#GaryBettman

[mitchbeck]

HERSHEY BEARS SWEEP THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Despite a two-to-one shots advantage, the Hartford Wolf Pack season ended before 4,596 at the XL Center Wednesday night when the Hershey Bears defeated them 3-1 and swept their Best of Five Atlantic Division Final series in three straight. Hershey moves on to play the Rochester Americans, who swept their series over the Toronto Marlies, setting up an AHL Original Two matchup in-a Best-of-Seven Eastern Conference Final. "Hershey's a very good team. They're the best team five-on-five in our conference this year," Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblach said. "The difference in the series was we weren't able to generate enough offense. "In the first game, we had three power play goals. If we had that tonight, it would have made a huge difference. Five-on-five we weren't able to capitalize, and they did. Two even-strength goals in three games are simply not enough." THE THIRD PERIOD The Bears put the game away in the third period scoring twice after a penalty shot at 3:28 by former Quinnipiac alum Sam Anas, who was stopped by starting netminder Louis Domingue. A penalty shot was awarded to Anas after breaking into the Pack zone off the right wing on a two-on-one. Pack Captain Jonny Brodzinski tugged him from behind, creating the penalty shot situation. After starting at center ice on the shot attempt, Anas weaved and zig-zagged to the net. Domingue slightly adjusted to stay in front of him, patiently waited him out, and made a glove save. It kept the score tied and gave the team hope they could still pull this out. "That was a huge moment for our team. Louie came up with a huge save. We had a lot of offensive zone time in the third period, but I don't know how many quality chances we had, but we just couldn't find the net. Not being able to capitalize early in the game, we could have been up two or three goals, especially on a chance (Tim) Gettinger had. It was the turning point in the game. We couldn't build off our lead," Knoblauch said. The Bears, on the other hand, had other ideas. Lucas Johansen broke the 1-1 tie at 4:22. Normally a defensive-oriented defenseman, Johansen took a Mark Vecchione pass from behind the goal line at the left point. The 6'2 2016 first-round pick (28th overall) ripped a laser of a shot past Domingue high to the glove side at 4:22. That made it 2-1. Then at 7:25, Garrett Pilon put the final nail in the Pack coffin. Pilon, who was a two-way physical menace in this series, was deep on the right-wing side and took a cross-ice feed from Connor Michaels and, from a bad angle, beat Domingue, who couldn't come across fast enough to get there. For Pilon, it was his second goal of the playoffs. The Bears' Hunter Shepard (33 saves)  stopped the Pack's efforts to come back the rest of the third. SECOND PERIOD In the second period, the Pack had an early power play they could not capitalize on. At 9:14, Hershey's Riley Sutter, a righthanded shot on the left wing off a three-on-two, struck Domingue in the mask. Despite losing his protective gear, Domingue maintained his presence of mind and kept the puck in front of him. Beck Malenstyn, part of the Hershey fourth line, who was a thorn in the Pack's side throughout the entire series, leveled Bobby Trivigno at center after he released the puck for a penalty creating a brief scrum. The hitting at both ends of the ice by Hershey forced an offensive zone turnover by Tanner Fritz and led to a Hershey goal. Henrik Borgstrom fed Vecchione, who quickly found Vincent Iorio open on the right side. Iorio was two strides ahead of Gettinger and Ty Emberson and fired his first of the playoffs high to the blocker side past Domingue to tie the score at 1-1 with 4:55 remaining in the period. The Pack got a late power play on the roughing situation between Will Lockwood and Iorio. Ryan Carpenter, a team-best six shots, was stopped. "We had quality chances. It (was) that last ditch effort for the puck. It was throwing one wide, not bearing down. We played a really good game. In the third period it was those small breakdowns, and they played the opportunistic game. They didn't play their best game, but when you're off, they just sat back and took advantage of our mistakes. Two mistakes, (then) we found the puck in the back of our net," said Brodzinski. The Pack held the shot advantage throughout, but Shepard had his mojo going as he did in November and this entire series and kept his team in the contest. "We had a very resilient group this year," Brodzinski said. "A lot a credit to everyone in that locker room. There was no quit. I thought we had a good enough team to make a deep push, but we came up short. They were very opportunistic on their chances. He (Shepard) played a good game against us. All the credit to them, (they) played a sound defensive game once they got up one or two goals. They're a tough team to break down, get pucks through. But I'm proud of this team how they played this year." FIRST PERIOD The Wolf Pack started Domingue between the pipes over Dylan Garand, who had gotten them to this point when Domingue was called up to the Rangers for their playoff run. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Knoblauch also decided to shake up all of his lines and sat Karl Henriksson in favor of 6'6 Adam Edström to add some size to counter the Bears in that department. "They're big and physical, and we're a fast, gritty team. I thought we matched up well against them. It's the way the series goes. They beat us in overtime in that first game that we should have had. We were up in this game, and we let it slip away. Two of the (three) games could have been ours; that's how playoffs work. Next year we'll have to be better," Brodzinski said. He has another year left on his two-year $325K deal. Defensive combinations were also required to change because Adam Clendening's mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly, and he was understandably unavailable. The two teams traded chances. At 17:40, the Wolf Pack broke through as Anton Blidh won a one-on-one battle keeping the puck in the Hershey zone. The puck found Carpenter was behind the net all alone, came out of the left wing, and tried to