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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 3/28/2020 Oilers 1181702 Ducks sign 2019 first-round pick Trevor Zegras to a 1181728 Connor McDavid doesn't want Oilers to have to jump right three-year entry-level contract into playoffs following COVID-19 pause 1181703 Ducks sign first-round draft pick Trevor Zegras of Boston 1181729 Connor McDavid on a ‘fair ’, working out and University picking quarantine teammates 1181704 Ducks cooped up at home during 1181730 Oilers ABC: Picking the best players in franchise history, coronavirus pandemic from Anderson to Zuke 1181705 Entry-level deal pushes Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras toward his NHL future 1181706 Ryan Getzlaf and Anze Kopitar talk quarantine, draft, 1181731 Panthers owner will continue paying full-time employees playoffs and chicken coops throughout COVID-19 shutdown 1181732 Panthers commit to paying staff through entirety of coronavirus pandemic 1181707 Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson idle in Arizona during coronavirus hiatus Kings 1181733 Kings’ Anze Kopitar in favor of resuming regular season instead of going straight to playoffs 1181708 admits 'it's hard' not knowing if playoffs will happen 1181709 Progress, interrupted: Prospect Oskar Steen’s promising 1181734 Wild plan to pay full-time employees through April development is on hold 1181735 Wild notes: The rise of Adam Beckman; Chaffee signs; Soucy, Kaprizov updates 1181710 NHL Network programming to feature Sabres' two Winter Devils Classic trips Saturday night 1181736 Devils’ P.K Subban pleads for more social distancing after 1181711 Sabres' Wayne Simmonds the ' warrior' and 'one moving from 1 coronavirus hot spot to another of the nicest guys' 1181737 Scouting Devils’ 2019 draft class: Daniil Misyul can become ‘good complement to somebody a little more Flames offensi 1181712 Flames captain Giordano holds out hope for ‘one of the 1181738 The ultimate Devils fan survey: Taking the temperature best playoffs ever’ during a time of unrest 1181713 weighs in: Pushups, rivalries, binge shows and playoff plans Islanders 1181714 Duhatschek: On media restrictions, the way it used to be 1181739 Construction on Islanders’ Belmont Park arena stopped and a new way forward due to coronavirus 1181740 Work at Islanders' Belmont arena stops amid state's ban Blackhawks on non-essential construction 1181715 gives candid assessment of where Blackhawks are at 1181716 Jonathan Toews saves young fan's birthday plans to see a 1181741 Adam Fox making Rangers look smart for dealing Kevin Blackhawks game Shattenkirk 1181717 The 10 most under-appreciated Blackhawks players since 2000 Senators 1181718 Need some positivity? Blackhawks rinkside reporter Nick 1181742 TSN 1200 colour analyst Gord Wilson confirms COVID-19 Gismondi can provide diagnosis 1181743 League executives don't expect to see major changes to Avalanche the draft lottery 1181719 Avalanche gives AHL defenseman Jacob MacDonald two-year extension Flyers 1181720 You likely have a new best friend, and his name is Conor 1181744 Flyers broadcasters have different ways of handling the McGahey hockey void, just don’t ask Steve Coates to do ‘that’ 1181721 DGB Grab Bag: Buildup to legendary Wings/Avs brawl, 1181745 Flyers sign rugged right winger Wade Allison to entry-level time for NHL to get creative contract; acquired in Kimmo Timonen trade 1181746 Flyers sign prospect Wade Allison to entry-level contract 1181747 Flyers' Game 6 win over Oilers at the was The 1181722 Elvis Merzlikins Q&A: Blue Jackets goalie dishes on his Best Game I Ever Saw Live memorable first season 1181748 is the new 'Tiger King' in Joe Exotic-style music video 1181749 Predictions for who wins Flyers' 2019-20 Barry Ashbee 1181723 Stars’ Best of the Season: Alexander Radulov turns Trophy season around with hat trick vs. Wild 1181750 Flyers sign 2016 second-round pick Wade Allison to 1181724 Happy handshakes at home: Remembering the 2019 two-year, entry-level deal Game 6 closeout against Nashville 1181751 The Athletic’s Philadelphia Hall of Fame: Celebrating 20 all-time greats Red Wings 1181725 Fox Sports Detroit rolling out classic , Tigers, Pistons games in April 1181726 Looking ahead to Anthony Mantha’s and Tyler Bertuzzi’s next contracts 1181727 DGB Grab Bag: Buildup to legendary Wings/Avs brawl, time for NHL to get creative Websites 1181752 thinks long layoff would help Penguins. 1181783 The Athletic / Duhatschek: On media restrictions, the way Would it? it used to be and a new way forward 1181753 Penguins green jersey auction nets $20,000 for 1181784 The Athletic / Money trouble: The pressure behind getting coronavirus aid charities sports back on TV 1181754 Penguins get creative, go 'old school' to stay in shape 1181785 .ca / Connor McDavid on NHL jumping into during COVID-19 quarantine playoffs: 'A fair season is a full season' 1181755 10 sports podcasts to explore while you stay at 1181786 Sportsnet.ca / Bill Daly sees summer 'window' to complete homeSteph Chambers/Post-Gazette NHL season, playoffs 1181787 Sportsnet.ca / Crosby, Ovechkin hoping NHL jumps into playoffs if season resumes 1181756 Quarantined with Joe Thornton? 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How the Lightning, Bruins became 1181797 College sports will be hit hard, and will not be the same rivals economically after the coronavirus | Mike Jensen 1181798 Report: Donald Trump seeks 's advice on coronavirus pandemic 1181769 While the Oilers sat comfortably in a playoff spot when the 1181799 Pat Caputo — Sports, coronavirus and the complexity of NHL suspended its season due to the COVID-19 pande returning to normal 1181770 The first 25 inductees to The Athletic Toronto’s inaugural 1181800 Sports franchises could qualify for loans under $2 trillion Sports Hall of Fame coronavirus relief bill 1181801 List of sports events affected by the coronavirus pandemic 1181802 Coronavirus: Utah Jazz say Rudy Gobert, Donovan 1181780 Restless Horvat hopes dominoes fall Canucks' way if Mitchell cleared of COVID-19, pose no risk to others season is salvaged 1181803 Katie Swan puts aside to help coronavirus relief 1181781 Ridley lost an ear playing net, but all fans remember is his effort in Kansas cool mask 1181804 Gazelle Sports lays off 164 employees during mandated 1181782 From As to Ds: Handing out the Vancouver Canucks’ coronavirus closure regular season report cards 1181805 Sports clubs across unite to pitch in during coronavirus crisis 1181806 ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit: 'I'll be shocked' if there's football in 1181771 Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury talks about season, the fall because of coronavirus coronavirus 1181807 "'s last dictator" won't let sports stop during 1181772 Understanding the hockey leagues outside of the NHL coronavirus 1181773 Golden Knights’ Fleury to fans: ‘Stay safe. That’s all that 1181808 With Sports On Hold, 's Gamblers Bet on matters’ Coronavirus 1181809 Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby details financial, structural impact of coronavirus 1181774 Trade, coronavirus makes for tumultuous year for Caps' 1181810 Money trouble: The pressure behind getting sports back defenseman Brenden Dillon on TV 1181775 Capitals' Alex Ovechkin wants the NHL to go straight to SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 the playoffs when play resumes 1181776 With NHL season paused, a ranking of Capitals' best wins of 2019-20: No. 11 1181777 Washington Capitals top 5 saves of the 2019-20 season 1181702 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks sign 2019 first-round pick Trevor Zegras to a three-year entry-level contract

HELENE ELLIOTT

MARCH 27, 20203:36 PM

The Ducks signed center Trevor Zegras — whom they drafted in the first round, ninth overall, in 2019 — to a three-year entry-level contract, the club announced Friday.

Zegras, 19, is a native of Bedford, N.Y. He had 11 goals and 36 points in 33 games this season with Boston University of the conference and was named to the Hockey East all-rookie team. His Ducks contract has an annual salary cap hit of $925,000.

“We are happy to get this contract done and start Trevor’s professional career,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a news release. “He’s got quite a bit of work ahead of him, but we know he’s got the talent and intelligence to be an impactful NHL player.”

Colorado Avalanche player tests positive for COVID-19

Zegras, who is listed as 6 feet tall and 170 pounds, has represented the at several international , including the 2020 World Junior Championships. He excelled there, recording nine primary assists to tie for the fourth-most assists by a U.S. player in a world junior championship . He played 116 career games for the USA Hockey National Training and Development Program’s under-17 and under-18 teams.

Speaking to reporters via a conference call, Zegras said he hopes his versatility of being able to play center or wing will be an asset in his NHL career. He inherited a love for the New York Rangers from his family, saying, “It was kind of pre-determined for me,” but his favorite player is prolific winger Patrick Kane. “He has inspired me in a lot of different ways,” Zegras said.

Zegras has tried to stay fit and active during the pause imposed on the sports world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the Ducks drafted him last June, they told him to work on becoming more explosive and powerful, and he plans to continue that as best as he can. Among his current activities are practicing his shooting in the family driveway and rollerblading. “It’s kind of a weird time,” he said. “Going to the rink, I definitely miss that.”

The NHL has advised players to self-isolate at home at least through next week, so Zegras — who attended the Ducks’ development camp last summer but didn’t get to visit Honda Center because it was closed for renovations — won’t meet his new teammates anytime soon. For now, signing his first NHL contract is keeping him happy. “This will keep me excited for quite some time,” he said.

LA Times: LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181703 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks sign first-round draft pick Trevor Zegras of Boston University

ELLIOTT TEAFORD

March 27, 2020 at 3:29 p.m.

Trevor Zegras’ play-making skills made him one of the breakout stars of the World Junior Championship last winter, a collection of jaw-dropping passes that prompted Ducks fans to count the days until he was signed, sealed and delivered.

That day finally arrived on Friday – after one remarkable world juniors showing with Team USA and also one standout collegiate season at Boston University – when the Ducks signed Zegras to a three-year entry- level contract with an average annual value of $925,000.

Zegras, a 19-year-old center from Bedford, New York, was the ninth overall pick in the NHL draft last June. He had 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 games as a freshman with Boston University and also tied a record with nine primary assists during world juniors for Team USA.

Under normal circumstances, Zegras might play in one or two of the Ducks’ final regular-season games and then join the of the AHL for the remainder of the season. However, with play suspended in the NHL and the AHL because of the COVID-19 outbreak, he’s in limbo.

“That’s unfortunate,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said when asked if the shutdown would slow Zegras’ progress. “We are big believers in using that next step of the AHL, especially if they get some valuable professional exposure. But nobody is getting that experience at this time, so it’s not like he had an injury and is losing valuable development time compared to others.”

Murray also said the Ducks would send Zegras an off-ice workout program to follow until play resumes. Zegras said he would continue to work on his skills while rollerblading in the driveway at his parents’ home, but that he would miss going to the rink.

“We know what’s going on in the world right now,” Zegras said of the stay-at-home order in effect in New York, as it is in California. “It’s almost bittersweet. There’s nothing anybody can do right now, but the signing will keep me in good spirits for a while.”

Above all, the Ducks would like Zegras to improve his strength and his skating explosiveness, an ability that could help him become every bit as effective in eluding defenders at the next step in his career as it did in the world juniors and in the NCAA.

“We also believe the silver lining in this is that he gets some much- needed rest,” Murray said. “Every year, we have the top 40 or so 17- to 18-year-olds all over the place – their own junior or college playoffs, the combine, team interviews, the draft, development camps – then most go to their own country’s world junior camps, then in Trevor’s case, right to school.

“Busy to say the least for growing 17- to 18-year-old boys and hard on the minds and bodies.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181704 Anaheim Ducks of a playoff position when the games were halted. Fleury and the Golden Knights, however, were in first place in the Pacific .

“‘Kopi,’ for some reason I don’t think we need to worry about the Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf cooped up at home during coronavirus playoffs,” Getzlaf joked. pandemic Kopitar agreed. Building a backyard chicken coop is one way to stay busy during the NHL's self-isolation period “We’d really, really have to stretch for it,” he said.

Fleury asked the others if they had heard about a proposal to determine the draft order with a tournament rather than letting the lottery balls do it. ELLIOTT TEAFORD Getzlaf said he hadn’t heard of such a far-fetched idea. Kopitar said he March 27, 2020 at 5:33 p.m. “didn’t know how you could pull it off” and that “the lottery is still the best bet.”

With the playoffs still in the back of his mind, however, Fleury said he Ryan Getzlaf said he spent three days this week building a chicken coop was taking rides on his mountain bike on trails near his home. He also in his backyard. said he was rollerblading through his neighborhood while pushing the youngest of his three children in a stroller. Off-ice workouts? Well, that’s a new one. Meanwhile, Couture said he had just finished binge-watching the just- His wood-frame construction job — plus chasing his four kids and two completed season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and was looking forward to dogs around his Orange County house while under stay-at-home orders diving into “The Wire.” Getzlaf was pondering the arrival of the family’s because of the COVID-19 pandemic — has kept the Ducks’ captain chickens. Kopitar busied himself in the kitchen and with puzzles. working up a pretty good sweat since the NHL suspended its season March 12. “It’s not just hockey-related,” Kopitar said of staying safer at home. “It’s life-related.” But a chicken coop? Seriously? Said Getzlaf: “We’re not going to complain about having a pause in our Yes. season when there are people dying and life’s going on the way it is. For Apparently, the Getzlaf household was out of eggs earlier in the week, so us, it’s a pause we have to deal with. We’ve had lockouts before. It’s just Paige Getzlaf ordered six chickens — is there an app for that? — and another thing in our lives we have to deal with. professionally then asked husband Ryan to build a home for them in the family’s rather “The worry for us is to keep our families safe at this .” expansive backyard. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.28.2020 Getzy just showed Marc-Andre Fleury, Logan Couture and Anze Kopitar the chicken coop he's building in his backyard. Legendary. pic..com/09VpplojvV

— Kyle Shohara (@kyleshohara) March 27, 2020

The Ducks center showed off his handiwork Friday while on a video conference call along with Anze Kopitar of the Kings, Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks and Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights, their first public comments since the league hit the pause button two weeks ago.

Later, after joking with his Pacific Division rivals about his lack of a regimented home fitness program, his inability to binge-watch TV shows or join a book club during his layoff, Getzlaf adopted a far more serious tone and delivered a heartfelt message.

“We’re all kind of in the same boat with our fans,” he said. “I just wanted to reach out and say thanks for sticking by us. Hope to see you guys soon. Hope you’re taking care of your families. Hope everybody’s OK. Let you know that everyone is thinking about you, as well.

“I just wanted to do a quick shout-out to our medical team at UCI here that’s been working tirelessly. They’ve been doing such a great job, and really all the staff around that work in hospitals that put themselves in danger when some of us are hunkered down at home.

“They’re helping to take care of people and working to change the world, really.”

Kopitar addressed “Kings fans, hockey fans everywhere” when he said he was thinking about everyone and hoping everyone was staying safe and healthy. Getzlaf’s comments were a tough act to follow, as Kopitar said, but the Kings’ captain took his best at the end of the 30-minute call.

“We’re disappointed this is going on, just like you guys,” Kopitar said. “We’d like to be back on the ice, but now the most important thing is we’ve got to stay safe, we’ve got to get through this. Obviously, social distancing is going to be huge to flatten the curve. We’ve got to do this.

“Health is the most important thing, and like ‘Getzy’ said, to the first responders, all over the world, kudos to you guys. Thanks for working and keeping us safe and getting the job done when we need you guys the most. So, thanks very much for that.”

When or how the NHL might resume the 2019-20 season wasn’t exactly on the minds of Getzlaf, Kopitar and Couture. Their teams were well out 1181705 Anaheim Ducks Zegras finished third on the team in scoring behind senior forward Patrick Harper and leading point-getter David Farrance, a junior defenseman who is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the Entry-level deal pushes Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras toward his NHL nation’s top collegiate player. future Though there was some debate about whether Zegras was physically ready for the pro game, it became increasingly apparent that he would leave school rather than stay for a sophomore season. Eric Stephens “We’re always fine when a player wants to take an extra year to play college and continue to develop,” said Brisson, who first saw Zegras play as a 10-year-old at the famed Brick Invitational Tournament in Edmonton. The talent was evident when Pat Brisson first saw him. But just as much “We’re fine with it. But we could see that Trevor was ready for the next as what Trevor Zegras could do on the ice, it was his personality — his challenge. The Ducks were definitely open-minded to Trevor continuing confidence — that left a lasting impression. his development, and they were ready for that. “When I first met him, I saw it right away for sure,” said Brisson, the “And Trevor’s confidence really was strong and very positive that he was powerful agent to NHL superstars such as , Patrick Kane ready for the next step. So, it really wasn’t much of a negotiation.” and Nathan MacKinnon who also counts Kings captain Anze Kopitar and Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler among his many clients. “Very It has been a busy calendar year for Zegras. In addition to being drafted interactive immediately. And I had heard that from his teammates, from and playing for the Terriers, the native of Bedford, N.Y., was among the Jack Hughes and Alex Turcotte of the NTDP (United States National best players for the United States at the most recent IIHF World Junior Team Development Program). Championships. His elite-level playmaking was on full display as he racked up assists throughout the tournament before the Americans were “I had heard it from them, but I saw his interaction. Very confident. And eliminated by in the quarterfinals. obviously there’s his great talent on the ice. He was very at ease in talking and confident. All that. Those are the traits that stood out the With many of the Ducks’ young forwards already seeing time in Anaheim most.” this season, the team has needed to restock the organization with some NHL-level young talent up front. Zegras immediately moves to the top of When the 19-year-old stated with an air of conviction on the night of last the Ducks’ list as far as their prospect pipeline. summer’s NHL Draft that he thought he needed just one year of college hockey before starting his professional career, the comment probably Though Zegras’ season has likely ended in abrupt fashion, Murray didn’t surprise Brisson. focused on the positive aspects of not playing right now.

“Confidence and a good swag,” Brisson said. “A positive swag. You know “We also believe the silver lining in this is that he gets some much- what I mean?” needed rest,” Murray said. “Every year, we have the top 40 or so 17-, 18- year-olds all over the place. Their own junior (and) college playoffs. The action has now followed Zegras’ prediction. The clock on making his Combine, team interviews, draft, development camps. Then most go to debut with the Anaheim Ducks started Friday when the talented Boston their own country’s world junior camps. Then, in Trevor’s case, right to University center signed a three-year entry-level contract. The deal school. carries an NHL salary of $925,000 each year through the 2022-23 season — the figure includes a $92,500 signing bonus — but he can also “Busy, to say the least, for growing 17-, 18-year-old boys and hard on the earn up to $850,000 more in individual performance bonuses. minds and bodies.”

In a team-issued statement, Anaheim general manager Bob Murray said, For now, Zegras is doing whatever he can to stay active and adapting to “He’s got quite a bit of work ahead of him, but we know he’s got the talent a new normal like much of the rest of society. “Kind of a weird time,” he and intelligence to be an impactful NHL player.” Brisson, whose son said. Brendan is a promising junior player and got to know Zegras further through their hockey travels, called it “a very healthy negotiation” with the “I’ve got a bunch of stuff in my house that I can do. I can stickhandle. Ducks. Shoot in the driveway. I’m definitely still playing hockey, I guess. You go out in the driveway and rollerblade. Going to the rink, I definitely miss It was a move that was long anticipated, with the holdup being an that. Just trying to keep as busy as I can.” unprecedented shutdown across the sporting world because of the spread of the new coronavirus. Zegras was among a multitude of News of the signing is music to the ears of a Ducks fan base that was athletes worldwide who saw their seasons come to an instant end. energized by Zegras’ WJC performance. He had the primary assist on all nine goals that he factored directly in, and his play showed off his There is some comfort now. There are no games that he can focus on, imaginative passing ability. but there’s the knowledge that he will start the next phase of his hockey life when he can return to the rink. Whether he plays center or on the wing — as Murray has often said and as Zegras noted during his conference call with reporters Friday — the “We know what’s going on with the world right now,” Zegras said. Ducks could be getting a player who grows into a foundational piece. “There’s no hockey, but this will keep me excited for quite some time. It’s a very exciting time for me and my family. It’s almost bittersweet because “His hockey sense is elite,” Brisson said. “His compete is elite. He will get there’s nothing I can really do about it right now. But it’s definitely stronger. He sees the ice ahead of the play. Tremendous instincts. keeping me in good spirits during this tough time, for sure.” There’s no doubt in my mind that he will continue to develop that way. He’ll work on his strength and power. In an email to The Athletic, Murray confirmed that Zegras was to begin his pro career with the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ American Hockey “I like to project him as definitely a top top-six forward in the near future.” League affiliate. The AHL suspended its regular season through at least If that happens, Anaheim will have found its next . May 1 but has yet to opt for cancellation. At the time of the league’s stoppage, the Gulls sat in a playoff spot. The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020

“We are big believers in using that next step of the AHL, especially if they get some valuable professional playoff exposure,” Murray said. “Just look at Zach Werenski in Columbus. But nobody is getting that experience at this time, so it’s not like he had an injury and is losing valuable development time compared to others.”

The Ducks took Zegras with the ninth pick of the draft last June at Vancouver’s . A standout on a star-laden United States under-18 team that included several draftees, Zegras got off to a slow start at BU but improved throughout the season and finished with 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 games with the Terriers. His 36 points tied for third among NCAA freshmen. 1181706 Anaheim Ducks (Forget the fact that something radical like this is not something usually in the NHL’s playbook. But at least one team submitted this intriguing proposal, according to a report by Craig Custance of The Athletic.)

Ryan Getzlaf and Anze Kopitar talk quarantine, draft, playoffs and Couture: “We don’t have a first-round pick, so …” chicken coops Kopitar: “I read about it, a little bit. But I don’t know how you can really pull that off, so we didn’t finish, right? The lottery is still probably the Lisa Dillman safest bet.”

Mar 27, 2020 When the season was put on pause, the Ducks had the league’s fifth- worst record with 67 points, one spot ahead of the Kings (64 points). The conversation turned to playoff formats and starting without completing the regular season. This isn’t about the house that Ryan Getzlaf built, but rather the chicken coop he has been building in the backyard of his Orange County “I don’t think starting the playoffs right away would be the best idea,” compound at the suggestion of his wife Paige. Kopitar said.

And so, the Ducks’ captain indulged his fellow Zoom panelists — Anze Getzlaf: “Kopi, for some reason I don’t think we have to worry about the Kopitar of the Kings, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights .” and Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks with a glimpse into his home life during the NHL’s pause in the schedule because of the coronavirus There was another humorous moment when the players were asked: If outbreak. you had to be quarantined with one teammate, who would you most want it to be, and why? And the least, and why? The Getzlafs have four kids and two dogs … and coming soon half a dozen chickens. “That’s a tough one,” Kopitar. “I can probably pick one guy for both scenarios. I’m pretty sure we all know who that is.” “I’ll take you out to the coop,” Getzlaf announced. Getzlaf, laughing: “We know who that is.” Kopitar: “Here we go. I want to see this.” Kopitar: “We all know that’s Drew Doughty. Being around the guy, every Certain items have been hard to find at grocery stores around Orange day, there’s literally something new every second, a comment.” County, leading to bare shelves and requiring creative measures. Getzlaf, interrupting: “An emotional roller-coaster.” “I spent the last three days building a chicken coop in the backyard … We had no eggs, so we borrowed eggs from a neighbor who had Kopitar: “Is it ever. Whether you’re crying, laughing or shaking your head. chickens and then all of sudden we were having them,” Getzlaf said. Thinking how that just came out of his mouth. That’s pretty self- “She (Paige) just ordered six of them.” explanatory for me.”

This led to the natural question of the other panelists about possible While they were teasing each other and bonding over all things Doughty, hidden carpentry skills. Getzlaf also chirped himself when he was asked he had built a home gym to work out. Kopitar: “Definitely not me.” “No,” he said, emphatically. “The guys that know me — some of these Fleury: “Sorry, I suck.” guys on this call know me very well. I don’t think a home gym is really in my forte. I train at the rink when I can. When I’m at home, I’m just active. This was the second day the NHL has made a handful of players available to reporters via a video conference call. Friday featured the “I’ve got four kids that are doing all kinds of stuff. We’re playing Pacific Division, broken into two groups. There was an easy familiarity in the yard and running around. We try and go for a walk every day with between the four veterans, leading to great byplay and good-natured the dogs. That’s about it right now, my friend.” chirping in the second group — Getzlaf and Fleury were part of the same draft class in 2003 and the four players have known each other and There is also the uncertainty of not having a specific return date, Kopitar competed against one another for years. added.

Getzlaf, Kopitar, and Fleury all have children and so they don’t have time “Mentally, at least for me, it’s pretty hard,” he said. “Because you don’t or any inclination to join the book club that Couture has started. know whether you’re starting in the next couple of weeks or the next couple of months. You’re just trying to stay loose somewhat and keep “That hurts,” Couture said, joking. moving. Like Marc-Andre said, he’s been lucky enough to have some mountains around to go out there. Fleury said he is going to bed more tired now than when he is playing hockey. “We’ve been lucky enough here too. Being pretty close to the beach. We can go for a run on the beach or something. I have a stationary bike too. “School is a blessing,” Getzlaf said. “(Paige) is working harder than she’s Other than that, it’s just body weights and core stuff for me. Just trying to ever worked, too. My wife is just grinding right now. She’s got a full get through and stay as active as you possibly can.” school set up, upstairs.” The players had heartfelt messages they wanted to pass along to the Kopitar, who has two young children, jumped in, adding: “We had a first fans, hospital workers and first responders during the health crisis. Zoom class session today. So that killed about 45 minute of the day. Things are looking up.” “We’re all kind of in the same boat with our fans,” Getzlaf said. “Just wanted to reach out and say thanks for sticking by us. Hope to see you The chaotic nature of life at home — dogs barking in the background — guys soon and hope you’re taking care of your families and everybody’s and with active kids was fully illustrated when Getzlaf looked away from OK and let you know that we’re thinking about you as well. the camera and spotted one of his children “I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to our medical team at UCI here “Oh boy, I just saw our 9-year-old (boy) drive our golf cart … ” he said. that’s been working tirelessly. They’ve been doing such a great job. And “That’s not ideal, at the moment.” all the staff that’s around working hospitals and putting themselves in Kopitar: “Parenting 101.” danger. When some of us are hunkered down at home, they’re helping to take care of people and change the world really.” Getzlaf: “They’ll be fine, right?” Kopitar echoed those thoughts. Kopitar: “What’s the worst that can happen?” “How do I follow that? Kings fans. Hockey fans. Everywhere,” he said. The golf cart moment came when the players from lottery-bound teams “Just like Getz said: We’re also thinking about you. We’re disappointed were being asked, by Fleury, what they thought about taking part in a that this is going on just like you guys. We’d like to be back on the ice but tournament in which lottery teams would play for the No. 1 draft pick. obviously, now the most important thing is we got to stay safe. We got to get through this. “Social distancing is going to be huge. We’re talking about to flatten the curve. We got to do that. Health is the most important thing. To the first responders all over the world, kudos to you guys. Thanks for working this and keeping us safe.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181707 Arizona Coyotes “Least? I’ve got to go with Keller because he can’t cook, he doesn’t talk, he’s only playing Fortnite and I’m not really into that.”

Apart from searching for Netflix shows and staying in shape, Ekman- Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson idle in Arizona during coronavirus hiatus Larsson said he has been cooking more lately. Really, though, they’d all like to get back to hockey.

MATT LAYMAN “I hope that all the fans out there are safe and healthy,” he said. “Obviously, we wish that we were playing hockey right now, but this is MARCH 27, 2020 AT 7:52 PM more important that we slow this virus down and get back to living a normal life. We miss you guys.”

Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.28.2020 PHOENIX — Oliver Ekman-Larsson was on a webcam conference with three other Pacific Division captains and asked the group for Netflix recommendations.

“Been a lot of time on the Netflix,” Ekman-Larsson said Friday. “I’ve been watching a lot of Swedish TV shows that came out a couple months ago, so if you guys have any good ones, I would be happy to watch them.”

“Tiger King, you’ve got to watch that,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said.

“Oh my god, that show is nuts,” Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano chimed in.

Vancouver forward Bo Horvat spoke up: “I’ve heard nothing but crazy stuff about that show.”

“I don’t know if I’m up to that,” Ekman-Larsson said, “but I’ll give it a shot.”

That TV suggestions took up time in a conference call with media on Friday says much about where things are with sports and the world at large: idle. The “paused” earlier this moth as coronavirus has all but shut down the world as we know it, leaving players to isolate in their homes with teams having only a dozen or so games left in the regular season.

“I’m in Arizona right now,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I mean after all, I’m doing pretty good. I’d rather be playing hockey right now, but it is what it is and it’s more important that we get this virus better and everybody feeling good and being healthy. So holding up pretty good, but it’s hard to find ways to work out and stuff but it’s good.”

Horvat and his pregnant wife went home to . All four captains on the video chat were obviously in some sort of personal living quarters, as most people are lately. Each player had been navigating the complexities of staying in shape while at home.

“It’s hard. I think just trying to be moving around a little bit and trying to stay in shape,” Ekman-Larsson said. “But it’s tough. I’ve been running a lot and my trainer dropped a couple things off at the front door so I guess he wanted me to work out and get stronger. But yeah. Been alright. It’s hard when you’re used to working out with the team and your teammates. So it’s different for sure.”

Ekman-Larsson said he and his teammates had kept in touch, but not via the video sessions like he was having that moment with media.

“It’s more group chat and texts,” he said. “So it’s a lot of chirping going on in that group chat, so I’m actually thinking about deleting it because it’s a lot of weird pictures and stuff like that. But it’s a lot of fun. It keeps you busy at the same time and you kind of stay connected.”

Media weren’t given the chance to ask questions live, but instead submitted questions in advance for a moderator to read to the group. That, combined with the fact that it was players from different teams put into one press conference, made the format unsual — and prompted some unusual responses.

At one point, Giordano smirked while bringing up the battles he and Ekman-Larsson had this season, complaining that Ekman-Larsson may have caught him with a hit from behind. McDavid said Ekman-Larsson may have the best stick in the league, and the Coyotes captain ceded that “I feel like you never have the puck when [Horvat’s] on the ice.”

Another creative question amid the coronavirus circumstances: Which teammate would you most and least want to be in quarantine with?

“It’s a tough one. I think I’ve got to go with a Swede here, so I’ve got to go with Niklas Hjalmarsson, if I’ve got to pick one guy to be quarantined with,” Ekman Larsson said. “He’s a good guy and we can watch some Swedish TV shows. 1181708 Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron admits 'it's hard' not knowing if will happen

Nick Goss

March 27, 2020 10:14 AM

The Boston Bruins' window to win a Stanley Cup is the near future.

Many of the team's best players are approaching the end of their primes, including Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and others. Brad Marchand also is 31 years old. Bruins goalie (33) and Jaroslav Halak (34) have played a ton of games in their careers. B's captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara remains a very effective player, but he's 43 years old.

The Bruins aren't likely to have a ton more opportunities to win a championship with their veteran core.

Boston currently sits atop the NHL standings and ranks among the top contenders for the Stanley Cup. However, it's uncertain if the Bruins will get a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2020. The NHL a few weeks ago made the smart decision to pause the season amid the outbreak of the coronavirus. It was a necessary move to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved. The league on Wednesday announced the postponement of the 2020 NHL Draft, 2020 NHL Scouting Combine and 2020 NHL Awards.

The whole situation is further proof that there are more important things in life than playing sports. Still, it's tough for players in Bergeron's position who might not get too many more cracks at playoff glory. He addressed the scenario in a recent conversation with Sportsnet's .

“I think as you get older you realize that you need to make the most of every opportunity since they might not come by often," Bergeron said. "That being said, this is out of our control. What should be on our minds right now is everyone’s safety. Still, it is hard knowing that we have a great team, not certain if there will be a playoff and a Stanley Cup to compete for.”

The league seems determined to finish the season when/if appropriate. Here's what commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month:

Bettman says he believes “we will be able at some point to get through the season and award the Stanley Cup.”

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) March 13, 2020

If the 2019-20 season does resume, it's unclear what format will be used. It's possible a few regular season games could be played to finish out the playoff race. Maybe the league would go straight to the playoffs and perhaps expand the tournament to allow teams close to a playoff spot to participate. It's hard to predict what will happen because there's no precedent for this scenario.

What we do know is that if the season returns, the Bruins will be well- rested and highly motivated to give another strong push for the Stanley Cup, and Bergeron will be among the players leading that charge.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181709 Boston Bruins “That’s who they’re going against all the time,” Leach said of his three young centers’ older competition, citing opponents such as Hershey’s Philippe Maillet and Michael Sgarbossa, both 27 years old. “And they can Progress, interrupted: Prospect Oskar Steen’s promising development is handle it. They’ve done it all year. That does show something. We’re on hold excited about it. I can’t say we’ve had that many younger centermen play the roles they’re playing.”

Now, like everybody else, they must practice patience. Fluto Shinzawa The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 Mar 27, 2020

For Oskar Steen, the game was slowing down. The 85-foot-rinks that once felt stifling did not seem as claustrophobic. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Steen was hardening to the punishment that AHL strongmen itch to deliver. The shift from right wing back to center gave the right-shot Steen a bit more time to apply his processing power.

Then it all stopped.

It was already a challenging first North American season for Steen. The native of Karlstad, , was trying to rewire his brain, hands, legs and feet from the 100-foot-wide sheets they had once known. The natural center could not find traction on the right side. He was adjusting to life, language and culture in America.

Steen was starting to figure things out. By March 11, Providence’s final game before the AHL suspended its season, Steen had seven goals and 16 assists in 60 appearances. He was lining up behind Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic, his fellow centers-in-training.

“There’s certainly a difference the last 15 games than there has been. I think you see that a lot with European players,” Providence coach Jay Leach said on March 4. “Steener’s a very detailed guy. Once he gets his details down, he can play. It’s taken him a little while to get his details down. It’s a completely different game over here, rink, the way we play compared to the way he played over there.”

The Bruins drafted Steen in the sixth round in 2016. On March 2, 2015, former general manager Peter Chiarelli traded the sixth-round selection to Colorado with Jordan Caron for Max Talbot and Paul Carey. Two months later, once assumed command, the new GM reacquired the pick by giving Colorado the rights to negotiate with Carl Soderberg, a pending unrestricted free agent.

Steen was coming off a very good 2018-19 season in the Swedish Elite League. He recorded 17 goals and 20 assists in 46 games for Farjestads BK Karlstad, making him the No. 10 scorer in the league.

Such production, combined with his speed, agility, tenacity and shot, made the Bruins wonder whether he could lend a hand at right wing in Boston once he acclimated to the AHL. His skill set was similar to that of Karson Kuhlman, who had laid down the template of a Providence-to- Boston progression last season.

The difference was that Kuhlman grew up on 85-foot-wide rinks. He enjoyed four years of prep work at Minnesota-Duluth, where he won an NCAA title in 2018. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kuhlman scored 12 goals and 18 assists in 58 games for Providence in 2018-19.

All of this optimized Kuhlman for an NHL promotion. Steen, in comparison, was playing from behind.

The rate of Steen’s development did not proceed rapidly enough for an NHL recall this season. But the skills that have, at times, advanced disparately show promise of clicking in a more simultaneous fashion as Steen banks more reps.

If that happens, Steen could develop into a No. 3 NHL center who could shoot, distribute the puck and jostle bigger bodies. In that way, Steen shares some qualities with , the skilled and stocky Philadelphia captain.

“He’s always shown a willingness to get inside and skate,” Leach said. “He’s a smaller guy in stature. But he’s got some heft to him. He plays that style. Now we’re starting to see him make some plays. He’s one of our go-to guys on the kill as well. He’s coming too.”

Like all prospects, Steen is anxious to proceed to the varsity. He has company. Studnicka and Frederic, ahead of Steen on the depth chart and in their development, were knocking on the Boston door. 1181710 Buffalo Sabres

NHL Network programming to feature Sabres' two Winter Classic trips Saturday night

Mike Harrington

Fri, Mar 27, 2020

The NHL Network has scheduled seven hours of Sabres' Winter Classic programming for Saturday night, stretching from 5 p.m. to midnight.

The Sabres have appeared in two of the NHL's Jan. 1 showcases, losing the inaugural game in 2008 to Pittsburgh in a shootout at Ralph Wilson Stadium and dropping the 2018 game at Citi Field in Queens in to the New York Rangers.

The programming will include both NBC game broadcasts as well as NHL Network's orginial documentary on the 2008 game and the four-part reality series "Road to the 2018 Winter Classic" produced by the league and aired on NBC Sports Network.

The schedule looks like this:

5 p.m: Road to the 2018 Winter Classic Episode 1

5:30 p.m: Road to the 2018 Winter Classic Episode 2

6-8 p.m: 2018 NHL Winter Classic game broadcast

8 p.m.: Road to the 2018 Winter Classic Episode 3

8:30 p.m: Road to the 2018 Winter Classic Episode 4

9-10 p.m.: The First NHL Winter Classic: Hockey Goes Outside

10 pm.-midnight: 2008 NHL Winter Classic broadcast

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181711 Buffalo Sabres organization refurbished four rinks around Philadelphia. It also funds and administers programming for more than 3,000 boys and girls at nine locations.

Sabres' Wayne Simmonds the 'ultimate warrior' and 'one of the nicest The only player depicted in the mural is Simmonds, who is shown skating guys' with a group of children at a local rink. He immersed himself in the foundation's work shortly after arriving in Philadelphia via a trade from Los Angeles in June 2011. Simmonds accepted an invitation to join the Lance Lysowski foundation's board of directors and helped facilitate player participation at its annual celebrity golf outing. Fri, Mar 27, 2020 There were also many hours teaching children on the ice at local rinks.

Youth hockey players in the area would argue over who wore Simmonds' Zayde Wisdom wasn't alone during his journey to major junior hockey. No. 17, Tharp said.

His mother, Mairri McConnell, works multiple jobs, including sales at a Simmonds was still new to the city when he was invited to attend the garage door manufacturer. His father, Anies Wisdom, drove trucks. Any dedication of a rink in a predominately African-American community in discretionary income went toward their son's blossoming hockey career, North Philadelphia. Tharp recalled Simmonds driving himself to the rink and it often wasn't enough to foot the bills for an increasingly expensive and spending "hours" at the facility interacting with the children. sport. "I don’t think he was here for more than a month, barely settled in, and he Wisdom relied on used equipment and received help from the hockey would regularly visit the rinks and the facilities, the sites we operate on a community around Toronto, perhaps no assistance more important than daily basis," said Tharp. "Go on the ice with the kids or actually even he received one summer afternoon almost a decade ago in a crowded sometimes help them with homework. I can’t speak highly enough. ... gymnasium in Scarborough, Ont. Absolutely, he went above and beyond."

One of 150-plus children gathered in a community center for a Simmonds' ball hockey tournament, Wayne's Road Warriors, served a charitable ball hockey tournament, Wisdom received an award and, more similar purpose, helping children whose families did not have the impactful, a motivational message from the event's host: Buffalo Sabres financial means to pay for team registration and equipment. Participants winger Wayne Simmonds, an inspirational figure in the culturally diverse at the three-day event took home new equipment, including a helmet, community. hockey gloves and stick from the NHL Players' Association, as well as an overnight bag and water bottle from Bauer. "‘You’re going to be something one day, kid; keep going,'" recalled Wisdom, now a 17-year-old forward for the 's Simmonds invited various NHL players to attend the event, including his . close friend, Chris Stewart, a Scarborough native who played for the Sabres from 2013-15. The tournament was not held the past two From the ages 7 to 10, Wisdom attended three of Simmonds' six summers, as Simmonds and his wife, Crystal, got married and had their tournaments, where kids were greeted and coached by NHL players. first child. Lightly-used and new equipment was distributed to families in need. "When you grow up, you dream of making the NHL," Simmonds said. Simmonds, now 31, has used his platform as a well-respected NHL "But I don’t think you really know the impact you can have outside the player to try to make hockey accessible to everyone, no matter their game on people that are looking up to you. I think I realize now the socioeconomic background. Over his 12 NHL seasons, Simmonds has impact I had when I was doing (the tournament). It was obviously scored 251 regular-season goals while demonstrating passionate something I wanted to do, but I think when you sit back and actually pay leadership and an impenetrable loyalty toward teammates. attention --- I had kids who are now playing in the OHL that are going to be getting drafted this coming year. Kids that the parents, we take them His leadership and experience playing in important games are reasons to get equipment and the parents would be crying. Telling me, 'Thank why the Sabres acquired him from the at the trade you, thank you, thank you.' To me, it wasn’t a big deal. I was just doing deadline Feb. 24 for a conditional draft pick. what I thought I should do. The impact was great and it definitely makes Yet, for all he has accomplished on some of hockey's biggest stages, you feel good on the inside." Simmonds' greatest impact might be on the lives he has touched along Humble beginnings the way. The charitable mission began long before Simmonds was drafted in the "It was a very good experience because he was known, especially as a second round, 61st overall, by the in 2007. His black kid growing up wanting to make the NHL," said Wisdom, projected mother, Wanda, told him at a young age that he must give back to his to be selected in the next NHL draft after scoring 29 goals this season. "I community if he ever made it to the NHL. never really had a lot of role models to look up to. ... That little push and that extra – 'You’re going to be there one day' – it was an unreal feeling. Simmonds was one of six children in the family's household, and money was tight with all of them competing in sports. Wanda worked for the city "He helped me push myself more. There are times I still think about it. It’s of Toronto and Simmonds' father, Cyril, was in construction. one thing hearing it from your parents, but a guy who is already there and made it, coming from him it’s a whole different story." Like many children in Scarborough, Simmonds' parents purchased used equipment, and he was talented enough that teams would often take Immersed in Philly care of the registration fee. At 14 years old, he befriended Stewart, who Scott Tharp wasn't expecting his invitation to be accepted when he texted was forced to not play competitively for two years because the Simmonds last October, ahead of the forward's first game back in registration and equipment costs for he and his brother were too Philadelphia after playing eight seasons with the Flyers. expensive for his family.

Tharp, CEO of the Youth Hockey Foundation, asked "To say we came from humble beginnings would definitely be an Simmonds if he wanted to attend the dedication of a mural honoring understatement," said Stewart, now 32 and playing for the Flyers' Snider, late founder of the Flyers and chairman of Spectacor affiliate. "As much as he’s done for the game who died in April 2016. and in the game, personally, for me, it’s watching the man he’s become away from the rink. Everything he’s done for our community back home Moments later, Tharp received a response. has really solidified him in that neighborhood. That’s been the biggest pleasure for me, watching him transform in to the man he’s become "He said, 'What time? I’ll be there,'" Tharp recalled. "That shows you today." have immersed he was in everything going on in this city." The genesis of Simmonds' toughness on the ice can be traced to pee- The mural covers the side of a building at 10th Street and Snyder wee hockey when, as a 7-year-old, he developed a "pack-like mentality" Avenue in South Philadelphia. The most prominent image is of Snider with a group of teammates he would skate alongside until his talent speaking to six children at an event. In 2005, Snider formed the earned him an opportunity in major junior hockey. foundation to provide underprivileged children in Philadelphia and Camden N.J., with an opportunity to learn to play . The No one was going to mess with his teammates when Simmonds was on the ice, which remained the case through his time in the OHL and after he debuted with the Kings in 2008. He didn't back down inside his own dressing room, either.

Simmonds didn't adhere to old-school, unwritten rules about young players remaining quiet. His passionate expressions carried weight in a room filled with veteran players once he joined Philadelphia, and he quickly became a beloved sports figure in the city.

"He’s the ultimate warrior, I’ve always said it," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux ahead of a game against Simmonds and the Sabres. "He’s played through a lot and he’s not a heavy guy, but he can go against everybody. His attitude is contagious."

"We had a hell of a time, that’s for sure," added winger Jakub Voracek, a former teammate and close friend of Simmonds. "He had an amazing career here for the Flyers. Power forward who scores goals, fights, hits and he’s a good leader in the locker room. Obviously when he plays the game he plays as hard as he can. Off the ice, he’s an easy going guy. One of the nicest guys I know. That’s what makes him special."

Simmonds scored 203 regular-season goals over his eight years in Philadelphia, six of which included 20 or more goals. In 2017-18, Simmonds missed only seven games and scored 24 goals despite suffering a tear in his pelvic area, a fractured ankle, a pulled groin and a torn thumb ligament.

He served as an alternate captain. His work off the ice, including within the Philadelphia community, earned him the NHL's Leadership Award in 2019.

"It’s his character," Flyers forward said. "I think it’s the way he grew up. He’s been through a lot these past few years, injury- wise and stuff. He’s always battled through it. Always made sure he was out there giving it 100 percent no matter what. When you see that as a teammate, it makes everyone want to jump in and be like him."

Simmonds' emotional farewell from Philadelphia occurred in February 2019, when he delivered an impassioned dressing room speech following a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field. Two days later, Simmonds was traded to the and signed with the Devils last offseason.

Suddenly, Simmonds is on a mission to prove he is still an effective NHL player, and his performance in seven games with the Sabres made a strong impression on coach Ralph Krueger. Though Simmonds had only one assist, he created chaos around the opponent's net and provided Buffalo with the physical presence the team has lacked in recent seasons.

Simmonds, like the rest of his Sabres teammates, is awaiting word on whether he has played his final game of the season. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July and isn't sure where he will call home next season. His preference is to make a difference in Buffalo.

"Definitely," said Simmonds of his interest in returning next season. "Nothing is ever out of the question. It’s whether they want me or not, I guess. I think we have a great group of guys. ... They’re very welcoming, and I think we were three or four days in and I felt like I was comfortable. I was at home."

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181712 At 36, Giordano grew up in the era that Richard Simmons had folks sweating to the oldies. He has limited cardio and workout equipment at home, but that hasn’t been a problem.

Flames captain Giordano holds out hope for ‘one of the best playoffs “A lot of push-ups and old-school exercises,” said Giordano, who remains ever’ in Calgary and is self-isolating with his wife and two children. “I think as long as you put in a good half-hour or hour a day, you’ll maintain a lot of what you have with even just simple body-weight exercises. Wes Gilbertson “For us, I think the main thing is we want to be on the ice. That’s the part March 27, 2020 3:50 PM MDT that sucks right now — we can’t get into our skates and on the ice. So try to find a lot of different, creative ways to stay active. It’s hard to motivate

yourself some days, but you try to do it as early in the morning and get it Joining a hat-trick of Pacific Division foes Friday on a media video over with.” conference, Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano couldn’t resist a And how about filling the rest of the day? friendly dig at speed demon Connor McDavid and fellow forward Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks. Giordano joked that the closest he gets to video-gaming is watching his son, Jack, play Nintendo Switch. This is brand new to the NHL’s Battle of — virtual, socially- distanced trash-talk. With the help of Hello Fresh, he whipped up a chicken stir fry the other night, although he’d admittedly rather not cook because he hates the Joining a hat-trick of Pacific Division foes Friday on a media video clean-up. conference, Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano couldn’t resist a friendly dig at Edmonton Oilers speed demon Connor McDavid and And the Flames’ group text is, apparently, never dull. fellow forward Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks. “Some ridiculous pictures and texts and stuff going on,” Giordano said. “I don’t know why everyone thinks they’re so quick,” Giordano teased, “I’d say Zac Rinaldo and Big Looch (Milan Lucic) are the two that get the tongue-in-cheek. “I think they’re actually kind of slow, especially Connor. chat going every day. And once one guy starts it, it never stops. Your So it’s kind of tough to adjust my gaps. I have to slow it down, I guess, phone buzzes the whole day. I’ve been having trouble keeping my out there.” battery, keeping my phone alive, because there are so many texts coming in. The sports world, of course, has slowed to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But it’s great that we have this, honestly,” he added, McDavid and others listening through their Zoom meet-up. “We have this technology now It’s now been two-plus weeks since the NHL suspended its season. It’s where you can FaceTime, you can do all this stuff and at least somewhat clear the action won’t resume anytime soon. stay connected. So we’ve done that.” “There’s no other way to say it — it’s frustrating sometimes for us, it’s Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.28.2020 disappointing,” Giordano said on Friday’s video conference, one of a series of Zoom sessions arranged by the NHL’s media relations department. “But we have to do what’s right and I think being leaders on our team and in our community, that goes a long way.

“And if we can ever get back to playing, I think this is going to be one of the best playoffs ever because every team is going to have all their guys healthy and ready to go. You’re truly going to be playing the best version of every team, I think.”

That, McDavid countered, might not last.

With bad blood brewing between the Flames and Oilers, fans have been dreaming of a long-overdue spring showdown between the provincial rivals.

When the action was paused, the Oilers were sitting second in the Pacific Division race with 83 points. The Flames were third, with 79.

However, if the remainder of the regular season was cancelled and the final standings were sorted by point percentage, the Flames would slide into a wild-card slot.

Giordano suggested one solution might be an expanded playoff format — 12 qualifiers from each conference, with the top teams getting a first- round bye.

“We want a fair season, and a fair season is a full season. If we can go do that, that’s what we would obviously prefer,” McDavid said. “I don’t think we can just step into playoffs and Game 1, Calgary come Edmonton and guys are just running around killing each other and we haven’t played a game in two months. It would end up the against the , if that’s the case.

“We want to keep guys healthy and we want to make sure that everyone is up and ready to playoff hockey. Like Gio said earlier, if we can get back to playing, I think it could be some of the best playoffs we’ve ever seen.”

That’s what everyone is hoping for, and that’s why the skating stars are doing whatever they can think of to stay in shape despite not being allowed to report to the rink.

McDavid revealed on Friday’s video conference that he and longtime- NHLer-turned-trainer Gary Roberts might release home-workout videos. 1181713 Calgary Flames been fun at the same time — I respect him a lot. Obviously, a really good . A guy I look up to.

So I don’t miss the battles right now. It’s kind to relax in the sun a little bit. Mark Giordano weighs in: Pushups, rivalries, binge shows and playoff plans Giordano: Well, yeah, what Oliver means is when he crushed me a couple times — one time I thought it was from behind, so we sort of got into it there.

Scott Cruickshank Ekman-Larsson: From the side, I would say. Pretty clean.

Mar 27, 2020 Giordano: Arizona, I mean, every time you play them, you know what you’re getting. You’re getting that stingy defence and I think they’ve added a lot of young skill. So they’re a real tough out. Well-established is Mark Giordano’s peerless commitment to fitness. The other two (panellists), the two forwards — I don’t know why everyone Which was not always the case. Once upon a time, as an undrafted, thinks they’re so quick. I think they’re actually kind of slow, especially unsigned, unknown attending the Calgary Flames’ development camp, Connor. So it’s kind of tough to adjust my gaps … I’ve got to slow it down he was top-heavy and, well, heavy. a bit.

But that all changed. Horvat: You’re talking about me.

As part of his DIY career arc — from a rookie barely staying out of the Giordano: In all honesty, it’s been great. I think all our teams … we’re ECHL to a 35-year-old laying claim to the Norris Trophy — Giordano super competitive now, the ’s back. But I also think we’re embraced proper conditioning and proper nutrition. The Toronto native, huge rivals with Arizona and Vancouver. We’re all right there together, at the past six camps, has placed first, first, first, second (to Michael bunched in, battling, so it’s been a fun year. Frolik), second (to Frolik again) and first in team fitness testing. We definitely have some heated battles. Like Oliver said, sometimes it’s So, for a devoted guy like Giordano, now what? nice to get a break from that. Hopefully we get going again and bring it right back. With the NHL pausing for the coronavirus pandemic, with a return to the ice still a possibility, with no access to training facilities, with little gym Which teammate would you most want to be quarantined with? Which equipment in his house, how does he ensure his levels of readiness? teammate would you least want to be quarantined with? How does he work out these days? Horvat: Most quarantined with? I’ll go with (Brandon) Sutter. Him and I Squats with wife Lauren on his back? are pretty close and share similar interests and stuff like that. And least? I’m going to have to go with (Jake) Virtanen. I always like getting under Curls with the vacuum cleaner? Burpees in the rumpus room? his skin and chirping him — that’s all I’m going to say about that. The Flames blueliner — as part of Friday’s video conference call with Giordano: Me and (Sean) Monahan are pretty tight off the ice. We train three other Pacific Division captains (Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, together in the summer and we’ve developed a pretty good relationship, Vancouver’s Bo Horvat, Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson) — replied from so I’ll go with him. We have a lot of the same interests. Probably the guy his Calgary home, where he and his family are practising self-isolation. I’d least want to be with is David Rittich. He crushes a lot of Pepsi and “I don’t have too much here — a few cardio machines — (because) we’re pop, so I would have to load up for him. And half the time he’s yelling at so used to having that resource at the rink,” said Giordano. “So I’ve been me on the ice and trying to say things to me and I have no idea what he’s doing a lot of bodyweight stuff when it comes to strength and all that. A saying. So I’ll go with Ritter. lot of pushups and old-school exercises. Ekman-Larsson: That’s a tough one. I’ve got to go with a Swede here, so “As long as you put in a good half-hour to an hour a day, you can I’m going to go with Niklas Hjalmarsson if I had to pick one guy to be maintain a lot of what you have with just simple bodyweight exercises. quarantined with. He’s a good guy and we can watch Swedish TV shows. For us, the main thing is, we want to be on the ice. That’s the part that Least, I’ve got to go with (Clayton) Keller because he can’t cook, he sucks right now — we can’t get our skates and get on the ice. I’m trying doesn’t talk, he’s only playing Fortnite. I’m not really into that. to find a lot of different creative ways to stay active. McDavid: I’ll probably go with Nursie. He’s a guy I’ve lived with before “It’s hard to motivate yourself some days, but I try to do it as early as and, obviously, I’ve known him a long time as well. A guy I’m real possible in the morning and get it over with.” comfortable with. I know the ins and outs of his life and he knows the same about mine. Least? I’ll probably have to go with (Zack Kassian). In similar boats, of course, are the other three representatives. He’s just got too much energy. He’s go go go, constantly. That’s not what you’re looking for when you have to be trapped in a house all day. I Horvat, back in his native Ontario, has a fully stocked gym. To stay trim, obviously love Kass, but a little too much energy for a two-week McDavid goes for runs in Edmonton with teammate Darnell Nurse. quarantine. “We keep our six-feet distance — we don’t get any closer than that,” the Everybody wants to know about the Battle of Alberta. Is it fun? Are you Oilers star said. “We’re doing everything we can to stay ready.” enjoying it? Added Ekman-Larsson: “It’s tough. I’ve been running a lot. My trainer Giordano: Yeah, for sure. What’s happened is both teams, we’re both in dropped a couple things off at the front door, so I guess he wanted me to those playoff spots. For a lot of my career, it wasn’t like that. This is so work out and get stronger. But it’s harder when you’re used to working much better. This is so much better for the game and a lot more fun to out with the team. Different, for sure.” play in those games. We’ve had some good ones this year, so hopefully During the 35-minute online gab session — which looked a little like the we’ll keep that going. Hollywood Squares set — NHL vice-president of communications John McDavid: Like Mark said, we’ve had lots of games (in the past) where Dellapina, in the role of Peter Marshall, moderated, handpicking from a they’ve been pretty meaningless. This year, obviously, with the games pile of pre-submitted questions from reporters. being so tight … fans always get into it. They’re always lots of fun. This From the roundtable format, there was variety, a little levity, a bit of year they’ve been pretty wild. We’ll get back playing here and maybe awkwardness. Here’s a sampling, including a lovely display of deadpan we’ll even see them in the playoffs. That would be pretty fun. from Giordano on the topic of on-ice rivalries with the other three The Flames captain is asked about the state of his team going into the panellists. After McDavid and Horvat offer mutual respect, it’s the NHL pause, compared to this time last season. defencemen’s turn at the mic. Giordano: Last year we got off to this great start and we were sort of Ekman-Larsson: Connor made me look bad a couple times — or a lot of coasting in, and it just didn’t feel like we were playing those type of times — this season already so I don’t miss that. And Mark and me, playoff-atmosphere games that you need going into playoffs. I think it we’ve kind of had our battles over the years. (Giordano cackles.) It’s hurt us a bit. If we do get in this year, we’re going to have to go on a great run and be playing our best hockey. The pause … there’s no other way to say it — it’s frustrating sometimes for us, it’s disappointing. But, again, we have to do what’s right. I think being leaders on our team and in our communities, that goes a long way.

As far as the break, I think if we can ever get back to playing, I think this is going to be one of the best playoffs ever because every team is going to have all their guys healthy. You’re truly going to be playing the best version of every team.

So I’m looking forward to hopefully getting through this as a community, as a group of NHLers, then we’ll be in for some pretty good hockey, I think.

How do we restart this season? What kind of playoffs do you want to have?

McDavid: You’d want a fair season — and a fair season is a full season. If we can do that, that’s obviously what we’d prefer. I don’t think we can just step into playoffs and (for) Game 1, Calgary comes to Edmonton, and guys just run around and kill each other (when) you haven’t played a game in two months. It’ll end up being the Stockton Heat vs. the Bakersfield Condors, if that’s the case. We want to keep guys healthy and we want to make sure everyone’s up and ready to play some playoff hockey. Like Gio said earlier, if we can get back to playing, it can be some of the best playoffs you’ve ever seen, where everyone’s healthy, everyone’s rested.

Giordano: You know what? I’ve thought a lot about this. In a perfect world, you want to play the regular season out and let it play out — whoever gets in, gets in. I don’t think realistically we’re going to have that time.

The best one I’ve heard is … you go 12 and 12 (squads qualifying from each conference) and more teams get in this year and maybe a couple byes at the top and play it out.

I think it’s going to be tough, too, to just jump into a playoff game (for your) first game. Even if we could get a couple (regular season games) in before that, it would be nice. But we’ll see how long this lasts.

Who are the guys just bombarding you with texts and group chats?

Giordano: Some ridiculous pictures and texts going on. I’d say Zac Rinaldo and big Looch are the two that get the chat going every day. Once one guy starts it, it never stops. Your phone just buzzes the whole day. I’m having trouble keeping my phone alive because there’s so many texts coming in … but it’s great that we have this, honestly. We have this technology now where you can FaceTime and do all this stuff and at least somewhat stay connected. We’ve done that. And our team has been giving us updates through emails … but not much has really changed. It’s been weird times, but at least we have this.

TV shows you’re binging right now?

Ekman-Larsson: There’s been a lot of time on Netflix. I’ve been watching a lot of Swedish TV shows that came out a few months ago. So if you guys have any good ones, I’d be happy to watch them.

McDavid: “Tiger King,” you’ve got to watch that.

Giordano: Oh my god, that show …

Ekman-Larsson: Is that one good?

Giordano: Yeah, “Tiger King.” Crazy.

Horvat: I’ve heard nothing but crazy stuff about that show.

Ekman-Larsson: I don’t know if I’m up for that, but I’ll give it a shot.

Giordano: You’ll like it. Trust me, buddy. It’s the weirdest stuff I’ve seen in a long time.

Music to get you through this?

Giordano: Oh god, I’m old. I’m a big Pearl Jam guy. I’m from Toronto (so) I don’t mind Drake and stuff like that, but I’m more Pearl Jam and Nirvana. That was my stuff growing up. I’m more of a rock-alternative type of guy.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181714 Calgary Flames As someone from a generation that was taught an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, I was totally on board with the need to take precautionary steps in uncertain times.

Duhatschek: On media restrictions, the way it used to be and a new way Public health issues should – and do – trump all else. If it added a little forward stress to the news-gathering process, so be it.

In my mind, the new temporary guidelines didn’t materially change Eric Duhatschek anything really in terms of genuine access to players. The sort of real and unfettered access we enjoyed many years ago had incrementally Mar 27, 2020 disappeared over time.

But it also got me thinking.

In the 1985-86 NHL season, the Calgary Flames made an unexpected Does it have to always be this way? Or can we use this pause in the run to the Stanley Cup final against the Canadiens, a matchup action to make fundamental changes that improve upon current methods that featured two sensational rookie netminders, and Mike and practices? Vernon. Remember, back in 2004-05, when the NHL lost an entire season But until Vernon arrived on the scene midway through that year, because of a labour squabble, the one positive that emerged from the Calgary’s mainstay in goal was Rejean Lemelin, who had a fabulous darkness was how the league and the players jointly took a deeper, back story – a career minor-leaguer, from a family of six in City closer look at the game during the absence of hockey – to see if there who had finally found a place in the NHL as a starting . were ways to make improvements. When play resumed the following Lemelin was a popular figure in Calgary in those days – serenaded with season, some of the recommendations made during the so-called “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie” whenever he made a big save. Shanahan Summit were adopted. Overall, the game is in a far better place now because of the changes made then. You wonder if something Our professional lives were a lot different in those days. NHL teams flew similar can take place here – and if during this absolutely necessary on commercial airlines and the reporters covering the teams flew with suspension of business as usual, is it possible to discuss changes that them. It was a far more informal era when it came to player access. might facilitate greater, real communication between players and Travelling together gave you a chance to know the players and – just as reporters? importantly – also gave them the chance to know you. I’m not naïve enough to think the genie could be completely put back into If you ever needed to speak to a player for a deeper look into their lives the bottle – or that we can go back in time and restore the methods and and times, usually, you just went ahead and arranged the interview practices of the . yourself. For example, that year, just before the Flames made a stop in his hometown of Quebec City, I asked Lemelin if we could visit his old But I do believe that NHL teams can re-evaluate their media goals and neighborhood together, so I could see where he grew up (and meet and become a little less sensitive to what they perceive to be negative (or speak to his parents). Lemelin agreed. It wasn’t all that big or even neutral) coverage. In short, they need to encourage players to tell complicated a negotiation. their stories more willingly and show more of their personalities. Believe me, they’re there – and you see glimpses of it sometimes. You just need On the off-day between games, we went out to his childhood home and to see those personalities bubble to the surface more frequently. walked around the neighbourhood. Lemelin pointed out the rink where he played outdoors as a boy and also, the new indoor arena which had Because if nothing changes when normalcy returns, then the larger issue subsequently been built – thus diminishing the amount of outdoor hockey remains – and the interaction between players and reporters will be the that the newest generation played. After, we stopped in to visit his same stilted song-and-dance that must drive hockey fans crazy too. And parents, who were unilingual Francophones, so Reggie translated. Later, believe me, I genuinely do have some sympathy with the players here. he spoke about how growing up in Quebec, there weren’t any Chinooks to briefly break the grip of winter as there are in Calgary. If you happened Postgame, if they are peering into a phalanx of cameras and tape to play goal, that could mean a lot of standing around in frigid recorders – many held by people they don’t recognize at all – why would temperatures. Therefore, when playing outdoors as a teenager, Lemelin they say anything colourful or enlightening under those circumstances? usually played forward. It’s safer to dumb down the answers until it’s just a dull recitation of meaningless hockey speak. You hear it all the time: “Get pucks deep.” It ended up being a good interview and a good human-interest feature for “Get traffic to the net.” “Work harder.” “Work smarter.” It makes you want my newspaper’s Sunday magazine supplement. Lemelin’s career had to scream. been short-circuited by several events beyond his control, including the folding of the WHA, which allowed Pat Riggin to sign a contract with the Practice days tend to be marginally better. Usually, players see more Flames, pushing Lemelin further down the depth chart. He was familiar faces in the crowd on off days. Not many, but some players still also in the organization when the Flames briefly signed goaltender Jim do linger in the dressing room to chat – and otherwise interact and Craig after the 1980 . Lemelin’s was a remarkable story exchange banter with the reporters that cover the team daily. It’s a about persistence in the wake of career challenges. mixture though – and a lot of times, in a lot of markets, the gathering is dominated by in-house media employed by the teams themselves that I retell that anecdote today mostly to illustrate how completely operate with a directive to send out a consistent, and mostly upbeat unremarkable the newsgathering for that story was. Nowadays, the message to its fanbase. protocols for the sort of longer interview I did with Lemelin would have to be cleared through about six different layers of a team’s communications This – rather than actual dressing room access – is a far larger issue to and hockey operations departments. Back then, I don’t even think me: How NHL teams – and really all major sports teams – have anyone in the Flames’ organization was even aware that Lemelin and I increasingly tried to control the message. were talking back and forth on a major feature story. It was just the two of Generally, teams will always want to put the most positive spin possible us, working out the logistics. For most people in the organization, the first on everything that may happen. I get that. If you’re winning, great. time they were aware of the story was on the day it was actually Winning takes care of everything. If you’re losing, well, there are always published. prospects to focus on – or the draft lottery. The sun will eventually shine A lot of events moved very quickly this month before the NHL finally again. And let’s face it, there are a lot of uplifting stories in hockey – and suspended play indefinitely to await further developments in the wake of generally speaking, in-house media do a good job of telling them. the coronavirus outbreak. For a brief time, one of the early preventative Where things falter is at the other end of the story-telling spectrum. measures that the league put in place was to close dressing rooms to Internally, on team – or even the NHL’s own – websites there isn’t a lot of reporters and any other non-essential staff. The goal was to create a discussion on the more contentious topics: concussion issues or physical space between reporters and players, in the hopes that if officiating or anything that remotely resembles bad news. anyone in the vicinity happened to be carrying the virus, it reduced the chances of it being transmitted any further. It’s all sweetness and light.

Even if the leagues may privately detect a problem that needs to be addressed, they like to handle things internally – away from prying eyes. Bad news is usually bad for business – and if there’s one thing that Because how do people grow? consistently marks Gary Bettman’s reign as commissioner, from the beginning until today, it is this: he hates things that are bad for business. Only when something gets their attention in an immediate and forceful way. And if you can at all minimize the contact reporters have with players, coaches and general managers, it is far easier to limit the meaningful There’s a part of me that thinks I’m clutching at straws here, and then information they can gather – or unearth the issues where somebody’s there’s another part of me that believes everyone is capable of becoming feet need to be held to the fire. more introspective and aware in difficult, disruptive times. The NHL is currently conducting a series of conference calls with a handful of players If the goal is to serve the hockey consumer, there has to be a better way on Zoom, and the players – for the most part – seem pretty engaged. of doing things than the system that’s evolved. Nick Foligno, , Alex Ovechkin, P.K. Subban on NHL media One of the things that social distancing has prompted the return of is the call on March 26, 2020, during the pause for the COVID-19 pandemic. telephone interview. (Screenshot by The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir)

Me? I love the telephone interview because it’s just two people talking. The appetite for stories on how the NHL’s rank-and-file coped with the And here’s a slight change that I’ve already noticed. For the first time in a coronavirus will be high once play resumes – and players may even be long time, some of the people I’m interviewing are engaging as if it’s a eager to share their experiences. real conversation. They’re asking: “How are you coping?” “How are you doing?” It’s so refreshing. It’s so old-fashioned. They even seem to have Hopefully, once we’re past that early honeymoon stage, relationships can more time to linger after the official Q&A is finished. continue to evolve and better dialogue becomes a new fact of life in the NHL’s return-to-play world. Because, frankly, and unhappily, most of Everywhere you turn these days, there seems to be a new level of what’s said in dressing rooms on an average day consists of banal and courtesy between people, a greater sense that we’re all in this together, a trite remarks that could easily go unspoken. better understanding that if we pay a little more attention to what the other person might be going through, it will pay dividends for society at Nowadays, it’s risky even to ask a probing question within a group setting large. Maybe it’ll even be sustainable when normalcy returns. because too often, you’ll discover that within the hour, the team has posted the entire exchange on its own website. Today, I was thinking back to a time – in the 1993-94 season – when that was far more common. I was on the road with the Flames and got food That can get tricky. That becomes a challenge. poisoning in Boston. I was suffering desperately on the flight to Montreal For the longest time, my preferred tactic in the current era has been to where the Flames were set to play the Canadiens the next night – and wait out the masses as long as possible so that my colleagues can barely made it the hotel room. It soon became clear I couldn’t leave that dispense with the daily updates they need to do their jobs. Ideally, once room anytime soon either. that’s completed, they disperse elsewhere and it’s only you and the But unless you were hospitalized, newspaper deadlines and demands coach – or you and the player. Even if you only get a few extra minutes, were unwavering – and you had to file something every day. What to do? there’s value in knowing that your exchange is private and isn’t going out My solution was to contact the Canadiens’ public relations director, minutes later on social media. Donald Beauchamp, to explain my plight. I asked him if he could put But even that is getting increasingly difficult to manage. Canadiens’ coach on the phone for me, just so I could file something – anything – to my paper. Earlier this season, I was in Los Angeles for a Sharks-Kings’ game and wanted to get a few moments alone with Peter DeBoer, who was still He agreed. But when Demers called, before I could get to my questions, coaching in San Jose. I’d been working away at a story I called the he had a question for me: What was it like for Calgary the year after they Patience Project. won the Stanley Cup (1989)? And did it take the team a long time to sort things out? My answer was yes. They started the year on a 17-day tour Pretty much everyone had eventually left the scrum, so now it was just of the and Russia. A handful of players picked up a bug DeBoer and I going back and forth, probably for less than two minutes. they couldn’t shake for months. What was an elite team the year before But he gave a couple of pretty good answers that I was planning to file (117 points), wasn’t much good until Christmas. Demers digested that away – or I was until I got back to the press room at Staples Center, and said something similar was happening with the Canadiens – and about a 90-second walk. spoke about the challenge of getting everybody going again after their There, I discovered a message from Kevin Kurz, our Sharks 1993 Stanley Cup run. I filed the story, didn’t think much of it either way correspondent. Kevin, who wasn’t in L.A. at the game, said in his and went back to bed. message: That was a good answer Pete gave you. Are you writing The next day, I gingerly made my way to the Forum and the first person I something off that? saw in the media room was Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette. Red was Puzzled, I answered, no, it was for a down-the-road story – and by the mad (sort of, in that Red Fisher way). He told me he’d been trying to get way, how did you happen to see the exchange? Because I thought Demers to say something similar for a while, but Demers never quite laid everyone else had drifted away by then. It turns out, no. The cameras it out as eloquently as he did for me. He wasn’t happy that he had to read hadn’t stopped rolling – and our last exchange ended up going out over it in an out-of-town (albeit sister) publication. the air, live on the Sharks’ postgame show. But that’s why one-on-one access can be so valuable. Sometimes, you Sometimes, you can’t win … no matter how hard you try. set out to do one story and then something is said in the interview that triggers an interesting anecdote and sends you down an unexpected The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 reporting path. And of course, players used to be far more present in the dressing room once practice or games ended. The opportunity to speak to a player one-on-one was just a regular, undisputed part of our daily working lives. Once upon a time, teams tried a little harder to make that happen – or at the very least, didn’t stand in the way when it occurred organically. There was none of this, “last question for Sidney Crosby” stuff that happens all the time now.

I wonder too if some athletes might emerge from the current pause with a differing view of the world. Nowadays, NHL players spend about nine months out of every calendar year living in the bubble, where somebody is always taking care of their every need. It doesn’t even remotely resemble real life. With social distancing, that professional sports bubble has burst, and the players are all out in the real world, fending for themselves and learning to handle things on their own the way everyday people do.

If a percentage becomes more aware and more empathetic to the world outside their bubble, that could be a good thing. 1181715 Chicago Blackhawks "And that's where the emotion really comes from sometimes when things don't go my way or our way. It's kind of this balancing act towards having patience knowing that we're working our way back towards getting to that Jonathan Toews gives candid assessment of where Blackhawks are at level."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020

Scott King

March 27, 2020 5:14 PM

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hadn't spoken with media since before the NHL pause went into effect on March 12 amid concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The center appeared on NBC's Today Show Thursday morning to give a special birthday message to a fan. He also donated $100,000 through his foundation to a COVID-19 response fund on Thursday.

Toews appeared on Friday's episode of the Dropping the Gloves podcast hosted by former Hawk John Scott.

He was asked a variety of questions by Scott during the interview that lasted the entire episode, spanning almost 30 minutes.

At one point, Scott asked Toews to evaluate the Hawks' season with the mindset as if it had already concluded.

"It's tough because I think, one: our older guys like Kaner and Duncs and Seabs and Crow and myself, I think you kind of get comfortable with your ways and how you do things over the years. So there's definitely been an adjustment for the veteran guys and the guys that are considered leaders as part of the core group in Chicago," Toews said on the podcast.

"I think you definitely have to grow and you have to adapt and part of that has just been kind of reassessing how we lead the team and what our daily approach has been like. Because it's this kind of separation between a lot of the young guys that come in that never played a playoff game before and have to learn a lot of the little things.

"On the other hand, sometimes, as they say, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks', so it's hard to get out of your comfort zone and be a little bit more aware of the things that you're doing, be a little bit more aware of the example that you're setting and how you interact with some of these younger guys.

"So we've definitely had to take a look at ourselves in the mirror and think about all the little details of how we can do things better and how we can lead better. And I think that's a constant process to learn and get better in that sense.

"But there's been times too where as a team we show a ton of potential and a ton of promise where we can easily go on a three, four, five game win streak and all of a sudden everyone's 'riding the roller coaster', as we say, nice and high and we're looking like a team that can contend in the playoffs, and all of a sudden after that we'll lose another two, three or four straight and the feeling is completely the opposite. So it was kind of a tough season because it was a lot of highs and lows in that sense. Definitely a lot of learning in there through all of this."

The three-time Stanley cup champion with Chicago was also asked about how he's tempered expectations heading into the last couple seasons where the Blackhawks don't have the same caliber group as when they were making long playoff runs.

"You know what John, it's hard because I think in your mind you're constantly pitting whatever you're going through against the experience of winning a Stanley Cup and being on a team where things are clicking and every guy wants the exact same thing and you don't really have to do . . . the word 'babysitting' sounds wrong, but you're not really worried about every single little detail. You can just do your own thing and go out there and compete every single night.

"So you got that in the back of your mind and that's the expectation and then on the other hand, you have to be extremely patient because there's baby steps that this team needs to take towards getting back to that level. So at least for myself, I kind of catch myself between, not necessarily being too complacent, but also kind of tempering my expectations, but on the other side, being extremely competitive, saying, 'Why shouldn't we have those really high expectations of ourselves?' 1181716 Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews saves young fan's birthday plans to see a Blackhawks game

Stephanie Stremplewski

March 27, 2020 11:46 AM

If your birthday month is either March, April or possibly May, you may feel a little cheated since the pandemic.

A young Blackhawks fan named Declan had planned on spending his seventh birthday at the United Center, but the party plans were blocked by the quarantine.

On Thursday, Jonathan Toews appeared on NBC's "The Today Show" during its #WithYouToday segment, which features video chats with viewers and celebrities sharing their current at-home activities.

A 7-year-old @NHLBlackhawks fan had his birthday plans to see a game cancelled but captain @JonathanToews went on @TODAYshow to assure him they'd be rescheduled.https://t.co/IlRsNLcUrU

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) March 27, 2020

In the early part of Toews' chat, "Today" host Hoda Kotb mentioned the cancellation of Declan's birthday plans and said they contacted the Blackhawks regarding the predicament.

Toews went on to appear on-screen wishing Declan a happy seventh birthday, telling the young fan to consider his plans a raincheck and assure his visit to the United Center will still happen.

"The Today Show" found out about Declan's predicament after the boy's grandmother, Donna Dassie, reached out to the show. She even filmed Declan's reaction to the video. The Blackhawks caught wind of the reaction and tweeted out an additional birthday message.

Happy Birthday Declan!

Hope this message from @JonathanToews made your day a little brighter https://t.co/qS1Sjd5v9M

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 26, 2020

I think it's safe to say Toews definitely made that little guy's day.

The Blackhawks captain also donated $100,000 to the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund through the Jonathan Toews Foundation.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181717 Chicago Blackhawks

The 10 most under-appreciated Blackhawks players since 2000

Matthew Rooney

March 27, 2020 11:38 AM

The Chicago Blackhawks have an illustrious history as an Original Six team. They have six Stanley Cup wins and a slew of iconic players, including Stan Mikia, , Dennis Savard and .

More recently, during a six season stretch that netted the franchise three more Stanley Cups, fans have been blessed with even more talent like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, , Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and others.

With so many big namers and stars, some players are bound to miss the spotlight. It doesn't make them underrated, just underappreciated.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181718 Chicago Blackhawks “I can remember very vividly the day that I found out that, you know, I got a phone call that Vegas was going in a different direction and that they weren’t gonna have us back for the season,” he said. “Your head starts Need some positivity? Blackhawks rinkside reporter Nick Gismondi can to spin. We’ve all been in that spot where you think you know what you’re provide about to be doing and then all of a sudden your world kind of collapses.

“And I was at a good friend of mine’s house, former NHL player, actually Eric Lacroix, was over at his house for dinner with him and his family, Scott Powers and that’s when I had gotten a phone call from Vegas. And I walked outside and I took the phone call. I walked back inside and he saw it on Mar 27, 2020 my face right away. He goes, ‘Oh, did they not bring you back?’ And I go, ‘No.’ He goes, ‘OK,’ and I go, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘All right, let’s have dinner, we’ll figure it out, buddy.’ And that was kind of like my moment where it’s It might be bad form to start an interview by admitting you were originally like, yeah, you know, we will. We’re going to figure it out. Like everything skeptical of the subject. is gonna be all right. We’ll get it dialed in.

