Nearly seven months have passed since Ilya Mikheyev darted off the ice in New Jersey, blood spurting from his right wrist. Read More
Refreshed, recovered Mikheyev in line to make an impact for Leafs against Columbus — Toronto Sun
The path to a Stanley Cup in 2020 won’t be like anything the NHL has seen before. Read More
Mental approach for Leafs’ Muzzin in Cup hopes remains the same in abnormal times — Toronto Sun
Hockey commentator Jeremy Roenick is firing back at NBC Sports, accusing his former employer of discriminating against him for being straight.
Jeremy Roenick Sues NBC Sports for Anti-Straight Discrimination in Firing — TVLine
After Pastrnak skated with a group of a dozen players and Kase skated later with Trent Frederic on Wednesday, both were deemed “unfit to participate” on Thursday, according to Cassidy. Who knows what tomorrow or the next day will bring?
David Pastrnak, Ondrej Kase absent from Bruins’ practice — Boston Herald
In one of the most mind-numbing votes in NHL Awards history since Ovi was put on an end-of-season All-Star Team twice, the Professional Hockey Writers Association has voted Auston Matthews and Ryan O’Reilly as two of the three finalists for the 2019-20 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded “to the […]
Two of the finalists for the NHL’s ‘gentlemanly conduct’ award have either been arrested or charged with a crime —
Back in the spring of 2018, the Winnipeg Jets had exactly one day to prepare for their Western Conference final series against the Vegas Golden Knights after they knocked off the Nashville Predators in seven games. Read More
Jets begin long process of preparing for ‘sprint’ series against the Flames — Winnipeg Sun
Back in the spring of 2018, the Winnipeg Jets had exactly one day to prepare for their Western Conference final series against the Vegas Golden Knights after they knocked off the Nashville Predators in seven games.
Contrast that to this year, when Jets head coach Paul Maurice has about two months — including a two-week training camp — to game plan and prepare his team for a best-of-five summer series against the Calgary Flames.
“Never in the history of hockey have you pre-scouted a playoff game a month and a half in advance,” Maurice said Monday after the Jets returned to the ice for the first time since the COVID-19 shut down on March 12.
“There’s a great thing there but there’s a danger there too.”
“That is such a real question of philosophy. When you poll the other NHL coaches and ask ‘What’s your plan for that?’ the one thing we all kind of get to is the primary priority No. 1 is your own team and your own game.”
The Jets practised at the IcePlex on Monday as preparations for the NHL’s return to play began in earnest.
In 13 days they’ll head to Edmonton and go into the hub city bubble, before opening up against the Flames on Aug. 1 at Rogers Place.
It’s the first time the Jets and Flames will meet since the Heritage Classic outdoor game on Oct. 26 in Regina. At the time Bill Peters was still the Flames head coach, but he submitted his resignation amid racism and bullying allegations on Nov. 29 and Geoff Ward took over.
All that is going to make this hockey series in August even more bizarre.
“The really kind of neat story is that there probably isn’t another team in the NHL, that based on last season, we know less about,” Maurice said. “We had one game against them, so that would almost make them like an Eastern Conference opponent, and it was an outdoor game and they had a different coach.
“So both teams don’t have any memory of a style of game or what it might look like. It’s been at least a year and a half I guess before these two teams can remember the hockey. So this is going to be unusual for sure, but certainly exciting.”
The entire NHL went dark because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the playoffs were expanded to 24 teams for the return to play, so there’s very little that’s normal about the situation the players are currently in.
They’re undergoing regular testing for the coronavirus — a highly uncomfortable process they jokingly call the “brain tickler” — doing all their media availabilities over Zoom and skating on soft summer ice in a foggy arena.
Still, there’s one thing that’s the same as every year — they’re trying to come up with a way to beat Calgary and move on to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
“Besides everybody being cautious and wearing a mask, it’s not that different,” forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. “We’re not hugging each other or giving high fives and stuff like we usually do. But other than that we’re in our locker room, not sitting too close to each other but still talking, and making the most of this situation.
“Everybody is back for a reason. We love playing hockey and we’re back playing it.”
They’ll skate most days between now and July 26, when they are slated to leave for Edmonton. The idea is to hit the ground running when they get there.
They’ll play one exhibition game and then get right into the series, which will likely be quite a bit different from any they’ve played before.
