It was a pretty quiet news week on the Seattle Kraken front, but the team did put out the below video showing that the tunnel into Climate Pledge Arena has been completed.
The tunnel will allow trucks to pull right onto the arena floor, making for easier set-up for large-scale events. Perhaps the most exciting part of the video, though, is the image of the future Seattle Kraken home as a whole. It’s getting there, folks.
NHL Outdoors
In case you’re missing Saturday’s outdoor game at Lake Tahoe between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, you’ll have another chance to take in the stunning imagery on Sunday when the Philadelphia Flyers face the Boston Bruins on the same makeshift rink. Read Andy Eide’s preview of the games here.
Nick Cotsonika has had some breathtaking photos on his Twitter feed the past few days.
I have a bone to pick with the Colorado Avalanche, though. This team has been wearing heinous blue pants that really don’t match with either their home burgundy uniforms or their road whites. The general understanding around the hockey universe was that since Colorado’s Reverse Retro jerseys are throwbacks to the Quebec Nordiques, the blue pants would eventually make more sense once those kits were put into game action.
So what do the Avs do? They show up to NHL Outdoors in BURGUNDY PANTS! WTF?!?
You’re telling me they could have been wearing burgundy pants all season long—which clearly would match better with both of their typical uniforms—and yet they continue to trot out in those blue monstrosities? Unacceptable. Sound Of Hockey demands an explanation from the Colorado Avalanche on this matter.
The Jack Eichel rumor mill churns again
Back in September, Bobby Margarita briefly came out of “retirement,” or whatever he’s calling it, to drop a classic Bob Bomb via a long Twitter thread starting with the below.
Imagine my surprise when I started making calls today and heard Jack Eichel trade rumours, including unverified chatter he may have at some point recently requested a trade out of BUF and that NYR were amongst interested teams. This, of course, required further investigation.
The gist of the thread is that what he was hearing was just a bunch of nonsense. But some of us here at SOH wondered at the time if there was any smoke to go with that fire, because frankly, why would Bob tweet about that at all if there really wasn’t anything there?
Well, fast forward five months and—surprise, surprise—the Buffalo Sabres stink again. This Tage Thompson play from this week sums things up nicely.
Before we move on from the Thompson play, it’s also remarkable how Tom Wilson reacted after receiving that generous gift in front of the net, but that’s beside the point.
Ok, back to Buffalo. The stinkiness of the Sabres has reignited the trade rumors surrounding Eichel, and as yet another Buffalo season heads down the trash chute, one can’t help wondering what happens with Taylor Hall as well. Remember, he is on a one-year deal, and we at Sound Of Hockey had surmised that he could end up a candidate for joining the Kraken as a free agent in the 48-hour negotiating window prior to the Expansion Draft. Hall will certainly be on the block at the trade deadline too if things don’t take a turn for the better in Buffalo very soon.
The Arizona Coyotes are still a mess
Optimism was in the desert air when billionaire businessman Alex Meruelo bought the Coyotes back in July, 2019. In his introductory press conference, he famously said, “We’re Coyote Nation, we want to win, and I sure as s**t want to win.”
The incomparable Katie Strang released a fascinating exposé in The Athletic this week documenting in great detail what has transpired since Meruelo’s purchase of the franchise. Let’s just say the optimism of 2019 has left the building.
Strang indicates some pretty serious financial issues, from missed payments to players, staff, and partners to shady business practices. She also paints a picture of a toxic work environment for staff that’s marred by finger-pointing, fear, and even some occasional harassment.
Strang goes so far as to point out that she herself was threatened by Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong. “After delivering a lecture on journalism ethics, Armstrong asked this reporter what she thought would happen if he were to tell general managers around the league how she did her job.”
Yikes.
Around the boards
Mike Babcock is apparently, uh… back… in… the… game?
Here’s a wild one. Sources say Mike Babcock will be announced head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies next week.