It’s what I told Nick Gismondi, though. “You know me being a positive guy that I am, and I know I catch a lot of flack for that sometimes, but me being the positive guy took a moment The Blackhawks’ rinkside reporter was quarantined in his home. I and I had about a 10-minute pity party where I was a little bit doom and was in Chicago. I wanted a truthful conversation, and that included me gloom. But then I did, I thought, all right, you know what, you’re going to being honest. So, I told him I was unsure about him at first. figure this out. You’ll figure this out. We’ll figure it out. My dad always To be fair, that was partly on me. It usually takes me some time to warm used to say to us, everything’s OK in the end, and if it’s not OK, it’s not up to people. I tend to be introverted and wary of people who I find the end. So, you know, for me, I just go back on that.” initially overfamiliar. I don’t necessarily like that about myself, but it is Gismondi thought he’d land on his feet somewhere in sports what it is. Gismondi, who is affectionately known as Gismo by most, is broadcasting considering his versatility, but he understood a return to the complete opposite. He’s super friendly, super positive and super hockey could take time. There are only so many jobs to go around. He outgoing … all the time. found out in August about his Golden Knights position, and the season Some of that is his job with NBC Sports Chicago and the Blackhawks. was right around the corner. He’s there to be upbeat and fun. His questions to players and coaches Luck was on his side this time. NBC Sports Chicago and the Blackhawks are meant to result in positive answers. He’s knowledgeable about had an opening and his name was brought up to them. The next thing he hockey — he played himself — and could certainly get a quality response knew he was talking to the Blackhawks and soon after hired. if he pinpointed something negative and asked about it, but that’s not his role. He’s the person everyone is supposed to like. Since then, Gismondi says it’s all been a dream come true. He mentioned about 100 people within the Blackhawks and NBC Sports But he’s not just some team puppet, as I probably unfairly assumed early Chicago he’s thankful for. He’s also been grateful to the people in on. His optimism, friendliness and enthusiasm are real. But I didn’t really Chicago who have welcomed him with open arms. get that until we had a more serious conversation about his career a few months back. Earlier this week, we talked for nearly an hour, and that “The amount of people that come up and the ‘Gismos,’ the pats on the gave me an even greater understanding of him and his outlook on life. back and all that, it means a lot to me because honestly, I think the biggest thing that I was worried about coming into this season was “You know, it’s funny, I think a lot of people have that reaction to me,” knowing that I was stepping into a giant sports market who absolutely said Gismondi, who turns 39 next week. “I think a lot of people have that loves their team, and you see that every night because there’s 21,000 reaction to me sort of right off the bat, and I get it because I think we are people there, but I was nervous coming into being the new guy,” he said. in a world right now that unfortunately is and the times that we’re in even “And I think for me, a lot of the season was just proving that to a fan base kind of exacerbate that, but everybody’s always a little bit skeptical. But I and proving to the organization and proving to the city that, hey, listen, I don’t think that’s the sort of thing that upsets me, but that just it bums me love it here, I want to be here, and this is an unreal place. And I wanted out, because I’ve learned way too often that life is short and that it to earn their respect and their trust, and, you know, I think that was that doesn’t always go the way you wanted to go. In order for it to be what was a big part of me trying to do things the way I did this year.” you want it to be, it takes a while to get there. IGNORE THE NEGATIVE. SEEK OUT THE POSITIVE. BE PART OF “So to me, I just try to always be happy and try to always be positive THE SOLUTION…NOT THE PROBLEM. DO YOUR PART AND DO because I see too much negative, I see too many people all over the YOUR JOB! POLITICS ASIDE JUST BE A GOOD PERSON, place that are unhappy. So for me, it’s just I think if I can do a small part NEIGHBOR, CITIZEN. DO YOUR PART TO TAKE CARE OF THE to be friendly and to make people happy or put a smile on their face, you PERSON TO THE FRONT, BACK, RIGHT, & LEFT OF YOU! WE GOT know, that’s kind of my angle.” THIS! #LETSGOOO Nick Gismondi being himself at the United Center. (Courtesy of Nick — NICK GISMONDI (@NICKGISMONDI) MARCH 26, 2020 Gismondi) Just like the rest of us, Gismondi awaits hockey’s return. He moved so As we talked and I got to know more about him, I realized we actually quickly to Chicago for the start of the season that a lot of his stuff is still in have a lot in common. We both were driven early to do what we’re doing Denver, where he previously worked. Plus, there’s just more room. He’s now and began that path in high school. He attended Plymouth Salem been watching a lot of Netflix, including “Narcos” and “Daybreak.” He was High School in Canton, Mich., when he started broadcasting games for especially eager for the new “Ozark” season. the Compuware Ambassadors in the NAHL and the in the OHL. I had my first professional byline in high school. “I have blown through pretty much everything on Netflix, so I don’t know what’s left there and my DVR is now empty and it was full,” he said. “So I We both also took long, winding roads and haven’t always been doing think I am rationing food wonderfully, but I don’t think I rationed the exactly what he wanted. Gismondi had to get out of hockey to get back entertainment well enough.” into it. He did voiceover work and commentated on nearly every Olympic sport at one point. He was honing his craft and learning the ins and outs Gismondi is dealing with these times of uncertainty the same as he deals of the business while working on an assortment of broadcast teams. with everything — by remaining positive and optimistic. When he looks back, all those experiences better prepared him for the present. Gismondi has endured some tough and depressing things in his life that were out of his control — stuff he declined to mention specifically on the We both also had to deal with some unexpected adversity. I was pretty record — but those experiences have shaped how he’s handled the rest confident my ESPN contract was going to be renewed until it wasn’t. of his life. Gismondi wasn’t brought back to be AT&T SportsNet’s studio host for the Vegas Golden Knights. He had been nominated for an Emmy not long “I could go down a dark path and I could be negative and I could be before that. standoffish, but I’ve just chosen over the years (to stay positive),” he said. “It’s just I’ve watched (my parents) always put on a positive face. And so for me, I just don’t really know any other way to be. So, I like people, I like being friendly, I like having friends, and I like trying to help people. So I just try to be nice to everybody until they give me a reason not to be, you know.

“And I get it, I get it, I’m a lot more bubbly and I’m a lot more positive, I’m a lot more outgoing than a lot of people maybe are comfortable with. I mean, some people just aren’t that way and that’s OK. I just don’t know how else to be.”

I get that now, too.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181719

Avalanche gives AHL defenseman Jacob MacDonald two-year extension

A former four-year defenseman at Cornell, MacDonald has 42 points in 56 games for the Eagles. He was acquired by the Avalanche last summer in a trade with Florida that sent forward to the Panthers

MIKE CHAMBERS

March 27, 2020 at 7:35 p.m.

A day after extending its top American Hockey League scorer in forward T.J. Tynan, the Avalanche on Friday extended the ’ second-leading scorer in defenseman Jacob MacDonald.

MacDonald, who leads all AHL defensemen with 16 goals, agreed to a two-year contract through the 2021-22 season. The two-way deal is on a prorated pay scale of $700,000 NHL/$350,000 (2020-21) and $750,000/$375,000 (2021-22), per a source.

A former four-year defenseman at Cornell, MacDonald has 42 points in 56 games for the Eagles. He was acquired by the Avalanche last summer in a trade with Florida that sent forward Dominic Toninato to the Panthers.

MacDonald, 27, has played in two career NHL games, both with the Panthers in 2018-19.

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181720 Colorado Avalanche Kim McGahey purchased two seasons tickets that he has to this day. He would alternate between taking Conor or his brother, Grant, to games at McNichols Arena and, later, Pepsi Center. They went through the glory You likely have a new best friend, and his name is Conor McGahey years of Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy and along with those Cup runs. The den in the McGahey family home is filled with signed memorabilia from an era of prosperity that helped shape the foundation for what Conor would become. Ryan S. “I think he would be good on radio if he was in Tampa,” Kim said. “But to Mar 27, 2020 be here, where he grew up and to be so familiar and the Avalanche were such a big part of his life, I’m really grateful for him to be in that position.”

Social media views it as a man with a golden voice providing play-by-play Summit High and baseball games were those early platforms commentary for cat videos. Those who know the man behind the words for McGahey to start honing his craft. He was the public address see this as an extension of the human being he has worked to become. announcer for those teams. That led to his meeting a DJ in Breckenridge, which turned into McGahey’s opportunity to broadcast Summit High This is Conor McGahey. He possesses a talent so great that it led to his hockey games. being the radio broadcaster for the Colorado Avalanche. Reaching this stage meant he operated with a sense of humility that allowed him to Having these experiences allowed McGahey to build a reel at a time always say “yes” to any potential opportunity. Especially with this when most high school students might be preoccupied with other things. particular hockey season. McGahey is in only his second campaign One of Kim’s friends knew somebody who knew somebody in the calling games for his childhood team yet has already carved a place in a industry. Conor was then invited to sit in with this friend of a friend at manner most would not have imagined. KOA Radio. They listened to his audition tape doing the starting lineups for those high school games. His reach has expanded due in part to the Altitude-Comcast television contract stalemate that has left several Avalanche fans unable to watch That person at KOA was Alan Roach, one of the most accomplished games. Those fans have turned to McGahey and have used his voice to public address announcers in the world. Roach is the PA voice for the set the scene for a season that was justifying why the club was a Stanley Avalanche, the and the . He has Cup contender. But that all changed once the new coronavirus and the done numerous Olympics and several Super Bowls and has even been disease it causes, COVID-19, brought the entire planet to a halt. Nobody the voice heard for the underground tram at Denver International Airport. knows exactly when sports, or other cultural staples, will resume. Yeah, no pressure. It is a void many are trying to fill. Adrienne and Colleen Ruth are among “Conor blew me away. His tape was really good,” Roach recalled. “I think them. They talked about how much they missed hearing McGahey’s immediately I was doing DU hockey at the time and the Avalanche at the voice. So they came up with an idea. Colleen filmed the family’s siamese time. I encouraged DU to hire Conor when I couldn’t do a game. I missed cats play-fighting with Adrienne tweeting the video at McGahey and a couple games every year. Right away, he started filling in for me at DU asking if he would provide commentary. Adrienne acknowledges that the probably during that coming season. I told the Avs about him as well and idea was a “sheer boredom thing” between her and her mom, but they he filled in for me whenever I had to miss games for the Broncos or figured McGahey would say yes. Rockies or whatever. Then, I left DU maybe the next year or a year later “Totally thought it would be a one-off,” Adrienne said of the cat video. and Conor took that job as the PA announcer for DU. “When he first posted the video of our cats, we were laughing and the “All these jobs sound great and you’re out in the public eye but you’re comments were just great. It was kind of funny because it seemed like making $75 a night for PA and there’s how many hockey games in a such a stupid thing, yet so many people commented about how they season? He kept at it and filled in for me with the Avalanche and at DU. needed this.” Then, because of knowing people at the Avalanche, he jumped into that What started as a single video has turned into several. McGahey has in-stadium arena host role. I think by that time because of the openly and gladly provided commentary for cats and dogs play-fighting relationships he had at DU, he started doing stuff on TV and radio with each other. That first video has been viewed more than 52,000 times. It DU. The rest was up to him.” has led to him further gaining the reputation of being a professional Those who work in the industry — whether it be McGahey, Roach, broadcaster who is willing to have fun at a time when people want some Avalanche television announcer Marc Moser or former Altitude sideline sort of release. reporter Lauren Gardner, who is now at DAZN, the MLB and NHL And just think: There was a point hen he believed his path would lead Networks — all stress the importance of never saying “no” to a potential him to become a harbor pilot. opportunity. Emerging broadcasters are not always affiliated with a single team or network. They have to collect jobs as they come, and it may not “Reason that came about is because my grandfather lived and still lives always be the most glamorous item on a résumé. in Norfolk, Va., which is one of the biggest ports on the East Coast,” McGahey said. “I was just on the water every summer around it and was McGahey, a DU grad, basically did everything. He was the Avalanche’s fascinated. I explored that. I went on with a friend of ours who was a in-game host and associate producer of game operations. He has been harbor pilot in Jacksonville and was able to go with him for a couple of the play-by-play announcer for the Colorado Mammoth, the Colorado nights. Rapids and for DU hockey games. He has done PA announcing duties at University of Colorado football games, and he is currently the PA voice of “It would have been neat. I saw the plan, the process to get to that and it the Broncos, a role he has had since the 2016 season. was a lot. You have to be at sea for seven years and a navigator for another five, and then you got to be a captain for another length of time. His greatest exposure came when serving as the pregame and postgame Despite where I grew up, I love the water.” hosts for the Rockies and Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T SportsNet. McGahey was also a play-by-play announcer for Mountain West AS REQUESTED. #KEEPINGHOCKEYALIVE #GOAVSGO basketball and football. @ALTITUDETV @ALTITUDESR HTTPS://T.CO/WPE4FCMGN0 PIC.TWITTER.COM/JLNER6NDVC All of it led to his eventually getting the chance of a lifetime to become the radio voice for the Avalanche. — CONOR MCGAHEY (@CONORMCGAHEY) MARCH 20, 2020 “I really liked the job I was doing with Vegas and with the Rockies, but it McGahey grew up in the mountain town of Breckenridge, Colo. He got was an opportunity I never thought would come up,” McGahey said. into hockey when he was 8 years old and going to the University of “Play-by-play jobs don’t come up very often, plus it’s the team you grew Denver games or those of the now-defunct Denver Grizzlies. The sport up with in the place you grew up with. I never thought those planets itself hooked him, but the idea of being a public address announcer is would ever align for that to happen. So I obviously said ‘yes’ and I’m back what strengthened that interest. He was also captivated by watching home covering the team that made me fall in love with sports in the first games on TV or listening to them on radio. place.”

That fascinating grew larger in 1995 once the moved McGahey has a longer day than most realize. He is among the first to be to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. at morning skate while also grabbing interviews with players and Avalanche coach Jared Bednar for his pregame show. If the game is at How and where the hell does someone come up with something like that Pepsi Center, there is a chance he could go home only to return four or on the spot? so hours before puck drop to prepare. If it is on the road, he is on the team charter bus to the visiting arena and arrives several hours before Earlier that day, McGahey was getting ready to leave his house and it the game starts. just came to him.

His routine is methodical. He does voice-overs for the Altitude television “As Smee said in ‘Hook,’ ‘I just had an apostrophe!’ and Hook goes, ‘I broadcast while hosting a pregame radio show. He’s never in one place think you mean an epiphany,’” McGahey said. “I just thought about it and for too long unless he is in front of a microphone or camera because he made myself chuckle. I said in the event that something like that is always doing something related to his broadcast. There is an informed happens, maybe my brain will go back and recall that, and it did. So, I yet entertaining approach he applies in those segments until the game like to think it was pretty organic. Some of those things happen on the fly, commences. but that one I was thinking about it. I love rhyme and alliteration and I was just thinking and for some reason, ‘All Hail Cale!’ just came into my This is when all the abilities and experiences McGahey has gained begin mind. to shine through. “Cale’s dad was very nice. He’s doing the interview on our station, and “I just felt like I had this relationship with Gary Thorne on television or he was really gracious about it. I still haven’t gotten to meet him yet, whoever was calling the game on radio, I felt like I had a relationship with which is such a tragedy because I want to meet him and give him a hug. them and I associated them with the team,” McGahey said. “That’s what I He paid me a compliment on air that I am very grateful for. I just thought like to think that nowadays I have the same type of things. We’re of it that morning.” enjoying the sport and the team together. That’s how I view my job.” This sort of backstory behind one of the more famous calls in recent Listening to McGahey is akin to being on a controlled roller coaster. Avalanche history plays a role in why fans such as Ruth and her family There is safety in his approach and delivery but an enthralling nature have grown fond of McGahey. when it comes to how he can accurately depict what is going on. He can describe the complex events in a manner of words. He can convey the So much to the point they prefer having McGahey’s radio broadcast emotion of a game-deciding goal. He has the ability to provide a big- playing on their speakers at home whenever the Avalanche are on picture perspective while making it feel like every single detail could lead national television. to a party or a funeral. “We’ll be off by three or five seconds but it’s worth to hear someone who Kim jokes how he is a little jaded because he is talking about his son. But knows your team,” Ruth said. “A big part of Conor is he knows the team he enjoys how Conor can make it feel like his dad or anyone is right there really well and guys really well and it shows in the content they provide in the booth with him at any given moment. Even though they are on Twitter.” hundreds or thousands of away, depending upon the game. But what about the animal play-fighting videos? What led someone who Then there’s what Roach offered about what makes McGahey “truly was once a classically trained violinist to decide to say “yes” to amazing.” something nobody saw coming?

“What Conor did is he came into the job with confidence,” Roach said. Simple. He wanted to make it about other people and not himself. “He came into the job with the way of, ‘This is how I feel I should do the “People have said, ‘I needed this and I needed a laugh or this is what I job.’ He is not going to try and sound like somebody else. He said, ‘I’m was looking for,’” McGahey said. “There is so much doom and gloom going to use movie lines in my play-by-play because that’s the stuff I do when maybe there does not need to be. We need more joy and humor. when I talk to people on the street.’ He is a very, very good play-by-play We know Hockey Twitter is a family in and of itself, but this goes beyond guy for hockey. He’s had that broadcast experience because of the TV those walls. I had a lady tweet me who says she does not care about work he has done. He’s just a talented broadcaster who has a great hockey but she was here for the cat fights. amount of knowledge and a great drive.” “It’s sort of lowered walls and opened possibilities that were not there Broadcasters are often judged on several categories. How well do they before.” know the team they’re talking about? Can they keep fans engaged regardless of the score? Are they able to convey information in a way The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 that feels personal and intimate even though it’s going out to the masses?

Another one that is under constant watch is how they react in those season- and/or franchise-defining moments. Moser is on TV now, but part of his radio legacy will forever be defined by his “Guts all over the place!” call when Sven Andrighetto scored the winning goal against the Nashville Predators in a Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series during the 2017-18 season.

Moser described a frantic sequence in the Avalanche’s end that transitioned into J.T. Compher leading a two-on-one break with Andrighetto on the flank. Compher shot the puck, but the rebound was collected by Andrighetto for the goal. The chilled vibe that often comes with a Moser broadcast was replaced by a man whose vocal cords were about to be shredded from the excitement.

“This has got to be one of the gutsiest clubs in the National Hockey League,” Moser said. “Pure guts! They’ve got nothing but guts! Every guy with three big ol’ cow hearts, two pancreases and five stomachs! Guts all over the place! I can’t believe it!”

Such a moment can be a boon or a bust, and McGahey proved last season that he could handle those situations.

Like when star rookie defenseman scored his first NHL goal in his first game. It proved to be the winning goal over his Calgary Flames in Game 3 of a Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series.

Makar was trailing when superstar center Nathan MacKinnon dropped off the puck for him to fly into the slot and fire a wrist shot for a 3-0 lead.

“It’s too good to be true, but believe it!” McGahey screamed. “All! Hail! Cale!” 1181721 Colorado Avalanche &MDASH; SPORTSNET (@SPORTSNET) MARCH 25, 2020

The second star: Jeff Carter and Alex Iafallo – In times of crisis, friends look out for friends. DGB Grab Bag: Buildup to legendary Wings/Avs brawl, time for NHL to get creative SPECIAL ROOF TOP DELIVERY FROM ALEX IAFFALO…. THANKS #LOCKDOWNCALIFORNIA #HERMOSABEACH #SOS

#STAYHOME @JEFFCARTER_77 PIC.TWITTER.COM/UKKPJAFFZA Sean McIndoe &MDASH; MEGAN CARTER (@MEGAN_CARTER_) MARCH 23, 2020 Mar 27, 2020 56 The first star: Cal Clutterbuck – Well, more like his son. Kid’s already got NHL-ready facewash skills.

Be It Resolved AFTER 8 DAYS AT HOME WITH HIS KIDS, CAL CLUTTERBUCK WOULD LIKE TO SEND A SHOUTOUT TO ALL THE CHILDCARE Do you remember the trade deadline? It already feels like it’s years in the WORKERS AND TEACHERS OUT THERE. (WATCH UNTIL THE past, but it was only a month ago this week. Back then, we broke down END ) PIC.TWITTER.COM/EACLDMJ2OM all the moves and tried to figure out which teams had positioned themselves for a playoff run. Two weeks later, the 2019-20 season was &MDASH; (@NYISLANDERS) MARCH 21, paused, quite possibly for good. 2020

It’s all been weird. And in the grand scheme of things, it goes without Debating the issues saying that none of the day-to-day business of the NHL really matters all that much right now. But at some point, when the league comes back, This week’s debate: If and when the NHL is able to resume the season, we’re going to have a few things to sort out. And I have a suggestion. some wild ideas have been floated for what that could look like. We’ve heard about expanded playoffs or play-in games, and this week Back at the deadline, several teams made trades for rental players on we even learned that one team has apparently proposed having the expiring contracts. They thought they were getting those guys for at least lottery teams play a tournament for the No. 1 overall pick. Should the the stretch run, and hopefully for the postseason as well. It turns out they NHL be getting creative with their plans for a return? may have only been getting them for a few games. I don’t think that’s fair. In favor: Absolutely. This is already an unprecedented situation, so Now granted, life isn’t fair, and that includes trades. Sometimes, deals tradition goes out the window. Let’s get crazy. don’t work out. Sometimes, you can trade for a guy and watch him blow out his knee in his very first game. It happens, and there isn’t much Opposed: Should we? Some of these ideas are intriguing, sure. But anyone can do. You make a deal, you take your chances. we’ve already seen the season disrupted – there’d be a certain appeal to coming back with a business-as-usual format, just to make things feel But this isn’t exactly a typical situation, and I don’t see how any GM was normal again. supposed to weigh a total leaguewide shutdown into their thinking. And that’s why I think that if the rest of the season and playoffs are wiped out, In favor: But that’s probably not possible, so why not take this as an the NHL should step in and help out teams who burned draft picks on opportunity to try something new? The NHL pretty much did that after the rental players they barely got to use. 2004-05 lockout, and we got some cool rule changes out of it. Maybe we try something this year and it works. Or maybe it doesn’t, and we learn Here’s how it would work. For this year and this year only, the NHL something. Either way, let’s take a shot. should award compensation picks to any team that traded away a future draft pick at the deadline for a player who leaves through free agency in Opposed: You might be right. Some of these ideas are pretty cool. the offseason. These would be new picks, created by the league, and In favor: Right? I mean come on, a tournament for the top pick? That would come at the end of each round, much like the compensation picks would be insanely fun. that the NFL gives out for teams that lose free agents. Opposed: And those wild card play-in games would be pretty cool. To be clear, this wouldn’t apply to trades that happened before the leadup to the deadline, so teams like the Sharks (Erik Karlsson) or In favor: And then once that’s done, you’ve still got four rounds of playoff Coyotes (Taylor Hall) or Leafs (Patrick Marleau contract dump) aren’t hockey to look forward to. getting bailed out. We’re also not worried about teams that traded for guys with term, like the Lightning with Barclay Goodrow and Blake Opposed: Oh man. Colman, or guys that sign extensions, like the Islanders with Jean- In favor: Plus everyone would be rested up, and most of the injuries Gabriel Pageau. And if the team traded away a prospect, well, I’m not would have healed. Imagine how loud those buildings would be when sure what we can do. hockey was back. It would be amazing. Most importantly, we’re not taking picks away from anyone – teams that Common sense: Uh, guys? traded guys for draft picks will keep those choices. These are new picks created by the NHL, that wouldn’t replace the originals. We’re not Opposed: Yes? punishing anyone here. Common sense: This is futile. You know that, right? But a team like the Canucks, who traded a second-round pick for what turned out to be 10 games of Tyler Toffoli? Or the Knights, who gave up In favor: Uh … a second for three starts from Robin Lehner? Or even the Hurricanes, Common sense: There isn’t going to be a playoffs, or a lottery who gave up a fourth for an injured Sami Vatanen who may never play a tournament, or anything else. It’s over. The NHL isn’t coming back this game for them? Let’s let them off the hook with a league-sanctioned do- year. over. Opposed: It could. We don’t know for sure. Consider it a one-time bailout, if only to make sure the NHL trading economy stays strong. Common sense: No, but we can read the writing on the wall. The experts have been pretty clear. We’re months away from anything getting back to The week’s of comedy normal. Add in some time for a mini training camp, factor in the The third star: Brendan Gallagher – I’ll be honest with you, I have challenges of decent ice quality, maybe having to quarantine all the absolutely no idea what’s happening here, but somehow I think it works players and forget about packing the buildings with 20,000 fans. Six for me. months from now, maybe. But in May or June or even July? It just doesn’t add up. .@BGALLY17 RECREATED THE ALL-TIME BEST In favor: It’s a longshot, sure. But it’s not impossible. @NBCBROOKLYN99 COLD OPEN AND IT’S TOO GOOD. Common sense: Not yet. But we’re getting there. And it’s time to wrap ( : TIKTOK/BGALLY.11) PIC.TWITTER.COM/HKFAVAG8MP our heads around it. In favor: I mean … yeah. .912 save percentage and 2.41 GAA. He’s been playing in Europe and Asia ever since. He may or may not have won the WWE title yesterday in Opposed: You’re not wrong. a comical case of mistaken identity; we’ll have to wait a week to find out.

Common sense: Exactly. Classic YouTube clip breakdown

In favor: But here’s the thing … we’re not wrong either. Everyone can We’re into week three without hockey – and, for a lot of us, without much watch the news. We can all do the math. We all know where this is in the way of anything. Tensions are high. Everyone seems like they’d probably headed. But that doesn’t mean we can’t kick around ideas right really like to start punching each other, and is just waiting for an excuse up until the moment they make something official. Maybe it’s all a waste to do it. of time, but that should be OK. We all have plenty of time to waste these days. Might as well do it with some hockey talk. It’s a feeling that hockey fans know well. We had it exactly 23 years ago yesterday. Common sense: It just seems futile. Yes, it’s the infamous Red Wings/Avalanche game at the Joe in Detroit, Opposed: And it probably will be. But maybe not. And more importantly, if one of the most memorable and flat out insane contests in modern NHL hockey fans want to talk about their favorite sport over the weeks and history. Needless to say, the brawl itself was one of the first clips we ever months ahead, and get creative, and argue over crazy ideas … why not, broke down in this section, way back in the days, and you right? know the footage well by now. But today’s clip is one you may not have Common sense: I guess that makes sense. But sometimes you need to seen, and it’s kind of fascinating in its own way. It’s ESPN’s coverage of be a realist. the brawl before it happened, from the pregame show.

In favor: Sometimes. Just not all the time. Right now, there’s some value In case you were wondering if anyone had any idea what was about to in picturing what the other side of this thing might look like. It’s a way to happen, our first shot is a police escort helping the Avs make it to the stay sane. arena. Yeah, I’d say people had a sense that something was up.

Common sense: Huh. Next up is a summary of how we got here, including Lemieux’s cheap hit on Kris Draper and some of the bad blood that’s followed. Keep in mind, In favor: Yeah. the Draper hit came in Game 6 of a six-game series, and the two teams have only met three times during the 1996-97 season. Lemieux missed Common sense: So … Royal Rumble playoff format? the first two of those, and while he was in the lineup for the last meeting In favor: I’m in. 11 days ago, that one was in Colorado. This one is his first time back in Detroit. He’s going to get a welcome. Opposed: Let’s do it. We get our ESPN intro, which is a reminder that we had some really The final verdict: We all know where this NHL season is probably weird ideas about what was cool in the 1990s. We were really into blue headed. But until then, you’re absolutely still allowed to have some fun palettes and crunching sound effects and we wrote everything in with the possibilities. As hockey fans, it’s the best option we’ve got. lowercase like a moody teenager.

Obscure former player of the week We were also into mullets, as Gary Thorne and are here to remind us. I really enjoy this intro, as it captures the yin and yang of Among the (many) weird things happening these days is the strange the moment – Thorne is pre-emptively doing his very serious story of this year’s Wrestlemania. Normally, the event is broadcast live disappointed dad voice, while Engblom is grinning ear-to-ear and around the world from a stadium full of 80,000 screaming fans. This year, practically bouncing with excitement. Who are we kidding, we all were. it’s being held in an empty gymnasium. And while it won’t air until next weekend, they actually filmed it this week. “It will be an interesting night.” Fact check: true.

That’s a tough break for the WWE, which had planned to use the event to We get a brief mention of Peter Forsberg, who at this point is getting push new stars on the biggest possible stage. That includes Drew serious “best player in hockey” chatter. We also get a look at Detroit’s McIntyre, a longtime mid-carder who was finally going to get a main hottest line, which features Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan and Darren event push to the top by beating Brock Lesnar for the title. Now, who McCarty. We’re told that McCarty isn’t just a tough guy anymore, and can knows? They may not even bother. also contribute offensively. Hmm, it feels like they’re laying on the foreshadowing a little thick, but let’s go with it. So this week, our obscure player is Drew MacIntyre. By the way, have you been following the ticker through this clip? It’s an No, it’s not the same guy. It’s not the same spelling, either. But it’s close original recording, meaning we’re getting the actual headlines of the day. enough, so let’s run with it. So far, we’ve learned that the Whalers are leaving Hartford, the Expos MacIntyre was a goaltender from P.E.I. who had success in the QMJHL have traded and Dennis Rodman is hurt. Yeah, that was a around the turn of the century. He was drafted by the Red Wings in the mistake, I feel very old right now. fourth round of the 2001 draft. That was a big draft for goalies; MacIntyre I’m sure any lingering Whaler fans out there are really enjoying the was actually the 14th of 34 to be picked that year, going behind Craig double gut-punch of being reminded of the day their team was officially Anderson and Ray Emery but ahead of Mike Smith. lost and hearing about how great Brendan Shanahan is. Sorry guys. MacIntyre finished his four years of junior, then missed most of 2003-04 After a brief ad break, we get a session with Professor Engblom. He to injury. He spent two years in the minors before the Red Wings gave up breaks out some late-90s analytics, which is to say he’s written down and sent him to the Canucks for future considerations. He finally cracked how many wins the Red Wings have on a whiteboard. This will, of the NHL in 2007-08 when Roberto Luongo got hurt, serving as the course, turn into a round of old school hockey narrative spinning, in backup and making a couple of appearances in relief of Curtis Sanford. which the 1995-96 Red Wings didn’t lose to the Avalanche because they That was it for his NHL time with the Canucks, and he wouldn’t make it just ran into a stacked team with a better goalie, but rather because they back to the big leagues in stints with the Predators, Thrashers and didn’t play with enough emotion. Man, I miss a lot about 1990s hockey, Canadiens organizations. But after signing with the Sabres, he got to but I sure am glad that we’ve all grown up and don’t go around relieve Jhonas Enroth in two games in November 2011. He went back to pretending that a team can win 62 games and then lose in the playoffs the minors and spent 2012-13 in the KHL before signing with the Maple because they don’t want it bad enough. Leafs and playing two more games late in the 2013-14 season, including At this point, Engblom’s whiteboard turns into a TV because of mullet his first NHL start on April 10, 2014, in Florida, the same building where magic. he’d been drafted almost 13 years earlier. He lost that one but played reasonably well. (Fun fact: This was the game that produced that photo Engblom reassures viewers that this year will be different because the of Leaf fans wearing labeled bags over their head.) Red Wings are “a completely different team.” As evidence, he mentions Joey Kocur, who isn’t playing tonight, and Tomas Sandstrom, who for That was the end of his NHL career; stints with the Hurricanes and this narrative we’ve apparently all agreed to pretend is a tough guy. Hawks organizations didn’t result in another shot, leaving him with just (Although for the record, Sandstrom did take the first penalty in this six games played, one start, no wins and two losses but a respectable game, a slashing minor two minutes in. You could probably stump a few Wings and Avs fans with that one.)

But of course, the big name here is Shanahan. His addition has become the go-to explanation for why these Wings finally got over the hump, and yeah, it’s kind of tough to argue. By the way, here’s a great clip I’d never seen before of Shanahan telling a story about McCarty missing a small but important detail of the big brawl.

And that’s it. We close with Engblom wondering if the Red Wings “are going to catch the Colorado Avalanche,” just as the screen cuts to an image of . Spoiler alert: They caught him alright.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181722 Columbus Blue Jackets I hope. There is your life experiences and your hockey player experiences. One day when I have kids, or maybe many years from now somebody is going to ask me about my first year NHL … there’s going to Elvis Merzlikins Q&A: Blue Jackets goalie dishes on his memorable first be some interesting stories. season I’ve read some quotes from your mother, Sandra, in Latvian media that suggest it wasn’t easy for you in the dressing room early this season. How difficult was that time — you weren’t playing much, and when you Aaron Portzline did you weren’t winning — and how close did you come to heading back to Europe? Mar 27, 2020 There was a lot of pressure in my head. Not from the outside, because I

wasn’t listening to what fans were saying or the opinions of other people. COLUMBUS, Ohio — A nightmare NHL debut in Pittsburgh. Seven I wasn’t listening. I never listen to those things. I was putting pressure on consecutive losses (0-4-3) to start his Blue Jackets career. A memorable myself. I was thinking about the hard work I’ve done. I was thinking even first win on New Year’s Eve in Nationwide Arena. A dominating stretch more about the hard sacrifices my mom gave to me. Am I not really that earned him league awards in January and February. A concussion ready for this level? What is going on? It was a great job by the closest that knocked him out of the lineup for 10 days. people I have — my girlfriend, my mom, my brother, my mental coach — they helped me a lot. I was kind of hiding it, but I felt really bad, and I had Elvis Merzlikins’ first season in the NHL has been fascinating and nobody (with the team) to talk to. I didn’t give the team the results that I memorable on many levels, and that was before a once-a-century wanted. So, in my head, I was thinking I don’t deserve to be really good pandemic threw the brakes on the 2019-20 season. Nobody can say if friends with them. I want to bring the good results, the beautiful results, Merzlikins’ first NHL season will resume again, either. for my team. I’m not giving anything right now to the team, only losses. That’s how I was seeing the world. When Korpi (goaltender Joonas But this we know: A conversation with Merzlikins is never boring. Korpisalo) got injured, I just said to myself: “This is your last chance. In the course of a 29-minute phone chat with The Athletic earlier this Either you take it or you go back to next year.” week, Merzlikins was an open book, from the make-or-break moment he And so … reached early this season, his relationship with coach John Tortorella, if he’d accept a backup’s role next season, and how he likes living in I just imagined to myself that I was in my last NHL season, that this was Columbus. all going to end. And I said to myself, “Go out there and enjoy it.” That’s what I did. I wasn’t thinking about winning the games, just enjoy it. I was This was the conversation: thinking so much on the ice, just playing. Then it rolled out good. First off, Elvis, how are you and yours feeling, and how are things back Do you really believe that was your “last chance” or was that just self- home in ? motivation? We are good, yes. It’s just me and (girlfriend) Alex and (spectacular dog) I mean, I’m not going to say anything about that, because I’m not the Koby, but we are good, thank you. And Latvia, they don’t have any GM, I’m not the coach, I am nobody. I’m just a player. I don’t know if that deaths so far, maybe 200 people sick. I’m starting to think about getting was the last chance or not, but for myself, I was feeling that was my last back home, maybe. chance. I wanted to show myself that I was capable of it. I wanted to play How surreal is all of this to you? in a way that wouldn’t embarrass my mom after what she did for me. I was mad at myself more than anything else. I’m going to take it like an experience of your life, your hockey life, as well. What can I say, it sucks? You’re practicing. You’re trying to get into Your mom is quoted as saying that some Blue Jackets’ teammates your shape, and then the next day it’s done, you cannot do anything. You “didn’t even shake hands” with you early in the season. Is that literally don’t know what to do during the day. Usually during the offseason, you true, or just a figurative statement? Was there resistance to you and your go see your friends or something. Now you have to stay home. Maybe for personality? the guys who have family, who have kids, maybe for them it’s perfect I don’t really know. At the start, nobody knows you. Nobody knows your moment to spend more time with the family. I spend more time with Alex personality, your character. It’s a new team. I really haven’t changed and Koby, but at some point each day, we cannot do anything more here. teams before this. I just played in (Switzerland). I never played It’s kind of … it’s hard. We were going to the gym every morning, but anywhere else. It’s normal that nobody on the first day is going to invite (three) days ago they closed it and now we don’t know what to do in the you for dinner or lunch because they don’t know you. You’re on your morning. So, yeah, it kind of sucks. own. That was a couple of months at the start, starting from training I see you’re keeping up with your push-ups. camp. You say “good morning” and that’s it. You can’t remember all the names because there are so many names to remember, so many I usually ignore all of those challenges, but when I saw that cutie girl, I players. It’s playing the games that makes you closer. That’s how you had no choice. I had to accept that challenge. become like family. That’s normal. You save Savvy (David Savard) maybe if he makes a mistake, and then Savvy’s going to save you in OMG, JOSLYN IS DYING RIGHT NOW! ELVIS IS THE BEST! another situation. That’s what brings you together. I understood from the #CBJ PIC.TWITTER.COM/NWDNWVXYKX start that you’re not going to have best friends right away. It’s a new — JOSIE SNYDER (@JKS0207) MARCH 24, 2020 team. You’re a new player. You have a lot to prove to get that respect from your teammates. You have to show them what you’re capable of This has to be such a weird spot for athletes. Are you able to look back doing. on this season yet, or are you trying to stay in the mode of it still being an active season? During the early part of the season, when you were struggling for wins, you received some interesting “fan” mail from back home in Latvia, right? It’s a weird situation because you don’t know what to think or what to do. That’s why I was going all the time to the gym in the morning. I was trying They were texting me, and sending messages on Instagram and Twitter, to do something. But you don’t know if you’re going to play or not. I’m that I was the shame of Latvia, that nobody’s wanting me on the (Latvian) missing the ice, too. It’s not about the gym as much as it is missing the national team, that I was just going to make it worse, all that stuff. For ice, catching some pucks and seeing some shots. If you’re thinking (the me, I understand how the world works. My mom, she’s not understanding season) is going to be done, you could relax your mind. But if you relax that one day you are the king and on the next everybody is going to hate the mind and then you have to play, it’s going to be hard to get back. I you. She doesn’t understand that. There were comments that offended don’t know what to do. my mom and she got really disappointed and offended by that. I just told her that when I get a real chance I’m going to shut their mouths with my What an amazing, weird, difficult, incredible … I’m trying to think of all the play on the ice. I’m going to answer them there. These are people, I told words that apply to your first NHL season. You won’t have another my mom, who don’t really understand hockey. They are sitting on their season like this, Elvis. couches and trying to be smart, but they aren’t really that smart. Did you respond to any of these when you really started playing well in You’ve seen a fair amount of now … December and January? I said to Alex, you know Montreal is really cool. Nashville is really cool. I’m not that kind of a guy. I really believe in karma. If you’re gonna do It’s cool to live there, obviously, but I really like Columbus because there that, karma is going to punish you. I didn’t have to say anything. I said it is peace. You wanna party, you can go party downtown. If you want on the ice, showed them my results. For those people who didn’t believe peace, you go away from downtown. I really like it here. in me, they can watch the replay of those games. You were a big deal in Lugano, Elvis. Have you dreamed about How did your relationship change with John Tortorella when you went becoming a rock star in this city, too? from a goaltender who barely played to a guy they needed to rely upon when Korpisalo went down? That maybe could be my future goal. That’s what I said to my agent and my mom. I grow up in Lugano and I played just in Lugano, I never It was the same as before. I tried to run away from him. Not because I’m changed the team. Columbus drafted me (in 2014). That means they had scared (laughs), but because it’s probably better. I like to talk. I’m not faith in me. They believed in me. Hockey is a business. Today you’re sure he likes to talk that much. In five minutes I could tell him all my life, here, tomorrow maybe you’re traded, right? You can’t control that stuff. so I’m kind of a bad guy like that. For me, I’m never going to change my But I really like this organization. I would like to stay just here, to have an opinion of him. I really love him. I really like him as coach. I love his NHL career and do it here. I really like the people. I really like the fans. personality. He’s honest and open. If you fucked up, you fucked up, and They’re super lovely. The people here, even when I wasn’t playing good he’s going to tell you that. He’s really professional, which is really great. … these people don’t know me. What if that person who was playing like It’s nice to have a person like this on the team who is making you grow that was the real Elvis? They didn’t know what I was capable of, but they up, making you become even more of a man in your personal life, too. were still believing in me and they were texting me encouragement messages. They had faith in me. Now when I play my game and feel You’ve seen him when he’s boiling mad (loss in Winnipeg), but are there good about myself, they are super happy. That was really beautiful to see also times when he lets you know you’re appreciated, or you did in people’s eyes, that they are happy and a little proud of you as well. something well? The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 He’s coming to you (in the dressing room) and saying “good job,” when you deserve it. Probably he knows that I don’t always like the compliments, so he maybe doesn’t do it every game. That’s good. I don’t like those things. When the game is done, move on to the next one. That’s the first thing I learned here in America. You lost? You fucked up? Keep moving, don’t think about it. Try to just get better.

Obviously, you want to be playing right now, but how much peace of mind do you have from the simple fact that now you know in the NHL at a very high level?

It’s never going to be enough for me. Before it was to prove that I could play here. I think I proved it, but now I want more. I want to go for the superstars — (Boston’s Tuukka) Rask, (Montreal’s Carey) Price, (Vegas’ Marc-Andre) Fleury, those guys. I want to try to start beating their records, everything. This is my goal. When I was going through the , I asked (goaltending coach) Manny (Legace) what is the record for all time? I’m going to try one day to beat that record. That’s my personal goal, where I want to go.

Heading into next season — whenever that may start — do you need to know that you’re the starter, could you be happy sharing the net with Korpisalo, or would you accept a backup’s role?

You give me now three options, which are really different options. It’s a difficult thing to talk about right now, with all that’s going on. I will keep working hard with Manny because I believe that one day he’s not going to make me just a great goalie, he’s gonna make me an awesome goalie. I really believe in Manny. I would not kind of accept being the backup because I know that I am better than that. Obviously there are no goalies who like to share the net. Everybody wants to be a starter. I don’t think even Korpi would agree that we have to share the net. It’s nothing against me and nothing against him. We are very good friends. I love Korpi, so I really have nothing against him. But that’s the situation. We really can’t control those things. We really don’t have to think about it. So let’s see when there is going to be a result to this, an answer to your question. Then you can maybe think and say something. Otherwise, the best we can do is shut up and sit and watch.

You’ve been living in Columbus for a little more than a year now. What do you think of our fair city?

Maybe living downtown I didn’t like it so much, so I moved about a month ago to Dublin. I really like it. Here, I love it. It’s very beautiful. Clean. No traffic. Snow. It is calm here and beautiful. I walk right outside my house and there’s a park to walk with Koby. You have a pool, gym, sauna, everything. I feel really happy here. I said to Alex when we moved here: I finally feel like I am home. I walk inside the home and I feel like I am home. Downtown, I really didn’t like it. I didn’t want to go home. I spent my day elsewhere, like Easton, to avoid going home. But here … we are really, really happy. It’s really beautiful and I like it here. I’m starting to know the city better, where I don’t have to drive all the time with Waze. You need the city? It’s a 15-20 minute drive. It’s the perfect spot and I really like it. Obviously Columbus is not L.A., where you’re at the beach. But, at the same time, I prefer Columbus, for example, to New York. I like when it’s calm, not packed with people. 1181723 Dallas Stars Then Radulov received a fortunate bounce off a Wild player to give the Stars the lead.

On his third goal, he blocked a shot and then got off a shot from the red Stars’ Best of the Season: Alexander Radulov turns season around with line while falling down and put it in the empty net. hat trick vs. Wild When Radulov is not scoring goals, you can still notice him in the offensive zone when he forechecks to create turnovers (sometimes Matthew DeFranks getting himself in penalty trouble) and also when he uses his body to keep defenders at bay and possess pucks. He did those things against 2:48 PM on Mar 27, 2020 the Wild before he even scored his first goal of the night.

Radulov’s hat trick was not only one of the best individual efforts of the season, it came at a key turning point in the season and injected energy Note: This is the fifth and final installment counting down the five best into his teammates that ensured they scored six unanswered goals to individual performances of the Stars season. beat the Wild. No Stars player this season has scored more than Things get nostalgic pretty quickly without sports. Radulov’s three goals. No player has matched his four points. No player has reached his 10 shots on goal. Games from weeks ago feel years ago, performances from months ago feel decades ago. For the Stars, as the NHL’s pause due to the COVID- The 10 shots on goal were a career-high for Radulov as he became the 19 pandemic reaches its second week, standout performances feel even sixth forward since the Stars moved to Dallas to hit the mark. The others longer, having endured a season-long, six-game losing streak prior to the were Mike Modano, , , Tyler Seguin and . season’s suspension. Sometimes, Radulov has the propensity to overpass the puck, And so the nostalgia has intensified. particularly on the rush. But on this night, he was clearly looking to shoot first, and it paid dividends for the Stars. He also finished the game with In an attempt to quell the bubbling desire for Stars hockey, The News will 1.21 expected goals (at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick), the look back on the top five individual performances of the regular season, third-most by a Stars player this season. He led the Stars forwards in all one that is potentially over due to the coronavirus pandemic. In doing so, 5 on 5 possession metrics. circumstances were taken into account in addition to the performance: Is the game’s outcome different without that player’s performance? What Stars’ Best of the Season happened leading into the game? How does this game fit into the entire 5. Gurianov flies by Montreal in precursor to rest of year season’s worth of data? 4. Benn pounds Coyotes into boards, on the scoreboard The list is subjective, obviously, and there will surely be games not listed here that perhaps should be. Or maybe there are performances here that 3. Seguin’s OT goal in Montreal caps all-around night have been forgotten otherwise. 2. Khudobin drags Stars to win in Tampa Bay Before “Good Riddance” or “Graduation (Friends Forever)” play me out, here is No. 1 on the list. 1. Radulov turns season around with hat trick vs. Wild

1. Alexander Radulov vs. Minnesota (Oct. 29) Honorable mentions

Stat line: 3 goals, 1 assist, plus-4 rating, 10 shots on goal, 11 shot Ben Bishop at Philadelphia (Oct. 19) attempts, 1 blocked shot, 18:43 total time on ice. Jamie Benn at Edmonton (Nov. 16)

Game result: Stars 6, Wild 3. Stars record moves to 5-8-1. Jamie Benn vs. Winnipeg (Nov. 21)

What if Alexander Radulov never scores that diving goal against the Wild Anton Khudobin vs. Chicago (Nov. 23) in late October? John Klingberg vs. Vegas (Nov. 25) Does the Stars’ miracle five-goal third period against Minnesota happen? Does Jim Montgomery or lose their jobs after finishing October 4- Blake Comeau vs. Nashville (Jan. 1) 9-1? Does the November turnaround happen, and do the Stars become the league’s best team for months at a time? What happens at the trade Ben Bishop vs. Nashville (Jan. 1) deadline? Miro Heiskanen at San Jose (Jan. 11)

Now, some of this is a slippery slope of logic based off of one massive Ben Bishop at Colorado (Jan. 14) goal in the season. But this is what the thinking among the Stars fanbase and media reflected at the time of Radulov’s diving goal and subsequent Jamie Benn vs. Tampa Bay (Jan. 27) hat trick. Stars players saw fans in the stands with bags on their heads Stephen Johns at NY Rangers (Feb. 3) during warmups. They were showered with boos at the end of the first period. A hopeful Stanley Cup contender was not playing like one, and Jamie Benn vs. Carolina (Feb. 11) frustration had ramped up. Roope Hintz at Carolina (Feb. 25) Then Radulov went to work. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.28.2020 Here is the entire shift leading to that goal to show just how much Radulov does before eventually scoring. He fishes the puck out of the faceoff circle, easily exits his own zone and enters Minnesota’s. He recovers the loose puck after Tyler Seguin’s shot on goal, and sets up Seguin for a tough-angle shot. Then of course, the maximum effort for the goal.

So he got the Stars possession of the puck, gained both blue lines, kept possession of the puck and then scored a goal.

His other two goals followed similar patterns: small things by Radulov led to scoring.

On his second goal, he kept the puck in the offensive zone by being properly positioned as the high forward.

Then he tried to score from beside the net. 1181724 Dallas Stars Bishop made 18 saves in the first period, including his best stop: stonewalling Mikael Granlund late in the period after a feed from Rocco Grimaldi. He would finish the night with 47 saves on 48 Nashville shots – Happy handshakes at home: Remembering the 2019 Game 6 closeout at that time, a career high – with 31 in the first two periods when Dallas against Nashville needed the most steadying.

“You don’t have to worry about anything with Bish back there,” Tyler Seguin said during that playoff run. “When you have someone like that Sean Shapiro you can play your game, you don’t ever have to look over your shoulder and wonder if anything wrong is happening back there.” Mar 27, 2020 There is now popular debate on Twitter about who would start if/when the

Stars went into a playoff series this season. Would Anton Khudobin, who The defining game, the one everyone remembers about the 2019 Dallas led the NHL in save percentage, get the nod since Bishop hasn’t been as Stars, was the Game 7 loss in St. Louis. stout statistically as Dallas’ 1B?

It’s the night Ben Bishop put together one of the best goaltending The discussion has been put to bed by interim coach Rick Bowness, who performances of the postseason to force the game into double overtime, has deservedly stood by Bishop given the goalie’s playoff history. Re- and while ultimately Dallas lost on a Pat Maroon goal, it was a watching this game and how collected Bishop just looks under pressure, performance against the eventual Stanley Cup Champions that left the it’s a testament to the impact he can have on the overall group. Stars and the top brass thinking, “We are right there” when it comes to This series and Game 6 also cemented the coaching staff’s trust in the being Cup contenders. FCC line of Radek Faksa, Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano, which From a historical perspective, this is the game Stars fans will likely carried over in a big way into the 2019-20 season. remember most from the 2019 playoffs because it signifies what could During the 2018-19 season, then-Stars coach Jim Montgomery said if have been. Had Jamie Benn finished on the wraparound or if Andrew Dallas was trying to win a Stanley Cup with five minutes remaining, Cogliano hit the net in overtime, would the Stars be the ones defending Comeau would be on the ice. Bowness doesn’t make such sweeping the Cup when the season (hopefully) resumes? statements, but based on Comeau’s usage, he has similar faith in What-ifs are fun, but they sting. And I think this one overshadows the Comeau and his linemates in the biggest moments. importance of Game 6 in the first round against the Nashville Predators, And in Game 6, Comeau was one of the Stars’ best players in all three the 2-1 closeout victory at home on an overtime goal by John Klingberg. zones. He scored in the second period after a great transition play Re-watch that game, as I did after readers selected in our Twitter poll as started by Faksa, and later had three prime chances in the third period the game for this week*, and you get a better appreciation for what that and overtime. win meant to the franchise as well as some of the ties that carried over to Maybe it’s fitting, then, that Comeau played a starring role in the next big the 2019-20 season. game with Nashville – outdoors in the Winter Classic. *I used the word “film room” in the tweet. Each week, the nature of the Jamie Benn didn’t have a point in Game 6, when he should have had at game will determine how we tackle that game, and this story turned into least a couple. Benn hit the post in the first period. He’d later hit it again more of a retrospective. Some weeks, it will be more film intensive. in overtime. Earlier in the extra period, he had a prime chance after a TIME TO PICK OUR GAME OF THE WEEK FOR A FILM ROOM: forecheck by Seguin, only for Pekka Rinne to make one of his best stops of the night. — SEAN SHAPIRO (@SEANSHAPIRO) MARCH 22, 2020 Rinne was great in this game – maybe the final great game of his career For starters, handshakes at home hadn’t been a pleasant memory for the before his decline seemed to hit warp speed this season – and of his Stars in recent years. Heading into 2019, the last three handshake most important or top saves, most came against Benn. memories in Dallas featured the Stars’ season coming to an end, including a particularly painful memory from Game 7 in 2016 when Dallas Overall, Dallas dominated overtime before Klingberg’s strike after 17:02. imploded at home against St.Louis. The Stars had a 14-8 edge in overtime shots, and Comeau, Seguin, The last time Dallas had advanced to the next round at home and Cogliano, Benn and Mats Zuccarello all had prime chances that could celebrated handshakes in the American Airlines Center was back in have made them the hero. 2008, when Brenden Morrow scored the famed Cinco De Morrow goal so Instead, Klingberg got that nod with a helping hand from Seguin and late into Game 6 against the San Jose Sharks that May 4 had turned into Alexander Radulov. Seguin did everything right, carrying the puck May 5. through the zone before dropping the pass to Radulov and heading to the After 11 years without a home closeout victory, the Stars fan base as a net for a screen, Radulov found Klingberg, and the defenseman picked whole had developed some negative juju about what could happen if the the corner for the biggest goal of his career and the first series win at Stars played an elimination game at home. Excitement was replaced with home in 11 years. apprehension about what could happen, particularly after that 2016 In the Stars press box, there are large photos hanging of key players and debacle. moments in franchise history. When the 2019-20 season began, there Whether it was smart planning or just a general thought of what could go were two new additions to those photos: Miro Heiskanen skating in the wrong, heading into Game 6, I still had a hotel and flight booked to All-Star Game’s fastest skater competition, and the Stars celebrating Nashville for Game 7. Klingberg’s goal in Game 6.

And, like most games in the past couple of seasons, the Stars started The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 slow. Nashville was the better team in the first eight minutes, taking a 1-0 lead when Austin Watson scored on a rebound after a deflection by Brian Boyle, who had returned after missing three games due to an appendix procedure after Game 1 that was originally supposed to keep him out weeks.

It was the only thing to get past Bishop, whose demeanor in the crease played a big role in the Stars not crumbling like they did in 2016. It wasn’t all their fault, but the lack of faith in their goalie, whether it was Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi, was why the Stars would crumble in some of the biggest moments three year earlier. When you think any shot can beat your goalie, you start to worry on every shift. With Bishop in net, the Stars haven’t worried about that, and while they may sometimes rely too much on their goalie, that confidence factor is invaluable in a playoff series. 1181725 Detroit Red Wings

Fox Sports Detroit rolling out classic Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons games in April

Kirkland Crawford

6:57 p.m. ET March 27, 2020

April in the D is back.

Fox Sports Detroit announced Friday it will show some of the greatest moments in the history of the Detroit Red Wings, and as a way to fill the time slots generally dominated by live sports.

Through next week, FSD will show select Tigers games from last season and Pistons and Red Wings games from their seasons, both of which have been suspended.

But the DVR-worthy games begin at 8 p.m. April 6, when FSD will show Game 1 of the 1997 Stanley Cup final, when the Wings visited Philadelphia.

Game 2 of that series will be shown at 8 p.m. April 9 and Game 3, played at , at 8 p.m. April 12.

The glory days of the Pistons come back to light at 8 p.m. April 7, with Game 1 of the 2004 NBA Finals in L.A. against the Lakers. Game 3 of that series, at the Palace, will be at 8 p.m. April 10 and Game 4 at 8 p.m. April 13.

As for the Tigers, you can watch the final game at Tiger Stadium, Sept. 27, 1999, when the Royals visited, at 8 p.m. on April 8, followed by the postgame event where almost every former Tiger alive said goodbye at and Trumbull.

Then on April 11, FSD will show the first game at Comerica Park, marking the 20th anniversary, first with an hourlong pregame show at 7 p.m. and the game at 8.

This weekend was also supposed to be the MHSAA boys basketball state finals at the Breslin Center. On Saturday morning, FSD will begin to show all four championship games from last year, beginning with Division 4 at 10 a.m., Division 1 at noon, Division 3 at 4:30 p.m. and Division 2 at 6:30.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181726 Detroit Red Wings they’re committing with a high-dollar, long-term deal. That’s the balance Detroit is going to have to strike.

And Mantha is going to have a say on the contract length. He recently Looking ahead to Anthony Mantha’s and Tyler Bertuzzi’s next contracts told reporters he wants to stay in Detroit “for a long time,” but what that means will depend, in part, on what the Red Wings are prepared to offer. That’s where looking ahead gets complicated: It’s too soon to say with much confidence what that will be. Max Bultman What we do have, though, is one of the primary public guideposts for this Mar 27, 2020 subject: the Evolving-Hockey contract projection model. (The projections themselves are subscription-only, but there’s an explainer here for those interested.) It’s a bit early for this. Maybe quite a bit early. Their model is based on a projected $84 million salary cap next season, As the NHL figures out if, or when, it could resume its season, it’s fair to so keep that in mind when you read these. Ultimately, if the cap is lower, say the contracts teams will eventually negotiate with their pending so too would be the projections (their salary figures are based on restricted free agents are a secondary matter. Which makes sense: percentage of the cap.) But, for simplicity’s sake, we’ll stick with that. The That’s often an offseason task, and who even knows when the offseason model’s most likely outcome for Mantha is a four-year deal at $6.736 is going to be? million per season, with the second-most likely being a five-year term at just shy of $7 million ($6.976 million). If you stretch into the six- or seven- But with all that said, for the Red Wings, those negotiations — whenever year terms, the projection goes up to about $7.5 million, and then all the they do begin in earnest — are going to be a substantial piece of the way up to $8.5 million at eight years. offseason puzzle. In all, Detroit has eight restricted free agents on its NHL roster, plus prospects Evgeny Svechnikov and down in Considering the Red Wings’ current largest contract is at Grand Rapids. If you include those two, that means nine forward $6.1 million per year (through 2023), those numbers are eye-catching. contracts to figure out when the time arrives. And some of those, no doubt, will be easier to manage than others. But particularly when you look at Mantha’s progression this year, they’re in line with the market value The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn’s GSVA By far the two most significant contract situations, though, are the ones (game score value added) model places on Mantha. involving Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, two of the Red Wings’ top young players and members of the team’s first line. Dom’s model has Mantha tracking as a top-line forward for essentially the duration of a long-term deal. It places his “market value” over $9 This season’s suspension creates some uncertainty for the specific 2020- million annually because of strong play-driving and production despite 21 salary cap number, but Detroit has enough money coming off the difficult situations. That value ends up being more like $8 million on a six- books to take care of its RFAs. Finding the right deals is the bigger year deal (or $8.7 million accounting for inflation over the term) when challenge. So with all the necessary caveats about it being premature, factoring in the RFA years he has remaining, but nonetheless: Mantha let’s look ahead at some of the potential key considerations. would be expected to mostly hold that kind of value through a long-term deal before dipping back down to merely “top six” territory toward the Anthony Mantha very end. It’s been quite the contract year for the power forward, to say the least. In general, this is the kind of player teams should be comfortable giving He started it hot, with five goals and seven points in his first two games. term to: Mantha has shown he can be a strong play-driver at both ends, And while he obviously couldn’t keep that blistering pace up all season, is a proven goal scorer with some remaining potential to tap into, and he was still tracking close to a point per game (23 in 25 games) in late would still only be 32 in the last season of a seven-year deal. Though if November, when he suffered his first injury of the year. there’s a wrinkle to that, it’s probably those ebbs and flows, and the fact that Mantha hasn’t played 70 games in either of his past two seasons. He was able to return a few weeks later, but that injury interruption ended Most of those injuries aren’t related to one another, so it’s not like there’s up being the story of Mantha’s season just as much as his breakthrough one nagging injury in play, but it’s nonetheless something to consider. numbers. His 38 points in 43 games were easily the best pace of his career, and over a full season, it would have had him tracking to surpass Ultimately, there are enough considerations to make this a layered 70 points, with 30 goals. negotiation. The impending salary-cap uncertainty makes it even more so. Depending on the timing, it could also be ’s first major That, obviously, would have been a huge statement to make heading into negotiation as Red Wings GM, perhaps setting a precedent for future this negotiation. And to be clear, what he did show and produced still deals the franchise will offer under him. And Detroit’s still going to want to matters quite a bit. In the end, the counting stats would mean more in an come out of this getting some surplus value from one of its homegrown arbitration situation than in any kind of long-term deal, but that RFAs. nonetheless introduces what could be one of the foundational questions here: How long-term will Mantha’s next contract be? But Mantha looked like a force this season, and the best may be yet to come. Considering Mantha is just two years from unrestricted free agency, Detroit can’t really afford to go short with him, lest it risk walking him right Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency. So the consideration probably boils down to long-term or Detroit’s lone All-Star representative this season, Bertuzzi notched a middle-term, either of which could be reasonable for Detroit. career high in points (48) and matched his shooting percentage (16) from At the middle lengths, the cap hit would likely be a bit lower, and Detroit a year ago, proving that his offensive productivity was repeatable. On a could keep Mantha in place while it gets through this rebuild. However, team that scored only two goals per game, that’s no small feat. that leaves open the possibility of Mantha becoming a free agent early He plays a style of hockey that should be well-suited to the playoffs, into the Red Wings’ next contention window. And if he is able to build on whenever the Red Wings get back there. And he’s found chemistry with his impressive play this season in the years to come, that could mean Larkin and Mantha to form Detroit’s most effective line. having to really open up the checkbook at a time when the team may have less cap flexibility. If there is an issue, though, it could very well stem from one core consideration: Bertuzzi is coming into his next contract as a first-liner, Signing him long-term, meanwhile, would ensure Mantha will be around playing first-line minutes with first-line teammates. Does his value change for the long haul (or, at least, the foreseeable long haul), and while the if, as the team improves, he ends up playing more of a second-line role? cap number would be higher, it could still result in a contract that looks favorable a couple of years from now. Of course, that’s placing a bet that An improved group of forwards could, in theory, mean that Bertuzzi’s this season’s performance can not only repeat but also repeat overall situation wouldn’t have to change too much, aside from a couple consistently and over full seasons. It is fair to note, for example, that of fewer shifts per game. Lines change often over the course of one NHL while Mantha can go on some world-class hot stretches, he’s also had season, let alone several, but Bertuzzi, Mantha and Dylan Larkin have some ebbs and flows to that production. From the Red Wings’ shown a chemistry that could keep them playing together fairly often standpoint, they’ll want to be certain he’s a central piece to their vision if through the years, even if the depth chart looks a lot different. Bertuzzi also has a playing style that can be effective in many situations, which adds value in its own way.

But it’s still a reality of hockey that deployment matters to production. So what kind of role the team envisions for Bertuzzi long term will, inevitably, play a part in the contract he signs this summer.

As for the projections, Evolving-Hockey has Bertuzzi predicted to sign a four-year deal worth $5.4 million per year. By Dom’s model, that would leave a bit of room for surplus value for the team. But as the term and salary projections go up (Evolving-Hockey has Bertuzzi’s predicted salary on five-, six- and seven-year deals all around $6 million), that margin for surplus value shrinks a bit.

Now, keep in mind the Evolving-Hockey contract projections are based in part on playing time, which is where the question of Bertuzzi’s ultimate role comes into play for Detroit on a longer-term signing.

It’s worth noting that the GSVA model already grades Bertuzzi as more of a “top six” than “top line” piece, but it does have him maintaining that for the foreseeable future. That should provide some confidence that he’s not likely to fall off significantly over the life of his next deal, either way. And Bertuzzi’s playoff track record in Grand Rapids (nearly a point-per- game player over three playoff runs in the AHL) is further evidence he’s someone Detroit should want around when it matters.

Remember, too, that Bertuzzi hasn’t gotten a big NHL payday yet, and he’s been producing value well above his $1.4 million salary this season. He deserves a substantial raise and long-term security.

The questions the Red Wings will have to answer are: How much, and how long?

It sounds simple in theory. In practice, it rarely is.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181727 Detroit Red Wings &MDASH; SPORTSNET (@SPORTSNET) MARCH 25, 2020 The second star: Jeff Carter and Alex Iafallo – In times of crisis, friends

look out for friends. DGB Grab Bag: Buildup to legendary Wings/Avs brawl, time for NHL to SPECIAL ROOF TOP DELIVERY FROM ALEX IAFFALO…. THANKS get creative #LOCKDOWNCALIFORNIA #HERMOSABEACH #SOS #STAYHOME @JEFFCARTER_77 PIC.TWITTER.COM/UKKPJAFFZA

Sean McIndoe &MDASH; MEGAN CARTER (@MEGAN_CARTER_) MARCH 23, 2020

Mar 27, 2020 The first star: Cal Clutterbuck – Well, more like his son. Kid’s already got NHL-ready facewash skills.

AFTER 8 DAYS AT HOME WITH HIS KIDS, CAL CLUTTERBUCK Be It Resolved WOULD LIKE TO SEND A SHOUTOUT TO ALL THE CHILDCARE Do you remember the trade deadline? It already feels like it’s years in the WORKERS AND TEACHERS OUT THERE. (WATCH UNTIL THE past, but it was only a month ago this week. Back then, we broke down END ) PIC.TWITTER.COM/EACLDMJ2OM all the moves and tried to figure out which teams had positioned themselves for a playoff run. Two weeks later, the 2019-20 season was &MDASH; NEW YORK ISLANDERS (@NYISLANDERS) MARCH 21, paused, quite possibly for good. 2020

It’s all been weird. And in the grand scheme of things, it goes without Debating the issues saying that none of the day-to-day business of the NHL really matters all This week’s debate: If and when the NHL is able to resume the season, that much right now. But at some point, when the league comes back, some wild ideas have been floated for what that could look like. We’ve we’re going to have a few things to sort out. And I have a suggestion. heard about expanded playoffs or wild card play-in games, and this week Back at the deadline, several teams made trades for rental players on we even learned that one team has apparently proposed having the expiring contracts. They thought they were getting those guys for at least lottery teams play a tournament for the No. 1 overall pick. Should the the stretch run, and hopefully for the postseason as well. It turns out they NHL be getting creative with their plans for a return? may have only been getting them for a few games. I don’t think that’s fair. In favor: Absolutely. This is already an unprecedented situation, so Now granted, life isn’t fair, and that includes trades. Sometimes, deals tradition goes out the window. Let’s get crazy. don’t work out. Sometimes, you can trade for a guy and watch him blow Opposed: Should we? Some of these ideas are intriguing, sure. But out his knee in his very first game. It happens, and there isn’t much we’ve already seen the season disrupted – there’d be a certain appeal to anyone can do. You make a deal, you take your chances. coming back with a business-as-usual format, just to make things feel But this isn’t exactly a typical situation, and I don’t see how any GM was normal again. supposed to weigh a total leaguewide shutdown into their thinking. And In favor: But that’s probably not possible, so why not take this as an that’s why I think that if the rest of the season and playoffs are wiped out, opportunity to try something new? The NHL pretty much did that after the the NHL should step in and help out teams who burned draft picks on 2004-05 lockout, and we got some cool rule changes out of it. Maybe we rental players they barely got to use. try something this year and it works. Or maybe it doesn’t, and we learn Here’s how it would work. For this year and this year only, the NHL something. Either way, let’s take a shot. should award compensation picks to any team that traded away a future Opposed: You might be right. Some of these ideas are pretty cool. draft pick at the deadline for a player who leaves through free agency in the offseason. These would be new picks, created by the league, and In favor: Right? I mean come on, a tournament for the top pick? That would come at the end of each round, much like the compensation picks would be insanely fun. that the NFL gives out for teams that lose free agents. Opposed: And those wild card play-in games would be pretty cool. To be clear, this wouldn’t apply to trades that happened before the In favor: And then once that’s done, you’ve still got four rounds of playoff leadup to the deadline, so teams like the Sharks (Erik Karlsson) or hockey to look forward to. Coyotes (Taylor Hall) or Leafs (Patrick Marleau contract dump) aren’t getting bailed out. We’re also not worried about teams that traded for Opposed: Oh man. guys with term, like the Lightning with Barclay Goodrow and Blake Colman, or guys that sign extensions, like the Islanders with Jean- In favor: Plus everyone would be rested up, and most of the injuries Gabriel Pageau. And if the team traded away a prospect, well, I’m not would have healed. Imagine how loud those buildings would be when sure what we can do. hockey was back. It would be amazing.

Most importantly, we’re not taking picks away from anyone – teams that Common sense: Uh, guys? traded guys for draft picks will keep those choices. These are new picks Opposed: Yes? created by the NHL, that wouldn’t replace the originals. We’re not punishing anyone here. Common sense: This is futile. You know that, right?

But a team like the Canucks, who traded a second-round pick for what In favor: Uh … turned out to be 10 games of Tyler Toffoli? Or the Knights, who gave up a second for three starts from Robin Lehner? Or even the Hurricanes, Common sense: There isn’t going to be a playoffs, or a lottery who gave up a fourth for an injured Sami Vatanen who may never play a tournament, or anything else. It’s over. The NHL isn’t coming back this game for them? Let’s let them off the hook with a league-sanctioned do- year. over. Opposed: It could. We don’t know for sure. Consider it a one-time bailout, if only to make sure the NHL trading Common sense: No, but we can read the writing on the wall. The experts economy stays strong. have been pretty clear. We’re months away from anything getting back to The week’s three stars of comedy normal. Add in some time for a mini training camp, factor in the challenges of decent ice quality, maybe having to quarantine all the The third star: Brendan Gallagher – I’ll be honest with you, I have players and forget about packing the buildings with 20,000 fans. Six absolutely no idea what’s happening here, but somehow I think it works months from now, maybe. But in May or June or even July? It just for me. doesn’t add up.

.@BGALLY17 RECREATED THE ALL-TIME BEST In favor: It’s a longshot, sure. But it’s not impossible. @NBCBROOKLYN99 COLD OPEN AND IT’S TOO GOOD. Common sense: Not yet. But we’re getting there. And it’s time to wrap ( : TIKTOK/BGALLY.11) PIC.TWITTER.COM/HKFAVAG8MP our heads around it. In favor: I mean … yeah. .912 save percentage and 2.41 GAA. He’s been playing in Europe and Asia ever since. He may or may not have won the WWE title yesterday in Opposed: You’re not wrong. a comical case of mistaken identity; we’ll have to wait a week to find out.

Common sense: Exactly. Classic YouTube clip breakdown

In favor: But here’s the thing … we’re not wrong either. Everyone can We’re into week three without hockey – and, for a lot of us, without much watch the news. We can all do the math. We all know where this is in the way of anything. Tensions are high. Everyone seems like they’d probably headed. But that doesn’t mean we can’t kick around ideas right really like to start punching each other, and is just waiting for an excuse up until the moment they make something official. Maybe it’s all a waste to do it. of time, but that should be OK. We all have plenty of time to waste these days. Might as well do it with some hockey talk. It’s a feeling that hockey fans know well. We had it exactly 23 years ago yesterday. Common sense: It just seems futile. Yes, it’s the infamous Red Wings/Avalanche game at the Joe in Detroit, Opposed: And it probably will be. But maybe not. And more importantly, if one of the most memorable and flat out insane contests in modern NHL hockey fans want to talk about their favorite sport over the weeks and history. Needless to say, the brawl itself was one of the first clips we ever months ahead, and get creative, and argue over crazy ideas … why not, broke down in this section, way back in the Grantland days, and you right? know the footage well by now. But today’s clip is one you may not have Common sense: I guess that makes sense. But sometimes you need to seen, and it’s kind of fascinating in its own way. It’s ESPN’s coverage of be a realist. the brawl before it happened, from the pregame show.

In favor: Sometimes. Just not all the time. Right now, there’s some value In case you were wondering if anyone had any idea what was about to in picturing what the other side of this thing might look like. It’s a way to happen, our first shot is a police escort helping the Avs make it to the stay sane. arena. Yeah, I’d say people had a sense that something was up.

Common sense: Huh. Next up is a summary of how we got here, including Lemieux’s cheap hit on Kris Draper and some of the bad blood that’s followed. Keep in mind, In favor: Yeah. the Draper hit came in Game 6 of a six-game series, and the two teams have only met three times during the 1996-97 season. Lemieux missed Common sense: So … Royal Rumble playoff format? the first two of those, and while he was in the lineup for the last meeting In favor: I’m in. 11 days ago, that one was in Colorado. This one is his first time back in Detroit. He’s going to get a welcome. Opposed: Let’s do it. We get our ESPN intro, which is a reminder that we had some really The final verdict: We all know where this NHL season is probably weird ideas about what was cool in the 1990s. We were really into blue headed. But until then, you’re absolutely still allowed to have some fun palettes and crunching sound effects and we wrote everything in with the possibilities. As hockey fans, it’s the best option we’ve got. lowercase like a moody teenager.

Obscure former player of the week We were also into mullets, as Gary Thorne and Brian Engblom are here to remind us. I really enjoy this intro, as it captures the yin and yang of Among the (many) weird things happening these days is the strange the moment – Thorne is pre-emptively doing his very serious story of this year’s Wrestlemania. Normally, the event is broadcast live disappointed dad voice, while Engblom is grinning ear-to-ear and around the world from a stadium full of 80,000 screaming fans. This year, practically bouncing with excitement. Who are we kidding, we all were. it’s being held in an empty gymnasium. And while it won’t air until next weekend, they actually filmed it this week. “It will be an interesting night.” Fact check: true.

That’s a tough break for the WWE, which had planned to use the event to We get a brief mention of Peter Forsberg, who at this point is getting push new stars on the biggest possible stage. That includes Drew serious “best player in hockey” chatter. We also get a look at Detroit’s McIntyre, a longtime mid-carder who was finally going to get a main hottest line, which features Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan and Darren event push to the top by beating Brock Lesnar for the title. Now, who McCarty. We’re told that McCarty isn’t just a tough guy anymore, and can knows? They may not even bother. also contribute offensively. Hmm, it feels like they’re laying on the foreshadowing a little thick, but let’s go with it. So this week, our obscure player is Drew MacIntyre. By the way, have you been following the ticker through this clip? It’s an No, it’s not the same guy. It’s not the same spelling, either. But it’s close original recording, meaning we’re getting the actual headlines of the day. enough, so let’s run with it. So far, we’ve learned that the Whalers are leaving Hartford, the Expos MacIntyre was a goaltender from P.E.I. who had success in the QMJHL have traded Cliff Floyd and Dennis Rodman is hurt. Yeah, that was a around the turn of the century. He was drafted by the Red Wings in the mistake, I feel very old right now. fourth round of the 2001 draft. That was a big draft for goalies; MacIntyre I’m sure any lingering Whaler fans out there are really enjoying the was actually the 14th of 34 to be picked that year, going behind Craig double gut-punch of being reminded of the day their team was officially Anderson and Ray Emery but ahead of Mike Smith. lost and hearing about how great Brendan Shanahan is. Sorry guys. MacIntyre finished his four years of junior, then missed most of 2003-04 After a brief ad break, we get a session with Professor Engblom. He to injury. He spent two years in the minors before the Red Wings gave up breaks out some late-90s analytics, which is to say he’s written down and sent him to the Canucks for future considerations. He finally cracked how many wins the Red Wings have on a whiteboard. This will, of the NHL in 2007-08 when Roberto Luongo got hurt, serving as the course, turn into a round of old school hockey narrative spinning, in backup and making a couple of appearances in relief of Curtis Sanford. which the 1995-96 Red Wings didn’t lose to the Avalanche because they That was it for his NHL time with the Canucks, and he wouldn’t make it just ran into a stacked team with a better goalie, but rather because they back to the big leagues in stints with the Predators, Thrashers and didn’t play with enough emotion. Man, I miss a lot about 1990s hockey, Canadiens organizations. But after signing with the Sabres, he got to but I sure am glad that we’ve all grown up and don’t go around relieve Jhonas Enroth in two games in November 2011. He went back to pretending that a team can win 62 games and then lose in the playoffs the minors and spent 2012-13 in the KHL before signing with the Maple because they don’t want it bad enough. Leafs and playing two more games late in the 2013-14 season, including At this point, Engblom’s whiteboard turns into a TV because of mullet his first NHL start on April 10, 2014, in Florida, the same building where magic. he’d been drafted almost 13 years earlier. He lost that one but played reasonably well. (Fun fact: This was the game that produced that photo Engblom reassures viewers that this year will be different because the of Leaf fans wearing labeled bags over their head.) Red Wings are “a completely different team.” As evidence, he mentions Joey Kocur, who isn’t playing tonight, and Tomas Sandstrom, who for That was the end of his NHL career; stints with the Hurricanes and this narrative we’ve apparently all agreed to pretend is a tough guy. Hawks organizations didn’t result in another shot, leaving him with just (Although for the record, Sandstrom did take the first penalty in this six games played, one start, no wins and two losses but a respectable game, a slashing minor two minutes in. You could probably stump a few Wings and Avs fans with that one.)

But of course, the big name here is Shanahan. His addition has become the go-to explanation for why these Wings finally got over the hump, and yeah, it’s kind of tough to argue. By the way, here’s a great clip I’d never seen before of Shanahan telling a story about McCarty missing a small but important detail of the big brawl.

And that’s it. We close with Engblom wondering if the Red Wings “are going to catch the Colorado Avalanche,” just as the screen cuts to an image of Claude Lemieux. Spoiler alert: They caught him alright.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181728 Edmonton Oilers “OEL’s probably has the best stick, we’re not talking (Zdeno) Chara, but it’s really good. And Gio is such a good all-around player. Three good players in the Pacific Division and it’s fun to go against them every night.”

Connor McDavid doesn't want Oilers to have to jump right into playoffs Horvat, who has taken the second most face-offs in the NHL behind following COVID-19 pause Ryan O’Reilly (1,483), winning 57.3 per cent, laughed when McDavid mentioned draws.

“I don’t know what Connor’s talking about. He’s toasted me this year. Jim Matheson Trying to catch Connor is the biggest thing for me,” said Horvat.

March 27, 2020 3:16 PM MDT Giordano took the opportunity for a friendly jab at his dive to knock the puck off the super-charged McDavid last April, which resulted in the

Oilers captain crashing into the post and tearing a knee ligament. If the National Hockey League gets up and running again after the “I don’t know why everybody thinks Connor and Bo are that quick,” COVID-19 scare, Connor McDavid isn’t keen on being thrown right into Giordano joked. “I think they’re actually pretty slow, especially Connor … the playoff fire with no regular-season games to get the body used to playing hockey again. “I have to adjust my gap space and slow it down against him.”

