This NHL selection of the restart hub cities is really draggggingggg ooouuuuttttt:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29366707/vancouver-running-hub-city-nhl-season-restart

 

Another city was eliminated from hosting the NHL season restart.  According to sources, Vancouver is out of running to be hub city.  Columbus, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Minnesota were previously dropped before Vancouver's removal from the list.

 

Las Vegas has remained a speculative front-runner for one of the hub cities, despite rising coronavirus numbers in Nevada.  Chicago and Los Angeles are also U.S. cities still in the running.  A source told ESPN that there was a "good chance" the NHL could have one or both hub cities in Canada and that the league has intensified talks with Edmonton and Toronto.

July 1 was Canada Day - and yesterday was a pretty happy Canada Day for Canada in regards to hub city news.

 

Although it is still not official, a torrent of reports came out yesterday that Toronto and Edmonton would be named the two NHL hub cities for the 2020 playoffs:

 

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/report-toronto-edmonton-expected-to-be-named-hub-cities-142642824.html

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29392649/nhl-eyeing-toronto-edmonton-hub-cities-season-restart

https://nypost.com/2020/07/01/nhl-finalizing-toronto-edmonton-as-hub-cities-for-playoffs/

Makes the most sense.

Looks like it is Edmonton and Toronto for the hub cities.  More about the NHL restart below the ESPN link:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29415632/source-nhl-nhlpa-finalize-protocols-season-resume-edmonton-toronto

Quote

 

The NHL and NHLPA have finalized the protocols for the season to resume this summer in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.  As of Sunday night, the sides were still finalizing the details of a memorandum of understanding for a collective bargaining agreement extension.

 

The Phase 3 (training camp) and Phase 4 (24-team tournament) return-to-play protocols will need to be approved by the NHLPA's executive committee, which is composed of one representative from each of the 31 teams.  Once that is done, the entire package -- both the return-to-play protocol and the CBA extension -- will go to a full membership vote of all NHL players.

 

The NHL is targeting a July 13 start date for training camps.  If all goes according to plan, teams will travel to the hub cities on July 25 or July 26, and games will begin by Aug. 1.  The Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto, and the Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton.

 

The 24-team tournament will conclude with a Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, likely in early October.

 

 

NHL, NHLPA approve restart plan, 4-year CBA extension

 

The NHLPA and the NHL board of governors announced Friday night that they have approved a package that not only will allow the league to restart this summer but also includes a four-year CBA extension.

 

Training camps for NHL teams will open Monday.  The 24-team tournament will then begin on Aug. 1 in two hub cities -- Edmonton for the Western Conference, and Toronto for the Eastern Conference.  To maximize the number of games televised, start times will be scheduled on a staggered basis with the 10 days of qualifying games in Toronto slated to start at noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET.  The start times for the three game windows in Edmonton will be 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET.

 

The NHL is creating a bubble environment in two campus-like setups, with players and staffers being tested daily for COVID-19.  Players' families will not be able to join them in the hub cities until the conference finals, which are expected to take place in Edmonton.

 

According to a new critical dates calendar, the Stanley Cup Final is expected to begin Sept. 22 and end no later than Oct. 4.  The NHL draft is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 9-10.  And the NHL is targeting a Dec. 1 start date for the 2020-21 season, although that is subject to change.  According to multiple sources, the league is keen on having a full 82-game schedule next season, even if that means awarding the 2021 Stanley Cup in July.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29442453/nhl-nhlpa-approve-restart-plan-4-year-cba-extension

In addition to restarting the season with the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, yesterday's agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA accomplished two other major goals:

 

-- A four-year CBA extension -- The current CBA was due to expire in September 2022.  The new CBA would overwrite the current agreement for the next two seasons and add another four seasons, guaranteeing labor-management peace through the 2025-26 season.

