The NHL's player safety department suspended Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson four games for charging the Columbus Blue Jackets' Patrik Laine.
The Calgary Flames will be without Rasmus Andersson for the next four games, including the NHL Heritage Classic.
Andersson received a suspension for charging Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine during Friday night's 3-1 Flames loss. The charge happened with seconds left in the game as Laine collected the puck and flipped it down the ice toward the empty net. Andersson was assessed a game misconduct and major penalty for elbowing. "Andersson launches upward into Laine, elevating unnecessarily and making significant contact to Laine's head with his elbow, causing an injury," said the NHL's video explanation of the incident. Laine is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is missing Saturday's game versus the Minnesota Wild, per the Blue Jackets. The Flames defenceman had a hearing with NHL player safety earlier on Saturday. While Andersson argued Laine was positioned lower as he shot the puck down ice, he didn't change his position suddenly, and Andersson decided to hit upward into his head anyway, said the video. With the score out of reach, the circumstances and force of the hit factored into Andersson receiving supplemental discipline. Andersson, 26, had two assists and three points in five games to begin the season while leading the Flames in ice time per game, with 23:39. He also averaged about two minutes per game on the penalty kill and about four minutes per game on the power play. He will forfeit $94,791.68 based on his average annual salary and under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement regarding suspensions. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. He will miss Calgary's Sunday matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers, Thursday's contest against the St. Louis Blues and next Sunday's Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers. The soonest he can return to the line up is Nov. 1 versus the Dallas Stars.
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Adam Proteau gives his take on early attendance issues in Winnipeg and Buffalo, Kevin Labanc's status on the Sharks and the wait in Ottawa to free up room for Shane Pinto. Welcome back to Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we tackle a few different hockey topics, and discuss them in a few short paragraphs. You know the routine by now, right? Let’s get on with the show:
There’s been some recent discussion on low attendance in certain NHL markets – in particular, Winnipeg, Buffalo and San Jose. The Jets have averaged only 12,052 fans – 80 percent of capacity – and their past two home games generated only 11,226 fans and 11,521 fans. It's not ideal, obviously, but it’s not something Jets supporters can shy away from. But Winnipeg isn’t the only team with attendance issues. The Sabres had a sell out in their first home game on Tuesday, but two nights later, only 12,598 fans were in the building. Their average capacity through those two games is 78.1 percent – the worst in the league. For a team that’s extremely exciting like the Sabres, it has to be alarming to Buffalo management and ownership that fans aren’t clamouring to be in the rink at every game, but there has to be an acknowledgment about the world we’re currently living in and the effect it has on selling tickets night in and night out. The Sharks aren’t much better than Winnipeg and Buffalo, but they’ve also had embarrassingly low attendance, including a game on Tuesday where only 10,378 people were in the seats. The Sharks are in a massive rebuild, and you can understand why long time San Jose supporters aren’t thrashing about trying to get their hands on tickets. Ultimately, fan support is a major factor in teams remaining in their current market. But the good news is NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been a staunch supporter of financially troubled teams – the Arizona Coyotes are the best example of this in the past – and we don’t expect any of the Sabres, Jets and Sharks to relocate. But they have to admit ticket prices may be too dear for some people in our current economy and adjust their expectations accordingly. The optics of empty buildings are troubling, but franchise values continue to rise drastically for good reason: business on the whole is still very good, so attendance isn't the biggest issue at the board of governors level. If the Jets, Sabres and Sharks continue to struggle to sell tickets, there may be a day of reckoning down the line. But for now, it’s all about putting out an entertaining product at the proper price points. The on-ice challenge of winning is paramount, but very close behind it is the business of the game, and it will be intriguing to see what the aforementioned franchises do to fill the rinks for every game. Another situation in San Jose this week took place when veteran winger Kevin Labanc was rumoured to be put on waivers by Sharks GM Mike Grier. That rumour did not end up happening, but it speaks to Labanc’s tentative status as a member of the Sharks. The 27-year-old Labanc – who is San Jose’s fourth-highest-paid forward at $4.725 million, per PuckPedia – was a healthy scratch for the first three games of the Sharks’ season, and he made his debut this year on Thursday. Labanc will be a UFA next summer, and that may make him especially attractive as an asset for teams looking to cut down on their salary cap commitments. Labanc amassed 18 assists and 33 points in 72 games last season, a major drop from his career-high 39 assists and 56 points in 2018-19. But on a better team, he could return to producing that amount of offence. Let’s face it, the Sharks will be talent-challenged for quite some time to come, and Grier will almost assuredly cut ties with Labanc this year. But we think Grier will hold out on moving Labanc until the trade deadline when teams will be more desperate for a pure rental asset like Labanc. His days in San Jose could be numbered, but it may take a few more months before the team and player part ways. Finally, let’s return to another player currently struggling to be an NHL player – Senators forward Shane Pinto, who remains on the sidelines without a contract. Pinto has next-to-no leverage at the moment, and the capped-out Sens do not have the space to sign him. If Ottawa was at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, Senators GM Pierre Dorion would have more pressure and urgency to alter the roster and find a way to bring in the talented, young Pinto. However, so long as the Sens keep playing well with three straight wins heading into Saturday, they hold the hammer in contract negotiations. How do we see the Pinto situation unfolding? We’re guessing that, in the next couple of weeks, Dorion does make a trade allowing Pinto to sign a one- or two-year contract at about $2 million per season. That’s not what the Senators have done with most of their other key young players – virtually all of Ottawa’s core are signed to lengthy contracts – but the eventual cap crunch makes Pinto’s saga different. For now, the Sens are in control of matters, but they need to figure out a way to bring Pinto back into the fold and keep him interested in playing for the organisation for the long term. It’s a balancing act of sorts, and right now, Pinto isn’t even at a point where he’s on the wire. But that could change, and relatively soon. Should Ottawa struggle, the cries for Pinto will increase, but while the Senators are winning many more games than they’re losing, there’s no impetus to bring him back.
TSN.ca Staff
Arizona Coyotes defenceman Travis Dermott became the first NHL player to use the recently-banned Pride Tape on the shaft of his stick in Saturday's matinee game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Canadian Press reported in early October that the NHL sent a memo to teams clarifying what players can and cannot do as part of theme celebrations this season, including a ban on the use of rainbow-coloured stick tape for Pride nights. CP added that the updated guidance reaffirms on-ice player uniforms and gear for games, warm-ups and official team practices cannot be altered to reflect theme nights. Dermott logged 17:29 minutes of ice time with the tape in the Coyotes' 2-1 win.