The ECHL’s Brampton Beast is (are?) ceasing operations, citing the seemingly endless economic challenges associated with the COVID pandemic. The Beast lasted seven seasons and served as an affiliate for the Lightning, Senators, and Canadiens at different stages. Brampton was also the subject of one of the best hockey articles ever, written by Scott Wheeler on his time embedded with the team in 2018. RIP, Beast.
To lighten the mood, check out these dirty dangles by young Elyssa Biederman.
GOTTA SEE THIS!!! Elyssa Biederman of the little Caesars u16 girls team pulls NASTY heel drag between the legs before scoring!!! pic.twitter.com/2FsaCvksWw
[Record scratch, freeze-frame, linesman Ryan Galloway narrating]: “You might be wondering how I got here.”
No, Galloway did not get hit with this shot, and yes, Seth Jones did score here.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Finally, some hockey weather in Seattle! Man, imagine if it got cold enough here to freeze the ponds and lakes and create outdoor rinks in parks with just a simple flooding of an open field. Some of us would never come inside during the winter. Then again, even more of us would likely flee the Emerald City because of a general disdain for such atmospheric conditions.
Regardless, I—a good Minnesota boy—welcome with open arms the falling of fresh snow, something we rarely see in Seattle proper.
You might be wondering how I got here, and how I created such a long skidmark on the ice.
Well, I was racing my sister around a pond—as two well-adjusted adult siblings would do—in northern Minnesota about a month ago, going just as fast as my goalie skates would carry me. If you’re unfamiliar, goalie skates come to a toepick-like point at the front. At full tilt, I inadvertently kicked the point of my right skate into the ice and flew like an ungainly Superman, slamming down HARD on the ice. The Carmex in my pocket did not survive.
It wasn’t my proudest moment, and I certainly felt the impact for days to come.
Nonetheless, in these Covid times, being outside on an ODR truly is like a brief trip to a very chilly heaven. On days like these in Seattle, it’s easy to daydream of a place to lace up the skates in nature.
Seattle Kraken news
Training Center partners named
It may not be in nature, but there will at least be a new place to lace up the skates within the next six months, and it will be used to expand Seattle’s budding hockey community. The Seattle Kraken’s three-sheet Northgate practice facility is coming along nicely, and the team announced some interesting community-centric partners this week.
You may recall press conferences from way back in 2018 when the team now known as the Kraken was simply called “NHL Seattle.” At several of those events, Jaina Goscinski, a young player from the Washington Wild Female Hockey Association (WWFHA), stood alongside Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke. She helped Leiweke evangelize the Pacific Northwest as a marvelous hockey market yearning for the league’s 32nd franchise.
Fast forward by two full years and one pandemic, and the Kraken didn’t forget about the WWFHA. On Tuesday, the team announced that it is partnering with the WWFHA as well as the Greater Seattle Hockey League (GSHL) to provide a home base for both organizations within the friendly new confines of the Kraken Training Center.
The WWFHA teaches the game to girls and young women from age four up to 19. The GSHL is the area’s largest adult hockey league with more than 3,000 participants. As a proud member of the GSHL’s Fighting Narwhals, I was pleased with this announcement.
The Kraken also teamed with the Black Girl Hockey Club (BGHC) to sell beanies through their team store this week, with all proceeds going to the organization. The BGHC helps fund the costs of playing the sport for young Black women and girls and works to disrupt racism on and off the ice.
The first shipment of beanies sold out almost immediately.
On and off the ice, twin sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando are hockey legends. Both 31 years old, they have decided to call it quits on a pair of illustrious careers with the US national team.
The sisters experienced their greatest on-ice triumph at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, where they played a huge role in defeating Canada to help the Americans win their first gold medal since 1998.
Watch this whole video:
A golden career 🥇
Monique & Jocelyne Lamoureux announce their retirement from professional hockey today and all we can say is: thank you ❤️
It’s been no secret—and we’ve actually talked about it in the last two Weekly One-Timers posts—that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been looking to quickly fill their vacant general manager role after Jim Rutherford abruptly announced his resignation on Jan. 27. Lots of retreads were reportedly being considered, along with a few would-be newcomers to the GM circle.