stuff it in the net on the short side, but Shepard made the save. The puck came back on his stick. He waited patiently, and in came Turner Elson and stuffed in his second postseason goal. Blidh and ex-Pack Dylan McIlrath were battling for position in front, leaving it open for Elson. Each player was penalized, but Mac escaped a cross-checking minor. LINES: Carpenter-Cullye- Elson Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh Leschyshyn-Brodzinski-Lockwood Gettinger- Adam Edström-Trivigno Jones-Emberson Hájek-Scanlin Kalynuk-Hillman Domingue Garand SCRATCHES: Karl Henrikksson (healthy) Talyn Boyko #40 Matt Rempe (healthy) Louie Roehl #4 (healthy) Brett Berard #27 (healthy) Matt Robertson (upper body) Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery). C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season) NOTES: Condolences to Clendening on the passing of his mother-in-law. The last win by the Pack against Hershey was on November 20th. Tanner Fritz finished the Pack playoffs with a team-best nine assists and ten points. The Pack lost back-to-back games for the first time since early March. They ended the year with a three-game losing streak (0-3) in a five-game stretch and lost four of their last five. The previous streak of that kind was in early March 5th-11th. The last series win by the Pack over Hershey was eight years ago in six games. Just over nine years ago, they last lost to the Manchester Monarchs. McIlrath was at both. He was on the losing side of a sweep by Manchester, the eventual Calder Cup champs, and in the game against the Bears. The Calgary Wranglers will play the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a decisive Game 5 Friday. The winner goes to the Western Conference final. The Milwaukee Admirals lead the Central Division final. They are up two games to one over the Texas Stars and play in the Lone Star state capital on Friday. Brennan Othman, who will likely be with the Wolf Pack next season, had an assist as he and his Peterborough Petes teammates beat the London Knights 5-3, going up three games to one. They're one step closer to an OHL title with the chance for a trip to the Memorial Cup in Kamloops, BC. They would join the host Kamloops Blazers. The game will air on the NHL Network. The Halifax Mooseheads are up three games to one on the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL Gilles Courteau Trophy Championship. The Seattle Thunderbirds are up by the exact count in their series with the Winnipeg Ice. Propositions 301, 302, and 303 on creating a Tempe Entertainment District, which would primarily house a new 16,000-plus seat arena for the Arizona Coyotes, were soundly defeated by the voters 56 % to 44%. The defeat now sets the stage for the eventual relocation of the long-troubled franchise. The NHL was unhappy with the outcome and will meet with the Coyotes' ownership in the next few days to discuss the options now available to them. Staying at Mullet Arena beyond the contracted three years is not likely one of them. What could throw a monkey wrench into this are the quiet negotiations that have already been taking place. The NHL Players' Association's new head, Marty Walsh, when asked what his first order of business was when taking over last month, replied that he was getting NHL players not to play regularly in a college arena. That signaled how he felt the Coyotes' situation playing in the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena at ASU (Arizona State University) had to be remedied immediately. The agreed and signed escrow scheme (a part of the CBA revenue) to meet desired levels by finding them a new home and closing that gaping hole. The most likely scenario will see the team relocate to Houston, the fourth largest US TV market. It also won't disturb Commissioner Gary Bettman's 16 East and 16 West scheduling balance. By extension, the AHL Tucson Roadrunners would likely need to be moved. A lease arrangement would need to be agreed to first. Then, a regional TV deal would need to be secured, and several large sponsorships, especially for food and concessions with a soft drink company and a beer company, will be required, staffing, and so on. The NBA's Houston Rockets have been very open to adding an NHL team to the building's portfolio. It will take time to put in an ice system and to deal with making their building, the Toyota Center, dual-use compliant for hoops and hockey. Regarding naming the team in Houston, what's most likely is a new name and color scheme to maximize branding and merchandise sales. In the past, Houston has seen the Aeros in the old WHA, IHL, and AHL. Then there was the Apollos, for four years in the Central Hockey League (1965-1969) as an affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Then a second edition in the CHL (1979-1981). The Houston Blast played in the Gulf Coast Hockey League. They and the league never got off the ground. A USHL team, then a semi-pro league, had a team that called Houston home just after WWII that lasted for just two years. As for options other than Houston? Quebec City already has an NHL-level building, The Videotron Centre, but it won't get a team for four reasons. 1. French language requirements 2. Canadian currency exchange rate 3. The Montreal Canadiens 4. It busts Gary Bettman's mentioned 16/16 conference formula. Hartford? Not a chance. Kansas City? Despite Patrick Mahomes lobbying, remember the Kansas City Scouts, the mid-'70's NHL expansion disaster? The clock has started ticking. Tucson relocation options would be... in order... 1. Beaumont, at the Ford Center east on I-10 on the Texas/Louisiana border, 2. San Antonio, the AT&T Center, was an old AHL city south of Austin (Texas Stars) on I-10 southwest of Houston. 3. Waco 4. Amarillo 5. San Angelo 6. Allen. Ex-Sound Tigers goalie Kristers Gudlevskis, heads from MODO (Sweden-Allsvenskan) to Fischtown (Germany-DEL). C.J. Stretch leaves SC Bietigheim-Bissen (Germany-DEL 2) and heads down a level to Rosenheim (Germany Division-3). The AHL to Euro list has grown to 25 as the semi-Swedish name of Axel Andersson going from San Diego to Djurgårdens IF (Sweden-Allsvenskan). Expect more in the coming days. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[spektrummagazine]