“I think everyone would like a fair and full season…that’s what we’d McDavid has been in self-quarantine since March 13, along with the prefer,” the Edmonton Oilers captain said on a video conference call with other NHL players. It’s since been extended to April 6. He’s loving his fellow captains Mark Giordano, of Calgary, Vancouver’s Bo Horvat and dog, Lenny, for company, passing balls to him at his new house. But after Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Arizona. “I don’t know if we can just step right man’s best friend, who would he like to be quarantined with on the back in and have playoffs. Game 1, have Calgary come to Edmonton and Oilers? guys are running around trying to kill one another in the first game in two months. It’ll end up as the Stockton Heat vs. the Bakersfield Condors.” “Probably (Darnell) Nurse,” he said. “We’ve lived together before, I’ve known him a long time, and he’s guy I’m really comfortable with. I know McDavid is keen on players getting healthy over this time away but even the ins and outs of his life and he knows the same with me. We’ve gone though he feels the playoffs could be awesome, having no regular- on runs together during this time, although the weather’s not quite as season preliminary might be a stretch for him. Still, how exciting would nice here as it is in Arizona. the playoffs be? “The guy I’d want to self-quarantining with the least? Kass. I love Kass “If we can ever get back to playing games, I think it can be one of the but he’s got too much energy, he’s go, go, go constantly. That’s not what best playoffs ever. Every team will have their guys healthy and ready to you’re looking for when your trapped in a house all day.” go,” said Giordano, who came back to play just before the pause, after missing 10 games with a hamstring injury. Just hold off on calling them caged tigers quite yet.

An Oilers-Flames playoff series would be the marquee feature after When Ekman-Larsson, who has been binging on Swedish TV shows goalie fights and a war of words between the Oilers’ Zack Kassian and during the pause, was asked for Netflix suggestions, McDavid jumped Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk. right in with: “Tiger King, you’ll like it.”

“We’ve had lots of Calgary-Edmonton games that have been pretty Giordano quickly seconded that emotion. meaningless (because of the standings) but this year, with our teams so “Tiger King,” said the Flames captain. “That is one crazy show.” tight the fans are really into it,” said McDavid. “The games have been pretty wild this season and maybe we’ll see each other in the playoffs Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.28.2020 too.”

Again, no debate from Giordano, who has been with the Flames for 12 years.

“I’m really enjoying this Battle of Alberta again, we’re both in playoff spots, and for a lot of my career it hasn’t been that way,” he said. “This is better for the game and so much fun to play. For sure, we’ve had some good ones this season and we can keep it going.”

At pause time, the Oilers had 83 points in 71 games, second in the Pacific, three points south of Vegas. Calgary had 79 points in 70 games, third in the division. The Oilers’ last game before the season was stopped was a loss to Winnipeg at Rogers Place on March 11.

“It’s disappointing that hockey’s on hold with our team having a good year and in the playoff hunt, but there’s lots more important things going on with the health and safety of everyone,” said McDavid, who has a home gym to work out in.

Still he may be bored staying inside with no ice to skate on, never mind games to play, but this is today’s pandemic world. The layoff may recharge him mentally but physically he says he’s fine after missing six games with a quad injury and another with the flu.

“I don’t think it has an effect at all. I’m healthy now. There’s nothing they need to do for it. Obviously, just trying to keep my whole body in shape and be ready to go whenever that is,” said McDavid, who has 97 points, second only to teammate Leon Draisaitl’s 110 in the NHL scoring race.

Things got playful when the captains were asked what annoys them most when playing against their rivals.

“Probably losing every face-off against Bo. I’m not very good on face-offs and when you get to play every shift against Bo, you don’t win many draws,” said McDavid, who is an 47.8 per-cent guy. 1181729 Edmonton Oilers Also helping keep him fit is teammate Darnell Nurse. McDavid said they’ve been running together, making sure to keep a two-metre buffer in accordance with social distancing guidelines.

Connor McDavid on a ‘fair season’, working out and picking quarantine Nurse earned himself another ringing endorsement from McDavid on the teammates call as well. The defenceman was McDavid’s choice for the teammate he’d want to be quarantined with.

“He’s a guy I’ve lived with before. I’ve known him a long time as well,” Daniel Nugent-Bowman McDavid said. “A guy I’m real comfortable with. I know the ins and outs of his life and he knows the same with mine.” Mar 27, 2020 As for the teammate he’d least like to be quarantined with, McDavid

didn’t hesitate to answer: winger Zack Kassian. If the 2019-20 NHL campaign resumes following the COVID-19 “I’d have to go with Kass,” he said. “He just has too much energy. He’s pandemic, Connor McDavid’s preference is to have at least a few regular go, go, go constantly. That’s not what you’re looking for when you have season games before the playoffs begin. to be trapped in a house all day. I love Kass, but that’s too much energy The Oilers captain, citing player safety concerns, made the comments for a two-week quarantine.” Friday while on a video conference call with Pacific Division counterparts It’s impossible to say when it’ll happen, but eventually McDavid will be Mark Giordano (Flames), Bo Horvat (Canucks) and Oliver Ekman- able to mingle at the rink with his Oilers teammates again. Larsson (Coyotes). Naturally, he hopes it happens sooner than later. The sooner the better “I don’t think we can just step into the playoffs and Game 1 – it’s Calgary when it comes to increasing the chances for his desired outcome – coming to Edmonton – and guys are running around trying to kill each finishing the regular season and, maybe, getting that playoff series other that haven’t played for two months,” he said. “It’ll end up (being) the against the Flames. (AHL) Stockton Heat vs. the Bakersfield Condors if that’s the case. We want to keep the guys healthy.” “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the season. We’re very hopeful it’s gonna come back and we’ll be able to continue where we left When the NHL postponed its season March 12, the Oilers were on track off,” McDavid said. “We’re doing everything we can to stay ready to go.” to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017 and for only the second time since reaching the 2006 Stanley Cup final. The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 They’re second in the Pacific Division with 83 points in 71 games, four points ahead of the Flames – who’ve played one fewer game. Those two teams would, theoretically, meet in Round 1 – although points percentage would likely be factored into the equation and alter the standings.

Even though the Oilers would make the playoffs regardless of how the league reseeded teams if the regular season was cancelled, McDavid hopes it doesn’t come to that.

“A fair season is a full season,” he said. “If we can do that, I think that’s something we’d obviously prefer.”

For all his thoughts about how the season should be concluded, McDavid emphasized the most important factor is the health and wellbeing of everyone during this world health crisis.

“Hockey can go on hold for a little bit,” he said. “It’s just disappointing when the team’s having a good year and in the playoff hunt.

“It’s important that everyone does what they have to do and takes care of each other and we can get this thing over with so we can get back to playing hockey.”

McDavid said he decided to stay in Edmonton to avoid airports and to prevent any chance of impacting his parents or grandparents in Southern Ontario. “I thought it would be safest to stay put,” he said.

He’s mostly been spending time in the house he moved into in the fall, which he equipped with a gym. That’s being put to good use now.

“Nealer (James Neal) was giving me a hard time saying, ‘What’s the point of having one in your house when you have the rink right there?’

“Luckily I did, and I have the option to work out there.”

Looking relaxed while wearing a backwards black cap and a black T-shirt from corporate sponsor , McDavid shared his musical interests – Drake and Post Malone, to name two. He also recommended the Netflix show “Tiger King” to Ekman-Larsson.

While Ekman-Larsson and Giordano said they’ve been cooking more, McDavid insisted he hasn’t picked up a new hobby. He did, however, mention he plans to roll out an indoor training program with trainer and former NHLer Gary Roberts soon.

It appears Lenard – a bernedoodle he bought in Ontario this summer – has become his main training partner. McDavid posted a video of him doing squats this week on his indoor basketball court while holding his dog. 1181730 Edmonton Oilers E – Famous before he played for the Oilers due to heroics at the 2009 and

2010 World Junior Championships. He scored the prettiest first career Oilers ABC: Picking the best players in franchise history, from Anderson goal in Oilers history, an absolute thriller against Calgary Flames to Zuke goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. He would score 165 regular season goals over seven seasons, good for No. 11 on the franchise’s all-time list. He was part of the young gun Oilers (with Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent- Hopkins) who finally broke through and made the playoffs in 2017. Jonathan Willis, Daniel Nugent-Bowman and Allan Mitchell Edmonton traded him with no succession plan and paid the price in the Mar 27, 2020 seasons that followed.

F –

It’s a given that the Oilers are one of the more storied franchises in Under other circumstances the nod might go to veteran defenceman Lee hockey. Over nearly five decades, the team has played the role of Fogolin, who won two Stanley Cups playing in front of Fuhr, but it’s scrappy insurgent as part of the , NHL dynasty impossible to look past Edmonton’s Hall of Fame goaltender. Fuhr was over the brilliant 1980s and working-class budget team in the 1990s. The the final brilliant piece in a three-year run of drafts from 1979 to 1981 that arrival of Connor McDavid, a worthy successor to , has delivered five Hall of Famers and much of the supporting cast to only recently helped the team emerge from the darkest chapter in its on- Edmonton’s dynasty teams. He distinguished himself as the starter on ice history. four of those championship rosters.

An exercise like this, going A to Z through the franchise’s record books, His personal achievements tend to get second billing to his team reinforces just how much history there is. For each letter, an array of accomplishments, though the story might be different had Fuhr not had to possibilities emerges – from superstars to cult heroes to those players share the net with other brilliant goalies (first Andy Moog and then Bill with far briefer (but often still memorable!) footprints with the roster. Ranford). Only once in his Oilers career did he top 60 games, in 1987-88, and he made the most of the opportunity: he led the league in wins, won It’s a difficult exercise, and we’d like to invite the reader on the journey. the Vezina and finished second to in Hart Trophy voting. The following are our choices as the most important player in Oilers history for every letter of the alphabet. G – Wayne Gretzky

A – Were you expecting someone else? Gretzky’s extensive accolades makes him arguably the sport’s best player ever – and certainly ranks Only 17 players whose surname starts with the alphabet’s first letter have him as the best in Oilers history. In Edmonton alone, Gretzky captained ever played for the NHL Oilers, plus five more from the WHA days. the Oilers to four Stanley Cups in the 1980s, won seven straight scoring Anderson clearly stands at the top of the podium. He is fourth all-time on titles, earned eight consecutive Hart Trophy awards and claimed the the franchise scoring list with 906 points, ranking first in game-winning as playoff MVP twice. Gretzky tops the franchise goals (72) and tied for first in power play goals (126). The Hall of Famer list in goals (626), assists (1,147) and points (1,773) in just 768 games – was an important member of all five Stanley Cup teams and his No. 9 will totals that include his one partial WHA season. Sam Gagner didn’t have never be worn by another Oiler. Jason Arnott is a distant second. a snowball’s chance in hell.

B – Kelly Buchberger H – Al Hamilton

He was chosen in a round of the draft that no longer exists (ninth), his Although he played over 500 games with the Oilers, Hamilton’s NHL first full season in the NHL saw the Oilers ice a team with five forwards contribution came at the end of his career and consisted of just 32 games scoring 30-plus goals, while Buchberger scored five. He was a rugged (including playoffs) in the 1979-80 season. However, his signing with the checker and a solid penalty killer, knew his role (sacrifice) and played it Alberta Oilers in time for the 1972-73 season gave the upstart WHA club every shift. Buchberger was captain for four years in the late 1990s. its first real on-ice credibility. He posted several impressive years with the “Take ’em wide, Bucky” was a famous refrain among the faithful during WHA club as a complete defender (scoring over 50 points three times). his career and he remains a wildly popular figure among Oilers fans to He was the team’s best player for all of the WHA years. It’s safe to say this day. that Hamilton had more to do with the early success of the Oilers than any man this side of Bill Hunter. Eric Brewer received strong consideration but he played only 315 games with Edmonton. Hamilton’s appearance on this list over names like Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky has more to do with his importance as a builder than on-ice C – Paul Coffey performance. Coffey would have been the franchise talent on any number of NHL I – Brad Isbister teams. The Oilers were fortunate enough to snag him with the sixth pick in the 1980 draft and, as a result, he had to settle for merely being the Isbister, Ralph Intranuovo, Dave Inkpen and are the most best defenceman on a roster loaded with legendary players. If we bypass significant Is in the Oilers all-time record books, and only Isbister played his rookie year and injury-shortened 1986-87 season, Coffey had a more than 20 games. He arrived in Edmonton at the age of 25, coming brilliant five-year span. He was either a first- or second-team all-star five over along with in exchange for heart-and-soul defenceman times, won the Norris twice and was a finalist on two other occasions, and a second-round pick. Torres was the centrepiece of topped the 100-point mark on three occasions and garnered Hart the deal for the Oilers but Isbister was intriguing: a 6-foot-4 winger in a consideration three years, including a fourth-place finish in 1986 — a down year who had scored between 17 and 22 goals the three previous year Wayne Gretzky won with a 215-point season. seasons.

Anson Carter’s 157 points and Andrew Cogliano’s 328 games mark them He had some great games, but too few of them. He scored 10 goals in a as the statistical runners-up in each of those categories, while Jimmy depth role before being flipped to Boston for a fourth-rounder which was Carson’s 100-point season after coming over in the Gretzky trade later used to acquire Yan Stastny. represents the peak non-Coffey performance. J – Curtis Joseph D – Leon Draisaitl There aren’t many players to chose from – just 15, including the WHA Draisaitl is only scratching the surface of his potential and already has Oilers. But even though Curtis Joseph’s time with the franchise wasn’t back-to-back 100-point seasons and (likely) an Art Ross Trophy under long – just 2.5 years – that doesn’t mean he isn’t a worthy choice. His 14 his belt. He’s clearly one of the league’s top talents, as his strong Hart shutouts are second behind Tommy Salo. Joseph ranks seventh in wins Trophy case indicates. With due respect to Louie DeBrusk and Devan and minutes played too. The goaltender was the biggest reason why Dubnyk, there’s no debate here. Draisaitl’s last two seasons have been Edmonton upset the Stars and Avalanche in consecutive postseasons so productive that he’s become a point-per-game player (422 points in as before leaving for Toronto in free agency. Don Jackson (60 points and many games) after a slow start to his career. He’s 13th on the franchise 508 penalty minutes in 262 games) and Ryan Jones (72 points in 257 scoring list – and will be comfortably inside the top 10 by the end of the games) are next in line. 2020-21 campaign. K – hampering his career midway. But he gets the nod for his magical 2006 playoff run, which saw him record a league-high 14 goals, including five Although his impact was obscured by playing alongside Wayne Gretzky, game-winners. Few will forget his shorthanded overtime breakaway goal Jari Kurri was a formidable player. A tremendous scorer, he also gave his in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final to save Edmonton’s season. line great two-way awareness, on-ice vision and deft passing. In the deciding game (Game 5) of the 1984 final, it was Kurri who tracked back Q – William Quist into the Edmonton end and sent a bullet to ice and Gretzky, who went in alone and scored the goal that gave the Oilers a lead they would The Oilers have never employed a player whose last name begins with not relinquish. Q, although Edmonton did draft giant Swedish forward William Quist in 2007 (sixth round). He never played a regular season game in North One of the truly baffling facts about the Oilers is that Kurri won only one America and rarely played in a top European league, but remains active major award (1984-85 Lady Byng) during his NHL career. He led the (played 2019-20 for of the EIHL). league in goals (68) in 1985-86 but there was no Richard Trophy at that time. He played on all five Stanley Cup winners in Edmonton. R –

L – Ranford and Dwayne Roloson are both remembered fondly for their playoff heroics. Roloson’s 2006 run ended in tragedy when he was Lowe’s entire life has revolved around the Oilers to a degree that injured in Game 1 of the final, but his brilliance over three rounds and his eclipses any other player to ever dress for the franchise. He was the play in subsequent seasons earn him a place in Oilers lore. Ranford, in team’s first-ever draft pick in 1979 and ranks first by games played for contrast, stayed healthy and backstopped the most surprising of Edmonton with 1,037, including a stint as captain. He retired and stepped Edmonton’s five championship teams, earning the Conn Smythe as directly behind the bench, first as an assistant and then the head coach. playoff MVP in 1990. He then succeeded Glen Sather as general manager, a role in which he orchestrated the team’s 2006 run to the Stanley Cup final. His post- Yet Ranford’s Oilers legacy is more than one brilliant run. After years of playing career has been controversial, most notably his run as president deploying capable tandems, Edmonton leaned heavily on one goalie over of hockey operations, but his commitment to the franchise has never Ranford’s stint as starter. The result is that it’s Ranford, rather than Grant been in doubt. A 40-year relationship between city and player is an Fuhr or Tommy Salo or any other netminder, who owns the distinction of incredibly rare thing in the mercurial world of professional sports. playing the most regular season games for the club.

Georges Laraque and Dave Lumley are the next-most notable Ls by S – games played and total points, respectively. There were a few worthy candidates here, from fan favourite Dave M – Mark Messier Semenko to scoring winger to longtime captain Jason Smith. But, really, there was only one clear choice. Ryan Smyth’s 971 This one required its share of debate from the three of us. And if this career games played in an Oilers sweater ranks second only to piece was being published in, say, three to five years, the choice would defenceman Kevin Lowe. His 126 power play goals tie him with Glenn probably be different. As amazing as Connor McDavid is right now – and Anderson for most in club history. More than stats, however, Smyth was how outstanding he’s projected to be – his Oilers career doesn’t yet stack the heart and soul of the team for most of his two stints. It’s hard to beat up to Messier’s. Despite being third on the franchise points list (1,034), that. Messier was often overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky. That ended when The Great One left. Messier captained the team to its fifth title in 1990, a T – year in which he won the Hart Trophy and led all playoff scorers. It’s all He ranks among the best left wingers in Oilers history and was a world- too much for McDavid to overcome – at least, for now. class agitator in his prime. Tikkanen stories are legendary (he drove his N – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins teammates crazy; imagine how the opposition felt). His “Tikkanese” language was half bravado, half gibberish and wildly effective. As a Overshadowed by others so far in his Oilers career, first by Taylor Hall player, Tikkanen was an outstanding defensive forward (runner-up for the and later by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Nugent-Hopkins ranks Selke Trophy three times) who could score goals and make life difficult No. 9 all-time in franchise goals (169) and No. 11 in points (443). His for opponents with his gritty play and constant chatter. Tikkanen was the two-way ability is unique among the young guns who arrived in best skill left winger for the Gretzky-Kurri line in their heyday. He was a Edmonton between 201 and 2012, and as a result, Nuge seemed to unique player, often viewed as a distraction, but there’s no doubt he was adjust his game to more checking and defensive roles. His offence faded, an outstanding two-way winger for a long time. especially when McDavid and Draisaitl arrived in 2015. Despite all of that, he remains a vital part of the current team and his versatility is an U – Norm Ullman important facet of his game. His offence was awakened in January 2020 If the Oilers were simply the sum of their NHL history, Igor Ulanov, a when coach Dave Tippett moved him to the wing on a line with Leon tough-as-nails fan favourite, would be a deserving recipient of this Draisaitl at centre and Kailer Yamamoto on the other wing. honour. Yet it would be wrong to overlook the league that made O – Fredrik Olausson Edmonton’s NHL dream possible, the WHA, and in that league Ullman starred for two seasons at the end of his career as a member of the Edmonton has not been kind to its Os over the years. Oilers. showed up in the twilight of a brilliant career, Patrick O’Sullivan lost his way on the disastrous 2009-10 rebuild team and Linus Omark was a Ullman’s best known for his time in Detroit, where he led the NHL in throw-in for three years’ worth of fan trade proposals before finally being goals in 1965, but the Hall of Famer from Provost, Alta., both started and sent to Buffalo for a conditional pick the Oilers were never able to collect ended his career in Edmonton. He played his junior hockey with the Oil on. Even the best of the bunch, Olausson and seventh-rounder-made- Kings and had his brief stint in the minors with the Red Wings’ Edmonton good David Oliver left the Oilers by way of . affiliate, the Flyers. He returned as a 39-year-old in 1975, after clearing NHL waivers, and promptly led the Oilers in scoring with 87 points in 77 Unlike the others, Olausson was able to reinvent himself post-Edmonton. games. When he retired, he did so on his own terms at41, still a quality He’d been a reasonably solid Oiler for two seasons before hitting a rough professional. stretch in 1995-96, but he rebounded immediately after being claimed by Anaheim, distinguished himself for the Ducks and Penguins and V – Lubomir Visnovsky ultimately carved out a 1,000-plus game career in the majors. For a team Our choice was limited to eight skaters – the second-longest-serving eternally in need of right-shot defencemen, he represents less a being Vladimir Vujtek (70 games) – and goaltender Stephen Valiquette’s disappointment than a missed opportunity. 14 minutes of action. Let’s just say it was slim pickings. The clear best P – Fernando Pisani player is blueliner Lubomir Visnovsky, who had 63 points in 107 games over parts of two seasons. It’s hard to get too excited about Visnovsky’s Aside from the dominant but shortlived Chris Pronger era, this letter Edmonton days, though. His acquisition cost the Oilers centre Jarret Stoll features its share of good but not great candidates. Dustin Penner, Jeff and defenceman Matt Greene, two useful pieces of their 2006 playoff run Petry and garnered consideration, but none of them lept off the who would eventually win two Stanley Cups with the Kings. Visnovsky page. Pisani’s tenure isn’t exactly one for the record books either. He had was later sent to Anaheim for Ryan Whitney. 153 points in 403 Oilers games with a ulcerative colitis diagnosis W – Doug Weight Ask an Oilers fan about Weight and talk will quickly move to his gorgeous saucer passes that dropped tape to tape with the consistency of a production line. Acquired at a franchise low point (1993), he didn’t get into a playoff game until 1997 and then would play in 39 over five seasons. He was a dynamite playmaker, posting 50 or more assists five times during his Oilers career. He was named captain in 1999 but was the team’s leader long before the honour. Although highly skilled, Weight had no hesitation to defend himself or any teammates. He won the Stanley Cup against Edmonton in 2006 as a member of the , a bittersweet moment for Oilers fans.

X – Exelby, Randy

We’re cheating just a little on X, the toughest letter in the alphabet from an Oilers perspective. Exelby was a goaltender originally taken by Montreal in the 1986 college draft and arrived in Edmonton in the fall of 1989 in exchange for cash. He never had a chance at supplanting the NHL duo of Bill Ranford and Grant Fuhr but did squeak into one game in February 1990 while Fuhr was out with a shoulder injury.

Alexandre Giroux, a brilliant AHL player who had two points in an eight- game cup of coffee with the 2010-11 Oilers, is the only skater in team history to have multiple Xs in his name.

Y – Nail Yakupov

Yakupov was The Athletic’s biggest draft bust of the last decade but he’s still our best Y-named player. He led the Oilers with 17 goals in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, which began just months after he was drafted first overall. His talent was apparent but fleeting. Endless coaching changes didn’t help but Yakupov’s Oilers career disintegrated. He was dealt to St. Louis after just 50 goals and 111 points in 252 games. Diminutive forwards Mike York and Kailer Yamamoto were the others considered. In his third crack as rookie, Yamamoto had 26 points in 27 games this season and is on the right track to supplant Yakupov.

Z – Mike Zuke

A college forward who still owns some scoring records at Michigan Tech, Mike Zuke’s best tools were passing skill and a good shot. Although he never played for the NHL Oilers, Zuke established himself in pro hockey with the WHA Oilers in 1977-78. His 23 goals and 57 points ranked No. 4 on the team that season while playing in all situations. Zuke was a skill forward who would blossom in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, gaining a reputation for being effective on both special teams.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181731 Florida Panthers

Panthers owner will continue paying full-time employees throughout COVID-19 shutdown

DAVID WILSON

MARCH 27, 2020 11:58 AM

Note: The Miami Herald and McClatchy news sites have lifted the paywall on our websites for this developing story, providing critical information to readers. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription.

The NHL remains on hold indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Florida Panthers’ full-time employees will continue to be paid.

Vincent Viola is committed to continue paying Panthers full-time employees throughout the shutdown, a team spokesperson confirmed Friday. The owner told employees about his plan Friday, Bloomberg reported. The Panthers employ about 230 people.

“The specific directive from ownership was that no employee of the Florida Panthers will suffer economically from the coronavirus,” president Matthew Caldwell told Bloomberg.

The Panthers haven’t played since March 9, a few days before the league suspended play indefinitely March 12. On March 13, pledged $100,000 to pay part-time workers at the BB&T Center throughout the stoppage, and his teammates pooled together another $100,000 to match the superstar goaltender. Ownership also pledged an undisclosed amount to cover remaining pay.

The Panthers last played in Sunrise on March 7. So far, three home games have been postponed.

Viola’s pledge to pay his employees comes just days after Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, drew criticism for a plan to slash employee pay by 20 percent through June. The owner backed away from the plan Tuesday, less than 24 hours after reported on it. The NHL has slashed pay at the league office by 25 percent.

Viola’s net worth is estimated at $3 billion, according to Bloomberg. Viola, who is the founder of market-making firm Virtu Financial, purchased the team in 2013.

There is still no clear indication of when play will resume, but the NHL said Monday it hopes to potentially begin training camps roughly 45 days into the 60-day period the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended to abstain from gatherings of 50 or more people. The 45- day mark would place a return near the end of April, although NHL chief medical officer Willem Meeuwisse acknowledged, “it’s difficult to predict where the pandemic is going and what the timeline will be, but we do expect this is going to get worse before it gets better.”

Miami Herald LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181732 Florida Panthers

Panthers commit to paying staff through entirety of coronavirus pandemic

WELLS DUSENBURY

MAR 27, 2020 | 3:27 PM

As businesses continue to close across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, many workers are naturally worrying about their job security and financial future.

Amid the crisis, the Florida Panthers have issued a clear message to their employees — “We’ve got you covered.”

Owner Vinnie Viola has committed to paying the team’s full staff through the entirety of the coronavirus pandemic, a source confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Based out of the BB&T Center in Sunrise, the Panthers employ about 230 people, per Bloomberg.

The NHL season was officially suspended on March 12, one day after an NBA player tested positive for coronavirus, leading to postpone its season. There’s been no timeline yet as to when hockey will resume.

The Panthers had 13 games remaining in the regular season, including six at the BB&T Center. Following the postponement of the season, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky donated $100,000 to help part-time stadium workers. The team’s ownership group also pledged to contribute.

Viola, 64, purchased the Florida Panthers in 2013 and is worth an estimated net worth of $3 billion, per Bloomberg.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181733 Los Angeles Kings LA Times: LOADED: 03.28.2020

Kings’ Anze Kopitar in favor of resuming regular season instead of going straight to playoffs

JACK HARRIS

MARCH 27, 20201:58 PM

Anze Kopitar hopes the Kings’ season isn’t over yet.

During a videoconference call alongside three other Pacific Division players on Friday afternoon, Kopitar said that, whenever play is able to resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he would be in favor of the league continuing the regular season instead of jumping straight to a postseason for which the Kings wouldn’t qualify.

“I don’t think we’re the youngest guys on this call, anymore, so we probably need a few games to get loosened up, to get back into the speed of everything,” the 32-year-old Kopitar said jokingly on a call alongside fellow veterans Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture and Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“For the format, your guess is probably as good as mine. You want to play a few games to get into the thick of things. I don’t think starting the playoffs right away would be the best idea.”

If the NHL were to skip straight to the playoffs, it would almost certainly mean the end of the season for the Kings. Despite a seven-game winning streak before the season was suspended on March 12, the Kings are still second-to-last in the 15-team Western Conference.

Even if the league were to slightly expand its playoff field to compensate for this season’s unprecedented circumstances, the Kings would probably still not qualify.

“Kopi, for some reason I don’t think we have to worry about the playoff format this year,” Getzlaf joked on the four-way call, his Ducks also out of the running and only one spot ahead of the Kings in the standings.

Couture, whose Sharks are last in the conference, then chimed in with a laugh: “Bring back all the teams.”

Getzlaf’s semi-serious response: “Yeah, let’s do a 31-team thing. That would be awesome.”

Even with the league reportedly considering an expanded playoff field beyond the usual 16 participants, anything more than a 24-team event that would take 12 clubs from both conferences seems unrealistic.

“I read about [potentially] an extended playoff format,” Kopitar said, “but for us three, we’re going to have to really stretch for it. It is what it is.”

Fleury broached the idea of a separate tournament for non-playoffs teams that would decide who gets the No. 1 draft pick.

“I don’t know how you can pull that off,” Kopitar said. “I think the lottery is the safest bet.”

Other players across the league are also split on what the NHL should do. On Thursday, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said they’d be in favor of going directly to the postseason once the delay is over. On Friday, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid hoped the regular season could be completed in full, if possible.

“You want a fair season,” McDavid told reporters on a separate conference call. “And a fair season is a full season. If we can do that, I think that’s something we’d obviously prefer.”

The 31 teams in the league have played between 68 and 71 games. A full season is 82 games.

The longer the league’s hiatus lasts, the more likely it appears its regular season could be scrapped.

“We’re disappointed this is going on,” Kopitar said. “We’d like to be back on the ice, but obviously now the most important thing is we’ve got to stay safe, we’ve got to get through this.” 1181734 Minnesota Wild

Wild plan to pay full-time employees through April

DANE MIZUTANI

March 27, 2020 at 12:05 p.m.

With no timetable on when the 2019-20 pro hockey season will resume amid the COVID-19 crisis, or if it will resume at all, full-time employees with the Minnesota Wild, and Xcel Energy Center can breath a little easier knowing their jobs are safe for now.

According to a Wild spokesperson, owner Craig Leipold sent an email to full-time employees on Friday assuring that everyone will be retained at full pay and benefits through April. The only exception is a pay reduction of 20 percent for compensation above $150,000 a year.

This comes 10 days after the Wild announced measures to support impacted part-time employees, promising to pay those who were scheduled to work the final six home games of the NHL’s regular season.

“This is an extremely difficult period of time for everyone,” Leipold said in a release then, adding that many Wild players contributed to the effort. “I am very thankful for everything these part-time employees do for our organization and for our guests.”

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA announced that they planned a 20 percent pay cut for full-time employees. They immediately reversed course after receiving backlash on Twitter for the move.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181735 Minnesota Wild “He’s powerful. He’s a powerful skater. He’s strong on pucks down in the offensive zone, does a great job of feeling pressure and rolling off pressure and creating space for himself. He’s got a very good net-front game as far as finding the front of the net and trying to spend a little bit Wild notes: The rise of Adam Beckman; Chaffee signs; Soucy, Kaprizov more time there and taking up some space and creating some offense. updates So, we like that package when you put it all together. Hopefully he can continue to grow and get better at his game and we have every

expectation that he will because we also know that he’s a tremendous Michael Russo human being. He’s a hard-working kid that keeps himself in great shape.”

Mar 27, 2020 Chaffee said he plans to spend a lot of this summer in Minnesota working out with strength and conditioning coach Sean Skahan. While Chaffee will start in Iowa next season, the expectations are that Beckman, 18, will return to the Chiefs. As a teenager, he’s not AHL-eligible. Leave it to Adam Beckman to screw up the ’ grand plan. FINISHES OFF THE HAT TRICK TO SEAL A 4-0 It was Dec. 7 and a sellout crowd of 10,422 flocked through the gates of VICTORY FOR @UMASSHOCKEY AT VERMONT! Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to watch the Chiefs take on the Tri- PIC.TWITTER.COM/FAIUEE4OBB City Americans and participate in “ Toss Night.” — HOCKEY EAST (@HOCKEY_EAST) JANUARY 18, 2020 Fans were asked to bring a teddy bear and hurl it onto the ice after the Chiefs’ first goal of the game. The bears would then be collected and Beckman won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the ’s donated to children in the community. The season before, a Chiefs’ scoring champion with 107 points in 63 games. He ranked second with record 7,655 bears were tossed and disseminated. 16 power-play goals and nine game-winning goals, tied for third with 59 assists and finished fifth with a plus-44 rating. The forward recorded 33 Prior to last winter’s game, Chiefs president Mark Miles walked into the multi-point games and had at least a point in 33 of his last 36 games (35 coaches’ office and jokingly asked coach Manny Viveiros if he could goals, 69 points). He had three five-point games, recorded an 18-game choreograph that the first goal of the game wouldn’t be scored until the point streak and tied Spokane’s franchise record with a 10-game goal seven- or eight-minute mark to ensure all fans would be in the arena and streak. in their seats. Beckman was excited to get the contract signed and not have to wait “The funny thing is, I was more worried that we’d even score one goal until before the June 1, 2021 deadline. because Tri-City shut us out the last time we played them at home,” Viveiros said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a weight off your shoulders, but it’s just nice to know I won’t have to think about hoping to get it done next season. It’s a bit of But Beckman, who sure looks like a 2019 third-round steal by the Wild, relief and gives me motivation to hopefully get to the Wild at some point,” didn’t get the memo. Beckman said from his home in Saskatoon, . “The season Forty-one seconds into the game, Beckman scored his 14th of his WHL- ended disappointingly because we were on fire as a team, won 10 in a leading 48 goals this season. From there, a sea of 8,604 stuffed animals row, and were looking forward to the playoffs before the virus canceled rained down. everything. We were just really trending in the right direction, and then it’s suddenly over. We just didn’t see it coming at all. “It took 30 minutes to clean up the ice because there was the first wave of teddy bears … and then suddenly there was the second wave of teddy “But it was an exciting year for myself. I’ve always had confidence, but as bears from the fans who got in the building late,” Viveiros said. “Half the the year went on, I just got a lot of help from my teammates, and it made fans were still in line waiting to get in when he scored! So, we blamed the year I had individually possible.” Becks on that.” Beckman was on pace for the 13th 50-goal season in Chiefs’ history In a busy week for a Wild team that’s on hiatus like the majority of the when the WHL’s season ended with four games left in Spokane’s. Some sports world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Beckman was one of four NHLers who reached that plateau in Spokane include Valeri Bure (team- prospects signed to entry-level contracts. The Wild also signed draft record 68 goals), Ray Whitney (67- and 57-goal seasons), Pat Falloon picks Damien Giroux and Hunter Jones and landed one of the nation’s (64- and 60-goal seasons), Tyler Johnson (53) and (51). top college free agents, Mitchell Chaffee of UMass-Amherst. “Becks didn’t get his 50 goals, but he was going to get it, for sure,” said Chaffee related the NHL recruiting process to several years earlier when Viveiros, a former Edmonton Oilers assistant coach who coached the he had to commit to a college. It’s believed he chose the Wild over teams Swift Current Broncos to the WHL title in 2018. “But the thing about him like Boston, Vegas and Pittsburgh. though, it didn’t really matter to him. It was more about how the team was playing and he was so excited about the fact that we were so hot going “You want to go somewhere with a good opportunity and good into playoffs. development, and that’s why I picked Minnesota,” Chaffee said from his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I think it, first off, comes with building “He’s a pure goal scorer, he certainly is. If he gets the puck anywhere a relationship with the GM. I knew Bill (Guerin) from going to inside the top of the circles or in between the dots, he’s got a really good development camp in Pittsburgh. I just felt like the Wild would be a good opportunity to score. He’s got a great wrist shot. He really does, gets it off fit, the way they play, and just their prospects. I’m going to try to be an quick and it’s very accurate and he’s certainly not shy to shoot the puck. impact player that can score goals, but also somebody who can be But he does have vision, too, to make plays. It’s not always like he just physical and play that heavy role. buries his head and shoots. He can make plays, he’s finding guys backdoor. But shooting, he gets to those areas where he always finds “That was my game in college and I feel like that game can transfer over that little soft pocket where guys will find him. And it’s off his stick real to the NHL pretty well.” quick.”

Chaffee, 22, a 6-foot, 185-pound right wing, was on top of his game Viveiros said when he arrived in Spokane last fall, one of the first things when he got hurt late during his junior season. He ended up with 16 he stressed to Beckman and all his players is the importance of playing a goals and 13 assists in 30 games. He was an All-American and Hockey 200-foot game. He said when Beckman really started to take off, it was East First Teamer as a sophomore when he scored 42 points in 39 when he started to really look after his own zone. games. He finished with 95 points in 108 career games. “I just said, ‘We’re going to coach you for the next level, it’s not just for “(Wild scout) Brian Hunter does a great job with these college free agents this level. We want to coach you to be possibly an NHL player,’” Viveiros and he had been all over him the last couple years, and (Guerin) loved said. “I sat down with Adam. I said, ‘Adam, you know how many players him as well, so both Brian and Billy agreed quite early in the year that we that come from major junior hockey league or college who put up big should really keep tabs on Mitchell and take a run at him at the end of the numbers and they’re solely fixated on scoring goals that when they get to season. It was a big get for us,” said Wild director of player development the next level they’re not even prepared to play?’ Brad Bombardir. “He’s got some size. Size is great to get when there’s a package that supports that size, and he’s got a package that supports “I talked with Adam about the fact that just because you score 50 in junior that size. doesn’t automatically translate to 50 goals in the American Hockey League let alone the National Hockey League. So, I explained that if he He’s the leader of that Saginaw team and had the ability to play in every wanted a chance to give himself the best opportunity to play at the next situation.” level, round out your game completely. And, boy, did he buy in. We started using him on penalty kill, in a lot more key situations and he Jones, 19, went 31-14-3 with a 2.75 goals-against average, .913 save started to understand that and took ownership of that. He understands percentage and four shutouts in 49 games with the OHL Peterborough that if he gets this part down, when he turns pro, he can hit the ground Petes last season. With Kaapo Kahkonen, Mat Robson and Dereck running.” Baribeau also signed, whether Jones turns pro or return to junior next season will depend on where he can play the most. RECORDING 107 POINTS, @MNWILD PROSPECT @ADAMBECKMAN9 OF THE @SPOKANECHIEFS IS THE 2019-20 “It’s important for these guys to play and it’s important for them to feel WHL SCORING CHAMPION! pucks and see pucks, get as much game experience as they possibly can,” Bombardir said. “Unless something changes internally with DETAILS | HTTPS://T.CO/2CHDHRCEWM goaltending or anything like that, who knows, but at this point the way PIC.TWITTER.COM/KXIKXMIDLN we’re looking at it — it’s still early, but he has eligibility to go back to junior and if that’s going to be the best fit for him, then it’ll be the best fit — THE WHL (@THEWHL) MARCH 20, 2020 for him. We’ve got guys in the system right now.”

The Wild were without a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, but former GM Unlike Beckman, if Jones returns to junior, the first year of his three-year Paul Fenton traded the Wild’s 2020 third-round pick last June for the contract would be burned. third-rounder he used to take Beckman 75th overall. It’s believed Wild co- director of amateur scouting Darren Yopyk was a big fan of Beckman. The hope for all four prospects is to bring each into Minnesota for development camp, although because of the coronavirus, Bombardir said Viveiros said Beckman being selected so late is a perfect example of the June 28-July 3 event will likely be postponed. how the NHL is “so imperfect.” Wild in holding pattern on Soucy “They weigh so much on a kid’s 18-year-old year, and he was 17 and I’m told when Adam got to Spokane from minor hockey, he was just all skin There is no doubt the Wild plan on defenseman Carson Soucy being part and bones,” Viveiros said. “Like, he was just small and wasn’t muscular. of their future, but they haven’t yet started negotiations on a new contract Now, he has added a lot of lean muscle and he’s not a small kid because it’s not yet known if the 25-year-old will be deemed a restricted anymore. He’s like 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 and he’s got the frame where he’s or unrestricted free agent. going to get bigger and bigger. That third round in hindsight a year later Soucy, who sustained an upper body injury not long after scoring his final is probably a first-round pick.” goal of the season Feb. 21 at Edmonton, is in the final year of his Beckman said when he was 14 or 15, he was only 5-foot-4. contract.

“As I grew up, I just kind of steadily grew quite a bit over the last three He has played 62 NHL games (55 this season), including the playoffs. In years,” he said. “And now I’m almost (6-foot-2). I continued to grow and the NHL, if you’re 25 or older with at least three professional seasons it’s kind of helped me get more attention. But I don’t think that I drastically and have yet to play 80 NHL games, your status automatically changes got better as a player. I really think this is who I was and people just to a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. started to notice this year.” As of now, Soucy is 18 games short because of that injury he suffered It was impossible not to. He became one of the WHL’s most dominant against his home-province Oilers. players. The Wild are waiting to see what happens with the rest of the season. “The way he’s wired, he’s such high-energy. It’s fun,” Viveiros said. “He Theoretically, as unlikely as this may be, if the regular-season resumes comes to the rink every day and he’s fun to be around. We sometimes and the Wild play their final 13 games, make the playoffs and have a have to tell him, ‘Shut up,’ but in a positive way. He’s always talking, he’s round last at least five games, Soucy, if he were to play in all of those asking questions. We have a lot of fun with him a lot of time. We even tell games, would be a restricted free agent. That would put his next contract kids on the team, ‘If you guys are not sure, ask questions — except for in a more reasonable marketplace than if he were free this offseason to Adam. Adam, you’re not allowed to ask questions.’” negotiate with 30 other NHL teams.

“He’s just a polite, very respectful, intelligent young man, and very Soucy, the biggest surprise of training camp, has had a terrific season. In motivated and focused … and very, very talkative. He’s got such drive, 55 games, he ranks fourth among NHL rookie defensemen with seven there’s no doubt he’ll play in the NHL. I can’t wait to see him next year for goals, tied for ninth with 14 points, tied for fourth with a plus-16 and first us. He’s going to be burning. He’ll have more of a fire to try to even with a .115 shooting percentage. improve on his numbers just because the way this year ended so Could the Wild sign Kaprizov early? unexpectedly for all of us.” While the Wild aren’t believed to be pursuing any more college free Bombardir also can’t wait to watch. agents, are they done signing their own prospects? “It’ll be interesting to watch him go back and try to build off the incredible Great question. year he had this year,” Bombardir said. “It will be challenging for him, but he proved to everybody that he could grow his game this year. Now, Shawn Boudrias is the only other 2018 draft pick that needs to be signed when you turn pro, the part of being a professional is being able to be by June 1 in order for the Wild to retain his rights, but they haven’t yet relied upon on a day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, season- decided if the sixth-rounder is in their plans (he had 35 goals and 79 by-season basis. I don’t know if the expectation should be for him to points in 59 games for Cape Breton in the high-scoring QMJHL). replicate what he’s done this year in the Western Hockey League, but the challenge for these guys is consistency a lot of times and this is an That means all eyes are once again on the uber-hyped Kirill Kaprizov. opportunity for him to grow in his consistency and prove that he can As The Athletic has reported no less than two trillion times, Kaprizov’s continue to play at the level that he’s played at this year. But he is one contract ends in the KHL on April 30 — four days after his 23rd birthday good player. We’re excited to have him locked up.” — and he’s free to sign with the Wild as early as May 1. Bombardir is also excited the Wild got Giroux and Jones signed. However, unfortunately for Kaprizov, his desire to win a second Giroux, 20, a 2018 fifth-round pick, will turn pro next season after consecutive championship with CSKA Moscow was thwarted Wednesday captaining the . He tied for sixth in the OHL with 44 goals when the KHL canceled its playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. and tied for first with 10 game-winning goals. The 2018 Olympic hero also recently learned that the world championships in Switzerland were canceled, too. “We really have a great appreciation for Damien, the way he plays the game, the way he shows up every day to the rink to do his work, the way So, with Kaprizov having no further obligations in Russia, you can bet he conducts himself away from the rink, he’s just a heck of a character every cent in your bank account that Guerin is at least investigating person,” Bombardir said. “And then on top of that, he’s a very good through agent Dan Milstein whether the Wild can sign Kaprizov in hockey player as well, and he’s proven that over the last couple of years. advance of May 1. As Guerin has told The Athletic multiple times, the objective is to have Kaprizov’s two-year contract start next season, not if the NHL resumes this season. The latter option has been taken away from the Wild regardless.

If the Wild end up being allowed to sign Kaprizov imminently, the NHL has already mandated that all players signed to contracts now must have them start in the 2020-21 season. That’s why every top college free agent signed leaguewide to this point did not burn the first year of their contracts like in previous years with, say in the case of Minnesota, players like Nico Sturm, Mat Robson and Nate Prosser.

Kaprizov, the highlight machine who scored the “Golden Goal” in overtime in the Olympics two Februarys ago, scored 33 goals in 57 games to lead the KHL for a second straight season. His 62 points ranked third. The youngest KHL player in history to score 100 goals, Kaprizov has 113 goals and 230 points in 293 career KHL games.

Wild outline near-term plan for employees

NHL league-office employees who earn more than $75,000 a year are receiving an immediate 25 percent paycut, according to sources, and teams like the Boston Bruins are laying off employees. The Wild have taken a different approach, at least on a near-term basis, The Athletic has learned.

In an email sent to his staff outlining the team’s plans through the month of April, Wild owner Craig Leipold said his priorities are to be ready for a potential quick startup to the season and to keep the majority of the organization’s staff engaged and fully compensated in the short-term.

He announced that any employee making less than $150,000 will receive full pay and benefits until May 1. That is the vast majority of Wild employees. Any employee making more than $150,000 will see a pay reduction of 20 percent for the portion above $150,000.

In other words, the first $150,000 is protected. An employee making $200,000, for example, would be subject to a 20 percent reduction of $50,000.

Because nobody knows what May, June and July will look like as this global pandemic evolves, Leipold indicated to employees that he was not prepared to make any promises beyond May 1. Leipold wrote that the team will monitor all variables and would be in a better position to update the staff later next month if any further changes were to occur.

In the email, Leipold expressed his “deep gratitude for your positive attitude, work ethic and commitment to our organization during these extraordinarily trying times. Needless to say, none of us have experienced anything quite like this during our lifetimes and there is no playbook to guide us. What does guide us during times like these is the strong culture and values we have built together through all these years. Our values — Pride, Selflessness, Unity and Creativity have served us well and they apply more than ever at moments like these. … We will get through this together and we’ll be stronger on the other side.”

Leipold’s email came 10 days after he announced that, with the assistance of his players, arena part-time workers would be paid for the remaining six suspended home games.

I’M TOLD EVERY SINGLE #MNWILD PLAYER IS CONTRIBUTING TO HELP THE WILD PAY THE ARENA’S PART-TIME WORKERS FOR THE REMAINING 6 HOME GAMES. VERY COOL HTTPS://T.CO/X6XSANRVAV

— MICHAEL RUSSO (@RUSSOHOCKEY) MARCH 17, 2020

Teams have approached this pandemic in different ways. Many are still evaluating their plans going forward. Once word got out that New Jersey Devils staff members were being told they’d take temporary 20 percent paycuts, owner Josh Harris reversed course and apologized “for getting this wrong.” According to The Athletic’s George Richards, the Florida Panthers have vowed to pay their employees throughout the ordeal, while according to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro, the Dallas Stars haven’t made any staffing decisions but CEO Jim Lites and GM Jim Nill have voluntarily taken 50 percent paycuts. The have temporarily laid off 60 percent of their staff but set up a $6 million fund to assist them.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181736 New Jersey Devils "That would be a sign that things are getting back to normal, and I think everybody is anticipating that. But right now … it’s probably a story that we’re going to share with our grandkids one day.”

Devils’ P.K Subban pleads for more social distancing after moving from 1 Star Ledger LOADED: 03.28.2020 coronavirus hot spot to another

Mar 27, 2020

Randy Miller

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban does a lot to live up to his reputation of being a great personality. He’s outgoing and fun loving and as fan friendly as anyone. If want entertained, follow the two-time All-Star on social media or watch some of his past antics on YouTube.

During this coronavirus-driven NHL stoppage, Subban still is having fun with fans. While he’d been cooped up the last few days in his Los Angeles summer home with fiancée Lindsey Vonn, Subban is helping set up a new NHL-themed game show that he’ll be hosting.

Although Subban didn’t give details Thursday while he was taking part in an NHL conference call with three other star players, he did reveal that he’ll be participating in the games how because he feels that people need an escape during this world crisis that has led to a ton of self- isolating.

“I’m sure it will be some fun stuff and bring some joy to people and give them something to laugh about,” Subban said.

It was two weeks on Thursday since the NHL paused its season, and they’ve been tough ones for Subban. He spent the first 10-to-11 days in New Jersey hearing about so many people being sick and/or struggling financially in the New Jersey/ region, then the last few days he’s been hearing and seeing the same thing out in Southern California.

“It was tough being there (in New Jersey),” Subban said. ‘I went from one hotbed to another. It’s just crazy to see. I do a lot of work in hospitals, too. We have to give crazy props to the doctors and nurses and all of the people who have been putting in crazy hours and work all day. I can’t imagine working a 14-, 15-, 16-hour shift to continue to make us healthy in this tough time. It’s crazy.”

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During the NHL conference call, which included Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee and Columbus Blue Jackets captain Mike Foligno, Subban passionately sent a message for fans to do their part to help stop the spreading of the coronavirus.

“There’s obviously a bigger cause in quarantining, washing your hands, making sure you try to be as discipline as you can because it is going to help save lives,” Subban said. “The quicker we can be discipline in doing that, maybe the quicker this thing turns around.

“I get a lot of stuff on social media from people who are going through times where it gets a little bit tough and little bit depressing being indoors all day, but if you’re going through those times, just thing about those kids that are in the hospital with their parents and families that haven’t been able to pay their bills because this coronavirus came.

“There are a lot of people going through different things. But the people who are lucky enough to have a house and clothes and food and water and all of those things, just do what you can do help as many people as you can within the guidelines.”

Subban is hoping the NHL season can resume sooner rather than later so the Devils can make a late playoff push. They were 13 points out of the final Eastern Conference berth with 13 games remaining when the NHL shut down on March 12, but the Devils went into the stretch hot, as they were 11-5-5 in their last 21.

But as much as Subban wants to play, the health of mankind is way more important to him.

“It’s just a dose of reality for us," he said. “It puts everything in perspective. But sports has the ability to bring people together and there’s a hope that our season gets to resume in time. 1181737 New Jersey Devils I’ll tell you what, Smith, Okhotyuk, Misyul and Bahl, I think they’re all going to be good NHL players.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 03.28.2020 Scouting Devils’ 2019 draft class: Daniil Misyul can become ‘good complement to somebody a little more offensive’

Mar 27, 2020

Randy Miller

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

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

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

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

Here’s Part 3:

DANIIL MISYUL, D

Drafted: 3rd round, 70th overall.

Hometown: Minsk, .

Age: 19 (20 on Oct. 20, 2020).

Size: 6-2, 176.

Shoots: Left.

Contract status: Unsigned.

2019-20 clubs: Kokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL), Russia Under 20 (International & World Juniors).

2019-20 stats: Lokomotiv (KHL), 35 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, 11 PIM, minus-1; Russia U20 (World Juniors), 6 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 12 PIM, plus-2; Russia U20 (International), 14 games, 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, 45 PIM.

Fast fact: Misyul sat out Lokomotiv’s final seven regular-season games and six-game, first-round playoff series loss after being hit in the face with a puck during a Feb. 3 game.

Quoting Misyul: “I started putting skates on when I was about four, but I wasn’t really skating … just wobbling and falling over! Everything changed when I was seven and we moved (from Belarus) to Russia. Within six months I was ready to join the Lokomotiv hockey school. One time, the coach tried to put me on defense, but I kept joining the rushes and not getting back. I kept scoring goals for the team, so at the age of 10 they finally decided to use me purely as a forward.”

Craig Button scouting report: “He’s from Belarus, but he’s been a Russian kid since he was young. Watching Misyul in the World Juniors this year, he’s a really good player. He’s competitive. He’s good with the puck. He skates. To me, he’s a No. 4 defenseman. He’s be a good complement to somebody who might be a little bit more offensive. He also can add offense.

“I don’t think Daniil’s is going to be a huge offensive player, but when you can get that second layer of defenseman that can really contribute and move the puck and join the rush, I think that you’re able to have success as a kid. He’s got good size. He’s smart. I really like him. I think he’s a really good player.

“When you start to look at the Devils’ future defense, you start with (2018 first-round draft pick) Smith and (2019 second-round pick) Nikita Okhotyuk and Misyul. And then trading Taylor Hall to Arizona for another defenseman prospect in Kevin Bahl (2018 draft, 2nd round), you now have a group of players who are going to come in together and compete for spots. They’re not all going to make it with the New Jersey Devils, but 1181738 New Jersey Devils which included moving Blake Coleman, Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, Louis Domingue and Simmonds, drew a consensus of positive reviews.

While the Devils have had a much better record with Nasreddine in The ultimate Devils fan survey: Taking the temperature during a time of charge since Hynes was fired, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood has unrest received most of the credit for the club’s improvement.

Sifting through each of the written answers, which included responses like “Gallant or Boudreau or Laviolette” or “whoever is the most qualified Corey Masisak candidate,” made it challenging to assign credit.

Mar 27, 2020 I turned both of these into tables, with the votes manually counted.

Who should be the Devils’ GM?

During a period of general uncertainty, there is an elevated amount of Tom Fitzgerald unrest in northern New Jersey. 408 While the league, and everyone else in the sports world, waits to determine when games can resume again, the Devils face critical I don’t know decisions in the coming months that will impact the franchise for years to 22 come. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment needs to choose a general manager, which means either removing the interim tag for Tom Fitzgerald or naming a new leader of the front office. 10 The club also needs a head coach, which could be interim coach Alain Nasreddine or a new leader of the staff. Then there is the 2020 NHL Draft, which could be the first one in franchise history where the Devils 8 have three first-round selections. Judd Brackett Unless the NHL unveils an unconventional playoff format to conclude the 2019-20 season that allows more than 16 teams to qualify, the Devils will 3 miss the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Ray Shero The Athletic created a survey of 21 questions for Devils fans to answer, including several focusing on the short- and long-term future of the 3 franchise. Stick taps are in order for our Knicks writer, Mike Vorkunov, who inspired this idea. 3 Here is what more than 500 members of the fan base had to say: Others receiving votes: Two for Brian Burke, Todd Cordell, For as much grief as fans like to give their sport rivals about the idea of and ; one for Meghan Chayka, Tyler Dellow, Slava “bandwagon” fans, even franchises that have been around for 100 years Fetisov, Gerard Gallant, Scott Litwack and Eric Tulsky. would have results that look similar to this. Winning draws more fans, or turns casual ones into diehards. There are many people who want Fitzgerald to lose the interim tag. Gillis reportedly interviewed for the job before the league-wide shutdown. I covered the Capitals for a few years and their managing partner, Ted Brodeur might eventually hold a title above general manager and take on Leonsis, talked about the need to win the Stanley Cup to turn the fans a role similar to Brendan Shanahan’s in Toronto or Cam Neely’s in who appeared when Alex Ovechkin arrived into committed followers. It Boston, but he’s not going to be the GM. Brackett is Vancouver’s director took them a while, but it happened. Winning three times in less than a of amateur scouting. Zito is assistant GM of the Blue Jackets. decade, as the Devils did, creates fans for life, and it’s something the current regime would love to replicate someday. Who should be the Devils’ head coach?

Given a second straight disappointing season, the amount of people who Gerard Gallant are hopeful and, well, not pessimistic or worse, is a little surprising. Compare these two charts to the response Vork got from Knicks fans at 152 the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. Alain Nasreddine

Having players like and Jack Hughes to build around gives 60 whoever is steering the franchise forward a much better place to start than Ray Shero and John Hynes five years ago. I don’t know

The answers to all of these questions are very different than they were in 36 September, when expectations had soared after an eventful offseason. Bruce Boudreau New Jersey finished second in Dom Luszczsyn’s front office confidence rankings at the time, behind only a team that had 128 points last season 26 (Tampa Bay). More than 75 percent of responders still see the Devils returning to the playoffs in the next two years, but the majority of them don’t expect that 25 to happen until 2022. The timeline for becoming a Stanley Cup contender Rickard Gronborg involves more patience. 24 This essentially represents an approval rating of 83.2 percent, with varying levels of approval. The Devils are projected to use the least amount of cap space in the NHL this season, according to Cap Friendly. They’ve been in the bottom six each of the previous four years, including 12 second-least in 2018-19 and 2016-17. That said, the franchise has been Patrik Elias in rebuilding mode and the two times Shero wanted to improve the club immediately — at the 2018 trade deadline and the 2019 offseason — the 7 managing partners approved expensive transactions, like trading for P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev and signing Wayne Simmonds. Jacques Lemaire

The response to these questions are both positive, but more significantly 4 so for Fitzgerald. New Jersey’s work leading into the trade deadline, Jim Montgomery 3 Bobby Holik

Others receiving votes: Two for Guy Boucher, Todd Cordell; one for Mike 4 Babcock, Dan Bylsma, Tom Gulitti, Lou Lamoriello, Jay Leach, John Madden, Joel Quenneville, Scott Sandelin and Andre Tourigny. Taylor Hall

Gallant is the clear leader, but Nasreddine received more votes than the 3 other potential candidates. I tossed out any answer that included multiple Scott Gomez choices or responses like “someone who has won the Cup” or “someone who can draft well.” 3

Gallant, Boudreau, Laviolette and Montgomery were all fired during the 2019-20 season. Gronborg led Zurich SC to the top of the regular-season 3 standings in the Swiss league (NLA) this year. The league canceled the playoffs because of the coronavirus outbreak. He’s also been Sweden’s Blake Coleman national team coach for the past four seasons. 3 It will be worth revisiting these questions over the next couple of years to see if the answers are trending up or down. I thought the viewing Petr Sykora numbers might be more starkly different from 2017-18 (a playoff year) to 3 2018-19 (when the club was out of playoff contention before Christmas), but they were pretty similar. Others receiving votes: Two for Jason Arnott, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Mogilny, Glenn “Chico” Resch, Stephane Richer, Anton Volchenkov, The team with the most votes here is not surprising. The team with the Travis Zajac, Valeri Zelepukin; one for Jesper Bratt, Bruce Driver, Andy second-most is. While the Islanders made the playoffs last year and are Greene, Bill Guerin, Jack Hughes, Jaromir Jagr, Randy McKay, Kirk slightly better this year, it’s hard for me to see them as a potential Stanley Muller, Kyle Palmieri, Jay Pandolfo, Mike Peluso, Brian Rafalski, Cory Cup champion in the near future. The Rangers have more work to do, but Schneider, Patrik Sundstrom, Chris Terreri, Miles Wood and Dainius adding , Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko in the past year has Zubrus. them on a path toward Cup contender status. It’s a little surprising that Elias is ahead of Brodeur, but that could simply If you said six-plus, feel free to tell us how many in the comments. I had be a result of the sample size. It’s more surprising they are both far many jerseys when I was younger, but a lot of them were of random ahead of Stevens, and that Henrique is the most popular choice from the teams. I have two Pittsburgh Pirates jerseys (Roberto Clemente and a non-Cup years, but he also scored the goal that sent New Jersey to the blank one) and two Arsenal shirts (Jack Wilshere and a blank one). My 2012 Cup Final. favorites from my youth were Warrick Dunn (Florida State) and Penny Hardaway (1996 All-Star Game … yeah, the teal one). Who is your favorite current Devil?

Who is your all-time favorite Devil? Nico Hischier

Patrik Elias 286

140 Kyle Palmieri

Martin Brodeur 40

127 Jesper Bratt

Scott Stevens 38

78 Nikita Gusev

Scott Niedermayer 29

34 Travis Zajac

Adam Henrique 26

14 Mackenzie Blackwood

Zach Parise 24

13 Jack Hughes

Brian Gionta 10

11 Pavel Zacha

John Madden 9

11 Damon Severson

Nico Hischier 5

9 P.K. Subban

John MacLean 5

5

Claude Lemieux 4

4 Miles Wood

Sergei Brylin 4

4 Others receiving votes: Four for no one; three for Connor Carrick; one for Joey Anderson, , Dakota Mermis, Ty Smith. Jamie Langenbrunner So this is Hischier’s team, at least according to this corner of the New 4 Jersey fan base. Gusev and Blackwood are likely the big risers here this year. Maybe Bratt, too. It will be interesting to see where Hughes fits on this list in a year, and if the Devils add someone in the coming months — maybe at the draft, maybe in a trade or in free agency — who joins this group.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181739 New York Islanders

Construction on Islanders’ Belmont Park arena stopped due to coronavirus

Mollie Walker

March 27, 2020 | 7:48pm

The Islanders’ wait for their new home just got a little longer.

All construction on Belmont Park Arena was officially paused on Friday as part of New York’s response to the national coronavirus pandemic. During his daily briefing on the virus crisis, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that “non-essential construction will be stopped” in order to focus on building four new hospitals in the New York City area.

Cuomo’s executive order gave no specific time frame for the resumption of construction. Essential construction is being defined as roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals or health care facilities, affordable housing and homeless shelters, according to the state’s website. Crews could be seen working on site until Thursday on the live webcam linked to the Islanders’ website, which showed no activity at the site Friday.

Ground was broken in September and the arena has been scheduled to open in October 2021, the start of the Islanders’ 2021-22 season. The delay could make it difficult for the arena to open on time, though an official with Sterling Project Development, which is heading the construction, said that’s not necessarily the case.

“If construction restarts within a reasonable period, we expect to maintain our schedule and for the arena to be open for the 2021-22 NHL season,” Richard Browne, Sterling’s managing partner, said in a statement.

The $1.3 billion project includes the 17,113-seat arena, a 250-room hotel and 350,000 square feet of retail. There also will be a new Elmont station on the LIRR to service the site.

An extended delay could force the Islanders to play 2021-22 home games at , where they played exclusively from 1972 to 2015, when they began splitting time between Long Island and in Brooklyn. Cuomo recently announced the Islanders will play their entire home schedule for the 2020-21 season at the Coliseum.

The arena project is being privately funded by New York Arena Partners, which is made up of Islanders principal owner Scott Malkin, Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke.

New York Post LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181740 New York Islanders The partnership was awarded the development rights by Cuomo in December 2017 and received the final series of state approvals to start construction in August.

Work at Islanders' Belmont arena stops amid state's ban on non- As part of the deal with the state, the Islanders also agreed to a non- essential construction relocation agreement that is intended to keep the team at Belmont Park for at least 25 years.

According to the general project plan, the arena was expected to cost Jim Baumbach $955 million. The developers planned to finance it with a $660 million construction loan. March 27, 2020 6:17 PM Construction is being handled by the Wilpon family's Sterling Project

Development, which built Citi Field. Construction work on the Islanders’ arena at Belmont Park was stopped According to the lease between the developers and Empire State on Friday as part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Development, the arena was scheduled to reach substantial completion Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced during his daily briefing on the on Oct. 5, 2021. coronavirus crisis that "non-essential constuction will be stopped" and Newsday obtained the lease via a Freedom of Information Law request. efforts will focus on building four new hospitals in the New York City area, including at Aqueduct. He said the state needs to increase the number of The project schedule says construction crews were scheduled to begin hospital beds to 140,000 from 53,000. doing "internal rough-in" work next month, which refers to plumbing and electrical work done inside the walls before they are closed. Cuomo's executive order does not specify a time frame for the stoppage of non-essential construction. According to the state's website, essential Work on the arena's exterior walls was scheduled to begin in May. construction is being defined as roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals or health care facilities, affordable housing and homeless Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.28.2020 shelters.

Construction crews at Belmont were working up until Thursday, per the live webcam on the Islanders' website. There was no activity at the site on Friday.

“If construction restarts within a reasonable period, we expect to maintain our schedule and for the arena to be open for the 2021-22 NHL season,” said Richard Browne, Managing Partner of Sterling Project Development, which is handling the arena's construction.

“We support Governor Cuomo’s efforts to eliminate the COVID-19 virus. He has been the driving force behind the construction of Belmont Park Arena," said Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. "The progress that has been made since the groundbreaking is truly incredible and is a credit to all of the construction workers that have been there every day. Those workers are all a part of our community and we want them safe and healthy.”

A spokesman for Empire State Development, the state agency that coordinated the project's approval process, declined to comment.

A spokesman for National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman didn't return a message seeking comment.

The arena is scheduled to open in October 2021.

An extended delay would put the 17,113-seat arena in jeopardy of not being ready for the start of the Islanders’ 2021-22 season, as had been planned. Construction began on the arena in August and was expected to take 26 months, putting the opening in line with the start of the team's NHL season that October.

There are, of course, workarounds in the event the arena is not ready.

If it's a short-term delay, the Islanders could start the season with an extended road trip. The Rangers began their 2013-14 season with a nine-game road trip to allow for the final touches on ’s $1 billion renovation.

If it's an extended delay, the Islanders could look to start their season at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum, where they have been playing games since 2018. Cuomo recently announced the Islanders will play their entire home schedule there next season with the NHL's blessing.

The Islanders’ lease with NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum — negotiated in early 2018 — includes two additional option years in the event the Belmont arena is not ready, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The Islanders’ arena at Belmont is the focal point of a $1.3 billion project on 43 acres of state land adjacent to the racetrack. The project also features a 250-room hotel and 350,000 square feet of retail.

It is being privately funded by New York Arena Partners, a joint venture between Islanders principal owner Scott Malkin, Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke. 1181741 New York Rangers Fox makes plays out of nothing. He turns it around quickly and precisely on transition. He’s got an active stick and he improved on his reads and coverage as the season progressed. He was on for 63 Rangers goals at five-on-five, second on the team to only Artemi Panarin, who was on for Adam Fox making Rangers look smart for dealing Kevin Shattenkirk 75. And the Jericho native rang up his impressive offensive numbers despite being on the second power-play unit much of the season behind

DeAngelo. Larry Brooks The Rangers have had 16 Ivy Leaguers suit up for them, with March 28, 2020 | 1:24am Jr. the first in 1970-71 after having played for Princeton. That total includes Cornell’s David LeNeveu, who dressed as ’s backup for the 2014 Cup Final but never played a minute. From Harvard, there have been Ted Donato, Dom Moore and Jimmy Vesey. And there Part 6 in a series analyzing the New York Rangers. is the Rangers’ No. 1 right defenseman. How much more needs to be said after typing, “Adam Fox, the 22-year- By the name of F-O-X, as Tom Hanks might say to Meg Ryan. old rookie out of Harvard, was the best Rangers defenseman this year?” Adam Fox We can tell you about the Jericho, L.I., native’s uncanny poise and vision on the ice; about his ability to elude hits and move the puck out of Position: Defenseman trouble, about how he adapted and adjusted in different stages throughout the year as the league adjusted to him. Age: 22

You also know there were folks who were aghast that the Rangers Contract status: First year of three-year entry level contract with annual bought out Kevin Shattenkirk last season — and look, the nearly $6.1 cap hit of $925,000. million in dead space the team will be forced to carry next year is a heavy 2019-20 stats: 8 goals, 34 assists, 42 points in 70 games. price to pay for excising the New Rochelle native from the roster. New York Post LOADED: 03.28.2020 But had management not bought out Shattenkirk, who has enjoyed a revival in Tampa Bay, there would have been no room for one of either Fox or Tony DeAngelo on the right side of the blue line. The Blueshirts would have had Jacob Trouba, Shattenkirk and, presumably, one or the other of Fox and DeAngelo.

Which means the team would not have had either the league’s fourth- highest scoring defenseman (DeAngelo, 53 points) or the 15th (Fox, 42 points). And no, I do not think coach David Quinn would have moved DeAngelo to the left last season. Of course if the coach had done that, that probably would have meant a year at Hartford for lefty Ryan Lindgren.

General manager Jeff Gorton acted decisively in acquiring Fox from the Hurricanes last April in exchange for a 2019 second-rounder and a 2020 third, though the defenseman was on track to become a free agent this coming summer and all but assuredly would have signed with the Rangers.

The GM could have waited, could have played this out, could have kept Shattenkirk and addressed the cap squeeze in a different manner. But he did not. He went for it. The truth is, the Rangers had attempted to get Fox a year earlier from the Flames at the 2018 draft but could not come up with an offer that forestalled Calgary from sending the righty to the Hurricanes as part of the Noah Hannifin for exchange.

Fox was selected 66th overall in 2016 by Calgary in the draft in which the Blueshirts did not have a selection until 81st overall after having traded their first (for Keith Yandle) and second (for Eric Staal). The team used that third-round pick on defenseman Sean Day, who remains in the organization, but isn’t likely to make it to the Garden.

Nevertheless, the Rangers could have three defensemen from that 2016 draft in the lineup next season: Fox; Lindgren, selected 49th overall by the Bruins and acquired in the 2018 deadline deal for Rick Nash; and Libor Hajek, selected 37th overall by the Lightning and acquired that same day in the trade for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller.

Not too bad.

All right, Fox and Lindgren, just like love and marriage. You can’t have one without the other. (Those are the lyrics to the tune, not social commentary). Fox sneezes, and you say gesundheit to Lindgren.

The matched set played together for the Team USA Under-18’s in 2016, they were intact as a pair for the Yanks in the both the 2017 and 2018 World Juniors, and they were essentially inseparable this season, logging 674:34 after Lindgren was summoned from the AHL Wolf Pack in late October.

Indeed, after Fox opened the year on Hajek’s right for Game 1 and then spent four games with Brady Skjei and four with Marc Staal, he was paired with Lindgren for 56 of the remaining 60 games following his partner’s recall for Game 10. The 22-year-olds, who form a classic contrast in styles, actually emerged as Quinn’s first-pair matchup unit as the season evolved. 1181742 “Before you go in for the test, they put you through an initial screening with a series of questions which eventually lead you to go in or not. Yes, to bad cold, chest congestion, aches and pains and yes I’ve travelled to the United States and I went in for the test.” TSN 1200 colour analyst Gord Wilson confirms COVID-19 diagnosis Wilson said he’s been “tired, lethargic and sleeping when you can.

“I haven’t slept in the afternoon as much in my life as I have in the last Bruce Garrioch two weeks,” Wilson said. “Public health told me the virus sticks around. It’s not been fun. March 27, 2020 9:55 PM EDT “I’m still isolated in my house. Now that’s it’s confirmed positive,

everybody else is as well.” The news didn’t catch Gord Wilson by surprise. So, once Wilson gets a clean bill of health, he can’t wait to hug his wife After being tested for COVID-19 last week, the legendary colour analyst and children by returning to a normal life at home and, heck, there may on TSN 1200’s Ottawa Senators’ broadcaster got a call from Ottawa even be a glass of red in his future after all he’s been through. Public Health Friday to confirm he has the novel coronavirus. “I haven’t had a glass of wine in about (six weeks),” Wilsons said with a The 59-year-old Wilson, who hasn’t missed many broadcasts with laugh. partner Dean Brown since the club returned to the NHL in 1992, wasn’t Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.28.2020 feeling well for a couple days after the Senators returned from their trip through San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles from March 6-to-12. After speaking to his wife, CTV Ottawa’s Patricia Boal, Wilson made the decision to go to Brewer Park coronavirus assessment centre.

Boal informed people of the diagnosis on the CTV broadcast Friday night and Wilson, a father of four, has been self-isolating at home since the club returned from California.

“It’s hit me hard enough,” Wilson said from the couple’s Ottawa home where he’s been staying in a bedroom away from his family and eating meals separately. “I haven’t felt good for two weeks. The worst was last weekend. So I’m hitting a week here at least with shortness of breath and feeling lethargic. I walk up a flight of steps here and I’m out of breath.

“The biggest thing is the lack of taste and smell. I’m down about eight or nine pounds. I’m not eating as much.”

While the Senators were supposed to face the Chicago Blackhawks on March 13 and stop in St. Louis on March 15 before making their way home, the club’s Air Canada Jetz charter returned to Ottawa from Los Angeles on March 12 in the evening. Wilson is the third person in the group of 52 people aboard the plane that has tested positive for the virus.

“It’s a flu like nothing I’ve ever had,” Wilson said. “We’ve all had the flu and we’ve all had bad colds. This is completely different … completely different. It grips you.”

The club has confirmed two unnamed players are in self-isolation and in a news release last Saturday indicated that eight people with symptoms aboard the plane were tested.

“I went and got tested because I was feeling so run down from California and it was much a fear for Trish going into work as anything,” said Wilson, who has been using his own bathroom and not going close to his family. “I was starting to feel pretty low mid-week and that’s when they told Trish that they would do the news from our back yard.

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

The last couple of months haven’t been easy for Wilson, he had heart surgery that required three stents in February at the Ottawa Heart Institute and the trip to California was about a week after his return. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

“My immune system was down and you wouldn’t have recognized me in California because I didn’t leave my hotel room in any of the spots. I might as well have been in self-isolation back then before it became fashionable,” he said. “I thought it was a cold and I thought, ‘I’ve probably come back to work too soon here.’

“I got through it and everything was fine I felt OK on the Friday when I got home and then I had a hard time getting through it.”

Asked to give people of a small glimpse of what they can expect, Wilson tried to put his experience in perspective.

“What we read about and what we have learned from previous cases is the symptoms are pretty clear,” Wilson said. “You just read your own body as far as the symptoms are concerned. I happen to know and had looked online what the symptoms were. I checked the boxes. 1181743 Ottawa Senators games. The Wings and Senators have both played 71 games while the Kings have 12 left to play. One possibility is to go with winning percentage instead of points, but that wouldn’t really change a whole lot as far as the format goes. League executives don't expect to see major changes to the draft lottery The draft hasn’t been rescheduled, but when it is the expectation is it will either be a scaled-down version at a Montreal hotel ballroom like it was at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa in 2005 or it could possibly be done online. Bruce Garrioch “They’re going to have to do something for television,” another executive March 27, 2020 5:31 PM EDT added. “It’s a pretty big event.”

You can bet the teams involved in the lottery would be willing to accept a At some point or another, the show will go on for the NHL. tweak or two, but they wouldn’t be wiling go for wholesale changes and it certainly doesn’t sound like the league would go that route when all this Like everybody else, the management teams, coaching staffs and is determined in the days ahead. players have to be patient and wait for the day it’s safe to resume a normal lifestyle without concerns about the spread of the novel Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.28.2020 coronavirus.

While the NHL is hopeful it will be able to complete the regular season, the chance of that gets smaller with each passing day. At this point, it’s going to be mid-May before there’s even a possibility of that happening. Even the likes of all-star Sidney Crosby have suggested that, with this pause in the schedule, it may be best to go straight to the post-season if play does resume.

The decision to postpone the NHL draft scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal didn’t come as a surprise because the league either expects to be playing hockey at that point or be unable to have large crowds in a rink — because the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Health Canada haven’t given the green light to hold large gatherings.

There has been idle chatter that if the league does decide to cancel the rest of the regular season and go to the playoffs that the format of the draft lottery may change. A check with a handful of league executives in the last couple of days indicates they don’t expect that to be the case and that the teams with the best odds in the lottery will retain those numbers whenever the league loads the balls into the machine.

Of course, fans of the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens are waiting with bated breath to see what the format will be if the league decides to have a 24-team tournament to determine the final playoff spots, cancelling the remainder of the regular season. At this point, both teams would be in the lottery and would love to know how the league is going to figure this all out.

Rimouski Océanic winger Alexis Lafreniere is the consensus No. 1 overall pick. The lottery was scheduled for April 9 at 8 p.m. at the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, N.J., but that date, of course, will have to be changed.

“I don’t see any reason to change the format and I’m not sure it would even be given any consideration,” a league executive told this newspaper this week. “If they go straight to the playoffs, a good portion of the season has already been played and those teams at the bottom weren’t really going to gain much ground if the league hadn’t gone on pause.”

The sentiment from league executives I’ve spoken with is, just because the season might end up being shortened, it doesn’t mean you can arbitrarily just change the rules. The Senators, for example, had 11 games left to play before the NHL went on pause March 12 and were getting ready to close out the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 4 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

If the lottery was held today, the Detroit Red Wings, ranked No. 31 overall, would have the best odds of winning the No. 1 overall pick at 18.5 per cent and would be followed by the No. 30-ranked Senators at 13.5 per cent. But Ottawa actually has a combined 25 per cent chance of winning the lottery because it also holds the San Jose Sharks’ top pick from the Erik Karlsson trade, and their odds are 11.5 per cent.

The Los Angeles Kings are at 9.5 per cent while the Habs currently have the eighth-best odds at six per cent.

Those teams in the lottery would battle any potential change because those rules were put in place a long time ago and it would be nonsensical to start trying to come up with a different idea just because a small portion of the schedule didn’t get played. Yes, these are unique circumstances, but it doesn’t mean it calls for wholesale changes.

One executive cautioned there may have to be small modifications to the lottery because not everybody involved has played the same number of 1181744 “I’m very hopeful this isn’t a lost season because this team had something special going,” Saunders said. “I sure would hate to see them robbed of a chance to prove it in the playoffs.”

Flyers broadcasters have different ways of handling the hockey void, just Saunders has been listening to lots of hockey shows and podcasts to fill don’t ask Steve Coates to do ‘that’ time. An avid golfer, he’s been reading Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons. “I’m trying to figure out how I can get better,” he said.

His handicap? Sam Carchidi, “Usually irons,” he cracked. “I hit balls to parts of the golf course that nobody goes to.”