In the end, Mario Lemieux and company opted for not just one retread but two. They hired Ron Hextall, the former feisty netminder and GM of the cross-state rival Flyers, to lead the team with Brian Burke, the ornery former GM turned TV personality, serving as President of Hockey Operations.
Pittsburgh is at an interesting juncture in its life cycle of winning. The team’s two veteran superstars are aging and are no longer considered the best players in the world. The Penguins have also been exiting the postseason in progressively earlier rounds each of the past three seasons since winning two consecutive Stanley Cups. Can Hextall and Burke get the team back into true contender mode, or is it time to start thinking about the next life cycle?
The Dallas Stars have issued a statement for some reason
This week, eccentric billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made waves by asking his team to stop playing the national anthem before games. The NBA quickly reversed Cuban’s course for him, requiring teams to play the anthem.
The Dallas Stars offered an unsolicited statement on the matter.
Not agreeing with Cuban is one thing, and it’s totally fine to do so. But from the Stars’ standpoint, this is one of those situations where it would have also been fine to just say nothing and keep going about your business and nobody would have batted an eye.
What a recovery after missing with the pokecheck. A save like that is a sign that a netminder is feeling it.
Tuukka Rask gave his entry for save of the year as well this week, committing highway robbery on Mika Zibanejad.
As long as we’re talking about “of the year” candidates, we might as well throw in a couple of nice tallies from former Seattle Thunderbird Mat Barzal and his teammate Casey Cizikas.
Yes, those goals were both scored in the same game, and yes, the Islanders lost that game in a shootout.
You don’t see that every day
The Red Deer Rebels, who are preparing to start their 24-game WHL season on Feb. 26, will spend the duration of the shortened campaign living in suites at their home arena.
The Red Deer Rebels will be living at the rink this year for the 24-game WHL season….. pic.twitter.com/ZUiPSzHvpV
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Ever since Seattle Kraken assistant general manager Jason Botterill appeared on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, his stock has skyrocketed faster than GameStop during a short squeeze. Very topical, I know.
As we mentioned in last week’s Weekly One-Timers post, Jim Rutherford abruptly retired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Botterill’s name was being considered as a replacement for the long-time executive. It made sense, since Botterill was part of that franchise’s front office when it won its three Sidney Crosby-era Stanley Cups.
But Botterill is under contract with Seattle, and when a contract is in place, permission is required to speak to a candidate.
Bobby Margarita updated us via Twitter on Thursday that Pittsburgh did not receive permission from Seattle to talk to him, at least not quickly enough from the Penguins’ point of view.
Quick follow up/clarification on what I reported last night regarding PIT GM search: PIT did ask for permission from SEA to talk to Jason Botterill but did NOT receive permission to do so, at least not in a timeframe that worked for PIT. So Botterill is not a candidate in PIT.
So, although this story has flip-flopped a couple times now, the latest seems to be that Botterill is staying with the Kraken.
Botterill was hired as Seattle’s AGM just one month ago. Here’s hoping he stays at least through the inaugural season.
Other Kraken-related stuff
As you likely heard, Andy Jassy is set to take over as CEO of Amazon in Q3 of this year. We have no idea if this has any impact on the Kraken, but Jassy—currently the CEO of Amazon Web Services—is a minority owner of the team and had a big role in the branding of the franchise. There’s also speculation that Jeff Bezos moving out of the CEO role could somehow lead to the Sonics coming back to Seattle, but it remains unclear who is spreading these rumors.
Jassy is one of the minority owners of the Kraken and will probably be the majority owner someday. I imagine a lot of Sonics fans are assuming Bezos stepping down is related to him making a push for buying an NBA team. a little premature but not totally unwarranted.
Ok, but seriously it has no real evidence behind it at this time, other than Bezos is really rich, is based in Seattle, and Seattleites want the Sonics back.
Climate Pledge Arena also announced its first concert this week.
