https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/11/20/blues-fire-yeo-name-berube-interim-head-coach/

 

The November NHL coaching carousel continues.  St. Louis head coach Mike Yeo was let go.  Can't say this is too surprising - STL was below Chicago when Quenneville was fired earlier in the month (and is still below CHI in the standings).

 

Edmonton also let go their head coach - which was also not a huge surprise as the Oilers are off to a poor start after missing the playoffs last season.  What was a surprise was Edmonton's replacement - 66-year-old Ken Hitchcock, who "retired" from coaching last year.  If Edmonton is concerned about wasting prime years of the generational talent of reigning leading league scorer Connor McDavid, I don't know if bringing in a coach who perfected the neutral-zone trap in the 90's is the solution!

 

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/11/20/ken-hitchcock-returns-to-coaching-replaces-mclellan-in-edmonton/

It is official:

 

Seattle lands expansion franchise as NHL adds 32nd team

 

The National Hockey League’s 32nd franchise will be in Seattle after the league’s Board of Governors voted on Tuesday to approve the expansion application submitted by Seattle Hockey Partners, fronted by billionaire David Bonderman, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and CEO Tod Leiweke.

 

The 32nd team will pay a $650M expansion fee, which is an increase from the $500M that the Vegas Golden Knights needed to pay.... On Wednesday, an $800M renovation of Key Arena will begin,. They are targeting a spring 2021 completion date and beginning NHL play in the 2021-22 season.

 

MORE:  https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/12/04/seattle-lands-expansion-franchise-as-nhl-adds-32nd-team/

I wish Cleveland would go after an NHL team...I wouldn't feel all that heartbroken if the Cavs had to go away to do so.

The NHL and NBA playoffs start at about the same time (NHL gets a slight head-start).  But I've always been amazed just how different the NHL and NBA playoffs play out.  In the NBA, first-round upsets are rare.  But in the NHL, first-round upsets are so common, you almost can't call them upsets anymore.

 

For those of you following the Columbus Blue Jackets thread, you already know about the biggest upset of the first-round:  The record-tying 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning getting swept by the CBJ.  But it hasn't been the only top regular-season team to get eliminated.

• In the West, Calgary - the top Western regular-season team - was eliminated 4-1 by Colorado.  Plus, two more top teams - Winnipeg and Nashville - got eliminated by lower-seeded St. Louis and Dallas.

• Although not an upset, Las Vegas got eliminated in a weird Game 7 by San Jose.  Vegas was up 3-0 in the third period with 10 minutes to go, when a Vegas player cross-checked a San Jose player after a face-off.  The San Jose player then got twisted around and nudged to the ice by another Vegas.  The San Jose player's head hit the ice as he fell.  It was an ugly injury and the refs gave Vegas a five-minute major penalty.  This gave San Jose a power-play of five full minutes to score an unlimited amount of goals!  San Jose ended up scoring 4 goals to take a 4-3 lead!  Vegas did tie it up 4-4 to send Game 7 into sudden-death overtime - where San Jose won it in OT to advance.  This major penalty was, of course, not without controversy:  http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26592173/penalty-vegas-stole-game-7

• Back in the East, the defending champs Washington Capitals were eliminated by Carolina in a thrilling 2OT Game 7 last night.

• The NY Islanders surprisingly swept Pittsburgh.

• Boston eliminated Toronto in an Original Six battle that went to Game 7.

Boston eliminating Toronto also meant the elimination of the final Canadian team in the playoffs and a continuation of Canada's Stanley Cup drought to 26 years.  The last Stanley Cup title by a Canadian team was Montreal in 1993.  I saw it pointed out that Columbus is only 120 miles to the Canadian border in the middle of Lake Erie.  And of all the teams remaining in the playoffs, the Jackets are the closest to Canada.  So if you're looking for a team to root for, Canada...

All four divisional winners are out (TB in 4 games, Calgary in 5).  The "favored" Pens swept (they were technically the worse team based on the regular season).  The Leafs and Golden Knights nearly pulled off upsets as well.

