The Hockey News Mar. 9, 2020 - Superstar Issue

HOCKEY HAS A RAP, bad or otherwise, for being staid, stuck in tradition, resistant to change. That wasn’t always the case. There was a time the game was as innovative as the ShamWow. Granted it was the early 20th Century, the era that gave rise to such marvellous inventions as the teddy bear, fortune cookies and the theory of relativity, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. As much as anyone, Frank Patrick – with help from brother Lester – was at the business end of hockey’s cutting edge. He’s credited with the construction of hockey’s first artificial rinks in Canada, the introductions of the blueline, forward pass and penalty shots, the creation of assists on goals and an attempt to form a women’s league. And it’s entirely possible Frank (or Lester)…

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There’s no other answer than Leon Draisaitl. His 1.61 points per game is the highest in the league since Crosby in 2010-11. McDavid, Neal, Kassian, Russell and others are all out of the lineup and he’s carrying the Oilers (who are first in the Pacific). It’s not a debate.@mitchywoo People who say Draisaitl “and it’s not close” are being hyperbolic and not looking at the details. Measuring goals and primary assists only, it’s Draisaitl with 70 to Pastrnak’s 69. ‘Pasta’ has a Corsi For of 54 to Draisaitl’s 47. David Pastrnak is the winner here (albeit it’s VERY close).@pozzolane Nathan MacKinnon. The stats clearly show that he’s putting the team on his back night after night. No other player has as much distance in scoring from the second-place guy on the team.…

DOING SOMETHING unprecedented is usually a good thing in the NHL, but the Arizona Coyotes have made news for the wrong reasons. As first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Coyotes were being investigated for allegedly putting at least 20 draft-eligible prospects through physical testing this season, which violates NHL rules. There are sometimes gray areas in the rulebook, but not when it comes to the fitness testing of draft-eligible players. And that’s why even seasoned hockey executives hadn’t heard about a case like this before. “Never,” said one GM. “The rules are so strict on this.” Basically, it’s an ironclad law: NHL teams are not permitted to work out players before the NHL draft combine, which is held every summer, typically in early June. The rule has been on the books…

JOHN GIBSON | ANAHEIM DUCKS WHEN KOBE BRYANT, HIS daughter Gianna and seven others died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash, the grief transcended basketball. Athletes across sports paid their respects. Gibson did so via mask art from Shell Shock Designs. The sides feature Kobe’s L.A. Lakers jersey numbers, 8 and 24, with the years of his five NBA titles and career-high single-game point total (81). On the back: a silhouette of Kobe and Gianna, plus the names of the other victims.…

SIOUX FALLS STAMPEDE | 2019-20 THE USHL’S DEFENDING CLARK CUP champions held their annual wiener dog race in February. It’s been 13 years of dashing dachshunds, and the team rebranded itself as the Fighting Wiener Dogs for the occasion, complete with special uniforms. Sioux Falls already has the benefit of a nice color scheme, but the sight of charging wiener dogs on the crest really makes this one a winner. On top of watching races during intermissions, fans could learn about adopting dogs from the Dakota Dachshund Rescue. Proceeds from a jersey auction and chuck-a-puck also went to the rescue organization.…