After the NHL successfully closed out its 2019-2020 postseason bubble with zero positive tests throughout, we at Sound Of Hockey were optimistic about 2020-2021. We thought it could be more successful than other leagues like the NFL and Major League Baseball at safely carrying out a season outside of a central bubble, because clearly the NHL just gets it and wouldn’t allow COVID to be an issue. Right?
Our optimism was perhaps a bit misguided.
As of Friday, 26 NHL games have been postponed this season.
Of course, there was always flexibility built into the schedule to allow for such postponements, but it does beg the question of what else can be done to make it more safe. And if this trend continues, does the league carry on, just accepting that more players and staff will get COVID?
There are currently four teams trying to contain outbreaks in Buffalo, Minnesota, Colorado, and New Jersey—the Devils have had as many as 17 players on the COVID protocol list. This does not include teams like Vegas, Dallas, and Carolina, who have already had their seasons shut down due to positive tests but have since returned to play.
Buffalo head coach Ralph Krueger also tested positive this week. He’s 61 years old, so that’s a bit scary.
With Colorado the latest team to shut down—the Avs just played three games against Minnesota, making us wonder if there may have been some cross-mojonation between the clubs—the league did get creative with its scheduling. It replaced a Blues/Avalanche series with a previously postponed Blues/Coyotes series on Saturday and Monday. It’s a quick pivot in plans for those teams but a clever decision by the NHL to try to keep things somewhat on track.
New protocols
The NHL released a statement on Thursday with new steps that must be taken immediately to hopefully curtail the spread of the virus. The most notable new protocols are removal of partitions behind benches to improve airflow and limiting arrival at the arena to no more than one hour and 45 minutes before game time.
The NHL isn’t the only league that has had its plans altered after COVID infiltrated its ranks. The same is certainly true for the NWHL, which very sadly was forced to suspend its previously exhilarating tournament in Lake Placid.
The NWHL and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) have agreed, due to new positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting safety concerns for the players, their respective staff & the community that the remainder of the 2021 NWHL Season in Lake Placid have been suspended.
The Metropolitan Riveters and Connecticut Whale had both exited the so-called Whubble after receiving positive tests, and the rest of the six-team league followed suit on Wednesday.
The timing was especially painful, as the NWHL was preparing for its first-ever nationally televised games. The semi-finals and final were set to be played on NBCSN with the Seattle Kraken’s new play-by-play man, John Forslund, on the call along with AJ Mleczko.
It’s a devastating blow for a league that seemed to finally be finding some traction and national attention with this very protracted season.
WHL update from our WHL correspondent
On the other side of the coin, Sound Of Hockey’s own Andy Eide broke the news this week that Washington Governor Jay Inslee has given the green light to the WHL teams within the state to return to play.
I have learned that Gov. Inslee has approved the WHL’s request to play hockey for its Washington based teams. No word from the league or teams about the next steps as of yet but one major hurdle has been overcome.
We don’t have a start date yet, and we also don’t know if the Portland Winterhawks will be given the same go-ahead by the state of Oregon.
The WHL teams located in Alberta did have a start date set last week and are expected to begin play on Feb. 26.
Victor Hedman is cooler than ever
Victor Hedman has done a lot in his NHL career, including winning a Stanley Cup, a Norris Trophy, and a Conn Smythe Trophy and being named to four All-Star Games. Plus, he just comes across as a cool dude. But we don’t think he’s ever looked cooler than he does now that he has this Swedish banger as his goal song.
Victor Hedman har – utan någon som helst konkurrens – NHL:s bästa mållåt 2020/21. pic.twitter.com/4uZOVM76KH
The Lightning do have a standard song they play for most players, but a few get special treatment with personalized tunes after they tickle the twine.
Here is the full song with lyrics for your enjoyment.
Tony DeAngelo is gone, Rangers rejoice
The Rangers—who waived Tony DeAngelo after he got in a reported scuffle with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on Saturday—came away with a 4-2 victory on Thursday over the Capitals.
As the Rangers were leaving the ice, they celebrated with what appeared to be a feigned altercation between other goaltender Igor Shesterkin and star forward Artemi Panarin.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
The new home for the Seattle Kraken has reached a major milestone. Friday morning, the last steel beam was installed at Climate Pledge Arena. The ceremony took place in front of construction workers from Mortenson along with Kraken and City of Seattle staff.