We are seeing history in the making. The NHL was the next sports entity to halt all operations due to the coronavirus. Not long after the NHL announced these changes Major League Baseball announced its intentions to put the season on hold. This is now officially crazy @spektrummagazine Photo from @allsportsnews #NHL #Hockey #Coronavirus #COVID19 #allsportsnews #GaryBettman #sportsnews #sports #breakingnews #news #spektrum #spektrummag #spektrummagazine #mlb #sports #sportsnews #sportsperformance #world #usnews #earthfocus #instagram #instadaily #instanews (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9pJ1XLJW4i/?igshid=5uq3kc3vf13n

[garybettman]

where tf is the garybettman ritchie/carter manifesto then

[official-sports]

. . . . . #GaryBettman #NBA #MLB #NFL #NHL #UAAP #NCAA #PBA #PSL #PVL #WNBA #Tennis #sport #sports #sportsday #lifeinism #sportsday #sportscenter #sportsillustrated #sportlife #sportday #sportsbar #sportsspecialties #sportive

[athleticspr]

(Photo Courtesy of USA Today)

NHL Likely to Stay Away From 2022 Olympics

By Ben Spanbock

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doubled down on his decision to keep NHL players out of the Pyeongchang Olympics, and further stated that he doesn’t see the league participating in the near future. Speaking at the PrimeTime Sports Management conference in Toronto on Monday, Bettman said that the league had no regrets about keeping their players out of the upcoming games. While the decision was unpopular among players, the commissioner and the league’s Board of Governor’s ultimately decided it was for the best.