The San Jose Sharks edged out the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 last night after the St. Louis Blues edged the Dallas Stars in a 2OT Game 7(!) to set the Western Conference Final.  San Jose vs. St. Louis is a nice matchup between two teams that have had a good bit of regular-season success but zero Stanley Cup titles (San Jose reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 but lost to Pittsburgh; while St. Louis has never been to the Stanley Cup Final, despite being a 1967 expansion team).

 

In the East, the Boston Bruins dispatched my Blue Jackets in 6 to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept the Islanders in 4.  Boston is the marquee team in this matchup - an Original Six team started in 1924 with six Stanley Cups (the most recent in 2011).  The Carolina franchise began in 1997 after they relocated from Hartford.  They've been to the Stanley Cup Final twice (losing in 2002 and winning the Cup in 2006).  After reaching the Conference Finals in 2009, Carolina failed to reach the playoffs for nine straight seasons until this one.  And this season had been an eventful one.

 

This is the first full season for Carolina under a new owner that purchased the team from the previous owner who moved the team from Hartford.  Because of that, Carolina started wearing Hartford Whalers throwback uniforms in a nod to their past (and reviving one of the most beautiful hockey jerseys ever).  They even wore those Hartford uniforms in a regular-season game at Boston in a nod to that former regional rivalry.

But Carolina got its biggest notoriety for its post-game on-ice victory celebrations they called "Storm Surges".  They were already being noticed because of the increasing complexity of the celebrations.  Then, Canadian hockey icon Don Cherry weighed in during Hockey Night in Canada and called them a "bunch of jerks".  Which only encouraged Carolina further:

Now Carolina's twitter page calls them "That playoff hockey team with the fun celebrations":  https://twitter.com/NHLCanes

The 2019 Stanley Cup Finals are set:

 

Boston routed Carolina with a four-game sweep in the ECF.  Then St. Louis advanced over San Jose last night in Game 6 of the WCF.  Nice match-up between an Original Six team (Boston) and an Original Expansion Six team (St. Louis).  Boston advancing is not a surprise, except for the sweep.  They had a strong regular season, finishing with the second-most points behind Tampa.  But St. Louis advancing is a surprise.

 

St. Louis had an atypical regular season for a team reaching the Cup Finals.  They got off to a bad start, fired their head coach in November, and sat last-place in their division on January 3rd.  The Blues starting goaltender got injured during the first month of the season, forcing their veteran backup to start.  But the backup was so ineffective, the Blues placed him on waivers on December 11th and called up their 25-year-old AHL goaltender, who had zero career NHL starts, to be the new backup for the starting goaltender, who had returned from his injury.

 

That 25-year-old AHL goaltender - Jordan Binnington - didn't get called on to start until January 7th - after St. Louis had bottomed out and they figured "let's see what Binnington can do for us".  What Binnington did was record a 25-save shutout in his first NHL start, and then go on to have a 25-4-1 record with a 1.89 GAA for the rest of the season(!)  The Blues rode Binnington to finish only one point behind their division leader and make the playoffs.

 

Binnington continued his stellar goaltending in the playoffs, starting all 19 playoff games for the Blues and recording a 2.36 GAA with a 12-7 record.  He was particularly strong in closing out San Jose with only 2 goals allowed in the final 3 games of that series.  St. Louis showed that you can ride a hot goaltender to the Stanley Cup Finals - even if that goaltender is a 25-year-old rookie(!)

 

Incidentally, Boston advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals marks the third straight season that the team eliminating Columbus from the playoffs made the Cup Finals.  If Boston wins the Cup, it would also be the third straight season that the team eliminating Columbus from the playoffs went on to win the Stanley Cup(!)

St. Louis won Game 5 in Boston last night to take a 3-2 series lead.  It was a 2-1 win in 'Stanley Cup Classic' fashion with their phenom 25-year-old rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington making 38 saves.

 

The St. Louis Blues have a chance to win their first Stanley Cup at home on Sunday.  And because they have a chance to win it on Sunday - for the first time in this series - the Stanley Cup trophy will be in the building!

The biggest story yesterday, to me, was Chara playing.