 

-- A return to the Olympics -- The new CBA would allow NHL players to return to the Olympics in 2022 and 2026 -- pending an agreement with the IIHF and IOC.  The NHL did not permit players to attend the 2018 Olympics for the first time since 1994.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29441484/olympics-flat-salary-cap-changes-free-agency-biggest-takeaways-nhl-new-cba

55 minutes ago, Columbo said:

Training camps for NHL teams will open Monday.  The 24-team tournament will then begin on Aug. 1 in two hub cities -- Edmonton for the Western Conference, and Toronto for the Eastern Conference.  To maximize the number of games televised, start times will be scheduled on a staggered basis with the 10 days of qualifying games in Toronto slated to start at noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET.  The start times for the three game windows in Edmonton will be 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET.

 

Just came across this schedule chart for the upcoming 10 days of qualifying games (plus the round robin games for the top 4 conference teams)

 

 

its kraken for seattle:

 

 

https://www.amny.com/sports/nhls-new-seattle-franchise-officially-named-the-kraken/

30 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

its kraken for seattle:

 

 

https://www.amny.com/sports/nhls-new-seattle-franchise-officially-named-the-kraken/

 

I didn't think Seattle would have the guts to go with the Kraken(!)  I think the new name, uniforms and logo are a home run (to mix sports metaphors):

 

 

And an internet meme cheer too:  https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/release-the-kraken

 

 

its alright, but they blew it by not going with the sir-mix-a-lots.  ?

 

 

I'm still not wild about the name Kraken, but I think the branding is really well done

I like it.  They already have an official Rum sponsor (Kraken).  It's also a bit more mysterious/ominous than the Sockeye(s).

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29520108/how-seattle-nhl-team-became-kraken

 

Apparently, the urban myth is that the idea started in 2018 with a hand-written post-it note on the team door.  I'm sure *someone* came up with the idea, but no one is stepping forward so far.

 

Other names considered:

-Metropolitans (shut down by the NHL because of the currently-named Metropolitan Division)

-Sockeyes

-Totems

-Breakers

-Renegades

 

Given Seattle team names currently (Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders) I think Kraken works the best.

THE NHL IS BACK !!!

 

Normally, the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs comes after a grueling 82-game season.  Then the players find that higher gear for the playoffs and we have some compelling games.  But this year, there was a four-month break (about the length of a normal off-season).  And there was some concern that players might be sluggish or rusty like at the beginning of a regular season.

 

But there was no need for concern.  The first five qualifying games played yesterday were full of the typical Stanley Cup Playoff intensity NHL fans come to expect.  And what a day of return-to-hockey action.  Five games to binge-watch yesterday from Noon to Midnight(!)  H-E-double hockey sticks YEAH, the NHL is back!

 

But before they brought the Stanley Cup intensity - they brought the Social Conscience intensity:

 

 

NHL reports no positive coronavirus tests in either bubble

 

The NHL said on Monday that there have been no positive coronavirus tests through the first week in its two bubbles.

 

The NHL has administered 7,013 tests since the 24 teams arrived in Edmonton and Toronto on July 26.  Every member of each team's 52-person traveling party has been tested daily.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29589885/nhl-reports-no-positive-testsbubble

On 6/27/2020 at 10:17 PM, Columbo said:

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?

 

The NHL held their second draft lottery today to determine which of the eight eliminated qualifying round teams will get the #1 overall pick in the 2020 draft.  And the winner is ...

 

Heavy Ball Conspiracy Theory:

 

And

 

Some off-ice news from the NHL's Toronto bubble:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29660357/canadiens-coach-claude-julien-gets-stent-released-hospital

 

Montreal's 60-year-old head coach, Claude Julien, experienced chest pains and was rushed to a Toronto hospital for treatment.  Doctors inserted a stent into his coronary artery and he was released.  Coach Julian has returned to his home in Montreal and will be out for the remainder of the playoffs, but is expected to make a full recovery.

 

Claude Julien is one of those interesting hockey-lifers who had a long playing career and transitioned into a long coaching career.  Although, the contrast between his playing and coaching careers is striking:  

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Julien_(ice_hockey)

 

Claude Julien played 767 games in 12 professional seasons.  But only 14 of those games were in the NHL.  The remaining 753 games were in three different minor leagues as a defenseman from 1980 to 1992.

