SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/3/2020 Boston Bruins Pittsburgh Penguins 1183891 Jaroslav Halak ‘couldn’t be more happy’ that he’s 1183920 Penguins A to Z: Sidney Crosby remains the standard remaining with the Bruins 1183892 NHL Draft-eligible players doing their best to stay ready San Jose Sharks 1183893 Jaroslav Halak feels right at home with Bruins 1183921 Just like magic, Joe Thornton’s beard disappears 1183894 NHL sticking with a June draft - even without the season 1183922 Coronavirus & sports: The latest on when NBA, MLB, resumed - is the right call other leagues may return 1183895 It wasn't tough for Jaroslav Halak to sign Bruins extension 1183923 Sharks legend Joe Thornton shaves iconic beard with given the uncertainty NHL season paused 1183896 This Date in Bruins History: David Krejci propels B's past 1183924 NHL rumors: Sharks 'front-runners' for Russian goalie Flyers in Game 2 of 2011 Semifinals Alexei Melnichuk 1183897 2020 Hindsight: Biggest Bruins first round draft busts of the 2000s Tampa Bay Lightning 1183898 The art of the pandemic deal: Inside Jaroslav Halak’s 1183925 When will the longest day in American sports history finally unique negotiations end? 1183926 Lightning, NHL still in theoretical stage of bringing back Buffalo Sabres hockey 1183899 Vote which Sabres' team is the best in franchise history 1183927 Forbici, Lightning send 5,000 Impossible Burgers to 1183900 Kings' Alex Iafallo delivers dinner to mom's floor at Buffalo front-line workers General 1183901 How Rasmus Dahlin’s first two seasons match up with Toronto Maple Leafs all-time great defensemen 1183928 Owen Brady’s hockey career has been put on hold more than once, but he keeps looking to the future Chicago Blackhawks 1183929 Fans, ushers, media recall last Leafs Cup 1183902 Column: The 5 loudest moments I’ve heard at a Chicago sporting event, from a clutch grand slam at Wrigley Fiel Vegas Golden Knights 1183903 Polling Place: How important is it to you that the NBA, 1183930 Popular voices at Golden Knights games wait to be heard NHL finish out their seasons? again 1183904 NHL owners reportedly 'dead-set' against compliance 1183931 Golden Knights roster review: Robin Lehner buyouts 1183932 Walk Back In Time: How Foley Combined Forces With 1183905 What the NHL's proposal for a June draft means for the The Maloofs To Create Vegas Golden Knights Blackhawks Washington Capitals Colorado Avalanche 1183933 NHL reportedly making aggressive pitch to teams to move 1183906 Chambers: Finnish goalie Justus Annunen could be “that draft up to June 5 guy” for the Avalanche 1183934 Next on the Oshies' quarantine to-do list: Teach Leni to swim Detroit Red Wings 1183907 Red Wings might benefit under NHL’s proposed early Websites June draft 1183936 The Athletic / Pronman: Arguments for a June NHL Draft outweigh reasons to wait Edmonton Oilers 1183937 The Athletic / Roundtable reaction: Which NHL teams are 1183908 All-time Edmonton Oilers weigh in on all-time Oilers team most impacted by a June draft? 1183909 MATHESON: How about Messier on left wing on all-time 1183938 The Athletic / NHL builds a case for a June draft before Oilers team? Monday’s call with Board of Governors 1183910 ‘They were looking outside the box’: Oilers’ distinctive third 1183939 The Athletic / Wheeler: Why Dylan Holloway is one of the jerseys still stand out 2020 NHL Draft’s most unique prospects 1183940 Sportsnet.ca / Remember When? Underdog Maple Leafs Minnesota Wild win Stanley Cup in 1967 1183911 It's a sad state of hockey as Wild, Gophers lose fans 1183941 Sportsnet.ca / Quick Shifts: Intriguing, NHL-ready free 1183912 Dean Evason deserves shot to stick with Wild agent leaves KHL early 1183942 TSN.CA / Evolution of superstition: Philadelphia Flyers' MontrealCanadiens Carter Hart finds a routine that works 1183913 Bracket showdown final: Vote for the 2019-20 Canadiens 1183943 USA TODAY / San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton play of the year shaves off famous bushy beard New Jersey Devils Winnipeg Jets 1183914 NHL writers poll is insult to Henrik Lundqvist, Patrik Elias 1183935 NHL's draft proposal could be all kinds of good for Jets New York Rangers 1183915 NHL writers poll is insult to Henrik Lundqvist, Patrik Elias Ottawa Senators 1183916 The Ottawa Senators could be big winners if the NHL has its way and holds draft in June Philadelphia Flyers 1183917 Some good in all this: A chance to relive the Flyers’ magical 1974 Stanley Cup clincher with Bernie Parent | S 1183918 2020 NHL draft profile: Brendan Brisson has 'the quickness, the skill and vision' to entice Flyers 1183919 Eric Lindros discusses rebuilding relationship with Flyers World Leagues News 1183944 MLB still has more questions than answers in age of coronavirus 1183945 With sports on pause due to the coronavirus, is it time to reflect on gender biases and poor fandom? 1183946 Summer Olympics in 2021? ‘Exceedingly Difficult’ Without a Coronavirus Vaccine 1183947 Coronavirus: Horseracing plans to get sport up and running despite COVID-19 disruption 1183948 Coronavirus wrap: Premier League and Formula One work on planned resumptions 1183949 Coronavirus testing remains a major hurdle for sports’ return 1183950 NCAA doctor: Available coronavirus testing crucial to having college football

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1183891 Boston Bruins

Jaroslav Halak ‘couldn’t be more happy’ that he’s remaining with the Bruins

Trevor Hass

May 3, 2020, 12:10 a.m.

With the fate of the NHL season in jeopardy, Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak is grateful he’ll be in Boston at least one more year regardless of how the next few months unfold.

Halak, who turns 35 on May 13, agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract to stay with the Bruins, general manager Don Sweeney announced Friday. Halak had been a pending unrestricted free agent.

Sweeney indicated he’s pleased with the way the Bruins’ two-goalie system with Tuukka Rask and Halak has worked out, noting that he’s comfortable regardless of who is starting in any particular game.

“Jaro, in the last couple of years, has really established himself as a guy that can go in any situation,” Sweeney told reporters Saturday.

Halak, who has an 18-6-6 record with a 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 31 games (29 starts) this season, said he’s glad an agreement was reached and that he’s “super excited” to be part of such a special group for another year. The Bruins had the best record in the NHL when play stopped in March, and Halak is confident they can keep it going if they get the chance.

“I think everybody knows that we have unfinished business,” Halak told reporters. “I hope the season can resume and we can start up where we finished.”

Halak called the Bruins a family, adding that the closeness of the group was a main reason he wanted to remain. He said life in quarantine has made him think a lot, and he reached the conclusion that Boston was the best place for him and his family.

Halak joked that he was in the basement “hiding from the kids” during a Zoom call with reporters, then he clarified that his son has helped him stay in shape by firing shots his way. Halak said he’s also gotten a stationary bike, which helps, but he’s itching to get back on the ice. For now, he’s trying to make the most of the situation and put everything in perspective.

“There are always more important things than hockey and sports,” Halak said. “Health is one of them.”

Halak did point out how much he misses his teammates, noting that the Bruins are capable of winning every night. He said it’s been a “special group,” and that he “couldn’t be more happy.”

Sweeney made it clear the feeling is mutual. Whether Rask is on his game or not, Halak has been there to provide a boost.

Said Sweeney: “He gives balance to a hockey club.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183892 Boston Bruins “I think it’ll come back in a minute or two on the ice,” he said. “The skating stride, and the hands you lose a little bit, but I think I’ve gained a lot of strength, so hopefully I’ll be a little bit faster. My shot is definitely NHL Draft-eligible players doing their best to stay ready harder. If you shoot pucks every day . . . just playing the actual game might take some getting used to. But I’ve been watching a lot of video. Hopefully I’ll be a little bit better.”

Matt Porter Like the NFL, the NHL is likely to supplant its postponed draft with a virtual affair sometime this summer. Moore will almost certainly not hear May 2, 2020, 1:34 p.m. his name during a hockey festival in Montreal, wearing his best suit and hugging his loved ones before meeting the team’s brass, posing for photos and starring in a news conference. He would instead monitor his When the NHL Draft finally goes on the clock — whenever that might be computer screen and, hopefully, get a phone call. Instead of spring — Ian Moore will be watching. But his vision will reach beyond the showcase games and combines — all canceled — he has been doing screen. interviews with teams on the phone or video chat.

“Everyone’s dream is to play in the NHL, not just get drafted,” he said. It’s different, but you only get one shot at this, so why not enjoy it? “Every team has first-round, second-round, seventh-round, undrafted guys. It doesn’t matter if you get picked, where you get picked, if you “It’s every kid’s dream to interact with NHL teams,” said Moore, who don’t. That’s been my mind-set the whole time. This doesn’t change estimates he’s spoken with the majority of clubs. “They’re all hockey guys much.” who want to talk hockey. It can be a little nerve-racking, but it’s definitely fun. I’m pretty fortunate to have the opportunity.” Moore knows no different. The 18-year-old defenseman from Concord, the top-rated prep skater in Massachusetts, is one of hundreds of NHL The draft is but one puzzle of this kinda-sorta-not offseason the NHL is Draft prospects who are using this stifled time to train and do, well, not trying to solve. The league and the NHLPA this past week formed a much else. “return to play” committee, involving executives on both sides and several players. They hope to trickle back onto the ice this month. But After blooming late at St. Mark’s School, he rose to No. 47 among North before that, they want to answer a slew of questions: Which cities could American skaters, as ranked by NHL Central Scouting. He has the kind have the space and relative safety needed to host groups of teams in a of length (6 feet 3 inches), skating ability, and mind for the game that a summer restart (Columbus? Dallas? Edmonton? Toronto?)? What should team will be happy to draft and develop as he moves from the USHL be the testing guidelines for players and staff? What is an equitable (Chicago, next season) and ECAC (Harvard, expected arrival 2021). schedule for a restarted training camp, games, and playoffs? What are the implications for next season? Since he only has one summer class left before graduating — an English course — and he’s stuck at home like the rest of us, Moore’s days are all Moore, several years away from his peak as a player, is a long way from hockey, all the time. worrying about how the league and its labor force walks an uncertain path in a global pandemic. He’s still very much a kid. His parents, Michael (a sales director for Cisco Systems) and Stephanie (a cardiologist at Edith Nourse Rogers Veterans Hospital in Bedford) In a series of videos posted on Twitter, he and his St. Mark’s teammates have been working from home upstairs. In the basement, Moore and 19- keep straight faces as they show their oddball workout routines. year-old brother Nolan (also a defenseman, committed to Middlebury) work with a setup that would impress the pros. Defenseman Jake Oblak, working on his gap control, flicks a tennis ball at a wall. In full equipment and sneakers in his yard, he rushes, then They have a bench press with a bar, a rack of dumbbells up to 50 retreats as it bounces back. Forward Danny Ciccarello, noting the pounds, a pulldown machine, and a leg press machine. importance of nutrition, uses a knife taped to his stick to slice and dice a cucumber on a plate. Defenseman Tucker Hartmann, demonstrating how “My brother and I built that,” said Moore, who hopes to add bulk beyond to walk the blue line, keeps his head up as he goofily smacks a slapper his 175 pounds. “It took a little longer than expected. The directions said from a pile of leaves. three hours, but I think we put a few bolts on the wrong way.” For his part, Moore shows the fundamentals of blocking shots. He They have medicine balls, bands, and yoga mats. A homemade weight- explains how St. Mark’s coach Carl Corazzini, a former Bruins winger, on-a-string forearm curl. A Peloton stationary bike. They use it all, stretch demands that his teams allow five or fewer shots per period. Moore, in and watch film, then go outside to shoot and stickhandle pucks. full equipment and rollerblades, takes orange plastic balls off the shins “It’s a little tough to do full-on drills,” Moore said, “but we try to keep the and knees, and finishes with a full layout and quick swipe to clear the mechanics nice.” slot.

They do sprints on the track at the middle school down the street. To “Hey coach, you’ll like that shift!” he shouts. keep their reflexes sharp, the brothers play at least an hour of ping-pong A few days later, he’s speaking with a reporter and sounds a bit older as a day. They work on breathing and mindfulness. They also lace up their he muses about these unique days. rollerblades on their outdoor basketball court, which their father partly covered with “sport court” plastic tiles. “So much free time,” he says, “and nowhere to go.”

“Not many people have something like that,” he said, after describing the Might as well use it. whole lot. “We’re thankful.” MATTER OF TRUST Theirs certainly isn’t the only way to train. Fellow draft prospect Sam Colangelo, of Stoneham, told Sports Illustrated he uses supplies from his Cehlarik’s time seems to be up parents’ restaurant, Local 438 Grille & Sport. GLOBE STAFF A prediction: The Bruins’ RFA business will not be like “Some of the food boxes are super heavy,” said Colangelo, who plays for that of last year, when Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo took contract the Chicago Steel (USHL), is heading to Northeastern, and is 31st on discussions into training camp. Central Scouting’s list. “I think it was boxes of steak meat — I was doing Projecting contracts in this sports economy is a fool’s errand, but based farmer carries and shoulder shrugs with them. It was kind of funny. Then on last season’s production, Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, and Matt out back, I have some rocks and I was putting them in this backpack and Grzelcyk are unlikely to break the Black-and-Gold bank. Bright futures, using it as a weight vest.” all. No reason we aren’t looking at a pair of future top-six wingers and a The Bruins follow specialized programs for each player, delivered by their power-play quarterback. trainers and team coaches. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, though he has But it’s easy to see all of those players combined making less than $10 filled his small Seaport apartment with some equipment ordered online, million on new deals (DeBrusk highest among them, potentially around leans on the basics. He runs outside, and keeps his hands soft by using $3.5 million per annum). old standbys: a stick and a ball, and some cups as obstacles. One restricted free agent who has surely seen the last of the Spoked-B: Like the pros, Moore hopes he hasn’t lost much of his skill. Peter Cehlarik. The Slovak winger, who never earned the trust of Bruce Cassidy, is played in San Jose in 2018, is remembered here as a Capital. In 2012, saying as much to reporters in his home country. his Game 7 OT goal knocked the defending Cup champ Bruins out of the first round. He said it was a career highlight. Quite a run for the undrafted "They know what they are doing,” he said last month, according to a son of Barbadian immigrants to Canada. He might get into coaching . . . translation of an interview at Sport.sk. “They invested years of education Social distancing to the extreme: Bruins goaltender prospect Jeremy in me. It's all about the trust from the coach that I don't get. I still hear I'm Swayman has been hiking the Chugach Mountains, outside of his ready for the NHL, I have it, but when it goes like this, I need a change hometown of Anchorage. Swayman, who had a spectacular career at and a new start. It's high time.” Maine, was a Hobey Baker Award finalist (top college player), and won Sometimes, he added, he felt Cassidy was “just waiting for my mistake the Mike Richter Award (top goaltender), could vie for the Providence net and could send me back to the farm.” next season, if he ever comes down . . . Best wishes to ex-NHL tough guy Georges Laraque, who said he tested positive for COVID-19. “I Cehlarik, 24, played three games this season and 40 since the Bruins guess I’m not invincible,” he tweeted. “Since I’m asthmatic, not the best drafted him in the third round (90th overall) in 2013. Though big-bodied news, will fight it off!” . . . Feel-good recruiting news: Graysen Cameron, (6-2, 202) and skilled, something between staff and player was lost in who survived the Humboldt Broncos bus crash that killed 16 in April translation. It happens. 2018, committed to Division 3 Northland College in Ashland, Wis. Cameron spent 2018-19 recovering from a broken back . . . Saturday HOMEGROWN TALENT marked 52 days since the March 12 pause. Here we declare that Sean Sanderson’s son one American to watch Kuraly is the best No. 52 in Bruins history. The others to wear the number: Petr Prajsler (1992), David Emma (1997), Carl Corazzini (2004), Ian Moore is one of two Massachusetts high school players ranked by Nate Thompson (2007), Zach Hamill (2010-12), Matt Lindblad (2014-15), NHL Central Scouting among the top 100 North American skaters. The and Matt Irwin (2016) . . . Before Ray Bourque doubled his 7s to honor other is Lawrence Academy center Riley Duran (95th), a Providence Phil Esposito in December 1987, the Bruins had never issued a regular- commit who hails from Woburn. Norwell’s Drew Commesso, who played season sweater higher than No. 42 (Bob Sweeney, who debuted the at St. Sebastian’s before joining the U18 team, is ranked second among previous year) . . . No Bruin has ever worn No. 69, 78, 84, 85, 87, or 93- North American goalies. He is committed to Boston University. 99 in a regular-season game . . . Joan Kilban, a Hingham fifth-grade teacher, is one of three finalists for the NHL and NHLPA’s Most Valuable The top-ranked American in the draft (fourth among North American Teacher award. Kilban, who has spent 24 years at Plymouth River skaters) is Jake Sanderson, a swift-skating defenseman for the U18s. Elementary and was a student there, uses the Bruins to teach math and Sanderson, from Whitefish, Mont., is the son of Geoff Sanderson. Jake’s science concepts, to wit: A Chara bodycheck transfers a lot of kinetic old man scored 30 goals six times, including 40 twice with the Whalers energy to an opposing forward, and Brad Marchand can dangle through (1992-93, 1993-94), and had some of the best straightaway speed of his defensemen at angles both acute and obtuse. Kilban, a Weymouth era. resident (yes, her favorite player is Charlie Coyle), won the NHL’s As we look at the NHL Draft, keep in mind the Bruins do not have a first- "teacher of the month” honor for March from an online write-in vote round pick. They shipped it to Anaheim, along with 75 percent of David across North America. Voting for the big prize is open from May 4-8 at Backes’s salary and defense prospect Axel Andersson, for Ondrej Kase. NHL.com/MVT. The winner was to be invited to the (now-postponed) That trade happened on Feb. 21 . . . which was about six years ago. NHL Awards in Las Vegas . . . Prepare for a week of rosy Black-and- Gold memories. Next Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the day a ETC. 22-year-old Bobby Orr flew into hockey immortality. In addition to several upcoming pieces in the Globe, we also recommend consuming the NHL Chara in no mind to stop soon Network documentary “Big, Bad & Bobby” (8 p.m. Sunday, May 10). Full GLOBE STAFF In an extended interview on Sportsnet’s “After Hours,” of archival footage and interviews with plenty of characters from that era, Zdeno Chara made it sound like he wants to give it another go. it tells a story that will never get old.

“I’m still in the present, and I still believe that we’re going to play some Boston Globe LOADED: 05.03.2020 sort of hockey this season,” the 43-year-old defenseman said. “I’m not getting too ahead of myself. Obviously, I still love the game. I still love going out there and [competing], and if everything is right, I still want to play.”

Would you bet against Chara playing until he’s 45?

Loose pucks

The NHL’s return-to-play committee reportedly includes, from the league, commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, hockey ops director Colin Campbell, and scheduling wizard Steve Hatze Petros; NHLPA director Donald Fehr, assistant Mathieu Schneider, general counsel Don Zavelo, and player rep Steve Webb; and players Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Mark Scheifele, James van Riemsdyk, and Ron Hainsey (the last of whom, at 39, wants to finish this season before considering his future) . . . The Flyers signed Swedish winger Linus Sandin, who attended Bruins development camp in 2019. His brother, Rasmus, is a defenseman and one of the Maple Leafs’ brightest prospects. The Sandin signing, among others this past week, was able to happen because the NHL extended its transfer agreements with a host of pro leagues (Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) and the Canadian major junior leagues, and signed a new deal with Switzerland. The agreements, all of which are for one year, allow players to move more freely between the leagues, with the NHL kicking in transfer fees that boost the programs in those nations. Russia is the only major hockey-producing country that isn’t buying into this system . . . Bruins fourth-liner Anton Blidh has been skating in Sweden, where that is permitted. Not clear if fellow Swedes Joakim Nordstrom and Par Lindholm have been doing the same . . . ESPN reported the arena construction projects in Seattle and Elmont, N.Y. (Islanders) remain on track for the start of the 2021-22 season. While work at the Long Island site was halted by the coronavirus, the Seattle Somethingorothers’ overhaul of the former KeyArena has continued nearly unbothered . . . Joel Ward announced his retirement after 11 years. Ward, who last 1183893 Boston Bruins Jeremy Swayman, who just signed after an outstanding season at the University of Maine. Having an experienced second goalie could also be key with the league most likely playing a condensed schedule next Jaroslav Halak feels right at home with Bruins season, whenever that starts.

“We’ve been in a position the last couple of years where Rask has been well-rested and has been able to go on runs but we’ve leaned on the STEVE CONROY backup goaltender the last few years,” said Sweeney. “Anton Khudobin did a good job as well when he was here. But I think in the last couple of May 2, 2020 at 5:06 p.m. years, Jaro has really established himself as a go-to guy in any situation. Rask has had a couple of injuries at different times and Jaro’s been able to step forward and give good balance to our hockey club. (Coach Bruce In a perfect world, maybe — just maybe — Jaroslav Halak would have Cassidy) feels very comfortable no matter who’s starting, road, home, used his fine two-year resume with the Bruins and at least seen what opponent. So it just gives us a lot more flexibility. And it works in might be available to him on the open market he was scheduled to hit conjunction with our younger goalies who we’re trying to develop.” before signing a one-year, $2.25 million (plus a $1.25 million bonus) contract extension with the Bruins on Friday. Boston Herald LOADED: 05.03.2020

But we are not living in a perfect world right now, of course, and there’s no telling when we’ll get back to some semblance of normalcy. So with all things considered in our coronavuris-shutdown environment, the goalie looked at the long list of positives that came with re-signing with the Bruins and decided it was a pretty good deal.

“You always want to think about taking the best option possible, not only for yourself, but getting older and having kids, you always have to think about your family as well,” said Halak on a Zoom call with reporters on Saturday. “Being happy in Boston, it’s one of the reasons why we wanted to stay here. Not only me, but anyone would want to see what kind of options you’d have on the free market. But I think this decision was made based on the great team that we have and the teammates that we have. We all get along and it’s been a special group since I joined and I can’t be more happy.”

But re-signing with Boston wasn’t completely based on the uncertainty the current environment is casting. As general manager Don Sweeney noted, the two sides had been discussing a possible extension since earlier in the season.

Halak, who said the team has some “unfinished business” remaining, doesn’t know what he plans to do after the the 2020-21 season. He’s more focused on his current goals.

“Right now I’m taking it day by day. We got a deal and I’m happy to be back next year, then we’ll see what happens,” said Halak, who’ll be 35 on May 13. “I want to bring my best every night. I hate losing. I’ve hated it since I was a kid. With this team, we have a chance to win every night. That’s the biggest reason why you want to play the sport. You want to win. I think winning and winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal on this team and the fans, the organization, we do everything we can to accomplish that.”

While Tuukka Rask has gotten the edge in playing time, as you would expect, Halak has seen more ice than what used to be on a traditional backup’s plate. And the two have posted very similar numbers as they’ve established themselves as the best tandem in the league.

Rask has registered a 53-21-11 record the last two years, with a 2.31 goals against average and .920 save percentage in 87 games. Halak has a 40-17-8 record with a 2.36 GAA and .921 save percentage in 71 games for the B’s.

The two have developed a strong working relationship.

“Since I came and before that, you see that throughout the years that (Rask) has proved that he’s one of the top goalies in the league and he competes in every game, every practice and he wants to win,” said the Czech netminder, who has remained in Boston during the shutdown. “That’s the ultimate goal. As goalies, he wants to play and I also want to play, but at the same time, we play as a team and we want to win as a team. If it’s with him or me in net, it doesn’t really matter, because that’s what good teams do now, they use pretty much everybody who is on the roster and they have to bring it every night.”

Sweeney said it took a while to find some common ground with Halak and his agent Allan Walsh, but was appreciative of the goalie’s camp for being willing to get a little creative with the deal. The bonus, which could bring his pay up to $3.5 million and give him a decent raise over the $2.75 million he’s making now, is a very attainable one. It kicks in when Halak plays 10 games.

The deal also allows the club to give more time to its goalie prospects – Daniel Vladar and Kyle Keyser, who are already in the system, and 1183894 Boston Bruins decision about what’s best for everyone rather than any teams that have a personal preference.

“You have to respect that. It’s incumbent upon the league to make the NHL sticking with a June draft - even without the season resumed - is the best decision for themselves and we’ll be prepared for it. We’ve done a right call lot of extra video-work around the things that you’d usually be doing at the combine, so I appreciate all that extra work.”

Joe Haggerty The NHL Board of Governors is expected to meet at the beginning of next week to give a potential green light to the new draft concept. May 02, 2020 5:06 PM Clearly, it would be an unorthodox move to host the draft before the season resumes, and hockey traditionalists will poo-poo it as something that should have been held between seasons. The NHL general managers might not like it very much. But let’s have a little fun with this, people. Certainly, it doesn’t make a ton of logical sense to hold an amateur player draft in June when the 2019-20 NHL regular season hasn’t yet Sports fans are thirsting for entertainment and the NHL would be wise to been completed and nobody knows if the hockey season will get fill that void with a draft that could be a massive win-win. completed anytime soon. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 Get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App

There are loose ends to tie up whether it’s the draft order for an incomplete season, the conditional draft picks dependent on how the rest of the 2019-20 season played out or just the general inconvenience of holding an NHL Draft where trades and free-agent signings aren’t really going to be a part of the process.

About the only thing that everybody could agree on is that the pathetic Detroit Red Wings have earned the No. 1 overall pick no matter when the regular season actually comes to an end.

Still, after watching the NFL create a “must-watch” television event with their virtual player draft last weekend, the NHL would be downright foolish if they didn’t take advantage of a golden opportunity to give sports viewers compelling hockey content to watch.

After taking in some admittedly awesome classic games on repeat and going through the NFL free agency period, there won't be a lot of sports out there for at least the next few months as social distancing and self- quarantining continue to take precedence.

The NHL should do everything it can to put on their own virtual player draft in the usual month of June at a time when its players might even be ramping it back up for the completion of the 2019-20 regular season. For a league that’s always competing with the other three pro leagues for media attention and their share of the sports fan pie, holding the draft when literally nothing else is happening could allow them a major sporting world coup.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly reportedly sent a memo to all 31 NHL teams on Friday “enthusiastically in support of” still holding the draft in June with the league potentially looking to even move it up to a June 5 date.

"We think it's a great opportunity for fan engagement," Daly writes, per an ESPN.com report. "Fans have been missing NHL hockey for a month and a half. It'll be three months when we get to June."

There's already a major thirst for hockey in the first few days of June and it will feel like a dehydrated march through the Sahara desert by the time June hits the sports calendar.

Daly has also been clear in his opinion there may not be enough time between this season and the start of the 2020-21 season to properly execute the draft, so this would make sense from a practical standpoint as well.

It’s a move that will likely be unpopular with NHL GMs who logically want the draft to be held after the 2019-20 season is completed, but sometimes the tail needs to wag the dog.

This might be one of those instances for the NHL given the rave reviews and massive ratings for the NFL draft. It’s also something the Bruins are prepared for.

“We’ve done a lot of Microsoft teams work with our amateur staff and a lot of conference calls in that regard, so we’re well-prepared when the NHL makes that decision with regard to the June draft. It’s still to be determined,” said Bruins GM Don Sweeney on a Saturday Zoom conference call with Bruins reporters. “I think they’re going to discuss it with the Board of Governors with which way they are going to go. I have my own preferences, but that being said the league has to make their 1183895 Boston Bruins

It wasn't tough for Jaroslav Halak to sign Bruins extension given the uncertainty

Joe Haggerty

May 02, 2020 3:45 PM

In the last year of his initial two-year contract with the Bruins, Jaroslav Halak probably could have tried for a No. 1 goaltending job somewhere in free agency based on the two seasons he’s had in Boston.

But the 35-year-old goalie was also facing unprecedented uncertainty given the coronavirus crisis that’s put the 2019-20 season on pause and has put into question exactly when next season will even begin. So, Halak made the smartest move and instead signed a one-year extension with the Bruins for next year that will pay him $2.25 million along with a very easily attained $1.25 million in bonus money.

Halak will again back up Tuukka Rask, but he’ll also get plenty of playing time, continue to suit up for an elite NHL team and make certain he’s got a job next season no matter what the salary cap landscape looks like.

"It made me think, not knowing what's going to happen this year or next,” said Halak, who is still in Boston while quarantining with his family the past few months. “There's always positives that the team is great, the fans are great. It wasn't tough to take a one-year deal. It’s been a special group. We have unfinished business.”

Halak was 40-17-10 in his two seasons with the Bruins with save percentages of .922 and .919, and has, even more importantly, allowed the Bruins to limit Rask’s workload to the ideal 50-game range. At the time of the 2019-20 regular season being shut down, the Bruins goaltenders were leading the NHL with a 2.39 goals-against average and .921 save percentage on the way to winning the Jennings Trophy as the league’s best goaltending duo.

Now that will continue for at least one more season while young B’s goaltending prospects Daniel Vladar, Jeremy Swayman and Kyle Keyser get another season of development before they might be pushed into action.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183896 Boston Bruins

This Date in Bruins History: David Krejci propels B's past Flyers in Game 2 of 2011 Semifinals

Erin Walsh

May 02, 2020 12:10 PM

The Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup run was magical, but it probably never would've happened if the Black and Gold didn't have the services of David Krejci.

Krejci and linemates Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic were probably the best forwards throughout that postseason.

As many Boston sports fans know, the Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens in seven games to move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers, and that's where the magic really began. In Game 1 against the Flyers, Krejci tallied two goals in a 7- 3 win over the Flyers, but Game 2 was where he truly became a playoff hero for the B's.

One of Krejci's most memorable performances from 2011 came on this date, May 2, when he scored 14 minutes into overtime to propel the B's past the Flyers. This goal caused some confusion on the ice, and the referee behind the net actually said there was no goal scored, but upon further review, Krejci's goal was deemed good and the B's won, 3-2.

As we all know, the Bruins went on to sweep the Flyers and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Krejci ended up tallying four goals in those four games against Philadelphia, and ended the playoffs with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 25 games. Krejci led the entire playoffs in goals, game-winning goals (four) and points.

Here are some other notable Bruins games played on this date.

2019: Semifinals: 4-1 win at Blue Jackets

1999: Quarterfinals: 2-0 win vs. Hurricanes

1978: Semifinals: 3-2 win vs. Flyers

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183897 Boston Bruins In 20 games with the Bruins, Hamill recorded a measly four assists. For the record, though, Hamill had some impressive numbers in the WHL, recording three 50-plus point seasons, but that ultimately didn't translate 2020 Hindsight: Biggest Bruins first round draft busts of the 2000s to professional success.

Jordan Caron - 25th overall (2009)

Erin Walsh Selecting Jordan Caron 25th in 2009 is another head-scratcher, especially when Kyle Palmieri was selected immediately after him. In five May 02, 2020 1:46 AM seasons and 134 games with the Bruins, Caron tallied just 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists). He also wasn't ever really that great in the AHL either.

So, this was a disappointing selection. The Boston Bruins have selected some pretty terrific players in the first *NOTE: The next two players aren't necessarily busts... yet. But they round of the draft, but they've also made some pretty terrible selections could be within the next few years* as well. Jakub Zboril- 13th overall (2015) With the NHL season on pause due to the coronavirus, we thought it would be interesting to take a look back at some of the worst B's draft This is where things get difficult. Zboril wasn't drafted too long ago and picks since 2000. It's important to note that not all of these players are still has some time to develop, but things just don't seem to be pointing in total busts, but could end up in that category if they don't shape up in the his favor. You can't help but look at all the players who have found next few years. success that were drafted behind him... Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Thomas Chabot, Brock Boeser, Travis Konecny and Anthony Beauvillier. So, without further ado, here are the worst Bruins' first-round selections the past 20 years. How long are Bruins fans going to keep saying "He still has time to develop, relax." or "It can still work out. He's developing well in Martin Samuelsson - 27th overall (2000) Providence?" Sure, but time is dwindling for this kid to crack Boston's Samuelsson was selected by the Bruins 27th overall in 2000 and lineup. honestly, it wasn't a great pick. They could've had Justin Williams, who Since joining Providence in 2017, Zboril has recorded three consecutive was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers right after Samuelsson, or seasons of 19 points. Now, that's consistent, and it's not bad, but he's not defenseman Niklas Kronwall. who landed with the Detroit Red Wings. necessarily improving on the offense. However, he has become much Samuelsson had just one assist through 14 games with Boston, and smarter defensively. Another full season in Providence could do him could never stick on the NHL roster. His 2002-03 season with the AHL some good. Providence Bruins was promising: 39 points (24 goals, 15 assists) in 64 The other problem with Zboril cracking the lineup is the immense amount games, but that didn't translate to NHL success. of depth the Bruins have at the position now. He's going to need to step Hannu Toivonen - 29th overall (2002) up if he plans on beating out Jeremy Lauzon or Urho Vaakaninen.

When you select a goalie in the first round, you should probably be sure Now, Zboril isn't necessarily a bust... yet. But he could be within the next he can handle NHL action. While goaltenders do take longer to develop, few years. the Bruins' choice of Toivonen at 29th in 2002 was not a good one. The Zach Senyshyn - 15th overall (2015) other goaltenders drafted in the first round included Kari Lehtonen and Cam Ward, both of whom have found success in the NHL. The Senyshyn situation is the same as Zboril's. Shape up or you're not going to crack the Bruins roster. After two 20-plus point seasons in Players selected after Toivonen include Johnny Boychuk, Duncan Keith, Providence, Senyshyn has just 16 points on the 2019-20 season. Now, Matt Stajan and Jiri Hudler, all of whom could've been a better fit in it's important to note that Boston is trying to develop Senyshyn into a Boston. In 38 games with the Bruins, Toivonen went 12-14-5 with a .896 more complete player from top to bottom, so he hasn't been playing on save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against average. Yikes. And people Providence's top line and isn't going to tally as many points. say Tuukka Rask is bad. However, how is this going to impact his overall point production? Boston It should be noted that Toivonen suffered a rough ankle sprain halfway doesn't need another bottom-six forward. They need someone to slot in through the 2005-06 season, and it seemed like he never regained his on David Krejci's right wing. In his short four-game stint with the Bruins form after that. He posted some great numbers for the B's AHL affiliate in this season, Senyshyn was actually impressive. You could tell his game Providence, but ultimately couldn't make things work in Boston. has improved, and he even recorded two assists. Matt Lashoff - 22nd overall (2005) We won't say he's a bust just yet, but he could be if the Bruins don't What's funny about this pick is that Rask was selected by the Toronto utilize him correctly. Maple Leafs one spot ahead of Lashoff, and yet, the B's still managed to Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 land Rask in a trade with the Leafs. Anyway, this Lashoff pick was pretty bad. T.J. Oshie, Andrew Cogliano, Matt Niskanen and Steve Downie were all selected behind him. Downie wasn't that great, but he certainly had a better career than Lashoff. And how about that Oshie guy, huh?

In three seasons and 46 games with the Bruins, Lashoff tallied eight points (one goal, seven assists) before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Mark Recchi and a second-round pick. Now that ended up being a steal as Recchi played a big role in the B's 2011 Stanley Cup championship.

Lashoff was actually pretty good in AHL Providence, recording two 30- plus point seasons. Not bad for a defenseman. Unfortunately, he never took his game to the next level.

Zach Hamill - 8th overall (2007)

The Hamill pick is absolutely, without a doubt, the worst Bruins pick of the past two decades. Let's take a look at all the players selected after Hamill: Logan Couture, Ryan McDonagh, Lars Eller, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ian Cole, Riley Nash, Max Pacioretty, Mikael Backlund, David Perron, the list goes on. How did the Bruins miss so badly with this pick? Honestly, who knows? 1183898 Boston Bruins Those days are over. Halak’s body of work over the last two seasons has helped to make it so.