If life was normal, Jim Jackson’s schedule would be beyond hectic, trying Before a game two seasons ago, Flyers broadcasters Tim Saunders (left) to broadcast both Flyers and Phillies games as one regular season was and his partner Steve Coates (third from left), hosted Temple graduates coming to an end and the other was just starting. Sam Fryman (second from left), and Matt Wallace, who is blind, at the Wells Fargo Center. It would take some hustle, but Jackson, whose voice has become as connected to the Philadelphia sports scene as Bill Campbell’s in a Before a game two seasons ago, Flyers broadcasters Tim Saunders (left) different era, would be prepared and excited to do as many games as he and his partner Steve Coates (third from left), hosted Temple graduates could. Sam Fryman (second from left), and Matt Wallace, who is blind, at the Wells Fargo Center. Those games, of course, won’t be played. Not now. Maybe not ever. The coronavirus outbreak has put the world on hold. Saunders remembers when there was no hockey to broadcast in 2004- 05, when the lockout wiped out the season. Including the sports world. “This time, there’s more of an unknown,” he said. “Optimistically, we’re all “It’s a different time, that’s for sure,” Jackson said in a phone interview hoping you give it a month or a month and a half and maybe it’s possible from his Gloucester Township, N.J., home the other day. “Throughout they come back and have some sort of playoff format. I don’t know how life, I’ve always tried to find positives out of negatives. One of the realistic that is, to be honest with you.” positives is I get to spend some time with my family, which with my schedule, I don’t usually have breaks because of the two sports.” Clement, who played on the Flyers’ Stanley Cup champions in 1974 and 1975, is making the most of his time off. He and his wife live on a So the Jacksons – Jim, his wife, Bernadette, and their two children, mountainside in Waynesville, N.C., a 35-minute drive from Asheville, and Deanna, 22, and Johnny, 19 – are all under one roof. he has been using his chainsaw to clear trees and "beautify our view, The Jacksons have been watching movies together, starting with 1980 and right now I’m designing and building a spice rack for our pantry for and viewing Oscar-nominated films from each year. They are catching up my wife. on Homeland, Chicago Fire and other TV shows, taking walks, eating “I’m not so sure I’ve ever felt this relaxed," he said, "I’m concerned, but meals together, and doing things that their busy schedules don’t as long as my kids are OK, I’m [not worried]. My son lives in Philadelphia frequently permit. with his fiance, and one of our daughters lives in London, and our other The break has also given Jackson a chance to clean out his home office. daughter lives in Ottawa. If I can stay in touch with my kids at the start of the day and make sure everything is OK with them, my wife and I can “I dug out Flyers media guides from 1993-94, my first year here,” he said. relax and go on with our day. Be prudent and say prayers for everyone “I’m finding all kinds of interesting things. That’s one good thing. I’m around the world who is having such a difficult time.” cleaning things up, and I’m still doing baseball prep for the season even though I don’t know when it’s going to start. When it does start – and Lots of possibilities hopefully sooner than later – it’s going to be 100 m.p.h. for both sports.” Saunders, who lives in Somerdale, N.J., has heard about the myriad of During the break, Jackson has been doing some Flyers podcasts for proposals the NHL has been floating around if the season returns. NBC Sports Philadelphia, “and there’s talk about doing pre- and post- “Good on the league that they’re keeping an open mind and nothing is off game shows around classic games,” he said. “They’re looking into a lot the table,” he said. “They’re going to consider every possibility to make of different things.” something happen. The problem is, you don’t know how long this Jackson said he watches the news “as much as anyone, and it’s kind of [suspended season] is going to be.” depressing, so you want some kind of outlet -- and sports has always “There’s no handbook for any of this,” Coates said. been that ‘out’ for people. We’re trying to give people that outlet through some old games. The other night we live-tweeted during the re-broadcast NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t want the season to end of the game at the Linc” between the Flyers and Penguins last season. without a champion. “There are ways to stay involved.” “I love the fact he said they really want to hand the Cup to somebody this Connection with fans year,” Saunders said, “so that makes me hopeful that after a period of time – even if it’s well into the summer – that maybe they’ll figure out an To thousands of viewers and listeners, broadcasters become an abbreviated playoff format.” important part of their lives. And vice versa. That bond between viewers and broadcasters has been severed, at least temporarily, by the “If they’re able to get back and play games, it’s going to take a little while suspensions of the sports seasons. to ramp up,” Jackson said. “There’s going to have to be a mini-training camp, if you will. I would think it would take at least a week or so to get For the Flyers’ broadcasters — Jackson, and on ready. If they’re on the ice and playing games by June, I think you can TV, Tim Saunders and Steve Coates on the radio — there is a void they still sneak in some kind of playoff system. It may not be a full four rounds hope doesn’t last too long. of best-of-sevens.” "My wife has been on me to start gardening. I told her that will never Jackson said he’s seen the players’ proposal of possibly starting the happen. That’s just not in my vocabulary.” playoffs in late July and then delaying next year’s start to November . Steve Coates ”To me, if you can’t get this season [done in time], do you want to start When the season was stopped, the Flyers (41-21-7) were the NHL’s compromising next season, too?” he asked. hottest team. They had won nine of their last 10 and climbed to within a Jackson said it was important to crown a champion for the 2019-20 point of first-place Washington in the . With 13 season, even if you just had four teams compete in the semifinals before regular-season games left, they were poised to make a run at their first they held the Finals. Stanley Cup title since 1975. “This is all unchartered territory for all of us. You just don’t know how this is going to play out,” he said, “I don’t know if baseball is going to get much of a season in. At this point, we have much bigger things to worry about. I mean, this is a major, major pandemic that has arrived in the U.S. As much as I’m a huge sports fan and obviously involved in sports for a living, we have much bigger things to clear before we start worrying about if we’re going to play hockey or baseball or any sport.”

Coates said he is shocked by the world’s health crisis.

“At my age, I’ve seen SARS, MERS, the Swine flu. Never did I ever dream in my life we’d [go through] something like this,” he said. “I thought the financial crisis was one of the most depressing times I’ve gone through in my life, and this just makes that seem like a minor-league situation.”

Dizzying schedule reduced

Jones probably has had to make the biggest adjustment of all the Flyers broadcasters. His work schedule – serving as the color analyst for Flyers games, being a national hockey analyst for NBC, and joining WIP’s morning sports-talk show – is usually dizzying.

Now he has only one job instead of three, working in WIP’s studio and doing the Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi, Al Morganti, and Rhea Hughes from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

“We sit a long way away from each other,” he said. “We space out and hope that nobody comes in contact with someone who has it. Every precaution is taken, and we just talk some sports and mix in the other stuff that’s going on in the world. It’s not an easy topic.”

Jones may start doing some hockey podcasts for NBC, but says it’s a “wait and see” as far as when/if the season resumes.

In his spare time, he watches horse racing and “more news than I ever have in my life,” works out at home on his treadmill, and takes his dog Leo, a cane corso, on at least three walks a day.

“I should take his picture. He’s exhausted,” Jones said from his home in Shamong, N.J.. “He’s never moved this much in his life. He’s not enjoying my time off.”

Coates, an Egg Harbor Township resident who is a 36-year veteran of the Flyers’ broadcast team, had been playing a little golf at Greate Bay until the course closed. So like the rest of us, he sits and waits and hopes the NHL returns.

“I’ve been very boring,” he said of his time away from the rink. “I try not to look at my 401k. I try not to watch the news. My wife has been on me to start gardening. I told her that will never happen. That’s just not in my vocabulary.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181745 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers sign rugged right winger Wade Allison to entry-level contract; acquired in Kimmo Timonen trade

Sam Carchidi,

For the second time in five days the Flyers signed one of their promising forward prospects.

Right winger Wade Allison, a second-round selection (52nd overall) in the 2016 draft, signed an entry-level deal Friday, general manager announced. The two-year contract, which will start in the 2020- 21 season, has an annual cap hit of $925,000, according o CapFriendly.com.

On Monday, the Flyers signed forward Tanner Laczynski, an Ohio State senior who was drafted in the sixth round of 2016.

Allison, 22, recently completed a four-year career at Western Michigan. In 26 games this season, he had 10 goals, 23 points and a plus-11 rating. He finished his career with 45 goals and 97 points in 106 games.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Allison was drafted with one of the two picks the Flyers received in the Kimmo Timonen trade with Chicago in 2015.

A prototypical power forward, Allison tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in a game on Jan. 13, 2018. He had season-ending knee surgery the following week. Allison returned to play 22 games as a junior, but the knee was still giving him problems 17 months later while at the Flyers’ development camp last June.

This season, the senior overcame a couple injuries and, according to assistant Flyers general manager Brent Flahr, was coming into his own when the NCAA canceled its games because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“He had a shoulder injury early in the season and luckily it wasn’t too serious,” Flahr said earlier this week. “Unfortunately, before the season was shut down, he was playing his best hockey. He was trending toward having a strong finish. It is what it is."

Added Flahr, who heads the Flyers’ scouting department: "It’s unfortunate he’s missed some time the last year and a half, but physically he’s a big strong kid and ready to go.”

Flahr said Allison, the seventh player from the Flyers’ 2016 draft to sign with the organization, had a “great package of size, speed, and skill, and we strongly believe he’ll be an NHL power forward moving forward.”

The Flyers are talking with defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk (seventh-round selection in 2017) and winger Noah Cates (fifth-round selection in 2017) about signing entry-level deals. It appears Cates will go back to University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Kalynuk, who recently finished his junior season at Wisconsin, is undecided about whether he will turn pro.

Defenseman Cam York, 19, selected in the first round last June, plans to go back to the University of Michigan and “get physically stronger,” Flahr said.

Allison could have become an unrestricted free agent Aug. 15. Now he will try to earn a spot with the Flyers in training camp.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181746 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers sign prospect Wade Allison to entry-level contract

Jordan Hall

March 27, 2020 8:00 PM

There are no more worries about the Flyers' college prospects.

Four days after Tanner Laczynski inked a deal with the organization, the Flyers signed Wade Allison to his two-year entry-level contract Friday.

Both college seniors had rights to the Flyers that were set to expire Aug. 15. Now the 2016 draft picks are officially in the fold for the future.

Allison, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound winger out of Western Michigan, will bring a craftiness around the net and powerful shot to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

“We are very happy to have Wade under contract,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in a statement released by the team. “He possesses a great package of size, speed and skill, and we strongly believe he’ll be an NHL power forward moving forward.”

The second-round selection has battled injuries during his time with the Broncos, including a torn ACL his sophomore year. That season, Allison was on a torrid pace with 15 goals and 15 assists in 22 games before suffering the injury. As a senior in 2019-20, Allison put up 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and a plus-11 mark in 26 games.

Allison will turn 23 years old in October and his experience could help him climb quickly. Health will be vital, as well. There's a lot to like, though, with Allison's overall ability.

Pen to paper and @wadeallison11 is officially official. pic.twitter.com/8JM1LXBsSW

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 27, 2020

Wade Allison with a nasty shot past Felix Sandstrom to send championship game to OT. pic.twitter.com/7HxpXaOHtD

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) June 28, 2019

Wade Allison, definitely crafty around the net. pic.twitter.com/2PTnIXoMkU

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) June 26, 2019

Wade Allison. pic.twitter.com/BToxoYN7Ab

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) June 25, 2019

In the last 18 days, the Flyers have signed prospects Allison, Laczynski and Wyatte Wylie to entry-level deals.

Another college player to keep an eye on is Wyatt Kalynuk, who is coming off his junior season at Wisconsin. The defenseman can return to Madison for his senior year or turn pro in 2020-21 as his rights don't expire until the summer of 2021.

Meanwhile, the rights to prospects Linus Hogberg and David Bernhardt, two Swedish blueliners in the Flyers' system, expire June 1.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181747 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' Game 6 win over Oilers at the Spectrum was The Best Game I Ever Saw Live

Michael Barkann

March 27, 2020 1:50 PM

Seventeen thousand, two hundred and twenty-two.

In 1987, that was the capacity for a hockey game at the Spectrum (WFC today: 19,537). I would suggest that on May 28, 1987, that number was elevated like a slap shot — because the Flyers hosted the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. It would be the last Flyers home game of season. It was the ticket of the spring season in Philadelphia. Sixers games, concerts, Phillies games — nothing came close to the anticipation, the electricity surrounding this game.

Why?

The orange and black were supposed to get swept by an Oilers team that featured seven future NHL Hall of Famers starting with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Grant Fuhr.

But the Flyers had some great players of their own — Propp, , Ron Hextall. Trailing 3-2 in the series, they returned to the Spectrum hoping to force a Game 7.

I was covering the game for Channel 3 and I had close to an ice-side seat. No, I didn’t sit in the press box. The press box was overflowing because of the clamor surrounding the game. The Spectrum's press box was not that big. So, Lou Tilley (Channel 3), Joe Pellegrino (Channel 10) and I were about 10 rows from the glass, slightly left of the Flyers' bench. It was awesome. Until the Oilers scored the first two goals and the Flyers were staring at elimination.

To the third period with the Flyers trailing 2-1. With 6:56 left in the game, on the power play, Propp! The goal capped off an awesome rush that saw the puck go to Pelle Eklund in the corner and he snapped it cross ice to Propp, who was in the slot and put it past Fuhr. Tied at 2!

The reason this game was so special to me, the reason I recall it here, was not just because of the excitement on the ice. I have been blessed to attend every manner of sporting events in the world — , Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Olympics, major tennis championships, track meets. I’ve never heard fans as loud as I did that Thursday night in South Philadelphia. They made the building tremble — like aftershocks from an earthquake.

If the volume was dialed to 10 for the Propp goal, it was at a 15 1:24 later. That’s when J.J. Daigneault (Dane-YO!) scooped up a weak Oilers’ clear attempt. The puck waffled to him lightly just inside the blue line. And he hammered it. One-timer. With Scott Mellanby standing at the crease screening Fuhr. The Flyers had the lead 3-2!

You couldn’t hear yourself speak let alone think. I’m telling you, Tilley and I were right up to each other’s ears trying to hear each other. Not a word. The fans were screaming and stomping and shouting and laughing. Eventually we gave up and just took it in. The roof blew off the Spectrum in its first season in 1967. It almost came off again on this night. Pow! The sheer, unchecked joy of the 17,222 (plus a few more) in attendance that night is something I will always remember. It was the joy of possibility because the Flyers had evened up the series at three games apiece.

Really, that’s all you can ask for is possibility. Hope. They had that going to Edmonton for Game 7. And when Murray Craven scored the game’s first goal, I thought, “We’re having a parade down Broad Street!” But ... Edmonton, on its home ice, scored the next two goals and battle as the Flyers might they couldn’t get the equalizer. The Oilers added one more inside two minutes to play and that was that. The Oilers were champs. Again.

But, I’ll always hear the echo of those two Flyers goals at the Spectrum the night the team took Game 6.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181748 Philadelphia Flyers

Gritty is the new 'Tiger King' in Joe Exotic-style music video

Enrico Campitelli

March 27, 2020 11:25 AM

Two things that have kept Philadelphia sports fans busy while holed up at home over the past few days are the exploits of everyone's favorite mascot, Gritty, and Netflix's wildly popular and truly bizarre docu-series "Tiger King."

Now, if you haven't seen "Tiger King" just yet, it'd be foolish to have someone attempt to explain it to you in detail. It's bonkers crazy, with amazing twists and turns.

But to get the gist of Gritty's video, all you need to know is the main character is a tiger-loving man who calls himself Joe Exotic who has a long-standing feud with a woman who runs a "rival" zoo/company called Big Cat Rescue. Someone disappears, there may have been a murder, there may be some weird sex cult things going on, and there's maybe a murder-for-hire plot.

So, stuff Gritty is probably into.

Oh, and Joe Exotic makes country music tunes about it all — with videos! Which Gritty is parroting below.

I AM THE TIGER KING pic.twitter.com/SYT21bFMDv

— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) March 27, 2020

Here's the original "I Saw a Tiger" video by Joe Exotic:

The lyrics are pretty simple: "I saw a tiger. And a tiger saw a man."

But what if a tiger saw Gritty?!? Makes you think.

Thank you to Joe Exotic and Gritty for bringing this into our lives.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181749 Philadelphia Flyers a single power play goal last season, he’s now tied with Claude Giroux to lead the team with seven this year.

Granted, last season was a down year for Provy, who seemed to be Predictions for who wins Flyers' 2019-20 Barry Ashbee Trophy gripping his stick a bit too tightly as the team struggled. Even his numbers compared to 2017-18 show just how dangerous he has become on the power play. And, as a huge fan of the eyeball test coupled with stats, his game and comfort level playing against the league's top Brooke Destra, Katie Emmer, Taryn Hatcher, Jordan Hall forwards have gone to another level since he’s been paired with March 27, 2020 11:48 AM Niskanen this year.

Hall

Going End to End today are NBC Sports Philadelphia's Brooke Destra, Provorov is 100 percent deserving. He's the team's Couturier on the blue Katie Emmer, Taryn Hatcher and Jordan Hall. line.

The topic: Predicting who wins the Flyers' 2019-20 Barry Ashbee Trophy However, similar to what we did with the Trophy debate, as the team's most outstanding defenseman. let's look at another candidate who should rightfully be considered for most outstanding defenseman. Destra Niskanen has served as integral piece to not only the Flyers' turnaround, After he struggled for the majority of last season, it has really been a joy but also Provorov's anticipated rebound from a disappointing 2018-19 seeing Ivan Provorov play to his true potential. It seemed like his 2018-19 performance. slump was just a season deferred, since last year he truly didn’t look like himself in all aspects of his game. Provorov, who turned only 23 years old in January, needed some help, some weight taken off of his shoulders. Niskanen, a Stanley Cup Thanks to the combination of adding Matt Niskanen, another season champion with 125 games of postseason experience, has helped under his belt and always wanting to improve, it only made sense for alleviate the pressure with his smarts and abilities in all situations. Provorov to bounce back in 2019-20. Head coach has mentioned Niskanen's importance to Now, I haven’t seen a blue line on the Flyers this solid in a very long time Provorov and we've seen it across the board, especially at even strength and there’s honestly a few other defensemen who could rightfully be when the two are side by side. Niskanen also plays big minutes on the awarded this trophy — but my gut is saying Provorov (with an honorable penalty kill and power play. mention to Robert Hagg, who has done his job quite well as a bottom- pair defenseman). To boot, with eight goals and 25 assists, the 33-year-old has a chance to crack 40 points for just the second time in his well-established career. This would be the second time Provorov would be awarded the Barry Ashbee trophy, his first dating back to his 2016-17 rookie season. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020

Emmer

The defensive group has improved so much this season, and I think a big helper in that has been Provorov.

Provorov is a reliable, efficient and productive blueliner.

He’s reliable because of his iron-man abilities. Provorov is a player you can count on to not miss a beat and be there in your lineup every given night. In his four-year career, he hasn’t missed one single game — he’s currently at 315 straight played. That being said, can he catch on the Flyers' all-time list for most games played by a defenseman? It’s possible. What’s most important now, though, is how much his determination to play impacts the game and team.

Provorov is an efficient defenseman. Through 69 games, he’s recorded 111 blocks, 16 takeaways and 84 hits. He’s found success on the top pairing with Niskanen and I believe the two work phenomenally together because of their defensive styles.

Lastly, Provorov is a productive defenseman. Not only does he hold it down and limit the opposition's top players, but he can also take the puck to the net — most notably this past November, when he went coast to coast in OT and got the game-winner in Montreal.

PROVOROV WITH THE OT WINNER! pic.twitter.com/thHmolv1MH

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 30, 2019

He’s productive at 5-on-5, he’s productive on the power play and really a key component to the team this season as he leads Flyers defensemen in scoring with 36 points.

He should get the Barry Ashbee Trophy.

Hatcher

Another no-brainer for me, this one is going to Provorov. I think he had a great case for the Bobby Clarke Trophy, as well, and if Sean Couturier wasn’t having a Selke-quality year, that’d be Provorov’s to take home, too. There’s no doubt Provorov took the step that most fans were hoping to see last season, and turned it into a giant leap this year.

The numbers speak for themselves as he’s nearly doubled his goal total from last season already, jumping from seven goals in 2018-19 to 13 this year with 13 games still left to play in 2019-20. And, after failing to score 1181750 Philadelphia Flyers “I watch all the time on TV,” Allison told the Courier Post in January. “I pay a little bit of attention to it but at the same time I’m here at Western and that’s what’s in front of me. I don’t look too far in front of me. I gotta take care of my business here now and hopefully give myself an Flyers sign 2016 second-round pick Wade Allison to two-year, entry-level opportunity one day with the Flyers.” deal Courier-Post LOADED: 03.28.2020

Dave Isaac

7:09 p.m. ET March 27, 2020

The question can finally be laid to rest of whether Wade Allison likes the Flyers enough to join the fold.

He signed. He’s in.

After a four-year career with the University of , Allison joined a few college teammates who turned pro recently (senior forward Hugh McGing signed with St. Louis, junior forward Austin Rueschhoff with the Rangers, senior defenseman Cam Lee with Pittsburgh, senior winger Dawson DiPietro with the Buffalo Sabres, as did Voorhees native Mattias Samuelsson earlier in the week).

Allison, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound winger, signed his two-year, entry-level contract Friday, which will start next season. The contract has a $92,500 signing bonus and $832,500 at the NHL level (for a salary cap hit of $925,000) and $70,000 in the AHL. He can earn another $425,000 in performance bonuses in the second year. Allis finished his collegiate career with 45 goals and 97 points in 106 games.

Pen to paper and @wadeallison11 is officially official. pic.twitter.com/8JM1LXBsSW

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 27, 2020

As the hockey world is on hold due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, there is no option for players signing out of the NCAA to have their contracts take effect immediately and thus the timer start ticking toward their next deal. Had Allison not signed, he could have become an unrestricted free agent on August 15.

In his senior season with the Broncos, Allison had 10 goals and 13 assists in 26 games. Western Michigan was set to take on St. Cloud State in the NCHC quarterfinals starting March 13, but the tournament was canceled, and later the NCAA Frozen Four, before games could be played.

Allison, 22, didn’t get a chance to finish out his college career with a run at the national championship. He was, however, seemingly healthy.

In January 2018, Allison tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and it took an exceptionally long time to recover. He had the chance to turn pro that summer and opted not to, saying he didn’t want to start his professional career as a healthy scratch in the American Hockey League because he knew he wouldn’t fully heal by the time training camp rolled around. While he considered the option in the summer of 2019 as well, he ultimately chose to go back to school.

He missed four games this season after taking a hit to the head and had another absence from the lineup of five games. In January he came back from the injuries and told the Courier Post, “There’s a couple things that are lingering but for the most part I feel good right now.”

It sounds like he’ll also bring an energy to the locker room, too.

“First off, Wade’s an unbelievable guy. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” Samuelsson said earlier this week. “He will do anything for his teammates. You honestly can’t say a bad thing about him. He’s an unbelievable guy, good Canadian farm boy. Obviously what he does on the ice speaks for itself. He’s extremely talented. Just going against him in practice, it’s impossible to take the puck from him. He has a special talent and I can’t wait to see how it transitions into the pro game.”

Allison is one of a few power forwards the Flyers have high hopes for, including Isaac Ratcliffe, who was a rookie with the this season, and Carsen Twarynski, who played 15 games for the Flyers this season.

Speculation grew as the years went on that Allison might not be interested in signing with the Flyers simply because it hadn’t happened yet. Turns out he was paying attention to them all along. 1181751 Philadelphia Flyers What made Dawkins sui generis was that he did more than embrace and embody the crazy. When he crawled out of the tunnel or crumpled Alge Crumpler, he single-handedly raised the level of collective madness. No one whipped the city into a frenzy like Dawkins, and it’s hard to imagine The Athletic’s Philadelphia Hall of Fame: Celebrating 20 all-time greats anyone ever will. — Bo Wulf

Julius Erving

Staff Writer Whenever the Sixers play the Clippers nowadays, all you will hear on the local broadcast is “Glenn Rivers” when Los Angeles’ head coach is Mar 27, 2020 mentioned. Longtime play-by-play man Marc Zumoff’s rationale is simple: There is only one doctor in Philadelphia.

How do you whittle down Philadelphia’s storied sports history to its top- Due to his on-court artistry and diplomatic personality, Dr. J enjoyed a tier athletes? sky-high approval rating around the NBA. Moses Malone was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1982-83, but at every turn, he insisted That was our difficult task in forming The Athletic Philadelphia’s 20- the 76ers were Erving’s team. After the Sixers swept the Lakers in the person Hall of Fame. We established some guidelines to help the NBA Finals that season, the always-intense Pat Riley stood in process: Only people who competed in Philadelphia were eligible (so Philadelphia’s locker room, playfully chiding Erving about “cleaning the nobody who grew up in the area but dominated elsewhere) and no skeletons out of this closet.” There was a genuine appreciation for Doc. coaches or executives, at least for this first class. That’s why Kobe Bryant and Andy Reid aren’t among the inductees. From Rucker Park to the ABA and finally with the Sixers, Erving — perhaps more than any other basketball player — elevated dunking to an Eight of our Hall of Famers were unanimous selections in our staff vote, art form. He would glide through the air for what seemed like an eternity. and from that group, we chose a five-player first-ballot class: Bobby In a Sixers uniform, he pulled off acrobatic feats that are still remembered Clarke, Brian Dawkins, Julius Erving, Joe Frazier and . today as all-time NBA highlights: rocking the baby to sleep against Michael Cooper, and the greatest reverse layup in the history of the sport Everybody has their own interpretation of what makes someone worthy (yeah, you know the one). Erving filled up the stat sheet, which is obvious of the Hall of Fame. Here is ours. We welcome your thoughts and ballots when looking at the Sixers’ record books: He ranks fourth all-time in in the comments. points (18,364), fourth in assists (3,224), seventh in rebounds (5,601), First-ballot honorees third in steals (1,508) and first in blocks (1,293).

Bobby Clarke Before the Lakers-Celtics rivalry kicked into high gear in the middle of the ’80s, both teams often ran into Erving’s Sixers. After numerous close After Ed Snider, there isn’t a name that screams “Philadelphia Flyer” calls, Erving and his team finally broke through in 1983, making clutch more than Clarke. He was the organization’s first superstar. He was its plays down the stretch of the clinching game to seal Philadelphia’s world captain and best player during the Broad Street Bullies era that brought title. — Rich Hofmann two Stanley Cups to Philadelphia in 1974 and ’75. And he then spent 24 years as general manager of the club across two separate stints. It’s Joe Frazier impossible to recount the story of the Flyers organization without Clarke When he was 15, Smokin’ Joe rode the bus from Beaufort, S.C., to — his fingerprints are all over it. Philadelphia. He traded work on the farm for the slaughterhouse, settled Clarke qualifies as a first-ballot Philadelphia Hall of Famer thanks to his down in the Delaware Valley and began a boxing career that would see work on the ice, however. After slipping to the second round in the 1969 him win a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, become an NHL Draft, in large part because of his status as a Type 1 diabetic, undisputed heavyweight champion and finish with a 32-4-1 record. Clarke exploded onto the scene. He was the team’s top scorer by his Frazier is best known for his intensely personal rivalry with Muhammad second season and its captain by 23. His relentless, fearless style of play Ali — their trilogy of fights and the bitter feelings that lingered between fit perfectly with the Bullies, and he embodied the city’s scrappy attitude them for the rest of their lives. Frazier won a matchup of undefeated over 15 seasons with the club. He never played for another NHL team. fighters in 1971, using his signature left hook to knock down Ali in the Clarke remains the Flyers’ all-time leader in games played, assists and 15th round. After Ali won a mostly uneventful second fight on points, a points, and he ended his career with three Hart Memorial trophies as the rubber match considered by many as one of the greatest (and most Most Valuable Player of the league. Even after easing into semi- brutal) fights of all time followed in 1975: “The Thrilla in Manila.” The retirement, he’s never really left the organization and still talks regularly adage is that “styles make fights,” and this was no exception: Ali, with his with Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher. Clarke sits as the quintessential superior height and reach, battered his opponent’s face to the point that Philadelphia Flyer. — Charlie O’Connor Frazier could barely see. Frazier, with his doggedness to take punishment and get inside, had completely exhausted Ali with powerful Brian Dawkins body shots. Trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight from Frazier’s corner The first thing a team’s public relations staffer will implore upon a newly after the 14th round. drafted or acquired player is to pay lip service early and often to the idea Despite Frazier’s bitter feelings toward Ali (stemming from Ali’s ridicule of playing sports “in a city like Philadelphia.” Make a joke in your and insults in the lead-up to the three fights), perhaps the greatest tribute introductory news conference about hearing that the fans are crazy and to Frazier came from his rival: “I always bring out the best in the men I it’s always more fun to play for fans who care. That’s the easy part. fight, but Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the best in The next job is to understand what playing in Philadelphia means. That me.” Frazier, who died in 2011, was honored with an overdue 12-foot lesson is usually learned quickly, around the time of the first high-profile statue in 2015 that sits in front of Xfinity Live. — Rich Hofmann mistake. However you prefer to romanticize or castigate Philadelphia Mike Schmidt sports fans as a whole, the truth is there’s little difference between die- hard Eagles fans and die-hard Bengals fans, or between die-hard Sixers called him “the best player I’ve ever played with, day in and fans and die-hard Hawks fans. The difference is in the composition of the day out.” Baseball historian and statistician Bill James once said: “He fan bases. Every Eagles fan is a die-hard Eagles fan. And a die-hard fan didn’t hit .320. If he had, he would be the greatest player who ever lived.” is going to call you on your shit. Michael Jack Schmidt has a complicated past with Phillies fans, but he is The next level of Philadelphia athlete embraces the madness. Joel undoubtedly the greatest player in the franchise’s 137-season history. Embiid did this quicker than anyone. The Baseball Hall of Famer won the MVP three times, equaling the number of MVPs won by all other Phillies position players. The pantheon of Philadelphia sports figures is reserved for the special Schmidt was an offensive force. He won eight home run titles and led the few who offer something that allows fans to think they embody something league in on-base percentage three times, slugging percentage five about the city itself. Usually, that means someone who personifies times and RBIs four times. toughness. Allen Iverson comes to mind. Joe Frazier. Bobby Clarke. He was no defensive slouch, either, winning 10 Gold Gloves at third base. And he was named World Series MVP for the franchise’s first championship title in 1980. Schmidt’s entire 18-year career was spent in At one point, Bednarik had a fractured relationship with the organization, Philadelphia, and he went out on his terms. After abruptly announcing his but the two sides reconciled late in his life and Bednarik was honored on retirement before a game in May 1989, a tearful Schmidt remarked, ”I left the Eagles’ 75th-anniversary team in 2007. He died in March 2015. Dayton, Ohio, with two bad knees and a dream of becoming a baseball player; I thank God it came it true.” The 12-time All-Star finished with 548 “Philadelphia fans grow up expecting toughness, all-out effort and a home runs, 2,234 hits and 1,595 RBIs and goes down as arguably the workmanlike attitude from this team, and so much of that image has its best third baseman in major-league history. — Meghan Montemurro roots in the way Chuck played the game,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement after Bednarik’s death. “He was a Hall of Famer, a The rest of the class champion and an all-time Eagle.” — Zach Berman

Richie Ashburn

Many recall Ashburn as one of the preeminent voices of their Phillies Phillies fans can thank a disgruntled St. Louis Cardinals owner for fandom from his two-plus decades in the broadcast booth with his play- facilitating what became the greatest trade in team history. The man by-play partner, . But it’s Ashburn’s playing career that lands known as Lefty put together one of the best single-season pitching him this honor. A four-time All-Star and Baseball Hall of Famer, Ashburn performances in 1972. He won four Cy Young Awards, including one in is one of the best hitters to wear a Phillies uniform. His 57.7 WAR ranks the Phillies’ championship season, and is enshrined in fourth all-time among Phillies position players, while his 1,875 hits in the the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some of the numbers he put up are hard to 1950s were the most by any major leaguer. One of the on the fathom nowadays. Carlton started at least 35 games in 10 of his 13 full Phillies’ 1950 NL pennant team, Ashburn was a speedster and standout seasons with the Phillies and led the league in innings pitched five times, defender in center field. He covered a lot of ground out there. Ashburn which included tossing 293-plus innings in four of those years. At one holds the NL records for the most seasons with 500 or more putouts (four point, he reigned as baseball’s all-time strikeout king. Carlton’s greatness times) and the most seasons with 400 or more putouts (nine times). His is undeniable. — Meghan Montemurro No. 1 became the first number officially retired by the Phillies in 1979. — Meghan Montemurro (AP)

Bill Barber Wilt Chamberlain

Arguably overshadowed at times by his teammate (and regular linemate) He’s Wilt. This really doesn’t require much of an explanation. Clarke, Barber stands as a Flyers legend in his own right. After being Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game and averaged more than 50 selected in the first round of the 1972 draft, Barber embarked on a run of points per game for a season and over 30 per night in 1,045 career four consecutive seasons with at least 30 goals, finishing out the stretch games. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player four times, made with a 50-goal campaign in 1975-76. It should come as little surprise, the All-Star team every season he was healthy and still has 72 NBA then, that Barber still holds the franchise record for goals scored with records, 68 of which he holds by himself. He brought a championship to 420. Philadelphia in 1967, single-handedly ushered in rule changes to limit his dominance and is in any conversation debating the greatest of all time Like so many of the Broad Street Bullies, Barber was a lifelong Flyer, even though he last played nearly a half-century ago. Chamberlain was a spending all 12 seasons of his career with the club and eventually natural athlete despite standing 7-foot-1 and would have succeeded in transitioning into a coaching role — first as an assistant with the big club, any era. There’s no Hall of Fame list that doesn’t include Chamberlain on then as head man of its AHL affiliate and finally as head coach of the it. — Derek Bodner Flyers for two seasons, earning a Jack Adams Award in the process. — Charlie O’Connor Bernard Hopkins

Charles Barkley If Father Time is truly undefeated, Hopkins gave him quite a run for his money. “The Executioner” fought at a high level well into his 40s while Frequently controversial, but always entertaining, Barkley was a larger- handing out boxing lessons to up-and-coming champions along the way. than-life personality who could captivate the audience with anything he At 46, Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal to supplant George Foreman as the did. But he had the misfortune of being drafted by the Sixers in 1984, just oldest person to win a major boxing world title. His final fight came at 51, as they were performing organizational malpractice with a series of ending a 28-year career. He went 55-8-2. disastrous front-office decisions that set the franchise back a decade — and because of that, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Barkley was A major part of Hopkins’ incredible staying power, in a sport that doesn’t a force of nature, a 6-foot-5 (on a good day) brute who had no business lend itself to longevity, was his mastery of the craft. He’s regarded as one punishing defenders inside like he did. But he was more than a post of the best technical boxers of all time, and as a result, it was almost player. In his prime, Barkley was a freak athlete who could push the ball impossible to hit him with a clean shot. Combining a mastery of technical baseline to baseline, had a killer first step for his size and was an aspects with a dedication to his diet and training regimen allowed incredible leaper, and he had creativity and court vision, too. Barkley Hopkins to defeat Pascal a decade after breaking through with a famous ended his eight-year Philadelphia career with averages of 23.3 points, TKO of Felix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden. — Rich Hofmann 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game, Allen Iverson but he never had the supporting cast to get by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. — Derek Bodner A hand cupped to his ear, Iverson simply wanted to make the (Insert Bank Here) Center rock. And boy, did he ever. Chuck Bednarik The Iverson era was an experience. He was a flawed superstar, a One of the true icons in Eagles history, Bednarik embodied the volume scorer on so-so efficiency whose size put limitations on his toughness that the region’s football fans crave. He was the franchise’s defense. There were ups and downs, on and off the court. Iverson No. 1 overall pick in 1949 out of Penn and hailed from nearby Bethlehem, could’ve taken better care of his body, but when it was time to suit up, he Pa. Bednarik earned the nickname “Concrete Charlie” because of his played at 100 percent and with the intensity of a fighter. He played offseason job as a salesman for a concrete company, although it fit him. banged up. Who could forget that graphic with all the injuries he was A two-way player who was a ferocious hitter as a linebacker, Bednarik playing through at the time? (Or the Reebok commercial that channeled once flattened Giants Frank Gifford on a play that has since the same theme.) become one of football’s most famous photographs. His coordination and athleticism were breathtaking. His cultural impact Bednarik missed only three games from 1949 to 1962, earned eight Pro was immeasurable. But more than anything, Iverson’s authenticity is Bowl invitations, was named first-team All-Pro six times and had his No. what stands out. The “Practice” clip is what gets replayed, but that news 60 retired in 1987. It was an appropriate number, too, because Bednarik conference was an NBA superstar letting everyone in to see someone was also known as the “60-minute man” while playing linebacker and hurt by trade rumors and still grieving the killing of a lifelong friend. There center. And in 1960, when Bednarik helped the Eagles to a will never be another Allen Iverson. — Rich Hofmann championship, he made the game-saving tackle against Green Bay running back Jim Taylor. He told Taylor at the end of the play: “You can get up now. … This game is over.” It was one of two championships Lindros spent only eight seasons with the Flyers, but for an entire Bednarik won with the Eagles, along with the 1949 title in his rookie generation of Philadelphia fans, he defined the sport. Lindros wasn’t just season. He was a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1967. a star — he was “The Next One,” an incredible blend of size, physicality and high-end skill who made every game appointment viewing. It’s the team to beat in the NL East,” he said on Jan. 23, 2007. “Finally.” The debatable whether he qualified as the best player of the era, but he was Phillies hadn’t won anything in 15 years. certainly the most dominant. Rollins was the soul of the Phillies during one of the greatest eras in club His three-year run from 1994-95 (when he won the Hart Trophy at 22) history. The shortstop. The leadoff hitter. He was braggadocious, through 1996-97 (when he led the Flyers to the Cup Final) was peak undersized and gifted. At 5-foot-7, he stands above every Phillies player Lindros. He also fit in a 115-point campaign that remains the fourth- ever with his 2,306 hits. He backed up his words when he won the NL highest-scoring season in franchise history. Lindros never led the Flyers MVP in 2007 after the Phillies were seven games back with 17 to play. back to the promised land, his career in Philadelphia derailed by He won a World Series in 2008. He delivered one of the franchise’s most concussions and a messy public dispute, since thawed, with Clarke. But important postseason hits in 2009. His was the best kind of trash talk, the his impact on the sport in Philadelphia is undeniable, and his immense kind that made him an enemy everywhere and emboldened a city to talent level unquestioned. — Charlie O’Connor come to his defense. — Matt Gelb

Donovan McNabb

“No. 5 will always love you!” The only two franchise records Utley owns are hit-by-pitches (173) and stolen base percentage (88.6). He never won an MVP. He never won a That’s what McNabb told the Philadelphia crowd when his jersey was batting title or led the league in hits or home runs or RBIs. But he is retired in 2013. It wasn’t always the most loving relationship with the best among the most popular Phillies players of all time. David Montgomery, in franchise history, who was famously booed on draft day in the late team president, described it best during a 2018 interview: “From 1999 by a group of Eagles fans. But there’s no denying what McNabb the day he came here to the day he left, Chase Utley personified this city. meant to the organization, taking the Eagles to five NFC Championship It was amazing. He was just in the right place at the right time.” Utley Games and one Super Bowl appearance. He never hoisted the Lombardi played the game like he was a character from a Matt Christopher book, Trophy, which is the undeniable blemish. Yet he’s a lock for the and that brand of determination is what endeared him to fans. He was Philadelphia Hall of Fame (and was inducted into the actual Philadelphia not a good defender until he willed his way to become one. He acted as if Sports Hall of Fame). it were his duty to be hit by as many pitches as possible. He wasn’t the McNabb rewrote the Eagles’ record books, leading the franchise in fastest, but he was one of the most adept baserunners in the game. One career passing yards (32,873), (216) and completions Phillies legend nicknamed him “The Man,” and then Utley sealed his own (2,801). A dual-threat quarterback, McNabb topped 300 rushing yards in legend status during his World Series parade speech. — Matt Gelb each of his first five seasons. He won 92 of 142 regular-season starts Reggie White with the Eagles and nine postseason games. The “what-ifs” of his career center on what could have been if he had better wide receivers in those It’s possible Philadelphia has never had a player who was so far and first five years and if the marriage with Terrell Owens hadn’t ended in away the best in the world at his job as White was during his eight such a bitter divorce. McNabb’s best season came with Owens in 2004, seasons with the Eagles. His strike-shortened 1987, when he had 21 when he threw for a career-high 31 touchdowns and had a 104.7 passer sacks in 12 games, is probably the best season ever by a pass-rusher. rating. Of the other 11 seasons in NFL history in which a player recorded at least 20 sacks, 10 of the players played 16 games. The other one played The Eagles traded McNabb in 2010, and he was out of football after the 15. White’s fewest sacks in a season during his Eagles career was 11. 2011 season. His 11-year run was the best by a quarterback in Philadelphia history, and nobody else will wear No. 5 for the Eagles — White’s infamous free-agent departure remains one of the more whether you love him or not. — Zach Berman paralyzing “what-ifs” in Philadelphia sports history, but had he played his entire career with the Eagles, we can at least say for certain he would have been a first-ballot inductee. — Bo Wulf

Simply put, the Flyers don’t win two Stanley Cups without Parent. Not The Athletic’s inaugural Philadelphia Hall of Fame only did he post a combined 0.929 save percentage and 1.96 goals- against average during the two Cup runs, but it also shouldn’t be forgotten that the Flyers and their “bullying” mentality only worked with a netminder who could stand tall in the face of all the extra power plays Bill Barber Philadelphia handed to the opposition. Parent was almost always up to Charles Barkley the task. Chuck Bednarik Parent was actually an original Flyer, dating to their inaugural 1967-68 season. But a 1971 trade sent him briefly to the Toronto Maple Leafs Steve Carlton (and eventually the WHA) before Philadelphia reacquired Parent in 1973. Wilt Chamberlain* The Flyers were rewarded with two of the best seasons in goaltending history — 91 combined wins, 24 shutouts, two Vezina trophies (given to Bobby Clarke* (first ballot) the NHL’s best netminder) and two Conn Smythe trophies for postseason MVP. Oh, and a place as a franchise legend. — Charlie O’Connor Brian Dawkins* (first ballot)

Robin Roberts Julius Erving* (first ballot)

For a certain generation, Roberts defined what it was to be dependable. Joe Frazier* (first ballot) It had been 35 years since the Phillies won the NL and 33 years since Bernard Hopkins they boasted a 20-game winner when, in 1950, Roberts anchored the rotation. He will always be remembered for a singular performance — Allen Iverson* Oct. 1, 1950 — when he made his third start in five days and pitched 10 innings in the final game of the season to clinch the pennant for the Whiz Eric Lindros Kids. That World Series was the Phillies’ lone appearance over a 63-year Donovan McNabb span. From 1950 to 1956, Roberts averaged 23 wins, 323 innings and 27 complete games per season. Roberts was so good in 1952 — a 2.59 Bernie Parent ERA in 330 innings — that when he did not win the MVP Award that season, it spurred commissioner Ford Frick to create a separate annual honor for pitchers. Roberts was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the writers’ ballot. After 1961, no Phillies player wore No. 36 again. — Matt Gelb Mike Schmidt* (first ballot)

Jimmy Rollins Chase Utley

It happened at — of all things — a media luncheon at Citizens Bank Reggie White* Park. There were 22 days before pitchers and catchers reported to Florida. Reporters stuck microphones in front of Rollins. “I think we are The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181752 Pittsburgh Penguins #Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has the same thoughts as many do as the coronavirus pandemic has kept people holed up in their homes. Not macaroni and cheese again. https://t.co/3ZyrCck2gX

Jim Rutherford thinks long layoff would help Penguins. Would it? — Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 26, 2020

Then there’s the rash of injuries they’ve sustained this season that Rutherford referenced. It indeed led to increased minutes for some of its CHRIS ADAMSKI more important players — but then again, many of those players had far less damage inflicted on their bodies by mid-March than they’d have had Friday, March 27, 2020 4:43 p.m. if they had not missed any time because of injury.

Crosby, for example, played in 41 of the team’s 69 games so far, earning When Sidney Crosby was asked during an NHL-run video call Thursday 28 games worth of unanticipated rest. Malkin played in 55, Letang 61, what teammate he’d want to be stuck in quarantine with, he was quick Hornqvist 52 and Schultz 46. The only Penguins players aged 29 or older with an answer. who had anywhere close to full game-load’s worth of a season when it was paused were Marleau (66 games) and 33-year-old Johnson (67). “Kris Letang,” Crosby said during the Zoom call open to media. “He’s in the know. He’d get all the info. I’d have a better sense of what’s going on Perhaps, as Rutherford indicated, a layoff would leave the Penguins with if I was with him.” an ideal combination of experience and rested legs.

That “know” and savvy comes, in no insignificant part, from experience. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.28.2020 Letang is one five Pittsburgh Penguins teammates of Crosby’s that are older than him.

The Penguins’ leadership core of Crosby, Letang, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Patrick Marleau, Jack Johnson and Jason Zucker combine for almost a full century’s worth of NHL experience (98 aggregate seasons).

In the unprecedented circumstances facing NHL teams when — if — the season re-starts after a hiatus of two months or more, will having an abundance of older players provide the wisdom and adaptability to thrive under such circumstances? Or will older legs take extra time to ramp back up?

There will be winners and losers in the wake of NHL break caused by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Count general manager Jim Rutherford among those who believe the suspension of the league season will work to the Penguins’ advantage when (if) the season resumes.

“I think that prior to stopping play we had run into a period we were over- using guys in certain areas because of injuries, and it was staring to catch up with us,” Rutherford said earlier this week. “We didn’t have that same energy and juice that we had the first half of the season, so I would suggest that it would be to our benefit having the break.”

How Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is passing the time https://t.co/Hfs8Zoyr6V

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 27, 2020

The Penguins had lost eight of 10 before a win at the New Jersey Devils on March 10 that was their final game prior to the NHL’s announcement it was “pausing” its season out of concerns associated with covid-19.

The night of that most recent victory in Newark, N.J., coach Mike Sullivan called the effort “one of the better… more complete games that we’ve played in a while.”

Letang had 24 minutes, 3 seconds of ice time that evening; fellow defensemen Brian Dumoulin (22:36) and Justin Schultz (20:31) each had on-ice time that was more than their season averages.

But none of those three veterans had played appreciably more in recent weeks than they had, on average, earlier this season. The Penguins’ oldest defenseman, Johnson, had seen his ice time tumble over his past five games because his role was diminished upon the return of Dumoulin from a three-month injury absence.

The forwards group went through a stretch before the trade deadline in which ice time was bumped up a bit when Sullivan was reluctant to play a fourth line because attrition had left several forwards unavailable.

The Penguins entered the season as the 13th-oldest out of the league’s 31 teams, according to data compiled by The Athletic. Their average age of 27.7 was slightly higher than the league average of 27.3.

Of course, that average did not include the 40-year-old Marleau, who was added at the trade deadline. Other roster moves since October include the additions of Evan Rodrigues (26), Conor Sheary (27) and Zucker (28), and the subtractions of (28), Alex Galchenyuk (25) and Dominik Kahun (24).

No matter how you slice it, the Penguins are an older team (relative to the league) than they were at the season’s outset. 1181753 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins green jersey auction nets $20,000 for coronavirus aid charities

JONATHAN BOMBULIE

Friday, March 27, 2020 3:56 p.m.

The Penguins were scheduled to wear green St. Patrick’s Day jerseys in warmups before a March 15 home game against the New York Islanders. While the game wasn’t played due to the coronavirus pandemic, some good came out of it anyway.

The Pittsburgh Penguins foundation raised $20,000 from the auction of the jerseys and donated $5,000 each to the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Western PA Diaper Bank, Rainbow Kitchen and Salvation Army carry-out meal program.

The donation to the Salvation Army is expected to provide 1,700 meals in one week, the team said.

“We want to thank our fans for once again coming through to assist residents of our community who are in need at this difficult time,” , executive director of the Penguins Foundation, said in a release.

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181754 Pittsburgh Penguins have as much life experience in terms of fending for themselves, cooking for themselves, training themselves.”

Nichol is a self-described realist who boarders on an “eternal optimist.” Penguins get creative, go 'old school' to stay in shape during COVID-19 He said that while the situation presents obstacles, he tells his clients to quarantine look at the positives in the situation.

“Most of these guys, at this point in the season during a normal year — and this is certainly not a normal year — they’re under-slept and MIKE DEFABO malnourished and their body is beaten up and bruised,” Nichol said. “I think that having a few days a week is actually beneficial to rest and heal MAR 27, 2020 4:19 PM and repair.”

While there’s nothing that can replace skating, Nichol said players can There’s an old legend about Milo of Croton. indirectly improve their skating by stabilizing weak muscles that have been injured or correcting muscle imbalances that have been created by The famous Greek wrestler from sixth century BC is said to have gained playing through minor injuries. his immense strength by lifting a newborn calf as a boy and then every day thereafter. As the animal grew, so too did Milo’s muscles until he He believes there’s also some value in mentally and physically could hoist a bull that weighed more than 1,000 pounds. unplugging. In this way, he compares this uncertain period to the first phase of the offseason training. This week, whether he realized it or not, Penguins forward Bryan Rust channeled his inner Milo. On social media, the Penguins’ leading goal- “If you were to come into our gym in that first phase of the offseason, scorer scooped up his puppy Oliver and performed a set of lunges. we’ve got some of the best players in the world,” Nichol said. “Some of the things they’re doing in our gym are things any of your readers could When dumbbells aren't around, Bryan Rust (@rustyyy_92) goes for do at home with very minimal equipment.” Oliver. In Nichol’s opinion, if the NHL decides to ramp back up and finish this ( : @penguins) pic.twitter.com/BHeL7RpWBm season, it will need to do so gradually over several weeks. Doing too much, too soon could lead to an uptick in the typical hockey-related — NHL (@NHL) March 19, 2020 injuries like hips and groins. There are two key takeaways here. First and foremost, Oliver is a very “In the world of training or human physiology, you can’t make up for lost good boy. Secondly? The video, while perhaps exaggerated for comedic time,” Nichol said. “We live in a world where everyone is trying to hack effect, illustrates the unique challenges NHL hockey players face to stay everything and look for a shortcut and secret. The body needs time to in shape while in quarantine. adapt and you need to be respectful of that and willing to settle for Penguins center Sidney Crosby goes through drills during afternoon subpar performance the first week back or first two weeks back, knowing practice Thursday, Jan. 30, 2019, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in they did it the right way.” Cranberry, Pa. In other words, don’t try to pick that bull back up without first starting with NHL hockey players are elite athletes with fine-tuned fitness regimens a calf — or at least a cute puppy. and carefully crafted diet plans. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Post Gazette LOADED: 03.28.2020 NHL has asked all players to remain in self-quarantine until at least April 6. Those rules, coupled with the mandates from Gov. Tom Wolf, have closed all gyms and practice facilities for the foreseeable future.

No ice. No weights. No teammates.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said that the club’s strength and conditioning coaches have talked with each player and outlined a specific workout plan. Maybe they aren’t all going all the way back to BC, but Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said they are keeping it “old school” with pushups and other bodyweight exercises.

“We don’t have a ton of resources,” Crosby said. “You just make the best with what you have.”

The Penguins, of course, aren’t the only ones in this situation. Around the league, players from every team are dealing with these same challenges. Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers is sticking to push-ups and sprints. In addition to chasing around his kids, Marc Staal of the New York Rangers jogs on a treadmill and lifts the small weights he has around his house.

The uncertainty of it all — When will the NHL return? Will it return at all? — adds one more variable.

“That affects you mentally,” said former Penguin and current Carolina Hurricane . “It’s hard to be stuck in limbo and not have any idea of a goal or a date to be at your peak when the puck is dropped.”

Matt Nichol is one of the NHL’s most well-respected strength and conditioning coaches. At his Toronto-based gym, he trains dozens of elite-level players in offseason, in addition to athletes from the NFL, NBA and Olympic gold medalists. He’s worked with several Penguins in the past, including Jared McCann and former Penguins like Erik Gudbranson and Andrew Agozzino.

“It’s extremely difficult to train for hockey when you don’t have access to an ice surface and an arena and teammates,” Nichol said. “There are some guys who have extremely well-equipped home gyms, spacious homes, sports courts and access to fields. There are some guys who are living in small, one-bedroom condos — young, single guys who might not 1181755 Pittsburgh Penguins true-crime sleuthing that just happens to feature the murder of a famous sports figure as its central mystery.

Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. 10 sports podcasts to explore while you stay at homeSteph The rise and fall of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was Chambers/Post-Gazette recently thrust back into the spotlight by the Netflix documentary “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.” A year before that documentary dropped, the Boston Globe partnered with Wondery to put out its own JOSHUA AXELROD Hernandez true-crime podcast, “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.” MAR 27, 2020 4:00 PM Globe reporter Bob Hohler dives deep into every facet of Hernandez’s

life, including his childhood, college career at Florida, short stint with the One of the most disconcerting things about being stuck at home all day, Patriots, murder conviction and eventual prison suicide. If you’ve seen especially if you live alone, is the silence. The noise generated by the the Netflix documentary, this would make an excellent companion piece. hustle and bustle of everyday life is already practically gone due to most If you haven’t, it’s still riveting, heartbreaking stuff. folks remaining indoors during this COVID-19 pandemic. Confronting: O.J. Simpson There are plenty of ways to mitigate that issue, such as video-chatting This one might stretch the definition of the phrase “sports podcast” a bit, with friends, enjoying a beloved movie/television show/song or but everything involving Juice is sports-adjacent at least. It focuses less rewatching your favorite classic sporting events. Or, for a more intimate on Simpson himself and more on Kim Goldman, the sister of Ron form of entertainment, you could always invest in a new podcast. Goldman, who was killed on the same night as Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole. Sports fans in particular have a wide range of options to choose from, “Confronting: O.J. Simpson” is hosted by Goldman and features including weekly chat shows, miniseries, true crime and more. Here are interviews with prominent figures from the trial that changed America in 10 sports podcasts worth your time that will not only hopefully keep you the mid-1990s. It can be a bit heavy at times, but it’s gripping content. entertained but also help drown out that dreaded silence: 30 for 30 Podcasts First and foremost, the Post-Gazette’s North Shore Drive Podcast is still cranking out new episodes weekly. Even with the Penguins’ season on What if I told you that ESPN adapted its “30 for 30” documentary series pause and the Pirates’ delayed, our experts are still happy to hop on a — which was partially created by Simmons during his ESPN tenure — mic and talk about the most important team-related conversations of the into podcast form, and the results are just as entrancing as the visual day. version?

If you’re one of the thousands who’ve been listening along since we The series is six seasons deep so far. They’re all worth checking out, but launched in July, great. If not, now is an excellent opportunity to go back if for some reason you can only get to one, go with season five. It’s in the archive and catch up on what you missed. hosted by ESPN NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne and focuses on Donald Sterling, the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who in Field Study Podcast 2014 was forced to sell the team after racist remarks caught on tape led Oh, you thought the Post-Gazette had only one podcast to offer you? to him being banned from the league. Think again. Our Field Study Podcast combines sports and science into Sports Wars one informative, thought-provoking package. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Every season covers a different Have you ever wondered how revolutions in sleep science affect the way famous sports rivalry, like LeBron James versus the Golden State athletes perform? Or why tennis players make so much noise as they Warriors; Tom Brady versus Petyon Manning; Stone Cold Steve Austin play? Or if the way are constructed contributed to MLB’s home- versus the Rock; and prime Tiger Woods versus the world. run boom the last few years? We’ve got you covered. The best part about “Sports Wars” is that there’s never an obvious Bill Simmons is an OG in the sports podcasting realm, having originally protagonist or antagonist. It’s always two people or entities at the peak of launched his show with ESPN before transitioning it over to The Ringer their powers trying to be the best in their respective fields. Sports don’t once he left the worldwide leader. Not only is he an engaging, well- get more pure than that. connected guy, but he consistently books incredible guests. How many podcasts do you think Charlize Theron, Steph Curry and Malcolm The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 Gladwell have all made appearances on? Here’s one from a Western Pa. native. McAfee, a Plum High alum, spent The big caveat with Simmons, of course, is that he’s a rabid Boston eight seasons as a for the Colts before retiring in 2017 to pursue a sports fan and he sometimes devotes entire episodes to his New career in media. He’s certainly making his mark as a personality, as he’s England passions. Feel free to skip those if you want. earned opportunities such as announcing games and being the host of his own podcast. Though most of the sports world is at a standstill, the NFL has had a wild offseason. Nobody breaks down every team’s moves with the level of If you want proof of just how entertaining McAfee can be in audio form, detail and nuance that ESPN’s Mina Kimes brings to this weekly podcast listen to him animatedly discussing the time his one chance at scoring an that’s still going strong. NFL was ruined by none other than Troy Polamalu. You’re welcome in advance. Kimes is always joined by another prominent sports journalist to discuss the week’s major NFL news, answer listener questions and fawn over Post Gazette LOADED: 03.28.2020 Lenny, her dog and co-host. As Kimes would say, this is the only podcast where one of the hosts thinks “go long!” means it’s time to play fetch.

Fall of a Titan

There’s a not-so-shocking intersection between sports and true crime, and there are many examples of that in the podcast space. Exhibit A: “Fall of a Titan,” a narrative podcast from Sports Illustrated about the death of Steve McNair, a former NFL quarterback famous for leading the Tennessee Titans to within one yard of victory in the 2000 Super Bowl.

Host Tim Rohan takes another look at McNair’s 2009 murder and investigates whether his mistress Jenni Kazemi — who was found dead at the scene with McNair’s body — was likely to have been responsible for the quarterback’s death as Nashville police concluded. It’s classic 1181756 San Jose Sharks Couture has fully recovered but without much workout equipment at home, hasn’t been able to do much in terms of strenuous activity. He said a Peleton stationary exercise bike he ordered is set to arrive Saturday. Quarantined with Joe Thornton? No thanks, says Logan Couture “Haven’t really been able to do much. I’ve tried to stay in as much as With league on hiatus, NHL hosts teleconference with Logan Couture, possible,” Couture said. “Some body weight stuff, but I’m not in the best Marc-Andre Fleury, Anze Kopitar, Ryan Getzlaf shape. Hope to get it going, though.”

Players have said if the option was available, they would like to resume play with regular season games and not have to go right into the playoffs. CURTIS PASHELKA There has been speculation that if the NHL were to hold a postseason, it March 27, 2020 at 5:12 p.m. would not be able to start until July or August.

The Ducks, Kings and Sharks were 13th, 14th and 15th, respectively, in the Pacific Division before the hiatus, remaining only mathematically alive San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture, under a shelter in place order for a playoff spot. like all other California residents, couldn’t immediately think of a teammate he would most want to be quarantined with over a long period “Just bring back all the teams,” Couture said. of time. “I read about an extended playoff format, but I think for us three, they’re When it came to which teammate Couture would least like to be stuck going to have to really stretch for it,” said Kopitar, referring to himself, with, well, that was a lot easier to answer. Couture and Getzlaf.

“Jumbo,” Couture said, referring to Joe Thornton. “I don’t know how he’s Couture said has been binge-watching shows like “Curb Your surviving right now. The guy, he’s got (attention deficit disorder) for sure. Enthusiasm” and “The Wire” and recently started watching “Six Feet If he can’t go to the rink, he’s lost.” Under.” He was also recently asked by a Sharks employee to start a book club during the hiatus. Couture’s first book is “The Rule of Law” by “That’s 100 percent true,” Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf New York Times bestseller John Lescroart. responded. Couture said when the Sharks were in Ottawa earlier this season, he had Couture, Getzlaf, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights, Anze a book in his hand when he was approached by a security guard. Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings all took part in a teleconference Friday hosted by the NHL, which paused its season March 12 due to the health “He said, I’ve done this for 10 years and there’s only one other player in crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus. the NHL that I’ve seen that carries books and that’s Marc-Andre Fleury,'” Couture said before he asked the Golden Knights goalie if it was true. The NHL also hosted calls with captains of the four other Pacific Division teams earlier Friday, and players from the eight Metropolitan Division “I was probably holding it for somebody else,” Fleury said. teams on Thursday. The league is doing the same thing next week with Couture said he has texted Thornton a couple of times, “just to check in players from the Central and Atlantic divisions in an effort to stay in the on him.” He said if had to be quarantined with anyone, it would be with headlines during the hiatus. former teammate Barclay Goodrow, who was traded to Tampa Bay on There remains no indication when or if the NHL will be able to resume Feb. 24. the 2019-2020 season. “I think he and I have the most in common, and I still count him as being “You don’t know if you’re starting in the next couple weeks or the next a Shark,” Couture said. “He’d be my guy.” couple months,” Kopitar said. “You’re just trying to stay loose somewhat San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.28.2020 and keep moving.”

Like other residents of the region, Couture has spent most of the last two weeks inside at home under a statewide shelter in place mandate put in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

In the times Couture has gone out, to pick up food at a local restaurant or get groceries, he has been encouraged by what he’s seen.

“It’s a big message here is, support your local businesses, your small businesses and try and help them get through this,” Couture said. “We’re all in it together. I think people here in Santa Clara have bought into what the government has told them, the social distancing and staying six feet away from people when you are out.

“I see it when I go to the grocery store and stuff like that. So they’ve done a good job here. Just try and stay strong.”

As of Thursday night, there were 4,040 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California and 83 deaths related to the disease.

“We’re not going to sit here and complain about having a pause in our season when there’s people dying and life’s going on the way it is,” Getzlaf said. “There’s been so many tragedies in businesses and just with life in general. For us, it’s a pause that we’ve had to deal with. We’ve had lockouts before and it’s just another thing in our life that we’ll have to deal with, just professionally.”

Couture, who turns 31 on Saturday and is a Canadian citizen, said he remained in the area and didn’t get a chance to go home to southern Ontario as he’s still, “working on a Green Card.”

“My friends and family are back there, but I get to enjoy California,” Couture said.

Couture suffered a head injury in the Sharks’ March 8 game with the Colorado Avalanche and did not travel with the team to Chicago for its game against the Blackhawks on March 11. 1181757 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Joe Thornton joined Hall-of-Fame company with 400 career goals

Brian Witt

March 27, 2020 4:37 PM

Programming note: Watch the re-air of Joe Thornton's 400th career NHL goal tonight at 8 p.m. PT on NBC Sports California.

Joe Thornton picked a great time to notch his 400th career goal.

Back on Nov. 13, 2018, the Sharks welcomed the Nashville Predators to SAP Center, who led the NHL with 27 points at the time. At first, San Jose appeared to be more than up to the task, opening up a 3-0 lead in the first period, which easily could have been larger.

Then, it all started going south.

The Sharks were held scoreless in the second period while the Predators climbed all the way back to tie the score. Less than three minutes into the third, Nashville took its first lead of the night.

For the next 10 minutes of game action, it sure seemed like San Jose would end up kicking itself for blowing a three-goal lead. But then Joe Pavelski tied the score at 4-4 with a goal with just under seven minutes remaining. 13 seconds later, it was Thornton's turn to play the hero.

Before the Predators had a chance to catch their breath, Justin Braun found Marcus Sorensen with a stretch pass from San Jose's own defensive zone. As Sorensen broke into Nashville territory, he made a Thornton-like cross-ice pass to the former Hart Trophy winner, who promptly fired the puck into the back of the net to retake the lead.

The Sharks would hold on the rest of the way to secure the thrilling 5-4 victory over a conference rival, and while the two points surely came in handy, Thornton's 63rd career game-winning goal stood out for another reason.

It was the 400th of his career.

Don't remember? Don't worry. This memorable game will be re-aired Friday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports California.

— Sharks on (@NBCSSharks) March 26, 2020

While there have now been 99 players throughout NHL history to accumulate at least 400 goals, there are only 13 who have totaled at least 1,000 assists. By scoring the game-winner that night, Thornton became the 11th player in NHL history to accomplish both feats.

Joe Thornton became the 11th player in NHL history to record at least 400 goals and 1,000 assists. #NHLStats #NSHvsSJS pic.twitter.com/I5aiZCHXok

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 14, 2018

Of the 11 players included on that list, only Thornton and Jaromir Jagr have not been inducted into the . Jagr called it a career in 2017-18, so it's only a matter of time until he joins the group. Thornton says he feels like he has multiple seasons left in him, but the same goes for him.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181758 San Jose Sharks

Why Logan Couture believes Joe Thornton would make bad quarantine partner

Brian Witt

March 27, 2020 2:43 PM

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has restricted most of us to our homes, as the country and world attempt to mitigate the drastic effects through social distancing. Hopefully, you're surrounded by the people that make you feel better about the situation, and not ones that drive you up a wall. However, it's likely you didn't have much of a choice as to who you've been quarantining with. In times like these, safety takes priority over preference, and rightfully so.

Sharks captain Logan Couture has remained in the Bay Area ever since the NHL season was indefinitely paused on March 12. He is holed up with his girlfriend, who apparently makes for a much better quarantine partner than one of his longtime teammates.

As part of a video call with the NHL and a few Pacific Division rivals Friday morning, each of the participants was asked which of their respective teammates they would most and least want to be quarantined with, and why. Couture had no trouble coming up with his answer for the latter.

"The least one's easy," Couture said. "[Joe Thornton]. I don't know how he's surviving right now. The guy has ADD, for sure. If he can't go to the rink, he's lost."

Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf, who has played with Thornton on Team Canada, agreed with that assessment.

"That's 100 percent true," the longtime Sharks nemesis chimed in.

Seeing his son drive a golf cart into a tree probably wasn't what Ryan Getzlaf was expecting to see today. pic.twitter.com/X63u54AzHK

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 27, 2020

"I don't know what he's doing," Couture continued. "I've texted him a couple times throughout this just to check in on him, see how he's doing."

At last update, Thornton, 40, insisted he has multiple seasons left. As in, plural. Maybe he is going a little stir crazy.

As for who Couture thinks would make for a great quarantine partner, he took a bit longer to arrive at an answer, but ultimately landed on someone who, technically, isn't his teammate.

"I'll say Barclay Goodrow, even though he was just traded," Couture responded. "I think him and I have the most in common, and I still count him as being a Shark. He's only been in Tampa for a little bit, so he'd be my guy."

It has been just over a month since Goodrow was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a first-round draft pick, nearly half of which has occurred since the league halted play. He and Couture spent five- plus seasons as teammates in San Jose, so one would imagine they know what makes each other tick.

Best of luck to you and yours as we each do our part to help flatten the curve. If you're anything like Thornton, hopefully there's a socially-distant rink nearby.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181759 San Jose Sharks

Brenden Dillon shares how trade from Sharks to Capitals led to six wild weeks

Brodie

March 27, 2020 1:55 PM

For most United States residents, the expression “stay at home” is a current way of life. But for former Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon, it’s more like “stay at hotel."

As in his temporary residence in Arlington, Va., as a relatively new member of the Washington Capitals.

“I almost feel like a bit of a Lone Ranger with where I’m at,” Dillon told NBC Sports California on Thursday. “My place in San Jose, and my home in Vancouver, that’s kind of a long ways from here right now, to go through what the world is dealing with.”

Dillon has been through a whirlwind of last two months. In mid-February, it was a trade that sent him clear across the continent. Then in mid- March, it was the NHL season virtually stopping on a dime.

He still is highly regarded by San Jose players and fans, alike. Many remember Dillon final interview at SAP Center, which ended in tears.

“You guys didn’t see how smoky it was in the room, at the time,” Dillon jokingly said.

To nobody’s surprise, Dillon seemed to become an instant hit in the Capitals’ dressing room, his stall strategically assigned between two cornerstone players.

“I was right between Ovi () and Johnny (John) Carlson, so, it was pretty cool to be part of that opportunity," Dillon said. "On the ice it was also a perfect fit for my kind of game, being able to skate, move pucks and play my physical brand of hockey. I think it was pretty seamless, and a lot of the guys made me feel comfortable.”

Whether he does or does not ever play for the Sharks again, San Jose certainly made an impression on Dillon since he arrived in 2014.

”It’s not just somewhere that you work," Dillon said. "It’s not just somewhere you move to for hockey. It becomes your home, your family. Your teammates, it becomes second nature.”

For now, it’s a mix of understanding and frustration for Dillon and so many NHL players, who only had about a dozen games left in their regular seasons before chasing the Stanley Cup.

“Everybody had something to play for,” Dillon said. “But when something like this happens, first and foremost you’re wanting everybody to be healthy and safe.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181760 St Louis Blues The Blues didn’t announce that Kelly had tested positive until about an hour after that call.

“I talk to Craig every other day or so,” Armstrong said, referring to coach Blues TV announcer John Kelly tests positive for coronavirus, but feels . “Colton Parayko’s our player rep with the (NHL Players much better Association), so I try and keep him abreast on what I’m hearing when we have league calls, plus I do reach out to the three captains and keep them up to date on what we’re hearing as far as what the normal talk is around the league.” Jim Thomas (By three “captains,” Armstrong was referring to alternate captains as

well.) Almost since the moment they left Anaheim on March 12, the coronavirus Armstrong pointed out that hockey “was not at the forefront” now given has been circling the Blues. the worldwide coronavirus crisis, but added: “With that being said, we do First came the news that an Ottawa Senators player had tested positive have to continue to prepare to play again. If we come back and there’s for the virus. Roughly 12 hours after the Senators played the Ducks, the regular-season games, we deal with that. If we come back and jump right Blues were in the same Honda Center visitors’ locker room for their into the playoffs we have this opportunity (during the shutdown) to morning skate. (It’s now two Senators testing positive, both unnamed.) prepare for potential playoff opponents.”

Several days later, came the news that a relative of a Blues employee During the self-quarantine or self-isolation period, Armstrong said players had come down with the virus. — more than half of whom have stayed in St. Louis —are trying to stay as active as possible. And on Friday the coronavirus pandemic hit home. Blues television play- by-play announcer John Kelly has tested positive for the virus. Kelly, 59, “We understand they’re going to need some form of a training bloc to get was tested on March 17 and received the results Friday. He initially was back in and play,” Armstrong said. “I think everybody’s in as good of diagnosed with pneumonia, but is feeling better now. spirits as you can be in with what’s going on.”

“The good news is, I feel great,” Kelly told Blue Note Productions. “Me Each Blues player has been sent a video by the team’s strength and and my family have been in quarantine. We’re listening to the doctors conditioning staff on exercises they can do without weights. And the and the authorities, so from that perspective, it’s all good. I’ve had great strength and conditioning staff has called players with specific care from the doctors. They put me on antibiotics, and since a week ago instructions on what they could do to stay fit. Monday I’ve started to feel better, and this week I really turned the “We’ve been in the league-mandated and then community-mandated corner.” shelter-in-place since our last game,” Armstrong said. Kelly, who calls games on Fox Sports Midwest, said he had pneumonia Vladimir Tarasenko, who was expected to be playing now minus the years ago, “and it was very difficult.” coronavirus “pause,” has been continuing rehab/recovery work at his St. Kelly said he felt lousy after he returned from Anaheim and went to an Louis home from his shoulder injury and “is very comfortable doing that,” urgent care center to be examined. Armstrong said.

“I was not eating well. I was dehydrated and I was really sick,” he said. Oskar Sundqvist, who suffered an upper-body injury in the Anaheim “Quite honestly, very sick. At that time, I got tested that day, but the game, is the only Blues player who has been physically in the same doctor didn’t think I had coronavirus. You know, it’s just an (educated) place as Barile. Armstrong indicated that Sundqvist’s injury isn’t guess and certainly we’re dealing with a new subject and a new virus, so considered long-term but did not offer any other specifics. I just figured I had pneumonia” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.28.2020 And pneumonia was the initial diagnosis.

In light of the Kelly news, the Blues encouraged everyone in the team’s traveling party to continue to practice self-quarantine measures and report any symptoms to head athletic trainer Ray Barile.

Anaheim marked the team’s last game before the NHL suspended operations indefinitely because of the pandemic. The team arrived in southern California on March 10 and defeated the Ducks 4-2 on March 11 in a makeup contest necessitated by the postponement of a Feb. 11 game after Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester collapsed because of a cardiac episode.

As is normally the case on West Coast trips, the Blues waited until the next day to fly out — March 12. They were in the air, heading back to St. Louis, when the NHL announced it was suspending play.

Kelly has not had contact with anyone in the traveling party since that trip ended 15 days ago, according to the Blues. The team uses a charter jet for away games, and the regular-season traveling party normally consists of coaches, trainers, equipment managers and players, as well as radio, television and Post-Dispatch personnel.

Kelly loves poker and spends most of his time in the air playing cards.

In the case of the Anaheim trip, we’re talking roughly eight hours round trip on the plane.

Blues general manager normally accompanies the team, but was not on that trip because he had just returned to St. Louis from NHL meetings in Florida.

Armstrong took part in a conference call Friday before the Kelly news was announced. He discussed the team’s contract agreement with college defenseman Scott Perunovich and answered a few general questions about how the team was dealing with the coronavirus. He said the players were all healthy but made no mention of Kelly. 1181761 St Louis Blues

Highly-touted Blues prospect Perunovich agrees on two-year deal

Jim Thomas

College hockey star Scott Perunovich, the Blues’ most highly-regarded prospect, has agreed to terms on a two-year contract.

Well, it’s more complicated than that. The defenseman from Minnesota- Duluth has actually agreed to a pair of two-year contracts:

• One if he joins the Blues’ roster this season

• And one if he doesn’t join the Blues’ roster until next season.

The complicated arrangement was made because of the unique status of the 2019-20 NHL season, which continues to be on “pause” because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If there is hockey this season, Perunovich will sign the one that allows him to play this season.

If there is no more hockey this season, he will sign the one that kicks in next season.

For now, the Blues and Perunovich will wait and see how the virus situation plays out with respect to the return of hockey.

“Exactly,” general manager Doug Armstrong said. “When we come back and play we’re both gonna sit down and decide what’s the best one for him to sign.”

Armstrong said he checked with the league to make sure this unusual arrangement was OK, and got the league’s blessing.

The Blues have been confident all along about signing Perunovich, whom they drafted in the second round, No. 45 overall, in the 2018 draft. But they decided to make an announcement now in part because of speculation that Perunovich might wait, and give the Blues a 30-day notice to become an unrestricted free agent.

“A lot of this was just to get the speculation on is he gonna sign with us or not gonna sign with us (over),” Armstrong said. “I think it was important for Scott to let it be known that we wants to be a Blue and now this just puts that to bed.”

It is not unusual in the NHL for college players to return to school once they are drafted, and Perunovich did so for the 2018-19 season because he wanted a chance to repeat as NCAA champions with Minnesota- Duluth. The Bulldogs did just that, so Perunovich decided he wanted to return this season as well, his junior season, and go for a 3-peat.

The Bulldogs certainly were on track, with a 22-10-2 record and No. 4 national ranking when the coronavirus resulted in the cancellation of college hockey just as conference playoffs were about to begin the second week of March. So Perunovich, 21, decided to turn pro.

“I don’t want to put too much hype or pressure or speculation, but the reason we want to keep this option is because potentially if we get up and play he could help us this year,” Armstrong said. “That’s how highly we think of him.”

And if there’s no hockey until next season, Armstrong said Perunovich will be given “every opportunity” to make the 2020-21 squad.

Undersized at 5-10, 175, the native of Hibbing, Minn., is a lefthanded shot. He had 40 points in 34 games this season, on six goals and 34 assists, and was plus-18.

Perunovich has been raking in the awards lately, earning player of the year and best offensive-defenseman laurels in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). He’s also one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award — the Heisman Trophy of college hockey.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181762 St Louis Blues

Digest: Blues prospect Perunovich gets two deals

Staff Writer

Blues prospect Perunovich gets two deals

Scott Perunovich, the Blues’ most highly-regarded prospect, agreed to a pair of two-year contracts:

• One if he joins the Blues’ roster this season.

• One if he doesn’t join the Blues’ roster until next season.

The complicated arrangement with the defenseman from the University of Minnesota-Duluth was made because of the unique status of the 2019- 20 NHL season, which is on “pause” because of the coronavirus pandemic. If there is more hockey this season, Perunovich probably will sign the contract that allows him to play this season. If there is no more hockey, he signs the one that kicks in next season.

“The reason we want to keep this option is because potentially, if we get up and play, he could help us this year,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “That’s how highly we think of him.”

Perunovich had six goals and 34 assists in 40 games this season, and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. (Jim Thomas)

Former St. Louis Rams get deals: The Dallas Cowboys agreed to a $7.5 million, three-year contract, with kicker Greg Zuerlein. He is guaranteed $2.3 million. That comes just a few days after the club re-signed Kai Forbath. Zuerlein began his NFL career in St. Louis with the Rams in 2012, moved with them to Los Angeles in 2016 and had been with them until recently becoming a free agent. He made 38 field goals in 40 tries in 2017 but missed nine tries last year, including six in the 40-49 yard range.

• Defensive lineman Michael Brockers reached a deal to stay with the Rams, the team that drafted him in 2012 when it was in St. Louis. That’s after the Ravens agreed on a three-year contract with the free agent last week, but the deal was not finalized because he couldn’t take a physical at the team’s facility because of NFL restrictions regarding the coronavirus. Brockers’ agent had two independent doctors examine him, and the agent said both found arthritis in an ankle that gave Brockers trouble last year but insisted that he “can play with it.” But the Ravens backed out. (From news services)

NCAA payouts to be slashed: Since the cancellation of March Madness and the NCAA’s other winter and spring championship events because of the coronavirus, conferences and schools have been bracing themselves for what the economic effect could be. The NCAA gave a painful first glimpse Thursday, announcing that it will distribute $225 million in June — $375 million less than the $600 million it had originally budgeted for distribution.

For many athletic departments, the eventual disbursement will arrive as a reality check of a murky financial future that likely won’t clear up anytime soon. The NCAA Board of Governors stressed to members the importance of “planning carefully with less revenue.”