 

Julien's head coaching career started in 2002.  And he has been a head coach in every NHL season up to this current season.  He started with three seasons in Montreal and then one season for New Jersey.  After that he began a nearly 10-season run with the Boston Bruins - winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and reaching the Finals in 2013.  In 2017, he was fired before the end of his 10th season with the Bruins, but was then immediately hired by Montreal to begin his second run with the Canadiens.  Going into this 2019-20 season, Julien had coached 1,185 regular season games and 114 post-season games.

 

An additional contrast from his playing/coaching days is the way Claude Julien looked as a young player and then as a jolly (and slightly befuddled looking) older head coach behind the bench(!)

 

    

 

He is an NHL fan favorite and I wish him a speedy recovery.

^ Some very good news about Claude Julien:

 

Canadiens coach Claude Julien feels '100 percent' after heart procedure

 

Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien said he feels "100 percent" after undergoing a heart procedure that forced him to leave the NHL bubble, and said he will be ready to coach next season.

 

MORE:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29746470/canadiens-coach-claude-julien-feels-100-heart-procedure

A pause in the playoffs second round:

 

NHL playoff games postponed for Thursday, Friday to protest racism

Players from all eight remaining teams decide not to play; schedule will resume Saturday

 

MORE:  https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoff-games-postponed-to-protest-racism/c-318784770

Say goodbye to the Toronto bubble. ?

 

Both the Western Conference Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals are being held in the western bubble site of Edmonton - followed by the Stanley Cup Finals.  This was the plan going into the NHL Playoffs/Season Restart.

 

With only four teams remaining, the NHL is consolidating into one site and allowing family members to join players in the Edmonton bubble.  For the first three rounds, teams were only allowed 52-person traveling parties in Toronto and Edmonton that did not include family members.  For more details on the covid protocols that family members needed to follow to enter the bubble, see the ESPN article below:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29681074/protocols-place-families-join-nhl-bubble

 

The Western Conference Finals between Las Vegas and Dallas began last night.  The Eastern Conference Finals between Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders begins tonight. 

Tampa Bay Lightning are the 2020 Stanley Cup champions after winning Game 6 last night over the underdog Dallas Stars.

 

Tampa rebounded from a humbling first-round sweep by Columbus last year (after tying the NHL record for most regular season wins in 2018-19) to advance past the CBJ this year, then Boston, and then NYI to reach the Stanley Cup Finals and win their second franchise championship.

Defenseman Victor Hedman was named the Finals MVP.  And if you're wondering about the height difference, Hedman is 6'-6" before he puts on his skates - while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is not:

But the trophy everyone wanted to see presented was Lord Stanley's Cup.  Which the Commissioner presented to team captain Steven Stamkos - who was injured for the entire playoffs, except for Game 3 of the Finals, when he played in the first period of that game, shot once, and scored on his only shot before re-injuring himself(!) - ala Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series:

Meanwhile, back in Florida, Lightning fans celebrated in a very safe socially distanced way ?

 

So, the previous season restart and the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs were a resounding success.  Based on that, hockey fans anticipated a smooth, if delayed, start to the upcoming season - possibly beginning with a New Year's Day outdoor game.  But the owners and players seem to be having difficulty coming to an agreement.

 

The logistics of the upcoming season were already going to be a major challenge.  The Canadian border remains an issue - with a 14-day quarantine period still required when entering Canada.  Because of that, an all-Canadian division - in which the seven Canadian teams play only each another - seems very likely for the upcoming season.  And because of that, all the other divisions would need to be redrawn for the upcoming season.

 

But on top of that is the covid attendance restrictions that bar, or severely limit, in-game fans at arenas.  Because the NHL broadcast deals are less lucrative than other American pro leagues, in-game attendance makes up a significant portion of an NHL team's revenue stream.  Because of that, owners are asking for players to give up some revenue for the upcoming season.