 

In the second period of Game 4 a puck deflected up into Bruins' Captain Zdeno Chara's face. He left the game bleeding from his mouth, but did return to the bench for the third period. In the most hockey story ever, he shows up to the pregame presser of Game 5 and sits for interviews, issuing only written responses as the puck had broken his jaw. He starts Game 5 with only a modest change to his helmet to protect his jaw from further injury.

2 hours ago, ryanlammi said:

The biggest story yesterday, to me, was Chara playing.

 

In the second period of Game 4 a puck deflected up into Bruins' Captain Zdeno Chara's face. He left the game bleeding from his mouth, but did return to the bench for the third period. In the most hockey story ever, he shows up to the pregame presser of Game 5 and sits for interviews, issuing only written responses as the puck had broken his jaw. He starts Game 5 with only a modest change to his helmet to protect his jaw from further injury.

 

Zdeno Chara returning is totally hockey!

Boston won Game 6 in St. Louis last night, and set up one of the most wonderful words in sports:  Stanley Cup Final Game 7

 

Game 7 is Wednesday at Boston.  Boston has won the Stanley Cup six times (the last time in 2011).  St. Louis has never won the Stanley Cup in their 52 seasons of existence (the longest current NHL drought).  The Blues did reach the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons (1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70).  However, those three seasons were in the NHL's then-newly formed Expansion Six Western Conference, in which all six teams were expansion teams.  St. Louis was swept in all three Stanley Cup Finals from 1968 to 1970 by an Eastern Conference Original Six team.  This included a 1970 Stanley Cup Final sweep by the Boston Bruins - whose Game 4 OT cup-winning goal was scored by Bobby Orr - and produced the famous "Orr flying through the air" photo.

 

Definitely anyone's Game 7 to clinch the series and win the Cup.  But St. Louis might have burned their karma when the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posted an e-edition of their paper (which came out before the start of Game 6) that had multiple ads congratulating the Blues on winning the Stanley Cup(!)

 

Image from https://twitter.com/RandyScottESPN/status/1137779812884516864

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/at-last-the-st-louis-blues-are-first/article_c2952f1d-3cc7-5447-8671-3637e323166c.html

 

The Blues have broken the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL - for the first time in 52 years as a franchise, St. Louis wins the Cup!

 

St. Louis routed Boston on the road in Game 7 to the tune of a 4-1 win.  Some notable similarities to recent previous winners - a young, rookie goalie backstopped the team in the playoffs and the team fired their coach midway through the season.

 

The offseason officially begins today.

The NHL held their draft on Friday (round 1) and Saturday (rounds 2-7) - held just after the NBA draft on Thursday.  As much as I like hockey, the NHL draft is very buttoned-up/business-like and can't hold a candle to the fashion show craziness of the NBA draft.  Plus, with my CBJ having no 1st or 2nd-round picks this year, there wasn't much incentive for me to watch it this time.  The same can also be said for the NHL Awards Show held last Wednesday.  However, host Kenan Thompson showed why he is a national comedic treasure with this joke about the Tampa Bay Lightning in his opening monologue:

 

"A shout out to my Tampa folks.  They tied an NHL record for the most wins in the regular season with 62.  And then they followed it up by tying the least wins in the playoffs with 0.  But that's what I like about them.  Win or lose - they set records!" 

The joke was a big hit in the arena.  Even most of the Tampa Bay players went along with it and forced a smile.  But not Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was absolutely stone-faced!  Although in the reaction shot below, CBJ captain Nick Foligno, sitting three rows behind Vasilevskiy, has the biggest grin of anyone!

I've said before in this thread that NHL teams are notorious for firing head coaches quickly into a season.  Up until yesterday (about 1/4 into the 2019-20 season) no NHL head coaches had been fired.  Then the hammer dropped yesterday - and it was in an expected location:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28124889/here-why-toronto-maple-leafs-fired-mike-babcock-now-happens-next

 

Toronto - "the center of the hockey universe" - axed Babs(!)  Mike Babcock was a splashy hire in 2015 for Toronto.  Babcock, an Ontario native, had just finished a 10-year run with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2008 and guided a talented team at the top of the NHL standings.  After a non-playoff reset first season with Toronto, Babcock guided the Maple Leafs to the playoffs in the next three seasons.  However, Toronto also had first-round exits in each of those seasons.