It took 2,500 craftworkers to reach this point in the arena construction. A total of 147,430 bolts were used to secure the 8.9 tons of steel and 1.3 million craft hours have been put into the project so far.
The final beam was signed by workers and onlookers before being hoisted up and in place.
Climate Pledge Arena is on track to be open in the fall of 2021 in time for the Kraken inaugural season in the NHL.
– Andy Eide
Fans loving the John Forslund news…
On Tuesday, the Kraken dropped a news bomb that the legendary John Forslund had been hired by the team to be its play-by-play announcer.
Seattle, you've got an incoming call – and trust us, you'll want to answer this one. 😏 pic.twitter.com/XRlCkgzDNw
Forslund is truly one of the all-time greats at this particular trade. So when the Carolina Hurricanes cut his pay in July, we at Sound Of Hockey had already begun clamoring for the Kraken to bring him into the fold.
“That’s Crapweasel Hockey, baby!” – John Forslund, October, 2021
We and many other Kraken fans got our wish, and now we can’t wait to hear Forslund whisper sweet hockey-related nothings into our ears for years to come.
This is entirely anecdotal. BUT… It seems like the general reaction from Seattle faithful has been less than favorable about the Kraken’s revelation—announced in tandem with the Forslund news—that their broadcast partner will be ROOT Sports.
This tweet from the Seattle Kraken Troll sums up the sentiment nicely:
Let it be known that we at Sound Of Hockey do not hold any strong opinions here, and we’re just sharing what we’ve seen on social media, on Reddit, in the comment section on our site, and pretty much anywhere else that Kraken fans gather online.
From our in-depth and very scientific investigative reporting, the consensus for why some fans are upset is that ROOT Sports currently does not have a streaming option for folks who do not subscribe to cable. Obviously, there has been a big shift into digital streaming platforms like Hulu, Sling, and YouTube TV, but ROOT cannot be found on any of those.
We conjectured (conjected? conjec…shed?) privately that there might be more news coming about a separate streaming partner. But Reddit user Olbaidon sent concerns to the Kraken and then shared the team’s response publicly.
“At this time games will be available through ROOT SPORTS distribution channels exclusively.” So, that settles the idea of a separate streaming partner, which apparently is not coming.
We understand the frustration from those who don’t want to pay for cable, and we do wonder if this alienates some potential new hockey fans that will end up missing the boat because of a lack of exposure. And this does feel like the very first thing the Kraken have done that hasn’t wholeheartedly put first the interest of the fans and the desire to grow the game in the Pacific Northwest. But we also assume that the Kraken received an enormous bag of money from ROOT Sports, and at some point they do also need to make some decisions that benefit them financially.
We’ll have plenty of discussion on this topic on the next Sound Of Hockey Podcast, so tune in!
WHL coming back (sort of)
The WHL has long said it plans to play this season in some form, despite the many challenges and setbacks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The province of Alberta has granted permission to the teams based within its borders—the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Calgary Hitmen—to begin play on Feb. 26.
Does this mean the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips are coming back soon too? Well, not necessarily.
“The WHL continues to work with government and health authorities in each provincial and state jurisdiction to establish a start date for the WHL’s East Division, B.C. Division and U.S. Division. Approval from the health authorities is required in each jurisdiction for the balance of the WHL Divisions to return to play.”
Read the full statement here, which gives some interesting details about the lengths to which the league will go to be able to get at least some of its teams playing.
NWHL Whubble broken
There was some disappointing news out of the Whubble, which has been underway for a week now. The Metropolitan Riveters withdrew from the tournament in Lake Placid after several members of the organization tested positive for COVID.
On the bright side, there’s still a great tournament in progress with regular season games for the five remaining teams continuing on Saturday, all of which are streamable on Twitch.
The Minnesota Whitecaps lead the standings with a perfect 3-0-0 record, but the expansion Toronto Six are hot on their heels at 2-1-1.