 

However, the players just signed a new CBA last summer along with the 2020 restart agreement.  And they counter with, "Hey, we just signed this new contract, and you owners want to amend it already?".  ESPN has an article and one-minute video within that article, which summarizes the current situation:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30437399/gary-bettman-says-nhl-not-trying-back-cba

 

To me, the current situation seems like what MLB went through last spring/summer.  Both sides want to get the next season started, but have some legit issues to work through.  Meanwhile, the season restart date gets pushed back.  Right now, a mid- to late-January start seems the earliest possible.

I anticipate the players will agree to forgo some pay (either permanently or on a delayed basis that will be repaid later) in exchange for some serious concessions from the league that won't cost them as much money in the short term. But we'll see. The players definitely have the upper hand with the CBA they just signed.

The NHL has a tentative agreement to begin a 56-game season that would start January 13.  The deal would include an all-Canada division because of Canadian covid protocols:

 

Hockey is set to return January 13 after the NHL and players completed a deal Sunday to hold a 56-game season that would include playoffs lasting into July to award the Stanley Cup.  The regular season is scheduled to go until May 8 with a 16-team playoff to follow.

 

For the upcoming season the league will reorganize into four new divisions -- North, Central, East and West -- and all play will be within them for the entire regular season and through the first two rounds of the playoffs.  The top four teams in each division will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Here are the four new divisions for 2021:

 

NORTH:  Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.

 

CENTRAL:  Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

EAST:  Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

 

WEST:  Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-nhlpa-season-start-agreement/c-319839598

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-teams-in-new-divisions-for-2020-21-season/c-319844882

The NHL is trying to keep their 2021 season going - but it's getting more difficult.

 

Four teams - New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche - have had to temporarily shut down their seasons and postpone multiple games due to the NHL's COVID protocols.

 

Since the season began on January 13, 22 games have been postponed and around 90 players have appeared on the league's COVID protocol-related absence list - in which a player's status on the list doesn't necessarily mean he tested positive for the coronavirus; often, a player can end up on the list if he is deemed a close contact or because of travel and quarantine restrictions.

 

The NHL has instituted stricter protocols starting with yesterday's games.  But just like the NFL, MLB, MLS and the NBA, they're finding it's tricky to keep a season going in the U.S. without some serious hitches.

Much like the NFL, the NBA, MLB and MLS, some NHL teams have been hit with positive tests and postponed games.  But just like those other leagues, they've been working though it and keeping their season going.  All four of those teams mentioned in the 2/5 post have now resumed play.

 

Ironically, the only NHL games postponed this week were the games scheduled to be hosted by Dallas - who had its three home games postponed because of the on-going power outages in the State of Texas(!)

Outdoor games have become signature mid-season events for the NHL featuring lots of interesting venues with huge crowds.

 

However, because of covid protocols, the huge crowds for any outdoor games in 2021 were a no-go.  So for 2021, the NHL switched gears and thought "what if we had an outdoor game at a venue that we couldn't normally have with huge crowds"?  Like say, a wilderness location.

 

And so, this is why the NHL is holding a pair of outdoor games at the edge of Lake Tahoe this season:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/sports/hockey/nhl-outdoor-game-tahoe.html

https://www.nhl.com/news/lake-tahoe-games-will-be-must-watch-event/c-321563960

 

 

Now, although this looks like a wilderness location, it's actually on the 18th fairway at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort near the state line between Nevada and California - because you still need a certain amount of infrastructure, like power and buildings, to put on this event.  But it does achieve that wilderness scene they were looking for, with snow-capped mountains and an endless vista of pine trees along the edge of Lake Tahoe.

 

Colorado and Vegas will play Saturday at 3 p.m. on NBC -- Boston and Philadelphia will play Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC.

^ Last weekend's NHL outdoor games at Lake Tahoe were beautiful - but they didn't go off without a hitch:

As you can see, the non-crowd wilderness setting along Lake Tahoe was stunning.  However, the beautiful conditions turned out to be a little bit "too beautiful", as the clouds disappeared and then full sun conditions began to deteriorate the ice surface during the first period on Saturday.  During the first intermission of the Colorado-Vegas game, it was decided to postpone Saturday's match until after dark for better ice conditions.