General managers, head coaches and goalie coaches generally agree The art of the pandemic deal: Inside Jaroslav Halak’s unique negotiations that 1A/1B tandems are preferable to one workhorse and one door- opener. The Rask-Halak duo could be that theory’s primary model.

Fluto Shinzawa As such, with more teams seeking established backup goalies, Halak could have explored expanded options. Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, May 2, 2020 Vancouver and Washington are among the teams expected to be on the goaltending hunt before 2020-21. No one would have blamed Halak for

chasing one more multi-year contract. As a general manager, Don Sweeney’s mandate is to sign a player for There was just one problem: his birthday. the lowest possible cost. Agents earn their living by maximizing their clients’ earnings. That voices rise and phones slam are natural and Halak will turn 35 on May 13. If he signed a multi-year contract, his expected byproducts of conflicting interests. employer would be on the hook for the full cap hit if he retired, ripped his knee apart or played poorly enough to merit AHL assignment. The Bruins But neither Sweeney nor Allan Walsh, Jaroslav Halak’s agent, had were wary of assuming such risk. previously negotiated during a pandemic. “We had presented the variable in an over-35 goaltender and how People are dying. Economies, including that of the NHL, are crashing. punitive it can be on your cap going forward,” Sweeney said. “It was Calls, texts and emails, of business and personal nature, usually begin something very new to Jaro.” with well-wishes and inquiries about loved ones. Sweeney and Walsh had been talking all year. They repeatedly bumped In this context, recent talks about extending Halak could not help but into the term issue. assume a more gracious and human tone. Then the league slammed on the brakes. “Every time I pick up the phone now, you ask about people, how they’re doing and how the people are around them,” Sweeney said during a A different perspective Saturday video call. “And rightfully so, as I would for everybody on this call, for their families to be well and to be safe. It’s an unprecedented When the pause arrived, Zdeno Chara, Halak’s fellow Slovakian and time. You pick up the phone, it’s not just business. It’s not just pound the longtime acquaintance, bolted to Florida with his family. Joakim table because you want your point to be heard louder than theirs.” Nordstrom returned to Sweden. Jake DeBrusk went home to Edmonton.

Normally, Halak’s past results and projected future performance could Halak has stayed in Boston. On Saturday, Halak retreated to his have provided him bargaining power to pursue a multi-year deal, in basement to participate in the video call away from Inna and Nathan’s Boston or elsewhere. A pandemic, however, has the sharpness to adjust thunder and lightning. Even in such hiding, Halak appreciates the lifestyle previous expectations of expected earnings and long-term job security. he and his family have grown to enjoy.

So on Friday, Halak agreed to a one-year extension that could lead to a Quarantine helped to sharpen Halak’s priorities. His family is healthy. $3.5 million payday in 2020-21. Halak compromised on term. The Bruins Halak likes working with Rask. He trusts that when play resumes, for the included a $1.25 million bonus if Halak appears in 10 or more games, a remainder of 2019-20 or the start of 2020-21, the Bruins will be among threshold he appears quite likely to achieve. the league’s heavyweights. He concluded there was nowhere he’d rather be. The give-and-take process allowed the Bruins to extend their ace netminding partnership of Halak and Tuukka Rask for one more season The Bruins felt the same way. The Rask-Halak tandem would be in place while discouraging the undue acceleration of 22-year-old Providence for another year. The veterans would allow their would-be successors to Bruins goalie Dan Vladar’s development. The negotiations gave Halak develop at the right pace in Providence, where they belong. the fiscal and mental relief of deferring job hunting — a prospect that Vladar has four years of pro experience. But the next NHL game for the would frighten anybody, including NHL goalies, in this shattered labor 22-year-old will be his first. It would have been folly to ask Vladar to go market. from zero NHL experience to the 35-start baseline he’d be expected to hit “It made me think a lot,” Halak said on a separate video call. “Not to maintain a reasonable workload for Rask. knowing what’s going to happen this year, or not knowing what’s going to Jeremy Swayman, a fourth-rounder in 2017, could be a future NHL ace. happen next year. Having two kids, having a family, there are always But the Hobey Baker finalist last played at the University of Maine, and positives that the team is great. Teammates are great, the city of Boston, has yet to make his first pro appearance. fans. It wasn’t tough to think about it and take the one-year deal. I’m really happy that we got it done. Now I don’t have to focus on what’s Halak conceded that a one-year extension was all he’d get in Boston. going to happen in the summer or with this season and not knowing The Bruins gave ground, too. what’s going to happen next season.” Nobody knows the exact depth of the NHL’s COVID-19 financial ruin. For It just so happened that a global catastrophe helped to frame now, the best the NHL can do is issue guidelines to expect a flat salary constructive negotiations. cap for 2020-21.

Seeking term, initially By offering Halak a $2.25 million base salary, Sweeney could keep his finances in relative order under an $81.5 million ceiling. With his owner’s Halak, 34, has played for six organizations. In 2014, Halak was traded approval, Sweeney sweetened Halak’s pot with the $1.25 million games three times — from St. Louis to Buffalo to Washington to the Islanders — played bonus. within a span of just over two months. He and his wife, Petra, are parents to two young children: daughter Inna and son Nathan. Halak has “We have to be appreciative of how they approached it, both he and appeared in 520 games, the 11th most among active goalies. Allan Walsh,” Sweeney said. “Because they clearly could have just sat back and looked at the marketplace. Maybe a team would have stepped All of that is to say that at one time, Halak probably knew he had a final up with a multi-year deal. We’re in a position right now with our hockey significant kick at the contractual can upon the expiration of his deal. club where we want to have some flexibility moving forward. We’re Halak made the case that even at his age, he could argue for at least a grateful and appreciative of Jaro being able to accommodate in that two-year contract. regard. We’ve moved around a little bit of performance bonus to give him Halak shaped his market by helping to influence modern thinking about some incentive to, financially, have a very comfortable year for him and goalie workload. Halak used to share the net with Carey Price, who made his family.” 72 appearances in 2010-11. Halak was traded for Ryan Miller, whose Halak can be dour. Those who know the goalie well acknowledge he is career best was 76 games played in 2007-08. Rask, his current partner, miserable at times. Losses steam him to the point where he sometimes made 70 appearances in 2014-15. declines postgame comment, something Rask never does. But on Saturday, Halak was at his cheeriest. He joked about finding a safe space away from his kids. Halak cracked about the workouts he’s doing to keep from getting fat. At the conclusion of his call, he thanked reporters for their participation and sounded like he meant it.

Halak is happy to have a job in a city he likes with a team he appreciates. These days, it is hard to ask for much more.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183899 Buffalo Sabres A post-French Connection roster in 1983-84, led by Perreault and with rookie Tom Barrasso in goal, finished one point behind the Bruins for first place in the Adams Division. The Sabres were swept by the Quebec Vote which Sabres' team is the best in franchise history Nordiques in a first-round playoff series.

Dominik Hasek's Vezina Trophy-winning performance and Miroslav Satan's 40 goals helped the Sabres secure the Eastern Conference's Lance Lysowski seventh seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1998-99. Buffalo then marched through the playoffs, eliminating the Senators, Bruins and Sun, May 3, 2020 Toronto Maple Leafs en route to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1975. The Sabres then lost Game 6 to the Dallas Stars on the infamous controversial overtime goal by Brett Hull, a game now Almost 50 years ago, a spin of the wheel earned the Buffalo Sabres the referred to as "No Goal." right to draft Gilbert Perreault first overall. Acquiring the transcendent talent was a seminal moment for the expansion franchise. In 1977-78, the Sabres had six 25-goal scorers, including a team-high 41 by Perreault, and won a best-of-three first-round playoff series against Rick Martin and Rene Robert soon joined Perreault to form the French the New York Rangers before falling in the second round to the Connection. The franchise's first decade brought elation and heartbreak, Philadelphia Flyers, four games to one. including the 1975 Stanley Cup Final. The 1980s were mostly first-round playoff losses and the 1990s were an emotional ride for fans with the Perreault's 39 goals in 1975-76 led the NHL's second-highest scoring move to what is now called KeyBank Center. "No Goal" prevented the offense to a second-place finish in the Adams Division and the Sabres Sabres from hoisting their first Cup in 1999. were eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Islanders in six games of a second-round series. Daniel Briere and Chris Drury brought better days after bankruptcy. Each successful team in Sabres history is beloved for different reasons. They Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny combined for 129 goals and 275 also won for different reasons. points during a 38-win regular season in 1992-93. The Sabres swept the Bruins in the first round before encountering the same fate in the second So, which team deserves to be crowned the best? You settle the debate round at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, a series in which with the Sabres Stanley Cup playoffs: a 16-team bracket of the best in LaFontaine and Mogilny suffered injuries. franchise history. You vote on each first-round winner – this is which team you think is more talented; it's not a popularity contest – and we will Donald Audette scored a team-high 24 regular-season goals and Hasek write about the results. We'll then have you vote on the second round, won the Vezina Trophy for the 1997-98 Sabres, who became the first conference finals and the championship. team in NHL history to complete a sweep of the Canadiens in Montreal. Buffalo was eliminated by the Washington Capitals with an overtime goal The two conferences will be called Darling and Jeanneret, in reference to by Joe Juneau in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. the Sabres' legendary broadcasters. The 1980-81 Sabres won the Adams Division despite an injury limiting Here are the first-round matchups on the Darling side of the bracket: Perreault to only 56 regular-season games. Gare scored a team-high 46 1974-75 vs. 2000-01, 1979-80 vs. 2009-10, 2005-06 vs. 1983-84 and goals and Tony McKegney added 37, but Buffalo lost in the second 1998-99 vs. 1977-78. round to eventual conference champion Minnesota North Stars.

And here are the first-round matchups in the Jeanneret Conference: The Sabres were swept in a second-round playoff series by the New 1975-76 vs. 1992-93, 1997-98 vs. 1980-81, 1976-77 vs. 2006-07, 1996- York Islanders in 1976-77, following a regular season in which Perreault's 97 vs. 1989-90. 39 goals led Buffalo to a second-place finish in the Adams Division.

Voting for first-round games is open and will close at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Briere and Drury led the franchise to its first Presidents Trophy in 2006- The quarterfinals will begin Wednesday morning and voting will close at 2 07 before the Sabres went on to lose to the Ottawa Senators in the p.m. May 8. The semifinals start May 9 and end at 2 p.m. May 12. The Eastern Conference final. finals will be May 13-15 and the winner will be announced May 17. Hasek won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy following a You likely will see a matchup where the two teams have one or more of 1996-97 regular season in which he won 37 games and posted a .930 the same players, but use your imagination. Who would have the save percentage. The Sabres defeated the Senators in the first round of advantage in goal? Is there an advantage on special teams? How would the playoffs on an overtime goal by Derek Plante. Buffalo lost in the one team's speed compare to the other? second round to the Flyers.

Here are the eight individual game polls that will require your vote: The 1989-90 Sabres did not win a playoff series following a 45-win regular season, but the roster included Mogilny, Audette, Dave Led by eight players with at least 25 goals, the 1974-75 Sabres tied for Andreychuk, Pierre Turgeon, Phil Housley, Christian Ruuttu, Rick Vaive, the NHL's best regular-season record before losing to the Philadelphia Mike Foligno and Mike Ramsey, among others. Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Buffalo News LOADED: 05.03.2020 The 2000-01 team finished second in the Northeast Division with a 46- 30-6 record and lost in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on a Game 7 overtime goal by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis.

Danny Gare's league-leading 56 goals in 1979-80 helped the Sabres earn the NHL's Prince of Wales Trophy, which was awarded to the team with the best record in the Prince of Wales Conference. Perreault then scored a team-best 21 points in a playoff run that ended with an Eastern Conference final loss to the New York Islanders, who went on to win their first of four consecutive Stanley Cups.

Backed by Ryan Miller's first Vezina Trophy season, the Sabres won the Northeast Division in 2009-10 with 100 points, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, and were upset in six games in the first round by the Boston Bruins following an injury to leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek in Game 2.

The 2005-06 season was the beginning of what could have been a dynasty in Buffalo. The Sabres suffered only eight regulation losses over their final 50 regular-season games to earn the franchise's first 100-point season in 23 years and they reached the conference finals, where injuries on the blue line led to a Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. 1183900 Buffalo Sabres Alex initially wished to buy meals for the entire hospital, but a project of that size would create several logistical challenges. His mother encouraged him to start with a smaller donation, and the two worked Kings' Alex Iafallo delivers dinner to mom's floor at Buffalo General through the details.

After the meals arrived on the hospital floor, staff members created two signs thanking Alex for the donation — one signed by every nurse on the Lance Lysowski floor and another that read, "Alex, thanks for the eats." One nurse later sent homemade cookies home for Alex. Sat, May 2, 2020 "The staff just loved it," said Barb. "I’ve been working up there 30 years

with a lot of them, so we talk and they know our family. They were Alex Iafallo loaded the 20 chicken parmesan dinners into his Jeep excited and appreciative. ... It makes a difference. It’s chaos all night, but Gladiator, cranked the heat up as high as possible and set off for Buffalo you can go in and you don’t have to worry about your dinner. It’s set and General Medical Center. it’s warm."

Iafallo, a 26-year-old Eden native who plays on the wing for the Los Alex joked that this was his way of repaying his mother for the Angeles Kings, arrived on time, approximately 8 p.m. last Friday, and homemade spaghetti and meatballs she used to pack for his youth unloaded the cargo to deliver to his mother, Barb. The last step in his hockey tournaments. Rather than eating at a restaurant after games, mission was a mandatory temperature check at the hospital's front door. Iafallo preferred to stay at the hotel and his teammates would gather in A reading of more than 100 degrees would have prevented him from the family's room to eat pasta. She still prepares the meal whenever entering the building. Iafallo is home and, under normal circumstances, makes enough to feed his friends. "He was 99.9 and the nurse said, ‘Oh, are you feeling OK? You’re pretty hot,’ " said Barb Iafallo, a nurse at the hospital for 30 years. "He said, The homemade pasta fueled Iafallo before he spent four seasons at the 'Well, I had my clothes on and my coat, and I drove with the heat University of Minnesota-Duluth. He has played 227 games across three because I wanted to make sure I kept the food warm for my mom and her seasons with the Kings and scored a career-high 17 goals in 70 games coworkers.' " prior to the NHL's suspending this season. When he's not helping his parents around the house, Alex is preparing for the possibility he will The nurse laughed and let Iafallo enter the lobby, where he and Barb have to return to Los Angeles to finish the Kings' final 12 games. loaded the food from Major Tom's Drop Zone in Hamburg onto a wheeled cart. The two posed for a picture before Barb returned with the dinners to He's using workout equipment in the family's home and rollerblades on the 16th floor, where she and her fellow nurses are caring for patients the rink his parents built in the backyard. Iafallo plans to make another battling Covid-19. food delivery to Buffalo General and has contributed to other programs that provide meals to front-line health care workers in Western New York. It was the beginning of a 12-hour overnight shift for Barb, and her son's donation provided the floor's staff with a reprieve amid the chaos created "The least I could do is supply one meal for her and the hospital since by the coronavirus pandemic. she’s made so many for me during all the hockey seasons, making food," Iafallo said. "I thought it would be a nice gesture, especially with my mom being a nurse," said Alex, who used it as an opportunity to help a local Buffalo News LOADED: 05.03.2020 restaurant. "I know her coworkers are close to her, too, so I wanted to supply at least one meal for them. I got chicken parm from a local store and that was about it. I wanted to give back. They’re doing a lot of work and they have stressful jobs. It’s the least I could do."

The plan began shortly after the National Hockey League suspended play March 12 and Iafallo was in Los Angeles adhering to self- quarantining guidelines. He could sense during phone conversations with his mother that she was stressed, and he wanted to return home to help his parents.

Inside a Covid-19 floor: Buffalo General Medical Center

Barb's floor was converted from an orthopedics and spine center to a Covid-19 unit. The staff is handling a larger caseload and, while the unit is not considered critical care, many patients are dealing with chronic issues that exacerbate their symptoms.

"I would just talk on the phone with her to see how she was doing," said Alex. "At some point, I wanted to get back and be able to help her out around the house since she’s working stressful nights. I wanted to make sure she was taking the right precautions. Obviously, being a nurse, she has all the info and stuff. Being able to come home and support her and the family is something I wanted to do. … You have to pay your respects to all the front-line workers for sure."

Iafallo packed up his car and began the 2,500-mile drive from Los Angeles to Buffalo. Using his vehicle's rooftop tent, Iafallo camped in Utah, Colorado and in teammate Cal Petersen's driveway in Waterloo, Iowa.

Since arriving in Western New York last month, Iafallo has helped his father, Tom, with various projects around the family's property. The bulk of the work has taken place in the yard, including cutting down trees, and Alex built a small bridge over a muddy section in the woods behind their home.

Iafallo's daily routine is structured so he's awake when his mother arrives home from work at about 8 a.m. He asks about her shift and if there is any housework he can do while she rests. Alex wanted to do more, though, and he decided on a food donation for the hospital. 1183901 Buffalo Sabres Regardless, simply being in the conversation with Housley proves Dahlin has had a special start to his career, one that should probably be appreciated even more than it has been.

How Rasmus Dahlin’s first two seasons match up with all-time great And the 20-year-old is just getting warmed up. defensemen “I’m getting more confident every day,” Dahlin said. “It takes time to be a good defenseman in this league, and I’m never going to quit learning.”

John Vogl When the Sabres got lucky and won the draft lottery, they landed a May 2, 2020 player forecast to be the next Nicklas Lidström or Erik Karlsson. So how has Dahlin performed compared to the NHL’s all-time defense legends? What improvements can be expected during his third season? And what’s it all worth when Dahlin and the Sabres negotiate his next No one has ever arrived on the Sabres’ blue line like Phil Housley. He set contract? unbreakable records as a rookie and topped those numbers during his second season. Rasmus Dahlin

Rasmus Dahlin is nearly matching him stride for stride. 18

Oh, sure, at first glance it’s a blowout. Housley put up 143 points during 82 his first two seasons. Dahlin has 84. But the NHL was a different league in the 1980s. Buffalo averaged 3.96 goals per game during Housley’s 9 opening two seasons. The team has averaged 2.74 since Dahlin arrived 35 in 2018. 44 So let’s break it down, looking at the Sabres’ goals and what percentage of them were scored with the defensemen earning a point. -13

Housley 177

1982-83 19

318 59

66 4

20.8 36

1983-84 40

315 -7

77 90

24.4 Dahlin’s goal rate is down slightly, but he’s picked up the pace in assists. He’s also become the marquee passer as his primary assist rate has Total risen from 0.17 per game to 0.32.

633 DAHLIN WITH A SLICK PASS TO SAMSON REINHART, 1-0 143 #SABRES50 #PREDS PIC.TWITTER.COM/TAQDZ0SYYB

22.6 — BUFFALO HOCKEY MOMENTS (@SABRESPLAYS) JANUARY 19, 2020 Dahlin DAHLIN SPRUNG FROLIK WHO COULDNT GET FULL CONTROL OF 2018-19 THE PUCK #SABRES50 #GOJETSGO PIC.TWITTER.COM/58CUN31F9P 221 — BUFFALO HOCKEY MOMENTS (@SABRESPLAYS) FEBRUARY 23, 44 2020 19.9 “When you have the puck on your stick a lot throughout the game, you 2019-20 get more confident,” he said.

193 Perhaps the most notable stat through Dahlin’s two seasons is the immense drop in shots. Part of the reason is a change in coaching style 40 from Housley to Ralph Krueger. The Sabres averaged 32.9 shots and 45.7 attempts during Housley’s last season and fell to 29.3 shots and 20.7 41.3 attempts with Krueger. Defensemen took 9.5 shots per game under Total Housley and 8.8 with Krueger on the bench.

414 Though Dahlin’s shooting percentage of 4.4 ranks squarely in the middle of the NHL pack (107th out of 223), he’s determined to improve his blasts 84 from the point.

20.3 “I don’t have the hardest or quickest shot,” he said, “but when I have time I see the holes.” Housley still has the edge, but it’s a much slimmer lead for the Hall of Famer than the raw numbers suggest. Dahlin has missed two more Bobby Orr games than Housley did (10-8), so it could be even closer. Housley also recorded more of his points on the power play than Dahlin (50.4 percent 18 to 46.4 percent) and his teams enjoyed 200 more power plays than 61 Dahlin’s clubs. 13 If we dropped Dahlin into Memorial Auditorium alongside Gilbert Perreault, Mike Foligno and Dave Andreychuk, the Sabres’ record book 28 might have a different name at the top. 41 consistently produced. He regularly put up 20 goals and 80 points throughout his career, though it was in the same goal-filled era as 1 Housley.

262 Bourque was a minus player just twice in his 22 seasons. Unlike Dahlin, 19 Bourque had the benefit of joining a winning team. Boston went 46-21 with 13 ties during his rookie year. 46 Denis Potvin 11 20 20 77 31 17 28 37 173 54 20 -17 67 209 21 21 43 79 64 21 55 55 285 76 Despite missing significant time with knee and collarbone injuries, Orr won his first Norris Trophy in his second season. He was on pace to 27 crush his rookie totals – then did during his third year, setting NHL 211 records for goals and points by a defenseman. 22 The third year also featured an immense jump in Orr’s plus/minus. His plus-55 came during a season in which the Bruins’ goal differential was 78 plus-82. Dahlin’s even-strength goal differential has improved from minus-7 to minus-1 as the Sabres have progressed from minus-31 to 31 minus-4. 67

An Orr-like jump in Year 3 would be a remarkable improvement. 98

Ray Bourque 12

19 256

80 Like Dahlin, Potvin was a No. 1 overall pick. He turned 20 less than a 17 month into his rookie year, giving him a maturity edge over the Sabres defenseman. Potvin was ready to contribute offensively and immediately 48 led the Islanders in shots.

65 New York’s goal differential during his first season was minus-65, which ranked 14th in the 16-team league, but it jumped to plus-43 during 52 Potvin’s sophomore year as he helped the Isles improve. He was an 185 offensive machine during his third year.

20 Larry Murphy

67 19

27 80

29 16

56 60

29 76

207 16

21 153

65 20

17 79

49 22

66 44

21 66

211 -12

As a December birthday, Bourque turned 19 before the midway point of 191 his rookie year. But it didn’t matter if he was 19 or 35, the Hall of Famer 21 77 13

14 32

48 45

62 -30

1 182

172 21

During Murphy’s second season, he shot more and subsequently scored 81 more. His 60 assists as a rookie stand as the second-highest total of his career, helped by a Kings team that averaged 4.21 goals per game. 19

Had Dahlin played 82 games this season, he was on pace for 50 assists 59 for a team that averaged 2.8 goals – a much more impressive feat than 78 Murphy’s eye-catching number. 16 Nicklas Lidstrom 261 21 Dahlin’s fellow Frölunda alum spent one more season in Sweden after 80 getting drafted 15th overall in 2008. While Dahlin has outperformed 11 Karlsson during the first two years of their careers, the Sabres can only hope Dahlin’s third-year jump is just as huge. Karlsson really blossomed 49 at age 21, leading all other NHL defensemen in scoring by a whopping 25 points. 60 It should be noted that this season Karlsson (six goals, 40 points in 56 36 games) and Dahlin (four goals, 40 points in 59 games) had very similar 168 years despite the 29-year-old Karlsson having nine more seasons of experience. It would be a stretch to say Dahlin has already caught the 22 perennial All-Star, but he’s probably not that far behind from an offensive standpoint. 84 Victor Hedman 7 19 34 74 41 4 7 16 156 20 23 -3 84 90 10 20 46 79 56 3 43 23 200 26 When the Sabres played in Sweden in November, Dahlin was shaking with nervous excitement as Lidström stopped by the dressing room for a 3 chat. When the two split up, Lidström talked up Dahlin’s game. 101 It’s clear why. Lidström was older than Dahlin when he joined the NHL and accomplished less, at least during the Detroit star’s second season. 21 Lidström became a more integral part of the Red Wings’ shot plan during 61 his third year. 5 Erik Karlsson 18 19 23 60 -9 5 82 21 The raw numbers show a huge edge for Dahlin over Hedman, who 26 jumped right into the NHL after being drafted second overall by Tampa -5 Bay in 2009. But while they had nearly identical ice time – 20:56 for Hedman and 20:23 for Dahlin – the big difference came on the power 112 play. Dahlin has gotten double the man-advantage time that Hedman received during his first two seasons. 20 The even-strength points are much closer. Hedman put up 42 points in 75 153 games during his first two seasons. Dahlin is at 45 even-strength points through 141 games. The Sabres blueliner still has an edge, though not as pronounced. Hedman didn’t explode offensively until his fifth Since the Sabres would take a defenseman ranked in the top 25, here is season. what the top 25 earn. Also provided from CapFriendly is the percentage of the salary cap each contract assumed at the time of the signing. First two seasons Erik Karlsson Larry Murphy $11.50 159 14.50% 38 Drew Doughty 104 $11.00 142 13.80% Denis Potvin P.K. Subban 156 $9.00 38 13.00% 92 Oliver Ekman-Larsson 130 $8.25 Ray Bourque 10.40% 147 Jacob Trouba 44 $8.00 77 9.80% 121 John Carlson Nicklas Lidstrom $8.00 164 10.10% 18 Brent Burns 83 $8.00 101 11.00% Rasmus Dahlin Victor Hedman 141 $7.88 13 10.80% 71 Shea Weber 84 $7.86 Bobby Orr 13.10% 107 Ryan Suter 24 $7.54 48 12.60% 72 Aaron Ekblad Erik Karlsson $7.50 135 10.30% 18 Kris Letang 53 $7.25 71 11.30% Victor Hedman Marc-Édouard Vlasic 153 $7.00 7 9.30% 39 Brent Seabrook 46 $6.88 Dahlin is hanging with the big boys, especially given the disparity in scoring eras. He was supposed to be a special talent, and he’s proving it. 9.60% He might even be the best assist man in the bunch. Mark Giordano Buffalo hopes Dahlin eventually becomes the team’s first Norris Trophy winner. Until then, the organization would probably settle for a top-25 $6.75 talent. With just one season left on Dahlin’s entry-level deal, the sides 9.20% can negotiate an extension July 1 (unless the coronavirus postponement alters the offseason schedule). Ryan McDonagh $6.75 8

8.50% 10.27%

Ivan Provorov Erik Karlsson

$6.75 $6.50

8.30% 7

Cam Fowler 10.11%

$6.50 Oliver Ekman-Larsson

8.70% $5.50

Alex Pietrangelo 6

$6.50 8.55%

10.10% Seth Jones

Keith Yandle $5.40

$6.35 6

8.70% 7.40%

Ryan Ellis Ekblad preceded Dahlin as the last defenseman drafted first overall. He signed his extension in 2016 after his second season. If the Sabres and $6.25 Dahlin matched Ekblad’s percentage of the cap, it would equate to a 7.90% salary of $8.37 million.

Tyler Myers The average percentage of the cap for those five contracts is 9.44 percent, which equals a $7.69 million deal. Whenever the Sabres and $6.00 Dahlin agree to an extension – whether it’s this summer or in 2021 – it’ll be a big one. 7.40% If Dahlin continues to compare favorably to the Housleys, Orrs and Alexander Edler Lidstroms of the world, it’ll be a contract both sides will love. The $6.00 defenseman is living up to the hype.

7.50% The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020

Erik Johnson

$6.00

8.20%

Johnny Boychuk

$6.00

8.20%

Matt Dumba

$6.00

7.50%

On the bright side for Buffalo, defensemen earn less than forwards, with only two blueliners ranking in the top 20 NHL salaries. But it still won’t be cheap to re-sign Dahlin whenever the time comes.

The lowest cap percentage on the chart belongs to Myers with a deal he signed last summer. Assuming the salary cap remains the same, a new Dahlin deal at that rate would be worth $6 million per year. At the other end of the spectrum, a Karlsson-like contract that takes up 14.5 percent of the cap would make Dahlin the league’s highest-paid blueliner at $11.8 million per year. The average of the top 25 is 9.9 percent of the cap, which would give Dahlin a contract worth $8.14 million per season.

Most of the defensemen high on the salary chart are on their third or fourth contract. But even though Dahlin has less leverage sitting five seasons away from unrestricted free agency, the second contract for blossoming stars isn’t cheap.

Drew Doughty

$7.00

7

10.89%

Aaron Ekblad

$7.50 1183902 Chicago Blackhawks The improbable comeback began when Ed O’Bradovich forced a Warren Bankston fumble that linebacker Ross Brupbacher scooped up on one hop and returned 30 yards for a touchdown. “It was the hardest I ever hit Column: The 5 loudest moments I’ve heard at a Chicago sporting event, anybody in my life,” O’Bradovich said afterward. “I think I caught him just from a clutch grand slam at Wrigley Field to an overtime goal at Chicago as he was getting the handoff from Terry Bradshaw.” Stadium Mac Percival’s extra point made it 15-10, but all the Steelers had to do was run out the clock. After a first down, it appeared to be a done deal. The Steelers had the ball at their 19 when defensive coordinator Abe PAUL SULLIVAN Gibron sent middle linebacker Dick Butkus on a blitz. Butkus, who already had intercepted two passes, pummeled Bankston, jarring the ball MAY 02, 2020 | 8:30 AM loose as O’Bradovich pounced on it and lugged it 1 yard before being downed at the 17.

What was your first recollection of an ear-splitting sound, the kind that Veteran quarterback Kent Nix, who had replaced Jack Concannon to made you wonder if the world could possibly get any louder? start the fourth quarter, scrambled down the left side to the 3 before “Mean” Joe Greene brought him down with 1 minute, 22 seconds left. Chances are it occurred at a sporting event, where decibel levels soar as The Bears lost 5 yards on the next two runs, setting up third-and-goal a collective reaction to an athlete’s performance, such as a game- from the 8. Nix hit wideout George Farmer in the end zone for the go- winning shot, an overtime goal or a walk-off home run. ahead touchdown with 44 seconds left to seal an improbable 17-15 win.

An aural eruption lasts forever in your mind, even if it’s impossible to Butkus was coming off offseason knee surgery. Tribune Bears writer compare one sound with another as the years go by. Cooper Rollow wrote: “Butkus’ performance quite possibly was the greatest of his seven-year professional career.” After getting off to a 6-3 The recent death of Blackhawks defenseman Pat Stapleton reminded me start, the ’71 Bears stumbled down the stretch, losing their final five of the lasting memory of a big noise. Though Stapleton wasn’t directly games to finish 6-8. involved in the moment I consider the loudest of my life, he was part of the game 49 years ago. 3. Scottie Pippen’s 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals

Thinking of that night led to the creation of a list of the loudest moments June 14, 1992, Chicago Stadium I’ve experienced at a sporting event, either as a fan or sports writer. Michael Jordan had so many great moments that sent the crowds at the Mind you, these aren’t necessarily the greatest moments in Chicago Stadium and United Center into a frenzy, it’s impossible to count them. sports but ones that made my ears ring and my head shake in awe. One But the unexpected Game 6 comeback in the 1992 Finals was fueled by that probably would have made my list but didn’t was Paul Konerko’s the oft-maligned bench and Scottie Pippen, Jordan’s then-unheralded grand slam in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. Though I could hear it sidekick — who eventually became a Hall of Famer. from my seat in an auxiliary press box down the left-field line at the Cell, I couldn’t experience the true noise level because I was inside. The Bulls trailed the Trail Blazers by 15 points in the fourth quarter, staring at the possibility of a decisive Game 7. Coach Phil Jackson had Crowd noise is all subjective, so your picks easily could match or exceed Jordan and three other starters on the bench at the start of the fourth, mine. Nevertheless, here are my top five. using a lineup of Scott Williams, Stacey King, B.J. Armstrong and Bobby Hansen along with Pippen. 5. Miguel Montero’s grand slam in Game 1 of the 2016 National League Championship Series Hansen’s 3-pointer 30 seconds in ignited the comeback, and by the time Jordan replaced Hansen with 8½ minutes left, the Bulls had sliced the Oct. 15, 2016, Wrigley Field deficit to three. Trailing 85-82 with 5:20 remaining, Pippen hit a 3-pointer The Cubs’ run to the World Series had bigger moments but none that to tie it, and the Stadium erupted. created more pandemonium at Wrigley Field than Miguel Montero’s “That’s what this crowd does,” Jordan said of the rally. “It gives us that grand slam. extra energy we need. If we were in Portland, I don’t know if we could’ve Manager Joe Maddon removed starter Jon Lester after six innings and made it.” 77 pitches with a 3-1 lead, but the Cubs bullpen collapsed in the eighth The Bulls wound up with a 97-93 win for their second straight NBA title in and Dodgers slugger Adrian Gonzalez tied it with a two-run single off their first three-peat. Jordan danced on the scorer’s table in celebration closer Aroldis Chapman. as the reporters pounded out our stories on press row a few feet away. Battle-scarred Cubs fans were still in default mode in 2016 — hoping for As everyone knows, it would not be his last dance. the best but fearing the worst — until Montero’s two-out, pinch-hit grand 2. Kerry Wood’s home run in Game 7 of the 2003 National League slam off Joe Blanton keyed a five-run rally and saved Maddon from being Championship Series second-guessed … at least until the World Series. Oct. 15, 2003, Wrigley Field The crowd’s eruption as the ball landed in the right-field bleachers could be heard as far away as Andersonville. “I thought the roof was coming Kerry Wood hits a two-run home run against the Marlins in the second down from the fans,” Javier Baez said afterward. inning of Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15, 2003, at Wrigley field. The blast tied the game 3-3, but the Cubs lost The Cubs went on to win the series in six games for their first pennant in 9-6. 71 years and later captured their first World Series since 1908. Montero was released in 2017 and was booed when he returned to Wrigley with After the Game 6 debacle against the Marlins that forced Game 7, Cubs the Blue Jays. But he came up with the perfect response when asked if fans were in all-out panic mode before the NLCS finale. Kerry Wood, who the booing upset him: “I really don’t care. They cheered a lot of big hits won the decisive Game 5 of the division series against the Braves to give when I was here, and whether they hate me or love me, they’re going to the Cubs their first postseason series win since 1908, once again was remember me forever.” put in a do-or-die situation. Wood quickly fueled the fan angst, serving up a leadoff triple and issuing a walk before Miguel Cabrera smoked a three- Montero finally got the cheers he deserved when he was invited back for run home run. the 2020 Cubs Convention. Wood came to the plate in the second against Marlins starter Mark 4. Dick Butkus’ forced fumble in the 1971 Bears opener Redman with a man on and two out in a 3-1 game. A good-hitting pitcher, Sept. 19, 1971, Soldier Field Wood grabbed hold of a 3-2 fastball and launched it into the left-field bleachers, tying the game and creating the loudest noise I’ve ever heard The Bears trailed the Steelers 15-3 in the season opener — and their first at Wrigley. The press box literally shook. game at Soldier Field — with less than four minutes left, and a light rain had some of the record crowd of 55,049 headed for the exits. My brother Wood’s offensive heroics were wasted, however. He allowed seven runs and I convinced our dad to let us stay until the end, and we were treated in 5⅔ innings in the Game 7 loss. “I choked,” he told reporters afterward to a classic. before turning away. The ending scarred Cubs fans for years, but they never held it against Wood, knowing the Cubs never would have made it to the NLCS without his performance against the Braves.

1. Bobby Hull’s overtime goal in Game 5 of the 1971 Stanley Cup semifinals

April 27, 1971, Chicago Stadium

My first crushing heartbreak as a sports fan was the 1970-71 Blackhawks, who lost to the Canadiens in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. But that team also provided my favorite moment.