“You can get into a seven-game series, and if you think the two teams are evenly matched you say ‘I think this is gonna be a grinder,’” Maurice said.
“I think you go back to the last seven-game series, the Nashville series, that we had, you almost could predict it, you could feel it. There were two points that separated the teams in the regular season, so it could go to seven.
“This one will be viewed far more as a sprint. As hard and as fast as you can go. Everybody will be talking about running four lines but that bench might get a little short, a little early. I would say I’m not sure because I’ve never been in a five-gamer in the NHL and we’ve had four months off before we play it. But I think there might be a mindset of ‘This is gonna be a sprint.’ So there’s no sense saving them for Game 6.”
The first day of Winnipeg Jets return-to-play training camp was not exactly a high-intensity affair.
Coach Paul Maurice wanted to get a sense of how each player was feeling, knowing that some had ample access to ice during the pandemic shutdown, while others barely skated at all.
Maurice normally pushes his players hard in the first session of training camp, but this year there will be a delicate balance between getting everyone ready for a series against Calgary and overdoing it.
“That’s the challenge here, for sure,” Maurice said. “You don’t want to be crossing that line. The result of losing a player early right now (to injury) can be disastrous.
“But if you’re looking at a risk/reward, your team has to get pushed here. At some point here, we’re going to get to the right pace. Because you can say ‘Hey great, got through the first game and we didn’t have one injury.’ But if your team’s not ready, you’re only playing three games.”
Q: What pressure does the flat cap in the CBA put on you to win this tournament while you can keep this roster together? Read More
It’s back to work for Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas — Toronto Sun
After being teased for years about his youth and inexperience, Kyle Dubas is at last on level ground with every other NHL general manager.
None of them ever had to guide their teams through this kind of season, halted for four months by a global pandemic, restarted with a daring mid-summer 24-team tournament with COVID-19 still not eliminated and last week’s new CBA changing the big picture.
On the eve of Monday’s opening of Maple Leafs training camp for Return To Play, the 34-year-old Dubas discussed with Toronto media the challenges facing himself and his club. Here’s a Q&A from the conference call.
Q: What pressure does the flat cap in the CBA put on you to win this tournament while you can keep this roster together?
A: “I don’t look at the situation and say this is our only chance. If we didn’t have our core guys locked up for this year and next, I would maybe feel a little bit differently. We have the 2019-20 contracts to finish and the ‘20-21s.
“I know that seems to be the narrative about the team. But I don’t feel that this season there should be any added pressure. I think the players have an expectation and we have an expectation that we’re going to be competitive and of course try to contend to win the Stanley Cup.
“If we were facing a decision of our core players, we’d have to make a major move. We’re going to have some space to take care of our RFAs and potentially look at some of our own UFAs. We have time.
“(But) with the cap flat, our development system will be paramount.”
Q: When did the last players arrive in Toronto, do you anticipate any Leafs will opt out of RTP by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline and what do you think of players who have already done so?
“I don’t think it looks right now that any of the players we have invited will be opting out, I don’t have any inkling of that. The players have mostly all been here for quite a while now, at least a week off the top of my head.
“I think (opting out) was a great thing for the League and the PA to do. If any of our players were to opt out for any reason, we’d be fully understanding. This is such a difficult time in the world and whether it’s for reasons of underlying health or just general family reasons or whether you’re just not comfortable. I certainly respect any of our players who would feel that way and any player in the league or staff member that would feel that way.”
Q: What might your final roster look like in terms of numbers?
A: “We want to make sure that every roster player has a role. We didn’t want to have two or three extra guys at the bottom that didn’t really feel that they were close to playing. So maybe up to 28 or 29 players (15 to 16 forwards, nine to 10 defencemen, three goaltenders).
“What I would say to all those players (competing on the fringe) is they’ve got the chance to make an impact. That’s one of the great things about this next two weeks. We’re going to have some time to evaluate everybody. If Nick (Robertson), Kenny Agostino or Adam Brooks step up and are beating down the door throughout training camp, we’re going to give them opportunity.”
“(Forward) Nic Petan was deemed fit to play by our medical staff (Sunday). He had been a full participant in Phase 2, so he will be added to the roster and (Marlies defenceman) Mac Hollowell will be removed.”
Q: What will determine if Robertson makes the team?
A: “The way that he performs in practises and scrimmages. We’re going to give him every shot. We’re not going to look at his age (18). If he can make an impact playing with older, stronger players, we’ll roll from there.