 

Despite the frustration of the delay, it was the right call.  Later that night the ice conditions improved - as evidenced by this dazzling length-of-the-ice play made by Colorado all-star Nathan MacKinnon during "NHL Outdoors After Dark":

 

Sunday's game start was moved from 2PM EST (11AM local time) to 7:30PM EST (4:30PM local time) and went off without a hitch.  This is probably what the NHL should have done with the first game as well.  Having a start later in the afternoon meant the sun wasn't directly overhead and couldn't deteriorate the ice surface.  Plus, with a start time about a hour before sunset, the NHL got some beautiful daytime views for pre-game and the first period, stunning sunset conditions during the second period, and some moody night-time conditions in the third.

 

Here a sunset view from Sunday's Philadelphia-Boston game from https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/flyers/pictures-flyers-vs-bruins-nhl-outdoors-lake-tahoe-game

1 hour ago, Columbo said:

^ Last weekend's NHL outdoor games at Lake Tahoe were beautiful - but they didn't go off without a hitch:

As you can see, the non-crowd wilderness setting along Lake Tahoe was stunning.  However, the beautiful conditions turned out to be a little bit "too beautiful", as the clouds disappeared and then full sun conditions began to deteriorate the ice surface during the first period on Saturday.  During the first intermission of the Colorado-Vegas game, it was decided to postpone Saturday's match until after dark for better ice conditions.

 

Despite the frustration of the delay, it was the right call.  Later that night the ice conditions improved - as evidenced by this dazzling length-of-the-ice play made by Colorado all-star Nathan MacKinnon during "NHL Outdoors After Dark":

 

Sunday's game start was moved from 2PM EST (11AM local time) to 7:30PM EST (4:30PM local time) and went off without a hitch.  This is probably what the NHL should have done with the first game as well.  Having a start later in the afternoon meant the sun wasn't directly overhead and couldn't deteriorate the ice surface.  Plus, with a start time about a hour before sunset, the NHL got some beautiful daytime views for pre-game and the first period, stunning sunset conditions during the second period, and some moody night-time conditions in the third.

 

Here a sunset view from Sunday's Philadelphia-Boston game from https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/flyers/pictures-flyers-vs-bruins-nhl-outdoors-lake-tahoe-game

Thanks for the summary!!! I haven't been watching much hockey this year (sabres fan ☠️), so I was pleasantly surprised when I was flipping through channels and saw this. What an amazing scene and wonderful departure from the typical 'Stadium Series' games we'd be getting this time of year. I know the point of pro sports is making money for the owners, but man, I'd be game for more bucolic settings for games. 

 

Not sure if they still do this, but kind of reminds me of the Hockeytown USA/Hockeytown Canada games they used to do - I want to say those were preseason games, but they'd pick a random town and NHL would practice and play in old school barns. MLB might be a good model too- playing games in Williamsport for the LLWS, no real money to be had but an amazing scene.

6 hours ago, GISguy said:

Not sure if they still do this, but kind of reminds me of the Hockeytown USA/Hockeytown Canada games they used to do - I want to say those were preseason games, but they'd pick a random town and NHL would practice and play in old school barns. MLB might be a good model too- playing games in Williamsport for the LLWS, no real money to be had but an amazing scene.

 

Agree this was such a great and commendable idea by the NHL. Also I remember the MLB had games set for the Field of Dreams in Iowa, but then we got the plague. I'd sure love to see more of these non-traditional settings. 

The next logical step is to see the Detroit Lions play a game at their old field in Portsmouth, Ohio when they were the Portsmouth Spartans.

 

 

Or have the Colts play a game at their former home at Triangle Park in Dayton. Home of the... Dayton Triangles.

 

Any time I see Lake Tahoe I think of poor Fredo, drowned in that fishing accident.

