseball.

In nearby Tampa on Thursday, the Lightning shuttered their facility after three players and additional employees also tested positive.

General manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement that the players are self-isolating and are asymptomatic, “other than a few cases of low- grade fever.”

BriseBois said the facility would be closed until a safe environment existed for reopening.

The sudden closing occurred two weeks after NHL players had begun to return for voluntary workouts, skating in groups of six at a time. The league, which suspended play on March 12 because of the spread of the virus, hopes to be able to resume with playoff games at the end of next month or the beginning of August.

Friday’s troubling news came as the federal government announced that it was willing to work with the NHL to help create a postseason hub city in Canada. The league has said it would prefer to resume with games played by 24 teams at only two sites.

Arrangements are being made to allow players from American teams to cross the border without having to go into quarantine for 14 days. That removes a potential hurdle to bids being made by Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver to act as a host city.

Baseball players had only begun to work out recently as they try to reach a deal with owners over how to start the season amid the pandemic, including health protocols. The sides hoped to begin testing players on Tuesday and then begin a second round of spring training on June 26.

In the NHL, the Coyotes announced last weekend that one staff member had tested positive for the infectious respiratory illness.

An American golfer, Nick Watney, withdrew on Friday from the RBC Heritage in South Carolina ahead of the second round after he tested positive for COVID-19. Watney, who travelled privately to Hilton Head Island for the tournament, is the first player on the PGA Tour known to test positive.

The PGA said Watney reported he had symptoms Friday morning and was withdrawn from the event. He played the first round on Thursday in a group with fellow Americans Vaughn Taylor and Luke List.

Two Major League Soccer players also tested positive. One is a member of Inter Miami and the other plays for Atlanta United. Teams are preparing for the July 8 start of the MLS is Back Tournament in the Orlando area. 1186610 Toronto Maple Leafs Five Philadelphia Phillies and three others within the organization tested positive and their facility in Clearwater, Fla., was closed.

The Tampa Bay Lightning shut down their workouts after three players Virus shuts down Leafs’ Auston Matthews in Arizona, Blue Jays in tested positive, while a Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach also Florida tested positive.

And a player with the who was working out with teammates in Nashville tested positive, according to the NFL Network. Kevin McGran The Jays’ and Phillies’ facilities are less than 10 kilometres apart. Tampa Fri., June 19, 2020 is about 40 kilometres from both.

“The Lightning are steadfast in doing all that we can to ensure the health and safety of our players, staff, fans and the community,” Tampa Bay GM The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their camp in Dunedin, Fla., and a Julien BriseBois said in a statement. “With a significant rise in cases in report surfaced that Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews had tested the city of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the state of Florida we are positive for COVID-19 as the spread of the sometimes deadly imploring everyone in the Bay Area, especially young people, to help coronavirus infected the optimism that had been accompanying the slow the spread of this pandemic by diligently following the return of sports. recommendations of government officials by wearing a mask, practising “After a player presented symptoms of those of the virus, the Blue Jays social distancing and continuing to wash their hands regularly. have suspended operations at their Dunedin facilities for the time being,” “We need to work together as a community to slow the spread.” the team said in a statement. Toronto Star LOADED: 06.20.2020 The statement did not say which player had symptoms, but added that more personnel at the facility would undergo testing that is part of the protocol set out by Major League Baseball and the Blue Jays medical team.

The Jays were one of four MLB teams to close their facilities. The Associated Press reported late Friday that all teams would follow suit, with camps to be cleaned and disinfected.

The Leafs and NHL had no comment on a Postmedia story that cited sources saying Matthews had tested positive in Arizona, where new cases have been spiking this week.

The story, which was confirmed by the Star, said his pandemic roommate, Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, had not. Andersen had joined Matthews in his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., shortly after the league paused the season on March 12. Andersen is not with Matthews at the moment, the report said.

“Per the National Hockey League protocol with respect to COVID-19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be commenting on reports surrounding testing for any of the Club’s players or staff,” the Leafs said. “A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive test results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the number of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected clubs or players.”

On Friday evening, the league issued a statement that 200 players had undergone multiple testing, with 11 having tested positive.

“All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC (Centre for Disease Control) and Health Canada protocols,” the league said.

It did not release names.

It was a day that was supposed to be filled with good news from a return- to-sports perspective.

On the hockey side, the NHL had received good news with the Canadian government agreeing to change quarantine rules for teams and allow cohort quarantines. That would allow the NHL to choose one of Toronto, Edmonton or Vancouver as a hub city for Stanley Cup tournament.

The league ideally wants training camps to open July 10 and could announce next week which two cities will serve as hubs when the playoffs begin, probably in late July or early August.

Athletes from all major sports — including soccer, basketball and football — have either returned to their camps or have begun working out informally as the leagues eye a summer return or, in the case of the NFL, its usual training-camp schedule.

But reports of failed COVID tests dominated the day.

Golfer Nick Watney withdrew from the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament in Hilton Head, S.C., because he tested positive for COVID- 19. 1186611 Toronto Maple Leafs average life expectancy for someone with ALS is three to five years. For Chris it’s six to 18 months.”

A year after his diagnosis, Snow tweeted out a triumphant message this Chris Snow’s best trick might not be kicking a field goal for ALS, he’s week: “Last June 17, I was given one year to live. I should have lost the getting others to put the boot to the disease ability to walk, talk, eat and breathe. Instead I took three steps back, two to the left, and did this (kicked a field goal) …”

He has found ways to get thing done. When he returned to the ice last Mark Zwolinski fall, he still had difficulties with his right hand. But the Flames equipment manager sewed Snow’s hockey glove into a fist so he could hold his stick Fri., June 19, 2020 better, and Snow was able to ring a puck off the crossbar.

Snow is making every day a blessing, and that includes using his When Chris Snow kicked a field goal to raise awareness for ALS, the ball circumstances to help others. travelled more than 40 yards. The cause he sparked is going much “There’s so much feedback to the video that I didn’t know about,” Snow further. said. “My wife and I are trying to teach our children how to love … No Snow, an assistant general manager with the Calgary Flames, is battling matter how long I have, we have the opportunity to do something for the a rare mutation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou greater good, and when you have that opportunity, you gotta take it.” Gehrig’s Disease. And the video of his field goal has prompted people Toronto Star LOADED: 06.20.2020 across sports to take up his trick-shot challenge.

Chicago Cubs GM Theo Epstein thought it was cool and posted a video of his own field goal, a perfect 50-yarder. quarterback Aaron Rodgers, punter Pat McAfee and baseball writer Jeff Passan joined in. The challenge has raised more than $150,000 for ALS awareness and treatments.

“I wanted to do something physical to remind myself how physical I still am,” Snow said of his kick. “I said, you know what, I used to kick footballs when I went to Syracuse University. A friend of mine there, we used to climb the fence around the field, and then we’d play H-O-R-S-E, just like in basketball, only with kicking a football.

“The best I ever hit when I was in Syracuse was 47 yards, so that first kick I did in the video, I said, I still got this.”

And that first kick has inspired so much more. Snow, with the help of Flames staff, came up with #TrickShot4Snowy, a challenge to anyone to do any kind of trick shot, in any sport, to help the cause.

Snow could have focused on himself. The 38-year-old has lost four relatives to the disease. He was given a year to live last June. But he has found strength in the support of wife Kelsie, son Cohen, daughter Willa, family, friends, the Flames and, now, the hundreds of thousands of people that have watched his video.

He knows it is important to do something with the time you have.

“It makes you feel like going through this is worthwhile, that I have a chance to make a difference,” Snow said. “If my story helps people to slow down, enjoy today, give their kids an extra hug, that’s a victory.”

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow, along with wife Kelsie, son Cohen, left, and daughter Willa pose for a photo at the club's Christmas party.

Snow is a valuable member of Flames GM Brad Treliving’s staff, overseeing analytics, contract negotiations and myriad other duties. But last April he began to feel weakness in two fingers on his right hand. The condition progressed until he lost much of the use of his right hand.

His wife eloquently detailed what her husband was going through in a moving piece that appeared in Sports Illustrated. The couple was beset with a worst case-scenario in June: Snow was diagnosed with ALS, in his case an inherited, aggressive mutation of the disease.

Through his doctor, Snow learned of a treatment at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital. He and his family have been flying from Calgary to Toronto once a month to see Dr. Lorne Zinman, a leading physician in the ALS field, and to get an injection via spinal tap. The result has been an extension on life, something that Kelsie Snow has bravely chronicled in her blog.

“When Chris was diagnosed with ALS last summer, he had already lost most of the use of his right hand. He couldn’t cut his food or tie his shoes. It was getting harder to button his shirts, turn the key in his car’s ignition and play catch with our son,” Kelsie Snow wrote.

“Most ALS is sporadic, but Chris’s is familial, caused by a mutated gene that can be passed down. In just two generations, ALS has taken two of his uncles, his 28-year-old cousin and, in 2018, his dad. And as if this disease isn’t cruel enough, their particular mutation is aggressive. The 1186612 Toronto Maple Leafs

Feds approve NHL cohort quarantine plan, removing an obstacle for hub cities

By The Canadian Press

Fri., June 19, 2020

OTTAWA—The federal government has approved the NHL’s proposal of a cohort quarantine approach for players entering Canada, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday.

The cohort quarantine, which keeps players separate from the general public, would allow the NHL to bypass the traditional 14-day quarantine for anyone entering Canada.

That removes a potential hurdle to the candidacy of Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver as “hub” cities if the league is able to return to play later this summer.

Freeland said the cohort quarantine would involve regular screening. It would be crucial that the directives of medical officers are closely followed, she added.

The three Canadian cities, along with Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, are in the running to be hub cities.

The NHL plans to start training camps for the 24 remaining teams on July 10 and hopes to resume play later in the summer.

Toronto Star LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186613 Toronto Maple Leafs “Those protocols must be worked out with the local medical officer of health. (But) the idea through regular testing is to reduce the actual impact of people who would have to be removed from the game itself. Ultimately the decision has to be based on (the best interests of) public A Canadian hub could be Covid oasis health.”

No fans are likely to be allowed in any of the three potential arenas in Canada , Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Rogers Place in Edmonton and Lance Hornby Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. But the presence of 11 visiting teams and Published:June 19, 2020 the home club sequestered as well would be of some help to the economies of each locale which have been bashed by COVID-19. Updated:June 19, 2020 9:54 PM EDT “I think it will be great for the psychology for the city,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said. “There will be some business for hotels, because there are multiple teams and staff members and others coming. With a string of red light COVID-19 warnings across the United States, three Canadian cities have a green to go from the federal government as “There’s lots of benefits; not as great as if you could have tens of potential hub cities for the NHL playoff tournament. thousands of fans come in, but we’ll take the hub city designation if the NHL chooses. We can create a totally safe, totally welcoming, certainly But at the rate that cases are spiking to the south, maybe two Canadian hockey-focused environment. The main objective will be to keep hosts from among Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver would be an everyone; players, staff and the people of Toronto, safe. I believe we can option, though the league is still looking at Las Vegas as its American do that and put on a great show.” centre. A decision on the two sites for the 24-team playoff tournament is expected in a few days. While B.C. and Alberta have relaxed restrictions on the public as spring wore on and less people got sick, Toronto remains in Stage One of its On Friday, the feds confirmed their order in council which would allow recovery, at least for a few more days. Many shops, including dine -in American players and teams a ‘cohort quarantine’ to skate around the restaurants are still closed. 14-day isolation rule when crossing the border, while adhering to strict guidelines. Government officials took a hard look at an NHL plan to keep Dr. Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer said the bubble for NHL up to 50 players and staff per team in a bubble of hotel to rink, with teams is a concept “not dissimilar to what we’ve got now with social intense testing. circles (of up to 10 people). When you can contain the environment well — and the (NHL) proposals we’ve seen suggest that’s do-able — then “There are different stages and phases in the training (camp), up to the you contain the risk. It’s all about making sure you have systems in place actual games in the hub,” said Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam. to address cases as they arrive and follow up on them quickly.” “There are different measures at every stage to ensure there is appropriate screening, testing and quarantining in groups to make sure There were initially 10 teams on the NHL’s wish list for hub cities, the there is no impact to the local population. I think the collective review is three in Canada, plus Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Vegas, Los Angeles, that they’re very, very robust proposals. Minneapolis/St. Paul and Pittsburgh. Vegas with its large hotel space has an upper hand. “These things have to be reviewed all the time. The activity of COVID-19 is changing as we speak in Canada and in areas of the U.S.” LET CANADIAN COMPETITION BEGIN

A stream of bad news has come from the latter in the past few days. An The puck hasn’t dropped yet for the NHL’s 24-team playoff tournament Arizona Coyotes staff member tested positive, then the Tampa Bay and there’s already healthy competition among the three Canadian cities Lightning shut down their practice facility on Friday after three players now in the final running to be a hub city. and some staffers tested positive. They were discovered through twice- weekly testing that’s part of the NHL’s Phase 2 Return To Play plan, Government officials in British Columbia, Alberta in Toronto had been ahead of the scheduled opening of training camps July 10. The situation playing up the strengths of respective cities Vancouver, Edmonton and in Tampa Bay mirrored other outbreaks among pro athletes in the state Toronto as the NHL was debating its choice and with Friday’s of Florida, including at least one Toronto Blue Jay. announcement that 14-day quarantine rules for visiting teams can be loosened, Toronto Mayor John Tory got in the first shot. “Those players have been self-isolated following protocols and are asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever,” Lightning “I believe we’re the hockey capital of the world and I’ve mentioned that at general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement. “Those who have a couple of NHL functions I’ve gone to,” Tory said. “Some people from been in contact with these individuals have been notified.” elsewhere have taken issue with that, but that’s their problem.”

Late Friday, an NHL statement revealed 11 players have tested positive “If it’s hockey or other sports being played in Scotiabank or Rogers out of the 200-plus who have shown up to voluntary training facilities Centre, it puts Toronto on the map.” since June 8 and who underwent mandatory multiple examinations. “All He added it would be a “morale boost” to a city that’s missed its pro have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada sports. protocols,” the statement read, adding the league will provide a weekly update on the number of tests and results, though not the identity of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has been pointing out the economic players. conditions in province were harsh even before COVID-19 and getting the hotel business and other benefits generated by 11 visiting teams staying Maple Leafs leading scorer Auston Matthews has also contracted for a month or two would help. COVID-19 over the past couple of days, NHL sources told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, while training at his condominium in Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.20.2020 Scottsdale, Ariz. But Matthews’ long-time house guest during the NHL’s break in play, teammate Frederik Andersen, tested negative.

Ironically, both men were waiting for Friday’s move by Ottawa to bend the rules before a planned return to Toronto to join small-group workouts. They didn’t want their daily training interrupted by the mandated 14-day quarantine.

When the tournament starts, and that date is also up in the air for later in the summer, the NHL is to pay for its own tests while in the hubs. Perhaps any unused testing facilities could be utilized by the public on a given day.

Tam was asked what strategies were in place if a player or staffer did test positive while in a Canadian hub. 1186614 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews tests positive for COVID-19

Steve Simmons

Published:June 19, 2020

Updated:June 19, 2020 7:56 PM EDT

Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has tested positive for the coronavirus COVID-19, two National Hockey League sources outside Toronto have confirmed to the Toronto Sun.

Matthews, 22, has apparently gone into quarantine at his home in Arizona, hoping to be healthy enough and eligible to travel to Toronto and participate in the opening of Leafs camp on July 10.

Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was spending much of the break from NHL play with Matthews’ at his Scottsdale home, did not test positive for COVID-19, the same sources indicate. Andersen is no longer living with Matthews – and is no longer in Arizona.

To date, the Maple Leafs have not commented on Matthews’ status and may have some kind of response later today or tomorrow. Apparently, the Leafs were seeking more “clarity” on the private matter before considering releasing a statement of any kind.

“There’s no blueprint for this,” one source said. “This is not an ankle injury.”

Matthews was not available for comment Friday and his agent, Judd Moldaver, did not return messages left by the Sun. Andersen was not available for comment but a source close to the goaltender confirmed he had not tested positive.

Matthews, who is in the first year of a five-year $58 million deal with the Leafs, is by no means alone in contracting the virus in Arizona, where cases have spiked in recent days. According to sources, a numbers of unidentified Arizona Coyotes players, who were training alongside Matthews, also tested positive recently. Players on other NHL teams have tested positive over the past few months. None have been identified publicly.

The breaking news of the positive test of the 47-goal scorer on his way to 50 before the regular season was called off, comes in the wake of the Tampa Bay Lightning closing its practice facilities and at about the same time the Philadelphia Phillies have had an outbreak of COVID-19 in their Florida training facility.

Matthews is alongside Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys as the highest profile professional athletes in North America known to test positive for COVID-19. Former NBA star Patrick Ewing has tested positive, as well, as has current NBA coach Mike Malone with the Denver Nuggets.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186615 Toronto Maple Leafs

'NATIONAL INTEREST': Feds to open door for Canadian NHL hub

Lance Hornby

Published:June 19, 2020

Updated:June 19, 2020 8:46 AM EDT

A Canadian city — Toronto, Edmonton or Vancouver — is now a near- certainty as one of the NHL’s two hubs for the proposed 24-team playoff tournament.

The federal government opened that door after an Order In Council was issued Thursday, aimed at loosening the 14-day quarantine for arrivals in Canada during the COVID-19 recovery. As reported by The Canadian Press, the order was awaiting the governor general’s signature as of Thursday evening. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino has issued a letter stating it’s in the “national interest” to have a Canadian hub.

Negotiations with the NHL have quietly been going on for weeks, while within the three provinces — Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia — health authorities joined with their federal counterparts in approving a league plan to get players from the U.S. and Europe into what would be called a ‘cohort quarantine.’

A key part is making practice facilities for training camps, which are due to start July 10, and later the hotels and main rink for the tournament part of the ‘bubble’ where teams will be restricted to staying.

There will be 12 teams, including the host club, in each hub, with Las Vegas the current favourite to be the American site. As previously announced by the league, teams can bring no more than 50 players and staff to the hubs.

Lifting the 14-day rule in Canada would permit players who’ve chosen to train in the U.S. up to now, including Maple Leafs leading scorer Auston Matthews and goaltender Frederik Andersen, the chance to immediately join the small-group workouts of five to six on the ice, rather than sit out a two-week isolation.

While getting at least one spot north of the border will be a morale booster for hockey-starved fans in the chosen city and boost the economy, particularly its empty hotels, there’s likely to be some opposition. Some will claim the NHL is getting preferential treatment at a time when densely populated regions of Ontario, including Toronto, are still in a tight Stage 1 lockdown.

The NHL will also have to satisfy its own players that there will be frequent COVID-19 testing and that every precaution is taken between the hotel and the rink. Sensitive to concerns that the testing for players and staff will take away from health resources for local citizens, the NHL has said it will pay for its own examinations and the Leafs had offered some testing services not in use on a given day could be accessed by the public.

But the date of the tournament is still up in the air with the COVID crisis still evident and cases on the rise in some American cities. The NHL Players Association still must negotiate a deal to return, covering how training camps are conducted next month, the tournament schedule, safety issues and how their families might be accommodated in the hub cities.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186616 Toronto Maple Leafs The contract: Two years at $1.45 million a season Again, not a huge amount of money. But Lebda had only ever been a

sixth defenceman on some very good Detroit teams, playing sheltered The 10 worst free-agent signings in Maple Leafs history minutes.

His time in Toronto was an unmitigated disaster, as he seemed to spend most of the 13 minutes a game he played fishing the puck out of his own By James Mirtle Jun 19, 2020 net. Lebda is mostly remembered for somehow going minus-3 in a 9-3 win over the .

The second year of this contract was bought out, and Lebda spent most Normally when you make a list like this, you agonize over every position, of the rest of his career in the AHL. worrying that you might not get it right. Especially with who is going right at the top. 7. Stephane Robidas

This time around, that isn’t as much of a problem. We know who No. 1 is, Year signed: 2014 and there isn’t much debate. Signed by: Dave Nonis Yes, it’s David Clarkson. The contract: Three years at $3 million a season Clarkson might not only be the Leafs’ worst free-agent signing ever — he’ll be in the running for the worst NHL free-agent signing ever, too. Robidas was a very good defenceman at his peak, playing big minutes (Dom Luszczyszyn compiled a list of the worst ones in the past decade on some strong Dallas clubs. Undersized and a seventh-round pick, he earlier this week.) We’ll get into why a little more when we get to No. 1. battled his way up from the minors to play more than 900 NHL games.

The rest of the Leafs’ list, however, wasn’t as easy. What I found By the time he got to Toronto, however, he was 37 years old and coming remarkable, though, is every single one of the bad contracts was signed off an injury; his leg had been badly broken twice in short succession. On in the salary-cap era. As much as I looked through the history books, I a bad Leafs team, he struggled. Ultimately, he was sent to “Robidas wasn’t able to find a bust nearly as bad as the mess between 2008 and Island,” a make-believe retirement community where the Leafs began to 2017, when they wasted nearly $130 million in cap space on this group. send bad contracts to die.

As for the ground rules: Only UFA contracts are eligible. No players re- Robidas, however, has remained with the organization, playing an signing with the Leafs were counted, even if they re-upped shortly after integral role in developing the Leafs’ young prospect defencemen. Many free agency began (like Tyler Bozak in 2013). College and European free of Toronto’s top young blueliners rave about how he has helped their agents, however, do count, even though they typically don’t sign for a ton games, so the signing was not all bad. of money. Just be careful signing 37-year-olds with badly broken legs to three-year If there’s anyone you think I missed, let me know in the comments. contracts is all.

10. Nikita Zaitsev 6. Colby Armstrong

Year signed: 2016 Year signed: 2010

Signed by: Signed by: Burke

The contract: One-year entry-level max, $925,000, plus $850,000 in The contract: Three years at $3 million a season performance bonuses Armstrong was an absolute gift to the media. What a personality. OK, so I’m cheating a little. And it’s no surprise he became a broadcaster shortly after his retirement. The really ugly seven-year contract Zaitsev signed wasn’t until a year But Armstrong was not the biggest guy, and his crash-bang style had later. On an entry-level deal, there wasn’t much risk in bringing over taken a big toll by the time he arrived in Toronto. Only 27, Armstrong’s Zaitsev from Russia and seeing how he performed. body was much older, and he continued to suffer more injuries in The problem was that Mike Babcock became so enamored with Zaitsev Toronto, including a concussion he hid from the medical staff. during the recruiting process that he played him more than 22 minutes a The contract was bought out after two years, including a second season game in that rookie season. He piled up a lot of secondary assists and he spent mostly on injured reserve or as a scratch. But we’ll always have power-play points and got the big second contract while blocking others his one-liners, such as the one about the angry Leafs fan who threw who would have deserved his minutes (and that money) more. Eggo waffles on the ice after a particularly bad game. To be honest, I could find only nine contracts that felt really bad. So this “Who brings waffles to a hockey game, really?” Armstrong said. “Had we one is our 10th. won the game, he was going home with soggy waffles, so I don’t know. 9. Whatever. I don’t appreciate it, really, a guy throwing waffles at me when I’m skating by. Year signed: 2009 “We’re trying to make light of it in here. Throw a T-bone. Spend some Signed by: Brian Burke money. Throw a filet.”

The contract: Four years at $1 million a season On second thought, maybe the contract was well earned.

This is another one you can quibble with. It’s not that much money. 5. Jeff Finger

But Orr was signed right as enforcers were beginning to be phased out of Year signed: 2008 the game, as speed and skill became more prevalent. At his peak in Toronto, he was playing less than seven minutes a game. Signed by: Cliff Fletcher

At the lowest point, he was down to just a few shifts a game. The contract: Four years at $3.5 million a season

In 232 games as a Leaf, Orr finished with a 40.4 percent possession Some of you will want this contract higher on this list. But after writing mark, nearly 10 percent worse than when he wasn’t on the ice. He had about Finger’s journey with the Leafs, beginning with free agency, I feel 13 points and 637 penalty infraction minutes. like there’s a new perspective on the whole situation.