“The latter half of this week we’ll start to replicate game experiences. It’s not a normal camp with 70 guys. There’s no ability (for Robertson) to get lost.
“We have to make cuts as we go along to be bubble compliant.”
Q: Are there any advantages to being at Scotiabank Arena with 11 other teams?
A: “There is a bit of familiarity. But there’s not going to be any fans, no game operations. I think there’s also a challenge of the fact that your family is 10 minutes away and on July 26 when we move in (the hotel), we’re all going to be sealed in away from them.
“We know the rink, but we’re going to be abiding by such strict protocols and entry and exit and we’re not getting any preferred treatment in terms of hotel or facilities. I think the League has done a pretty good job of keeping that very fair. The only advantage is we don’t have a flight to get here.”
Q: What will the caliber of hockey be like in RTP?
A: “I have no idea. We’re going to find out soon, though. There’s no experience that anyone has had – you could maybe look at some of the World Cups and Canada Cups that have come off long layoffs – but even then, those are August tournaments coming off a May, June, April finish, depending on where you were in the standings.
This is an August resumption after a March ending, so almost a five-month layoff with really one exhibition game.”
Q: Who else will be living in the bubble besides you and (team president) Brendan Shanahan?
A: “We’ll have the six-person coaching staff (Sheldon Keefe, assistants Paul McFarland and Dave Hakstol, goalie coach Steve Briere and video coaches Andrew Brewer and Jordan Bean). And then every other staff member are people we’d deem that directly benefit the player’s performance (medical, trainers, etc.).”
Q: What do you think of the RTP format?
A: “The NHL has done a great job of adapting to find a way to certainly recognize that playoff races weren’t over and to have teams that were in the race kept alive.
“Despite the fact if the season had just ended on March 10 we would have in the playoffs and scheduled to play Tampa, I don’t think that it’s unfair that we have to play a qualifying round whatsoever because we were still supposed to have 12 games left to try to either make up some ground or secure our space.
“I think it’s very fairly set up even though we’re one of those teams that’s gone from playoffs into a qualifying round like a number of others that are seeded five through eight.
“None of us have ever been in a series where seven of the teams are staying in the same hotel. It’s like minor hockey where if the game in front of you runs a little bit long, you’re kind of waiting for that game to end in overtime or what have you.”
Q: What will this be like for Keefe?
A: “When we made the coaching change (Mike Babcock being fired in late November) Sheldon had one morning skate to get the team up and running for a game that night. Now he’s had essentially a full build up with the coaching staff. And we’ll have a two-week camp to get the players up and rolling, so I think there’s some good fortune for us on that end as well.
“We’re excited to see that, not only for the short run, but I think it’s a great experience for Sheldon and will help us and help him. And we’re largely past some of the injuries that had plagued us at the end of the season. We’re certainly excited to see (a fully healthy blueline).”
Q: What’s Auston Matthews’ status? (the Leafs’ leading scorer contracted Covid during the spring at his summer residence in Scottsdale, Ariz.)
A: “He’s fit to play”
Q: The team goes against Columbus without a lot of recent playoff success.
A: “I’m optimistic. This is our fourth series. We do have experience; guys know ebbs and flows now. Guys on the team that have been in the American League and with the Marlies have played in a lot of series and most of them have played in best of five as well. I think all of that is great to handle and to certainly go back on for experience as we kind of work our way through it.
“With regards to our chances, I think like every team now, we’re largely past some of the injuries that had plagued us at the end of the season and those players are due back (Jake Muzzin, Ilya Mikheyev).
“(The Blue Jackets) have a very specific organizational culture and ethos about them. They’re extremely hard-working. They’re a group that handles resiliency extremely well. They’re obviously a very tight-knit group”.
Q: You want to move on from talk you could win the draft lottery, but that could happen if you lose in the first round.
A: “That’s not where we’re thinking. If you don’t win that lottery, then it’s still a disappointing season. It’s so far away from where our franchise is at and what we’re trying to do.
“You lose, you get a 12.5% chance of winning the first pick and all of those eight teams get the same chance. To me the probability of losing and then winning the pick is still so low that we don’t really look at it that way.
“Our whole focus is on doing everything we can to try to win 19 games.”
Q: You’ve come through some injuries as mentioned. And what’s the outlook for Andreas Johnsson’s knee injury?