 

This season - after an off-season that saw a roster shake-up - Toronto got off to a sluggish start.  They are currently 9-10-4 and lost their last five games.  So, in classic NHL fashion, the head coach was let go to shake up the team.  However, Babcock's eight-year contract worth $50 million (an average of $6.25 million per season) made him the highest-paid coach in NHL history.  And Toronto still owes him three more full seasons plus the remainder of this season.  A hefty price to "shake up the team"(!)

 

But if any NHL team can afford to do this, it's Toronto.

Another NHL head coach is out.  But this one - Calgary's Bill Peters - went out "Don Cherry style".  And I don't mean wearing loud sportcoats:

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/bill-peters-resigns-as-flames-coach-after-admitting-to-using-racial-slur-towards-ex-player/

Some much better news for Calgary:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28232060/flames-sign-35-year-deal-new-downtown-arena

 

The team, the city and the Calgary Stampede rodeo have signed an agreement to replace the 36-year-old Saddledome arena that is the current home for the Flames.  The new 19,000-seat arena will cost at least $417 million, with the cost being split by the city and the Flames ownership.

 

The new arena will be located just north of the current Saddledome (and hopefully out of the flood plain so they don't get a repeat of 2013).  Construction is expected to begin in 2021, with the old arena being demolished around 2024-25.  This project is part of a downtown revitalization where the new arena will be part of a planned entertainment district bordering the Calgary Stampede grounds.

 

The NHL Coaching Carousel continues:

• NJ Devils fired their head coach last week because of a poor start (second to last in the entire league - only the tanking Red Wings are worse) - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/devils/2019/12/03/john-hynes-fired-new-jersey-devils-coach/2600923001/

• In an irony, the Devils are playing the Dallas Stars tonight - who just fired their head coach today(!)  But the Stars firing was not because of poor play.  The Stars fired their head coach “due to unprofessional conduct” (their exact words).  Apparently, the Stars coach did something over the weekend that was bad enough to get him fired - but the Stars would rather not get into any details:  http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/12/10/stars-fire-head-coach-jim-montgomery-due-to-unprofessional-conduct/

Arizona made a big trade today - acquiring former #1 overall pick and All-Star Taylor Hall from New Jersey.  But I like the Yotes twitter style too - plus the reply:

The NHL held their annual New Year's Day outdoor game - The Winter Classic - yesterday.  The league has been staging these every year since 2008 (except for 2013, when the game was cancelled due to the lockout).  This time it was at the historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  Host Dallas defeated Nashville.

 

It's the first Winter Classic featured two teams from the American South and was the southernmost venue for the Winter Classic (game time temp was 51).  85,630 people attended, which made it the second-biggest crowd in NHL history - behind the 105,491 at the 2014 Winter Classic in Michigan Stadium.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/stars-victory-against-predators-caps-perfect-day-at-winter-classic/c-313351854?tid=283985238

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28401085/nhl-winter-classic-quiz-how-well-do-know-hockey-midwinter-event

 

 

 

On 12/10/2019 at 6:57 PM, Columbo said:

The Stars fired their head coach “due to unprofessional conduct” (their exact words).  Apparently, the Stars coach did something over the weekend that was bad enough to get him fired - but the Stars would rather not get into any details:  http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/12/10/stars-fire-head-coach-jim-montgomery-due-to-unprofessional-conduct/

 

Okay, now this firing - and the way the Dallas Stars announced it - makes sense:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28416680/fired-stars-coach-jim-montgomery-checking-rehab-alcohol-abuse

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2020/01/07/predators-name-john-hynes-coach-replace-laviolette/2829630001/

 

Nashville fired their head coach and replaced him with the head coach that NJ fired one month ago.  Because that's how the NHL Coaching Carousel goes.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28490076/gerard-gallant-firing-peter-deboer-hiring-vegas-golden-knights

 

Another edition of the NHL Coaching Carousel.  This edition's victim is Gerard Gallant.  Vegas fired Gallant and named Peter DeBoer as their new head coach.  DeBoer was fired a month ago by San Jose(!)