8. Brett Lebda Finger was played in too many minutes, with bad linemates, on a terrible team and understandably struggled. The deal was too rich for what he Year signed: 2010 could contribute. But he still played like a third-pair defenceman, and had he been making, say, $1 million, he wouldn’t have been demoted. Signed by: Burke Part of what makes this a less painful contract is, at the time, you could In Year 1 of the deal, the Leafs were still a mess, especially in goal, with bury players in the minors if deals didn’t work out. Some of the deals Vesa Toskala posting a cool .874 save percentage. Komisarek’s below ended up being worse, in part, because that wasn’t an option. shoulder was clearly not right after the dislocation he suffered in Montreal, either. And he struggled not having a partner as accomplished 4. Tim Connolly as Andrei Markov, whom he was often paired with on the Canadiens. Year signed: 2011 (Although, if you look back, Komisarek’s underlying results that first season alongside Kaberle were actually pretty decent.) Signed by: Burke Komisarek needed season-ending shoulder surgery that February, which The contract: Two years at $4.75 million a season cost him a spot on the U.S. Olympics team. And his career never really recovered. The Leafs desperately needed a centre. And Connolly wasn’t a bad bet given his talent and the fact he was only 30 years old. In his second season, he averaged just 13:38 minutes per game. By the fourth year of the deal, he was either hurt or in the minors. The deal was But for whatever reason, this was a bad fit right away. Connolly would bought out in 2013. snap at the Toronto media at times and never seemed particularly comfortable in the dressing room after being with the rival Sabres for so It’s up for debate how much of Komisarek’s struggles were due to the long. injuries and how much of it was the situation. But that was a bad contract right from Day 1. Despite playing a lot with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul (and Joey Crabb!) and getting top-six minutes, Connolly had only 36 points in 70 1. David Clarkson games. He had plenty of time on the power play, too, but produced only five points there. An injury-plagued career meant he was on the decline Year signed: 2013 earlier than expected. Signed by: Nonis

Connolly cleared waivers the next fall and spent the second year of this The contract: Seven years at $5.25 million a season contract, his last in hockey, in the minors. What more is there to say about this contract? I’ll do my best. Editor’s note: For more on Connolly, see Tim Graham’s excellent piece here. Clarkson was mostly a depth guy in his career, a small, scrappy winger. The Devils were low on talent up front by 2011-12, so they stuck (Dan Hamilton / USA Today) him with some of their better forwards and he managed to bang in a lot of 3. Patrick Marleau goals from the crease.

Year signed: 2017 He was never a very good skater — or shooter or passer. In fact, Clarkson had just 86 assists in his career, the equivalent of 12 every 82 Signed by: Lamoriello games. Those are not the numbers of a top-six forward.

The contract: Three years at $6.25 million Whatever the Leafs thought Clarkson was, it was apparent almost right away that they were wrong. On a possession-poor team like Randy Any time you have to give up a first-round pick to get rid of a contract, it’s Carlyle’s, he was almost useless, as he couldn’t transport the puck well a bad contract. on the breakout or through the neutral zone, and his teammates weren’t It doesn’t matter if the player scored 27 goals one season. It doesn’t strong enough to do it without him. Nazem Kadri seemed baffled as to matter if he is a great person and an excellent mentor to some young how to play with him. players. It doesn’t even matter that the cap hit wasn’t a problem the first Clarkson had just five goals in 60 games his first season in Toronto, with two years of the deal. a 42.7 percent possession mark. Clarkson struggled to get shots on goal Marleau was an over-35 player when he signed this deal, and every GM that year, registering only 102. And he produced almost nothing on the in the league knows that over-35 contracts are basically indestructible. power play, which had been one area where he had contributed in New You can’t bury them in the minors (only a small portion), and you can’t Jersey. buy them out. Giving a 38-year-old Marleau a three-year deal was a The worst part of the whole deal, however, was how it was constructed. really, really poor decision. Clarkson’s deal was completely indestructible — buyout-proof with a full You need to consider the opportunity cost here, too. The Leafs had a ton no-movement clause. of cap space to use in 2017-18 to improve their team, which ultimately Just awful, all around. finished with 105 points. They had money to spend a year later, too, when their kids began to grow into their roles and the Leafs were, again, Other contracts I could have included but didn’t a 100-point team. Jason Blake: Signing the then-34-year-old for big money (five years at $4 Using most of that cap flexibility on Marleau never made sense, not with million a season) after a career year wasn’t a great idea, but Blake did their needs on the blue line. And especially not when he declined have two solid seasons in Toronto. And he was battling a rare form of significantly by the second year of the contract. leukemia while playing, too, which obviously wasn’t a foreseeable outcome. I don’t think he belongs on this list. The Leafs would have been better off giving Marleau $8 million a year for two seasons than doing what they did. Matt Martin: Again, not a great contract given the dollars and term (four years at $2.5 million a season) and what he was able to contribute. But 2. Mike Komisarek he was popular in the dressing room, the team had success, and when it Year signed: 2009 needed to move on, it was easy to find him a home back with the Islanders. Not that bad. Signed by: Burke The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 The contract: Five years at $4.3 million a season

The Leafs were a mess defensively in Burke’s first season as GM, so he went for a wholesale remodeling almost right away. Komisarek (and Francois Beauchemin) were the answer, in a big free-agency splash. Burke also punted Pavel Kubina to Atlanta for almost nothing, after he played more than 22 minutes a night on the back end the year before. Tomas Kaberle and Ian White weren’t long for the roster, either.

It was hard not to feel bad for Komisarek, who is a wonderful guy — probably one of the nicest people I’ve covered on this team. But there was just no way he could live up to that contract. 1186617 Washington Capitals

Key questions for the 2020 postseason: How will Braden Holtby perform?

By J.J. Regan June 19, 2020 6:00 AM

The 2020 postseason will be unlike any other and, as a result, there are a lot of unknowns. As the July 10 start to training camp approaches, let's look at the biggest unknowns facing the Capitals.

Today's question: How will Braden Holtby perform?

The first question when it comes to goalies is whether or not Holtby should be the No. 1 over Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov has been brilliant in his rookie season, but leading into the pause hit a rough patch in the season. From Feb. 1 to March 12 when the season was paused, Samsonov was 0-4-1 with a .869 save percentage and 4.34 GAA. There will be a full offseason between games before the team finally starts up play again so it will be a clean slate for him...and for Holtby.

Holtby had a rough regular season (.897 save percentage, 3.11 GAA), but he was playing better than Samsonov heading into the pause. Plus, he has a Stanley Cup to his name already and the fifth-best playoff save percentage of all-time. He is the easy choice to start heading into the postseason and Todd Reirden agrees as he said Monday, "Going into it’s Braden Holtby’s job to lose and I feel confident in him."

While it makes sense to start Holtby going into the playoffs, you can bet he will be on a tight leash. The fact is that his numbers have been in steep decline the last three years and while the defense deserves some of the blame, Holtby just cannot bail the team out as well as he used to. A lengthy pause could prove beneficial for the 30-year-old netminder who will turn 31 in September, but after three years of declining numbers it is hard to believe he will step back onto the ice for this postseason and suddenly be the dominant goalie he once was, especially when you consider he wasn't even able to get on the ice until the team moved into Phase 2 of the NHL's return to play plan on June 11.

While all of this is unprecedented, the fact that there is almost a full offseason to work with means looking at how Holtby has performed at the start of the past few seasons may give us a good indication of what we can expect when the postseason begins. Since I feel the last three years are more representative of where his game is at this point in his career, let's look at how Holtby performed in the first two months of each of the past three seasons:

2017: 13-6-0, .919 save percentage, 2.61 GAA

2018: 17-10-5, 917 save percentage, 2.76 GAA

2019: 13-2-4, .909 save percentage, 2.86 GAA

In all three seasons, Holtby's save percentage and GAA got worse over the course of the season. The good news is that the Caps only need a solid two to three months from Holtby if they hope to compete for the Cup. If we look at the start of the 2020 postseason as the start of a new season, the Caps should presumably be getting Holtby at the top of his game. Add in the motivation of the playoffs as well as the fact that Holtby is on the last year of his contract and Washington may be in better hands in terms of goaltending than you may think.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186618 Winnipeg Jets There are also positives that come out of things like this and here’s one that I’ve experienced: Despite the lack of practices or games or media availabilities, the pandemic has provided an opportunity to get to know people in the sports world better. TED'S TALK: Discouraging week for the world of sports with virus cases and tensions rising There’s simply more to be gained from one-on-one interviews, even over the phone, as opposed to uncomfortable and sometimes combative scrums in crowded locker rooms.

Ted Wyman It has impressed me how genuinely nice, friendly, accommodating and talkative some of the people I’ve contacted can be. Sometimes it’s hard Published:June 19, 2020 to even get them off the phone. They want to talk, they want to share Updated:June 19, 2020 3:02 PM CDT their stories, they want to know how I’m doing through all this.

You just don’t see that very often during the course of a normal season.

It was a discouraging week for all those fans hoping for some kind of DIFFERENT TIMES return to normalcy in the sports world. It’s incredible how different these times are for people who we only know From Major League Baseball’s bickering, to the Canadian Football for their day (and night) jobs. League’s infighting, to huge spikes of COVID-19 cases in the United Take, for instance, Moose coach Pascal Vincent. States, to clusters of positive tests within sports franchises, there was very little to get excited about. His team’s season ended in March when the pandemic hit and he’s been spending his time ever since focusing on raising his nine-year-old Sports leagues want to play games and fans want to watch them. Some daughter. leagues have made more firm plans than others, but none of the major North American sports have anything set in stone with the summer “My wife works at the hospital, so she’s not here, she’s been quite busy,” months fast approaching. Vincent said. “I have a nine-year-old and we’re doing home schooling. The school she goes to is quite demanding, which is something we like. Here we are, 10 days away from July and things seem more uncertain than ever when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. “It has kept me busy. Breakfast, cleaning the dishes, teaching the school and being close or around her all the time. Lunch, and then laundry, and The NBA, WNBA and Major League Soccer all plan to hold their games then dinner. in Florida, a state where new COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high on Friday, at 3,822. “The days are going by fast.”

The NHL wants to hold games in Las Vegas or Dallas or Los Angeles — He’s certainly not the only one who is doing things differently. among other spots — all places that have upward trends in new coronavirus cases. Coaches and sports executives are notorious workaholics who spend ridiculous hours at the office, but have found some real positives in this Take Our Poll extended off-season.

Most people believe they’d be better off coming to Canada, where the Winnipeg Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier had an interesting government has cleared the way for Toronto, Edmonton and/or way of keeping busy. Vancouver to be hub cities by waiving the 14-day quarantine period. He delivered beer for several local craft breweries, including Sookram’s, But with players in NHL organizations already starting to test positive for Nonsuch, Kilter, Torque and TransCanada. COVID-19 — TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Friday that five people from the Tampa Bay Lightning have contracted the virus — how badly does “It was a welcome distraction during a stressful time,” he wrote on Canada really want the NHL? Twitter.

Major League Baseball just wants the owners and players to agree on a It was a pretty cool gig, but now he’s back at work with the Fish, as they framework of a season and they’ve been unable to do it for months. are set to start training camp in Fargo next week. That’s not even to mention the fact that baseball players and people in MOVE ON UP, COACH organizations have the virus. Just Friday, it was reported that eight people in the Philadelphia Philles organization have tested positive. The Jets prospect Kristian Reichel, who was never drafted but earned a two- Toronto Blue Jays also shut down their facility in Dunedin, Fla., after a way NHL contract this month after spending two years on a minor-league player exhibited symptoms of COVID-19. deal with the Manitoba Moose, gives a lot of credit to Vincent.

The NFL is whistling merrily, suggesting everything is going to be just “He helped me a lot. When I came as a first-year pro, he gave me all the fine for a September start, while widely respected Dr. Anthony Fauci says advice, all the tips on what I can do better and how I can be a better there likely should be no football at all this year in order to keep everyone person and player. He’s a really good coach and I think he will coach one safe. day in the NHL.”

The Canadian Football League has been beset by major problems since That makes two of us. the sports shutdown began, including terrible communication between the league and the players, which has led to a great deal of JUNIOR HOCKEY HORROR dissatisfaction. Back the discouraging news in the sports world.

I’m of the mind that the CFL has been and will continue to be focused on The horrific hazing and abuse alleged by former players Daniel Carcillo coming back strong in 2021. With that in mind, perhaps everyone would and Garrett Taylor in a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey be better off if they just announced the cancellation of the 2020 season League is sure to shake junior hockey to its core. now and let players get on with their immediate lives. Some may never return, which will be very sad, but they have to feed their families and Carcillo and Taylor named the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major may not be able to wait on football. Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League in the suit. Carcillo played in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting and Mississauga IceDogs, while It’s June 20 and there remains so much to be resolved for any of these Taylor played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince Albert Raiders in aforementioned leagues to get their seasons going. the WHL.

It may still happen. There are many people who believe it will not. The list of incidents in the 46-page document filed in Ontario Superior Either way, the news this week made it much harder to be optimistic. Court is too long to recount here, but rest assured it includes shocking instances of bullying, hazing, and outright physical, sexual and forced- THERE’S AN UPSIDE drug abuse of younger players by older players and condonation by coaches and team staff. None of the allegations have been proven in court, but they surely should be enough to give parents pause before sending their kids off to play junior hockey.

If nothing else, let’s hope this promotes change.

Even if it does, it sounds like the scars for many hockey players must run deep.

Curling could be made-for-TV sport next season

There’s a good chance that curling will be a made-for-TV sport next season.

There could be no fans.

There could be no Patch.

There could be no pin trading and beer consumption and socializing.

It’s hard to imagine, but there’s certainly a school of thought that the only way curling’s big Canadian events will be played next year is if they are strictly for a TV audience.

This could include the Grand Slam events, the Brier, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and possibly world championships, if they can even be pulled off.

“Find an arena that’s close to an airport, make a deal with some hotels and try to stage the things for at least your television audience,” Warren Hansen, who spent two decades as the event operations manager for Curling Canada, told the Canadian Press.

He said events should be trimmed to 8-10 teams and be held in small rinks in Western Canada.

Several smaller, non-televised, events on the 2020-21 curling calendar have already been cancelled but Curling Canada has not yet made any announcements regarding its premier events — the , Brier and Scotties among them.

“I think you’re going to have a TV audience that’s so starved for any sport and starved for curling,” Hansen said.

“You’ve got to somehow try to make sure that your key properties are at least operated and televised. And I think that the televised end of it can keep things rolling. For the most part it can probably satisfy a lot of the sponsor obligations.”

Meanwhile, CBC’s Devin Heroux had an excellent piece on the need for more ethnic inclusiveness in curling, a sport that has been predominantly played by white men and women for generations.

Amidst the Black Lives Matter movement and a seeming desire by organizations around the world to put racism in the rear-view mirror, Curling Canada is looking to make changes that will help bring diversity to the sport.

“I’m motivated to do something probably more so now than ever,” Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson told CBC.

“What we want is a sports system in which everyone is welcome and where all perspective are honoured. We have a long history about being inclusive but we need to be more intentional about reaching out.”

It’s not going to happen overnight, but encouraging more new Canadians to get involved in the game would be a good start. It’s not necessarily a sport you have to start playing when you are a child to become good.

Get people playing, they may become fans, and perhaps that will increase crowds and television audiences in the future.

“I am absolutely convinced of that, that immigrants will take curling to a different level in Canada.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186619 Vancouver Canucks It’s not like Boucher is headed to the hinterland and a career-ending odyssey. If Boucher needs an example of what can occur with a leap of faith, Johansson spins a good tale.

Ben Kuzma: Boucher departs Canucks, starts packing for Russia and His well-travelled client Kodie Curran signed a two-year deal with the KHL adventures Anaheim Ducks on June 1. It came after the undrafted Calgary native got his release from after agreeing to go there and then having two stellar seasons with Rogle BK Angelhom of the Swedish Hockey League. BEN KUZMA The defenceman was named league MVP this season with 49 points (12- Published:June 19, 2020 37) in 48 games as the culmination of a wild journey. He played four Updated:June 19, 2020 3:57 PM PDT years in the AJHL and five at the University of Calgary before stops in the AHL, ECHL and Norway.

“I talked to him in January because Anaheim wanted to sign him and now "I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason. I tried to do he’s my client,” said Johansson. “He ended up getting a two-year deal, everything I could for the organization to get a call up to the NHL to try which is shocking for a 30-year-old. You don’t see that every day. I’ve and be successful, but it didn’t happen. There’s nothing really to be mad had some incredible experiences with players and this one is at the top of about." — RFA winger Reid Boucher the list.

Reid Boucher took the call and didn’t know what to make of it all. “We had quite a negotiation with Omsk to get him out of that deal and ended up having some rapport with the team and then they expressed Russia? The KHL? Really? interest in Reid. I got to know Omsk and it’s one of the top teams payroll After finishing second in AHL scoring with the Utica Comets this season, wise. Reid is going to make more money.” and not recalled by the parent Vancouver Canucks, the restricted free Boucher’s expiring deal was a one-year, two-way pact that paid agent with arbitration rights could see the writing on the wall. US$750,000 in the NHL and $450,000 in the AHL. The Canucks are loaded at left wing and with Boucher being again mired “Guys like Reid are in pretty high demand by European clubs, guys who in the minors, his agent Gerry Johansson reached out two weeks ago have performed like him and been in the minors all year,” added with a career option. Johansson. He sold his client on a KHL adventure with the well-financed Avangard “We were getting calls from Switzerland and the KHL will leave Reid with Omsk. Omsk is located in southwest Siberia and has a population of 1.1 leverage if an NHL team wants to bring him back and assuming things million. The city is renovating its arena and the club will play out of get back to normal. Moscow next season. “Omsk is first class and the guys have a good setup over there and are With Boucher granted permission from the Canucks on Thursday to treated well. It’s not like the old days, like 15 years ago when going to pursue a deal, details of a contract were being finalized Friday. Russia was a real adventure. The Canucks retain Boucher’s negotiation rights, but becoming an “I give him a lot of credit to grab this and run with it because at the end of unrestricted free agent after next season is going to afford the winger the day, it’s a unique and cool situation. And you’ll have a story to tell with options at the KHL and NHL levels. your kids.” “When my agent first brought it up, we were kind of like: ‘No way,’” said Avangard Omsk went 37-16-0-9 to finish third in the Eastern Conference the 26-year-old Boucher from his home in Lansing, Mich. “It just seemed this season and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs that were so foreign. I never pictured myself going over there and playing. I have halted March 25 by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The club is coached no idea how everything plays out over there. by former NHL bench boss Bob Hartley and its roster includes former “But as you start to think about it and things started to settle in, it Canucks winger Sergei Shirokov and former NHLers Vyacheslav sounded better and better. It’s the place I’m at in my career, to go over Voynov, Cody Franson, Brandon McMillan and Alexei Emelin. and a chance to make some money and to experience the world a bit As for COVID-19 concerns, Boucher knows Michigan was hit hard early would be a good experience for everyone in my family.” by positive tests, especially in Detroit. Russia has the third-highest cases Boucher and his wife have a two-year-old son and one-month-old and the U.S. remains first. On Friday, three Tampa Bay Lightning players daughter and their parents reside in the vicinity. So when Boucher gets and staff members tested positive in Phase 2 of the league’s return-to- settled, he’ll put in the call for his family to join him. play plan of small groups of six skating and working out.

In the interim, there’s no bitterness toward the Canucks. Boucher “They (numbers) are pretty crazy everywhere, right?” said Boucher. “It’s obviously believes he can play in the NHL and that 133 career games going to be the same no matter where you go, really, and even here in with New Jersey, Nashville and Vancouver don’t define a guy often the U.S. it’s still an ongoing thing and we’re all worrying about a second knocked for his pace, despite having a quick and accurate release. wave.”

And if 67 points (34-33) in 53 games with the Comets weren’t going to Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.20.2020 translate into an NHL roster spot with the Canucks, why not try Russia? After all, Boucher’s career here amounted to just a dozen points (8-4) in 48 games over four seasons. His last NHL appearance was one game in 2017-18.

“I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason,” said Boucher. “I tried to do everything I could for the organization to get a call up to the NHL to try and be successful, but it didn’t happen. There’s nothing really to be mad about.

“This (offer) arose and everything is falling into place and you just have to use the experience I had as a positive as you go forward. I love the game. I want to play as long as I can and it’s a privilege to get paid to do something you love.

“That’s what keeps you going and you want to support your family. You just keep your head down and hopefully things go your way so you can be set up in a successful environment.” 1186620 Vancouver Canucks It takes a village The list of mentors at the EEBC includes engineers, money managers,

actors, directors, production people, teachers, cops, professors, realtors, Ed Willes: Caring about kids isn't an act for Jim Crescenzo an Indigenous carver, Crescenzo’s wife Tina and one former world super welterweight champ in Manny Sobral.

Sobral was a couple of years behind Pep and Olajide at Templeton but ED WILLES he also went through Crescenzo’s theatre class before embarking on his own career as a prize fighter. Published:June 19, 2020 In 1996 he beat Aaron McLaurine for the IBO title and defending it Updated:June 19, 2020 12:00 PM PDT against Chris Weston before losing it to Tony Badea.

By that time, he already had a degree in kinesiology from UBC and a “Jimmy gives them a platform. He’s telling them they’re important and Masters in Education. He finished his postgrad degree while he was kids begin to think they’re important. A lot of them don’t hear that." — training in Las Vegas. Stuart Poyntz on Jim Crescenzo Sobral quit the ring in 2002 and started teaching in Burnaby. In the late Jim Crescenzo’s first theatre class at Templeton Secondary School aughts he promoted fight cards at the River Rock, where Crescenzo’s featured, among others, Tony Pep and Michael Olajide Jr., two kids from son Joe was working, leading to a reconnection with his former teacher. East Van who would both become world-class prize fighters. That was 12 years ago and Sobral has been a constant presence at the But that isn’t what Crescenzo remembers about that first year and his EEBC since. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he arranged a Zoom first attempt to stage a live play. Templeton, as it happened, had just session with former world heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis, his suspended its football program which deprived several young men of a teammate on the 1988 Canadian Olympic boxing team. Lewis said he much-needed physical outlet. Theatre, it seems, wasn’t their first choice could give Sobral 15 minutes. He talked for almost an hour. to replace football but the new teacher, who wasn’t a lot older than his Still, the more lasting impression was supplied by another 1988 students, saw an opportunity. Olympian, Scotty Olson. The Bulldog opened up to the kids about his He hired a set designer, then enlisted the jocks as the stage crew for a career, about the obstacles he faced, about a near-fatal heart attack one-act play festival Templeton had entered. Their production won two which almost claimed his life five years ago. He touched a lot of young awards that year: best actor and best stage crew. lives that day.

“I said, ‘Come out for theatre,’“ Crescenzo says laughing at the memory. “He was one of the most open people I’ve ever met,” says Cameron “They said, ‘I don’t think so.’ Deacon, a member of the EEBC. “It what was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been a part of.” “So we sold it as a challenge. This guy designed a massive set and they had 10 minutes to put it up and five minutes to take it down. We bought Deacon was speaking this day during another Zoom session which them muscle shirts and they got into it. The audience gave them a huge featured Sobral. Now 51, the old fighter ran through his career, talking round of applause after they set up.” about meeting the legendary Beau Jack, who was a janitor at the Fifth Street Gym in Miami; about training with Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee in Funny story, right? But like most stories connected to Crescenzo’s work, Vegas and Freddie Roach in Los Angeles; about sparring with Roberto there’s a serious message not far behind. Duran, Floyd Mayweather and James Toney.