Trouble started when the NHL wanted to be featured as a sponsor of the Olympics, but the IOC declined to bring them on board as sponsors. Following the lack of payment, Bettman said teams began to rethink their involvement. Considering the Winter Olympics take place during the NHL regular season, the league has to put its schedule on hold in order for its players to participate. Bettman said on Monday that teams were split on whether participating at the 2018 games was a good idea, but that a larger contingent believed that putting the league schedule on hold was too disruptive. He went on to say that “when the IOC took the position that they didn’t want to pay the expenses, the reaction from all the teams was, ‘Wait we need to re-evaluate this.’ If they don’t value our participation, why are we disrupting our season?” In addition, the league also factored in their inability to use any footage from the Olympics in promoting the NHL.

Bettman also said on Monday that it was “hard to envision a scenario where it make’s sense” to participate in future games, however he did stipulate that it’s a “different equation” should the games return to North America. According to reports, the league had been interested in attending the 2022 Beijing games, but Bettman indicated that their participation in those games was also unlikely at this point. Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, reportedly told the league that if they don’t participate in Pyeongchang in 2018, they will not be welcome to participate in Beijing 2022. Until and unless the winter games make a return to North America, it looks like we’ve seen the last of NHL players at the Olympics for the foreseeable future.

[mikerichrds]

garybettman -> mikerichrds

[malkinse]

i was tagged by ash @kissykreider to post my lock/home screen + the last song i listened to // geno wallpaper by @garybettman

i tag @puckitupsid @discosdeacon @captainscrosby @violets <3

[freddersandersen]

I hit 1,500 followers!!!

I can’t believe that many people follow me but thank you guys so much! I started this blog in February because none of my friends were into hockey and now I’m surrounded by some great people who share the same love (and hate) for hockey as me. So here’s some of my favorite blogs that y'all should definitely follow!

First off my girls:

@burracudaa Zoe!! From dumb hockey boys to dumb school boys, there’s always things to talk about with you! I’m so glad that we can rant to each other about whatever. Wish we lived in the same state! Love you b

@nylanderr Rachel, ur the best,bitch. Thanks for letting me send you random shit.

#-f

@19dylstromer @alexandretexiers @andrebearakovsky @andreburakvsky @artturi-lehky @badgalkadri @billnylander @boorakovsky @bulletproofwhale @bura-babe @buracap @burakovvsky @caseymittelstadts13minutemile @casual-toronto-trash @codygiass @countvanriemsdick @draisaitl29 @dtbrown28 @dubnyk @dylanstrorne @flowbros @fuckleafs

g-m

@gallysburger @garybettman @gingerbrownie @hail-to-the-goalies @hitemwiththefour @holtbyism @itsyourboykent @jakegardnr @jaythebeagle @jimmyveseysfreecoffee @joshhodang @justhockey @justholtbythings @koilers @lindholmz @logancuoture @mattsmartsmarns @mitchmarnerssmile  @mitchuation @mitch-my-bitch

n-r

@nolanjamespatrick @nolannpatrick @nyland3r @nymarnthews @ogbrobeans @ohhischier @@onhomeice @outofcontextstevedangle @paraykhoe @pastasmynood @pavszacha @pbergeron @phoenixcoyotes @pksuburban @puckfucker @ramenjosi @rightwingwilson

s-z

@saintpatrice @scandella @schmidtyho @skjeiwhat @softauston @softkhairas @soft-hockeybros @spookylatta @spookymarner @spookywilly @spoopyburky @stamkos @travlskonecny @travisdermott @torontomaplefucks @twilson43 @tysbarrie @washcapshockey @werenzki @whatsacanada @williamnylandersthighs @wonthetrade @zachwereskey @zaitsy

Thanks again!!