Remember, the Isobel Cup Semifinals and Final will be shown nationally on NBCSN on February 4th and 5th.
Rutherford retires abruptly
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford abruptly retired on Wednesday, citing personal reasons. Newly-hired Seattle Kraken AGM (and friend of the SOH Pod) Jason Botterill’s name is notably being bandied about as a replacement for Rutherford, who had held the role since 2014.
This is all still fresh but would be surprising if former Pens AGM Jason Botterill wasn’t a candidate in some form. Just took a job with Seattle. https://t.co/DLVge5lnAG
Botterill did work in Pittsburgh’s front office for many years and served as the team’s associate general manager, winning three Stanley Cups along the way.
For now, Patrik Allvin assumes the role with an interim tag, making him the first Swede to serve as GM of an NHL team.
That’ll leave a mark
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Walker took a slapshot to the face off the stick of Minnesota’s Matt Dumba on Friday.
In this same game, Matt Roy also took a very dangerous Kevin Fiala hit from behind, which resulted in an injury for Roy and a three-game suspension for Fiala.
Both Roy and Walker were allowed to travel back to Los Angeles with the team, so it sounds like the very serious types of injuries that could have occurred in both cases were thankfully averted. Nonetheless, it was a rough night for the Kings.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga appears to have finally ended in Columbus, as after a drama-filled week, the burgeoning center was granted his requested trade, along with a third-round pick, to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.
Dubois surprised many when it was revealed he wished to be traded from Columbus before training camp. A slow start to the season for the young center eventually resulted in him being stapled to the bench by head coach John Torterella after a lackluster — that might be putting it nicely — effort Thursday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay.
Here's an iso of Pierre-Luc Dubois' final shift for the Blue Jackets tonight. The center saw 3:55 of ice time for the night and did not take a shift after the first period.#CBJ
The public benching accelerated Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen’s timeline for trading perhaps his best asset, and Winnipeg and Anaheim were the most-rumored suitors for Dubois.
Laine, 22, is already a proven goal scorer but has been marred with inconsistency, and similar to Dubois, a desire to depart his previous franchise.
Roslovic, a Columbus native, will play for his hometown team. The 23-year-old is currently a restricted free agent, but is close to inking a two-year deal with Columbus, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He also was disgruntled with his situation in Winnipeg and wanted out.
In the end, Laine, Dubois, and Roslovic all get their wishes of leaving granted in the same deal.
-Josh Horton
Youth movement
Big week for Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes came into the NHL last season with high hopes and perhaps unfairly high expectations. After being drafted No. 1 overall by the New Jersey Devils, the hockey world anticipated a monster season for a kid who was just 18 years old and was accomplishing something that no other player had attempted by going straight from the National Team Development Program to the NHL.
Hughes floundered a bit in his first campaign, and often looked like a boy amongst men, especially in the early going. In the end, he potted just seven goals and added 14 assists, a far cry from what Devils fans were hoping to see.
In defense of Hughes, we are curious how many NHL goals his critics collectively scored as 18-year-olds.
But Hughes already looks different this season, and is currently on a point-per-game pace through six contests (2-4=6).
The sky really is the limit for this kid, and watching him mature as a player will certainly be something to behold.
Kaprizov nearly scores goal of the year
Wild fans have clamored for six years to see Kirill Kaprizov finally don the green and wheat sweater. The Russian superstar was drafted in 2015, then rose to become the best player in the KHL. There was hope that Kaprizov would come over to Minnesota as early as 2017, but Kaprizov shocked everyone at the time by signing a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow, making Wild faithful fear they may never see their blue-chip prospect make the jump.
The wait appears to have been worth it, as Kaprizov, 23, is here and is the real deal. Kaprizov earned the NHL’s first star of the week after playing just two games, scoring the game-winning overtime goal in his first game and assisting on the game-winning overtime goal in his second game.
Friday, in Minnesota’s home opener against the San Jose Sharks, Kaprizov nearly scored the best goal in the history of the Minnesota Wild, and that is not an overstatement.
