The Hockey News Trade Deadline 2021

TO QUOTE HALL OF Fame rock group Rush, who paraphrased Hall of Fame playwright William Shakespeare, “all the world’s indeed a stage, and we are merely players.” And while we may have the power to choose our own characters in our productions, the genres typically choose us. Take deadlines. They’re horror shows. Some of us play supporting parts (sheepishly raises hand), man/woman No. 2, one half of a home-hunting couple that immediately strikes the creepy house on the hill off their list without even viewing it. They envision stress at best, night terrors and decapitations at worst. The sooner they dispense with the potential problem, the better. More adventurous souls take on the lead. They’re adrenaline junkies disguised as cynics who say they don’t believe in the paranormal even as the…

WALTER ‘WALLY’ GRETZKY AND Walter ‘Wally’ Roustan had much in common even though they never met. Both were born in the 1930s to immigrant parents who sought out a better life in Canada after leaving Eastern Europe and whose fathers fought in the First World War. Both affectionately were known by friends and family as Wally, both Wallys met their wives in the late 1950s in Canada, got married and named their eldest child Wayne. Both were men of faith and loved the game of hockey with passion. Both men passed away in their 80s, Wally Roustan in 2016 and Wally Gretzky in March, both with their Waynes at their bedside, along with some of their other children. As Wally Roustan’s second child, I was named Walter Graeme Roustan, and to avoid confusion…

AS HAS BEEN THE case with the 3-on-3 tournament format, we’ve chosen an all-star lineup for each division. There must be at least one player from each team in the division on the roster. We’ve gone with a roster of six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies, with a maximum of two representatives per team. NORTH DIVISION FORWARDS CONNOR MCDAVID (EDM): There is no better or more exciting player in the world today. AUSTON MATTHEWS (TOR):Poised to become the first true superstar in Leafs franchise history, Matthews could score 50 goals. MARK SCHEIFELE (WPG): He had an 11-game point streak in which he produced eight goals and 18 points, and he’s been a beast. DRAKE BATHERSON (OTT): On pace to score 20 goals. Tied the Senators record for consecutive games with a goal with six. LEON DRAISAITL…

SCOTT WEDGEWOOD | NEW JERSEY DEVILS AFTER DAVID PUDDY’S FIRST run of Seinfeld episodes, including the legendary “face painter” storyline, the show couldn’t resist bringing back the popular character, played by Patrick Warburton. Fittingly, a few years after the Devils’ Wedgewood honored the character on a mask, Wedgewood and artist Dave Gunnarsson return to Puddy. This time, instead of featuring images of Puddy, the design replicates the Devils paint pattern Puddy wears on his face.…

BOSTON COLLEGE | 2020-21 MANY, MANY NCAA PROGRAMS favor lettering over logos on the front of their jerseys, which is why it’s fun when schools bust out totally different designs. That’s what Boston College has done with this jersey from the men’s team, which features the ‘BC’ logo front and center, with the school’s majestic eagle mascot soaring on the shoulders. Not only do the Eagles win on the logo, but by going with a golden base color, the uniforms really pop on the ice. Plus, NCAA hockey isn’t afraid to have games where both teams wear colors instead of one wearing white – a philosophy the NHL should adopt.…

SERGEI FEDOROV’S DEFECTION FROM Russia to the U.S. in the summer of 1990 helped create one of the most popular hockey cards that fall. During the 1989-90 season, Fedorov toured North America with the Soviet Red Army team for the Super Series – a set of exhibition matches against NHL clubs. The Red Army went 4-1-0, with Fedorov scoring two goals and four points. O-Pee-Chee was almost prescient in its decision to put cards of Red Army players, one per pack, in its 1990-91 NHL set – including a card of Fedorov, who defected in July and then quickly established himself as one of the NHL’s best rookies. When O-Pee-Chee’s annual set was released soon after, Fedorov’s “Red Army” card quickly became one of the hottest on the market. While…