 

This is the 7th HC firing in this season and the second time a previously fired HC was named as new HC,

 

 

The NHL had their All-Star weekend in St. Louis (a nice coincidence with the Blues being the defending Stanley Cup champs).  Below are the 2020 All- Star Game uniforms.  Nobody on twitter seemed to like them(!)  But personally, this is what I want to see in an ASG jersey.  Something simple and classic - but especially because you can see the individual team logos.  Past ASG jerseys that used leftover color combos like purple, orange and green made you understand why those color combos were unused.  I'd be fine if they used this more basic approach again.

 

For all the success that the NHL's All-Star weekend had in St. Louis - there was one part that went off the rails.  Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong dropped multiple f-bombs during their live on-ice performance that NBC had to mute the audio on(!)

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/479981-green-days-billie-joe-armstrong-drops-multiple-f-bombs-during-performance-at

 

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28701145/wild-fire-coach-bruce-boudreau-playoff-surge

 

In the NHL Coaching Carousel, it is never too early or too late in the season to fire a head coach.  And the team doesn't even need to be playing badly either - because NHL Coaching Carousel.

 

This edition's victim is Bruce Boudreau of the Minnesota Wild.  His four-season stint with the Wild was - well, wild - as this was the third GM to oversee Boudreau's tenure there.  The timing of the firing this late in the season is curious.  The Wild have surged lately, winning seven of 11 games (going 7-3-1) to move within three points of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.  But Boudreau, 65, was in the final year of his contract.

 

Boudreau went 158-110-35 with the Wild, making the playoffs in his first two seasons but losing in the first round in five games both times.  In 13 seasons as a head coach with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and the Wild, Boudreau is 567-302-115, having made the playoffs 10 times.

 

Boudreau joins a collection of big-name, successful head coaches looking for jobs - including former Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette, former Vegas Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant and former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock.

 

This is the 8th HC firing this season.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28683219/blues-say-jay-bouwmeester-alert-heart-episode-bench-game-postponed

 

There was a scary situation in an NHL game this week when St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was taken to the hospital after he suffered a cardiac episode on the bench during Tuesday's game in Anaheim.  The 36-year-old defenseman had finished a normal shift about midway though the game's first period when he slumped over unconscious while sitting on the bench.  Medical personnel quickly got over to him and revived him with defibrillator and took him to a hospital.

 

Bouwmeester was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, had a corrective procedure later in the week and is doing well: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28701438/jay-bouwmeester-undergoes-procedure-restore-heart-normal-rhythm

 

This incident is almost identical to an incident that happened when the Blue Jackets were playing at Dallas in 2014.  In the middle of that game, Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed while sitting on the bench and was also revived with a defibrillator.  Unlike Bouwmeester, the then 31-year-old Peverley was previously diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and had a corrective procedure in the previous off-season to address it.  Peverley recovered from that incident, but never played another NHL game - officially retiring two seasons later.

The NHL held this season's second U.S. outdoor game (called the Stadium Series) over the weekend at the Air Force Academy's football stadium in Colorado Springs.  The Avs hosted the L.A. Kings at this location some 70 miles south of Denver. 

 

Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the proceedings when a couple of accidents on the interstate connecting Denver to Colorado Springs led to massive traffic jams that turned the normal hour-long journey into 4+ hour trips.

 

From https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28713085/hockey-fans-miss-large-portions-kings-avs-game-air-force-falcon-stadium-traffic

Quote

As the Stadium Series game started, lines of cars seeking to enter the parking lots were visible from the stadium.  There were still cars sitting bumper-to-bumper trying to enter as the second period started.  Fans were still entering the stadium during the second intermission, nearly two hours after the event started.

 

And then of course there was the normal nit-picking from the peanut gallery:

 

The Great Eight became the 8th player in NHL history to reach 700 goals last night.

 

Ovechkin was also the second fastest in games played to reach that mark.  The fastest was The Great One.  With 894 goals, Wayne Gretzky holds the record - a record thought to be out of reach.  But at the rate Ovi is scoring - 49 & 51 in the past two seasons to lead the league and 42 so far this season, only 3 behind the league leader - Gretzky's goal record seems within Ovi's reach.