The NCAA Tournament television rights deal with CBS and Turner would have paid the association nearly $800 million. Of the $225 million distribution, $50 million will come from NCAA reserves, the statement said. The NCAA said it also has a $270-million event cancellation insurance policy that will be used to pay off a line of credit that will cover the remaining distribution within a year.

The NCAA said Division II is projected to receive $13.9 million, a $30- million decrease from last year. Division III is projected to receive $10.7 million, a $22-million decrease from last year. (Los Angeles Times) 1181763 St Louis Blues

Blues TV announcer John Kelly tests positive for coronavirus

Jim Thomas

Blues television play-by-play announcer John Kelly has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Kelly, 59, was tested for it on March 17 and received the results Friday. Kelly initially was diagnosed with pneumonia, but is feeling better now.

"The good news is, I feel great," Kelly told Blue Note Productions. "Me and my family have been in quarantine. We're listening to the doctors and the authorities, so from that perspective, it's all good.

"I’ve had great care from the doctors. They put me on antibiotics and since a week ago Monday I’ve started to feel better, and this week I really turned the corner."

The Blues have encouraged anyone in the team’s traveling party to continue to practice self-quarantine measures and report any symptoms to the team’s head athletic trainer, Ray Barile.

The team’s last trip was to Anaheim for the March 11 makeup game with the Ducks. The team arrived in Anaheim on March 10 and returned to St. Louis on March 12, the day the NHL announced it was suspending operations indefinitely.

So Kelly has not had contact with anyone in the traveling party since that trip, which took place more than two weeks ago.

"My message is obviously listen to your doctors and the officials," Kelly said. "This is a serious, serious situation for a lot of people and I think we all should listen to the experts, especially when it comes to quarantine.

"To listen and to stay quarantined and not take any chances at all with your health or the health of friends or, of course, strangers. The last thing I want to do is to give this virus to anyone else."

Kelly said he would stay in self-quarantine for at least another 10 days.

The team uses a charter jet and the regular-season traveling party normally consists of coaches, trainers, equipment managers, players, radio and television personnel and Post-Dispatch reporters.

General manager Doug Armstrong normally accompanies the team as well, but was not on the Anaheim trip because he had just returned to St. Louis from NHL meetings in Florida. Armstrong took part in a conference call earlier Friday where he discussed the team’s contract agreement with college defenseman Scott Perunovich and answered a few general questions about how the team was dealing with the coronavirus.

Armstong said the players were all healthy but made no mention of Kelly.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181764 St Louis Blues Joel Hofer, goalie: After starring for Team Canada’s gold medal-winning team in the World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, Hofer’s numbers dipped when he returned to the of the WHL. But he still finished with a 2.49 goals-against average, a save percentage of Blues prospect updates: Defenseman Tucker gets offensive .915 and tied for first in victories (34) in the 22-team WHL.

The Winterhawks had the best record in the WHL (45-11-7), but they were an offensive-minded squad that gave up a lot of chances on the Jim Thomas other end. With the Team Canada play plus 47 starts for Portland, Hofer got worn down as the season progressed.

When the Blues drafted Tyler Tucker in 2018, the defenseman from Nikita Alexandrov, forward: Alexandrov had two goals and six assists for Longlac, Ontario, had scored a not-so-grand total of four goals in two silver-medalist Russia in the World Juniors, scoring one of those goals seasons of junior play in the Ontario Hockey League. against Hofer in the championship game. Playing for the Islanders in the QMJHL, Alexandrov had 23 goals and 31 assists in 42 Then came the offense. games.

During the 2018-19 season, Tucker had 14 goals and 45 assists in 68 His production for Charlottetown slipped post-World Juniors, but mainly games playing for the . because the Islanders traded away several players before the deadline.

In just 55 games this season before the coronavirus pandemic Armstrong said Alexandrov has a knack for being in the right spot at the suspended play, he had 17 goals and 39 assists, splitting his time right time, plays big in the big games, and has the ability to complement between Barrie and the . His 17 goals was eighth-best skilled, top-end players. among defensemen in the 20-team OHL; and his 39 assists tied for eighth. Colten Ellis, goalie: Drafted one year after Hofer, in 2019, Ellis missed 2 ½ months following surgery for an undisclosed injury. He finished with an Not bad at all for someone selected in the seventh round, No. 200 18-7-3 record, a 2.41 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage overall, in the NHL draft. for Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL.

“He had a really good season,” said Bill Armstrong, the Blues’ assistant Mathias Laferriere, forward: Another player who was on the Team general manager and director of amateur scouting. “He was just OK in Canada junior radar at the start of the season, Laferrierre suffered a Traverse City (at the NHL prospects tournament). dislocated shoulder on the first shift of his first game with the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL and missed more than a month. “He went back to junior and really got focused on getting in shape and kind of changing his game a little bit. I think he did great job of that, of But keep an eye on him; this is a guy with some skill. He finished with 20 rebounding and having a really great year. Enough to put him on the goals and 28 assists in just 40 games, and was plus-16. table for us to sign. And that’s all credit to him.” Keean Washkurak, forward: Yet another prospect who missed time with The Blues signed Tucker to a three-year entry-level contract on March 1, an injury, Washkurak suffered a broken hand in a fight, according to his 20th birthday. Armstrong. (Yes, he’s a feisty one.) He finished with 22 goals and 30 assists in 49 games playing for the in the OHL. “He’s a competitive kid,” said Armstrong, no relation to Blues GM Doug Armstrong. “And that’s what you love about him. He’s got an He had two goals and four assists in a Feb. 2 game against Sudbury. unpredictability about his toughness. Guys are always leery of him because he can hit and he can fight.” Jeremy Michel, forward: By the numbers, Michel didn’t really progress with 42 points in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons for the Val d’Or Firebirds coach , who once played for Craig Berube in Foreurs of the Quebec League. (Foreurs is French for drillers, or drill Philadelphia and whose Flyers roommate was Brayden Schenn, said workers.) Tucker needs to work on his conditioning and his skating to become an NHL player. “He made a little bit of progress,” Armstrong said. “But he probably wants more and we would. … He likes to get into those soft areas and shoot the “Everybody says that he’s gotta get in shape,” Wellwood said. “He’s in puck.” good enough shape for the OHL, but at the NHL level those guys are machines. So he’s gotta get to that level. And same thing with everybody, St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.28.2020 gotta get better at skating. If he can work on those two things I think he’ll have a chance.”

In one of the peculiarities of junior hockey, players can get traded. As teenagers. Tucker was traded from Barrie to Flint on Jan. 7 just before the OHL trade deadline. He fit right in. After scoring eight goals with 21 assists in 28 games with Barrie, he had nine goals and 18 assists in 27 games for Flint.

About five weeks into his time with Flint, Barrie had a franchise record seven points (two goals, five assists) in a 12-7 victory over the .

“It’s not like it was a fluke that he’s getting these points,” Wellwood said. “He has an extremely hard shot. He’s very intelligent with making plays, too.”

But the thing Wellwood liked most about Tucker was his grittiness.

“If there’s a scrum in front of the net and he’s the guy patrolling, everybody lets him be,” Wellwood said, chuckling. “Everybody backs off. He’s got that element to him, that old school type of hockey to him that you don’t see that often any more in players.”

The three major junior leagues in North American — the OHL, Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — officially shut down on Monday as a result of the coronavirus.

Tucker was among seven Blues prospects playing junior hockey this season. Here’s a snapshot on how the other six fared: 1181765 St Louis Blues

Blues-Bruins play for Stanley Cup again Friday on TV

Dan Caesar

The coronavirus-related shutdown of almost all sports activities in the world has led to television networks scrambling to fill massive blocks of air time, and NHL Network has come up with fill-in fare on Friday that should appeal to many St. Louisans.

It plans to air every Stanley Cup Final contest from last season, in which the Blues beat the Boston Bruins in seven games. These are condensed replays, ranging from 90 minutes to two hours. The marathon goes from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

That run is followed by a replay of this year’s NHL skills contest and then the All-Star Game, both of which were held in St. Louis.

The schedule:

Game 1: In Boston, 7 a.m.

Game 2: In Boston, 9 a.m.

Game 3: In St. Louis, 11 a.m.

Game 4: In St. Louis, 12:30 p.m.

Game 5: In Boston, 2:30 p.m.

Game 6: In St. Louis, 4:30 p.m.

Game 7: In Boston, 6 p.m.

2020 All-Star Skills: 8 p.m.

2020 NHL All-Star Game: 10 p.m.

Around the dial

About the only sport still up and running is horse racing, at a handful of facilities, and FS2 plans coverage alternating from track to track beginning at 12:30 Friday afternoon. NBCSN has coverage starting at 3 o’clock, and is to show the Florida Derby on Saturday. Post time for that key Kentucky Derby prep race is 5:36 p.m. (St. Louis time).

Other outlets, as NHL Network is doing, are digging for replacement programming. Here are some of the highlights:

• ESPN, which is owned by , is dipping into that media behemoth’s film library and showing the baseball movie “The Rookie” at 7 p.m. Friday.

• ESPN2 has a 12-hour marathon devoted to tennis standout Serena Williams that starts at 5 p.m. Friday.

• FS1 shows the much-hyped Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder heavyweight boxing match, from Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. Friday.

• On Sunday, when the NCAA Tournament should have been going on, CBS (KMOV, Channel 4 locally) instead will show three previous tourney title games: Villanova-Georgetown from 1985 at noon; Arizona-Kentucky from 1997 at 1:30 p.m. and Duke-Butler from 2010 at 3 o’clock.

• NBC and its related networks will have massive blocks of time to fill this summer now that the Olympics have been postponed. It is taking a look at the impact on U.S. athletes in a show that has run on two of its outlets, and is scheduled to be replayed several times in the coming days. Included are at 10 a.m. Friday on NBCSN and a condensed version at 11 a.m. Sunday on NBC (KSDK, Channel 5 locally).

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181766 St Louis Blues day. I didn’t want them to be waiting. I think maybe five or 10 minutes later, I called Doug Armstrong and told him that I wanted to play for them. I remember the conversation — he was super happy about the future and getting this done.” Blues prospect Scott Perunovich agrees to terms on a unique contract arrangement There’s basically a moratorium on transactions around the league these days as everyone focuses on the pandemic, but Armstrong did confirm the agreement and his excitement.

Jeremy Rutherford “Yeah, it’s certainly important for us,” he said. “We knew going into the (2019-20 season) that after the year we would want him to turn pro. But Mar 27, 2020 then with the cancellation of the (NCAA) year … he had the opportunity to wait and give us a 30-day notice and be an unrestricted free agent. But Tim Taylor and Glen Wesley and Keith Tkachuk spent a lot of time with Scott Perunovich was sitting on his couch in Duluth, Minn., when he saw him, and I think building that relationship made it an easy decision for him the news on March 12 that the NCAA was canceling all championships not to test unrestricted free agency. He felt very comfortable with our for winter and spring sports because of COVID-19. It was devastating for team.” any school to hear, but particularly the University of Minnesota-Duluth hockey team, which was looking to three-peat. Armstrong also acknowledged what he told Perunovich in the phone call — that he could see him pushing for playing time with the Blues next “It was just kind of quiet, not much talking going on,” Perunovich said. “It season. was obviously a depressing time.” “He’s in the final 10 for the Hobey Baker (Award, given to the NCAA’s top It took a few days to soak in, and the Blues wondered what Perunovich player), and we wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the final three or is would be planning as far as his future. A few weeks ago, The Athletic potentially the winner,” Armstrong said. “You look at other players that outlined that their second-round pick from 2018 could sign an entry-level have accomplished things like this coming out of college — whether it’s deal with the team or notify the club on June 1 that he would become an (the New York Rangers’ Adam) Fox or (Colorado’s Cale) Makar or unrestricted free agent. (Vancouver’s Quinn) Hughes — they’re all undersized players that have got special offensive talents. He’s a puck-moving player. He plays with On March 17, five days after the NCAA announcement, Perunovich his head. He’s a plus-skater with great vision and patience. He can appeared to be acknowledging his intentions when he posted on dictate the pace of the game with his head and his feet. Instagram a picture of the UMD Bulldogs celebrating last year’s national title with this message: “Forever grateful for the boys, the city, and the “I don’t like to put too much pressure on the players as they come in. It’s program that made it possible to call this place home the last 3 years. definitely a different league, but we’ve seen what college players of his These memories will last a lifetime! Love you forever Duluth…” stature have done recently, and we have him in that grouping. And not only do we have him in that grouping; everyone has him in that grouping Many took that to mean that the junior was looking back at his incredible because when you’re up for the major awards, it’s because you earned it. three-year college career and moving on. But when he received a text to (So) just based on some of those players that are coming out with the clarify whether signing with the Blues was imminent, he responded no same credentials, he’s going to get every opportunity to make our team and said he was simply thanking everyone involved in the program. as early as next year. That’s how highly we think of him.” “People were wondering what it was, so there was a little confusion 2020 VOTE FOR HOBEY – TOP 10 FAN VOTE – 03/18/2020 there,” Perunovich said. VOTE HERE: HTTPS://T.CO/OTE3FGSM38 A 30-minute conference call with the Blues earlier this week helped Perunovich make up his mind and end the suspense. The club PLAYER PROFILES: HTTPS://T.CO/IAGMNJ03B6 announced Friday that the defenseman had agreed to terms on a two- year, entry-level contract that is uniquely structured because of the THIS IS WHERE COLLEGE HOCKEY FANS CAN ALSO VOTE ONLINE uncertainty of whether the 2019-20 NHL season will resume. FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER AND FAN VOTING CAN BE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE BALLOTING OUTCOME. In fact, there are actually two contract options — one that will allow PIC.TWITTER.COM/HVKFH4CGMD Perunovich to play if the league finishes the 2019-20 season, and one, if there are no more games played, that kicks in at the start of ’20-21. He — HOBEY BAKER AWARD (@HOBEYBAKERAWARD) MARCH 18, hasn’t signed either, waiting like everyone else to see what will become 2020 of a season that’s been on pause for just over two weeks. But if the NHL resumes its schedule, could Perunovich play this season? In a moment, we’ll get into more details of the deal, with input from Blues Originally, the answer was believed to be no because the NHL general manager Doug Armstrong and one of Perunovich’s advisors, Ian announced that contracts of prospects signing at the conclusion of their Pulver. But first, in what has been a purposely quiet time for NHL news, own season wouldn’t go into effect until 2020-21. Friday’s announcement was another milestone for the 5-foot-10, 175- pound blueliner who was passed over in two drafts before being taken However, in announcing that the two sides had agreed to terms, the third time through. Armstrong specified that Perunovich might still be able to play this season. Hence, that’s why the contract has not been signed yet. They’ll “Yeah, obviously it’s super exciting just to get everything out of the way wait to find out whether hockey will return and adjust accordingly. and focus on being a Blue and doing as much as I can to help the team,” Perunovich told The Athletic from his cabin in Side Lake, Minn., about an “The reason being, with this pause, you’re not allowed to sign players to hour from Duluth. contracts that include this year,” Armstrong said. “We have two different contracts once this pause ends — one being, if we come back and play, The situation got serious when Perunovich’s camp and the Blues were there’s a contract there if we want to execute it, and he wants to execute on the phone together. They discussed everything from what the club it. Or, if we don’t come back and play, that we’re all set for next year.” could do to improve his game to offering the expertise of Hockey Hall of Famers Larry Robinson and Al MacInnis and reminiscing about when the Asked for clarification late Friday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly team saw him competing for a roster spot. wrote to The Athletic in an email: “We are not currently allowing Clubs to sign and file current year contracts. But that prohibition might be lifted “We had a really good phone call,” Perunovich said. “They were being depending on what our resumption of play options might look like.” very honest with me, and I respect that. I don’t want someone who’s just going to tell me what I want to hear. They’re the people I wanted to work So it’s a pretty creative deal that was consummated between the Blues with.” and Pulver, one that Armstrong did have to explain to the NHL and get its blessing for. Perunovich hung up the phone and told his advisors, including Sean Toomey, what he wanted to do. “These are uncharted waters,” he said. “It’s going to be something that the NHL and the NHLPA — I don’t want to call them ‘transition rules’ but “I talked to my agency privately and told them, ‘This is where I want to part of the ‘start-up’ rules that they’re going to have to decide how to deal go,'” he said. “I actually told them that I wanted to tell (the Blues) that with these college players. But we wanted to make sure that Scott was signing with us and keeping both options open for him.”

This arrangement worked for Perunovich’s camp, as well.

“It was a good discussion with St. Louis,” Pulver said. “We connected the dots, and it all made sense. You analyze depth charts. You analyze players in the organization. You take a look at what other teams may or may not have in their organization. You connect the dots, and the dots connected to Scott seeing an opportunity in St. Louis, knowing the people and wanting to be a Blue. There is an excellent opportunity for Scott in the organization. They don’t have a player, in our opinion, like Scott. We were looking for a great opportunity, and it appears that he will get that opportunity in the St. Louis organization.

“It’s a collaborative effort all around. That’s what happens when you have good dialogue, good communication, be above board and want the best for the team and the player at the same time. The contract is reflected in that. Whenever it gets reported, people will see it’s a fair, strong contract and it allows Scott to perform.”

The only downside for the Blues is that if the NHL season resumes and Perunovich plays, it will burn one of the two years on his contract. Thus, the 2020-21 season would be the last on his ELC. But the alternative would have been not signing him at all and seeing him leave for another team.

“It was important for us to get him signed, and that’s why we’re comfortable with either of the two options,” Armstrong said. “We think he’s elevated past his draft position, which was a second-round pick. We’re in this for the marathon, not the sprint, and we want to make sure we got him signed. We really believe that it was important for us to get him under contract.”

FOR THE THIRD TIME IN HIS 3 SEASONS WITH @UMDMENSHOCKEY, SCOTT PERUNOVICH IS THE #NCHCHOCKEY OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR!

HE'S THE FIRST NCHC PLAYER TO WIN ANY INDIVIDUAL YEAR- END AWARD THREE TIMES. CONGRATS, SCOTT!

: HTTPS://T.CO/HIHV0D2ZGH | #BULLDOGCOUNTRY PIC.TWITTER.COM/EV4H9SROLZ

— THE NCHC (@THENCHC) MARCH 24, 2020

But neither the Blues nor Perunovich is thinking about that now.

“I trust them, and I think they’re going to try and help me as much as they can,” Perunovich said. “So, I wasn’t too worried about the logistics of that stuff. To get everything out of the way and get ready for the next chapter is really exciting. It’s time to put in the work.”

There are some weights at his cabin in Side Lake to work out with.

“Just trying to stay active, going outside here with some friends and the dogs,” Perunovich said. “We’re just going to make the most of it, so hopefully get some exercise.”

In the meantime, the Hobey Baker Award is scheduled to be announced April 10.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “There’s a good group of guys up for it, so it can go to anyone. It’s just exciting to be ranked with those guys and past winners.”

But while Perunovich has moved forward in his life, it’ll be difficult to forget what might have happened at Duluth.

“Yeah, you know, it’s tough to say,” he said. “Obviously, playoffs, anything can happen. It would have been interesting to see. We were preparing, and we were playing our best hockey. So I guess we’ll never know.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181767 St Louis Blues The Cardinals negotiated to retain him, but he signed with Arte Moreno’s Angels shortly after leading the Cardinals to the trophy, his second with the club. A brilliant fielder and surprisingly adept baserunner as well as, perhaps, the most feared right-handed hitter of his The Athletic’s St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame: Introducing our 30-person era, Pujols became the face of the franchise for a decade, and rightly so. class His first return to became a three-day lovefest last season. — Mark Saxon

THIS BEAUTIFUL @JPOSNANSKI ESSAY REMINDED ME HOW Mark Saxon and Jeremy Rutherford LUCKY I WAS TO GROW UP WATCHING ALBERT Mar 27, 2020 PUJOLS.HTTPS://T.CO/KR5E0KBVVY

— PETER BAUGH (@PETER_BAUGH) MARCH 4, 2020

The Cardinals are king, so St. Louis is a baseball town, right? No. 3:

Well, it’s hard to argue against 11 World Series titles, but the Blues, Big One of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, few players have ever Red (football Cardinals), Hawks, Rams, Mizzou and St. Louis University competed as fiercely in any sport. His refusal to lose and aggressive have provided us plenty of reason to cheer over the years, too. pitching became the backbone of one of the greatest eras in Cardinals history. Gibson was a brilliant college athlete who could have made a Those teams have all lifted our spirits with spectacular athletes to admire, career in basketball, but eventually quit the Harlem Globetrotters to and we’ve had our share of outstanding individual-sport stars as well. concentrate on baseball. Gibson was perhaps the most intimidating pitcher the game has ever seen, in part because he pitched aggressively Well, The Athletic St. Louis wanted a place to house all of that talent, so inside in order to gain an edge and in part because hitters weren’t sure our staff recently came together and selected the Hall of Fame Class of how well he could see. Seriously. Gibson often squinted while trying to 2020. get the signs from catcher Tim McCarver. Despite a reputation as a There are 30 inductees here in our inaugural year, and the plan is to headhunter, Gibson never hit more than 13 batters in a season. He won enshrine more players on an annual basis. Our only criteria is that they 251 games, struck out 3,117 batters and had a career 2.91 ERA over 17 had to play for one of the professional or collegiate teams in town (which seasons. Though he pitched in a dead-ball era, he stood heads and for our purposes will also include the Tigers in Columbia). shoulders above the competition and was easily the greatest Cardinals pitcher of all time. For those who participated in team sports, we’re not including those who were born in the area and played elsewhere, so you won’t find Yankees All you need to know about how great Bob Gibson was is this: His 1968 legend Yogi Berra on our list. But you will find such individual-sport stars season (1.12 ERA) was so dominant, baseball changed the rules, as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a native who went onto Olympic fame. lowering the height of the mound by five inches before the following season. — Mark Saxon So without further ado, here are our honorees, and please feel free to let us know in the Comments section our good choices, who should have NO. 45 ON THE BASEBALL 100 NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION: BOB been left off and who should be a slam dunk in 2021. GIBSON. HTTPS://T.CO/QLS6AKESZK

THE TOP 5 — JOE POSNANSKI (@JPOSNANSKI) FEBRUARY 11, 2020

No. 1: Stan Musial No. 4:

When The Athletic’s Joe Posnanski ranked Musial ninth on his list of all- “The Wizard” was arguably the greatest fielder in baseball history, time greatest players, many people thought it was actually too low. Few regardless of position. Baseball simply doesn’t produce players this Cardinals fans would argue it wasn’t. Nicknamed Stan “The Man” by New acrobatic any more, in part because the game now demands offensive York writers for the way he dominated Giants and Dodgers pitching, production from every position. Smith didn’t have an OPS as good as Musial was a first-ballot baseball Hall of Famer who batted .331 over 22 .700 until 1985, the year he turned 30. But he played the artificial seasons and set National League records for career hits (3,630), RBIs surfaces of the era as if they were gymnastics mats, diving deep into left (1,961) and games played (3,026). He did all that despite missing the field to steal hits and getting to his feet as quickly as any player ever. He 1945 season, in the heart of his prime, to serve in World War II. He was the best defender and a clutch hitter on the Cardinals’ three World played his entire career for the Cardinals and had a reputation as one of Series teams of the 1980s. He also delighted fans with his regular the game’s great gentlemen. He rarely argued with umpires and loved to backflips before games. — Mark Saxon entertain fans with his harmonica-playing. MERRY CHRISTMAS! TODAY WE TALK ABOUT A WIZARD. THE Until Albert Pujols arrived, nobody had any question who the greatest 93RD GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER: OZZIE SMITH. Cardinal of all time was. It has become widely accepted that Musial HTTPS://T.CO/XM8VUKRMOL would have been a bigger star had he played on the East Coast, but — JOE POSNANSKI (@JPOSNANSKI) DECEMBER 25, 2019 there’s no doubting who the greatest Cardinal of all was. For a long time, he was the only Cardinals player who had a statue outside the stadium. No. 5: Brett Hull To this day, Cardinals fans still say, “Meet me at Musial” when they’re making plans to meet friends and family at his statue on 8th Street. — Former Blues general manager Ron Caron got his man. Mark Saxon “The Professor” had been eyeing Brett Hull for some time when he pulled INTRODUCING THE NO. 9 GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER OF ALL off the trade for the pudgy 23-year-old right winger on March 7, 1988. TIME, AS PART OF @JPOSNANSKI'S BASEBALL 100 FOR “The Golden Brett” would go on to rewrite the Blues’ record books with @THEATHLETICMLB! 527 goals, including 27 hat tricks over the course of 11 seasons in St. Louis. Hull had a career-high 86 goals in 1990-91, which remains the "HOW GOOD WAS STAN MUSIAL?" ASKED. "HE WAS third-most in a single season in NHL history. Only Wayne Gretzky ever GOOD ENOUGH TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY." scored more (92 goals in 1981-82 and 87 in 1983-84). But many will recall that Hull was as well known for his carefree comments as he was — THE ATHLETIC (@THEATHLETIC) MARCH 25, 2020 his wicked slap shot. His back-and-forth battles with former coach Mike No. 2: Albert Pujols Keenan created soap opera-type drama around the organization, which fans salivated to read about. Hull was forced to leave town as a free By now, everybody knows the story about the pudgy 13th-round draft agent in 1998 and went on to win two Stanley Cups in Dallas and Detroit, pick who turned himself into one of baseball’s all-time greatest players. but the Hockey Hall of Famer will always be remembered as a Blue. — Albert earned the nickname “The Machine” by batting .328 with a 1.040 Jeremy Rutherford OPS in his first 10 seasons, compiling 80.2 of his career 100.8 bWAR with St. Louis. He provided some of the Cardinals’ most iconic October The Rest of the Class memories and had a 1.030 OPS in 77 postseason games. (In alphabetical order) quarterback Jim Hart’s blind side all those years, Dierdorf settled into a post-career broadcasting career that made him a presence in American The start of his Cardinals career became, for years, baseball’s handiest households on Monday nights and Sunday afternoons for decades. exemplar of a lopsided trade. Brock electrified the Cardinals’ 1964 World Simply put, he was one of the greatest offensive linemen who ever lived, Series push while Ernie Broglio, the pitcher traded to the and a fine broadcaster, to boot. — Mark Saxon to land Brock, was out of baseball in a matter of a few years. Brock’s 19- year Hall of Fame career reached a pinnacle in 1977, when he broke Ty Marshall Faulk Cobb’s all-time major league stolen-base record (later surpassed 14 years later by Rickey Henderson). A six-time All-Star and the NL stolen- Though Kurt Warner and his receivers garnered much of the attention, base leader eight times, Brock redefined the damage a leadoff hitter the Rams wouldn’t have been “The Greatest Show on Turf” without their could do and set the tone for the game in its most athletic era. — Mark brilliant ground game, anchored by a Hall of Fame running back. Then Saxon again, Faulk was a big part of the team’s aerial attack as well. In fact, the Rams’ Super Bowl push really began with the trade from the Indianapolis Isaac Bruce Colts that brought Faulk to St. Louis. He was the NFL MVP in 2000 and he, Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber remain the only running backs to have Though the Rams had left town years earlier, the St. Louis region reached 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. — Mark Saxon celebrated earlier this year when the greatest receiver from the Greatest Show on Turf was selected to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Along Bernie Federko with fellow wideout Torry Holt, quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk and others, Bruce helped electrify the Rams’ domed Federko missed out on the formative years of his youth hockey career stadium throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Though drafted out when the rink in his hometown of Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, burned to of Memphis while the Rams still played in Los Angeles, Bruce played all the ground — but he more than made up for it. A star in junior hockey, but one of his 14 seasons in St. Louis. Counting his two seasons with the the Blues made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 1976 NHL draft and he 49ers to close out his career, he piled up 15,208 receiving yards, good became the focal point of the franchise’s turnaround in the early 1980s. for fifth all-time, and helped the Rams advance to and win Super Bowl 34 He cracked the 100-point plateau (107) in 1983-84 and became the first over the Tennessee Titans. Though he lives in his native Fort player in league history to register 50-plus assists in each of his first 10 Lauderdale, Fla., Bruce remains active in the St. Louis community seasons, something even Wayne Gretzky didn’t do. Federko closed his through his charitable work. — Mark Saxon Blues career as the leader in games played (927), assists (721) and points (1,073), records that remain in place today. — Jeremy Rutherford EXCERPT FROM 'MY BLUES NOTE': FEDERKO SAYS SOMETHING The charismatic Buck was famously known as the voice of the Cardinals WAS FISHY WHEN HE WAS TRADED BY THE BLUES. #STLBLUES until his death in 2002, but he could broadcast in any booth and gained HTTPS://T.CO/1FWPMURL9L national notoriety because of his versatility. He was synonymous with the Redbirds, etched in their history with signature calls such as “105 for Lou — JEREMY RUTHERFORD (@JPRUTHERFORD) OCTOBER 25, 2018 Brock!” after Brock’s record-breaking stolen base in 1974 and, “Go crazy, Whitey Herzog folks! Go crazy!” after Ozzie Smith’s clutch home run in the 1985 playoffs. But perhaps Buck’s most moving moment was on the field, The “White Rat” built teams that won in entirely novel ways, stifling teams reading his own poem at Busch Stadium after baseball returned in the with brilliant defense and running wild on the bases. It was wildly aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. “As our fathers did before, we shall successful. The Cardinals reached three World Series in the 1980s, win this unwanted war … And our children will enjoy the future we’ll be winning one of them. Also the general manager at times, Herzog was giving,” said Buck, who was battling cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. He willing to trade popular players such as Ted Simmons, helped unite the United States and reaffirmed himself as part of the fabric and Andy Van Slyke in order to tailor the club to his “Whiteyball” of the St. Louis community. — Jeremy Rutherford specifications. It’s a style that probably wouldn’t work in today’s era, with so many homer-friendly stadiums, but it worked beautifully in the era of Jimmy Connors vast cookie-cutter, multi-use stadiums. — Mark Saxon

Connor’s rise to the No. 1 tennis player in the world began in East St. Louis, where he was born in 1952. He moved to California as a teen and won the NCAA singles title as a freshman at UCLA in 1971. He turned Let’s face it, anyone who played before World War II tends to get shafted pro a year later and won his first tournament, the Jacksonville Open. His in these lists. Why? I suspect it’s because almost nobody who saw them two-handed backhand and the best service return in the game led him to play is still alive. Guys like Frankie Frisch and Jim Bottomley easily could eight singles championships: five U.S. Opens, two have made our top 25, but this guy absolutely has to. Why? Well, let’s Wimbledon titles and one . He won a record 109 singles see, he accumulated almost identical career bWAR to Musial, the No. 1 titles and 16 doubles titles and more matches (1,243) than any male player on this list. He also played his first 12 seasons for the Cardinals, player, trailing only (1,442) and Chris Evert (1,309). leading MLB in slugging and OPS for seven of those seasons and hitting He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998. — 42 home runs (with 152 RBIs!) in 1922. was second with 35 Jeremy Rutherford homers. His career batting average of .358 remains second all-time to Ty Cobb’s .367. He also won two Triple Crowns and hit at least .400 three times. The Texas native was player-manager of the Cardinals in 1925 Ol’ Diz led the Cardinals by winning 30 games in 1934 and ’26 and later managed the St. Louis Browns. A controversial figure, and became so nationally popular he was on the cover of Time magazine Hornsby’s nickname was “Raging Rajah” for his volatile personality and the following season. The Arkansas native was among the most colorful frequent personality clashes, but there’s no doubting his ability or Cardinals in arguably their most colorful era. He was also a dominating competitive fire. — Mark Saxon pitcher and, later, an iconic broadcaster. Dean once lost a no-hitter late in NO. 17 ON THE BASEBALL 100 HIT LIKE A DREAM AND ACTED LIKE a game only to see his brother, Paul, throw a no-hitter in the nightcap of A NIGHTMARE: ROGERS HORNSBY. HTTPS://T.CO/FAIH3LPTF7 the doubleheader. His response? “Gee, Paul,” Dean said, “if I’d a-known you was gonna throw a no-hitter, I’d a-throw’ed one too!” — Mark Saxon — JOE POSNANSKI (@JPOSNANSKI) MARCH 10, 2020

Dan Dierdorf Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Let’s face it, the St. Louis Cardinals football team was generally a sad- Widely recognized as the greatest female track and field athlete of all- sack operation. From 1960 to 1987, the years between arriving from time, the East St. Louis-born Joyner-Kersee won six Olympic medals, Chicago and relocating to Arizona, they made the playoffs just three including three gold. Her first-place finishes came in both the heptathlon times, losing in the first round each time. Had he played quarterback or and the high jump at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, and she running back, Dierdorf would have been a much bigger star, but even as repeated in the heptathlon at the ’92 games in Barcelona. She was also a an offensive lineman, he brought much-needed legitimacy to the four-time gold medalist in those two events at the World Championships Cardinals. A native of Canton, Ohio — appropriately — Dierdorf was an in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Joyner-Kersee’s mark of 7.45 meters in All-American at Michigan before being named an All-Pro five times in his the long jump still stands as the second-longest in the world record illustrious career. The NFL Players’ Association named him its offensive books. As successful as she was on the track, she has been just as lineman of the year each season from 1976 to 1978. After protecting instrumental in the community, opening the Joyner-Kersee Foundation in 1988, which still today provides families with “athletic lessons and He figures to follow the same path to Cooperstown that Smith did, forged resources to improve their quality of life.” — Jeremy Rutherford by defense. The Cardinals’ biggest star since Albert Pujols left town eight years ago, Molina won four of the first five Platinum Gloves that Rawlings Harry Keough ever announced. With nine All-Star berths and MVP votes in four In a sport that has deep-rooted tradition in St. Louis, Keough was part of separate seasons, he stands an excellent chance of sliding into the one of the biggest soccer victories in U.S. history, upsetting England, 1-0, National Baseball Hall of Fame five years after his career ends. With a in the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Keough, a defender, enjoyed a successful knack for making contact and producing clutch hits, Molina’s impact on club career after the win over England and played in two Olympics (1952 the latest winning era of Cardinals’ baseball probably goes deeper than and ’56) and two more World Cups (1954 and ’58). Upon his retirement, many people realized. His throwing ability and technical skills make him Keough coached the St. Louis University men’s team from 1967-82, one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. — Mark Saxon winning five NCAA national championships. He was inducted into both Orlando Pace the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame and the National Soccer Hall of Fame and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of 50 Greatest Athletes of Expectations were sky-high after the Rams took the massive left tackle the Century for the state of the Missouri. — Jeremy Rutherford out of Ohio State with the first overall pick in the 1997 draft, and Pace didn’t disappoint. He played 12 seasons for the Rams and started all 16 Tony La Russa games in eight of those seasons. In fact, perhaps the common link By the time he got to St. Louis, La Russa already had impacted the game between MVPs won by Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk was Pace, who immensely with the invention of the modern one-inning closer. He also popularized the term “pancake block.” The Rams traded up with the New had won a World Series with those great Oakland A’s teams powered by York Jets to get Pace and, after a short holdout, signed him to a seven- Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and others, but his greatest work year, $29.4 million contract. Pace made his first start against the Oakland undoubtedly was done in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. Under La Raiders that September and started every game for the rest of the Russa and his “hard-nine” style, the Cardinals won seven division season. The following year, he was a Pro Bowl alternate and made his crowns, reached three World Series and won two world championships. first Pro Bowl in 1999, just as the “Greatest Show on Turf” began to take He brought the greatest show in baseball, Mark McGwire’s pursuit of full flight. Quite simply, he was the road-grader who granted time and home run record, to town, but the real winning began after space for all the Rams’ great skill players to do great things. — Mark Pujols showed up in the early 2000s. Powered by a new, savvy Saxon ownership group, La Russa was given great control and harnessed his Chris Pronger considerable intellect to build one of the closest things the National League has seen to a Yankees-style dynasty. If not for the A highly controversial trade brought Pronger to St. Louis, as fan favorite Giants’ three World Series runs, he might have matched or even Brendan Shanahan went to the in the summer of 1995. exceeded what did in New York. Who knows? — Mark Saxon It didn’t help the 6-foot-6, 21-year-old defenseman, who was the Whalers’ No. 2 overall pick in 1993, that despised former Blues coach Mike Ed Macauley Keenan was the one who pulled off the trade. In Pronger’s first season “Easy Ed” Macauley was a giant, literally and figuratively, on the local with the club, he was booed by the fans and pushed extremely hard by basketball scene. The 6-foot-8 center/power forward led St. Louis Keenan behind the scenes. Eventually, he lived up to the expectations of University to the NIT Championship in 1948 and was named the his draft position, becoming one of the most fierce blue-liners in the NHL Associated Press (AP) player of the year in 1949. He played for the St. and combining that with skill. He had a career-high 62 points in 1999- Louis Bombers in their fourth and final season in the NBA in 1949-50, 2000 and won both the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman and after spending six seasons in Boston, he returned home to play for and the Hart Trophy as its MVP, a feat only Boston Bruins’ legend Bobby the St. Louis Hawks after one of the most well-known trades in league Orr had accomplished. Pronger was inducted into the Hockey Hall of history. Bill Russell, whom St. Louis had drafted No. 2 overall, was dealt Fame in 2015. — Jeremy Rutherford to the Celtics for Macauley and Cliff Hagan and went on to win 11 HULL ON PRONGER: “I WOULD FATHOM TO SAY HE’D BE IN THE championships. Easy Ed, however, did help the Hawks to their one and TOP 10 DIRTIEST PLAYERS TO EVER PLAY THE GAME AND THEN only title in 1958 before the franchise moved to Atlanta a decade later. — TO ADD THAT WITH THE UNBELIEVABLE SKILL HE HAD, THAT’S Jeremy Rutherford QUITE A COMBINATION”

Al MacInnis THOSE WITH RETIRED NUMBERS DISCUSS NO. 44 JOINING THEM In a trade that would set off fireworks in St. Louis for years to come, the IN THE RAFTERS HTTPS://T.CO/6HDNQRQPMX Blues’ acquisition of MacInnis on July 4, 1994, Independence Day, — JEREMY RUTHERFORD (@JPRUTHERFORD) MARCH 16, 2020 turned out to be one of the best in team history. The club sent veteran defenseman Phil Housley to Calgary, but the Blues were getting a Red Schoendienst Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Award winner with the Flames in 1989 who would continue on a prolific Hall of Fame career. Known for his At the time of his death two years ago, Schoendienst had worn a patented slap shot, MacInnis posted 62 points at age 35 in 1998-99, and baseball uniform professionally for 74 consecutive years, including 67 finally took home the Norris Trophy. An eye injury, coupled with a lost years for the Cardinals. A strong defender and steady hitter for 19 years season due to an NHL lockout, cut short his playing days, but not before as a player, Schoendienst managed the great Cardinals teams of the late he finished with the third-most goals (340), assists (934) and points 1960s before transitioning to coaching in the late 1970s. A two-time (1,274) of any defenseman in league history. — Jeremy Rutherford Manager of the Year Award-winner, Red got into Cooperstown in 1989, an honor that recognized his accomplishments as a player, coach and Mark McGwire manager. The son of a coal miner who grew up 40 miles east of St. Louis in Germantown, Ill., Schoendienst was visiting spring training well into his If you attended a Cardinals game in 1998, you had to show up for batting 90s, touring the back fields in his custom golf cart to the delight of practice. In fact, that applied to the team the Cardinals were playing at Cardinals fans, players and coaches alike. You can’t tell the story of the time. Opposing players often lined up outside their dugout to watch Cardinals baseball without Red Schoendienst. — Mark Saxon McGwire hit his moon shots all over the stadium. His reputation for Paul Bunyan-esque power, though, obscured his overall greatness. If not for Norm Stewart his linkage and admission to using performance-enhancing drugs, McGwire would have been in the Baseball Hall of Fame by now. A Norm Stewart has three aspects of his life that make him a Mizzou decent fielder and excellent overall hitter, he still holds the all-time record legend: his playing career, his coaching tenure and his charitable work. for at-bats per home run (10.6) and held baseball’s most-scrutinized He helped the Tigers’ baseball team win the 1954 record — the single-season home run mark (70) — until Barry Bonds and was also an all-conference basketball player, going on to play a broke that years later. After admitting to using PEDs, McGwire returned season for the St. Louis Hawks. As a coach, he spent 32 years at the to the game as the Cardinals’ hitting coach, helping repair his reputation helm of Missouri’s basketball team, leading the Tigers to 16 NCAA in the game. McGwire helped the Cardinals emerge from an otherwise tournaments and two elite-eights. He also inspired Coaches Vs. Cancer, forgettable decade of the 1990s and set the stage for a great run that which fundraises money for the American Cancer Society. The 85-year- was to come. — Mark Saxon old is a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame. — Peter Baugh

Yadier Molina Brian Sutter There may be no player in Blues history who wore his heart on his sleeve more than Sutter. A second-round pick in 1976, the same year the club drafted Federko, the two were intertwined in St. Louis for more than a decade. When Sutter retired, he had 303 goals and 636 points in 779 games, all second to Federko in the team’s record books, and he had a franchise-record 1,786 penalty minutes. He would become the 15th coach in Blues history and had quite a bit of success, guiding the club to a record 47 wins in 1990-91. He finished with 153 regular-season wins, which still stands as the third-most in the organization behind Joel Quenneville (307) and Ken Hitchcock (248), before being fired in 1992. — Jeremy Rutherford

Kurt Warner

Arguably the best undrafted player in NFL history, Warner managed to cobble together a brilliant 12-year NFL career, six of them with the Rams, despite nobody taking a chance on him out of Northern Iowa. Following the draft snub, Warner famously bagged groceries for $5.50 an hour before signing on to play in the , where the Rams discovered him in the late 1990s. The brilliance of Warner’s “Greatest Show on Turf” offense was on full display in the 2000 Super Bowl, when he became the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards in a Super Bowl. In 1999, just a couple years removed from the Arena League, Warner passed for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns and had a remarkable passer rating of 109.2. His career passer rating of 93.7 places him No. 13 all-time. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. — Mark Saxon

Dick Weber

Weber, who was born in Indianapolis and moved to St. Louis, was a member of the famed “Budweisers” bowling team and would become one of the sport’s first stars. He was a founding member of the Pro Bowlers Association in 1958 and won three of the PBA’s first four tournaments. He won 30 PBA Tour events over the course of his career, and his dominance helped influence a new generation of bowlers, including his son, Pete, who went on to similar success. In 2008, Dick Weber was recognized by the PBA as one of the best players of the last 50 years, and both father and son have been inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. — Jeremy Rutherford

Larry Wilson

A lot of the things we said about Dierdorf apply to Wilson, one of the greatest safeties in NFL history. He made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and was ranked the No. 43 player in NFL history by the Sporting News in 1999. He also made the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team last season. Part of the Cardinals’ first draft class after they moved from Chicago, Wilson wasn’t selected out of the University of Utah until the seventh round, in part due to his 6-foot stature, but he made eight Pro Bowl teams and helped invent the safety blitz. Defensive coordinator Chuck Drulis later said he decided to run it when he realized the skill and athleticism Wilson possessed. — Mark Saxon

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181768 Tampa Bay Lightning And it’s on Now the Lighting and Bruins are appointment hockey.

Sure, there have still been a couple of clunkers (like the 4-1 loss last Beef with Boston? How the Lightning, Bruins became rivals February), but even when the games are not perfect, they’re often still fun to watch.

Diana Nearhos Take this season’s opener between the teams. The Oct. 17 game at the TD Garden was a special teams disaster for the Lightning, who gave up goals on all three power plays. But Tampa Bay played an incredible five- on-five game and won in the shootout. Boston and Tampa Bay have only met in the playoffs twice, but oh were those matchups fun. When the Bruins and Lightning met twice four days apart in March, things really got physical — near line brawl and 26 penalties kind of physical. Tom Brady turned up the heat between Tampa Bay and New England when he jumped ship from the Patriots to the Buccaneers. But the Between fights and scrums, both games featured really good hockey with professional sports rivalries between the two markets already existed. a playoff feel. The teams seemed to be setting up for one heck of a second-round series this spring. From the beginning, the Rays and Red Sox haven’t been able to keep their hands to themselves. Maybe you’d expect more fights from the Who knows what comes next, with coronavirus pandemic putting Lightning and Bruins, but the hockey edition of this rivalry took a little everything on pause, which could change up the playoff format if the longer to germinate. season resumes.

The past two years, however, every time the Lightning and Bruins meet it But if the Lightning and Bruins meet in the postseason for a third time, is a must-see game between two of the league’s best. So, how did we grab the popcorn. get here? UP NEXT:Lightning players create fund for part-time employees, donate What might have been 500,000 meals to Feeding Tampa Bay

The Lightning had been around for 17 years and five playoff runs before Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.28.2020 they ever met the Bruins in the postseason (even now, they’ve still only played twice). When they finally clashed in the 2011 conference final, the series gave fans everything.

Only one of the seven games was decided by more than two goals. This series featured tight games, and four in which tallied five goals. But the Bs and Bolts saved the best for last.

Game 7 remains one of the all-time great hockey matchups. There were no penalties, few whistles, great goaltending and some beautiful chances.

Steven Stamkos took a puck to the face ... and still played. The Lightning had 24 shots on goal. But only one team scored, and that was Boston with 7:33 to play.

The drama was relentless from the start. You really couldn’t look away for fear of missing something, right up until the final buzzer when the Bruins won the conference on the way to claiming the Stanley Cup.

Really, it was exactly the kind of game that could have sparked a rivalry. If only the Lightning had been good enough. That playoff appearance was a one-off for Tampa Bay, which didn’t see postseason hockey the next two seasons.

Fans were teased with one great series, but the rivalry waited.

When it really began

The second time the Lightning and Bruins met in the playoffs, sparks flew — and a tongue.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper is fond of saying that meeting in the playoffs creates lingering emotions once you play again in the regular season. This series was the one that made rivals of the Lightning and Bruins.

You remember the lick seen around the league.

Brad Marchand threw a low hit on Ryan Callahan in Game 4 of the second-round series. Moments later, when play stopped for a tussle between Victor Hedman and Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, players paired off across the ice. Marchand and Callahan grabbed each other and as they separated, Marchand stuck out his tongue, licking Callahan’s face.

Asked about it after the game, Marchand said, “Well, he punched me four times in the face. He just kept getting close and (shrug), nothing big.”

The series had another pivotal, but less cringe-inducing moment.

Patrice Bergeron’s line dominated the Lightning in Game 1, and promising 22-year-old center Brayden Point came out a minus-5. Cooper called Point into his office and issued a challenge to be better.

Point then notched a goal and three assists in the Game 2 win. He has since emerged as the Lightning’s top center. 1181769 Toronto Maple Leafs

While the Oilers sat comfortably in a playoff spot when the NHL suspended its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Edmonton’s captain Connor McDavid thinks going right into the playoffs if the league gets the all-clear to resume would be a mistake.

Joshua Clipperton

Fri., March 27, 2020

Connor McDavid is at odds with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

McDavid’s Oilers sat comfortably in a playoff spot when the NHL suspended its season earlier this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but unlike his contemporaries, Edmonton’s captain thinks going right into the playoffs if the league gets the all-clear to resume would be a mistake.

Speaking on a video conference call Friday, McDavid said “a full season’s a fair season” when asked how he’d like to see things play out.

And if the NHL has to shorten proceedings, the 23-year-old superstar says teams would need at least a few games to find a rhythm.

Crosby and Ovechkin said in separate video conferences Thursday they wouldn’t mind if the league went right into the playoffs.

At the time of the NHL’s pause, the Oilers sat second in the Pacific Division with 83 points through 71 games. The 34-year-old Ovechkin’s Capitals occupied first in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points from 69 games, while the 32-year-old Crosby’s Penguins were four points back in third.

McDavid, who suffered a serious knee injury last April, sits second in NHL scoring with 34 goals and 97 points — matching his jersey number. He is behind teammate Leon Draisaitl’s 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists).

The Calgary Flames were third in the Pacific with 79 points from their 70 games, four points back of Edmonton.

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If the 2019-20 campaign resumes and the provincial rivals wind up meeting in the playoffs, it would mark the first post-season Battle of Alberta since 1991.

The rivalry boiled over in January when Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk delivered a couple of crunching checks on Edmonton’s Zack Kassian, who responded by jumping the Flames winger and earning himself a two- game suspension. The teams then engaged in a line brawl that included goalies Mike Smith and Cam Talbot dropping the gloves in the next meeting in early February.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181770 Toronto Maple Leafs and putting on a heroic two home run performance in Game 6 of that year’s ALCS. – Andrew Stoeten

Johnny Bower, Maple Leafs – A legend of a man, let alone a hockey The first 25 inductees to The Athletic Toronto’s inaugural Sports Hall of player. It’s hard to do his story justice in a few paragraphs, but we’ll try. Fame (Read Dan Robson’s wonderful book for the full story.) Bower was a career minor leaguer when he landed in Toronto in 1958, coming up on his 33rd birthday. He promptly became the team’s rock in goal through their dynasty years, winning four Stanley Cups and two Vezina trophies Staff Writer as he played into his mid-40s. In his later years, he became a living Mar 27, 2020 68 institution, often meeting with players and fans into his 90s, serving as a conduit to the team’s storied past. – James Mirtle

Michael Bradley, Toronto FC – It shifted the landscape of North American Just 25, eh? soccer when Toronto FC paid $10 million to convince Bradley to leave top Italian side AS Roma. TFC was coming off an abysmal season and Coming up with 25 names for The Athletic Toronto’s inaugural Sports they went all-in with the stalwart defensive midfielder. He overhauled the Hall of Fame class isn’t hard. club’s culture by raising the expectations of every teammate. His Deciding which athletes to leave out? Now that’s a challenge. obsession with winning turned him into the face of the franchise and one of the city’s better captains. – Joshua Kloke But since we subscribe to the theory that the best halls are small (see, Cooperstown, N.Y.), we embraced the task of identifying and celebrating Vince Carter, Raptors – Until the Raptors won a championship, there was the 25 individuals who have left the greatest legacies across Toronto’s never going to be a Raptor quite as important as Carter. That might still professional sports landscape. be true even after a championship. While Carter left under unfortunate and painful terms, what he did for the sport in the city and the country is And just for fun — and also because we feel their respective inarguable. There’s a generation of Raptors fans who might not have contributions are equally important — we’ve decided to include a been without Vinsanity. There’s a generation of Canadian basketball “Builder’s Category” that includes 10 names. players who will inspire the next generation who can say the same. The only criterion we received from HQ was that inductees must have Carter was the coolest player in the NBA for a time, made the Raptors spent some of their careers in a specific city. It’s not about where you are must-see basketball, and helped solidify the roots of both the Raptors from (sorry son of Etobicoke, ). and basketball in Toronto and beyond. – Blake Murphy

Our selection committee was comprised of a cross-section of writers who Michael (Pinball) Clemons, Argonauts – Raised in Dunedin, Fla., but born have covered each of Toronto’s five major teams (Maple Leafs, Blue to be a star in Toronto, Clemons retired with a dozen team records to his Jays, Raptors, TFC, Argonauts). name. He was a prolific running back, slotback and kick returner. When he retired — to become the head coach in 2000 — he had more With only 25 names in the inaugural class, you will no doubt find some combined yards (25,438) than anyone in the history of professional big names missing from the list. You may find some listed in our football. He won three titles as a player, and was inducted into “honourable mentions” category at the bottom of this piece. Or who the Hall of Fame in 2008. – Sean Fitz-Gerald knows? Perhaps some of those names will gain entry to our hall as part of a 2021 class. Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays – The link between the glory days of ’92-’93 and what would become known as the Halladay era, Delgado remains But for now, let’s celebrate these 25 players (and 10 builders) who the Blue Jays’ all-time leader in home runs, RBIs, doubles and walks. A helped make and keep Toronto one of the best cities in the world to be a special hitter and true franchise great, Delgado was a gargantuan sports fan. slugger and the Blue Jays’ best position player from the mid-90s until his departure following the 2004 season. A thoughtful leader with an And of course, let us know what you think about our list in the comments infectious smile, Delgado effortlessly brought the joy he found in the below. game to fans in Toronto as a true superstar who led the way offensively The Players for the club through many otherwise lean years. – Andrew Stoeten

(Listed in alphabetical order) DeMar DeRozan, Raptors – This is about more than just DeRozan’s dominance over the Raptors’ all-time record book and as their longest- Roberto Alomar, Blue Jays – The first player to enter Cooperstown tenured star. Although it is that, too – leading a franchise in games, wearing a Blue Jays cap, Roberto Alomar was the quintessential second minutes, and points is meaningful. But it’s also that DeRozan’s ascension baseman of the early ’90s. He could do it all, providing elite defence, from iffy lottery pick to doubted pseudo-star to legitimate All-Star and top speed, an incredible eye at the plate, the ability to hit for average and a option defined an entire era of Raptors basketball. Perhaps more knack for coming up big when it mattered most. Alomar’s game-tying, importantly, it made everything that followed possible, from DeRozan’s ninth-inning home run off of Oakland’s in Game 4 of own trade value inching high enough to land Kawhi Leonard to his the 1992 ALCS was a franchise turning point, as he helped lead a legendary work ethic helping shape a roster of young players and build franchise then best known for high profile collapses to back-to-back an organizational culture rooted in a Prove ‘Em mentality. For nine years, World Series titles. – Andrew Stoeten DeRozan delivered on his promise of “Don’t worry, I got us…” As he famously said, for a long time, he was Toronto. – Blake Murphy Syl Apps, Maple Leafs – Apps’ bio reads like something out of folklore. One of the Leafs’ best players from 1936 to 1948, he was also an Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays – Over a brief Toronto career that lasted less Olympic pole vaulter, a football player at McMaster and, later, a member than four seasons, Josh Donaldson’s star shone as brightly as any Blue of provincial parliament in Ontario. He also fought in WWII in the middle Jays position player since Roberto Alomar. An athletic third baseman of his career, missing two seasons. He won the first-ever Calder, three who took the field with a swagger he could always back up with his play, Stanley Cups and only two players outscored him during his 10-season Donaldson was an instant smash with fans, becoming known as a superb NHL career. Among players with 400-plus games as a Leaf, Apps ranks power hitter with discipline and a knack for late-game heroics. As the second to only Darryl Sittler in career points-per-game (1.02). – James winner of the 2015 AL MVP award, he helped lead the Blue Jays back to Mirtle the playoffs for the first time since 1993, following it up with another ALCS run in 2016. – Andrew Stoeten José Bautista, Blue Jays – A late-blooming slugging superstar with a cannon for an arm, José Bautista changed the trajectory of the Blue Jays Tony Fernandéz, Blue Jays – The franchise‘s all-time leader in games franchise in the 2010s. With he and Edwin Encarnación emerging to played and hits, Fernandéz sported a .297 career batting average with anchor the middle of the Jays’ lineup, GM Alex Anthopoulous accelerated the team, but is best remembered for his sublime defence at shortstop. the pace of his rebuilding efforts, leading to the team’s back-to-back Blessed with elite range and perfect timing when it came to throwing ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016. It was during those playoffs that runners out with his signature “flip,” he was the cornerstone of the team’s Bautista cemented himself in Blue Jays lore, launching the infamous “bat infield defence on its AL East title teams in 1985 and 1989, and its near- flip” home run to beat the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, miss in 1987. Sent to San Diego in the franchise-altering 1990 trade that brought netted Toronto and Roberto Alomar, he returned in 1993 via another trade and helped lead the club to its second Kyle Lowry, Raptors – There are a number of ways to make an argument consecutive World Series title with one of the finest seasons of his that Lowry is the best Raptor of all time. Whether you prefer longevity career, including a five RBI performance in the Jays’ epic and pivotal 15- (second in games played), sustained peak (four of the 10 best individual 14 Game 4 win in Philadelphia. – Andrew Stoeten Raptors seasons ever), playoff success (the second-best player on a championship team), or the biggest moments (Game 6 of the NBA Doug Gilmour, Maple Leafs – Somewhat hard to include given he played Finals, among others), Lowry finds himself in the top two or three of that just 393 regular-season games as a Leaf – scantly more than a quarter discussion. Take all of those factors together and no one else has a case of his career. But Gilmour made such an impact in his six seasons in against Lowry. That his own personal peaks and valleys have mirrored delivering Toronto back to respectability that his legacy in Toronto will the team’s, or that Lowry’s defining characteristic – both on the court and never be questioned. Only Mario Lemieux’s ridiculous 160-point season off – is raising the performance of those around him, or that Lowry seems (in 60 games) in 1992-93 prevented Gilmour from the Hart, and he turned to embody the underdog disposition of the franchise and fan base, all in a performance for the ages that postseason in piling up 35 points in 21 add to his enormity as a Raptor. Kyle Lowry Over Everything. – Blake games that brought the franchise closer to the final than they’ve been in Murphy the last 53 years. To this day, Gilmour holds the franchise record for playoff points per game – and it’s not even close. There’s a reason so , Argonauts – As the most successful former Frito-Lay delivery many beer leaguers in this city still wear No. 93. – James Mirtle truck driver in CFL history, Ray set a league record by winning four Grey Cup titles as a starting quarterback. He won two of them with the Argos, Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC – From 2015 to 2018, there wasn’t a first in 2012 and again — and perhaps most impressive — over the more entertaining MLS player than Giovinco. After leaving world soccer favoured Stampeders during a snowstorm in 2017. Ray threw 114 giant Juventus to join TFC, the tiny forward set the league alight with his touchdown passes in 71 starts in Toronto, and was only intercepted 47 dribbling prowess, his all-world, free-kick goals and of course, the times. – Sean Fitz-Gerald histrionics. You tuned in to see what he’d do next, and he rewarded fans with double-digit goals and assists in three of his four seasons. TFC does Borje Salming, Maple Leafs – Third all-time in games played as a Leaf. not win MLS’ first-ever domestic treble in 2017 without one of the best First in career assists. First in career points by a defenceman, and by players in league history on its side. – Joshua Kloke 248 over Tomas Kaberle in second spot. Salming was one of the first Europeans to star in the NHL, beginning in 1973, and quickly became a , Blue Jays – The 2003 Cy Young winner fan favourite despite the stigma against foreign players at the time. He and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame was a giant of Toronto was the runner-up for the Norris twice, finished in the top five in voting in baseball during the 2000s. Admired as much by his peers as he was by all of his first seven seasons and was fourth in balloting for the Hart in fans for his perseverance after remaking himself both mentally and 1977. And only outscored Salming among defencemen in physically following early career struggles, Halladay single-handedly the first 12 years of his career. – James Mirtle made the Blue Jays must-see TV every time he took the mound during the franchise’s otherwise dreary years from 2002 until his departure in Darryl Sittler, Maple Leafs – Poor Sittler was with the Leafs through some trade to Philadelphia in 2009. Known for his drive and meticulous work of the difficult Ballard years, and his playing tenure didn’t end well as a ethic, Halladay was just as likely to pitch to contact as he was to strike result. But he was their superstar and captain after Keon was dealt. batters out, commanding the mound with both power and finesse like no Drafted in 1970, eighth overall, he stepped right into the NHL, and by other pitcher of his generation. – Andrew Stoeten 1972-73, he was their leading scorer, piling up eight seasons in a row with 80-plus points, including two that crossed the century mark. In the , Maple Leafs – Only George Armstrong played more games nine seasons leading up to 1980-81, his last full year in Toronto, Sittler as a Leaf. Horton is mostly remembered today for the doughnut chain, had more points than anyone not named Marcel Dionne or . but his career was spectacular, spanning 24 seasons – including 20 in Now almost 70, Sittler has been a community rep for the Leafs for Toronto – in many of which he was one of the best defencemen in the decades and attends many games as an ambassador for the team. – NHL. Horton somehow never won a Norris Trophy – in part due to Doug James Mirtle Harvey, Pierre Pilote and – but he was top four in voting six times in seven years during the Leafs’ 1960s dynasty. – James Mirtle Dave Stieb, Blue Jays – The legendary workhorse of the Blue Jays‘ rotation for more than a decade, Stieb has yet to be recognized for his Teeder Kennedy, Maple Leafs – The last Leaf to win the Hart Trophy stellar career with enshrinement in Cooperstown, and badly deserves a (1955). The first player to win five Stanley Cups in NHL history (along long look from the . On more than one occasion he with teammate Turk Broda). The captain and leader of one of the was the best pitcher in the American League for a full season, but he was league’s first dynasties and during the Leafs greatest era, Kennedy never awarded with a Cy Young award. He topped 200 innings nine overcame hardscrabble beginnings – his father died shortly before he times in his career, often going well beyond that mark. A perfectionist was born – to become a local legend, and the early franchise leader in known for his gruff demeanour, Stieb came within one out of throwing a goals and points and most other offensive records. – James Mirtle no-hitter three times before finally accomplishing the feat in September Dave Keon, Maple Leafs – Three years ago, an expert panel voted Keon 1990. He remains the franchise leader in strikeouts, wins, innings the greatest Leaf of all time. Given his accomplishments in blue and pitched, games started, and ERA among those with at least 70 starts. – white, you can see why. In 15 years with the Leafs, he was the captain. Andrew Stoeten He won the Calder. He won four Stanley Cups and the Conn Smythe Mats Sundin, Maple Leafs – The long-time captain is also the Leafs Trophy in 1967. By the time of his ugly breakup with the Leafs in 1975, franchise leader in goals and points, piling up 420 and 987 in 13 Keon was the franchise’s leader in goals and points, in both the regular seasons, 11 of which he wore the C. The big Swede didn’t get many season and playoffs. Keon was a good player into his 40s, so had chances to go deep in the playoffs, but in his prime during the Pat Quinn nincompoop owner not chased him out of town, he could years, Toronto was a consistent playoff threat and he was the face of the have easily held many of those franchise records until this day. – James franchise in that relatively successful era. He also was the first Swede Mirtle ever to score 500 goals and he was the second to enter the Hockey Hall Joe Krol, Argonauts – When he became the first Canadian football player of Fame, a trailblazer with one of hockey’s historic franchises. – James to win the as Canada’s athlete of the year, in 1946, Mirtle the Globe and Mail described Krol as a “quintuple threat” for the Argos. (Honourable mentions/still on the ballot: Turk Broda, Joe Carter, Chris He was both a punter and a , a receiver and a quarterback, Bosh, Mike O’Shea, Tom Henke, Jozy Altidore) and a running back. Krol finished his career as a six-time Grey Cup champion, and won five with the Argos. – Sean Fitz-Gerald Builders

Kawhi Leonard, Raptors – Sure, Leonard only played one season in Hap Day, Maple Leafs – Few people have been on staff with the Leafs as Toronto. That makes for a tough Hall of Fame case in some instances, long, in as many roles, as Day was with the Leafs. Over nearly 30 years, especially since he opted to make it a walk-off championship. Still, he he was a star defenceman, team captain, head coach and an assistant won an NBA Finals MVP and helped deliver the Raptors their first title. manager. In all, he won seven Stanley Cups between 1932 and 1951 as The only question about Leonard’s candidacy is whether his Hall of Fame an integral member of the franchise’s first dynasty. Day sits second in bust is one of The Shot, his dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo, or a seasons as Leafs head coach (with 10) and third in games coached and hologram of his championship parade goodbye laugh. A Ha. – Blake wins behind the bench. – James Mirtle Murphy Paul Beeston, Blue Jays – The first employee of the club, Beeston is the only real link between the franchise’s two best eras. He was the club’s top executive in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and again from 2008 until Tanenbaum, who was at the head of the push to bring an NBA team to 2015. It was under his watch that the club smashed MLB attendance the city in the early ’90s, and then urged the newly-found MLSE to records after moving to what was then called SkyDome in 1989, coupling acquire the Raptors in 1998. In the time since, he’s acted as chairman of wild financial success with the on-field exploits that saw the team win five MLSE and chairman of the NBA’s board of governors – establishing titles and two World Series crowns over the span himself as the point man for all things Raptors. It’s no surprise of nine years. In his later tenure he was responsible for promoting Alex Tanenbaum was front and centre when it came time to lift the Larry O’B Anthopoulos to GM, backing him through some difficult years ahead of in June 2019. – Blake Murphy the magical payoff of 2015. Beeston also spearheaded the much-praised effort to return the club to a version of its classic uniforms and colour Masai Ujiri, Raptors – Ujiri is The Architect. A relative unknown when he scheme. – Andrew Stoeten was brought in to effectively replace Bryan Colangelo’s permanent, tail- chasing tinkering, Ujiri projected calm and patience, despite his Cliff Fletcher, Maple Leafs – The Silver Fox has had an incredible career inexperience. With a pair of swift ousters (Rudy Gay and Andrea as an executive with a host of NHL franchises. In fact, he put in 35 years Bargnani), some good fortune (the Lowry non-trade), and a willingness to with Montreal, St. Louis, Atlanta and Calgary before even arriving with divert from his original intended path, Ujiri built upon Colangelo’s the Leafs in 1991 as president and general manager at age 56. But he foundation, installing a top-tier culture and developmental program while quickly won over the Toronto faithful by pulling them out of the abyss that frequently tweaking at the margins around a Lowry-DeRozan core. The was the 1980s, setting the table for the Leafs to contend throughout swap of Dwane Casey and DeRozan for and Leonard were much of the ’90s and early ’00s. (Overall, they were seventh in regular- difficult decisions that paid off handsomely. From “Fuck Brooklyn” to season wins and fourth in playoff wins in that period of 1,000 games “believe in this city” to “we’re going to die trying” to win a second between Fletcher’s arrival and the institution of the salary cap 14 years championship, Ujiri has left an indelible mark on the most successful later.) In all, Fletcher was only in the Leafs GM chair a little more than period of Raptors history. – Blake Murphy seven seasons – none of which came with a championship or even a final appearance – but his long tenure with the franchise, including his The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 ongoing 12-year run as a senior advisor, means he belongs on this list. – James Mirtle

Cito Gaston, Blue Jays – Though he only reluctantly moved from hitting coach into the manager’s chair following the dismissal of Jimy Williams in May 1989, Gaston quickly proved to be right man for the job. With him at the helm the Blue Jays stormed back from a 12-24 start to ’89, going 77- 49 the rest of the way to steal the American League East title from the . A gifted instructor and the owner of a players-centric, no-nonsense attitude, Gaston kept his stars focused and their egos in check, steering the club through major roster overhauls that followed the 1990 and 1992 seasons. In all Gaston won four AL East titles (’89, ’91, ’92, ’93) and two World Series. And thanks in part to a return to the club from 2008 to 2010, he is the franchise’s all-time leader in both games managed and wins. – Andrew Stoeten

Pat Gillick, Blue Jays – The architect of the Blue Jays’ incredible run of success in the 1980s and early 1990s, held the GM title in Toronto from 1977 to 1994. Gillick and his staff were responsible for the acquisition and development of franchise legends such as Dave Stieb, Tony Fernandéz, Jesse Barfield, George Bell, Jimmy Key, Fred McGriff and Tom Henke, through to Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, John Olerud, Pat Hentgen and Carlos Delgado. Considered by some to be the best general manager in MLB history, Gillick was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. – Andrew Stoeten

Punch Imlach, Maple Leafs – A controversial figure in Leafs franchise history, Imlach’s methods worked nonetheless. After becoming coach and GM of a then-last place team in 1958, the Leafs began to pile up championships, winning the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. To this day, he sits first in games coached in both the regular season and playoffs and in regular-season wins behind the bench. But he also traded away fan favourite Lanny McDonald and feuded with Darryl Sittler, among others, in an ill-advised, Ballard-related dismantling in the late ’70s that led into the horror show of the next decade-plus. – James Mirtle

Tim Leiweke, Raptors/Leafs/TFC – The smartest thing Leiweke did during his brief time in Toronto was place a premium on building with smart people around him. That recognition of the need for an elite power structure in a major and oft-tumultuous market such as Toronto helped stabilize MLSE once he placed Brendan Shanahan and Masai Ujiri at the helm of the Leafs and Raptors, respectively. Leiweke was also vital in laying the groundwork for the modern success of Toronto FC, spearheading multiple marquee acquisitions. That’s a lot of great work in a short window of time. – Blake Murphy

Conn Smythe, Maple Leafs – The man was born in the 1800s and is mostly known today for the trophy awarded to the NHL’s playoff MVP. But he was instrumental to the creation of the Maple Leafs. In fact, they were on the verge of moving to Philadelphia when Smythe was part of the group that purchased the club in 1927 and changed the name from the St. Pats. At one point, Smythe was the team’s owner, governor, GM and coach. He built Maple Leaf Gardens, won eight Stanley Cups and was one of the first builders put into the Hockey Hall of Fame. – James Mirtle

Larry Tanenbaum, Raptors/Leafs/TFC – There may be no greater supporter of basketball in Toronto over the last 25 years than 1181771 Vegas Golden Knights “Whatever you do, like even in the summer, we train and practice and stuff. But when you get to camp and you see NHL shots, the speed of the game, I think that’s something you’ve got to catch up on,” Fleury said. “It’ll be nice to have a few to get back into it.” Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury talks about season, coronavirus Fleury has seen the devastating effects of the pandemic on Las Vegas businesses and tourism. He contributed $100,000 to part-time employees at T-Mobile Arena affected by the season being postponed and left the By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal video call with a final message to fans. March 27, 2020 - 4:33 PM “Right now, everybody has to take care of themselves, their family and stay healthy and stay safe. That’s all that matters,” Fleury said. “We’ll play hockey at some point. We don’t know when, but we’re looking Marc-Andre Fleury and his wife are behind on their Netflix shows and forward to seeing you guys in the stands again.” watch “Making a Murderer” when their three children go to sleep. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.28.2020 “It’s pretty crazy, everything that happened,” the Golden Knights goalie said of the documentary that debuted in late 2015.

Wait until he gets to “Tiger King” and sets eyes on Joe Exotic.

Fleury gave a brief look into his life at home while the NHL is paused for the coronavirus pandemic when he participated in a video conference call hosted by the NHL on Friday.

San Jose forward Logan Couture, Anaheim forward Ryan Getzlaf and Los Angeles forward Anze Kopitar also joined Fleury on the call, and the four Pacific Division veterans needled one another throughout 30 minutes.

Getzlaf, who proudly showed off the chicken coop he is building at his home in Anaheim, California, came through with the two best chirps of the video call.

A better shot of Ryan Getzlaf's chicken coop. pic.twitter.com/NLFthmqlrk

— David Schoen (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) March 27, 2020

After Fleury said he preferred to play games to get his timing back before starting the postseason and Kopitar seemed to agree, the captain of the sixth-place Ducks captain chimed in.

“For some reason, I don’t think we have to worry about the playoff format, Kopi, this year,” Getzlaf reminded Kopitar, whose Kings are one point ahead of last-place San Jose.

Later in the conversation, Couture explained why it’s frustrating playing against Fleury, and Getzlaf couldn’t resist one more oral face-wash to the Sharks captain.

“And he took your coach,” Getzlaf said.

Fleury, who remains in Las Vegas with his family, said Nate Schmidt, the NHL Players’ Association representative, is providing updates during the stoppage.

He also chose Schmidt as the teammate he would most like to be quarantined with because the energetic defenseman would tire out his children.

“Then I could just relax a bit,” Fleury said. “I think it would be a good pickup.”

With City National Arena closed, Fleury’s exercise comes from doing Pilates, riding his mountain bike and rollerblading with his infant son in the stroller.

He also built a trampoline in his backyard.

“I think I go to bed more tired now than when we’re playing hockey with the kids running around all day,” Fleury said.

The Knights led the Pacific Division when the NHL season was paused March 12, and several scenarios have been floated should the league press the play button.

Unlike stars Alex Ovechkin of Washington and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, who each said Thursday that they favor going straight to the postseason, Fleury would like to squeeze in a few games before the playoffs begin.

The NHL extended its recommendation to self-isolate through April 6, and team facilities remain closed to workouts.

Previously, the league said it hopes to have a training camp period 45 days into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eight-week recommended ban on large gatherings. 1181772 Vegas Golden Knights The “Q” has produced numerous all-time greats since it was founded in 1969.

United States Hockey League (USHL) — One step below NCAA Division Understanding the hockey leagues outside of the NHL I in USA Hockey’s Ladder of Development and the top feeder system for American players headed to college.

Similar to the three CHL leagues, the Midwest-based USHL is open to By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal players who are “at least 16 years of age and no older than 20 as of the 31st day of December of the current season of competition.” March 27, 2020 - 1:41 PM The USHL saw a record 45 players selected at the 2018 draft.

Canadian Junior Hockey League — The organization comprises the 10 Hockey is a global game with players skating in an alphabet soup of Junior A hockey leagues in Canada and generally is regarded as a notch different leagues before they reach the NHL. below the CHL major-junior leagues. The QMJHL. The KHL. The BCHL. It can be like scanning through a list However, these leagues produced 11 draft picks in 2019 and are the top of the radio stations while driving on a country highway. option for Canadian players seeking to preserve their NCAA eligibility. Here’s a quick guide to help explain what all the letters mean. Among them are the Hockey League (BCHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and the Ontario Junior Hockey League Professional leagues (OJHL).

American Hockey League (AHL) — This is the top in North The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) is home to the America, hockey’s equivalent of Triple A baseball. Most AHL players are Humboldt Broncos, the team involved in a deadly bus crash in 2018. assigned to their respective teams by their parent NHL club. Others are signed to AHL contracts, professional tryout contracts (PTO) or amateur LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.28.2020 tryout contracts (ATO).

The Golden Knights purchased the San Antonio AHL franchise and relocated it to Henderson/Las Vegas ahead of the 2020-21 AHL season. The Chicago Wolves served as the Knights’ AHL affiliate for their first three seasons.

ECHL — Local hockey fans will recall this was the home of the Las Vegas Wranglers from 2003 through 2014. It is one step below the AHL on the development chain.

Each organization is responsible for recruiting and signing its players. The Knights had an ECHL affiliate agreement with the Fort Wayne Komets starting in 2018.

Europe — The Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) exported several stars — and Vadim Shipachyov — to North America and signed some of the top players not in the NHL.

The features several draft picks and prospects each season, as does Finland’s . Other top leagues are found in , the Czech Republic, , Great Britain, , and Switzerland.

Juniors

The (CHL) is the umbrella organization that oversees the three major-junior leagues, with players from 16 to 21 years of age. In rare instances, a 15-year-old is granted exceptional status to compete.

Players who skate in major juniors forfeit their NCAA eligibility.

Most top prospects and draft picks will return to their major-junior team if they don’t make the NHL out of training camp. That’s because the NHL and CHL have an agreement that prohibits Canadian and American players drafted from a CHL club from joining the AHL unless they turn 20 by Dec. 31 of that season or played four seasons in juniors.

Western Hockey League (WHL) — Consists of 22 teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and , along with Washington and Oregon. Players are selected from those provinces and 20 U.S. states as far east as Minnesota. Nevada is included in the WHL’s player territory.

Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon owns the WHL’s franchise in Brandon, but the organizations are not affiliated.

Ontario Hockey League (OHL) — The namesake province houses 17 of the 20 teams, with two more in Michigan and one in . Players are selected from Ontario and 24 U.S. states across the Midwest, South and East Coast.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) — Features 18 teams from Quebec and the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island). Players also come from Newfoundland and Labrador, plus six New England states. 1181773 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Fleury to fans: ‘Stay safe. That’s all that matters’

By Justin Emerson (contact)

Friday, March 27, 2020 | 12:55 p.m.

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture was finishing explaining why it’s tough to play against Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury when Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf interjected with the one-liner of the day.

“And he took your coach,” Getzlaf said.

Fleury, Couture, Getzlaf and Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar took part in a video conference call hosted by the NHL today.

The league is doing two calls a day, sorted by conference, trying to get some of the sport’s biggest names some airtime while play is suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Pacific Division representatives were asked some light-hearted questions — they revealed that Getzlaf is building a chicken coop and Couture started a book club — but also some more serious, hockey- related ones.

When the suspension is eventually lifted, all four on the call said they hope the NHL resumes the regular season instead of jumping right into the playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing as a goalie is timing,” Fleury said. “That’s something you’ve got to catch up on.”

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, whose team is unlikely to miss the playoff cut, said on the Metropolitan Division call Thursday that he would prefer to pick up the season with postseason play. The Golden Knights are in the same boat, sitting in first place in the Pacific when the season was halted.

The Kings’ Kopitar said he would rather resume the regular season, prompting Getzlaf to chime in and say, “I don’t think we need to worry about the playoffs, Kopi.” The Ducks and Kings are 11 and 14 points, respectively, out of a Wild Card berth.

Fleury said he has been doing the same thing as others in Las Vegas — isolating at home. He has remained at his valley home during the NHL pause with his wife and three children, while getting some work done around the house.

He put up a trampoline in the backyard and has roller-bladed around his neighborhood with his youngest child in the stroller.

“I think I go to bed more tired now than when we were playing hockey, with the kids running around all day,” Fleury said. “Home school’s not easy.”

Fleury said Las Vegas in particular is struggling because of the large number of workers in the hospitality industry.

“It’s a city that thrives on having people in town and so many people work in that business — in the hotels and stuff — and right now nobody’s making money, and everybody went home,” Fleury said. “It’s definitely a tough time for people in Vegas right now.”

His message to the fans: “Right now, just take care of yourself, your family. Stay healthy, stay safe. That’s all that matters. We’ll play hockey at some point — we don’t know when — but I’m looking forward to seeing you guys in the stands again.”