~Kelly Ann

[mitchbeck]

HARTFORD WOLF PACK RETURN HOME WITH SERIES LEAD

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack return to the XL Center Wednesday seeking a win to close out the Best of Five series against the Providence Bruins. The win would advance the Wolf Pack to the Atlantic Division  Final, where they will play the winner of the Hershey Bears and Charlotte Checkers series in what would be a Best-of-Seven series. With the New York Rangers eliminated by the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, the Wolf Pack have seen the return of captain Jonny Brodzinski, center Jake Leschyshyn, goalie Louie Domingue and defenseman Libor Hájek. Head coach Kris Knoblauch will have some critical and difficult lineup decisions. Does he add in these four players who have not played in these playoffs for the Pack and risk upsetting the chemistry that has been so successful so far in the playoffs, or could it improve the team with their being added into the lineup? In goal, does Knoblauch continue to ride Dylan Garand to start while he has been playing so well in winning all four games he's played into this point, or does he turn to the more experienced and the team's primary starting netminder all season, Louie Domingue? On defense, the return of Hájek presents an interesting dilemma. He could help the team on the ice, but given his unlikely re-signing by Rangers General Manager Chris Drury, does it make more sense to ride the defense he has been using? Hájek will likely be looking for a new landing spot next season as it is unlikely the Czech native would be offered, let alone sign another cap-friendly NHL one-way deal again for next season. The most challenging decision Knoblauch will face is at forward. Brodzinski and Leschyshyn were two-thirds of the team's top line. Does he keep them together while keeping Ryan Carpenter and Turner Elson, who have played well together, and move Tim Gettinger up to their line? Gettinger played very well in Game 2. These moves would offer the Pack two solid scoring lines to challenge the Providence defense. He could keep the very effective Anton Blidh on the third line at left wing. Will Lockwood could drop down to that line on the right side and was another solid Game 2 performer. He might consider scratching Adam Edström and putting Tanner Fritz in the middle. Knoblauch might keep Karl Henriksson and Bobby Trivigno intact on the fourth line. Despite playing his best game as a Wolf Pack, he might consider dropping young Adam Sýkora in favor of Lauri Pajuniemi, who has played well in the post-season. His two-year contract expires in June. He may be heading to Sweden to play next season. These decisions will be critical in determining whether the Pack continue to move forward in their quest for their first Calder Cup Championship since 2000 or end this highly unexpected run. NOTES: Carter Verhaeghe, the ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, is the toast of the NHL. The Florida Panthers pulled off the biggest upset in hockey with his OT goal that knocked off the regular season Champion, Boston Bruins. This playoff series may be the most significant upset since the "Miracle on Manchester Street" when the LA Kings upset the Edmonton Oilers just before their dynasty run of the mid-1980s. Ex-Sound Tiger Tom Kühnhackl heads home from Skellefteå AIK (Sweden-SHL) to play for Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) next year. Ex-Pack Tomas Kunratek switched teams in Czechia (Czech Republic). He leaves HC Brno of the Czech Elite League to play for HC Oceláři Třinec. Hershey's Joe Snively (Yale University) had a goal and two assists in the Game Two 5-1 win over Charlotte. The Wolf Pack's ECHL affiliates, the Jacksonville Icemen, won Game 5 of their South Division ECHL semifinal in a 5-4 win. Former Quinnipiac University player Craig Martin and another former Bobcat and ex-Pack, Brandon Fortunato, scored. The Icemen look to advance play in Game 6 on Tuesday and a possible Game 7 on Wednesday. The winner will play either the Florida Everblades, the winner in six games over ex-Pack Brendan Kotyk, or the South Carolina Stingrays. The Quebec City NHL-styles building, The Videotron Centre, has had two of the three largest crowds ever in QMJHL history at the Quebec-Gatineau President Cup semifinal. The Quebec Remparts have shattered the old record of Le Colisee and lapped around the mark set by the Halifax Mooseheads. The second best occurred in the old Montreal Forum on April 22, 1983, in a "home" game for the nearby Verdun Jr. Canadiens. They were playing the Longueuil Chevaliers and the hockey prodigy in Verdun. They hadn't seen the likes of since late Guy Lafleur's junior days in Pat LaFontaine and Jean Beliveau, who graced the ice as the big man down the middle for the NHL Canadiens in the 1960s and 1970s. 17,911 - Quebec | Apr. 30, 2023 17,860 - Verdun | Apr. 22, 1983 17,416 - Quebec | Apr. 28, 2023 Could Quebec City support a new 21st-century Nordiques? Attendance-wise, indeed, yes, but three things remain killing it. The French immersion requires all schooling to seventh grade to be French only and all public signage and literature to be in French. The Canadian currency exchange rate. NHL salaries are all paid in US dollars, while most all the Canadian teams take their revenue in Canadian currency. The last reason is Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, who wants to extend the Canadiens brand to Northern and Eastern Quebec and French-speaking parts of the Canadian Maritimes. Add in NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman not wanting to disturb the 16 East, 16 West team balance that he spent years to achieve. Arizona will never move there if their new arena referendum fails in two weeks. They will likely be in Houston in two years. Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor, owner of Videotron cable, has abandoned his efforts to bring the NHL and a Nordiques rebirth to the city. He has recently brought the CFL Montreal Alouettes instead. He was elected as an MP in the Quebec National Assembly in the 2010 decade. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[ferduh]