“We set a goal,” he says. “We broke a stereotype and kids started There are 25 kids listening to his virtual talk. Usually, there are 60. When showing up for theatre. Sobral finished, Jerry Trimble, a former kick boxing world champ and another mentor, was asked if he can relate to Sobral’s story. “You’ve got to set goals, you have to achieve them and you have to do it together. Unless you apply goals to your dreams, they’re just dreams.” “There are a lot of similarities,” says Trimble, who’s now an actor. “Especially the nose. I wanted to get mine fixed but my agent said it gives That was 40 years ago. The teacher has since helped two generations of my face character.” kids set goals and reach their dreams. The stories all don’t have Hallmark endings but Templeton, the East End Boys Club and the Girls Another funny story. This one, not so much. When the EEBC was still Group has always been there, supplying a structure around which those meeting at Templeton, some 20 angry kids showed up at the school in kids can build something more lasting than a theatre set. search of one of the club members. Sobral, the ultimate peace maker, happened to be there with others and the situation was defused. There are resources. There is an incredible rosters of mentors. There are financial backers — including Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco But he knows danger is always lurking with these kids. He got out with Aquilini and Frank Giustra, the founder of the Lionsgate, the the help of others. Now, he’s trying to open up a gym in the Downtown entertainment giant. Eastside where he can offer others the same chance.

But mostly there are people who, to paraphrase a line from The Wire, “He’s got this calm about him,” Crescenzo says of Sobral. “But every now care when it isn’t their turn to care which has created a sustainable and then, I’ll have one of the kids hold the heavy bag for Manny. That energy source. In the late 1990s, Templeton established a film and TV opens up some eyes.” department and a lot of grads found work in the industry. Invariably, they return to help kids who need help. A change of heart

Crescenzo has always been in the middle of it. Francesco Aquilini was a couple of years behind Crescenzo at Templeton. His brother Paolo played on the school soccer team coached “He’s that guy who’ll believe in you and help you believe in yourself,” by Crescenzo. HIs other brother Roberto ran the box office for one the says Stuart Poyntz, Simon Fraser’s associate dean in the faculty of school’s productions. communication, art and technology and one of the EEBC’s mentors. “Jimmy gives them a platform. He’s telling them they’re important and Did we mention Crescenzo was also the soccer coach and the star of his kids begin to think they’re important. A lot of them don’t hear that. first team was Dominic Mobilio?

“Jimmy is a magnet who kept a lot of those kids engaged. There are The former drama teacher knew Francesco, “peripherally,” but knew the legacies that shaped this city.” Canucks’ owner had a deep-rooted loyalty to his former school and his former neighbourhood. He said his initial attempts to enlist Aquilini to the Then again, you’d expect nothing less from someone who played cause weren’t successful but, like so many of the kids who went through Shooter McGavin’s caddy in Happy Gilmore. the EEBC, his heart changed.

“I was getting a lot of work (as a film actor) but it started to get in the way The turning point, the teacher says, came when Aquilini was feted for his of teaching,” Crescenzo says. “That was my passion and it still is. civic contributions by the Lions Club, an honour which awakened his philanthropic spirit. He began speaking at his former school. He threw “I want to change kids’ hearts the way I was changed.” open suites for Canucks’ games and concerts which Crescenzo uses to motivate his students. He took the kids to Cin Cin, an upscale Italian restaurant on Robson, and talked to each one about their lives.

“He saw that he could make a difference,” says Crescenzo. “He connects with these kids and he really cares about them. He’s starting to open up more.”

A visit to the Canucks’ locker-room has also become an annual rite. Some 70 kids cram into the space and a senior member of the Canucks’ organization speaks to them followed by one of the players.

Jake Virtanen was one of those players. He told the East End kids about his childhood friend from Abbotsford, Ryan Donaldson, who committed suicide. He broke down.

Tyler Motte talked about his challenges with mental health. He broke down.

Dominic Roussel talked about his life, coming to Canada from France to play hockey and leaving behind everything that was familiar to him. He broke down.

Aquilini also brought in Giustra and the mogul has embraced the cause. Crescenzo relates a story in which Giustra talked to a kid whose life could have gone a couple of ways. He said, I feel for you. You’ve had it tough.

But you’re out of high school and, “No one gives a shit anymore. Now it’s up to you.”

But some of them do give a shit.

Home is where the heart is

Crescenzo, who lost his father when he was eight, was born in East Van. He went to Templeton, graduated from UBC, and returned to his old school to teach. Most of his life has centred around an area the size of a large shopping centre.

He retired from teaching after 37 years but the EEBC still runs out of Templeton. Over the years he’s raised about $3 million for his various endeavours. He used to help run a fight night at the Italian Cultural Centre, 120 bucks a ticket. Judge Wally Oppal would attend along with promoter Bruce Allen and star music producer Bob Rock.

One year, Richie Sambora, the lead guitarist for Bon Jovi, showed up.

Crescenzo, in fact, is never sure who’ll show up. But he’s always there, always present. caring when it isn’t his turn to care and changing hearts.

“Boys feels if they show vulnerability they show weakness,” he says. “We try to give them a place to tell their story.”

Forty years later, it’s become quite a story.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186621 Vancouver Canucks One time in Chicago, one of the world’s great food cities, Shorthouse texted Murphy to tell him they’d be going to TGI Fridays for dinner at 5 p.m., in case he wanted to join him and Cheech.

Behind the scenes with ‘John and John,’ Sportsnet’s iconic Canucks “No. I’m putting my foot down. We’re in Chicago!” Murphy texted back, broadcast duo incredulous and hoping to chase a more interesting dinner plan.

“OK, we’ll compromise,” Shorthouse replied 10 minutes later. “Cheesecake Factory at 5.” By Thomas Drance Jun 19, 2020 At Xcel Energy Center, Garrett has a tradition. He heads down from the press box to the concourse at precisely 5:30 p.m., when doors open. Exiting the elevator, he makes a beeline for the Mini-Sotta Donuts stand “Find someone who loves you the way Canucks fans love Shorthouse, where he purchases two bags of those classic fairground mini donuts Garrett and Murphy” — The Athletic 2020 NHL Broadcast rankings. covered in cinnamon icing sugar. One bag is for him, the other is to Riotously funny, with a style that can best be described as homey and share. inviting, colour man John “Cheech” Garrett and his “Well, I get two bags because I have to feed Batch,” Garrett jokes, longtime play-by-play partner, John Shorthouse, have become a referring to Sportsnet 650 play-by-play broadcaster Brendan Batchelor. Vancouver institution. “And Jim Benning always has some too. As the weeks of the pandemic have stretched into months, “John and “You’ll see in a few hours,” Garrett says. John” have been missed by Canucks fans. There are some who miss Shorthouse and Garrett as much as the excitement of actual hockey. Garrett and Shorthouse tend to travel as a pack at road morning skates, and their priority is really to talk to the visiting team. They’re around If you think we’re overstating it, we’re not. Just search “@Sportsnet” on Canucks players and coaches frequently enough that they’re in the loop. Twitter to see how Canucks fans react any time a national play-caller has the mic during a Canucks game to get a sense of the loyalty of “John and On this particular sunny Minnesota day in February, Garrett wears a John’s” audience. black coat, black slacks and black boots while peering over the rims of his Oakley glasses. Shorthouse is dressed more casually, in jeans and In early February, The Athletic Vancouver spent a game day with sneakers with a Sportsnet-branded jacket. “Cheech and Shorty” on the road, capturing their routine and documenting a day in the life of the NHL’s most comfortable, tongue-in- At the rink they meet briefly with their producer Jeff Girodat, who informs cheek broadcasting duo. them that they’ll be in the open — a brief hit with the Sportsnet studio in Toronto — prior to the broadcast this evening. In retrospect, it’s a look at life on the road in the NHL during the beforetimes. More than that, though, it’s a glimpse into the chemistry “Have to talk about the Leafs trade,” Girodat jokes, in reference to the shared by two men who have found a snug rhythm with one another Jack Campbell trade Toronto had executed the night prior. based on a lighthearted approach to calling a game and to life in general — not to mention their shared love for eating junk food on the road As they arrive at the rink, Shorthouse stops by the Canucks room and gets a coffee from longtime Canucks equipment manager Pat O’Neill, It’s early February, and as Shorthouse and Garrett enter the Xcel Energy while Garrett pulls aside veteran Minnesota radio man Tom Reid to catch Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the smell of fried dough hangs stubbornly in up. Reid and Garrett have been friends since they were both professional the stadium concourse. players in the Minnesota area in the 1970s, Reid with the North Stars, Garrett with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. Garrett opens his arms and raises his head skyward, making a quasi- religious gesture. He’s drinking in the scent. As Murphy talks about intermission plans with Girodat and Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Shorthouse plays with the Wild team dog, Breezer. Then “That smell!” Garrett exclaims as Shorthouse and their host and they briefly chat with Wild players and listen in on since-fired Wild head colleague, Dan Murphy, share a laugh. coach Bruce Boudreau’s pregame availability, after which Garrett pulls It’s the morning of the fifth game on one of the weirdest road trips the Boudreau aside for an extended one-on-one chat. Canucks will take this season. It’s the 55th game of Vancouver’s season “Cheech working his magic,” Shorthouse jokes, nodding at his broadcast overall. partner. The trip started 10 days earlier, when the Canucks charter left Vancouver While the Canucks take their morning skate, Shorthouse and Garrett and flew to San Jose, Calif., for a game against the Sharks. The trip, the discuss a weird play from two nights earlier in Boston, when Bruins cities seemingly drawn at random, then moved to the East Coast for a defender Charlie McAvoy smartly and confusingly timed his entry to back-to-back set in Raleigh, N.C., and Brooklyn, N.Y., before shifting to avoid an offside call. It was a play that confused Canucks head coach Boston and ending in Saint Paul. It’s the sort of gruelling journey that only Travis Green — who unsuccessfully challenged the play — and Vancouver, the California teams and the Florida teams ever seem to Shorthouse too, who didn’t immediately grasp why the play was onside. take. If it seems light, fun and comfortable to listen to Shorthouse and Garrett The restful gap of the NHL All-Star break is in the rearview mirror. The call the game live, behind the scenes, there’s a level of pride and grind of the season, the tedium of endless repetition has set in again. purpose that underpins their easygoing tone. Despite the recognition that life in the NHL is a blessed one, everyone’s patience is just a little bit shorter by this point of the road trip. “I’m still pissed at myself,” Shorthouse says, recalling the sequence.

The flow of life on the road in the NHL can test an individual. It’s a “There was a similar play a few weeks ago, Carolina vs. Calgary and hamster wheel of buses, charter flights, hotel check-ins and time spent at Julien Gauthier did the same thing. I was just watching the game over the rink. It’s a lot easier to tolerate — and a lot more fun — if you like the dinner and caught it. Gauthier slid it forward and McGinn was 3-4 feet people you work with. offside, so to the naked eye it looked like it was offside and I remember thinking that on all of those plays, you have to treat it like it’s a dump into Garrett and Shorthouse like each other a lot. It’s why their chemistry the corner. works so well on Canucks broadcasts and why Canucks fans regard the pair almost like an official favourite house guest. It’s why they’re attached “For whatever reason, I didn’t clue in there.” at the hip on Canucks road trips, laughing easily and indulging in a familiar, easy repartee reminiscent of old friends or a long-married Shorthouse and Garrett have a relatively classic dynamic for a play-by- couple. play team. Shorthouse calls a clean game, something that matters to him and that he works hard at. They’re united by their personal regard for one another, their on-air chemistry and the relative simplicity of their palates. They share a love of During game broadcasts he keeps his own scorecard. He maintains his fast food, with American burger chain Shake Shack a particular favourite. own colour-coded miscellaneous notes sheet with career stats for every player on both teams, and the font size is absurdly small. He keeps the volume of the ice effects turned up extraordinarily loudly in his headphones, which has messed with his hearing over the years. It “Markstrom vs. Minnesota … Horvat two goals in the last meeting … permits him to speak softly, though, and allows him to hear small Travis Green postgame sound … Dumba overtime winner vs. Chicago … deflections and bounces on the ice that the eye might miss. Turnovers vs. Boston … Controversial goal vs. Boston …,” Girodat lists.

It also helps him incorporate on-ice chatter seamlessly into his game call, Here, Shorthouse jumps in. something Shorthouse does better than anyone else in the industry. “Did you find the one in Calgary?” Shorthouse asks. Garrett, meanwhile, provides the colour and analysis and often the comic relief. He has an old goaltender’s eye for tracking the action — he “Yes.” seemingly never misses a deflection — and a deep understanding of the “Was it similar?” rulebook. He’s got a direct line to NHL hockey operations and uses it liberally. He’s also got a big, infectious laugh, and where Shorthouse “It was,” Girodat responds. Ultimately they never revisit the play on air. subscribes to the school of calling the game down the Girodat’s pregame briefing continues, with the warmup skate about to middle, Garrett is more reliably going to take the Canucks’ side when begin. puck luck comes into play. “Murph will do the Save-on-Foods read and you will take it after the “You think about the Horvat goal off of his skate before Christmas,” anthems,” the producer tells Shorthouse. “Anthony Stewart and David Shorthouse laughs, teasing his partner as Cheech shrugs. “Cheech Amber are in studio, though I’ll remind you of that again as we go.” immediately called it a good goal! If it was Leon Draisaitl, he for sure would’ve said he’d kicked it in!” While a lot of preparation goes into putting together a Canucks broadcast, there’s nothing scripted, really. Shorthouse scripts his first It’s a testament to the homey familiarity they’ve built with one another couple of sentences when he takes over from Murphy following the and with the Vancouver audience that it feels like Shorthouse and Garrett anthems, but that’s it. have been together as a broadcast duo forever. In fact, they’ve only been together since Shorthouse bumped over from radio in 2008. Shorthouse maintains his own colour-coded miscellaneous notes sheet

Over 12 years they’ve honed their chemistry, streamlined their process, On this particular night, Shorthouse recognizes that Canucks star Elias built regular bits — mostly surrounding Garrett’s love of ketchup and junk Pettersson is less active during the pregame skate than he usually would food — and shifted the priorities of how they call a game together. be. He also spies Green stepping onto the bench to consult briefly with Canucks trainers, a very rare occurrence. Finally, Sportsnet cameras, at “If I didn’t have a clean call, it really used to bother me,” Shorthouse says Shorthouse’s direction, spot Pettersson chatting at length with Canucks of his own evolution. “Now, say it’s Game 43, sometimes I couldn’t care medical staff. less. You still want to nail the big moments, but it’s a long season. I know this gets overused, but sometimes it’s more about just two guys who like Shorthouse gets to the business of rewriting his scripted lead-in and the each other, just sitting on a couch or a bar, watching and enjoying the team in the Sportsnet truck build out a video package to handle the game.” breaking news of Pettersson’s revised status. Murphy alters the lead-in on the spot, doing it cold as news of Pettersson being scratched breaks As they’ve evolved together, Garrett and Shorthouse have cemented the just minutes before the broadcast goes to air. Sportsnet Pacific broadcast as one of the most consistent, entertaining regional game broadcasts in the sport. The entertainment factor — Maple The game isn’t particularly close or exciting. The Canucks, without Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is a celebrity fan, as is Keith Pettersson, are down 3-0 early and cruise to a 4-2 defeat. Olbermann, who perfectly described “Cheech and Shorty” as maintaining “the tradition of Statler and Waldorf” back in November — is key to that, Garrett and Shorthouse, however, make it work. but so is the detail of their game calls and their preparation. There are jokes about Shorthouse’s 50th birthday, about Garrett Garrett, for example, who turned 69 this week, maintains a variety of competing in a World Championship, about Garrett’s reaction to seeing tactile, paper records. Chris Tanev as a rookie defenceman not wearing a shirt. Results aside, it’s still a good show. His specific notes system is wholly unique to him and incorporates every team in the NHL. It’s updated by hand and colour coded. It has the look There’s a telling moment in the first period coming back from the third of a cypher, something the protagonist in a Dan Brown novel would commercial break. decipher to foil an Opus Dei plot. He also keeps printouts featuring salary The crew in the truck — Girodat, Tim Morrissey, Greg Breakell, Terry cap info for every team in the league handy. They’re put together by his Baak and Jeff Whipple — run a graphic breaking down where Chris granddaughter every offseason, with information sourced from Tanev, playing in his 500th career NHL game, ranks in Canucks history CapFriendly.com. in terms of games played by defencemen. Garrett also keeps a handwritten list with 38 names on it, representing Murphy does the analysis before kicking it back up to the booth, where every single play-by-play broadcaster he’s worked with throughout his Garrett jumps in. As the linesman approaches the circle and prepares to career. drop the puck, Garrett launches into a discussion of Tanev’s pending free On the way to the broadcast booth on game night, Garrett is warmly agency before pivoting to a breakdown of the chemistry between Tanev received by Wild staffers. The press box host, Julie, exclaims and his defence partner Quinn Hughes. immediately on seeing him get out of the elevator. “You look at how well Chris Tanev and Quinn Hughes play together,” “Oh boy!” she says. “We’re getting donuts tonight!” Garrett says. “It has really helped Hughes when you’ve got that reliable, trustworthy partner over on the other side.” Up in the broadcast booth, Garrett and Shorthouse work on their notes and prepare for the broadcast as puck drop nears. They’re interrupted As he delivers the line, Garrett glances over to Shorthouse and they only by a joke or two from one to the other, or by interlopers sticking their exchange a quick, affectionate nod as the puck drops and the show goes head in to see if Garrett has donuts yet. on.

When the time finally comes to get the Mini-Sotta donuts, Garrett The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 purchases his two bags excitedly and steps back into the elevator. Standing next to his former Canucks teammate Stan Smyl, the Canucks’ senior adviser, Garrett offers him a mini donut.

“I’ll have one from the extra bag in your pocket,” Smyl laughs, politely declining. “Where’s the ketchup, by the way?”

“Oh no!” Garrett says, “Not on these!”

Back up in the booth, Shorthouse and Garrett put on their headphones and go through soundcheck as Girodat reviews the highlight assets at their disposal for the brief pregame segment. 1186622 Websites Vairo told Joel Boyd that “hockey needs you” and that “you should stick with hockey.”

By that point, Boyd was fully immersed in hockey. He was the team The Athletic / Meet the Boyds: The black hockey family you’ve never physician for youth teams in USA Hockey’s setup. He was the team heard of in the NHL physician for the United States men’s national team at the 1998 world championships. He had the same post with the U.S. men’s national team for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, while serving in the same role with the U.S. women’s national squad. By Ryan S. Clark Jun 19, 2020 That was also around the time when there were rumblings the NHL was

going to grant an expansion team to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Grace, humility and respect is the earnest, honest approach the Boyds “I really wanted to be involved with that,” Boyd said. “I sort of set out a have taken when discussing how their family is like so many others. strategic plan to make that happen. … I knew already enough about But that’s the thing. Their family is not like other families. Especially those sports. Everyone knew I was qualified. A number of people who knew me in the NHL. knew I was qualified to do the job. Since the North Stars had left, I had done as much hockey or more hockey than anyone else in the area who NHL agent Eustace King has joked with Joel Boyd before about the fact had done sports medicine. I worked with the Minnesota Moose and I they are the “First Black Family of Hockey” because of what they have worked with a roller hockey team called the Arctic Blast.” achieved. Dr. Joel Boyd is an orthopedic surgeon and the first black team physician in league history, a position he has held with the Minnesota It led to Boyd making several connections, even receiving a letter of Wild since their inception. His daughter, Kendall Boyd-Tyson, is the vice recommendation from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Boyd president for strategy and analytics for NHL Seattle. His son Kyle also interviewed with the Wild and has remained their team physician ever works for NHL Seattle as the team’s youth and community since. development/training director. He had professional success. But a commitment to family was a priority “There has always been a lot of encouragement for us to do well. That for Boyd and his wife, Cheryl. They raised their three children in their has always been there,” Kyle said. “We have always had a lot of support Eden Prairie home. Kasey, Kendall and Kyle were all academically around academics and sports and the arts, as well. It’s always been that, strong students, in addition to being active in sports. Both Kasey and and I don’t know if it is an adage, but it’s knowing sometimes you have to Kyle were members of the boys’ hockey team at The Blake School, while work hard and sometimes work twice as hard. That is part of the black Kendall played for the girls’ basketball team. experience in America. We grew up in a family where there was Kendall did play hockey but basketball, which is also a winter sport in obviously the expectation of hard work but there was a lot of support. Minnesota, remains her first love. Her first job in sports was being a “I think my sister would agree: We would not have gotten there without ballgirl for the Minnesota Lynx for three years. But her path into sports the support of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the was different than most. She earned a sociology degree from Emory community around us.” University, while also earning an industrial and system engineering degree from Georgia Tech. During her time at Georgia Tech, she Boyd grew up in Washington, D.C. He loved sports and considered interned at Coca-Cola, where she was part of a recycling program held at himself to be a good enough high school football player who once Turner Field, which was then the home of the Atlanta Braves. considered trying to play at the University of Oklahoma or the University of Maryland. He was a high school senior when the Washington Capitals “We started off and I had to design the study and picked a certain first came into the NHL as an expansion team. Going to those games is number of games, and we sorted what was in the recycling bins after where he saw Mike Marson skate for the first time. each game and what was in the trash cans after each game,” she said. “We’d come and see how many things came into the recycling bin and Understand something. Willie O’Ree made his debut in 1958 and last how many of those things went into the trash when they should have played in the NHL in 1961. Then there was Marson in 1974 – 13 years been in the recycling bin. Afterward, it was about coming with since O’Ree last played – taking the ice as the second black player in recommendations on improving recycling collections and it was about bin league history. In D.C., which at that point was still a predominantly black placement. (The Braves) said, ‘That’s fantastic. Can you stay and we will city. Flying around the ice with a full-blown afro. do it next season?’

“We’re like, ‘Wow. That’s huge. I had no idea. They have a black guy “I stayed on to do the study after we made the changes and implemented playing hockey,'” Boyd said. “It was like, “OK. I gotta see this.” those recommendations.”

Boyd took a visit to Bucknell University. He decided to play football there Kendall graduated from Georgia Tech with the goal of being a consultant. while also taking the necessary courses to cover pre-med requirements. She was hired by Accenture in a role she held for four years. But in 2015 He did a graduate season of football. In that time, he took even more she decided that she wanted to go to business school to hone her courses while taking the MCAT. From there, he went to Temple for financial analyst skills. The plan was to use that experience to work with medical school. Being at Bucknell meant he was not around hockey that local and state governments. much anymore but that soon changed. She went to the Yale School of Business, where she began exploring her He did a fellowship in London, Ontario, which put him around hockey in a options. One of her friends and mentors suggested she try sports medical capacity. He then moved to Minneapolis and joined the because she talked about it “all the time.” From there, a seed was Minnesota State High School League in 1992, serving as the medical planted and it led to an internship with the LPGA. Kendall graduated from director for more than a decade. That allowed him to be a central figure Yale in 2017 and went to work for TopGolf in a corporate development in the Minnesota boys state hockey tournament, one of the premier high and strategy role. school events in the nation. But it was not all about studies at Yale. She was part of the school’s club Then came the major push that started Boyd on his trajectory. A friend hockey team and later became a captain. They practiced once a week, recommended he should go to the United States Olympic & Paralympic with everyone separated by their skill level. Committee’s training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. so he could be certified to work as a team doctor at an Olympic Games. He took a six- “It’s a global business school. The majority of the students have not only week course and was then used for events. Both of USA Basketball not played hockey but can’t skate,” she said. “After my first year, the fact men’s and women’s teams got an opportunity to have Boyd, an I could skate put me in the intermediate group, borderline advanced. I orthopedic surgeon, work with them. So did USA Hockey. Joel Boyd was volunteered to be a captain. Not because I was qualified from a skill becoming more visible and more popular. perspective but because I was interested in teaching people the game and exposing people to the game. It was my mission to go get all the Lou Vairo, the director of special projects for USA Hockey, was one of different minorities, women, people from Asian countries, people who are the people Boyd befriended. They established a relationship and level of not from the States, people who are from the South and have never respect that was already in place when Vairo told Joel Boyd something really been on the ice before, to say, ‘Hey, you should give hockey club a that resonates even to this day. shot.'” Kendall said the club team plays one game a year where the first-year students face the second-year students for the Garstka Cup. She said practically the entire school watches the game but the exciting part was seeing someone who was not able to skate the beginning of the year score a goal.