When asked if the 26-year-old Newmarket, Ont., native would be fined or disciplined, the NHL told The Athletic “We will review it in due course," in a statement. Luke Fox SPORTSNET A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Sources say, it's early. Insiders confirm, don't panic.
1. Mikhail Sergachev isn't much for biting his tongue. The defenceman used the phrase "pissed off" to describe the Tampa Bay Lightning's reaction to 2023's first-round elimination at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on their own ice. If pushed, Auston Matthews will admit that the Atlantic Division's other blue-and-white team has probably become Toronto's greatest rival right now, surpassing Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa. Saturday night. A pair of conference powers off to middling starts. Plenty to prove. More to avenge. "There's a little fire in both teams. It was a long summer for us, for sure. A little bit shorter for them — but not by much," Lightning coach and wily master of the passive-aggressive turn of phrase Jon Cooper told reporters Friday. "We still feel like we're one of the kings in the East, and we're gonna act like that." As they should. The lazy narrative is that the Lightning — architects of a mini dynasty and inventors of the Stanley Cup boat parade — have maxed out, capped out. That a training camp injury to all-world goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will serve as a death knell to a team already thinned by roster restrictions, weakened by wear and tear, and challenged by increased divisional parity (we see you, Detroit and Buffalo). But the pride of a two-time champion won't drift quietly. The margin of getting outscored by Toronto 23-21 and coming up a little short over three overtime games in last spring's playoff is too thin. "It just wasn't our turn. Toronto played well and knocked us out, and we were crushed. Because we felt we played a pretty good series," Cooper told Missin Curfew. "So, it was like, 'Now what?'" Examining the six-game set — no doubt affected by a human-looking Vasilevskiy and a key injury to defenceman Erik Cernak — in retrospect, Cooper realised his group needed a break from physical wounds and "mental battering" of three consecutive max-length post season runs. June vacations for everybody! (Including Steven Stamkos's agent, apparently. We kid. We kid.) Cooper flew to Italy, then dipped to Greece with his wife. Away from the rink and the madness. When he began clocking back in at the office, never had the coach seen so many players back on the practice ice a month before training camp. A longer-than-desired summer had given way to renewed energy. After their first early exit in four years, Cooper and his staff flew to Idaho for team meetings and asked themselves: "How do we need to evolve with this game?" Because it's hard to sell systemic changes to your ring-bearing stars after you've reached three straight finals. And yet? "We've got to keep up with the times," Cooper thought. Both Tampa and Toronto fancy themselves championship contenders, yet neither has asserted themselves as such out of the gates. The Leafs and Lightning rank bottom-eight in both goals against per game and save percentage. Holes abound. So does pride. "We felt we played them hard," Tanner Jeannot told the scrum Friday. "Coming in [Saturday], you remember that feeling, getting knocked out early like that. A lot of the guys remember that feeling, and they're going to be bringing a lot of passion to this game." Adds Cooper: "Anytime Toronto and Tampa get together, they're fun games." Giddy-yap. 2. A little/big story about John Tavares and his character. The season is 2014-15. The New York Islanders captain is battling tooth and nail with Sidney Crosby and Jamie Benn for the Art Ross Trophy, an honour that has forever eluded him. Every point matters. On two separate occasions, Tavares looked at the game sheet or caught a replay and believed he had been credited with an assist he didn't deserve. It didn't sit right with the player, to be rewarded for something unearned. Both times, Tavares brought the error to the attention of Islanders communication VP Kimber Auerbach, requesting he notify the NHL. "The NHL heads of statistics were baffled when I went to them to check the goals. They told me they had never been asked by a player to take points away," Auerbach wrote for an article on how humility breeding confidence, an assignment for his master's degree at the University of Missouri. "I remember Tavares’s team mates asking him, 'Why are you taking points away when you’re in this scoring race?' His answer? 'Because I don’t care about the individual award, but if I do win it, I don’t want to have in my mind that I didn’t deserve it.' " Fascinated by this story, I followed up with Tavares. He still remembers one of the assists rightly belonged to Thomas Hickey. "I was fairly confident I didn't touch it, and then once it went to the league, when I asked them to review it, they confirmed it. Especially when guys are in [the race], you feel like that's the right way to go about it. They deserve it, right?" Tavares said. Those two assists proved the difference. Art Ross champ Benn defeated Tavares 87-86 in the points race. (Tavares had 38-35 edge on Benn in goals.) "That year it wasn't meant to be. I moved past it a long time ago," Tavares shrugged. "I just don't think that's good karma." 3. Technology makes things easier, not necessarily better. Workplace camaraderie and team unity has suffered with the advent of the work-from-home model, just as hip-hop posse cuts lost some energy when rappers stopped sharing studios and started sharing beat files. And don't get me started on offside reviews. Now the NHL is polling its 32 clubs on the proposal of a decentralised draft. The idea being that front offices can save time and money on flights and hotels travelling to a major event and instead hole up in a local war room and upgrade to the premium version of Zoom. Another one of our in-person, look-you-in-the-eye traditions is at risk of extinction. (just like the King's English, you ignorant cunt! Going by how many corrections I have made so far.) The draft is the one event on the hockey calendar in which all the executives and media gather. The access to people, stories, trade chatter, and rumours is off the charts. It's also a juicy nugget to offer a member city that has been missing out on revenue-generating outdoor games or all-star weekends. We're not foolish enough to believe technology won't drive this change, nor do we believe the draft as a TV product can't be tightened up. (Let's just assume every team wants to congratulate the Cup champs and thank the host town, shall we?) And while the draft, slated again for June 28-29, does run tight to free agency, the NHL should think hard about starting its season earlier and alleviating the late-June traffic jam. We can't help but think the human touch has taken another small loss here, in the name of convenience. Dog walks are on the rise, though. 4. Connor Bedard hasn't quite reached Taylor Swiftian levels of economic impact, but the Blackhawks' box office has felt an immediate lift since his arrival in Chicago. According to ticketing technology company Logitix, Blackhawks fans are shelling out nearly twice as much on the secondary market for Saturday's home opener at United Center compared to 2022. Not including fees, fans have paid $241.94 per ticket on average this year compared to $123.45 per ticket for last year's opener. 