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181774 Washington Capitals "It was fun to be a part of a lot of success in San Jose for the five, six years that I was there," Dillon said. "I will forever cherish that time, from the fans to the city and I'll definitely go back and visit and see some of my friends that are in the town. But to come out here, already it's been a Trade, coronavirus makes for tumultuous year for Caps' defenseman great, great group of guys from management to the coaches to the Brenden Dillon players specifically too. Really made me feel at home."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 By J.J. Regan March 27, 2020 2:14 PM

This is not the way Brenden Dillon envisioned his year going. At the start of the season, he had Stanley Cup aspirations with the San Jose Sharks. Now he is stuck in a hotel in Arlington, Va., on the other side of the country both from where he started and from where he calls home.

"What a year it's been, really," Dillon said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. "I think for anybody, not just myself or not just a hockey player or a Sharks player specifically, if you were to talk to us in August what things would be like come March time, what it would be. I think it's just at this stage with how everything's gone for me, I almost feel like a little bit of just a lone ranger with where I'm at."

Dillon has been with the Sharks since getting traded by the Dallas Stars in November 2014. During his time there, he made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons including a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. After several years there, San Jose began to feel like home. That was evident in the emotional postgame interview Dillon gave when contemplating if he had just played his last game with the Sharks.

"Leaving San Jose, I was there for a long time, had a home there, had everything kind of stability," Dillon said.

He added, "It's not just somewhere that you work, it's not just somewhere that you move to for hockey. It becomes your home, it becomes your family, your teammates. It becomes second nature where the streets, the people you meet not just at the rink but at the grocery stores, the mall, whatever it might be. You really build those relationships and then really with one phone call your life can completely change."

That phone call came on Feb. 18 when the Capitals traded for the veteran defenseman to shore up the team's blue line.

The trade itself wasn't a surprise. On an expiring contract and with the team being where they were in the standings, Dillon knew he was likely to get traded. When he got word he was going to Washington, he was excited for the opportunity, but that transition to a new team is rarely an easy one.

"You're going from, in my case, one side of the country to the other," Dillon said. "You're going and meeting 22, 23 new coworkers that you're going to see every day. I was very lucky to come to a team like Washington where, when I did come out this way, the guys, I was sitting right in between [Alex Ovechkin] and [John Carlson]. It was pretty cool to be a part of that. I think just the opportunity for me on the ice, it was a perfect fit for my kind of game, being able to skate, move pucks and play my physical brand of hockey. I think it was pretty seamless."

Now that transition has been put on hold as life decided to throw another monkey wrench Dillon's way with the spread of the coronavirus.

With the season paused, Dillon has stayed in an Arlington hotel trying to stay in shape and adjust to his new life. But he is making the best of it with his new teammates.

"There's been a lot of guys here who even during this time, whether it's just a few of us getting together and playing some tennis in the area," Dillon said. "I mean there's a good chunk of guys that are still in town so it's kind of been nice to at least have a little bit of that other than staring at a wall. I've done more puzzles and watched more Netflix than I think a lot of people could. I think though when it does come to the actual hockey part of things, it has been good out here. "

Dillon's mentality has remained positive through it all.

Though emotional about leaving San Jose, Dillon is excited about the chance to come to Washington to compete for a Cup. After a few weeks, he has a good idea of where the good spots are for food in Arlington and Washington, and he is thankful for his new teammates who have made an effort to make him feel welcome.

Dillon is excited for the opportunity that lays before him, he is just anxious to get going again. 1181775 Washington Capitals

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin wants the NHL to go straight to the playoffs when play resumes

By J.J. Regan March 27, 2020 9:00 AM

The NHL season is currently on pause due to the coronavirus, but if Alex Ovechkin could have his way, the regular season would be over.

Speaking on a video conference on Thursday, Ovechkin was asked how the season should resume play once circumstances allow for it, specifically if the league should scrap the remainder of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs.

"It's hard," Ovechkin said. "First of all, we don't know when this coronavirus is going to end, right? I think [the Capitals] have 13 games left until the playoffs ... for us, it's better if the playoffs starts right now."

The league's pause has now lasted two weeks and every passing day brings with it more postponed games. The continued disruption the pause is having on the season will force the league to adjust its schedule in some way. For Ovechkin, eliminating the remainder of the regular season is a clear solution, even if it hurts his quest for history.

Washington has 13 games remaining in the season. Ovechkin sits just two goals shy of reaching the 50-goal mark for the ninth time in his career which would tie him with and Wayne Gretzky for the most ever. Ovechkin could have easily shattered that mark as he is on pace for 57 total goals for the season.

Ovechkin is essentially advocating to miss out on the chance to reach another historical milestone. It is never guaranteed that a player will be able to score 50 goals in a season and, at 34 years old, the odds are stacked against Ovechkin being able to score that many goals again.

But Ovechkin has his reasons and it goes beyond just wanting to get to the playoffs as quickly as possible.

"We don't want to play those extra games," Ovechkin said. "But for different guys who fight for a playoff spot, some guys want those extra games."

In the current NHL standings, Washington sits in first place in the Metropolitan Division. When you are in first, the only direction you could possibly go in the standings is down.

While Ovechkin did acknowledge more games would be better for the fans, he also stated the remainder of the season would be more beneficial to the other teams chasing the playoffs than it would be for Washington.

"Of course, the more games we play it's going to be better for the fans and it's going to be better for the teams fighting for the playoffs," Ovechkin said, "But I'd rather start the playoffs right away."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181776 Washington Capitals This was Ilya Samsonov’s eighth win in ten starts. It was here that Caps Twitter started asking to see more of their young netminder. It was also around this time that Braden Holtby hit a rough patch. If you’re looking for the beginning of the goalie controversy that would consume this team With NHL season paused, a ranking of Capitals' best wins of 2019-20: over the next two months, look no further than Samsonov’s start in No. 11 Tampa combined with Holtby’s rough outing two days later against Columbus.

The visit to Tampa was part of the Capitals annual dad’s trip, where By Mark Zaner March 27, 2020 10:00 AM fathers and mentors travel with the team for two games and get to hang with their sons for a rare time during the season. This year we were introduced to Garnet Hathaway’s father, John. He’s a character. While we wait for the NHL to hopefully resume its season, NBC Sports Washington is looking back at the 20 best wins of the Capitals' season so We officially stan John Hathaway pic.twitter.com/skQsZ9CdVa far. Mark Zaner, producer for Caps Faceoff Live and Caps Overtime Live, — NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 15, 2019 has watched every game. His rankings continue with No. 11, a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 14 that featured a balanced Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 Washington attack, another Ilya Samsonov win and a successful dad’s and mentor’s trip.

WHAT HAPPENED

It wasn’t Nicklas Backstrom’s birthday, but the Lightning gave him a big gift anyway. Backstrom was standing in front of the Tampa cage as Jan Rutta controlled the puck behind the net, waiting to begin the rush. Ondrej Palat ran into him and the puck went right to Backstrom for his sixth of the year.

Backy gets the scoring started with a gift out front pic.twitter.com/RJpE5lyK5J

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 15, 2019

It was 1-1 entering the third and that’s when the Caps put the pedal down. Richard Panik fed Lars Eller for a one-timer just 1:58 into the period. Less than a minute later, got the Washington attack started with a two-line pass to Brenden Leipsic. Leipsic received all the attention from Tampa’s defense before dropping the puck off for Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway chipped it past Andrei Vasilevskiy for a 3-1 lead.

Hathaway hops & scores pic.twitter.com/gzWwT0z1F7

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 15, 2019

Rutta cut the lead to one, but the Caps kept the pressure on. T.J. Oshie scored on a wrap-around at the 12:19 mark. sealed the game with an empty netter. Washington was 4-for-5 on the penalty kill against a very dangerous Lightning power play. Washington wins in its only visit of the season to Amalie Arena, where it won the Eastern Conference Final in 2018, 5-2.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

The Oshie goal was a thing of beauty. Jakub Vrana entered the zone with Oshie, but there were three Tampa defenders around them. Vrana fed Oshie, who got past Mikhail Sergachev to the back of the net. Vasilevskiy and Yanni Gourde were late getting back to the opposite post. Oshie completed the play off Gourde’s stick to give Washington a two-goal lead.

Osh you fancy huh pic.twitter.com/a7H7pZkqDL

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 15, 2019

WHY IT WAS SIGNIFICANT

In the previous five games, the Capitals’ bottom two forward lines combined for only one goal. Against Tampa, every line scored. Eller scored his first goal in almost a month. Hathaway scored his third goal in his last 22 games. Games like this one showed that when the Caps get scoring from the third and fourth lines, they are the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. The bottom two lines have shown the ability to score, but they’ve done it in bunches instead of doing it consistently.

The Caps completed the sweep of Tampa Bay later in December. They are currently on a four-game winning streak against the Bolts. A good sign against a team Washington might see down the road when the season restarts.

WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT 1181777 Washington Capitals while. Similar to his other save on the countdown, this Sammy save puts his athleticism on full display.

As the puck goes behind his net, Samsonov tracks from the left post to Washington Capitals top 5 saves of the 2019-20 season right post when the puck gets played into the slot for a Ross Johnston shot that goes wide. The rebound takes a hard bounce off the boards back towards the left post, when the rookie Russian netminder battles through contact with both Michael Dal Colle and Michal Kempny in his By J.J. Regan & Jason Murphy March 27, 2020 6:00 AM crease and then dives across to stop the second chance from Johnston with an outstretched arm. It was an incredible effort to deny what Johnston was thinking would be an easy tap in. Just remember this play With the NHL hitting pause on the 2019-20 season, NBC Sports and not the five Isles goals that found the net that night. Washington is looking back at the highlights from the first 69 games of the regular season. We’ve been counting down the top 20 games of the #1 – Holtby goes post-to-post on Janmark – October 8, 2019 season and will recap multiple other categories over the coming weeks. an actual beast pic.twitter.com/KuF0Upvjre Today we look back on the best saves of the season. — NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) October 9, 2019 #5 – Samsonov sprawling save vs Islanders – October 4, 2019 The best saves are often the result of a defensive breakdown and one How you guys liking Samsonov so far? pic.twitter.com/EOMJcCdqh0 such breakdown resulted in the best save of the season. The Dallas — NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) October 5, 2019 Stars were able to put the Caps on their heels defensively with a long stretch pass from deep in the defensive zone to Tyler Seguin at the The NHL was officially introduced to Ilya Samsonov on Oct. 4, 2019. It offensive blue line. As Washington scrambled to set up the defense with didn’t take him long to make an impression. In his first NHL start with the Seguin carrying the puck in, no one was left to cover Mattias Janmark on game tied at 1, Samsonov made a sprawling save to deny Brock Nelson. the far side. Radko Gudas tried to block the passing lane, but Seguin found Janmark for what looked like a sure goal until Holtby stretched out Nelson picked up a loose puck in the offensive zone and froze the Caps’ to make the save. Janmark got a bit of height on the shot, but was denied defense as he cut to center and cocked his stick for the wrist shot. by the blocker of Holtby. Instead of shooting, however, he dragged the puck with him around the traffic in front. Samsonov was in the butterfly, but was in trouble when Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.28.2020 Nelson kept the puck. It looked as if Nelson had a step on Samsonov and would be able to take the puck to the goal line and curl it around behind him and into the net. Instead, Samsonov sprawled out with the glove and somehow managed to pluck the puck off the goal line.

#4 – Holtby denies Canadiens twice on the goal line – January 27, 2020

NOPE. pic.twitter.com/ZojotH1tBL

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 28, 2020

The first game back from the All-Star break is usually a bit sloppy but the Caps came out firing and built a 2-goal lead heading into the third. Out of the second intermission though, the home Canadiens tipped the ice and were throwing everything at the net. That’s where our #4 save comes in, with Braden Holtby robbing Joel Armia on the doorstep.

A cycling puck behind the net gets thrown to the front when Holtby denies Armia’s deflection chance with an outstretched left pad. The puck deflects off the pad and onto the post before the quick-thinking Holtby can snare the floating puck with his glove off the goal line. Upon review, it was confirmed that Holtby scooped the puck before it fully crossed the line and that save, plus many others from #70 on the night, helped the Caps to hold on for a 4-2 win in Montreal.

#3 – Holtby’s double denial on Stepan breakaway – February 15, 2020 just Holtbeast things pic.twitter.com/sy66uWRx7O

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 16, 2020

Defensive zone turnovers are brutal on a goalie. The defense is caught out of position meaning the goalie has to get set fast for what will be, in all likelihood, a high-danger opportunity. It’s made that much more difficult when it becomes a breakaway.

Derek Stepan pickpocketed Dmitry Orlov with a brutal turnover just above the faceoff circles in the defensive zone. Not only was it a turnover, but it gave Stepan a mini breakaway. In the course of about two seconds, the Caps went from transitioning out to facing a breakaway. Holtby had to get set fast and he did, denying Stepan with the poke check.

A great save doesn’t mean much if you don’t account for the rebound, however, and Stepan got a second chance to cash-in. The poked puck sat right on the doorstep and Stepan was able to quickly turn and fire the loose puck. Holtby stretched the pad and was there to deny him yet again.

All Stepan could do after the play was shake his head in disbelief.

#2 – Samsonov dives across to stone Johnston – February 10, 2020

This game will be one that Samsonov will want to quickly forget, but the #2 save on our countdown should be one that sticks in his mind for a 1181778 Winnipeg Jets do with pending UFA Brossoit in the off-season, competing for the backup role behind Hellebuyck could be in the cards next season.

F J.C. Lipon, 26 Winnipeg Jets have had plenty of hits and some inevitable misses in nine 2013 3rd round (91st) seasons of drafting and developing young players AHL: 61GP 13G 18A 31PTS

Lipon has established himself as a solid leader who can provide some By: Mike McIntyre offence in the minors. He wears an A for the Moose and is good mentor for younger players. He has nine career NHL games under his belt, but none since 2015-16. A pending UFA this summer. Draft and develop. It’s a mantra you’ve heard for years with the Winnipeg Jets — and it’s more than just cheap talk. It truly is the lifeblood of the D Nelson Nogier, 23 organization, which has been built from the ground up since re-locating 2014 4th round (101st) from Atlanta to start the 2011-12 season. Manitoba Moose AHL: 58GP 1G 8A 9PTS There have been nine drafts during that time, in which general manager and his staff have made a total of 63 selections. No On the NHL bubble, often getting the call to the big club as extra team is perfect, but the Jets have had plenty of hits to go with the insurance when the injury bug bites. He has 11 career NHL games so inevitable misses that come with trying to project what teenaged hockey far, but should get some more opportunities in the future. Lost nearly the players might become down the road. entire 2017-18 season to injury, so still not a lot of pro mileage on him so far. Nothing flashy. An RFA this summer. Consider this: At the time the NHL season came to a screeching halt just over two weeks ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, F C.J. Suess, 26 13 of those picks were on the active roster. 2014 5th round (129th) Forwards Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp, Jack Roslovic, Mason Appleton and Jansen Winnipeg Jets NHL: 1GP 0G 0A 0PTS Harkins; defencemen Josh Morrissey, Tucker Poolman and Sami Niku Manitoba Moose AHL: 57GP 14G 13A 27PTS (injured); and goaltender and favourite Connor Hellebuyck. Coming along nicely in his second full pro season. The college hockey grad has proven to be a capable top-nine forward at the AHL level and That’s an impressive core that should help keep the Jets competitive for made his NHL debut earlier this year. He’s versatile, able to play centre years to come. or the wing, and gets on the body. Some more looks with the Jets are Looking at the current roster, that homegrown talent has been likely in his future. An RFA this summer. surrounded by relocated Thrashers in and Bryan Little; F Pavel Kraskovsky, 23 trade acquisitions Neal Pionk, Dylan DeMelo and Cody Eakin; free agent signings Mathieu Perreault, Dmitry Kulikov, Nathan Beaulieu, Anthony 2014 6th round (164th) Bitetto, Gabriel Bourque, Mark Letestu, Logan Shaw, Joona Luoto, Andrei Chibisov and Laurent Brossoit; and waiver wire pickups Nick Yaroslavl Lokomotiv KHL: 44GP 2G 5A 7PTS Shore, Luca Sbisa and Carl Dahlstrom. Has played his entire pro career, more than 230 games and counting, in As for the 50 draft picks not currently on the big-league roster, five are the KHL. And that’s most likely where he stays. The Jets used a late pick out of pro hockey while 16 have moved on to other organizations at to take a bit of a gamble on the big-bodied Russian (6’4, 194 pounds). various levels, both in North America and Europe. Most of those were Winnipeg still owns his NHL rights but never signed him to an entry-level simply not signed or later re-signed by the club. A few, like Jacob Trouba, contract, nor has he come to any development camps. Out of sight, out were traded. of mind.

The other 29 players remain in the organization, at various stages of their F Michael Spacek, 22 development. Some are already in the AHL, including a handful of 2015 4th round (108th) players who already have some NHL games on their resumes. Others are still in junior or college or playing in Europe. Manitoba Moose AHL: 45GP 9G 11A 20PTS

They represent the future, with the hope that the next elite centre such as A strange year for Spacek, who has struggled offensively with the Moose Scheifele, next high-scoring winger like Laine, Connor or Ehlers, next and seemingly fallen out of favour with the organization, who actually shutdown forward like Lowry or Copp, next top-pairing defenceman like loaned him out to the (Los Angeles AHL club) earlier this Morrissey and next No. 1 goaltender like Hellebuyck will eventually month for reasons not entirely clear. He was briefly called up by the Jets emerge and keep the franchise pointed in the right direction. earlier this year but didn’t make his NHL debut.

With hockey on indefinite pause right now, it seems like a good time to D Logan Stanley, 21 dip our collective toes in the prospect pool to see just how deep it is. Who’s on the cusp of becoming a regular? Who might be a year or two 2016 1st round (18th) away? Who might be a year or two away from being a year or two away? Manitoba Moose AHL: 44GP 3G 7A 10PTS And who may never make the cut? Many are ready to declare the 6’7 blue-liner a first-round bust. While Here, in order of when they were drafted, are snapshots of all 29, becoming an NHL regular may be a pipe dream, he’s made some strides including their stats this season. at the AHL level in terms of his skating and positioning in just his second G Eric Comrie, 24 pro season, which has been hampered by injury. Remains a long-term project. 2013 2nd round (59th) D Luke Green, 22 Manitoba Moose/ AHL: 20GP 10-9-0, 2.56 GAA, .915 SV% 2016 3rd round (79th)

Detroit Red Wings NHL: 3GP 0-2-0, 4.28 GAA. .864 SV% Manitoba Moose AHL: 13GP 1G 0A 1PTS

It’s been quite a year for Comrie, who was put on waivers following Just can’t stay healthy. Only 11 AHL games last year, and just 13 this training camp, claimed by Arizona, sent to their AHL farm team for year. Not the way anyone wants to start their pro career. In that sense, conditioning, traded to injury-ravaged Detroit, then eventually re-claimed very difficult to project what he could be. by the Jets and sent to the Manitoba Moose. Depending on what the Jets D Jacob Cederholm, 22 2016 4th round (97th) Feisty, undersized forward has chipped in offensively with the Moose, surpassing the 16 points (8G, 8A) from his rookie season last year. Had ECHL: 45GP 0G 7A 7PTS a strong training camp with the Jets in the fall of 2018, but was injured After splitting an injury-plagued first pro season between the Moose and prior to the start of this season. Icemen, he’s spent the entirety of his second season with the ECHL club. D Croix Evingson, 22 Still has time on his side, but needs to take a step to the next level and push for regular AHL work next season. 2017 7th round (211th)

G Mikhail Berdin, 22 Niagara University NCAA Div 1: 0GP 0G 0A 0PTS

2016 6th round (157th) Moved from UMass-Lowell to Niagara University last fall but was ruled ineligible to play with the Purple Eagles for his junior season due to strict Manitoba Moose AHL: 42GP 20-21-1, 2.89 GAA, .910 SV% collegiate transfer rules, resulting in a lost year.

Easily the most charismatic prospect in the organization, the "Birdman" David Gustafsson. was leaned on heavily early in the year before Comrie rejoined the Moose and more than held his own. His unorthodox style and big THE CANADIAN PRESS/JASON FRANSON personality are fun to watch. Much more seasoning at this level required, but don’t count out a potential NHL future. David Gustafsson.

F Kristian Vesalainen, 20 F David Gustafsson, 19

2017 1st round (24th) 2018 2nd round (60th)

Manitoba Moose AHL: 60GP 12G 18A 30PTS Winnipeg Jets NHL: 22GP 1G 0A 1PTS

Many thought he’d already be an NHL regular, but an unimpressive Jets Manitoba Moose AHL: 13GP 2G 5A 7PTS training camp meant more time in the minors. He’d been coming on One of the surprises of the season, the teen centre made the Jets out of offensively of late with the Moose, and remains a work in progress with camp and even scored his first NHL goal. After being loaned to Sweden plenty of potential. for the World Juniors, was re-assigned to the Moose and skating in a top- D Dylan Samberg, 21 six role.

2017 2nd round (43rd) F Nathan Smith, 21

University of Minnesota Duluth NCAA Div 1: 28GP 1G 20A 21PTS 2018 3rd round (91st)

Denied a shot at a third straight college championship due to the Minnesota State U - Mankato NCAA Div 1: 35GP 9G 18A 27PTS cancellation of the NCAA playoffs. Is clearly ready to turn pro, expected The Florida product has put up impressive numbers in his first season of to sign his entry-level deal with the Jets in the coming months. A potential college and is expected to continue down that path for at least another cornerstone blue-liner for years to come. year.

D Johnathan Kovacevic, 22 D Declan Chisholm, 20

2017 3rd round (74th) 2018 5th round (150th)

Manitoba Moose AHL: 45GP 4G 8A 12PTS OHL: 59GP 13G 56A 69PTS

Enjoying a strong first pro season with the Moose, which includes being Monster final junior season for the left-shot defenceman, who will make an impressive plus-10 on a losing team. The 6’5, 219-pounder has an the jump to pro this fall. intriguing mix of size and skill. Giovanni Vallati F Santeri Virtanen, 20 OHL 2017 4th round (105th) Giovanni Vallati SaiPa Lappeenranta SM-liiga: 35GP 6G 4A 10PTS D Giovanni Vallati, 20 Could be the next Finnish skater to join the organization as early as next season. Not putting up big offensive numbers in his country’s top pro 2018 5th round (153rd) league. Had three points in seven games at the World Juniors. OHL: 61GP 1G 26A 27PTS D Leon Gawanke, 20 His offensive production has taken a dip this year on a strong, deep 2017 5th round (136th) Oshawa squad (he had 48 points in 68 games last year). Like Chisholm, had his season end abruptly with cancellation of the playoffs and Manitoba Moose AHL: 48GP 4G 22A 26PTS .

The German defender has opened plenty of eyes with his play for the G Jared Moe, 20 Moose this season, including strong point production. Definitely trending in the right direction. 2018 6th round (184th)

G Arvid Holm, 21 University of Minnesota NCAA Div 1: 16GP 7-5-1, 2.46 GAA, .915 SV%

2017 6th round (167th) Solid freshman season with the Gophers after moving over from the USHL. He’ll look to take on an even bigger role next year. Farjestads BK Karlstad SweHL: 31GP 20-10-0 2.27 GAA .914 SV% F Austin Wong, 19 His numbers in Sweden this season are impressive. Will be interesting to see what comes next as one of of several netminders in the 2018 7th round (215th) organizational pipeline. NCAA Div 1: 21GP 4G 2A 6PTS F Skyler McKenzie, 22 Making the big adjustment to college hockey after three years in the 2017 7th round (198th) Alberta Junior Hockey League, where he put up 136 points in 155 games, along with a whopping 549 penalty minutes. High-energy player Manitoba Moose AHL: 58GP 9G 14A 23PTS described as a wrecking ball on skates.

D Ville Heinola, 19 2019 1st round (20th)

Winnipeg Jets NHL: 8GP 1G 4A 5PTS

Manitoba Moose AHL: 3GP 0G 1A 1PTS

Lukko Rauma SM-liiga: 29GP 0G 7A 7PTS

Quite an eventful year for the slick, smooth-skating teen. Surprisingly made the Jets out of camp and scored his first NHL goal, then was briefly assigned to the Moose before a mutual decision to go back to Finland, which included representing the country in the World Juniors. Will press for full-time NHL work next year.

Simon Lundmark.

TWITTER

Simon Lundmark.

D Simon Lundmark, 19

2019 2nd round (51st)

Linkopings HC SweHL: 40GP 0G 3A 3PTS

Not seen as having a lot of offensive upside, but rather a more defensive blue-liner with puck-moving ability in Sweden’s top league. Will he make the jump to North America next year?

F Henri Nikkanen, 18

Henri Nikkanen.

TWITTER

Henri Nikkanen.

2019 4th round (113th)

Jukurit Mikkeli SM-liiga: 27GP 0G 3A 3PTS

The youngest Jets prospect, who turns 19 next month. He was limited to just 11 games last year due to injury, which led to falling a bit in the draft. Finding his way against bigger, older skaters in the top Finnish men’s league.

F Harrison Blaisdell, 19

2019 5th round (134th)

University of North Dakota NCAA Div 1: 32GP 2G 10A 12PTS

First taste of college hockey after two years in the British Columbia Junior Hockey league. Depth player on a deep Fighting Hawks squad ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time their season came to a sudden end.

G Logan Neaton, 20

2019 5th round (144th)

UMass-Lowell NCAA Div 1: 3GP 0-2-0, 3.85 GAA, .869 SV%

Not a lot of playing time in his first year with the River Hawks after coming over from the BCJHL, where he put up outstanding numbers. Lots in common with Hellebuyck: A Michigan native now playing for the same school as the Jets No. 1 netminder.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.28.2020 1181779 Winnipeg Jets But Morrissey was playing his best hockey of the season prior to the pause and you can bet Trouba is going to be more comfortable in his second campaign.

Creeping the exes: How recent former Jets have fared with their new Trouba ultimately got what he wanted, inking a seven-year, $56 million teams extension in July, ending speculation about whether it would be a long- term arrangement in New York.

In the season opener, Trouba scored a goal and had an assist as the By Ken Wiebe Mar 27, 2020 28 Rangers beat the Jets 6-4.

During his lone visit to Winnipeg this season, Trouba got the reception he expected, when the Rangers earned a 4-1 victory over the Jets in Most of the departures were inevitable. February. Salary cap space was tight going into the summer, so inking any of the The Rangers were one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference pending unrestricted free agents was going to be tough for the Winnipeg and were on the periphery of the playoffs before the season was paused. Jets. Trouba may not have been an $8 million player this season but this was With Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor needing new deals as they exited a long-range investment for the Rangers. their entry-level contracts, the bulk of available room was going to be allocated to the high-scoring wingers. Ben Chiarot, D, Montreal Canadiens, 69 GP, 9 G, 12 A, 21 P, 23:07 TOI

When it came to Jacob Trouba, the clock was ticking and the relationship Chiarot was offered a four-year deal by the Jets but he ultimately agreed had come to its crescendo. to a three-year pact with the Montreal Canadiens this past summer that carries an AAV of $3.5 million. With the talented blueliner just one year away from unrestricted free agency and no sign of a long-term commitment on the horizon, Jets With the benefit of hindsight, if the Jets had known Dustin Byfuglien was general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff decided it was time to execute the questioning his hockey future and wasn’t going to report to training camp, best deal he possibly could. the push to keep Chiarot in the fold would have likely intensified.

Many believed the trade would be made during the weekend of the NHL Chiarot suited up in 305 games (plus another 24 in the playoffs) during Draft in Vancouver last June, but Cheveldayoff made the move a few his six seasons with the Jets and his role grew considerably over the days before that — shipping Trouba to his desired destination (the New years. York Rangers) for fellow defenceman Neal Pionk and a 2019 first- rounder that ended up being Finnish D-man Ville Heinola. During his exit meeting last April, Chiarot spoke openly about what it meant to him to play for a Canadian franchise and he put those words The impact of Pionk with the Jets is undeniable, while Heinola into action. showcased his potential during eight NHL games and another three with the Manitoba Moose before he returned home to Finland to play for his Some of his best hockey with the Jets was played alongside Byfuglien club team. and Chiarot spent a lot of time this season on a pairing with .

With the NHL season currently on pause, it’s time to look at how these Among Chiarot’s career-high nine goals were three game-winners — former Jets are making out with their new teams. including two in overtime.

Jacob Trouba, D, New York Rangers: 70 GP, 7 G, 20 A, 27 P, 22:34 TOI There’s no doubt the Jets missed the physical presence Chiarot provided but he elevated his game after finding a new home in free agency. The ninth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Trouba played more than 400 games with the Jets before moving on. The Canadiens are one of the teams that could benefit from an expanded playoff format, but there’s no argument Chiarot made an immediate As mentioned, a long-term commitment with the Jets wasn’t on the impact in Montreal and provided plenty of value for the raise he received. horizon, so Cheveldayoff decided that instead of using Trouba for one more season as a self-rental, it was time for both sides to move onto the Tyler Myers, D, Vancouver Canucks, 68 GP, 6 G, 15 A, 21 P, 21:30 TOI next chapter. The towering D-man was involved in one of the biggest trades in Jets 2.0 Trouba’s future was hotly debated over the years and some of the folks franchise history and ended up playing nearly 300 games with the who focus on asset management believe the Jets might have been able organization, including the playoffs. to extract a bigger package in return if he had been traded one summer Myers (who was part of Winnipeg’s leadership group) would fall into a earlier. similar category as Chiarot; the Jets would have made a stronger push to But the Jets were loading up to try and take a run at the Stanley Cup keep him in the fold had they known Byfuglien might not be coming back. after reaching the Western Conference final the year before, so that But Myers went from likely looking at a possible pay cut (or pay freeze) to wasn’t going to happen. earning a modest raise when he inked a five-year contract worth $30 Whether it was his contract stalemate or trade request in 2016 or a trip to million with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1. arbitration in the summer of 2018, Trouba brought up a number of The Canucks were looking for a veteran to partner with Quinn Hughes on emotions with the fan base over the years. occasion and Myers has been used in that role, along with his usual work His contribution to the organization can’t be minimized. on special teams.

As the second first-round pick for Jets 2.0, he grew into an important Myers got stuck behind Byfuglien and Trouba on the Jets depth chart and member of the core. became a luxury item on the third pairing, though he was used on the second power play unit and on the penalty kill. Trouba did an impressive job of compartmentalizing things and gave what he had to the Jets during his time here, providing solid minutes on a As it turned out, Myers would have likely spent the bulk of the season on top pairing. the top pairing with Morrissey had he chosen to stick around with the Jets. It remains to be seen if Trouba can get back to the 50-point production he had with the Jets last season, but with the Rangers, he’s not being The Canucks are in the playoff mix in the Pacific Division and there’s little asked to run the top power play. doubt the addition of Myers helped bolster the back end in Vancouver.

He’s there to provide 23-plus minutes on a shutdown pairing and chip in Brandon Tanev, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins, 68 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 P, offensively where he can (mostly at even strength). 14:46 TOI

There’s no doubt that Josh Morrissey missed having Trouba as his The speedy forward picked the perfect time to be on the brink of regular partner this season — and vice versa. unrestricted free agency. The man who chose the Jets as a college free agent back in 2016 suited up for them in just over 200 games (including the playoffs) and saw his goal scoring production rise in each of his four seasons.

But what Tanev was really known for was his tenaciousness on the forecheck and his fearless nature to throw his body in front of shots, especially on the penalty kill.

By recording 14 goals and 25 points last season, Tanev set himself up to cash in on the open market and he brought his high-energy style to the Penguins — who already had plenty of high-end talent sprinkled throughout their forward group.

Tanev got a six-year deal worth $21 million, which carries an AAV of $3.5 million — a substantial payday for someone known more for his checking ability and penalty killing prowess.

The Jets were in no position to offer the term even if they had been comfortable providing the raise of more than $1.2 million per season.

The Penguins are among the mix of teams battling it out for top spot in the Metropolitan Division and Tanev came as advertised.

Should the regular season resume at some point, Tanev could challenge his career highs for both goals (14) and points (29).

In Year 1 of the deal, Tanev has provided ample value to his new team.

Kevin Hayes, C, Philadelphia Flyers, 69 GP, 23 G, 18 A, 41 P, 17:44 TOI

Hayes only played 26 games with the Jets (including six in the playoffs) last season and it was obvious he didn’t end up having nearly the same impact as Paul Stastny did the year before after he was acquired at the trade deadline.

I’ve argued before that the reasoning behind the deal was sound and I doubt Cheveldayoff would hesitate to make it again, even with the benefit of hindsight.

Hayes was one of the best centres available but the fit wasn’t quite as smooth and that impacted the results.

The other part of my argument remains that if Hayes hadn’t accidentally prevented his shot from going into the net past Jordan Binnington as he was tackled by St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko in Game 5, history might shine differently on how the deal is perceived.

Instead of scoring a goal that put the Jets up 3-0, Hayes is remembered by some for finishing the series on the fourth line.

When viewed solely through that lens, Brendan Lemieux and a 2019 first- rounder looks like a lot to give up.

The Jets traded the rights to Hayes to the Flyers on June 3 for a fifth- round pick in 2019 — a small price to pay for the exclusively negotiating window it provided for Philadelphia.

Hayes has flourished since he was reunited with head coach Alain Vigneault with the Flyers, performing admirably in the two-way game he fostered as a member of the New York Rangers.

No doubt Hayes cashed in before officially becoming an unrestricted free agent and there were plenty of folks weighing in that an AAV of $7.13 million was pretty high for a second-line centre.

But Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher decided to pay a premium to fill a position of need and Hayes has done his part to play an important role – especially with 2017 second overall pick Nolan Patrick missing the entire season to date with a migraine issue.

Hayes has quickly become a fan favourite with the Flyers and the narrative is shifting from how overpaid he might be to how good a player he actually is.

He’s eclipsed 20 goals for just the second time in his career and already has recorded a career-high five game-winners, including two in overtime.

Prior to the pause, the Flyers were locked in a battle for top spot in the Metropolitan Division and Hayes has done his part to keep them in that race.

This was the type of impact the Jets were expecting when they made the deal for Hayes last February.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181780 Vancouver Canucks Current standings based on points would pit the Oilers and Flames in another Battle of Alberta brawl. That would sell itself, but McDavid isn’t so sure if that works with the integrity of completing a season.

Restless Horvat hopes dominoes fall Canucks' way if season is salvaged “I think they (point standings) look pretty good, but you want to have a fair season and a fair season is a full season,” said the Oilers captain. “If we can do that, that’s what you prefer. I don’t think we can just go into Game 1 (current playoff format based on points) and have Calgary Ben Kuzma coming to Edmonton and we’re just killing each other.

“We want to keep everybody healthy and make sure they’re up and Bo Horvat hopes the Canucks can navigate their way to the postseason. running. If we can get back, it might be some of the best playoffs we’ve ever seen — if we’re healthy and rested.” "Either go by points percentage, or play more regular-season games. Obviously, to make it completely fair, you’d want to play more regular- And that’s a crucial consideration. season games to get in" Players are hard pressed to maintain a customary level of game fitness. With the NHL season indefinitely suspended, Bo Horvat found himself Some like Horvat and Connor have home gyms and many resort to old- playing another game Friday — the guessing game. school methods to maintain conditioning by doing pushups and going for runs while abiding by the social-distancing edict. The Vancouver Canucks centre was part of a Pacific Division captains’ conference call — a myriad of emailed queries about health, family, “It definitely makes it harder because there’s nothing like being in game fitness, likes, dislikes, movies and music — and possible resumption of shape — it’s totally different — and to be in your best shape is a huge the season in some manner if the novel coronavirus pandemic is advantage,” said Horvat, who relocated from Vancouver to his new off- controlled. season home in London, Ont. 10 days ago with his pregnant wife, Holly, who’s expected to deliver the couple’s first child in July. Encouraging news on the B.C. health front Friday was that new positive cases for COVID-19 have been reduced from 24 to 12 per cent daily “It’s only fair to start where we left off,” added Ekman-Larsson, the because of key things such as physical distancing and travel restrictions. Arizona captain, who knows the Coyotes need to keep playing because they’re four points back of the final wild-card spot and have three teams And that’s where it gets hopeful for the Canucks. to pass. “That would make for a really good playoffs and be a good benefit for all of us.” Horvat knows conference-call peers Connor McDavid, Mark Giordano and Oliver Ekman-Larsson share concerns about integrity of completing Horvat is also buoyed that a resumption of the regular season, or getting the regular season, ramping up post-season play right away and what into the playoffs, will allow Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev and Jay format would be adopted — the existing 16-team playoffs or an Beagle to return from injuries and add needed experience. expanded version? “That would definitely help, if we get back up and going again,” said If the regular season is played out, the Canucks would continue pursuit of Horvat. “We’d have a lot of important pieces to our team and if we can’t their first playoff berth in five years. They were tied with Nashville for the put it all together and stay healthy, we’re going to have a lot of success.” final Western Conference wild-card spot with 78 points apiece after 69 games when the season was paused on March 12. What’s not lost on the captains in the seriousness of the worldwide health crisis. However, the Predators hold the tiebreaker with more regulation wins, and if the regular season was sacrificed, the Winnipeg Jets, with 80 The hope that the initial 14-day, self-quarantine period would have ended points, and Predators would claim two wild-card spots. Friday — and players would return to training facilities and the ice in small numbers and hold training camps by April 27 — has been The Vegas Golden Knights would finish first in the division with 86 points, tempered by uncertainty of what the next few weeks or months may followed by the Edmonton Oilers at 83 and Calgary Flames at 79 points. bring. Then again, if the regular season was scuttled and post-season berths determined by winning percentage, the sands would shift. “We can’t thank the medical staff and people on the front lines enough,” said Horvat. “They are all helping people in desperate need.” The Canucks would be third in the division on the overall win tiebreaker with a .565 percentage and face the Oilers in the opening round. The Added Giordano: “It (season pause) was a little bit of a shock for all of us. Flames would fall to the second wild-card spot (.564) behind the But it’s really important to be safe and we need to listen to doctors and Predators (.565) and the Jets, who had won four straight and six of 10 nurses on the front line and do whatever they tell us to.” when the season was stopped, would missed out with a .563 percentage. There was also some levity to the conference call. Imagine that? Amid the asks for likes and dislikes, Horvat said if he had to be Horvat’s hope is obvious. quarantined with a teammate, it would be . It wouldn’t be . Why Sutter? “Either go by points percentage, or play more regular-season games,” he said. “Obviously, to make it completely fair, you’d want to play more “We’re pretty close and share similar interests.” regular-season games to get in. But if we’re going to start playoffs right And why not Virtanen? away, that would put us in on (win) percentage but it’s tough to make that call — that’s for sure.” “I like getting under his skin and chirping him a bit. That’s all I’m going to say.” It’s why there’s a level of league interest in a revamped playoff system if the regular season is shut down. A 24-team proposal would comprise a Horvat also said he doesn’t miss being stared down by McDavid in the dozen representatives from each conference. That would expand the faceoff circle — admitting he got “roasted” on draws this season — and number of wild-card teams and then a play-out round would reduce he doesn’t miss trying to catch the elusive Oilers captain. participants to the customary 16 teams. What he does miss is the game. “I’ve thought a lot about this,” said Giordano, the Flames captain. “Like Bo said, in a perfect world, you want to play the (regular) season out and “We were trending in the right direction and in the playoff hunt and all of a whoever gets in, gets in. sudden this happens,” he said of the stoppage. “We were doing a lot of good things.” “I don’t think realistically we’re going to have that time. And it’s going to be tough to just jump into the first playoff game. I don’t know how they Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.28.2020 could work it out where were could get a couple in before that.

“The best I’ve heard is you can’t eliminate teams that might be out on points percentage and more teams get in and maybe a couple of byes at the top and play it out.” 1181781 Vancouver Canucks part, teams changed goalies more often than some people change their socks.

The Canucks, for example, went through eight goalies in Ridley’s four Ridley lost an ear playing net, but all fans remember is his cool mask years in the organization: Gary Smith, Ken Lockett, Cesare Maniago, Bruce Bullock, Murray Bannerman, , Gary Bromley and Ridley. That was also the norm, not the exception, for the time.

Ed Willes “The game was changing,” says John Garrett, who played for four WHA teams in those years and two more in the NHL before joining the

Canucks in 1982-83. “It was opening up. The (goalie’s) equipment wasn’t OPINION: “I get asked for four or five autographs a week. They send a great. There was no coaching and the shooters were getting better. We self-addressed envelope and they come from all over. I enjoy doing it. It’s were expendable, for sure.” good for my ego. I’ve had nothing but compliments over the years. I’d say Part of the reason, as Garrett suggests, is goalies were always getting they remember the mask more than me” hurt because the equipment of the day offered the bare minimum in After all these years Curt Ridley still gets fan mail. protection. The masks, for the most part, were form-fitting and made of Fiberglas. Well, that isn’t entirely accurate. The mail is partly to do with Ridley, the former Canucks/Rangers/Maple Leafs goalie. It’s mostly to do with the “When you got hit with the puck, it was like being punched in the face,” mask he wore with the Canucks that has assumed a permanent place in says Garrett. the game’s lore. Ridley can relate. While in Providence, he took a shot off the mask which Ridley, now 68, played for 11 teams in 11 professional seasons, but sheared off part of his ear. Trainers retrieved the loose bit, then bundled never established himself as a No. 1 goalie in the NHL. His biggest the goalie off to the emergency room in his equipment. There the moment came in an exhibition game in 1978 when, as a Canuck, he shut attending physician took stock of the situation, then called his students in out a touring Moscow Spartak side 2-0 at the . to watch him reattach Ridley’s ear.

Either that or the time he lost part of his ear in Providence. “He said he’d never seen that before,” Ridley says. “I guess I’m famous in medical circles.” But that mask — eerily powerful crossed hockey sticks set against a blue background, inspired by the Canucks’ original logo — has stayed with The protection afforded the chest and arms, meanwhile, wasn’t much people. True, it didn’t provide a lot of protection but, like a lot of the better. masks from that era, it’s become one of the game’s more memorable “It was absolutely nothing,” says Hanlon. “No wonder we were always Images. standing up. We were trying to protect ourselves.” “I get asked for four or five autographs a week,” Ridley says from his Ridley still goes to Dallas Stars games where he watches Ben Bishop, Dallas home. “They send a self-addressed envelope and they come from the Stars’ 6-foot-7 goalie. all over. I enjoy doing it. It’s good for my ego. “I definitely wish I had their equipment, for sure,” he says. “You look at “I’ve had nothing but compliments over the years. I’d say they remember the size of Bishop and the pads and equipment on him. Of course he can the mask more than me.” stop the puck.” Even if they should remember the man behind the mask. Ridley, as it happens, had one mask throughout his career. While other This piece is the first instalment in a series in which we’ll explore some of goalies would experiment with different forms, his was the moulded, the more intriguing characters in Canucks history. They might not have Fiberglas model favoured by most of his colleagues in that era. It just been the team’s biggest stars or most revered figures but they have a happened to come with a killer paint job. story to tell, a story that’s been obscured over time but still echoes in the The artist in Ridley’s case was Greg Harrison, the man responsible for team’s history. most of the enduring masks from that period. You might not remember Vancouver Canucks goalie Curt Ridley makes a save on a shot by some of the goalies but those masks — Gilles Gratton’s lion, Gary Montreal Canadiens forward Doug Risebrough during an NHL game in Simmons’ cobra, Ridley’s X — live on. Vancouver on Feb. 2, 1978. “Those old masks are so cool,” says Hanlon. For Ridley, the story starts with the mask. Just wish there was a cool backstory to go with Ridley’s. A Manitoba kid, he first came into prominence playing with the MJHL’s “Greg did the paint job and I really liked it,” he says. “I like the logo and Portage Terriers in the 1970-71 season. Ridley would be called up for the colours but I wasn’t trying to send a message.” five games with the late in the WHL season but, while with the Terriers, he recorded a then unheard-of .922 save The mask would accompany Ridley to Toronto where it was promptly percentage. painted white to match the Leafs’ colours. He still has that mask and is thinking about restoring it to its former glory. Apparently his performance registered with the scouting community. That summer, the Boston Bruins selected him in the second round, 28th Harrison also did Garrett’s masks, including one from the WHA’s overall, making him one of the first players to be drafted directly from a Minnesota Fighting Saints which is its own kind of cool. Garrett had that Tier 2 league. mask for most of his career and said it was repainted eight times as he changed teams. After a couple years in the Bruins’ system he was acquired by the Rangers, where he played a handful of games and moved on to the He was traded from the Nordiques to the Canucks on a Thursday, sent before the Canucks acquired him for, wait for it, a first- his mask to Harrison on Friday and played with a new paint job on round pick, eighth overall, in the 1976 draft. Saturday.

Ridley would split the following season between Tulsa, where he played In 1988, Garrett was in Calgary for the Olympics when he saw an art for Orland Kurtenbach, and the Canucks before moving to Vancouver exhibition of goalie masks that had a number of Harrison’s iconic full-time in 1976-77 with Kurtenbach. He spent three more seasons with designs. He still has the poster from that show. the Canucks before he was traded to Toronto, retiring after the 1981-82 season. “It reminds me of a lot of things,” Garrett says.

That, at least, is the back of his hockey card. But there are a couple of It’s a similar story with Ridley. As he recalls his career, he has trouble avenues worth exploring in Ridley’s career. putting dates and teams together but he has no problem remembering the men he played with, the men whose lives intersected with his own all For starters, he came up at a time when goalies were as disposable as those years ago. Kleenex. There was the odd star — Tony Esposito in Chicago, in Montreal — who found a permanent home. But, for the most He played behind Eddie Giacomin and Gilles Villemure in New York. Kurtenbach and Maniago had a huge influence in his career. He played for Punch Imlach in Toronto.

“I never had a problem with anyone,” he says.

“The guys really, really liked him,” says Hanlon. “He was a throwback, a competitor, and he was a survivor. He was a fine guy.”

We just didn’t see it behind the mask.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181782 Vancouver Canucks than it did when he was on the ice. Here’s the heat map (rates are relative to league average) with Boeser compared to without him:

Overall, Boeser’s power-play production mirrored that of his sophomore From As to Ds: Handing out the Vancouver Canucks’ regular season season, but was a far cry – in terms of underlying profile and actual report cards results – from what Boeser managed as a rookie. If there’s a reason for some concern, it’s the possibility that Boeser’s power-play impact has been marginalized in importance because of the rise of some of the Canucks’ more dangerous options – Pettersson, Miller, Quinn Hughes By Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance Mar 27, 2020 8 and even Bo Horvat.

In grading Boeser’s season, he deserves an A for his 5-on-5 play and a B With the NHL on an indefinite hiatus, we can safely assume that we’ve for his impact on the power play. We’ll split the difference with some seen the last of the 2019-20 regular season. weight given to the primacy of 5-on-5 impact and give him an A- that is sure to be a bit controversial. It’s possible that the league returns for a playoff that the Canucks could feature in, but the 82-game schedule probably isn’t salvageable. J.T. Miller: A+

That leaves the Vancouver Canucks, who were playing the most exciting 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 27G-45A-72P and meaningful hockey the city has seen in a long while, to reflect on a Miller couldn’t have made a more excellent first impression in Vancouver regular-season of relative overachievement. if he tried. Without further ado, here’s The Athletic Vancouver’s evaluation of each Leading the team in points and goals (tied with Pettersson), Miller was player’s campaign as we hand out individual report cards. the team’s best offensive producer, including on the power-play where he Note: Grades are handed out relative to a player’s expectations. If Player was the top unit’s primary creator from the left side of the 1-3-1 formation X has a better grade than Player Y it doesn’t mean X has been more with Boeser out. His 72 points have him sandwiched between Kyle valuable than Y. Skaters must have also played a minimum of 30 games Connor and Alex Ovechkin as a top-20 scorer in the NHL. for a grade Couple those flashy point totals with stellar underlying numbers and you Forwards have the type of all-around profile that resembles a top-flight first-line forward. Elias Pettersson: A Bo Horvat: B 2019-20 stat line: 68 GP, 27G-39A-66P 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 22G-31A-53P Don’t let the identical 66-point total from his rookie season fool you – Pettersson took a crucial step forward in his second year. Bo Horvat’s team-leading 11 power-play goals had him on pace to reach another career-high with 63 points, but he wasn’t as effective as he Whether it was less time and space off the rush or neutralizing his one- typically is at even-strength. timer, opposing defenders game planned around Pettersson and the Canucks’ franchise centre responded by finding new ways to score and Horvat racked up a lot of assists which ensured his even-strength points avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump. rate (2.13 per hour) clocked in at a high-end top-six rate, but scored goals at a lower clip than many of Vancouver’s bottom-six forwards, It takes a look under the hood at his two-way profile to recognize the including Loui Eriksson and Tyler Motte. biggest improvement he made, however, and that’s as a play driver. Pettersson’s ability to dominate the flow of play, tilt the ice in Vancouver’s The bigger issue was that his two-way game wasn’t as strong as the past favour and allow so little defensively is what you’d expect from a 10-year couple of years. He had a decisively negative defensive impact after veteran first-line centre, not a 21-year-old. accounting for contextual factors like teammates, zone starts and more as witnessed through Evolving-Hockey’s data. It’s honestly scary to think about what peak Pettersson could reach as he gets closer to his prime. (Graph via Evolving-Hockey)

Brock Boeser: A- Horvat still did well when you consider the lack of help he’s had on his wing against top competition, but he was better in his own zone and as a 2019-20 stat line: 57 GP, 16G-29A-45P play driver under virtually identical circumstances last season.

Among all Canucks skaters, ’s third full NHL season was far Tanner Pearson: B+ and away the most controversial, the most misunderstood and the most difficult to grade. 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 21G-24A-45P

The sum total of Boeser’s season is actually sort of fascinating. The goal Perhaps Tanner Pearson’s greatest accomplishment was to put an end, totals are lower than anticipated, but at least at 5-on-5, there’s not much at long last, to the rotating door on Horvat’s wing. in his profile that suggests he took a step back offensively. Quite the At 5-on-5, Pearson skated alongside Horvat for a whopping 680 of his contrary. Boeser’s individual shot rate, individual expected goals and 906 5-on-5 minutes. And yet, in the 680 minutes Horvat and Pearson shot attempt rate remained steady, it’s just that he converted on fewer spent together in a matchup role, the Canucks controlled the territorial than 10 percent of his 5-on-5 opportunities – the lowest number of his battle, outshot and were in the black by expected goal percentage while career by far. regularly chasing around the best offensive players in the world. And, even as his goals rate dropped, his overall 5-on-5 production rate That’s pretty good, even if Vancouver was outscored in those minutes. increased enormously. Playing with a couple of willing shooters in J.T. Miller and Pettersson, Boeser seemed to round out the playmaking side If there’s a knock on Pearson’s 5-on-5 profile, it’s that his 5-on-5 scoring of his game and smashed his career highs in assists rate. His two-way rates were relatively pedestrian (remember that six of his goals and nine impact and defensive game appeared to improve too, as he posted the of his points came with an empty net). Really, he manufactured even- best two-way results of his career. strength offence at a third-line rate despite logging regular top-six minutes. Considering the matchup and quality of teammate factors There’s some lingering concern in the Vancouver market about the zip on though, we shouldn’t really weigh that too heavily. Boeser’s wrist shot, and some of that is perhaps warranted, but the profile still suggests that Boeser dealt with more than his fair share of bad : B+ finishing luck this season, while rounding out his game as a two-way player and distributor. 2019-20 stat line: 59 GP, 12G-21A-33P

Things are a bit more complicated on the power play, however. Excellent seasons for Hughes, Miller and Jacob Markstrom stole most of the limelight in Vancouver and that left Adam Gaudette’s emergence as a Looking over some of the data at hockeyviz, it certainly looks as if the high-end secondary scorer as an underrated storyline. Canucks power play did better to generate inside looks without Boeser The 23-year-old scored at a 46-point per 82 game clip, making him the I conclude that his uncharacteristic two-way performance in the 2019-20 Canucks’ third most efficient scorer in all situations (points relative to ice- season wasn’t a direct result of working his way back from knee surgery. time) behind Pettersson and Miller. In fact, I’d bet he’s back to driving play effectively and posting strong That said, while the former fifth-round pick took a noticeable step forward scoring rate stats in a bottom-six role next season. with his two-way game, he still needs to improve defensively to be a viable third-line centre in the long run. Despite playing softer minutes, his Loui Eriksson: C line was routinely one of the most permissive in allowing shots and 2019-20 stat line: 49 GP, 6G-7A-13P scoring chances against and it led to the Canucks surrendering 3.06 goals per hour at 5-on-5 – leading to an even-strength goal differential in Loui Eriksson is a black hole offensively which means he’s not suited for the red. anything more than a fourth-line role, but he’s not completely useless as one of Vancouver’s few wingers who is reliable and can be trusted All considered, Gaudette handily exceeded expectations offensively – defensively. now it’s just time for his defensive game to catch up. The subtle details that Eriksson understands show its merit in the Jake Virtanen: B underlying data which suggests he gives his line a chance to control puck 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 18G-18A-36P possession and stay out of their defensive zone more often than not.

One of the most pressing storylines of the season that’s likely to go Eriksson’s an enormous sunk cost on the whole and will finish as one of unanswered is if Jake Virtanen would have hit the coveted 20-goal the worst signings in franchise history, but the fact that he’s not a flat-out plateau. It certainly seemed within reach, needing just two goals in the liability when he steps over the boards is an outcome you’ll take when final 13 games, but he was mired in a funk with just five points in his last you look at how badly his two-way game was starting to trend last year. 18 games before the hockey year was interrupted. Tyler Motte: C+

Regardless, Virtanen’s firmly reached middle-six territory with his level of 2019-20 stat line: 34 GP, 4G-4A-8P offensive production and one of the most surprising developments powering this scoring surge was his emergence as a man-advantage Tyler Motte brings an electric motor and much-needed speed to the contributor (his six power-play goals lead the second unit). bottom-six as a utility fourth-liner who can also kill penalties. The problem that persists, however, is that the bottom-line results don’t mirror the type Preventing him from a larger role with the team are valid concerns with of impact you think he’s making when you watch him play. his lackadaisical defensive game and poor attention to detail. The cap- strapped Canucks are going to have to ask themselves if they trust The Canucks get stuck in their own zone and hemorrhage quality chance Virtanen to address these shortcomings because he’s going to command after quality chance with Motte on the ice – controlling less than 40 a significant raise this summer with a cap hit that could be in the $3- percent of shot attempts and scoring chances while getting outscored 19- million range. 8. Extreme zone start usage must be a factor with these numbers, but Motte’s deficit from break-even is just so large that zone starts alone Josh Leivo: B+ cannot explain these deplorable even-strength results.

2019-20 stat line: 36 GP, 7G-12A-19P Jay Beagle: C

Although his season was shortened by an unpenalized Nick Holden hit 2019-20 stat line: 55 GP, 2G-6A-8P that fractured his kneecap, Josh Leivo had an excellent second season with the Canucks and provided significant surplus value above his $1.5 Jay Beagle was dominant in the circle and played tough minutes – he million cap hit. was often used in a matchup role, with Canucks coaches even hunting matchups with his line on the road. Beagle retains some utility as a Leivo’s two-way results speak for themselves – he was easily the best penalty killer as well, but that’s where the positives end. linemate that the Horvat, Pearson duo skated with regularly. At the time of his injury, he was tied in 5-on-5 scoring with Miller and had spent at Among all NHL players who played at least 500 5-on-5 minutes this past least 75 5-on-5 minutes with 10 teammates, all 10 of whom had fared season, only five skaters produced points at a lower rate than Beagle did. better by shot attempt differential with Leivo than without him. All told, The more devastating blow, however, was in how much time the Leivo – criticized occasionally early in the year for a lack of offensive Canucks spent in their own zone – Vancouver is going to need to find a production – ends the season ranked fourth, behind only the Lotto line way to do better than controlling 40 percent of shot attempts with their trio, in scoring rate among all Canucks forwards who played at least 200 fourth line on the ice going forward. minutes at 5-on-5. Brandon Sutter: B- Probably best suited to being a high-end third line forward on a 2019-20 stat line: 44 GP, 8G-9A-17P contending team, rather than a second liner, Leivo is a pending unrestricted free agent. If there’s value to be had, he could be an Floating up and down Vancouver’s bottom-six, rotating between wing and excellent, subtle fit for a Canucks team that is at their best when they’re centre, Brandon Sutter has filled several different roles in softer minutes. assertive on the forecheck and heavy on the wall – two elements that To his credit, he’s chipped in with 1.58 points per hour at 5-on-5 – a Leivo brought consistently through the first 36 games. credible third-line rate.

Antoine Roussel: C+ Perhaps most surprising is that the Canucks haven’t been caved in when Sutter’s stepped over the boards – he’s had a neutral impact on the 2019-20 stat line: 41 GP, 7G-6A-13P team’s ability to control play and with the help of a little bit of puck luck, It’s not straightforward to return from the type of knee surgery that his on-ice goal differential is actually even. Antoine Roussel underwent last spring, miss training camp and the first (Graph via Evolving-Hockey) two months of the campaign and immediately find your game. On the whole, Roussel wasn’t the sort of effective, two-way beast he’s typically Defencemen been throughout his career. Quinn Hughes: A+ All of that said, I think he found his stride in the last 20 games or so. Certainly his usually sparkling underlying numbers returned to form and 2019-20 stat line: 68 GP, 8G-45A-53P he actually led all Canucks regulars in expected goal percentage at 5-on- If the season had been able to play out, Hughes surely would’ve broken 5 over the final 20 games prior to the suspension of the season. Doug Lidster’s record for the highest-scoring season by any Canucks Considering Roussel’s style of play and how he needs to perform to be defenceman in history. He had an outside chance of passing Ray as effective as he’s been historically, there’s a non-zero chance that he’ll Bourque’s 65 points, which would’ve given him the fifth-best scoring begin to fall off now that he’s in his 30s (he turns 31 in November). season by a rookie defender in NHL history. Perhaps that’s part of what we saw this season when it took him until Perhaps most impressive, Hughes managed to produce at that level mid-February to really find his stride, but I’ll need to see a bit more before while also having one of the most significant impacts on the rate at which his team surrendered shot attempts, shots, scoring chances and expected goals against in the sport. And he was mostly matched up Jordie Benn: D against the opposition’s best, particularly after Christmas. 2019-20 stat line: 44 GP, 1G-6A-7P Also, he’s just 20-years-old. We could take you through how badly the Canucks get outshot, out- Hughes wasn’t just good this season, he was historically good. chanced and outscored whenever Benn’s played this season, but the healthy scratches say it all — he just hasn’t been good enough. Chris Tanev: B- What’s more is that because Vancouver’s remarkably avoided injury with 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 2G-18A-20P their right-handed defencemen, there’s been just one game where Chris Tanev was healthy for most of the season and his defensive game Benn’s had the chance to play the right side (anyone who follows the complemented Hughes well, but he quietly didn’t make as strong a two- Canadiens will tell you he’s been better on his offside) and sure enough, way impact as he’s done in years past. Out of the five players that shared that was the best game of his season. the ice with Tanev most commonly in 2019-20, all but one did a better job Now with the Canucks facing a cap crunch, Benn and his $2-million cap of controlling shot attempts and scoring chances away from Tanev than hit might be one of the players the organization tries to move on from to they did with him. This includes Hughes who goes from just below break- shed salary for next year. even with Tanev, to dominating north of 57 percent of shot attempts and chances. Oscar Fantenberg: C

Hughes’ plaudits as a one-man breakout machine have masked the slow 2019-20 stat line: 36 GP, 1G-5A-6P depreciation of Tanev’s skating and transition game that began last year. You could make a compelling case that Oscar Fantenberg’s performance As one of the team’s few defensively sound players and a valuable this season represents the quintessential depth defenceman. He doesn’t penalty killer, Tanev was still a solid contributor for the Canucks, but appear out of place when you first slot him in the lineup and it looks like unfortunately, he isn’t close to being the two-way ace he was two or three he may be able to hold the fort down for a while, but the longer he sticks years ago. as one of your top-six defencemen, the more glaring his weaknesses become. Alex Edler: B Fantenberg’s play, on the whole, was equally poor as Benn’s (43.5 CF%, 2019-20 stat line: 59 GP, 5G-28A-33P 44.1 percent expected goal share, outscored 23-13) with the difference After years of being a player with all the physical tools who was prone to simply being that we expected a lot less from the cheaper Swedish the big mistake, Edler – who is beginning to slow down a bit at the age of blueliner. 33 – is now as cerebral a defender as you’ll find. What he’s lost in foot Troy Stecher: C+ speed, he’s made up for with a sharp mind, a higher degree of physical consistency than he had as a younger defender and a general 2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 5G-12A-17P meanness, particularly at the net front and along the wall. From Game 1 in October, Troy Stecher hasn’t quite looked right. He Travis Green managed Edler’s minutes more carefully after he returned hasn’t been a liability by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s seemed from an injury in mid-December. a step behind on puck retrievals and breakouts which has hampered his usually sturdy transitional game. It also feels like he’s made more Now, what’s particularly interesting is that while Edler’s minutes never defensive mistakes such as the one below more often than usual. really returned to their October and November level, neither did his two- way form. Through the 2019 part of the schedule, Edler was carrying a Stecher not playing as well as he has in years past doesn’t change the 51.8 percent shot attempt differential in 30 games played. Once the fact, however, that he’s been miles better than Benn and Fantenberg as calendar flipped, he was at 46 percent over 29 games played. In the final a third-pair option. 20 Canucks games, he was dead last by shot attempt differential among all Vancouver defenders.

What remained constant, however, was Edler’s prolific 5-on-5 scoring : C+ rate. Consider this: Hughes’ record-setting offensive season consisted of 29 GP, 13W-10L-2OTL, .905 SV% 24 5-on-5 points over 68 games. Edler had 21 5-on-5 points in 59 games. Among all NHL defencemen who played at least 750 5-on-5 minutes this Overall, one would say that Thatcher Demko performed modestly below season, Edler ranked 16th in 5-on-5 scoring rate – 16th! average. His save percentage was just below the NHL average of .909, but of course, there’s some context to be considered with how permissive An overall assessment would suggest that Edler provided a really solid Vancouver was defensively – surrendering scoring chances against at a level of value to the Canucks this season – plus offensive value at 5-on- bottom-five rate for much of the season. 5, plus physical value and played about 30 games at the level of an absolute stud top-pair defender – but with diminishing returns as the Even accounting for that, Demko’s performance still rates just modestly season went along. below what you’d expect from a league-average goaltender this season. NaturalStatTrick.com’s goals saved above average ranks him 38th Tyler Myers: B among the 58 NHL goaltenders who appeared in at least 1000 minutes 2019-20 stat line: 68 GP, 6G-15A-21P this season, and credits him with a .803 save percentage on high danger chances. That would rank him 40th among the 58 qualified NHL Tyler Myers had a strong first season in Vancouver and provided about goaltenders. what should’ve been reasonably expected, if you put his $6-million cap hit aside. Myers performed at the level of a bona fide second pair Demko was fine, good enough in his first full season of NHL action that defenceman with solid offensive value and minimal defensive impact. he gave the team a chance to win most nights. He didn’t steal too many games and he didn’t hurt the team overall, and actually provided decent The 5-on-5 scoring was a bit lower than you’d have expected based on value considering the low cost of his cap hit. his career numbers, largely as a result of him shooting about a third below his career shooting clip and having tough offensive luck on an on- Jacob Markstrom: A+ ice basis too. Still, he was second to Hughes by most of the relevant 2019-20 stat line: 43 GP, 23W-16L-4OTL, .918 SV% underlying categories, including shot attempt and expected goal differential. Also of the 15 skaters with whom he spent at least 150 5-on- The Canucks were one of the NHL’s bottom-five defences this season. 5 minutes, 14 fared better by shot attempt differential with Myers than You need an elite goalie to have a realistic shot at the playoffs and that’s they fared without him. exactly what Markstrom gave the Canucks. There were several games That’s solid, especially when one considers that he led all Canucks that he singlehandedly stole for Vancouver and when you account for the defencemen in 5-on-5 ice time during the 2018-19 season. porous defence in front of him, it’s evident that he was unquestionably a top-five goalie in the league. Overall, it was a quietly effective season for Myers. The ticket is a big one, but Myers logged first pair minutes and had credible second pair (Data and table via Clear Sight Analytics) impact for the Canucks in year one. Clear Sight Analytics has Markstrom rated first among goalies when comparing the number of goals he’s saved relative to a league-average goalie and Sportlogiq also has him top-five by their interpretation of the same metric.

Pettersson, Miller and Hughes have all had outstanding individual seasons, but Markstrom is the team’s MVP as their most important player.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181783 Websites Public health issues should – and do – trump all else. If it added a little stress to the news-gathering process, so be it.

In my mind, the new temporary guidelines didn’t materially change The Athletic / Duhatschek: On media restrictions, the way it used to be anything really in terms of genuine access to players. The sort of real and and a new way forward unfettered access we enjoyed many years ago had incrementally disappeared over time.

But it also got me thinking. By Eric Duhatschek Mar 27, 2020 45 Does it have to always be this way? Or can we use this pause in the action to make fundamental changes that improve upon current methods and practices? In the 1985-86 NHL season, the Calgary Flames made an unexpected run to the Stanley Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens, a matchup Remember, back in 2004-05, when the NHL lost an entire season that featured two sensational rookie netminders, Patrick Roy and Mike because of a labour squabble, the one positive that emerged from the Vernon. darkness was how the league and the players jointly took a deeper, closer look at the game during the absence of hockey – to see if there But until Vernon arrived on the scene midway through that year, were ways to make improvements. When play resumed the following Calgary’s mainstay in goal was Rejean Lemelin, who had a fabulous season, some of the recommendations made during the so-called back story – a career minor-leaguer, from a family of six in Quebec City Shanahan Summit were adopted. Overall, the game is in a far better who had finally found a place in the NHL as a starting goaltender. place now because of the changes made then. You wonder if something Lemelin was a popular figure in Calgary in those days – serenaded with similar can take place here – and if during this absolutely necessary “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie” whenever he made a big save. suspension of business as usual, is it possible to discuss changes that Our professional lives were a lot different in those days. NHL teams flew might facilitate greater, real communication between players and on commercial airlines and the reporters covering the teams flew with reporters? them. It was a far more informal era when it came to player access. I’m not naïve enough to think the genie could be completely put back into Travelling together gave you a chance to know the players and – just as the bottle – or that we can go back in time and restore the methods and importantly – also gave them the chance to know you. practices of the 1980s. If you ever needed to speak to a player for a deeper look into their lives But I do believe that NHL teams can re-evaluate their media goals and and times, usually, you just went ahead and arranged the interview become a little less sensitive to what they perceive to be negative (or yourself. For example, that year, just before the Flames made a stop in even neutral) coverage. In short, they need to encourage players to tell his hometown of Quebec City, I asked Lemelin if we could visit his old their stories more willingly and show more of their personalities. Believe neighborhood together, so I could see where he grew up (and meet and me, they’re there – and you see glimpses of it sometimes. You just need speak to his parents). Lemelin agreed. It wasn’t all that big or to see those personalities bubble to the surface more frequently. complicated a negotiation. Because if nothing changes when normalcy returns, then the larger issue On the off-day between games, we went out to his childhood home and remains – and the interaction between players and reporters will be the walked around the neighbourhood. Lemelin pointed out the rink where he same stilted song-and-dance that must drive hockey fans crazy too. And played outdoors as a boy and also, the new indoor arena which had believe me, I genuinely do have some sympathy with the players here. subsequently been built – thus diminishing the amount of outdoor hockey that the newest generation played. After, we stopped in to visit his Postgame, if they are peering into a phalanx of cameras and tape parents, who were unilingual Francophones, so Reggie translated. Later, recorders – many held by people they don’t recognize at all – why would he spoke about how growing up in Quebec, there weren’t any Chinooks they say anything colourful or enlightening under those circumstances? to briefly break the grip of winter as there are in Calgary. If you happened It’s safer to dumb down the answers until it’s just a dull recitation of to play goal, that could mean a lot of standing around in frigid meaningless hockey speak. You hear it all the time: “Get pucks deep.” temperatures. Therefore, when playing outdoors as a teenager, Lemelin “Get traffic to the net.” “Work harder.” “Work smarter.” It makes you want usually played forward. to scream.

It ended up being a good interview and a good human-interest feature for Practice days tend to be marginally better. Usually, players see more my newspaper’s Sunday magazine supplement. Lemelin’s career had familiar faces in the crowd on off days. Not many, but some players still been short-circuited by several events beyond his control, including the do linger in the dressing room to chat – and otherwise interact and folding of the WHA, which allowed Pat Riggin to sign a contract with the exchange banter with the reporters that cover the team daily. It’s a Atlanta Flames, pushing Lemelin further down the depth chart. He was mixture though – and a lot of times, in a lot of markets, the gathering is also in the organization when the Flames briefly signed goaltender Jim dominated by in-house media employed by the teams themselves that Craig after the 1980 Miracle on Ice. Lemelin’s was a remarkable story operate with a directive to send out a consistent, and mostly upbeat about persistence in the wake of career challenges. message to its fanbase.

I retell that anecdote today mostly to illustrate how completely This – rather than actual dressing room access – is a far larger issue to unremarkable the newsgathering for that story was. Nowadays, the me: How NHL teams – and really all major sports teams – have protocols for the sort of longer interview I did with Lemelin would have to increasingly tried to control the message. be cleared through about six different layers of a team’s communications and hockey operations departments. Back then, I don’t even think Generally, teams will always want to put the most positive spin possible anyone in the Flames’ organization was even aware that Lemelin and I on everything that may happen. I get that. If you’re winning, great. were talking back and forth on a major feature story. It was just the two of Winning takes care of everything. If you’re losing, well, there are always us, working out the logistics. For most people in the organization, the first prospects to focus on – or the draft lottery. The sun will eventually shine time they were aware of the story was on the day it was actually again. And let’s face it, there are a lot of uplifting stories in hockey – and published. generally speaking, in-house media do a good job of telling them.

A lot of events moved very quickly this month before the NHL finally Where things falter is at the other end of the story-telling spectrum. suspended play indefinitely to await further developments in the wake of Internally, on team – or even the NHL’s own – websites there isn’t a lot of the coronavirus outbreak. For a brief time, one of the early preventative discussion on the more contentious topics: concussion issues or measures that the league put in place was to close dressing rooms to officiating or anything that remotely resembles bad news. reporters and any other non-essential staff. The goal was to create a It’s all sweetness and light. physical space between reporters and players, in the hopes that if anyone in the vicinity happened to be carrying the virus, it reduced the Even if the leagues may privately detect a problem that needs to be chances of it being transmitted any further. addressed, they like to handle things internally – away from prying eyes.

As someone from a generation that was taught an ounce of prevention Bad news is usually bad for business – and if there’s one thing that was worth a pound of cure, I was totally on board with the need to take consistently marks Gary Bettman’s reign as commissioner, from the precautionary steps in uncertain times. beginning until today, it is this: he hates things that are bad for business. And if you can at all minimize the contact reporters have with players, Only when something gets their attention in an immediate and forceful coaches and general managers, it is far easier to limit the meaningful way. information they can gather – or unearth the issues where somebody’s feet need to be held to the fire. There’s a part of me that thinks I’m clutching at straws here, and then there’s another part of me that believes everyone is capable of becoming If the goal is to serve the hockey consumer, there has to be a better way more introspective and aware in difficult, disruptive times. The NHL is of doing things than the system that’s evolved. currently conducting a series of conference calls with a handful of players on Zoom, and the players – for the most part – seem pretty engaged. One of the things that social distancing has prompted the return of is the telephone interview. Nick Foligno, Anders Lee, Alex Ovechkin, P.K. Subban on NHL media call on March 26, 2020, during the pause for the COVID-19 pandemic. Me? I love the telephone interview because it’s just two people talking. (Screenshot by The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir) And here’s a slight change that I’ve already noticed. For the first time in a long time, some of the people I’m interviewing are engaging as if it’s a The appetite for stories on how the NHL’s rank-and-file coped with the real conversation. They’re asking: “How are you coping?” “How are you coronavirus will be high once play resumes – and players may even be doing?” It’s so refreshing. It’s so old-fashioned. They even seem to have eager to share their experiences. more time to linger after the official Q&A is finished. Hopefully, once we’re past that early honeymoon stage, relationships can Everywhere you turn these days, there seems to be a new level of continue to evolve and better dialogue becomes a new fact of life in the courtesy between people, a greater sense that we’re all in this together, a NHL’s return-to-play world. Because, frankly, and unhappily, most of better understanding that if we pay a little more attention to what the what’s said in dressing rooms on an average day consists of banal and other person might be going through, it will pay dividends for society at trite remarks that could easily go unspoken. large. Maybe it’ll even be sustainable when normalcy returns. Nowadays, it’s risky even to ask a probing question within a group setting Today, I was thinking back to a time – in the 1993-94 season – when that because too often, you’ll discover that within the hour, the team has was far more common. I was on the road with the Flames and got food posted the entire exchange on its own website. poisoning in Boston. I was suffering desperately on the flight to Montreal where the Flames were set to play the Canadiens the next night – and That can get tricky. That becomes a challenge. barely made it the hotel room. It soon became clear I couldn’t leave that For the longest time, my preferred tactic in the current era has been to room anytime soon either. wait out the masses as long as possible so that my colleagues can But unless you were hospitalized, newspaper deadlines and demands dispense with the daily updates they need to do their jobs. Ideally, once were unwavering – and you had to file something every day. What to do? that’s completed, they disperse elsewhere and it’s only you and the My solution was to contact the Canadiens’ public relations director, coach – or you and the player. Even if you only get a few extra minutes, Donald Beauchamp, to explain my plight. I asked him if he could put there’s value in knowing that your exchange is private and isn’t going out Canadiens’ coach Jacques Demers on the phone for me, just so I could minutes later on social media. file something – anything – to my paper. But even that is getting increasingly difficult to manage.

He agreed. But when Demers called, before I could get to my questions, Earlier this season, I was in Los Angeles for a Sharks-Kings’ game and he had a question for me: What was it like for Calgary the year after they wanted to get a few moments alone with Peter DeBoer, who was still won the Stanley Cup (1989)? And did it take the team a long time to sort coaching in San Jose. I’d been working away at a story I called the things out? My answer was yes. They started the year on a 17-day tour Patience Project. of the Czech Republic and Russia. A handful of players picked up a bug they couldn’t shake for months. What was an elite team the year before Pretty much everyone had eventually left the scrum, so now it was just (117 points), wasn’t much good until Christmas. Demers digested that DeBoer and I going back and forth, probably for less than two minutes. and said something similar was happening with the Canadiens – and But he gave a couple of pretty good answers that I was planning to file spoke about the challenge of getting everybody going again after their away – or I was until I got back to the press room at Staples Center, 1993 Stanley Cup run. I filed the story, didn’t think much of it either way about a 90-second walk. and went back to bed. There, I discovered a message from Kevin Kurz, our Sharks The next day, I gingerly made my way to the Forum and the first person I correspondent. Kevin, who wasn’t in L.A. at the game, said in his saw in the media room was Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette. Red was message: That was a good answer Pete gave you. Are you writing mad (sort of, in that Red Fisher way). He told me he’d been trying to get something off that? Demers to say something similar for a while, but Demers never quite laid Puzzled, I answered, no, it was for a down-the-road story – and by the it out as eloquently as he did for me. He wasn’t happy that he had to read way, how did you happen to see the exchange? Because I thought it in an out-of-town (albeit sister) publication. everyone else had drifted away by then. It turns out, no. The cameras But that’s why one-on-one access can be so valuable. Sometimes, you hadn’t stopped rolling – and our last exchange ended up going out over set out to do one story and then something is said in the interview that the air, live on the Sharks’ postgame show. triggers an interesting anecdote and sends you down an unexpected Sometimes, you can’t win … no matter how hard you try. reporting path. And of course, players used to be far more present in the dressing room once practice or games ended. The opportunity to speak The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 to a player one-on-one was just a regular, undisputed part of our daily working lives. Once upon a time, teams tried a little harder to make that happen – or at the very least, didn’t stand in the way when it occurred organically. There was none of this, “last question for Sidney Crosby” stuff that happens all the time now.

I wonder too if some athletes might emerge from the current pause with a differing view of the world. Nowadays, NHL players spend about nine months out of every calendar year living in the professional sports bubble, where somebody is always taking care of their every need. It doesn’t even remotely resemble real life. With social distancing, that professional sports bubble has burst, and the players are all out in the real world, fending for themselves and learning to handle things on their own the way everyday people do.

If a percentage becomes more aware and more empathetic to the world outside their bubble, that could be a good thing.

Because how do people grow? 1181784 Websites In pro baseball, basketball and hockey, the leagues strike deals with major networks for marquee regular-season games and postseasons, and each team negotiates its own regional TV deal to carry most of its regular-season contests. The Athletic / Money trouble: The pressure behind getting sports back on TV The NBA and NHL have completed most of their regular seasons. NHL teams had 11 or 12 games left, and NBA teams had 15 to 19.

“The NBA, for instance, has said they’d be willing to play through August By Joe Vardon Mar 27, 2020 75 for their playoffs,” said Berke, the sports-TV consultant who is president of his firm, LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media. “They’ve gotten the bulk

of their regular-season games in, they can play a full playoff schedule. It is known as the “force majeure” clause, and it is in virtually every sports Then there’s not that much of an issue financially for all concerned. broadcasting contract. Baseball is in a different boat.”