“That is when the whole school goes nuts and everyone on the bench is excited because that is a moment they know they are never going to have again, most likely,” Kendall said. “That’s why I wanted to be a captain. It was to be a part of those special moments for people.”

Even with the work she did at Yale, Kendall has no problem admitting that Kyle was the one with a great passion for hockey. Kyle is the better hockey player and Kendall would come to him for advice on what she could do to teach others on the team.

Kyle went to Dartmouth, where he graduated with a history degree while also playing club hockey at the famed Ivy League institution. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. He worked for Teach For America and spent four years working at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass., until he moved to Seattle to teach at Lakeside School.

There was a day when Kyle went to an open skate at a rink in Renton, a Seattle suburb, and struck up a conversation with a person there. That person was NHL Seattle CEO and team president Tod Leiweke. They discussed a number of things, including Kendall, and it ultimately led to NHL Seattle hiring the two siblings.

A chance meeting with an NHL executive is one thing. But it is another when that same executive has history with your family.

“I was on my way to a Minnesota Wild game. Kyle sent me a text saying, ‘Tod says hello,'” Joel Boyd recalled. “I was like, ‘Tod who?’ I have no idea who Tod is. He said that I must not have gotten the picture. I was trying to get to the game. I get to the game and he sent me a picture of himself and Tod Leiweke. Then, I call him and Tod is still there. Tod gets on and starts talking.

“Tod was the first president of the Minnesota Wild and I was already there when he was. Tod and I knew each other from Day 1.”

Both Kendall and Kyle shared what it was like having a father who was a successful surgeon who also worked in sports and how they found it inspiring.

Kyle said both his parents are people who lead by example. He said his father uses a sense of humor to bring people into a conversation. Seeing how people gravitated and reacted toward his dad was something he admired.

“When I was a younger person, I was a little more frustrated because I wanted to go where I wanted to go and he would not stop talking to every person,” Kyle joked. “But to see how people viewed him and how they are in awe of what he has done for them, whether it was a friend of a friend of a friend or a colleague, it was a lesson that I took to heart. For me, growing up, I just wanted to be a person who made a difference in people’s lives and make the world better.

“It was the same thing with my mom. She worked in education and worked in schools and did admission and financial aid work to help people get education for their children and help them get opportunities. They were people-first people.”

Kendall said her parents raised her and her brothers to believe in trying new things with the idea that they should never be afraid to fail. That they stressed the importance of education while also having a sense of community. She shuffled through those early memories of her childhood when her dad was a team doctor and they went to events like Augsburg University football games or Minnesota Moose hockey games.

She just viewed those experiences as fun times her and her siblings got to spend with their dad.

“This is why I see all this as God’s plan,” she said. “It’s not like my dad worked in hockey and said, ‘You have to play and here, go intern with the Wild.’ He did not do any of that. I was at Accenture in Atlanta and Kyle was teaching and in St. Louis. I think we’re here at this moment truly by the grace of God. That is why it had to be God’s plan.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186623 Websites It’s all about maintaining a multi-million dollar investment on both a national and local level.

That’s why it’s important that regional sports networks (RSNs) are The Athletic / What’s it like to do play-by-play of an NHL game from a involved in the early stages, according to Patrick Crakes, a former Fox monitor? Sports executive and media consultant.

Across the NHL, regional sports networks have it in their contracts that they get to broadcast the first round of the playoffs locally, it’s part of the By Joe Smith and Sean Shapiro Jun 19, 2020 inventory promised when the networks pay $20 million or more per season to the teams.

There is already going to be less inventory because of the stoppage, You’ll be able to hear everything. most teams still had 12 or 13 games remaining, so Crakes said it’s just Connor McDavid calling for a pass. Jon Cooper barking orders from the good business practice to use the play-in and round-robin rounds to help bench. Brad Marchand chirping – well – everyone. Referees trying to square things up. break up scrums. “These two sides are often long-term partners when it comes to RSNs You’ll be able to see more, too. and teams. The RSNs know the teams are dealing with a pandemic, so simply asking for money back to make up for three or four lost games Imagine some inside access between periods, views from ice level isn’t the best business practice,” Crakes said. “Instead they’ll want to you’ve never had access to, like a roving camera on the blue line, one make sure they are getting the best possible solution, and both sides can from the scoreboard, another from behind the net. figure out other financial matters and maybe move larger issues into another season.” You’ll still have the familiar voice of legendary broadcaster Doc Emrick, who’d be calling games off a monitor from a studio. RSNs and television providers have had their squabbles in the past, some are currently ongoing, and for the RSNs having that content is But if and when the Stanley Cup Playoffs are resumed this summer, more valuable than trying to fight battle on both sides. league and network executives are describing it as a “made for TV event.” And while there will likely be no fans allowed in the building, Many RSNs also carry games for their local MLB team, and with a 162- viewers will have as interactive and intimate experience as they’ve ever game schedule, baseball is the priciest and often most important right an had. RSN can secure to fill daily content from April to September.

“We see it as an opportunity to look at the game differently,” said Sam With baseball’s return on a rocky terrain, a pandemic combined with Flood, executive producer and president, production for NBC and labor issues, RSNs are even more desperate for summer programming NBCSN. “We can try new camera positions, more mic’s, give people the in August since replaying classic games only goes so far. real sounds of the game, knowing that at times the language would be colorful. It’s a game that has passion on the ice and we think it’ll be a Without fans in the stands finding alternative revenue streams with these great transition to the home audience.” broadcasts is going to be important for the NHL according to Lee Berke, a media consultant for LHB Sports, Entertainment, and Media, Inc. There’s nothing set in stone from a broadcast perspective, just as the two hub cities haven’t been officially chosen. But Flood said he and his staff “The NHL is going to take a loss with this without fans, so they’ll need to have enjoyed their weekly Monday 2 p.m. calls where ideas on their do whatever they can and be creative as possible to make some of it up,” “wish list” have been pitched and discussed. The league has been open, Berke said. “We are seeing this across all the leagues, the NHL isn’t any too. different.”

“I talk to (commissioner) Gary Bettman at least once a week, and he’s Berke said this starts with advertising and he predicts there will be more constantly saying, ‘Push us,’ ‘Keep adding elements,’’” Flood said. digital ads placed within the game, potentially along the glass or maybe “They’re telling us to be aggressive. The league is trying to give the best even along the ice during a replay. This is something that could be done possible experience to fans as we move forward.” on both the local and national broadcasts and overlaid the universal feed, according to Berke, giving individual teams and RSNs an additional What we do know is this: revenue stream from the return-to-play format.

The local affiliates will likely get a chance to broadcast their team’s It’s likely not going to go the extent of European hockey, where every games for the play-in/round-robin games and then the first round of the inch of ice space is available to advertisers, but Berke said he wouldn’t playoffs, which will be great for veteran broadcasters like the Lightning’s be surprised to see ads in areas on the ice that people have never seen who are in their final season. before in an NHL game. It also extends to the broadcasters themselves, who may be asked to work more with advertisers than ever before. Emrick said he’s expecting to be calling the playoffs, at least the beginning, from a studio, which means broadcasters will have a unique Berke said it could sound similar to a baseball radio broadcast where challenge of doing their calls off a TV monitor. play-by-play broadcasters are also pitchmen throughout a game. “Doc Emrick might not like doing this liner, but if it means making money for The biggest changes in broadcasts will be the amount of cameras and the league you could see something like, ‘This player now crosses the microphones networks will be able to use. There’s a chance you could blue line brought to you by Geico,’ in a broadcast,” Berke said. see a robot camera at center ice, two robotic cameras behind the net, one at each blueline. You can also drop a camera from the scoreboard An advantage that Berke sees for the NHL is the partnership it already like the NHL did at the All-Star Game. “Those are the kind of things that has with MLB Advanced Media. Whether it’s a live feed or something give a more intimate view,” Flood said. supplementary content, the NHL could make that part of a pay-per-view package and sell direct to consumers. While there will be the lack of crowd noise, and there’s been no indications yet that the league will try to pipe in cheers, the networks plan “It’s something that will take some negotiation to make sure it doesn’t to take advantage of the game’s iconic sounds, like tape to tape passes hurt any of the rights holder content or maybe they do it direct with the and collisions. The main difference will be the chance to get more of the rights holder,” Berke said. “Either way I think the NHL will have to look at players and coaches talking during and, between whistles. ways to allow someone to get more personalized with their viewing since fans won’t be there in person.” Player tracking software was initially scheduled to be available for the playoffs this year, but it doesn’t sound like it’ll be part of the production While the NHL is going to turn this into a made-for-TV event, calling this time. games off monitors is still going to be a challenge and the product is going to sound different than the typical NHL broadcast. Flood said the network/league are looking into finding ways for the fans and viewers to have more interactive elements in the broadcast from For play-by-play broadcasters, they’ve lost their independent eyes on the their laptops, phones. game and have to call what’s in front of them on the screen. Finding a solution for television partners is one of the driving financial factors for the NHL when it comes to their return-to-play plan. “We aren’t always looking at what is on the screen, we often look at a not be crowds, but there’s going to be a lot of excitement, collisions, larger picture,” Stars play-by-play broadcaster Josh Bogorad said. “Like if saves, close calls. I can’t wait.” there is an odd-man rush and a third man coming in, he’s so important to the play and we need to share that detail. But that detail might be out of The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 frame, so there are going to be moments like that.”

Lightning radio play-by-play man Dave Mishkin has called more than two dozen games off a monitor, including the 2015-16 playoffs, so he could stay at home while his wife, Dulcie, battled breast cancer. He then did 11 more in the fall of 2017 when his wife had surgery.

“I had done all those games in 2016, and a year and a half later, I remember doing the first period against Buffalo and I’m like, ‘Damn, this is hard,” Mishkin said. “It really is a challenge to call a game off the monitor. You manage it. But it’s tougher to see everything in two dimensions. You generally want to stay on the puck, but it can be tough looking at a monitor that’s two dimensions where the puck gets lost on the camera. You make due the best you can.”

Mishkin said one example was a Lightning game in Colorado during the 2017 season, when Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson boarded a Tampa Bay player. It was a dangerous hit, followed by a scrum and a TV timeout. All of a sudden, Mishkin was in the dark.

“We’re in a commercial and I’m like, ‘Is Johnson getting a two-minute (penalty) or a five?” Mishkin said. “I’m doing the best I can to . But no penalties were announced. The broadcast comes back and the Lightning (are) on a power play. I said, ‘Lightning on a power play,’ and 30 seconds in, the clock shows up at 4:30, so I’m like, ‘That was actually a major penalty. If I were to critique myself I would have ripped myself to shreds if I were at the game. But sometimes they’re a little behind and you’re flying blind.”

The use of a universal feed is also going to create some interesting decisions for broadcasters. If a shot pans to a player on the bench, say Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, the broadcast crew will have to decide whether to use it as a talking point or just keep moving forward.

“If it fits into your call you’ll use it, but you also don’t know how long it’s going to be on that player or stat since it’s not your truck or your camera guys you are used to working with,” Bogorad said. “That’s going to be something we’ll figure out on the fly.”

Lightning color analyst said there’s so much chemistry involved in local broadcasts where he’s talking with producers to set up replays they want to show at the next break, so it’ll take a lot of adjusting on the fly when they’re limited to the national feed.

“You learn to talk generalities until you see what pops up,” Engblom said. “Depending on how tight the camera is, you might miss some stuff. I don’t get to do the job the way I like to do it. You don’t get as much feel for the game. But it’s better than nothing. We’ll be glad to be doing it, and we’ll make it work.”

Nashville Predators color analyst said the monitor setup is going to be more difficult for play-by-play voices.

“I can’t imagine doing the play-by-play like that, as an analyst you get to step back and use the replay sometimes anyway,” Mason said. “We’ll be able to adjust easier and not sound like it’s as different as it will be for play-by-play guys.”

One part of the broadcast that’ll be lost are some of the minor details and facts picked up without typical access at practice or morning skates. While players and coaches will be made available to the media, like through outlets like Zoom or via phone, it’s not the same as gathering information in person in the locker room.

“There are things about the game and conversations you have with players about this or that are going to be hard to schedule in a formal call,” Mason said. “We’ll try to get everything, but I’m going to miss that part of being at the rink.”

That’s part of what makes Emrick great on the national broadcast. The morning of a game he’s in the locker room meeting with players and exchanging stories, finding the anecdotes that enhance a broadcast.

Those conversations might not be happening anytime soon, but Emrick knows he still has a job to do.

“We have a responsibility to deliver a wonderful product to people,” Emrick said. “I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of creativity. There may 1186624 Websites What’s the greatest highlight you ever read/did on “SportsCenter?” Does anything ring a bell? Did you have a catchphrase you were particularly proud of? Also, how did you come up with “Release. Rotation. Splash!”

The Athletic / Q&A: For former ‘SportsCenter’ host Craig Kilborn, I’m not sure of the greatest highlight I ever read. Maybe it was when ‘Instagram is enough for now’ Hakeem Olajuwon came back from anemia and I said on his first basket “Ohhh the red cell count is up!” then on his next basket “Ohhh hemoglobin!!” Catchphrases are cute, but that’s another level. I still get chills. Josh Cooper Jun 19, 2020 As far as “Release, Rotation, Splash” — it just came to me. When you’re

a pure shooter you love your beautiful release, then admire the perfect Craig Kilborn has reemerged on Instagram. rotation, which leads to the wonderful ending … SPLASH. I’m getting chills again. The former “SportsCenter” anchor, who parlayed his particular brand of humor and knack for narrating highlights into becoming the first host of “The Daily Show,” under your watch, was a lot of satire on society and “The Daily Show” before moving on to “The Late Late Show” on CBS, pop culture but not so much politics. Do you have fond memories of your has garnered, as he calls it, “a cult following” through the social media time there? platform. I had a blast doing “The Daily Show” — I was living in , His first post came on August 23, 2018, and he currently has in the realm hosting a comedy show, and sipping martinis at the illustrious 21 Club. of 34,100 followers. And after mostly disappearing from the public eye And it led to my dream job of hosting a traditional late-night show — “The over the past decade, Kilborn has slowly inched back toward the Late, Late Show” on CBS. I wasn’t hired at Comedy Central to do a spotlight. He joined “The Rich Eisen Show” near the end of 2019 and politics-heavy show, and I would never do one — I have no interest. Also, recently sat down for a lengthy interview on Ryen Russillo’s show on The “The Daily Show” was innocently set up in a different way — they didn’t Ringer’s podcast network. hire the host first – so we inherited each other. Fortunately, most of the people were a good fit and supportive. But as much as I enjoyed it … I Kilborn, who is retired and splits his time between Los Angeles and was always a short-timer. It wasn’t my show, and I wanted to do a Rancho Mirage, agreed to answer my questions via email for The network traditional hour format as opposed to a half-hour news parody. Athletic’s Media Week. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been a big And while political humor is considered more important, I’ve always Kilborn fan from his time at ESPN, where he worked in the early-to-mid preferred irreverent comedy — Dance, Dance, Dance; 5 Questions; Let’s 90s, and his work on “SportsCenter” initially brought me over to “The Enjoy My Hair, etc. — which is (whispering) infinitely more creative. Daily Show.” I knew nothing of the show other than he was going to be Shhh. the host, and his magnetic personality was enough for me to start watching. Do you appreciate that “The Daily Show” has kept the “Moment of Zen” all these years later? His stint on “The Late Late Show” from 1999-2004 had many hysterical moments but none better than his famous 5 Questions segment. If Sure. YouTube had existed then — we get into that during the interview — I Do you wish YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. existed when you were have little doubt it would have been a viral hit. (These are all my opinions, the host of “The Late Late Show?” That way segments like 5 Questions so you are allowed to disagree in the comments section … but you know maybe could have reached a greater audience. I’m right). Numerous people have mentioned how great it would have been if We edited very, very lightly for style so the answers have the full effect YouTube was around when I did my show. There are a few clips now but Kilborn was going for. Enjoy … a lot of gems are missing. No worries. Now we have Instagram. Can you explain your Instagram renaissance? I read you joined Do you feel like you’ve had the most diverse post-ESPN career of any Instagram for your nieces and it took on a life of its own with your fans. “SportsCenter” anchors from your era? Did you see it becoming such a big thing? Never thought of that, but yes, maybe. Ohhh, the Instagram is glorious. So much fun and the response has been tremendous. I was doing it for my nieces and my writer friends — Julius This is from our Lakers writer, Bill Oram, who went to the University of Sharpe, Mike Gibbons and Alec Sulkin – but then it just took off. It’s like a Montana: “I’m seeing 2-4 against Montana. How did that feel? Does the cult following or an exclusive club. It’s very satisfying. I got bored with Cat-Griz rivalry still fill your veins with boiling rage lava?” (Editor’s note: pop culture and current event jokes … so my Instagram is the humor I Kilborn played basketball at Montana State) prefer. It’s a reflection of my personal life. The fact that I get no greater joy than putting on a sport coat, going to a piano bar and bonding with a Good for Bill. Hope he enjoys his bison burger and beer tonight. The only martini … is amusing to me. It’s a different type of self-deprecation — real hoop memory from college is the night I started at Moscow, Idaho mocking my eccentricities. (For martini bonding, I recommend the Big 4 and took on the Idaho Vandals and the great Brian Kellerman. Oh sure Bar on Nob Hill in San Francisco.) we lost a close one, but I scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, 4 for 4 on 3s. And the Big Sky 3-pointer was 22 feet. What is your process for how something goes from an idea to an actual Instagram post? The early posts looked like they were photos or videos Also from our Lakers writer: “Worst bus trip in the Big Sky conference in with funny captions, but now they have excellent production quality. the early 80s?”

Yes, my early Instagram was photos with captions and then evolved to Gosh, I don’t remember. But I do remember on the plane rides a couple include videos. I just use iMovie, and I’ve liked editing since I was in local of the guys had Walkmans — it was brand-new technology back in the TV in Monterey, California. early 80s. And on one of the road trips, I’m sitting on the plane — I had already asked the flight attendant for an extra complimentary sandwich I enjoyed your interview on Ryen Russillo’s podcast, which gave us a before any of my teammates could — so I was feeling good — and then great window of what you’re up to. Have you heard from your fans since my buddy, Mike Erickson, hands me his Walkman and lets me listen to that show? Have you heard from other sports media people about maybe one song. It was “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind, and Fire. I can’t begin to putting your retirement on hiatus? describe the euphoria of being full, then reclining and hearing that dynamic bass line to “Let’s Groove.” That was my first Walkman Thanks. I’ve always been a better host than a guest — it’s night and day experience — on a road trip to Weber State. — but I had a good time doing Ryen’s podcast, and he was happy. And yes, I’ve heard from a number of people after both Ryen’s show and Wikipedia says you bench-pressed 240 pounds and lists four citations on when I did “The Rich Eisen Show” — which I also enjoyed. Everyone is this. I checked every citation and none of them say you bench pressed very supportive and say they miss me, which is nice to hear. I apologize 240 pounds. Please explain. — there’s just not much I want to do. The Instagram is enough for now. I mentioned it on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” and it ended on Wikipedia. So did my longtime joke that “I led the Big Sky Conference in turnovers.” Obviously, the young people are getting their kicks editing Wikipedia. Benching 240 was fun at the time but way too much energy and aggression for me to even think about now. I prefer napping.

In all sincerity, what’s next for you? Doing 5 Questions on Instagram Live? Or just continuing to enjoy retirement?

Again, I apologize but there’s not much I want to do — currently just enjoying Instagram and spending time in my mahogany-paneled den.

Is there anything you wish I asked you?

What’s it like being “The Natural Host?” What’s it like being one of five guys — along with Magic, Arvydas, Larry and Leo Rautins — who can make touch passes in his sleep?

The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186625 Websites two girls disclosed to the coach what the male player was doing. SafeSport was notified, an investigation was launched and it appeared that the system implemented in 2015 to handle allegations of wrongdoing was working. The Athletic / ‘Uncomfortable and scared’: Abuse allegations inside the USA Hockey sled program Eberhard was understandably worried about how others would view her decision to come forward. It was a relief then when Kennedy, who was married, approached her and her teammate to offer his assistance. Kennedy had been general manager of the men’s development team for By Katie Strang years but was in his first year managing the women’s side. Kennedy told the two girls he would help them navigate the bureaucratic SafeSport system that was handling their report. Madison Eberhard grew up in hockey rinks, shivering on weekends in Getzville, N.Y., as she watched her older brother and her father play. It Kennedy spoke with Eberhard’s parents, and the family was relieved to wasn’t until she was 8 years old, when she attended a charity game and have someone to lean on. He was compassionate and answered saw her first sled hockey player, that it occurred to her that she, too, questions they had about the process. could participate. “In the beginning, it was more friendly,” Eberhard said. “He was trying to Eberhard was born with Larsen Syndrome, a congenital disorder that help my family get through it and be an outlet for questions and insight limits the use of her legs. By 8, it became difficult for her to continue into the (SafeSport) process.” playing the sports she loved. In T-ball, she was having trouble keeping Over the course of several months beginning in September 2018, up with her peers. Kennedy slowly cultivated a deeper relationship with the two girls. So when she became aware of sled hockey – an adaptive version of the He would invite them to come and talk with him in the lobby of the hotel sport in which players use sleds to move up and down the ice – it was a where the team was staying. These started as innocuous, sometimes revelation. And when she first strapped into a sled and careened down brief conversations, but they eventually went longer and longer. While the the ice, navigating with her hips and watching the puck carom swiftly rest of the team would congregate to play games and cards, Eberhard among teammates, she found her passion. and the other girl would be off with Kennedy – he’d take them for ice Eberhard joined a local sled hockey program in Buffalo, where she was cream, buy them candy – and sometimes they’d talk late into the night. the only female, and instantly gained a team of big brothers. Five years Kennedy, a veteran USA Hockey employee whose career spanned more later, at age 13, she became one of the youngest players on the U.S. than two decades with the organization, did essential work for the women’s national development team. She was so young that when she program. Seen as a versatile, hard-working utility staffer, Kennedy flew to tournaments, she had to be accompanied by an airline supervisor. handled hotel bookings and tournament scheduling and other logistics. With the women’s team, she found a support system of friends and That allowed him to operate close to the players without initially raising mentors. “It can be hard sometimes to grow up with (a disability) and not any red flags. be able to talk to somebody that’s like you,” she explained. Later, Kennedy put the two girls into a group text separate from the rest But the same sled hockey community that would provide such a strong of the team – that alone was a violation of SafeSport policy, which sense of connection would later include two individuals, a male player requires parents to be included in correspondence with minors. He would and a male executive at USA Hockey, whose painful actions would frequently tell the girls how they were the most important people in his fracture Eberhard’s love for the sport. Over an 18-month period life; he bought the three of them bracelets with the location coordinates of beginning in September 2018, Eberhard, then 16, and a teammate in the one of the tournaments where he felt they had really bonded. national program were sexually harassed by a male teammate and then Soon enough, he began contacting Eberhard separately, communicating allegedly victimized again by a then-43-year-old Jeremy Kennedy, who at with her over text and calls. Eberhard said she learned later he was the time was the general manager of the national sled hockey doing the same with her teammate. One phone call log reviewed by The development program and had positioned himself as the girls’ protector. Athletic showed a conversation between Eberhard and Kennedy that The men’s behavior triggered two investigations by the U.S. Center for lasted seven hours and 39 minutes. SafeSport, which investigates all claims of sexual misconduct within the When Kennedy told Eberhard he loved her, she thought that was odd but United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s umbrella. Kennedy’s she brushed it off as a “father-daughter” thing. actions, which included lewd and graphic electronic communications and sharing a hotel room with the girls at a tournament, have drawn the Eventually, his comments turned sexual. He bragged to Eberhard about attention of law enforcement. his sexual conquests and discussed his sex life with his wife, revealing what she liked and prodding Eberhard to discuss sex. He asked her what On Jan. 16, 2019, Kennedy sent a text message to Eberhard asking her color underwear she was wearing and commented that if he ever came bra size. Four days later, USA Hockey president Jim Smith presented to Buffalo he wanted to rifle through her underwear drawer. (A selection Kennedy with the organization’s President’s Award for his “outstanding of these texts messages have been obtained and reviewed by The contribution” to the sport. Even after Kennedy left the sled hockey Athletic.) program for the adult hockey program during the middle of the 2018-19 season, he was permitted to supervise the women’s sled hockey Kennedy, according to Eberhard, admitted to her that he got sexual program until its season ended, and he continued to communicate gratification from some of their text exchanges and told her he regularly with the girls. masturbated to them.