Some big news on the NHL's new broadcasting deal announced today.  After 17 years away, the NHL is returning to ESPN:

 

https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/03/the-walt-disney-company-espn-and-national-hockey-league-reach-groundbreaking-long-term-agreement/

 

The seven-year deal for television, streaming & media rights begins with the 2021-22 season and runs through the 2027-28 season.  ABC will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final.  ABC & ESPN will also broadcast the final rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs plus select regular season games.  Additional select regular season games will be streamed exclusively on both ESPN+ and Hulu.  Plus the NHL’s out-of-market streaming package (NHL.TV) would now be part of an ESPN+ streaming subscription.

 

But possibly the best part of this ESPN deal for the NHL is that all those ESPN tv and radio programs will likely start discussing and promoting the NHL all season long instead of just during the Stanley Cup Final (as they currently do, if that).

The NHL's 2021 covid season has had a few positive tests and postponed games - but for the most part, it has gone fairly smoothly.  But now the NHL is facing a bigger hiccup in, of all places, Vancouver, Canada:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31210578/vancouver-canucks-21-players-positive-covid-19-source-outbreak-identified

 

Currently, the Canucks have 25 members of their organization, including 21 players, that have tested positive for a more infectious Brazilian variant of COVID-19.  The team said 18 roster and three taxi squad players have tested positive and they currently have 18 players on the COVID protocol list Tuesday.  This is the second most this season behind the New Jersey Devils' 19 players listed on Feb. 8 and 9.

 

Like the Devils in February, the Canucks have had to postpone five games.  The Devils recovered and continued with their season.  It's unknown if the Canucks will recover similarly - but fortunately for the NHL, this isn't a huge competitive issue.  The Canucks were not in a playoff position before they paused their season and weren't likely to make the 2021 playoffs.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31232091/vancouver-canucks-re-open-facility-sunday-resume-season-next-week

 

The Vancouver Canucks have been ok'd to re-open their facilities and will resume their season with a game on April 16.

 

The NHL says that Vancouver will be able to complete its full 56-game schedule.  However, the All-Canada North Division will now end its season on May 16 instead of the originally scheduled May 11.

 

In a statement, the league said "the NHL will continue to assess the progression of the regular season before announcing definitive dates for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs."

Late season covid concerns are becoming a bigger issue for the NHL:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31271075/vancouver-canucks-resume-play-sunday-covid-19-outbreak -- Vancouver's return to play got postponed from Friday to Sunday.  Some players questioned if they were ready to return after a lengthy covid break from play.  If the Canucks return on Sunday and have no further postponements, they would have to play their remaining 19 games in 32 days for a full 56-game season.

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31270724/colorado-avalanche-three-games-postponed-third-player-enters-covid-protocols -- As Vancouver works their way back, another western team has to postpone games.  The Colorado Avalanche have missed their last games and will not play until at least next Thursday after a third player was placed into the NHL's covid protocol list.  Unlike the Vancouver situation, this is a competitive issue for the league.  The Avs have the best record in their West division and the best record in the entire NHL.

On 4/17/2021 at 1:20 PM, Columbo said:

Late season covid concerns are becoming a bigger issue for the NHL:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31271075/vancouver-canucks-resume-play-sunday-covid-19-outbreak -- Vancouver's return to play got postponed from Friday to Sunday.  Some players questioned if they were ready to return after a lengthy covid break from play.  If the Canucks return on Sunday and have no further postponements, they would have to play their remaining 19 games in 32 days for a full 56-game season.

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31270724/colorado-avalanche-three-games-postponed-third-player-enters-covid-protocols -- As Vancouver works their way back, another western team has to postpone games.  The Colorado Avalanche have missed their last games and will not play until at least next Thursday after a third player was placed into the NHL's covid protocol list.  Unlike the Vancouver situation, this is a competitive issue for the league.  The Avs have the best record in their West division and the best record in the entire NHL.

 

Looks like the NHL's covid concerns are lessening.  Both Vancouver and Colorado have returned to play.