The specifics of each contract vary by sport and by network, but Baseball teams did not finish spring training, and on top of were generally speaking they contain a provision that allows the network to scheduled to have 162 regular-season games to go before the playoffs. recoup money if a great, unforeseen set of circumstances causes the The regional TV deals are lucrative in baseball, worth as much as $200 cancellation of games. million per year to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and between $20 million and $60 million annually for most teams, according to FanGraphs. Like, say, a lethal, highly contagious virus sweeping the world. Berke, whose clients include the and Los Angeles Up until about a few weeks ago, the force majeure clause was boilerplate Angels in baseball, and the Cavaliers of the NBA, said “from a regional language in contracts between TV networks and major sports leagues. standpoint, networks are expecting a minimum number of live games, Now, everyone in the sports media business is talking about it. and if those games are missing, they’re going to try to obtain compensation for those games. “It’s the term that is now flying around out there,” said Lee Berke, a sports and TV consultant who advises sports teams and regional sports “It could be compensation, it could be additional rights, it could be an networks on contracts. “Force majeure is something that is out of extension of a term of an agreement,” Berke said, explaining the everybody’s hands, a natural disaster, a flood or tornado or hurricane, a negotiations that will occur because of missed games. “But certainly as a pandemic. … It’s part of the discussions that are starting to take place on (), you’re more exposed. The main thing you offer a very tentative basis between the networks and the leagues that I think up is the game itself as far as preseason or postseason. are starting to pick up steam in the days and weeks to come.” “If you cancel a season, then you cancel the playoffs and you’re going to In the case of collegiate men’s basketball, the clause was already take a huge financial hit. That’s not a choice any league is going to make. triggered by the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Those games will They are going to do everything possible to save the season.” not be made up. Turner Broadcasting and CBS pay about $800 million to the NCAA per year to air the tournament, through a contract that will run The caveat that Berke and Fort, the sports economist from Michigan, through 2032. point to is this: Sports can, and will, only resume when it’s safe.

The NCAA revealed Thursday that because of lost revenue, it will pay Going back to the days before they shut down, it was local and state Division I member schools $225 million this year instead of the $600 politicians who pushed the leagues into planning games without fans. But million that was expected. Fifty million of that will come from its reserve it was the leagues themselves who suspended their seasons, citing the fund, with the other $175 million coming from a line of credit that it plans desire to protect the health of their players, employees, fans and the to pay off once it receives $270 million from an event cancellation public at large. insurance policy. It’s hard to imagine that any league resumes play, even without fans in In pro sports, Turner and ESPN/ABC are not yet demanding the NBA the stands, until the risk of spreading the virus by holding the games is return to the court to finish the season – or else forfeit the $2.6 billion greatly reduced. That period, according to most public health experts, is they pay the league to show its games. The same can be said for NBC not coming any time soon. and the NHL in the U.S. ($200 million annually), and for ESPN, Fox and “If we all maintain social distance for a couple months, we can get Turner with (more than $1.5 billion annually). through this and have the least number of cases and deaths possible,” Opening Day was supposed to have been Thursday. said Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist in Utah who worked with the Now, in the middle of this global mess, is not the moment for the Jazz to get the team home from Oklahoma City the night Gobert’s networks to enforce force majeure. positive test became public. Dunn made these remarks during an appearance on Jazz forward Joe Ingles’ podcast this week. But the leagues are not without pressure to get back on the field, court or ice this summer so they can ensure they get their TV money. Sports are “This is probably going to last a couple months, and so we just have to not immune to the country’s economic woes. And the easiest way the do it, even though it’s going to cost us economically and psychologically, leagues can weather that storm is to finish (or in baseball’s case, start) and we’ll do everything we can to kind of lessen those blows,” Dunn their seasons. continued.

“It’s essential,” said Rodney D. Fort, a sports economist and professor at Richard Sheehan is a sports economist and University of Notre Dame the University of Michigan. “There won’t be any other money stream professor. Applying medical theories of virus containment espoused by that’s available to them. As soon as they can get back on TV, they can doctors like Dunn, and tracking the data of coronavirus patients and start to massage the revenue opportunities that are available to them. If mortality rates in , and , Sheehan said he doesn’t fans can’t come to the games, then TV is the obvious.” see any way the NBA, NHL or MLB could play this summer.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive test on March 11 prompted the “As a numbers guy here, you have 30 teams (in the NBA), you have 15 NBA to suspend its season immediately; the NCAA Tournament, NHL, players per team, so let’s say you have 450 players plus another 450 MLB and PGA Tour followed suit. people required to assist you in terms of putting things together as far as filming the games, or refereeing the games, or coaching them, or what Prior to Gobert’s positive test, the NBA and NHL were prepping to play have you,” Sheehan said. “Maybe you’re talking about 1,000 people to games with no fans in the stands. Many conference tournaments were continue to run the games. Out of those 1,000 people, the 450 players making the same preparations for men’s and women’s college are going to be among the 450 most fit people on the planet. And they basketball, as was MLB for spring training games. can probably go through and play. After doing this a couple weeks, probably all would be in contact with the virus, all of them exposed, and “If there is ever going to be a comeback, all we have to look at is how my expectation is the overwhelming majority of them wouldn’t be sick, (sports) shut down,” Fort said. “What was the plan at shutdown? The and wouldn’t have a problem. They’re in a good age group and they’re plan was no fans, play the games. And presumably they were saying that top of the line healthy. If I had to put a mortality rate on them, it would be it was because the TV money was such that, even though they might pretty close to zero. lose money, having the TV money meant they lost less than if they didn’t have the TV money.” “The other 450 or 500 people that would be a part of the games, whether coming months due to the coronavirus. That’s trillions of dollars it’s the referees or it’s the support staff or something like that, don’t fit that potentially disappearing from people’s pockets as unemployment category. Out of those 500 people, five are dead (based on a 1 percent skyrockets. On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department reported 3.3 million mortality rate for people who contract the virus in general). people filed for unemployment in the last week — a record.

“You want to play the games? That’s the question that we face all the In other words, once fans are allowed to buy tickets, not as many will be way through.” able to. The natural, downward spiral will affect advertisers and sponsors and T-shirt buyers. Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, has said publicly the league is considering a range of options, from canceling the season all together to Sports have survived national recessions before – such as the one that resuming the regular season to playing just the playoffs, to holding a hit in 2008 – but most economists expect the coming hit to be much charity game for players willing to play. deeper and more widespread.

This week, the Chinese pro basketball league pushed its restart back “A lot of fans are going to be financially hit by this,” said Dan Rascher, a from mid-April to mid-May, and the Korean league canceled its season. sports economist and team consultant based in California. “People want this (the economic downturn) to be kind of V-shaped, but it’s going to In text messages to several NBA players who were granted anonymity to stay down and it’s going to be a while before lots of things come back to speak freely, most told The Athletic they would either be eager to return normal. I think the leagues are going to struggle for years rebuilding their to the court as soon as Silver summoned them, regardless of the virus, or fan bases, from a revenue perspective.” at least when it was deemed safe for them to return. Fort, the Michigan sports economist, said, “I make a good living and right “I just don’t want to be a part of the spreading,” one NBA vet said. “The now the only loss I’m suffering is a paper loss in my retirement. actual Corona doesn’t bother me. I’ve had the flu many times. But I want to do my part as a good citizen. As soon as that evolves from staying “When sports comes back, I’m perfectly happy, capable and able in an home to playing again, I’m in.” instant to start spending money on sport again. The real question becomes how many people like me are going to have their incomes Even if every NBA player were free of any underlying health issue that redirected, helping their kids pay rent or something like that, that they could make them more susceptible to becoming sick with the virus (Larry won’t be able to dedicate the same amount of money to sports that they Nance Jr. of the Cavs, for instance, has Crohn’s disease, which weakens did before? It’s not a low-income phenomenon. It’s not a phenomenon his immune system), most would have vulnerable family members and that typically hits the people who can barely stand to bear it the hardest, friends. that don’t have much impact on sports.”

Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns shared Tuesday that his mother By and large, pro sports teams are owned by billionaires. Already, the contracted the virus and is on a ventilator. Ingles, whose young son is owners of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils were shamed autisitc and has a weakened immune system, said on The Athletic’s into rescinding temporary wage cuts for at-will workers. Other owners in “Tampering” podcast that he would walk away from basketball if the sports were late to promising to cover lost wages for part-time arena games resumed and his son’s health were in jeopardy. workers, beaten to the punch by the players, who earn millions instead of To prevent the spread of the disease to family members, players in the billions. NBA and NHL would have to be quarantined for weeks and months, But as the hiatus of major American sports continue, lost earnings and depending how deep they make it in the playoffs. All of MLB would have layoffs are coming. Players’ salaries will drop, too, if the pool of money to do the same, for however long that season goes. coming in drops substantially.

“I could walk out of this gym now, in the clothes I’m in, and go to the “We’ve lived in one world, and at the end of the day we are going to be in airport,” Ingles said. “I would have zero issues (with that choice) because a fundamentally different world,” Sheehan said. “There is just no other I wouldn’t want to put my family through that. I don’t want to put Jacob way to say that. We’ve lived in an economy of $20 trillion, and sports (his son) through that. I don’t want to put his sister (Milla) through that, figures, players have grown used to getting some fairly substantial and I definitely don’t want to put his mother through that. So it’s really salaries. The amount of revenue on the table is going to drop hard. dramatically.

“I would love to go back and play. There’s a million reasons why I want to “I think you are going to see players’ salaries come back down from the play. But the one reason – I love Jacob – to not play is the one that I stratosphere, and see much fewer fans in the stands when this ultimately would stick by. … Obviously I know there’s 449 other players who are comes down.” itching to get back and play (but) I just don’t know how (the virus) would end up stopping if we kept playing.” So, uh, what about the NFL?

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said this week he thought The king of American sports, with roughly $5 billion in annual TV the NBA would begin playing before June 1. Reached via email with earnings, doesn’t play a game that counts until September. So time may questions regarding his comments about a return, as well as potential be on football’s side. Every logistical problem you’ve read here though is revenue losses from TV and ticket sales, Cuban said: “Every team is exacerbated in the NFL. different and I have not looked at the economics of any of this. We are focused on keeping people healthy and (safe) right now.” Rosters are larger. Support staffs bigger. And if you can’t safely let 20,000 people in to watch basketball, or 30,000 for a big baseball game, If the leagues were to lose out on TV money, it would be a devastating how are you going to let 70,000 in on a Sunday afternoon? blow. Revenue losses are coming regardless, perhaps on a massive scale. Fans aren’t going to be allowed into games for a while. You probably can’t. Not in September, though the NFL is for now planning to operate business as usual for the season. Which is why “I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to do public games in the next playing NFL games on TV is paramount. two years,” Sheehan said. “‘Wow,’ you say? Yeah. But ask yourself, when is a vaccine going to come out? You can’t open up the stadium to “If the NFL wants to play from November until April, then the NFL will fans. It’s simple, very simple. Even by August, September, we’re not play from November until April, and everybody will watch and the going to have a vaccine available yet. Without a vaccine, we’re going to speculation will be enormous,” Berke said. “The speculation about ‘is this face the same problem then as we face now, but with a twist. The guy in shape, how will this team be,’ it will build up to the crescendo of problem is now – we don’t know who has it. You can be asymptomatic the games coming back. And the same is going to be for every other and spread the disease, and as long as that’s the case, you can’t have sport as well.” fans in the stands.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 Sheehan, of course, is not a doctor, and his estimate is just that. But he uses it to frame the economic downturn that’s coming for sports – one that would be exacerbated by lost TV revenues. And fans being kept out of the stands is just part of the grim equation.

Major financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are predicting huge chunks of the American economy falling off over the 1181785 Websites McDavid dismissed the idea that the 15-day rest, so far, has had any impact on his knee, as he says he’s 100 per cent healthy. He has the luxury of having a gym in his Edmonton home to continue his workouts, while also spending some time running outside with teammate Darnell Sportsnet.ca / Connor McDavid on NHL jumping into playoffs: 'A fair Nurse. season is a full season' Giordano said he’s got a few pieces of exercise equipment at home, but is largely relying on body-weight exercises like old school pushups to keep him active. Eric Francis | @EricFrancis March 27, 2020, 4:14 PM Horvat is back in his native Ontario with his pregnant wife, who is

expecting their first child this summer. Between workouts in his home gym and sifting through chirps on his With his free time Horvat said he tried his hand at painting Thursday. team’s group chats, Connor McDavid has had plenty of time to think about how the NHL should proceed if given time to save the season. "Painted the nursery – first time painting, so a little rough around the edges," he laughed. And the Edmonton Oilers captain has strong thoughts on the possibility of jumping straight into the playoffs if the COVID-19 pause doesn’t go on Giordano did some cooking with the help of a meal kit from Hello Fresh, too long. which he said was tasty, but did little to curb his distaste for cleaning up afterwards. "Obviously a fair season is a full season, so if we can do that that’s obviously what I’d prefer," said McDavid of the possibility of simply The players said they all keep in touch with teammates via team chats aborting the balance of the regular season. that have produced "ridiculous" photos and tweets in an effort to replace the daily banter they all miss so much. "But I don’t think we can just step into playoffs. Game 1, Calgary comes to Edmonton, and guys just run around killing each other and haven’t Giordano, for one, hasn’t lost his ability to throw a little trash talk out. played a game in two months. It will end up the Stockton Heat versus the Bakersfield Condors if that’s the case. We want to keep guys healthy and "I don’t know why everyone thinks they’re so quick – I think they’re make sure everyone’s up and ready to play some playoff hockey." actually kind of slow, especially Connor," deadpanned Giordano said when the panelists were asked what they didn’t miss about playing McDavid’s rare candour came on a video conference call organized by against one another. the league Friday with fellow Pacific Division captains Mark Giordano, Bo Horvat and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. "It’s kind of tough to adjust my gap space – I’ve got to slow it down there a bit." Horvat’s team is in an interesting predicament as the league debates what a return might look like, as the Canucks sit ninth in points, but would He then targeted goalie David Rittich as the player he’d least like to be be a top-eight squad based on winning percentage. quarantined with.

"To make it completely fair you’d play more regular season games, but "He crushes a lot of Pepsi and pop and stuff like that," said Giordano of it’s tough to make that call, for sure," said Horvat. the team’s favourite whipping boy.

"You can’t eliminate teams that are out on points percentage and stuff "And half the time he’s yelling at me on the ice and I have no idea what like that," added Giordano in support of the Canucks’ plight. he’s saying."

"I think you go 12-on-12 and more teams get in this year, and maybe a McDavid said he’d avoid quarantining with Zack Kassian, as he has way couple byes at the top and play it out. I think it’s going to be tough to too much energy. Horvat chose Jake Virtanen and left it at that. jump into a playoff game right away first game. Even if we can get a As community leaders, all four players wanted to acknowledge medical couple (regular season games) in before that it would be nice. personnel for their exemplary service at a critical time. Realistically I don’t think we’re going to have that time (for regular season to be played out). But we’ll see how long this lasts." "Thanks to all the medical workers – the doctors and nurses and everyone who is really putting themselves at risk to help the greater One thing the group agreed on was that if there is an opportunity to hand good," said Giordano. out the Stanley Cup with a condensed playoff, the entertainment value could be at an all-time high. "Social distancing and all that stuff, we know we have to do it. It’s frustrating for us and disappointing, but we have to do what is right. We "If we can ever get back to playing, I think this is going to be one of the know we can get through this." best playoffs ever, because every team is going to have all their guys healthy and ready to go," said Giordano. Horvat concurred.

"You’re truly going to be playing the best version of every team. If we can "Obviously, we miss you guys, the fans," he said. get through this as a community and as a group of NHLers, then we’ll be in for some pretty good hockey." "I can’t thank the medical staff and the people on the front lines enough, taking this head on. Putting themselves at risk, and also helping others That would most certainly be the case if the Oilers and Flames faced off that are in desperate need right now of some help. Hopefully we can in the opening round, as the current standings would dictate. resolve this thing quick and get back on the ice for our fans, because I know they’re missing it, and so are we." "That would be pretty fun," said McDavid, whose second-place Oilers have played four of the league’s most memorable games of the season Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 against the third-place Flames.

"We’ve had lots of games that were meaningless (over recent years), but with things so tight the fans always get into it and they’re always a lot of fun. This year they’ve been pretty wild, so hopefully we’ll get back playing here and maybe we’ll even see them in the playoffs."

Nothing would make hockey fans happier.

"Fun for sure," added Giordano, from his Calgary home.

"With both teams in those playoffs spots, for a lot of my career it wasn’t like that. So this is so much better for the game and it’s a lot more fun playing those games. We’ve had some good ones this year, so hopefully we’ll keep that going." 1181786 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Bill Daly sees summer 'window' to complete NHL season, playoffs

Shannon Coulter March 27, 2020, 8:42 PM

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is hopeful that the NHL can fit in the end of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs during a “bigger window” this summer and play a full schedule in the 2020-21 season.

“I will say that it remains our hope, if not our goal, to be playing hockey sooner than then,” Daly said Friday, as reported by NHL.com’s Nicholas Cotsonika. “Depending on how things play out, we’d love to be playing sometime in the spring, and then if we have to leak into early summer, we’d love to have that problem. But I don’t think we’re far enough along in understanding where this is going to know what’s possible at this point in time.

“We think if we were required to, we might have the ability to play in August. If we have to fit games in, we’ll find ways to fit games in.”

The NHL season was postponed on March 12 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. While no timeline for a return has been announced, the NHL has so far not ruled out finishing the regular season and putting on a full Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I think as time has gone on, we’ve recognized we might have a bigger window than we had originally thought with respect to the summer months and when we have to finish things to be ready for a full regular season next year,” Daly said.

The Deputy Commissioner also re-assured players who are concerned about staying in shape during this period of self-isolation that a transition plan will be in place to help teams get back to in-season form before potential playoffs.

“There’s going to be an adequate training camp with an ability to get back up to speed,” Daly said. “In terms of the first meaningful game, I’m not in a position to say what that’s going to look like, but we certainly understand the sentiment and the concerns about kind of jumping right back in.”

On Wednesday, the NHL announced that the NHL Scouting Combine, the NHL Awards and the NHL Draft have been postponed. Daly said the fate of the NHL Draft Lottery or order cannot be decided until the NHL knows if and how the season continues.

As for the NHL Draft, the NHL would prefer to host a typical draft but other options are being considered, including holding a streamlined event or staging it electronically.

However, the Deputy Commissioner said that the Montreal Canadiens will host a draft at the Bell Centre at some point.

“It’s an unfortunate circumstance, obviously, but they’ve been fantastic partners in terms of making the decisions we needed to make on the timeline that we felt like we needed to make them,” Daly said.

Three NHL players have tested positive for COVID-19: two from the Ottawa Senators and one player from the Colorado Avalanche, who has since recovered.

Other players have tested negative, Daly said, and some have test results pending. Daly declined to provide numbers, but said they were “very low, relatively speaking.”

“We’re getting a handle on the overall health of the NHL community, and I think by all accounts, we’re relatively healthy, knock on wood,” Daly said. “I think that bodes well as we kind of continue to navigate this and continue to hope for an opportunity to return to play.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181787 Websites There has been some discussion about potentially holding a 24-team playoff tournament with a play-in round to at least include those battling for spots when the season was halted, but there’s no guarantee time will allow for that to go forward. Sportsnet.ca / Crosby, Ovechkin hoping NHL jumps into playoffs if season resumes and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris March 26, 2020, 4:11 PM Claude Giroux’s Philadelphia Flyers were the hottest team in hockey when the season was paused — riding a 9-1-0 streak to move within a

point of Washington for the Metropolitan Division lead. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been on opposite sides of a He wouldn’t mind continuing on with the regular season. fierce rivalry throughout their careers. "It’d be good to I think get a few games before playoffs, especially for But the generational superstars are on the same page when it comes to teams that are fighting for a spot in," said Giroux. "You want to give how they’d prefer to see the NHL finish the season, if possible, on the everybody a fair chance, I’d say. Whatever is the fairest I think everybody other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. would kind of accept that." "I mean you try to get in as many games as you can I think, but I wouldn’t Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 mind starting right at the playoffs," Crosby said Thursday.

"For me the more games we play it’s going to be better for our fans and it’s going to be better for the teams who are fighting for the playoffs, but I’d rather start the playoffs right away," said Ovechkin. "Sorry guys."

The NHL had 189 regular-season games remaining on the schedule when it hit pause on March 12 — including 13 apiece for Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins and Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.

With players currently observing a period of self-quarantine across two continents and the coronavirus still spreading rapidly, it remains to be seen whether any of those games or the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be played at all.

There has already been a healthy amount of discussion behind closed doors between the league and NHL Players’ Association about what the return-to-play scenarios might look like depending on when it’s safe to resume.

The longer it takes, the less likely we are to see any regular-season games salvaged. The league’s main focus is on finding a way to award the Stanley Cup without disrupting its ability to hold a full 82-game schedule next season.

With their teams comfortably in playoff position when the 2019-20 campaign was abruptly paused, it’s little wonder why Crosby and Ovechkin are in favour of jumping straight to the post-season. That would be a difficult outcome for teams like the New York Islanders and New York Rangers — one and two points back of wild-card position in the Eastern Conference — unless the playoff field was expanded to give them a much-deserved lifeline.

"You want to get in as many games as possible to get your true tournament," said Rangers defenceman Marc Staal, among those who spoke on Thursday’s NHL-NHLPA conference call.

"Whether that’s bumping up a few more teams in, or [holding] a play-in [round], or one of the things in the [Rangers team] group chat that gets speculated on … I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it."

The league is in a race against time.

Players won’t be cleared to resume skating and working out in small groups until the spread of COVID-19 shows signs of flatlining. There will also need to be some form of training camp held before games can be played again.

The NHL appears willing to continue its season right through the summer after asking teams to submit available building dates in July and August, but there’s some debate among players about the merits of that idea.

"You’ve got to think about the health and safety of our star players," said Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno. "When you’re playing that many games a year, and now we’re going to try to push it into that late in the summer and then possibly right into another season a few months later and then post-season again for some guys, that’s a lot of games in one year that we’re not used to.

"I’m not saying that guys won’t grind out a way to do it because us hockey players will find a way, but you’ve got to think about the longevity of guys’ careers and their health as well."

If the NHL is able to resume, it’s going to be impossible to make everyone happy. 1181788 Websites 2006-current, 99 G, 302 A To a degree, Edler suffered a similar under-appreciation for much of his

career that Daniel and did. Stolen in the third-round of the Sportsnet.ca / Creating the 2010s all-decade Vancouver Canucks lineup 2004 draft from under the noses of the Detroit Red Wings, who thought they were the only team that knew about the kid playing in a glorified beer league in Northern Sweden, Edler probably has more tools than any defenceman who played in Vancouver before him. He is big, mobile, Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet March 27, 2020, 1:20 PM handles the puck, shoots, defends, plays special teams and, although he doesn’t fight, hits and plays physically. It’s just that none of those qualities made him the star he was projected to become. VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks team that began the franchise’s fifth decade in the National Hockey League was nothing like And yet, nearly 14 years since he arrived in the NHL as a 20-year-old, the one that played in the first. Edler continues to be an indispensable part of the Canucks, leading the team in ice time this season at 22:37 per game. Despite a series of Over a five-year span beginning in 2008, the Canucks won more games injuries in recent years, Edler is the franchise leader in games, goals, than any other team except Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and in assists and points by a defenceman, and he looks like he will play for 2010-11 their status as the best team in hockey was indisputable until several more seasons. they lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins. FORWARDS That crushing disappointment tainted their golden era. It was only with time and distance that we realized how good those Canucks were. Henrik Sedin

It was the same with most of the players on Sportsnet’s all-2010s team. It 2000-2018, 240 G, 830 A took a long time for Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as well as defenceman Henrik was not only the best playmaker the Canucks ever had, he was Alex Edler, to get the credit they deserved. Even goalie Roberto Luongo one of the great passers of his NHL generation, behind only Joe lost favour before regaining it in defeat. Thornton (and ahead of Sidney Crosby) in assists over the last 20 years. Vancouver’s team success came at a cost, exacerbated by dismal But more than that, he and his brother helped change the game – or drafting and developing over many years. Without reinforcements for an were at least years ahead of their time with the way they supported each ageing foundation, the Canucks eventually crumbled, becoming one of other in tight spaces and valued puck possession. the NHL’s worst teams over the latter half of the decade. That harsh As Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane told Sportsnet when the reality made the good old days seem even finer in hindsight. Sedins retired two years ago: “They kind of came up with their own style CANUCKS ALL-2010s TEAM to be successful. If you look at the league, it’s tough to go one on one. I think they figured that out… and realized it’s better to go two on one. GOALIE Work the give-and-go. Pass it, move your body, and then get it back.”

Roberto Luongo A captain for his final eight seasons, Henrik beat his brother to the finish line as the Canucks’ all-time leading scorer. He is the only Canuck to win 2006-2014, .919 Sv%, 2.36 GAA a Hart Trophy, in 2010, and should be going to the Hall-of-Fame with There were 29 players selected for the five all-decade teams named by Daniel. Sportsnet in honour of the Canucks 50 years in the NHL. Luongo is the only player named twice. He was that good in Vancouver and only recently, with the emergence last season of Jacob Markstrom, have the 2000-2018, 393 G, 648 A Canucks found a replacement for their all-time leader in wins who was traded home to Florida in 2014. Daniel was considered the goal-scorer of the two but, really, was every bit as good a playmaker as his brother. It’s just, someone had to shoot Consider this: at age 30, Markstrom is having the best season of his now and then, and it wasn’t going to be Henrik. Daniel scored more goals career with a .918 save percentage, which is still less than what Luongo than any other Canuck, and behind he and his brother there is a gap of averaged during his eight years in Vancouver, where he helped the almost 300 points to the next highest-scoring Vancouver player – Markus Canucks win six division titles and two Presidents’ Trophies. Luongo won Naslund, with 756 points. Daniel’s 41-goal, 104 point season won him the the Jennings Trophy in 2011 and was a runnerup for the Vezina in 2007, Art Ross and trophies in 2011, when players voted him when he won 47 of the 76 games he played, a record that might stand league MVP. another 50 years. If you listed the top-10 goaltending performances in franchise history, “Lou” would have at least half of them. The Sedins not only rewrote the Canucks’ record book, they changed the culture in Vancouver. With their ideals about hard work, character and DEFENCE unselfishness, they influenced for a decade every player who came through the dressing room doors. Kevin Bieksa “In 20 years, there will still be a Sedin flavour to this organization and the 2005-2015, 56 G, 185 A Sedin culture in that dressing room,” Bieksa said last month during the Canucks management liked Bieksa from the time they got him as a fifth- ceremony retiring the twins’ jerseys. “That will transcend any on-ice round pick out of Bowling Green in 2001, but loved him upon his arrival in statistics that they have.” the minors in 2004 when he punched out cocky teammate Fedor Fedorov, who was several inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. Bieksa’s combativeness on the ice helped earn him a promotion to the Canucks in 2005-2017, 193 G, 191 A the first season after the lockout, 2005-06, and he became a staple of Vancouver’s top-four for most of the next decade. Considering where he started, where Burrows finished represents one of the great rags-to-riches stories in the NHL this century. Undrafted and Bieksa’s overt toughness, which he needed to back up his pretty good unsigned, Burrows was going to quit hockey after two near-penniless swagger, in some ways overshadowed what a skilled all-around seasons in the ECHL, but made the Manitoba Moose on an American defenceman he was. He posted 42 points (and 134 penalty minutes) in Hockey League tryout in 2004 when the Canucks’ minor-league team his first full NHL season and eclipsed the 40-point threshold two other was able to expand its roster due to the NHL lockout. Two years later, he years in Vancouver. He is sixth all-time in scoring among Vancouver was playing in the NHL and less than three years after that he became blue-liners. But it was Bieksa’s nightly competitiveness, his willingness to the Sedins’ regular – and most successful – winger. do anything to win, that became his hallmark. And his overtime, series- winner against the San Jose Sharks, a slapshot no one saw from a The former Montreal ball-hockey star scored 35 goals in 2009-10 and ricochet off the stanchion that put the Canucks into the 2011 Stanley Cup averaged nearly 30 per season over a four-year stretch. He never forgot Final, is one of the biggest goals in franchise history. how close he came to giving up on hockey and going back to school, so he never took for granted any of his 822 games for the Canucks. By the Alex Edler time Burrows left, waiving his no-trade clause for a move to Ottawa in 2017 because he knew it would help the rebuilding Canucks, the left winger who scored the goal that “slayed the dragon” against Chicago during the 2011 playoffs was 14th all-time among Vancouver scorers.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181789 Websites "I knew I wasn’t playing my best, and if I was, I don’t think anybody would be saying we need to look for an upgrade," Kulak said. "So that’s kind of something I take upon myself. And I motivate myself with that, too, to work harder and get better." Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Kulak, Mete preparing for fierce competition on blue line It’s the same process Mete will submit to, even if he views his season in a different light than Kulak views his.

"This year I felt I was much better in all areas of the game," Mete said Eric Engels | @EricEngels March 27, 2020, 1:27 PM when we caught up with him via telephone on Wednesday.

That’s not to say Mete is under the illusion he played perfectly. He knows that he averaged 1:46 less per game than he did in the 2018-19 season The Montreal Canadiens need help on the left side of their defence. wasn’t solely a function of the Chiarot and Scandella acquisitions. That was a constant refrain from the off-season up to the 2019-20 There were times he was overwhelmed in his own end, and times where season’s postponement due the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sung by the his decision-making faltered, and he was bumped down the lineup virtually every media member, echoed throughout the fan base in every because of it. venue, and the truth of it was acknowledged by Canadiens general manager and head coach Claude Julien on multiple But it’s almost easy to forget the Woodbridge, Ont., native is only 21, occasions. given that he’s accrued 171 games of NHL experience and played alongside Shea Weber or Jeff Petry for most of his time as a Canadien. Don’t think for a second left defenders Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak and He’s coming out of his entry-level contract, which means he’s nowhere Victor Mete haven’t heard it. Not even self-isolation would keep them near a finished product, and that’s something to consider in the shaping from it. of Montreal’s blue line. What it means to Chiarot, though, is something entirely different than "I’m still very young and there’s still a lot of improvement to get to," the what it does for Kulak and Mete. The six-foot-three, 225-pounder signed fourth-round pick in 2016 said before mentioning that he’s steadily a three-year, $10.5-million deal with the Canadiens in July 2019 and then progressed from his 2017 NHL debut up until this point. proceeded to offer one of the only positive stories of a wholly disappointing season — playing nearly a full seven minutes more per It’s a process Mete’s very much looking forward to continuing, but one game than his career-average of 16:10, scoring nine goals (or four more with an immediate obstacle in his way to overcome. As of right now, he’s than he had in any of his six previous seasons with the Winnipeg Jets), at least two weeks away from removing the walking boot he’s been in and finishing with 21 points in 69 games to beat his previous career high since he suffered a clean break of his left ankle bone blocking a shot in a of 20 points in 78 in 2019. Feb. 18 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

At worst, an upgrade is bumping him from the first pair to the second #Habs Victor Mete goes to the room after blocking this shot. pair, or a player of equal value is reducing his workload on the first pair to pic.twitter.com/L6Zhfvew34 a more manageable 21-22 minutes per game instead of the 26-30 he was often playing. — Here's Your Replay (@HeresYourReplay) February 19, 2020

But any changes at all would put both Kulak and Mete in an even fiercer Mete says the injury is healing well after several treatments from the competition for ice-time than they were already in, and an upgrade would Canadiens medical staff, and since he’s been adhering to exercises he bump either of them from the lineup — like Marco Scandella’s January was given after access to the team’s facilities were cut off a little over a acquisition from the Buffalo Sabres did for six weeks before the 29-year- week ago. He adds it’ll be a priority to build up the strength in the bone old was flipped to the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 18. as soon as he’s able to, "working on little techniques," and getting back to skating fundamentals provided there’s ice available to him (the It’s a reality both defencemen were keenly aware of throughout the pandemic is putting a wrench in that plan for the time being and could season, and it’s one that’s bound to occupy their thoughts this coming threaten it well into the summer months). off-season. Left defenceman Alexander Romanov, the organization’s second-round pick in 2018, is all but certainly leaving the KHL to sign Outside of that, Mete said he wants to "just get bigger, keep putting on with the Canadiens soon after he’s eligible to on May 1. And Romanov is some pounds and muscle and, on the ice, do work on little details like coming with the understanding that, even though there are no closing quicker (in the defensive zone)." guarantees, there are strong assurances a place will be carved out for He added he’ll resume shooting work with specialist Tim Turk if possible, him on Montreal’s blue line. with the payoff of last summer’s work in that department being the first Bergevin has said in multiple interviews he sees the 20-year-old starting four goals of his NHL career this past winter. on the team’s third pair, and recently told La Presse the brass sees On Romanov’s imminent arrival — and on Bergevin’s proclamation to La Romanov developing into a top shut-down type who will be capable of Presse that he might trade a forward for even more help on defence — playing upwards of 24 minutes a night within three years of his arrival. Mete says he can only do his part to win out in the competition. Kulak’s seen little of Romanov, but he’s come away impressed with what "I’m going to have to try to work extra hard," he said. "I know that coming he has seen. into camp I’m going to have at least another guy I have to beat out." "I watched him at the at the (2019) world juniors. He looks like a heck of Kulak, who registered just seven points over 56 games this season, a defenceman," the 26-year-old said from his Canmore, Alta., home knows it could be him. So he’s preparing to be the best version of during a 15-minute telephone interview with Sportsnet on Thursday. himself, which means "shutting down the play, playing really good Kulak, who’s signed for two more seasons at $1.85 million per, also defensively, using my feet and my puck movement to skate the puck out acknowledged what Romanov’s probable arrival meant for him. of the zone or make a good first pass out, and following up the play."

"I think I have to find another gear and level to win out in that As for the constant scuttlebutt about Montreal’s blue line, neither Kulak competition," he said. "It’s going to be no different than having Benny nor Mete can fully tune it out. All either player can do is rise above it. (Chiarot) come in and he’s taking up a lot of minutes. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 "For me, it’s been like that for a number of different years. When I was back with the (Calgary) Flames (from 2014-18), there was guys I always competed with in training camp, and then it’s the regular season and everyone’s playing and we’re all good players. It’s just about finding consistency at the top level of your game day in and day out."

It’s something Kulak did in his first season with the Canadiens, but something he knows he struggled with over this past one. That’s a thought that dogged him over the last few months, but also one that will he believes will guide him over the next few. 1181790 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Doug Gilmour watches 1993 Game 6 vs. Kings for first time

Sportsnet Staff | @Sportsnet March 27, 2020, 6:52 PM

Toronto Maple Leafs fans of a certain vintage remember where they were during Game 6 of the 1993 Conference Finals between the Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings. The Maple Leafs were one win away from dispatching Wayne Gretzky and the Kings to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1967.

And then, heartbreak.

With the game tied 4-4 early in overtime, and the Maple Leafs already shorthanded, Gretzky hit Doug Gilmour in the face with his stick. Gilmour was cut on his chin, but none of the officials saw the infraction and Gretzky scored the game-winner seconds later. The Kings would also win Game 7, denying the Maple Leafs a chance to compete for the Cup.

Game 6 was airing on Friday as part of Sportsnet’s NHL Classic series and, while quarantined at home, Gilmour watched it for the first time and shared his reaction on Twitter.

“Watching as a fan I feel your emotions, this is the first time I’ve seen it, lots of stuff you don’t see when you’re in the moment!” Gilmour wrote while tagging teammate Wendel Clark and the referee who missed the penalty, Kerry Fraser, in the tweet.

Fraser opened up about the call in a 2016 piece for the Players’ Tribune.

“Under the 1993 rules, if Gretzky high-sticks Gilmour and it draws blood, it’s a five-minute major. He’s gone. It was a huge call to make — a worse one to miss,” Fraser wrote. “Guys from both teams were skating up to me. It didn’t smell right. I should have known when I saw Gretzky skating away. Whenever there was a dispute, Gretz was always at the forefront arguing his side of it. But this time, he kind of slinked away. That was uncharacteristic. That should have tipped me off.”

The Maple Leafs have returned to the Conference Finals three times since then but not since 2001-02, leaving most fans to still wonder what could have been in 1993.

Sportsnet will be airing NHL Classics nightly across our channels during the pause in the season. Check out our broadcast schedule here.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181791 Websites Fourth line: Shawn McEachern, Mike Fisher/Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chris Neil

Though we are getting into depth players now, there remains a glut of Sportsnet.ca / Senators all-time Dream Team for Game 7 of Stanley Cup talent and grit from which to craft a fourth line. On the left wing, Final McEachern provides speed and a needed scoring touch, so that every line on this team can bring that threat. McEachern was a consistent top- five scorer on a Senators team growing into contention in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Clarke MacArthur, Magnus Arvedson, Milan Michalek Wayne Scanlan March 27, 2020, 10:21 AM and Zack Smith are other excellent options at LW on one of the bottom two lines.

Memo to all the armchair general managers out there. Try this on for Choosing between Fisher and Pageau at centre is like choosing a size: assemble your all-time Ottawa Senators team, for one game only. favourite son, and the choice might come down to the opponent. Against a heavy team, I like the grit and board work of Fisher, the punching A winner-take-all, all-time, Game 7 Final lineup for the Stanley Cup. Christian. If the enemy is the Montreal Canadiens, well, you know Pageau gets the start and is bound to score. Both centres are supreme In this sense, it is different from an all-star roster, which would take into penalty killers. Solid franchise centres Chris Kelly, , Nick account years served, points produced and perhaps even time in the Foligno and Antoine Vermette also deserve mention. community. You could end up with a lineup that is lacking in a particular area, such as grit or chemistry. With his toughness (and the stretched tolerance of playoff refereeing!), Neil edges out a lot of useful wingers, such as Andreas Dackell and This highly subjective roster is designed to function as a team, with stars Patrick Eaves. and role players, and a goaltender capable of stealing the show. Defence The assumption is that we are getting these players at the peak of their powers — while with Ottawa. In other words, we are not going to play First pairing: Zdeno Chara, Erik Karlsson revisionist history and put Mika Zibanejad on the roster based on the 2019-20 season he had with the New York Rangers. Not a lot needs to be said here. This pair could match up against any in the league over the past 15 years. The 6-9, 250-pound Chara is and was We tried to put players in their natural positions as much as possible. a beast, playing superb hockey for Ottawa before his departure in 2006 (though the ‘06 loss to Buffalo was painful). Forwards The Big Zee went on to win the James Norris trophy as Boston’s captain First line: Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson in 2008-09 and the Stanley Cup in 2011. He gets to stay home in this When this trio was ripping up enemy defences in 2005-06, combining for pairing, rag-dolling enemy forwards as required, while Karlsson, the two- 296 points, they were nicknamed the Pizza Line because a promotion on time Norris Trophy winner, does his thing. If Chara happened to be out of home ice delivered free pizza to ticket-holding fans when Ottawa scored the lineup, Marc Methot could step in nicely, having regularly played as at least five goals. Karlsson’s partner. Young Thomas Chabot is perhaps a year or two away from knocking on the door of the Senators’ all-time first pairing. Boy did this line deliver. Heatley with 50 goals, Alfredsson, 43, and 60 assists. Spezza with 71 assists in just 68 games. Had goaltender Second pairing: Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov Dominik Hasek not been injured at the 2006 Turin Olympics, this line The Senators haven’t had a better shutdown tandem than Phillips and might have led the Senators to its first Cup in the modern era of the Volchenkov. Combined, they were plus 73 in 2006-07, the year the franchise. With 113 regular-season points, Ottawa was second in the Senators went to the Cup final against Anaheim. Phillips, who had his NHL only to Detroit with 124. No. 4 jersey retired in a ceremony last month, was a steady defensive When they got rolling this line was hard to stop. Spezza was good in the defenceman with an ability to elevate in the playoffs. Volchenkov, when dot, a superior passer, with two elite firing weapons — Heatley’s classic we’d see him shirtless in the dressing room, was routinely black and blue one-timer and Alfredsson dangerous from anywhere with a snap shot, with bruises from blocking shots. His ability to suffer in the name of his wrister or blast. Alfredsson retired as the all-time team playoff points team was off the charts. A silent warrior. leader with 100 in 121 games. Bryan Murray felt good about his chances Third pairing: Wade Redden, Karel Rachunek when he was sending Heater-Spez-Alfie over the boards. In his prime, Redden was a star on Ottawa’s blue line, a first-pairing Second line: Martin Havlat, Alexei Yashin, Marian Hossa defenceman who ran the power play. His “great first pass” became a Though Yashin didn’t leave Ottawa on the best terms, he was one of the cliche among the fan base. Though not flashy, Redden was tough for his first legitimate stars of the franchise, a six-time franchise scoring leader size with hockey IQ such that he generally got to where he needed to be, and the first in team history to crack the 90-point barrier (44 goals, 50 whether rushing the puck or as first man back. Redden and Rachunek assists, 1998-99). Hossa, nicknamed “Hoss,” was a horse, went on to were a strong pair on the 2002-03 Senators team that was one goal become a 500-goal scorer (525) and a three-time Stanley-Cup champion away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final. with Chicago, but he was a heck of a player with Ottawa, too, the first to Alas, they got victimized on the infamous Jeff Friesen goal, as both reach 45 goals as a Senator. pursued the puck carrier, , leaving Friesen open in front. With Havlat’s ‘Mach 9’ speed, Hossa’s breathtaking bursts up ice and But it was a team loss. Martin Havlat, who had pushed hard to create an Yashin’s puck control and shot, I really like this line. If Yashin were to be offensive opportunity moments before, was gassed coming back and let injured or off on a holdout, we could insert centre Radek Bonk, who Friesen go. I’d still like Redden and Rachunek, at their best, on this team. worked magic down low with Hossa. They could easily interchange with the more defensive Phillips/Volchenkov as the second pair depending on the situation. I Third line: Brady Tkachuk, Kyle Turris, considered going with Marc Methot and Redden, but both usually played Here’s a line carved out of the most recent decade, a nice blend of the left side. Turris’s clutch play (three overtime winners), Stone’s uncanny knack for Jason York and Sami Salo are a couple of right-shot defencemen who stealing pucks and scoring in close and Tkachuk’s hell-bent fury. I don’t could easily step in with this roster. care if Tkachuk is 20 years old. I don’t care if he has played just two NHL seasons and hasn’t had an opportunity to participate in a Senators Tragically, Rachunek died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crash of Sept. 7, playoff game, I want him on my team, and on this line, where he has a 2011. Rachunek was just 32 years old and was coming off a tremendous unique chemistry with Stone, his former landlord. KHL season with Lokomotiv, recording 11 goals and 46 points in just 50 games in 2010-11. Rachunek represented the Czech Republic in the Grit, puck control, tenacity and an ability to come up with key goals in the 2011 world championships. biggest situations. What’s not to like about a third line like this? Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan are waiting in the wings, left and right, Goalies respectively, if needed. Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly or Jean-Gabriel Pageau Dominik Hasek, Craig Anderson could fill in at centre. Hasek was in fine form, you might say prime form, for his lone Ottawa season in 2005-06. A 2.09 goals-against, .925 save percentage and a 28-10-4 record in 43 games played. Had he not been injured at the Turin Olympics, putting the word “adductor” into the all-time vernacular of Senators fans, Hasek might have delivered a Cup to Ottawa in the spring of ‘06. When Hasek was locked in, physically and mentally, there wasn’t a better goaltender in hockey than the Dominator, who won the Vezina Trophy six times, the Hart Trophy twice and was part of three William Jennings Trophy awards.

Ray Emery, thrust into the starter’s role when Hasek went down, did his best but wasn’t quite ready. If Hasek couldn’t start for whatever reason, Anderson gets the call for Game 7. Anderson joins Patrick Lalime with 21 career playoff wins and their playoff save percentage was nearly identical as well, .928 for Anderson, .926 for Lalime.

Anderson backed the surprise playoff run of 2017 and outplayed in the massive 2013 quarterfinal series win over Montreal, the first time a modern Ottawa team beat an Original Six opponent in the post- season. Lalime was the man in the run to the Conference Final in 2003.

Coaching staff

Head coach: Bryan Murray

Assistants: Jacques Martin, Rick Bowness, Alain Vigneault and the late Roger Neilson (eye in the sky)

Here’s a coaching staff that will get down to business for Game 7 but have you laughing with their wit in the pre-game availability. Murray’s passion and bench management make him a solid choice as head coach, backed by a deep, experienced staff to keep the bench calm. Neilson’s scouting eye and video/data work will provide an edge.

Honourable mentions: Paul MacLean did a masterful job of coaching the Senators past the Habs in the 2013 quarters, on and off the ice. Who can forget his “Player 61” reference or, “I might be husky, but I am not fat.” Guy Boucher guided the Senators unexpected playoff run in 2017.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181792 Websites What kind of defenceman will Broberg, the eighth overall pick in 2019, turn out to be?

He has the tools, one would think, that simply can not fail. Quite likely the Sportsnet.ca / Six interesting Oilers prospects to WATCH: What is smoothest skating defenceman in his draft class, he has a stride that Broberg's ceiling? should buy him 1,000 National Hockey League games, when one considers where the game is going. For a defenceman, if you can get to “the spot” before your opponent, on a consistent basis, you can defend forever, regardless of your offensive contributions. Think Jay Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec March 27, 2020, 8:08 AM Bouwmeester.

At six-foot-three, Broberg has ample size to compete defensively. He’s EDMONTON — Pipelines and Alberta aren’t the best of friends these also very smart (and well-spoken), typical of the young men churned out days. But ironically while the boys in the oil patch can’t get their product by the Swedish system. Size, smarts and speed — we would literally quit to market the way they’d like, the Edmonton Oilers pipeline hasn’t our job if this kid doesn’t enjoy a long NHL career. But what kind of player functioned this well in ages. will he be?

Kailer Yamamoto, Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones… It’s an actual functional In his first year in the Swedish Hockey League this past season — an 18- farm system in Edmonton these days, with legit prospects like Evan year-old playing against men — Broberg had a goal and seven assists in Bouchard and Ryan McLeod ready for their second year of pro hockey 45 games, with an even plus-minus rating while averaging 13:59 of ice and likely to help the big team sooner than later. time per game. If he wishes to spend a second season in Skelleftea next season, Oilers GM will be fine with that, due mostly to Let’s look at the five most “interesting” prospects here, which omits guys Swedish hockey’s history of producing D-men. like Bouchard who has the size, the physical skills and the shot to get there. It’s just a matter of time. Will Broberg’s game turn out to mirror Niklas Hjalmarsson, the tough-as- nails shot blocker who was the heart and soul of those great Blackhawks This is about players with bigger question marks. Players who would fill clubs? Or will he have more offence, and become a stellar defender who needs in Edmonton, but aren’t sure things to get there. chips in 45 points a season, like Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Will he become the steady-Eddie minute muncher that Bouwmeester was through 1,239 Here we go: the five most interesting players in the Edmonton Oilers NHL games, with lots of minutes but not many points? pipeline At this point, nobody truly knows. Jesse Puljujarvi Sign up for NHL newsletters RW, 6-4, 201 lbs., 21 years old Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to Draft: Edmonton, 4th, 2016 your inbox! 2019-20 team: Karpat (Liiga) Raphael Lavoie GP: 56 | G: 24 | A: 29 | P: 53 C/RW, 6-4, 198 lbs., 19 years old Can Puljujarvi still be considered an “interesting prospect?” Well, he turns Draft: Edmonton, 38th, 2019 22 in May and he just led the top team in the Finnish Liiga in scoring with 24-29-53 in 56 games. At six-foot-four, with excellent speed and an 2019-20 teams: Halifax, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) above-average shot, you can bet that Oilers general manager Ken Holland looks at Puljujarvi as one of his top prospects — not simply the GP: 55 | G: 38 | A: 44 | P: 82 bust that others in the game make this No. 4 overall draft pick out to be. The Oilers may have a stockpile of young defencemen between their Puljujarvi took his talents to Finland and flexed his superior skills against NHL and AHL rosters. What they do not have, however, are many inferior competition — and very average goaltending. But it wasn’t prospects at forward — specifically wingers — who could grow into Top 6 Puljujarvi’s wrist shot, skating or ability to score that he struggled with NHL players. while in the NHL. His issues were thinking the game, work ethic, a With Tyler Benson trending towards being a third-line left winger who can consistent effort game in game out, and understanding how to work with move up in a pinch, a one-shot scorer like Lavoie gives the Oilers some teammates within a system. hope that they have a sniper who can find his way on to the right-wing of Did he fix those problems in Finland? Kuka tietää? (Finnish for, who one of their premier centremen. He is six-foot-four with a junior pedigree knows?) that includes 30 goals in each of his last three seasons in the QMJHL. He’ll turn pro in Bakersfield next season, which means he is at least a The issue will be to get Puljujarvi to give Edmonton one more try, after he year away from Edmonton — probably two. and agent Markus Lehto have both publicly stated they would prefer a trade. Puljujarvi was to showcase his talents at the World Championships Lavoie is like so many others — goals have come easily in junior. He this May, but with the cancellation of that tournament there is a good scored like a sure-fire pro, with an even 100 goals in his final three chance that Holland’s ask will not be met on the trade market, since the seasons (185 games) in the QMJHL. But so did Robbie Schremp (154 uncertainty of what a good season for Oulun Karpat really means goals in 247 OHL games), Nail Yakupov (80 goals in 107 OHL games) remains intact. and Marc-Antoine Pouliot (111 goals in 205 QMJHL games). And none of them truly panned out. Best case scenario is that the Oilers sign Puljujarvi to a one-year deal with the promise of a trade if things don’t work out, and he returns to When Lavoie turns pro this coming season he will, like a young Leon Edmonton to earn NHL money and show his game to the 30 other NHL Draisaitl, need to find a half a stride so he can have the scoring room as GMs on a nightly basis. There is so much opportunity on Edmonton’s a pro that had as a junior. right wing, with two world class centremen in Leon Draisaitl and Connor “Leg strength, core strength, power,” assessed Oilers Director of Player McDavid — not to mention a new GM and coach since Puljujarvi left Development Scott Howson. “There’s nothing wrong with his stride. It’s Edmonton — it seems crazy for the Puljujarvi camp not to realize the just power and strength. His separation isn’t what it’s going to need to be opportunity Edmonton represents as a re-entry point to the NHL. once he gets to the NHL.” Philip Broberg Lavoie would be wise to emulate Ethan Bear, who shunned his usual LHD, 6-3, 203 lbs., 18 years old summers at home and came to Edmonton to train last year. That new level of commitment turned Bear into a Top 4 defenceman. Draft: Edmonton, 8th, 2019 Kirill Maksimov 2019-20 team: Skelleftea (SHL) RW, 6-3, 194 lbs., 20 years old GP: 45 | G: 1 | A: 7 | P: 8 Draft: Edmonton, 146th, 2017 2019-20 team: Bakersfield (AHL)

GP: 53 | G: 5 | A: 8 | P: 13

All that stuff we just said about Lavoie being the tonic the Oilers so dearly need? Ditto for Maksimov, who last season brought considerable scoring pedigree with him from the OHL, where he had 74 goals over his last two seasons in Niagara.

But then, along came that stern teacher that is the AHL. And it hit Maksimov with the proverbial ruler across the knuckles.

The Muscovite’s English is excellent — he came to Toronto at age 12 — but the move from junior to pro is complex. Living without a billet family. Cooking. Paying bills. Mandatory gym time. Finding one’s place on a team, when you’re not the go-to guy on the powerplay — or you’re not on the powerplay at all. You’re not the biggest guy anymore, playing against 16- and 17-year-olds. Re-learning shift length, because 75-second shifts are no longer acceptable.

“Kirill is a long-bodied guy and a competitive person,” said Bakersfield head coach Jay Woodcroft. “He got better along the wall, better with his game management skills. He left some scoring on the table, and he’ll improve in those areas. But he found himself in those positions to score as the year went on. Now it’s time to find a way to convert against AHL goaltenders who are bigger, stronger and quicker. And, you have less time to get your shot off.”

This is why they have the AHL, for players like Maksimov (a fifth-rounder in ’17) to figure out how to be a pro. He had 5-8-13 in 53 games. That leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Filip Berglund and Markus Niemelainen

Berglund: RD, 6-2, 209 lbs., 22 years old

Draft: Edmonton, 91st, 2016

2019-20 team: Skelleftea (SHL)

GP: 52 | G: 5 | A: 15 | P: 20

Niemelainen: LD, 6-5, 196 lbs., 21 years old

Draft: Edmonton, 63rd, 2016

2019-20 team: Assat (Liiga)

GP: 55 | G: 1 | A: 6 | P: 7

Two defencemen: A six-foot-two, RHD Swede who plays on the same Skelleftea team as Broberg, often as his defensive partner. And a six- foot-five Finn who plays in the same Liiga that Puljujarvi dominated last season.

These are two survivors from the Oilers’ Class of 2016 that, right now, has delivered only Tyler Benson to the Oilers system, with Puljujarvi gone AWOL. Both third-rounders, the Oilers would be ecstatic if either one of Niemelainen (63rd overall) and Berglund (91st) became an NHL player.

Berglund reminds of Joel Persson, who ended up in Anaheim at the deadline, except Berglund is three inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. He doesn’t have much offence to his game, but reports are he’s mobile and has the skills required to be an NHL defenceman one day.

Niemelainen sounds like a Finnish William Lagesson. He’s big, skates just fine, and works well with a lefty partner who can do the bulk of the puck-moving. He needs to get into pro shape and figure out how to be a physical D-man on the smaller NHL sheet.

Both guys would do well in Bakersfield with Woodcroft and assistant coach Dave Manson, who have outdone themselves with players like Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones. Both also need to be signed by June 1 and Holland hopes to have each of them in Bakersfield next season.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181793 Websites the individual plays that account for changing defensive posture into offensive posture?

Looking at what the players are doing individually, here is where the Sportsnet.ca / Why Bruins' Patrice Bergeron still holds title of best reputation and the eye test gets confirmed. defensive forward Every year that Sportlogiq data has been tracked, if you display these metrics out in this way, Bergeron will be in the exact same position. There is no player over the last five years — and probably more — who Andrew Berkshire | @AndrewBerkshire March 27, 2020, 9:59 AM has so regularly been able to change an opponent’s possession into an offensive possession.

The 34-year-old perennial Selke favourite is the most aggressive Whether it’s breaking things down at even strength by analyzing defensive forward in the NHL, and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing shooters, playmakers, the beasts of transition play from the defensive down at the moment either. Playing against the opponent’s best every end, or powerplay work, we’ve taken some deep dives on who is creating single night, Bergeron is the linchpin of the best line in the NHL over the the most offence in the NHL on an individual level. past several seasons, and no one is particularly close to challenging him However, the player who has the puck on their stick more than anyone in that area. else in the NHL — pro-rated for their ice time — is Mathew Barzal, and The next group of elite defensive forwards are a bunch of known strong every 20 minutes at 5-vs-5 he’s only in control of the puck for a whopping defensive players in , Phillip Danault, and Mikko one minute and 52 seconds. That leaves over 18 minutes where Barzal Koivu, alongside an extremely underrated defensive player in Evgeni is playing without the puck. Malkin. Playing without the puck doesn’t necessarily mean you’re playing The biggest surprise in that top group is Jack Hughes, who has faced a defensively, there’s offensive positioning, picks and transition play all to lot of criticism this season for his lack of offensive results, but is putting be done while supporting the puck carrier on your own squad. But a big up Selke-candidate levels of defensive involvement. It would be a very chunk of that time is going to be spent playing defensively as well. fair argument to say that part of what boosts Hughes’s numbers there is Considering how much of the game is spent defending, it’s about time we that the New Jersey Devils haven’t controlled the puck very often while look into that side of the game. So, who are the game’s best defensive he’s been on the ice this year — with his 46 per cent Corsi rating ranking forwards? him 306th of 336 forwards who have played 500 or more minutes at 5-vs- 5 this season — but he still has to make the successful plays here. Through general knowledge we know the first few names that will jump into everyone’s heads here. Patrice Bergeron is the gold standard of While Hughes’s numbers may be inflated a little, there are very few defence from the forward position, Sean Couturier is the player most players who have been so defensively involved over the last few seasons likely to win the Selke this season and due to previous years of research who didn’t go on to have strong defensive impacts, with a good example I’m confident that the best defensive winger is likely still Mark Stone. being Danault as a rookie.

But based on the data, who comes out on top? Looking back further into the pack, down in below-league average territory we get an on-ice leader from the last graphic in Aston-Reese In this graph, since we’re looking at reducing the chances against, it’s looking far less impressive when we take stock of what he’s done on an better to be in the bottom left instead of the top right — and we have individual level. some unexpected results. That’s significant. While the events that happen during a player’s time on While there are some names — like Zach Aston-Reese and Adam Lowry the ice matter, there are nine other skaters out there as well, and an — that check out here, the names in the quadrant that represents the individual can make strong defensive plays and still be undone by a best impact on their team are not the type of players you might expect. teammate missing assignments, or playing against high-level competition. The big-time defensive players we talked about previously in Bergeron and Couturier are nowhere near the right place, both stuck solidly in that Until someone can come closer to challenging him, I don’t see how you middle mass of dots. It’s not a good idea to completely write off results if can possibly take the title of best defensive forward away from Bergeron. they don’t fit with preconceived notions, but one thing that a lot of players have in common here is that they aren’t playing high-leverage minutes. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.28.2020

When we’re looking at things like shot attempts, there’s not a lot of variance caused by the quality of opposition a player faces. However, when you slice things down to the highest quality plays that require high level skill to complete, matchups play a gigantic role in the results.

Any line that gains offensive zone time and outplays the opposition in terms of possession can send pucks towards the net. An average first line in the NHL will create more than twice as many slot passes as an average fourth line, though, so playing tougher minutes not only means being on the ice for more of those high-end events against, but also far more than their teammates who don’t.

So, if on-ice quality offensive plays against isn’t a reliable indicator of who is making the biggest impact, what can we look at to quantify defence?

When I’m trying to evaluate defensive play on the individual level for forwards, I’m essentially looking at two things:

• How often is the player able to stop an opponent’s possession by removing the puck from them with a stick check, body check, blocked shot, or blocked pass?

• How often, when that puck is poked, jostled, or blocked loose, can a player recover it and turn the tables for their team in a positive direction?

Adding on top of those two factors, we can look at how often a player enters an even engagement for a loose puck with an opponent and comes out on the winning side. What players stand out when we look at 1181794 Websites guys healthy,” Giordano said. “It’s truly going to be the best version of every team, I think. We’ll be in for some pretty good hockey if we can ever get past this and into the playoffs.”

TSN.CA / Connor McDavid says NHL ‘can't just step into the playoffs’ TSN.CA LOADED: 03.28.2020

Frank Seravalli

Connor McDavid may skate like an otherworldly wizard, but he hasn’t discovered any new-found passion or hobby during the NHL’s self- isolation period, which hit Day 15 on Friday.

McDavid isn’t a super chef or a prodigious video gamer, and he certainly isn’t building a chicken coop, like the one Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf revealed he’s working on in Anaheim.

“I haven’t been doing much at all,” McDavid said. "I don’t have any hidden talents.”

McDavid is a hockey player.

And the player considered by many to be the best in the world believes that if the NHL does return to the ice to close out the 2019-20 season, it would be a mistake to jump right into playoff intensity without regular season or exhibition games played first.

“I don’t think we can just step into the playoffs,” McDavid said in a video conference call with three other Pacific Division players on Friday. “Game 1, it’s Calgary coming to Edmonton and guys are running around trying to kill each other that haven’t played for two months.

“It’ll end up the [AHL] Stockton Heat versus the Bakersfield Condors if that’s the case. We want to keep the guys healthy. A fair season is a full season. If we can do that, that’s what we’d obviously prefer.”

With his Edmonton Oilers on the verge of returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in three seasons, McDavid said the NHL’s pause in play was more disappointing than frustrating.

Under coach Dave Tippett, the Oilers had already eclipsed their point totals from each of the past two seasons with 11 games still to play, had first place in the Pacific in their sights, and had forward Leon Draisaitl running away with the scoring title on his way to a potential Hart Trophy.

“It’s just disappointing when the team’s having a good year and in the playoff hunt and lots of good stuff going on,” McDavid said. “The health and safety and everyone is what’s important. Hockey can go on hold for a little bit. It’s important that everyone does what they have to do and takes care of each other so that we can get this thing over with so we can get back to playing hockey.”

Whenever that is, McDavid echoed Metropolitan Division stars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin from a day earlier •– firmly in playoff position, his vote was for the standings to remain as is.

That didn’t sit well with Canucks captain Bo Horvat, whose Vancouver team is in based on points percentage, but currently outside the usual 16-team tournament format based on points.

“It better go by points percentage or play more regular-season games,” Horvat said, laughing.

Flames captain Mark Giordano said he preferred 24 teams, eight more than normal, to qualify for the postseason, with 12 in each conference making it.

“I’ve thought a lot about this,” Giordano said. “More teams get in this year, a couple byes are the top, and then play it out.”

In a points or points percentage world, the Oilers and Flames would be scheduled to meet in the first round. That would add serious juice to an already dripping Battle of Alberta this season.

McDavid, who dealt with a quad injury earlier this season and a knee issue last year, said he is 100 per cent healthy. He said he’s been running throughout Edmonton with teammate Darnell Nurse and working out in his new home’s full gym.

That health is why Giordano said this could be the best playoffs ever.

“I think if we could ever get back to playing, I think this is going to be one of the best playoffs ever because every team is going to have all of their 1181795 Websites "Well, obviously, I would start with my 50th, that was something that it's an honour to reach that point. And one against Oshawa, it was on the PK and it was cancer awareness night and it was really cool. That's a special night for me, because my aunt passed away from cancer. And then TSN.CA / Masters: After 55-goal season, is Nick Robertson ready to help maybe just the first game of the season against London. We had a pretty the Toronto Maple Leafs? good passing play and I was so fired up in London scoring that goal, it was so cool. So, those three stand out to me."

50⃣ ⃣ GOALS IN 43⃣ ⃣ GAMES@nickrob2001 scores shorthanded, for the Mark Masters hat-trick, to become the first Pete in 27 years to score 50 goals in a season!#GoPetesGo | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/JJNSwzJTA7

Nick Robertson is 18 years old and stands just 5-foot-9 and 164 pounds, — 헫 - Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 1, 2020 but there are plenty of signs the Peterborough Petes forward is ready to ROBBY! 3-1 Petes as @nickrob2001 buries a BEAUTY short-handed take the next step and play in the NHL. marker. He extends his goal-scoring streak to 11 games, which is the "Mentally, I think I'm ready," said the Maple Leafs prospect. "Physically, longest in the #OHL this season. #GoPetesGo #PInkInTheRink honestly, I think I have the skill and the talent, but there's so much more https://t.co/2BYrWSu20g pic.twitter.com/N5ol1Pn0qc than that. I'm definitely focused on getting bigger, faster and stronger. I — - Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) February 2, 2020 can have the shot, I can have the hands, but you got to find the 헫 endurance in your game – you know, more leg strength. I'm not going to TIC. TAC. ROBBY GOAL! @nickrob2001 starts and finishes the play sit here and say, 'I'm playing in the NHL next season,' but I'm not going to and buries it into the open cage. Some pretty passing courtesy of sit here and say, 'I'm going to play in the OHL next season.' I'm putting @david_maier17 and SDA. 4-1 Petes!#GoPetesGo my head down and grinding every day. I'll work hard, get better and see pic.twitter.com/6StnSJvboN what happens." — 헫 - Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) September 21, It's scary to think what an improved Robertson would do in Peterborough 2019 should he return for a fourth season of junior hockey. Robertson, Toronto's top pick at the 2019 draft (second round, 53rd overall), led the You guys had the second most points in the Eastern Conference with a Ontario Hockey League in goals this season with 55 in just 46 games. real chance to go on a long playoff run when the season was called. What sort of emotions did you go through when you got the news? He missed a month with a broken index finger, but that didn't slow his momentum as he finished with 86 points. Robertson also represented the "Definitely disappointed. This year went by real fast, to be honest. How United States at the World Juniors in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where he much work that not only the coaches and organization, but the players produced five points in five games. put in, we had practices in the morning, 8:15 in the morning, and we had all these workouts and stuff and you put in so much work and now it’s "There's three things about Nick Robertson that can allow him the nothing. It kind of sucks, especially for the guys who know they're leaving opportunity to play in the NHL as soon as next year," said TSN Director or moving on. It's hard for them to bear that. Definitely heartbroken for of Scouting Craig Button. "No. 1, he's exceptionally smart. No. 2, he them, but I know it's [about] more than hockey; it’s life, so rather be safe." never plays the game on an opponents' terms. He never tries to overpower players. He doesn't try to get into physical battles he can't win. Crazy how a season could end like this. Thank you boys for making it He knows how to manage his space and his time and everything that a fun ride to this point! Everyone stay safe and healthy under this goes with it, so he doesn't put himself in positions where he's at a unfortunate time pic.twitter.com/wBDERHTVHU disadvantage. That's an exceptional quality. And then, No. 3, he is not just a goal scorer, he's a player who holds the puck, makes plays with the — Nicholas Robertson (@nickrob2001) March 23, 2020 puck, gives and goes so the puck moves off his stick. He's not just this What do you want to accomplish in the off-season? player that needs to get into a spot to score. He's got a lot of elements to his game that makes him so good and so dangerous and makes him "Right now, I gained a few pounds. When you're skating so much it's hard to mark." hard to gain the much-needed muscle mass and I've never not skated for a week or two. So, I'm definitely adding a nutrition factor and doing lifts. I The next few months may determine whether Robertson, who didn't get want to get my lower body, my glutes, hamstrings, very strong and my into a pre-season game during his first Leafs training camp, will make his endurance to kick up. I think if I get that going and put on a little size it mark in the NHL next season. With the CHL cancelling its playoffs amid will definitely benefit me." the COVID-19 pandemic, the off-season will be longer and, at least right now, the resources limited. The OHL coaches poll came out on Thursday and you placed first in two Eastern Conference categories: best shot and most dangerous in the TSN spoke with Robertson by phone this week from his parents' home in goal area. in Sierra Madre, Calif. The teenager explained how he was able to take such a big step this season, listed his favourite goals and looked ahead "I've always had a good shot my whole OHL career. It's just, I think, this to a future skating alongside Toronto's talented forward group. The year I just showcased it. If you look at the stats, I think I had way more following is an edited transcript of the interview. shots this year than I did last year averaging five, six, seven and even had one game with 10 shots. So, compared to last year, I just shot the Where did you grow the most this season? puck more and if you get it on net and keep shooting eventually it's going "Everyone asked me, 'Oh, you just got a good shot over the summer?' to go in, so it definitely did for me this season. Again, everyone has little But I've always had a good shot and it was the same shot. I think it was things that makes them [go] and when I'm getting shots off early in a just the little details I added into my every-day routine that separated me game that's when I get confidence, that's when I score. It's an honour to from my peers. I added in more recovery work, a different diet, be in that category from the coaches." incorporating more upper-body workouts at night before I go to bed and — OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 26, 2020 all these little things. When we're playing on the road and the team gives you a certain meal, but you want to stick to what you like and what's You finished second in the best shootout shooter category. Despite healthy, so you make food earlier and eat that before the game on the having a lot of offensive talent, the Leafs ranked at the bottom of the NHL bus, it's little things like that, sacrificing. I think what really made me have in shootouts this season, so it's not always as simple as saying, 'Skilled a good season were the little details I put in my game." guys have success in that situation.' Why are you comfortable?

What's your go-to meal on a game day? "I don't know. It's just a way to showcase my skill. It's funny, I'm surprised I'm even on there, because I think I only had one or two shootouts this "My billet knows [chuckle]. It’s the same thing every day – it’s salmon, year. I have some moves that can throw goalies off and, I don’t know, sweet potato and rice. I think I haven't changed it once this season at all." [I’m] just confident in that area. Just try and read the goalie and So, 55 goals this season. Which ones stand out the most? sometimes you get lucky. I have a few moves. In practice you're so confident, but in games you can be a little nervous." What are you most proud of when you think of what you accomplished he's looking forward to a big training camp and hopefully he can play the this season? full season in Dallas."

"Probably representing my country, honestly. Winning the goal-scoring — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 14, 2020 title was cool, but just to get the chance to represent my country on a big stage in the Czech Republic was something really cool and something I Did you watch a lot of Leafs games this year? was really proud of and one of the best experiences I ever had in my life "Well, especially after I got drafted, I watched a lot of the Leafs on TV, playing hockey." and then Kyle [Dubas] got me tickets to a few games and the last game What did you learn from that World Juniors experience? is when they got the emergency goalie in there [laughs]. That really showed me how much the fans get into it and they were chirping the "That I can hold my own. I mean, you play against the best players your guys and it was crazy. I mean, they were ripping the whole team. It was age and future NHL players, future top stars and I think I held my own, kind of funny, but obviously a tough moment for Toronto. I mean, it's had a pretty good campaign there. Obviously, it didn't work out to our unfortunate, but it was neat I was at that scenario, because if I'm in that benefit [with the United States losing in the quarter-finals], but I think I position [under pressure], I know what the fans are thinking and stuff. So, proved myself and proved my worth at that tournament." definitely a big eye-opener for me. I had some buddies come down from Windsor because I had two days off and I had tickets, so it was quite an ICYMI: @nickrob2001 taps the puck into the net only 6 seconds after experience for them as well." @Arthur_Kaliyev gets @usahockey on the board. #WorldJuniors@mapleleafs @PetesOHLhockey Did you know what was going on when Petr Mrazek got hurt? pic.twitter.com/LFmpCq2uO4 "I saw [Kyle] Clifford blow him up and then I was talking to my buddies — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 30, 2019 and they're like, 'Who's going to be in goal?' And then they had this guy come out and we Googled him, and I think he's the Marlies Zamboni guy, What was it like coming home to California, which is a coronavirus and now, it's amazing, this guy is popular and big on social media and hotspot? Twitter." "It's definitely crazy. I mean, I didn't realize how bad it was until I got How does David Ayres prepare for NHL shooters? #JayAndDan here, especially going through the airport to get here. There were a lot of pic.twitter.com/hooNvR06Cb people wearing the mask and gloves and what not, and then you're on the flight and there's only 20 people so you kind of get worried. Back in — #JayAndDan (@JayAndDan) March 23, 2020 Peterborough you didn't have to worry about it, but here in California where they've done a lockdown for, I think four weeks, it really sinks in. It When you watched the Leafs and they were playing better, what stood is real and it's more than just hockey, it's life. So [I’m] just trying to out? maintain my physical shape and mental state as well." "Just the talent. When they're on top of their game, they play with so What does your average day look like right now? much energy and they're one of the most skilled teams out there. I mean, they're definitely young for sure, so that's promising for the future. I "Wake up early in the morning around 7:30 and make food and work out mean, Matthews, Marner, Nylander, even Hyman – just guys like that are for about an hour and a half with my brother (20-year-old Dallas Stars very talented and I just get excited when I watch them play. Watching prospect Jason Robertson) in the garage and then eat and then we do a them play in Scotiabank Arena, hearing the announcer, I just get fired up stickhandling workout in the garage again and then carry on with the day. just seeing them score and thinking that could be me one day, so it's Then I do extra work, upper body or lower body depending on what I'm definitely pretty cool. I know Toronto is a big market in Canada and I feeling, at night and then call it a day. And then do the same thing every don't think there's been a billet house I've gone to that didn’t have the single day." Maple Leafs game on, so I'm excited to be a part of that."

You finished second in the OHL coaches’ poll in the best stickhandler TSN.CA LOADED: 03.28.2020 category. How do you work on that?

"It can change. Sometimes I'm stickhandling through obstacles, sometimes I'm just stickhandling just to stickhandle. And then there's other things where I do band work where I have a rubber band wrapped around my right leg and onto a pole and I'm stickhandling while off- balance. So, there's little things like that. Nothing crazy. There's only so much you can do in a 20-foot garage."

Glad our garage arena is always open! Stay healthy everyone! @JasonRob1999 pic.twitter.com/X2GyFMp6kz

— Nicholas Robertson (@nickrob2001) March 18, 2020

You tweeted a picture of you and your brother playing a little garage hockey. Trying to keep things light?

"That was just for fun but, yeah, we sometimes do a little bit of that. We have the pool here too. I'm pretty occupied. I haven't been home in a while. So, it's an unfortunate time, but it's good to be back home."

Is there still a sibling rivalry between you and Jason?

"Ah, maybe when we were younger, but now we're just pushing each other, and he's got that little taste of the NHL and he's passing it on to me now. The rivalry is when we're playing four ball, but as far as working out, we motivate each other."

Jason made his NHL debut in Toronto this season, what did he share about that experience?

"He said, 'What a great atmosphere,' and he said that's probably one of the hardest teams he played against, so it's good to be part of the organization. It was funny, my parents were coming in to see me. They flew to Toronto and then they found out my brother was playing in Toronto, so they stayed there and luckily his first few games were in Canada. So, it was good for them to catch up and watch him and I know 1181796 Websites was an important member of those L.A. Kings teams because he’s someone who leaned on you and competed. When the Kings won those Stanley Cups [in 2012 and 2014], they wore you down. They had some real top-end players, but they had Clifford-type players, and I think TSN.CA / Nick Robertson, Egor Korshkov among Leafs prospects who Korshkov can be that too.” boosted stock this season Toronto’s next wave of prospects:

1. Nick Robertson Kristen Shilton - Drafted by Toronto in the second round, 53rd overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Signed three-year, entry-level contract on Sept. 19, 2019.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2019-20 regular season was put on indefinite 2019-20 stats: 86 points (55 goals, 31 assists) in 46 games with the hiatus two weeks ago, when the National Hockey League hit pause on its OHL’s Peterborough Petes operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Button’s take: With no certainty on when or if the NHL can resume before next fall, there’s no time like the present to start pondering the Leafs’ future –•– “[Robertson’s] an A-level prospect. He’s an elite, elite offensive player. specifically the team’s most promising prospects headed down the How many organizations have elite offensive players coming? There’s pipeline. not very many. His size, or lack thereof [5-foot-9 and 164 pounds], was always obvious, but you watch his game, and he’s quick, he’s fast and “The Leafs have gotten players from all over the NHL draft, and that’s he’s got the puck all the time. good because you can’t just build your team in the first round,” said TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button. “When you add to an already When the shoe dropped for me, it was at the 2019 CHL/NHL Top high-end group like theirs, it’s a real positive. And when you can add Prospects Game [in Red Deer, Alberta]. I had seen Robertson play in the some players on really good entry-level contracts, I think that’s going to Hlinka in August 2018, and he was brilliant [scoring five points in five be really solid for the Maple Leafs.” games]. But you see all this quickness and you could also see he’s not anywhere near physically mature then, but at the prospect’s game, it was Below, Button checks in on two players primed to make a full-time jump just like, ‘that kid is a damn good player.’ Because now he was with to the NHL after debuting with the Leafs this season, and then ranks everyone else who was supposed to be a top prospect, and that’s when it Toronto’s top young talents who are still waiting to emerge. became crystal clear to me how good he is.

- Drafted by Toronto in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2017 NHL It’s one thing for a player to think, ‘I think I can do it,’ and it’s an entirely Entry Draft. Signed three-year, entry-level contract on July 12, 2017. other thing for a player to say, ‘You know what, I know I can do it.’ And that’s where I think Nick went, he went from thinking to knowing. His 2019-20 stats: One assist in 11 games with the Maple Leafs; 30 points mind is exceptional; his quickness, his elusiveness are exceptional. He’s (five goals, 25 assists) in 40 games with the American Hockey League’s got great hands; he’s got a great shot. So now you watch him play, and his size doesn’t even come into consideration for me.” Button’s take Robertson’s NHL comparable: “I think there’s been a significant maturity in Liljegren’s understanding of “He’s like Jake Guentzel,” said Button. “Jake was very similar [early on] - what his game is. He seemed to be a player that was forcing things small, hadn’t physically matured, needed more time. But if you go back, offensively, and lots of mistakes were happening. But he’s balanced out all Jake did was produce. It was going to take him a little bit of time to get and understands that what he was at 16, he’s not going to be now. And that physical maturity, and now you watch Jake Guentzel, and I think what he’s going to be in the NHL is going to have to be a really good two- Nick Robertson is like a clone." way defenceman. 2. Nick Abruzzese, C I don’t think he’s going to be a big offensive producer but he’s an excellent skater and he’s going to be able to get the puck and beat -Drafted by Toronto in the fourth round, 124th overall, in the 2019 NHL pressure. He’s going to be able to get the puck out of your zone, and he’s Entry Draft. Not currently signed to a professional contract. going to be able to join the attack and support the attack. When we talk about maturity for Liljegren, it’s him understanding, ‘This is what I can do 2019-20 stats: 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 31 games for Harvard now.’ I think he’s really found a level of play and a style of play that suits Button’s take: his game that will allow him to have success in the NHL. I’ve been really impressed.” “He’s probably a B-level prospect; he’s still moving forward. But Abruzzese is the Leafs’ best prospect after Robertson. He’s a classic late NHL comparable bloomer. It’s not like he didn’t have the skills, but he didn’t have the “When I kept watching him [in his draft year], I kept thinking, ‘he could be power in his game, didn’t have the quickness, the strength. Trevor Daly,’” Button said. “Daly was a great skater, he moved the puck Abruzzese is not a player who raced to get somewhere. But by the 2018- up the ice, didn’t put up big numbers but he was a good player. I think 19 season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, there was no way you couldn’t Liljegren could be that too.” pay attention to him. He’s that good. He was cagey. All of a sudden, he’s Egor Korshkov, LW got you in spots and he’s a really smart player that’s ready to take advantage of you. So now he’s more physically mature [at 5-foot-9 and - Drafted by Toronto in the second round, 31st overall, in the 2016 NHL 160 pounds], he’s quicker, he’s faster, and he’s really on the puck.” Entry Draft. Signed two-year, entry-level contract on May 1, 2019 Abruzzese’s NHL comparable: 2019-20 stats: One goal in one game with the Maple Leafs; 25 points (16 goals, nine assists) in 44 games with the Marlies “Tyler Bozak,” said Button. “He might be more tenacious than Bozak, but he’s smart [in the same way]. And Bozak was another late bloomer. Button’s take: Abruzzese was a dominant freshman in college hockey last season. He’s a little bit older [at 20], but when you go to college hockey and you play “Korshkov’s going to wear you out, he’s going to drive the net, he’s going against older players and you can be that good, that’s a really good sign.” to push the [other team’s] defencemen. He’ll make life uncomfortable for you when he skates down the wall and he’s in the corner. The way 3. Mikhail Abramov; C, LW Korshkov skates, the way he works, he attacks, and he goes to the net. He’s not interested in staying outside.” - Drafted by Toronto in to the fourth round, 115th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Signed three-year, entry-level contract on March 10, Korshkov’s NHL comparable: 2020.