Eberhard’s parents and others close to her believe what happened to At the final tournament of the season, in Minnesota, Kennedy convinced Eberhard and the other young woman was a systematic failure to protect Eberhard and her teammate of the need to stay in the same hotel room the most vulnerable members of the USA Hockey community. as him. The two girls were scheduled to meet with a SafeSport investigator in Minnesota, where they were playing a tournament. He Said Brad Emmerson, a former men’s national sled team member and wanted to be there for them, he said, to help them deal with any trauma, Paralympic gold medalist who played with Eberhard in Buffalo: and he portrayed staying in the same room as part of that support. “To see the way they so poorly handled this situation and very poorly (According to an email obtained by The Athletic, Kennedy contacted supported (Eberhard) thoroughly disgusted me to my core.” Eberhard’s father to obtain approval to change his daughter’s flight so she could stay over in Minnesota an extra night and meet with the The problems started for Eberhard at 16, when a 19-year-old male player SafeSport investigator the day after the team’s tournament concluded.) in her local Buffalo program (sled hockey programs at the local level are often coed) began sending sexually explicit and inappropriate text He slept in a separate bed but insisted on rubbing Eberhard’s back to messages and photos to Eberhard and the other girl. comfort her, she said. Though the physical touching did not escalate from there, “I was definitely uncomfortable and scared. There was so much During the women’s national team development camp in September going on,” Eberhard said. 2018, Eberhard and her friend were overheard talking about the male player’s behavior by a national team staff member. When questioned, the (Courtest of Julia Cumes) USA sled hockey is one of six disciplines within the disabled USA Eberhard said she has not heard from anyone at USA Hockey since the Hockey program, and it’s widely known as an important one to Jim Smith, investigation into Kennedy’s actions was launched. USA Hockey’s president since 2015. Smith’s protege, J.J. O’Connor, has been the chair of disabled hockey since 2002 (Smith recommended him And what became of the SafeSport investigation centered on the male for the role). One person who worked in the disabled hockey division said player who harassed Eberhard and her teammate? the sled hockey program has outsized importance within USA Hockey as That male player, who is now 20, has long been considered a promising a result of those two powerful surrogates. “It’s their baby,” the person player at the national level. He was suspended for nearly a year from said. USA Hockey-sanctioned activities based on a “preponderance of Smith and O’Connor have a unique relationship; they met after evidence” that he violated policies by “engaging in sexual misconduct,” O’Connor, then aged 16, suffered a catastrophic injury during a high according to the SafeSport summary of decision. But documents school hockey game in 1995. After Smith visited O’Connor in the obtained by The Athletic show that SafeSport granted him a three-day hospital, the pair struck up a friendship. By 2001, Smith had moved into exception during his suspension so that he could try out for the men’s the dorms with O’Connor, who is a quadriplegic, when O’Connor national team in July 2019. attended Lake Forest College. Smith assumed the role of O’Connor’s Eberhard found out about the tryout from friends, and Mike Eberhard caregiver. contacted SafeSport. The organization apologized to the family in an How Kennedy became involved in the sled hockey program is unclear. email, which has been obtained and reviewed by The Athletic, for failing His father was a prominent official with Wisconsin’s state youth hockey to notify them of the exception. affiliate and a long-time on-ice official. Kennedy, O’Connor and Smith, The male player, after his suspension ended, was denied a spot on according to those in the sled hockey community, were involved in team Eberhard’s local team and was rejected by other clubs around the selection, personnel decisions, even coordinating which players would country. He finally found a place on a prominent team in Chicago. receive new equipment. Players wanting to compete for a club outside their home area are Smith is the subject of an unrelated SafeSport probe for his handling of a required to go through a waiver process. The placement of the player on case of sexual abuse in Illinois. A partner in a New York law firm the Chicago team was due to “special circumstances,” said one representing him recently sent a litigation hold letter to The Athletic. The committee member, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. partner advised “the utmost restraint and care” regarding reporting on The waiver committee for sled hockey is chaired by J.J. O’Connor, who Smith. along with Smith is active in the Chicago sled hockey community. “Jim’s priority throughout the decades of his volunteer leadership has O’Connor, according to a USA Hockey spokesperson, “did assist him in been to make hockey a safe, inclusive and fun sporting experience for finding a place to play, as he would with any eligible athlete looking to players and their families,” the lawyer wrote in an email. find a place to play.”

By early 2019, Kennedy was communicating with Eberhard daily, and he At her lowest point last year, Eberhard was withdrawn and unhappy. Her did so even after transferring to the adult hockey division. Whenever parents had her in counseling; they were concerned she might harm Eberhard would express misgivings about the frequency and tone of the herself. conversations, Kennedy would immediately offer to peel back if she “I remember her telling me ‘I wish I hadn’t told anyone about (the player) thought “he was being a bad person.” That response made Eberhard feel because of the amount of embarrassment and shame that came from guilty for broaching the subject and would lead her to doubt her read on this,’” Ladlie said. “The fact that USA Hockey didn’t do much on her the situation. behalf, it was unacceptable.”

Players on the team noticed as Eberhard and her teammate’s attitude Over the past year, however, she has slowly regained strength, changed and their performance slipped. At first, those players thought it becoming more comfortable sharing what she endured and divulging to was caused by the two girls having to go through the initial SafeSport others the specifics of what she went through. She has taken up rowing investigation. and flourished in that sport as well, competing for the national para- “You can tell when we played hockey the connection wasn’t there,” said rowing team at the World Championships in Austria last summer. Her Katie Ladlie, who played on the same line as Eberhard. “They weren’t father believes that has been a source of comfort. playing their best hockey. Their minds were elsewhere, and they were “I think one of her biggest fears is if she went public, she’d lose the one both great hockey players.” thing in her life that made her happy,” Mike Eberhard said.

Eventually, Kennedy appeared to drive a wedge between the two girls, Last fall, Eberhard returned to the ice, playing for her Buffalo-based club Eberhard and others said. and then returning to the national development team. She considered not “It’s hard to describe, but it was like he was trying to break her and the playing, but after a long talk with her coach, she decided she wanted to other girl as well, turn them against each other,” said Kelsey DiClaudio, come back. another veteran player. “They were so close and then it just became “I decided to stick with it, for my teammates and for myself,” she said. toxic, so horribly toxic. You could tell (Eberhard’s) confidence was “The love and support they’ve shown me, I didn’t want to stop and give diminished.” up on them just because of people in the organization abusing their In April, Eberhard says she and the other girl finally talked deeply about power.” the attention Kennedy was showing them. Eberhard contacted an Those teammates marvel at her strength; they see some of her investigator from SafeSport. Eberhard later found the courage to sit her brightness, her once indefatigable spirit, returning. But playing with the parents down in the living room, and she explained what was happening national development team presents a potentially fraught reality. and broke down. Her parents were, at first, stunned and then apoplectic. It is possible that, when hockey returns, the male player whose “I became a raging father,” said Mike Eberhard, Madison’s father. harassment started this ordeal could be part of the men’s national Mike Eberhard immediately called Smith, who told Eberhard he had no development team. If that happens, it is possible Eberhard would have to knowledge of Kennedy’s actions and promised USA Hockey would “have share the ice with him during any sort of joint practice or scrimmage. Maddy’s back.” When asked whether any provisions have been put in place to prevent Seven months after stepping in to help Eberhard and the other girl that from happening, a spokesperson for USA Hockey said in an email: because of the initial SafeSport investigation and three months after “We have made efforts to reduce or eliminate the chance for interaction receiving USA Hockey’s President’s award, Kennedy became the focus between the athletes during events managed by USA Hockey” of a SafeSport probe and was placed on a paid suspension. He quietly The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 left USA Hockey a few months later and the SafeSport probe is currently on hold pending the conclusion of the superseding law enforcement investigation, according to multiple sources. Kennedy is now working as a real estate agent in Colorado Springs, Colo., after what he described in a May Facebook post as “several months of setbacks.” Kennedy did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this story. 1186626 Websites The third star: The squirrel in Gary Bettman’s backyard – He’s no Phat Gus, but I like his style. You know, just hanging out over here next to the hockey net that Bettman totally has and did not just set up for this interview. The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Awards thoughts, MLB lessons and the 1994 Rangers on ‘Letterman’ The second star: Non-licensed Hockey Lads – You know I’m a fan of Pro Stars, so how could I not appreciate an off-brand Pro Stars ripoff? Especially one that features an animated Phil Kessel.

By Sean McIndoe Jun 19, 2020 The first star: Anthony Stewart – Plenty of people dunked on Brandon Prust’s utter idiocy, including the tag team of J.T. and Lexi Brown. But I

feel like Stewart really captured the spirit of the thing. From the headlines Be It Resolved This week was the deadline for members of the hockey media to vote on A major sports league spent months trying to squander an enormous the various awards. As a voting member of the PHWA, I can’t reveal my amount of momentum and goodwill with a ridiculously tone-deaf labor ballot because you’ll yell at me we’re not allowed to. But it’s fair to say dispute, and the good news is that for once it wasn’t hockey. that this year was a challenging one for voters, with some tight races and plenty of uncertainty around how we should handle a shortened season. Instead, this time it’s Major League Baseball that’s been flirting with disaster. The owners and union can’t decide on how much of a season to While I can’t tell you anything about who I voted for (other than that Ryan play, and how much players should be paid for those games. For weeks, Lambert told me I was going to get roasted for one of my Hart votes), I it seemed like the usual saber-rattling, the kind of thing that ends with an can at least share some thoughts on various players who may show up agreement and a no-hard-feelings press conference. The world is in the on a few ballots. My spies have been checking in with voters around the middle of a pandemic and financial meltdown, so surely no league would league, and here’s some of the feedback they had about some of the be dumb enough to scrap an entire season over money. But apparently bigger names. MLB, under the leadership of feckless commissioner Rob Manfred, was Artemi Panarin: Would definitely deserve some first-place Hart votes if he absolutely willing to do that, and still could be if an apparent agreement was able to get the Rangers into the playoffs, so here’s hoping the NHL from the last few days falls through. lets us cast some ballots once we know if that’s going to happen or not. If you’re a hockey fan, that might bring a small smile to your face. After John Carlson: Would probably have run away from Roman Josi in Norris all, we’re the league that’s known for nonsensical shutdowns. We’re the voting back in the day when simplistic voters only knew how to sort only one that’s ever scrapped an entire season. We’re the ones where defensemen by points scored but could have a tougher time with more players and owners can’t ever seem to get on the same page. Now it’s savvy and educated modern voters who also know how to sort by happening to someone else, at the same time that the NHL is moving plus/minus. forward with a relatively smooth process devoid of any major conflict.

Sean Couturier: Put together a solid season despite playing under the Maybe things are changing. Maybe hockey has learned. overwhelming pressure of everyone already having decided he was Well, not so fast. going to win the Selke back in October. To be clear, the big issue in the MLB dispute – how to divide up revenue MacKenzie Blackwood: Calder voters should remember how difficult it is in a world where it will be far lower than anyone ever expected when for a young goaltender to step in and play over 20 games in a season, those big contracts were handed out – won’t apply to the NHL. It can’t. and then cast their rookie of the year vote for the guy who’s already done Whatever you think of Bettman’s salary cap, the direct and unambiguous it twice. linking of revenue to salaries is saving the league right now. We know Elias Pettersson: Should absolutely get a spot on the Lady Byng ballot of how much the players are going to make – the same 50 percent of any voter who takes the time to carefully weigh the pros and cons of hockey revenue they always make. That number is going to be much which fan base they just don’t feel like arguing with for the next few lower than expected, and there are important questions around escrow months. and future salary caps that need to be figured out to make it all work. But in the big picture, hockey already knows the answer to the question that’s Erik Karlsson: Should definitely get some votes as the season’s most been tearing apart MLB. valuable player, according to every Senators fan watching Alexis Lafrenière highlights and giggling right now. So that’s good. But there’s a deeper problem in baseball, and it’s one that could absolutely surface in hockey, and maybe soon. For years, Adam Fox: Played tough minutes, excelled in all situations, exceeded all MLB owners and players haven’t trusted each other. They haven’t been reasonable expectations and is going to get the exact same number of partners. They’ve taken just about every issue that came up, big or small, All-Rookie team defenseman votes as you do. and turned it into a hill to die on. Everything is a fight, even if no reasonable person thinks it should be. Elvis Merzlikins: Almost singlehandedly saved the Blue Jackets season and should definitely be one of the five names on your Calder list, but Sound familiar? It should, because hockey’s in the same boat. For all the hey, this “Elvis has left the ballot” joke isn’t going to make itself. rhetoric about the players being partners, Bettman’s NHL has made it clear that everything is a negotiation, and every negotiation has to be a Connor Hellebuyck: Would absolutely have a strong case for Hart Trophy fight. You want to go to the Olympics? Well, too bad, what’s in it for us? consideration if goaltenders were eligible for that award but ah well here Every rule change, every new technology, every tweak to the schedule, we are. no matter how seemingly small, and all the warm-and-fuzzy talk about Cale Makar: Put up better numbers than Quinn Hughes, although did partnerships goes out the window. have the advantage of being a year older, having slightly easier minutes Baseball owners say they’re taking a hard line because extraordinary and not having to constantly deal with his brother calling him up and circumstances have forced them to. The players think they’re lying, and asking what it’s like to play with actual NHLers. that owners are using the current situation as leverage, just a flimsy Alex Ovechkin: Is probably a center now? cover to try to claw back rights that have been bargained for over years and decades. And they don’t trust the commissioner for a second when Jack Eichel: The Pegulas said he should get Hart consideration just a he says it’s all for sport’s own good. few weeks ago and they definitely wouldn’t have randomly changed their minds since then. If that doesn’t sound like something that could happen in hockey, you’re fooling yourself. The NHL and NHLPA have put their heads down to Leon Draisaitl: Oilers fans who find out that voters are considering other focus on getting the 2019-20 season back on track, and they deserve Hart candidates have been known to get really defensive, so it’s nice to credit for that. But when (or if) the Stanley Cup is won, we’ll move onto see that somebody associated with Draisaitl understands that concept. figuring out how next year should work. And unless something can be The week’s three stars of comedy hammered out over the new few weeks, we’ll do that under the cloud of a new CBA that needs to be in place for 2022. In a perfect world, that would create a sense of urgency to get a reasonable deal for both sides in place quickly, and it sounds like that could be what’s actually recurring bit in this clip: a quick and completely out-of-place shot of a happening. If so, great. But until that gets done, we’ll always be one stone-faced Messier completely no-selling the joke. This will show up news cycle away from yet another ugly fight. repeatedly, and it’s somehow funnier each time.

So be it resolved: Baseball’s current meltdown isn’t any kind of Next up is our old friend Nick Kypreos, who foreshadows his future media redemption for hockey fans. It’s a cautionary story that could absolutely career with a near-perfect delivery that literally makes the audience happen here. We should pay attention and study the playbook. Because scream with delight. Fellow future broadcaster Ed Olczyk is next, and he you can bet the NHL’s powerbrokers are. really leans into his punchline. Bless these guys, they’re out of their comfort zone but at least they’re going for it. Obscure former player of the week Jeff Beukeboom is up next, with another mid-90s Letterman staple: a If you’re a fan of this section, I hope you enjoyed last week’s Off-Brand Susan Powter joke. Yes, I realize you kids have no idea who that is. She All-Stars, which was pretty much a who’s who of obscure players. As you was the Stop The Insanity lady, and honestly, given how the NHL is might expect, readers suggested a few guys I missed, including Sergei going to spend the next few decades pumping Messier’s tires, I’m not Fedotov, Per Forsberg and this week’s obscure player: Andrei Vasilyev. sure the Rangers should be making fun of any bald motivational Vasilyev was a Russian winger who was taken by the Islanders in the speakers. 11th round of the 1992 draft; he went 10 picks after Dan McGillis, and Adam Graves delivers a line about golfing with the Yankees because just 16 before the draft ended. He stayed in Russia for two more years, apparently “breaking Mario Lemieux’s wrist” would have been too on-the- then came over to play for the IHL’s Denver Grizzlies. He made his NHL nose. debut with two games for the Islanders at the very end of the 1995 season, then returned for a longer stint in December. He had some That brings us down to No. 3, which leads to the list’s most memorable success playing on a line with Ziggy Palffy and Alexander Semak, bit: an appearance by a portly actor playing “Mike Hartman.” This is, of recording an assist in each of his first three games before breaking course, not Mike Hartman, and now I really want to read an oral history of through with a two-goal, three-point night in a 6-2 win over the Flyers. how they chose him to be the punchline here. Why him and not, I don’t Somehow, there exists a YouTube clip that captures all three points. know, Alex Kovalev or Kevin Lowe? Was Hartman invited to the shoot, only to find out he’d been replaced by a sight gag? Was he not there and That game would end up being not just a career high, but all of Vasilyev’s his teammates nominated him? Did this joke destroy his confidence so NHL goal scoring. He was back in the IHL soon after, and played just badly that he only played one more NHL game in his entire career? three games for the Islanders in 1996-97 and one more for the Coyotes (Looks up Hartman’s stats page.) Oh lord, it did. late in 1998-99, during which he had one minute of ice time and was a minus-2. It was the last NHL fans saw of him; he headed for Europe after Actually, the real Mike Hartman appears to have created a YouTube that season, but returned to North America for a pair of ECHL seasons account nine years ago for the sole purpose of favoriting this video and before hanging up his skates. posting a comment on it, so he seems fine with it.

He is not to be confused with Alex Vasilevsky, who was an 11th round Brian Leetch has a PG-13 line, and then it’s time for Messier in the one- pick in 1993, not 1992. For the record, Andrei Vasilyev is off-brand spot. We get to see him flub his line a few times, but he finally reveals Andrei Vasilevskiy, while Alex Vasilevsky is off-brand Andrei Vasilyev. how he spent his offseason: Holding out for a new contract and nearly orchestrating a trade out of town. Hilarious! Classic YouTube clip breakdown Actually, he delivers a line about doing jello shots out of the Cup. This week marked an important anniversary in New York Rangers Somewhere, a young Alex Ovechkin takes notes. history: The end of the franchise’s 54-year Cup drought. And, uh, also the start of the franchise’s 26-year Cup drought, but let’s focus on the And that’s it for our clip. We get a group shot (which includes 10 players, positive. so apparently Hartman was there after all), and then our brawny actor does an impression of every 2019-20 Rangers forward who didn’t play As a big market team with a marquee star in , that 1994 with Artemi Panarin, and we’re done. Rangers team got plenty of media attention, not just locally but around the United States. And back then, there wasn’t a much bigger media star The Rangers have yet to win another Cup, but they did go on to repeat than New York’s own David Letterman, who made sure to have some fun as Letterman’s top 10 deliverers; if you’d like to hear Donald Brashear, with the news. Henrik Lundqvist and try their comedy chops, Click here. Or you can just hope the Rangers can snap their latest drought this year, So this is from the night the Rangers raised their Stanley Cup banner, and get to do some painfully unfunny lip-syncing bit with whoever has a which means it’s actually from 1995. You see, the NHL decided that the late-night show these days. Maybe this time they can even let Mike best way to capitalize on the momentum and excitement of its biggest Hartman have some screen time. market winning a championship was to shut down the league for half a season. But the good news is that the lockout resulted in (checks notes) The Athletic LOADED: 06.20.2020 basically no meaningful gains for the league, so it was all worth it.

This clip is from an episode of Hockey Week, and Doc Emrick is here with our intro, explaining that the Rangers have been invited to appear on “television’s hottest program.” That would be Letterman, still fresh off his jump to CBS. The Rangers aren’t actually appearing on the show itself, so much as they’re taping an off-site segment, but they get to do the night’s Top 10 which is a big deal.

Our clip is mostly behind-the-scenes footage, which is pretty cool to see. We get to see Joey Kocur chirping his teammates, mugging for the camera and Mark Messier doing that one fake laugh he’d milk for the next decade.

I miss those super-cheesy and dramatic CGI top 10 intros.

Our topic is “Ways the Rangers spent their time off” and we’re going to get all 10 entries. First up is Healy, and he’s wearing a blocker and glove but also jeans with no pads. That’s called half-assing it, and I respect it.

His joke is about joy-riding on a Zamboni. You see it’s funny because obviously no goaltender who ever won anything would also be a Zamboni driver.

Mike Richter has a line about skeet-shooting at the White House (a reference to this), and Kocur has a reference to Oprah, which was pretty much mandatory on Letterman back then. This leads to my favorite 1186627 Websites this Bernie Saunders controversy, and they’re not going to want me here.”

Despite the abuse, Saunders graduated as the Broncos’ all-time leading Sportsnet.ca / Bernie Saunders, NHL’s fifth Black player, opens up on scorer, and in 1979, he signed a contract with the . He racial discrimination averaged over a point a game with Quebec’s AHL farm team in Syracuse, and the Nordiques called him up in March 1980.

“It was probably one of the most exciting days of my life,” said Saunders. Peter Mendelsohn June 19, 2020, 9:52 AM “But I also felt it was where I was supposed to be.”