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With the semifinal series against the Rangers tied 2-2, the Stadium crowd was on edge, knowing a loss would send the Hawks to Madison Square Garden for a potential elimination game. The fans breathed a sigh of relief when Pat Stapleton’s 55-foot shot in the first period somehow eluded Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin, and they relaxed a little when Chico Maki scored later in the period to make it 2-0.

But the Rangers bounced back on goals by Vic Hadfield and Rod Selling to knot it up after two periods, and the anxiety level spiked again. Goalie Tony Esposito played brilliantly in the third to send it into overtime, but the Hawks managed only two shots in the period — both by Stan Mikita — and appeared to be worn out.

The moment of truth came 6½ minutes into OT, when Pit Martin won a faceoff with Walt Tkaczuk and backhanded the draw to Bobby Hull, who fired a low, 35-foot wrist shot past Giacomin to end it.

“It truly was a death struggle that ended suddenly,” Tribune Hawks reporter Ted Damata wrote. “The shot puncturing the overinflated tension balloon, the crowd coming up with the ‘pop’ and the players sagging in relief more than symbolically.”

The Hawks won the series in seven games, setting the stage for another wild, seven-game loss to the Canadiens. That one still hurts, but at least I had the pleasure of seeing Hull’s goal — and experiencing the sonic boom that overwhelmed me in the second balcony.

Nearly 50 years later, it remains the gold standard of crowd noise.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183903 Chicago Blackhawks “Cutler, despite all his warts, was easily the best QB the Bears have had in my 44 years of being a diehard fan,” @mike_barbacovi wrote. Try telling that to @Johnathan_Wood1, who had this to say: “The 37-year-old Polling Place: How important is it to you that the NBA, NHL finish out Cutler, who hasn’t played football in three years and has an injury list a their seasons? mile long? Nah, I’m good.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 05.03.2020

Steve Greenberg

May 2, 2020, 8:00am CDT

Milwaukee Bucks v Los Angeles Lakers

Before the sports world was shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was about as much chance of the Blackhawks or Bulls making the playoffs as there was of Mayor Lori Lightfoot (“she shoots, she scores!”) winning a dunk contest.

That won’t change if the NHL and NBA somehow figure out a way to resume their seasons rather than call them off.

But, speaking of which, how much heaven and earth should those leagues be prepared to move in order to be able to play things out and crown champions? Heading into mid-March, there were, after all, some much bigger fish to fry than whatever the Hawks and Bulls had cooking.

“Polling Place” — your weekly home for Chicago Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter — sought answers to that question, along with a couple of others involving coaches Jeremy Colliton and Jim Boylen and a certain provocative ex-Bears quarterback.

“Lakers and Bucks need to know who is the better team,” @MJA773 commented. “Giannis [Antetokounmpo] has a big contract decision soon. So does Anthony Davis, even sooner. Season needs closure.”

More poll voters, though, were closer on the issue to @jkline3, who wrote: “There are still going to be a ton of challenges managing the next ‘regular’ season. Spend the time, energy and resources on getting that right.”

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: How important is it to you that the NBA and/or NHL finish out their current seasons?

Time again for the @suntimes_sports “Polling Place.” Vote early and often! Selected comments will appear in Saturday’s paper.

Q1 of 3: How important is it to you that the NBA and/or NHL finish out their current seasons?

— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) April 30, 2020

Upshot: One suspects the numbers would’ve looked quite a bit different had either the Bulls or Hawks — let alone both — been living large among the top playoff seeds. Still, the overall caution among voters is to be noted here. That’s assuming, of course, it’s caution and not relative apathy toward the NBA and NHL.

Poll No. 2: Who will still have his coaching job at the start of next season?

Q2: Who still has his coaching job at the start of next season?

— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) April 30, 2020

Upshot: With major changes happening in both teams’ front offices, Boylen (Bulls record: 39-84) and Colliton (62-58-17) have lots to think about. Clearly, an overwhelming majority of voters consider Boylen’s fate sealed. “Zero percent chance Boylen returns,” @estereo18 commented. “Would bet all my ‘Trump bucks’ on that. New management wants their own handpicked coach.” Yeah, probably.

Poll No. 3: If the Bears could bring back Jay Cutler and try to get him ready for one more season, would you take him over Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky?

If the Bears could bring back Jay Cutler and try to get him ready for one more season, would you take him over Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky?

— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) April 30, 2020

Upshot: Other than being better at (what’s it called again?) throwing a football, what does Cutler have that the team’s current QBs don’t? 1183904 Chicago Blackhawks

NHL owners reportedly 'dead-set' against compliance buyouts

NBC Sports Chicago

May 02, 2020 3:46 PM

According to a report from Elliotte Friedman, NHL owners—though increasingly concerned at the financial implications of the league's current shutdown state—are steadfastly against compliance buyouts.

These amnesty buyouts let NHL teams cut players without their contracts counting against the salary cap but those players have to be paid two- thirds of their salary over twice the length of time left on their deal. As NHL owners look to mitigate costs now and in the future in the face of these uncertain times, the idea of compliance buyouts is not a popular one. The league is still working on solutions but one proposed by player agent Kurt Overhardt in Friedman's piece stands out:

Unlike a compliance buyout, it’s not punitive. It doesn’t have to be used, and if it does there should be an equal luxury tax payment to everyone who doesn’t use one. There is willingness to dump all over it, but I like this idea instead of hurting teams that draft and develop star players who are getting paid more money earlier than ever. We need creative solutions.

With the salary cap possibly not moving in either direction anytime soon, NHL (and AHL) franchises will have to work together to find an answer to their conundrum.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183905 Chicago Blackhawks

What the NHL's proposal for a June draft means for the Blackhawks

Scott King

May 02, 2020 9:32 AM

Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman's report on Friday night, NHL teams received the league's position paper on a potential June draft.

Friedman said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, who wrote the report, pointed out broadcast networks are in alignment with the plan.

The note from the league states it needs a month to prepare for the draft and Friedman points to a rumor for June 5.

The Hockey Night in Canada panelist also noted:

"If the draft is not moved up, the best-case scenario would see the Stanley Cup awarded in early- to mid-September at the earliest," leaving a short window for the draft lottery and the draft before the league moves onto other matters ahead of the 2020-21 season, which could be delayed until December.

The NHL also included a worst-case scenario in the memo, being if the league is forced to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 season:

"In that case, and again in the absence of an early Draft, we would be faced with having to schedule a Draft Lottery and stage a Draft at some uncertain time prior to resuming play for the 2020–21 season. In this scenario, the same concerns that some Clubs have expressed about determining Lottery eligibility and overall Draft order, as well as the issue of having to resolve undetermined conditional provisions in trades, would still need to be addressed.”

To choose the Order of Selection, the NHL pitched using teams' points percentage, which is under the current playoff format: 16 teams out of the lottery, 15 in. The league also suggested changing the lottery solely for the 2019-20 season, picking one winner only and keeping any team from moving up more than four spots.

Sportsnet's Chris Johnston pointed out a potential outcome from the proposed draft lottery guidelines where the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks "couldn’t jump above two, three, four and five, respectively."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183906 Colorado Avalanche

Chambers: Finnish goalie Justus Annunen could be “that guy” for the Avalanche

MIKE CHAMBERS

May 2, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

Young goalie Justus Annunen might be that hard-to-find keeper, a guy who enjoys a 15-year NHL career mostly as the No. 1 guy.

Save for goalies Marc Denis, David Aebischer, Peter Budaj and Calvin Pickard, the Avalanche has never drafted anything close to that in 25 years. Colorado has usually pinned its goaltending hopes on a player acquired through a trade or signed as a free agent.

But Annunen, who was selected by Colorado in the third round (64th overall) in 2018, is already an accomplished Finnish professional and has starred on the international stage among his peers.

He appears to be a star in the making.

Annunen, 20, has set records in SM-liiga (often called the Finnish Elite League), helped Finland win the 2018 18-under World Junior Championship and stoned the Americans 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the (20U) World Junior Championship in January. (He took the 5-0 loss against Canada in the semifinals, but was still regarded as the tournament’s top goalie.)

Denis, Budaj and Pickard were each selected in the first two rounds of the drafts in 1995, 2001 and 2010, respectively, and enjoyed relatively long journeyman careers (Pickard is still active). Aebischer, who played his final eight seasons in Switzerland, was a sixth-round choice in 1997.

Denis — Colorado’s only goalie to be picked in the first round — played just 28 games for the Avs. Aebischer played in 214 games for Colorado, Budaj 242 and Pickard 86.

But Colorado has never drafted a Carey Price, Marc-Andre Fluery, Andrei Vasilevski, John Gibson, or even a Connor Hellebuyck — a handful of today’s top netminders.

Annunen could be that guy. Time will tell. And that journey begins next season when Annunen competes with 2016 Avs draftee Adam Werner for the top job with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.

The road to return. The recent joint statement from the NHL and NHL Players Association about teams possibly opening small-group workouts at club facilities as early as mid-May is encouraging news in the effort to complete the season.

Travel limitations, however, could become a reason why those small groups might only include players who have been in self-isolation in the United States. Avs left wing and team captain Gabe Landeskog might be stuck in Canada, and Mikko Rantanen could have problems returning from Finland.

The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to non-essential travel, thus Landeskog might have to remain with his wife and infant daughter at his in-laws’ home in Toronto. And Rantanen might have to charter a flight back to the U.S. — presumably with other Finns playing for other NHL teams — because commercial flights to Europe have been suspended.

Travel is just the first hurdle in getting players back on the ice with their teammates to complete the season — whatever that looks like.

There are so many ideas about how this unprecedented season will end, but clearly, it has become obvious that the NHL and the NHLPA will do everything they can to complete it — even if that happens in December.

Denver Post: LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183907 Detroit Red Wings Many trades happen during the first day of the draft, but clubs would be hesitant to move players that could help them in the playoffs a month or two later.

Red Wings might benefit under NHL’s proposed early June draft It would be strange and unprecedented to hold the draft and then complete the Stanley Cup playoffs. But as the NHL argues, this is a year unlike any in league history. So perhaps the unconventional route is the May 02, 2020 way to go.

Ansar Khan Michigan Live LOADED: 05.03.2020

The NHL seems determined to hold the entry draft in early June and is trying to get general managers on board with the idea.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, teams received the league’s position paper on Friday night. Friedman said the rumored date of the draft is June 5. The league needs a month to prepare, so a decision could come early next week.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, on a Fox Sports Detroit Facebook Live chat Wednesday, said he opposes the idea of holding the draft before the potential conclusion of the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs.

“My thought is why would you do that?” Yzerman told team broadcasters Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond. "There’s a lot of things that are affected. Obviously, the draft position hasn’t been established. We don’t know who’s in the playoffs, who’s out of the playoffs in some cases. So there’s a lot of questions and ultimately, if (the draft) needs to be done prior to, we’ll figure it out but at this time my own opinion is I haven’t heard a good reason why we should do it prior to the end of the season, if we do conclude the season.”

But a proposed change to the draft lottery format for this year only could improve the Red Wings’ chances of landing the top pick and, in all likelihood, selecting Alexis Lafreniere.

Friedman reported the league’s memo indicated only one draw, instead of three, would take place and teams could move up no higher than four spots.

This would result in the Red Wings, who clinched the worst record in the league, picking no lower than second. That means they would be assured of landing one of the three elite forwards in the draft -- if not Lafreniere, then either Quinton Byfield or Tim Stuetzle.

Under the current format, the Red Wings would have an 18.5 percent chance of landing the top pick and a 50.6 percent chance of drafting fourth, which is the lowest they could select.

The league would use points percentage based on the standings of when the season was paused (March 12) to determine which 15 teams are eligible for the lottery and their odds of winning.

The NHL in late March postponed the draft, which was scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal, and the lottery, which was slated for April 9.

There are several reasons why holding the draft before crowning a Stanley Cup champion makes sense, but there are many details that would need to be ironed out.

If the season resumes, the playoffs might end in late September. That would leave a short window to hold the draft, free agency, and all other off-season events before a proposed December start to the 2020-21 season.

The NHL could benefit from the added interest and exposure the draft would generate during this sports void caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The recent NFL draft generated record TV ratings.

Opponents of moving up the draft cite several concerns:

How would conditional trades be handled? For example, the 2020 fourth- round pick the Red Wings received from Edmonton for Mike Green would have turned into a 2021 third-round selection if the Oilers reached the conference finals and Green played in half of their games. The memo reportedly states teams would have seven days to rework the terms of such deals or accept the league’s solution.

It’s a longshot, but there is a chance the draft lottery winner could also win the Stanley Cup (if the regular season is completed and a team currently just out of playoff position makes it in and goes on a postseason run). 1183908 Edmonton Oilers It’s that feeling of camaraderie that made all of those Oilers teams so special, whatever the year. Fuhr said they developed a culture where everyone felt important and everyone wanted to win for the player in the All-time Edmonton Oilers weigh in on all-time Oilers team next stall as much as they wanted to for themselves.

And everyone made sure that being in the Oilers dressing room was going to be the most fun they had all day. Robert Tychkowski “We couldn’t have had more fun,” said Fuhr. “What I think about is what a May 2, 2020 3:14 PM MDT great group of guys we were. That was the biggest thing. You look back to how much fun we had in the room, how much fun we had spending

time with each other, that’s the part I’ll always remember.” MATHESON: How about Messier on left wing on all-time Oilers team? “We enjoyed every second of it,” added Coffey. “Having lost to Calgary Just as there is lively debate over which players should be included on the year before, you probably sensed a little more business to us from the Edmonton Oilers all-time roster, you’ll never reach a unanimous Day 1. Having Glen Sather as a coach, it was always business, but he let decision on which of their dynasty teams is the greatest in hockey us enjoy ourselves because he knew that when push came to shove we history. would be there.

Not even the players wearing the rings can all agree. “That’s the beauty of those hockey clubs. The music was always playing loud. Everybody was doing their thing. Nobody was off limits. The ridicule As far as the NHL is concerned, it’s an open and shut case. After much that went on in the dressing room was beautiful, but we were always discussion and analysis, and a massive vote by fans as part of the there for each other.” league’s centennial in 2017, the 1985 team that captured Edmonton’s second Stanley Cup is officially listed as the Team of the Century. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.03.2020

There is a good case to be be made for it, of course. The team went 49- 20-11 for 109 points, had three players with over 120 points (including 208 from Wayne Gretzky), five players with 37 or more goals (Jari Kurri finished second in team scoring with 71) and went 15-3 in the playoffs.

But the Oilers themselves beg to differ. Most of them believe the 1987 team was the strongest collection of talent and experience they’ve ever iced.

“I like the ’87 team better,” said Hall of Fame netminder Grant Fuhr, who won four Cups in Edmonton is the starting goalie on virtually everyone’s all-time Oilers team.

“I think we were deeper. We had four solid lines, we added Kent Nilsson (late in the season). I personally think the ’87 team might have been a little better than ’85 team.”

The individual numbers might not be as staggering: Gretzky “dropped” to 183 points and Kurri slid to 54 goals and 108 points, but the team finished first overall with 50 wins and after a Game 1 loss to Los Angeles, went 12-1 through the first three rounds of the playoffs en route to a third championship.

They bolstered their lineup late in the season by adding top six forward Kent Nilsson and puck moving defenceman Reijo Routsalainen and watched defencemen Steve Smith and Jeff Beukeboom develop into imposing regulars.

It was also as hungry and focused as any Oilers team ever after being eliminated by Calgary on Smith’s own goal a year earlier.

“The ’85 team was great, too, no question,” said Kevin Lowe, who won five Cups in Edmonton and is listed as a third pairing defenceman on TSN’s all-time Oilers roster. “But in ’87, with everyone at the top of their game and adding those guys, we all felt that was the best team we ever had.

“Kent was well-accepted, a likeable guy with a lot of talent who fit in very well. The knock on him was that you couldn’t win with him. So we said ‘Well, let’s see about that.’”

The 1987 season was a turbulent one for defenceman Paul Coffey, who missed 21 games to injury amid rising tension between he and the organization (he wanted to renegotiate his contract, which had two years left at $325,000 and owner Peter Pocklington didn’t). Coffey refused to report to training camp the following September and was traded to Pittsburgh two months later.

So maybe it’s understandable that he has stronger feelings about the 1985 team.

“You can’t overlook Reijo Routsalainen, a really talented puck moving defencemen,” said Coffey. “But I have a soft spot for the ’85 team because of guys like Dave Semenko and Don Jackson, who were on that team.

“We didn’t think we were going to be the team of the century, we just played to play and we played to win every single night.” 1183909 Edmonton Oilers Sather did both of course, but Muckler was head man in 1990 and he was the defensive architect for Oilers through all their wins.

I believe Weight should be on the all-time roster because he was a point- MATHESON: How about Messier on left wing on all-time Oilers team? a-game player (566 in 577) and 33 in 39 playoff games, plus he was their captain, and he was the last Oilers player to have 100 points (1995-96) before McDavid did it in 2016-2017. Jim Matheson If you’re thinking of Oilers from their post Cup years who generate May 2, 2020 2:50 PM MDT affection with the generation of fans from 1990 to 2015, then Weight and Smyth are the most prominent.

Messier spent two decades as a centre but he started as a left-winger in TSN’s selection of all-time Canadian team roster has created huge Edmonton and made three All-star teams on LW before Glen Sather debate. moved him into the 2C role to go against Bryan Trottier in the 1984 How could the voters leave off Jacques Lemaire as one of the four Stanley Cup final. He only made two all-star teams as a centre. But, it fell Canadiens centres, and how could Hakan Loob not be on right-wing on on deaf ears with the TSN voters, and I guess it’s tough to argue with the Flames lineup? Gretzky, Messier and McDavid in the 1-2-3 holes. All three Hart trophy winners. I have Draisaitl on the wing as does TSN. But arguments make the world go around. Tikkanen, who would have given Woody Woodpecker a headache, could Their parameters — one checking line, one shutdown pair of play on any of the four lines with his talent and annoying checking style. defencemen, a player off the current roster, 225 games for that team. He drove Cam Neely nuts in the Oiler/Bruins final. I like him with Gretzky They had a foundation player, somebody whom you thought of when the and Kurri but he was a Selke (best two-way forward) a couple of times. team name was mentioned. And guys not making the cut (goalie, two defencemen, centre, wingers). Smyth could have been the foundation player. Nobody bled Oiler blue more. But, I agree with Hamilton. He started in the WHA after coming Here’s TSN’s Oilers list, then my list. from Buffalo Sabres, he was their best player for a long time and but for an eye injury would have played longer in the NHL. There’s a reason why GOAL his No. 3 is hanging from the rafters. Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford. “Hammy is no brainer for me. There’s no Oilers in the NHL without the DEFENCE WHA team,” said Coffey.

Paul Coffey and Charlie Huddy. Simpson had 36 goals in 67 playoff games and 68 points. He had 365 points in 419 league games. Nobody took more cross-checks in front of Steve Smith and Randy Gregg. the net, which is why his back gave out and he retired before his 30th birthday. Kevin Lowe and Lee Fogolin (shutdown). Mike Grier got a lot of love from TSN on right-wing on the checking line FORWARD LINES as one of the all-time best body-checkers. But Buchberger was the Ryan Smyth-Wayne Gretzky-Jari Kurri ultimate Oiler, a blood and guts checker in his 795 league games and 78 in the playoffs. He foolishly fought Dave Brown as a rookie. Plus, there Craig Simpson-Mark Messier-Glenn Anderson were three Stanley Cups.

Leon Draisaitl-Connor McDavid-Ales Hemsky Coffey and Huddy were automatic, with the left shot Huddy, maybe the Esa Tikkanen-Craig MacTavish-Kelly Buchberger (checking line) best Oiler D ever at keeping the puck in at the blueline on clearing attempts, playing on the right. Foundation player: Al Hamilton (Oilers WHA captain, No. 3 retired). “Huddy? One of the most underrated Oilers (Cup years),” said former NOT QUITE MAKING THE CUT coach Ken Hitchcock.

Goal: Andy Moog Lowe, who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and has come close in voting, and Fogolin were mean to play against, back when they allowed Defence: Oscar Klefbom and Jason Smith stick work, and you paid a price to stand in front of the net. Lowe was Centre: Doug Weight unofficial captain when he wore an A.

Left-wing: Taylor Hall For a third pair, Steve Smith on left side in a photo finish with Muni, who also played some right with Lowe. Smith, drafted as a winger, only Right-wing: Blair MacDonald played 385 games, but was a terrific playoff D in his 87 games And he won three Cups. Here’s my team. Muni was a nasty piece of business, the ultimate keep-your-head-up D to GOAL play against, and he also has three Stanley Cup rings. But Smith was Fuhr and Ranford more mobile.

DEFENCE Gregg, also a shot left, played right side often with Don Jackson. He was a bigger body in those days, very effective, with his five Cups. But, Jason Coffey and Huddy Smith was an Oiler captain for five years and the ultimate hard-nosed D through his 542 games. His straight-arm to the chest of onrushing Lowe and Fogolin players was a sight for sore eyes. Toss-up between the two, but Smith Steve Smith and Jason Smith. was so hard to play against.

FORWARD LINES NOT QUITE MAKING THE CUT

Tikkanen-Gretzky-Kurri Goal: Andy Moog

Messier-McDavid-Anderson Defence: Craig Muni and Randy Gregg

Simpson-Weight-Draisaitl Centre: Todd Marchant

Smyth-MacTavish-Buchberger. Left wing: Taylor Hall

Coach: John Muckler. Right wing: Ales Hemsky

GM: Glen Sather. Hemsky could skate through an entire team with the puck and was way tougher than people gave him credit for, continually taking punishment from Robyn Regehr. But I had to get Draisaitl on the team somewhere.

Chris Pronger belongs in the top six on D even if he only played one season because he was the first all-world player on the roster since the glory days Oilers. But, he’s a long way from the requisite 225 games TSN wanted of all players.

Reijo Ruotsalainen instantly came to mind on D too with his two Cup rings, along with being such a wonderful skater and offensive threat but he played 26 league games and 43 in the playoffs.

Bill Guerin would have been on my last cuts on right-wing but he played 211 games. Even so, Weight and Guerin were a dynamic duo in the 90s.

Moog just barely qualified with 235 games as third goalie, and Curtis Joseph, the one Oiler Sather should not have let get away to free- agency, played just 177 league games.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183910 Edmonton Oilers This was the only time in team history – before or since – that the customary logo wasn’t featured front and centre on the jersey. The new image was jarring.

‘They were looking outside the box’: Oilers’ distinctive third jerseys still “The Oilers logo is a modern classic,” Radom said. “It connects the stand out team’s earliest days as the (WHA) Alberta Oilers to one of the game’s great dynasties – right up to today.

Daniel Nugent-Bowman “The McFarlane logo was a weird outlier – like a guest that someone invited over for Thanksgiving dinner that’s perfectly polite but, still, not May 2, 2020 family.”

Smith’s rosy opinion appears to be an outlier, too. Viewpoints about the jersey from alumni seem to range from indifferent to displeased. It was a strange sight when new captain Jason Smith and his fellow letter-wearing Oilers Ryan Smyth, Mike Grier and Rem Murray appeared Most of the ex-Oilers contacted for this story were unmoved by its wearing identical but unfamiliar threads. design. The best shoulder-shrugging reply came from 2006 playoff hero and Edmonton native Fernando Pisani. It was Oct. 26, 2001, and Smith and his three teammates were unveiling a new third jersey – one unlike anything ever worn by an Oiler before. “I never put too much thought into that third jersey. I was always just excited to put a jersey on,” he said. “It didn’t really matter to me what it “They were looking outside the box,” Smith said of the designers’ vision. looked like as long as it was the Oilers jersey at the time.” “It was something different – but good.” Further down the line is Lowe’s former teammate and two-time Cup The Athletic is looking at unique uniforms over the years. When it comes champion Craig Simpson. He was an assistant coach for the last three to the Oilers, the third jersey used for five seasons from 2001-02 to 2006- seasons the jersey was in use. 07 is the clear choice to examine. “I was never a big fan,” he said. “I know things change and you try to be The jersey was designed by Todd McFarlane and Brent Ashe. McFarlane innovative. was minority owner at the time, part of the Edmonton Investors Group consortium that owned the Oilers between Peter Pocklington’s and Daryl “I’m more of a traditionalist. I always liked the colours and what we wore Katz’s reigns. back then. I may be a little too old school. I didn’t totally understand it.

McFarlane created the Spawn superhero and there was a similar edgy “It was like, ‘Who are we?’” look to the sweater. It was fresh, but it sure was distinct, too. Simpson’s stance most closely aligns with Lowe’s. The former Oilers GM “It was fun to be part of a jersey change where it was the first time the does have some glass-half-full views, though. team had veered off the path of just the standard look,” Smith said. “The colours were a little different. It wasn’t just a little twinge in the copper to “I’ll say this about them: I thought they looked good on the ice,” Lowe an orange.” said. “There was a crispness about them. They made us look bigger.”

“I’m a traditionalist. I never liked to get away from our actual Oilers logo,” Smith, no shrinking violet at 6-foot-3 and nearly 210 pounds during his said then-GM Kevin Lowe, a member of all five Stanley Cup-winning playing days, laughs when asked if he felt that was true. teams and the franchise’s all-time leader in games played. The Oilers reached Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final wearing those “We’re just trying to go out and win hockey games. It doesn’t matter what third sweaters that season – albeit not in the playoffs – and were led by you’re wearing. It’s not like I was screaming or yelling about it but my behemoth defenceman Chris Pronger. own opinion was that I didn’t love them.” “I heard that,” Smith said. “I’m sure people spend a lot of time and a lot of As McFarlane explained at the time, the three sharp points at the top left effort and a lot of money putting their research and development into that were supposed to represent the blades of a hockey skate and the “fast- kind of stuff.” paced, exciting tradition of Edmonton Oilers hockey.” The jersey was more of a hit with younger fans than those who grew up The gears were meant to show “teamwork and industriousness,” the cheering for Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Lowe. foundation of a “well-oiled machine.” And the logo was turned on its side “I recognized that we were in a time where sports was changing,” Lowe to “reinforce the speed of the new primary mark.” said. “I was convinced that this was for the betterment for entertainment In terms of colours, the midnight blue was the darkest shade the team for our fans. had ever used and silver made its debut. The latter colour was on trend “The marketing guys always told me that it was the No. 1 seller in the with the spike in metallic looks featured across sports during the era, said NHL. At the end of the day, it is a business.” uniform and logo expert Todd Radom. Lowe’s point is obvious to Radom, who said coming out with a new Radom said the inclusion of red trim years prior was a “much bigger jolt” jersey was “done for all the wrong reasons.” for the franchise than the deeper blue or silver. However, he felt it was still a little off-putting. To him, this was a case of an owner trying to put his stamp on a team purely for financial gain. “This was designed with streetwear in mind, fashion forward. The disconnect between the team’s primary look and this secondary one was “When it comes to introducing a new look, my very first question is, stark,” said Radom, whose book “Fabric of the Game: The Stories ‘Why?’ The reason here was revenue, plain and simple,” Radom said. Behind the NHL’s Names, Logos, and Uniforms” with Chris Creamer is being released in October. His biggest issue is the new threads took a sharp turn from the duds the Oilers donned during their dynastic days. “It’s a sharp looking uniform,” “Simply put, they didn’t look like the same team – regardless of the merits he said, “but what team was this for?” or lack thereof of the new mark.” “It’s sleek and really well rendered. It’s dynamic. It would have looked The revised logo was steeped in symbolism. The five gears marked for great on a sweater for the 2001 expansion Edmonton Oilers, as opposed the amount Stanley Cup titles won. The 10 gear teeth indicated the to the Edmonton Oilers who dominated the sport a decade and a half number of captains to that point in the NHL history of the team. prior.”

The meaningful emblem was a plus to both Lowe and Smith, who both There’s no denying that. wore the ‘C’ in Edmonton. The Oilers were entering the 21st century and were more than 11 years “I loved that there was a great story behind those jerseys,” Lowe said. “A from their most recent championship. lot of thought went into that.” Perhaps the shocking switch was fitting, in a way. For all the imagery weaved into the crest, there were some drawbacks. “It was a great change and a different look,” Smith said. “It was really neat to be a part of.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183911 Minnesota Wild The decision to leave the WCHA for the newly formed Big Ten Conference in 2013 was a move the Gophers had to make, but there’s no doubt it has hurt their ticket sales, even as they have likely made It's a sad state of hockey as Wild, Gophers lose fans more money from the Big Ten Network TV deal.

The crowds are down at Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci, On top of that, the team has struggled of late, after it finished first in the and the on-ice product has not been as good in recent seasons at either Big Ten the first four seasons of conference play. location. In 2017-18, their final season under coach Don Lucia, the Gophers finished 19-17-2 overall and 10-12-2 in the Big Ten, good for fifth in a seven-team conference. This past season they went 18-16-4 overall and MAY 2, 2020 — 7:27PM 9-8-7 in the Big Ten, finishing third when they had a chance to win the conference title in the final weekend of the season. SID HARTMAN Bright spots ahead?

Despite the struggles, there are positives for both teams. Whoever came up with the idea to call Minnesota the “State of Hockey” was some kind of genius, but that phrase is not working quite as well The Gophers finished this season going 11-6-4 in their final 21 games these days as the Gophers and Wild continue to struggle in the stands and beat Notre Dame in three games in the Big Ten quarterfinals. They and in the standings. would have visited Penn State in the semifinals.

It’s hard to understand why this state is having such a hard time The Wild was making a big push after starting the season 4-9-1, getting producing winning teams from its NHL franchise and its biggest Division I right in the thick of the playoff hunt with a 15-7-1 record over 23 games. program, but there’s no other way to put it. Both squads have new coaches — Bob Motzko is in his second season Every team goes through ups and downs in terms of play, but this has to with the Gophers, and Dean Evason is the Wild interim coach — who be the first time when the fans have really stopped going to the games have a lot of support. for both the Wild and the Gophers men’s hockey program. The Wild also has the rights to big-time prospect Kirill Kaprizov, one of Looking at attendance at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild this season the best players in Russia. The 23-year-old is ready to play in the NHL, averaged 97.3% of its tickets sold per game, according to ESPN. and the Wild can sign him at any time. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2015 who should really pay off. I believe that figure is higher than what the team is actually selling, because the Wild was taking out a lot of ads for single-game ticket sales The Gophers, who had a young team this past season, have to keep all season. battling the state’s other big programs. Minnesota Duluth won back-to- back national titles in 2018 and ’19, and the Bulldogs might have added a And even if the figure is accurate, that is still the lowest percentage of third if the season hadn’t ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. tickets sold during a single season in franchise history. This has been the first time the Wild has averaged under 18,000 fans since the 2011-12 Star Tribune LOADED: 05.03.2020 season.

The Wild ranked No. 15 in the NHL in percentage of seats sold when the season was suspended, a number that is hard to believe. The team had ranked third, second, fifth, first and third in percentage of seats sold in the NHL over the previous five seasons.

The Wild hasn’t been one of the greatest teams in hockey over the past decade, but the franchise has been competitive almost every season. The Wild recorded over 100 points three times in the past six seasons and reached the postseason for six consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2018. That stretch ended in 2018-19, when the team went 37-36-9 for only 83 points.

The Wild struggled again much of this season, and made a coaching change by firing Bruce Boudreau in February. But the team had played well before play was suspended.

But maybe the biggest reason that the Wild has lost fans comes from research done by Verve Search, a content marketing agency based in England. Earlier this year, Verve Search reported that the Wild has the highest season-ticket entry price of any NHL team at $2,200. That includes the New York Rangers, whose season-ticket packages start at $2,173.

Mariucci empty

While the Wild can at least say a decent amount of fans are attending every game, the Gophers men’s hockey team has really been struggling in the stands.

Some of the photos of the Gophers during major games — including the Big Ten tournament against Notre Dame in March — showed a nearly empty arena. Whatever the reason, it just doesn’t make any sense.

And it’s not a good look for either the Gophers or the Big Ten when the most notable hockey team in the conference has a 90% empty arena at its biggest event.

The numbers show that Gophers attendance has dropped every season for seven consecutive seasons.

The Gophers went from 115.5% of tickets sold in 2013-14, for a total of 231,057 tickets, to 74.6% of tickets sold this season, for a total of 164,027 tickets. 1183912 Minnesota Wild Guerin should hire Evason and see where he and Fiala can take the Wild. Add in Kirill Kaprizov, and next year’s Wild team has a chance to play the most entertaining brand of hockey in Wild history.

Dean Evason deserves shot to stick with Wild Guerin might still be looking to hire a veteran NHL coach, but those kinds He has only had 12 games under his belt filling in for Bruce Boudreau, of candidates are always available in the NHL. If you don’t hire Coach X but his relationship with Kevin Fiala is a critical factor. this year, you will have another chance in three. This is the right time to invest in Evason, and his relationship with Fiala.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.03.2020 MAY 3, 2020 — 1:27AM

JIM SOUHAN

Wild General Manager Bill Guerin has made one prominent decision since taking the job. He fired popular, veteran coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him, on an interim basis, with assistant coach Dean Evason.

Under Evason, the Wild won eight of 12 games and moved closer to a playoff berth before play was suspended because of the coronavirus.

Guerin probably has an ideal coaching candidate in mind, and that person is unlikely to be Dean Evason. Has Evason done enough to change Guerin’s mind and take the job on a permanent basis — permanent, in the NHL, meaning he will keep the job about three years before being fired?

Twelve games is not long enough to constitute a true tryout. The Wild could have been experiencing a typical reaction to a coaching change. Even when a coach is as likable as Boudreau, players can weary of anyone’s messaging and can respond favorably to a coaching staff shake-up.

There is a better reason than his record over 12 games for keeping Evason, and that reason is rooted in Minnesota sports history.

The Twins who would win two World Series titles were known for choking before Tom Kelly replaced Ray Miller as manager in 1986. Kelly had a close relationship with his key players, having spent many hours riding Southern League buses with many of them. That bond held fast during two pressurized World Series, resulting in two championships. The most emblematic moment of Kelly’s leadership arrived when Kirby Puckett, having won Game 6 of the World Series, wrapped Kelly in a bear hug after touching home plate.

The Timberwolves have experienced one high-quality season in their history, and that one playoff run was the result of Kevin McHale and Flip Saunders drafting and developing Kevin Garnett. The man who won’t even allow the Wolves to celebrate him these days trusted McHale and Saunders back then, and together they elevated the franchise.

The Lynx were a sporting nonentity before Cheryl Reeve took over as coach and traded for Lindsay Whalen. Whalen wasn’t the best player on the championship Lynx teams, but that trade made the Lynx relevant, and Whalen’s leadership made a star-filled team a championship team. The relationship between Reeve and Whalen was at the heart of the franchise’s four titles.

Kelly, Saunders and Reeve had not run big-league teams before they were given a chance in Minnesota. All three proved that relationships and intelligence are more important than experience.

Kevin Fiala has a chance to become the best player and most productive scorer in Wild history. Evason coached him in the minors when both were in the Nashville organization, and the two often express their respect for each other.

The relationship between Evason and Fiala could prove as important as the relationship between Puckett and Kent Hrbek and Kelly, or Whalen and Reeve.

In his short tryout as an NHL head coach this season, Evason looked more than capable of managing a team and handling the secondary demands of the job, including acting as the most publicly prominent voice of the franchise. Sometimes, being thrust into the media spotlight is the most difficult adjustment for a former assistant. Evason seems comfortable in the public eye.

If Evason can help Fiala develop into a superstar and can run a game and a news conference, you can find (or keep) assistant coaches to handle other responsibilities. 1183913 MontrealCanadiens fans. Oh and given his ice time, I’d venture a guess that Claude Julien also appreciated having a right-handed offensive-minded forward in the lineup.