5. Messing around toward the end of practice Wednesday, the Maple Leafs held an informal shootout contest. To the delight of many, 40-year-old Mark Giordano pulled an Evgeny Kuznetsov, approaching goalie Joseph Woll at a snail's pace, stickhandling all the way. "That's what I'm doing! If Keefer ever puts me in, I'm doing that move," Giordano laughed when I asked afterward. We'd love to see it. But where is the 40-year-old defencemen on Toronto's shootout depth chart? "I was trying to think of that the other day," Giordano replied, looking around at the nameplates around the dressing room "I went once in my (1,106-game) career so far. I want to say it was at least double-digit rounds, like 10 or 11 for sure. I hit the post. I'm 0-for-1 in my career. So, I don't know if I'll be going anytime soon. On this team, I'd be like 17th, 18th." Another hearty, self-deprecating laugh. Patience is a virtue, but is Kuznetsov's strategy fly against the spirit of the skills contest? "I think it's great. It's smart. Freeze the goalie," Giordano countered. "It's like the ol' freeze 'em. I'm like, 'Could you imagine being a goalie and having a squat for that long, waiting to see with this guy's gonna do?' " Here's Kuznetsov himself (via Slippery Ice) on his shootout move: “Well, firstly, it irritates the goalkeeper, and irritates everyone, right? I used to drive faster and often hit the post. And then I realised that when you go fast, the goalkeeper can keep up with you and simply catch the pace. But here it’s different. It’s easier for me to hit. “When you are driving at (your) speed, everything is clear for you. And when you drive slower, you troll (the goaltender) a little bit. He stands there for two hours, catching, and then they throw this kind of crap at him. It’s psychology.” 6. As if it's not encouraging enough that the Philadelphia Flyers sit atop the Metropolitan Division after a week or so with a 3-1 record, their first-round pick, Matvei Michkov, is tearing up the KHL. Since getting banished to Sochi HC, the 18-year-old is a point-per-game (6-7–13 in 13 games) while playing for a mediocre squad and facing grown men every night. 7. Jay Woodcroft is out here dropping F-bombs into microphones, Lindy Ruff is benching a $70-million Timo Meier, and Rick Tocchet is publicly leaning into the Canucks' poor showings the way he used to lean into on-ice battles. And craps tables. Personally, I'm here for these coaches calling out soft efforts. That we're still in the season's early days should go without saying. But bad habits or a low standard can get set early. Hold them to task fast. One wonders how deep Woodcroft and Tocchet's sound-bites resonate with their peers. If other coaches around the league see that and think, hey, maybe I too can go hard after my players when they deliver a subpar effort. 8. One thousand, three hundred, fifty. That's how many games it took. But for the first time in Alex Ovechkin's storied career, the super sniper went consecutive games without a shot on goal. Ovechkin has just one assist and is a minus-2 through his first 57:19 on the ice, a team-high 14:52 of it on the power-play. "Everything happens once," Ovechkin told reporters Friday. "You can see something missing. That’s why as a leader I have to lead the way. “If I would say how I’m playing, I’m not happy with my game. And I think you can see over all as a team. Sometimes we play good, but most of time it’s kind of battling out there.” 9. Luke Richardson's Blackhawks essentially fended off the Maple Leafs for a full — and anxious — four minutes of 5-on-6 as they clung to victory Monday. Impressive since they had never practised defending a late lead with the opposition's goalie pulled. "We've talked about it a lot this year. It's hard to practice, both offensively and defensively. How do you practise it properly? Because it's all about blocking shots and being in the lanes. We walked through it a little bit on the ice for the power-play guys 6-on-5, and then 5-on-6 we've just talked about its details," said Richardson, happy to get specific on strategy. "It's about not getting two guys caught up ice. Forechecking, it's about just having one guy, and having one guy back with the D. Just altering our whole system a little bit. In the D zone, we want to keep the same mindset as our penalty-killing — pressure. "Don't let them get set up on a face-off. Don't let them get set up after a shot. And the more pressure, then they're not going to be able to get as many looks. "But if you don't get that puck out right away, you're going to be tired. Then you have to fold to the inside and really try to take away the seams." 10. Cooper dropped a great line on Real Kyper & Bourne Friday when asked about his unlikely tandem of Jonas Johansson and Matt Tompkins, who entered the season with a combined 35 NHL appearances scattered over four years. "I think there's still a bunch of teams keeping three goalies," Cooper said. "Probably because of us." Rare that even one or two teams are dealing with the dreaded three-headed crease. Four teams are pulling off that balancing act right now, wary of Julien BriseBois and the waiver wire: Buffalo, Detroit, Montreal, and Philadelphia. The Lightning are treading water since Vasilevskiy's surgery and their inexperienced goaltending took over, going 2-2-1 despite a 25th-ranked .883 team save percentage. 11. Quote of the Week. "I hope tomorrow the season is over and I win Hart Trophy." --Evgeni Malkin, who exploded for seven points in three games 12. Wonderful viral moment as Aleksander Barkov gave a phantom post-win high-five to the ghost of Radko Gudas, keeping a tradition alive with his departed team mate. “He’s one of those guys who you love to have on your team. He’s a great person and everyone misses him,” Barkov said. “But now he’s there, and we’re happy for him.” Gudas, now with Anaheim, caught the replay and reached out to his former captain. “He said he loves me,” Barkov grinned. The Florida Panthers star concedes that he might be done high-fiving ghosts, though. “I think one game was enough,” he said. “Maybe I’ll find someone else to do that with." Eric Francis SPORTSNET COLUMBUS — Johnny Gaudreau was just a few feet away when bodies started flying to punctuate the evening. With just a few seconds left in the Blue Jackets’ 3-1 win over Gaudreau’s former Flames club, Rasmus Andersson took the sort of run at an unsuspecting Patrik Laine that is sure to resonate. With Laine doubled over on the ice and the official’s arm up for the elbow Andersson delivered, Columbus rear-guard Erik Gudbranson charged after his former team mate to exact a little revenge. Unable to do much more than smother the Flames defender, you can bet he took a number that’s sure to be called Jan. 25 when Gaudreau, Gudbranson and the Blue Jackets reassemble in Calgary. “My back was kind of turned, so I didn’t really see it, but obviously Guddy saw it and didn’t like it,” said Gaudreau of the exchange that got Andersson an elbowing major and game misconduct. “I mean, there’s two seconds left in the game. “I feel bad for Patty, it’s a hard hit. “There was a penalty on it so obviously it was a bad hit. “I just think a little unnecessary. “We play them again, so I’m sure someone will try to even it out, I don’t know.” Pausing, slightly, the 5-foot-9 dynamo smiled, “not my department.” The man fully capable and chiefly in charge of meting out just rewards, confirmed Gaudreau’s suspicion.