— CJ Fogler 6'7" IQ 269 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 23, 2021
Bowen Byram debuts, wears ugly blue pants
WHL fans know Bowen Byram well from his time ripping it up on the Vancouver Giants blueline. In his last two seasons with the Giants, he scored more than a point per game, then went on to co-captain Team Canada in this year’s World Junior Championship.
The slick-skating defenseman took a penalty in his first shift against the Kings on Thursday, and only logged 11:19 of ice time, but saw that number jump to 14:28 the following night when he scored his first NHL point against the Ducks.
The Avalanche have done Byram dirty by making him play his rookie season in those atrocious blue pants.
-Darren Brown
End of NBC Sports Network impacts NHL
NBCSN will shut down by the end of this year, according to the Sports Business Journal, and it should have an impact on the NHL as it negotiates a new U.S. TV rights agreement.
NBC Universal’s current deal with the league expires after this season, and the NHL badly needs to do better than the previous 10-year, $2 billion agreement after two pandemic-impacted seasons. Empty arenas are severely affecting the hockey-related revenue that the players and owners split 50-50.
SBJ reported that NBC notified its league partners about the move this week. When the dust settles it might mean NHL cable TV games will be found on the USA Network if NBC is still involved next season. NBC Universal’s Peacock streaming service would also likely carry some NHL games.
It would be better for the league to split its cable TV broadcasts between USA Network and another broadcast partner such as ESPN, Fox Sports or CBS Sports Network to get more exposure and revenue. Streaming rights will also be interesting as current carrier ESPN+ and Peacock vie for games along with Amazon Prime as a possible wildcard.
-Jim Wilkie
Local round-up
Keegan Kolesar records first NHL point
Former Seattle Thunderbirds forward Keegan Kolesar recorded an assist on a goal scored by Vegas’s Alex Pietrangelo. With the Golden Knights up 1-0 in the first period, Kolesar won a puck battle along the boards, stole it and forwarded it to Alex Tuch who teed it up for Pietrangelo to one-time a blast past Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper.
Kolesar, 23, played for Seattle from 2013 through 2017 and led the WHL in playoff scoring as the Thunderbirds made their run to winning the WHL Championship in 2017. Originally a 2015 third-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kolesar was traded to the Golden Knights prior to the 2017-2018 season.
He was called up for one game last year but has played in all four Vegas games to start this season. The Golden Knights started him as the 13th forward but then moved him up to play center on the fourth line before a promotion to the third line that resulted in getting an assist.
💻 Kolesar on his first NHL point puck: Petro told me he's got enough pucks in his collection. I was fortunate he gave me one for charity 😆 pic.twitter.com/siyy9mLzJE
The Vancouver Canucks picked up Tyler Toffoli at last year’s trade deadline for a package that included a 2020 second-round pick and top prospect Tyler Madden. In Vancouver, Toffoli had an impact.
He provided much needed secondary scoring by notching 10 points in 10 games down the stretch. But, in the offseason, the Canucks were strapped for cap space and let the 28-year-old walk. The Montreal Canadiens quickly scooped him up and this week, Toffoli gave the Canucks a taste of what they let get away by potting five goals in two games.
The carnage started Wednesday as Toffoli recorded a hat trick in a Vancouver 6-5 shootout win. He followed that up with two more goals in an ugly 7-3 Vancouver loss the next night.
-Andy Eide
NWHL starts bubble season
The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) is kicking off its bubble season on Saturday. The whole season and playoffs will last two weeks in Lake Placid, New York, at the famous Herb Brooks Arena. The six teams will be playing five regular-season games plus two more regular-season round robin games. The top four teams from the regular season will advance to the single-elimination Isobel Cup Semifinals on February 4th. The winners from the Semifinal games will play February 5th for the Isobel Cup Championship.
The regular season games will be streamed on Twitch.tv with the Semifinals and Final aired on NBC Sports Network in the United States.
The American Hockey League (AHL) released its schedules for the U.S.-based teams this week. The regular season will begin on February 5th and run through May 16th. The schedules for the Canadian-based teams are expected at a later date.