A: “I don’t look at the injuries necessarily as a negative thing because they allowed us to see (defencemen) Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Justin Holl in a role that we thought he might be capable of. He grabbed the wheel with both hands and showed he’s able and certainly capable of playing big minutes in the NHL.
“(Injuries) allowed us to learn about our prospects on defence that will help us as we go into this stage in terms of depth and certainly in the future. I think that the injuries that we had throughout the year were more of a blessing. They forced us to put guys in a higher spot in the lineup like Travis Dermott when Muzzin went out of the lineup.
“Andreas was a six-month timeline. He would be somebody that we could expect to see, if all goes well with the end of his rehab, perhaps beginning at the second round of the actual playoffs to be safe. He’s done well with his rehab, in Gothenburg (Sweden).”
Q: How has the team handled Phase 2, the smaller group practices, and all the restrictions as you enter Phase 3?
A: “I’ve been extremely impressed by the way that all of our players have handled this, which is a voluntary phase; how hard they’ve worked, what they’ve requested from our staff to help them with and their commitment throughout. I know in the long term that will pay off and we’re certainly hopeful that, in the short term here as we get back, that has a great impact on where we’re going as a program.”
Q: Is the team ready for the isolation, the bubble environment and all that goes into the lengthy RTP protocols?
A: “It’s easier for us to see the finish line from Toronto, because of the job (three levels of government) have done to handle the virus. I don’t know what it would feel like to be in a spot where the virus is running rampant.”
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Leafs announce camp roster — Toronto Sun
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby
Published:July 12, 2020
Updated:July 12, 2020 10:34 AM EDT
Summer hockey is here for the Maple Leafs.
The club announced its 34-man training camp roster Sunday morning ahead of Monday’s official start of training camp for the 24-team Return To Play tournament for the Stanley Cup.
Toronto, which opens a best-of-five qualifying round Aug. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena, will have all hands on deck from the postponed regular season, including players such as Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen, who spent much of the four-month COVID-19 suspension of games in the United States. Matthews, who tested positive for the condition last month and others coming from outside Canada either self quarantined before or are part of the NHL bubble, arranged with the Canadian government to keep returning players within bounds of the rink and hotel during the 12-team Eastern Conference part of the tournament, in and around SBA.
As expected, the Leafs added junior draft pick sensation Nick Robertson to the roster at forward, along with AHL Marlies top scorer Kenny Agostino. On defence, youngster Mac Hollowell and prospect Teemu Kivihalme are coming, too, with rookie goalie Joseph Woll behind Andersen, Jack Campbell and Kasimir Kaskisuo.
Ilya Mikheyev, who suffered a serious wrist tendon injury in December has returned, but winger Andreas Johnsson (knee surgery) is still out. Only 31 players will be picked for the tournament.
The rest of the roster, listed here, played at some point for the Leafs prior to the stoppage in play when the COVID-19 pandemic began raging in early March. General manager Kyle Dubas was to address the media Sunday afternoon.
FORWARDS (18)
Kenny Agostino
Adam Brooks
Kyle Clifford
Pierre Engvall
Tyler Gaudet
Frederik Gauthier
Zach Hyman
Kasperi Kapanen
Alex Kerfoot
Egor Korshkov
Denis Malgin
Mitch Marner
Auston Matthews
Ilya Mikheyev
William Nylander
Nicholas Robertson
Jason Spezza
John Tavares
DEFENCE (12)
Tyson Barrie
Cody Ceci
Travis Dermott
Justin Holl
Mac Hollowell
Teemu Kivilhalme
Timothy Liljegren
Martun Marincin
Jake Muzzin
Morgan Rielly
Calle Rosen
Rasmus Sandin
GOALIES (4)
Frederik Andersen
Jack Campbell
Kasimir Kaskisuo
Joseph Woll0
Defenceman Mike Green, who was acquired by the Edmonton Oilers just prior to the NHL trade deadline in February, has opted out of the NHL’s return to play tournament. Read More
Oilers defenceman Mike Green opts out of return to play tournament — Edmonton Sun
Greg Moore’s summation of Hudson Elynuik as it pertained to hockey was rather uncomplicated. Read More
LEAFS PIPELINE: Elynuik looking ahead after overall improvement with Marlies — Toronto Sun
With the NHL set to return to action on Aug. 1, the league has a chance to recoup some of the revenue lost during the coronavirus shutdown.