“I didn’t like it,” said the 6-foot-5, 222-pound Gudbranson, choosing not to elaborate much further, suggesting he hadn’t seen a replay. Jackets coach Pascal Vincent saw one, and didn’t like it one bit. "I see a hit to the head and (Andersson) lifting his feet,” he said. “That’s illegal in my book. “So, we’ll let the NHL deal with it." To be continued. These games still matter for Gaudreau — the ones against a team he played parts of nine seasons with. “Oh yeah, I’m still really close with a lot of guys in there,” said Gaudreau, who was held off the scoresheet despite some pretty good looks. “They gave me a hard time on the ice, just Raz (Andersson) and Mangy (Andrew Mangiapane) a little bit. “I’m a little bit quiet out there, so I don’t really say anything. “It’s nice to follow it up with a win.” For those keeping score, Gaudreau now has a 2-0-1 record against the team that draughted him, saw him zoom to stardom, and then wilted when he signed in Ohio. On this night, Jacob Markstrom was less than accommodating, making five of his 26 saves on Gaudreau, which included a tricky kick save exactly one minute into the evening. “He had my number tonight,” said Gaudreau, who has two helpers in four outings this year. “Hopefully I’ll get him back when we get to Calgary. “He played well. “I remember the year I was there he was second in the Vezina. “He’s a hard guy to beat — a big guy.” Speaking of Guys, his father is jacked about the return engagement in Alberta, where Guy Gaudreau plans to follow his son through the province to meet up with old friends. “He gives me a hard time, says all the Calgary people still love him but they just don’t love me as much,” smiled the Boston College kid they called Johnny Hockey. “He said he thinks he’ll be fine in the stadium, talking to people. “We still have a lot of close friends out there in Calgary.” Amongst them is the Snow family, who Gaudreau wanted to send his thoughts to. “He was there the whole time I was there, so I got to spend a lot of time with him — it’s just terrible,” said Gaudreau of the former Flames assistant GM Chris Snow, who passed away late last month after a prolonged battle with ALS. “When I’d go on the road sometimes I’d leave my dog with Conny (Flames GM Craig Conroy), and their kids would come over and hang out with my dog. “I wish all the best to the family and the kids. It’s just hard.” Johnny’s wife Meredith won’t be joining Guy for his Alberta reunion, as she is six months pregnant with their second child. He’s really getting the hang of this family thing. “I’m 30 now, I’m going to have hair like him soon,” he said, taking a playful shot at Sportsnet host Ryan Leslie’s unvarnished dome a few feet away. “It’s awesome. A different perspective on life. “I love coming home after games or road trips and seeing our daughter Noa, who is one now and she’s almost walking. “I’m excited for the second one.” “I’ve definitely changed, especially outside of hockey.” Praised by Gudbranson and Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent for being a quiet leader whose ability to handle the spotlight impresses them to no end, Gaudreau is being counted on to help anchor a rebuilding team that likely has one of the next budding superstars in Adam Fantilli. Locals froth over the idea that the former Flames playmaker could be setting things up on a tee for his fellow Hobey Baker winner for years to come. “In the locker room I feel like I’m in more of a leadership role,” said Gaudreau. “We always had a lot of veteran players in Calgary, so there was a lot to learn from and I could bring it to this locker room.” One thing that hasn’t changed is that the notoriously picky eater still refuses to mix in a vegetable or two at the dinner table. “I eat a few,” he laughed. “My wife makes me.” What we learned about Canucks coach Rick Tocchet this week - besides that he is a massive dickhead21/10/2023 Iain MacIntyre SPORTSNET FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – If you’re old enough to remember what Rick Tocchet was like as a player, you understand that what he said this week as a coach was probably a massive understatement.
It has been a challenging few days for the Vancouver Canucks, who were putrid in Philadelphia and competitive in Tampa – and lost both games. But Tuesday through Thursday provided a fascinating 72-hour case study of the evolving coach-players dynamic on the Canucks and what makes Toc tick as he tries to build trust – and everything else – with a team trying to learn how to win. Three games into his first full season as the Canucks’ coach, Tocchet scorched players for their disinterest in the 2-0 loss against the Flyers on Tuesday, telling reporters he couldn’t name a single skater who played well and that the team simply didn’t compete. The money quote was: “Who are we to think we’re anybody?” But his more combustible line, because it was close to personal, was: “We’ve just got some guys, oof . . . they better pick it up. I don’t like to use the word soft, but I didn’t see guys competing at all. And that’s alarming.” Before practice the next day in suburban Tampa, Tocchet and his staff had a come-to-Jesus debriefing with players, showing video and re-iterating the “staples” the Canucks must live by to have any chance at succeeding. Then they practised well and played profoundly better Thursday night against the Lightning, who exploited individual Vancouver breakdowns to rally for a 4-3 victory. Interestingly, Tocchet said after the optional morning skate at Amalie Arena that he needed to give his players space and take a step back so they could address and fix problems themselves. “Sometimes coaches, you know, there’s a time and place,” he told Sportsnet after the cameras turned off. “There was a time and place for that meeting (Wednesday) to address stuff, and I think now I’ve got to take a step back. The room has got to handle some stuff. The coach can’t always go in there. I think, strategically, you’ve got to pick your spots. Even tonight . . . me yelling and screaming, it’s not going to work tonight. “I always try to put my player’s hat on when I coach. Like, if I was sitting in a room, how would I feel? I remember being in that room as a leader (as a player) — I’ve done it before and I’ve seen our leaders do it — like, ‘We’ve got it, coach, we’ve got this.’ I love players saying, basically, ‘Get out of here and let the players handle it.’ I think this is a we-got-it-moment. I’ve got to step aside.” Canuck players got even more space on Friday, a scheduled day off in south Florida, and will re-assemble and reconnect with their coaches Saturday morning ahead of that night’s game against the Florida Panthers. A ferociously competitive player who averaged 38 goals and 205 penalty minutes a season over a six-year period (of a fucking 18 season career; the rest he was shit) that bridged the 1980s and ’90s, Tocchet has always been about accountability. Literally and figuratively, he held players accountable. “We traded for him in Pittsburgh,” Hall-of-Fame coach Scotty Bowman, who drove up from his winter home in Sarasota to watch Thursday’s game, said of Tocchet and the 1992 Stanley Cup-winning Penguins. “He was the new guy. But if he thought someone wasn’t doing enough, it didn’t matter if it was Mario (Lemieux) or anyone else, he would say something. Rick held people accountable.” You can imagine what Tocchet wanted to say on Tuesday. “I have to be careful because as a player you can be a little bit more to the point,” he explained. “But as a coach, you do have to watch it. It’s a feel thing. I’m probably getting better at picking my spots. As a coach, you’re so competitive and you want to win, and then 10 minutes (after the game) you’ve got to talk to the press. “You’re so competitive but you’ve got to be careful because guys are trying, too. It’s not like these guys don’t want to try. “I’m not too worried about guys shutting (me out). It’s more that I don’t want a guy to grip his stick. I don’t want a guy where you’re on him so much that he doesn’t know where he’s going on the ice. I don’t worry about them shutting me out because I think the guys understand what we’re trying to do here. But I do believe that you’ve got to be careful. It’s a fine line.” Canucks winger Anthony Beauvillier, probably among of the guys Tocchet said “better pick it up” after the Flyers game, said players appreciate their coach’s honest and open communication. “His door is always open for anyone who wants to talk to him,” Beauvillier said after playing his best game of the season in Tampa. “He’s passionate about what he does and the details and the little tips he gives us go a long way. I mean, we just had to be better and the response was good tonight. Everyone respects him and wants to do well for him. Guys want to go through a wall for him.” The coach would do at least as much for his players. “I’ll be honest with you,” Tocchet said. “I’m not going to name the player, but a player came up to me and maybe last year he wouldn’t have . . . and he said: ‘Hey, I thought I was pretty good out there (in Philadelphia) and I didn’t play as much in the third period.’ And, you know what? He was right. I probably should have played him three or four more shifts, but for whatever reason, I lost him. I love that he had enough trust in me that he could come up to me. That kind of made me feel good.” Topi Ronni will be away from Liiga club Tappara after being accused of rape in Finland, the team announced Thursday. Ronni is a Calgary Flames draught pick.