Bracket showdown final: Vote for the 2019-20 Canadiens play of the year Feb. 27: Tomas Tatar breakaway goal vs. the New York Rangers — nominated by Meeker Guerrier

Marc Dumont Kovalchuk’s goal was a fantastic moment, but if we’re talking about pure hockey talent, Tatar’s goal is hard to beat. May 2, 2020 Though my contract contains a clear “no disparaging Nick Suzuki” clause, it’s only fair to point out that he fell victim to a Frederik Andersen poke check prior to Kovalchuk’s goal, and if it wasn’t for Auston There have been upsets, dominant victories and tight races, but now only Matthews’ uh, questionable effort on the backcheck, the game probably two plays remain in contention for the 2019-20 Canadiens play of the wouldn’t have ended there. That doesn’t matter in the heat of the year. moment, but when looking back at the play, it’s certainly not as clean as Wait, did I say just two plays remain? I lied. I’m going to add another play it could be. into the mix, a play that I think deserves a lot of recognition and was But this goal was clean. somehow overlooked in the nomination phase of the tournament. More on that later. It was so clean that Procter & Gamble have approached it to be their new spokesperson. Though Victor Mete’s first career goal was a long time in the making, it wasn’t enough to propel the play into the final, as over 60 percent of the From the perfect forecheck neutralization and puck recovery from Shea community cast their votes in favour of Ilya Kovalchuk’s overtime goal Weber and Ben Chiarot, to the excellent outlet support from Philippe against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Danault and Brendan Gallagher, and finally, the ridiculous finish by Tatar, it was just about as close as you can get to a perfect team goal, The other front runner in the tournament, Tomas Tatar’s breakaway goal especially since it was scored at 5-on-5, and not 3-on-3, as was the case versus the New York Rangers, also punched its ticket to the final, though for the Kovalchuk goal. it should be noted that Nick Suzuki’s ridiculous assist versus the Winnipeg Jets put up a good fight, earning a respectable number of If good plays had the power to return the hair lost by lazy defensive votes, but ultimately falling short with 45 percent. coverage and poor line changes, this goal could have restored Claude Julien’s hair to its former glory. You’ve heard my arguments as to why these plays are special, but now that we’ve reached the final, I’m going to let the community members do Gordon T. the talking. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the final contenders for the play of the year and what you had to say about them. “My vote will be for the ‘Tatar breakaway’ because that is the best Habs’ hockey we’ve seen in a decade. Smart, controlled hockey from one goal Feb. 8: Ilya Kovalchuk overtime goal vs. the Maple Leafs — nominated line and across the other. Battle, 2 crisp passes, one that undresses a by Julian McKenzie decent all-round NHL Dman. And then the moves...”

Overtime? Check. I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about those moves, because I vividly remember criticizing Tatar in real-time for making too many moves. It’s “Hockey Night in Canada”? Check not that I doubted his talent, but you could argue that often times, less is Against a historic rival? Check more.

Jeff B. Except if you’re Tatar, in which case, just like bacon, more is more, and more is always better. Tatar makes nine, count them, nine moves with “It is hard to imagine the Kovalchuk goal not winning the play of the year. the puck from the time he accepts Gallagher’s excellent pass to the time The highlight includes Price making a key save, a great transition up the he leaves Alexandar Georgiev looking for answers in the midst of an ice, Suzuki showing his speed and skill, Kovalchuk following the play and existential crisis. scoring, a big celebration, and of course getting a win over the Leafs. The only thing it is missing is all fans worldwide getting an ice cream In a lot of ways, Tatar’s goal was the perfectly cooked bacon of hockey cone and their choice of a new puppy or kitten.” goals. In other ways, I probably shouldn’t have skipped breakfast this morning. The first thing I’d like to clarify is what type of ice cream we’re dealing with, because it’s a non-starter if it’s some terrible flavour like rum and Nov.9: Shea Weber power plays goal vs. the Los Angeles Kings — raisin. I’d rather have zero puppies and zero rum and raisin ice cream nominated by yours truly cones if that’s the case. However, if we’re dealing with a 32-flavours Heave hi, situation, I’m all in. Heave hi ho. Jokes aside, Jeff does make a salient point, this play didn’t make it to the final because it was a gorgeous play that required a particularly high level The best man in Ottawa was Mufferaw Joe, of skill. No, it made it to the final because it was as close to a perfect moment as we saw from the Canadiens this season, a season that was Mufferaw Joe. mired with disappointment. For those of you that aren’t aware, there’s a local legend in the National In that brief moment, fans forgot about the frustration and found Capital Region that went by the name of Joseph Montferrand. He was a happiness, and really, that’s what sports are all about. big and strong and could cut down a maple with just one mighty swing of his axe. As a log driver, he guided only the biggest trees down the river, Wait, sticking it to your rivals is what sports are all about, and that was trees so big that a lesser man would have failed before he started. also a big part of it. An’ they say Big Joe put out a forest fire It was also a good reminder of how quickly Kovalchuk made an impact in a Canadiens uniform. In just 22 games he left Montreal with a bigger Halfway between Renfrew and ol’ Arnprior legacy than some who spent years in the organization. It also drove He was fifty miles away down around Smith Falls home the value of adding a particular skill set to a roster, in this case, a sniper that commands respect from his opponents. Kovalchuk had 13 But he drowned out the fire with five spitballs points in those 22 games, but his presence in the lineup created an aftershock of confidence and belief among players that might have lost A local leader among the French-Canadian lumberjacks, it was their way in the numerous losing streaks. Montferrand that was called upon to settle the score with the oppressive rulers of the newfound Canadian land. Legend has it that at just 16 A breath of fresh air, a change of pace, an obvious roster deficiency that years old, Montferrand took up a promoter’s offer to the crowd took much too long to address; call it what you will, but Kovalchuk’s time assembled at a boxing match in Montreal, giving him an opportunity to in Montreal was a treat for his teammates, and most importantly, the fight the local champion. It took just one punch for Montferrand’s foe to hit the ground. Wisely, he stayed down.

At this point, you may be wondering where I’m going with this, and that’s a fair question.

An’ they say Big Joe drank a bucket of Gin,

And he beat the livin’ tar outta twenty-nine men.

And high on the ceiling of the Pembroke pub,

There’s twenty-nine boot marks and they’re signed with love.

I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing about Montferrand’s exploits that seem outlandish if you close your eyes and picture Shea Weber holding an axe.

In fact, I’m willing to bet a shiny nickel that somewhere down the line, one of Weber’s ancestors changed the family name from Montferrand to Weber, just to avoid the pressure that’s associated with such a legendary family.

Weber is big. Weber is strong. Weber could probably beat the livin’ tar out of 29 men if he wasn’t busy making millions playing hockey.

But he can also swing a mean axe, as evidenced by his goal against Kings. It was the type of play that would seem unrealistic in a movie like “Happy Gilmore.”

Not only does he injure an opponent, a classic Montferrand move, he also manages to capitalize on his rebound and hit a tiny chunk of frozen, vulcanized rubber that was flying through the air on an impossible to predict trajectory.

But it wasn’t impossible to predict for Joe, err, for Shea.

I may be wrong, I often am, but there are very good odds you’ll never see another play like this:

Voting

We’ll reveal the winner of the tournament early next week, as we jump into the next bracket showdown: misplays of the year, an equally fun experiment which allows us to review some of the not-so-great plays which made us laugh, cry, and drink more whiskey than Montferrand after a long day driving logs down the Ottawa river.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183914 New Jersey Devils Now to Tony O, who was ranked fifth. He was a great one, no doubt, with numbers that are comparable to the King’s when accounting for the difference in eras. He was a tireless workhorse for Chicago with 74 NHL writers poll is insult to Henrik Lundqvist, Patrik Elias career shutouts to the Swede’s 64. But not only are they tied in Stanley Cup championships at zero, Esposito allowed the worst, most damaging goal in the finals history — that 70-footer to Jacques Lemaire in Game 7 of the 1971 series with the Hawks up 2-0 late in the second period of the Larry Brooks match they would lose, 3-2. May 2, 2020 | 4:06pm The omission of Elias from every single one of the 13 ballots is truly inexplicable. I’d have him in my top 16 ahead of at least John LeClair and Ilya Kovalchuk (and don’t ask me how Keith Tkachuk was ranked eighth), Who doesn’t love rankings? Rankings exist to spark debate. Rankings and Bobby Hull’s appearance on this list is suspect given the fact he are subjective, determined by opinions, educated or otherwise. Opinions played just five seasons in the NHL post-expansion, but OK. can’t be wrong, Except, of course, when they are. What is not remotely OK, however, is that Elias did not get a vote while Which brings us to the fun exercises in which the good folks at NHL.com Brian Bellows, Ray Whitney, Brian Propp, Charlie Simmer and Kirk have been intermittently engaged throughout this coronavirus-induced Muller did. Is there a general manager in the league at any time who stoppage of play. A panel of writers has been polled to create a “Super would have taken Whitney ahead of Elias? I’m not counting one-time 16” position-by-position ranking of the top players of the expansion era. Rockies GM Ray Miron, by the way.

What could go wrong? And then the Great Scotts. Listen, I’m not here to denigrate Niedermayer in any way. He was a sheer delight to watch. And maybe Niedermayer’s Well, Billy Smith ranked ahead of Henrik Lundqvist, for one. And Tony work with the Ducks after leaving the Devils to join his brother stood out Esposito ranked ahead of Lundqvist, for another. Oh, and Patrik Elias to the voters who had No. 27 ranked higher on nine of 13 ballots, and failing to garner a single vote as one of the top 16 left wings from the 13 had him ranked ninth overall to Stevens at 12. Or perhaps it was Nieds’ people who cast ballots, and what in the world is that all about? Then outstanding international career. I could see that. there’s the matter of Scott Niedermayer out-polling Scott Stevens on defense. But when they were teammates for 12 seasons, it never would have dawned on me or anyone else to suggest Niedermayer was the Listen, Smitty’s one of the great money goaltenders of all time. There’s better/more important player. Never. Because again, the question: no dispute over that. In the ranking of post-Original Six Stanley Cup goalies, you could go: 1) Bernie Parent; 2) Ken Dryden; 3) Smith, and Could the Devils have won three Cups without Niedermayer? you may not be wrong, though it is still one of the more startling stories in playoff history that Scotty Bowman had decided to bench Dryden in favor Probably not. of Bunny Larocque for Game 2 of the 1979 Cup finals against the But could they have won even one without Stevens? Rangers after the Hall of Famer’s mediocre performance in the Blueshirts’ 4-1 Game 1 victory. Not a chance.

Of course, you know that fate intervened when Doug Risebrough hit By the way, that’s a fact. Larocque in the head with a shot during warmups that thus necessitated barrister Dryden’s emergency return to nets. No. 29 allowed a goal to Stay safe, friends. Anders Hedberg on the Rangers’ first shot at 1:02 before he was beaten New York Post LOADED: 05.03.2020 at 6:21 by Ron Duguay on the team’s third shot and it was 2-0 and … and of course the game ended 6-2 and Montreal won in five and you just don’t have guys called “Bunny” in the league anymore.

That reminds me. Dryden retired following that Cup, Bowman left the organization after losing an internal power struggle to Irving Grundman (beats me) to become GM/coach of the Sabres, and Bernie Geoffrion was named to succeed Bowman behind the Habs’ bench. I went up to Montreal to interview the Boomer at training camp and, lo and behold, a goaltender wearing No. 29 was taking shots during a drill.

It was Don Cutts, who’d been an Islanders farmhand the previous couple of years and was now wearing No. 29. No worries, Cutts did not make the team and never did play a game for Les Glorieux, so we can be sure the No. 29 that hangs in the rafters commemorates Dryden.

But anyway, let’s talk about Smith ranked ninth and Lundqvist 10th, with eight of the 14 casting ballots ranking the Islanders’ Hall of Famer ahead of the Rangers’ pending Hall of Famer.

Do you know that Smith started 50 or more games in a season only once in his career, that in 1974-75, and in fact started 40 or more games just four times while sharing nets with Chico Resch, Roland Melanson and Kelly Hrudey? Lundqvist, meanwhile, started 60 or more eight times that included three seasons of at least 70 while carrying the Rangers for almost a decade-and-a-half.

The stats aren’t close, but rather than cite career goals-against averages (2.43 to 3.18) save percentages (.918 to .895) and victories (459 to 305) — yes, Smith played in a higher scoring league but on a much, much, much, much better team — here are the bottom line questions:

Would the Islanders have won their four straight Cup and 19 straight playoff series with Lundqvist rather than Smith?

The answer is, yes.

Would the Rangers have made the playoffs 11 times in 12 years with Smith rather than Lundqvist?

The answer is, no. 1183915 New York Rangers Now to Tony O, who was ranked fifth. He was a great one, no doubt, with numbers that are comparable to the King’s when accounting for the difference in eras. He was a tireless workhorse for Chicago with 74 NHL writers poll is insult to Henrik Lundqvist, Patrik Elias career shutouts to the Swede’s 64. But not only are they tied in Stanley Cup championships at zero, Esposito allowed the worst, most damaging goal in the finals history — that 70-footer to Jacques Lemaire in Game 7 of the 1971 series with the Hawks up 2-0 late in the second period of the Larry Brooks match they would lose, 3-2. May 2, 2020 | 4:06pm The omission of Elias from every single one of the 13 ballots is truly inexplicable. I’d have him in my top 16 ahead of at least John LeClair and Ilya Kovalchuk (and don’t ask me how Keith Tkachuk was ranked eighth), Who doesn’t love rankings? Rankings exist to spark debate. Rankings and Bobby Hull’s appearance on this list is suspect given the fact he are subjective, determined by opinions, educated or otherwise. Opinions played just five seasons in the NHL post-expansion, but OK. can’t be wrong, Except, of course, when they are. What is not remotely OK, however, is that Elias did not get a vote while Which brings us to the fun exercises in which the good folks at NHL.com Brian Bellows, Ray Whitney, Brian Propp, Charlie Simmer and Kirk have been intermittently engaged throughout this coronavirus-induced Muller did. Is there a general manager in the league at any time who stoppage of play. A panel of writers has been polled to create a “Super would have taken Whitney ahead of Elias? I’m not counting one-time 16” position-by-position ranking of the top players of the expansion era. Rockies GM Ray Miron, by the way.

What could go wrong? And then the Great Scotts. Listen, I’m not here to denigrate Niedermayer in any way. He was a sheer delight to watch. And maybe Niedermayer’s Well, Billy Smith ranked ahead of Henrik Lundqvist, for one. And Tony work with the Ducks after leaving the Devils to join his brother stood out Esposito ranked ahead of Lundqvist, for another. Oh, and Patrik Elias to the voters who had No. 27 ranked higher on nine of 13 ballots, and failing to garner a single vote as one of the top 16 left wings from the 13 had him ranked ninth overall to Stevens at 12. Or perhaps it was Nieds’ people who cast ballots, and what in the world is that all about? Then outstanding international career. I could see that. there’s the matter of Scott Niedermayer out-polling Scott Stevens on defense. But when they were teammates for 12 seasons, it never would have dawned on me or anyone else to suggest Niedermayer was the Listen, Smitty’s one of the great money goaltenders of all time. There’s better/more important player. Never. Because again, the question: no dispute over that. In the ranking of post-Original Six Stanley Cup goalies, you could go: 1) Bernie Parent; 2) Ken Dryden; 3) Smith, and Could the Devils have won three Cups without Niedermayer? you may not be wrong, though it is still one of the more startling stories in playoff history that Scotty Bowman had decided to bench Dryden in favor Probably not. of Bunny Larocque for Game 2 of the 1979 Cup finals against the But could they have won even one without Stevens? Rangers after the Hall of Famer’s mediocre performance in the Blueshirts’ 4-1 Game 1 victory. Not a chance.

Of course, you know that fate intervened when Doug Risebrough hit By the way, that’s a fact. Larocque in the head with a shot during warmups that thus necessitated barrister Dryden’s emergency return to nets. No. 29 allowed a goal to Stay safe, friends. Anders Hedberg on the Rangers’ first shot at 1:02 before he was beaten New York Post LOADED: 05.03.2020 at 6:21 by Ron Duguay on the team’s third shot and it was 2-0 and … and of course the game ended 6-2 and Montreal won in five and you just don’t have guys called “Bunny” in the league anymore.

That reminds me. Dryden retired following that Cup, Bowman left the organization after losing an internal power struggle to Irving Grundman (beats me) to become GM/coach of the Sabres, and Bernie Geoffrion was named to succeed Bowman behind the Habs’ bench. I went up to Montreal to interview the Boomer at training camp and, lo and behold, a goaltender wearing No. 29 was taking shots during a drill.

It was Don Cutts, who’d been an Islanders farmhand the previous couple of years and was now wearing No. 29. No worries, Cutts did not make the team and never did play a game for Les Glorieux, so we can be sure the No. 29 that hangs in the rafters commemorates Dryden.

But anyway, let’s talk about Smith ranked ninth and Lundqvist 10th, with eight of the 14 casting ballots ranking the Islanders’ Hall of Famer ahead of the Rangers’ pending Hall of Famer.

Do you know that Smith started 50 or more games in a season only once in his career, that in 1974-75, and in fact started 40 or more games just four times while sharing nets with Chico Resch, Roland Melanson and Kelly Hrudey? Lundqvist, meanwhile, started 60 or more eight times that included three seasons of at least 70 while carrying the Rangers for almost a decade-and-a-half.

The stats aren’t close, but rather than cite career goals-against averages (2.43 to 3.18) save percentages (.918 to .895) and victories (459 to 305) — yes, Smith played in a higher scoring league but on a much, much, much, much better team — here are the bottom line questions:

Would the Islanders have won their four straight Cup and 19 straight playoff series with Lundqvist rather than Smith?

The answer is, yes.

Would the Rangers have made the playoffs 11 times in 12 years with Smith rather than Lundqvist?

The answer is, no. 1183916 Ottawa Senators review and proposed “solutions” to each of the participating clubs in each of the implicated trades and then provide the teams with a period of up to seven days to either: (a) reform the trade on terms acceptable to both teams, or (b) accept the “solution” that has been proposed to them by the The Ottawa Senators could be big winners if the NHL has its way and league.” holds draft in June A large portion of the memo is spent on analyzing the difficultly of trying to complete trades but indicates the bottom line is those deals could be done in the off-season. Bruce Garrioch Daly noted in the memo if the teams don’t agree to hold the draft next May 2, 2020 4:46 PM EDT month it’s just going to create more headaches down the road if the season isn’t completed until September and then the league has a shortened off-season to drop the puck again in mid-November or The NHL’s making one last big push to hold an early draft in June. December.

Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday night deputy “In the event we do not move up the date of the draft, and assuming a commissioner Bill Daly sent out an email earlier in the day outlining why best-case scenario in which we are able to resume and finish the 2019- the NHL would like to hold the 2020 draft before the season is completed 20 season in some fashion, the likely timeline involved for awarding the and the format being proposed would be good for the Ottawa Senators. Stanley Cup would be early to mid-September at the earliest.” Daly wrote. The eight-page email, which arrived in the inbox of the 31 owners and general managers around 5 p.m. Friday, explains this will be a big part of “That would leave us with a relatively short window in which to conduct a the discussion during Monday’s bi-weekly meeting with the board of draft lottery and to stage a draft before moving to the period of time that governors held by commissioner Gary Bettman with the league on pause will be needed to accommodate free agency and all of the necessary because of the threat of the novel coranavirus around the world. contract negotiations and signings that have to take place prior to the start of next season.” “I’d say judging by the memo it’s 100% going to happen,” said a league executive Saturday. “The NHL wants it and so do their television partners Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.03.2020 so they’ll find a way to make it work.”

After watching the success the NFL had by holding a virtual draft last month, the league would like to follow in this footsteps because their broadcasts partners — NBC in the United States and Rogers in Canada — have both given it an endorsement and the reality is they’d have a captive audience.

“Staging the NHL draft in June would provide us with the opportunity of building a profile and platform for this event that it has never enjoyed before – particularly in the United States.,” Daly wrote in the email that was obtained by this newspaper after Friedman’s report. “The sports media generally is in desperate need of new, original and compelling sports content, which will incentivize it to promote and cover our draft in ways that it has never been covered before.”

As Daly told this newspaper last month, the NHL would use points- percentage to determine the odds for the draft lottery.

Under that system, the Detroit Red Wings would hold the best odds of winning the lottery at 18.5% while the Senators would have the second- best odds at 13.5% with their selection and another 11.5% chance with the first-round pick they acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson deal.

The twist in the memo is the league wants to go back to an old system it used by having only one team winning the lottery and no team can move up more than four spots. Daly said there has been concerns amongst the GM’s that under the current format a team could technically win the lottery and then go on to win the Stanley Cup if the season is completed in the summer.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston noted under this format Detroit would be guaranteed to get the No. 1 or No. 2 selection because teams can only fall back one spot while the Senators would drop no further than No. 3 and No. 4. Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Pierre Dorion haven’t had any objections to a June draft and it would be surprising if they didn’t like this format.

“We believe the concern can be effectively addressed simply by changing the format of draft lottery for this season only,” said Daly. “If we reverted to our old practice of picking just one draft lottery winner (while maintaining the same allocation of draft lottery odds), and we limited any move-up by a Lottery-winning team to a maximum of four draft positions, we would be able to eliminate the possibility of any “bubble team” winning a top draft selection and winning the Stanley Cup.”

The Senators also hold the New York Islanders first-round pick but it’s lottery protected if it’s in the top three, but under this scenario Ottawa would be guaranteed of having that selection.

“We have reviewed the terms of these trades — numbering roughly 15 in total — and we believe that, in most cases, the undetermined conditions can be resolved with relatively simple “fixes,” which the league would be prepared to rule on,” Daly said. “We would propose that we share our 1183917 Philadelphia Flyers Parent held up his Stanley Cup ring Tuesday to show it to viewers. “What’s nice about a ring like this: People like Bill Gates, who’s worth

$100 billion, can’t buy it. You have to earn it,” he said proudly. “That’s Some good in all this: A chance to relive the Flyers’ magical 1974 how powerful winning a championship is.” Stanley Cup clincher with Bernie Parent | Sam Carchidi I remembered the chaos on the ice after the final seconds disappeared, but I didn’t realize so many Flyers appeared frustrated by the fans’ climbing over the low glass and emptying onto the ice to join the Sam Carchidi, celebration. (By the way, Boston was called for icing with four seconds left, but the Flyers and fans started celebrating and the officials just

waved off the last four ticks.) With the coronavirus putting the world and sports events on hold, TV One shaggy-haired fan, champagne bottle in hand, even joined the executives have been scrambling for some uplifting programming. handshake line and exchanged good wishes with the Bruins. It was a Enter the NBC Sports Network, which has been showing lots of replays totally Philly thing, like the incident in 2001, when a man from Delaware of classic games, and the Flyers-Bruins 1974 Stanley Cup clincher — County, Chris Falcone, fell into the penalty box after the glass broke and which was shown Tuesday — certainly filled the bill for those needing a took a swing at Toronto’s Tie Domi, who had been squirting water at break from pandemic updates. Flyers fans because he said they threw things at him. Falcone and Domi then fought in the penalty box. Flyers coach Alain Vigneault believes hockey and other sports will help bring back ‘some sort of normalcy’ Defending fans

As a teenager, I attended that game nearly 46 years ago. Paid a scalper A smiling Parent, interviewed from his home as he watched the Cup- a then-outrageous price ($40 for a ticket whose face value was $8.25) for winning replay, graciously saluted the fans and talked about them being a second-level seat at the venerable Spectrum. Felt the tension multiply so overcome with unbridled joy that they climbed onto the ice after the with each shift as the Flyers outlasted the mighty Bruins, 1-0, and Game 6 clincher. triggered a parade that included two million of Bernie Parent’s closest “What a beautiful thing,," he said. friends. A scowling Dave Schultz, however, was seen pushing fans out of the “Not bad, eh?” the good-natured Parent said last week. “Let me tell you way as Parent and Clarke tried to skate through the humanity and carry something. We had a parade when we first started in ‘67 to introduce the the Cup around the ice with their teammates behind them. team to the fans because hockey was new here. We had more players in the parade than there were people who watched it.” You can’t blame Schultz. This was supposed to be their moment, but at least the Flyers got to do it again the next year, without impediment, as A second-level ticket to the 1974 Stanley Cup Final between the Flyers they skated around the ice in Buffalo with the 1975 Cup. and Boston had a face value of $8.25. The 1974 clincher was — and still is — the greatest win in the Flyers’ SAM CARCHIDI history. In just their seventh year of existence, they had stunned the A second-level ticket to the 1974 Stanley Cup Final between the Flyers hockey world and defeated Orr and the favored Bruins — a team that and Boston had a face value of $8.25. had the league’s top four scorers during the regular season — and won the Cup. Parent, 75, chuckled. He seems to end every sentence that way. As he did Tuesday while being interviewed by NBCSN before and after the The New York Jets and Joe Namath are given credit for causing the game, and during intermissions, explaining what was going through his AFL’s merger with the NFL, thanks to their shocking 16-7 win over mind during that afternoon of May 19, 1974. heavy-favorite Baltimore in Super Bowl III in 1969.

“A lot of beautiful moments that year,” he said. Though the Flyers’ upset of the Bruins was not of the same magnitude, it was a victory that legitimized the six expansion teams that joined the Cheering in anticipation NHL in 1967-68. No longer was it such a big deal to beat an Original Six team. The crowd that day was on its feet, cheering wildly before the game started. The anticipation of a championship echoed around the Fast-forward to 2020. If the NHL season resumes — it was suspended Spectrum. March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak — the Flyers will be among the many teams with a legitimate chance to win the Cup. Like in “When you have a fantastic crowd like this — loud, supportive, the whole 1974, the road to the championship will probably go through Boston (or bit — it elevates you to a different level,” Parent said. “That was a big, big perhaps Tampa Bay) before the East winner faces the West champ in part of us winning the championship.” the Stanley Cup Final. I had seen highlights of the famous ‘74 Cup clincher through the years Sadly (but understandably), spectators aren’t expected to be permitted in but had never watched the entire game’s replay until Tuesday, and it was arenas because of the potential to spread the coronavirus, so no fan with interesting to see things I didn’t remember from being there. a bottle of champagne figures to be in the handshake line — even if Like lower-line forwards Bill Clement and Terry Crisp playing lots of captain Claude Giroux and his teammates end up with the Cup. dominating shifts for the Flyers. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.03.2020 Like Boston’s Bobby Orr, arguably the greatest player ever, looking frustrated and never being a factor in the game.

Like smooth-skating Rick MacLeish, usually the Flyers’ No. 2 center, spending lots of time as relentless captain Bobby Clarke’s left winger.

Like seldom-used winger Bruce Cowick drawing a penalty and providing some solid fourth-line minutes.

Like the Bruins dominating the first period until MacLeish changed the momentum with a power-play goal late in the first period.

Goalies’ duel

I remembered Parent being dominant, remembered his great late-game save on Ken Hodge — the Hall of Fame goalie said it wasn’t him but his late mother watching from above who made the stop for him — but had forgotten how sensationally Bruins goalie Gilles Gilbert had played in defeat. 1183918 Philadelphia Flyers "The team in Chicago that he played for, they’ll have a lot of players drafted this year, which is good to watch, he had good players to play with, but at the same time, he was driving it and making a lot of plays.

2020 NHL draft profile: Brendan Brisson has 'the quickness, the skill and "A little undersized, but at the same time, he’s got the quickness, the skill vision' to entice Flyers and vision to make himself a quality prospect. He’s going the college route, which is probably the right decision for him because he’ll need a little time to put on some weight and get stronger."

Jordan Hall Brendan Brisson’s one timer is *chef’s kiss*

May 02, 2020 5:30 PM His 20th goal of the season and 5th against his former team is the only goal of the first period, thus giving Chicago a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

#2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/thJOi2eltU The entire picture for the 2020 NHL draft remains cloudy with the — Spencer Loane (@spencerloane) February 9, 2020 ongoing suspension of the 2019-20 regular season because of the coronavirus outbreak. Fit with Flyers

Where will the Flyers be picking? When and how will the draft be held? Given the Flyers took three defensemen in the first four rounds last Those questions are currently unanswered. summer and finished with three blueliners, three wingers and a goalie, they could be looking for the best center available this draft. The Flyers hold seven total selections and, as of right now, are slotted with the 25th overall pick. The addition of Brisson would help the Flyers replenish a bit down the middle at a position that is crucial for any organization. “I think it’s a decent draft — I don’t know if it’s top end," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said April 25 in a phone interview with NBC The Flyers really liked winger Bobby Brink last summer out of the USHL. Sports Philadelphia. "The top 10, 12 guys look like pretty high end. Brisson could be in their first-round range and would be a logical pick if There’s a bit of a drop-off, but there’s some depth to the draft for a couple so. of rounds. We don’t know totally where we’re picking, but we have an idea. We have some guys targeted we feel we would be very happy with If Brisson joins the club's prospect pool before joining Flyers 2019 first- in the top couple of rounds and then we still have some work to do to round pick Cam York at Michigan, the Wolverines sure will be fun to keep clean up the mid-to-later-round picks. tabs on for fans.

"Obviously you’d want the big, scoring, playmaking center, anybody Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 does. We’re in a position where we’ll likely be taking the best player available.

"Realistically the players you draft now are two or three years down the road, best-case scenario. Some cases you get surprised. But by then, your team needs are different. We’ll do the best we can, we have an idea of where our holes are going forward and places where we certainly want to add depth to, whether it’s center or scoring winger or defense, we’ll see what happens. We’ll prepare, we weigh guys against each other, the pros and cons and we’ll do the best we can there.”

This month and into June, we'll continue to break down options for the Flyers at No. 25.

Brendan Brisson

Position: Center

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 179

Shoots: Left

Team: Chicago Steel

Scouting report

Brisson, the son of big-time NHL agent Pat Brisson, is an exciting playmaking center who scores just as well as he creates.

The Michigan-bound product finished second in the USHL with 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) over 45 games. Playing high school hockey in 2018-19 with Shattuck St. Mary's, Brisson amassed 101 points (42 goals, 59 assists) through 55 games.

Brisson popped at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in six games and saw a climb from 31st in NHL Central Scouting's midterm marks to 20th for its final rankings.

The Manhattan Beach, California, native is scary good on the power play because of his shot and smarts. Of course, he'll have to get stronger but he also understands the two-way game.

"He played high school at Shattuck in Minnesota where I was, so I’ve seen him a lot," Flahr said. "He’s had a real strong draft year, he’s a late birthday and he’s still got to get stronger, but he had a breakout year in the USHL and had a strong tournament in the world junior challenge, which really jumped him up and brought a lot of attention to himself. 1183919 Philadelphia Flyers

Eric Lindros discusses rebuilding relationship with Flyers

Joe Fordyce

May 02, 2020 9:00 AM

To quote the late great Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead: “What a long strange trip it’s been.”

That lyric from the song "Truckin'" best describes Eric Lindros’ relationship with the Flyers. That union between the organization and its former captain seems to have come full circle now as Lindros has been brought back as a team ambassador. The reunion between No. 88 and his former team seemed like it would never happen after the controversial way things ended for Lindros in Philadelphia.

“If you went back 20 years ago, no, I was angry, I was really upset with some things,” Lindros said Wednesday in a video interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. “As time goes on, I had some real good conversations with Paul Holmgren, hours of talking to Homer, things evolve, things change, you move on, you focus on the positive. There’s lots to be thankful for.”

The Flyers-Lindros family reunion has been in the works for the better part of a decade now, beginning with Lindros being welcomed back for the Alumni Game as part of the festivities surrounding the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park. Lindros was then inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame, and after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lindros had his No. 88 retired to the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center two years ago.

Now as he becomes a team ambassador, the reunion appears complete. As far as Lindros' feelings toward the organization that he rose to prominence with and spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with, he’s not dwelling on the past and is excited for the future.

“I think it greatly outweighed the negative, especially the medical situations at the end," Lindros said. "I’m excited to get started and be part of the new fold, the new chapter, and when it's safe to see everybody at the rink, I want to be there as much as I can.”

In his new role with the Flyers, he will be attending games, if and when the league resumes, and he will also be doing hospital visits and several other special team related events. It starts with the the All In Challenge that several athletes and former athletes have joined in to support the coronavirus relief efforts.

In Lindros' words, the organization is “shooting for the moon” with its new team ambassador.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183920 Pittsburgh Penguins his linemates better, even those fully capable of producing on their own, remains intact.

Crosby continues to be the standard every other NHL player is measured Penguins A to Z: Sidney Crosby remains the standard against.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.03.2020

SETH RORABAUGH

Saturday, May 2, 2020 5:48 p.m.

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

Sidney Crosby

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 32

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 200 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 41 games, 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists)

Contract: Seventh year of a 12-year contract with a salary cap hit of $8.7 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025

Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 1 overall), July 30, 2005

This season: You’ll be hard pressed to find a bigger booster of Sidney Crosby than his boss, Mike Sullivan.

The Penguins coach often refers to his team’s captain as the “best 200- foot player in the game” anytime the subject of Crosby’s abilities are brought up. And there’s little reason to suspect Sullivan’s assessment is swayed by bias.

Even as he approaches his mid-30s and younger contemporaries such as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov or Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid collect individual trophies, Crosby remains their superior when it comes to high-stakes environments, to borrow another Sullivan expression.

At this stage of his career, the biggest question about Crosby is how he can hold up over 82 games as an “old man.” After all, he missed 28 games this season because of a core muscle injury that hindered him for an even longer stretch before he underwent surgery in November.

Once he did return to the lineup, Crosby showed he’s still more than capable of doing some serious damage to an opposing goaltender’s save percentage (and probably confidence) by racking up 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) over the last 24 games he played before the NHL halted play.

Early in the season, Crosby displayed his chemistry with linemate Jake Guentzel was still intact. But by the time Crosby recovered from his injury, Guentzel was sidelined with his own long-term injury, and that prompted management to trade for forward Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild, then reacquire forward Conor Sheary from the Buffalo Sabres.

While the Penguins struggled before the hiatus with a 3-8-0 record, there were signs the Zucker-Crosby-Sheary line was starting to look like a legit top line.

Defensively, Crosby, who remains the team’s top faceoff specialist at 55.6% (494 for 888), isn’t asked to match up with the opposition’s top center as often as in years past, thanks in part to the emergence of forward Teddy Blueger. However, Crosby’s attention to detail in his end of the ice has shown few signs of eroding.

The future: Seemingly, the only remaining question about Crosby this season, assuming it resumes, is who his left winger will be. Guentzel or Zucker? Based on the initial time frame the Penguins offered in January for Guentzel’s recovery from his right shoulder ailment, he could be healthy enough to play right now.

Ultimately, there isn’t a wrong answer. And while there are lingering concerns over the team’s sputtering power play, Crosby’s ability to make 1183921 San Jose Sharks

Just like magic, Joe Thornton’s beard disappears

Joe Thornton has shaved his beard, as a Twitter video posted by the San Jose Sharks showed

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

May 2, 2020 at 3:06 p.m.

Joe Thornton’s beard is no more.

In a video posted by the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, a bearded Thornton is standing next to his daughter at their South Bay home. She then folds her arms and bows her head and voila! Her dad’s beard disappears.

The last time Thornton, 40, shaved his prodigious beard was right before the 2018-19 season when, at a team gathering at Brent Burns’ house, the decision was made to remove the long whiskers. The beard had been in place since the 2015-16 season, when Thornton and Burns were the ones to that began to grow out their facial hair, dubbed “lifestyle beards.”

“My wife’s been wanting this done for a long time and the guys kind of got on it and all of a sudden the shaver came out, and there it was on the plate,” Thornton said then. “My 5-year old (son) wasn’t happy this morning. When he woke up, he didn’t want to see dad. I’ve got to make it up to him somehow.”