 

Ovi is 34 and will be 35 at the beginning next season.  Gretzky played until he was 38.  Four more seasons at Ovi's current scoring rate would get him close to the 894-goal record.  However, The Great One's assist record of 1,963 and point record of 2,857 still aren't anywhere close to being threatened.

 

NHL targeting $84M to $88.2M salary cap next season

 

The NHL's salary cap is projected to be between $84 million and $88.2 million for the 2020-21 season - an uptick from the current cap of $81.5 million - the league told its general managers at their annual March meetings this week.

 

The exact figure for next season will be negotiated with the NHL Players' Association.  The cap - which is calculated on a percentage of hockey-related league revenue for the previous season - indicates the NHL is steadily growing as it prepares to welcome its 32nd team, Seattle, for the 2021-22 season.

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28836035/nhl-targeting-84m-882m-salary-cap-next-season

Sharks may play home games in empty arena after Santa Clara mass gatherings ban

 

The San Jose Sharks are known for having one of the loudest home ice advantages in the NHL at SAP Center, better known as the Shark Tank.  But after Santa Clara County banned mass gatherings for three weeks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Sharks may play their next home games inside of an empty Tank.

 

Santa Clara County's Public Health Department on Monday announced a mandatory order requiring cancellation of "mass gatherings" of more than 1,000 people for three weeks while it studies the spread of the virus and more coronavirus tests become available.  That ban includes all events at SAP Center in San Jose, where the Sharks have three home games scheduled during that span.

 

A league source told ESPN that the NHL, rather than the team, will ultimately determine what happens to Sharks home games against Montreal (March 19), Boston (March 21) and Arizona (March 29).  The most likely scenario is that they're played at SAP Center without any fans present.  It's a situation being faced by other sports leagues around the globe, including Switzerland's National League, which played regular-season games in an empty arena after its government banned mass gatherings.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28878386/sharks-play-home-games-empty-arena-santa-clara-mass-gatherings-ban

NHL is the next league to suspend their season:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28891430/sources-nhl-suspending-play-immediately-due-virus

COLUMBUS LISTED AS CANDIDATE TO HOST NHL RETURN GAMES, PER REPORT

 

Johnston joined the Sportsnet Today podcast on Monday to discuss the talk around the NHL looking to resume the suspended season in the next few months - and some of that talk is surrounding certain cities being "hub" cities for the entire league. And at the moment, "Vegas is most likely" but Columbus is "likely going to be the other one".

 

...

 

"It does sound as though we're potentially looking at two cities (Vegas and Columbus) where each conference puts 12 teams aside to play some games before the playoffs and then go into an expanded playoff-like tournament, but again that hasn't been fully agreed upon at this hour."

 

More here:

https://www.1stohiobattery.com/columbus-blue-jackets-news/2020/05/4807/columbus-listed-as-candidate-to-host-nhl-return-games-per-report

Edited May 20, 20205 yr by TH3BUDDHA

7 hours ago, TH3BUDDHA said:

COLUMBUS LISTED AS CANDIDATE TO HOST NHL RETURN GAMES, PER REPORT

 

Johnston joined the Sportsnet Today podcast on Monday to discuss the talk around the NHL looking to resume the suspended season in the next few months - and some of that talk is surrounding certain cities being "hub" cities for the entire league. And at the moment, "Vegas is most likely" but Columbus is "likely going to be the other one".

 

...

 

"It does sound as though we're potentially looking at two cities (Vegas and Columbus) where each conference puts 12 teams aside to play some games before the playoffs and then go into an expanded playoff-like tournament, but again that hasn't been fully agreed upon at this hour."

 

More here:

https://www.1stohiobattery.com/columbus-blue-jackets-news/2020/05/4807/columbus-listed-as-candidate-to-host-nhl-return-games-per-report

 

Thanks for posting this.

 

I've been hearing alot of behind-the-scenes rumors about getting the NHL reopened and finishing the 2019-20 season.  Up to now, they've talked about a four location setup (one for each division) and using two cities in Canada and two cities in the United States.  But as was said in that article, anyone arriving in Canada would be subject to a 14-day quarantine period.