FFS! IT WAS A KID AND A NOW PISSED OFF PUCK BUNNY
Finnish Liiga club Tappara announced Thursday that Calgary Flames prospect Topi Ronni will be away from the club after he received a court summons regarding an allegation of rape. Ronni notified the club about the alleged crime. The 19-year-old was the Calgary Flames’ second-round pick, draughted 59th over all in 2022. "Today, I have received a summons application related to the matter," Ronni said in a statement released by the club, translated from Finnish. "The last two or so years have been hard waiting for the matter to progress. I trust that the related course of events will be clarified in connection with the trial. For the time being, I'm out of the team's activities and I'm focusing on handling the matter." The alleged crime took place two years ago when Ronni was a minor, according to the announcement. The allegations have not been proven in court. The courts have reportedly yet to determine a date for the proceedings and ordered the case documents to be kept sealed. "We take the suspected crime seriously, but we are waiting for the court hearing and will evaluate the player's position afterwards," said Tappara GM Mika Aro, also translated from Finnish. The release said Ronni and the club will not make any further comments on the matter. The Calgary Flames are aware of the potential charges but have not yet commented, according to Randy Sportak of THN's Calgary site. The 19-year-old had two points through 12 games this season, playing solely with the men’s team. He had five points in 22 Liiga games last year along with 10 points in seven junior games. Ronni also played on Finland's world juniors team last winter and appeared on the U-20 team for other international competition. In 1973, a cartoon puck teaching the ins-and-outs of hockey became an instant hit. Fifty years later, Peter Puck is gearing up for a comeback.
Cartoon characters are forever captured in time. Bart Simpson will always be 10 years old. And as he celebrates his 50th anniversary during the 2023-24 hockey season, Peter Puck is as vibrant and energetic as ever. With his sister Penny by his side, Peter remains dedicated to teaching kids the ins and outs of hockey. "It's a huge multi-generational brand that educates kids, youth, adults, coaches —everybody — with their values," said Paul Cohen (Oy Vey!), who is shepherding Peter's return to the public eye. "Good sportsmanship, safe and fun hockey, diversity and inclusivity, brain and body health and, most importantly, hockey is for everyone and abuse-free hockey." A goalie who was a two-time ECAC champion with St. Lawrence University in the 1980s, Cohen's pro career lasted 11 seasons. His career highlight came when he was with the Springfield Indians during the 1991-92 season and became just the second goaltender ever to score in the AHL. When Cohen hung up his pads, he spent time in the corporate world. In 2019, he began offering customised hockey-centric ceiling fans and wall art as an official NHL licensee. Earlier this year, Cohen's group also acquired the licensing rights to Peter and Penny Puck from long time NHL broadcaster Brian McFarlane and his wife Joan. They have been Peter's caretakers through their company Sports Family Ltd. from almost the first day he appeared on the scene. McFarlane is also a St. Lawrence grad. Now in his 90s, he was connected to Cohen via a mutual acquaintance from the school's hockey programme. Half a century ago, Peter Puck debuted during a period of NHL expansion — commissioned by U.S. broadcast rightsholder NBC from their production partners at the famed Hanna-Barbera animation studio that was churning out popular cartoons of the day like The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? In 1973, a year after the Atlanta Flames and New York Islanders debuted, Peter made his debut between periods of a Sunday afternoon NHL broadcast on NBC between the Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. His role was to help new fans of the game learn more about the ins and outs of a very unique sport that had only a small toehold in the U.S. at the time. He was an instant hit, and his fame soon spread north of the border when his segments were picked up by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Supporting him all along the way — McFarlane, who was working for both NBC and CBC at the time. During Peter's heyday, McFarlane helped segment writers with the technical details of the game for their scripts. And after NBC stopped carrying NHL hockey in the mid-1970s, McFarlane and his wife acquired the rights to all existing Peter Puck content, with the right to create additional materials. Inducted into the media wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and named to the Order of Canada in 2020, McFarlane's passion for hockey extended to writing books. All told, he has authored close to 100. His Peter Puck titles began appearing in the mid-'70s and included volumes like Peter Puck and the Runaway Zamboni Machine, Peter Puck and the Stolen Stanley Cup and Peter Puck: Love That Hockey Game! If those titles sound like they belong on the shelf next to the Hardy Boys mysteries, there's a good reason for that. McFarlane's father, Leslie, was a journalist and author who wrote 21 of the first Hardy Boys novels during the depression, under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. Penny Puck first appeared alongside Peter in 1978. And just as we're seeing women's hockey claim more of the sport's spotlight in 2023, Penny will also feature prominently in Peter's new adventures. "We're going to be engaging with mascots and fan events," Cohen said. "We're creating a Peter and Penny fan club. And we're in the process of working on 28 public service announcements of 15 and 30 seconds." An avid fan of McFarlane's Peter Puck books when he was young, Cohen is arguably most enthused about having co-authored two new original stories alongside author and hockey coach Lee Elias. In the two Gearing Up With Peter & Penny stories, the pair will help provide beginners with a safer and less overwhelming early hockey experience by offering information and advice about hockey and goalie gear. They'll teach the name of each piece of equipment, why it's important and how to wear it properly, bringing their mission to educate into the Modern Era. (THEY FUCKING BETTER CALL IT A SWEATER AND NOT A FUCKING "jersey" THEN!) "It was so very lucky that Brian wrote the Peter and Penny Puck books so that I could read them as a kid," Cohen said. "To be able to write these two books ranks right up there with the birth of my daughter and scoring a goal." And while Peter and Penny are ageless, fashions change. For their 50th anniversary, their look has been updated on a line of merchandise. "The transformation is unbelievable, as you can imagine, just with today's graphic ability," Cohen said. "But the one thing is that Peter and Penny never grow old." Neither do the values they teach. Lance Hornby TORONTO SCUM Bryan Lewis would look around Maple Leaf Gardens during O Canada and know 16,000 excited fans and national TV audience could suddenly turn their wrath on him in an instant. “Standing at centre for the anthem, in a place like that, the proverbial home of Hockey Night In Canada, you’d be nervous and shaking so badly,” Lewis recalled. “But if you (succumbed to the pressure of the big stage) you wouldn’t last long as an