tagged by @garybettman ✨✨✨ i tag @stephenstrasburg @itsjinyoungnotjr @mitzvots @mitchmarnerr if they feel like it 🌈

[midar1]

Hey, I'm kinda new to this whole hockey tumblr thing so could you give me a few blogs to follow? thank you, I hope you have a great day!

sure!!! some of my favorites that post a lot of great content are @klingbrg @rnhopkins @nick-suzuki @dubnyk @connrcarricks @werenski @garybettman @yammermoto @jaketroubas @harrisonjack @tomashrtls @ryannugenthopkns @liasandersson @meanlars @stevenstamkos @pksuburban @molegan @veseyz @pavszacha @pbergeron @capmcdavo @joshhodang @mapleleads @tampabaylightning @pyatts @filipf0rsberg and @tboobs !!! lots of varying teams but i’m sure you’ll find someone to follow. you can also check my blogroll here for everyone i follow. and thanks, you too!!!

[ao3feed-hockey]

Garybettman

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2fbEk2z

by MeansToOffend (goodmorning)

"'I’ll give you three days, and if you can guess my name you can keep the kid.'"

Words: 1097, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of 31 in 31: NHL Fairy Tales

Fandoms: Hockey RPF

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Antoine Roussel, Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars Ensemble

Relationships: Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin, Ben Bishop/Antoine Roussel

Additional Tags: Fairy Tale Retellings

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2fbEk2z

[athleticspr]

Argument of NHL Participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games Left Unresolved After Meeting

By Melanie Klucznik

After a key meeting held Friday, the argument of whether or not NHL players should participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics is still unresolved.

 The meeting consisted of four big names in the world of hockey: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and NHLPA Director Don Fehr. Despite little being accomplished at the meeting in terms of the issue at hand, a crucial, cordial connection was made between the major names of the NHL and the International Hockey committee and federations. This connection could be considered a step forward.

 IIHF President Rene Fasel explained how the connections made would influence the overall decision: "I think it was very important to get us and the IOC and NHL/NHLPA together. This was a courtesy visit and I hope we can build on this and continue to work towards a solution that will benefit the sport of ice hockey."

The National Hockey League is officially the only professional sports league that will allow breaks within the season to enable players’ participation in the Olympics. Though next year, this may not be the case.

 The NHL is leaning against sending players to the Pyeongchang Games, because of the presumed lack of hockey-related interest in South Korea. There is much talk amongst players and NHL officials about the risk of injury at the 2018 games, and what type of impact this could have on the regular season. If players were injured in the Olympics it could have a detrimental effect on different team’s playoff chances. Adding this extra factor of playing higher-level hockey, mid-season, has been negatively impactful in the past and can be, again.