The NHL is still attempting to finish the 2019-2020 regular season, perhaps resuming as early as June. The league and the NHL Players’ Associations issued a joint statement earlier this week saying small groups of players could be able to return to team training facilities by the end of the month. When the league paused its schedule March 12, the Sharks, who were in last place in the Western Conference, had 12 regular season games left.

*poof* pic.twitter.com/kQVdFwjnI2

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 2, 2020

In the video, Thornton’s right index finger appears to be wrapped, and maybe the waistline got a bit bigger, too.

Asked Friday how motivated Thornton and some other veterans might be to finish out meaningless games, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said, “I wouldn’t say that Jumbo wouldn’t want to play games. You know (him). I wouldn’t jump to that assumption.”

Thornton has played in 1,636 NHL games, ninth-most all time. This season he has 31 points in 70 games for the Sharks. His 24 assists give him 1,089 for his career, seventh-most all-time in league history.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183922 San Jose Sharks — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 1, 2020 The NBA has reportedly investigated the possibility of creating a virtual

“bubble” for players and essential personnel in Las Vegas or at Disney Coronavirus & sports: The latest on when NBA, MLB, other leagues may World in Orlando to finish out the season and playoffs. Despite optimism return that the season will resume, officials have been coy about presenting any potential timeline. MLB reportedly eyeing late June start for 2020 season; NBA and NHL hoping to finish in summer NHL

The league announced this week that players may be able to resume small-group activities at training facilities by the end of May. Teams like MICHAEL NOWELS the Sharks, who are located in an area under restrictions, likely could not do so. May 2, 2020 at 12:21 p.m. The NHL is looking into bringing teams to divisional sites to train and

potentially finish the season and playoffs. Sharks forward Evander Kane It’s been 51 days since the NBA and NHL seasons ground to a halt as said on a podcast earlier this week that he has heard optimism that the Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. league may be able to resume in July or August.

The MLB’s regular season was set to start March 26. Instead, the league NFL shut down spring training two weeks before that date, pushing its The National Football League hosted its biggest offseason event just last opening day indefinitely into the future. weekend, as teams executed the league draft with all involved parties All three leagues are now in a holding pattern, trying to balance the working from home. rapidly changing public health situation with their economic No 2020 games have been rescheduled at this point as the Hall of Fame considerations. Game, the NFL preseason’s first game, is scheduled for Aug. 6. The In the event the NBA and NHL are forced to cancel their playoffs, they’d regular season is set to open Sept. 10. be sacrificing their highest-earning period. If they find a way to return Offseason workouts are on hold for the time being. Team training camps while Americans are still largely sequestered at home, there’s no doubt are set to begin in July and the league has not yet announced any ratings would skyrocket. But reopening too soon could put players, changes to that plan. coaches and anyone else involved at risk — and that’s not even considering the public backlash they may face. NCAA

Here is what we know as of May 1 about each sport’s potential return: College sports are also on pause in the pandemic, beginning with the cancellation of conference basketball tournaments, March Madness and NASCAR all spring sports. Officials announced Thursday that the stock car racing series plans to It’s not clear yet what effect the virus will have on fall sports such as resume without fans in the stands on May 17. There will be four races football, but teams have been barred from in-person practices for the over 10 days at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. The time being. Fall sports may well be moved back, and one potential tracks will also host Xfinity and Trucks series races. scenario would include playing a shortened season that is just UFC conference games, or football could even be pushed into the spring.

The top organization in mixed martial arts appears to be taking MLS advantage of an at-home audience, planning to hold UFC 249 next Major League Soccer announced Friday morning that players will be Saturday night on ESPN+ pay-per-view. UFC president Dana White says allowed to complete voluntary individual workouts at outdoor team the organization plans to hold fights on May 13 and May 16, as well. facilities, provided local regulations allow for such activity. Only players Your official #UFC249 fight card, as revealed by @danawhite to receiving treatment can access team gyms, and locker rooms are off- @bokamotoESPN earlier today pic.twitter.com/r1hSVLV416 limits.

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 24, 2020 As for returning to the 2020 season, the last official news from the league was an April 14 announcement saying a planned mid-May return was MLB “extremely unlikely.”

Major League Baseball is reportedly exploring the possibility of opening a The Earthquakes played just two games before the season paused, shortened season in late June or early July. Officials are optimistic that earning one point with a season-opening tie against Toronto FC. they could use an 80- or 100-game schedule that would move the World Series into late November or early December. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 05.03.2020

The league had been looking into playing at spring training sites in Arizona but is now eyeing games in up to 20 team markets, though many questions remain about travel and opening the ballparks.

NBA

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has reportedly told teams he is focused on crowning a champion for this season, which was paused about a month before its end.

Fuel was added to that fire Friday when Silver announced that the upcoming draft lottery and amateur combine were being postponed.

The league initially was set to allow individual player workouts at team facilities beginning Friday in locations where that didn’t conflict with local restrictions. Amid confusion and backlash to that announcement, the NBA pushed that date back one week to May 8.

The calendar has flipped to May 1 and a month expected to nudge the NBA into some firm decision-making about various aspects of the 2019- 20 season is upon us … after Adam Silver insisted on an April of "listening mode" 1183923 San Jose Sharks

Sharks legend Joe Thornton shaves iconic beard with NHL season paused

Marcus White

May 02, 2020 2:02 PM

Joe Thornton made a drastic decision with the NHL season suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Sharks’ veteran center shaved his iconic beard.

*poof* pic.twitter.com/kQVdFwjnI2

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 2, 2020

Thornton is San Jose’s all-time assists leader, but the 40-year-old has become arguably more synonymous with his “lifestyle beard” in the last handful of seasons. He and teammate Brent Burns began growing beards during the 2015-16 season, and the beards became a staple for both players well beyond the 2015-16 Stanley Cup Final.

The two posed on the cover of the “Body Issue” for “ESPN: The Magazine” wearing, well, not much else outside of the beards.

Joe Thornton & @Burnzie88 are appearing in the next ESPN Body Issue. ( : @brguerrero) pic.twitter.com/vFRBAt4RG5

— Brodie Brazil (@BrodieNBCS) June 25, 2017

Burns shaved Thornton’s beard at a team party ahead of the 2018-19 regular season, but Thornton missed his facial hair at practice the following morning.

End of an era ... start of something special! Lets get it going again pic.twitter.com/U4yJVxbqKh

— Brent Burns (@Burnzie88) October 2, 2018

“I regretted [shaving] as soon as it started hitting the floor,” Thornton told reporters on Oct. 28 at the Sharks' practice facility. “Hopefully it’ll grow back quickly.”

That it did.

BIG MOOD pic.twitter.com/3g7wh4Jdu7

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 19, 2019

So when the Sharks next take the ice, Thornton probably is going to have plenty of facial hair in tow.

My vote? Thornton shouldn't shave again until he hangs up his skates for good. Although that could be a while if you listen to the man himself.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183924 San Jose Sharks

NHL rumors: Sharks 'front-runners' for Russian goalie Alexei Melnichuk

Brian Witt

May 01, 2020 8:47 PM

It would appear the Sharks are inching closer to adding another goaltender.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Friday that San Jose is "in the lead" to sign Russian goaltender Alexei Melnichuk.

Further to the reports, also hearing the San Jose Sharks are the front- runners to land free-agent goalie Alexei Melnichuk. Lots of NHL interest in him. Not a done deal, but Sharks in the lead right now. https://t.co/5XKGavHjgQ

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 1, 2020

On Thursday, Sports-Express' Igor Eronko reported that Melnichuk was "set to sign" with the Sharks, though nothing is official as of yet. Eronko added that he expected Melnichuk would need at least one season in the AHL.

Melnichuk, 21, has spent his entire career up to this point playing in the three highest tiers of Russian hockey. Last season with SKA St. Petersburg, he went 8-5-1 with a .930 save percentage and 1.68 goals- against average across 16 games. He also posted four shutouts.

Listed at 6-foot-1, Melnichuk offers good size for the position. According to LeBrun, he is in high demand, and it's easy to see why the Sharks would be very interested.

San Jose's goaltending arguably has been its Achilles heel over the last two seasons, and there isn't exactly an obvious solution on the horizon. Martin Jones will return for a sixth season with the Sharks, unless he is traded or bought out. Backup netminder Aaron Dell is a restricted free agent, and very well could end up playing elsewhere next season.

In the minors, both Andrew Shortridge, 25, and Josef Korenar, 22, struggled with the Barracuda this past season, with both posting a goals- against average above 3.00 and a save percentage below .900. To be fair, though, that's probably more a reflection of the team's last-place finish. 19-year-old Zacharie Emond, currently with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL in Junior hockey, might be the future at the position, but he is still quite a ways off.

Frankly, as for who is going to be the man in between the pipes for San Jose, even two seasons from now, your guess is as good as any. Given the high salaries the Sharks have tied up in their top veterans, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a cheap, young goaltender for roster-building purposes.

Maybe Melnichuk could be that guy.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183925 Tampa Bay Lightning Like the NHL, baseball seems willing to extend the postseason calendar, with the possibility of having a neutral-site World Series in a domed stadium. (And, no, Tropicana Field probably wouldn’t be a major contender if baseball goes this route. The league prefers to showcase When will the longest day in American sports history finally end? new stadiums, which would make Texas a strong possibility.)

The NFL is likely to be the least affected, provided any second wave of the coronavirus is contained. The Sports Business Journal reported that John Romano the NFL is considering contingency dates for Super Bowl 55, scheduled to be played Feb. 7 in Tampa, and that seems logical.

We have now passed the 50-day mark without a major sports But the NFL is not likely to go too far down that road until figuring out the competition in America. At least now, we’re beginning to see how and probability of starting the regular season on time in September. If the when the games might return. schedule is not released as expected by May 9, that may be the first indication that contingency plans will be necessary. The leaders of the nation’s largest sports leagues began April on a conference call with President Donald Trump and finished the month on Is it all worth it? another call with the White House’s medical experts. Certainly not, if virus testing is not widely available or hospitals are Officially, the question is whether to play or not to play. Realistically, the straining to meet demand. But if the curve continues to flatten around the question is whether to be bold or lay low. country, you can probably expect announcements about training camps and schedules to begin trickling out this month. When it comes to re-starting society in the shadow of a pandemic, safety is obviously the greatest concern. When it comes to the sports world, For a sports fan, the longest day of the year is typically the one after another consideration is almost as powerful and vexing: baseball’s All-Star Game. It is the one day on the calendar that the four major sports — as well as college sports — are all silent. What level of risk, and wrath, are owners willing to incur to play a game? In 2020, that longest day began March 12. President Trump has had a sooner-than-later perspective on re-starting the sports calendar, but league commissioners seem cognizant of the As we move into May, we still await its end. potential public backlash if they act too quickly. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.03.2020 This is why they have been moving forward with baby steps. This is why so many ideas have been floated anonymously. Before testing the temperature of a single athlete, they appear intent on taking the temperature of a nation.

In a move that could be described as either compassionate or shrewd, the four major leagues — MLB, the NFL, the NHL and the NBA — have avoided specific timetables while letting other sports test the waters first.

So NASCAR, with its minimal contact between competitors, announced this week it would begin racing again in Darlington, S.C., on May 17 with no one in the bleachers. The PGA Tour also is also planning spectator- less events beginning June 11 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Make no mistake, there is money to be made even without fans in stadiums and arenas. The NFL draft proved that last week with television ratings on ESPN that were 16 percent higher than the year before. Horse racing also has stayed afloat the past two months without spectators, by getting a small cut of online wagering and Internet pay-per-view.

While TV revenue will not come close to replacing the money lost due to postponements and cancellations in hockey, basketball and baseball, it could stave off economic disaster while keeping fans tethered to their teams.

How will it all work once sports leaders decide it is acceptable to resume?

First of all, there is no talk of fans returning anytime soon. Beyond that, there will be a sliding scale of normalcy depending on the sport and the level of physical contact. Hockey and basketball were nearing their postseasons and, thus, are in the biggest rush to get back into action. That means they likely will have to make the largest adjustments.

The NHL seems prepared to limit games, at least initially, to four hubs representing each division. The league could have 20 days or so for training camp, two weeks to finish a shortened regular season, all within divisions to limit travel, then a postseason that may stretch into September or beyond depending on whether they begin gearing up in late May or early June.

The league seems willing to delay the start of the 2020-21 season to get this season completed. Part of the calculation is the longer they delay next season, the more likely they’ll be able to have fans in arenas on opening night.

Baseball is not quite so rushed, and may attempt to replicate a normal season with half the number of games. Teams likely will play in their own stadiums with schedules that will emphasize limited travel. For cities that have been virus hot spots — such as New York and Seattle — teams may begin the regular season at their spring training stadiums in Florida and Arizona. 1183926 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning, NHL still in theoretical stage of bringing back hockey

Staff Writer

A vague plan of perhaps putting small groups on the ice in “mid to later May” is the latest idea on the table.

The National Hockey League desperately wants to finish its season, but going from theoretical plan to practical is a sticking point.

The league’s Return to Play Committee — consisting of players; representatives of the players’ union, the NHL Players Association; and representatives of the league — met Wednesday and outlined a vague blueprint for players to return to training facilities in “mid to later May.”

The NHL also asked that players who left their team’s city after the season was put on hold March 12 to think about returning, given they might need to quarantine for 14 days once back. That could be challenging with the U.S.-Canada border closed to nonessential travel and European travel remaining uncertain.

Even if teams are able to start small-group activities this month, the group sizes allowed likely would be determined by city or state officials. Beyond that, games would not follow quickly.

So, why bother?

Because the NHL needs the playoffs.

Going without ticket and concession profits is already a financial hit for a league with less-lucrative TV contracts than the other three major North American sports leagues: the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball. But money is still on the table from playoff-specific sponsorships and TV deals; the website The Athletic estimated $350 million to $500 million.

The NHL also has already gone without a championship once in the past 20 years; the 2004-05 season didn’t happen due to a lockout. It doesn’t want another championship-less season if possible.

Here’s what likely needs to happen to ensure this season isn’t lost:

• Conditioning. Most NHL players have not gone this long without skating. It has been 53 days since most were allowed inside rinks (injured players are allowed at rinks to work with athletic trainers). They don’t even go that long without skating in the offseason. In a recent video conference call, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said different scenarios — such as whether small groups could get on the ice before a training camp would begin — would affect how much time players would need to prepare. “You have to train their skating muscles again that haven’t been used,” he said. “It’s going to take some time. How much time, I don’t know, but it’s going to be a gradual process.” Players have said they’ll need at least two to three weeks. They’ve been trying to stay in shape. They’ve been trying to stay in shape the best they can.

• Regular-season resumption. Players including Lightning defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman have made clear a preference for playing regular-season games before the playoffs. The league needs games to even out the standings, and the players need games to get back into the flow of hockey. As for when games could be played, it’s looking like July at the earliest.

• Locations for play set. States have started to relax restrictions; Florida will start to open businesses Monday. One idea calls for playing games at about four region sites, of which Tampa could be one. Multiple teams would play at each site in a metaphorical bubble made up of hotels, arenas and practice rinks.

• Logistics established. Players have raised concerns about being away from their families for months if the region-sites plan is used. Also, the league would need a way to isolate players and team staffs in addition to bare-bones arena staff, on- and off-ice officials, and the hotel staff that would cater to teams. Regular health monitoring would seem likely, as long as enough coronavirus tests would be available without taking them from the general population.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183927 Tampa Bay Lightning “It really is wonderful,” Castor said. “It’s one of the things that defines Tampa as such a great city, the way everyone comes together. We come together to celebrate, then we come together when there’s an issue.”

Forbici, Lightning send 5,000 Impossible Burgers to front-line workers Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.03.2020

The owners of Tampa restaurant Forbici Modern Italian received a donation to feed workers fighting the coronavirus, but they needed somewhere to cook all the food.

Diana Nearhos

TAMPA — The restaurant Forbici Modern Italian can turn out a lot of food for 158 patrons at any given time, but cooking 5,000 Impossible Burgers was too much to ask of it. Amalie Arena, however, has the capacity to feed 20,000 people.

So when Forbici co-founders Jeff Gigante and Joe Guggino received a massive donation with which to feed coronavirus front-line workers, they called the Lightning.

It started with an idea from Tony Muniz, another partner in the Hyde Park restaurant, to make a request of Impossible Foods, a company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. The restaurant partners have a long relationship with the company. Gigante co-founded Ciccio Restaurant Group, the first to bring to Tampa Bay the Impossible Burger, a plant-based alternative to meat burgers. He has since left to start his own company, Gigante Hospitality.

“We said we’d really like to do something for our first responders,” Gigante said. “I was hoping it would be a cap, a bookend (to the coronavirus), like, ‘This is the end, and it’s all going to go back to normal.’ ”

It’s not quite the cap he was hoping for, though Forbici will be one of the restaurants reopening Monday with limited capacity under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to start lifting stay-at-home orders around the state.

But Gigante did get a bigger response than he expected from Impossible Foods. The company came back with an offer of 5,000 burgers. Gigante started calling around to see who could make best use of the food. He liked the idea of doing it all at once, making “Impossible Saturday” an occasion.

Gigante, who serves on the board of WWE star Titus O’Neil’s Bullard Family Foundation, had organized events to serve 80,000 people. But for those, outdoor kitchens were constructed. For “Impossible Saturday,” he needed something in place, hence Amalie Arena.

From there the list of participants in the project grew. Mr. Greens Produce provided tomato and lettuce, and Pepsi added drinks. Elder Ford supplied transportation. The nonprofit Support the Troops offered pallets full of Girl Scout cookies. Tampa’s Alessi Bakery donated boxes in which to pack the meals.

“It’s a great story of goodwill by small businesses who have been supported by the community forever,” Gigante said. “It’s who made us who we are. Now we wanted to give back in the time when these guys were out there on the front lines facing a deadly disease that could end their lives.”

On Saturday, Forbici’s staff and students from Metropolitan Ministries’ culinary program cooked and assembled the meals, which went to 18 organizations, including MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa General Hospital, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department, the Tampa Police Department, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center and Tampa Fire Rescue.

Representatives of some of the organizations involved were on hand as trucks were packed full of boxes of food. They donned masks for a photo opportunity with O’Neil, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Thunderbug, the Lightning mascot

Castor said she has seen acts of kindness across the city. Earlier in the day, she visited Feeding Tampa Bay. The organization handed out food to 3,000 people.

Castor said he also knew of people who donated their coronavirus relief checks, as well as a woman who applied for assistance from the city and when the aid was approved, came back and said she had gotten another job and wanted to help someone else. 1183928 Toronto Maple Leafs “The hardest part is looking back at it and how long I’ve been doing this (recovery and rehab), and how long it takes. I know I’m way ahead of the schedules that the doctors and everyone else gave me. But I want to be a person who is going as fast as I can at all times. I was finally engaged Owen Brady’s hockey career has been put on hold more than once, but in hockey again, so when it gets pushed back again, that’s the hard part.” he keeps looking to the future Brady makes sure he’s in his garage gym four or more times a week. It’s a sanctuary, a place where things make sense when a lot of other things don’t. And when things weigh heavy on his mind, his room becomes his Mark Zwolinski escape. Sat., May 2, 2020 “It’s a combination of things, being with friends, with my family or being with myself,” Brady says, when asked about getting through tough times. “I like to work out ... it’s kind of like letting my mind not worry about Owen Brady got up early last Sunday morning, strapped on his workout anything else when I’m working out. I’m a bit of a worrier, like when it gear and went for a long bike ride. comes to school and stuff like that. I like to hang out in my room … my room is like my escape. Had it not been for the continued lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Brady would have been celebrating something that was 18 “With everything’s that’s happened, there’s two paths you can take. months in the works. The 17-year-old defenceman would have been There is the victim path, that it’s so bad that there’s nothing I can do. The participating in the Oshawa Generals rookie camp, his first experience path I took is looking forward to the future, because that’s what I can with full contact games since November 2018 when his life was turned control, and because I can’t change what’s happened in the past.” upside down by osteosarcoma, a cancer that starts in the cells that form bones. Toronto Star LOADED: 05.03.2020

Since the day he learned he had cancer, growing in his left leg below the knee, Brady has put most of the things in his life on hold and turned his ultra competitive nature toward fighting the disease, and to getting back to playing hockey.

“When (the camp) first got postponed, I was disappointed,” said Brady, a six-foot-four blueliner and the captain of the midget Whitby Wildcats. “But I’ve learned how to roll with the punches, so it wasn’t too big of a deal, even though that weekend was gonna be my coming-back moment.

“I was planning with my coaches and with my parents (Chris and Deirdre) … I set a goal with my skating coach (Ashlea Jones) two months prior to the camp. That was going to be the time I would come back and participate in scrimmages and games, full-contact games, at that rookie camp.”

Brady bikes twice a week, once with his parents, who are teachers and advanced cyclists themselves. On Sundays, he goes for longer rides by himself, up to 55 kilometres out and back.

There is something about working out that has put his mind past the devastation of what the cancer did to his body, to his hockey career, and to his life. The workouts require commitment and accountability, and they make him feel better.

He looks like a promising hockey player again, with his dark hair having grown back after his chemo treatments. A year ago, while in hospital, he admitted he had “good days and bad ones.” There were times when he needed to be left alone.

He befriended a three-year-old girl, Roux, who was going through her own battle with cancer, and the two became buddies. He rubbed shoulders with Auston Matthews, the Leafs superstar who quietly visits Sick Children’s Hospital. And he got to ring the bell — signalling the end of his five rounds of chemotherapy — on Aug. 13. He returned home, and immediately began workout regimens with Jones and former NHL defenceman Paul Ranger.

Doctors had performed 19 hours of surgery on Brady, removing part of the fibula in his right leg to graft onto his left leg, where a five-centimetre tumour had been. They initially told him he would never play hockey again, then gave him a two-year recovery period.

Before the cancer diagnosis, Brady was seen as a potential first-round selection in the OHL draft. The Generals took him in the sixth round last year, though the prospect of playing in the OHL had to be put on hold. Now the high end spring-summer league he planned to play in has been cancelled due to the pandemic. And with Oshawa expected to have a team that could challenge for the Memorial Cup next season, Brady might have to weigh the options of limited ice time with the Generals or a more regular role in junior A or midget.

He likely will adjust as he needs to. He has learned to deal with the delays.

“Honestly, I’m doing pretty well,” he said. “Last year at this time, I was in a hospital, I was inside all the time, I was inside my hospital room, I couldn’t go outside, I couldn’t walk. So I’ve been through it, I know what comes with it. 1183929 Toronto Maple Leafs coach Toe Blake wants him to come out of the net … now Blake had decided to remove Worsley. He’s going to the bench, with 55 seconds to play, Montreal will use six attackers. Canadiens intend to shoot the works … Beliveau is coming on the ice, so are Roberts, Cournoyer, Ferguson, Fans, ushers, media recall last Leafs Cup Richard and Laperriere. It’s all or nothing for them now.

“Imlach is making his stand with an all veteran lineup of Stanley, Horton, Kelly, Pulford and Armstrong.” Lance Hornby SO LONG RED May 2, 2020 6:12 PM EDT In the stands Andra Kelly was welling up. It had not been revealed, but

she knew this would be her husband’s last shift in the NHL, going out MATHESON: How about Messier on left wing on all-time Oilers team? with his fourth Cup as a Leaf and eighth overall.

This weekend marks the last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup. Defenceman Stanley moved up to take the draw against Beliveau, a ploy Imlach often used, a big blueliner to take out a big centre. As Ferguson The Toronto Sun is re-living that through the eyes of those who were at came in to consult with Beliveau, which got the impatient crowd booing the Gardens on May 2, 1967. Today, we conclude the four-part series about the delay, Stanley had a quick word with Kelly and had him change with reflections of fans, arena staff and media: sides. The left-shooting Stanley won the draw back towards Kelly and tied up Beliveau as planned. It can be said nothing huge happens in Toronto sports without Rolf Bjordammen around. “I scooted over and flipped the puck up to Pulford,” Kelly described in his 2018 biography. “He took a few strides just over our blue line and passed He was there for the ‘67 Cup (the blues, section 51), at Skydome when it to Armstrong who was breaking to our right. Army just skated over Joe Carter won the World Series in ‘93 (section 124) and right back to centre and fired a wrist shot into the empty net.” Marilyn Bell swimming Lake Ontario. HOUSE OF USHERS “I was moving from Saskatchewan in September of 1954 for graphic arts studies at Ryerson on the overnight bus,” recalled the 83-year-old. “I Crowd shots of the Gardens at playoff times in the ’70s, ‘80s and ‘90s came Moose Jaw to Winnipeg, Winnipeg-Chicago, Chicago-Toronto. I often featured the ushers with their distinctive white hats, waving signs or left the day Marilyn started across and arrived to see the Telegram miniature Stanley Cups. A few were on duty back on May 2, ‘67. headline ‘Marilyn Makes It’.” The late Dennis Goodwin put in a half century on Carlton St. and shared Bjordammen returned home as a reporter/photographer for the Moose his experience of that night at the Gardens’ closing in 1999. At that time, Jaw Times-Herald (a young Peter Gzowski was on staff), before he was the longest-serving of the 200 men and women who worked graduating Ryerson to a print company that gave him the means to buy Leafs, Marlies, wrestling, rock concerts and other big events. Leafs season’s tickets. He settled in to watch Game 6 against the Habs in Row G, seats 17 and 18. The roar when Armstrong scored was still ringing in his years two decades later. “I took Jack Mitchell that night, another Western boy I knew through Ryerson and printing. We must have been wearing suits coming straight “The most spontaneous cheer I’ve heard in all my years here,” Goodwin from work. said. “You never used to need a scoreboard to tell you to cheer. I’d snuck in a bottle of champagne and was serving everyone in my section in “My business lawyer at the time, Alfred Herman, it turned out his grand- Dixie cups.” daughter married Zach Hyman. I’ve recently received some autographed pictures of Zach for my own grandchildren.” It was the fifth Cup winning team Goodwin saw, back to Bill Barilko’s overtime goal in 1951. Goodwin was exclusively stationed in sections 65- The Cup-clincher would not be an easy game to watch, as the Leafs 67 of the east greens, enjoying the atmosphere of the cheap seats which clung to their 2-0 lead in the third period. Like all games in the mostly he compared to the bleachers at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. defensive series, they tried to put the clamps on the Flying Frenchmen. After Duck Duff’s third-period goal, Bjordammen and everyone else “You almost had a Hot Stove League going on game nights, with little sweated out the last minutes. side bets between ushers, or between ushers and fans. It was a quarter, or a dollar, on who’d get the first goal or penalty. “Armstrong lumbering up the ice and scoring the empty-netter, that’s what I’ll always picture in my mind that night,” Bjordammen said. “That “The Gardens is like a home, a family. It’s not like a job. There was a sticks with me like Carter’s homer. I’m so lucky to have seen both. time when you could be president of a company and people would think more of you because you were an usher at the Gardens.”| “I remember George getting the Cup and the ceremony. That’s the kind of night you don’t want to leave the place, just hang around and soak up Colleague Andy Mastoris was there for the win over the Habs as well, as much of it as you can. I’m not an all-night partyer, though I’m sure though not in optimal position at clutch time. some people were after that game.” “I was in the south end and Armstrong scored down at the other,” While the Leafs’ Cup drought has reached six decades, Bjordammen Mastoris told the New York Times in 2019 shortly before he passed. isn’t one to go around boasting of his presence that evening. But he does “Going to the Gardens was like a Catholic going to the Vatican. It was a enjoy giving his two cents in sports debates when the topic turns to lack place of worship.” of Leafs’ titles. Mastoris and Goodwin never experienced a Cup again, though both “Someone will say ‘aw, the Leafs never win anything.’ I’ll casually became quite friendly with season ticket holders through the years. One mention ‘well, actually, I was there when they did’. night after a particularly poor Leafs campaign, Greek immigrant Mastoris was invited out by a couple of subscribers and all toasted the welcome “You have to be careful about people who say they went to that game. end to the season with several rounds of Ouzo. The Gardens only held about 16,000, but I think about 45,000 will tell you they were there.” THE FILEY FILES

Bjordammen is still active, playing slo-pitch on two knee replacements Also in the crowd that night, budding journalist/historian Mike Filey, who and hoping COVID-19 doesn’t delay his ball season or the NHL playoffs. delights readers of this paper every Sunday with his spotlight on He’s determined to be at Scotiabank when the Leafs win again. Toronto’s past, The Way We Were.

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY “Knowing my love for the Leafs back then, my wife got the two tickets from J. M. ‘Ted’ Tory, branch manager at Sun Life,” said Filey, who took Here’s Foster Hewitt’s radio call with the Leafs up 2-1: friend Ross Edwards and sat in the Blues.

“Less than a minute remaining and the Leafs are called for icing … the Ted was related to current Mayor John Tory, the family being early referee calls for the faceoff to the left of the Leafs goal. There’s a delay in investors in the Leafs ad the Gardens. play and Montreal goaltender Gump Worsley doesn’t know whether “All these years later she doesn’t remember what she paid. I should have SILVER STREAK kept our ticket stubs, except we were convinced Leafs would stay as champions for years to come. After all there were six new (expansion) Leaf players on the ‘67 Cup: George Armstrong, Bob Baun, Johnny teams joining the NHL and they wouldn’t amount to much for years.” Bower, Brian Conacher, Ron Ellis, Aut Erickson, Larry Hillman, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Larry Jeffrey, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Milan Or so many people thought. Marcetta, Jim Pappin, Marcel Pronovost, Bob Pulford, Terry Sawchuk, Eddie Shack, Allan Stanley, Peter Stemkowski, Mike Walton. CLEARANCE FROM CLARENCE Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.03.2020 In case you’ve never heard what those sweet championship sounds are with ‘Leafs’ in the same sentence, here’s Campbell:

“Ladies and gentlemen it is now my great pleasure to present the Stanley Cup to the Maple Leaf hockey club for the 11th time. I ask the captain of the Toronto club to come forward and accept the trophy.”

Armstrong’s young son Brian, at the urging of his grandfather, was at the presentation table and appears in many of the pictures with Campbell, his father and the trophy.

“My grandfather and I planned to go on the ice before the game if the Leafs won and were trying to signal to each other,” Brian told Ward Cornell of Hockey Night in Canada. “It was the first Stanley Cup game I’d been to. My grandfather told me ‘stay behind Al Smith’.”

Smith, the Leafs third goalie, was ready in the dressing room all night. Though Johnny Bower was too injured to play after getting hurt in warm- up of Game 4, he thought his place was on the bench with his mates to give support.

THEIR CUP RUNNETH OVER

When the game ended and handshakes with the Habs completed, the Leafs posed for a quick photo with the Cup. There was no victory lap or solo skate with the Cup back then, but plenty of celebrating out of the public eye.

General manager/coach Punch Imlach, feared and respected by his players every other day of the season, was relieved of his famous fedora and pulled into the shower fully clothed.

“I got into the dressing room, but it was a madhouse,” Hockey Night analyst Brian McFarlane said. “Everyone was drenched with champagne.”

Winning goaltender Terry Sawchuk sat on the bench, dragging on a cigarette.

“I don’t like ale or champagne and I’m too tired to dance around,” Sawchuk said, “but this has to be the biggest thrill of my life.”

LOST LUGGAGE

In a mystery post-script, Sawchuk was announced as winner of the ‘Air Canada Trophy’, the Leaf voted most vauable player in the playoffs by teammates. The fair-sized trophy, believed to have been minted two years earlier (it actually read Trans Canada Airlines, pre-dating AC’s re- branding) was given to Sawchuk the same day Keon received the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP voted by the writers. But the trophy disappeared, Air Canada and the Sawchuk family unable to account for it to this day. It’s a moot point with the Leafs not winning a Cup since.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1967

McFarlane and the broadcast crew were not invited to the after-party at executive Stafford Smythe’s home, but they knew where he lived and crashed it anyway.

“There was Eddie Shack, perspiration dripping down his nose, everyone dancing and a lot of gorgeous women,” McFarlane said. “The Cup was in the foyer and we all took a sip from it, coming and going.

“I’m sure people thought another Cup was coming in a year or two.”

OH BABY

The Telegram printed 42 births on May 2, 1967, including Lui Redigonda at Northwestern Hospital (now Humber River).

Emilio Redigonda was present for both his son’s birthday and the win over Montreal. Emilio considered it a good luck sign for the Leafs after wife Mary had given birth to seven-pound Lui. He then went to the game with a group of friends from his construction company, who shared season tickets.

“I just remember getting very, very drunk,” Emilio said in a 2004 interview. “A son and a Stanley Cup. It was great.” 1183930 Vegas Golden Knights Danielson said he has remained in contact with Cusick through the coronavirus pandemic and is looking forward to fans being inside T- Mobile Arena for games.

Popular voices at Golden Knights games wait to be heard again Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Thursday in an interview with NHL Network the league is prepared to start the 2020-21 season in December, if necessary.

David Schoen “I’m a fan as much as anybody else. As a fan I’m sad because, man, we were on a roll,” Danielson said. “As someone who is a part of creating the May 2, 2020 - 12:01 PM game experience, I miss it. I feel in my heart that I miss it. It just stopped. There wasn’t a heads-up. There wasn’t an end date. It just stopped. I think that’s the hard part.” There was supposed to be a party in Hyde Lounge at T-Mobile Arena after the Golden Knights’ final regular-season game. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.03.2020

Dave Goucher, the team’s television play-by-play announcer, was scheduled to serve as master of ceremonies with players also making appearances. Drinks would have been served and stories told, most of them about Minnesota, to be sure.

It was all to honor popular public-address announcer Bruce Cusick.

“And then, of course, this happened,” Cusick said.

Cusick’s booming voice has been silent since the NHL paused its season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the league considers several return-to-play scenarios without fans in attendance, it’s unclear when Cusick and other members of the game- day production crew will be heard again at T-Mobile Arena.

“I can’t wait to be able to bellow out, ‘Welcome back to the Fortress,’ ” Cusick said by phone from his home in Lakeville, Minnesota. “That’ll just be an iconic moment for everybody. … Vegas needs hockey. Who would have thought?”

Cusick is in his 30th season as a public-address announcer — that was the reason for the party — though he makes sure to point out that’s a cumulative total of his work.

He is best known in the Twin Cities area for his 12 seasons as the public- address announcer for the Minnesota Vikings starting in 2004. He also had overlapping stints with Minnesota’s professional soccer, indoor football, roller hockey and indoor lacrosse teams.

During Cusick’s final season with the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League in 2015, Twin Cities radio personality Wayne “Big D” Danielson was hired as the team’s in-arena host.

“I don’t know what it is, man, but we just hit it off,” Danielson said. “Him and I are like brothers if you get us together.”

Danielson landed a job with iHeartMedia in Las Vegas in 2015 and remained friends with Cusick, who’s owned a condominium in the valley since 2007.

When the expansion NHL team unveiled its logo in 2016, Cusick and Danielson were in the crowd in Toshiba Plaza imagining what it would be like to work together again. Months later, each won his audition.

“The fact that Bruce and I kind of came up together and came into this together, we’re like Tweedledee and Tweedledum,” said Danielson, one of the Knights’ in-arena hosts. “One of us gets to the ramp first and then texts the other person at the ramp. And then we park. And then we walk in together. I swear if there was a soundtrack it’d be ‘doo doop dee doo …’

“It’s been a great time. The fact that Bruce and I are tight and our families are close, it’s been pretty awesome.”

Cusick’s infectious energy is a staple of the Knights’ game-day experience, whether he’s welcoming the team to the ice, introducing the starting lineups or announcing the goal scorer.

It’s the interaction with fans at T-Mobile Arena he misses the most.

“They’ve embraced when I do ‘Knight Time,’ ” Cusick said. “When I introduce (Marc-Andre) Fleury, I can hear fans behind me say his name the way I say his name. That kind of interaction. It’s all about the fun and the fans’ experience. Otherwise, I figure anyone can do the job.”