official.” Lewis did stay; to experience more than 1,000 games as an NHL referee, many of those on Carlton St., where he saw the best and worst of the Leafs and was once subpoenaed in Provincial Court as a witness in a Tiger Williams’ assault case. He also worked New York’s Madison Square Garden where the Rangers still play, long-gone expansion rinks in Cleveland, Atlanta, Kansas City and Bloomington and survived some harrowing trips to minor league barns in remote corners of the U.S. His off-ice service continued for decades as a zebra scout, NHL director of officiating after the sudden death of John McCauley and a founder of the two-referee system and video replay, both indispensable elements today. On Thursday, a couple of blocks from the Gardens at the Carlu, Lewis will be recognised for a lifetime of keeping order on the ice with induction to the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Three members of the Leafs family are in the Hall’s class of 2023, club president Brendan Shanahan, one-time player Pete Conacher, who is going in with the 1959 world champion Belleville McFarlands, and broadcaster Joe Bowen. Other honoured athletes include national women’s hockey star Jayna Hefford, curler Marilyn Bodogh and the late lacrosse legend Gaylord Powless. Lewis is also friends with Steve Ludzik, who is getting the Sandy Hawley Community Service Award for helping raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease which has afflicted the former player and coach. “You don’t realise the magnitude of this until I asked the Hall ‘am I really the first official to get in?’,” the 81-year-old Lewis said. “That’s very unique. Red Storey is in the Hall, but as an athlete (football). It’s almost disbelief, to be on the same list as these famous people. “I do know I put Shanny in the box a couple of times. And he never said ‘thank you’.” A ref can’t ever have a home game, so Toronto was as close as it came for Lewis, an Alliston-born, long-time resident of Georgetown where many NHL stripes settled for its proximity to Pearson Airport and their head office. His first Gardens assignment was in the late ‘60s. “I was so pumped, thinking I’m be going into a big-league officials’ room with big lounge seats. But there were just three wooden chairs and maybe a bench. I think at one time it probably served as a linen closet. “It was behind the penalty boxes and there was just a sign on the wall that read ‘if you or a player need medical attention, call this number’. “But a game in there was fantastic and of course they were all on TV. The tech people would come in before and ask us how we were going to line up at centre before the game, right or left of the dot (for introductions). “That was a way to give a secret wave to our families at home. I’d run my hand across my NHL crest for my wife and kids to let them know ‘Dad’s okay’. You just wanted to be at the dot, the best place to hear the dulcet tones of (p.a. man) Paul Morris.” Lewis got to know the full array of Gardens characters, Harold Ballard, Morris, timekeeper ‘Banana’ Joe Lamantia and Doug Moore, who so carefully groomed the ice. “Dougie had come up with Jet Ice (mineral free water that froze faster) and he’d be standing proudly every night by the Zamboni entrance watching us warm up. I’d go by and kid him, saying ‘Jet Ice?, it’s more like DC-3 Ice’. There was lots of back and forth jokes.” The Slap Shot era in the early 1970s, gave Lewis a book’s worth of Gardens stories. “In the days of bench-clearing brawls, one game stands out against Chicago. We ushered a Blackhawk player off the ice through the Zamboni door, but he came back out again. He was in serious trouble and suspended.” The Philadelphia Flyers and Leafs had some nasty exchanges, namely in the ‘76 playoffs, but any meeting was bound to have Williams and Dave (The Hammer) Schultz at odds – and usually incarcerated. Lewis recalls them chirping from their respective boxes over him and Lamantia. “Tiger would say, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘look at that Schultz, a total IQ of 10’. My comeback was ‘you join him and it doesn’t go up very much’.” In October of ’76, Williams cut Dennis Owchar of the Penguins in a stick swinging duel for nearly 50 stitches. Lewis received a summons to appear in court in the matter of ‘The Queen vs. David Williams’, to give material evidence for the defence. Williams was acquitted. “They were cracking down on violence (through Ontario Attorney General Roy McMurtry),” Lewis said. “I tell Tiger now and then, such as an Easter Seals event last year, ‘you son-of-a-gun, you’d never buy me a beer, but I kept you out of jail.” Lewis kept the subpoena, one of his more unusual souvenirs, but his home office is filled with much more pleasant Gardens’ memoirs, such as a picture of Lewis and His Eminence Cardinal Carter helping Ballard with the 1979-80 ceremonial opening faceoff. “The 48th Highlanders were there as they always are. To have an opening game in Toronto was significant.” Yet Lewis strongly disputed the prevailing suspicion among many that officials favoured the Leafs at home because the Toronto HQ was there or the flip side, that they called far more penalties against the blue and white to show they were unbiased. “Never.” Lewis insisted. “When I was the boss, before starting an assignment set, I looked to see how many times an official had seen any team, home and away, to avoid over-exposure. “I used to hear the same talk in Montreal and New York where the NHL had offices.” Lewis would try and give officials across the board at least a game a week in or near their hometowns to be with family a few days. Lewis’s first game was at the Montreal Forum, as was his first playoff action and where then-officiating director Scotty Morrison thought it most appropriate he work No. 1,000 in January of 1986. Lewis’s family was flown in, wife Elaine, children Janelle, Duane and Alyson. “I’d never taken my Dad (Erwin Howard) to a game before that, for fear he’d hear someone in the crowd call me a bum and he’d come out swinging.” The milestone night was delayed a month as Bryan recovered from a broken wrist, one of many job hazards when officials weren’t well padded and didn’t have to wear helmets. At that time the only refs to reach 1,000 were Bruce Hood and Ron Wicks. Not long after that, Morrison offered Lewis a place under referee-in-chief McCauley. Lewis felt his whistle still had a few good years in it, but took the promotion. “It ended up being the absolute right thing to do. At first, I was in arenas I didn’t know existed. If someone told me there was a good official working in Coboconk, Ont., I was there. I wanted the comfort level of saying ‘I saw that guy ref myself’. “But the withdrawal symptoms were terrible for me. I’d be watching a game thinking ‘if one of those guys gets hurt I can get my skates and go out there. “After while, I didn’t miss the banging and the injuries. And it was a fun to be mentored by John, a guy I grew up with. We’d done many minor tournaments together, often travelled to the office together and probably communicated every day.” McCauley’s sudden passing from emergency gall bladder surgery in June of 1989 devasted Lewis and the tight officiating community, leaving him to fill huge shoes. He did get plenty of encouragement, such as an unexpected message of good luck from Vancouver general manager Pat Quinn, one of the league’s most vocal ref baiters.