 

So the latest thinking is using two U.S. cities - one for each conference.  I'll bet most hockey fans are saying "Why Columbus?" as one of the sites:

• Nationwide Arena plus its attached practice rink would be one primary location.
• The Schottenstein Center on the OSU campus with their nearby practice facility would be a second primary location.
• Additionally, there are four Chiller locations in Central Ohio that would add seven NHL-sized ice rinks for team practice (8 rinks if a Chiller-affiliate in Springfield is added).
• And neither primary facility is shared with an NBA team, which would be an added complication.
• Plus there are 1000's of hotel rooms available within walking distance of NWA, three miles from the Schott, and within easy shuttle transport to the Chiller practice facilities.

Las Vegas has a similar setup as Columbus, with two primary locations, ample hotel rooms and suitable practice facilities.

 

NHL takes another step toward re-opening their season.  The players association approved the league's 24-team re-opening format:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29211505/nhlpa-board-approves-league-plan-24-team-playoffs-coronavirus-return

Wow. I would actually watch hockey to see a live sport!! I've been watching the Bundesliga games but I couldn't bring myself to watch South Korean baseball...

 

 

18 minutes ago, KJP said:

I've been watching the Bundesliga games

How is the fake crowd noise?

11 minutes ago, TH3BUDDHA said:

How is the fake crowd noise?

 

I watched some the Bundesliga the last two weeks.  I don't think they had the fake crowd on the first week, but they did for the next week.

 

Personally, I preferred the fake crowd noise.  Without it, you heard too much from the coaches and players - plus there was a mechanical sound every 30 seconds of some of the field ads rotating.  It was so noticeable that the announcers had the explain what it was.

 

4 hours ago, KJP said:

 

 

 

The NHL also announced that it is targeting "early June" for Phase 2 of its return to play strategy.

• Phase 1 involved players and staff entering self-quarantine.
• Phase 2 involves small groups of players (the league specifies six players, with a limited number of staff) returning to team facilities for non-contact skating sessions.  The league didn’t detail exactly when Phase 2 will begin (again, the goal is “early June”). But "early June" indicates that the NHL could theoretically begin Phase 2 as early as this week.  However, it’s not clear how long Phase 2 might last for the NHL either.

The NHL didn’t publicly announce dates for Phase 3 (training camp) or Phase 4 (return to play).

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29219319/nhl-moving-voluntary-small-group-training-phase-2-return

 

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/05/25/nhl-targets-early-june-for-phase-2-of-return-to-play-plans/

 

The NHL is moving into Phase 2 of its Return-To-Play plan, by opening team facilities to limited scale practice and training tomorrow:

 

^ Despite this good news about Phase 2 (limited practice & training) beginning tomorrow, the NHL still has a ways to go before its 2019-20 season restarts.  They still need to announce dates for Phase 3 (full training camp) and then Phase 4 (return to play). 

 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hasn't announced these dates yet, but given his comments in a recent interview, it is thought that full team training camps might open "no earlier than July 10" and that the possible resumption of the season "by early August".

 

Bettman also said he thought the decision on choosing the two hub cities for the reopened season (i.e. playoffs) was "about two or three weeks away".  Informed speculation is that Las Vegas is thought to be a lock for the Western hub city - and that the Eastern hub city is down to Toronto or Columbus.

 

It is thought that the league would very much like to choose Toronto as the Eastern hub city - given its hockey importance, quality facilities and a favorable exchange rate ($100 US = $133 CAN) that would save some money holding it there.  But if Canada doesn't drop its mandatory 14-day quarantine period for anyone entering the country (or exempt NHL personnel from the requirement) they won't be able to.  So its thought that the NHL is giving Canada as much time as they can to make that happen:

 

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/06/03/decision-on-nhl-return-to-play-hub-cities-weeks-away/

NHL plans to open training camps for season restart July 10

 

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association have announced that formal training camps for the 24 teams resuming play will begin on Friday, July 10, if conditions related to the coronavirus pandemic allow it.

 

The league and its players are currently in Phase 2 of their "return to play" protocol, as NHL team training centers were reopened this week for small groups of players.  Phase 3 is the opening of training camps, which are expected to last upward of three weeks.  Phase 4, the restart of the 2019-20 NHL season with a 24-team postseason tournament, would commence in August.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29297540/nhl-plans-open-training-camps-season-restart-july-10

On 6/7/2020 at 2:12 PM, Columbo said:

Informed speculation is that Las Vegas is thought to be a lock for the Western hub city - and that the Eastern hub city is down to Toronto or Columbus.

