Nashville Predators 1, Florida Panthers 2: Rinne Dazzles, Offense Fizzles | On the Forecheck
Reasons to read the recap: there is a baby seal video. Or you turned off the game after the first period and wonder what happened. Definitely the baby seals, though. I have another seal video for the next time they pull something like this, but I hope I don’t have to use it.
Golden Knights dominate Kings in return from virus-related break | Sportsnet.ca
On the one hand, the Los Angeles Kings are not great. On the other hand, it’s still good to see a team that had been struggling with COVID perform well, though I’m not sure how many of the individual players who tested positive were back (Alex Pietrangelo for sure wasn’t). On the first, uh, foot, is ten days really long enough to be shut down?
Hurricanes add Justin Williams as special adviser to GM | ProHockeyTalk
A smart thing to do if you want to keep a beloved player around. Williams retired, but the principle is really kind of the same for teams thinking about putting someone who’s pretty close to retirement on the ice just to have them present.
Roberto Luongo excited for chance to help Canada win Olympic Gold again | Florida Hockey Now
It’s that time of year for recently-retired players, I guess!
Cam Talbot reflects on ‘bucket list’ fight in Battle of Alberta | Sportsnet.ca
“If I didn’t have one on my resume before my last game I was going to skate out and just fight somebody at some point. That’s one thing I can cross off, and it’s kind of cool that it came in a game like that. It’s going to follow me for a while.”
2021 NHL Draft: Could event be pushed back a year? | ProHockeyTalk
Sure? I guess? I’m exhausted just thinking about covering back-to-back drafts, and I’m not Eric, but sure.
After NWHL’s ‘Bubble’ Bursts, Where Does the League Go From Here? | The Hockey News on Sports Illustrated
This is a pretty harsh take–after all, while the WNBA and NWSL were able to complete their seasons on schedule, nobody’s saying the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, or MLS need to fold because they’ve had to postpone games. On the other hand, if the reports that the NWHL teams and players didn’t really try with the bubble are accurate, that’s not a great look.
(I have wondered how possible it was for the teams to do their pre-bubble quarantines, given that all of these women have day jobs because the NWHL doesn’t pay a living wage, and I think that probably remains an issue.)
But seriously, claiming women’s sports need to go for something that’s happened to men’s sports too? No.
Report: “Multiple” COVID cases caused Whale to pull out of Lake Placid | The Ice Garden
The Connecticut Whale were looking better than they had since the league’s inaugural season when COVID started spreading through their roster. Head coach Colton Orr seems to suggest that at least some of the reports about the failed bubble/”protected environment” may be true, and it certainly is the case that teams added players (who tested negative, but still) to the bubble.
The more concerning thing here, though, is the note that the Boston Pride–despite what seems to have been a hard team lockdown, not sharing staff and even conducting their own team meetings remotely–ended up with multiple positive cases. If all of their players did as asked, that’s a very strong argument for in-game transmission.
Roundtable: NHL early season surprises and disappointments | ProHockeyTalk
The Preds are disappointing one person (more than one if you count us), and the Ottawa Senators are disappointing a lot of people.
Lightning stay unbeaten at home with win over Red Wings | Sportsnet.ca
The Tampa Bay Lightning are *checks notes* good, perhaps.
David Pastrnak on historic goal scoring run for Bruins | ProHockeyTalk
As is David Pastrnak.
Minor leaguers begin planning for life after hockey | ProHockeyTalk
It’s good to know that the PHPA does have a career development program; I hope they have some degree of counseling built in, since it’s very difficult for some players to adjust, but everyone in this article seems excited about the program.
Hurricanes invest $215,000 in growth of girls youth hockey | Raleigh News & Observer
Rod Brind’Amour’s enthusiasm about women and girls enjoying hockey, and growing the game to include them, is delightful to see from a former NHLer.