Video replay, with its nascent technology and the new video goal judge position was implemented two years later, after its success in the NFL. “The very first game we used it was in New York with a 7:30 start and at 7:20, I wasn’t sure it was gonna work,” Lewis laughed. “You talk about a cold sweat. I was way up in a tiny corner room at Madison Square Garden thinking ‘okay, let’s do it’. At that time it was only used to confirm if the puck had crossed the goal line and if it was kicked in, thrown, went in off an official, crossed the goal line before the net was dislodged or before the end of a period. Some officials resented the human element being taken out of their control. “Today, it’s much more detailed, but the sell to the guys at that time was easy – ‘isn’t it great to know at the end of the night the right call has been made’? “There was a Detroit – Minnesota game early on, a 1-0 win by Detroit on a disputed goal, which was resolved by replay. In the Rangers – Canucks playoff (1994) we had one team score a goal that was missed, the other team came down and scored. It was our nightmare scenario, but it was nice to back up the tape (see the first goal) and reset the clock.” Not so cut and dried in the 1999 final when Dallas winger Brett Hull scored the triple overtime winner against Buffalo with his foot in the crease. At first it seemed clear grounds to be disallowed, based on other reviews that season. Past midnight, Lewis had to face the Sabres, an army of reporters, not to mention many conspiracy theorists, but didn’t waver on judging the play legit. “Hull was the puck carrier entitled to a rebound off the goalie. It was not a change of possession, it’s his puck. I walked everyone there through it, got the rule book out and never left the arena until the league was satisfied I could talk to the media and then go home. “We found an instance where the same thing happened earlier in the season. I went in and talked to the coaches from Buffalo. Of course (their anger) was what you’d expect. But I walked them through it, too. “It was just the timing. Had it happened in Game 2 of the season it’s not the same, but the Cup final carried the greatest magnitude. I wrote a memo to all NHL employees on my decision so that the guy at the desk in Toronto, New York or Montreal had no doubts.” Lewis considers the implementation of the two-ref system in 1998 his greatest legacy. “We drew it up at our training camp at the Nottawasaga Inn (I've stayed there!). I’m so proud the whole thing was put together by NHL officials (not outside consultants). We tightened it up through a few drafts; who’s dropping the puck, where will the other ref stand, who does what – anything and everything you could think of. “I don’t think people understand how hard it was, yet it was so thorough that I don’t know if you need to change any of it today.” Leaving the league entirely a few years later presented another difficult transition. “I always knew I’d miss the people more than anything else. I happened to walk down press row in Glendale at a Coyotes game a couple of years ago and saw guys I’d known for years and years. Our stories get better over a cold beer.” “At (former ref) Ron Ego’s funeral, a bunch of us were talking how amazing it was and what we did to make it through games in Houston, Dallas or Fort Worth. The scary part now is that when went on strike in (‘93) that out of 20 of us then, half are now gone.” Lewis found new and rewarding pursuits, 22 years as a Municipal Councillor in Halton Hills, where he championed causes such as parks and recreation and also ran for Mayor. He’s still active at the rink as supervisor of officials for Ontario University Athletics men’s hockey. As we spoke, he was getting over a touch of pneumonia from spending so much time in cold storage. “The OUA is a brand of hockey I absolutely enjoy. It takes two hours to play and you’re out of there.” It’s a relaxed pace, stress-free pace, allowing him some volunteer community service work, such as helping challenged youth and adults. “My wristwatch drove my life for 55 years. My wife and I sat down for coffee a while ago and she reminded me for 33 (NHL) years I was constantly looking at the time, saying I have to go here, go there, be in New York for meetings, then Chicago and L.A., or be in the hotel lobby to get to this or that game’. “You combine that with 22 years of politics, again with a lot of meetings which meant I can’t go to my kids’ events or my wife’s because of a ribbon cutting or something. “So now I ask you ‘want a buy a used watch’?” ONCE A LEAF Featuring one of the more than 1,100 players, coaches and general managers who have played or worked in Toronto since 1917. Left winger Pete Conacher Born: July 29, 1932, in Toronto. Number: 16 Seasons: 1957-58 Games played: 5, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, 5 PIMS THEN Imagine the hoopla if a son of Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler, Mats Sundin or anyone else on the Leafs’ list of top scorers were to follow his father to the team. Pete Conacher, sire of Charlie ‘The Big Bomber’, preferred for his brief Leaf tenure to be low key. Charlie was the first franchise star of the re-named Leafs in the 1930s, helping put the team and the new Gardens on the map. Pete, who made his name with Chicago and the Rangers in the early ‘50s, had been stuck in the minors in Buffalo a few years when the chance to play in his hometown came up. “Billy Reay had coached (AHL rival) Rochester and when the Leafs made him their coach (in 1957) he must have said they should draft me,” said Conacher. “To be there at the Gardens was the ultimate. My Dad was a star player, but being the son of Charlie, was never really thrown at me. I never had management, players or anyone else bring that up as a positive or a negative. “It was just too bad I got hurt before training camp (a leg injury) and when I came back I was more than a step behind. Billy said he wanted me to go down to Rochester awhile, but I wanted Buffalo to play with my friend, Kenny Wharram (soon to break out with the Blackhawks and win the 1961 Stanley Cup with them). “Then Billy got fired (replaced by Punch Imlach) and the Belleville McFarlands hired him as an advisor. I’d quit playing and gone home to work for Seagram’s (Distillery), but Billy must have gone to Belleville and urged them to put me on their team that was going to the world championships.” NOW On Thursday at the Carlu in Toronto, Conacher and the surviving McFarlands will be inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. The ‘Macs’ were the last Ontario senior team to represent Canada and win the worlds. The ’59 tournament was in Prague and other cities in what was then Czechoslovakia. “The highlight of my career,” Conacher said. “Even after all these years it’s a nice feeling. I’m glad the Hall is doing that for our team.” The ’59 tournament format final was a six-nation round robin, in which Canada won its first four games, including 3-1 over the Russians, building up a goal differential of 14 by the time they faced the host nation on the last day. While Canada would’ve preferred a sweep, the 5-3 loss to the host nation had no effect on winning gold. “The last game was kind of anti-climactic,” Conacher agreed. “When we lined up after for the congratulatory handshakes, a picture and all that, it took a little bit away to have lost the last game. “But we got medals and the