On 3/10/2021 at 9:10 PM, Columbo said:

Some big news on the NHL's new broadcasting deal announced today.  After 17 years away, the NHL is returning to ESPN:

 

https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/03/the-walt-disney-company-espn-and-national-hockey-league-reach-groundbreaking-long-term-agreement/

 

The seven-year deal for television, streaming & media rights begins with the 2021-22 season and runs through the 2027-28 season.  ABC will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final.  ABC & ESPN will also broadcast the final rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs plus select regular season games.  Additional select regular season games will be streamed exclusively on both ESPN+ and Hulu.  Plus the NHL’s out-of-market streaming package (NHL.TV) would now be part of an ESPN+ streaming subscription.

 

But possibly the best part of this ESPN deal for the NHL is that all those ESPN tv and radio programs will likely start discussing and promoting the NHL all season long instead of just during the Stanley Cup Final (as they currently do, if that).

 

NHL announced a secondary broadcasting deal with Turner for the next seven years:

 

The Final Four of 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs start today.

 

These playoffs have had a different format than any other year because the pandemic forced an all-Canada division.  This juggled the customary NHL East and NHL West Divisions into new East and West divisions for 2021 plus a Central division and the all-Canada North division.  The playoffs continued this 2021 East, West, North & Central division format, with the top 4 teams from each division playing until a winner emerged from each division.

 

So, we've got a Final Four, instead of an Eastern Conference Final and Western Conference Final this year.  The winners from each division also got reseeded for the Final Four, based on their overall record.  So, the 2021 NHL Final Four teams are:

 

(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (4) Montreal Canadiens

(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3) New York Islanders

 

TBL vs. NYI begins today.  TBL is the defending champion and has been unbeaten in the playoffs since their humbling sweep by the CBJ in 2019.  After that, TBL tweaked their high-skill lineup with some toughness and defense.  That approach - plus some great goaltending from the current best-goaltender-in-the-league, Andrei Vasilevskiy - has served them well in the postseason.

 

NYI is the same plucky team of overachievers led by HC Barry Trotz and GM Lou Lamoriello.  These old hands crafted a prototypical defense-first, hard-to-play-against team, that is in the NHL's "Final Four" in consecutive season.  TB vs NYI is a repeat of last year's Eastern Conference Final played in the 2020 bubble, which TBL won in 6.

 

Vegas is back in the "Final Four" after reaching the Western Conference Final last season.  In 2020, Vegas was eliminated in the WCF before reaching the Stanley Cup Final.  This is 3rd time Vegas has reached in "Final Four" in its 4 years of existence.  They reached the Cup Final is their very first year in 2018, losing to the Caps (coached by Barry Trotz).

 

Montreal is the team with the lowest regular-season point total to make the 2021 playoffs.  But their 33-year-old future HOF goaltender Carey Price is on a hot streak and leading a well-balanced team.  Montreal was down 3-1 to Toronto in the North Division's first round.  Then Price got hot and MON won the next three games against the Maple Leafs (crushing Leaf fans) and then swept Winnipeg in the next round.

 

Montreal will play its first game at Vegas tomorrow.  This will be the first time a Canadian team has played in the U.S. this season(!)  After the all-Canada North Division finished last weekend, the Canadian government approved an agreement with the NHL to allow for cross-border travel:

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31578263/nhl-canadian-government-reach-agreement-cross-border-travel-ahead-stanley-cup-semifinals

Seems weird that Vegas has a hockey team.

The Stanley Cup Finals begin tonight:  Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens

 

-- Tampa Bay is looking to be the first repeat championship since Pittsburgh in 2016 & 2017.

 

-- Montreal is the first Canadian team to reach the Finals since Vancouver in 2011.  And Montreal is looking to be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens won it in 1993.

 

-- The Lightning are the odds favorite.  They have the league's best goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy - and probably the most complete team in front of him.  They powered though Florida and Carolina before being taken to the Game 7 brink against the plucky New York Islanders.

