The Hockey News May 25, 2020 - The Inspiration Issue

IF YOU WERE BORN before the NHL’s first lockout, you’re old enough to remember the second and probably desensitized enough to not care much about the third. It was No. 2 that wrought the most anguish, a pain more acute for those whose livelihoods depended on NHL hockey being played. The entire 2004-05 season was vaporized, myriad jobs were lost, and the Stanley Cup was homeless for the first time since the 1919 pandemic. Still, while there was no silverware awarded, there was a silver lining. As the league and the union fought over how to divide $2.1 billion, a cadre of players, coaches and GMs assembled to brainstorm ways to improve the game. Brendan Shanahan, who was a member of the Detroit Red Wings at the time, was at the…

Dear readers, Life has changed for everyone since the arrival of the COVID-19 virus, and it has hit hard for many families around the world including The Hockey News family. This was also the first sentence that started off my last Publisher’s Note in the Draft Preview issue, and it rings more true today than in the last issue. Like the last issue, this one is being produced in digital format only and will not count towards your print subscription, so for you, it is free. If you are a digital-only subscriber, it will count towards your subscription. The Hockey News has not missed a beat during this COVID-19 crisis in delivering news and information that our loyal readers have come to expect since 1947. The content that has been produced for the…

IT’S THE THIRD PERIOD of a one-goal game late in 2019-20 with a playoff spot at stake. The trailing team pulls the goalie. The coach calls a timeout. He starts drawing up a play and prepping six skaters to send over the boards. He glances down the bench to see the other team’s coach, craning his neck toward him, hanging on every word. The arena is dead silent. It’s empty, with no fans. There’s no music playing. And, in a crucial part of this contest, the opposing team can hear every sentence uttered during this timeout. That scenario is a stripped-down version of what the NHL’s return to play committee has begun envisioning for whenever the league returns from its COVID-19 imposed shutdown, which went into effect March 12. It’s a…

PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS >2019-20 THE WINTERHAWKS have always modelled their logo and jersey after NHL Chicago, but this alternate brings a bold new look to the table – maybe one the Blackhawks would consider in the future. First and foremost, that’s a really sharp-looking hawk mascot on the front, and the grey really pops against the black background. Typically, Portland wears red with black for its dark sweater, so this is a nice inversion, and the striping on the arms is particularly striking. On top of all that, the brand-new shoulder logo is really good. The ‘P’ looks cool, while the reference to the Rose City keeps things local.…

UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN living under a rock, you’ve heard the tale of David Ayres by now. To quickly recap: the facilities manager and Zamboni driver was pressed into service as an emergency backup goalie for the visiting Carolina Hurricanes in a Feb. 22 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He stopped eight of 10 shots he faced and made history as the first ‘EBUG’ to be credited with a win. Here’s the new part of the story: Upper Deck commemorated Ayres’ performance on a card in its Game Dated Moments set, which was available for purchase in early March via its online E-Pack platform. And if you missed out on that, Ayres will also have a “Young Guns” rookie card, found randomly inserted in boxes of the 2019-20 SP Authentic…

PATRICK MARLEAU should have a pretty special career achievement right this minute if not for circumstances completely out of his control. The 40-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins winger – remember, he was acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline – could, should, would be the NHL all-time leader in games played if not for 129 games missed due to two lockouts and a season curtailed by COVID-19. Marleau stands at 1,723 regular-season games, fifth all-time but just 44 behind Gordie Howe’s 40-year-old record of 1,767 games. We’re not sure if Marleau will be back at 41 in 2020-21 to resume his hunt, but it would be a shame if work stoppages, rather than injuries or a stark drop-off in play, were the primary reason why he fell short. We’re using Marleau as a proxy…