Czech people gave us crystal vases. I still have mine, a beautiful piece. They were very good to us and you knew the Russians and Czechs didn’t get along, so the Czech fans were definitely pulling for us against the them a (3-1 win).” Conacher said a couple of weeks in the East Bloc was not exactly a holiday. “We were behind the Iron Curtain and that whole (police state) was in effect. That made life quite difficult. I’m sure we were spied on. Going in and out of the hotel was a little uneasy. I didn’t stray far from it.” The 91-year-old Conacher laments the Macs have depleted ranks as time takes a toll. “Only four guys are scheduled to be there next week, almost all the rest are gone. Minnie Minard is in Fort Wayne and can’t travel, but Red Berenson is coming up from Michigan to accept the award on behalf of us all. Donald Barclay and Davey Jones live in Belleville and there’s me. But six are coming from John McLellan’s family and six from Marv Edwards’ as well as the Mayor of Belleville (Neil Ellis).” Their team was named after the road construction firm owned by Harvey McFarland, who made the trip to Czechoslovakia. The Macs had won the Allan Cup senior Canadian title from the Kelowna Packers for the right to represent the nation, but as was the custom, bulked up with extras such as Conacher, Berenson, Al Dewsbury and a couple of defencemen to face strong national teams across the pond. “They were leaving on a Sunday to fly to Europe, I was working up to Friday and didn’t know until Saturday if they would let me go,” Conacher laughed. “I was more a last second addition than a last minute. We flew from Trenton on an Armed Forces plane and the team came home by boat. “Unfortunately for every guy they added, they had to sit someone who’d played all year and won the Allan Cup. They parachuted about seven of us in and at first it was a little uncomfortable for me. But a player like Keith MacDonald couldn’t have been more supportive. He still flew over and was the best fan we had. That was a good feeling that he and others could accept what happened and I’ll never forget that (sacrifice).” Conacher scored three times early in a 7-2 win over the hosts to cement his standing. LOOSE LEAFS Another member of that ’59 Macs was Floyd Crawford, father of Marc, who started on his Stanley Cup coaching path with the St. John’s Maple Leafs, and brother Lou, who had the same job years later … Joe Bowen is also heading into the OSHF. Before his 40-odd years with the Leafs, Bowen called men’s basketball at the University of Windsor and junior games for the OHL Sudbury Wolves. THIS WEEK IN LEAFS HISTORY Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of Dale McCourt signing as a free agent with the Leafs. He began a trend of former first over all picks by other teams who found their way to Toronto; John Tavares, Sundin, Eric Lindros, Joe Thornton, Bryan Berard, Owen Nolan and Rob Ramage … Born 110 years ago Sunday, New Brunswicker Gordie Drillon, the last Leaf winner of the Art Ross Trophy. Before Tuesday's game versus the Wild, Montreal fans I spoke to were upbeat. But that lacklustre loss was a bitter pill to swallow for many. Brendan Kelly • Montreal Gazette What a difference a game makes.
Tuesday afternoon, I was outside the Bell Centre talking to fans and all of us were feeling at the very least mildly upbeat about the Canadiens. I was saying to people that the team had three out of four points in their first two games, with a shootout loss to Toronto in the season-opener and then a win Saturday night against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Everyone I spoke with shared that enthusiasm. They talked of the exciting young players. Of how they liked current management and charismatic coach Martin St. Louis. Sure there was a dark cloud hovering over the team in the form of the season-ending injury to Kirby Dach, who has torn anterior and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee. But the sense, before Montreal faced the Minnesota Wild Tuesday evening, was that they had enough depth to deal with the loss of their second-line centre. Then the wheels came off the bus. Sure it was only one game but the Habs looked simply terrible in that depressing 5-2 loss to the Wild. I’ve been saying all summer this is going to be a long, tough season for fans and that was evident Tuesday. Many are buying into the reconstruction plan of CH hockey bosses Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, but I think there has to be significant signs of progress this season. It’s a small sample size — three games — but so far it’s not clear if the coming months will be about progression or regression. To lose in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the league’s best teams (in the regular season!), was impressive. Blowing a 5-3 lead late in the third in that same game was much less impressive. Jake Allen letting in two very weak Auston Matthews goals was not impressive at all. New acquisition Alex Newhook has three goals in three games and has mostly looked very good. Maybe one of the most pleasant surprises is Tanner Pearson, who scored his second goal Tuesday night. The guy appears to have a laser of a shot. To no one’s surprise, Sean Monahan also looks great and if he can stay healthy — a gigantic if — that’s a major plus. But captain Nick Suzuki’s oddly lacklustre play in the first three games is concerning, as is his apparent total lack of chemistry with buddy and line mate Cole Caufield. Is head coach Martin St. Louis giving Suzuki too much ice time? Many believe he is. Then there’s the not-so-special specialty teams. The power play is beyond awful. Not only can they not score, they astonishingly allowed two short-handed goals in one power play Tuesday. The penalty killing is just as bad. We all love St. Louis, but at a certain point he has to take ownership for some of these faults. Speaking of the coach, he was in a positively foul mood in the post-game press conference Tuesday. Not quite a Michel Therrien rage, but definitely not his usual cheery quotable self. The other disappointment Tuesday was Samuel Montembeault. He didn’t actually look particularly good on any of the five goals and you have to hope it’s a one-game blip for the goalie who had a decent start Saturday and began the season with so much promise after his stellar performance backstopping Canada to a big win at the World Championships in Finland in May. Long-distance Canadiens fan: Marek Nevesely flew from Prague to Montreal to catch Tuesday game, the first time this dyed-in-the-wool Habs fans from the Czech Republic got to see his favourite hockey team live. He said he spent a lot of money to come see the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. He’ll head to the nation’s capital later this week to catch an Ottawa Senators game before returning home. He grew up playing hockey and always loved the Canadiens, mentioning that one of his favourite players back in the day was Guy Lafleur. He also understandably has liked the Czech players who have worn the CH, notably Roman Hamrlik, Tomas Plekanec and Martin Rucinsky. On the current team, he says he loves “the small one,” meaning Caufield, “because the small players have difficulty playing against the tall players.” “The Canadiens won in 1993 and I’m still waiting for the next Stanley Cup,” Nevesely said. You and the rest of us Marek! |
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