 

-- Montreal came into the playoffs with the lowest regular season point total of any playoff team.  But then they eliminated #1 seed Toronto in 7; swept the remaining Canadian team Winnipeg; then knocked off the team that had the most regular season points, Vegas, in 6 to reach the Finals.  They are led by 31-year-old future HOF goaltender Carey Price, who has been superb in the playoffs.

 

-- Usually, these two teams play in the Atlantic Division.  But thanks to the 2021 realignment due to covid, Game 1 of the Finals will be the first time they've met all season.

you are now able to walk through the courtyard of the manhattan west development, which i did the other day and i saw the new nhl hq and store under construction. looks like what i think is the nhl shop will be ready to be open for the fall. i looked in some windows and wasn't 100% sure if it was the entrance to the nhl hq offices or an nhl shop, but looked like it would be the latter.

Hopefully, Montreal will win the series and bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada where it belongs.

30 minutes ago, skiwest said:

Hopefully, Montreal will win the series and bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada where it belongs.

 

A city that would just as soon not be part of Canada....

The Lightning just look too good through two games.  I guess when you have a $98m payroll for the playoffs, you do end up with better players than in a hard cap regular season.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/2021-nhl-awards-connor-mcdavid-takes-home-hart-and-art-ross-marc-andre-fleury-wins-vezina-trophy/

 

-McDavid won the Hart Trophy (league MVP) as a unanimous winner for only the second time in league history.  The other guy?  Some dude named Gretzky.

-Marc-Andre Fleury won his first Vezina - it was actually the first time he was a finalist for the award, surprisingly.  He "only" started 36 games but it was enough for Flower.

-Adam Fox won the Norris, in a bit of a surprise (though he probably did have the best all around season by a Dman).  It was a surprise because a) he's the first guy to ever win it on a team that did not make the playoffs and b) he joins Bobby Orr as the only defenseman to win the award in his first or second season.  It's a bit more of a "legacy" award.

-Kirill Kaprizov won 99 of 100 votes for the Calder (Rookie of the Year).  Some speculation he's going to head back to the KHL if he can't reach a contract agreement with Minnesota (hard to tell what's noise and what's legitimate).

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31701043/seattle-kracken-name-dave-hakstol-their-first-head-coach

 

The Seattle Kraken named their first head coach last week - Dave Hakstol.  That is, certainly, a choice.

 

ESPN will be taking over main broadcasting rights nationally of the NHL next year.  They announced their team this week:

 

League calendar now flips over on July 28th - with covid and the flat cap, who knows what to make of it but that's typically when we see a free agency bonanza over 48 to 72 hours.  There's also the Expansion Draft to consider, which takes place a week before on July 21st.  The entry draft is July 23rd and 24th.

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-announces-2022-all-star-game-winter-classic-and-stadium-series-events/c-325499840

 

Quote

The Vegas Golden Knights will host the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

All-Star Weekend will be the first in-season NHL event hosted by the city of Las Vegas and the Golden Knights since their inaugural season of 2017-18.

 

The 2022 NHL Winter Classic will be Jan. 1, 2022, at Target Field in Minneapolis, home of the MLB's Minnesota Twins. The 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game will be Feb. 26, 2022, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

 

Commissioner Bettman also said the NHL is planning to hold a Tim Hortons Heritage Classic in March but had no other details.

 

Teams to have never appeared in an outdoor NHL game:

-Arizona Coyotes

-Columbus Blue Jackets

-Florida Panthers

-Seattle Kraken

 

Teams to have never hosted an outdoor NHL game:

-the above teams

-New York Rangers (to comply with a property tax exemption at MSG, they must play all their home games there, but they have played outdoor games in New York as the "visiting" team)

-Anaheim Ducks

-Tampa Bay Lightning

-Vegas Golden Knights

-Montreal Canadiens

-Carolina Hurricanes (Commissioner Bettman mentioned them specifically as getting one in the future - so probably the '22-'23 season)

Tampa - city of champions. 

 

 Lightening:  two consecutive Stanley Cups  

 Buccaneers: Super Bowl champs

 Rays: AL champs (and they probably should have won the World Series)