Saunders played four games with the Nordiques at the end of the season and worked out obsessively that summer, expecting to be a mainstay on Bernie Saunders, the only Black player on the 1980–81 the big club going forward. Voyageurs, was sitting with his teammates in the visitors’ dressing room. There had just been a bench-clearing brawl, and the referees had sent “The Nordiques had basically told me I’m on the team,” said Saunders. both teams off the ice. During the club’s 1980–81 training camp, Quebec held a scrimmage Suddenly, one of Saunders’ teammates who had fought a Black player tournament, keeping track of each player’s stats. Saunders led all on the opposing team started yelling the N-word. Saunders was enraged scorers with eight goals, and he finished tied for second on the team in and stepped toward his teammate, but the two were separated before points with future Hall of Famer Michel Goulet. they could come to blows. Saunders was then ushered into the hallway where a coach tried to explain that he hadn’t been the target of the slur. Despite his production, the six-foot forward was cut before the Nordiques played a single exhibition game. “‘He didn’t mean that you’re an N-word. He meant the other guy’s an N- word,’” Saunders told me in a phone conversation, recalling his former “That just ripped my heart out,” said Saunders. coach’s justification. Many players and media members were shocked by the lone Black “My head just wanted to explode.” player’s demotion. The late journalist Albert Ladoucer published an article titled “The Dismissal of Saunders: A Surprise” in Le Journal De Not long before that episode — on March 19, 1980 — Bernie Saunders Quebec, where he wrote that some of Saunders’ teammates thought he became the fifth Black player in NHL history. However, a barrage of was the victim of an injustice. racial incidents and a lack of opportunity sapped his passion for the game. And just two years after his NHL debut, he walked away from Albert Ladouceur wrote that some of Saunders’ teammates said he was hockey. a victim of an injustice after he was cut in training camp in the fall of 1980. (Courtesy of Bernie Saunders) Since then, Saunders has largely stayed away from the sport he used to love, and his name is often skipped over when stories of the first Black Looking back, Saunders can’t help but feel the colour of his skin played a NHL players are told. But in recent days, the 63-year-old has been factor in his relegation. thinking about opening up on the hardships he faced during his career. “I do feel that if I was white, and I did the same thing that I did as a Black He’s incensed every time he sees a Black player face discrimination, like player, I would not have gone to the minors.” when a hacker hijacked the chat of a Zoom call with New York Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller in April to repeatedly post racial slurs. Since the Nordiques’ farm team in Syracuse had folded by that point, Saunders was loaned to the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Nova “It makes me sad. It makes me furious. It also makes me think, well, Scotia. And because Quebec still held Saunders’ rights, there was no maybe I should tell my story. If I can help one player or move the needle incentive for Montreal to play him. just a little bit further, then I would like to contribute.” “They put me on the fourth line,” said Saunders. “They’re the worst His comments come as a group of current and recently retired members numbers I think in my entire career because I was sitting on the bench.” of the hockey community are formalizing plans to make similar contributions. Last week, seven players of colour teamed up to form the In addition to a significantly reduced role, Saunders continued to face Hockey Diversity Alliance, whose mission is to rid the game of racism discrimination. He says he endured about five racist incidents between and intolerance. It’s a pursuit Saunders would love to see come to fruition 1979–80 and 1980–81, including the one in which his teammate yelled so no one else has to come up in the game the way he did. the N-word in the locker room, that left him heartbroken and disillusioned.

In his recollection, Saunders was first teased for being Black around the When the Nordiques cut him from training camp again in the fall of 1981, age of 15, while playing midget hockey in Chateauguay, Que. Saunders decided he’d had enough and asked the club for a buyout.

“In those early days, it felt more like taunting as an athlete as opposed to He played one final season with the IHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, notching 75 ‘This person really hates me because of the colour of my skin,’” said points in 70 games during the 1981–82 campaign. He raised his fist after Saunders. each goal he scored that year, performing the Black Power salute.

The Montreal native moved to Toronto when he was 17 and spent two Saunders performs the Black Power salute after scoring a goal with the seasons with the , during which time the racial slurs Kalamazoo Wings during the 1981–82 IHL season. (Courtesy of Bernie intensified. Initially, Saunders dropped his gloves every time he heard an Saunders) opponent utter the N-word, but as one of the league’s leading scorers, he became aware that sitting in the penalty box only helped his opposition. After the season ended, Saunders held a ceremony with some friends, grieving his departure from hockey. He was 25 years old. “I had to teach myself that you have to put the team concept first, and the best way to beat the opposition is on the scoreboard and not with my During the “service,” Saunders burned his skates and threw them into a fist.” pond.

After high school, Saunders spent four seasons playing at Western “I loved the game so much and it meant so much to me. I felt like I had to Michigan University, where the right winger remembers reporters telling spend some time in mourning in order to move on,” he said via text. him they were shocked by the abuse he dealt with. Saunders began a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, and “‘Holy crap, Bernie. The whole night they’re just taking shots at you,’” he avoided reflecting on the NHL career he could’ve had. Saunders recalled them saying. “I had to survive. I had a wife at the time, kids shortly after that. I just Saunders always downplayed the taunts and the emotional burden they couldn’t wallow in self-pity.” carried. Sometimes he’d share some hockey anecdotes with friends. But most of “I just said, ‘Yeah, it’s just the way it goes.’ I didn’t want to talk about it,” the time, it was too painful to think about. said Saunders. “I felt if I draw attention to myself, then there’s going to be “I felt it was so unfair. I had done so well, and I’d been treated so poorly that it was emotionally difficult for me,” said Saunders. Despite the adversity he dealt with, Saunders wants people to understand he isn’t looking for pity. He was the one who asked the Nordiques for a buyout, and it was his choice to leave hockey.

“I’ve moved on and had a great life. I’m a happy person,” said Saunders.

He feels the environment for Black players has improved to some degree since he last donned a uniform. But he thinks racism is so deeply ingrained in hockey’s culture that it’ll be a long time before discrimination is completely eliminated from the sport.

“We just have to keep on chipping away,” said Saunders. “It won’t be in my lifetime and it probably won’t be in your lifetime, but hopefully down the road it’ll be eradicated.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186628 Websites for the purpose of decelerating and changing direction while maintaining most of his speed.”

Watch the full sequence below, and you see how Malkin’s timing sinks Sportsnet.ca / Pavel Barber teaches you how to master Malkin's Fayne — by the time the defender’s realized his error and turned back to backhand spinorama try to shut the centreman down, Malkin’s already got his body between Fayne and the puck.

And by the time Fayne’s stick can get anywhere close to disrupting Sonny Sachdeva | June 19, 2020, 6:41 PM Malkin’s, the puck’s already en route to the net.

There’s one last aspect of the mechanics of the move that allows Malkin to actually finish it off with a goal, according to Barber, as opposed to Each week, stickhandling specialist Pavel Barber and Sonny Sachdeva getting a half-hearted attempt on the cage. It all lies in No. 71’s will go Inside the Highlight Reel to break down one of the silkiest moves awareness of the distance between himself and the puck as he whips from the NHL’s best, dissecting it to explain why it’s so dangerous and through the motion of the spin. demonstrating how to master it yourself. “He keeps the puck off the body on the backhand after the spin so that Anyone who’s viewed Evgeni Malkin‘s dominance of the NHL with any he’s able to release at any time, without having to stickhandle the puck to sense of regularity over the past decade and a half is well aware of the reposition it,” Barber points out, “which ultimately catches the goalie off damage he can do with the spinorama. guard.” First off, the move accounts for one of the marquee sequences of No. For a more detailed breakdown of how the Penguins centreman burned 71’s career, the Pittsburgh Penguins pivot having lit up the Carolina the Oilers, and how to master the move yourself, we asked Barber to Hurricanes with a legendary no-look, backhand whirlwind during the demonstrate the sequence step-by-step, and offer up one drill to build up Eastern Conference Final back in 2009, clinching a hat trick and serving the skills to pull it off. as the pinnacle of Malkin’s Conn Smythe Trophy-winning effort that year. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.20.2020 But the slick-handed Russian has broken it out a number of times since, the combination of his lengthy reach and his all-world ability to deceive defenders rendering it a nightmare option for those on the other side of the puck. That being the case, we asked stickhandling specialist Pavel Barber to break down how exactly No. 71 does it for the latest edition of Inside the Highlight Reel.

Throughout the hockey world’s hiatus, we’ve called on Barber to share his on-ice expertise for young players using this downtime to fine-tune their skill-sets. The YouTube 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.

So far, Barber’s dissected Mitch Marner’s backhand toe drag, Sidney Crosby’s one-handed magic, Connor McDavid’s use of the art of deception, Elias Pettersson’s mastery of ‘The Forsberg’, David Pastrnak’s trophy-clinching creativity and Alex Ovechkin’s go-to dangle.

This week, Barber breaks down another of Malkin’s marquee spinoramas, this one coming against the Oilers a few years back:

Assessing the sequence, Barber notes that the key to this move’s success in this instance lies firstly in the defence being caught scrambling, and second, in the lone blueliner back biting on Malkin’s initial sell.

“This spinorama play all starts with a great defensive stick-lift, which puts the other defender on his heels as Malkin approaches,” Barber says.

“On spinoramas it is so important to come at an angle on the offensive approach, so that you can get the defenceman’s stick and weight on the opposite side as you spin off. Malkin sells the forehand well here by coming at an angle and looking off to the forehand side, while keeping the puck on his forehand — this way, the defender has to respect a potential forehand-side net-drive.”

A look at what Oilers defender Mark Fayne sees right before the big- bodied Penguins centre spins makes clear the Herculean task the former has in trying to contain the latter, who’s long been one of the most dangerous one-on-one talents in the game:

On one hand, it seems a lose-lose gamble — we’ve seen Malkin flip the puck into the middle of the ice and cut to the net on the forehand plenty of times, and there are more than a few dangerous backhand spinoramas on his resumé, too. Cut one way, and all signs point to Malkin having the awareness to simply exploit the other option.

As Barber points out, Malkin ensures he’s able to continue through the sequence unbothered by pulling into the spin just as Fayne bites on the forehand option and turns to his right.

“Malkin times his move as the defender pivots to keep his gap, and by turning his back on the spin he protects the puck throughout the move,” the stickhandling coach explains. “He also keeps his speed throughout the spin by ensuring he doesn’t stop too hard, but instead sprays snow 1186629 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHL says 11 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since June 8

Sportsnet Staff | June 19, 2020, 8:13 PM

The National Hockey League says 11 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since Phase 2 of the league’s return-to-play plan began on June 8.

In a statement released Friday, the NHL says more than 200 players have been tested since it began allowing clubs to open facilities for small group skates earlier this month.

“Since NHL clubs were permitted to open their training facilities on June 8, all players entering these facilities for voluntary training have been subject to mandatory testing for COVID-19,” the statement reads. “Through (Friday), in excess of 200 players have undergone multiple testing. A total of 11 of these players have tested positive.

“All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols. The NHL will provide a weekly update on the number of tests administered to players and the results of those tests. The league will not be providing information on the identity of the players or their clubs.”

Earlier Friday, the Tampa Bay Lighting announced they had closed their training facilities after multiple team employees, including three players, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The NHL’s Phase 2 of returning to play allows teams to open training facilities in their home cities to groups no bigger than six players. Phase 3 — which includes the opening of training camps for the 24 teams that could resume play under a modified playoff format — is currently scheduled to begin July 10.

The NHL has been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 12. If play is able to resume, 12 teams from each conference will report to two yet-to-be named hub cities for games. No timeline for when those games will occur has been announced, but the format will see the top four teams from each conference play each other for seeding. Teams five through 12 in each conference will be paired up and play in a best-of- five series to determine the final four playoff spots in each conference.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186630 Websites hands. He said, 'It's your team as much as it is my team and I want you guys to be the voices and the people our younger guys look up to.' So, putting that standard on us and having us mature that way was huge."

TSN.CA / Draft prospect Braden Schneider on big hits, his big World What are you most proud of about your season? Junior dream You missed out on last year's draft by five days so you may be a little more developed than some of your peers, did that help you this season?

Mark Masters "Yep, for sure. I mean you would've liked to maybe have gone [to the draft] a little earlier, but for me as a player that extra year helped for my development and confidence."

Braden Schneider hopes his ability to make a big hit will be a big hit with Button projected the 2021 World Junior team this week and has you in National Hockey League scouts and help him stand out among the top the top four for Canada. What would that mean to you? prospects in this year's draft class. "To play at the World Juniors in Edmonton would be something else. I "People say that it's a bit of a dying thing in the game today," the may be 'projected' but the work still needs to be put in for that chance. Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman said, "but if you have those guys who But, it'd be pretty cool. I have a lot of family, as well, in Alberta so I'm can be physical and have the ability to play at the speed of the game sure if the chance came it'd be a big outing for them." today, it's a big tool. It's a thing that definitely helps separate me a bit and a thing I'm proud of and I have fun doing." What did you take from being at Hockey Canada's selection camp in December? Schneider, who stands 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, certainly seems to relish the opportunity to flatten an opponent. It's something that's been part of "It was tough getting that close and not making the squad, but there's not his game since the beginning. much you can do. They went over there with a good team and came home with gold so they made the right decision. All I could take away "My dad always said he liked hitting so I YouTubed old hitting videos and from the camp was the experience and the positive outlook that I have a Scott Stevens was the guy I watched a lot of," Schneider recalls. "And chance again next year. I was proud and grateful for the chance." when hitting was allowed I tried to figure out the timing and what went into it and it's become a bit of an art for me." What do you think of the WHL talking about a return-to-play plan this week? What's the key to landing a big hit in today's game? "It makes me excited, because our team last year was really coming on "The main thing is just staying tight with the forwards and making sure at the end and we have a lot of the same guys coming back so the idea that your gap is tight," Schneider explained. "And if you get them where we'll get another year to play together is exciting. I'm jacked that it's in you want them, then it's pretty easy to finish a hard hit. So, the main thing motion." is being tight and being right there in case that opportunity comes around." How concerned were you about next season being impacted by the pandemic? Schneider finished No. 9 in NHL Central Scouting's ranking of North American skaters, the fourth defenceman on the list behind only Jamie "I wondered, but I always stayed optimistic. I've always hoped it would Drysdale, Jake Sanderson and Kaiden Guhle. The 18-year-old from come, but I didn't want to think about it too much just in case it didn't. I’m Prince Albert, Sask., spoke with TSN via Zoom this week and opened up glad to see there's a plan to get it going." about his World Junior dream and the impact new head coach Dave TSN.CA LOADED: 06.20.2020 Lowry made on him this season.

The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button compares your style to that of Jacob Trouba. Who do you see as your NHL role model?

"It will take a lot more work, but I try to project myself as a guy like Shea Weber. I can still work on the shot, but me and Shea have a couple similar traits, you know, being bigger guys and right-hand shots. So, if I get that shot going I can maybe try and model my game after him."

How is your shot?

Your point total increased from 24 to 42; was the offensive side of the game an area you wanted to improve?

"Definitely. I knew if I wanted to get noticed and get on the radar more, I'd have to work on the offensive side of the game a lot more so that was a big part of the summer training. I had more confidence and a little more opportunity with more power-play time and it worked out good for me."

How did you work on it?

"The main thing was being a little more deceptive and working on my stick skill a little bit more. I wanted to be a little bit quicker on the blueline, be a little quicker and more deceptive with my shot and in creating space. I know it still needs work."

Who helped you refine the skills?

How did new head coach Dave Lowry influence your game this season in Brandon?

"He helped me grow a lot as a person as well as a player. He put a lot of responsibility on me and it helped me mature my game. He put more of a pro mentality into my head."

Can you give us an example of how he instilled that pro mentality?

"He put responsibility on me and the rest of our older guys in the leadership group to take the reins a little more. He put the team in our 1186631 Websites Any candidate who receives 75 per cent affirmation – or at least 14 of the 18 votes – will be considered elected. Two-time Rocket Richard winner and Golden Goal playmaker Jarome Iginla heads the list of first-time eligible candidates. TSN.CA / Hockey Hall of Fame set for first virtual vote “We could have five, six, seven, or eight times through voting in one category, it all depends,” Denomme said. “As opposed to doing it on paper, it doesn’t take that long, but we will be able to tabulate it quite Frank Seravalli quickly with technology and produce the next ballot.”

Once the Class of 2020 is decided, Denomme said the next big question The incoming Class of 2020 will be the first elected to the Hockey Hall of will be whether the Hall of Fame will need to delay the induction Fame without face-to-face debate and deliberation in the cathedral’s 77- ceremony. It is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16. year history. Given the personal nature of the event and the camaraderie of the entire Instead, the Hall’s 18-member selection committee is scheduled to weekend’s events – from the ring ceremony to the Legends Classic Hall convene on a virtual conference call on Wednesday and then conduct of Fame game to the induction itself – Denomme said this isn’t an event voting through a secure, secretive online portal. that can be conducted virtually.

The 2020 inductees will be announced later Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET Denomme said the Hall of Fame has until the end of July or early August on TSN. to make a determination on November.

Yes, every business – even the Hockey Hall of Fame, which has been “It’s in question, no doubt. I hope we don’t have to consider an closed to visitors since March 14 – has been forced to adjust in the era of alternative, but the worst-case scenario is we have to induct the Class of COVID-19. 2020 together in Nov. 2021,” Denomme said. “That’s a reality we may have to face.” “This is a first for us,” HHOF president and CEO Jeff Denomme said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that these meetings are much better suited Until then, Denomme is just hoping deliberation and voting goes off for discussion in person, but in no way are we compromising our without a glitch. process. Our selection committee members are knowledgeable and “It will be interesting. We’ve never done it before,” Denomme said. “I professional and will make sure it’s handled really well.” guess we’ll learn." In a normal year, the 18 selection committee members arrive in Toronto TSN.CA LOADED: 06.20.2020 on a Monday in June, gather for dinner in the Esso Great Hall at the Hall of Fame, and then begin debating nominees on Tuesday morning.

That is nearly impossible this year, particularly with members Jari Kurri, Anders Hedberg and Igor Larionov located in Europe – not to mention the others spread around the continent and the strict safe distancing protocols in place for large gatherings.

This year, Denomme will be at the Hall of Fame with chairman Lanny McDonald and local Toronto-area voters, while selection committee chairman John Davidson will have to use his skills as a former broadcaster to virtually spur and steer the conversation from afar.

“It’s much better in person, there is more spontaneity, no overtalking, but John will get them to talk,” Denomme said. “John is very good at carrying the discussions. He knows the members well and he can get them to speak to their opinions and views.”

Every facet of the conversation is confidential; selection committee members are forbidden from discussing voting or even disclosing the name of a nominee.

Voters will be provided with an election manual that contains all relevant information for each candidate. Individual selection committee members may nominate a maximum of one candidate for each category, including one player, one builder and/or one referee/linesman.

Denomme said some selectors prepare a presentation for their own nominees and the committee will have those presentation slides in-hand as well.

Then it’s time to vote.

Elections will be held in order, starting with male players, then female players, followed by referee/linesman and the builder category last.

“Our bylaws call for secret balloting and we will continue that process virtually in our secure portal,” Denomme said. “Each selector will have a unique User ID and no one, including our staff, will know who is who.”

If the virtual portal is a success, Denomme said the Hall plans to make electronic voting a permanent fixture moving forward, with the committee hopefully meeting face-to-face for debate next year, followed by voting in the room on handheld tablets.

The reason is speed and efficiency.

With a maximum of four male players, two female players, plus two builders – or one builder and one referee/linesman – that can be inducted in any one class, there often needs to be a series of three or four run-offs to determine the honourees. 1186632 Websites

USA TODAY / Three players, two staff of Tampa Bay Lightning test positive for COVID-19, per report

Chris Bumbaca

Five individuals in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, three players and two staff members, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

As a result, the Lightning have closed their training facility, per the report. The NHL began Phase 2 of its return to play plan on June 8 and players have been allowed to use their home training facilities for small group workouts.

The identities of the players who tested were not immediately available.

Earlier Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball announced five players and three staff members tested positive at their spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida — about 22 miles from Tampa.

Florida reported 3,822 new cases on Friday, setting a single-day high for the third time in four days.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.20.2020

1186633 World Leagues News The number of positive COVID-19 cases among Clemson football players was up to 23, The Athletic reported Friday. Texas reported 13 positive cases Thursday. Kansas State reported eight earlier this week. This comes after another double-digit case of positives at Iowa State and College football's coronavirus comeback will be the most complicated in a smattering of smaller breakouts across the country. sports, and we are already seeing why Let’s not ignore the good news of the bad news. Both Clemson and Texas said none of their cases have required hospitalizations. To ignore that healthy, young college football players do not fit the description of 3 hrs ago those most at-risk from coronavirus would be misguided. Assuming every Ben Frederickson single player who tests positive will simply shake off the virus, however, is just as wrong. How many serious cases is too many? That one keeps ADs (and their lawyers) up at night.

Trivia time. If programs had no fear about serious health risks, Southern Methodist would not be asking its returning student athletes to sign a waiver that Which popular American sport’s attempted coronavirus comeback will go eliminates the school’s liability for any issue related to coronavirus. down as the most complicated? If players and their families had no fear, the would Major League Baseball’s is the most obnoxious, as its players and not have reported the news that UCLA football players are prepared to owners bicker about dollars instead of diagnostic testing. The NBA’s boycott promotional events with boosters and recruits if the program bubble plan is beginning to show signs of a potential burst. The NHL’s does not provide a third-party health official to enforce coronavirus plan seems to be the most solid, or at least the least contested. prevention protocols during football activities. But the most complicated? “The decision to return to training amidst a global pandemic has put us, That would be the path back for the sport that is supposed to fill this day, the student athletes, on the frontlines of a battle that we as a nation have Saturday, every weekend this fall. not yet been able to win,” read a document presented to The Times by Bruins players. College football wins most complicated, no contest. If folks thought coronavirus was going to be kept out of college football’s Think about it. permeable world, they thought wrong. The real and oh-so complicated The size of the teams and the physical nature of the game make story will be how — no, if — the sport that rules fall Saturdays walks the spreading the virus more likely. line between prosperity and crisis.

The season’s high point coincides with the time frame medical experts The line is getting thin, fast. fear another spike could arrive. STLtoday.com, LOADED: 06.20.2020 The massive pressure on athletics departments to salvage as much profit as possible from their top revenue producing sport will be sure to clash with a hypocrisy that is harder to ignore than ever before, the constant reminder that the players risking their health are unpaid student athletes who, unlike their professional peers, have little to no leverage when it comes to negotiating the terms of their return.

And these are just the biggest nuts and bolts the college football world hopes to hold together to keep a season on the rails.

“I’m optimistic,” Kansas athletics director Jeff Long said this week during a forum with Mizzou counterpart Jim Sterk hosted by the Kansas City Public Library.

But . . .

“Again,” Long said, “I go back to, we don’t know. We’re not in control; the virus is, when it comes to how it impacts our teams.”

Optimism is encouraged. It’s certainly better than the alternative. Unless we are going to stay in our houses until there is a vaccine, we have to figure out how to coexist as safely as possible with coronavirus.

But we are beginning to get an early glimpse at the initial impact on college football, and it says the sport and the virus might end up mixing about as well as fans from Missouri and Kansas.

Figuring this out will be tough.

Especially when there are so many college football teams across such a big country. Especially when each team has different ideas about how to keep the virus minimized, and a different amount of resources to put those methods into practice. Especially when each program’s actions will become fodder for political debate in its state. Especially when this entire thing hinges on college football players, who tend to think they are invincible, becoming convinced their health dictates the health of their season.

The same week Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a CNN interview that, “unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” we received a reminder that college football teams and the campuses they call home are not bubbles. 1186634 World Leagues News

Nationals Dominican minor leaguer reportedly tests positive for COVID- 19

By Ryan Homler June 19, 2020 10:35 PM

A Nationals minor-league player at the team's Dominican Republic facility has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, a Nationals spokesperson said, first reported by AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich.

"We have had one minor league player test positive at our Dominican Republic Facility. Other players and staff were tested out of an abundance of caution and were negative," the spokesperson said.

From a Nationals spokesperson on COVID-19:

“We have had one minor league player test positive at our Dominican Republic facility. Other players and staff were tested out of an abundance of caution and were negative.”

The unnamed player that tested positive was not actually at the team facility in the Dominican Republic, but was tested after a family member contracted the virus, 's Jesse Dougherty reported. The facility has since suspended any voluntary workout programs.

There have been no organized team workouts at the facility. The team decided a few days ago to shut down all informal activity, though it says that was voluntary and not related to the player testing positive, since, again, a spokesperson says that player was not at the facility.

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) June 20, 2020

No Nationals players have been at the team's facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., since the league suspended operations in March. The area is shared with the Astros and one Houston player at the facility has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced on Friday.

The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli has reported that the Nationals are considering hosting a potential extended spring training in D.C. rather than Florida.

News of a player in the Nationals' system testing positive comes on a day in which numerous players and team personnel across multiple sports were reported to have contracted COVID-19.

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Reports: 23 Clemson football players have COVID-19

Field Level Media 5 hrs ago

After Clemson athletics announced that 28 athletes and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 this month, multiple media outlets reported that the majority of those positive tests came from the football program.