New York Islanders Captain John Tavares tuned into the meeting from Long Island. While the rest of his team was warming up for their Friday night game against Detroit, Tavares was listening closely, considering the issue from a player’s standpoint.

"It can be used as a sensitive issue," he said. "You can make the argument on the negative impact it can make during the regular season, but then globally, the positive impact it can make. There's a lot of talk about China and preseason games and the growth there when the Olympics go there. We'll see what happens. There's a lot of moving parts."

From the viewpoint of most NHL players, participating in the 2018 Olympics is a no-brainer. Players want to represent their country, and many have dreams of playing on an Olympic team. Some believe it would be beneficial to the sport of hockey as a whole, because of the influence of introducing the sport to other areas of the world.

“Anytime you get to represent your country, you want to be able to,” said Anaheim defenseman Hampus Lindholm, “The Olympics is such a huge event. I think anyone would want to go there, especially a young guy like me. I haven’t really been around that long and that would be a great experience.”

The importance of hockey being considered an international sport has been highlighted. There have been rumors of the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks playing an exhibition game in China, next season. Internationally, the argument is pressing. 

While there are many social factors to consider, the prevailing argument still remains: “who’s going to pay for it?” The NHL sure isn’t. They’ve asked the Olympic Committee to pay for the players to fly out to the Winter Games, however, they haven’t had any such luck.

When the topic came up during a press conference Wednesday, The Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis spoke on behalf of the team: "It's a players' league. If Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby and Nick Backstrom tell us, 'We want to go play for our country,' how am I going to say no? I might get fined. I might get punished in some way, but I feel I'm in partnership with Nick and Braden and Alex. It's a tough decision."

Quotes derived from Associated Press Article by Larry Lage

[alexandretexiers]

stanleycupwerenski’s follow forever

I recently hit 600 followers and decided to make this lmao 

My beautiful mutuals who literally make my life better (I applaud you guys for being able to put up with my shit) 

@bobrovskies @grubaeur @curlyfrycarrick @pbergeron @itsyourboykent @artturi-lehky @pksuburban @hockeyaf

My favorite CBJ blogs who basically are the fuel for my love for this cursed team

@goldanklebonecups @neverbringasticktoacannonfight @ryanmurrayshealthandhappiness @ryanjohandsome @topcopbobrovsky @abbytollivr72 @murrayryan @9oclockonasaaderday @kyleekhaos34 @hella-punkrock @sxyswedes

Really cool people that I’m too shy to talk to lmao

@mapleleivo @72bread-pasta88 @woahmarner @carey-pricemas @hockeythighs @habbygleek @holyholtby @bigzwerenski @shashefski @generichawkeyblog @bura-babe @leafstrashtm @subbanator @cheerbaitromanjosi59 @nosleeptilstanley @andre-baerakovsky @auston-memethews @willynylanders @tal-lee-uh @gingerbrownie @hail-to-the-goalies @hnrikzetterberg @nhl-canes @dallaseguin @typaulseguin @dubnyk @torontocapitals @rask-me-anything40 @lgbtsubban

People I enjoy seeing on my dash everyday

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(reminder- this is a sideblog so you’ll see dropped-my-hotpocket following you instead of this url- its still me)

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: PRO HOCKEY HAS A RUSSIA PROBLEM