Danielson, a DJ and program director at country music station “The Bull” (95.5 FM), serves as the pregame hype man. He teams with co-hosts Mark Shunock and Katie Marie Jones during games and also conducts between-period entertainment. 1183931 Vegas Golden Knights The team, which has $8.125 million in projected salary cap space but also two unsigned restricted free agents, probably won’t be able to afford Lehner without moving an NHL contract.

Golden Knights roster review: Robin Lehner The Knights might not want to pay him, either. Signing Lehner would give them two expensive contracts at the position — Fleury’s $7 million cap hit is tied for the second-highest on the team.

Ben Gotz And Lehner might not be interested in returning. He played sidekick to another franchise goaltender — two-time Stanley Cup winner Corey May 2, 2020 - 10:30 am Crawford — in Chicago and thought he didn’t get a fair chance.

Instead, he could look elsewhere for richer pastures (Calgary? Review-Journal presents its “Roster Review” series, which will examine Vancouver? Ottawa? Detroit?). Either way, it will be an interesting each Golden Knights player’s current production and future outlook in offseason for him. alphabetical order. Sunday: Goaltender Robin Lehner. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.03.2020 Background

Robin Lehner took two different trips to Las Vegas in the past year.

The first came in June for the NHL Awards. Lehner, after a career season with the New York Islanders, finished third in the Vezina Trophy voting. He also won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance after revealing in a first-person essay to The Athletic that he sought treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues the previous summer.

“I’m not ashamed to say I’m mentally ill,” Lehner said in a moving acceptance speech. “But that doesn’t mean I’m mentally weak.”

The second trip came in February after he was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Golden Knights. That one was probably inconceivable to the Lehner who walked across the Mandalay Bay Events Center stage eight months prior. And it makes his future as uncertain now as it was back then.

Performance

Lehner simply has been fabulous since seeking help in the summer of 2018.

His .925 save percentage in the past two seasons ranks sixth among goaltenders with more than five starts. His goals-against average (2.47) is 10th. His 38.94 goals saved above average are third.

By any conceivable metric, the big-framed Lehner — he outweighs the more balletic Marc-Andre Fleury by 55 pounds — has been a top-10 goaltender in that span. He’s succeeded in three organizations despite getting various levels of defensive help.

That probably makes his contract situation all the more frustrating.

Lehner, an unrestricted free agent last summer, wanted to stay with the Islanders after his award-winning season. But the team instead signed veteran Semyon Varlamov less than two weeks after the NHL Awards.

Lehner settled for a one-year, $5 million deal with the Blackhawks, hoping to prove he was worthy of a long-term commitment. He played well. He discussed an extension. He got traded instead.

The Lehner who arrived in Las Vegas in February was beaten down by the business of the game.

“At the end of the day, we’re players playing for our lives and playing for contracts,” Lehner said three days after the trade. “I felt for two years I’ve played really well and I still can’t get something done, and I’m playing well and I can’t play. It hits your motivation part a little bit, and I’ve got to do a better job of letting that kind of go away.

“I thought there was a future (in Chicago), and I did everything to get a future there, and I still couldn’t get a future there. In the end, the last couple weeks were tough mentally to kind of find a motivation needed.”

Future

Despite his bitterness, Lehner has performed brilliantly with the Knights.

He has won all three of his starts and saved 78 of 83 shots. He finally gave the team a competent partner for Fleury and formed half of arguably the NHL’s best goaltending tandem.

The duo might not last long together. Lehner, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent again this offseason. He’ll want security and a chance to play regularly. The Knights might not be able to give him that chance. 1183932 Vegas Golden Knights fans for a long time and had sellout streaks of 497 and 354 games when the old Kings teams were one of the league’s most successful and entertaining squads. Things went south when an arena proposal fizzled and the Maloofs sold the NBA club for $585 million five years ago. Walk Back In Time: How Foley Combined Forces With The Maloofs To Create Vegas Golden Knights Joe Maloof said the Founding 75 concept was even used as a sports marketing technique by his dad, George Maloof, Sr., the Coors distributor for New Mexico, who had bought the NBA Houston Rockets for $9 million in 1979. But in 1980, the elder Maloof died of a heart attack — and his May 2, 2020 sons became the young owners of the NBA Rockets. Alan Snel A lot has been reported about Foley paying a $500 million expansion fee to the NHL. But what hasn’t been reported by the local media is that others contributed to that $500 million fee. (Bill Foley is the public face of ownership for the Vegas Golden Knights. He’s a friendly West Point graduate with a sharp business past. But he’s And the historic legacy of a first-year NHL club that drew 18,042 fans per had some help, too. The Maloof family, which owned the NBA Houston game for 41 home dates in a building with official hockey seating Rockets and Sacramento Kings and hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, is a capacity of 17,367 was shaped by Foley — and also the Maloofs and minority partner and helped generate interest with Foley when Foley and those Founding 75 members. the Maloofs were working on a season ticket deposit drive in 2015 to It should be noted that a few years before that official February 2015 show the NHL that Las Vegas was worthy of a big-league hockey season ticket campaign launch with Bettman in attendance, Joe and franchise.Here’s the LVSportsBiz.com story that ran April 2, 2018 offering Gavin Maloof had been already traveling to New York on their own dime a peak at how the Maloofs worked with Foley to create the Vegas Golden to sell Bettman on the feasibility of major league hockey in Sin City. The Knights franchise.) Maloofs have known Bettman since 1978, when the NHL commissioner * earned his pro sports league stripes by working as a former NBA senior vice president and general counsel. Before a soft-spoken Swede made time stand still in Las Vegas Saturday night with hockey’s greatest shot this season and a defenseman beat the In fact, the Maloofs, who live in Las Vegas, also introduced Foley to key powerful Tampa Bay Lightning with a shot with two seconds left in a local political leaders like Clark County Chairman Steve Sisolak. And Joe December game and the new NHL club scored four goals in the first nine Maloof also recalled getting Gov. Brian Sandoval on board, too, for the minutes in its first regular season home game Oct. 10, there was the NHL in Las Vegas. “Founding 75.” The Maloofs hooked up majority owner Bill Foley with Clark County You can find the financial roots to the Vegas Golden Knights’ startling, Commissioner Steve Sisolak. unprecedented ascent to the National Hockey League’s Pacific Division Joe and Gavin, both fun-loving sports schmoozemeisters who enjoy championship in a group of 75 Las Vegas area business, political and chatting with fans, made the rounds to sports bars and golf clubs to civic leaders who believed in the big leagues of professional hockey in recruit season ticketholders in early 2015. And so did Foley, who made Las Vegas more than three years ago. pit stops at places like the Born and Raised sports bar and the sports bar And before the Founding 75, there were the Maloof brothers — Joe, at the Suncoast hotel-casino in the west valley. Gavin, George and Phil — and they worked behind the scenes to sell Joe Maloof at a Founding 75 gathering three years ago. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that major league hockey could work in Las Vegas. They would later combine forces with a property title “We did decompress the minute the Kings were sold (in 2013),” Joe insurance tycoon named Bill Foley to form the ownership foundation of Maloof told me three years go. the NHL’s most compelling team and story line this season. Then, Joe’s brother, Gavin, who was listening in, noted to me with “For years, the NFL, MLB and the NBA did not want Las Vegas. But it laughter: “It took 24 hours to decompress and we were in Bettman’s was Bettman who took the leap of faith. He was the guy,” said Joe office.” Maloof, who, with his brothers, owned the NBA Sacramento Kings from 1998-2013. “Now, every league is dying to get in.” Then, the Maloofs went out and recruited a big business hitter to create an NHL team in Las Vegas. You’ve heard a lot about Golden Knights majority owner Foley, the white- haired former West Pointer who made his millions in the title insurance Enter Foley. industry while also building wineries in California and a restaurant group It was actually the Maloofs’ California sports lawyer, Scott Zolke, who based in western Montana that has a pizzeria in the Knights’ Summerlin worked for a law firm that also knew Foley. So, Zolke’s law firm played training center. sports team owner matchmaker between the Maloofs and Foley. Foley’s leadership and foresight behind this team’s unprecedented first- You don’t see it often — majority owner Bill Foley is a Golden Knights year success is unquestioned. In the third period of the franchise’s first jersey. regular season home game against Arizona nearly six months ago, the chant, “Thank you Foley,” was heard throughout T-Mobile Arena. At the time, Foley was chairman of Fidelity National Financial, an umbrella financial services entity that focused on several property title The season ticket push to plant an NHL team in a dazzling arena insurance brands that was based in Jacksonville, Fla. officially began Feb. 10, 2015 — more than three years ago — when Foley worked with the Maloof brothers and another 75 NHL team Foley, a fourth-generation Texas and 1967 West Point graduate, would boosters called the Founding 75 at an event on the Strip that received become a lawyer who negotiated federal military contracts for Boeing in the in-person blessing of Bettman. Seattle decades ago. He then led a buyout of a small title insurance company in Phoenix and grew the company into a national title insurance Gavin Maloof and his brothers worked with majority owner Bill Foley to giant. sell big league hockey to Las Vegas. And NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was impressed at the ticket deposit launch event in 2015. Yet, he’s no title insurance company stiff. Just the opposite, in fact. The easy-going Foley prefers blue jeans to suits and went on to build a small The Founding 75’s work was essential to get locals to literally buy into winery empire and even a golf course community in Montana. the season ticket deposit campaign, which called for Las Vegans to place a $150-$900 deposit on season tickets at a website called, Foley, the self-professed deal-maker who also enjoyed buying restaurant “vegaswantshockey.com.” It worked. The Golden Knights have 14,000 brands, was exploring buying a professional sports team when he met season ticket equivalents. And the team filled T-Mobile Arena to the tune the Maloofs. He found the NHL the best option because the cost of of 103.9 percent of capacity during its maiden season — fourth highest acquiring an NFL team was too pricey for him, and Major League in the NHL. Baseball and the NBA did not appeal to him. The Maloofs used the Founding 75 concept to spearhead ticket sales in Sacramento, where the family enjoyed great relations with NBA Kings So, he found a partner in the Maloof family and the road to the NHL is Las Vegas — and Stanley Cup playoffs that begin this month — was just beginning to be mapped.

The Golden Knights finish their inaugural season with three away games in Canada — in Vancouver Tuesday, Edmonton Thursday and Calgary Saturday.

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183933 Washington Capitals

NHL reportedly making aggressive pitch to teams to move draft up to June 5

Tyler Byrum

May 02, 2020 9:58 AM

The NHL is making the argument to its teams that the league should move up the draft to June 5 from it's regularly scheduled June 26-27, according to a report from ESPN.

This move would be the first of its kind in the coronavirus pandemic, to push forward an event as opposed to back. It would also be holding the draft before the end of the regular season standings.

On Friday the league reportedly sent a memo to teams detailing the plan. Teams would pick remotely based on an order set from when the regular season was paused. The NHL said it would use point percentages to determine the 15 non-playoff teams to organize the draft lottery.

In a radio interview on Friday, deputy commissioner Bill Daly stressed the importance of moving forward with the draft as cited in ESPN. With the potential of a truncated off-season and starting a new year in potentially December, shortening the draft process would be a lot for the organizations. He said in the memo that the league needs at least a month to plan for a draft.

"There are complications. There's no perfect solution. We think there are benefits to having the draft in June, including the fact that it's a necessary piece of league business that has to transpire at some point and time, and our clubs are as ready for it now as they would be at any other time - - and probably better prepared than they would be in the fall," Daly said in a CHED radio interview.

Since the coronavirus outbreak in early March, there have been no in- person sporting events for nearly two months. The NFL and WNBA, who were both in their offseasons, held their annual drafts in a remote fashion.

The draft needs to happen at some point. While the league and teams are working with public health officials on when is the safest time and manner to return, a draft could check one offseason event off the list. Even if the league could return relatively soon, it would still be a process before the first game.

Teams do have reservations about the plan. There is a concern that without the completion of the season, the team who won the lottery could also win the Stanley Cup. Conditional picks, trades and of course managing rosters while still having a season underway.

ESPN's report says a final decision on the draft will be made next week.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183934 Washington Capitals

Next on the Oshies' quarantine to-do list: Teach Leni to swim

J.J. Regan

May 02, 2020 8:00 AM

The new normal we are all facing with the coronavirus pandemic is difficult for everyone, but the Oshie's sure seem to be enjoying their time together.

More time at home for T.J. Oshie gives him more daddy time to do things like be with his newborn son, teach his daughter Lyla how to ride a bike and, most recently, teach his other daughter Leni how to swim.

.@TJOshie77 stay at home dad duties include: teaching Lyla to ride a bike successfully

Next up: swimming lessons with Leni! pic.twitter.com/LE273hqjXH

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 1, 2020

It already looks like she's getting the hang of it.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183935 Winnipeg Jets It’s unlikely, given the circumstances, that the NHL would go with a 16- team format if they go directly into the playoffs. The Jets just missed on points percentage, but if the league includes 20 teams or even 24, the Jets would make it. NHL's draft proposal could be all kinds of good for Jets And given that the draft would be in June, long before any of that ever happens, the team would get a better pick than they technically should being a “playoff team.” Scott Billeck The Win-Win-Win Scenario May 2, 2020 6:23 PM CDT While highly unlikely, the best-case scenario for the Jets is saved for last.

Essentially, it is everything from the win-win scenario with the added The National Hockey League’s case for an early June draft could be a bonus of a Stanley Cup banner hanging in Bell MTS Place. win for the Winnipeg Jets, if not a win-win or even a win-win-win. The Jets would get a potentially better pick in June, make the playoffs at Let me explain. some undetermined later date, and then hoist the Cup for the first time in First reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a memo sent to the franchise history when it is all said and done. league’s 31 teams on Friday night by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly Remember, this is all highly theoretical, based on approval at next had enclosed in it the league’s case for an early June draft. week’s Board of Governors call, and then the required ingredients would You might be wondering, ‘How can that be? The season is stalled and further be necessary for it to work out in Winnipeg’s favour. the final standings have yet to be determined.’ This is the world we live in at the moment — A lot of ideas and very few You’d be right. The league is, indeed, on pause, and there are no final decisions. definitive final standings. By all accounts, the NHL is still looking at Speaking of which, apparently the NHL would need a month’s notice to resuming the regular season in some manner at some point and get ready for this. The date the NHL is aiming for with this plan, included awarding the Stanley Cup. in Friedman’s story, is rumoured to be June 5. But these are unprecedented times. Also included in his story is some instant rejection of the idea from Daly suggests the “status quo” cannot be maintained given the turmoil unnamed general mangers, and one named one — Detroit’s Steve that COVID-19 has brought upon the sporting world. Yzerman.

So, while trying to be fair as possible to each of the 31 teams, the memo I suspect Ottawa’s Pierre Dorion would be pretty excited about it. He’d says to determine the draft order for a June draft, the NHL would look at pick no worse than third and fourth overall (they have San Jose’s first- points percentage. round pick as well) and could move even higher.

If you’ve been paying attention to this kind of talk surrounding who would Unlike having to wait on public health officials and all sorts of other stuff and wouldn’t make the playoffs under a 16-team format based on the to align, this is one thing the NHL can — and reportedly is — pushing for. same numbers, the Jets — despite sitting in the first wild-card spot in the We’ll see if the league’s GMs play ball next week. For a June 5 go- Western Conference as the season was halted — would actually miss ahead, a decision would have to come very soon. the postseason. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.03.2020 Again, it’s not based on current point totals, but the percentage of those accumulated held against games played.

But that’s not this.

What the NHL is proposing is changing the current lottery format for this season. That would include picking a winner and limiting any advancement in the draft order to a maximum of four spots.

Given the points percentage format, the Jets would actually pick 12th, with the possibility of moving up four spots to eighth.

First, however, a disclaimer: Anything that is being talked about right now can be taken with a grain of salt. There is no guarantee that any of this happens. COVID-19 has thrown the globe into flux, sports included. The season could be cancelled. It may not be. No one really knows.

With that out of the way, back to the silly speculation.

At first, selecting the draft order on points percentage may not seem fair to the Jets. If they were to miss the playoffs after a full 82-game season, or whatever is eventually decided (allowed, really), then they’d be robbed of the slim chance of moving up very high in the draft.

This would be the reality if the league was to return in some fashion, and the Jets missed the playoffs in some fashion.

It gets better, however.

The Win Scenario

Let’s say the season is flat-out cancelled, a real possibility given the current situation.

The Jets, a playoff team at the moment if the standings were used as they currently are, would actually receive a better pick than they would if they were one of the 16 teams currently in a playoff position.

The Win-Win Scenario

This happens if the season is not cancelled and the Jets are allowed to contest for the Stanley Cup at some point in the fall or beyond. 1183936 Websites Start of 2020-21 season: How the 2020-21 season will proceed at the junior and college level is a whole other issue that I’d rather not speculate on, so for the sake of this column, assume it starts on time or relatively on time in the fall. There is a small issue of what happens in regards to The Athletic / Pronman: Arguments for a June NHL Draft outweigh the 2020 class if the next hockey season begins prior to prospects being reasons to wait drafted. It would hamper any development camp time and cause issues for player development staff.

It could also cause absolute chaos if relevant players are playing games Corey Pronman leading into the days of the draft. Imagine, for example, Dylan Holloway May 2, 2020 scoring a hat trick and having a six-point weekend days before the draft. That’s not really an argument for or against a June draft, but something to consider. One scout raised the issue of a player showing up in the fall in significantly better shape or an improved skater from a season ago, The NHL will decide soon whether the NHL Draft will take place in June and a team having to quickly calibrate that information at the last minute. or at a later date, possibly in the fall if the 2019-20 season can be concluded. Arguments for a fall draft

I’ve talked to a lot of teams in recent weeks as this debate has unfolded Certainty: By having a summer draft, it creates uncertainty and will likely in NHL circles. This is not simple. I think many people’s gut reactions create an array of hypotheticals about the 2020 NHL Draft going forward. when I asked fans when the draft should be were very one-dimensional. For example, if the draft order is sorted by points percentage but then a Cancel the season. Or I’m hungry for relevant hockey news. Or wait for regular season occurs, some teams could go on massive tears or slumps the fall, this is crazy why force it. out of the break and significantly change their projected draft position after they already drafted. There are strong arguments both for and against holding the draft in June or in the fall. Whatever the result is, some parties are going to be very Salary cap: Next season’s salary cap is a looming issue given how displeased, and even the parties that get the result they want will do so significantly revenue has changed. It’s possible certain teams will be in a recognizing that they are still in a suboptimal position. cap bind. The league will need to find creative ways to take care of this problem, but one avenue is by way of the draft. I find the trade arguments In evaluating the debate, I’m going to presume the 2019-20 season is not incredibly persuasive for why we need a fall draft; trades of resumed. consequences, meaning ones that involve players and picks in the Arguments for a June draft relevant draft, are very infrequent. However, the draft could be an opportunity to trade salary once some certainty is gained on the 2020-21 Television Networks: Whether or not the draft occurs in June will not cap. affect whether the season is resumed, but the league’s relationships with the networks is important right now. The national deals with NBC and It’s possible the league could have a cap number by a summer draft. It’s Rogers aren’t public, but it is safe to assume they have force majeure possible they even institute a system where trades are allowed with clauses, a financial hammer networks have to recoup massive amounts players currently playing that only apply for next season. It’s also of money if the season is indeed canceled. This could have significant possible teams are significantly inconvenienced in future planning by consequences not just for player’s escrow but also for jobs across the holding a summer draft. NHL. Conditional Picks: Resolving the conditional picks is likely going to be a The league has a strong incentive to help the major TV networks. To give mess. The league sent an interesting proposal to revise deals and come them relevant hockey news to discuss for the next few weeks with a to some form of compromise. It’s unlikely the compromises will satisfy all lottery, the draft implications, the actual draft and then results to dissect parties. It’s created significant uncertainty among teams at the same afterward. It doesn’t prevent the networks from using that hammer if the time, who despite what side of the conditional trade they are on are time comes, but it’s an important sign of cooperation in a time where all planning for all scenarios for a draft that could or could not possibly occur parties in sports are going to need to learn to improvise and find ways to in weeks. move forward – and hopefully it gains the league some extended The Lottery coverage or other favors from the networks. The lottery will be changed in response to this situation, with the league Timing: When we are uncertain the exact day hockey will resume, the proposing a return to the old format where a team can only move up a draft is something the league can pull off on a specified date that will couple of spots if they win the lottery, and only one winner is awarded. engage hockey fans who can spend the next few weeks talking about This would lock the draft order in, for the most part, based on points who their team could pick. percentage. The arguments put forward on the issues with a lottery have It also engages the teams at a time where activity is very quiet. While been concerns about a team winning the lottery and the Stanley Cup – some NHL people take issue with the timing of the draft occurring in the an argument I’ve found somewhat odd as a main concern – but this summer due to issues the draft will cause in crafting rosters and the seems to be the league’s solution to this issue to make sure a bubble uncertainty around conditional picks, some think this is a crucial time to playoff team doesn’t pick first overall. go forward with the draft and are clamoring to use the knowledge they’ve This would change the three-winner format of the past few years, developed on players over the past year ,as opposed to being told to sit changes that were instituted after the 2015 draft in response to the great on it until the fall. tank battle for Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Scout Contracts: Like players, a lot of deals expire in the summer, I have no issue with these changes, unless you wanted to put forward a including coaches and scouts. In the scenario of coaches and players, bizarre argument that teams like Detroit and Ottawa tanked all season extensions can be worked out if the season resumes, and players are knowing in advance that the lottery format would be changed. Yes, it represented by a union, which will play a big part in mass negotiations. In guarantees Detroit will get a top-2 pick, which may seem unfair, but it’s a the case of scouts, the issue is they carry intellectual property and are sacrifice the league may need to make, and let’s be frank, that team not represented by any union or association. They have intel they’ve needs some help anyways! gathered on players over the course of years, as well as knowledge of a team’s preferences. There has never been an issue of scout mobility What’s become increasingly clear is that changes must be made and prior to a draft but there is a real concern of that if there is a fall draft nothing is going to please everyone. People are going to need to get given that some scouts become free agents in July. creative, and ideas that would have been considered crazy a year ago need to be firmly on the table. Holding the NHL Draft prior to the season There are also concerns at hand as teams are on hiring freezes. One being completed is in that mix. scout on an expiring deal said he was assured he would be re-signed when the team got the green light, but he wondered what he would do if I’m of the position that a June draft is the right way forward. The there was a fall draft, his deal expired weeks ago, he wasn’t being paid arguments against it are very persuasive. Some teams are going to be and a team executive called him to ask for information on a player. inconvenienced, if not downright punished by having a June draft. Fans are going to yell, managers are going to yell louder. However, the top priorities right now, in my mind, are 1) The financial security of the league and those it employs, and 2) Keeping the sport relevant and moving forward instead of in an indefinite standstill.

Having a June draft does not by any means guarantee either of those two things. It’s very possible, for example, the league goes forward with a June draft, the season is canceled and the TV networks use the legal recourses to get money back. But it is a step in the right direction, and taking steps in the right direction would be a welcome change from the past two months.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183937 Websites the draft is in June? Those conditional trades have to be resolved ahead of the playoffs. No choice in the matter.

NHL standings by points percentage The Athletic / Roundtable reaction: Which NHL teams are most impacted WESTERN CONFERENCE by a June draft? 1

St. Louis Scott Burnside 0.662 May 2, 2020 2

Colorado It now seems more and more likely the NHL will forge ahead with holding its draft in June – several months before when the league and its players 0.657 hope they are able to resume the 2019-20 season. 3 The NHL’s Board of Governors will meet remotely Monday and a decision on whether to have a June draft is expected by the end of the Vegas week. Given the details revealed in a memo obtained by The Athletic 0.606 Friday evening it is clear commissioner Gary Bettman and league executives think a draft in June is the most favorable course of action. 4

Even though many NHL GMs oppose holding a remote draft prior to the Dallas conclusion of the season, something that could take until well into September, the league outlined a series of factors supporting the June 0.594 timeline in spite of acknowledged resistance from some teams. 5

Among the positives outlined by the league is that the league does not Edmonton want to shoehorn the draft into a short window after the completion of the playoffs – assuming they can be completed – and before the start of a 0.585 2020-21 season, which could be delayed into December. 6 Another benefit to having a draft next month is the focus on the league and the game at a time when the sports world has been silenced. Nashville

The league also outlined altering the draft lottery rules to reduce the 0.565 possibility that a team could earn a top draft pick and then make the 7 playoffs and win a Stanley Cup. And the memo addressed changing the conditions on 15 trades that require the completion of this postseason. Vancouver

How will it play out? Does it make sense? 0.565

We asked hockey voices from around The Athletic to weigh in. 8

Pierre LeBrun: The most intriguing part of all the suggestions made in the Calgary league memo is what to do with all the conditional draft picks that hang in 0.564 the balance depending on playoff performance. There are 15 trades affected in this year’s draft. Winnipeg

From the memo: We would propose that we share our review and 0.563 proposed “solutions” to each of the participating Clubs in each of the implicated Trades and then provide the teams with a period of up to Minnesota seven (7) days to either: (a) reform the Trade on terms acceptable to 0.558 both teams, or (b) accept the “solution” that has been proposed to them by the League. Obviously, both teams would have to agree to the terms Arizona of any “reformation” of any Trade. 0.529 My interpretation of this is that teams can either accept a solution from the league or both teams involved are free to make their own alteration to Chicago the deal as long as they both concur. In talking to a few NHL front office 0.514 sources Saturday morning, their interpretation was the same as mine. But then there’s a bit of confusion beyond that. Anaheim

Let’s take the Patrick Marleau trade for example. Carolina owns 0.472 Toronto’s first-round pick, but there was a condition stipulating that if the Leafs ended up with a top 10 draft spot this year that pick would revert to Los Angeles a 2021 unprotected first-rounder for the Hurricanes. Well, if there is a 0.457 June draft, and as per the memo released Friday, the league will use points percentage on the current standings to draw up the draft order, San Jose which means Toronto’s draft spot is 20th-overall. So in theory, it’s all resolved. Carolina gets Toronto’s 20th-overall pick. 0.45

Except, depending on whom you talk to, some people interpret the memo EASTERN CONFERENCE as saying the Leafs and Hurricanes could still have a conversation about 1 the pick and decide whether they agree for Carolina to take Toronto’s pick next year. Others I spoke with Saturday think the fact it’s not a top Boston 10 pick means they can’t have that conversation. 0.714 So that’s the kind of thing that’s going to have to be clarified if indeed the 2 June draft goes through. Either way, the idea that the league would suggest “solutions” to these continual trades certainly raised eyebrows Tampa Bay among some NHL teams. But then again, what else can the league do if 0.657 So, based on points percentage, Western Conference bubble teams Nashville (.565), Vancouver (.565) and Calgary (.564) and Eastern 3 Conference bubble teams Carolina (.596), the New York Islanders (.588) Washington and Toronto (.579) – three regulation wins more than Columbus, which has also played 70 games and has a .579 points percentage – would not 0.652 be draft-lottery eligible under next month’s potential system.

4 Western Conference bubble teams like Winnipeg (.563), Minnesota (.558) and Arizona (.529) and Eastern Conference bubble teams Philadelphia Columbus (.579), Florida (.565) and the New York Rangers (.564) would 0.645 be eligible to win the lottery but only have a crack at moving up four spots. 5 That does seem fair in this not-so perfect world. Pittsburgh Under this new proposal, Detroit would be guaranteed No. 1 or 2 overall, 0.623 which may be something to silence Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s recently-expressed dislike for moving the draft up to June. 6 Max Bultman: Certainly, the Red Wings would be among the biggest Carolina winners when it comes to draft position under this proposal. They are in 0.596 desperate need of an elite talent at forward, and by locking in one of the top two picks, there’s a very good chance they’d be getting a potential 7 star. That’s the headline for them, no doubt. But that’s not to say it comes without tradeoffs. Islanders While adding premier talent through the draft is the bedrock of a rebuild, 0.588 one of the Red Wings’ other key assets is their mountain of cap space 8 this summer. Barring a surprising splash in free agency, one of the most useful ways they could use it would be by taking on other teams’ problem Toronto contracts to stockpile more draft picks. They could still do that, mind you, 0.579 but if the player in question would be coming from a playoff team, then Detroit’s potential trade partner would have to either decide it doesn’t Columbus want the player around for this (still uncertain) playoff run, or wait until that team is eliminated and trade a pick for next year’s draft instead. It’s a 0.579 hypothetical, but a very plausible one.

Florida Plus, Detroit has an Edmonton 2020 fourth-round pick (acquired in the 0.565 Mike Green trade) that could become a 2021 third-rounder if the Oilers make the conference final and Green plays 50 percent of the games. Rangers That’s not the most substantial conditional pick hanging in the balance here, but it won’t be resolved organically by draft day. 0.564 Still, even with those two complications thrown in, the guarantee of Montreal getting a top-two pick (and the ability to take Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton 0.5 Byfield or Tim Stutzle) would likely make it all worth it for Detroit in the end. This franchise needs a jolt of excitement, and this would provide it. Buffalo Hailey Salvian: This year’s draft has the potential to be franchise-altering 0.493 for the Senators. And the NHL’s proposal to return to the old draft lottery rules would guarantee a positive shift. Under the proposed draft rules New Jersey there would only be four potential draft scenarios: 0.493 • No. 1 and No. 3 Ottawa • No. 2 and No. 3 0.437 • No. 2 and No. 4 Detroit • No. 3 and No. 4 0.275 This means their worst-case scenario would be drafting the third- and Michael Russo: One of the fairest things that the league addressed in fourth-overall picks, which is not bad at all. The downside to this Friday night’s memo was the outside chance that a bubble team could proposed format would be that Detroit would have greater odds at potentially win the lottery and conceivably end up making the playoffs winning the No.1 overall pick, whereas by virtue of owning two picks – later in the summer and ultimately winning the Stanley Cup. the San Jose Shark’s pick and their own – the Senators had the greatest percent chance of winning the draft lottery by the current draft lottery Can you imagine a team like Minnesota moving into the top 3 and rules. winning its first Stanley Cup in history? Everyone wants to win the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes, and this Actually, who are we kidding? That could – and would – only happen to format could mean the Senators miss out on the star forward. But they’d Chicago. be guaranteed two top-four picks in an elite, forward heavy draft. And having to opportunity to draft a combination of Quinton Byfield, Tim In recent years, the 15 non-playoff teams all had a chance to move into Stutzle, Marco Rossi or Jamie Drysdale is a pretty good consolation the top 3 of the draft. The league proposes modifying the draft for this prize. year because of the differing number of games played by each team. Corey Pronman: The dynamics of a June vs. a fall draft are complex. The league wants to use each team’s points percentage at the time of There are a lot of factors at play, and very reasonable arguments on both the pause and rank No. 1-8 in each conference. That would leave 15 sides of the argument. I’ve talked to team employees who passionately teams who would not have qualified for the playoffs and would become believe in a June draft, and some who are just as strongly in favor of a eligible for the draft lottery. But it also proposes returning to the old fall draft. Some of the player personnel concerns are very real that could system where only one team wins the lottery and, if so, can only move up be affected by a June draft. However, the financial security of the league, a maximum of four spots. its relationship with its TV partners and keeping the sport relevant are also very important and ultimately why the league seems to be attempting to push forward with the June idea.

Scott Wheeler: I’ll say this on an early June virtual draft: We know that NHL general managers are opposed to it, but they’re not alone.

The top prospects I’ve spoken to since things were paused (and later canceled) in March, as well as their families and their agents, have all expressed varying levels of disdain, resentment or disappointment at rushing into an early date for the draft. They recognize that the draft isn’t going to be held in the format they all dreamed about, but an early June draft may prevent them from even getting together to experience the biggest moment of their young lives with family and friends. The earlier it is, the more restrictive the stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions will still be.

The NHL made the case in its memo that the status quo isn’t possible, but waiting would help get closer to something that resembles the status quo than the alternative. The players, anecdotally, are happy to wait. It’s not as though rookie camps and prospect tournaments are going to happen after a June draft, either, so there won’t be a major developmental advantage to getting it over with.

Most amateur scouts would also prefer more time to do their due diligence. Their job has been made more difficult by all of this as is. They have already lost valuable late-season viewings, playoffs, end-of-year tournaments, under-18 worlds and the combine. Now they would also be asked to rush into finalizing their lists, reducing the time they have to review tape and formally interview all of the players they hope to get some face time with, which has begun happening over video conference calls in recent weeks.

I’m sure the NHL has a business case for moving the draft up. I don’t think the prospect world thinks they have a hockey case, though.

Craig Custance: Selfishly, I love the idea of a June draft. I think it’s great exposure for the league. As a media member, it gives us something to write about that’s based in reality. I’m about tapped out re-watching old games. But if I were running a team, like say, the Tampa Bay Lightning, I’d hate it. It makes re-calibrating the roster to get cap compliant way more challenging before next season. Or imagine if you’re Montreal and you’re sitting on 14 picks. Presumably, GM Marc Bergevin would be using those to improve his team for next season. With a June draft, that becomes much more difficult. That, to me, is the biggest drawback. Trades are such a key part of the draft. Those picks become the currency in which to get deals done. I can see why it remains a tough sell to general managers even if it comes with a big exposure payoff.

Scott Burnside: I get the reasoning behind getting out in front of the uncertainty of the rest of the paused season and what lies ahead vis a vis a return to play by having a June draft. There would be buzz. There would be cool stories and interest all over a league. But I still don’t think the benefits outweigh the many negatives.

The draft period and the draft itself isn’t just for bottom-feeders who have a shot at Lafreniere or Byfield. This is where all teams take stock of their season and make adjustments and make decisions based on what has transpired. As one GM of a playoff-bound team said, how is any of that possible when you don’t know if you’ve been bounced in the first round or won a Stanley Cup?

Further, what happens if the season is ultimately canceled? If there is no resumption of play, shouldn’t every team have at least a potential shot at the No. 1 pick, as was the case coming out of the 2004-05 lockout? Yes. They should. The league will know by late June if it’s going to be able to move forward with regular season games and/or an expanded playoff grid. If you have to cancel the season, you’ve got lots of time to figure out an equitable draft system. If you are going to have hockey into September, simply schedule the draft for a day or two after the last possible day of the final. It wouldn’t be ideal, especially for those draft- eligible players who might enter the fall in limbo, but it would be better than the model the league seems determined to follow.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183938 Websites “Football has popular players known by fans in the U.S.,” said an executive. “They’re ready to drop in and play right away. Our kids are five years away and playing in places like western Canada. … People don’t care. Football is different They know those guys. A lot of people watch The Athletic / NHL builds a case for a June draft before Monday’s call college football. They know them.” with Board of Governors That’s fair. It also might have to limit expectations on what an NHL Draft audience might look like.

Craig Custance The league’s argument in favor went beyond creating content. Daly pointed out that getting prospects in the team’s system in June would May 2, 2020 preserve the traditional development cycles and ease concerns prospects have right now about their future. Teams would have the opportunity to share development plans over the summer and get them This is where it gets interesting. In polling the league’s general managers integrated into the organization well before the 2020-21 season. to get their thoughts on conducting the NHL Draft in June, the response was clear: Not in favor. Really, not at all. “An early draft could be viewed as a tremendous positive for their mindset and psyche,” Daly wrote. In the memo the NHL sent to its teams on Friday, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed as much, writing that the majority of GMs prefer There are still issues that need to be resolved. Like, say, the draft order. maintaining the current system – a season and THEN a draft. In The league’s proposal for a June draft uses points percentage combined whatever form that might look like. with the current playoff system to determine the lottery teams. The 15 teams that wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs would be in the lottery. The “I don’t think any of the hockey guys like it early,” said one GM on Friday final 16 picks would be slotted in inverse order of the regular season of the June draft possibility. “There’s nothing that benefits us.” points percentage.