 

It is thought that the league would very much like to choose Toronto as the Eastern hub city - given its hockey importance, quality facilities and a favorable exchange rate ($100 US = $133 CAN) that would save some money holding it there.  But if Canada doesn't drop its mandatory 14-day quarantine period for anyone entering the country (or exempt NHL personnel from the requirement) they won't be able to.  So its thought that the NHL is giving Canada as much time as they can to make that happen:

 

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/06/03/decision-on-nhl-return-to-play-hub-cities-weeks-away/

 

Welp, it looks like Toronto has the inside track to be the second NHL hub city.  The NHL's return-to-play plan required an exemption from Canada allowing players and team officials to cross the border without entering a 14-day quarantine.  Today, they got that exemption:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29334770/canada-allow-nhl-playing-pandemic

 

However, the NHL's return-to-play also hit a bump when the Tampa Bay Lightning closed their facilities indefinitely Thursday after three players and "additional staff members" tested positive for COVID-19.  The team said the players were largely asymptomatic and were self-isolating.  The move came as baseball's Philadelphia Phillies announced that some of its players and staff had tested positive in nearby Clearwater, Florida.

At least eleven players have tested positive (as of the end of last week).  Not sure this is going to go as smoothly as they think.

Confirmation that Columbus won't be one the NHL hub cities.  The consensus is it might be Vegas and a Canadian city (likely Toronto).  But with the way the U.S. is screwing up its COVID-19 response, I wouldn't be surprised if an all-Canadian hub city arrangement is used.  Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver are still in the mix:

 

It's probably for the best.  Let it be Edmonton and Toronto.

Amazon buys the naming rights to Seattle's renovated KeyArena, but will call it Climate Pledge Arena and says it will be powered 100% by renewable electricity:

 

While I appreciate the idea...

 

1).  You know you got Amazon money when you can just slap that bullsh_t onto an arena.

2).  A bit Portlandia?

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

While I appreciate the idea...

 

1).  You know you got Amazon money when you can just slap that bullsh_t onto an arena.

2).  A bit Portlandia?

 

I used to be a bit embarrassed that Ohio State named its new basketball facility Value City Arena.

 

But that name is looking better every year.

Okay.  So this is obviously a weird season because of the COVID-19 shutdown and the plan to restart the season at a later date.  If this were a normal season, the Stanley Cup would have been awarded, the entry draft would have taken place, and teams would be preparing for the July 1st opening of free agency.  But of course, none of that has happened yet, because of this season's pause.

 

Seven teams were eliminated from the season restart and 24 teams were placed in the playoff games to restart the season.  Eight teams from each conference will face each other in the first-round of these modified playoffs.  But before the playoffs begin, the NHL scheduled a 2020 draft lottery on Friday.

 

Normally there would be 15 teams in the NHL draft lottery to determine the 2020 draft order.  But only 7 teams are currently eligible for the lottery.  The other 8 teams normally eligible for the lottery (because they missed the playoffs) have not been determined yet.  These 8 teams will become "eligible" if they lose the best-of-5 first round series.  Now, the NHL could have waited until those first-round losing teams are determined and then hold the draft lottery.  But instead, the league went with a weird format of having a draft lottery with seven "real" teams and 8 "placeholder" teams.

And with this weird format, the NHL got this weird result:

A team to be determined got the #1 overall pick (technically Team E).  So this means that another draft lottery will be held after all the best-of-5 qualifying playoff games are finished.  And in this second lottery, each of those eight losing teams will have an equal chance at winning the #1 overall pick (12.5% chance).  Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Carolina, Columbus, NYI, NYR, Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, and Nashville are all currently teams will a possibility of getting that top pick.

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29372063/loser-upcoming-qualifying-round-wins-nhl-draft-lottery

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29371073/2020-nhl-draft-lottery-winners-losers-big-questions-chaos-no-1-detroit-letdown

 

Weird.  But why should anything about this season be normal?