With the hockey world focused on the start of the NHL season, the Seattle Kraken snuck over the finish line of their season ticket sales process. Being that the team had 35,000 season ticket deposits for an arena that holds 17,000, it was just a matter of time before this happened. But now that it has, there are surely some disappointed Kraken fans. The good news for people that never got the call is that the Kraken are proposing options to enable depositors to buy individual tickets to regular season games. Please kindly note that this story was first reported by SOUND OF HOCKEY’S ANDY EIDE!
Seattle Kraken License Plates are coming soon for Washingtonians. The Kraken announced that they need 3,500 “signatures” on a petition for team-themed license plates to get produced in Washington State.
The Seattle Kraken practice facility experienced a bit of a mishap last weekend when part of an adjacent building that was getting knocked down… uh… fell on the practice facility. Oopsy daisy!
Word around the campfire is that the damage will not delay the opening of the facility, but nonetheless, it’s an unfortunate setback for the team. Miraculously, nobody was injured in the accident.
NEW: Construction accident near @SeattleKraken training facility causes damage to future team headquarters.
Early indication is that crews demolishing old Nordstrom building allowed debris to fall on Kraken site.
The story of Oscar Lindblom fighting Ewing’s Sarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer – took the hockey world by storm last season. He did return for two games in the bubble, but made his first appearance in regular season play this week and scored for the first time since November 2019. Meanwhile, teammate Nolan Patrick – who missed all of last season with migraines – also returned and scored for the first time since March 2019. The Flyers beat their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins twice in three nights to start the season.
It’s not all rainbows and lollipops in Philadelphia, though, as apparently Jake Voracek is less than thrilled with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mike Sielski.
Patrik Laine might want out of Winnipeg, but he showed in the Jets’ season opener that he won’t be phoning it in to force a trade à la the NBA’s James Harden.
Laine’s overtime winner was his second of the game, and he added an assist in Winnipeg’s 4-3 home victory Thursday night over the Calgary Flames. His lethal shot is as dangerous as ever, and he deserves credit for his professionalism and grit. Laine said he was “pissed off” about being denied a Gordie Howe hat trick because he received only a roughing minor for a skirmish with Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk.
“That one time when I drop my gloves, I get a two-minute penalty. So that’s kind of embarrassing,” Laine told TSN.ca.
Laine, who is due to be a restricted free agent after this season, also has the extra motivation of looking for a long-term contract worth more per year than the $6.75 million he’s getting this season.
Some have even speculated that Laine could end up with the Seattle Kraken. It’s far too soon to tell whether the Kraken could put a package of assets together that would appeal to the Jets, but it’s in Winnipeg’s best interests to get a trade done before Laine goes unsigned into next season’s training camp or beyond.
Seattle has a better chance than many other teams that are up against the cap and navigating through this revenue-battering COVID-19 season. (By the way, one of Laine’s agents – Mike Liut – happens to be a former Hartford Whalers teammate of Kraken GM Ron Francis.)
Ironman streak in jeopardy
Keith Yandle has played 866 consecutive games, dating back to March 2009. According to TSN, the veteran puck mover has “fallen out of favor” with the Florida Panthers organization and was not included in the main group of six defensemen at practice on Friday.
With Yandle holding a no-movement clause, the only thing new general manager Bill Zito can do to not play Yandle is healthy scratch him. Yandle cannot be traded or put on waivers without his permission.
Yandle, 34, is still a productive player and has been a huge part of Florida’s power play. Being healthy scratched after battling through everything that comes with playing that many games in a row would be a real kick in the nether regions, though it sounds like there’s still a chance Yandle plays in the team’s opener on Sunday (the Panthers have not yet played due to COVID-related postponements).
Quinn Hughes, one of the most exciting young defensemen in the league, tallied an assist on opening night against the Oilers from his knees. That’s pretty cool!
Watch poor Colorado’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare lose his childlike enthusiasm for the Avalanche’s Feb. 20 outdoor game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