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Pro Hockey has a Russian problem. NHL teams playing in the Czech capital of Prague next month have been told their Russian players are not welcome. The Czech Foreign Ministry informed the NHL of its position resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the ministry declined to say whether the NHL's scheduled regular season games between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks on October 7th and 8th at Prague's O2 Arena in the Czech capital will honor the request and exclude Russian athletes.  The travel rosters have not been finalized, but Nashville's roster includes Russian forward Yakov Trenin, while San Jose's includes forward Evgeny Svechnikov. Defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov won't be an issue as he is unavailable for the Sharks anyway, as he is out with a torn Achilles tendon. "We can confirm that the Czech Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the NHL to point out that, at this moment, the Czech Republic or any other state in the (visa free) Schengen zone should not issue visas to the Russian players to enter our territory," Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek said in a statement. The ministry added it informed the league "about ongoing negotiations about banning entry for those citizens of the Russian Federation who already had received valid visas before." It said a ban on Russian athletes in sports events in European Union countries was also recommended by EU sports ministers in Brussels, where the EU is located and part of its sanctions on Russia. The Czech Republic (Czechia) was one of the first EU countries to stop issuing visas to Russian nationals following the February invasion of Ukraine. Exceptions include humanitarian cases and people persecuted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. The NHL is returning to Europe for its first games outside of North America since the start of the pandemic. Besides the two games in Prague, the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play another two games in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 4-5. The Finnish government's position on Russian players was not immediately clear. However, they have applied for NATO membership, so anything that might jeopardize that will be avoided. Czech native and former NHL great Dominik Hasek has led the opposition to Russian players coming to Prague since the games were announced in April. Hasek, virulently anti-Russian, approached the upper house of Parliament, the Senate, in the Czech government, and the Foreign Ministry about the issue. "It's very important for the support of our Ukrainian ally and safety of our citizens," Hasek said in an interview for a Russian broadcaster. After it was not aired in Russia, he had it published in the Czech media. "Yes, we don't want any promotion of the Russian aggression here," Hasek tweeted after the ministry's move. "We're guarding our lives and the lives of our allies in the first place." NHL President Gary Bettman and his AHL counterpart, Scott Howson, have a growing dilemma. On the surface, the NHL cut all ties with Russia at the onset of the invasion. They have remained silent since. However, a handful of Russian/Belarussian players were drafted in Montreal at the annual draft. Several present and past players have signed in Russia, Belarus, and China at the AHL level. It’s a major problem. The more the war drags on, and the more war crimes mount, the more difficult it becomes for Mr. Bettman and Mr. Howson to do nothing. Public indignation will force their hand. With a new season rapidly approaching and the war dragging on, mass graves have recently been found. It must be noted that not all Russian players are pro-Putin, for example, New York Ranger forward Artemi Panarin. However, the issue with professional record chasing there's long-time top-performers Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, their positions become more problematic by the day. (An ESPN story was used in the formation of this piece) GARRETT BURNETT Last year, the Hartford Wolf Pack lost the second alumnist to pass away in Garrett Burnett. He alternated between Burnie, and Rocky, as his nicknames. The circumstances under which his career ended were very sad. For the first time, we can reveal, with his permission, what happened. Former LNAH teammate and member of the ex-Wolf Pack community now retired, Brandon "Sugar" Sugden, his close friend, is still emotional about it all these years later. Burnett was out with friends one night in the off-season in Delta, BC, just outside Vancouver. The group was hassled, and words were exchanged. The parties went outside to settle their differences. The Crown, the Canadian legal system in its investigation, said in the ensuing melee had always reported Burnett was hit over the head with a chair and suffered debilitating injuries that left him a shell of his behemoth 250-pound frame. Sugden said that wasn't entirely the case - Burnett had been shot in the head. The security footage of the fight went missing, and not to this day had it ever been produced by the establishment in question, or had anyone ever been charged in the attack. So the cover story about the chair was made up by authorities, hoping somebody would come forward to authenticate or provide convincing, authoritative evidence and testimony to the incident. But, sadly, no one did. Sugden, at the time, was informed of how severe Burnett's situation was. He arrived at his friend's bedside, completely unprepared for what he saw. "I saw all those tubes and wires coming out of him. I didn't even recognize him. "I had to walk out of the room, (compose) myself, and go back in and be with him. "The doctors said his being such a strong athlete likely saved him. It was a horrible, awful time." Burnett survived initially but was left with severe injuries that forced him into rehab to re-learn his motor skills. He passed away last year. Let's hope during the Wolf Pack celebration being planned for later this year, they include a nice tribute to Burnett. NHL HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[hockeylvr42]

I’m just going to assume this is one shirt that is big enough for both players to wear at the same while in full gear so @garybettman get on it already

New NHL Rule

Instead of sitting in separate penalty boxes after a fight, the two offending parties must now wear ‘The Get Along Shirt’ for the five minute duration of their penalty.