“If he could play the game like Kyle Clifford does, then you can play him 2019-20 stats: 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists) in 63 games with the up [the lineup], you can play him down a little, and that’s big,” said QMJHL’s Button. “That’s the way Clifford plays, with that physical edge. Clifford Button’s take:

“He’s a top-notch offensive player. It’s neck-and-neck between him and Abruzzese [as to who is the better prospect]. The beautiful thing about Abramov is he’s really versatile – he can play right wing, he can play left wing, he can play centre. He’s got outstanding hockey sense.

Everyone wants more skill, everyone wants more scoring, but Abramov can kill penalties too. He can play against another team’s best players and score and take advantage as well as play in those offensive situations. He’s equal part playmaker and goal scorer. He’s got this sneaky quickness, where because the hockey sense is so good, he recognizes the play and he’s there, he’s on you, or he’s on the puck. He’s one of those players that when he gives the puck, he’s ready to get it back. And that makes him really dangerous.

When he came over to play junior hockey, he wasn’t strong enough. Abramov loves to get inside and be on you. But he didn’t have the strength to get those results originally. Now, at 5-foot-11 and 162 pounds, when he leans on you or gets inside, you can’t push him away.”

Abramov’s NHL comparable:

“He might be a little like Mikael Backlund,” said Button. “I don’t think in the NHL that Abramov is going to be a big, high-end scorer, but when you can get a player who can contribute offensively, he can kill penalties, you can play him in different spots. That versatility and adaptability in a cap world is really valuable and that’s what he has.”

4. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C

- Drafted by Toronto in to the third round, 76th overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Signed three-year, entry-level contract on Sept. 21, 2018

2019-20 stats: 75 points (12 goals, 63 assists) in 55 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes

Button’s take:

“SDA always had the puck. But you can’t just have the puck and not challenge. It’s like a basketball player who dribbles around, and they never get inside the paint – you’ve got to get to the shooting areas. So, what SDA has done a really good job of this year is he’s attacking more inside the dots. He’s attacking more into that slot area, making plays into there.

You’ve got to attack, you’ve got to make yourself dangerous, you’ve got to make opponents play you. I think SDA took steps forward in that regard. I know he’s a smaller player [at 5-foot-10 and 163 pounds], so he might not have felt the confidence to go into those areas and attack, but if you don’t, you’re going to have a really hard time being productive at the NHL level. So that was a strong step in the right direction this year for SDA.”

Der-Arguchintsev’s NHL comparable:

“He’s not Mat Barzal, but Barzal had the same problems,” explained Button. “All he ever wanted to do was hold the puck. And Mat has learned from that and it’s made him a very good NHL player. When I think about SDA, I think about players like that who are confident with the puck. Tyler Johnson, as he progressed, had the puck but when he really matured is when he became a lot more confident playing that game in tight areas. So, I’d say SDA is a lower-case Tyler Johnson.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 03.28.2020

1181797 World Leagues News staffers, including some coaches. The school said it hoped the layoffs are temporary.

Moody’s, the investment rating service, this month revised its outlook of College sports will be hit hard, and will not be the same economically the higher-education sector from stable to negative, citing after the coronavirus | Mike Jensen “unprecedented enrollment uncertainty” and “risks to multiple revenue streams.” It noted that more than 30% of public universities and nearly 30% of privates were already running operating deficits. by Mike Jensen, American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco, whose membership includes Temple, also listed the suspension or cancellation

of the 2020 football season as the potential event that would have the The NCAA announced the financial hit Thursday in a news release: After most impact. Beyond operational revenue losses from not having a winter and spring championships had been canceled because of the conference tournament and NCAA tournament, and the cancellation of coronavirus, the board of governors had “voted unanimously to distribute the spring season, Aresco mentioned, “the uncertainty surrounding $225 million in June to Division I members to specifically focus on sponsorship revenue, donations to the schools, etc.” supporting college athletes.” The NCAA said Division II will receive 4.37% of actual revenues, The real news came in the second paragraph, that the distribution had currently projected to be $13.9 million for the division, which is a $30 been budgeted for $600 million. The NCAA had insurance for lost NCAA million decrease from last year. Division III will receive 3.18% of actual basketball tournament revenue, but the policy isn’t paying off dollar-for- revenues, currently projected to be $10.7 million for the division, which is dollar. The NCAA still hopes to pay off the rest of the distribution using a a $22 million decrease from last year. “These amounts will be used to loan. fund national programs," the NCAA said in a release.

However that plays out, lost tournament dollars are just the tip of the In other words, there is no trickle-down to the schools themselves. In iceberg. Most cuts won’t be announced in news releases. Interviews with Division I, there is some trickle-down, with schools receiving shares of more than a dozen conference and school administrators and coaches conference revenue from the NCAA basketball tournament profits. led to the same conclusion: The economic climate in college sports that “For us, a million dollars, that’s huge," Atlantic Sun commissioner Ted existed pre-coronavirus, even just a month ago, was vastly different from Gumbart told the Associated Press. the one that will emerge post-coronavirus. Sharing tournament revenues varies between conferences. It’s not The ramifications will be endless. Assume the facilities arms race that uncommon for schools to keep a portion of NCAA revenue, units consumed big-time college sports for more than two decades could slow accumulated as a team advances in the NCAA Tournament, while part of to a crawl. Athletic department budgets will be trimmed across divisions. that share is distributed around the league. So if Dayton, for instance, Schools trying to stay open might question the importance of having an had made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, all the Atlantic 10 athletics program at all. schools would in time have benefited from that run. “If you’re losing money everywhere on campus and can’t make up the “Mid-majors will suffer most from loss to NCAA basketball tournament difference in enrollment numbers and retention -- if you can’t do it revenues," predicted Bill Bradshaw, former athletic director at La Salle, because of the changing state of our lives right now -- there’s not a lot of DePaul, Temple, and La Salle again. “Power 5 [schools] would be promise in there for athletics," said Drexel sports management professor significantly impacted if football is canceled in the fall.” Karen Weaver, former athletic director at Penn State Abington. “For an athletic program like Drexel this could mean a reduction of “As students ask for room and board refunds we are talking tens of revenues in the six-figure range," Drexel athletic director Eric Zillmer said million per school,” said one Division III athletic director. of lost tournament revenue. Weaver noted that demographics show there will be fewer high school “As colleges reimburse students for prorated dormitory and meal plans, students graduating over the next 10 years, so this singular event comes there will be a substantial cost," said Tom Shirley, Jefferson University at an especially tough time. athletic director and women’s basketball coach, wondering about the to- Experts also note that with less disposable income out there, revenue be-determined trickle-down to athletic budgets. from ticket sales will suffer along with donations. Assuming the NCAA allows spring sports athletes to come back next Money redistribution year, “there will be costs associated with renewing their scholarships for an extra year," Shirley said. “Plus squad sizes grow, as do travel and In the NCAA release announcing the revenue distribution cut, it said the equipment costs. Meanwhile, the freshmen who thought they were going board of governors “stressed the importance of using the distributions to to play right away, sit behind a fifth- or sixth-year senior. Do they transfer aid college athletes during the uncertainty of the current environment, at Christmas break?” along with the importance of planning carefully with less revenue.” “Smaller institutions that required rentals and fund-raised for scholarships Of the $225 million distribution, the NCAA said $50 million will come from may need to cut budgets or scholarships in an effort to stay solvent," said NCAA reserves. The NCAA said it had a $270 million event cancellation West Chester men’s basketball coach Damien Blair. insurance policy, “and the proceeds when received will be used to pay off a line of credit that will cover the remaining distribution within 12 months.” With enrollment goals being challenged, impacting budgets, and the fund-raising impact as there is less disposable income, Delaware Valley Lost conference tournament revenue also is a major issue. Do the athletic director Dave Duda said he thought colleges would be affected venues demand full payment? That’s an unknown, one veteran “across the board.” administrator said. “I’m sure there are some outs on both sides.” Also, longtime partners might handle such issues differently, wishing to “The first anyone will worry about -- the number of sports opportunities maintain the partnership. will be reduced, either squad sizes or teams," Weaver said. “Employee levels are based on [overall] squad sizes.” For most schools, the conference share isn’t the biggest bucket of revenue. Fund-raising, marketing and sponsorships, ticket sales, Weaver added that rules have changed, allowing schools to keep making merchandising, all are buckets in addition to conference revenue. All will admissions offers after May 1, so more poaching will go on as everyone be affected. tries to make their numbers, which will trickle down to athletics.

“Say you’re in a fund-raising campaign right now," said a longtime athletic On a list of concerns, a Division I college administrator who didn’t want to director. “Very sensitive. Sponsorships come open. People might be be identified said (1) no college football; (2) no college football; (3) no looking at the world very differently now. Next year’s marketing budgets college football; (4) no 2020 NCAA basketball tournament revenue might take a hit.” stream.

Colleges aren’t waiting to trim budgets. Temple already announced 5% Maybe there’s actually a droplet of hope in that thought: If the games go cuts across all departments. The University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, on and the stadiums are open for football season, the impact at many a Division II school, announced it was laying off many of its athletics schools will be less severe. “What football means to a university goes way beyond athletic revenue," This might not affect big-time football and men’s basketball as much, said that same administrator, referring to alumni returning to campus, Eckstein said. “But it will affect most of the other sports at every divisional donations tied to such gatherings, and overall feelings toward the alma level.” mater, as the very identity of so many Division I colleges is tied to football. “It’s more than a front porch.” Let’s not call these ripple effects. More like an undertow, with the endless impacts of this pandemic ripping back to an athletic shoreline that is Athletic directors naturally are prioritizing what concerns need most irrevocably changed. immediate attention. Philadelphia Inquirer LOADED: 03.28.2020 “I am currently focusing on the financial implications related to the potential year of eligibility for spring sports student-athletes," said St. Joseph’s athletic director Jill Bodensteiner, making it clear that she’s also looking at “the multiple sources of potential impact on our revenue.”

Job insecurity

Locally, you can find-small college coaches who are privately worried their full-time job will be made part-time, with benefits cut. A contractor who films games and practices for local schools already found his work and income dried up, with no way to make up the money.

Bradshaw also pointed out that schools with low endowments, whose overall budgets are tuition-driven, will be further affected, “and may have to drop sports, drop athletics, or close its doors.”

Non-revenue male sports could be most impacted, Bradshaw said, because Division I football, Division I basketball, and women’s sports will be the highest priorities, “in that order.”

“Colleges will close, drop athletics entirely or cut considerably the number of sports they offer," said Joe Giunta, former athletic director at Cabrini and Dickinson and former associate athletic director at Temple.

To be clear, these people weren’t asked about their worst fears for the economic impact, only what they thought the largest economic impacts would be.

Tuition-driven institutions might take the biggest hit, said Wilmington University basketball coach Dan Burke. “Many families will hit tough times,” meaning, he said, that high school seniors without scholarship offers might choose to go to junior college instead of the Division III non- scholarship route right away.

There is a consensus on the areas that will be hit across the landscape. Rowan athletic director John Giannini, the former La Salle basketball coach, listed the loss of NCAA basketball revenue along with campus- wide cutbacks on university allocations because of budget strains, and loss of corporate sponsorships for canceled events.

Big East associate commissioner Vince Nicastro had a similar list, starting with the NCAA Tournament lost revenue. “Those revenues are crucial, particularly for conferences that rely on that money to fund basic operations,” he said.

Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson listed conference tournament revenue even ahead of NCAA Tournament revenue and corporate- partnership support as being most impactful on the whole landscape.

With student fees going toward operating budgets at many schools, “the debt service has been predicated on having a consistent level of student fees," said Weaver, the Drexel sports management professor. “That is one of the [lenses] you have to look at this through.”

So, for instance, Temple might be very lucky that the school didn’t move on building an on-campus football stadium.

“Oh, my gosh," Weaver said of that potential scenario.

Going farther back, Villanova also might have been lucky when it looked at moving up to the top division of college football but ultimately wasn’t invited to join Big East football before the league splintered.

“Depending on how long it lasts, the big-time programs may face the prospects of paying for bloated athletic budgets [including athletic administration] with depressed revenues," said Villanova sociology professor Rick Eckstein, who has written books on how sports stadiums have been funded with public dollars, and the impact of college athletics on girls sports.

“I’m not sure this is purely economic, but with the youth sport pipelines all but shut down, it’s going to be harder [and possibly more expensive] for schools to recruit in the traditional manner,” Eckstein said, adding that the traditional manner is often “pay to play.” 1181798 World Leagues News

Report: Donald Trump seeks Alex Rodriguez's advice on coronavirus pandemic

Ryan Young

President Donald Trump apparently reached out to more in the sports world than just Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady this week while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump spoke with former star Alex Rodriguez on the phone this week from the Oval Office, according to ABC News’ John Santucci.

[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]

Trump was seeking Rodriguez’s thoughts on his response to the coronavirus, and had a “pleasant” conversation, per the report.

During marathon day of meetings earlier this week, President Trump continued outreach across the country regarding coronavirus & phoned former Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Multiple sources tell ABC, the president spoke to ARod from the Oval Office via me & @KFaulders

— John Santucci (@Santucci) March 28, 2020

There were more than 100,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Friday night, according to The New York Times, the most among any country in the world, and more than 44,600 cases in New York alone.

The news comes just one day after Trump managed to bring up Brady during a coronavirus briefing, although it wasn’t exactly clear why he did.

“After a meeting with the world leaders, I spoke with the governors of our 50 states and territories,” Trump said Thursday. “Our team has been in constant communication with the governors, and we had a terrific meeting.

“Somebody in the fake news said that one of the governors said ‘oh we need Tom Brady.’ I said ‘yeah.’ He meant that in a positive way. He said ‘we need Tom Brady. We’re gonna do great.’ And he meant it very positively. But they took it differently. They think Tom Brady should be leading the effort. That’s only fake news. And I like Tom Brady. Spoke to him the other day. He’s a great guy.”

It’s likely that Trump was attempting to get back at Washington Gov. Jay Inslee by invoking Brady at the briefing. Inslee was quoted in a Washington Post story on Thursday morning as saying, “We need a Tom Brady” while pleading for more dramatic action from the president and for more medical supplies for his state amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with Rodriguez, and has slammed him publicly multiple times in the past. He called Rodriguez a “bad guy” in an Entertainment Tonight interview in 2013, and once predicted that Rodriguez “will go down as the biggest sports embarrassment of all time.

Druggie @AROD is now scheming to sue the @Yankees. He will go down as the biggest sports embarrassment of all time.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2013

What Trump gained from his call with Rodriguez — or why he’s even calling the ESPN analyst who has zero medical background — amid the global crisis is a mystery.

Yahoo Sports: LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181799 World Leagues News There is no vaccine for coronavirus. There is no proven way to treat it effectively. Where we are in those regards come mid-summer, will likely have much to say about whether the football season starts on time.

Pat Caputo — Sports, coronavirus and the complexity of returning to The difference between COVID-19 and other crisis this nation has normal experienced is sports, the games, are not immune. In fact, it's the opposite.

How do you create social distancing on a basketball court or sheet of By Pat Caputo [email protected]; @patcaputo98 on ice? The pitcher and catcher can’t put on hand sanitizer after each throw. Twitter Mar 27, 2020 Updated 8 hrs ago Comments Travel requires planes.

It’s not as simple as everybody is going to be better. Let's play and help heal the nation. The first rule of COVID-19: It’s better to be safe than sorry. The challenges ahead for sports are enormous and require serious The second rule of COVID-19: It is better to be safe than sorry. planning. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario, in the reasonably near future, there will The Oakland Press LOADED: 03.28.2020 be sporting events other than in empty venues.

The NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs would carry significance as TV showcases. Yet, the economic impact would be quelled. Workers at venues would miss out. So would surrounding bars and restaurants. Box office revenue still does matter to professional sports franchises.

It’s not quite as simple as game on, lets go. These are elite-level athletes. At the very minimum, they will be out for least a month. Seems based on the rising coronavirus curve in the United States, it could be much longer. In the meantime, each player is on their own to work out with virtually no standard training facilities - team or otherwise - available.

They just can’t hit the road running. Baseball faces a unique challenge in this manner. Pitchers were just starting to build up arm strength during spring training. Now MLB will have to implement a shortened schedule, if even possible, rushing perhaps doubleheaders into the equation. How many pitchers would be enough? Obviously rosters would have to be expanded to at least 30.

OK, say the COVID-19 curve dips sharply. The nation gets back to work. We're all hopeful. The NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs do happen. Baseball is back. Then, a player, coach, front office employee, game official, announcer, flight attendant on a plane - anyone associated with a - tests positive for coronavirus. What then? Does everyone remotely involved go into a 14-day quarantine? It would seem impossible to schedule around that perhaps likely development.

There is no real model for this. During the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, sports pretty much went on as they had been. But it was such a different time. Sports were on a much smaller scale.

One thing we do know is the results of not social distancing were incredible.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, more than 200,000 people jammed Broad Street - Philadelphia’s equivalent of Woodward Ave. - for a parade celebrating a bond drive supporting America’s effort during World War I. It was held Sept. 28. By Oct. 5, 2,600 more Philadelphians died of flu- related symptoms.

Assume COVID-19 appears reasonably contained for the NFL and college seasons, it’s not a given football will or should start on schedule, at least with live attendance.

It’s been pointed out widely by medical experts - including Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - that COVID-19 could be seasonal. That’s because there are increases of its spread in the Southern Hemisphere. If that holds true - and coronavirus offers little of certainty at this stage - it will wane in the coming months, but possibly return during the traditional cold and flu season.

Again, go back what was learned by the Spanish Flu in 1918. The first wave of the Spanish Flu wasn’t particularly deadly. The second wave was, and it started in the fall after there was some normalization. It dipped again, and there was a third attack, although not as widespread, but equally as intense.

It took until 1920 before there was normalcy. The United States population in 1920 was 106 million. It is more than 329 million today. There was MLB during the Spanish Flu, the NFL was in its infancy and college sports hadn’t truly exploded. Medicine is so much different. So are the economic stakes.

The roaring 20s came in the aftermath of Spanish Flu. COVID-19 presents a very clear economic challenge. 1181800 World Leagues News CNBC LOADED: 03.28.2020

Sports franchises could qualify for loans under $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill

PUBLISHED FRI, MAR 27 20207:41 PM EDT

Jabari Young

Sports franchises across the country could be getting some help from the federal government to keep hourly and low-salaried workers employed.

As part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, President Donald Trump signed on Friday, $350 billion is set aside for small business loans. The money can be used to help business owners cover salary, wages, and benefits, worth 250% of an employer's monthly payroll, with a maximum loan of $10 million.

Sports franchises that have less than 500 employees are eligible, according to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who added the bill's feature is "the right thing to do."

Cuban discussed the stipulation at media company SportTechie's State of the Industry 2020 event on Friday.

"You can go the bank and apply for this payroll protection loan, and they will loan you initially the amount of money for the average of your payroll over the last three months for all your employees making under $100,000," Cuban said at the virtual conference. "That's absolutely crazy, in a good way."

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration website (sba.gov), which establishes guidelines for the loans, small businesses can apply for loans up to $5.5 million that can be used for "long-term fixed assets and operating capital."

The plan also includes a tax credit for retaining employees, worth up to 50% of wages paid during the crisis, for businesses forced to suspend operations or that have seen gross receipts fall by 50% from the previous year.

Cuban said the bill's option also helps cover utilities, rents, "plus some level of debt as long as that total is under $10 million" to smaller businesses, including major corporation franchises that have under 500 employees.

"It's going to be interesting because there's going to be a lot of sports teams that that applies to," Cuban said. "The Mavs don't have 500 employees. We have a lot of people making over $100,000, players....But for all those under $100,000, that's going to be very helpful in keeping the hourly workers and lower-wage employees, keeping that going."

According to an NBA source, some teams have already begun the process of determining eligibility for applying for the loan to help offset the cost of retaining employees.

Sports franchises across the country are attempting to keep workers while also avoiding the kind of backlash received by the Philadelphia 76ers when they recently requested "salaried employees to take a temporary 20% pay cut." The move triggered a public relations storm so intense, billionaire owner Josh Harris reneged on the request and in a statement apologized for "getting this wrong."

Cuban urged small business owners to apply for the loan, calling it "patriotic."

Said Cuban: "We're going to be a lot stronger as a nation if we keep people in their jobs rather than having to go through the unemployment process and then them, hopefully on the other side, trying to get a job.

"If you're a small business, it's patriotic to keep your people employed," he added. "It's patriotic to go and apply for this loan. And it's patriotic if you keep them employed and applied for the loan, that you don't have to pay it back."

The NBA suspended its season on March 11 after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, promoting the shutdown. Other leagues, including the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball, followed suit. 1181801 World Leagues News European Rugby Championship: vs. Russia on March 14; vs. on March 14; Switzerland vs. on March 14; vs. Portugal on March 15, postponed.

List of sports events affected by the coronavirus pandemic Euopean Rugby Women's Championship: Spain vs. Russia on April 5; Spain vs. Netherlands on April 11, postponed.

Super Rugby: vs. ACT Brumbies on March 8 moved from THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Osaka, to Canberra, Australia. Sunwolves vs. Crusaders on March 14 moved from Tokyo to Brisbane, Australia. vs. Highlanders MARCH 27, 2020 02:29 PM on March 14, no spectators. Competition from March 15 suspended.

European Champions Cup playoffs due to start on April 4 suspended. MODERN PENTATHLON European Challenge Cup playoffs due to start on April 3 suspended. World Cups in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 25-29 and April 2-5 canceled. English Premiership from March 16 suspended. World Cup in Budapest, from April 29-May 3 canceled. French Top 14 from March 13 suspended. World Cup Final in Seoul from May 14-17 canceled. Pro14: Zebre vs. Ospreys on Feb. 29; Treviso vs. Ulster on Feb. 29, World championships moved from Xiamen, China to Cancun, Mexico on postponed. Competition from March 12 suspended. May 25-31, postponed. Japan's Top League from Feb. 29 postponed. From March 14 World laser run championships moved from Xiamen, China on May 25- suspended. From March 23 canceled. 31 to Weiden, Germany on Aug. 20-23. Hong Kong Sevens moved from April 3-5 to Oct. 16-18. MOTORCYCLING Singapore Sevens moved from April 11-12 to Oct. 10-11. MotoGP Langford Sevens (women) in Canada from May 2-3 postponed. Qatar Grand Prix in Doha on March 8 canceled. London Sevens from May 23-24 postponed. Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram on March 22 postponed to Oct. 4. Paris Sevens from May 30-31 postponed. Americas Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on April 5 postponed to Nov. 15. Asia women's championship in Hong Kong from March 14-22 postponed Grand Prix in Termas de Rio Hondo on April 19 postponed to to May 8-16. Nov. 22. Olympic test event (Asia Sevens Invitational) in Tokyo from April 25-26 Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on May 3 postponed. canceled.

Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on Oct. 4 moved to Sept. 27. AUSTRALIAN RULES

Valencia Grand Prix in Spain on Nov. 15 moved to Nov. 29. Round 1 from March 19-22, no spectators. Competition from March 22 suspended. World Superbikes SAILING Qatar Round in Lusail on March 15 postponed. Clipper Round the World Race in Subic Bay, Philippines; from March 16 Spanish Round in Cadiz on March 29 postponed to Oct. 25. suspended.

French Round in Magny-Cours on Sept. 27 postponed to Oct. 4. World 470 championships in Palma, Spain from March 13-21 postponed.

ROWING Asian championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 15-22 postponed. World Cup I in Sabuadia, Italy from April 10-12 canceled. Asian Nacra 17 Championship in Shanghai from March 1-6 moved to Asia and Oceania Olympic qualifying regatta in Chungju, South Korea Genoa, Italy, from April 12-19. On March 12 canceled. from April 27-30 canceled. Asian 49erFX Championship in Hainan, China from March 20-29 moved European Olympic qualifying regatta in Varese, Italy from April 27-29 to Genoa, Italy, from April 12-19. On March 12 canceled. canceled. Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar 470s in Mallorca, Spain from March 25- World Cup II in Varese, Italy from May 1-3 canceled. April 4 canceled. Boat Race in London on March 29 canceled. World Cup Series in Genoa, Italy from April 11-19 canceled. Henley Royal Regatta in England from July 1-5 canceled. Semaine Olympique Francaise de Voile in Hyères, from April 18- RUGBY LEAGUE 25 postponed.

Super League: Catalans vs. on March 14, postponed. Competition Americas Cup World Series in Cagliari, Italy from April 23-26 canceled. from March 16 suspended. SailGP in San Francisco from May 2-3 canceled. National Rugby League in Australia from March 19, no spectators. From European windsurfing championships in Athens, from May 10-16 March 23 suspended. postponed. European 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 championships in Malcesine, Italy Six Nations: Ireland vs. Italy in Dublin on March 7; Italy vs. England in from May 11-17 postponed. Rome on March 14; France vs. Ireland in Paris on March 14; Wales vs. Medemblik Regatta in the Netherlands from June 4-7 canceled. Scotland in Cardiff on March 14, postponed. Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany from June 20-28 postponed to Sept. 5-13. Women's Six Nations: Italy vs. Scotland in Legnano on Feb. 23; Scotland vs. France in Glasgow on March 7; Ireland vs. Italy in Dublin on March 8; SHOOTING Italy vs. England in Padua on March 15; Wales vs. Scotland in Cardiff on March 15; France vs. Ireland in Villeneuve-d'Ascq on March 15, World Cup in New Delhi from March 15-26 postponed to May 5-12 and postponed. June 2-9. Olympic test event in Tokyo from April 16-26 canceled. SKATEBOARDING European Championship in 12 countries from June 12-July 12 postponed to June 11-July 11, 2021. Asian street championship in Singapore from March 17-21 canceled. Copa America in Argentina and Colombia from June 12-July 12 Street Pro Tour in Las Vegas from March 24-29 canceled. postponed to June 11-July 11, 2021.

Lima Open in Peru from March 16-22 postponed to April 5-11. From European Champions League: Valencia vs. Atalanta on March 10; Paris March 20 suspended. Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund on March 11, no spectators. Olympic qualifier in Yangcheng, China from April 6-12 postponed to April Competition from March 13 suspended. Final in Istanbul on May 30 13-19. From Feb. 14 suspended. postponed.

Olympic qualifier in Nanjing, China from April 14-19 suspended. Copa Libertadores from March 15 suspended.

Street Pro Tour in Beijing from April 28-May 3 canceled. Asian Champions League: Matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG postponed to April- Dew Tour in Long Beach, California from May 7-10 postponed. May. Beijing FC allowed to play from Feb. 18. Matches involving South Korean clubs , and SKATING FC Seoul to be played with no spectators from March 3. Matches World short track speed skating championships in Seoul from March 13- involving Iranian clubs Esteghlal, Persepolis, Shahr Khodro, Sepahan on 15 postponed. March 2-3 postponed. All West Zone group matches from March 2 postponed. East Zone matches postponed to May 19-20 (Match Day 3), World figure skating championships in Montreal from March 16-22 May 26-27, (Match Day 4), June 16-17 (Match Day 5), and June 23-24 canceled. (Match Day 6). Round of 16 postponed to Aug. 11-12 and 25-26, quarterfinals to Sept. 15-16 and 29-30, and the semifinals to Oct. 20-21 World synchronized skating championships in Lake Placid, New York and 27-28. from April 3-4 canceled. Europa League: Inter Milan vs. Getafe on March 12; Sevilla vs. Roma on SKIING March 12, postponed. Inter Milan vs. Ludogorets on Feb. 27; Olympiakos Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy from March 18-22 vs. Wolverhampton on March 12; LASK vs. Manchester United on March canceled. 12; Wolfsburg vs. Shakhtar Donetsk on March 12; Eintracht Frankfurt vs. on March 12, no spectators. Competition from March 13 Alpine World Cup in Yanqing, China from Feb. 15-16 canceled. suspended. Final in Gdansk, on May 27 postponed.

Nordic World Cup in Oslo, Norway from March 6-8, no spectators. CONCACAF Champions League from March 13 suspended.

Engadin Skimarathon in Switzerland on March 8 canceled. South America World Cup qualifying from March 23 postponed.

Snowboard World Cup in Livigno, Italy on March 10 canceled. Asia World Cup qualifying: China vs. Maldives on March 26 and vs. Guam on March 31 moved to Buriram, Thailand, no spectators. Ski Jumping World Cup in Trondheim, Norway on March 11-12, no Competition from March 23 postponed. spectators. African Nations Championship in Cameroon from April 4-25 postponed. Alpine World Cup in Are, Sweden on March 12-14, canceled. European Championship playoffs on March 26 and 31 postponed to Ski Jumping World Cup in Nizhny Tagil, Russia on March 13-15, no June. spectators. Africa Cup of Nations qualifying from March 25 postponed. Ski Jumping World Cup in Vikersund, Norway on March 13-15, no spectators. Gold Cup qualifying on March 26 and 31 suspended.

Ski Cross World Cup in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on March 14 canceled. Women's Euro 2021 qualifying: Montenegro vs. Ireland in Budva on March 11, no spectators. Competition from March 13 suspended. Snowboard World Cup in Winterberg, Germany on March 14-15 canceled. Algarve Cup final in Portugal on March 11: Italy vs. Germany canceled.

Alpine World Cup in Kranjska Gora, from March 14-15, CONCACAF men’s Olympic qualifying in Mexico from March 20 canceled. suspended.

Alpine Europa Cup Finals in Saalbach and Reiteralm, Austria from March Asian women's Olympic qualifying Group B tournament relocated from 16-22 canceled. Wuhan to Sydney from Feb. 3-13. China vs. South Korea playoffs on March 6 and 11 postponed to April 9 and 14, and postponed to June 1- World ski flying championships in Planica, Slovenia from March 17-22, 10; China home game in Sydney. Vietnam vs. Australia in Cẩm Phả on no spectators. March 11, no spectators. Ski jumping World Cup in Chaikovsky, Russia on March 18-20, no English : Manchester City vs. Arsenal on March 11. spectators. Competition from March 13 suspended. Slopestyle World Cup in Silvaplana, Switzerland on March 21-22 FA Cup quarterfinals on March 21-22 postponed. canceled. and Segunda Division matches from March 10, no spectators. Junior ski cross and snowboard cross world championships in Saint-Lary, Competition from March 12 suspended. France from March 19-25 canceled. Copa del Rey final: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao in Seville on April Snowboard World Cup in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic on March 20- 18 postponed. 21 canceled. , B, C, D and Women's Serie A matches in Lombardy and Veneto SNOOKER regions postponed from Feb. 22. Serie A: 6 matches on Feb. 29-March 2 Tour Championship in Llandudno, Wales from March 17-22 postponed to postponed. All matches from March 4, no spectators. Competition from July 21-26. March 9 suspended.

China Open in Beijing from March 30-April 5 postponed. Italian Cup semifinals: Juventus vs. AC Milan on March 4, Napoli vs. Inter Milan on March 5, postponed. Final moved from May 13 to May 20. World championship in Sheffield, England from April 18-May 4 postponed. from March 11, no spectators. From March 13, suspended.

SOCCER French : Strasbourg vs. Paris Saint-Germain on March 7 postponed. Competition from March 13 suspended. French League Cup final: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lyon in Paris on April Diving World Series in Beijing from March 7-9 canceled. 4 postponed. Italy Olympic trials in Riccione from March 17-21 canceled. Chinese , due to start on Feb. 22, delayed. South America championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina from March Iran Pro League from Feb. 24, no spectators. From March 4 suspended. 25-29 canceled.

J.League in Japan from Feb. 25 postponed. Diving World Series in London from March 27-29 canceled.

K League in South Korea, due to start on Feb. 29, delayed. Nordic Tour: Bergen Festival in Norway from March 28-30 canceled.

Swiss Super League from Feb. 28 postponed. China Olympic trials in Qingdao from March 28-April 4 moved to May 10- 16. V.League in Vietnam from March 7, no spectators. From March 16 suspended. Ireland Olympic trials in Dublin from April 1-5 postponed.

First League in Bulgaria from March 8, no spectators. From March 13 Japan Olympic trials in Tokyo from April 2-7, no spectators. suspended. European Swim Cup II in Eindhoven, Netherlands from April 9-12 in Romanial from March 9, no spectators. From March 12 canceled. suspended. British Olympic trials in London from April 14-19 canceled. in Portugal from March 10, no spectators. From March 12 suspended. African championships in Durban, from April 17-22 postponed. in Poland from March 10, no spectators. From March 13 suspended. Australia championships in Perth from April 17-21 canceled.

Austrian Bundesliga from March 10 postponed. Diving World Cup in Tokyo from April 21-26 postponed.

Premier League in Egypt from March 10, no spectators. From March 16 Olympic artistic qualifier in Tokyo from April 30-May 3 postponed. suspended. European championships in Budapest, Hungary from May 11-24 Superliga in Denmark from March 11 suspended. postponed to Aug. 17-30.

Eredivisie in the Netherlands from March 12 suspended. Diving Grand Prix in Singapore from May 29-31 canceled.

First Division A in Belgium from March 12, no spectators. From March 20 Diving Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 5-7 postponed. suspended. United States Olympic diving trials in Indianapolis from June 14-21 Belgian Cup final: Club Brugge vs. in on March 22 canceled. postponed. TABLE TENNIS

Premier Division in Ireland from March 12 suspended. World team championships in Busan, South Korea, postponed from May in United States from March 12 suspended. 22-29 to June 21-28.

Premiership in Scotland from March 13 suspended. Asian Cup in Hainan, China from Feb. 28-March 1 postponed.

Liga MX in Mexico from March 14, no spectators. From March 15 Polish Open in Gliwice from March 11-15, from March 13, Day 3 of 5, suspended. suspended.

A League in Australia from March 16, no spectators. From March 24 in Riccione from April 1-5 postponed. suspended. Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Bangkok from April 6-12 Premier Division in South Africa from March 16 suspended. postponed.

Premier League in Bangladesh from March 16 suspended. European Olympic qualifying tournament in Moscow from April 8-12 postponed. Allsvenkan in Sweden, due to start on April 3, delayed. Latin American Olympic qualifying tournament in Rosario, Argentina from Super Lig in Turkey from March 19 suspended. April 15-19 postponed.

European Women's Champions League from March 13 suspended. Final Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in Brisbane, Australia from April in Vienna on May 24 postponed. 19-20 postponed.

National Women's Soccer League in United States, due to start on April in Kitakyushu on April 21-26 postponed. 18, delayed. from May 5-10 postponed. AFC Cup from March 18 suspended. in Shenzhen from May 12-17 postponed. Asian men's futsal championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from Feb. 26-March 8 postponed to Aug. 5-16. South in Busan on June 16-21 suspended.

Qatar Airways International in Doha with Belgium, , Portugal, Slovenia Open in Otocec from April 22-26 postponed. Switzerland from March 26-30 canceled. Australian Open in Geelong on June 23-28 suspended.

SUMO TAEKWONDO

Spring Tournament in Osaka, Japan from March 8-22, no spectators. Asian Championships in Beirut from March 2-6 postponed to May 11-15.

SURFING Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Wuxi, China from April 10-11 World Surfing Games in El Salvador from May 9-17 postponed to June moved to Amman, Jordan from June 5-7. 6–14. European Olympic qualifying tournament in Milan from April 17-19 moved SWIMMING to Moscow from April 16-18. From March 12 postponed.

Asian water polo championships in Nur-Sultan, , from Feb. TENNIS 12-16 canceled. French Open in Paris from May 24-June 7 postponed to Sept. 20-Oct. 4. Diving Grand Prix in Madrid from Feb. 14-16: China team withdrew. ATP-WTA: BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California from March 11- World Cup in Valencia, Spain on May 2 postponed. 22 canceled. World Cup in Chengdu, China on May 10 postponed. ATP-WTA: Miami Open from March 24-April 5 canceled. World Cup in Arzachena, Italy on May 30 postponed. WTA: Zapopan Open in Guadalajara, Mexico from March 16-21 canceled. Asian Cup in Tainan, Taiwan on March 8, in Beihai, China on April 5, and Dexing, China on April 11 postponed. ATP: US Men's Championships in Houston, Texas from April 6-12 canceled. World Series in Leeds, England on June 7 postponed.

ATP: Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Morocco from April 6-12 World Series in Montreal on June 28 postponed. canceled. VOLLEYBALL

WTA: Charleston Open in South Carolina from April 6-12, canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Bandar Abbas, Iran from March 2-7 WTA: in Bogota, Colombia from April 6-12 canceled. postponed.

ATP: Monte Carlo Masters from April 12-19 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Gold Coast, Australia from March 17-22 postponed. ATP: Hungarian Open in Budapest from April 20-26 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Cancun, Mexico from March 24-29 WTA: Xi'an Open in China from April 13-19 canceled. postponed.

ATP: Barcelona Open from April 20-26 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Satun, Thailand from April 8-11 postponed. ATP: Hungarian Open in Budapest from April 20-26 canceled. Olympic test event in Tokyo from April 21-26 canceled. WTA: Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany from April 20-26 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Yangzhou, China from April 22-26 postponed. WTA: Istanbul Open from April 20-26 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Siming, China from April 29-May 3 WTA: Prague Open from April 27-May 2 canceled. canceled.

WTA: Kunming Open in Anning, China from April 27-May 3 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Tuan Chau Island, Vietnam from May 6-9 ATP: BMW Open in Munich from April 27-May 3 canceled. postponed.

ATP: Estoril Open in Portugal from April 27-May 3 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Itapema, Brazil from May 6-10 postponed.

ATP-WTA: from May-2-10 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Jurmala, Latvia from May 6-10 postponed. ATP-WTA: Italian Open in Rome from May 10-17 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Ostrava, Czech Republic from May 20-24 WTA: Strasbourg International in France from May 17-23 canceled. postponed.

ATP: Open in Switzerland from May 17-23 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Warsaw from May 27-31 canceled.

ATP: Lyon Open in France from May 17-23 canceled. Beach volleyball World Tour in Vientiane, Laos from June 18-21 postponed. WTA: Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat, Morocco from May 17-23 canceled. Nations League due to start on May 22 postponed.

ITF events from March 12 suspended. WATER POLO

Davis Cup: China forfeited World Group I playoff vs. Romania in Piatra Olympic women's qualifying tournament in Trieste, Italy from March 8-15 Neamt on March 6-7. postponed.

Davis Cup: Japan vs. Ecuador qualifier in Miki on March 6-7, no WEIGHTLIFTING spectators. Asian championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 16-25 Davis Cup: Italy vs. South Korea in Cagliari on March 6-7, no spectators. postponed. Originally moved from Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Fed Cup Finals in Budapest, Hungary from April 14-19 (with France, East Asian championships in Seoul from Feb. 26-March 3 postponed. Australia, United States, Czech Republic, Russia, Belarus, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Slovakia, Switzerland) postponed. World junior championships in Bucharest, Romania from March 14-24 canceled. Fed Cup playoffs on April 17-18 (Poland vs. Brazil, Mexico vs. Britain, vs. Canada, Latvia vs. India, Japan vs. , Romania vs. African championships in Vacoas, Mauritius from April 13-20 canceled. Italy, Argentina vs. Kazakhstan, Netherlands vs. China), postponed: European championships in Moscow from April 13-21 postponed to June Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tournament moved from Dongguan, 13-21. China to Dubai, United Arab Emirates from March 3-7. WRESTLING

TRIATHLON Asian championships in New Delhi from Feb. 20-23: China, North Korea, World Series in Abu Dhabi on March 7 postponed. Turkmenistan teams withdrew.

World Cup in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida on March 22 postponed. Pan American Olympic qualifier in Ottawa from March 13-15, no spectators. World Cup in New Plymouth, New Zealand on March 28-29 postponed. African Oceania Olympic qualifier in El Jadida, Morocco from March 13- World Cup in Brasilia, Brazil on April 3-5 postponed. 15 postponed.

World Series in Bermuda on April 18-19 postponed. European Olympic qualifier in Budapest, Hungary from March 19-22 postponed. World Cup in Huatulco, Mexico on April 25-26 postponed. Asian Olympic qualifier from March 27-29 moved from Xi'an, China to Olympic mixed relay qualifier moved from Chengdu, China on May 9 to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan withdrew as host on Feb. 29. Valencia, Spain on May 1, postponed. Competition postponed. United States Olympic trials in State College, Pennsylvania from April 4-5 World university triathlon championship in Kecskemét, Hungary from postponed. June 27-28 canceled.

World Olympic qualifier in Sofia, Bulgaria from April 30-May 3 postponed. Singapore bans spectators at National School Games from January- August. OTHERS University Athletic Association of the Philippines postponed all sports Tokyo Olympics from July 24-Aug. 9 postponed to 2021. events.

Tokyo Paralympics from Aug. 25-Sept. 6 postponed to 2021. LOADED: 03.28.2020 Tokyo Olympics training of volunteers in Japan postponed from February to May.

Tokyo Olympics flame lighting dress rehearsal in Olympia, Greece on March 11; flame lighting on March 12, no spectators. Greek torch relay from March 13 canceled. Japan torch relay due to start March 26 suspended.

Court of Arbitration for Sport in-person hearings, from March 16 suspended.

Winter events in Chongli, China from Feb. 21-23 postponed.

Singapore athlete of the year awards on Feb. 26 postponed.

International Boxing Association's European Continental Forum in Assisi, Italy on Feb. 29 canceled.

International Boxing Association's African Continental Forum in Casablanca, Morocco from March 13-15 postponed.

World Chess Federation's presidential council meeting moved from China to United Arab Emirates on Feb. 28-29.

World University cross-country championships in Marrakech, Morocco on March 7 postponed.

NCAA in the United States, all sports from March 12 canceled.

International Weightlifting Federation Congress in Bucharest, Romania on March 13 canceled.

World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport in Monte Carlo from March 12-14 postponed to Feb. 11-13, 2021.

World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium in , Switzerland on March 17-18 canceled.

FIFA Council meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, on March 20 moved to Zurich in June-July.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Para Games in the Philippines from March 20-28 postponed.

Hong Kong sports stars awards on March 24 postponed.

MCC world cricket committee meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 28-29 canceled.

XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championships (offroad triathlon, duathlon) in Taiwan from March 28-29 canceled.

Gulf Cooperation Council Games in Kuwait from April 3-14 postponed.

International Equestrian Federation Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland on April 6-7 moved to online.

Asian Football Confederation Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 16 postponed.

SportAccord summit in Beijing moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 19-24 canceled.

World Sailing general meeting in London on May 2 canceled.

World Taekwondo Extraordinary Council meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on May 12 moved to online.

International Ski Federation congress in Pattaya, Thailand from May 17- 23 postponed.

International Ice Hockey Federation Congress in Zurich from May 21-23 postponed.

FIFA Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 5 postponed to Sept. 18.

International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation Congress on June 20 moved from Shanghai to Antwerp, Belgium. 1181802 World Leagues News

Coronavirus: Utah Jazz say Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell cleared of COVID-19, pose no risk to others

Jack Maloney

A little over two weeks ago, an Oklahoma City doctor came sprinting onto the floor just seconds before the Thunder tipped off their game with the Utah Jazz. While everyone could tell something wasn't right, no one could have predicted the chain of events that would follow.

Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first NBA players to contract the illness. That news forced the postponement of the Thunder-Jazz game, and later the suspension of the season. In the days that followed Donovan Mitchell and a number of other players around the league would test positive for COVID-19, and all sports leagues across the U.S. followed suit by shutting down their seasons.

That is where things still stand, but on Friday we did learn a bit of good news. The Jazz announced that both Gobert and Mitchell had been cleared by the Utah Department of Health, and now pose no risk to others.

Fourteen days after being tested for COVID-19, all Utah Jazz players and staff have completed their respective periods of isolation and quarantine and have been cleared by the Utah Department of Health.

The UDOH has determined that all Jazz players and staff, including Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, no longer pose a risk of infection to others.

Gobert caught a lot of heat following his diagnosis because of a video of him touching every microphone during a media session after practice. He later apologized for his actions, and donated $500,000 to support arena workers at Vivint Smart Home Arena, as well as health services in Utah, Oklahoma City and his native France.

CBS Sports LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181803 World Leagues News

Katie Swan puts tennis aside to help coronavirus relief effort in Kansas

Kevin Mitchell

While Covid-19 seeps daily into the consciousness of the White House, 1,200 miles away in Wichita, Kansas, a British tennis player is helping families who know poverty but are yet to feel the full impact of coronavirus.

As Katie Swan waits for the Tour to resume – and for Wimbledon to decide whether or not to hold this year’s championships, scheduled to start on 29 June – she prepares part-time and turns the rest of her energies to helping disadvantaged people in her adopted city.

The Bristol-born player has lived in Wichita for seven years with her mother, Nicki, her father, Richard, and her teenage brother, Luke. For the past fortnight, they have been sorting tinned food and other necessities in their garage, ready for distribution.

“My mum works with a charity called Big Brothers, Big Sisters [a tax- exempt organisation mentoring underprivileged children across America and 13 other countries] who look after kids from a tough background,” Swan said on Friday.

“She decided when this coronavirus started that she wanted to support those families with groceries they couldn’t get, either because they were too scared to go out or, having too many kids, could not leave them at the house. Some still have to work while their kids are not in school. She has been going to the supermarket pretty much every day for the past two weeks, buying loads of groceries.

“I have been helping her get the care packages ready for delivery. The garage is packed. She told me [on Wednesday] they have sent out care packages to 70 families. Some of them have loads of kids, [including] a family of 15 who live in one house. She has also supported a 98-year-old man who cannot go to the grocery store. He loves my mum’s homemade banoffee pie. It’s the only thing he will eat.

“The other day my mother had a phone call from a single mum, with her son. She is not very well and she was crying down the phone. It was very emotional and she was so grateful. People want to help. It’s a really good community.”

Swan, who has played only four matches this year – the last of them in an ITF tournament in Santa Fe in late February – is still ticking over. “I go to the club to practise a couple of hours a day, then come home to do my fitness. They are not as strict where I live, but I am sure it is going to come. Over in Kansas City, a few hours from where we live, they have gone into lockdown.”

As for Wimbledon, who are likely to abandon the 2020 championships when they convene in emergency session next week, Swan said: “You cannot control anything that is going on in the world, other than taking the necessary precautions. If everyone does their best to stay hygienic, follow the guidelines, then hopefully Wimbledon has a chance of going ahead. But I have no idea if that will be the case or not.”

Swan, languishing at 256 in the world and keen to return to the Tour, added, “I know the WTA, ITF and ATP are working hard to do their best. Nobody could have predicted this. I have no idea how the system is going to change or if it will change.

“I am trying to take all the positives out of this. I had my 21st birthday on Tuesday. I know it is a shame I cannot be playing tournaments, but it is a silver lining that I got to spend the time with my family.”

Guardian News LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181804 World Leagues News · Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces(computers, keyboards, desks, etc.).

· It’s not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not Gazelle Sports lays off 164 employees during mandated coronavirus protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during closure the flu season.

mlive.com LOADED: 03.28.2020

By Kayla Miller | [email protected]

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Gazelle Sports is laying off 164 employees because of the statewide closures implemented in response to the spread of coronavirus.

Gazelle Sports, a Kalamazoo-based sports gear retail store with five locations, filed paperwork with the state of Michigan on Thursday, March 26, saying 146 retail workers and 18 administrators were laid off.

Businesses across the state are shrinking staff and closing doors under an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Other than those working for essential businesses, employees are mandated to stay home while officials fight the spread of coronavirus. As of Friday, March 27, the number of cases in Michigan reached 3,657 while the death toll grew from 60 to 92.

The notice letter from Gazelle Sports co-owner Chris Lampen-Crowell said the layoffs impact locations in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Holland, Northville and Birmingham. All of the retail locations are closed, but sales continue online at gazellesports.com.

“Gazelle Sports continues to navigate the many challenges, questions and uncertainties the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to face,” Lampen-Crowell said in a statement to MLive.

The company retained 10% of its workforce on limited hours and reduced wages, he said.

“We have not had a layoff in the history of our company,” Lampen- Crowell said. “This has been the most difficult period in the 34+ years we have been in business.”

The Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, and will last for three weeks, ending April 13. Violation of the order is punishable by a misdemeanor.

The lay offs are expected to last less than six months, according to the notice letter.

“We intend to open when the state lifts the stay at home order, and it is safe for our staff and customers,” Lampen-Crowell said. “However, the next few weeks are critical for us and so many small businesses. We have lots of products available online and are ready to get them to you quickly.”

The number of people filing for unemployment in Michigan increased over 2000% after cases were first reported in Michigan and businesses began closing. In response to the tight restrictions on businesses, Whitmer signed an executive order expanding unemployment eligibility and increasing benefits.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state- government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

· Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.

· Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same.

· Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

· Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

· Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available. 1181805 World Leagues News patients to hospital, to drive trucks, to deliver food to refugees and vulnerable families is chronic.

“For some it will be volunteering in community and taking every Sports clubs across Australia unite to pitch in during coronavirus crisis precaution under government guidelines, for others it might be from home in a digital sense. That’s a matter for the non-government Now that there is no sport, Craig Foster is leading a call to arms during organisations. Red Cross will be interested in delivering digital this time of need messaging campaigns, whereas Foodbank and Meals On Wheels will need us packing boxes to get to families that night. There’s a triad of

sport, government and NGOs that need to work together right now.” Scott Heinrich What started out as a good idea that Foster floated to his Waverley Old Boys Over 35s teammates has taken off, with a variety of sporting bodies and public figures pledging their commitment to #PlayForLives. Sport has always been more than a game to Craig Foster. Digest any of his musings on football, and Foster’s view of sport as a vehicle to effect “Football has responded beautifully. There is a tremendous amount of change, break down boundaries and bring people together is palpable. desire within the game to step forward. I’m expecting that FFA [Football Federation Australia] will be getting involved in the near term. But this The former Socceroo and SBS presenter is also a dab hand at making need is far too great. One sport can’t cover it,” he says. To that end things happen. Foster was the driving force behind the release last year Foster has succeeded in getting the NSWRL on board, with Brad Fittler of Hakeem al-Araibi, the Bahraini footballer detained in Thailand, and has and Ben Elias to serve in ambassadorial roles. Foster says discussions recently campaigned on behalf of asylum seekers stranded on Nauru and with Rugby Australia and the AFL are progressing well, while Liz Ellis has Papua New Guinea. picked up the ball on behalf of the netball community.

Now, Covid-19 is in his crosshairs. As politicians grapple with the social “We need both levels of sport involved. We need national level for scale and economic carnage caused by the global health crisis, Foster is and we need grassroots community for connectedness, for relationships, calling on sport in Australia, now that there is no sport, to unite and pitch for personal support. A top-down approach is great because we can in during this extraordinary time of need. scale really quickly and get a lot of information to a lot of people. Equally, the grassroots clubs need to take ownership of this because they’re the “Sport is closed down across the country. That is a trauma for many ones who will be in the community.” people in itself. But broader society is hurting, we’re all hurting together,” Foster tells Guardian Australia. “One of the best ways for sport to recover Many people Foster is asking for help will be experiencing their own from all this is to connect to each other and to the broader Australian struggles as the coronavirus outbreak bites industry and forces chunks of community. Sporting clubs are important social connectors.” the workforce onto reduced hours or out of work altogether.

Foster is calling on the multitudes connected with community sport in “We’ve got historic levels of job losses, people on the bread line who Australia to redeploy their volunteering efforts and play not for points this don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Sport is experiencing season, but for lives. It’s a grand concept. And if it sounds like a its own financial trauma. But equally we are a strong community that movement, that’s because it is: the #PlayForLives movement. understands resilience. What sport teaches us is that there are horrible times, but they always end. In sport, there’s always a light at the end of “Now that sport is being closed own, we have participants who were the tunnel. training and competing for four to five hours per week,” Foster says. “We’re asking all of sport to step up and apply that to not only their own “In sport we are used to facing a challenge, to supporting each other arm community but to the rest of Australia. What’s occurred at community in arm, and that’s why sport has a critical role to play in not only level is that many of the social service delivery agencies, who are making supporting Australia right now, but also in our recovery and repair.” meals, delivering hot meals, driving people around, their funding has dried up and many of them have had to close the doors. The load on Guardian News LOADED: 03.28.2020 those that are still existing has expanded exponentially.

“We want to put sport at the service of the Australian community. Sport has a number of values which are really important: teamwork, solidarity and endurance. The need for volunteering in the last couple of weeks has become more acute than ever. We’re asking all participants who were going to play to put themselves forward to volunteer in some way.”

Craig Foster

(@Craig_Foster)

#PlayForLives

Sport’s role now is not to play for points, but lives

We can no longer play onfield & are putting ourselves at the service of essential services

Football clubs are volunteering for community organisations & charities including Adam & I

Get in touch @WOBFC pic.twitter.com/R67p5l7cXY

March 25, 2020

Such a call to arms might seem precarious at a time when human movement is governed by social distancing and lockdowns. But Foster envisages a broad spectrum of assistance.

“There are millions of ways we can help. If we create a sporting coalition for humanity, a sporting volunteer workforce, people can add their own professional skills. People are working from home now. The time they would’ve been training and playing they can now use to apply their professional skills as a designer, a lawyer, an IT expert.

“Safety is the absolute priority for everyone right now. Nevertheless, the need for people to physically go and help pack boxes, to drive cancer 1181806 World Leagues News

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit: 'I'll be shocked' if there's football in the fall because of coronavirus

Nick Bromberg

Yahoo SportsMarch 27, 2020

You can put lead ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit in the camp of people who aren’t expecting the 2020 football seasons to go on as scheduled.

Herbstreit appeared on ESPN Radio on Thursday night and said he would be “shocked” if the NFL and college football seasons happened because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Via TMZ:

"I'll be shocked if we have NFL football this fall, if we have college football. I'll be so surprised if that happens," Herbstreit said.

"Just because from what I understand, people that I listen to, you're 12 to 18 months from a [coronavirus] vaccine. I don't know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up and how you can play ball. I just don't know how you can do it with the optics of it."

The start of the football season hasn’t been at the minds of many simply because a lot of us are simply trying to navigate through the present in our unprecedented modern times. And also because the NBA and NHL had their seasons suspended while Major League Baseball had its season postponed. Football seems very far off.

And the NFL is trying to operate as scheduled anyway. While team facilities are closing, scouts are off the road and normal pre-draft preparations aren’t happening and the draft won’t be in Las Vegas, the NFL draft is still set to begin on April 23. And free agency has been chugging along as scheduled too.

Any loss of football in 2020 because of an extended pandemic could feasibly be weathered by the NFL and its teams. The same can’t necessarily be said for universities that rely on the money that football generates. The NCAA’s main moneymaker is the NCAA tournaments. They were canceled. As a result, the $600 million payout that member schools were set to get from the NCAA from the TV revenue from the tournaments is dropping to $225 million in 2020. That’s a decrease of $375 million.

On Thursday, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that the conference would — at the moment — be able to pay its member schools the payout they were promised despite the NCAA’s smaller than anticipated distribution. However, he admitted that it would be a “whole new ballgame” if the football season was impacted by the pandemic.

As of Friday morning, there had been over 90,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United Staes and over 1,300 deaths.

Yahoo Sports LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181807 World Leagues News

"Europe's last dictator" won't let sports stop during coronavirus

Kendall Baker

Belarus is the only European country that is still playing soccer. Why? Because President Alexander Lukashenko, a man often referred to as "Europe's last dictator," said so.

Geography lesson: Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

History lesson: Belarus was part of the until it was dissolved in 1991. Lukashenko has been president since 1994 and has continued many Soviet-era policies.

What he's saying: The coronavirus "is just another psychosis, which will benefit some people and harm others," Lukashenko said last week. "The civilized world is going nuts. It is absolute stupidity to close state borders."

Instead of panicking "like those in Western Europe," he suggested having 40–50 grams of vodka daily and frequenting saunas. He also told farmers to keep working, as "tough work and a tractor can cure anything."

The state of play: The 2020 Belarusian Premier League season began March 19 as planned and games are scheduled to be played this weekend.

The league is benefiting financially, with TV networks in Russia and Ukraine acquiring the broadcast rights, the first time anyone from outside Belarus has done so.

Between the lines: Some players are concerned about their health, but the lack of confirmed coronavirus cases in Belarus (86 in a country of 10 million) appears to have kept fears at a minimum.

"There is no panic in the team, but surely all of us hear and see what's happening in the world and it does get in our heads," one player told ESPN.

"It is indeed a nice feeling that the whole world is watching. ... I'm happy to be playing while most of my colleagues around the world are killing time sitting at home."

Elsewhere ... Soccer is also still being played in Central America (Nicaragua), Africa (Burundi) and Asia (Turkmenistan and Myanmar).

Axios Media LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181808 World Leagues News

With Sports On Hold, Russia's Gamblers Bet on Coronavirus

March 27, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic has put sporting events around the world on hold, Russian bookkeepers and gambling enthusiasts have hinged their bets on something else: the coronavirus pandemic.

Major sporting events such as the UEFA Europa League and Champions League have been some of the first things to be shut down as world leaders worked to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus. Russia has suspended all football, hockey and basketball games from March 17 to April 10.

Russian bookmakers, facing a sharp decline in income, have kicked off betting on non-sport-related forecasts such as the likelihood of a Covid- 19 vaccine, a Moscow lockdown or a buckwheat shortage in stores, the Mediazona news website reported this week.

At least two bookmaking websites, Betcity and PariMatch, have created new sections on their websites dedicated to betting on coronavirus- related events, Mediazona said. One bookmaker stopped taking bets entirely until sports tournaments are resumed.

“There are no matches, so bookmakers had to come up with something,” Mediazona quoted Championat.com journalist Pyotr Kondakov, who covers betting topics, as saying. “We had to adjust because there’s no getting around this.”

The betting section on Championat.com, one of the most popular Russian-language sports outlets, is now filled with non-sports forecasts including “Will Pornhub open access to premium subscriptions for Russians?” “Will Yury Dud make a film about coronavirus in 2020?” and “Will Russia face a shortage of buckwheat and toilet paper?”

Anna Appolonova, a spokeswoman for the Betting League bookmaker, told Mediazona that the number of bets made on cyber-sports has also drastically increased since the health crisis began to unfold.

According to Appolonova, nearly 80% of Betting League’s gamblers have started making bets on virtual football, an eightfold increase from this time last year. In particular, the LaLiga Santander Challenge, an online football tournament that featured famous offline athletes, drew some 23,000 bets.

The only offline sport event to see a spike in interest is the Belarussian Premier League, the only still-active football championship in Europe, with the number of bets on these matches increasing fourteenfold compared to last year, Appolonova said. Belarussian football is currently listed as the most popular betting category across all the bookmakers Mediazona studied.

Moscow Times LOADED: 03.28.2020 1181809 World Leagues News different look — Bowlsby threw out the possibility of fans sitting six feet apart, or crowds banned altogether.

“I think there probably will be lots of people that give consideration to Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby details financial, structural impact of what kind of public assembly they want to do,” Bowlsby said. “… I do coronavirus think it will cause people to take pause and wonder what kinds of things they’re sharing other than enthusiasm for a game and enthusiasm for a school or a team when they go into a stadium.”

Matt Galloway @themattgalloway Echoing remarks made last week by KU athletic director Jeff Long, Bowlsby called the uncertainty of what lies ahead “unnerving.” Mar 26, 2020 at 5:18 PM “I remember the time period after 9/11. That one was awfully difficult on

our nation and yet you little by little saw returns to normalcy after three or Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby fielded questions for nearly an hour four days and then after 10 days and then after a month,” Bowlsby said. Thursday, but from the outset he didn’t profess to have all the answers. “This just has a much longer tail. It has a great deal more uncertainty. It’s an invisible enemy that we really don’t know fully how to fight it. Speaking at a news teleconference that covered a litany of topics yet centered around the dark cloud the coronavirus has cast over a “I just think it’s very presumptuous to try and force athletics decisions into conference that houses Kansas, Kansas State and eight other high- an environment that’s so uncertain and so universal in its impact in our profile universities, Bowlsby emphasized the cautious approach the Big society. I just think we all have to stand back and recognize that we’re 12 has taken amid these uncertain times. managing important games, but they’re just games. It’s that context I think that’s kind of helped me to stay focused and think about these “I guess we have the same questions that all of you have,” Bowlsby said things in ways that are perhaps a little different than we might have in the in his opening statement. “When do we return to normalcy, or some past.” semblance of normalcy? Is it going to be May? Is it going to be June? Could it be July? Will we see a second cycle (of the virus) sometime Bowlsby indicated opinions from Big 12 athletic directors and CEOs on down the road?” an extra year of eligibility for winter and spring athletes remains mixed, though the former college wrestler stressed it is a “heartbreaking” The Big 12 shut down its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments situation for the those individuals whose final seasons and postseasons March 12 in Kansas City, Mo., and just a day later, the conference were wiped away. The same is true for Olympic athletes who, after taking canceled its spring sport seasons. Bowlsby labeled the current a gap year away from collegiate competition, face their own period of “unprecedented times” as “extraordinary” but made sure to put his role limbo. and the role of sports in general into context. “This probably should cause us all to ponder what’s really important in “The reach of this goes way beyond athletics,” Bowlsby said, “and in college athletics and perhaps indeed in our life beyond college athletics,” some ways athletics gets rendered to an appropriate second-class Bowlsby said. “When you’re up against an opponent like we are, I think citizenship as a result of all that’s going on in our world.” you begin to treasure some of the things you take for granted.”

Bowlsby's own world has looked much different of late. Bowlsby classified this time period as “intellectually fascinating and challenging.” The Dallas-based commissioner has been working from home, 12-hour, teleconference-packed days full of daily meetings with other major “This is a new day, and I think it’s going to have to be almost entirely conference commissioners, twice-weekly meetings with Big 12 athletic dictated by the circumstances once those circumstances are known,” directors, and frequent calls with NCAA officials. Bowlsby said, “because right now I don’t think there’s a crystal ball on the planet that can tell us what’s going to happen in the coming months.” Bowlsby’s time hasn’t simply been consumed by coronavirus discussions. The Leavenworth Times LOADED: 03.28.2020 “It might surprise you to hear that the name, image and likeness components that I’ve been involved with throughout (the) NCAA working group are continuing to move forward,” said Bowlsby, who still expects to be part of a report on that subject matter to the NCAA board of governors by the end of April — by telephone, of course.

Bowlsby also outlined the financial impact of the virus-related cancellations. The axed men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will cost the conference about $6.6 million. The NCAA’s decision to significantly lessen its distribution to conferences — down to $225 million from a previous total of approximately $600 million — has trimmed the Big 12’s expected cut of the pie to $10 million, down from the typical $24 million.

“We’re going to take some hits there,” acknowledged Bowlsby, who added the conference is still determining the financial impact of reductions in TV and sponsorship payments for spring sports.

The picture isn’t entirely bleak — Bowlsby cited Oklahoma’s appearance in the , an approximate $3.5 million savings in membership participation subsidies and somewhere between $2.5 to $5 million in budget variants from not hosting conference championships as funds that could help offset the losses.

Those factors, in addition to substantial cash saved in an operating reserve, gives Bowlsby certainty that the Big 12 will be able to honor its upcoming payments to member institutions. That said, the hypothetical of a delayed or lost fall football season would bring about “major changes” that could send shockwaves throughout the entire Power Five landscape.

Bowlsby said no consideration has been given at this time to contingency plans that would be enacted if the cash cow of football is indeed wiped away by a second surge in the coronavirus, though he said the next 60 to 90 days should provide clarity. That statement rings true whether football runs as scheduled, is delayed or canceled, or returns with a much 1181810 World Leagues News In pro baseball, basketball and hockey, the leagues strike deals with major networks for marquee regular-season games and postseasons, and each team negotiates its own regional TV deal to carry most of its Money trouble: The pressure behind getting sports back on TV regular-season contests.

The NBA and NHL have completed most of their regular seasons. NHL teams had 11 or 12 games left, and NBA teams had 15 to 19. By Joe Vardon Mar 27, 2020 75 “The NBA, for instance, has said they’d be willing to play through August for their playoffs,” said Berke, the sports-TV consultant who is president of his firm, LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media. “They’ve gotten the bulk It is known as the “force majeure” clause, and it is in virtually every sports of their regular-season games in, they can play a full playoff schedule. broadcasting contract. Then there’s not that much of an issue financially for all concerned. The specifics of each contract vary by sport and by network, but Baseball is in a different boat.” generally speaking they contain a provision that allows the network to Baseball teams did not finish spring training, and on top of were recoup money if a great, unforeseen set of circumstances causes the scheduled to have 162 regular-season games to go before the playoffs. cancellation of games. The regional TV deals are lucrative in baseball, worth as much as $200 Like, say, a lethal, highly contagious virus sweeping the world. million per year to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and between $20 million and $60 million annually for most teams, according to FanGraphs. Up until about a few weeks ago, the force majeure clause was boilerplate language in contracts between TV networks and major sports leagues. Berke, whose clients include the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Now, everyone in the sports media business is talking about it. Angels in baseball, and the Cavaliers of the NBA, said “from a regional standpoint, networks are expecting a minimum number of live games, “It’s the term that is now flying around out there,” said Lee Berke, a and if those games are missing, they’re going to try to obtain sports and TV consultant who advises sports teams and regional sports compensation for those games. networks on contracts. “Force majeure is something that is out of everybody’s hands, a natural disaster, a flood or tornado or hurricane, a “It could be compensation, it could be additional rights, it could be an pandemic. … It’s part of the discussions that are starting to take place on extension of a term of an agreement,” Berke said, explaining the a very tentative basis between the networks and the leagues that I think negotiations that will occur because of missed games. “But certainly as a are starting to pick up steam in the days and weeks to come.” (regional sports network), you’re more exposed. The main thing you offer up is the game itself as far as preseason or postseason. In the case of collegiate men’s basketball, the clause was already triggered by the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Those games will “If you cancel a season, then you cancel the playoffs and you’re going to not be made up. Turner Broadcasting and CBS pay about $800 million to take a huge financial hit. That’s not a choice any league is going to make. the NCAA per year to air the tournament, through a contract that will run They are going to do everything possible to save the season.” through 2032. The caveat that Berke and Fort, the sports economist from Michigan, The NCAA revealed Thursday that because of lost revenue, it will pay point to is this: Sports can, and will, only resume when it’s safe. Division I member schools $225 million this year instead of the $600 Going back to the days before they shut down, it was local and state million that was expected. Fifty million of that will come from its reserve politicians who pushed the leagues into planning games without fans. But fund, with the other $175 million coming from a line of credit that it plans it was the leagues themselves who suspended their seasons, citing the to pay off once it receives $270 million from an event cancellation desire to protect the health of their players, employees, fans and the insurance policy. public at large. In pro sports, Turner and ESPN/ABC are not yet demanding the NBA It’s hard to imagine that any league resumes play, even without fans in return to the court to finish the season – or else forfeit the $2.6 billion the stands, until the risk of spreading the virus by holding the games is they pay the league to show its games. The same can be said for NBC greatly reduced. That period, according to most public health experts, is and the NHL in the U.S. ($200 million annually), and for ESPN, Fox and not coming any time soon. Turner with Major League Baseball (more than $1.5 billion annually). Opening Day was supposed to have been Thursday. “If we all maintain social distance for a couple months, we can get through this and have the least number of cases and deaths possible,” Now, in the middle of this global mess, is not the moment for the said Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist in Utah who worked with the networks to enforce force majeure. Jazz to get the team home from Oklahoma City the night Gobert’s But the leagues are not without pressure to get back on the field, court or positive test became public. Dunn made these remarks during an ice this summer so they can ensure they get their TV money. Sports are appearance on Jazz forward Joe Ingles’ podcast this week. not immune to the country’s economic woes. And the easiest way the “This is probably going to last a couple months, and so we just have to leagues can weather that storm is to finish (or in baseball’s case, start) do it, even though it’s going to cost us economically and psychologically, their seasons. and we’ll do everything we can to kind of lessen those blows,” Dunn “It’s essential,” said Rodney D. Fort, a sports economist and professor at continued. the University of Michigan. “There won’t be any other money stream Richard Sheehan is a sports economist and University of Notre Dame that’s available to them. As soon as they can get back on TV, they can professor. Applying medical theories of virus containment espoused by start to massage the revenue opportunities that are available to them. If doctors like Dunn, and tracking the data of coronavirus patients and fans can’t come to the games, then TV is the obvious.” mortality rates in China, South Korea and Italy, Sheehan said he doesn’t Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive test on March 11 prompted the see any way the NBA, NHL or MLB could play this summer. NBA to suspend its season immediately; the NCAA Tournament, NHL, “As a numbers guy here, you have 30 teams (in the NBA), you have 15 MLB and PGA Tour followed suit. players per team, so let’s say you have 450 players plus another 450 Prior to Gobert’s positive test, the NBA and NHL were prepping to play people required to assist you in terms of putting things together as far as games with no fans in the stands. Many conference tournaments were filming the games, or refereeing the games, or coaching them, or what making the same preparations for men’s and women’s college have you,” Sheehan said. “Maybe you’re talking about 1,000 people to basketball, as was MLB for spring training games. continue to run the games. Out of those 1,000 people, the 450 players are going to be among the 450 most fit people on the planet. And they “If there is ever going to be a comeback, all we have to look at is how can probably go through and play. After doing this a couple weeks, (sports) shut down,” Fort said. “What was the plan at shutdown? The probably all would be in contact with the virus, all of them exposed, and plan was no fans, play the games. And presumably they were saying that my expectation is the overwhelming majority of them wouldn’t be sick, it was because the TV money was such that, even though they might and wouldn’t have a problem. They’re in a good age group and they’re lose money, having the TV money meant they lost less than if they didn’t top of the line healthy. If I had to put a mortality rate on them, it would be have the TV money.” pretty close to zero. “The other 450 or 500 people that would be a part of the games, whether coming months due to the coronavirus. That’s trillions of dollars it’s the referees or it’s the support staff or something like that, don’t fit that potentially disappearing from people’s pockets as unemployment category. Out of those 500 people, five are dead (based on a 1 percent skyrockets. On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department reported 3.3 million mortality rate for people who contract the virus in general). people filed for unemployment in the last week — a record.

“You want to play the games? That’s the question that we face all the In other words, once fans are allowed to buy tickets, not as many will be way through.” able to. The natural, downward spiral will affect advertisers and sponsors and T-shirt buyers. Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, has said publicly the league is considering a range of options, from canceling the season all together to Sports have survived national recessions before – such as the one that resuming the regular season to playing just the playoffs, to holding a hit in 2008 – but most economists expect the coming hit to be much charity game for players willing to play. deeper and more widespread.

This week, the Chinese pro basketball league pushed its restart back “A lot of fans are going to be financially hit by this,” said Dan Rascher, a from mid-April to mid-May, and the Korean league canceled its season. sports economist and team consultant based in California. “People want this (the economic downturn) to be kind of V-shaped, but it’s going to In text messages to several NBA players who were granted anonymity to stay down and it’s going to be a while before lots of things come back to speak freely, most told The Athletic they would either be eager to return normal. I think the leagues are going to struggle for years rebuilding their to the court as soon as Silver summoned them, regardless of the virus, or fan bases, from a revenue perspective.” at least when it was deemed safe for them to return. Fort, the Michigan sports economist, said, “I make a good living and right “I just don’t want to be a part of the spreading,” one NBA vet said. “The now the only loss I’m suffering is a paper loss in my retirement. actual Corona doesn’t bother me. I’ve had the flu many times. But I want to do my part as a good citizen. As soon as that evolves from staying “When sports comes back, I’m perfectly happy, capable and able in an home to playing again, I’m in.” instant to start spending money on sport again. The real question becomes how many people like me are going to have their incomes Even if every NBA player were free of any underlying health issue that redirected, helping their kids pay rent or something like that, that they could make them more susceptible to becoming sick with the virus (Larry won’t be able to dedicate the same amount of money to sports that they Nance Jr. of the Cavs, for instance, has Crohn’s disease, which weakens did before? It’s not a low-income phenomenon. It’s not a phenomenon his immune system), most would have vulnerable family members and that typically hits the people who can barely stand to bear it the hardest, friends. that don’t have much impact on sports.”

Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns shared Tuesday that his mother By and large, pro sports teams are owned by billionaires. Already, the contracted the virus and is on a ventilator. Ingles, whose young son is owners of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils were shamed autisitc and has a weakened immune system, said on The Athletic’s into rescinding temporary wage cuts for at-will workers. Other owners in “Tampering” podcast that he would walk away from basketball if the sports were late to promising to cover lost wages for part-time arena games resumed and his son’s health were in jeopardy. workers, beaten to the punch by the players, who earn millions instead of To prevent the spread of the disease to family members, players in the billions. NBA and NHL would have to be quarantined for weeks and months, But as the hiatus of major American sports continue, lost earnings and depending how deep they make it in the playoffs. All of MLB would have layoffs are coming. Players’ salaries will drop, too, if the pool of money to do the same, for however long that season goes. coming in drops substantially.

“I could walk out of this gym now, in the clothes I’m in, and go to the “We’ve lived in one world, and at the end of the day we are going to be in airport,” Ingles said. “I would have zero issues (with that choice) because a fundamentally different world,” Sheehan said. “There is just no other I wouldn’t want to put my family through that. I don’t want to put Jacob way to say that. We’ve lived in an economy of $20 trillion, and sports (his son) through that. I don’t want to put his sister (Milla) through that, figures, players have grown used to getting some fairly substantial and I definitely don’t want to put his mother through that. So it’s really salaries. The amount of revenue on the table is going to drop hard. dramatically.

“I would love to go back and play. There’s a million reasons why I want to “I think you are going to see players’ salaries come back down from the play. But the one reason – I love Jacob – to not play is the one that I stratosphere, and see much fewer fans in the stands when this ultimately would stick by. … Obviously I know there’s 449 other players who are comes down.” itching to get back and play (but) I just don’t know how (the virus) would end up stopping if we kept playing.” So, uh, what about the NFL?

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said this week he thought The king of American sports, with roughly $5 billion in annual TV the NBA would begin playing before June 1. Reached via email with earnings, doesn’t play a game that counts until September. So time may questions regarding his comments about a return, as well as potential be on football’s side. Every logistical problem you’ve read here though is revenue losses from TV and ticket sales, Cuban said: “Every team is exacerbated in the NFL. different and I have not looked at the economics of any of this. We are focused on keeping people healthy and (safe) right now.” Rosters are larger. Support staffs bigger. And if you can’t safely let 20,000 people in to watch basketball, or 30,000 for a big baseball game, If the leagues were to lose out on TV money, it would be a devastating how are you going to let 70,000 in on a Sunday afternoon? blow. Revenue losses are coming regardless, perhaps on a massive scale. Fans aren’t going to be allowed into games for a while. You probably can’t. Not in September, though the NFL is for now planning to operate business as usual for the season. Which is why “I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to do public games in the next playing NFL games on TV is paramount. two years,” Sheehan said. “‘Wow,’ you say? Yeah. But ask yourself, when is a vaccine going to come out? You can’t open up the stadium to “If the NFL wants to play from November until April, then the NFL will fans. It’s simple, very simple. Even by August, September, we’re not play from November until April, and everybody will watch and the going to have a vaccine available yet. Without a vaccine, we’re going to speculation will be enormous,” Berke said. “The speculation about ‘is this face the same problem then as we face now, but with a twist. The guy in shape, how will this team be,’ it will build up to the crescendo of problem is now – we don’t know who has it. You can be asymptomatic the games coming back. And the same is going to be for every other and spread the disease, and as long as that’s the case, you can’t have sport as well.” fans in the stands.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.28.2020 Sheehan, of course, is not a doctor, and his estimate is just that. But he uses it to frame the economic downturn that’s coming for sports – one that would be exacerbated by lost TV revenues. And fans being kept out of the stands is just part of the grim equation.

Major financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are predicting huge chunks of the American economy falling off over the