That’s a fair conclusion, from a pure hockey operations position. But To make sure a bubble team doesn’t make the playoffs when the season there’s also the other side to consider. The league is in a position right resumes and also win a June draft lottery, Daly proposed reverting to the now to lose a lot of money. The success of the NFL Draft, one that previous draft lottery system in which just one lottery winner is selected included a 37 percent increase in viewers on the first night, was certainly and any lottery winning team could move up a maximum of four spots. noticed. That would be a nice win for Detroit and Ottawa, with the Red Wings guaranteed a pick no worse than No. 2 overall if this system is “The league wants it because they want content,” one source said. implemented. The Senators, because they own the Sharks’ pick, would And that was one portion of the argument laid out by Daly in his memo land no worse than No. 3 and No. 4 picks overall. on Friday. But there were many others, and by the time the NHL’s Board There’s also the issue of conditional draft picks that remain unresolved. of Governors reconvenes on a Monday call, managers might either be An analysis by the league found that there are roughly 15 trades with resigned to the idea or at least somewhat more convinced that this conditions tied to 2020 draft picks and most have reasonable “fixes” that makes sense. the league would rule on. Those solutions would be shared with the First, from a pure content/entertainment point of view, this is a no-brainer. teams involved in those trades, and then they’d be given seven days to The league has already concluded that a traditional draft, with fans and either accept that solution or re-work the trade to the agreement of both teams in an NHL arena, isn’t happening – now or in the fall after a teams involved. season wraps up. The most likely scenario right now concludes with a It’s a compelling case. The league’s conclusion is that they’d need a Stanley Cup being awarded in early to mid-September. So either now or minimum of one month of preparation time to deal with the complexities later, the 2020 NHL Draft is going to be done virtually. According to the of a virtual draft. So either way, we’re going to know soon. memo, this decision has been made. The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020 By holding it in June, the league believes that it has an “extremely valuable opportunity” not only to engage with diehard hockey fans who are eager for any morsel of news but to attract new ones.

It’s significant that both NBC and Rogers, the league’s national rightsholders, are “enthusiastically in favor” of an early draft. Rogers has expressed to the league that June is the ideal window to provide major exposure to the draft coverage and also provide weeks of content leading up to the draft. For fans tired of classic games and former players on Zoom, this has to be tempting.

But the league also pointed out that this would provide teams with early access to its newest players at a time when fans are eager for actual hockey news.

“An early draft could help to provide the hockey media with several weeks of fresh stories and content,” the memo suggested.

Draft preview season would certainly start immediately. As would analysis and features on the new players post-draft. But one NHL team executive questioned the notion that the NHL Draft alone could carry fan interest outside the diehards. For one, he pointed out that trades and roster construction drive just as much fan interest at the draft as the prospects do. He’s right. A June draft would be conducted without the traditional trades.

Daly conceded as much in his memo and said that the league would have to put restrictions on the type of player assets teams could acquire or trade leading up to the June draft. But he also argued that this would create another window to focus on roster construction in the fall.

So this draft would be all about the prospects and that could actually prove challenging for attracting sports fans outside diehard hockey fans, even if they are eager to watch something different than a Netflix series. 1183939 Websites disappointing Badgers across their two-game set with top-ranked Penn State, with points on three of their six goals.

Here, through an analysis of more than 150 of his shifts across eight of The Athletic / Wheeler: Why Dylan Holloway is one of the 2020 NHL his games, beginning with that weekend series against Penn State and Draft’s most unique prospects ending in the Big Ten playoffs against Ohio State, I’ll detail why I think his athletic abilities are enough to make him one of the draft’s top forward prospects. Along the way, I hope to highlight how the tools that make him unique should still benefit him at the NHL level, even as players get Scott Wheeler faster and stronger. May 2, 2020 The tape

There are little things that I picked up on in watching Holloway play If you’ve followed my work, read my guide to scouting or kept up to date throughout the year. Imperceptible details that I normally don’t notice with on my draft rankings in the last few years, you’re probably already aware most players his age. that I tend to look for a specific kind of player. Like the fact that he always seems to be the player who comes out of I like prospects who blend small area puck skill with the ability to dictate scrummed faceoffs with the puck. Hockey tracks whether the centre won at multiple tempos. I believe that players who can control pace of play by or lost the draw but I wonder, anecdotally, just how much a winger can situationally slowing the game down or speeding it up, are the most well- influence those outcomes. I’m willing to bet Holloway is among the best equipped to handle the constant pressure and traffic of the NHL. I am in the draft at jumping in and tracking the puck out of the referee’s hand. increasingly less concerned with athleticism, length, strength and The more I watched Holloway, the more of an appreciation I gained for physicality, which, while valuable, are not often the distinguishing traits the way he imposes himself physically while he’s on the ice. You can between the game’s best players and the rest. forget, when you’re watching him, that he’s half a decade younger than The top of the 2020 NHL Draft class is a tell-tale sign of a similar shift some of the players on the other side at the college level. He doesn’t look across the scouting world. Though Alexis Lafreniere’s strength on the it. He’s already 6-foot-0.5 and 203 pounds. And he certainly doesn’t play puck and Quinton Byfield’s size are certainly among their defining traits, like it. There were games this year where Holloway was the most the skills that have separated Cole Perfetti, Lucas Raymond and Jamie physically dominant player on the ice in a college game. You can’t often Drysdale are not those of power or athleticism. They are skills of finesse, say that about teenagers at that level, let alone draft-eligible ones. touch and technique. And while none of those little elements are the kind of skills that turn a But there’s one player near the top of my 2020 draft board that doesn’t fit prospect into a first-round talent, they do help to inform how the rest of the mold. All of those aforementioned tools that I’m paying less attention his game fits into that — and how those little things begin to add up to to are all of the ones that he uses to impact a game. produce positive outcomes — when you watch him play.

Evaluating Dylan Holloway’s play and projecting his upside has become It can also be hard to identify athleticism. You can see it in the way they a real fascination of mine. That’s because I’m quite high on his potential skate sometimes or the way they absorb contact, but it’s not normally NHL upside, despite the difference. A decade ago, he would’ve been something that leaps out in the same way as puck skill or the flash of a closer to the norm than to the exception. Today, he’s the reverse. nice goal does.

In February, when I embedded with the Wisconsin Badgers men’s In Holloway’s game, though, it’s easy to identify. hockey team for a feature on life as an NCAA hockey player, teammates You can see it in the way he forechecks. Watch No. 4 in red chase the and coaches talked about Holloway, the team’s youngest player, in puck into the zone, stay with it and force a turnover that nearly helps unique terms. create a chance in front, before tracking the play all the way back the “He seems like he’s 20. He gets it. Some of the other guys don’t quite other way to try to finish not one but two checks at the tail end of this understand how it is quite yet and I would say he fits in the best of any of sequence: them for how young he is,” said forward Mick Messner. Holloway keeps a ton of plays alive by blending his physical on-ice “He’s like a man,” added goalie Daniel Lebedeff. presence with his plus-level speed and an admirable sticktoitiveness.

There was the typical high praise you’d hear for a future first-round pick. Below, Holloway does a good job hitting the trailer for a scoring chance Panthers prospect Owen Lindmark called him a “hell of a player.” before rotating into the slot for a chance of his own, but neither of those Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield talked about his calm and said he’s opportunities are created if he doesn’t win the original race for the puck never seen him nervous. As did associate coach Mark Osiecki, who into the zone by stretching out to get to it: highlighted Holloway’s steadiness and said the team hasn’t seen the He rarely loses those races you expect him to lose or the ones other typical highs and lows out of their draft-eligible player’s game as they do players pull up during and try to cut off the outlet pass out of instead: in most other freshmen. In many cases, those won races result in scoring chances, too. The But everyone always came back to the descriptors of physical prowess, following sequence is a good example of that: strength and athleticism. There, notice how Holloway engages with a bump to gain inside “He’s a man amongst boys. He’s so freaking strong,” said goalie Jack positioning and comes out of the ensuing contact with the opposing Berry. player without trouble, before fighting for positioning and a chance in After winning the AJHL’s most valuable player award a full year before front seconds later. his NHL draft year, Holloway was allowed to play college hockey as an Sometimes, he just outmuscles people. 18-year-old. In fact, he was one of just two first-year draft eligibles to play Division I NCAA hockey in 2019-20. The skating I talked about off the top is evident in the way he crosses over to build speed and attack into the offensive zone in the sequence Holloway said the decision to leave junior a year earlier was made on the below. But look at the way he sheds his check below the goal line to basis of his physical maturity. maintain possession and get the puck to the point: “Playing at a higher level gets you better as a player. I was ready to All of these things make him an excellent cycle player. make the jump and I’m happy that I did because this year has taught me a lot and I feel like I’m better off for it,” Holloway said. “Coming from the He absorbs a hit, stays with the play long enough to get the puck back AJHL to here, making decisions at a quicker pace is a lot different. I like and cut off the wall with possession to make something happen. Here, to think of myself as a fast player but there’s a lot of them in this league.” that was a backdoor pass:

As the season progressed, Holloway really began to hit his stride. When I Here, watch the way he keeps his feet moving to come off the opposite was there in the middle of February, he was the best player for the wall, draw contact and set up a chance with a smart drop pass: And though the player who is winning those races or keeping those But just because Holloway’s tools are the throwback kind, doesn’t mean sequences alive by winning a 50/50 battle doesn’t always get credit when they can’t fit inside the modern professional game. They don’t mean he goals are scored off their plays, they can still be driving forces in on-ice has to be a depth guy at the next level, either. Because when he hit his outcomes. stride at the end of the year and finished the season with nine points in his final 10 games, he was doing the scoring and the playmaking too. It’s not uncommon for a Holloway shot or pass to be the elusive third assist on a goal: The Athletic LOADED: 05.03.2020

Just like it’s not uncommon for Holloway to score a goal that substitutes timing and location for flash, like this tip goal from that weekend series against Penn State:

Ultimately, the natural instinct when you watch a player like Holloway play is that while his peers at the top of the 2020 class may project into top-six roles, he may become a third-line player. We can pigeonhole players like him as the Dirty Work Guy. I think he’s got more upside than that, though, and it’s not hard to imagine him putting these skills together as the third-best player on a first line. And third-best players on NHL first lines ought to be high picks.

Holloway isn’t just the cycle guy either. His ability to push tempo with his skating makes him a dangerous rush player as well.

He can transport the puck up ice as the carrier on his line (or a power play unit):

He can use his speed to pull up and find the trailer:

He’ll drop his lead shoulder and leverage his strength to drive at defenders and attack the net like he did here:

And here, this time with a sort of reckless abandon:

And he doesn’t just get going to a high-end top speed, but he can also adjust his pace with a quick change of tempo. Watch, here, the way he intentionally slows down, knowing he can beat the defender one-on-one with a quick burst (there’s that ability to absorb contact too):

His speed and physical presence on the ice also help him back off defenders. He does a good job hitting the line, creating some separation and then dropping pucks to his teammates for scoring chances.

Watch him attack the middle and bring defenders with him to set up this goal:

And then watch him execute a similar play before getting open to finish off the give and go himself with an excellent shot off his heels here:

And when those drops passes aren’t available, he’s also got enough touch with the puck to try to make something out of nothing. Just because he plays a simpler game than some other top prospects, doesn’t mean he lacks confidence in his ability to make something happen one- on-one when the play calls for it:

He’s got the talent to pull rabbits out of a hat in transition just like many of his peers do:

He also sees the ice reasonably well and consistently shows an ability to hit some tough seams, which helps his power play upside:

Over the course of a game, that on-ice awareness complements his presence on the cycle to help him make his fair share of small area plays. And though he’s never going to be able to play in traffic like some of the smaller, puck-dominant players in this class, he does have good hands. He also consistently makes plays off his backhand, like he did on this assist:

His strength also gives him a wrist shot that goalies often struggle to control:

But the bulk of Holloway’s offence comes out of his unique ability to drive at defenders, protect the puck on the cycle and keep offensive zone shifts alive.

Holloway doesn’t wait for others to get him the puck. He makes plays for others after winning pucks back for himself:

He puts together entire shifts, instead of short flashes, by staying involved, winning battles and making smart decisions with the puck. His best moments are more often the sum of 30 seconds of work, instead of the split-second highlight:

And he will create the odd highlight with his skill and skating, don’t get me wrong: 1183940 Websites Dick Duff scored an absolute beauty early in the third to pull the Habs to within one, blowing by Tim Horton wide before turning Allan Stanley inside out and beating Sawchuk. Toronto was able to hold strong and George Armstrong buried an empty-netter with 47 seconds remaining in Sportsnet.ca / Remember When? Underdog Maple Leafs win Stanley regulation to seal the victory and the countdown was on. Cup in 1967 The following season saw the NHL expand and double in size with the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars and Oakland Seals joining the league. Mike Johnston It instantly became that much more difficult to win the Stanley Cup. In May 2, 2020, 10:45 AM fact, the Maple Leafs didn’t even qualify for the playoffs in 1968.

Despite being one of the most affluent North American sports franchises, With nearly every sports organization on the planet still on pause as the located in the so-called centre of the hockey universe, the Maple Leafs world deals with COVID-19, we feel it’s an opportune time to reminisce have had a dearth of success since that 1967 playoff run. about some special moments in sports history. “I was fortunate enough to be on the last Stanley Cup team here 50 On this day in 1967, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal years ago, and it’s so hard to believe the Leafs haven’t won since then,” Canadiens in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise’s 13th Ellis told Dave Stubbs when reflecting on his career. “But as we know and, to date, its last championship. with expansion and so many teams now, it’s not an easy thing. Back when we won it, there were six teams and we only had to play two playoff The 1966-67 season was the final year in which the NHL operated as a series. Now, even if you have the best team in the league, you have to six-team league. The Maple Leafs finished third place in the regular win four series to win the Cup. Many years, the top-place team doesn’t season with a record of 32-27-11, had a negative goal differential and get past the second round. It’s crazy. It’s so difficult to win.” were pitted against the intimidating Chicago Black Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. According to NHL.com, the Maple Leafs have played 4,116 games since the start of the 1967-68 campaign (including the 70 games they’ve Chicago was far and away the top team in the regular season, finishing played in 2019-20) with a sub-.500 record of 1,764-1,802-383-167, with 17 more points than the second-place Canadiens thanks to an scoring 13,055 goals while allowing 13,750 goals against. imposing forward group that starred Hart Trophy winner Stan Mikita, goals leader Bobby Hull and a young Phil Esposito. The most troubling thing for the fan base, however, is the lack of deep playoff runs. In the 51 completed seasons since they last won the Cup, The Maple Leafs were the clear underdogs, yet after dropping the first the Leafs have made the playoffs 30 times, gone through 24 head game of the series 5-2 at Chicago Stadium, Toronto won four out of five coaches, captured just one division title (1999-00) and haven’t made it to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since three-peating out of the first round in the salary cap era. from 1962-1964. They famously fell one win shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 Montreal swept the New York Rangers in the other semifinal series to set and advanced to the conference finals three additional times since then up an all-Canadian Stanley Cup for the first time since 1960. but have only won 18 total playoff series since 1967, going 116-151 overall in the post-season. This Maple Leafs team was a veteran group with an average age of nearly 31. There were 10 future Hall of Fame players on the roster: Dave Even individual success is has been relatively scarce for Leafs players. Keon, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Marcel Pronovost, Allan Stanley, captain George Armstrong and the iconic Doug Gilmour and Darryl Sittler are the only Leafs players to reach the goaltending duo of Terry Sawchuk and Johnny Bower – plus they had 100-point plateau, doing it twice each. Rick Vaive, Dave Andreychuk and Hall of Fame coaches Punch Imlach and Frank “King” Clancy behind the Gary Leeman are the team’s only 50-goal scorers, although Auston bench. Matthews was well on his way to becoming the fourth before this season was halted. There was nothing particularly remarkable about this Maple Leafs team for much of the season, but as Keon, who was awarded the Conn Not to mention Gilmour (Selke), Pat Burns (Jack Adams), Alexander Smythe Trophy, said in a 2016 interview, he and his teammates peaked Mogilny (Lady Byng), Jason Blake (Masterton) and Matthews (Calder) at the right time. are the only Leafs to win individual awards in more than half a century.

“We were really good for one month. And we had a little bit of luck,” Keon With the Blues winning their first Cup in 2019, it left the Maple Leafs in said. “Everybody on a team has to perform, do their part that’s set for sole possession of the longest active Stanley Cup drought. them. Some people are asked to do a little bit more and they have to do The New York Rangers went 54 years in between Art Coulter hoisting the that, too. But everybody has to sacrifice and discipline themselves. trophy in 1940 and Mark Messier’s historic celebration at Madison Sometimes you don’t win, even if you sacrifice and are disciplined, but Square Garden in 1994. it’s important that you do. The Maple Leafs are approaching that all-time record. “We had good goaltending with John and Terry and people played really well. You have to understand the difference between winning and losing In 2019, the Toronto Raptors completed their memorable NBA is tiny. Maybe it’s making the right line change, not going back, coming championship run and the sports world got a taste of how the city can off so a fresh guy can come on. It could be something stupid, but if you react if it wins a major sports title. don’t get back, a guy scores.” One can only imagine what the celebration might look like if the Maple The Canadiens boasted the likes of Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Yvan Leafs can ever end their decades-long slump. Cournoyer, Gump Worsley and a rookie Rogie Vachon, and for the second straight series the Maple Leafs lost Game 1 and had to display Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.03.2020 character to battle back from behind.

Bower earned a shutout in Game 2 and Pulford scored in double overtime of Game 3 to put the Leafs ahead in the series. Toronto was lit up 6-2 in Game 4 and Bower was injured, but Toronto took a pivotal Game 5 at the Montreal Forum to set up an opportunity to become champs in front of the home crowd at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Sawchuk got the start in net for Toronto in Game 6 and ended up stopping 40 of the 41 shots he faced. Ron Ellis batted in a rebound to open the scoring for the Leafs in the second period and Jim Pappin, who led his team with 15 playoff points that year, netted an ugly one late in the frame to pad the lead. 1183941 Websites He’s got you beat wide and he still does a spin-o-rama and beats you that way. He did it to me a couple of times when we played them two months ago, so I was really impressed with him that game.”

Sportsnet.ca / Quick Shifts: Intriguing, NHL-ready free agent leaves KHL Fox on McDavid: “The way he can change speeds, it’s tough to play early against. You saw his goal against Toronto where he comes in, slows down and then picks speed back up. Obviously, he has the hands to go along with the speed, which is pretty rare. So he’s a scary guy for sure.”

Luke Fox McDavid recently reflected on that January goal, where he dusted Morgan Rielly man-on-man. May 2, 2020, 8:24 AM “To score that in my hometown in front of lots of friends and family, that

was special — especially (because) the Oilers and myself have struggled A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious playing in Toronto in past years,” McDavid said. “So to get a win and and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Isiah Thomas refused to shake score a goal like that was special to me and special to my family.” my hand after reading this week’s column. McDavid’s highlight is a slam-dunk contender for Goal of the Year — and 1. Of all the European import signings who have been trickling into the already has the vote of Mark Scheifele, who broke it down this week NHL over the past month, Mikko Lehtonen could make the greatest here. immediate impact. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in, to try and be in that category each Let the bidding begin. and every year,” McDavid said. “So it means a lot that the fans responded so excitedly to that.” Lehtonen and Jokerit mutually agreed to terminate the defenceman’s contract one season early Friday, leaving the 26-year-old free to sign in The young defencemen were also polled on the toughest forward to clear North America and chase a Stanley Cup as soon as the 2020–21 out of the crease. season. Fox named Jordan Staal: “He’s a moose in front of the net.” Never drafted, Lehtonen hails from the cultural centre of Turku, the oldest Makar singled out Ryan Getzlaf: “He’s got a few inches on me, so that city in Finland and the same one that blessed the NHL with Miikka was some work there.” Kiprusoff, the Koivu brothers, Rasmus Ristolainen and Kaapo Kakko. And Hughes gave the nod to pals Matthew and Brady Tkachuk: “I’m Lehtonen is a left-shot offensive defenceman who can quarterback a trying to move them out, and we’re both laughing. It’s pretty funny, but power play and wields a seeing-eye wrister from the point. He won gold they’re both really big, strong guys and they can tip anything, so they’re medals with his country at the 2014 world juniors and 2019 world really dangerous there.” championships. He also repped for Finland at the 2018 Olympic Games. He has bounced around Europe’s top circuits, starring in the Finnish and 3. I called up Hall of Fame player and Lightning VP of corporate and Swedish Elite leagues before dominating in his first season in the KHL. community affairs Dave Andreychuk for a forthcoming interview on the Maple Leafs’ 1993 playoff run. We spoke about his current team as well. First 4-point game in KHL: done Specifically, young two-way centre Anthony Cirelli, who’ll be gunning for What Mikko Lehtonen can't do? pic.twitter.com/woEi6xrRAX a new contract after a breakout campaign.

— KHL (@khl_eng) February 18, 2020 Tampa aside, Cirelli, 22, and Andreychuk have something in common. Both spent their junior days piling up points for the Oshawa Generals. In 2019–20, he scored 17 goals and 32 assists in 52 games for Jokerit, Because of that, Cirelli was on Andreychuk’s radar early. making him the top point-getter among all KHL defenders and the sixth- highest scorer overall. The all-star’s four points in six games led Jokerit Even though Andreychuk isn’t directly involved in the hockey side of the to a Round 1 playoff series victory over Lokomotiv. Then the KHL Bolts’ operations, he did play a role in Cirelli’s getting drafted to Tampa cancelled its season. (72nd overall) in 2015.

In a statement, Jokerit GM Jari Kurri thanked Lehtonen and wished him “I had talked to some of the Oshawa faithful there about him getting him, luck in the NHL, “where he has every chance to become an important and they filled me in on a lot of things that came to light,” Andreychuk player on his team.” explained. “There’s no doubt his hockey IQ is off the charts. He competes really hard. He’s the total player. I think he takes pride in his Side note: This week the KHL’s board of directors implemented a flat game. It’s not necessarily about goals and assists. He could evolve into a salary cap of 900 million rubles (US$11.9 million) for 2020–21, when 20-goal scorer, but I think he takes pride in everything else — the little they’d considered increasing the cap to 1.3 billion rubles (US$17.2 things in the game. million). “He’s come a long way. He’s a big part of this team. He’s going to be #Jokerit and Mikko Lehtonen have mutually agreed to terminate the here for a while. They’re going to try to lock him up as best they can, player’s contract. because this kid is the real deal — and he’s only going to get better.”

We all thank Mikko for a great year in Helsinki and wish him all the 4. I asked Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper to chime in on Lightning best in the NHL! #KHL pic.twitter.com/hNbnBHAWcm nemesis Brad Marchand’s comments that older teams, like Marchy’s Bruins, would have a tougher time gaining momentum after the pause: “I — Jokerit Helsinki (@Jokerit_EN) May 1, 2020 honestly think the teams that are gonna come back and look good are The Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens — the really young teams. Teams like Toronto, Tampa, just really high-end long in the market for a play-driving, left-shot defenceman — are but skill teams. Because they’re just going to have the legs. Older teams are three teams said to have interest in the NHL-ready import whose stock really going to struggle.” and confidence have soared since that world championships gold last Cooper chuckled and shook his head at the Marchand quote, clearly May. enjoying the gamesmanship. “It all started with the world championship,” Lehtonen told the KHL “He’s the best. All I know is, the Bruins, they’re the No. 1 team in the website. “Then, after a good summer, I arrived in a good team. It’s easier league right now in just about every statistical category, including points,” when you have fantastic teammates, and they make you a better player.” Cooper responded. “If anything, I think probably the rest helps teams, 2. Super rookie defenders Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox especially if you’ve got a little bit more miles on you. I don’t think it hopped on an NHL-organized Zoom call and were asked the forward matters. I think every team has got skill; every team is talented. they’d least like to defend one-on-one with the game on the line. “What this break has done, in all seriousness, has allowed for so many Unsurprisingly, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid topped the list. outstanding players in this league that were on the shelf because of Hughes on MacKinnon: “He’s got this thing now where he does this spin- injuries get healthy. And I think when teams come back, you’re really o-rama move. He does a spin-o-rama right in front of the crease almost. going to get a true indication of what the team is all about, just in the Refreshing to hear the former Maple Leafs goaltender and current Bruins sense that everybody, for the most part, should be pretty healthy. analysis reflect, with 14 years of hindsight, on the lopsided trade that sent him to Toronto and 2011 Stanley Cup winner Rask to Boston. It’s an “Mindset is going to be a big part of it when coming back, because you infamous deal that goes down as one of the best or worst in franchise just don’t know how this is gonna affect certain individuals or as a team history, depending on the team you root for. — as a group. But I don’t think anybody’s going to have one leg up on the other.” Raycroft told Lead Off how proud he is of his first season in Toronto and those 37 wins. The second year, 2007–08, neither Raycroft nor the Leafs I posed the same question to Andreychuk: Will age play a factor? were much good, and the relationship was over.

“The older you get, the longer it takes to rebound. And I think (Marchand) “You flash forward five, six, seven years and Tuukka’s having the is right — that for some of these older teams, it can be hard for guys to success he’s having here in Boston, and then, ah, it’s inevitable that if get back into the swing of things the way they were going,” Andreychuk Toronto had Tuukka, then (Toronto0 would’ve won the Stanley Cup in said. “I don’t know if anybody will be as ready as they want to be, but 2011,” Raycroft said. “But I can look at it the other way and say if I we’ll see what happens. Most of this group has stayed here (in Tampa0. would’ve been able to stay in Boston, I would’ve had Zdeno Chara and a This group has got a good chance to make a good run here.” defensive-minded coach like Claude Julian to play behind for 10 years, 5. I enjoyed Cooper’s take on the concept of playing meaningful hockey and that’s pretty good for a goaltender, too.” in front of no live fans. Raycroft, 39, lives just a mile away from Rask now in Boston. They bump “You usually practise in an empty arena. There are times during the year into each other often and laugh about it. Yet, naturally, there’s regret. when you have an open practice, fans show up, and then you’re “I just wish it went a lot better in Toronto than it did, and I wish for practising in front of fans. It is really weird. Conversely, you play games everyone in Toronto the last 15 years had gone better,” he said. “It can in front of fans, so playing without the fans would be really weird,” the be frustrating at times for me, but I know at the end of the day I didn’t do coach said. enough to be the guy in Toronto. And I’ll have to live with that forever.”

But Cooper believes the strangeness will evaporate after a couple of Lead Off with Ziggy and Scotty Mac shifts — and he has a real-life example to draw upon. Andrew Raycroft reflects on his lack of success with the Maple Leafs “The first five minutes, everybody gets their shift in, and there’s no fans in the stands, there will probably be a little bit of sarcasm going out of the May 01 2020 bench — like there is on every single NHL bench — about what’s going on. But I’m telling you, once the banging starts and the competitive juices Your browser does not support the audio element. kick in, I don’t think guys will even notice,” Cooper figures. 8. In conducting a string of reflective player interviews on the Maple He flashes back to his run to the 2012 Calder Cup with the Norfolk Leafs and Red Wings’ seven-game, opening-round playoff series of 1993 Admirals. In Round 2, both Norfolk and Connecticut’s home arenas were (airing on Sportsnet!), I tried multiple times to get players from the Detroit booked, so the clubs had to wage Game 5 in Bridgeport. side on the phone. No dice.

Cooper recalls Mark Messier and Ray Bourque showing up to watch, but “It sucked and I have nothing to say,” one star texted back. actual fans were scarce. Cheering and jeering were nonexistent. That’s how losing feels, even 27 years later. This from a guy who could “The game had to be played at a neutral site, and it didn’t change a thing. very well be texting with fingers banded by his Stanley Cup rings from Guys were battling out, gaming it out,” Cooper said. “It was still one other seasons. (Remember: The Wings outscored Toronto 30–24 in that helluva hockey game. series.)

“The guys would get over that pretty quick, knowing what’s at the end of And I kinda love that about true competitors. The sting of defeat doesn’t the rainbow.” dissolve over time. (You saw it this week with Michael Jordan and the Detroit Pistons on The Last Dance.) 6. David Krejci, the highest-paid member of the Bruins, made it crystal clear he has zero intentions of calling it a career at the conclusion of the Talking to a reporter about a bitter memory you’d rather forget — why 2020–21 season, when his six-year, $43.5-million contract expires. bother?

The second-line centre will be 36 by the time the puck drops on the 9. Boredom breeds creativity… 2021–22 season. 10. The more you know!

“I’m not planning on retiring, that’s for sure. I want to play after that. How During the second episode of Alex Killorn’s “Dock Talk” — the Lightning long or what’s going to happen, I don’t know. I guess we’ll see what forward’s Instagram interview show — he jet skied by the riverside home happens after that next year. But definitely not planning on going into the of the recently retired Dan Girardi. next season as being my last,” Krejci said Monday. In their conversation, Girardi mentioned that his name appears in The 2021 off-season will be another fascinating one in Boston. Centre Guinness World Records 2020 for most career blocked shots: 1,954. prospect Jack Studnicka, now 21, could well be pushing for Krejci’s role. Stud goalie Tuukka Rask’s $7-million cap hit will be set to come off the “No big deal,” said Girardi. books. And a cluster of younger free agents (Sean Kuraly, Ondrej Kase, The puck-eating defender then took time to show off probably the most Nick Ritchie and Brandon Carlo) will be hunting raises. deformed and bulbous ankles you’re likely to lay eyes on (watch the Time has deepened Krejci’s perspective on both his young family and his episode below). sport. Girardi did note that Chicago’s Bent Seabrook has since passed him on “I watch YouTube highlights pretty much every single day. We were in a the shot-block count (with 1,998, although Seabrook has played nearly pretty good position with 10 games left,” Krejci said. “The older you get, 200 more games), but he’ll always have that 2020 book. the more you appreciate everything. Your life changes at home — you Killorn’s “Dock Talk” has picked up so much steam, Pepsi jumped on as get married, you have kids. So you appreciate all the little things, just a sponsor (or maybe he just enjoys Pepsi). being around the guys, being on the road. Coach Cooper, whose home is landlocked, is well aware of the series. “I’m really enjoying coming to the rink every day, being on the road with the guys. I also love being at home, being a dad, a husband. Just was “If I end up on Killer’s ‘Dock Talk,’ that means this pandemic has gone on living the dream before this whole situation happened. for a long time,” Cooper quipped.

“Mentally, you want to be back playing. I miss hockey.” 11. Eminem is all of us.

7. “I’m always going to be linked to it,” Andrew Raycroft said. “I’m one of “The fact that there’s no sports on right now is really bothersome. There’s those few guys in the NHL that has had trades follow them around.” not even anything, besides the Jordan documentary, that gives you a sense of normalcy,” the Detroit rapper said on Shade 45 radio, bored. “When you’re home and you can’t even watch sports… there’s no boxing, there’s no baseball, there’s no nothing. You can watch the news, or you can bury yourself in Netflix. I’ve just been burying myself in the pad.”

Marshall Mathers finds the news stressful and finds The Last Dance a refreshing break.

“It’s like nostalgia city,” he said, noticing a parallel between court success and mic success. “It’s probably three (or) four times the work ethic as the talent.”

Mathers said he never met Jordan in person, but the two living legends did speak on the phone once to discuss their sneaker collaboration.

“Everything was good until we get to the end of the phone call and I said, ‘Yo, man, when are you gonna come to Detroit so I can dunk on you?’” Em recalled. “And it was crickets. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I think he just was kinda … (chuckling quietly). I remember getting off the phone going, ‘Oh, my God, I think I might’ve just blew it.’ To me, in my head, it was a total joke.

“It’s one of those things you think is gonna be funnier in your head than when you actually say it.”

“My father is 5’10, my mother is 5’5. The milkman is about 6’7” – Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/8oq4nhguOQ

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) April 23, 2020

12. Giant shout out to Joel Ward, who played his last game in 2018 but retired this week.

Just an incredible example of perseverance and dogged dream-chasing, the undrafted Ward made the show five and a half years after his four OHL seasons wrapped in Owen Sound. Then he hung around for 726 games. He reflected on his journey in an excellent Players’ Tribune piece.

Ward’s longest playoff run was with the Sharks in ’16, but my personal favourite Ward moment came in the first round of the 2012 playoffs with his Capitals heading into the lion’s den that is TD Garden.

My wife had surprised me with our first trip to Boston that April. Tickets to Fenway. But the night before the baseball game, I said, “Let’s just see how much second-hand tickets to Caps-Bruins might be. If they’re too much, we can just watch the game on TV at The Fours.”

Presumably because Boston is so spoiled by playoff sports tickets and getting through Round 1 is no big deal in that city, we got into the building for a shockingly low price. And witnessed an electric overtime thriller.

Ward ended Game 7 in the 63rd minute.

“There’s Ovi, with the biggest smile on his face, flying at me full speed after I scored against Boston in overtime,” Ward wrote.

The hero. The villain. The class act who turned the other cheek and rose above the hate when some racists took out their ignorance on him afterward.

Anthony Stewart asked Ward Thursday on Hockey Central at Noon if he had a message to kids of colour who may feel like they’re at a disadvantage trying to make it in a predominantly white sport.

“Be proud of who you are. Dream big. That’s what I did. I’m from two parents who are from Barbados,” Ward said. “I’m very proud of my West Indian Caribbean culture. I loved every minute of where I came from.

“My mother raised me to work, work, work. That’s what my mother did. She was a nurse — two jobs, full time. She was busting her ass every day for us to get to the hockey rink. I picked up a stick and fell in love with it. I didn’t look at colour or anything.”

Best of luck to Joel Ward, a beauty, wherever he goes from here.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183942 Websites [minutes], two hours, 45 [minutes] before. I mean, he's always warming up. He's probably got the longest warm-up in the NHL, like, he's constantly warming up before the game and doesn't stop."

TSN.CA / Evolution of superstition: Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart finds — TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 2, 2020 a routine that works What allowed you to find a comfort level going from a rookie to a sophomore in the NHL?

Mark Masters "Just all the different experiences I went through in my first year with the schedule, all the travel, learning from guys like [van Riemsdyk] and even other guys like [Claude Giroux] and Jake [Voracek]. They almost played a big brother role for me stepping up in situations. At the end of [my Carter Hart arrived in Buffalo for the 2018 World Juniors as Team rookie] year, I think we had two months left in the season, and they said I Canada's undisputed starting goalie, owning the best numbers in the could get a place or move out of the hotel ... and I didn't really want to Canadian Hockey League. His journey that year ended with a gold sign a lease because it was so late in the season and then Jake said, medal, but Hart's story at the event included an unexpected chapter. 'Hey, I got an open spot in my old apartment. No one's there and it's fully Opposing countries caught on to the fact that the native of Sherwood furnished, all you have to do is get a mattress and you can move in.' I Park, Alb. had an unusual superstition. Hart always had to be the last was like, 'That’s great! How much do I owe you?' And he's like, 'Nothing, player off the ice at the end of a period. So, a couple teams tried to mess don't worry about it.' He just let me move in. At Christmas time I had with the Everett Silvertip by leaving their back-up goalie on to wait him nowhere to go and G invited me over with his family for Christmas out. After the first period of the quarterfinal against Switzerland, Hart left dinner." the ice only to return after the opposing player, Matteo Ritz, left. How would you describe Christmas at the Giroux household? Carter Hart has a superstition where he has to be the last player off "I remember we played some sort of board game. I can't remember what of the ice. The Swiss backup goalie wasn't leaving the ice during the it was called. It was Telestrations or something. It was a pretty fun game intermission, so Hart pretended to leave and came back out and they're a great family. It was with Claude's wife, her side of the pic.twitter.com/R7WtK18oEB family, so they're great people and for G to do that, invite me over, that — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 2, 2018 was pretty cool. All of our older guys, leadership group of guys, are all great and, for me, coming into the league last year at 20, coming up in Ultimately, Hart was unfazed and his talent carried the day. the middle of the season, they treated me really well and made me feel like I was a part of the team right away. We have such a great group of But when he returned to the Western Hockey League, Hart was dealing guys and I think that's why we've had success this year is due to that with a new reality. His secret was out and opponents, who had been locker room culture." dominated by the two-time CHL goalie of the year, sought to exploit it. “When they (Montreal Canadiens) have Carey Price in net, they have "I got exposed pretty good for that," he recalled. "I probably took it too far. a chance every night they play because Carey Price is that good. That's something that was a big lesson for me. It was a superstition of mine, but I just realized that it has no effect on who I am and how I play I think Carter Hart is right there” the game of hockey. It has no effect on the outcome of the hockey game and when I realized that I stopped doing it. I learned that going forward, -Eric Lindros on Carter Hart https://t.co/hBaQSMiLW8 especially now in the NHL, guys look for certain things to try and throw off other players. I do still have superstitions and routines, but they are — John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 30, 2020 things that no one would really know or could really affect." You've quickly endeared yourself to your teammates and, it seems, Hart remains a creature of habit. During that same World Junior run he Flyers Nation. Eric Lindros recently heaped praise on you comparing revealed he had been eating the same breakfast – three eggs, two your impact on the team to how Carey Price helps the Canadiens. How pieces of toast and a glass of chocolate milk – every day for four years. well do you know the Big E?