How much the NHL could make by restarting its season — Fortune
The National Hockey League is gearing up for a return. On Monday, the league and its players’ union announced an agreement to finish the 2019–20 season with a 24-team postseason tournament starting Aug. 1. The plan hinges on strict health and safety protocols, including daily COVID-19 testing for players and staff, but, as of now, the NHL is set to resume action for the first time since March 12.
The decision isn’t without controversy. The novel coronavirus pandemic is still raging across the U.S., leading the NHL to reportedly center the remaining games in two Canadian hub cities, Toronto and Edmonton. A week before the restart was agreed upon, Sportsnet reporter Eric Engels, quoting players anonymously, said, “One player said a majority of the players do not want to return to play this summer. Estimated 75%.”
Engels quoted another saying: “Calls with the NHL [Players’ Association] have been ‘a joke’” and that they merely revolved around the financial incentives. This speaks to the point that while the spirit of competition and a sense of closure is important to some, there are financial stakes hinging on the season’s completion, as well.
The NHL would stand to lose out on roughly $1 billion if the season was not completed, according to projections from the Associated Press and other outlets. As of now, total revenues for the 2019–20 season sit at $3.9 billion, the Los Angeles Times reported. The season before, the NHL brought in just over $5 billion.
A big part of that revenue comes from a hefty television deal with NBC. The NHL signed a 10-year national deal with NBC in 2011 that nets the league $200 million annually in the U.S. alone. The NHL also has a national TV deal with Canada’s Rogers Communications worth $4.9 billion over 12 years, beginning in 2013. These totals don’t count various deals signed with local broadcasters, as well. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, completing the playoff tournament could net the NHL roughly $500 million altogether in TV revenue.
There are stakes beyond this season when it comes to TV revenue. The NBC deal is set to expire in 2021, and the NHL will be looking for the best possible leverage when it comes to negotiating a new contract.
For now, it looks like the NHL will get some of that leverage back with plans to finish the season in place. Players are set to return to training camp on July 13, and there will be a chance to see how fans respond to watching empty-arena games for the remainder of the season.
The NHL is not the only league looking to finish what was started: NBA players have reported to Disney World in Orlando to compete in a similar style tournament, and MLB recently announced a schedule for a shortened season. Meanwhile, major soccer league competition in Europe has been underway for several weeks now, albeit in empty stadiums, to finish the teams’ respective seasons.
[ad_1] Chicago’s NHL team says it will not change its nickame or logo because both pay tribute to the person for whom the club is named. The Blackhawks said in a statement Tuesday (per the Chicago Sun-Times) that the team name honors Black Hawk, a member of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, “whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native […]
Chicago Blackhawks to keep nickname, logo in continuing tribute to namesake — The Latest News
Chicago’s NHL workforce says it won’t change its nickame or emblem as a result of each pay tribute to the particular person for whom the membership is named.
The Blackhawks mentioned in a press release Tuesday (per the Chicago Solar-Instances) that the workforce identify honors Black Hawk, a member of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, “whose management and life has impressed generations of Native Individuals, veterans and the general public.”
“‘We have fun Black Hawk’s legacy by providing ongoing reverent examples of Native American tradition, traditions and contributions, offering a platform for real dialogue with native and nationwide Native American teams,” the workforce added.
Black Hawk died in 1838, nearly 90 years earlier than Chicago entered the NHL in 1926. The workforce’s authentic proprietor, Frederic McLaughlin, named the squad after his U.S. Military unit in World Struggle I, the 86th Infantry Division, aka the Blackhawk Division. The division itself was named for Black Hawk.
N’s NAME CHANGE OPTIONS FOR . . . Redskins | Indians
The Blackhawks’ announcement got here amid latest requires different skilled sports activities franchises, notably the NFL’s Redskins and MLB’s Indians and Braves, to alter their nicknames. The Redskins are exploring a reputation change after public stress from sponsors and one of many workforce’s house owners. The Indians likewise are choices. The Braves usually are not contemplating a brand new identify (per The Athletic), however they might think about not initiating the Tomahawk Chop chant.
There was a lot much less clamor for the NFL’s Chiefs and NBA’s Warriors to alter their names.
“We acknowledge there’s a superb line between respect and disrespect, and we commend different groups for his or her willingness to have interaction in that dialog,” the Blackhawks mentioned of their assertion.
The view from left field 