Both ESPN and The Athletic reported that 23 football players tested positive. ESPN added that two football staff members had the virus.

In all, 315 student-athletes and athletic staffers received tests in the past week. ESPN reported that two of the positive cases among football players and one of a men's basketball player occurred last week, part of 169 tests conducted that week.

The NCAA allowed schools to open facilities on campus for voluntary workouts beginning June 1, so long as the schools followed safety guidelines.

According to Clemson, those who tested positive will be isolated for 10 days, and anyone with recent contact with those who tested positive will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. The school also said that most of the cases were asymptomatic and none of those who tested positive required hospitalization.

Clemson is not alone in seeing multiple people test positive shortly after returning to campus.

Iowa State, Houston, Oklahoma State, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss are among the other schools to see student-athletes test positive in recent weeks.

Some schools are requiring student-athletes to sign pledges or waivers before they are allowed back to campus. Ohio State, for example, had football players sign a document that included a waiver accepting the risk of possible exposure to the coronavirus and a vow that the player will follow health and safety protocols and agree to quarantine should they become ill or test positive for COVID-19. albanyherald.com/LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186636 World Leagues News

Players in multiple sports leagues test positive for COVID-19

Posted: Jun 19, 2020 / 04:13 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 19, 2020 / 04:13 PM CDT

STAFF

Nashville, Tenn. (WKRN)- It seemed like professional sports were finally getting back to action, but on Friday, players in multiple North American leagues tested positive for COVID-19.

It started in the morning, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tested positive for COVID-19, and two other Tampa Bay assistants have been quarantined. The coach that tested positive is said to be asymptomatic.

A report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo says that a San Francisco 49ers player, that was working out in Nashville, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. He was a part of a larger group which included all of the Niners quarterbacks and some skilled position players. All players have been tested and are awaiting results.

Meanwhile- the Philadelphia Phillies are closing their spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida, after five players and three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. And sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the Toronto Blue Jays also shut down their spring training facility in Dunedin after a player exhibited coronavirus symptoms.

In the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have temporarily shut down their training facility after three players and additional staffers tested positive for the coronavirus.

General manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement that the players have been self-isolating and “are asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever.”

And Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has tested positive, according to the Toronto Sun.

Matthews has apparently gone into quarantine at his home in Arizona, hoping to be healthy enough and eligible to travel to Toronto and participate in the opening of Leafs camp.

The NHL recently allowed teams to open up facilities for small group workouts, part of the leagues Phase 2 of their ‘return to play’ plan. Training camps are slated to open up on July 10th.

And after zero positive tests reported last week, the PGA announced that Nick Watney has withdrawn from the RBC Heritage prior to the second round after testing positive for COVID-19. He will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines.

WKRN LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186637 World Leagues News that 131 of those people were in the intensive care unit, and that ICU admissions have jumped 76% in the last six weeks. Despite the uptick in hospitalizations, the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors indicated that local leaders have no plans to slow reopening. Coronavirus Today: Restarting sports Even as officials caution against nonessential travel, they have permitted the reopening of hundreds of hotels across the state. San Diego and Mammoth Lakes are among the latest locales to reopen hotels and other By DIYA CHACKOAUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR attractions as summer begins. To reassure prospective visitors, JUNE 17, 20207:13 PM destinations are boosting their cleaning and distancing efforts, and changing their normal routines to adhere to state and local safety guidelines.

Good evening. I’m Diya Chacko, and it’s Wednesday, June 17. Here’s Resources what’s happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond. — For general safety, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (here’s a Overall, coronavirus hospitalizations statewide have been relatively flat super-fun how-to video). Stop touching your face, and keep your phone for the last six weeks, even as California continues to relax restrictions on clean. Practice social distancing, maintaining a six-foot radius of personal businesses and move through Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stages of space in public. And wear a mask if you leave home. Here’s how to do it reopening. But in some parts of the state, hospitalizations are again on right. the rise, according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus data tracker. — Watch for symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, That’s leading health officials to worry that some people are no longer chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat following safety recommendations, including wearing face coverings and and loss of taste or smell. If you’re worried you might be infected, call adhering to social distancing guidelines. “We have met the enemy, and your doctor or urgent care clinic before going. they are us,” said the health officer in Ventura County, where hospitalizations are up. — Here’s how to care for someone with COVID-19, from monitoring their symptoms to preventing the virus’ spread. California is still in its first wave of , health experts say. But there’s already growing concern that a second wave will hit in the fall and — If your job has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, here’s how winter, necessitating another round of restrictions and shutdowns. In the to file for unemployment. United States, deaths from the coronavirus are projected to rise steadily — Here are some free resources for restaurant workers and in July and August, then increase rapidly through September, according entertainment industry professionals having trouble making ends meet. to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. — Advice for helping kids navigate pandemic life includes being honest Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and about uncertainties, acknowledging their feelings and sticking to a Infectious Diseases, has gone so far as to say that when Major League routine. Here’s guidance from the CDC. Baseball resumes, it should end its already-shortened season in September. “Even in warm weather, like in Arizona and California, we’re — In need of mental health services? Here are resources for coping starting to see resurgences as we open up,” Fauci said. “But I think the during the crisis from the CDC and the L.A. County Department of Public chances of there being less of an issue in the end of July and all of Health. L.A. County residents can also call (800) 854-7771 or text “LA” to August and September are much, much better than if you go into 741741. October.” Around the nation and the world As sports leagues try to plan their fall and winter seasons around the pandemic, the NBA has unveiled an elaborate battle plan for basketball’s The U.S. and Mexico have agreed to extend travel restrictions at the return. The exhaustive document details a range of protections, from border through July 21 “after reviewing the development of the spread of experimenting with wearable medical technology that can monitor body COVID-19 in both countries,” Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said. This is the temperature and blood oxygen levels to the proper way to disinfect third extension since the initial joint agreement was adopted in March. . The pandemic has inspired a massive effort to claim intellectual property UCLA athletes involved in fall sports are allowed to voluntarily return to rights, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office receiving more than campus as soon as Monday as part of a four-phase plan to eventually 1,500 applications for trademarks with variations on the COVID-19 and resume competition. Those who fly back to campus will be isolated for coronavirus theme. Intellectual property experts say the surge may be seven days before being tested and allowed to resume workouts if they due to the pandemic‘s massive scale, the relaxation of normally stringent get a negative test result; those who drive to campus can be tested filing deadlines, and the many people scrambling for ways to make immediately. money amid the economic downturn.

And while California has not yet cleared the way for fans to return to Countries that have brought the coronavirus under control, such as sports stadiums, USC is planning on “reduced capacity” at the Coliseum Taiwan, Macao and Singapore, are keeping many social distancing for football games. The stadium, which was renovated before last measures in place for the foreseeable future to stem a resurgence of the season, has a capacity of 77,500 fans; how much that will have to be cut virus, which is raging in other regions. The move comes after Beijing — and who gets to fill those open seats — remains to be seen. reported its first new local infections in months, prompting fresh neighborhood lockdowns and the grounding of flights. “It is critical that we By the numbers continue to remain vigilant so as to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” said the co-chair of Singapore’s COVID-19 task force. California cases and deaths as of 3:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday: China framed the battle to beat the virus as a “people’s war.” Now it’s More than 162,000 California cases and at least 5,255 deaths as of 3:30 portraying the global race to create a vaccine as a patriotic effort, part of p.m. PDT Wednesday, June 17. a decades-long goal to prove the country’s strength as a scientifically Across California advanced state. The pressure to win is entangled in global politics driven by the animus between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Trump Officials in Ventura County said they might slow reopenings if the number — strong nationalists whose relations have become increasingly strained of hospitalizations continues to grow. The number of patients hit 47 on over the virus’ origins and its devastating impact. “A vaccine is the most Tuesday — significantly higher than two weeks ago, when only about 20 powerful weapon to end the novel coronavirus,” said an epidemiologist were hospitalized, according to the county public health officer. “At this leading the country’s research efforts. “If China is the first to develop this point, it would be foolhardy to just open up and continue to open up weapon with its own intellectual property rights, it will demonstrate not everything given … what our numbers are doing,” he said. only the progress of Chinese science and technology, but also our image as a major power.” Orange County, where last week officials rolled back a mandate that residents wear face coverings in public, reached a new milestone in Your questions answered hospitalizations this week. As of Monday, 328 people were being treated at a hospital for issues related to the coronavirus. County data also show Today’s question comes from readers who want to know: Is it safe to go camping? Assistant Travel editor Mary Forgione looked into it.

While being outdoors reduces the risk of transmitting COVID-19, you should still take precautions.

As of mid-June, campgrounds and RV parks in California were allowed to reopen as long as they received permission from local public health officials and complied with detailed state guidelines. Every campground will have a set of rules designed to keep visitors and employees safe and healthy.

Though rules vary, most campgrounds say multifamily gatherings or big parties with friends won’t be allowed. Some limit the number of people who can stay in individual and adjoining sites. The idea is to stick with people in your household or family bubble, and that goes for backcountry campers on public lands too.

Campers and hikers should social distance and frequently wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Even if you have a reservation at a campground you know, check the rules before your visit and read about the site’s sanitation precautions. Look for information posted online by the campground or its reservation provider, or call before your trip.

And for more news and advice on exploring California’s great outdoors, subscribe to The Times’ newly launched weekly newsletter “The Wild.”

Los Angeles Times LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186638 World Leagues News

SWAC commissioner: Fall sports will be canceled if coronavirus delays seasons past mid-October

Ryan Young

Yahoo SportsJune 20, 2020

If football and other fall sports haven’t started by mid-October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southwestern Athletic Conference is going to cancel the seasons entirely.

Though a lot can change between now and then, the SWAC is still planning to start its college football season on time in September. However, should it be delayed, commissioner Charles McClelland told ESPN on Friday the conference has officially established a “drop-dead” date that they must start by in order to hold it at all.

“Anything after the third week in October, we have decided that’s our drop-dead date, that we wouldn’t have sports, and possibly look at the spring, but the spring would take some NCAA legislation,” McClelland said, via ESPN.

The SWAC has 10 schools located in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, a region that has seen significant increases in positive coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]

There were more than 2.2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Friday afternoon, according to , and more than 119,000 deaths attributed to it. Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana have all seen significant spikes in positive cases over the past 14 days.

Schools have seen athletes test positive after returning to campus, too. Twenty-eight athletics members tested positive at Clemson on Friday alone, including 23 football players.

While the start of the season is still months away, conferences across the country are starting to plan on when and how to start their respective seasons.

“If this thing doesn’t die down, I think you’re probably going to start to see closer to July and on into August more and more conversation about postponement and pushing the season back,” McClelland said, via ESPN. “Spring is something that I don’t think has a lot of momentum within the membership, but if this virus continues to do what it’s doing on into August and September, I think you're going to see another look at where we are and where we need to be.

“There’s time to plan, and there’s time to pull back if there needs to be some pull-back. We’re planning to start, but we’re cautiously planning to start. If this virus is continuing to decimate the population, we’re not going to be in a position we’re going to put people out. We have the right to slow it down or stop it. We’re just planning to ensure we will be ready if that time comes.”

McClelland said that they aren’t going to allow athletes to return to campuses until July 6, and that fan attendance at games this fall will be “significantly reduced,” if allowed at all.

Though there is some pressure to hold a season this fall, given the money that is at stake, McClelland said he isn’t feeling it. Being part of the FCS rather than the FBS, he said, relieves some of that.

“The pressures at the FCS level will be different than the pressures at the FBS level,” McClelland said, via ESPN. “Their margin is way higher than ours. Their television contracts are way higher than ours. There’s going to be different pressures at our level. At our level, we have the least amount of pressure from external forces, and we have a great propensity to do what’s best for our constituency without having the influences of corporate sponsors and television contracts and things of that nature.”

Yahoo Sports:LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186639 World Leagues News

Nick Watney first PGA player to test positive for coronavirus

Field Level Media 6 hrs ago

Nick Watney withdrew from the RBC Heritage prior to the second round after testing positive for the coronavirus, the PGA Tour announced Friday.

Watney, 39, is the first golfer on the PGA Tour to test positive since play resumed last week at the Charles Schwab Classic in Fort Worth, Texas.

Per the PGA Tour, Watney indicated that he had "symptoms consistent with the illness" before he arrived Friday at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C. He was given the test, which came back positive.

"Nick will have the PGA Tour's full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "For the health and well-being of all associated with the tournament and those within the community, the Tour has begun implementing its response plan in consultation with medical experts including working with those who may have had close contact with Nick."

The world's top-ranked golfer, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, said he spoke Friday morning with Watney on the putting green -- at a distance.

McIlroy said Watney subsequently texted him, "He was just saying, 'Look, I hope I didn't get too close to you.' He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course. I said, 'Look, it's fine. You never know.' So I said to him, 'If I was in your position, I probably would have been here, too.' Look, at this point, you just have to concentrate on getting better and getting healthy. ...

"It sucks for him especially. You know, if you contract it, that's fine, but then it's the fact that who have you come into contact with, and who you might have exposed and stuff. Look, we're still in the middle of a pandemic. Until this thing's over, we all just have to stay vigilant and keep your distance and wear our masks if we're going out in public and keep washing our hands."

England's Ian Poulter added of Watney's positive test, "It's a shame. Obviously, this is why the protocols are in place, and this is why we're doing all the testing as soon as anyone gets to a venue. I think it's been exemplary so far, and to have as many people tested in the first two weeks on the PGA Tour, and obviously, Nick to feel slightly unwell today, shows how good a job everyone has done so far.

"It's inevitable it's going to happen, and obviously, it has happened today."

The PGA Tour said Watney traveled privately to the tournament.

Per tour protocol, Watney will be self-isolated for a minimum of 10 days.

Watney, who shot a first-round 74 on Thursday, has five career victories on the PGA Tour. He was paired in the first round with Vaughn Taylor and Luke List.

All players, caddies and most tournament-mandated personnel are tested prior to each event. The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that all tests came back negative following the Charles Schwab Classic.

--Field Level Media LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186640 World Leagues News

Patriots to allow season-ticket holders at higher risk for coronavirus to skip season, return in 2021

Ryan Young

Yahoo SportsJune 20, 2020

The NFL is still planning to start its season on time this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and — at least for now — will allow fans to attend games.

The , however, know that some of their season- ticket holders may not feel safe or comfortable watching in person at Gillette Stadium this season due to the coronavirus.

So, the organization isn’t going to punish them.

If ticket holders are at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus, due to age or underlying health conditions, they can skip the season entirely and still hold onto their season tickets for the 2021 season.

“By completing this agreement now, your seat location will be protected for the 2021 season,” the team said in an email to season-ticket holders, per the Associated Press.

The Patriots, per the report, have a wait list with tens of thousands of names of fans trying to secure season tickets, “many of whom have waited a decade or more.” This move will ensure that fans who want to skip the season won’t lose their tickets and be replaced by someone on that list, as is common practice in the sports world.

The NFL released its full schedule in May and is still planning on moving forward with the season normally, though has held most of the offseason virtually so far.

However, the coronavirus pandemic is still raging in the United States and could significantly alter the season. There were more than 2.2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Friday afternoon, according to The New York Times, and more than 119,000 deaths attributed to it.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said this week that he thought it would be difficult to see the NFL season taking place this fall, too. His comments came just days after several players from both the Dallas Cowboys and tested positive.

“Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci told CNN. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”

President Donald Trump, of course, pushed back on Fauci’s comments, saying he has “nothing to do with NFL Football.”

Regardless, the Patriots are still planning to welcome fans into their stadium for games this fall — as long as the fans are willing to come.

“We remain optimistic for the return of football and we are preparing to play each home game as scheduled in front of our season-ticket members this fall,” the Patriots told season-ticket holders, via the Associated Press. “We will do so in full compliance with the NFL and all government regulations and will rely on the advice of medical and public health professionals to maintain the safety of our fans, players, and personnel.”

Yahoo Sports:

LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186641 World Leagues News as a potentially better site to hold the event, but Larry Ellison, who owns that dreamlike property, said he wouldn’t host tennis in a world without a vaccine. ... What happens if the Lakers’ Dwight Howard follows through with his pledge to skip Orlando? The team will need to replace him, and Fake crowd noise and imagery amplify sports’ desperation during DeMarcus Cousins could be a candidate. He had ACL surgery in August coronavirus but is reportedly ready to play, and his productive connection with Anthony Davis (as teammates in New Orleans) could be significant.

Other possible free-agent options: Jamal Crawford (highly respected, Bruce Jenkins June 19, 2020 Updated: June 19, 2020 5:59 p.m. scored 51 points in his last regular-season game in April of ’19), Isaiah Thomas (highly motivated and has something left), J.R. Smith (good lord, no) and Lance Stephenson (only if you’re kidding).

Manchester City's English midfielder Phil Foden crosses the ball in an Highlights of the TV weekend: NBCSN will have a full slate of Premier empty stadium during the English Premier League football match League games both Saturday and Sunday. International play at its finest. between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in ... Some say the ’89 A’s were the best team ever assembled. At the very Manchester, north west England, on June 17, 2020. least, they’re in the discussion. Watch Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the ALCS against Toronto on NBC Sports California on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to Manchester City's English midfielder Phil Foden crosses the ball in an midnight. The four-game World Series sweep of the Giants will be shown empty stadium during the English Premier League football match Monday through Thursday, each game at 8 p.m. between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on June 17, 2020. San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 06.20.2020 There’s something ghostly about a fake crowd. If you’re not familiar with the concept, you probably will be, for it’s all the rage overseas.

Let’s hope that, unlike the coronavirus, it does not travel well.

For baseball and soccer players competing in Asia and Europe, the in- game experience reflects the utter desolation of an outdoor stadium without fans. Apparently, that isn’t good enough for the television audience. Viewers have to pretend there’s a crowd and it’s fully engaged, perhaps even selling out the joint.

If you care to check out the English Premier League or Germany’s Bundesliga, you’ll find producers layering crowd noise over the telecast: a steady murmur as the ball moves about, getting louder if a goal seems near, turning to outright cheers for a goal or a great save — and, yes, a chorus of boos greeting controversial episodes.

There’s an element of taste involved; the volume is at a reasonably low level. But how strange for the on-site announcers to preside over a veritable Grand Canyon while somewhere, out in television land, there’s a vibrant gathering on hand.

The visuals were downright bizarre when Juventus met Napoli for the Coppa Italia title on Wednesday. The stands were filled with garish, glowing blotches of color, sometimes different for each section, sometimes a great sea of red. Apparently, these CGI manifestations are supposed to be “people” holding cards, like students at a college football game. Or maybe it’s just someone’s adventure into the hallucinogenic. Perhaps it’s a better look than the stuffed animals and cardboard cutouts of fans at Korea Baseball Organization games, but to me, it’s all a bit haunting.

It’s also about desperation: much-needed revenue from rich corporate sponsors when ticket sales have vanished. So it’s hardly surprising to hear that the NFL and NBA are considering using crowd effects from video games. Baseball, despite its distinctively comforting real-time sounds, is likely to stumble into experimentation as well.

If this is the new thing in sports-television watching, a sort of parallel universe, somebody find me a rectangle.

There’s a growing uneasiness in NBA circles about Florida, where the league’s resumption is scheduled to take place inside a “bubble” in Orlando. The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning shut down its arena Friday after three players and additional staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The Phillies closed their camp in Clearwater after eight of the 16 people — five players, three staffers — tested positive, with 32 more awaiting results. And Orange County, in the Orlando area, continues to experience an alarming daily spike in positive tests. At the moment, NBA players will be allowed to leave the campus with permission or be subjected to quarantine upon return; you wonder if it might turn into a lockdown. ... Also in play: For teams eliminated early in the NBA scheme, it will be a wonderful thing to get out of Orlando. ... As for MLB, a place where people argue that “agreements” aren’t actually agreements (some say one of them was actually a head of lettuce), it has to be troubling to watch huge sections of the country pretend the coronavirus doesn’t exist. Talk all you want about salaries, the number of games, the isolation from families, even commitment to Black Lives Matter: In all sports, most of them returning too soon, COVID-19 will be the ultimate decider. ... Smart man: The U.S. Open tennis tournament inquired about Indian Wells (Riverside County) 1186642 World Leagues News writing: “Would also like to state that Coach Kelly agrees with ALL of the demands on this letter and is working to get them in place. As the player whose face is on the cover of the article, I apologize to coach as I was unaware the letter would be given to the media for them to mislead.” UCLA football players demand protection from ‘injustices’ amid pandemic return Also Friday, players, coaches and university officials were scheduled to participate in a virtual meeting to discuss the players’ concerns. Players who do not report for voluntary workouts will not be in danger of losing their scholarships, according to one person with knowledge of the athletic By J. BRADY MCCOLLOUGH department’s plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because he JUNE 19, 202012:36 PM was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Some players on Thursday expressed willingness to boycott practices and games in order to make a bigger point. But that went too far for most After a virtual team meeting Thursday night, 30 UCLA football players in the group, according to two UCLA players who signed the document united in support behind a document they believe will protect them in but asked The Times for anonymity because of fear of retribution. their upcoming return to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. WESTWOOD, CA - MARCH 06, 2018 - UCLA football on the Spaulding The document, reviewed by the Los Angeles Times late Thursday, practice field on the UCLA Westwood campus. asserts that players do not trust UCLA to act in their best interest, particularly in regard to their health, a realm where it says the school has The players followed the path of the University of Texas football players “perpetually failed us,” citing “neglected and mismanaged injury cases.” who threatened to not host recruits and meet with donors to pressure the The document does not provide examples. school to remove building names and campus monuments with a history tied to racism. The Texas players also demanded the school change its The players demanded that a “third-party health official” be on hand for fight song from “The Eyes of Texas,” which has racist origins. all football activities to see that protocols for COVID-19 prevention are being followed; that anonymous whistleblower protections are provided UCLA players kept their eye on Texas for another reason Thursday. The for athletes and staff to report violations; and that each player can make Longhorns have reported 13 COVID-19 cases thus far in their return to a decision about whether to come back to Westwood without fear of campus. losing his scholarship or other retaliation. “We put our lives at risk every single time we put on that helmet,” said “These demands reflect our call for an environment in which we do not one UCLA player. feel pressured to return to competition, and if we choose not to return, “Now, with this, what people don’t understand is, they say there’s a .1% that our decision will be respected,” the document reads. “If our demands chance of somebody dying, but last time I checked, that .1% has to be are not met, we will refrain from booster events, recruiting events and all somebody. We’re going to come to a point where a college player will football-related promotional activities. literally have to die from COVID-19 for someone to understand what’s “The decision to return to training amidst a global pandemic has put us, going on. I hope it doesn’t have to reach that point.” the student-athletes, on the frontlines of a battle that we as a nation have UCLA has had more than three months to solidify plans for football’s not yet been able to win. We feel that as some of the first members of the return. The players who spoke to The Times said they were not notified community to attempt a return to normalcy, we must have assurances of next Monday’s return date until Tuesday, around the time the news that allow us to make informed decisions and be protected regardless of went public. Some players felt out of the loop, but the athletic department our decision.” did not receive clearance from L.A. County and the university until For the Bruins, the clock is ticking. Many players are expected to report Monday afternoon. to voluntary workouts on Monday. While the NCAA has announced it would allow UCLA and other teams Contacted Friday morning by The Times, UCLA athletic officials with Aug. 29 season openers to begin mandatory workouts July 6, UCLA expressed understanding of the players’ hesitation to return to campus has not called its players to return by that date because it has not as the pandemic continues. Matt Elliott, UCLA’s senior associate athletic received clearance from the county to start the second phase of training director for internal operations, said a department task force dedicated to by then. return-to-training issues has been meeting daily for the last three to four In late May, former UCLA defensive lineman Elijah Wade, who medically weeks to prepare the best safety protocols, led by the resources and top retired from football this year as a sophomore, got a resolution passed as minds from the UCLA Health System. a representative of the Undergraduate Student Assn. Council that first Elliott said that UCLA had not guaranteed athletes’ scholarships would brought COVID-19 safety issues within the Bruins program to light and be protected if they choose not to return because scholarships currently aimed to alert the university that protections were needed. cover them until Oct. 1 and the immediate priority was to safely return Wade said nothing official has been changed due to the resolution to this them to campus. He said that the school would guarantee fall sport point. He and some current UCLA athletes met with a staff member from athletes’ aid through the coming season but could not say beyond that. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office last week to air their concerns. “We will evaluate subsequent terms to see where we are in the pandemic UCLA football players appear in Black Lives Matter video. and what the health recommendations are for winter and spring,” Elliott said. Seeing that players were given less than a week’s notice about the start of voluntary workouts, Wade helped to facilitate more discussion among As for the other two demands, Elliott said UCLA is “incredibly fortunate to the Bruins. Some players felt they still had no idea what the have a campus with a world-class medical center” and that the guidance consequences would be if they decided they weren’t comfortable playing given to team doctors and sports medicine staff comes from that network during the pandemic, according to those who spoke to The Times. of voices. Players thought it was telling that UCLA chose one football player to Elliott said players were informed in meetings Wednesday and Thursday represent them on a stakeholder committee that met weekly with the that the school would create an online portal that would allow them to return-to-training task force, rather than consulting with the team about report anonymously to the school’s faculty athletic representative, Dr. who that player should be. Elliott said athletes from all sports were invited Michael Teitell. to a town hall in early June and told they could volunteer for the That assurance was not enough to keep 30 players from Chip Kelly’s committee. The school settled on four athletes, one of which was a program — a list that includes starting quarterback Dorian Thompson- football player. Robinson — from convening a video conference Thursday night to The players said that on Wednesday and Thursday, coaches set up complete their document. For hours, they debated about what they would meetings with players and their parents, encouraging them to ask collectively use as leverage to achieve their goals. questions. It is unclear how many of the players’ demands the coaches On Friday, Thompson-Robinson sent out a tweet defending Kelly, heard, but there was one change: The players asked to not have adding, “Don’t turn this into a feeding frenzy on Coach, this is about the roommates so they could more easily keep social distance — and the safety of the program as a whole.” He elaborated in another tweet, coaches agreed to that request. The team got back together later without coaches and hammered out the final details of their document. They decided they would back up their stance with their names, not knowing what Friday and the weekend would bring after Kelly and company read their statement.