"I don't eat the same breakfast anymore," he said with a smile. "Actually, "Lindros was arguably one of the best players in the game and a Flyers I found out that eggs upset my stomach so I don't eat eggs at all. My go- icon. He actually came to a couple of our games this year. His son, Carl, to breakfast now is two pieces of toast with cashew butter, sliced banana went for a skate and I think Carl wants to be a goalie. I don't think his dad on it and then a smoothie to drink. That's pretty much what I eat for every wants him to be one, but I know he loves the position and Eric was breakfast." saying that Carl loves watching me play. He actually had my jersey on, which was pretty cool. I was getting worked on in the training room with Change has proven to be a positive for Hart's stomach and his psyche. one of our massage therapists and Eric was in there with his son and we had a good chat and it was cool to see that Carl, even though his dad is "Honestly, I'm not as superstitious as I was in junior, nowhere near as Eric Lindros, he wants to be a goalie (smile) or so I'm hearing." close. I've kind of gotten away from that. I'm more just about routines. I do everything at a certain time or in a certain way and that's pretty much Do you feel like you've established yourself as a top NHL goalie? it." "I mean, we're just trying to win as many hockey games as we can. I A highly-touted prospect, Hart has lived up to the hype in Philadelphia, a think with team success comes individual success. I'm lucky to be in a notoriously tough market, especially for goalies. Through two seasons good situation with a good group of guys and I think right from the get-go with the Flyers, he's 40-26-4 with a .915 save percentage. Prior to the when I came up I knew we had something special with the locker room pandemic pause, Hart had backstopped Philadelphia to within a point of culture. For sure, I want to be the best in the world and I always work the Metropolitan Division lead. every day to get to that point, but right now I just have to be focused on winning hockey games and giving my team a chance every single night." The 21-year-old spoke to TSN this week via Zoom to share some insight on his quick ascent and reveal who he considers to be the toughest Who are the toughest shooters you face? shooters in the National Hockey League. The following is an edited transcript of the conversation. "First of all, [Alex Ovechkin] for sure. His snapper is just ridiculously hard. Obviously, his one-timer as well. I would say, Sid [Crosby] has a good In Toronto, James van Riemsdyk had a reputation for having pretty release and has a good backhand. Trying to think of some divisional extensive routines. Have you guys bonded over that? opponents. [Artemi] Panarin has a pretty good release. Who else do we got? [David] Pastrnak is a little shifty player who has a lot of skill. I'd "He's definitely routine-oriented. He's a guy that’s been a big help and probably say those guys are some of the toughest." has taken me under his wing a little bit and shown me some off-ice things with how he treats his body and what he puts into his body. He's got all Huge save by Carter Hart on the David Pastrnak penalty shot sorts of people at his fingertips for different types of bodywork, pic.twitter.com/mRnKirYjUl massages, therapy and he's really opened my eyes to that world of things and with his approach to every practice and every game. We kind — Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) November 11, 2019 of arrive around similar times. I usually get there like two hours, 50 Do you study the top shooters much? "Obviously, we'll talk about it a little bit with our team meetings with team tendencies and how we prepare to play them but, I mean, personally, I don't like to think about too many things when I'm playing. When you play guys like Ovi or Sid you know their power-play tendencies and you know the way they play the game or structure their offence. For me, I don't really care who we're playing. I come in with the same approach and just try and stop the puck."

What will it be like for goalies if the season resumes in the summer after such a long break?

"I'm not really sure. I'm not sure what the plan is. You hear so much about what's going on and what the possibilities are, but I'm sure when we do come back they'll give us enough time to get prepared physically and mentally to get back into game mode. It's a different situation that we're in and something that no one has had to face before, but as professionals it's our job to face that adversity and overcome it and just play the game."

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 26, 2020

Will playing with no fans change the dynamic much for goalies? Will communication with defencemen be easier?

"I mean, there's no excuse for [poor] communication on the ice in a game with no fans, because you'll just be hearing echoes on the ice. I don't know. I'm sure it would be different and take a while to get adjusted to, but if we have to play with no fans then we just have to play with no fans."

TSN.CA LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183943 Websites Americans will have something to cheer for — whether fans are in the stands or not. Sports leaders have met with the White House multiple times to discuss that goal. Trump has been told testing availability is critical to any restart plans, a person with direct knowledge of those talks USA TODAY / San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton shaves off famous told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because bushy beard few details of the conversations were to be publicly shared.

“I don’t want people to get used to this because this virus is going to be gone,” Trump said in a White House coronavirus briefing. “And when it’s Mike Brehm gone, you want to get back to normal."

Harvard researchers say the U.S. should be testing at least a half-million San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton, 40, is the NHL’s ultimate people daily, while the White House estimates about 200,000 tests are graybeard. being administered each day.

But that famed long, bushy beard is no longer. Some teams were sharply criticized for getting their players tested when the pandemic was beginning to take hold in March. The leagues want to The clean-shaven Thornton was unveiled Saturday in a funny Sharks avoid a similar blowback. tweet in which his daughter, Ayla, does a “I Dream of Jeannie” imitation to show off the new, younger look. “The threshold question is the health question. That’s where we’re spending the most time,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “The The six-time All-Star's beard had taken on a life of its own in January ones that are the most worrisome are the ones that are beyond their 2018 when Nazem Kadri, then with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ripped off a control.” handful of Thornton’s facial hair during a fight. According to Major League Baseball, 3,000 kits would need to be Thornton, who has more than 1,500 career points, started growing the available for players, staff, broadcasters and others for every round of beard in 2015-16. He took a brief break at the start of the 2018-19 testing to get its season going and keep it going. Even if the NHL and season when teammate Brent Burns, who has the NHL’s best facial hair, NBA return with just 16 postseason teams on the ice and courts, those helped shave it off. Thornton didn’t like the look and stopped shaving. leagues would likely require tests for a minimum of 1,000 players and staff. And there’s no telling how often — Daily? Every few days? Weekly? No one knows when the NHL will resume because of the coronavirus — the tests would be required to be administered. pandemic, so Thornton has a chance to grow it out again. With tests still in short supply, that's not a great look. USA TODAY LOADED: 05.03.2020 “We know that 50% of people are asymptomatic and we need to catch World Leagues News them before they spread the disease,” Dr. Vincent DeGennaro, the CEO of rapid-test maker Abacus Pharma International, told Miami television station WFOR last week. “And by testing everybody and having those For sports, coronavirus testing remains a major hurdle tests here, we should be able to start to get back to some semblance of normalcy and talk about opening up.”

By Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press Some health care officials have said an equally problematic issue is a shortfall of personal protective equipment — masks, gowns, gloves and May 2, 2020 at 3:13 PM the like — that are needed by the people tasked with administering the tests.

“We don’t want to use a disproportionate number of testing resources if MIAMI — Politicians, players and owners are trying to figure out a way to it’s limited,” NFL lead counsel Jeff Pash said. “We want to make sure that get baseball, basketball and hockey going again, not only for economic we’re testing people in an appropriate way if we do it and have clear and reasons but as a welcome diversion for a social distancing nation facing consistent standards. I think that we very much would take our guidance uncertain times. on that from the medical and public health experts.”

But to do so would require commandeering thousands of test kits each Dr. Rebekah Gee, Louisiana’s former health secretary and CEO of week for millionaire pro athletes and support staff, something many view Louisiana State University’s health services division, said reopening of as unseemly, especially when ordinary Americans are waiting in line. sports should not be considered until the country gets a handle on the Leagues know it would be a terrible look for them to jump the testing line. sickest people through testing and contact tracing. Acutely aware of the potential backlash, commissioners and owners are “I’m a huge (New Orleans) Saints fan and I want to go to the Superdome saying that, until the public has more access to testing, they don’t want to too,” Gee said. “But am I willing to risk my life for this? No, I’m not. We’ve secure tests for players. The NBA even told teams in a memo Thursday got to be smart and shouldn’t be giving people false reassurances.” that it would be inappropriate to test asymptomatic players and coaches for now — but the league does expect to have testing available when it's The PGA Tour said it is reviewing what it will need from a testing time to return to practices and games. standpoint before its scheduled return to play without fans in June. NASCAR is returning later this month, also without fans — and without The NBA plans to allow teams to reopen some facilities May 8, but only COVID-19 testing. Temperatures of everyone accessing the track will be for voluntary workouts and in cities where local governments allow. And taken and other strict precautions will be in place, but for now there is no timetable yet for a return to practices and games, in large part coronavirus tests are not part of the restart plans. because the testing issue remains unsolved. The NBA, NHL and MLB likely won’t have that luxury, for the simple fact “We would have to ensure that testing is widely available and front-line that athletes in those sports are often in extremely close contact with one health care workers have access before we begin talking about regular another during play. testing in the context of professional sports,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “Those tests remain in short supply,” NASCAR vice president of racing operations John Bobo said. “Getting results can take two to three days. The economic impact of sports not happening is beyond enormous: From Really, those tests should be targeted for people most in need.” athletes — NBA players alone stand to lose roughly $850 million in salaries if this season doesn't resume — to the thousands of part-time LOADED: 05.03.2020 workers around stadiums. Broadcasters have lost millions and furloughed thousands of workers, and sports books saw nearly 80% less action this March than they did in March 2019. All of the above reduces tax revenue to local governments.

President Donald Trump wants sports back for both economic and morale reasons, knowing that once games start getting played again, 1183944 World Leagues News

MLB still has more questions than answers in age of coronavirus

By PATRICK SAUNDERS |

PUBLISHED: May 2, 2020 at 8:50 p.m. | UPDATED: May 2, 2020 at 8:52 p.m.

I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t predict what will happen to baseball in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. No one can.

There are a lot of reports and theories out there, the lastest being that Major League Baseball was closing in on a plan that would have hubs in Florida, Texas and Arizona, with three divisions of 10 teams each. From what I have been told, MLB is far from sold on that plan.

In truth, MLB is fielding numerous ideas and will not announce a plan until multiple health issues have been addressed by local, state and federal governments, as well as the players’ union. It’s a complicated process that changes by the day.

Last week, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic summarized the situation this way:

“The longer the sport waits, the greater the number of options that might arise, provided COVID-19 numbers trend positively in states under consideration. The most realistic time range for Opening Day — somewhere between mid-June and July 4, in the view of most officials — would allow for an 80- to 100-game regular season, with the schedule running through October. An expanded postseason at neutral sites might follow, with the World Series ending in late November or early December.”

That jibes with what I have been told, although opening the season by mid-June seems optimistic.

Some less-serious subjects are easier to speculate about:

— The shortened season might hurt the Dodgers more than any other team. Remember, they traded three prospects to Boston for Mookie Betts and his $27 million salary and yet might get less than half a season from him before he becomes a free agent.

— A shortened season makes for a more wide-open path to a division title or the playoffs. The Dodgers, for example, won National League West titles in each of Dave Roberts’ four years as manager. Overall, the Dodgers have won seven consecutive NL West titles. But, as Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci noted recently, if each of Roberts’ four seasons were truncated at 60 games, the Dodgers would have won only once, in 2019. The Diamondbacks, Rockies and Giants each took a turn in first place after 60 games.

— This shortened season is critical to the future of two favorites of Rockies fans — Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu.

Arenado, of course, can’t opt out of his $260 million contract with the Rockies until after the 2021 season. Yet, given his rift with general manager Jeff Bridich, there was well-founded speculation that Arenado might be traded this summer or during the 2020-21 offseason. The coronavirus and the shortened season greatly complicates the Arenado scenario.

LeMahieu, the former Rockies all-star second baseman, is entering the final year of a two-year, $24 million contract with the Yankees. Last season, LeMahieu was an all-star for the third time in his nine-year career, hitting .327 with a career-high 26 homers and 102 RBIs.

After this season, LeMahieu was likely to receive his career payday and reports are that the Yankees were interested in extending his deal. LeMahieu loves playing in New York and he’s become a fan favorite there, but you have to wonder if the uncertain state of baseball is going to shake up the marriage between LeMahieu and the Yankees. dailycamera.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183945 World Leagues News and politicians — including rapper Snoop Dogg, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — showed support online.

With sports on pause due to the coronavirus, is it time to reflect on “You saw other national teams start to stand up for themselves as well,” gender biases and poor fandom? Lynn Williams, a forward with North Carolina of the National Women’s Soccer League, said. “Then you look at Australia and how their men’s and women’s teams are now paid equally. People were starting to see us as equal, which we are.” Jayda Evans The Seattle Times May 1, 2020 0 But U.S. Soccer drew the ire of many in March when it was reported that,

in court documents related to the pay-equity case, it claimed “it is In sports, you usually reflect after a season — not in lieu of one. undisputed that the job of (USMNT) player requires materially more strength and speed than the job of (USWNT) player,” adding “the job of But that’s what fans and athletes are mostly left with after the sports MNT players carries more responsibility than the job of a WNT player.” world was shut down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Nearly the entire country is under quarantine orders, leaving fans and athletes U.S. Soccer retracted the statements in new filings after a public outcry, with replays of old games, virtual-skills challenges and social-media including from sponsors. USSF president Carlos Cordeiro also resigned. jokes to cope. “Unfortunately, it’s a narrative that all women’s athletes have to deal However, some of those jokes have served as a reminder that gender- with,” USWNT defender Becky Sauerbrunn said. based discrimination in sports has continued — even while the games Some professional leagues, meanwhile, have made strides: are paused. * In January, the WNBA took a step forward with its eight-year collective “Found a young lady sitting on my couch yesterday,” @IsoJoeJR tweeted bargaining agreement. Top-paid players could earn $500,000 per in March after the sports world was shut down. “Apparently she’s my season; revenue sharing was upgraded to a 50-50 split for owners and wife. She seems nice.” players, the same as the NBA’s CBA; and massive gains were made The owner of the Twitter account declined to be interviewed for this story. regarding family planning, from breastfeeding accommodations to But after the tweet drew nearly 300,000 likes and 51,000 retweets a reimbursements for adoption costs. follow-up tweet from the account said the initial post was intended to be a * When the NBA season began in October, the league had a record 11 joke. women as assistant coaches among its 30 teams and had other women, “It’s a tired joke,” said Mechelle Voepel, who covers women’s college including former Storm forward Swin Cash, holding key front-office basketball, the WNBA and volleyball for ESPN. “It goes back to this positions. whole idea that sports is inherently male turf, and that’s the default. * The San Francisco Giants announced in January the hiring of Alyssa Where it’s an issue is it automatically puts women in the position of being Nakken, who’ll be Major League Baseball’s first woman coach in the interlopers either as participants or as spectators.” dugout. Mariners scout Amanda Hopkins is among the growing list of This indefinite break from sports can be an opportunity to reconsider how women in operations. we view women and sports. Huge steps have been taken toward creating * In February, NFL fans saw San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant equity in sports since the passing of Title IX in 1972, but the movement Katie Sowers become the first woman coach on a Super Bowl sideline. for women’s sports remains slowed by stereotypes of social roles based on gender. * When the NHL debuts in Seattle, Cammi Granato — the first woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame — will be the team’s scout. Some of the progress is evident. A person can breeze into a sports bar — or could when they were open — and spark a debate about Serena “There was a lot of energy, and I know that it’s sort of just grounding to a Williams being the greatest athlete of all time. halt right now while we deal with this (coronavirus) crisis,” said Nicole LaVoi, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in “And that conversation being more about what you consider athletic and Sport at the University of Minnesota. less about, ‘Well, she’s a woman,’ (represents progress),” said Kavitha A. Davidson, who co-authored the upcoming book, “Loving Sports When But where sports once helped build community, the pandemic is showing They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan.” signs of cultivating understanding as people are forced to adapt to a new way of life. “That’s different than even 20 years ago.” “This whole thing has brought up a lot of conversations about the hidden Not long ago, the belief that women’s sports weren’t as interesting and work women do,” Davidson said. “Suddenly you have a lot of husbands that men are inherently more athletically talented than women wasn’t and fathers staying at home completely not knowing how to balance work often challenged. and taking care of their kid and mothers are like, ‘This is what we do in Nancy Lough, a UNLV professor who has spent decades researching normal times.’ sports marketing and gender equity, has found women are equally as “I hope, frankly, that enough people who before weren’t ever persuaded engaged in sports. Her findings show that half the fans of women’s sports that women’s sports were worth it want sports so badly now that they are men. And that women can be just as fanatical about men’s sports as would watch women’s sports.” their counterparts. For the first time in the WNBA’s 23-year history, the league’s draft was “It’s important, because what it shows is that women’s sports have the held virtually on April 17 with cellphone cameras in players’ homes and same appeal across the board ... “ Lough said. “For too long the commissioner Cathy Engelbert holding up their new jerseys from a setup misnomer is that if you want to appeal to women, you could use women’s in her New Jersey home. sports, and that’s about the only reason you would really use women’s sports. That’s absolutely false.” ESPN, which hadn’t carried a live sporting event in nearly a month, aired all three rounds of the draft. An average of 387,000 viewers watched the Before the virus outbreak, momentum was building toward equity and telecast — up 123% from last year and a 33% increase from 2011, the better pay for women athletes. previous time the network broadcast the draft. The U.S. women’s national team filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit Storm guard Sue Bird was an analyst on the ESPN draft telecast. She against the U.S. Soccer Federation in March 2019, seeking pay equity believes former NBA star Kobe Bryant might have been a factor in the with the men’s national team. The players — a total of 50 dating to 2015 draft’s viewership, and overall changes in views toward women in sports. — are seeking $67 million in back pay in a case scheduled to be heard in court in May. Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were among nine killed in a helicopter crash in January. Before their deaths, Gigi and her father were regulars The women earned a groundswell of support as they tore through the on WNBA sidelines. The 13-year-old played for Mamba Sports Academy bracket to win the World Cup in France last summer, as an estimated with teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, both of whom also billion viewers tuned in to the tournament. Notable celebrities, athletes died in the crash. “Kobe could see that his daughter loved the game the way he did or any little boy has, whether it’s LeBron James, James Harden,” Bird said. “Name every great player, they loved the game growing up.

“For (Kobe’s) daughter, I think he was starting to see that the path to a successful, lucrative professional career wasn’t the same (as it is for men). The drive is the same. The love is the same. But the path isn’t the same. He was trying to create a path for, yes, his little daughter, but it was going to (further) it for all women.

“That’s why you saw him trying to help players like (former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, the top overall pick in the draft). And that’s where things can change. ... When people start to recognize the love, the grind, all of it is the same. Being a female doesn’t matter.”

ESPN’s Bomani Jones, who hosts the podcast “The Right Time,” said he witnessed a similar shift following Bryant’s death.

During the pandemic he has done some reflecting himself, and has seen the same in those who follow his work. And he believes there is an opportunity for us all.

“We could be civil about these things,” Jones said. “We can treat each other and ourselves better within sports.”

The Daily News LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183946 World Leagues News While the world waits for the pandemic to run its course, small moments of friction have hinted at possible complications between the I.O.C. and Japan in the year to come.

Summer Olympics in 2021? ‘Exceedingly Difficult’ Without a Coronavirus Earlier this month, some Japanese officials were irked about a Q. and A. Vaccine published on the I.O.C. website that included a passage about the financial impact of postponing the Games.

The passage said Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, had agreed By Motoko Rich and Andrew Keh that his country would “continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the I.O.C. will

continue to be responsible for its share of the costs.” TOKYO — Postponing the 2020 Summer Olympics until next year has The line, however innocuous, touched a nerve in Japan, and last week a not erased doubts about safely hosting the world’s largest sporting event spokesman for the Tokyo organizing committee publicly objected to the amid a global pandemic, but has merely delayed the timeline on fact that Mr. Abe had been singled out by name on the website. answering them. “Tokyo 2020 signaled us that they felt it would not be appropriate to Japan and the International Olympic Committee announced the one-year mention the prime minister in such I.O.C. communication,” an I.O.C. postponement last month after enduring weeks of criticism and heavy spokesman said, “and we, of course, respected this wish.” resistance from athletes, sports federations, health experts and others. Within hours, Mr. Abe’s name was removed from the I.O.C.’s article. But as the organizers of the Tokyo Games begin to confront the enormous economic, political and logistical challenges created by the The New York Times LOADED: 05.03.2020 unprecedented delay, it has become increasingly clear that the anxieties that forced the postponement in the first place could very well remain unsettled for many months to come.

In a hint of the hand-wringing ahead, the head of a prominent Japanese physicians’ group on Tuesday expressed doubt about whether Tokyo could hold the Olympics next year without a coronavirus vaccine.

“My personal opinion is that if an effective vaccine has not been developed, it will be difficult to hold the Olympic Games,” said Dr. Yoshitake Yokokura, the president of the Japan Medical Association. “I would not say they should not be held, but I would say that it would be exceedingly difficult.”

Research teams around the world are rushing to develop a vaccine, but most experts have said it could take 12 to 18 months to develop one, let alone distribute it globally.

Lingering uncertainty about the virus and the general safety of a huge, multinational gathering in Tokyo could mean that Olympic officials, even a year from now, would be forced to make modifications to the established elaborate model for the Games.

The officials could, among other things, decide to hold the 16-day event without a live audience and turn the Games into a strictly made-for- television spectacle. That option was already discussed in depth, and ultimately scrapped, as a possible way to avoid postponement this year.

Though such a move might appease global broadcasters, the organizers could miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales and have to offer refunds for those already purchased.

The cost of the Games is expected to balloon by billions of dollars because of the delay.

Indeed, any continuing safety issues will compound the logistical headache already developing for officials in Japan. Questions about securing competition venues, hotels for visitors and housing for 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from more than 200 countries, for example, remain mostly unanswered.

An I.O.C. spokesman said on Tuesday that Olympic organizers would adhere to the World Health Organization’s ongoing guidance about mass gatherings during the pandemic and move forward with the aim of holding the Games “only in a safe environment for all people involved.”

The I.O.C. and Japan have given themselves one shot to get it right. On Tuesday, Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo organizing committee, was quoted in a Japanese newspaper as saying the Games would be “scrapped” if they could not take place in the summer of 2021.

“The Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympics in the past if we could go ahead with it after winning this battle,” Mr. Mori told the Nikkan Sports daily. “We have to believe this. Otherwise, our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded.”

As of Monday, Japan’s coronavirus death toll stood at 376, and its national caseload was over 13,000. Dr. Yokokura told reporters on Tuesday that he thought it was still too early to consider lifting the country’s state of emergency. 1183947 World Leagues News

Coronavirus: Horseracing plans to get sport up and running despite COVID-19 disruption

Enda Brady

Horseracing's governing body has drawn up detailed plans for the sport to make a return with unprecedented restrictions, which would see jockeys and officials living in quarantine at racecourses.

There have been no race meetings anywhere in the UK since 17 March, but the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has come up with a radical proposal that could see racing resume, if the government and its scientific advisers back it.

Phase one of the plan would see racing take place behind closed doors at a small number of racecourses and with jockeys, officials and staff all living on site, effectively in quarantine, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Horses would be brought in and out each day, with fields limited to 12 horses per race.

Twenty-time champion jockey Sir Anthony McCoy told Sky News: I would never, ever have thought something like this could have happened, but if it was our only option at the moment, then why not?

"With the right government and medical guidelines we can get it back in a restricted capacity and hopefully get it going again.

"If it was a possibility and our only possibility, then it's worth making that step.

"We all know there are a lot more important things happening in the world at the moment, but at some stage we need to make that positive step, as safely as we can."

Racing is worth £4bn a year to the UK economy and directly employs 18,000 people.

If the COVID-19 shutdown were to continue to the end of June it would see the industry suffer a predicted loss of £193m.

Trainer Ed Walker is preparing for a busy summer of flat racing at his Kingsdown stables in Lambourn, where 30 staff look after 80 horses. But it's impossible to plan when there are currently so many unknowns.

"A lot of owners will want their horses out of training, totally understandably, if there's no racing on the horizon," he told Sky News.

"They are not going to want to pay £2,500 per horse per month in training fees, just for the sake of it.

That will result in empty stables, losing staff, furloughing staff. Disaster, really."

Merrick Francis, son of the legendary racing thriller writer Dick Francis, runs Lambourn Racehorse Transport taking horses to and from racecourses.

His business has dropped dramatically from up to eight jobs a day to just one, if he's lucky.

He said: "Thankfully we are still taking mares to stud farms in Ireland and France, with tight protocols and masses of paperwork, but at least the bloodstock side of racing is still moving."

No solid decision has been taken yet, but the BHA's view is that when the government and its advisers say it's safe to do so, British racing will be ready. news.sky.com LOADED: 05.03.2020 1183948 World Leagues News Sweeney have also been called to an evidence session before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday.

Later in the morning Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of elite sports Coronavirus wrap: Premier League and Formula One work on planned funding body UK Sport, will appear before the committee, with Sport resumptions England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth also invited to look at the impact of the pandemic on grassroots sport.

The ECB has suspended professional cricket until July 1 at the earliest, By Press Association Published: 01 May 2020 - 5.22PM and has had to delay its new flagship competition The Hundred until next year, while on Friday evening it announced its recommendation for the

continued hiatus of all forms of recreational cricket. Sport UK World The RFU has said it expects to miss out on £50million of revenue as a Premier League clubs have once again committed to finishing the 2019- consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, while UK Sport faces a 20 campaign, while Formula One managing director Ross Brawn has challenge in funding Olympic and Paralympic sports. outlined plans for the sport to resume in an isolated environment in July. Grainger said in March that her organisation was in “uncharted territory” However, top-flight clubs have been told that neutral venues would have because of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic to be used in order for the season to be restarted, the PA news agency Games until 2021, and that Government assistance will be needed. understands. The current funding cycle runs to March 2021. On the whole the league’s ‘Project Restart’ plans were well received but Sport England chief Hollingsworth said last week: “The true nature of this it is understood there was still opposition to the idea of not playing the (coronavirus crisis) and its impact on the nation’s future activity and the remaining 92 matches of the 2019-20 season on a home-and-away ability of the sector to support that, is still unknown. basis. “But it is what anyone with an interest in sustaining the nation’s well- The league stressed at a shareholders’ meeting on Friday that any return being, and the positive impact that sport can have on society, needs to training and match action would only happen if the Government gave to start thinking about now. the go-ahead. “Because how we shape our collective response to this challenge will not A statement read: “The league and clubs are considering the first only determine future participation levels, but also give us the opportunity tentative moves forward and will only return to training and playing with fundamentally to address and reverse those inequalities.” Government guidance, under expert medical advice and after consultation with players and LOADED: 05.03.2020 managers.

“No decisions were taken at today’s shareholders’ meeting and clubs exchanged views on the information provided regarding Project Restart. It was agreed that the PFA, LMA, players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted.

“The clubs reconfirmed their commitment to finishing the 2019/20 season, maintaining integrity of the competition and welcomed the Government’s support.”

F1 could begin with a double-header at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in early July.

Following Friday’s announcement that the Hungarian Grand Prix will take place behind closed doors if it goes ahead at the start of August, Brawn said the sport is drawing up detailed plans to ensure races can be staged safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a massive logistical challenge,” Brawn said on the official F1 Nation podcast. “Running an F1 race is a big challenge anyway. Running an F1 race in these circumstances is new to all of us.

“We’re working our way through all the requirements to make sure we operate in a safe environment for everyone involved in the race.”

League Two Bradford have revealed they have been told of the growing likelihood that supporters will not be able to attend their games until 2021.

The EFL is in discussions over how to end the current season but it is widely accepted that any games will be played behind closed doors. And the Bantams have suggested that will extend to next season, whenever that may be.

“City officials have recently been informed of the ever-growing possibility of supporters being unable to attend matches until 2021,” a club statement read.

“And it is now highly likely that next season will commence behind closed doors.”

Sports leaders will spell out the impact of the crisis at a parliamentary session next week.

English Football League chairman Rick Parry will discuss how his clubs have been affected, while England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison and his Rugby Football Union counterpart Bill 1183949 World Leagues News With tests still in short supply, that’s not a great look. “We know that 50% of people are asymptomatic and we need to catch

them before they spread the disease,” Dr. Vincent DeGennaro, the CEO Coronavirus testing remains a major hurdle for sports’ return of rapid-test maker Abacus Pharma International, told Miami television station WFOR this week. “And by testing everybody and having those The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball would need thousands of tests here, we should be able to start to get back to some semblance of virus tests every week if those leagues can resume playing games during normalcy and talk about opening up.” pandemic. Some health care officials have said an equally problematic issue is a shortfall of personal protective equipment — masks, gowns, gloves and the like — that are needed by the people tasked with administering the BY TIM REYNOLDSAP BASKETBALL WRITER tests.

“We don’t want to use a disproportionate number of testing resources if MIAMI — Politicians, players and owners are trying to figure out a way to it’s limited,” NFL lead counsel Jeff Pash said. “We want to make sure that get baseball, basketball and hockey going again, not only for economic we’re testing people in an appropriate way if we do it and have clear and reasons but as a welcome diversion for a social distancing nation facing consistent standards. I think that we very much would take our guidance uncertain times. on that from the medical and public health experts.”

But to do so would require commandeering thousands of test kits each Dr. Rebekah Gee, Louisiana’s former health secretary and CEO of week for millionaire pro athletes and support staff, something many view Louisiana State University’s health services division, said reopening of as unseemly, especially when ordinary Americans are waiting in line. sports should not be considered until the country gets a handle on the sickest people through testing and contact tracing. Leagues know it would be a terrible look for them to jump the testing line. Acutely aware of the potential backlash, commissioners and owners are “I’m a huge (New Orleans) Saints fan and I want to go to the Superdome saying that, until the public has more access to testing, they don’t want to too,” Gee said. “But am I willing to risk my life for this? No, I’m not. We’ve secure tests for players. The NBA even told teams in a memo Thursday got to be smart and shouldn’t be giving people false reassurances.” that it would be inappropriate to test asymptomatic players and coaches The PGA Tour said it is reviewing what it will need from a testing for now — but the league does expect to have testing available when it’s standpoint before its scheduled return to play without fans in June. time to return to practices and games. NASCAR is returning later this month, also without fans — and without The NBA plans to allow teams to reopen some facilities May 8, but only COVID-19 testing. Temperatures of everyone accessing the track will be for voluntary workouts and in cities where local governments allow. And taken and other strict precautions will be in place, but for now there is no timetable yet for a return to practices and games, in large part coronavirus tests are not part of the restart plans. because the testing issue remains unsolved. The NBA, NHL and MLB likely won’t have that luxury, for the simple fact “We would have to ensure that testing is widely available and front-line that athletes in those sports are often in extremely close contact with one health care workers have access before we begin talking about regular another during play. testing in the context of professional sports,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass “Those tests remain in short supply,” NASCAR vice president of racing said. operations John Bobo said. “Getting results can take two to three days. The economic impact of sports not happening is beyond enormous: From Really, those tests should be targeted for people most in need.” athletes — NBA players alone stand to lose roughly $850 million in AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum, AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi, AP salaries if this season doesn’t resume — to the thousands of part-time Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer and Associated Press Writer Jason workers around stadiums. Broadcasters have lost millions and furloughed Dearen contributed. thousands of workers, and sports books saw nearly 80% less action this March than they did in March 2019. All of the above reduces tax revenue LOADED: 05.03.2020 to local governments.

President Donald Trump wants sports back for both economic and morale reasons, knowing that once games start getting played again, Americans will have something to cheer for — whether fans are in the stands or not. Sports leaders have met with the White House multiple times to discuss that goal. Trump has been told testing availability is critical to any restart plans, a person with direct knowledge of those talks told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because few details of the conversations were to be publicly shared.

“I don’t want people to get used to this because this virus is going to be gone,” Trump said in a White House coronavirus briefing. “And when it’s gone, you want to get back to normal.”

Harvard researchers say the U.S. should be testing at least a half-million people daily, while the White House estimates about 200,000 tests are being administered each day.

Some teams were sharply criticized for getting their players tested when the pandemic was beginning to take hold in March. The leagues want to avoid a similar blowback.

“The threshold question is the health question. That’s where we’re spending the most time,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “The ones that are the most worrisome are the ones that are beyond their control.”

According to Major League Baseball, 3,000 kits would need to be available for players, staff, broadcasters and others for every round of testing to get its season going and keep it going. Even if the NHL and NBA return with just 16 postseason teams on the ice and courts, those leagues would likely require tests for a minimum of 1,000 players and staff. And there’s no telling how often — Daily? Every few days? Weekly? — the tests would be required to be administered. 1183950 World Leagues News

NCAA doctor: Available coronavirus testing crucial to having college football

Widespread testing for coronavirus will be crucial to having college sports in the fall — especially contact sports such as football and basketball, the NCAA's chief medical officer said.

Dr. Brian Hainline expressed cautious optimism that college sports could be played during the fall semester as long as leaders take a methodical approach.

“It’s not going to be risk-free, that’s for sure," Hainline said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If this is rolled out in stages and reasonably, we’re really paying attention to proper surveillance and we get the tests available, I think we can have fall sports. My concern is if we just rush into this too quickly because of this almost sense of desperation, that we just have to get going.”

The NCAA also released guidelines from its COVID-19 Advisory Panel for getting teams up and running on campuses. The guidelines start with students back at school, which has become a familiar refrain among college sports leaders in recent weeks.

The NCAA's recommendations incorporate a recent three-phase plan from the White House for restarting the economy that account for regional differences in the fight against COVID-19 and certain benchmarks being reached.

“Once COVID-19 infection rates diminish for at least 2 weeks, resocialization of society and sport may be possible,” the NCAA guidance states. The NCAA is also recommending a three-phase plan, with practice facilities reopening in phase three.

Hainline participated in a call earlier this week with medical officers of professional sports leagues and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.

“What we really discussed in some detail was: What is it going to take to get sport back? And I will tell you that 80% of the conversation centered around testing,” Hainline said. ”And more specifically, what happens in contact sports like basketball or football, when one of the players tests positive. Does that mean quarantine? Does that mean we do very regular testing?

“And I think that’s the granular type of detail that we still don’t have universal agreement for two reasons: One is we don’t have all of the ready-made, point-of-care tests. And number two, the serology tests that are out there to date, they just aren't reliable.”

The priority is to be able to test athletes, coaches and support staff so competition can begin, Hainline said.

» Pro sports leagues say testing is the key too

Determining whether games can be played in front of fans is a lower priority.

“I think realistically having a football game with 90,000 fans, that would take a remarkable turnaround in a short period of time,” Hainline said.

He said it would take massive immunity, a breakthrough in treatment of the virus or the ability to rapidly and efficiently test people as they enter stadiums.

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