“Time and time again, we see individuals within [UCLA] Athletic programs who ought to defend and protect us leave us in the dark to fend for ourselves,” the document says, again not citing examples. “Starting with neglected and mismanaged injury cases, to a now mismanaged COVID- 19 pandemic, our voices have been continuously muffled, and we will no longer stand for such blatant injustices.”

One UCLA player said the current mistrust within the program was due to a lack of communication and the age and experience gap between coaches and players. “We have people that grew up in a different community in America during a different time in America,” the player said. “There’s no common ground, no meeting ground to where these two people can sit down and attempt to understand each other.”

A UCLA spokesman said, “There aren’t sides on this. It’s not our side versus their side. We’re all working toward the same goal, and we want them to feel comfortable and confident in the plan that we’ve put into place.”

The players who spoke to The Times said they do not feel nervous about being identified in the document because they “are all in this together.”

“With the pandemic, we haven’t seen anything like this in 100 years,” one player said. “So now it’s not the time to simply shut up and play football. Sports will always be there. These institutions will always be there. The pandemic has not destroyed any building. The pandemic is destroying humanity. So it’s bigger than sports.”

Los Angeles Times LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186643 World Leagues News

Texas Motor Speedway to host first major sports event with fans since COVID-19 shutdown

Jay Wallis (WFAA)

Published: 12:38 PM CDT June 19, 2020

Updated: 12:38 PM CDT June 19, 2020

FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Motor Speedway will welcome fans back to the raceway in July, after Gov. Greg Abbott approved a new safety plan.

Fans will be able to attend the rescheduled NASCAR Cup Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 on July 19. This will be the first major league sporting event in Texas with fans in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy.

An NTT Series IndyCar race was held at the track in early June, but no fans were in attendance.

Anyone attending will be required to follow proper social distancing guidelines. Speedway leaders are strongly suggesting fans to wear masks but not requiring it. All employees, vendors and NASCAR personnel will wear masks.

"Texans are eager for sporting and entertainment events to return, and this is a great step towards that goal," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press release.

Texas Motor Speedway will also be limiting the number of guests in suites and restricting infield access to NASCAR and event staff only.

Per Abbott's orders, attendance will be capped at 50% capacity. That means TMS officials will had to reissue all tickets to ensure proper spacing.

Fans who previously purchased tickets and are interested in attending in July, need to fill out an intent form online.

Ticketholders who do not want to attend will be eligible to receive 120% credit to a future event at any Speedway Motorsports facilty or a full refund. A ticket exchange form is also available online.

Speedway staff has been working with federal and state officials to comply with Texas and CDC recommendations and requirements, according to President Eddie Gossage. He's been managing the track since it opened in 1996.

Fans will be allowed to bring food and unopened beverages in a soft- sided clear bag no larger than 14x14x14 inches. Standard coolers will not be allowed to reduce contact with security.

WFAA-TV LOADED: 06.20.2020 1186644 World Leagues News I understand why the NBA is returning. Money talks, and the league has financial obligations to its television partners. And I believe the league is doing everything possible to ensure a safe environment. But in recent weeks, as the world has been (rightly) swept up in the social justice How Boxing's COVID-19 Problems Foreshadow Trouble for the NBA movement, the COVID-19 crisis has become an afterthought, all while new cases pile up.

What we can learn from boxing is that it’s not a question of if the NBA Chris Mannix playoffs will be disrupted by the coronavirus—it’s how much. 15 hours ago si.com/LOADED: 06.20.2020

The NBA is in trouble.

To be clear: I don’t want the NBA to be in trouble. I want the league to restart its season. I want to see 22 teams fight it out for 16 playoff spots and for those 16 teams to stage a memorable postseason. I want the NBA to spend three-plus months in an airtight bubble that protects players, coaches and staffers from COVID-19—and the fallout that comes from someone infected by it.

I just don’t know how they do it.

Boxing, you see, is making me very nervous.

On Thursday, Top Rank was forced to scrap a lightweight fight between Jose Pedraza and Mikkel LesPierre, a matchup that was set to headline Thursday night’s nationally televised show in Las Vegas. Neither Pedraza or LesPierre tested positive, but LesPierre’s manager, Jose Tavares. Nevada’s COVID-19 protocols, which were created jointly with Top Rank, say that if a member of a fighters team tests positive, the fighter must also be removed. It was the third fight Top Rank was forced to scuttle since restarting boxing in Nevada on June 9th.

Understand: Top Rank’s health and safety protocols are very detailed, outlined in a 20-page memo. Fighters are required to complete the final stage of training camp at approved facilities inside the MGM Grand. Testing is conducted regularly. Wristbands are required to move around in quarantined areas. Yet positive tests have popped up. Tavares tested negative when he arrived in Top Rank’s bubble on Saturday. On Wednesday, he tested positive.

There are roughly 150 people in Top Rank’s bubble each week.

The NBA will have well over a thousand.

This isn’t a criticism of the NBA—they are doing everything right. This week the league circulated a 113-page Health and Safety memo. It covers a lot. Testing will be conducted regularly. Movements will be closely monitored. Players will reportedly wear a smart ring that can predict COVID-19 symptoms up to three days in advance. Masks will be required and social distancing extends to activities like ping pong. Doubles games, per the memo, are forbidden.

Like cards? You get a new pack with every game.

But buried on page 44 is an important item: Disney employees will not be required to undergo regular coronavirus testing. Instead, they will be subject to temperature and symptom checks to gain access to the bubble. They won’t have free reign—employees not regularly tested will be required to maintain a six-foot distance from players and staffers—but having untested people roaming makes the bubble more vulnerable.

The NBA is anticipating positive tests, too. “The occurrence of a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the resumption" of the season, the memo says. But how many cases are “expected?” And what kind of impact will those “expected” cases have on the playoffs? NBA games, even practices, are potential super spreading environments. Players are in close contact. can be passed easily.

This is the looming problem. The NBA requires a player who tests positive to isolate and be treated for at least 14 days. That wipes a player out for a round of the playoffs, maybe more. What happens if two or three players get infected? Or more? The NBA is doing everything it can to protect the integrity of the playoffs, to have them end with a legitimate champion. But the threat of a contender being wiped out by the coronavirus isn’t just possible—it’s closer to likely. The league is about to parachute into a state that threw caution to the wind early in this pandemic, and now is experiencing record spikes in COVID-19 cases. Orange County—where the NBA will set up shop—reported 15.1% rate of positive tests. On June 6, it was 2%. 1186645 World Leagues News safety Kareem Jackson tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jackson has cold-like symptoms but is expected to recover, Schefter said.

Tracking coronavirus in sports: NHL announces 11 cases MLB players, staff

Several MLB players and staff have tested positive for coronavirus, per a letter obtained by the Associated Press. BY ARIZONA SPORTS | JUNE 19, 2020 AT 5:15 PM The proliferation of COVID-19 outbreaks around the country over the last UPDATED: JUNE 19, 2020 AT 8:59 PM week, and the fact that we already know of several 40-man roster players and staff who have tested positive, has increased the risks associated

with commencing spring training in the next few weeks. The spread of coronavirus has impacted the sports world in more ways Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott than one. Unfortunately, many of those who work in the industry have tested positive themselves. Elliott is among “several” reported Texans and Cowboys to test positive for coronavirus, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The postponement of sporting events was meant to prevent the spread of the virus, but COVID-19 has nonetheless reached players, coaches and Georgetown head coach, Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing staff of various teams. Ewing released a statement on May 22 that he has tested positive for Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert testing positive for coronavirus was only the coronavirus. first shoe to drop, and more positive tests have been reported since then. “This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly,” Ewing said. “I want Here’s a list of those in the sports world — that we know of — who have to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your tested positive for the virus as the health and wellness of people around loved ones. Now more than ever, I want to thank the healthcare workers the world is at stake: and everyone on the front lines. I’ll be fine and we will all get through this.” NHL Ewing’s son, Patrick Ewing Jr., posted on Twitter May 25 that his dad In a released statement Friday, the NHL announced 11 players who was home from the hospital and was getting better. entered team facilities for voluntary training have tested positive for coronavirus. An excess of 200 players have undergone testing, the NHL Former Coyotes said in the release. The league added it will not release the identity of the players or teams involved in the positive test results. Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque has tested positive for COVID- 19. San Francisco Giants The 43-year-old Laraque made the announcement on social media April The San Francisco Giants’ facility in Scottsdale has been shut down after 30 in a post showing him in a hospital gown. one person who had been to the site and one family member exhibited symptoms Thursday. “I guess I’m not invincible, just got diagnosed with Covid, since I’m asthmatic, not the best news, will fight it off!” Laraque said. Laraque played 12 seasons in the NHL, including eight with the Houston Astros GM James Click said one player has tested positive for and two with the Montreal Canadiens. He also suited up COVID-19, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. for the Phoenix Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins.

“The silver lining is we followed procedure and there were no other Former Suns guard Leandro Barbosa positive tests,” Click said. In an interview with the New York Times’ Marc Stein, Barbosa revealed Toronto Blue Jays he had COVID-19 and found out on March 21.

The Toronto Blue Jays shuttered their site in Dunedin, Florida — about “That night was the worst night of my life,” Barbosa said, referring to five miles from the Philadelphia Phillies’ camp in Clearwater — after a March 17, when coronavirus symptoms hit him the hardest after an player showed symptoms consistent with the virus. evening practice with his team.

Clemson Tigers “Really, I felt that I was going to die, my man,” Barbosa said. “I was having a crazy fever. My head was extremely bad. My nose felt like it Clemson announced Friday that the school had 28 positive coronavirus was closed, but it wasn’t closed. I was feeling a lot of pain in my back — I cases among its student athletes and athletic staff, according to Yahoo’s couldn’t find a position to lay down.” Pete Thamel. That was out of 315 tests conducted. Barbosa’s wife was 38 weeks pregnant, so doctors decided for the “The school said that most of the total cases have been asymptomatic baby’s safety that they would induce labor right away. Barbosa watched and there’s been no hospitalization,” Thamel reported. the birth through FaceTime and spent two weeks quarantined away from Philadelphia Phillies his family. Barbosa’s wife did have the virus while the baby did not.

Five players and three staff members of the Philadelphia Phillies tested Their daughter, Isabella, is healthy and recently celebrated her one- positive for coronavirus, according to NBCSN Philadelphia’s Jim month birthday. Salisbury. According to Salisbury, “a significant number of team Denver Broncos — LB Von Miller personnel” are awaiting test results, which means the number of positive cases could be even greater than known at time of writing. Denver Broncos star linebacker Von Miller is confirmed positive for coronavirus, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported via Miller’s agent. The people infected had been at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla. Miller was resting at home and was expected to speak publicly on Friday, The team said its facilities in Clearwater have been shut down. Rapoport added.

Phillies statement: pic.twitter.com/kJjl6U7a1l — C Brian Allen tests positive

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 19, 2020 NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer reported Wednesday that Los Angeles Rams Center Brian Allen tested positive for coronavirus three weeks ago Buccaneers assistant coach and again last week. Glazer said Allen lost all sense of sense of smell and taste. He’s now symptom-free and is expecting to be cleared later One Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach tested positive for COVID- this week. 19, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. That coach is asymptomatic. Two other assistant coaches have been quarantined. — One member of organization, possibly more Broncos’ Kareem Jackson One member of the Los Angeles Chargers organization has tested Cincinnati Reds — Arizona-based staff member positive for the coronavirus and two others have shown symptoms, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Owner Dean Spanos, general manager The Cincinnati Reds acknowledged March 18 that an Arizona-based Tom Telesco and head coach were not among the group employee tested positive. The Reds have their spring training facility in in question, Schefter added. Goodyear, just west of Phoenix.

Tom Dempsey, former NFL player Ottawa Senators — Unidentified player

Former New Orleans kicker Tom Dempsey died late Saturday while The Senators announced March 17 that a player tested positive for struggling with complications from coronavirus. COVID-19. The player’s identity was not revealed. One of Ottawa’s last games before the NHL paused its season was on March 7 at San Jose Ottawa Senators — Three more players, plus one unidentified — the building where an employee tested positive as well.

Four more Ottawa Senators personnel tested positive for coronavirus, Brooklyn Nets — Kevin Durant and three others the organization announced Wednesday. Three of those individuals were players, Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt reported. The four are in addition The Nets announced on March 17 that four of their players had tested to two players who previously tested positive. All who tested positive positive for coronavirus, and that one was showing symptoms while the have since recovered, the organization said. other three were not. One of those players was revealed to be star Kevin Durant. New York Knicks — owner James Dolan San Jose Sharks — Unidentified arena employee The Knicks announced on Saturday night that team owner and Madison Square Garden Company executive chairman James Dolan has tested On March 12, the San Jose Sharks revealed that a part-time employee at positive for coronavirus. He is experiencing “little to no symptoms” and their home arena, the SAP Center, had tested positive for COVID-19. will continue to oversee business operations while in self-isolation. “We have been informed that this employee is recovering and feeling better,” their statement said. — A second unidentified player Detroit Pistons — Christian Wood The Avalanche announced Saturday that a second player tested positive for the coronavirus. A statement from the organization said he is in self- The Pistons’ Christian Wood tested positive, Charania reported on isolation. Other players and staff who may have come in close contact Saturday, March 14. “Sources say Wood has shown no symptoms and is with him have been informed and are isolated. doing well,” Charania wrote.

Colorado Avalanche — Unidentified player Utah Jazz — Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell

The Avalanche announced Thursday that a player tested positive for Gobert’s positive test rocked the sports world when it delayed the start of COVID-19. The organization’s statement said the player has recovered an NBA game and was immediately followed by the league suspending and is back to normal. operations immediately on March 11. That turning point soon led to the postponement or cancellation of just about every major professional Jason Collins, former NBA player North American sports league.

Former Nets big man Jason Collins, who also played for five other teams, Gobert’s teammate Mitchell also reportedly tested positive for the virus. announced Tuesday that he has coronavirus. ARIZONA SPORTS LOADED: 06.20.2020 Ottawa Senators — A second player

The Ottawa Senators announced that a second player had test positive for the virus.

Boston Celtics — One player

The Celtics announced Thursday that a player tested positive.

Guard Marcus Smart later announced that he is the player. He was cleared of the coronavirus March 27, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Los Angeles Lakers — Two players

Charania reported March 19 that two members of the Lakers tested positive.

The Lakers first got tests done in response to other organizations having players test positive who they had recently played.

Charania notes that more Lakers players might now get tested following the news.

Philadelphia 76ers — Three people

A statement from the Sixers said “certain individuals” in their organization, including players, coaches and staff, were tested. Three results came back positive for COVID-19.

New Orleans Saints — Head coach Sean Payton

Saints head coach Sean Payton told ESPN he has coronavirus and then acknowledged it on his own twitter account.

Appreciate the well wishes. I'm feeling better and fortunate to not have any of the respiratory symptoms. 4 more days at home.#BEATCovid pic.twitter.com/vvjbnqoeZx

— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) March 19, 2020

Denver Nuggets — Member of the organization

The team announced that a member of the Nuggets organization tested positive for COVID-19. They were symptomatic and in self-isolation. 1186646 World Leagues News Time is getting tight for a season start. Owners want the regular season over by September 27, to avoid a possible coronavirus surge in the fall that could wipe out the playoffs.

MLB Closing Florida And Arizona Training Facilities For Coronavirus This week, a prominent health care official said Major League Baseball Cleaning should be on an even shorter timeline.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the majors should finish the postseason in June 19, 20205:48 PM ET September.

TOM GOLDMAN "If the question is time, I would try to keep it in the core summer months and end it not with the way we play the World Series, until the end of

October when it's cold," Fauci told the L.A. Times. Major League Baseball will shut down and disinfect all 30 teams' Spring "Even in warm weather, like in Arizona and California, we're starting to Training facilities in Florida and Arizona, as the coronavirus continues to see resurgences as we open up," Fauci said. "But I think the chances of make its presence felt. there being less of an issue in the end of July and all of August and The league says players and other personnel will need a negative test for September, are much, much better than if you go into October." the virus before they can get back into the facilities after the deep While the pressure mounts on baseball, Florida's surge in coronavirus cleaning. cases could have an impact on other leagues as well. The NBA and Before the announcement late Friday night, several teams made the Major League Soccer both have plans to reopen in the Orlando area next decision on their own to shut down. month.

Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies closed their spring training npr.org/ LOADED: 06.20.2020 complex in Clearwater, after eight members of the team tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement, the Phillies confirmed five players and three staff members working at the facility contracted the coronavirus.

"The first confirmed case occurred this past Tuesday, June 16," the statement said, adding "in addition, eight staff members have tested negative for the virus, while 12 staff members and 20 players (both major league and minor league players) living in the Clearwater area are in the process of being tested and are awaiting the results of those tests."

"The Phillies are committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority," the team's managing partner John Middleton said in a statement, "and as a result of these confirmed tests, all facilities in Clearwater have been closed indefinitely to all players, coaches and staff and will remain closed until medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected."

After the Phillies made their announcement, the Toronto Blue Jays confirmed they shut down their facilities in Dunedin – a short drive from Clearwater on Florida's Gulf Coast. According to a club spokesman, both the major league training camp and minor league facility have been closed.

"The Toronto Blue Jays confirm that personnel at the club's Spring Training facilities in Dunedin, FL. have undergone testing for COVID-19, after a player presented symptoms consistent with those of the virus," the team said in a statement. "As a result, the Blue Jays have suspended operations at their Dunedin facilities for the time being."

According to ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan, the shutdowns happened after a Toronto pitcher showed symptoms of COVID-19. He'd reportedly spent time with players in the Phillies minor league system.

Also, the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning temporarily closed training facilities after three players and additional staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

The NHL already has announced its plan for restarting the season after its March shutdown. Baseball is still trying to hammer out its plan – now potentially complicated by these shutdowns, plus reports earlier this week that several other Major League players and coaches had tested positive. Their names and team affiliations weren't disclosed.

It's a critical moment for the sport. Players and owners have been locked in acrimonious negotiations about money as MLB tries to restart after its March shutdown due to the pandemic. There's hope that if a resolution to financial and other issues happens quickly, an abbreviated spring training could start as soon as next week with a hoped-for start to the regular season in mid-July.

It's not certain what impact, if any, the news on positive tests and facility closures might have on spring training or overall negotiations. 1186647 World Leagues News So how does this work over the rest of the summer and into the fall? We love our football and can’t imagine life without it. Universities need it desperately for the revenue it produces. Many of the states where the college game is most important are seeing an increase in coronavirus Opinion: It's hard to see NFL, college football being played as usual this cases, some quite dramatic. fall We accept all kinds of injuries to young men so we can enjoy football every year. Will we accept their illnesses, their hospitalizations, even their deaths this season? How about the hospitalizations and deaths of Christine Brennan coaches, team personnel and referees, especially those who are older and more susceptible to the virus?

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke Thursday morning, saying “football may not Does football plow ahead, come what may? Will nothing stop our broad- happen this year,” and the fearless world of football shuddered in reply. shouldered, tough-guy sport, not even a pandemic? Will a moment of Our beloved national game, the antithesis of social distancing, is in silence before every kickoff suffice? trouble in 2020, leaving us with this stark question: How many moments of silence will there be before there are too many? How many hospitalizations and deaths of players, coaches, staff, USA TODAY LOADED: 06.20.2020 administrators, referees and fans, if they are allowed, will we accept to have our football this fall?

“Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN Thursday morning.

“If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”

Of course college and pro football fans flew into a rage on social media – not at COVID-19 or the way President Donald Trump has fumbled our national response to it, but at Fauci for telling the truth. People apparently want their football no matter how many have to suffer because of it.

Several hours later, the NFL chimed in to try to save the day, but ended up illustrating just how difficult it might be to sell a “football as usual” storyline this season.

Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, admitted that Fauci “has identified the important health and safety issues we and the NFL Players Association, together with our joint medical advisors, are addressing to mitigate the health risk to players, coaches and other essential personnel.”

He went on to say the NFL is “developing a comprehensive and rapid- result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a shared responsibility from everyone inside our football ecosystem.”

Added Sills: “Make no mistake, this is no easy task.” He said “adjustments” will be made as necessary in preparation for the 2020 season, adding “we will be flexible and adaptable in this environment to adjust to the virus as needed.”

It’s crucial to add that it was just Wednesday that Sills said this: “We do not feel it’s practical or appropriate to construct a bubble.”

Sports fans love statistics, so here’s one that could be relevant:

As it plans to resume playing within the relative safety of a bubble at Disney World in Florida, the NBA issued a memo on all its health and safety protocols. It’s not a short memo. It’s 108 pages long.

And the NFL is going to pull this off without a bubble?

One important skeptic popped up not long after the Fauci and Sills duet: Los Angeles Rams Coach Sean McVay.

“We’re going to social distance, but play football?” he told reporters. “It’s really hard for me to understand all this. I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

That’s the quote of the day in the NFL. McVay has summarized the NFL’s impending chaos better than any doctor could. He might as well be speaking for our colleges too. The University of Texas athletic department announced Thursday that 13 football players have tested positive or are presumed positive for COVID-19, while 10 more are asymptomatic and in self-quarantine. That’s on top of two positive cases that Texas reported last week.

The University of Houston football program stopped voluntary workouts last week when six players tested positive. Other schools are releasing incremental testing data as it becomes available. Drip, drip, drip.